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VOLUME 58, ISSUE 26 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2023 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
Senators address bipartisanship Indiana Republican Todd Young and Delaware Democrat Chris Coons converse with Jenkins By ZACH TAYLOR News Writer
Notre Da me hosted t wo United States senators from opposing pa rties t his Friday for a discussion w it h Universit y President Fr. John Jenk ins. Over t he spa n of a n hour, Delawa re Democrat Chris Coons a nd India na Republica n Todd Young ta lked about t he importa nce of bipa rtisa nship in t he midst of government turmoil. “It’s prett y da rn bad,” Coons sa id when asked about t he state of Congress. “The dysf unction a nd disconnection in t he house is gravely concerning.”
A former law yer, Coons has been ser v ing in t he senate since 2010. He has a son who attended Notre Da me, giv ing him a persona l connection to t he school a nd a reason to come spea k in Sout h Bend. Young, a lso a n attorney, beca me a senator in 2017. The conversation bega n w it h bot h elected of f icia ls expressing t heir concerns about t he state of t he government. But t hey a lso pointed to t heir friendship as ev idence t hat pa rt y lines ca n a nd a re being overcome. “There a re ways to ma ke Congress work, to ma ke t his see FORUM PAGE 3
Saint Mary’s celebrates fall with Oktoberfest By SALLY BRADSHAW News Writer
The Student Activ ities Board (SAB) at Saint Mar y’s celebrated Oktoberfest on Friday. According to board president CJ Twoney, the fall-themed festival is an annual tradition. “It’s just a great way for ever yone to get outside and enjoy the way campus looks in the fall and the weather that we’re blessed w ith,” Twoney said. This year, Oktoberfest included pumpkin painting, a photo opportunit y, drawings by a caricature artist, a mummy-w rap race, sack races and line dancing taught by the Saint Mar y’s Dance Club. Additionally, attendees enjoyed giveaways of hats as well as apple cider and Rise’n Roll doughnuts. In past years, Oktoberfest has included actives such as horse-draw n carriage rides. Twoney’s favorite part of the event is always the fall
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colors, she added Morgan McGuire, co-chair on the traditions board of SAB, said her hope for students attending Oktoberfest is that it w ill go dow n as a good memor y for many. “I know that a lot of people say that Oktoberfest is one of their favorite events, so that’s what we hope to do: live up to the expectation and possibly even make it one of their favorite Oktoberfests,” McGuire said. Freshman Sydney Jaime said she found out about Oktoberfest through BelleTower, an online resource for Saint Mar y’s students to get involved in activ ities around campus. “I saw it on the BelleTower and I was like, ‘That sounds fun,’ because I love having a fall activ it y to go to,” Jaime said. She said she enjoyed the “fall aesthetic” of Oktoberfest as well as the caricature artist and the
Courtesy of Matt Cashore, University of Notre Dame
Senators Chris Coons of Delaware and Todd Young of Indiana were featured Friday in Leighton Concert Hall in a Notre Dame Forum event, “Civility and Bipartisanship in a Time of Polarization and Gridlock.”
Erasmus Books vends used books near campus By ALLISON SRP News Writer
Erasmus Books, a used bookstore located about a 10-minute drive from campus, stands in stark contrast to bookstores like Barnes and Noble. The store is in a house in a residential area of South Bend. Rather than being brightly lit and full of
tables of recent bestsellers, Erasmus Books is cozy and a bit dim, w ith books packed onto shelves and sometimes spilling over into piles on the f loor. “This is a little bit more like an antique shop,” according to ow ner Philip Schatz. Schatz, who w rote for The Obser ver in its early days, said his overf low ing
shelves are a more efficient use of space compared w ith spacious displays. “I’m always hav ing to look around for more [shelves] because there’s never quite enough,” he said. The books fill the first f loor and basement of the house, and there are a few spots for customers to sit see ERASMUS PAGE 3
Consumer notices of lead in drinking water posted By GRAY NOCJAR News Writer
see FALL PAGE 3
In mid-September, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) posted a series of consumer notices on lead concentration across Notre Dame undergraduate residence halls and other academic facilities. The notices were a
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product of 43 samples taken in t wo rounds of testing by Facilities Designs and Operations (FDO) in the Office of the Executive Vice President, which is responsible for monitoring the qualit y of drinking water on campus. In the first round of testing conducted Aug. 8, three of the 20 locations recorded lead levels
above the actionable level as established by the 1996 Clean Water Act. The act specifies that the concentration of lead w ithin a water system should not exceed 15 parts per billion (ppb). The three locations — Cavanaugh, Farley and Zahm Halls — all tested
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see LEAD PAGE 3