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Volume 56, Issue 7 | Monday, September 6, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
New vice president starts term Fr. Gerard Olinger begins role as vice president by listening to student voices By BELLA LAUFENBERG News Writer
As Fr. Gerard (Gerr y) Olinger C.S.C. starts his position as Notre Dame’s new Vice President of Student Affairs, he intends to listen to concerns of the universit y before forming a plan of action. Born and raised outside of Philadelphia, PA, Olinger is the oldest of four siblings and has three younger sisters — one being 13 years his junior. A lthough Olinger
completed his histor y and government undergraduate degrees at Notre Dame, he did not head into the Holy Cross Congregation straight out of school. Olinger instead went to Notre Dame’s Law School to, as he put it, delay his seminar y work. “I was [during my undergraduate years] often thinking about the seminar y, but just wasn’t, as a senior, ready to fully commit. So, I often laugh that I went to law see OLINGER PAGE 3
Observer Staff Report
COURTESY OF KATE MORGAN
Rev. Gerard (Gerry) J. Olinger, C.S.C. , alumnus of the University, began his role as vice president of student affairs in June of 2021.
Students bring awareness to suicide prevention Notre Dame Student Government is presenting “Glad You’re Here,” this Monday through Wednesday, a series of events for mental health awareness, healing and suicide prevention to obser ve National Suicide Prevention Week. The Student Government’s goal is to open conversations surrounding mental health and suicide, prov ide access to Notre Dame’s mental health resources and create space for healing. The events begin Monday w ith a table in Duncan Student Center, where student government representatives w ill be handing out free t-shirts and prov iding information and resources for mental health and suicide prevention from 11 a.m. to noon. “We really just want to make students aware of the resources and kind of destigmatize seeking those resources, because sometimes that can be a really challenging part of actually getting help,” Juliette Kelley, co-director of Student Government’s health and well-being said.
As the week progresses, the events move from information and resources to healing and conversation. The healing and memorial prayer ser v ice w ill take place on Tuesday evening at the Grotto and is open to all faiths and beliefs. A lthough the ser v ice begins at 8 p.m., organizers are encouraging people to arrive early, as they w ill be distributing candles and f lowers and allow ing people to place photos of loved ones at the altar. Mar y Elizabeth Stern, the Student Government Director of faith and ser v ice, has been instrumental in the planning of the prayer ser v ice. Stern said the prayer ser v ice is about communit y and healing, but also the destigmatization of mental health w ithin the Catholic Church. “There’s little that anyone can do that eases the pain and the loss of being affected by suicide, whether that’s you are currently struggling, or you have lost someone close to you by suicide, but we are going to do the most that we can to lift that burden of grief, just a little bit,” Stern, a sophomore,
said. The final installment of the week w ill be “We Want You Here,” a discussion in LaFortune Student Center featuring Active Minds, a nonprofit for the destigmatization of mental illness, and Dr. Megan Brow n, director of the McDonald Center for Student Well-Being. The discussion, which w ill take place Wednesday from 7 to 7:45 p.m., w ill explore ways to help oneself and others when dealing w ith suicidal thoughts. Student Government’s co-Director of health and well-being Austin Wy man said the goal of these events is not to shock people w ith the severit y of the mental health and suicide crises we see on campus and around the world, but rather to take action, giv ing people the tools and resources they need to heal or help someone else who is struggling. Student Government leaders organized events w ith the goal of opening long-lasting conversations surrounding mental health and suicide prevention. W hile Kelley and Wy man
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By SIOBHAN LOUGHNEY News Writer
Division provides campus updates In a Friday email to students, vice president for inclusion and equity, Redgina Hill, gave students more information about the new Division of Inclusion and Equity and its staff members. see EQUITY PAGE 3
Reconstructed McKenna Hall unveiled By ALYSA GUFFEY Notre Dame News Editor
After a two-year demolition and reconstruction, McKenna Hall officially reopened August 31. Standing at four stories high, the building is situated on the picturesque Notre Dame Avenue, between Stinson-Remick Hall and the Notre Dame Law School. The building’s name recognizes the philanthropy and generosity of Andy McKenna, a class of 1951 Notre Dame alum and member of the Board of Trustees since 1980, along with his late wife Joan. Originally, the Notre Dame Conference Center was named after the pair in 1998. Then, in 2018, McKenna financially supported
see PREVENTION PAGE 4
the reconstruction of the building. McKenna Hall now houses the University’s enrollment division and department of admissions, among other departments. Mike Daly, senior director of project management at Notre Dame, said the enrollment division began moving into the building early and started hosting guests August 23. “This was a special day as it was the return of in-person campus visits for prospective students and their families that had been stopped due to COVID,” Daly said in an email. Daly explained that the enrollment division, previously see McKENNA PAGE 3
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