THE INDEPENDENT
TO UNCOVER
NEWSPAPER SERVING
THE TRUTH
NOTRE DAME, SAINT MARY’S
AND REPORT
AND HOLY CROSS
IT ACCURATELY
VOLUME 58, ISSUE 43 | FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
FTT hosts film festival Film, television and theatre department hosts annual event By AYNSLEE DELLACCA News Writer
Notre Dame will host their 35th annual Student Film Festival at the Browning Cinema on Jan. 26-28, which will showcase over a dozen student-produced films completed in the last year. “Filmed all over the country, and right here in South Bend, we are thrilled to present the premiere screenings of these undergraduate student films, many of which will go on to screen at film festivals nationally,” said Ted Mandell, festival founder and associate teaching professor in a press release from the film, television and theatre (FTT) department. Mandell, an ‘86 alum, returned to work at Notre Dame and sponsored
the first Student Film Festival in 1990, an event which he had wished was open to him when he was a student. The festival first premiered in the building now known as McKenna Hall, and has since moved venues a few times before settling at the Browning Cinema in 2004, the year the Browning Cinema opened. Now, 35 years later, films originally submitted in classes such as introduction to production, documentary production, intermediate filmmaking and advanced filmmaking all have a shot to debut this weekend. Audience members will also have a chance of voting for the Audience Choice Award after the approximately 120 minute run-time of each screening. The winning director(s)
will be announced after the final screening on Jan. 28. “You get some that are these wonderful love stories, you get some more suspense, you get some comedy,” Tre Goodhue, FTT department outreach specialist, said. “There’s a full range of themes and genres across these short films. I think the audience members should be in for a variety platter of wonderful films.” One of the many short films, “Nearness of You,” was directed by junior Josh Vo and filmed in the spring of 2023. Vo took inspiration from his own life to capture the essence of what it means to “capture the moment.” The short film comes to life see FILM PAGE 4
Student senate discusses accreditation, election By KAELEIGH PICCO News Writer
The Notre Dame student senate hosted representatives from the provost’s office, who discussed the University’s ten-year accreditation requirement, during its first meeting of the semester Wednesday. The senate also discussed a letter it received from University President Fr. John Jenkins and sending a letter to the registrar. Student Body vice president
Aidan Rezner delivered the meeting’s opening prayer, and Student Union secretary Isabella Tardio asked members of the senate about what they are most looking forward to during this spring semester, to which many expressed excitement about spring break and tulips around the Grotto come warmer weather. Rezner got minutes from the previous senate meeting approved and invited Demetra Schoenig and Caroline Maloney from the
Upcoming survey
Five dead in South Bend fire
see SENATE PAGE 3
On Thursday afternoon, the Saint Mary’s digital and public humanities program hosted their second roundtable conversation on artificial intelligence. The session began with a brief presentation by Marwan Gebran, an associate physics and astronomy professor. Gebran began his presentation by defining what chatbots are, and
HOW TO WRITE IN A BOOK
COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
VIEWPOINT PAGE 5
see PETITIONS PAGE 4
This spring, Schoenig began, the Notre Dame will host representatives from the Higher Learning Commission, which is based in Chicago. Recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, the commission accredits degree-granting,
web,” he said. “The web contains a lot of wrong information, but it can give you a skeleton of whatever course you need.” Gebran argued that chatbots shouldn’t be restricted completely. “We shouldn’t try to limit the use of chatbots, instead we should try to find a way to live with these chatbots, since they will be the future,” he said. Gebran argued that the
NEWS PAGE 3
At noon on Friday, petitions for student body candidates will close. Three tickets are collecting signatures through Google Forms, and candidates who have collected at least 700 signatures will be permitted by the Judicial Council to begin campaigning on Tuesday morning. Dawson Kiser, a junior in Dillon studying management consulting with minors in theology and entrepreneurship, is running for president. Kiser is vice president of the junior class and served as Dillon Hall president his
sophomore year. His running mate is Maeve Miller, a sophomore in McGlinn Hall, who is serving as the dorm’s senator. She’s studying sociology and Spanish, with a minor in accountancy. James Baird, a junior studying history and political science with a minor in constitutional studies, is the president of Alumni Hall. He’s running for president with running mate Abbie Toth, a junior studying finance, economics and real estate and the vice president of Pasquerilla East Hall.
school-wide
the difference among them. “The main definition of a chatbot, is just a program that simulates a kind of conversation with a human,” he said. Gebran highlighted that the strength of the generative chatbot is the versatility that it can perform anything we want. “You can ask ChatGPT to create a course from scratch, related to a specific field. It will do this but of course not everything will be correct because it was trained on the
News Writer
Observer Staff Report
provost’s office to speak at the front of the room.
Saint Mary’s roundtable discusses chatbot and AI By ALLISON BOWMAN
StuGov elections season begins
see CHATBOT PAGE 4
SCENE PAGE 7
PETER BREEN | The Observer
Local community members left stuffed animals in front of the northwest South Bend home where five children died during a fire. Observer Staff Report
A residential fire in South Bend killed five children Sunday. When first responders arrived at a home on LaPorte Avenue near Colfax Avenue in the early evening, they found “intense flames” engulfing the structure’s first and second floors, according to the South Bend Fire Department. The fire department formally identified the victims in a Wednesday news release. They were 17-month-old Faith Smith, 4-year-old D’Angelo Smith,
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PAGE 12
5-year-old Deontay Smith, 9-yearold Davida Smith and 10-year-old Demetis Smith. Their older sister, 11-year-old Angel Smith, remained in critical condition at an Indianapolis hospital, according to the news release. The children’s father David Smith, who escaped the fire with minor injuries, said he was watching television with the kids upstairs when one of his sons see FIRE PAGE 3
MEN’S BASKETBALL PAGE 12