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Volume 56, Issue 39 | MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Students hold march ND Right to Life club organizes gathering for Day of Life By MAXWELL FELDMANN News Writer
The Right to Life Club, the largest student organization at Notre Dame, was all set to go to Washington D.C. to join the March for Life rally on January 21. However, on January 11, these plans were canceled due to rising concerns of COVID-19 and a shortage of tests at Notre Dame. As an alternative, the club held a Notre Dame Day of Life, celebrating Mass in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart followed by a
campus-wide March for Life and rally. But the sudden change of plans did not come easy. Notre Dame senior Francie Shaft, president of the club, said that it took a lot of time and effort to plan what is normally a six-month affair in just ten days. “As soon as we were notified that the D.C. march was canceled, we went straight into planning for an alternate event … The Right to Life Club, Campus Ministry and the Center for Ethics and Culture worked rapidly to
plan the event,” Shaft said. Shaft added that long meetings were incorporated every day preceding the Day of Life in order to effectively organize and advertise the event. Nonetheless, Shaft said that it was a “joy overall to plan the event with students who are so committed to this issue despite the challenges,” as well as the “enthusiastic response.” A participant in Notre Dame Day of Life, Saint
Staff Writer
Holy Cross’s Transition to Teaching program, which began in Fa ll 2020 in response to loca l teaching shortages, is set to graduate its f irst students t his spring. The program consists of 24 credits of educationfocused courses stretched out over t hree semesters, leading its students to a K-6 teaching certif ication. “The Transition to
Teaching Program is essentia lly a fast-track to a teaching license in t he State of Indiana,” t he Director of Holy Cross’s Elementar y Education program Felicia Reid-Metoyer said. To participate in Transition to Teaching at Holy Cross, students are required to have an undergraduate degree, a llow ing Holy Cross to by pass t y pica l course requirements in undergraduate education programs which f uture teachers t y pica lly ta ke.
Reid-Metoyer said Transition to Teaching is geared towards t wo groups: “career changers” and t hose who a lready work in education — such as a teacher’s aide — but do not have an adequate teaching license yet. Maria Dunn, who works as a f ift h-grade teacher w it h an emergency teachers license at Our Lady of Hungar y in Sout h Bend, f its t he latter description. “The experience has been see TEACHERS PAGE 3
Lecture explores space With the advent of developing space companies and recent conversations surrounding the habitability of Earth, this year’s “Ten Years Hence” series uncovers profound reflections not only for the business world, but for the entirety of our current generation. “Life Beyond Earth” is the theme of the 2022 lectures, offered by the Mendoza College of Business. Christian Davenport, staff writer for the Washington Post, launched
the first of the seven scheduled talks by sharing insights regarding the commercialization of space. Author of, “The Space Barons: Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos” (2018), Davenport related how the quest for the cosmos is intricately tied to the plight of the wealthiest individuals in the world. “The quickest way to go to space is to become a billionaire,” Davenport said. “And the richest among us are plowing big parts of their fortune into space.” He further explained his
SCENE PAGE 5
VIEWPOINT PAGE 6
By MARCELLE COUTO News Writer
In lieu of its annual trip to Washington, D.C. for the national March for Life, the Notre Dame Right to Life club organized a gathering on Friday.
see MARCH PAGE 3
Holy Cross program aims to reduce teacher shortage By LIAM PRICE
MAXWELL FELDMANN| The Observer
reference to the “Space Barons” in his book’s title, “we have businesses competing in a way that governments used to,” Davenport said. Ten Years Hence course instructor Professor James O’Rourke notes that “enlightened self-interest” is the driving force behind this new space race. The vision of “the space barons” is similar, but unique in nature. Both Elon Musk and Jeffery Bezos plan to bridge the largest see SPACE PAGE 4
Sports PAGE 10
Service held in honor of MLK By MEG LANGE News Writer
On Saturday morning, members of the Saint Mary’s community met in Reignbeaux Lounge to take part in the Office for Common Good’s monthly event Service Saturday. This month’s event was inspired by the work of Martin Luther King Jr. and was coined “Serves: MLK Edition.” The event was organized by the Office for the Common Good (OCG), but was sponsored by numerous student-led
groups including Black Student Association, Student Diversity Board, Student Activity Board, Social Work Club, Gerontology Club, Fiat, Better Together, McAllen Trip and the Sisterhood of Service. The event consisted of six stations where students could put together different gift bags, baskets and personal products for community outreach programs. One of the programs represented at the event was Saint Joseph County Cares (SJC see SMC PAGE 4
Observer elects Editor-in-Chief Observer Staff Report
The Observer General Board elected Notre Dame News Editor Alysa Guffey as Editorin-Chief for the 2022-2023 term Saturday. “Alysa is incomparably committed to the work that we do. In the last year, I have been inspired by her leadership in the News department and the Editorial Board,” current
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Editor-in-Chief Adriana Perez said. “I have immense faith in her ability to carry on The Observer’s legacy as its next Editor-in-Chief and continue to produce quality journalism for the tri-campus.” Originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, Guffey is a resident of Breen-Phillips Hall. She is a junior pursuing see OBSERVER PAGE 3
SWIM AND DIVE PAGE 12