The independent
To uncover
newspaper serving
the truth
Notre Dame and
and report
Saint Mary’s
it accurately
Volume 47, Issue 2 | wednesday, august 28, 2013 | ndsmcobserver.com
ND, SMC address undocumented students University revises admissions policy
Undocumented Saint Mary’s student speaks out
By TORI ROECK
By KAITLYN RABACH
Associate News Editor
Saint Mary’s Editor
Notre Dame not only welcomed new students, faculty and staff to campus last week, but it also extended a welcome to undocumented applicants, whose admission to the University seemed nearly impossible in past years. Director of Admissions Bob Mundy said undocumented applicants used to be considered international students who had to obtain a student visa before enrolling at Notre Dame. “This process typically required that they leave the United
For at least the last five years, Saint Mary’s College President Carol Ann Mooney adopted a policy of admitting and enrolling undocumented students, Vice President for Enrollment Management Mona Bowe said. “Saint Mary’s College does not discriminate on the basis of country of origin, so if a student meets the academic requirements for admission, she would be admitted to the College,” Bowe said. “We believe it is in keeping with Catholic social justice teaching and legacy of the Sisters of Holy Cross that
see ADMISSIONS PAGE 3
Photo courtesy of WNIT Public Television
Saint Mary’s junior Dara Marquez performs spoken-word poetry about immigration as part of WNIT Public Television’s Rising Star Program. Marquez is an undocumented student.
see MARQUEZ PAGE 4
LGBTQ group chooses name HHS delays start of mandate
By MARISA IATI
Assistant Managing Editor
The student organization formed to address lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) student issues will begin the academic year with a new name and an advisor. Student body president Alex Coccia said several students who were involved with the 4 to 5 Movement, the unofficial AllianceND club and other organizations voted to name the new group “PrismND.” The Office of Student Affairs has since approved the decision. “The fact that [the name] reflects quite a spectrum and a range of interests and passions and identities, I think is something that people will identify with and appreciate when the group gets off the ground,” Coccia said. Christine Caron Gebhardt, director of the Gender Relations Center (GRC), said other universities use the name “Prism” for their LGBTQ student organizations. The GRC and student leaders added “ND” to the name of Notre Dame’s organization to make it easier for the University’s students to identify the club as a fixture at Notre Dame.
SMc Rankings PAGE 3
By MARISA IATI Assistant Managing Editor
Editors’s Note: A version of this article appeared online July 5.
SARA SHOEMAKE | The Observer
Sophomore Connor Hayes, who helped to launch PrismND, said the name is intended to be all-inclusive, instead of specific to people who identify as LGBTQ. “I think relating to the Catholic identity of [Notre Dame] and backgrounds of people coming from religious environments, [some] people don’t really want to identify as gay or lesbian, so … we were just going for a name that was very inclusive,” he said. “We wanted this name to be one that can last and kind of become a brand.”
viewpoint PAGE 6
Maureen Doyle will work as the advisor for PrismND in her capacity as assistant director for LGBTQ student concerns. Doyle, who was hired over the summer, previously worked as the general manager of Legends of Notre Dame. She will begin her new job Sept. 2. “My challenge that I’ll put forward to the group is I’d love to see them think long-term and what kind of a legacy they want to leave behind within this first year, what see PrismND PAGE 4
scene PAGE 8
On July 2, the Obama administration announced a one-year delay in implementing the final rules regarding the Affordable Care Act’s mandated contraceptive coverage. The White House released the final rules July 5, in response to concerns raised by non-profit religious organizations about the original healthcare proposal. The mandate will take effect in 2015. The final rule states that an organization that objects to providing contraceptives on religious grounds can offer employees a plan that does not provide contraceptive coverage. The health insurer administering the plan then enrolls employees in a separate, individual, private policy that only covers contraceptives at no extra cost. Notre Dame is self-insured.
Men’s soccer wins PAGE 16
A self-insured organization that objects to providing contraceptives can notify its third-party healthcare administrator that it objects. The administrator then “notifies enrollees in the health plans that it is providing or arranging separate no-cost payments for contraceptive services for them for as long as they remain enrolled in the health plan,” according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website. University Spokesman Dennis Brown said, “We are studying the ruling and, once that’s complete, will evaluate our options.” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on the department’s website that the final rules guarantee women free access to preventive services recommended by the Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academies of Science. “[The] announcement reinforces our commitment see HHS PAGE 4
Kelly talks temple PAGE 16