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VOLUME 58, ISSUE 48 | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
IN FOCUS
20 2 4
NOTRE DAME
STUDENT GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTINA SAYUT
BairdToth
BehnBowden
KiserMiller
By GABRIELLE BEECHERT
By MAGGIE EASTLAND
By JOSE SANCHEZ CORDOVA
Assistant Managing Editor
Editor-in-Chief
Assistant Managing Editor
Ju n ior s A n na h Ma r ie Beh n a nd Corey Bowden — w ho a re r u n n i ng for st udent body president a nd v ice president, respec t ively — have created a plat for m t hat t hey hope br idges t he gap bet ween st udent gover n ment a nd t he st udent body w it h foc u ses on d i n i ng ha l l i n it iat ives, ment a l hea lt h a nd st udent engagement . Beh n i s a n elec t r ic a l eng i neer i ng major w it h a m i nor i n cor porate prac t ice. She f i r st bec a me i nvolved i n st udent gover n ment du r i ng her f resh ma n yea r a s a member of F U EL ( Fi r st Underg raduate E x per ience i n L eader sh ip), w here she met Bowden. Du r i ng her sophomore yea r, she ser ved a s a co-d i rec tor of F U EL , a s wel l a s worked w it h Ac t ive M i nd s, Societ y of Black E ng i neer s a nd professiona l development. Bowden, a pol it ic a l science major w it h m inor s i n rea l est ate a nd d ig it a l ma rket i ng , ha s
Despite t hei r i nvolvement on c a mpu s, st udent body president ia l c a nd idate Ja mes Ba i rd a nd v ice president ia l c a nd idate A bbie Tot h never ex pec ted to end up at Not re Da me. Rega rd less, a love for t he Un iver sit y snuck up on t hem a nd mor phed i nto a sha red mot iv at ion to become st udent body president a nd v ice president . “I had no fa m i ly w ho went here. I ac t ua l ly g rew up w it h k i nd of a nt i-Not re Da me t ies,” Tot h sa id, ex pla i n i ng t hat her fat her i s a USC fa n a nd her si ster a g raduate of Boston Col lege. Ba i rd, once a publ ic h ig h school st udent f rom F lor ida, d id not see t he Un iver sit y ’s c a mpu s u nt i l move-i n day. “We love Not re Da me,” he sa id. “It ’s k i nd of i ron ic bec au se I k new not h i ng about t h i s place before I got i n here.” L ack of fa m i l ia r it y d id not stop Ba i rd
I If you ask ju n ior Dawson K iser a nd sophomore Maeve Mi l ler why t hey a re r u n n i ng for st udent body president a nd v ice-president, respect ively, t hei r a nswer is si mple. T hey love Not re Da me a nd t hey wa nt to g ive back to t he com mu n it y t he best way t hey k now how. Or ig i na l ly f rom Ta mpa, Flor ida, K iser is major i ng i n ma nagement consu lt i ng w it h m i nors i n t heolog y a nd ent repreneu rsh ip. Mi l ler, a lso f rom t he Ta mpa a rea, is st udy i ng sociolog y a nd Spa n ish w it h a m i nor i n accou nta nc y. Bot h br i ng ex tensive st udent gover n ment exper ience to t he fore. K iser was Di l lon Ha l l president du r i ng 202223 a nd now ser ves as v ice president for t he jun ior class. He touts br i ng i ng back t he Di l lon pep ra l ly as h is g reatest ach ievement i n st udent gover n ment. Mi l ler is cu r rent ly ser v i ng as McGl i n n Ha l l
see BEHN PAGE 2
see BAIRD PAGE 2
see KISER PAGE 3
2
INSIDER
THE OBSERVER | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
Behn CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
a l so spent h i s col lege c areer a s a n ac t ive member of st udent gover n ment . A f ter h i s t i me i n F U EL h i s f resh ma n yea r, Bowden bec a me Deput y Di rec tor for Diver sit y a nd I nclu sion Race a nd Et h n icit y du ri ng h i s sophomore yea r. He a l so sa id h i s i nterest i n pol it ic s w a s rea f f i r med a fter spend i ng t he Fa l l 2023 semester i n Wa sh i ng ton, D.C . W hen w r it i ng t hei r platfor m for t hei r c a mpa ig n, Beh n a nd Bowden created a col laborat ive G oog le Doc u ment t hat a l lowed st udent s w ho read t he platfor m to leave com ment s on a spec t s of t he plat for m t hey l i ke a nd d i sl i ke. “We’l l never k now w hat problem s a re plag u i ng t he Un iver sit y, if nobody ’s say i ng a ny t h i ng ,” Bowden sa id. “So I t h i n k w hen it comes to how we w i l l add ress problem s, t he f i r st t h i ng i s ra i si ng t he i ssue. A nd I t h i n k t hat bec au se of ou r plat for m a nd how it ’s st r uc t u red, I t h i n k t hat we’l l be able to do t hat .” T he t icket ’s w r it ten foreword st ates t hat t he goa l s out l i ned i n t he doc ument a re “bot h goa l s we i mag i ne we cou ld ach ieve w it h i n a yea r a nd w it h
Baird CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
or Tot h f rom t a k i ng on leader sh ip roles i n t hei r residence ha l l s a nd i n ac adem ic set t i ngs. Ba i rd, a ju n ior st udy i ng h i stor y a nd pol it ic a l sc ience w it h a m i nor i n const it ut iona l st ud ies, ser ves a s president of A lu m n i Ha l l a nd i s a for mer senator for t he dor m. He colead s a St udent Pol ic y Net work projec t t hat work s tow a rd sa nc t ion i ng t hose i nvolved i n hu ma n r ig ht s abu ses. He i s a l so a developi ng resea rcher t h roug h t he Kel log g I n st it ute for I nter nat iona l St ud ies, w here h i s resea rch i nterest s i nclude U.S. pol it ic a l h i stor y, democ r at ic backsl id i ng a nd i nter nat iona l law. Tot h, a l so a ju n ior, i s f rom Pa sadena, Ca l i for n ia, major i ng i n f i na nce a nd econom ic s w it h a m inor i n rea l est ate. She w a s t he v ice president of Pa squer i l la Ea st Ha l l a nd ha s led t wo nonprofit con su lt i ng projec t s for t he St udent I nter nat iona l Bu si ness Cou nc i l ( SI BC ). Atop nu merou s con su lt i ng projec t s, Tot h i s a l so a tou r g u ide for t he Un iver sit y. Ba i rd a nd Tot h say t he y have fou nd t hei r “home u nder t he Dome.” Now, t he y say t he y w a nt to help
t he cont i nuat ion of c u rrent St udent G over n ment work .” “W hen t he ad m i n i st rat ion i s t u r ned over, a nd t hen it ’s a new yea r, a nd people say, ‘Wel l, people prom i se cha nge, a nd it d id n’t happen so I don’t have t r u st i n st udent gover n ment,’” Beh n sa id. “T here’s a m i su nder st a nd i ng t here a nd so I t h i n k com mu n ic at i ng t hat i s i mpor t a nt .” In Tuesday even i ng ’s debate, Beh n sa id t he t icket ’s g reatest pr iorit y wou ld be h i r i ng more f u l l-t i me cou n selor s at t he Un iver sit y Cou n sel i ng Center a nd a l loc at i ng more resou rces tow a rd s st udent ment a l hea lt h. I n her prev iou s work w it h Ac t ive M i nd s, Beh n she sa id ha s a sked t he UCC to sha re t hei r budget bec au se t he UCC ha s told her t hey do not have t he f u nd i ng to h i re more f u l l-t i me cou nselor s. Her request ha s been den ied, but bot h Beh n a nd Bowden hope to work t h roug h t h i s setback . “I t h i n k t he big gest w ay we c a n pu sh aga i n st t hat i s rea l ly t r y i ng ou r ha rdest to f i nd out w hat t hat money a l loc ated i s, a nd i f t hey won’t tel l u s ju st go ou r ow n route : bench ma rk aga i n st ot her u n iver sit ies a s t he hea lt h a nd wel l ness depa r t ment ha s done i n t he
pa st,” Beh n sa id. I n a n i nter v iew w it h T he Obser ver, Beh n sa id she a l so w a nted to pr ior it i z e ma k i ng cha nges to t he d i ni ng ha l l s. T he Beh n-Bowden t icket proposes t hat t he Un iver sit y s w itches food vendor s f rom G ordon Food Ser v ices to P ia z z a P roduce w h ich of fer s a “w ide a r ray of f resh veget ables, f r u it, a nd protei n s,” accord i ng to t he plat for m. Bowden, on t he ot her ha nd, sa id i n t he i nter v iew t hat h i s ma i n pr ior it y i s i mplement i ng a homecomi ng week i n t he week leadi ng up to t he f i r st footba l l ga me of t he semester. T he plat for m proposes t hat t he St udent Ac t iv it ies Of f ice tea m s up w it h a nu mber of ot her c a mpu s orga n i z at ion s to spon sor d i f ferent event s, per for ma nces a nd vendor s t hat a l l st udent s c a n t a ke pa r t i n. Bowden sa id t h i s homecom i ng week i s pa r t of h i s desi re to i ncrea se st udent engagement in c a mpu s-w ide event s bec au se he bel ieves ma ny st udent s feel a s i f t here i s not h i ng to do on c a mpu s. “I don’t rea l ly u se Fi z z a lot, but w hen I’m on Fi z z , T hu r sday t h roug h Su nday : ‘W here t he pa r t ies at? ’” Bowden sa id. He ack now ledged t hat d i f ferent dor m s a nd st udent g roups do hold t hei r ow n event s on c a mpu s
t h roug hout t he yea r, but he sa id he w a nt s t here to be more event s i nvolv i ng t he ent i re st udent body. T he t icket a l so h ig h l ig hted ot her goa l s i n t hei r platfor m, i nclud i ng a nu mber of d iver sit y a nd i nclu sion i n it iat ives. T hese i nclude celebrat ion s of d i f ferent m i nor it y g roups on c a mpu s, prov id i ng resou rces to f i r st generat ion, low-i ncome st udent s a nd d i sabi lit y advoc ac y. T he t icket a l so out l i ned L GBTQ + i n it iat ives a nd hopes to prov ide st udent s w it h access to t he com mon dat a set a nd t he new Tit le I X reg u lat ion s once t hey a re f i na l i z ed. “We do w a nt to pu sh [t he Un iver sit y] to be more t ra n spa rent, a nd obv iou sly a ny i n st it ut ion i s not goi ng to w a nt to pa rade t hei r dow n fa l l s a rou nd,” Beh n sa id. “T here’s a few avenues I cou ld see t h i s goi ng , I cou ld see t h i s t a k i ng a st udent per spec t ive, l i ke i f t he ad m i n i st rat ion won’t do it, t hen we w i l l f i nd a w ay to get t h i s i n for mat ion out t here to pu sh it more.” Beh n a nd Bowden a l so hope to con sol idate Un iver sit y resou rces i nto one cent ra l i z ed onl i ne loc at ion a nd promote t ra n spa renc y bet ween st udent s a nd ad m i n i st rat ion. Bu i ld i ng of f of t he L ee-St it t ad m i n i st rat ion’s
rei mplement at ion of t he St udent L i fe Cou nci l ( SL C ), Beh n a nd Bowden hope to create a n i n for ma l env i ron ment si m i la r to SL C meet i ngs w here st udent s, ad m i n i st rator s a nd a represent at ive f rom st udent gover n ment c a n chat about st udent concer n s. W it h a l l of t hese goa l s out l i ned, Beh r a nd Bowden sa id t hey bel ieve t hey st a nd out f rom t he ot her t icket s bec au se of t hei r pa st ex per ience a nd t hei r cohesive plat for m. “W hen we were bu i ld i ng t h i s, we were t a l k i ng about t he d i men sion s of wel lness t hat k i nd of spa n f rom emot iona l to phy sic a l, to f i na ncia l, to a l l of t hese a spec t s, a nd I t h i n k ever yt h i ng i n here f it s i n one of t hose bucket s one w ay or a not her,” Beh n sa id. “T he st udent s c a n see t hat t here i s cha nge t hat need s to be made,” Bowden sa id. “So a s long a s t he st udent s st ay beh i nd u s, a nd a s long a s we cont i nue to put on d i splay t hat we a re t he tea m t hat need s to be i n of f ice to ma ke t h i s cha nge, I t h i n k t hat t hat ’s goi ng to ma ke u s t he w i n n i ng t icket a nd t hat ’s w hat i s probably goi ng to sepa rate u s f rom t he ot her t icket s.”
ot her st udent s f i nd t hat too, espec ia l ly t hose w ho m ig ht not feel a sen se of welcome. “We w a nt t he school to be a place t hat i s t r u ly home for ever yone,” Tot h sa id. A not her sha red mot iv at ion for t he t icket i s a desi re to plea se st udent s. “It ma kes u s happy to t r y a nd ma ke ot her people happy,” Ba i rd sa id. “T hat ’s k i nd of t he goa l i n my l i fe.” T he duo have d r aw n up a 15-page plat for m to accompl i sh t hat goa l. It s object ives r a nge f rom i nc rea si ng f lex poi nt s a nd d r a i n i ng sidew a l k s to br i ng i ng t he P resident of t he Un ited St ates to spea k for t he 2025 Com mencement a nd c a ncel i ng cla sses i n honor of L abor Day. One of t hei r most a mbit iou s goa l s i s to place a st udent on t he Boa rd of Tr u stees. T he st udent t r u stee w i l l be responsible for repor t i ng back to t he st udent body about t he conver sat ion s a nd dec ision s made by t he Boa rd. “I’l l ad m it, it ’s goi ng to be a ver y d i f f ic u lt t h i ng to do,” Ba i rd sa id. He t hen quoted for mer P resident Joh n F. Ken nedy, say i ng “We don’t do t h i ngs ‘bec au se t he y a re ea s y,’ r ig ht? ‘We do t hem bec au se t he y ’re ha rd.’” Ba i rd sa id ot her u n iversit ies, i nclud i ng St a n ford, Du ke, I nd ia na, F lor ida a nd
P u rdue, have made progress tow a rd plac i ng a st udent voice on t he boa rd. He added t hat he ha s a l ready spoken w it h v ice president for st udent a f fa i r s Fr. G er r y Ol i nger about t he pol ic y idea . “I f we were to w i n, we wou ld be able to ma ke a conv i nc i ng a rg u ment,” Ba i rd sa id. “Not on ly do we have a nu mber of peer i nst it ut ion s, but it wou ld be benef ic ia l to t he Boa rd of Tr u stees a nd t he Un iver sit y it sel f.” W it h pla n s for big cha nges, Ba i rd a nd Tot h ack now ledge t he d i f f ic u lt ies of get t i ng t h i ngs done a nd ident i f y a problem of apat hy tow a rd st udent gover n ment . “A lot of people m ig ht not c a re about st udent gover nment,” Ba i rd sa id. “T here’s a lot of c y n ic i sm. We w a nt to show people, aga i n, t hat st udent gover n ment c a n be a force for good.” To help move t he need le on c y n ic i sm, Ba i rd w a nt s to i nc rea se com mu n ic at ion by rev iv i ng reg ula r I n st ag r a m v ideos a nd Spot i f y podc a st s. He ment ioned br i ng i ng for mer st udent gover n ment leader s back to c a mpu s to f i l m a v ideo about t hei r accompl i sh ment s. T he Ba i rd-Tot h plat for m a l so empha si z es t he i mpor t a nce of hosti ng v a r iou s tow n ha l l s
a nd St udent L i fe Cou nc i l event s i n w h ich st udent s c a n spea k d i rec t ly to ad m i n i st r ator s. Ba i rd-Tot h a l so have idea s for i mprov i ng c a mpu s d i n i ng : nu mber i ng t he t ables to help st udent s f i nd t hei r f r iend s, br i ngi ng back t r ay s, i nv it i ng Sout h Bend rest au r a nt s to ser ve t hei r food at t he d i ni ng ha l l s a nd i mplementi ng t a ke-out cont a i ner s for sa le, a pr ac t ice a l ready i n place at Sa i nt Ma r y ’s Col lege. T he y a l so w a nt to c reate t he “Hesbu rger,” a new sig nat u re d i sh a nd br i ng back t he t r ad it ion of “Ci rc u s Lu nch.” T he pa i r a l so w a nt to i mprove t r a n spa renc y a nd accessibi l it y by c reat i ng st udent su r ve y s a nd publ i sh i ng mont h ly ex pend it u re repor t s. Ot her goa l s relate to st udent hea lt h a nd wel l ness, spi r it ua l l i fe, su st a i nabi lit y, r ace a nd et h n ic it y recom mendat ion s, i mprov i ng st udent sa fet y — i nclud i ng on I nd ia na St ate Road 933 bet ween Not re Da me a nd Sa i nt Ma r y ’s — tech nolog ic a l i mprovement s l i ke Ven mo i n dor m s a nd Mobi le I Ds, c iv ic engagement effor t s, accessibi l it y on c a mpu s, st udent ex plor at ion of Sout h Bend a nd equ it y for st udent s f rom a l l w a l k s of l i fe. Ba i rd-Tot h a l so det a i led goa l s to i mprove t he
l ives of st udent s f rom f i r stgener at ion, low-i ncome back g rou nd s, L GBTQ + st udent s a nd i nter nat iona l st udent s. Given such a w ide r a nge of idea s, Ba i rd ha s a lready t houg ht about how he a nd Tot h w i l l accompl i sh t he leng t hy l i st, even i f Un iver sit y ad m i n i st r ator s a re not i n it ia l ly on boa rd. I n h i s t i me a s president of A lu m n i Ha l l, Ba i rd say s he ha s lea r ned how to move pa st a “no” by comi ng up w it h more w ay s to per suade. “W hat I’ve fou nd i s ju st t he a r t of goi ng back aga i n a nd aga i n a nd aga i n,” he sa id. St udent s w i l l have t h ree choices for t h i s yea r’s st udent body elec t ion. Ba i rd a nd Tot h hope to w i n t he vote by cha si ng a fter a mbit iou s but fea sible goa l s t hat c ater to ever y st udent . “We feel l i ke we c a n reach a la rge aud ience of c a mpu s i n a w ay t hat ’s relat able a nd rea sonable,” Tot h sa id. “We’re say i ng let ’s do t hese i n it iat ives t hat a re fea sible, rea l. May be t he y ’re d i f f ic u lt, but we bel ieve t hat t he y c a n be done a nd ac t ua l ly have a good i mpac t on t he st udent body.”
Contact Gabrielle Beechert at gbeecher@nd.edu
Contact Maggie Eastland at meastlan@nd.edu
INSIDER
Kiser CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
senator, ser v i ng t he la rgest women’s dor m on ca mpus. She a lso work s i n t he Of f ice of St udent A f fa i rs as a tea m lead for t he Beyond Welcome Weekend i n it iat ive. K iser a nd Mi l ler broug ht a l l t hat ex per ience to put toget her a n ex tensive 15page plat for m t hat touches on ever y t h i ng f rom a r t i f icia l i ntel l igence to ca mpus d i n i ng.
Student life K iser a nd Mi l ler say t hei r t icket’s sig nat u re pol ic y is t hei r proposa l for a Not re Da me A r t i f icia l Intel l igence (ND A I) prog ra m. K iser a nd Mi l ler bot h h ig h l ig hted a w idespread ig nora nce of a wea lt h of resou rces t hat a l ready exist for st udents on ca mpus. T hey a lso poi nted to a ba r r ier to access when rely i ng on st udents to f i nd somet i mes-h idden webpages a nd resou rces t hat t he Un iversit y has on l i ne. To a l lev iate t h is, t hey propose work i ng w it h t he Of f ice of In for mat ion Tech nolog y (OIT ) to create a n A I prog ra m for st udents a nd t he w ider Un iversit y com mu n it y. T hey say it’s a rea l ist ic proposa l a nd t hey bel ieve t he ad m i n ist rat ion
NDSMCOBSERVER.COM | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2024 | THE OBSERVER
ag rees. T hei r plat for m puts it succi nct ly : “A st udent wou ld be able to ask ND A I, ‘How do I schedu le an appoi ntment at t he Un iversit y Cou nsel i ng Center? ’ a nd ND A I wou ld generate steps on schedu l i ng a n appoi ntment a nd prov ide a l i n k to t he UCC website.” OIT cu r rent ly has a 13-member A I automat ion work i ng g roup t hat is explor i ng t he possibi l it y of somet h i ng si m i la r to what t he K iser-Mi l ler ca mpa ig n is proposi ng. T he ca mpa ig n has a bev y of ot her ca mpus l i fe proposa ls. Notably, t hey proposed a water qua l it y i n it iat ive to i mprove t he d r i n k i ng water i n ca mpus bu i ld i ngs l i ke DeBa r tolo Ha l l, cit i ng com mon compla i nts about t he qua l it y of “DeBa r t water.” W hen it comes to fa it h, K iser a nd Mi l ler emphasi zed i ncreasi ng accessibi l it y a nd engagement w it h rel ig ious ser v ices bot h on a nd of f ca mpus. T hey sa id t h is way t hey cou ld cater bot h to Cat hol ic a nd non-Cat hol ic st udents w it h equa l v igor. T h is ra nges f rom i n it iat ives l i ke Mass response ca rds i n residence ha l l chapels a nd t he Basi l ica to subsid i zi ng r ides for of fca mpus rel ig ious events.
Ca mpus improvements T he K iser-Mi l ler ca mpa ig n a lso cha mpions a nu mber of proposa ls to concretely i mprove ca mpus ser v ices a nd faci l it ies. K iser h ig h l ig hted residence ha l l lau nd r y faci l it ies as one of t he ca mpa ig n’s most pressi ng concer ns. He sa id t he t icket received extensive feedback poi nt i ng to d issat isfact ion w it h t hose faci l it ies i n pa r t icu la r. To add ress t h is, t he ca mpa ig n pledges to work w it h t he Of f ice of Resident ia l L i fe to i mprove t he washer/d r yer-to-st udent rat io, wh ich t he ca mpa ig n says va r ies substa nt ia l ly f rom one residence ha l l to t he nex t. T he ca mpa ig n’s plat for m a lso feat u res a n ex tensive l ist of d i n i ng ha l l i mprovement i n it iat ives. A mong t hese a re i mproved d i n i ng ha l l mea ls for people w it h d ieta r y rest r ict ions, l i ke a llerg ies, as wel l as reva mped Grab-n-Go opt ions. T hey a lso wa nt to i mplement what t hey ca l l “commu n it y tables.” T he idea beh i nd t hese is to create a desig nated space i n d i ni ng ha l ls where st udents ca n sig na l t hei r w i l l i ngness to meet someone new a nd ma ke new f r iends on ca mpus. Fu r t her ca mpus i mprovements i nclude updated
at h let ic equ ipment for t he Rock ne Memor ia l Gy m a nd new susta i nabi l it y i n it iat ives. T he plat for m a lso proposes a nu mber of pol icies a i med at i ncreasi ng Not re Da me’s con nect ion to Sout h Bend, most notably t h roug h ser v ice projects i n t he com mu n it y.
Diversit y representat ion
a nd
T he K iser-Mi l ler ca mpa ig n proposed a va r iet y of pol icies on issues of race, Tit le I X, d isabi l it y advocac y a nd more. Mi l ler pa r t icu la rly h ig hl ig hted t he ca mpa ig n’s pledge to i mprove i ncident repor t i ng for st udents of color. T he plat for m i ncludes a proposa l to use a nony mous feedback collected t h roug h resident assista nts to of fer st udents a more i n for ma l repor t i ng mecha n ism t ha n t he act ive Spea k Up repor t i ng process. T he plat for m a lso places a n emphasis on ex pa nd i ng Tit le I X ef for ts wh i le i mprov i ng awa reness of cu rrent resou rces l i ke Ca l l isto. Notably, t hey propose t he i nteg rat ion of a sex ua l assau lt prevent ion prog ra m i nto Welcome Weekend for f resh men a nd i nto residence ha l ls a nd beyond. A not her sig nat u re
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d iversit y proposa l is t he “Bu i ld i ng A l l ies” prog ra m a i med at ser v i ng Not re Da me’s LGBTQ + com mun it y. T h is proposa l, a long w it h t he ex pa nsion of Pr idefest i nto a week-long event, for ms t he core of t he ca mpa ig n’s LGBTQ + pol icies. Mi l ler sa id it was a l l done w it h t he goa l of i ncreasi ng u ndersta nd i ng bet ween members of t he com mu n it y a nd t he Not re Da me st udent body at la rge. T h roug hout t he ca mpa ig n, K iser a nd Mi l ler have emphasi zed t hei r ca re for t he st udent body a nd t hei r d r ive to i mprove t he l ives of t hei r fel low st udents, no mat ter t he hu rd les. “We ca re about Not re Da me st udents a nd wa nt to ser ve t hem to t he best of ou r abi l it y,” K iser sa id. “If [a pa r t icu la r pol ic y] goes out t he w i ndow, we’re just goi ng to come back even ha rder … we have t he exper ience to k now how to get t hese t h i ngs done a nd k now how to ma ke cha nge. T hat’s what we’ve done i n ou r t i me at Not re Da me so fa r, a nd I have no doubt i n my m i nd t hat we’re goi ng to cont i nue to do t hat.” Contact José Sánchez Córdova at jsanch24@nd.edu
Student body tickets debate prior to election By CAROLINE COLLINS Associate News Editor
Ahead of Wednesday’s student body election, the three tickets for student body president and vice president debated at Midfield Commons in Duncan Student Center on Monday night. The debate questions were submitted by students ahead of time and the debate was moderated by Judicial Council president Koryn Isa and vice president Ryn Weiss. Each ticket was allotted four minutes for opening and closing statements. During the debate portion, the contenders had two minutes to respond to eight general questions, one president-specific question and one vice president-specific question. Student body president candidate James Baird and his vice president running mate Abbie Toth started off the debate by sharing their motivations to run for office. “We’re running to build a brighter home under the dome. We want to use Student Government to bring positive change, real positive, tangible change to this campus,” Baird said. Toth expanded on the pair’s platform by explaining how
they hope to be a force for good in the community, and what this looks like during the upcoming election year. “We’re hoping to bring positive political discourse to our campus by partnering with political organizations on campus and getting people to be informed voters,” she said. Next, in their opening statement, AnnahMarie Behn and Corey Bowden talked about how they met during their first year on campus in First Undergraduate Experience in Leadership and explained why they feel they work well as a team. Behn ended her opening statement by challenging the audience to take all three tickets and everything they say and ref lect on how this would impact them as a student and their friends and peers. “We are a community together and we really emphasize collaboration so we want you to take that and challenge yourselves as well tonight,” she said. Dawson Kiser and his running mate Maeve Miller were the last of the candidates to address the audience. Miller emphasized how they hope to lead through service and give back to a community they love, while Kiser also
acknowledged they want everyone to find their place in the community at Notre Dame. Kiser said, “But we also know that the Notre Dame experience is not incredible for every single student and that’s a big reason for why we’re here is because we want to make sure that the learning experience is the best it can possibly be for every single student.” In the first general question of the evening, the candidates were asked what their highest priority would be if elected to office. Behn, who is involved in mental health advocacy on campus through Active Minds, said her focus would be getting more full-time counselors at the University Counseling Center and allocating more resources to support students’ mental health. Kiser focused on their platform’s ND AI initiative which would centralize campus resources in one machine-learning tool for students to access, while Baird emphasized working to institute a student representative on the Notre Dame Board of Trustees. Later in the questioning, the tickets were asked how they would make campus more inclusive for students of all sexual orientations and gender
identities. Miller spoke for her ticket and said they would focus on expanding and improving current PrideFest efforts and offer a meet-and-greet for students. Behn expanded on this idea and said in addition to contributing to current initiatives like PrideFest, they would also work to add core class attributes to gender studies and queer history courses and start a Safe Zone Project that trains people in how to be effective allies. “What this would look like would be [that] professors can be trained in useful language, and how to educate their students and facilitate a very safe and comforting environment that is inclusive for all,” Behn said. Baird also discussed LGBTQ+ initiatives in relation to academics. He said he plans to partner with different academic departments to “educate the campus community on the state of LGBTQ+ rights around the world.” For the final question of the night before closing statements, the candidates were asked what the best thing about Notre Dame is and how they will ensure all students have a great Notre Dame experience. Behn spoke about
the power of the Notre Dame community, and the other tickets echoed this sentiment. Kiser highlighted the culture behind the community on campus and how people are always lifting one another up, and Baird said he wants to do something each day to try to make people in the community even just a little bit happier. The debate concluded as each ticket had an opportunity to summarize its main platform points and goals. Kiser said as student body president and vice president, they would want student government to operate for students and through students, while Baird discussed how they hope to balance the line between feasible ideas and putting students’ needs first. Behn closed out the debate by speaking about the transparency of their campaign and how their platform has been continuously evolving with comments and feedback from students since its first iteration. Election day is Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. An email from Judicial Council at 8 a.m. Wednesday will contain a link to NDCentral where students can log in to vote. Contact Caroline Collins at ccolli23@nd.edu
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THE OBSERVER | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
Let’s take a look at Student Government Traditionally, The Observer Editorial Board writes an editorial endorsing a ticket for the Notre Dame Student Body President and Vice President elections. This year, we decided not to. For nearly 20 years, we’ve endorsed a candidate. In that time, we’ve seen few policy efforts come to fruition. And when they do, as in the case of the Student Life Council of the Lee-Stitt administration, they often do not last. To be fair, there are some exceptions in recent memory. The decision to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a school holiday was engineered in part by Student Government. Accessibility issues have also been improved by StuGov as well, with efforts to help students who aren’t able to walk get to class when sidewalks are icy or covered in snow. Last year, some dorm gyms welcomed new equipment or squat racks. There have also been recent ongoing initiatives to clarify new Title IX policies and to incorporate digital ID cards. Student government certainly has a role on campus, but election platforms do nearly nothing to guarantee what will get done in office. In reality, student government is the intermediary between Notre Dame administrators who always have the final say and students who have lots of grand ideas and limited funding during a relatively short term. Compounding the problem, the organization of student government attracts both dedicated leaders and “resume sharks” — as one candidate in the 2024 race called them. Discerning the difference is anyone’s guess. The Observer is left trying to endorse a candidate based on policy items that have no immediate impact or based on some subjective measure of authenticity. It is difficult to choose a candidate based on objective criteria for an election that often boils down to a popularity contest. Despite slight variations in goals, material differences are few. All the candidates express a similar motivation to improve Notre Dame, build community and serve as the voice of students. They have similar ideas about diversity and inclusion, civic engagement, faith life on campus, dining hall improvements and plenty of other dimensions. One candidate described StuGov as the “invisible hand” that works behind the scenes in this mediation role. But when the work of student government is often invisible, how can voters make an informed choice? Candidates proposed their various solutions and communications channels, but as the situation stands, editors at The Observer — people who chase after, write and edit daily stories about this campus — have a hard time pinning down exactly what student government does and where we would be as a campus without it. We asked candidates about this exact issue. Synthesizing their answers, we sought to understand what student government is and what powers it holds. Here’s what we found: At times, the student body president and vice president bring student concerns to the attention of administrators. At other times, administrators and University leaders turn to these elected officials seeking a benchmark of the student population. Student leaders are both a representation of student voices and a resource for
administrators to tap. Keep that in mind when voting for candidates. Their power to effect change rests almost entirely on their power to persuade. When Notre Dame wants a student representative, they will turn first to these leaders. In our interviews with candidates, they each expressed a desire to break away from student government’s reputation as an unimpactful organization. In our own conversations on campus, we hear the same sentiment: Student government leaders come and go, and students are left wondering what has changed. We sincerely hope that whoever wins the election can break that cycle. History tells us it will be difficult. The 2023-24 administration of Daniel Jung and Aidan Rezner hoped to bring in mobile IDs, fresh fruit Fridays at the dining hall, a Stand Up Speaker Series “for thoughtprovoking and fruitful discussions at least once a month to appreciate and promote visibility of different racial and ethnic groups” and expand protections surrounding Title IX policy for those filing non-legally binding issues like stalking. We have no doubt they worked diligently on these goals, yet none of these pillars of their platform have come to pass, at least not visibly. Another example, the grab-n-go also looks nearly the same as it did a year ago. A cursory look at the administration’s Progress Tracker shows many initiatives still marked “In Progress.” This issue isn’t limited to the current term. As mentioned above, the previous administration of Patrick Lee and Sofie Stitt did bring back the Student Life Council, but its revival has not been sustained, highlighting the issues of the one-year terms. Even though they proposed lowering the cost of Rec Sports classes, the cost remains about $13 per week. While the Rachel Ingal-Sarah Galbenski ticket did succeed in creating a partnership between the University and Callisto in February 2022, that was an effort five years — and therefore five administrations — in the making. But their goal to improve day-to-day life by creating “Nap Pods” went unfulfilled. In 2021, future leaders Allan Njomo and Matty Bisner said they would push the University to halt investments in fossil fuels, transition University computers to the Ecosia browser and pressure the University to add sexual orientation and gender identity to its non-discrimination clause. These are laudable ideas, but they remain unaccomplished. Part of the reason these changes have never come to pass is because the student government structure is muddled. Many students have heard terms like Student Union Board or Judicial Council thrown around but have no idea who is in charge of what and how these branches function together. And when you look at the official Student Union organization chart, it’s easy to see why. Is the below chart the best way — both in terms of achieving results and individual student development — to accomplish this? Do we really need to push students into an environment where they think they’re a politician, especially when many student union roles are unelected? Students in student government are obviously capable of accomplishing amazing things on this campus. But the bloated system of student government encourages them to emulate the air of title-hungry politicians
and cater to administrators rather than students. Notre Dame prides itself on preparing students to be a “force for good.” This means cultivating students who are ready to use real, human emotions and morals to make a positive impact. It does not mean channeling the superficial qualities inside each of us that politicians use to rise to the top of bureaucracies. Endorsing a candidate under the current structure would validate that sentiment. We respect all those who are campaigning and wish success for whoever wins. But in the current StuGov environment and election, there just isn’t enough to separate the platforms from one another or a legitimate reason to believe the meaningful changes promised will be carried out when they haven’t for so long. In 2023, Pew reported that just 16% of Americans trusted the United States government to do the right thing “just about always” or “most of the time.” Americans don’t have faith in an institution plagued by bureaucracy that cultivates superficial character traits. So why should Notre Dame allow its student union to grow into a winding, endless administrative state whose own leaders acknowledge a disconnect from the students they serve? In the 1962 Port Huron Statement, then-student activist Tom Hayden wrote: “The accompanying ‘let’s pretend’ theory of student extracurricular affairs validates student government as a training center for those who want to spend their lives in political pretense, and discourages initiative from more articulate, honest, and sensitive students.” Students in student government are obviously capable of accomplishing amazing things on this campus. But the current state of the system encourages them to emulate the air of politicians with big promises and obscure results. The Observer won’t be part of the problem. Don’t just take our word for it. Two of the tickets we profiled mentioned that many students are cynical about student government or don’t even know what role it serves. Perhaps we are simply missing the grand accomplishments and fulfillment of promises made. But we are actively looking, as are everyday students, with little success. Even in asking the question directly, candidate answers pinpoint only a handful of changes. Student government certainly is capable of effecting change on campus. But the current structure encourages students to live in a make-believe political world where they’re focused on building some sort of political legacy or resume within the bounds of what Notre Dame will allow. Platform promises do not frequently align with the work accomplished once in office. What’s our recommendation? Size up the candidates, who are profiled in the pages of The Observer. Vote for the ticket you think will be best. But don’t be fooled into thinking this ticket will evoke major change at the University, at least not during one term. At the end of the day, Notre Dame — and not its student government — is the one calling the shots. The results of this election will be a huge win for the candidates, and probably won’t affect the rest of us. But to whoever wins: We’d love to be proved wrong. Courtesy of Judicial Council