The independent
To uncover
newspaper serving
the truth
Notre Dame and
and report
Saint Mary’s
it accurately
Volume 51, Issue 129 | tuesday, May 2, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
Flags protest Pence, ‘support inclusion’ Community members display LGBT pride flags distributed by We Stand For, College Democrats By MARIE FAZIO News Writer
Last weekend, LGBT alumni from Saint Mary’s and Notre Dame walked around campus for the GALA-ND/SMC reunion and were greeted with a show of support that many of them had not experienced when they were students at Notre Dame: Rainbow pride flags hung out of windows across campus, ranging from dorms to Geddes Hall, Nieuwland Hall of Science and Hesburgh Library. This show of support for the LGBT community of Notre Dame was partly out of protest of the choice of Vice President Mike Pence as the 2017 Commencement speaker. “Students and alumni came together and said ‘we’re frustrated with the invitation of Mike Pence as the Commencement speaker on many fronts certainly,” Bryan Ricketts, a fifth-year student who was involved in the flag distribution, said. “Dealing with LGBT issues dealing with funding for
conversion therapy, his passage of a restrictive [law] that didn’t include a civil rights exemption when it was first written [and] at one point his professed intent to enshrine marriage between one man and one woman as a constitutional amendment.” Last week, the student group We Stand For distributed almost 500 flags to students and faculty. Funded in part by student and alumni donations, the group bought a second round of pride flags after more alumni heard about the event on social media or read about it in an article published April 21 and wanted to help, Ricketts said. “[The LGBT alumni wished] there could have been this overt expression of support of LGBT students when they were here,” Ricketts said. “Now that they have the opportunity to do that and show that … there is a community in the Notre Dame family who cares very deeply about the LGBT student body population.” see FLAGS PAGE 3
Professor teaches tap dance class By SELENA PONIO Associate News Editor
A world-renowned expert on human parenting and infancy with more than 130 published articles in medical, anthropology and psychology journals, professor of anthropology James McKenna boasts a special talent: tap dancing. McKenna, director of Notre Dame’s Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory, is a leading expert on “co-sleeping,” which involves conducting research on the benefits of mother and infant pairs sharing a bed together. However, when he is not kneedeep in his research, McKenna also teaches the Irish American tap class. “I tap danced pretty much all my life in one form or another,” McKenna said. “I started when I was two or three years old
NEWS PAGE 3
watching a Fred Astaire film in black and white in Boston.” McKenna said when he saw Fred Astaire dancing on the screen, his two-year old self ran to the two-foot wide hard wood space between the living room carpet and dining room carpet, looked at the television and “started tap dancing with perfect beats and rhythms and rolls.” “I just could do it,” he said. “I could always tap dance to any music that has a beat. I don’t know why, but it’s been a great joy and a wonderful thing to do. It’s like playing drums with your feet.” After this talent surfaced, McKenna said he pursued it further by taking more formal dance lessons. He taught tap for five years at Pomona College until he was recruited to be a faculty see DANCE PAGE 4
Scene PAGE 5
MICHAEL YU | The Observer
Pride flags hang from the windows of Nieuwland Hall. The flags, distributed by student groups, are being displayed as a sign of protest against this year’s Commencement speaker, Vice President Mike Pence.
SMC student awarded LGBT scholarship By GINA TWARDOSZ Associate Saint Mary’s Editor
Saint Mary’s junior Morgan Haney is one of the recipients of a scholarship from the Gay and Lesbian Alumni Association of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s (GALA). The mission of GALA is to create a future where no one is discriminated against because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Haney said in an email that the scholarship award is offered to LGBT students at Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s. “GALA ND/SMC, the Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae Association of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s, offers a scholarship for current Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) undergraduate students at Notre Dame
viewpoint PAGE 6
and Saint Mary’s,” she said. “I believe it started in 2015 as this is the third time it has been awarded to students.” Haney said the scholarship provides financial support to students who identify as LGBT, thanks to the contributions of the donors of GALA. “The purpose of this scholarship is to provide financial assistance and support to fulltime undergraduate students who identify within the LGBTQ community,” she said. “This scholarship is funded by the monetary contributions from GALA members and friends.” Haney said the scholarship assists recipients financially, which then allows them to positively impact their campus communities. “The intention is that this scholarship will assist the recipients with reducing the
ND Women’s Lax PAGE 12
financial costs incurred while pursuing their education as well as allow them to make a positive impact at Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s College and/or the South Bend community, as LGBT students often face barriers in their education that other students may not,” she said. Haney said organizations such as PRISM and SAGA are proof of the great strides Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s have made towards accepting LGBT students —however, there is a still a long way to go. “A feeling of belonging and acceptance is always a challenge LGBT students face across the campuses,” she said. Haney said she is working on a community service project to teach life skills to LGBT youth see GALA PAGE 4
ND Softball PAGE 12