The Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s Volume 45: Issue 120
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Ndsmcobserver.com
Mod quad, God quad win energy competition Winning dorms reduce energy consumption by 15.7 percent as part of Campus Conservation Nationals By ANN MARIE JAKUBOWSKI News Writer
ELISA DE CASTRO | Observer Graphic
This past month, conserving energ y was a regional affair on campus, as dorms grouped as quads competed in the inaugural Quad Energ y Competition. According to a press release from the Off ice of Sustainability, the Mod Quad and God Quad team of Carroll Hall, Knott Hall, Pasquerilla East Hall, Pasquerilla West Hall, Siegfried Hall, Sorin College, St. Edward’s Hall and Walsh Hall won the $1,000 grand prize decisively, reducing energ y consumption by 15.7 percent between March 10 and 30, compared to baseline data from the end of February.
North Quad f inished second, conserving energ y by 7.3 percent. South Quad saved 6.6 percent more energ y and West Quad decreased energ y consumption by 3.1 percent, according to the press release. Rachel Novick, outreach program manager for the Off ice of Sustainability, said Notre Dame’s Quad Energ y Competition is a part of Campus Conservation Nationals (CCN), a nationwide energ y conservation contest in college dorms involving over 150 schools. “Each school gets to pick a three-week period between February and April in which to run their competition,
see ENERGY/page 5
Student coalition seeks to promote human dignity By DAN BROMBACH News Writer
The Notre Dame Coal ition for Hu man Dig n ity formed th is semester w ith the goal of fostering com mu n ication among clu bs work i ng on issues of hu man d ig n ity, as wel l as raising awareness of the work these clu bs do on campus. Fresh man organ izer Matt Capon ig ro said the coal ition derives its streng th from the cohesion and spirit of cooperation shared among its
mem ber g roups. “We thought that maybe i f we started a d ialog ue w ith each other that we cou ld help each other to move forward on some of these human d ig n ity issues, to be more ef fective and reach out to more people,” he said. Capon ig ro said the Notre Dame Coal ition for Human Dig n ity was fou nded as a passionate answer to a heartfelt req uest from Father Jen k i ns. “The coal ition is ou r response to Father Jen k i ns’
Acousticafe features student musicians By TORI ROECK News Writer
On Thursday nights at 10 p.m., Acousticafe transforms the basement of LaFortune Student Center from a dreary study space to a hip venue for live music. Junior Matthew Almario, the Student Union Board (SUB) Acousticafe programmer, said the weekly event showcases students’ performance skills in an informal, low-key atmosphere. “Aside from bigger concerts at Legends, there are not re-
Inside today’s paper
ally too many places where students can perform,” Almario said. “So it’s a way for musicians here on campus to get their music out there and to create a nice environment on Thursday nights.” Each week, students sign up for six 15-minute slots, and each act performs three to four songs, Almario said. Although the most popular format for performers is a singer accompanied by acoustic guitar, Almario said Acousticafe attracts a wide
see MUSIC/page 5
cal l to make th is u n iversity a heal i ng, u n i fy i ng and enl ighten i ng force i n a world that’s deeply i n need,” he said. “That has been ou r ral ly i ng cal l.” Capon ig ro said the coal ition is i nspi red and driven by Notre Dame’s special status as a u n iversity focused on social concerns issues. “We at [Notre Dame] have a u n iq ue cal l i ng, especial ly among other u n iversities, to do some real good for ou r brothers and sisters to start serious d ialog ue about hu-
man d ig n ity issues,” he said. Capon ig ro said the coal ition hopes to become a powerfu l advocate for hu man d ig n ity by bring ing together a d iverse spectru m of clu bs and i nd iv iduals from across campus. “We want to bu i ld a coal ition that bridges the gap bet ween students, adm in istrators and facu lty mem bers so that we can be tru ly ef fective i n restoring hu man d ign ity to al l people,” he said. The coal ition has already g row n to include organ iza-
tions such as Right to Life and the Black Student A ssociation, and hopes to fu rther expand as it becomes better organ ized, Capon ig ro said. He said the coal ition is empowered by its d iverse membersh ip, but th is d iversity can compl icate its abi l ity to make u n if ied decisions. “The coal ition revolves arou nd partnersh ip, sitting dow n at the table and talking about what we’ve been work ing on,” he said, “But
see COALITION/page 5
Ganey Community Engagement Awards
JODI LO/The Observer
Professor James Schmiedeler received the Capital Faculty Community-based Research Award on Wednesday for his work in technological innovations for people suffering from paralysis.
DPAC director performs in show page 3 u Viewpoint page 8 u New actresses in Hollywood page 10 u Football spring practice page 20