The independent
To uncover
newspaper serving
the truth
Notre Dame and
and report
Saint Mary’s
it accurately
Volume 46, Issue 77 | MONDay, JANUARY 28, 2013 | ndsmcobserver.com
Students lead national March for Life SMC students energized by D.C. experience
Right to Life Club represents Notre Dame on March By MARIA DO
By JILLIAN BARWICK
News Writer
Saint Mary’s Editor
This year’s March for Life in Washington, D.C., presented a new sense of urgency for the prolife movement, sophomore Mary Olivia Balmert said. Balmert was just one of more than 600 students and faculty members representing the Notre Dame Right to Life (RTL) club who converged Friday on the National Mall. The group joined 650,000 people from across the country who marched in protest of the 1973 Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion. Balmert, who serves as one of the commissioners for Notre Dame RTL, said the 2013 March for Life was especially significant
The presidential inauguration Monday was not the only event that drew crowds to Washington D.C. last week. Friday was the March for Life, an annual pro-life rally held in the city around the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe vs. Wade. Among the more than halfmillion in attendance were members of Saint Mary’s Respect for Life Club, a group dedicated to promoting awareness for the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. Senior and club president Allison Rhea said the March is an important part of the club’s
Photo courtesy of Nicole Sganga
By AUBREY BUTTS News Writer
Art changes lives. The success of Venezuelan conductor Jose Antonio Abreu and his children’s musical group El Sistema in demonstrating this principle has earned him this year’s Notre Dame Prize for Distinguished Public Service in Latin America from the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Founded 37 years ago, El Sistema’s nationwide network of orchestras and education centers within Venezuela provides children with the self-esteem and character needed to break out of the cycle of poverty, according to a press release from the Kellogg Institute. Although he emerged from University with an economics degree, Abreu stated in the release his artistic interests and national concerns inspired him to develop the organization, an alternative means for rescuing his community. In the release, Abreau cited music’s unique capacity for
Observer selects future editors Observer Staff Report
STEPH WULZ | The Observer
uniting unstable, struggling communities. “Music is an agent of social development in the highest sense, because it transmits the highest values — solidarity, harmony, mutual compassion. It has the ability to unite an entire community,” Abreu stated in the press prelease. Steve Reifenberg, Executive Director of the Kellogg Institute, said Abreu’s unique approach to
social stabilization was a significant reason for recognizing his contributions in Venezuela. “It’s really a movement that’s making its way across the globe. I teach international development, so these types of stories, where someone approaches development from a different angle rather than economic or educational development, stand see AWARD PAGE 4
Meghan Thomassen, Matthew DeFranks, Marisa Iati and Nicole Michels have been chosen to help oversee The Observer’s editorial operations in 2013-2014, incoming Editor-in-Chief Andrew Gastelum announced Sunday. Thomassen will assume the position of Managing Editor, the No. 2 spot at the paper, while DeFranks, Iati and Michels will serve as Assistant Managing Editors. A junior majoring in English with minors in Journalism, Ethics and Democracy and Philosophy and Literature, Thomassen will assist Gastelum in managing all departments of The Observer’s print and online editions. A native of Rowley, Mass., Thomassen is a resident of Pasquerilla East Hall, but is
currently studying abroad in London. She has served as Viewpoint Editor since March 2011, and has been
2013-2014 Managing Editor
Musical group earns award
see SMC PAGE 4
Meghan Thomassen
see LIFE PAGE 4
Notre Dame students led the March for Life in Washington D.C. last Friday. Over 600,000 pro-life advocates protested the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in 1973.
involved in a variety of projects for The Observer, including the paper’s redesign, The Observer Passport blog and a recurring column in the Scene section called “Know Thy Shelf.” “This paper has been a part of my life since my freshman year and I can’t wait to get to work,” Thomassen said. DeFranks, a resident of Zahm House, is a junior majoring in Finance with a see EDITORS PAGE 5
Talking about Life literary journalism PAGE 3
viewpoint PAGE 6
Scene PAGE 8
Men’s basketball PAGE 16
women’s basketball PAGE 16