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Volume 53, Issue 95 | FRIday, MARCH 1, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
First-gen students share stories Saint Mary’s community explores experience of first-generation college students By KALEY GRESHAM News Writer
Saint Mary’s hosted the First-Generation Student Panel Thursday night in the basement of the Student Center explored the difficulties that these students may face. It featured two College faculty members — associate professor of communication sciences and disorders Susan Latham and professor of social work Leonardo Sanchez. Seniors Shameka Turner and Sonia Torres also spoke at the panel. The discussion topics focused around the setbacks a first-generation student has to deal with, as well as
what the two students have learned by attending college and how their experiences have benefited them. “I didn’t know any firstgeneration students when I came to college,” Latham said. The inability to access the “hidden curriculum,” or the knowledge of how a college student is expected to behave based on what they have unconsciously learned from their college-educated parents, was a setback in her days at Saint Mary’s, Latham said. The panel speakers said every student’s experiences as a first-generation student will differ, but they can all
Lewis Hall to host first-ever LHOB fundraising event
Photo courtesy of Marissa Brannan
Lewis Hall will extend their culinary tradition to a new event this year, Lewis Hall of Baking, which will offer a variety of baked goods. By CATE VON DOHLEN News Writer
Lewis House of Pancakes (LHOP) has been a popular tradition at Notre Dame for years. Continuing the tradition, the first-ever Lewis Hall of Baking, or LHOB, will
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commence Friday. Unlike its fall counterpart, which serves breakfast as the primary food, LHOB will instead offer a variety of baked goods. Featured options will include Rice Krispies Treats, see LHOB PAGE 4
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find ways to help and support each other. Torres and Turner recommended the Writing Center as a valuable resource to assist with any issues that might come up when writing papers or doing projects. “The Writing Center is very helpful because I talk with a lot of slang, and it is sometimes hard not to not write how I speak,” Turner said. Torres said she recommends asking friends to assist with revising and asking professors for help. “I didn’t have older siblings to send my papers to so they could fix them, but I learned that friends can be helpful and give feedback on
Former dean dies of illness
papers,” Torres said. “I also always bother my professors because they know how to help me — my parents don’t know how to be an accounting major.” Despite the hardships, the panelists said acting as a role model for community members and family back home is one of the best parts of being a student. “I think my favorite thing about [being a first generation student] is that graduating is no longer for me, but for [my parents] and my siblings,” Torres said. “You set the foundation, and you are that role model whether you
Thomas L. Shaffer, former dean of the Notre Dame Law School and the Robert and Marion Short professor emeritus of law, died Tuesday from a long-term illness, the University announced in a news release Thursday. Shaffer was a teacher and scholar who took interest
see COLLEGE PAGE 4
see DEAN PAGE 4
Observer Staff Report
Comedian Ali Wong joins IDEA Week entertainment Observer Staff Report
Comedian Ali Wong will perform her new “Milk and Money” show in downtown South Bend as part of IDEA Week, the University announced in a press release Thursday. Wong joins numerous other artists who have already been announced as part of IDEA Week, including
comedian Jim Gaffigan, magician Michael Carbonaro and country music artists Scotty McCreery and Tim McGraw. “Part of innovation is breaking down the walls that divide life into narrow categories so we have more opportunities for creative and serendipitous connections,” IDEA Week event coordinator Nick Swisher said in the
release. Wong will perform at Morris Performing Arts Center in South Bend on April 11. Cell phones will be banned from Wong’s performance, the release said. Ticket prices will range from $45 to $95 and will go on sale March 8 at the Morris Box Office either by phone at 800-537-6415 or online at www.morriscenter.org.
News hour co-host discusses suicidal murder By JACK LYONS News Writer
Nermeen Shaikh, co-host of the independent news hour “Democracy Now!” and global lecturer, considered what motivates individuals to commit acts of violence in a lecture titled “On Suicidal Murder” delivered Thursday at the Hesburgh
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Center for International Studies. The event was organized by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. Shaikh compared suicidal murder to other types of violence and considered why suicide bombing often evokes more horror, even though the acts can be equally deadly. She contemplated
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what characterizes a suicide bombing, searching for what attribute makes it more heinous than other forms of violence, asking the audience to consider techniques employed by militaries in the War on Terror. “Might it be true that a suicide bombing is more brutal see MURDER PAGE 3
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