PDF for Tuesday, September 13, 2011

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The Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s Volume 45: Issue 16

tuesday, september 13, 2011

Ndsmcobserver.com

Activist decries executions Former Irish assistant Sr. Helen Prejean lectures on death penalty, right to life

coach serves time in jail Observer Staff Report

SUZANNA PRATT/The Observer

Sr. Helen Prejean voices her concerns regarding the death penalty and discusses her bestselling book, “Dead Man Walking,” in Geddes Hall on Monday evening. By VIENNA WAGNER News Writer

Sr. Helen Prejean said she is “not a brave person.” Yet she stood by the side of a convicted murderer — her friend — as he received the death penalty in the electric chair and prayed for him. Prejean, a Catholic nun and a mentor for inmates on death row, called for the Notre Dame community to speak out against the death penalty during her lecture in Geddes Hall

on Monday evening. “A big part of education is awakening to the gifts that God has given us and learning to develop them for service to the community,” Prejean said. This “awakening” led Prejean to her outspoken activism against the death penalty. “The best definition of ‘justice’ is ‘just us,’” Sr. Prejean said, “When we wake up, it’s a dangerous point because if we don’t act we become paralyzed, sink down into the

whirlpool and don’t do anything. It doesn’t matter where you start because grace is going to lead you.” Each human being deserves the basic right to life, Prejean said. “Even those among us who have done terrible crimes have a dignity that must not be taken from them,” she said. “Do we only uphold the dignity of innocent lives? There is no dignity in death row deaths.”

see ACTIVISM/page 5

For mer I r i sh a ssi sta nt foot ba l l coach Cor w i n Brow n spent t he weekend i n ja i l on felony cha rges related to a seven-hou r sta ndof f at h i s Gra nger home i n Aug u st. Brow n posted $ 5,0 0 0 bond Monday a f ter noon fol low i ng a n a r ra ig n ment hea r i ng to for ma l ly read h i s cha rges, wh ich were f i led Aug. 16. Brow n wa s cha rged w it h domest ic v iolence, a C la ss D felony, a nd t wo cou nt s of con f i nement, accord i ng to cou r t docu ment s. The t wo con f i nement cha rges a re C la ss C a nd C la ss B felo n ies. Brow n spent nea rly a mont h i n a secu red med ica l faci l it y a f ter t he sta ndof f, but record s at t he St. Joseph Cou nt y Ja i l stated he wa s booked t here Fr iday. St. Joseph Cou nt y Pol ice responded to a ca l l Aug. 12 f rom Mel i ssa Brow n, Cor w i n Brow n’s w i fe, repor t i ng domest ic v iolence at t he home. Law en forcement a r r ived at t he home i n t he ea rly a f ter noon a nd rema i ned out side t he resi-

dence u nt i l ea rly even i ng, accord i ng to pol ice repor t s. Mel i ssa Brow n told pol ice at t he scene t hat her hu sba nd t h reatened her wh i le he had a ha ndg u n i n h i s pocket a nd ref u sed to let her leave t hei r home. A SWAT tea m negot iated w it h Cor w i n Brow n du r i ng t he sta ndof f. Of f icers cont i nued to negot iate w it h t he for mer defen sive coord i nator du r i ng t he seven-hou r sta ndof f, a nd t he repor t stated severa l g u n shot s were hea rd before Cor w i n Brow n exited t he home a f ter 7 p.m. He su f fered a sel f-i n f l icted wou nd i n h i s side, pol ice sa id. Cor w i n Brow n wa s t reated at Memor ia l Hospita l before pol ice t ra n spor ted h i m to a loca l psych iat r ic faci lit y, accord i ng to St. Joseph Cou nt y pol ice. Brow n wa s a mem ber of t he Not re Da me foot ba l l sta f f f rom 20 07 to 20 09. He t hen ser ved a s a defen sive back s coach w it h t he New Eng la nd Pat r iot s du r i ng t he 2010 sea son, but he wa s rel ieved of h i s dut ies on t he tea m i n Febr ua r y.

SMC promotes Asian Professors support Jobs Act study abroad programs By AMANDA GRAY News Writer

COURTNEY ECKERLE/The Observer

Foreign exchange student Soojin Lee delivers a presentation Monday on the Chinese Zhongqui Jie and Korean Chuseok festivals. By REBECCA O’NEIL News Writer

Saint Mary’s promoted its Asian study abroad programs with mooncakes and music at a celebration of Chinese and Korean harvest festivals Monday afternoon in the Student Center. The event, sponsored by the Center for Women’s Intercultural Leadership (CWIL), commemorated the Chinese festival

Inside today’s paper

Zhongqui Jie, or “Mid-Autumn Festival,” and the Korean festival Chuseok. Alice Yang, assistant director for global education, said she hopes students take advantage of the College’s four study abroad programs in Asia. “We have summer and semester programs in China and Korea, and we’ve been looking for

see FESTIVAL/page 5

After President Barack Obama proposed his new job plan last week, Notre Dame professors said they are optimistic that the American Jobs Act could help improve unemployment and encourage economic growth. Obama outlined the proposed act in a speech to a joint session of Congress last Thursday. The $447 billion plan would put Americans back to work with tax breaks for citizens and businesses, infrastructure spending and increased unemployment benefits, he said in his speech. If the plan passes in Congress, finance Professor Jeffrey Bergstrand said it would encourage the nation’s financial outlook. “This is positive — especially in a global economy,” Bergstrand said. “We’re all interlinked.” Bergstrand said 60 percent of the $447 billion plan is allotted for tax breaks and cuts. These breaks would last longer and tax less than a tax

AP

President Barack Obama, center, details his $447 billion job plan to a joint session of Congress on Thursday. break implemented in the beginning of the year, and Bergstrand said the plan allows the same breaks for businesses. John Stiver, an associate professional specialist in the Mendoza School of Business, said these tax breaks would be a critical piece of the plan. “The tax breaks for businesses are the most direct in terms of promoting hiring,” Sti-

ver said. “Further, tax breaks for businesses can be implemented immediately and should have an impact rather quickly. Spending on infrastructure in principle could put people back to work, but typically take too long to start — we need ‘shovelready’ projects. Tax relief can be implemented quickly and

see JOBS/page 5

New study space opens page 3 u Viewpoint page 6 u Nuremberg film screened at DPAC page 8 u Men’s golf: Gopher Invitational page 16


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