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Volume 51, Issue 44 | Wednesday, November 2, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com
NDVotes hosts mock election Clinton is ‘elected’ president after hundreds of students cast electronic ballots By MEGAN VALLEY Associate News Editor
Notre Dame students elected Democratic nominees Hillar y Clinton and Tim Kaine in Tuesday’s mock presidential election sponsored by NDVotes. Of the 857 students who participated, 59.3 percent voted for the Democratic ticket, followed by 24.0 percent who chose Republican nominees Donald Trump and Mike Pence. Sophomore Prathm Juneja, a member of NDVotes Task Force and Student Government director of national engagement and outreach, said the mock election was intended to increase interest before the real election Nov. 8. “The real idea was how to spark conversations on campus right before the election so we can fix this millennial voter gap we have,” he said. Beyond the two major part y tickets, 7.7 percent of votes went to Libertarians Gar y Johnson and William Weld, 1.0 percent went to Green Part y ticket Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka, 5.6 percent selected “other” and 2.5
Football players plead guilty Observer Staff Report
Two Notre Dame football players charged with possession of marijuana, sophomores Dexter Williams and Ashton White, pleaded guilty in Fulton County Superior Court on Tuesday, according to a report from the South Bend Tribune. Williams and White, in addition to three other Notre Dame football players, were pulled over in Fulton County on Aug. 19. for a speeding violation, according to the probable cause documents. The two players reached a plea agreement with Fulton Country prosecutors, according to the Tribune, which would allow them to enter a “conditional discharge” program. The program would be set by Fulton Superior Court Judge Wayne Steele and would generally require a person to pass drug tests and stay out of trouble with the law enforcement for a year-long probational period. If completed, White
see ELECTION PAGE 4
LINDSEY MEYERS | The Observer
see FULTON PAGE 3
Saint Mary’s launches new robotics team Saint Mary’s freshman Michelle Lester said she had the idea for Bellebots during an orientation dinner with the school’s president and vice president of mission. When asked about her passion, Lester said she talked about doing robotics in high school. Lester, founder and president of Bellebots, said she wanted to bring robotics to the College. So she went to Stacie Jeffirs, director of Career Crossings, to launch the now-official club. “I hope that students are interested and want to be a part of this,” Jeffirs said. “Just show up for
a meeting, just check it out — no robotic experience is required.” Jeffirs joined as the club advisor because of her own daughter’s interest in robotics and her desire to promote STEM fields at the College. “[I do] whatever I can do to make it happen — anything I can do to encourage women in STEM,” she said. Jeffirs said nationally, there are fewer robotics teams at the collegiate level than at the high school or middle school levels. “There are very few robotics teams in Indiana and no allwomen’s teams in Indiana,” she said. The club started small, with three people attending its first
meeting in September. As time went on and word began to spread, Bellebots began to grow, Lester said “There’s 29 on the roster now,” she added. As an official club, the team can compete with other universities in VEX U tournaments, events where schools compete at regional, national and international levels. Lester said the teams use their robots to play two-minute games to score points, and the team with the most points at the end of each round wins. Robots have to complete different tasks for each game. “Teams of two robots compete,” she said. “They play games
like jacks.” Sophomore Noreen Maloney, Bellebots vice president, said the team is still in the beginning stages of the robot-building process. “We’re still getting our feet off the ground,” she said. The team is fundraising to buy kits to build robots and sponsor travel to competitions. Jeffirs said if the club raises enough funds, they will be able to get a robot built before competitions begin in February. While not focusing on their own competitions, the Bellebots mentor the local youth robotics team, the Fire Wires, twice a week. The Fire Wires is part of the For Inspiration and Recognition of
Science and Technology (FIRST) program, a youth organization that hosts junior robotics events and competitions. The team consists of middle school and high school students. Maloney said mentoring the group is making her a better leader. “I think they’re showing lots of promise,” she said. Jeffirs said the Bellebots mentorship reflects Saint Mary’s values by helping students follow their passions and allowing them to serve others. “It’s telling of Saint Mary’s student body,” she said.
NEWS PAGE 2
SCENE PAGE 5
VIEWPOINT PAGE 7
MEN’ s soccEr PAGE 12
men’s basketball PAGE 12
By GABY JANSEN News Writer
Contact Gaby Jansen at gjanse01@saintmarys.edu