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Volume 51, Issue 93 | thursday, february 23, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
Ticket delivers final campaign speech Candidates for Saint Mary’s student body president, vice president address students on eve of election By JORDAN COCKRUM News Writer
On the eve of the Saint Mary’s student body president and vice president election, juniors Bailey Oppman and Lydia Lorenc gave speeches in the dining hall to “formally introduce” themselves to the Saint Mary’s student body and promote their ticket. Oppman and Lorenc, the unopposed candidates for president and vice president, respectively, are both biology majors, have Student Government Association (SGA) experience and are highly involved in the Saint Mary’s community. They are each student athletes as well: Oppman is a member of the varsity tennis team, while Lorenc is on
the varsity golf team as well as being a Notre Dame Dance Company member. Oppman said the duo’s goal as student body president and vice president is to improve life at the College, and she also spoke to students about a few aspects of their platform. “We hope to not only make a difference for you — the student body — but also the campus as a whole,” she said. Oppman and Lorenc’s campaign platform includes goals they believe will enhance several areas of College life, but Oppman said their biggest priorities are improvements to sustainability, food services, student safety and wellness, and student and campus life. see SPEECH PAGE 4
EMMET FARNAN | The Observer
Juniors Bailey Oppman, right, and Lydia Lorenc delivered a speech Wednesday to promote their campaign for student body president and vice president, respectively. Voting will remain open throughout Thursday.
Breen-Phillips Hall hosts food auction for charity By KELLI SMITH News Writer
Breen-Phillips Hall’s (BP) 33rd annual meal auction, when the Notre Dame community will have an opportunity to donate to charity by hosting raffles and silent auctions of a variety of items, gift baskets or meals with “campus celebrities,” is set to take place Friday afternoon. Proceeds from the auction
benefit two charities: Meals on Wheels, a local program that delivers meals to those who cannot prepare them themselves, and CURE Childhood Cancer, an organization dedicated to funding research of childhood cancer. Meal Auction commissioners sophomores Kara Shannon, Grace Garvey and Claire Hagerstrom are the main organizers of the event.
“This year we have adopted an ‘honorary Babe,’ Cecilia, the daughter of a BP alumna,” Shannon said. “She is battling childhood cancer, so we are donating 25 percent of the meal auction proceeds in her name to CURE Childhood Cancer, [and] 75 percent of the proceeds will go to Meals on Wheels.” Shannon said this year’s see AUCTION PAGE 3
Author promotes new novel By MARIE FAZIO News Writer
Novelist Michael Collins, member of the Notre Dame class of 1987, read excerpts from his most recent novel, “The Death of All Things Seen,” on Wednesday in the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore. As an undergraduate, Collins was a varsity track athlete at Notre Dame on scholarship
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from Limerick, Ireland, majoring in English and business. “I came as an athlete and only survived two years at Notre Dame on scholarship, and I was allowed by the benevolence of [University President Emeritus] Fr. [Theodore] Hesburgh to stay without finishing my running career,” Collins said. “What he did say was, ‘If you’re going to stay on here, do something, don’t be a
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quitter. You’re not leaving the team because you’re a failure.’ And I said ‘No, I want to become educated. I want to do something else.’” That “something else” was first programming software — a skill he taught himself — at Microsoft under Bill Gates, and then later becoming a successful novelist whose see AUTHOR PAGE 3
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Dorms add to food options By COURTNEY BECKER News Writer
In addition to Reckers and various fast food restaurants on campus, students can turn to one of several residence-hall-sponsored eateries to satisf y cravings for anything from grilled cheese to freshly baked cookies. One of the most active dorms in the hall food sales trade is Knott Hall, which junior Matt Gambetta said in an email “boasts seven food sales businesses” available at different points throughout the week. “For nearly 17 years, Knott Hall has been providing food sales for its hungry residents and for the residents of Mod Quad — and now East Quad — primarily with its grilled cheese and pizza businesses,” Gambetta, the Knot Hall food sales commissioner, said. “Over the past few years, there was general discontent from Knott residents at the lack of food sales options on the weekends, so this year
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we’ve seen a vast expansion in Knott Hall Food Sales with the goal of becoming ‘the Reckers of the North.’” Knott Hall provides a wide array of food options, something Gambetta said the residents pride themselves on. “We have businesses that specialize in nachos, pizza bagels, Korean noodles, breakfast tacos, cookies, breakfast sandwiches and gourmet sandwiches,” he said. “Some of the offerings may change from semester to semester depending on demand from our residents and whether business owners wish to continue to operate, but we’re always proud to provide a diverse selection of offerings.” W hile most hall food businesses primarily serve their respective residents, Gambetta said Knott Hall also generates plenty of business through their delivery policy. “Our customer base is see FOOD PAGE 4
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