THE INDEPENDENT
TO UNCOVER
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THE TRUTH
NOTRE DAME, SAINT MARY’S
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IT ACCURATELY
VOLUME 58, ISSUE 36 | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
Electric scooters banned from campus Notre Dame will not allow storing, charging or use of personal electric vehicles beginning Dec. 17 Observer Staff Report
The operation of personal electric vehicles (PEVs) including e-scooters, e-skateboards, e-hoverboards and go karts will be banned on Notre Dame’s campus starting Dec. 17. Storage and charging of these machines will also be prohibited, executive vice president Shannon Cullinan announced Thursday afternoon in an email to campus. Mobility aids such as electric wheelchairs and powerchairs are exempt from the ban. Electric bicycles are still permitted as long as they are operated on campus without electric assistance, according to the email.
“Although we recognize the convenience of PEVs for those who have them, this fact cannot outweigh the threat to campus safety,” the email said. “Moreover, we believe the proliferation of mechanized vehicles on campus is inconsistent with the pedestrian character of campus we have tried to preserve.” The University changed its PEV policy after receiving the recommendation from a committee of students, faculty and staff that recently published a report on PEV safety. The report summarized 586 responses from the campus community, 90.9% of which “expressed see E-SCOOTER PAGE 5
Students weigh in on new president By CLAIRE LYONS and ANNELISE DEMERS Viewpoint Editor, News Writer
When Fr. Edward “Monk” Malloy announced he would step down as 16th President of Notre Dame during a press conference on April 29, 2004, he and the Board of Trustees also named Fr. John Jenkins as his successor. On Oct. 13, Jenkins announced he would step down from his role, but more than a month has gone by and the 18th University President has not yet been named. Selecting the next University President takes time. Before the Board of Trustees announced Jenkins as the 17th University President, it took four months to find the right candidate. The next President of the University is selected through specific standards set out in the University bylaws. According to the bylaws, the President must be “elected by the Trustees from among the clerical members of the Congregation,” meaning the President must be a priest or brother from the United States province of the Congregation of the Holy Cross. The bylaws specify that the
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Governance and Nominating Committee must request recommendations for the office of the President from the Provincial of the Congregation before submitting nominations to the Board of Trustees for election. According to the U.S. Congregation of Holy Cross website, the current Provincial leaders are Fr. William Lies, Fr. Peter Jarret and Fr. William Beauchamp. Despite these stipulations, the student body could still have some influence on the selection process. The bylaws say “the Governance and Nominating Committee may also receive recommendations from any other interested person or persons.” While the choice is ultimately up to the Board of Trustees, The Observer surveyed students to figure out their own opinions and thoughts on the matter.
Google Form Poll Results The first poll was a Google Form given out to students at South Dining Hall during lunch and dinner early this week. The form listed five options — Basilica see PRESIDENT PAGE 4
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SOFIA CRIMIVAROLI I The Observer
The University announced that starting Dec. 17, there will be a ban on all personal electronic vehicles which includes e-scooters, e-skateboards, e-hoverboards and go karts after concern for student safety.
Beading event celebrates Native American culture By JENNA ABU-LUGHOD News Writer
On Wednesday, the Native American Student Association of Notre Dame (NASAND) and student government co-hosted a beading event in celebration of Native American Heritage Month. The event took place in the LaFortune Student Center’s newly unveiled
Champions of Diversit y Room and gave students the opportunit y to learn more about Native American art and culture. Throughout the month of November, NASAND hosted multiple events to honor Native American heritage, culminating in the beading event. “Besides this beading event, we had a panel
where we talked about land acknowledgements and what being Native is like,” NASAND president Jada Dav is said. “We also had a drum and dance performance put together by Dav id Martin. We haven’t had something like that in over a decade, so it was really cool.” see NASAND PAGE 3
SMC Votes considers gun control policies By SALLY BRADSHAW News Writer
On Wednesday night, the SMC Votes club held a “Discussion and Donuts” night to foster dialogue on the topic of gun control and policy. The event included refreshments of donuts, coffee and hot chocolate and began with a presentation
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outlining gun registration and licensing policies in the U.S. The presentation included a six-minute video produced by Vox titled “The gun solution we’re not talking about.” The video proposed requiring a firearm license process instead of the current registration process required in some states. In the video, Vox reported
that while a sweeping majority of Americans support universal background checks when it comes to purchasing a gun, “universal background checks won’t solve America’s gun crisis.” This is because there is only one, outdated database that is drawn from during these background checks,
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see GUN CONTROL PAGE 3