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Volume 55, Issue 17 | Monday, September 28, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com
Barrett nominated Trump appoints ND law professor to Supreme Court Observer Staff Report
President Donald Trump nominated Notre Dame law professor Amy Coney Barrett to be the newest Supreme Court justice Saturday, replacing the late liberalleaning Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In a press conference Saturday, Trump said Barrett’s qualifications are “unsurpassed,” and he expects her confirmation hearing to be “extremely uncontroversial.” see NOMINATION PAGE 3
Observer Staff Report
MARIA LEONTARAS | The Observer
Notre Dame law professor and judge Amy Coney Barrett spoke at a women’s empowerment brunch March 1 in the Dahnke Ballroom.
Scientist discusses racism within Flint water crisis By GRACE DOERFLER News Writer
When Dr. Mona HannaAttisha learned that children in Flint, Mich. were drinking water so contaminated that it was corroding car engines, she knew she had to act. In a virtual lecture Friday, Hanna-Attisha, who serves as the director of the Michigan State University and Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, described the water crisis in Flint and her role as a
researcher in exposing the problems. The lecture was a part of the Klau Center’s initiative this semester entitled, “Building an Anti-Racist Vocabulary.” The author of “What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resilience and Hope in an American City,” HannaAttisha was spurred to action after a friend told her that there were reports that Flint’s water was not being treated properly. Flint residents had long been suspicious of the quality of the drinking water, citing its
unusual color, smell and taste. But despite their concerns, the government continually reassured residents that there was nothing to worry about — and even offered safeguards to the corporations that are the backbone of Flint’s economy. “The most jaw-dropping red flag for me — and it still makes my jaw drop — is learning that our drinking water was corroding engine parts at a General Motors plant,” Hanna-Attisha said. “Can you believe that? Our drinking
News Writer
This summer Notre Dame’s International Summer Service Learning Program (ISSLP) will plan to hold both in-person and virtual programs in light of the pandemic. The ISSLP program sent their first students abroad in the summer of 1998 at a time when
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there were very few options available to travel to “less traveled countries,“ ISSLP director Rachel Tomas Morgan said. “A lot of our study abroad was in Europe, and study abroad options were pretty much a semester or year long at that time,” Tomas Morgan said. “And so the Center for Social Concerns, and director Fr. Dan McNeil at the time and myself saw
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A video circulating online shows University President Fr. John Jenkins failing to wear a mask or socially distance at the White House ceremony for law professor Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination Saturday. Marcus Cole, dean of the Law School, was seated next to Jenkins and appeared to be wearing a mask.
Upon arrival at the White House, both Jenkins and Cole were directed to a room where individuals attending the ceremony were tested for COVID-19, vice president for public affairs and communications Paul Browne said. Every guest was tested by nasal swab prior to entering the ceremony. “Only when the test results returned negative were they and see JENKINS PAGE 4
Project aids students seeking career in policy
see FLINT PAGE 4
Service learning programs to offer virtual options By DANE SHERMAN
Jenkins criticized for violating ND protocols
opportunity for the summer months to give Notre Dame students the opportunity to experience the rest of the world.“ ISSLP’s are run through the Center for Social Concerns (CSC), and students traditionally apply each year to conduct a summer of service abroad in a number of countries around the see ISSLP PAGE 3
VIEWPOINT PAGE 7
Courtesy of Greg Miller
The Student Policy Network, a project dedicated to aiding students interested in a career in policy, hosted its first meeting on Aug. 20. By ERIN FENNESSY News Writer
The Student Policy Network (SPN), a project of BridgeND that pursues student/firm partnerships in public policy, has launched three projects for the fall semester. Juniors Greg Miller and Patrick Aimone said they initiated the launch of SPN after identifying a gap in the opportunities for students to learn more about careers
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in public policy at Notre Dame. SPN provides undergraduate students with opportunities to pursue policy research and advocacy with partners. Both Miller and Aimone said they designed SPN to be structured similarly to the Student International Business Council (SIBC). “Notre Dame does a great job connecting and placing students see POLICY PAGE 4
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