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Volume 51, Issue 54 | wednesday, november 16, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com
ND to roll out new ID card program To increase security, Irish1Card will introduce cards with chips instead of magnetic strips starting next year By MEGAN VALLEY Associate News Editor
A number of updates are in store for Notre Dame’s campus by time the fall 2017 semester starts: Campus Crossroads is projected to be finished, North Dining Hall and Hesburgh Library will be undergoing renovations, and, according to Irish1Card program director Daniel Tormey, all students will receive new ID cards. “Lots of people have their card, they don’t think about their card that much, it’s just their ID card,” Tormey said. “They need it for their residence hall, they need it to eat, but other than that they don’t give it much thought. ... Faculty and staff think about it even less. But, what we’re trying to do is make things more secure.” To do so, the University will be switching from cards with
magnetic strips to using “smart cards” that contain a chip. “[Magnetic strips are] reliable, but it’s not always the most secure, and you’ll find a lot of schools are moving away from the [magnetic strips] or are starting to look at smart card technology and how to incorporate that into their programs,” he said. “That’s what we’re doing. This new card will have a smart chip in it, and for students or staff, instead of handing over your card to swipe it, you’re just going to tap it on a reader. The technology there is much more secure than swiping it and just reading that information off.” While Tormey said the Notre Dame card system was “reliable,” its roots in food services and campus dining meant that it wasn’t as much of a see ID CARDS PAGE 4
ROSIE LoVOI | The Observer
A monitor at North Dining Hall takes a student’s ID card to swipe him into dinner. Student and faculty ID cards will contain chips rather than magnetic strips to increase security starting in the fall.
CCAC explores ND, SMC relationship with city By KATIE GALIOTO News Editor
The Community/Campus Advisory Coalition (CCAC) met Tuesday afternoon at the Holy Cross College St. Joseph Arts and Sciences Building to discuss ways to foster and improve the relationship between South Bend, its residents and local college students. The panel — which consists of city leaders, law
enforcement officers and residents of South Bend, in addition to students and administrators from Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s, Holy Cross College, Indiana University South Bend and Indiana University School of Medicine-South Bend — focused its November meeting on safety and positive interactions between students and community members. South Bend police officer Robert Hammer said
as students — particularly those who live off campus — prepare to leave for the holiday season, they should be careful to lock up their belongings. “Make sure windows are closed, curtains are down and alarms are set,” he said. “And if they do have an issue when they come back — if their house got broken into — we would like to know see CCAC PAGE 3
NDSP responds to suspicious item Observer Staff Report
Pasquerilla West and Flanner Halls were evacuated Tuesday afternoon due to a suspicious briefcase found on the northeast side of campus, according to an email sent to all students. Stepan Center was opened for faculty, staff and students in the two buildings during the time of the evacuation. The email requested that those on campus stay away from the area. Nearly two hours
after evacuation, members of the campus community were given the all clear, and the briefcase was determined not to be a threat. “Out of an abundance of caution, Notre Dame Security Police called in the South Bend Police Department bomb squad,” University spokesperson Dennis Brown said in an email. The briefcase was found to be empty, and students were permitted to return back into the buildings at about 2:30 p.m.
Consul general compares Brexit, Trump election Stephen Bridges, former British Ambassador to Cambodia and current British Consul General in Chicago, said the current political landscape is one dominated by populism.
In a lunch discussion hosted by the Nanovic Institute for European Studies on Tuesday at the Morris Inn, Bridges talked about the turbulence epitomized by the Brexit vote — the British referendum to leave the European Union (EU) — and the election of Donald Trump. Discussing
both issues in the framework of the relationship between the United States and United Kingdom, Bridges said neither event will have a catastrophic impact on Anglo-American relations. In his introduction of Bridges, Jim McAdams, director of the Nanovic
Institute, referred to three recent shocks in the world: Brexit, the election of Trump and the Cubs winning the World Series. “Of the three, Brexit is the one I can speak the least knowledgeably about,” Bridges said in reply, during his opening statement.
“We’re winging it in Britain.” There’s a certain degree of uncertainty surrounding the terms of the British departure, he added. Speaking four days after Armistice Day — a holiday marking the anniversary of
NEWS PAGE 2
SCENE PAGE 5
VIEWPOINT PAGE 7
FOOTBALL PAGE 12
MEN’S BASKETBALL PAGE 12
By TOM NAATZ News Writer
see BREXIT PAGE 4