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Volume 52, Issue 83 | thursday, february 15, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
Boxers raise money for Holy Cross missions Students compete, fundraise for Bangladesh through the Bengal Bouts boxing program By SELENA PONIO News Writer
For senior Pat Gordon, what started off as an activit y to get his mind off things transformed into a passion. “My mother passed away in high school, and I was upset, looking for an outlet. I walked into a box ing g y m and fell in love w ith it,” Gordon said. Gordon sa id one of t he t hings t hat most att racted him to Not re Da me was t hat it was one of t he on ly schools w it h a box ing prog ra m. He sa id as soon as he a rrived on ca mpus as a
f reshma n, he k new Benga l Bouts was somet hing he wa nted to be a major pa r t of his college ex perience. According to its website, Benga l Bouts sta r ted as a box ing prog ra m organi zed 88 yea rs ago by K nute Rock ne. During its f irst yea r, Gordon sa id, t he bouts ra ised $200, which was sent to Holy Cross Missions in Ba ngladesh as pa r t of a n emergency f und. However, he sa id, t he money has g row n too big — especia lly Valentine’s Day with a “Love is Love” table event see BOXER PAGE 4
Observer File Photo
A boxer rests during a fight in the Bengal Bouts finals. Bengal Bouts raises money for the Holy Cross missions and tribal parishes in Bangladesh. Last year, the program raised $175,000 for education.
Student Diversity Board readies for conference By COLLEEN ZEWE News Writer
The Student Diversity Board (SDB) at Saint Mary’s has a busy spring semester ahead of it, all culminating in its biggest event of the year — the annual diversity conference. The conference, originally called the Diverse Student Leadership Conference, will now be called the Diversity and Leadership Conference,
SDB vice president and senior Megan Uekert said. (Editor’s note: Megan Uekert is a former News Writer for The Observer.) “We are trying to make it more student-friendly this year with both workshops and keynote speakers,” she said. Uekert said the specific workshops and speakers cannot be released yet, but planning is going well. In
addition to the conference, she said, SDB will also host a screening of the historical film “Selma” this semester. “‘[Selma]’ puts an emotional and strong emphasis on black history month, and it is always important to remember the struggles and endurance of those who fought for civil rights before us,” Uekert said. see DIVERSITY PAGE 4
SENATE
Group suspends election, declares winners By MARY BERNARD News Writer
Student senate voted to suspend t he Junior Class Counci l elect ion for t he class of 2020 a nd decla red t he on ly t icket t he w inner Wednesday night. La ksumi Siva na nda n w i l l be president, Bra ndon Ga rcia w i l l be v ice president, Quent in Colo w ill
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be t reasurer a nd Gabrielle Meridien w ill be secreta r y. Judicia l Council president a nd senior Matt Ross brought t he order before t he student senate to inst igate t he vote. The majorit y of senate suppor ted t he suspension, w it h on ly four members vot ing aga inst it. The dissentors included junior Sebast ia n Lopez, t he
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senator f rom O’Neill Ha ll, who “vehement ly opposed” t he order. “W hy a re we shor tcutt ing democracy? ” Lopez sa id. “W hy a re we stea ling t he f reedom of choice ? ” Lopez suggested t here were not more t ickets because of a lack of adver t isement of t he elect ion. see SENATE PAGE 4
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Identity Project hosts Edith Stein conference By ALEXANDRA MUCK News Writer
Under the theme “Even Unto Death: Embracing the Love of the Cross,” the Identity Project of Notre Dame is hosting its 13th annual Edith Stein Conference, the largest student-run conference on campus. The event will start Friday at 1 p.m. and end Saturday with a banquet starting at 6:15 p.m. in McKenna Hall. Co-chair and senior Molly Weiner said the conference embraces a unique mix of academic and personal topics. The speakers range from professors at Notre Dame to students from other colleges across the country. “It’s a mix between a lecture from a professor, and then the next talk will be a self-help — this was my experience, this is how to change this part of your life,” she said. The event will feature two keynote lectures and various other talks on a range of topics relating to identity and relationships, Weiner said. “The conference in general
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was made for an opportunity for people on campus to come together and talk about topics related to relationships and friendship and personal identity and dignity that kind of isn’t really covered on campus because we’re more focused on our academics, and if we are in our friend group, sometimes we’re scared to talk about certain topics,” she said. Weiner said the conference tries to focus on the needs of students. “We do talk about things like dating, discernment, what you want to do with your life, sometimes how student life can be difficult,” she said. Junior Theresa Gallagher, who is in charge of fundraising, said the conference is relevant to students in the sense that it discusses issues that are directly applicable to their lives. “It just changes the way you think about relationships when all of the sudden you hear a talk about the cross as a gift of love,” she said. “It provides a space to hear those reflections, to think see STEIN PAGE 4
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