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Volume 52, Issue 17 | thursday, september 14, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
Cervelli addresses repeal of DACA Saint Mary’s president continues to speak out for community members affected by federal decision By MARTHA REILLY Saint Mary’s Editor
Last November, students assembled in Le Mans Hall to distribute signs with messages of support for their undocumented peers. Saint Mary’s president Jan Cervelli asked for a sign to put in her car. When a panel discussion before Thanksgiving offered her the opportunity to address how postelection tensions might influence underrepresented groups, Cervelli did not hesitate to speak. When community members hosted an open forum last April
after the College decided not to declare itself a sanctuary campus, she was there. The recently announced decision end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program represents another opportunity for Cervelli to stand up for affected members of the Saint Mary’s community. And she’s taking it. “We’re living in a diverse world — increasingly so,” Cervelli said. “[DACA students] bring to us very important perspectives, and our doors are completely open. We are committed to protecting those
Administration discusses changes in residence life
students in every way that we possibly can.” Cervelli explained that the College exemplifies values of selflessness and resourcefulness in the face of adversity. “We’re honoring all of our financial aid commitments to those students, and I can say that the Saint Mary’s community has really stepped up as well,” she said. “We have ... experts at immigration law, and they are providing — at no cost — legal advice to any DACA student who so chooses. I’m very pleased about that.” Welcoming vulnerable
populations and celebrating their contributions allows Saint Mary’s to meet the expectations its founders had, Cervelli said. “Particularly with the Sisters of the Holy Cross, one of their primary tenants is hospitality, which means more than providing meals and such,” she said. “It means opening doors to all, and particularly to refugees.” Cervelli said the College rejects discrimination and judgment, and promotes unity and curiosity. “I think [acceptance] is a key to excellence in education here,” she said. “Being able to understand
different perspectives, being able to embrace those, is key to being able to function in any respect — both professionally and personally — upon graduation.” The appointment of Cristal Brisco as college counsel, moves to diversify the faculty and staff hires and the administration’s desire to collaborate more regularly with Student Government Association (SGA) will establish an unbreakable sisterhood, Cervelli said. “It is our obligation, and we’re very much committed at this point see DACA PAGE 4
Business ethics, culture examined by speaker By ALEX ANDRA MUCK News Writer
John Heiser, president and chief operating officer of Magnetrol International, Inc., discussed his leadership journey and creating a values-driven
organizational culture during his lecture Wednesday night in the Mendoza College of Business’ Jordan Auditorium. The talk was the second lecture of the 2017 Berges Lecture Series in Business Ethics. Heiser began his career
as a maritime litigator after graduating from Tulane University’s law school. His decided that law was not the right career choice during one case where he listened to a four-hour debate on the see ETHICS PAGE 3
Lecture analyzes racial connotation of ‘thug’ ROSIE LoVOI | The Observer
Erin Hoffmann Harding addresses students about future changes to Notre Dame residential life at a town hall-style meeting Wednesday. By COURTNEY BECKER News Editor
University President Fr. John Jenkins and vice president for student affairs Erin Hoffmann Harding hosted a town hall–style information session Wednesday regarding the new changes to residential life at Notre Dame. Jenkins said these changes — to be implemented starting with the class of 2022 — arose as a way to provide “an education of the mind and heart” at the University. “When we talk to graduating students about their Notre Dame experience … one thing that stands
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out, dramatically stands out, is that at Notre Dame there is just a stronger sense of community,” he said. “That’s what students tell us, that the school has a strong sense of being part of something more than yourself. Not just you and the school, but you and the community. And … we think the residence halls are a critical part of contributing to that and strengthening that and deepening it.” Hoffmann Harding said the most controversial change requiring all students live on campus for at least six semesters will, in reality, not
By GINA TWARDOSZ Associate Saint Mary’s Editor
Luvell Anderson, assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Memphis, spoke about how those with different racial and social backgrounds experience and inhabit different realities. Anderson explored this topic through the analysis of the word “thug.” Anderson said he is currently focusing his writings on understanding racial realities and how they differ from person to person. “I’m developing a chapter in my writing on cross-cultural understandings,” he said. “It aims to characterize the issues
that arise when we try to understand different racial realities.” Anderson focused the lecture on derogatory words and slurs. Some derogatory words are not seen as such — particularly the word “thug,” even though it does carry racial connotations and has links to “blackness.” “A lot of people might not recognize it as a slur, they might not recognize it as having racial connotations,” he said. “But, ‘thug’ itself does carry racist connotations, and that is due to a link between black criminality.” Anderson said there are several examples of association between “thug” and “blackness.” “The first example comes from the name of a blog called
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‘Thug Kitchen,’” he said. “It was a recipe blog that offered simple recipes for vegan dishes. What was supposed to be unique about the blog was that it employed a stereotypical mockblack language. It was all good, until the identity of the bloggers was revealed: two white Californians. There are some forms of speech, that, depending on your identity, you don’t have license to use. So since the blog was heavily based on what was a mock black language, the humor was tied to the connection between thug and blackness. If you didn’t make that connection, you wouldn’t have understood the blog. see LECTURE PAGE 4
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