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Volume 55, Issue 44 | wednesday, february 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
Faculty to diversify curriculum Professors pledge to deepen exploration of race during Black History Month By GABRIELLE PENNA News Writer
In celebration of Black Histor y Month, Notre Dame professors have pledged themselves to educate students of a ll studies on issues related to art, monuments and materia l culture, segregation and integration, civ il rights, race and politics, race and ethnicit y and race and human behav ior. One of these professors, Dor y Mitros Durham, associate director of the K lau Center for Civ il and Human Rights in the Keough School of Globa l A ffairs, voiced her desire to see a change in perspective from the Notre Dame
Poet laureate to speak Observer Staff Report
The U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo will speak at Notre Dame during a virtual event Monday, Feb. 22, as part of the annual Walk the Walk Week. Harjo, a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the 23rd poet laureate, is the first Native American to hold the prestigious position. Harjo was named U.S. poet laureate in June 2019 and is currently serving her second term. She is critically acclaimed for her nine books of poetry, multiple plays and anthologies, children’s books and two memoirs. Additionally, Harjo is a musician and is known for six award-winning albums. Her signature poet laureate project is her interactive map and audio collection of Native Nations poetry entitled “Living Nations, Living Words.” Her latest album, “I Pray for My Enemies,” will be released March 5. see POET PAGE 4
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communit y. Durham said that in look ing at an institution’s stance on socia l concerns, one must identif y first what ma kes them different. W hat ma kes Notre Dame different, to her, is “our Catholic mission.” Because of the Universit y’s faith-driven mission, Durham encourages students, facult y and administrators to, a long w ith her, “put racia l justice front and center, ma k ing it imperative to our faith.” Durham said “reframing and reta k ing this issue as one that is inescapable for us as a Catholic institution” adds necessar y urgency to the problem. With faith, Durham
believes the Notre Dame communit y can address the inequa lities that persist in societ y. Transitioning to the significance of BHM in 2021, Durham addressed the socia l unrest of 2020. She noted the critica l change last year brought, “It had been a year where people who weren’t necessarily pay ing attention to racia l justice issues were now paying attention — at least a little bit,” Durham said. On the other hand, she stated that “people who were pay ing attention are now pay ing attention at a much deeper level.” Even so, Durham said it is
ludicrous to tie this issue to 2020 a lone. Racia l injustice is no new topic; for decades, there have been documented, racia lly motivated police k illings. “It seems a lmost silly to be ta lk ing about the emergency of socia l justice in a 400 + year struggle in the United States,” Durham said. Durham then said that a lthough 2020 is over, the fight for racia l equa lit y is far from that. As coverage of these events slowly leans off, Durham reiterated that the problem of racia l injustice still ex ists. She said Notre Dame students are ca lled to see HISTORY PAGE 3
Election tickets posted Observer Staff Report
The Notre Dame Judicial Council announced the running tickets for the upcoming student body president and v ice president elections Tuesday. The presidential and v ice presidential tickets, respectively, include juniors A llan Njomo and Matthew Bisner, juniors Ma x Siegel and Zachar y Holland and juniors Mabr y Webb and Jacob see ELECTION PAGE 3
University seeks vaccine approval By RYAN PETERS News Writer
Vice president for student affairs Erin Hoffmann Harding and v ice president for campus safet y and Universit y operations Mike Seamon met v ia Zoom on Tuesday evening to answer student-submitted questions on the Universit y’s COVID-19 policies and its potential to become a vaccine center in the see TOWN HALL PAGE 3
RYAN PETERS | The Observer
Erin Hoffmann Harding and Mike Seamon addressed students in a virtual town hall in which they discussed current testing procedures and the possibility of becoming a vaccine distribution site.
Activist details signs of stalking By MEG LANGE News Writer
Editor’s note: This story contains language describing stalking, violence and suicide. A list of reporting options and on-campus resources can be found on the Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross websites. Activ ist Debbie Riddle emphasized a singular point in her v irtual discussion
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Tuesday n ig ht: “Ta ke sta l king ser iously.” R idd le def ines sta l k ing as “a patter n of behav ior d irected at a specif ic person t hat is going to cause a reasonable person to feel fea r.” Liz Cou lston, Bel les Aga inst Violence Of f ice d irector a nd Bel les Suppor t ing Bel les coord inator, sa id R idd le has been v isit ing Sa int Ma r y’s for yea rs to teach st udents
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more about sta l k ing a nd to sha re t he stor y of Pegg y K lin ke, R idd le’s you nger sister who was attacked a nd k i l led by a sta l ker in 2003. Col lege st udents u ndersta nd ing t he sig ns a nd da ngers of sta l k ing is v ita l, R idd le sa id, as t he major it y of sta l k ing v ict ims a re bet ween t he ages of 18 a nd 24 yea rs old. R idd le bega n to tel l her sister’s stor y by ex pla in ing
t he or ig ins of K l in ke’s sta l ker. In 1998, K l in ke bega n med ica l school a nd sta r ted dat ing a ma n. T h is relat ionsh ip lasted u nt i l 2002. R idd le recou nted severa l insta nces of emot iona l abuse, invasion of pr ivac y, possessiveness a nd isolat ion over t he cou rse of K l in ke’s relat ionsh ip. She specif ica l ly reca l led when K l in ke’s boy f r iend
ND W LACROSSE PAGE 16
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see STALKING PAGE 5