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Volume 51, Issue 51 | friday, november 11, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com
ND administers campus climate survey Students respond to questions about community culture surrounding sexual assault By ANDREW CAMERON News Writer
On Oct. 25, Erin Hoffmann Harding, Vice President for Student Affairs, sent out an email to all students with a link to the Fall 2016 Sexual Conduct and Campus Climate Questionnaire. According to the email, the study — administered by the Office of Strategic Planning & Institutional Research (OSPIR) — is “intended to assess the knowledge base, experiences and perceptions of Notre Dame students in relation to sexual harassment.” The email also included resources for those who have seen or been the victim of sexual harassment. A follow-up email from OSPIR informed students that a variety
of rewards (including one $400 gift card to the Notre Dame Bookstore, one full year of reserved parking on campus, a semester of Saint Michael’s Laundry service, and 50 smaller prizes of $50 Domer Dollars each) would be randomly distributed to students who had taken the survey. Both emails said all survey responses are strictly confidential. Deputy Title IX coordinator Heather Ryan offered additional information on the questionnaire in an email interview. “The Fall 2016 Sexual Conduct and Campus Climate Questionnaire … marks the third time such a survey was administered at the University,” she see SURVEY PAGE 4
Irish dance team wins competition
JOSEPH HAN | The Observer
Cervelli’s inauguration celebrations continue Observer Staff Report
Jan Cer velli took office as the 12th president of Saint Mar y’s in June, bu this Saturday, she w ill be formally installed in an inauguration ceremony at 1:30 p.m. in O’Laughlin Auditorium, w ith a reception to follow in CushwaLeighton Librar y. “In Saint Mar y’s 172-year
histor y, only 11 indiv iduals have led as president,” Mar y Burke, class of 1985 and chair of the Board of Trustees, said in a press release. “This is a ver y special opportunit y to formally welcome Jan Cer velli to Saint Mar y’s and back home to South Bend. The communit y of students, facult y, staff, alumnae and friends of Saint Mar y’s College look
for ward to celebrating this momentous occasion w ith our colleagues that represent Indiana’s universities and college, women’s colleges and the countr y’s top 100 liberal arts colleges.” The inauguration celebrations began Tuesday w ith the planting of a Trinit y Tree. According to a release, see CERVELLI PAGE 4
Photo courtesy of Caitlin McGarry
Team members pose with their trophy after winning the Ceili Club Championship Cup in Ireland. Senior Robert Black coached the team. By STEPHANIE SNYDER News Writer
Nine students on the Notre Dame/Saint Mar y’s Irish Dance Team brought back the team’s sixth Ceili Club Championship Cup from the A ll-Ireland Championship in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Saturday. The team’s student coach, Notre Dame senior Robert Black, said the team consisted of eight dancers selected from among the 70 students total who are involved
NEWS PAGE 3
w ith the Notre Dame/Saint Mar y’s Irish Dance Team. As team coach, Black traveled w ith the team to Northern Ireland. “The ‘ceili’ team is a group of eight students that are selected from the team at large based on dancing abilit y, endurance and aptitude for team dancing,” he said. “The team met outside club practice time to learn a traditional set choreography, the ‘Cross Reel,’ in order see DANCE PAGE 3
VIEWPOINT PAGE 7
Researchers develop irisrecognition software By ANDREW CAMERON News Writer
In an effort to improve the iris-scanning technology used in forensics and law enforcement, a team of Notre Dame researchers recently released software used to determine similarity between iris scans using a new method. The software, which was released in
SCENE PAGE 8
October on Notre Dame’s Office of Technology Transfer, was developed by computer science and engineering graduate student Jianxu Chen; Duda Family professor of engineering Patrick Flynn; computer science and engineering professor Danny Chen; and former computer science and engineering graduate student Feng Shen. Iris recognition is a common
method of identification which digitally analyzes the random pattern on the iris that is unique to every individual. Since the technology was first patented in 1994, it has spread to a wide variety of applications in government and private businesses, primarily as a method of secure identification of individuals, as see SOFTWARE PAGE 4
IRISH INSIDER WITHIN