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Volume 51, Issue 70 | monday, january 23, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
Students march for equal rights Demonstrators participate in Women’s Marches on Washington, South Bend By NICOLE CARATAS Saint Mary’s Editor
The day after President Donald Trump was inaugurated, people across the country and the globe took to the streets in Women’s Marches to stand up for the rights of women and marginalized groups. Saint Mary’s students joined the marches both in downtown South Bend and in Washington, D.C. Sophomore Teresa Brickey was part of a group that traveled to Washington. She said the group received scholarships from the Fountain Street Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to attend the march. “I march because there are many injustices taking place in our country,” she said. “My friends have been targeted for their skin color, for their ethnicity, for their faith, for their sexuality, for who they essentially are. This past see MARCH PAGE 4
Observer Staff Report
MEGAN UEKERT | The Observer
Demonstrators in the nation’s capital gather at the Women’s March on Washington. Students from Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s participated in marches both in D.C. and South Bend on Saturday.
SMC hosts Heritage Week By SYDNEY DOYLE News Writer
For Saint Mary’s Heritage Week, the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Alumnae Relations Committee (ARC) have scheduled a week of events that honor and share the history of Saint Mary’s. Vice chair of the ARC Kayse McGough said Heritage Week is a great time to celebrate what makes Saint Mary’s so unique. “Saint Mary’s has such a rich heritage that has been preserved throughout campus, through the Sisters of the Holy Cross and through our vast network of alumnae,” McGough said. SGA Missions Committee co-chair Lydia Lorenc said this week on campus is special because it’s a way for students to learn how the College’s mission statement came about. “It exposes students to the rich history of our founders,” Lorenc said. “One goal of our
NEWS PAGE 3
NDSP detains person
committee is to promote the College’s mission statement.” On Monday, the SGA and the ARC will host teas at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. in Riedinger house. Students will listen to some background information on Saint Mary’s heritage, given by members of the alumnae office. Tuesday is the Father Moreau Dinner in the dining hall. The dinner will be followed by a panel of brothers and sisters who will share their stories about entering the religious life with the Congregation of Holy Cross. The panel will take place in the Warner conference room in the student center from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. On Wednesday at 3 p.m. and Thursday at 10 a.m., there will be a heritage tour with Sister Catherine Osimo at the Church of Loretto. Students will take a tour and further discuss the Congregation of Holy Cross. At 7 p.m. Wednesday there will see HERITAGE PAGE 3
SCENE PAGE 5
Notre Dame Security Police (NDSP) detained a person Friday evening after a student reported suspicious activity near a residence hall, according to an email sent to all students Friday night. NDSP is currently investigating whether the person is the same man who has been seen inside women’s residence halls, unescorted, several times throughout the past week, according to the email. The email described the man as “a middle-aged or older white male with graying hair, medium to stocky build with a height of 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet tall wearing a blue Notre Dame hooded sweatshirt.”
Club builds well in Cameroon during break By ANDREW CAMERON News Writer
Over winter break, six students from the Notre Dame chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWBND) traveled to Sangmélima, Cameroon, to complete construction of a sanitary hand-pumped well, giving the village access to a reliable source of clean water for the first time. The completion of the well marks the culmination of over four years of fundraising, research and planning by the students in EWB-ND, whose chapter was started six years ago. Sarah Drumm, junior and co-president of EWB-ND, said a rural women’s association in Sangmélima applied to the national Engineers Without Borders organization for a group of students to help with a water project. “There are other wells in the area, but I’ve been there, and most of the water is contaminated with bacteria that are incredibly harmful,” Drumm said. “It’s very visible
VIEWPOINT PAGE 7
Photo Courtesy of Claire Nauman
During their trip to Cameroon, students in Engineers Without Borders helped complete construction of a well.
— people there get sick all the time from water-related diseases.” According to the EWB-ND website, this is the third time students have traveled to Sangmélima. In 2014 and 2016, students visited the village on assessment trips, allowing them “to sample local water sources to gauge need, survey potential sites for the well, interview contractors, teach hygiene and women’s health programs, and build relationships with
community leaders,” the website said. All funds for the project were raised by the EWB members. Prior to the most recent two-week trip over winter break, EWB selected and hired a Cameroonian contractor to begin construction. “It was about 90 percent done when we came,” Drumm said. “ … We built the pad that goes around
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Women’s BASKETBALL PAGE 12
see WELL PAGE 4