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Volume 55, Issue 2 | Wednesday, august 12, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com
Students lose power after storm Random Off-campus residents in different buildings suffered electricity loss for hours testing to begin
By MARIA LUISA PAUL News Writer
After storms that blew through South Bend Monday evening, a number of students liv ing off campus found themselves w ithout electricit y for several hours. Outages starting around 6:30 p.m. were reported in Irish Crossings Tow n Homes, Campus Court, Campus View, Irish Row and Overlook at Notre Dame. According to Tracy Warner, a spokesman for Indiana & Michigan Power (I&M), 51,875 of I&M’s customers suffered power
outages — among which 8,000 cases — at the outage’s peak — were in South Bend. Senior Ingrid Heimer said the power went out around 6:30 p.m. on Monday in Irish Crossings, where she lives w ith her three roommates. The building’s management did not prov ide information about the procedures to follow during the outage, except to “stay inside,” Heimer said in an email. “They didn’t know when the power would be back on,” Heimer said. “They also told us they would not be reimbursing us for spoiled
food.” Junior Kiara Gutierrez experienced a similar situation when she returned to her apartment complex in Campus Court after going to Martin’s to buy groceries. Gutierrez said she did not receive information from her building’s management. To add to this “extremely stressful experience,” she said the outage’s effects hindered her concentration for any schoolwork. “There was no WiFi and my computer was out of batter y,” she said. “I wasn’t able to cook any food for dinner and was stressed that our food would go bad.”
Prize-winning alumna reflects on ND experience By MARIA LEONTARAS and MARIAH RUSH Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor
W hen she was in fifth grade, Nikole Hannah-Jones came across a column that she thought was racist while reading her local newspaper. She wanted to speak out against the piece, so she w rote to the editor. That was the ver y first time Hannah-Jones’ work was published.
This May, the Notre Dame alumna won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Commentar y for The 1619 Project. Published in August 2019 by The New York Times Magazine, where HannahJones is a journalist, the essay project launched a national conversation about the origins and legacy of slaver y. The publication of the ongoing project sparked a book deal, telev ision show,
podcast and now the highest honor in journalism. Hannah-Jones said she had essentially been working toward The 1619 Project her entire career. “I have long believed that the way that we’re taught about slaver y is w rong and the way that we’re taught that slaver y ended a long time ago but that there’s no modern connection to how
By LAYTON HALL News Writer
Members of the class of 2024 were introduced to campus last week with a revamped Welcome Week meant to mirror previous years’ programs while also fostering a safe environment in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first-years were
News PAGE 3
VIEWPOINT PAGE 8
see ELECTRICITY PAGE 4
Observer Staff Report
On Tuesday, University provost Marie Lynn Miranda and executive vice president Shannon Cullinan wrote to Notre Dame faculty and staff in an email to provide updates on the COVID response units (CRU), surveillance testing and incident reporting. The email reported that the CRU is now fully operational. The daily health check is now providing guidance to students see COVID PAGE 5
Conboy commits to change amidst uncertainty
see ALUMNA PAGE 4
Welcome Week helps students adjust to campus separated into two groups — blue and gold. The blue group arrived Monday, Aug. 3, with the gold group moving in behind them Wednesday, Aug. 5. The separate arrival dates allowed for increased distancing and safety during move-in. Although the gold group had less time on campus, the programming was nearly identical for the two groups, according
Similarly to Gutierrez, sophomore Mabel Perez’s power went out in her apartment in Campus View. “It affected my learning experience because I was unable to prepare for any of my classes for the next day,” Perez said. “The outage sucked because it ruined my ... plans.” In Irish Row, senior Natalia Gomez-Botero was told by her neighbors that there was a power outage in the building while she was grocer y shopping. “My friends in Building Four texted me ‘Are you
to the co-directors of welcome activities, Lauren Donahue and Andrew Whittington. Over the course of the week, students had the ability to hear from Campus Ministry, the McDonald Center for Student Well-Being and the Center for Social Concern. Every college — with representatives from see WELCOME PAGE 3
SCENE PAGE 9
Photo courtesy of Saint Mary’s College
College President Katie Conboy took office June 1. She has led Saint Mary’s through social unrest and an ongoing pandemic. By MAEVE FILBIN Assistant Managing Editor
Dr. Kat ie Conboy beca me t he newest Sa int Ma r y’s Col lege President June 1, in t he midd le of t he COVID-19 pa ndemic a nd a nat ionw ide reckoning w it h racism a nd policing in A merica, a nd has been “drin k ing f rom t he f irehouse” ever since. A f ter
SMC SOCCER PAGE 16
assuming of f ice, Conboy successf u l ly led t he Col lege in ma k ing severa l cha nges to t he student ex perience, including reopening t he ca mpus for in-person inst r uct ion, committ ing to a nt i-racism prog ra mming a nd insta l ling a new dining ser v ice. “It just feels li ke see CONBOY PAGE 5
ND FOOTBALL PAGE 16