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Volume 52, Issue 31 | tuesday, october 10, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
Student group protests Columbus murals Demonstration addresses accuracy of murals, marginalization of Native Americans past and present By LUCY LYNCH News Writer
ROSIE LoVOI | The Observer
The Native American Student Assosciation of Notre Dame leads a protest outside of the Main Building, calling into question the message conveyed by the building’s controversial Gregori murals.
Speaker discusses importance of friendships
PETER ST. JOHN | The Observer
Shasta Nelson explains the unexpected harmfulness of loneliness, an epidemic she says is plaguing the nation. By MARIE FAZIO News Writer
As part of Relationship Violence Awareness month, Notre Dame’s Gender Relations Center hosted speaker Shasta Nelson, author of “Frientimacy” and “Friendships Don’t Just Happen!,” to lecture about
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loneliness and how to build healthy friendships that combat it. The feeling of loneliness, or the longing for more meaningful connections, affects most people at some point in their lives, Nelson said. “What we have going on see FRIENDSHIP PAGE 3
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The Native American Student Association of Notre Dame (NASAND) gathered outside the Main Building, organizing a peaceful protest of the university’s Gregori murals Monday afternoon. The aim of the organization is to obtain the University’s commitment to Native American diversity through a peaceful manner. Commissioned by Fr. Edward Sorin, Vatican artist Luigi Gregori painted these large murals, displayed in the Main Building. According to a statement by the University regarding the Columbus murals, Sorin wanted art that represented the Catholic spirit of the University. However, NASAND protested the
misrepresentation of Columbus’ ways along with the offensive and stereotypical portrayal of Native Americans in the murals. The peaceful protest began with speeches from NASAND members, who spoke of the importance of Native American representation on campus, and was followed by a more informal forum, giving attendees the opportunity to ask NASAND students questions. NASAND president and senior Dom Acri discussed some of the problems associated with the Gregori murals. Acri talked about the University’s use of the William Faulkner quote, “The past is never dead, it is not even past,” and he said NASAND hopes to take back this see MURALS PAGE 4
Class emphasizes engagement, compassion By MAEVE FILBIN News Writer
Saint Mary’s College professor Megan Zwart teaches Philosophy 255: Medical Ethics, a course dedicated to a better understanding of the moral issues that surround modern medicine, including euthanasia, abortion and patient-therapist relationships among others. The class was originally taught in traditional format, with students reading contemporary case studies and philosophical arguments and then discussing the ethical problems in class. More recently, however, it has become a personal learning experience that applies community engagement to in-class learning. With some of her students entering medical professional fields and all being consumers of healthcare, Zwart said she decided to integrate an experiential learning component that encourages community involvement with five field trips and a requirement of eight hours of service learning
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outside of class time. “I wanted to give students an opportunity to engage in experiential learning out in the community so they could see some of our ethical issues unfold in clinical settings,” Zwart said in an email. “I also wanted them to relate to healthcare professionals who make significant ethical decisions in the course of their everyday lives.” The five field trips take Saint Mary’s students to a care center for medically fragile children, a pediatric intensive care unit, a hospice facility and two nursing homes, Zwart said. While most students complete their eight hours of volunteer work at Healthwin, a long-term care and rehabilitation facility, others have worked at Hospice House, Memorial Hospital, A Rosie Place and other healthcare institutions. Though it is not required, most students spend their time with young children or the elderly, dedicating their time to the two sides of the age spectrum that arguably require the most patience, responsibility
and compassion, Zwart said. “At the beginning of life and late in life, individuals are more likely to experience dependency and require medical care. Ethical questions about patient welfare, respecting patient autonomy and making complex decisions about medical interventions probably arise more frequently in these populations,” Zwart said. “Older adults in particular are a fast-growing segment of our population, and so there are special considerations about how to provide them with dignified care and the opportunities to make decisions for themselves, especially in longterm care settings.” Zwart said she hopes students, pre-healthcare professionals or otherwise, leave her course with the ethical tools necessary for facing the complex moral questions that arise in their own lives. According to Zwart, many students who have completed Philosophy 255 felt more prepared for
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