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Volume 51, Issue 122 | Friday, april 21, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
Students address sexual violence Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s communities gather for Take Back the Night event By SELENA PONIO and KATHRYN MARSHALL Associate News Editor and News Writer
Members of the Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross communities gathered Thursday evening to promote campus healing in the areas of sexual assault and relationship violence. The event, Take Back the Night, started with a kickoff and walkover to Notre Dame from Lake Marion at Saint Mary’s. Participants then gathered in the Great Hall of O’Shaughnessy Hall, where members of the community sat, listened and shared personal stories of sexual assault during the event’s speak out. Survivors of sexual assault among the community
were invited to go up to the front and share their stories, and they were encouraged to share as much or as little as they felt comfortable sharing. Many took the opportunity to gain some sense of healing by sharing their stories of sexual assault, relationship violence, abuse and stalking. Several said it was their first time verbalizing their experience. Saint Mary’s junior Abigail Spica, who helped organize the event, said everything ran smoothly. Over 130 people attended the speak out, she said. “Every time I hear the different stories at the speak out, it’s so unique,” Spica see NIGHT PAGE 7
Saint Mary’s sudents hold top ROTC positions
Observer Staff Report
EMMET FARNAN | The Observer
Students from Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s complete a march throughout the College and University campuses at the Grotto.
MICHAEL YU | The Observer
By MARTHA REILLY Saint Mary’s Editor
Though they hold two of the highest-ranking student positions in Notre Dame Army, Nav y and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), Saint Mary’s seniors
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Emilie Vanneste and Megan O’Bryan salute the College for providing them with the confidence and leadership necessary to take on the roles of Army battalion commander and Air Force wing see ROTC PAGE 7
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The St. Joseph County Police Department notified Saint Mary’s of a sexual assault reported to have occurred in a residence hall late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, according to an email sent by head of security Dave Gariepy to the College community Thursday afternoon. Resources and support are available to sexual assault survivors through the Belles Against Violence Office (BAVO), Campus Ministry and the Health and Counseling Center.
Student group to host teach-in on Title IX rights By COURTNEY BECKER News Editor
We Stand For, a student group dedicated to drawing attention to social justice issues, is sponsoring a student-led teach-in focused on Title IX policy, sexual assault and other forms of gender-based violence Friday. Senior Grace Watkins said she and the other event organizers
Saint Mary’s senior and Army battalion commander Emilie Vanneste accepts an award at the ROTC Pass in Review ceremony Wednesday.
Sexual assault reported
were inspired by a “Day of Action” rally in support of Title IX and sexual assault survivors at Columbia at the end of March. “Originally, we just wanted to, as a group, be involved in some way with combating violence against women — especially with the new administration and all the threatened cuts to domestic violence funding and rollback on Title IX protections,” Watkins
said. “So we got connected with No Red Tape at Columbia, and they had this Day of Action planned. … So we decided to pool our resources, reach out to more people and plan the teach-in.” The teach-in is an event intended to “provide a forum for candid discussion on current Title IX procedures, complainant rights see TITLE IX PAGE 7
Administration looks to increase student retention By MEGAN VALLEY Assistant Managing Editor
This year, 63 percent of Notre Dame seniors live off campus — translating to around 1,600 seniors living off campus, compared to the 800 that live in the residence halls — according to director Margaret Morgan, director of residential life at the University.
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Each year of the past five or six years, the number of Notre Dame students electing to move off campus has increased about 1 percent, she said. “I think it would be a huge win if we saw that not happen for a year and then we started to slowly turn it back,” she said. “That seems like a very low bar, but that’s where we’re at right now, just learning how to stop
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the tide of people moving off campus.” There are two main reasons to keep seniors on campus, Morgan said — to keep seniors involved on campus, and concerns for student safety. “When seniors move off campus, we obviously lose their impact in the residence halls see HOUSING PAGE 7
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