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Volume 54, Issue 44 | thursday, november 7, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
First senior female administrator dies Sister John Miriam Jones, instrumental in making University co-ed, dies at 96. Observer Staff Report
Sister John Miriam Jones, a retired associate provost and professor, died Sunday, Nov. 3, the Universit y said in a press release published Wednesday. Jones was instrumental in the effort to make Notre Dame co-educational in the 1970s and 1980s. “Sister John Miriam was one of the pivotal figures in Notre Dame’s transition to co-education,” Rev. Edward A. Malloy said in the release. “She befriended the first generation of Notre
Dame undergraduate women and made their transition easier. She was full of w isdom, kindness and enthusiasm. We w ill miss her deeply.” Jones was the first senior female official in the Universit y’s administration, the release said. Additionally, she held master’s and doctoral degrees in biolog y and microbiolog y, respectively. She spent 17 years at Notre Dame, holding a variet y of positions. She coordinated facult y appointments, super v ised affirmative action
PEMCo to present Roman musical comedy
activ ities, prov ided for the needs of students w ith disabilities and ser ved as the liaison to the ROTC programs, in addition to integrating women into the Universit y communit y. On the topic of integrating the Universit y in the fall of 1972, Jones once said: “Many men undergraduates found it hard to be welcoming. There was a nightly rating system in the dining hall; catcalls from the w indows of the men’s halls; run-throughs in women’s halls; and something akin to non-inclusion in the classrooms.”
Jones also planned the Universit y’s first presidential inauguration and ser ved as the executive chair of Notre Dame’s sesquicentennial celebration. She left Notre Dame in 1989 to become the prov incial of the Central Prov ince of the Sisters of Charit y in Cincinnati. From 1997 to 2001, Jones ser ved as academic dean at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati. In October 1999, Sister John was one of the first indiv iduals inducted into Notre Dame’s Wall of Honor,
located on the ground f loor of the Main Building, for her work in the Universit y’s transition to educating both males and females, the release said. According to the release, the Sisters of Charit y and family members w ill allow guests to attend ser v ices at Motherhouse Chapel at Mount St. Joseph from 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesday Nov. 12, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in the chapel. Memorial contributions can be made to the Sisters of Charit y Retirement Fund in Mount St. Joseph, Ohio.
ACE Night details education program By CHRISTOPHER PARKER News Writer
Nothing draws a crowd like free education and free ChickFil-A. In a crowded Remick Commons this past Wednesday evening, the Alliance for Catholic Education hosted ACE Night, a presentation and conversation
forum for their Teaching Fellows program. Bridgette McDermott, associate recruiting coordinator for ACE Teaching Fellows, said outreach events like ACE Night have been a constant in her five years in ACE teaching and administration. “We’ve traditionally always had something like ACE Night,
for the past couple years,” she said. “It’s been a great way to gather Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s students together, to really provide them with a lens into what the experience could look like for them.”
see ACE PAGE 3
Conversation Cafe fosters dialogue at Saint Mary’s By REBECCA STELLA Photo courtesy of Kathryn Strimu
Students in the Pasquerilla East Musical Company rehearse for performances of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” By EMILY HUNT News Writer
The Pasquerilla East Musical Company (PEMCo) will present a rendition of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” this coming weekend. The show will run Thursday to Saturday in Washington Hall on campus. Sophomore Katie Coury is directing the production. The show is a comedy that takes place in
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Rome and follows the exploits of the slave Pseudolus, who plots her way to freedom by playing matchmaker for her master’s son, Hero, who is in love with the beautiful blonde, Philia. Philia however, is promised to another man. When things stray from Pseudolus’ plan, chaos ensues. Senior Kathleen Capella plays Pseudolus in the show. She has
see PEMCO PAGE 3
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News Writer
Dialogue can be difficult to manage while still maintaining respect. However, by replicating the format of Conversation Cafes, an organization started in Seattle, Saint Mary’s has sought to find a way to engage students and promote productive dialogue. The President’s Council on Inclusivity and Multicultural Diversity along with the help of director of the Center for Women’s Intercultural Leadership, Mara Derakhshani and
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others helped to make this opportunity possible. “Our hope is always to encourage mutual understanding and dialogue across difference to create a more welcoming and inclusive campus,” Derakhshani said. There are specific rules and formats of Conversation Cafes designed to help make it successful. In the first two rounds of conversation every participant is welcome to talk, however participants pass around a talking object and are asked not to interrupt one another. In the last round, discussion is opened
up to cross conversations for anyone to talk and share their opinions. “In the Conversation Cafes, we are hoping to create a safe space where everyone feels free to express their perspective and feels listened to non-judgmentally.” Derakhshani said. “The goal is to foster respectful civil discourse and create a welcoming community for all.” Director of the Office for Civic and Social Engagement Rebekah Go has advertised and helped students preregister for
BARAKA BOUTS PAGE 12
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see CAFE PAGE 3