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Volume 51, Issue 117 | monday, april 10, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
Seniors launch whiteboard campaign In anticipation of Vice President Mike Pence’s Commencement speech, students express opposition By LUCAS MASIN-MOYER Associate News Editor
For seniors Imanne Mondane and Jourdyhn Williams, the Universit y’s selection of Mike Pence as this year’s Commencement speaker represents an endorsement of the values supported by President Donald Trump, which they said silences certain minorit y groups. To combat what they believe w ill be the adverse effects Pence w ill have on campus, Mondane and Williams launched the #notmy c om menc ement s p e a k er campaign, which took place throughout the past week and consisted of students “holding a whiteboard in [their] hands w ith direct quotes from Pence that are racist, sex ist, homophobic, xenophobic,” according to the campaign’s Facebook page.
“For me personally, [Pence] represents the larger Trump administration,” Mondane said. “ … his administration represents something, and for many people on our campus, it makes them feel unsafe to have someone who openly is offensive but also demeaning of their humanit y and of their life and of their identit y.” This v isual aspect of this campaign was key to its success, Williams said. “It’s hard getting out there to get people to discussions that you want to be there,” she said. “A lot of times they don’t come until you show them ‘this is my face, this is how it’s affecting me,’ and so we wanted to make sure it was something that impacted ever yone, and not just those who are interested in coming to these things.” see CAMPAIGN PAGE 4
SMC students market makeup By SYDNEY DOYLE News Writer
Saint Mary’s students have brought the skincare and cosmetics company Ginamarie Products to campus through an internship in which they promote products on social media and compose monthly articles for the company’s website. Gina Marie McGuire, the owner of Ginamarie Products, has run the company by herself for almost 30 years, her daughter Christina McGuire, a junior at Saint Mary’s, said. She said this internship gives her classmates an opportunity to try the products she has used for as long as she can remember. “As her daughter, I’ve used the products my whole life, but now other people — especially here — are using it,” McGuire said. “Seeing that it actually helps people is the best part about doing this for me.”
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McGuire said her mom’s mission is to show women prioritizing the health of their skin leads to beautiful results. “It is to empower women — that is my mom’s main goal,” McGuire said. “You don’t want to just put a product on your skin without knowing what it’s about, knowing what’s in it. When you have healthy skin, beauty automatically follows.” Sarah Sniegowski, junior and Ginamarie Products intern, said the brand’s message goes beyond skincare. “Our mission statement is to be role models to all women and to make an impact on the women around us,” Sniegowski said. Sniegowski said this internship provides her with valuable business experience and the opportunity to try new products. “As GM girls, we get to try all the skin care and some of the see MAKEUP PAGE 4
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Photos courtesy of Imanne Mondane
Members of the Notre Dame community hold signs with quotes from Vice President Mike Pence as part of the #NotMyCommencementSpeaker whiteboard movement, launched by two seniors last week.
Justice Friday examines implications of genocide By STEPHANIE SNYDER News Writer
By presenting on the Armenian and Yazidi genocides, Saint Mar y’s senior Katherine Elliot hopes she can prevent histor y from repeating itself.
During her presentation in Friday’s installment of Justice Friday, Elliot said her great-uncle was just a young boy liv ing in Tadem, Armenia when the Turks invaded his v illage. She said his mother rescued him from the debris, but when
he looked back at his mother across the river, he saw a Turk smash open her skull w ith a rock. “Obv iously he was able to escape,” Elliot said. “But even as an old man, he see ARMENIA PAGE 4
New director discusses study abroad program By GINA TWARDOSZ Associate Saint Mary’s Editor
Professor of biolog y Joel Ralston is the new director of the Saint Mar y’s Ecuador program called “Env ironments of Ecuador.” The trip predominantly sends biolog y majors to
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Ecuador, but the inv itation is also extended to students who are interested in the env ironment. The program maintains a proactive cultural awareness aspect that strives for students to interact positively w ith the people of Ecuador, Ralston said.
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“We spend time in Quito, which is a large cit y in Ecuador, and in some local v illages as well,” he said. “Within our first days there, we participate in a ser v ice project in a v illage near Quito. That involves see ECUADOR PAGE 4
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