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Volume 57, Issue 69 | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2023 | ndsmcobserver.com
Campus debates proposed porn ban Notre Dame students, faculty discuss merits of establishing pornography filter on University Wi-Fi By GABBY BEECHERT and PETER BREEN Assistant Managing Editor and Associate News Editor
Editor’s Note: This story contains mentions of sexual violence. A list of resources for tri-campus students can be found online. Last month, four Notre Dame student senators proposed a resolution to ban pornography on campus WiFi. The resolution appealed to the University’s Catholic
character, linking frequent pornography use with sexual violence. “Research indicates ‘frequent porn consumers are more likely to sexually objectify and dehumanize others, more likely to express an intent to rape, less likely to intervene during a sexual assault, more likely to victim-blame survivors of sexual violence, more likely to support violence against women, more likely to forward sexts without consent and more likely to
commit actual acts of sexual violence,’” the resolution said. While Notre Dame’s Responsible Use of Data and Information Technology Resources policy prohibits the use of University resources “to post, view, print, store or send obscene, pornographic, sexually explicit or offensive material, except for officially approved, legitimate academic or University purposes,” the policy is not widely enforced. see FILTER PAGE 4
Courtesy of Kylie Gallegos
During its annual WRAP week, SCOP chalked outside of LaFortune Student Center to spread awareness of the dangers of pornography.
University rescinds COVID Thom Browne booster requirement speaks on fashion Observer Staff Report
In an email sent to students Tuesday morning, University Health Services (UHS) announced that Notre Dame will “no longer require undergraduate, graduate and professional students to receive the COVID‑19 bivalent booster vaccine as a condition of enrollment for the 2023-24
academic year.” The requirement, announced last November, had required all students to receive an additional booster — or seek an exemption — by March 1. UHS also held a clinic at the Stepan Center in late January to administer vaccine doses to students. 41 days after the deadline to get the vaccine, however,
the University has reversed course and no longer holds the bivalent booster as a condition of enrollment for the upcoming school year. “The decision to rescind the COVID‑19 bivalent booster vaccine requirement follows ongoing review of the latest medical information and input from various University stakeholders,” the email told students.
Saint Mary’s announces commencement speaker Obser ver Staff Report
Thursday morning, commencement committee cha ir Michel le Ega n informed t he Sa int Ma r y’s communit y v ia ema il t hat Col lege President Kat ie Conboy had a nnounced t he 2023 commencement spea ker. “Noted env ironmenta list, ca r tog rapher a nd socia l ent repreneur Mol ly Burha ns w i l l deliver t he commencement address for t he class of 2023,” Ega n w rote.
Burha ns is t he founder a nd execut ive director of GoodLa nds, a nonprofit t hat mobili zes “la rge la nd holders to use t heir proper t y for env ironmenta l a nd huma nita ria n good.” Her work as chief ca r tog rapher for t he f irst globa l data-based maps of t he Cat holic Church premiered at t he Vat ica n in 2016. The a nnouncement included a statement f rom Conboy. “Molly Burha ns
see SPEAKER PAGE 3
By CAROLINE COLLINS Associate News Editor
On Tuesday evening, Thom Browne ‘88, wearing his signature gray suit with matching shorts and knee-high socks with four iconic white stripes, spoke to students packed into Jordan Auditorium in the Mendoza College of Business. Browne, who graduated from the University with a degree in business 35 years ago, is the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study (NDIAS) artist-in-residence, chair of the Council on Fashion Designers of America and a former GQ Designer of the Year. His work, which reimagines the traditional gray suit, has been praised for its innovative approach to design. His designs
have been recognized by museums around the world including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. Kristen Collett-Schmitt, the associate dean for innovation and inclusion, began the evening by introducing Browne and Michael Hainey ‘86, the former deputy editor of GQ magazine who moderated the discussion. “We join here tonight at the intersection of art and business, where creativity and entrepreneurship meet to celebrate and learn from the innovative work experience and expertise of one of the most talented fashion designers in the industry,” she said. see BROWNE PAGE 3
SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE
COLLEGE DISCENRMENT VIEWPOINT PAGE 7
is a revolut iona r y, bring ing toget her t he f ields of ca r tog raphy, susta inabilit y a nd climate study to t he Cat holic Church,” Conboy sa id. “No one before her had cata loged t he Church’s immense global la nd holdings a nd illust rated how, t hrough t his vast proper t y ow nership, t he Church ca n help address t he env ironmenta l crisis.”
CAROLINE COLLINS | The Observer
Fashion designer and Notre Dame alum Thom Browne (right) discussed art and business at the Jordan Auditorium Tuesday evening.
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