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Volume 53, Issue 108 | monday, april 1, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
ND LGBT alumni award Mayor Pete Bi-annual award for LGBTQ leadership given to South Bend mayor. names Laetare honoree By MARIAH RUSH Associate News Editor
Observer Staff Report
The University announced in a Sunday press release it would award the 2019 Laetare Medal to Norman C. Francis — the president of Xavier University of Louisiana — during Notre Dame’s 2019 Commencement. In the press release, University President Fr. John Jenkins lauded Francis’ achievements. “For more than 50 years, Dr. Francis has been at the center of civil rights advocacy by leveraging the power of Catholic higher education,” Jenkins said in the release. “In bestowing the Laetare Medal upon him, Notre Dame recognizes his leadership in the fight for social justice through educational empowerment.” According to the press release, Francis has served as president of Xavier University for 47 years. During this time, the school’s enrollment increased threefold and its endowment is now eight times larger than it was at the beginning of his tenure. Nationally, the school has the largest number of African American students who have graduated with degrees in biology, life sciences, chemistry, physics and pharmacy. Xavier University is both a Catholic and historically black college/university. The school was founded by St. Katharine Drexel in 1925, at a time of legal segregation in the United States, the release said. In the release, Francis saluted Drexel’s work. “I did not build Xavier; I was part of Katharine Drexel’s mission to provide quality education for all,” Francis said in the release. “All the people I worked with were part of this plan and mission, which was not only honorable, but totally necessary when you look back at what the United States was at the time.” Francis was born to a family of five children in Lafayette, Louisiana in 1931. Throughout his childhood, he attended Catholic
The Gay and Lesbian Alumni of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s (GALA-ND/SMC) awarded their biannual LGBTQ Leadership Awards Saturday evening to South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Notre Dame law alumnus John Sullivan and Fr. James Martin. Since 1996, GALA — independent from the University and College — has awarded honors to members of the community through a nomination and voting process, Bryan Ricketts, vice chair of membership of GALA, said. Ricketts said Buttigieg — who has been the mayor of South Bend since 2012 and has recently launched a presidential exploratory committee for the 2020 Democratic Party nomination — was chosen before he grew in prominence due to his committee. Buttigieg received the Larry Condren Distinguished Service Award at the ceremony for his leadership and service to the community, according to the press release for the event. “I was on campus when he wrote a letter in the newspaper coming out, and I was on campus in 2012 when we were just fighting to even have a group, so it was good to have someone out and proud in the community, and be able to look to that person as an example that you can come to South Bend, Indiana, and still be out and a public
servant,” Ricketts, a 2016 and 2017 alumnus of the University, said. Buttigieg, who attended Harvard as an undergraduate, said the climate for LGBTQ students has improved since he was in college, but there is still work to be done. “I think it’s improved, but I don’t think we are there yet,” he said. “You can tell by talking to young people — especially with the uncertain environment nationally — that a lot of people still feel vulnerable. But I also think organizations and events like where we are tonight, and a general rise in the tide of acceptance has helped us move in the right direction.” Buttigieg, a South Bend native who grew up with parents who were Notre Dame professors, said he can see the campus climate has changed. “It was still edgy to even acknowledge the idea of acceptance for the LGBT community,” Buttigieg said. “Now I think it’s more the University — sometimes a little haltingly — trying to do the right thing. So there’s no question that there has been progress. Even just the breakthrough of even having an organization on campus recognized — better late than never — shows you that there’s a trajectory here. I wish the clock was ticking a little faster than it has been, but I do think you have a lot of people here who want to do the right thing … As long as we can beckon people rather than drag them into the right place, then I think we stand a very good chance of this University community eventually becoming a leader in this respect.” Although he sees change
Power outage strikes campus Observer Staff Report
see MEDAL PAGE 3
A power feed malfunction caused a power outage in 13 buildings at 12:25 a.m. Saturday, University spokesperson Dennis Brown said in an email. Of the 13 buildings, six residence halls were affected — Lyons, Carroll, Fisher, Pangborn, Dillon and
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Alumni. “All but Fisher were back online by 6:07 a.m.,” Brown said. “Fisher was put on a generator while repairs are made.” Another power feeder malfunction occurred around 4:45 p.m. Saturday, causing 13 buildings on Notre Dame’s campus to lose power, Brown see POWER PAGE 3
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MARIA LEONTARAS | The Observer
South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg receives an award for local LGBTQ leadership from Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s Alumni.
occurring in the community, Buttigieg said the University administration could do more to increase acceptance and referenced a lack of inclusivity of sexual and gender identity in the University’s non-discrimination clause. “Certainly when it comes to nondiscrimination policies on campus there is some work to be done,” he said. “Some of its more intangible — not as much about policy, but about culture. That’s where I think the involvement and visibility of groups like this — students and alumni making clear who they are and being vocal and building bridges — can really turn the tide.” John Sullivan, a 1983 alumnus of Notre Dame law, received the Distinguished Alumni Award for his work in law and advancing the rights of the LGBTQ community, according to the press release. “One of the things with good legislation is that it allows people to have conversations,” Sullivan said. “It’s not going to change everyone’s
mind, but it gives you at least a little bit of comfort and safety in that you can have those conversations in an environment that might be a little bit more safe.” Buttigieg, as a resident of Indiana — one of five states without hate crime legislation — said he hopes Indiana will soon pass hate crime legislation, perhaps through a bipartisan effort. “It’s pretty embarrassing for us to be just one of five states in the country that lacks meaningful hate crime legislation,” Buttigieg said. “The encouraging thing is that a lot of people — from Democratic legislators to a Republican governor — recognize that this needs to change. I am disappointed that the legislature has not been able to fix this yet, but I think as we keep organizing we will see improvement there.” Sullivan said resistance from some in the Catholic community see LGBTQ PAGE 4
Dance Marathon raises $173,331 By Emma Ault News Writer
Saint Mary’s hosted its 12-hour Dance Marathon on Saturday in the Angela Athletic and Wellness Complex. The money raised from Dance Marathon benefits for Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Saturday’s event was the culmination of a year-long planning
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effort by various committees at the College. Sophomore Caitlyn McKevitt, a member of the morale team, said, “We all have our personal page for the Dance Marathon so we reach out to people that we know.” With all of the donations and fundraising that the committee members and event attendees see DANCE PAGE 4
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