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Volume 56, Issue 68 | MONDAY, april 25, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Groups navigate University restrictions Under the Dome: Student leaders cite difficulties with administrative guidelines By ALYSA GUFFEY and BELLA LAUFENBERG Editor-In-Chief, Associate News Editor
Editor’s note: This is the second story in a series examining how student groups run as part of the larger Notre Dame community. The first goal of the University, outlined in the student guide du Lac, is to “Ensure that our Catholic character informs all our endeavors.” To understand how the University upholds these Catholic values, The Observer spoke to several student leaders about how they align their groups with the mission of Notre Dame — and what happens when that is not possible.
Catholic character: Aligning with the mission of Notre Dame For student groups with beliefs at odds with those of the University’s Catholic identity, jumping through restrictions from administrators in order to exist on campus is a delicate balance. Matheo Vidal, senior and copresident of College Democrats (CDems), explained that the club steers away from issues that are in conflict with “Catholic values.” “We, as a club, just generally avoid posting or commenting on events that involve reproductive rights,” he said. “This manifests as we obviously don’t comment on those issues, we don’t bring speakers to talk on those issues, and we
don’t host alumni that work in advocacy of those issues.” Vidal said when he first became co-president, the restrictions surprised him, but he understood the gravity of the situation. “It was kind of a rude awakening to come into limitations, the biggest frustration being because we can’t comment. You could maybe assume our position or take our silence to mean something or other, but the end of the conversation every time is that it’s better for students for us to exist than not to exist,” he said. Some student groups cannot push for policy change on campus due to classification restrictions. Sophomore Dane Sherman, cohistorian of PrismND, explained
‘The Shirt’ 2022 unveiled
how the group is limited in its abilities and is fundamentally a programming group. Sherman said in one instance Prism wanted to cosponsor an event with the LGBTQ Law Forum within Notre Dame Law School but was not able to due to its mission as a programming organization. Sherman explained that part of Notre Dame’s Catholic mission should include establishing an environment for discourse on difficult topics. “If we’re only allowing a lot of these students to hear half the viewpoint on abortion or gay rights or literally any issue that’s controversial in the modern church today, we are setting all of our students up for not being able to enter
News Writer
KATHRYN MUCHNICK | The Observer
By KATHRYN MUCHNICK News Writer
The Shirt committee unveiled the design for the 2022 Shirt at the Hammes Bookstore Friday. The navy shirt is the first design to feature a woman, celebrating the 50th anniversary of women attending Notre Dame. The Shirt Project began in 1990 to raise money to fund Notre Dame student activities. The original shirt fundraiser raised money to support the 1990 AnTostal, the Student Union Board’s annual spring festival, and was intended to unify the student body for the season’s first home football game against Michigan.
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The project’s second shirt in the fall of 1990, known as “The Shirt for A Cause,” raised money to support a doctoral student, Zhengde Wang, who was seriously injured in a car accident. Around 32,000 shirts were sold that year, generating over $100,000 for Wang. Since 1990, the Shirt Project has continued to expand. The Shirt fundraiser supports two separate projects —the Shirt Charity Fund and the Student Experience Fund. “Today, half the revenue is allocated to the Shirt Charity Fund, and that fund is really focused on students with unmet medical expenses,” explained Grace Fjermedal, president of the Shirt committee this year.
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The other half of the profits go toward the Student Experience Fund which benefits students, clubs and organizations and makes sure that all students are able to fully enjoy the Notre Dame experience, Fjermedal said. “It really was a project started by the students, for the students,” she added. Fjermedal, a senior studying English and pre-health, led the Shirt committee this year after serving on the social media team, the unveiling team and as vice president in past years. She described the lengthy design and planning process for the Shirt and the unveiling ceremony. see THE SHIRT PAGE 3
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Women’s History Month: Restrictions limit Stanford Hall event see STUDENT PAGE 3
ND Senior Week begins May 8 By GABBY BEECHERT
Marcus Freeman, Dick Corbett Head Football Coach, addressed a crowd of Notre Dame fans at the annual “The Shirt” design unveiling which took place at Hammes Bookstore on Friday afternoon.
the world in a really great way because they just haven’t had those conversations,” Sherman said. The result, Sherman said, is that many times, policy changes cannot pass due to the mission of Notre Dame — something that can be an obstacle to pushing for change. “I think institutions have power, and I think that power can be used to make policy changes. But the problem is that those institutions’ power, it can only go so far,” Sherman said.
Senior Week for the class of 2022 begins Sunday, May 8, and a record number of students have signed up for this year’s events, senior class council president Timmy Gallagher said. Because the class of 2022 missed out on many traditions throughout the past few years due to the pandemic, Gallagher said the senior class council (SCC) and the senior week committee wanted to update events and improve the student experience. “We kind of doubled down on the really big traditional ones and then kind of went a newer route with the other ones that weren’t as popular,” Gallagher said. The week will kick off with a class Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, followed by food, music and games on Library Lawn. This is the first year a Senior Week event has been planned for a Sunday, Gallagher said. Seniors will then have the opportunity to spend Monday in Chicago for the “Roars and Scores” event. The afternoon will be spent at Lincoln Park where students can access the Lincoln Park Zoo and then spend the night at the Chicago
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Sports Museum. About 700 students will spend the day in Chicago said Adam Bisignani, a member of the senior week committee. Seniors usually spend the Tuesday of Senior Week at a Chicago Cubs game. Last year, however, the class of 2021 was unable to travel to Chicago because of COVID-19 restrictions, so they went to a South Bend Cubs game instead. Gallagher said this event was a great success, so the committee and the SCC decided to stay in South Bend for the baseball game again this year. Not only is a South Bend Cubs game closer and cheaper than a Chicago Cubs game, but it is more accessible to students, Gallagher said. The game will also be more Notre Dame-centric. “They kind of customize the stadium with Notre Dame logos, they play the fight song. I think they’re going to do the alma mater at the end,” Gallagher said. “They’re going to bring down like Notre Dame students for the in-between games, so we really do VIP stuff.” The Commencement Ball will take place Wednesday at the Century Center in downtown South Bend. The ball is the most highly anticipated and talked about event see SENIOR PAGE 3
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