see visas

ready to not think about school for the upcoming 10week break.” sierra added that she thinks students thought this semester would be doable without a break.

“I think that a lot of us thought that we could make it through the semester without any breaks, but now that we are actually living through the semester and while yes we are so close to the end of the semester, it still seems so far away,” she said. “especially with professors stacking projects and paper, and all these assignments on top of each other.” sierra also addressed

Malloy

conTInUed from PAGe 1 “When I visited notre dame I said ‘This is the school for me.’ And when I arrived as a first-semester student, I never looked back.” monk said the book reveals his “love affair” with notre dame.

“I found a home here,” malloy said. “And I put my whole self into it, and because of that, all kinds of opportunities opened up.”

In addition to being a student on campus, malloy said he also found his vocation through a service trip to Latin America, which led him to the rest of his journey at notre dame.

A large part of this journey involved several groups of people. In his book, those

Vote

conTInUed from PAGe 1 discussion by addressing the session’s aim.

“now more than ever, it is time for us to wrestle with these difficult topics and difficult issues, but to do so respectfully and with an open mind,” Young said.

Young introduced the two speakers for the series’ fourth session: christina Wolbrecht, professor of political science and director of the rooney center for the study of American democracy, and dianne Pinderhughes, presidential faculty fellow and professor of political science and Africana studies. before diving into modern-day implications for women’s votes, Wolbrecht gave a brief history of how the 19th Amendment has increasingly impacted political turnouts over the years.

“When women first got the right to vote in the 1920s, they were almost concerns for students’ mental state, including her own.

“I think I can speak for a lot of students that I am burnt out and no longer have the capacity to deal with or think about school-related matters,” she said. “It would have liked there to be like a day or two where all the students could have a day with no class and almost a type of mental health day. I know we have the weekend to rest, but weekends are no longer weekends, rather days to catch up on work you couldn’t complete during the week or were too at capacity and burnt out to finish during the week.”

Junior damariz olguin echoed the same feeling of needing a long break after the fast-paced semester.

“I will be relaxing and family are highlighted.

“Part of the book is historical,” malloy said. “I trace the role the different presidents have played and what happened during their term of leadership.” not only does malloy cover the presidents that have passed through the University, but also members of the staff.

“I wanted to get people to think about all the units that provide services,” malloy said. “We can take all these things for granted, but they’re an integral part of what makes notre dame kick.” malloy’s own experience as University President is included in the history.

“I was really honored to have that role,” malloy said.

When asked what he was immediately described as a failure, and what that meant was that women did not seem to be taking up their right to vote,” Wolbrecht said.

The turnout gap was not in favor of women as it is today, Wolbrecht said.

“black women have never stopped fighting for voting rights,” she said. Amendment is a minuscule part of their fight for voting rights, Wolbrecht said.

Pinderhughes elaborated on resistance black women have faced in pursuit of a role in politics.

“The 19th Amendment was passed, but when various state legislatures approved the amendment, the agreement was that there wouldn’t be an effort to permit black women to vote,” Pinderhughes said.

The point of legislation from the late 1890s, when southern states began to alter their constitutions, was to silence black women’s voices, Pinderhughes said. enjoying spending time with family after a packed and stressful semester,” she said. olguin also commented on the college’s recent announcement of offering a handful of courses during the winter break to lighten the course load for students in the spring.

“While saint mary’s has given students the option of a winter term, the semester has left me burnt out and I don’t think it is the right move for me,” olguin said. however, olguin does have concerns over the long winter break after an at-home end of spring semester and summer.

“hearing how long our break will be gave me flashbacks to the summer,” olguin said. “Although I proudest of from his time as President, malloy said it was the fact that “we made progress on multiple things simultaneously.”

This progress, malloy said, spanned several areas of the University, including the quality of teaching and the diversity of the campus. his time in the position also provided the highlights of his experience at the University. one was the way the notre dame community responded to an accident in which two members of the women’s swim team passed away, with another seemingly paralyzed.

“That was a major moment,” malloy said. “It revealed, as so often happens when we have the death of a student, that we are never better as a community of support than when we deal

Pinderhughes then turned the discussion to modern politics.

“now, with the decision by the supreme court in holder v. shelby county, the protection of the voting rights Act is no longer in place,” Pinderhughes said.

Pinderhughes said she sees issues with such actions.

“There is no intervention on the part of the department of justice to monitor changes in voting laws,” Pinderhughes said. “[southern states] have moved very quickly to put restrictions on, and change the law, again to make it more difficult and discourage blacks from voting.”

The discussion then pivoted towards the stereotypes around women voters.

Pinderhughes noted there is a whole range of policy issues that affect how women function — they do not just care about one sector of politics. she noted everyday concerns such as nutrition, transportation participated in ssLP through nd virtual experience, I found myself doing nothing after it and having large periods of free time.”

As for the spring semester and the way it is set to take place, olguin said she understands why the college decided to begin so late, but added that another semester without a break will be strenuous.

“I understand the lateness of the start of the semester due to covId,” she said. “however, another semester without a break will be very rough.” sierra said she is a bit worried about another semester without the traditional break and hopes for at least one day off to destress.

“It has been really hard not with tragedy.”

Another highlight that stuck out in malloy’s years was students’ responses in the aftermath of 9/11.

“We could have closed a number of times. many schools closed when they had tough occasions that they were facing,” he said. “You could say covId-19, maybe, was another test like that, where we’ve had a sense of what was important, that we’ve rallied together in times of crisis and difficulty.” malloy said he tied this spirit to the current generation of students, making his book applicable to people at every stage of their journey at notre dame.

“[This] generation is responsible for carrying it to the next level,” malloy said. and air quality, all of which impact a woman’s life.

“We tend to narrow the orientation in terms of what it is that people think is important for women,” Pinderhughes said.

Wolbrecht spoke about misconceptions and assumptions made regarding what actually concerns women.

“We care about the economy, we care about healthcare, we care about the same issues that affect daily life that men do,” Wolbrecht said. “The reality is that women are placed differently in the economy. … Their evaluations of the economy, of what’s best for their family, of where they want to see government protection, is on average, slightly different from men’s.”

After explaining the role gender differences have on political objectives, Wolbrecht turned towards speculations regarding the 2020 election.

Policy changes, to Pinderhughes, negatively having a break in between the semester [and] it’s always go-go but we just need a time or day specifically free of school-related tasks to let go of everything,” she said. “I honestly do not mind that the semester is beginning february, just because I feel exhausted and I need as much time as possible to get back to myself because I know this has been a really challenging time not just for me but for everyone. And I’m sure a lot of have lost a little bit of our motivation and ourselves. having those 10 weeks will ground us a lot more and let us be the people we once were before everything happened.”

Contact Crystal Ramirez at

who make up the notre dame

cramire8@nd.edu

In terms of advice on how to do this, malloy referred to his own experience.

“not everything went well all the time for me,” he said. “so what I did is when something didn’t go right, I figured out something else to get involved in.” he said he believes everyone at notre dame has access to their own version of achievement.

“Get a broad education, whatever your major is. Get involved in various activities that you enjoy,” malloy said. “And then I think you’d be a lot better prepared for what life brings, than if you just focus on one thing or let one thing get in your way and discourage you.”

Contact Emily DeFazio at

for black women, the 19th

edefazio@nd.edu

impact the black voter community.

“Access to voting rights is a concern in the sense that with holder v. shelby county, protection, under section four of the right voting act, is no longer offered,” Pinderhughes said.

Young then turned towards Wolbrecht, asking what then needed to be done.

“We are nowhere close to being done,” Wolbrecht said. she explained that the constitution does not include the affirmative right to vote, which does not require states, counties or municipalities to ensure the right to vote — accountability she wishes existed.

Pinderhughes said that in addition to this legal framework, “what needs to happen at present is for the tensions that remain between and among women of color to be addressed.”

Irish Guard experiences historical changes

By EMILY DEFAZIO

news Writer

since its founding in 1949, the Irish Guard has remained a staple of the notre dame football experience. With their multicolored kilts and tall black hats, one can recognize the Guard as a symbol of the marching band. This year has proven to be history-making for the Guard in more ways than one. For the first time, there are two black members of the Guard, juniors Tarik brown and Kossivi “Armel” mignondje.

“After I joined marching band in my freshman year, the first thing that really got me excited was seeing the Irish Guard,” brown said. “I remember thinking, ‘man, I think it would be really cool to be one of those people wearing kilts.’”

The notre dame band of the Fighting Irish was the main reason for the Guard’s creation, since spectators would get so close to the band members that the instrumentalists needed protection on their marches around campus. The Irish Guard has since becomeintegrated into every game-day experience. brown said he tried out for the Guard at the end of his sophomore year after being encouraged by his friends to audition.

“There was already a culture of people supporting each other, so that sort of motivated me

By MEGHAN CAPPITELLI

news Writer

The week of oct. 5 was a fun-filled and meaningful one for baraka bouts, the notre dame women’s boxing club, as the team held its first ever run-a-thon fundraiser. The five-day event raised money to support the holy cross missions in east Africa.

For the first time in the club’s 18 years of fundraising, baraka bouts will be unable to host its usual boxing tournament due to the no-contact rules prohibiting sparring. however, this has not stopped them from staying active, coming together as a team and carrying out their mission.

The club has raised over $46,500, leaving them in sight of their $50,000 semester-long goal. The run-a-thon raised $13,490 of the current total, which served to jumpstart this year’s fundraising efforts. over the course of five days, members of the team ran a total of 1,413 miles, bringing in donations from generous sponsors, family members and friends.

The 2020 proceeds will go towards the construction to audition,” he said. brown said this culture that the Guard has cultivated has continued throughout his entire experience.

“It’s been really great,” brown said. “It’s been a lot of extra work, but it’s also a lot of extra fun work. The Irish Guard is like its own little family. We have all of our own traditions, and it’s just a really fun time.”

The Irish Guard has undergone several other reforms in the past 20 years, such as the inclusion of women to the group and the removal of the 6’2” height requirement. even though this season has been affected by the covId-19 pandemic, brown said he still thinks the achievement that the Guard has made should be acknowledged.

“I think that given everything that’s going on, we should still look at these things and celebrate them because that’s how we end up making progress,” brown said. “In the past, having a woman in the Irish Guard didn’t seem like it would happen, and it happened. And now having more black members of the Irish Guard is something that could happen, and it’s just nice to see that progress.” brown also tied the achievement to its relevance for all of notre dame.

“You want every part of the band to represent every part of of a new science laboratory at holy cross’ st. Joseph’s hill secondary school in Kyembogo, Uganda. In addition, funds will be directed towards covId-19 relief that facilitates the safe return of the school’s students to campus.

As a result of covId-19, the Ugandan economy took a particularly hard hit, which directly affected many of the students and families of st. Joseph’s hill. consequently, it is more important now than ever for the club to raise money for the students in Uganda, junior boxer nora Tucker explained.

“Given that our lives back here at school are fairly normal, we feel that it is especially important this year to make sure we can do everything we can to fundraise,” Tucker said. “obviously, our biggest fundraiser, which is a three-round tournament, is not taking place in its normal form this year, so that was when the captains and coaches came up with the idea of the run-a-thon as a way to do a more unconventional way of fundraising for the club.” spearheaded by senior captains erin doyle and bailey the school,” brown said. “And that includes Irish Guard, so it’s just exciting to finally see that happen.” other members of the Guard spoke to the group’s inclusivity efforts. shannon may, a saint mary’s senior and co-captain of the Irish Guard, said she is proud of the season’s first.

“First and foremost, it’s very exciting,” may said. “It’s very cool to be on ground zero for this achievement. It’s happening right here in front of me, and I’m very proud and excited to be involved in it with them.”

Kilian vidourek, another captain of the Guard and notre dame senior, said he had similar thoughts.

“It’s super cool to have those two gentlemen ramp up the band in that way,” he said. vidourek also recalled the Guard featured four women last year.

“Guard is making big steps,” he said. both vidourek and may expressed their excitement for the Guard’s progression.

“The Guard started off as literally a guard to protect the band, then became this whole super rich tradition,” vidourek said. “[The traditions] went a little too far. now this is kind of like the start of a fresh new Guard. To enter a new year, a new era for the Guard, for the band.”

Another way in which the baumbick, the run-a-thon also served as a way to keep the team spirit alive. doyle said while the team cannot currently engage in direct physical contact, the competitive aspect of the club is still prevalent.

“I’m a competitive person and I think all of us are, so getting to push yourself everyday with boxing or with running is fun and gets you out of bed every morning,” doyle said. “The run-a-thon really encapsulated that, but more importantly it’s just really fun to be a part of a club that everyone is so excited to show up for everyday and push themselves.” baraka bouts plans to hold another event in two weeks in lieu of their typical tournament, the “baraka-thon,” which will consist of a series of different workout challenges such as plank-offs and push-up contests.

The club is also making use of new, emerging technology to enhance the solo boxing experience, explained senior captain and club president meghan Guilfoile.

“We will actually be using a virtual reality system so that girls can box without having to have contact,” Guilfoile

Courtesy of Kilian Vidourek

Members of the Irish Guard pose for a photo at the top of Notre Dame stadium during the football game against Louisville Saturday.

Irish Guard is making history is in the midst of the covId-19 pandemic, vidourek said. The Irish Guard is still keeping the same spirit they’ve maintained for over 70 years, even if the group looks a little different this year. Instead of the traditional uniform, the Guard has been wearing red t-shirts as their signifier.

“We are still an officially functioning Irish Guard,” vidourek said. “It doesn’t matter whether we are in kilts or not.” he explained that they have upheld several traditions of the Guard, like saluting “mother mary” when they pass by the dome, as well as performing the Irish victory clog after every win for the football team. said. “each girl will have a headset on, [for] the virtual reality, and can box each other through the headset.”

This technology has allowed the team to mimic the competitive environment they are used to sparring in, which is a part of baraka bouts many have missed this season.

“We’re pretty lucky that we have been able to basically do the impossible in a season like this,” Guilfoile said, in terms of practicing with virtual reality and in terms of fundraising. “To be helping others during this time makes everyone feel better, which is definitely my favorite part about the club.”

For baumbick, merely getting outside and being around other people, albeit socially distanced, is what makes baraka bouts a special experience.

“It’s just been phenomenal to see the amount of participation despite covId and despite the fact that we are under all these restrictions,” she said. “my favorite part of the club is the ability to be altogether, to test yourself and to push the limits of your human body.”

In addition to the events

According to the captains, another change that had been made was to the Guard’s practices.

“For a while, we were just with our instrument sections, because we’re also all members of our instrument section,” may said. “We are now marching as a Guard.”

This recent shift has helped bring a sense of normalcy back to the group, showing that the Fighting Irish spirit is still there.

“nothing’s planned. nothing’s structured,” vidourek said. “We’re just going off in t-shirts, and we’re calling it the same thing. It feels the same.”

Contact Emily DeFazio at

baraka bouts hosts first-ever run-a-thon

edefazio@nd.edu

the club plans to hold, baraka bouts boxing coach mike Gelchion has started a new podcast series called “In the corner.” Gelchion hosts former and current boxers who reflect on their experiences and favorite memories with the club. The podcast aims to bring past and present members of the baraka bouts community closer together during the pandemic.

The podcast’s sixth and most recent episode included an interview with Guilfoile and discussed in depth the club’s commitment to fundraising for the holy cross missions in Uganda.

Guilfoile described her experience of actually getting to travel to Uganda and meet the students the club raises money for every year.

“my whole perspective changed. It really helped me remember why we actually have the tournament and who we are really fighting for,” she in the podcast interview. “I’m so blessed to be able to have seen exactly what that money is going towards with those students.”

student government seeks to address burnout

By Adriana Perez

news Writer

In light of news that the spring 2021 calendar for notre dame will not include a mid-semester break, and as the student body enters the eleventh consecutive week of classes, students have expressed concerns about another uninterrupted semester. acknowledging current feelings of burnout, student government reached out to the student body asking for feedback “on how to make the spring semester less strenuous without a break,” according to an oct. 13 email. help, stress, rest and sleep were some of the most frequently used words in students’ feedback. an attached suggestion form allowed students to share their feelings and offer ideas on incorporating breaks or other innovative opportunities for rest in next semester’s calendar. In the first 24 hours, the form received over 800 responses, which have since amounted to almost 1,000.

“The message they really sent to us was that there is a significant need for some sort of break, some sort of relief to that pressure that students are feeling — they’re under major academic stress,” senior rachel Ingal, student body president, said. she said the responses have given student government quantitative evidence of what they had been hearing from the student body, and this is information they can share with the administration. many students, she added, were vulnerable and honest in their answers, something the student government was grateful to see.

“[The form] really allowed us to hear directly from the students, so that we can better amplify their voices when we go into meetings and share exactly the language that they’re sharing with us,” Ingal said. some of these meetings have already occurred. Two weeks ago, student government talked about mental

Visas

conTInUed from page 1 students notre dame enrolled last year, Jenkins said only one student failed to return to campus as expected in the spring semester and did not have a record of departure in the

Courtesy of Rachel Ingal

Student government made a data visualization graphic in order to identify patterns in student feedback. Help, stress, rest and sleep were some of the most common words students utilized to express themselves.

health with the board of Trustees, whose members were interested in rectifying these issues, Ingal said.

The student advisory group for campus reopening met last week with vice president and dean of the graduate school dr. Laura carlson, vice president and associate provost for undergraduate affairs fr. hugh page and provost marie Lynn miranda. They discussed the winter session and spring semester calendars, as well as the possibility of including a break in the latter.

The campus Life council (cLc), which Ingal chairs, also brought together heads of the student Union, rectors and representatives from the division of student affairs last week to talk about mental health on campus. chief of staff and senior aaron benavides said “doing this is top of the list right now [for student government], because it’s something that is affecting all of us.” (editor’s note: benavides is a former news writer for government’s reporting system.

“examining our track records is a fairer and surer way for your department to protect the national security interests of the United states,” Jenkins said. “notre dame fully recognizes your obligations in this regard and stands The observer.) acknowledging the uniqueness of this semester and the toll of academic demands, the mcdonald center for student Wellbeing (mcWell) hosted restoration Week oct. 12-17 to offer students opportunities to relax in the absence of a fall break. In conjunction with other campus groups, mcWell prepared events such as yoga, prayer, special meals and more. however, students mentioned being unable to attend restoration Week activities due to steady academic pressures and busy schedules. although restoration Week was a necessary effort, junior Kieran emmons said, he was only able to reserve a mcWell restorative space once because two papers kept him busy most of the time.

“[restoration Week] activities ran up against, ultimately, our well-being,” emmons said.

Junior ashton bieri experienced a similar situation.

“I had a paper last week, and then a paper and a midterm this week. so, going to ready to assist you in having international students adhere to their obligations under existing visa requirements.”

Instead of limiting international students’ stays in the U.s., Jenkins suggested the dhs find other ways to resolve the increase of the restoration Week events wasn’t my top priority,” bieri said. various optional opportunities for relaxation have also seemingly been unable to assuage student anxieties of experiencing similar feelings of burnout next semester.

“If the spring semester continues in the same way, I don’t predict that I’ll feel any better about it … a lot of it feels like running against a brick wall,” first-year adamari rodriguez said. first-year Luzolo matundu also said she is concerned about not having days off in the spring semester, which she expects might be harder in terms of workload as her second semesters in high school often were.

“It’s going to be colder in the beginning — that definitely means less time outside and probably less time with other people,” matundu added. “so those are all factors that might not lead to something great next semester.” despite current general feelings of mental fatigue, students had various students abroad requesting education at U.s. universities.

“I recognize that your department is responsible for screening these increasing numbers of foreign students,” Jenkins said. “however, dhs funding should be increased to meet the demand rather ideas on how to make up for a lost spring break, some of which they shared in the student government’s feedback form.

In her form response, rodriguez said, she discussed alternatives to a week-long break, such as giving students threeday weekends or ensuring less homework is assigned certain weeks. emmons echoed a need to coordinate restorative activities like restoration Week with professors in advance, so faculty can adjust syllabi accordingly to give students “some concentrated breathing room.”

While benavides said he thinks “dead days” — for which no coursework is assigned — might be the easiest solution, he said sporadic days off each month would reduce the chances of people traveling and possibly bringing the virus back to campus. bieri suggested incorporating a kind of “snow days” approach, which would build upon the concept of “dead days.” students would wake up on certain random days to find out classes had been canceled.

“Then, people wouldn’t really have time to make plans and go and travel or anything, but we’d be able to just take that time and restore,” he said.

“some sort of sporadic break schedule is something we’re going to advocate for,” Ingal said, recognizing the need to curb travel plans. student government plans on sharing students’ concerns and ideas with committees such as the student advisory group for campus reopening, the academic council and the faculty senate.

“I think now we’re well equipped to do that, and I think the provost does want to be a partner in having this conversation,” Ingal said. “I believe that there’s a lot of goodwill there. so, hopefully, that will be able to bear fruit by next semester.

Contact Emily DeFazio at

aperez8@nd.edu

than restrict wholesale admission of desirable foreign students to our institutions of higher learning.”

The University is expected to submit a formal statement in opposition to the expected changes in the coming days, according to a Tuesday press release.