The Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s Volume 45: Issue 104
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Ndsmcobserver.com
LGBTQ students discuss campus relationships Members of gay community express challenges and unique aspects of dating, friendships and hook-ups By SAR AH MERVOSH Managing Editor
Editor’s note: This is the third and f inal installment in a series about the experience of LGBTQ students at Notre Dame in light of recent requests that the University grant club status to a gaystraight alliance. For senior Rocky Stroud II, meeting up w ith other gay men on campus is not as simple as getting coffee or hang ing out in a dorm room. With other gay students sometimes still in the closet, it often takes planning, and a bit of secrecy. “[Some g uys don’t] want the same g uy who has been labeled or somewhat seems like he’s gay to keep coming in and out of his room,” Stroud said. “People w ill then either suspect or know or f ig ure out that he is not coming over to just watch the game.” So when Stroud II spends time w ith a male student who
is not out to the Notre Dame community, the pair w ill go off campus for dinner, wait until late at night to see each other or sometimes, look for obscure places to hook up. “There are rooms on campus that students have used,” he said. “The Jordan science lab was one of them.” At a Catholic university that has not recog nized a gay-straight alliance or added sexual orientation to its non-discrimination clause, the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) community has formed an underg round network that helps them f ind friendship, love or simply a hook up. Sophomore Mia Lillis said this network is particularly important at Notre Dame — not only for meeting potential romantic partners, but also for f inding support. “In an env ironment like this, a community is necessary because we still feel discriminated against by the off icial standpoint of the
SARAH O’CONNOR and PAT COVENEY/The Observer
University,” Lillis said. “So we all connect to each other so we can have that haven.”
Running underground
Students said the underg round network is par-
see DATING/page 6 Seniors Rocky Stroud II, above, and Jason G’Sell, right, discussed their experience as gay students at Notre Dame with The Observer.
Sociology Saint Mary’s holds class board elections professor dies at 70 By BRIDGET FEENEY and MEAGHAN DALY News Writers
Observer Staff Report C. Lincoln Johnson, associate professor of sociolog y emeritus at the University of Notre Dame, died Thursday. He was 70 years old. Johnson specialized in statistical methods and social psycholog y, pursuing a particular interest in the effects of globalization on the world food supply. In addition to teaching a popular course titled, “Global Food Systems: the Sociolog y of Food,” he applied this interest to local needs by serv ing on the board of the Northeast Neighborhood Center Food Pantry in South Bend and actively served the community. A native of Valparaiso, Chile, Johnson joined the Notre Dame faculty in 1971 after earning master’s deg rees from the New School of Social Research and the University of Kansas in 1966 and 1968, respectively, ac-
see PROFESSOR/page 5
Inside today’s paper
Saint Mary’s students will cast their ballots Thursday to decide on the next team of student leaders for the 20122013 school year, as elections for class councils and school boards begin. Voting starts at 8 a.m. Thursday and ends at 8 a.m. Friday. Students can vote
electronically, or they can cast their ballots at Student Government Association’s (SGA) booths set up in the Student Center, Spes Unica atriums and the Dining Hall. Senior Emma Brink, SGA executive secretary, said SGA is hopeful these elections demonstrate a high voter turnout. “SGA is so excited about last week’s Student Body election turnout that we hope to replicate the same enthusiasm for
the class and big board elections this week,” Brink said.
Class of 2013 President and Vice President
Three tickets are running for class of 2013 president and vice president: Emily Caltrider and Megan Hogan, Meg Brown and Christina Bueno, and Silvia Cuevas and Ambreen Ahmad. Though each ticket has expressed plans to unify the se-
nior class and host a variety of events, the candidates have expressed different means to achieve their platform goals. Caltrider and Hogan, members of the class of 2013 board, are running on a platform focused on offering diverse events, including a barn dance, wine tours and various service activities. Hogan said these events
see ELECTION/page 7
Special Olympics works to end ‘r-word’ By ADAM LLORENS News Writer
Members of the Notre Dame community will look to remove the derogatory term “retard” (“r-word”) from their vocabulary in a show of solidarity with the “Spread the Word to End the Word” international campaign today. Graduate student Jenna Newcomb, a project leader of the Notre Dame Special Olympics Club, which coordinates the event, said the project is focused on chang-
ing the way people with disabilities are perceived worldwide. “[Today] is essentially an international day of awareness,” Newcomb said. “It is a day we set aside to gauge the effect we are having across the world.” Newcomb said the campaign has gathered about 15 million pledges globally since 2011 alumnus Soeren Palumbo started the program in 2009. She said over 1,000 high schools and 200
see WORD/page 5
LISA HOEYNCK I Observer Graphics
College holds lecture on Dutch mystic page 3 u Viewpoint page 8 u Notre Dame in pop culture page 10 u Women’s basketball falls to UConn page 20