Writing 01: A Notre Dame Identity

The images of a hacker or programmer we discussed in class of an unhygienic man in a dark basement, living off chips and mountain dew, never wanting to leave his computer are what most people I know expect from someone in computer science. I do think that this image of a programmer is becoming more and more rejected by the computer science community and we are projecting a more collaborative image as seen in our reading “Mark Zuckerberg’s Letter To Investor: ‘The Hacker Way’”. Those who work in teams tend to produce better work and are more likely to generate new ideas. Computer scientists with interests other than coding bring a different perspective to programming and can see a greater purpose in their work. I also don’t think I fit into the hacker stereotype at all, I prefer to be in a collaborative environment when working and pursue other passions of mine. I don’t constantly want to be coding, it’s really just something I find fascinating and enjoy as my major. I do see it as more of a means to an end and while I do enjoy it to other possible “means” I focus more on the end result of what I can create with coding and the purpose of my work. I find the meaning or problem I’m solving in work to be more a part of my identity than the fact that I can code.

People assume many things about students at Notre Dame including that we are all white, from a suburb of Chicago, come from a wealthy family, have at least one family member who went here, and are Catholic. I cannot reject these stereotypes because the majority of students here do fit into many, or at least one, of these stereotypes. I do fit into some of these stereotypes, being white and from a family that is able to support me, and am not ashamed to but I do wish the image of Notre Dame students were focused on who we are and how Notre Dame shapes us, instead of these superficial images even though it is true. A Notre Dame Computer Science and Engineering graduate thinks more broadly than his/her technical field and his/her impact on the world or greater community. The First Year of studies forces Notre Dame CS graduates to be exposed to more subjects than most students studying CS at other universities.

As we saw in class, Notre Dame is one of many schools with more students in the top 1% than the bottom 60%, which is something I didn’t consider when picking where I went to college. I can’t fault people for fitting into one of the Notre Dame stereotypes but I do think that this lack of economic, and other diversity at Notre Dame does hinder Notre Dame in its mission to educate the “whole” person. While I do agree that the First Year of studies and core requirements partially accomplish this by exposing students to different subjects and ways of thinking, not having a diverse student body has an impact on how Notre Dame students develop and creates a large gap in perspective and opinion. I have met a lot of closed minded people here and I think a lot of assumptions people make about those who are different than them (whether in ways of thinking or physically) comes from ignorance and lack of exposure to people who aren’t like them. I believe Notre Dame needs to strive to have a more diverse, equal, and just campus.