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Volume 51, Issue 36 | Wednesday, October 12, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com
Former Irish cornerback sues ND, NCAA Complaintant in lawsuit alleges University did not enforce safety regulations regarding concussions Observer Staff Report
Former Notre Dame cornerback Gary Gray is a complainant in a class action suit filed Oct. 4. The complaint, filed by Edelson PC, alleges Notre Dame and the NCAA had “reckless disregard for the healthy and safety of generations of Notre Dame student-athletes,” and addresses
the numerous head injuries Gray, along with other former college football players, sustained while in college. According to the complaint, both Notre Dame and the NCAA knew of the longterm dangers of concussions, but “actively concealed this information to protect the very profitable business of ‘amateur’ college football.”
Gray, who played for Notre Dame from 2007-2011, suffered a number of concussions during his time on the team, according to the complaint. As a result of Notre Dame “fail[ing] to provide appropriate medical treatment during these incidents,” Gary now suffers from mood swings, anxiety and depression.
Speaker discusses sexual assault, social justice
According to the complaint, until 2010 the NCAA failed to enforce and Notre Dame failed to comply to “conduct a football program that proactively encouraged [Gray] and other Notre Dame football players to avoid head injuries.” Instead, the complaint says the University and the NCAA compelled players to
News Writer
PETER ST. JOHN | The Observer
By EMILY McCONVILLE News Writer
Addressing campus sexual assault involves addressing the “ambivalence” to others inherent in hookup culture, author and researcher Donna Freitas told those gathered in Hesburgh Library’s Carey Auditorium on Tuesday night — and Catholic universities have the potential to be leaders in doing just that. Freitas spoke in “SEXuality and Faith,” a lecture series sponsored by Campus Ministry and the Gender Relations Center. She studies collegiate culture as it relates to
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sexuality and religion and is the author of “Sex and the Soul: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance and Religion on America’s College Campuses” and “The Happiness Effect: How Social Media is Driving a Generation to Appear Perfect at Any Cost.” Freitas said in 2006, as she was beginning to study students’ attitudes towards sexuality, she spoke with “Amy,” a student who described a sexual encounter at a party — an encounter Freitas clearly saw as a sexual assault, though the student did not. “It’s heartbreaking to listen to a smart, vibrant young
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woman talk about her many accomplishments and joys of college and then recount the time she was sexually assaulted as if it was just another day,” Freitas said. “It is even more disturbing when she doesn’t even identif y it as assault but as simply the kind of thing that happens after you drink a lot at a party.” Over the course of many conversations with students on other campuses, Freitas said she became convinced that Amy’s failure to recognize her own sexual assault as an assault was because her situation had been see CULTURE PAGE 4
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Students gain access to Xfinity device services By AIDAN LEWIS
Donna Freitas speaks in Carey Auditorium at Hesburgh Library on Tuesday night. Freitas stated that teachings on social justice uniquely enable Catholic universities to create a “culture of consent.”
ignore concussion symptoms and continue to play football within moments of experiencing concussion-like symptoms. In Gray’s case in particular, the complaint says Notre Dame coaches “demanded that Notre Dame football players … forgo their own
For the first time, Notre Dame students living on campus this year will have access to Xfinity’s streaming service. This service gives students a multitude of options for viewing entertainment content, Bill Mountford, the manager of Telephony Services at the Office of Information Technologies (OIT), said in an email. “Xfinity on Campus (XOC) allows you to stream live TV, movies, sports events and more on any device you register anywhere on campus,” Mountford said. Mountford said this is a significant addition to the old service, which was much more limited. “The standard package was the only service available to students until this academic year,” he said. The service gives students access to more content than the previous standard package, Mountford said, with “more channels and HD programming.” The new system also supports more mediums through which to interact with this content. “XOC runs over the campus data network so students can watch programs on a desktop computer, as well as on wireless and mobile devices,” he said. Mountford said he believes
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this system is a better fit for the habits of a modern college student than past student TV packages. “Comcast calls this service the ‘TV everywhere app’ and we believe it is consistent with evolving student-usage patterns,” he said. “This means watching programs when you can, where you can and on any device.” One of the best parts of this package improvement is students will only pay if they choose to upgrade their package even further. “There is no cost for this service to students,” Mountford said. “This service was part of the Comcast contract that was paid for by the University. If you wish to upgrade the current XOC service to receive additional programming such as on demand movies, there is an additional cost that you would pay directly to Comcast.” As for how to access the service, Mountford said Xfinity has both a mobile app and web browser option through which students can view content. “For a mobile device, a student needs to download the Xfinity TV app,” he said. “You can download the app through the App Store or Google Play. The service can also be accessed through a web browser by going
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