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Volume 52, Issue 97 | thursday, march 8, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
Olympian shares story, confronts labels Special Olympics athlete Kevin Callaghan advocates disability awareness, promotes acceptance By IMAN OMAR News Writer
Kevin Callaghan, a bronze medalist in the 5,000-meter race at the 2011 Special Olympics, spoke at Saint Mary’s on Wednesday evening regarding his experiences as an athlete. The event, sponsored by Multicultural Services, served as part of the College’s Disability Awareness Week. Saint Mary’s junior Maryselva Albarran Hernandez commented on the significance of the event, saying although there have been many projects promoting diversity and inclusion on campus, there were very few events surrounding disabilities. “We noticed that there were a lot
of projects and events happening that were focused on diversity and inclusion in religion, race, ethnicity and LQBTQ issues, but there was nothing for increasing awareness on disabilities,” she said. “This is a big concern because we do have students with disabilities on our campus and it’s important for them to feel included.” Albarran Hernandez said Callaghan is committed to speaking up and helping others who suffer from intellectual disabilities, similar to those he and his brother face. “He wants to be a role model for those who may not have a voice BRIDGET DONNELLY | The Observer
see OLYMPIAN PAGE 4
Special Olympian and bronze medalist Kevin Callaghan presents at Saint Mary’s on Wednesday in Vander Vennet Theatre. The event was a part of Saint Mary’s inaugural Diversity Awareness Week.
Basilica call-in day brings nerves, community effort By CLAIRE KRAMER News Writer
The sun is shining, birds are chirping and even the most stubborn snow piles have melted. Spring is — dare we say it — in the air, and Monday was a day marked on Notre Dame couples’ calendars months in advance. Monday was “Basilica call-in” day. 2019 wedding dates for the
Basilica of the Sacred Heart opened for reservation Monday, and for those couples that have already passed “go,” collected their ring and moved on to the planning stages, Monday marked the first step in their save-the-date process. Kate Barrett, associate director of liturgy for Campus Ministry, said 122 spots are up for grabs in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, and 60 of those spots are
normally filled by the end of the first day. Barrett said in an email that the most coveted spots are afternoons in June and July. According to Campus Ministry’s webpage, the Basilica is open for weddings at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Fridays during the summer and Saturdays at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. However, she see WEDDINGS PAGE 4
STUDENT SENATE
Council presents updates to Constitution By MARY BERNARD News Writer
The Judicial Council president and the student union parliamentarian presented potential changes to the Student Union Constitution as a result of complications during the recent election cycle to student
senate Wednesday evening. Due to mutiple unheard appeals, sanction discrepancy and confusion about constitutionally acceptable actions during the petitioning, campaigning and voting processes, senior Judicial Council see SENATE PAGE 4
Students host chili cook-off for cancer research The Harper Cancer Research Institute (HCRI) hosted its annual Chili Cook-off on Wednesday to raise money supporting research conducted by the HCRI. The entrance fee of $10 gave participants unlimited taste tests as well as 10 votes towards the best chili. Angela Cavalieri, external relations and special events program coordinator at the HCRI, said she was enthusiastic about the event and its ethos.
“The Chili Cook-off has become a favorite … every penny of every dollar raised goes to support research at the Harper Cancer Research Institute,” she said. “A lot of people don’t realize how much world class research happens right here at Harper.” This lack of awareness is something the Chili Cook-off is aiming to change. Participants of the cook-off ranged from students to advocacy groups around the local community. One such participant from Smoke Free St. Joe, Karl Nichols, was advocating
his organization’s goal of “reducing the burden of tobacco in our community and increasing quality of life for all.” His chili fit the theme, which he described as being “Smoke Chili, not tobacco.” Participants of the cook-off included Khoa Huynh, research program manager at the HCRI, who made a chili using “chipotle adobo sauce” for his first time participating in the event. “We do a lot of fundraisers here,” he said. “This is a very fun, light-hearted event, but most importantly the entrance fee goes
straight to research here.” One of the most loyal participants of the cook-off also included the Notre Dame Fire Department. Captain Robert Brown, a representative and participant in the cook-off, spoke of the importance of the event to the department. “We try to get involved with a lot of things on campus,” he said, “I have been on the department for 20 years, and for 10 years we have participated in chili cookoffs in one aspect or another”. Another huge part of the event, according to Cavalieri,
was bringing people in the local community together and raising awareness for what the HCRI does. “We have local cancer advocacy groups participating, to people living down the street,” she said, “It is always fun trying to guess the secret ingredients used by some of the masters. We have had some interesting ingredients over the years … It brings people together, because who doesn’t love chili?”
news PAGE 2
Scene PAGE 5
viewpoint PAGE 6
men’s basketball PAGE 12
hockey PAGE 12
By JOE CLARK News Writer
Contact Joe Clark at jclark22@nd.edu