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Volume 52, Issue 21 | tuesday, september 19, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
Community rallies for workers’ rights Speakers, attendees stand in solidarity to raise awareness for worker injustices at Walmart By MARIE FAZIO News Writer
Around 60 students, faculty and South Bend community leaders gathered at Fieldhouse Mall yesterday for the “Trump and Walmart Make America Worse” rally to garner awareness for education and worker injustices at Walmart. Raising signs that displayed slogans such as “Workers rights are humans rights” and “Stand up for a better America,” the group stood in solidarity as people from the Notre Dame faculty, students and South Bend community members spoke about the issues. This is the latest stop of the Making Change at Walmart
(MCAW) movement’s tour of 25 colleges around the country. Anahi Tapia, the organizer for the Midwest region, said the organization is touring colleges with their message because they believe that college-aged students can make a difference. “We are trying to speak about Trump and Walmart’s shared agenda and shared values and how they’re destroying public education and jobs,” Tapia said. The Human Rights Club, College Democrats and ND Students for Worker Justice collaborated with MCAW to host the event. Though their missions are different, Sofia Carozza, vice see MCAW PAGE 3
Lecture explores flaws in US Constitution By LUCY LYNCH News Writer
Honoring the Constitution Day holiday, Sanford Levinson, professor of government at the University of Texas presented his lecture “Flaws in the Constitution? What We Should Be Learning About the Constitution Today” in South Dining Hall’s Oak Room Monday afternoon. Sponsored by the Constitutional Studies Program, Tocqueville Program, Jack Miller Center and Notre Dame Research, Levinson’s talk explored the areas of the Constitution that need improvement and proposed the idea of a new constitutional convention. Drawing upon the works he has written over the years, Levinson started by stating his overall view of the Constitution. “I think you can demonstrate that, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the United States Constitution is the
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most undemocratic constitution of a major western democracy,” Levinson said. He said the United States Constitution is far less democratic than each individual U.S. state constitution, a point he outlines in his 2012 book, “Framed: America’s 51 Constitutions and the Crisis of Governance.” Levinson endorses a new constitutional convention to amend some of the flaws that he sees in the document, in part because our current Constitution alienates the American people from the political system. “Wherever you are on the political spectrum, left, right or center, liberal or conservative, it really doesn’t matter — the odds are very high that you don’t believe the national government will respond adequately to whatever you happen to believe are the chief issues of the day,” Levinson said. Levinson proceeded to see LEVINSON PAGE 3
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ROSIE LoVOI | The Observer
Students, faculty and members of the South Bend community gather at Fieldhouse Mall on Monday afternoon as part of “Making Change at Walmart,” a movement protesting injustices at the company.
SUB discusses student events for upcoming year By CIARA HOPKINSON News Writer
With events like Dogs and Donuts, weekly movie showings, AcoustiCafe every Thursday night and a concert each semester, Student Union Board (SUB), has a hand in many of the oncampus programs aimed at improving student life.
Executive director Jackson Herrfeldt, who is starting his third year at SUB, said one of SUB’s main goals is to engage the student body as much as possible. “We’re working with different organizations on campus for big events in the spring semester and we’re also really spending time focusing on working with what
students want. We’re trying to make sure every event we have is geared toward as many students as possible and what they would enjoy best,” Herrfeldt said. SUB is comprised of nine different committees: AcoustiCafe, Antostal, Collegiate Jazz Festival, see SUB PAGE 4
Student group offers ‘safe space’ for minority groups By HALLIE NOLAN News Writer
With a mission statement stating a goal to “serve as a resource and a support community for AfricanAmerican students during all of their years at Saint Mary’s College,” Senior Makayla Roberts said the new club, Black Student Association (BSA), aimed to foster an inclusive environment on
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Saint Mary’s campus. “We all got together to talk about it and we decided that we are going to be here to talk with people and be a safe space, get events planned for Black History Month, and be more involved on campus,” Roberts said. Senior Taylor Thomas serves as the club’s secretary and said she hopes the club’s presence on campus grows. “I just want to get more
attention and get more girls to join and know that we are here,” Thomas said. This club also seeks to “improve the quality of the black experience on campus” according to their mission statement. Roberts stressed the importance of BSA. “I k now t here were a lot of issues on ca mpus last year
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