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Volume 52, Issue 91 | wednesday, february 28, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
Professors discuss #MeToo implications Community reflects on contemporary social movement in Pizza, Pop and Politics lecture series By SELENA PONIO News Writer
A simple hashtag, #MeToo, was the spark that helped light a contemporary social movement, and on Tuesday members of the Notre Dame community gathered in Geddes Hall to discuss the implications of the #MeToo moment. The discussion was part of the NDVotes lecture series “Pizza, Pop & Politics.” Jennifer Mason McAward, associate professor of law and director of the Center for Civil and Human Rights, and Geoff Layman, professor of political science and interim director of the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy, led the discussion. “The ultimate goal is workplace equality and an end to
sexual harassment,” McAward said. “The New York Times can’t write an expose about every Harvey Weinstein that’s out there; the question is where do we go from here and how do we capitalize on the moment.” McAward said culture, the political system and the legal system all require conscious change in order to cultivate an environment of workplace equality. “How do we make the conduct not just unacceptable but unthinkable?” she said. McAward said our legal system can be used as a tool to incentivize changes, help encourage better conduct and deter harassment. “One of the key pillars of the ‘Time’s Up’ project is a fund for
RUNJIE PAN | The Observer
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Jennifer Mason McAward, Center for Civil and Human Rights director, explores legal aspects of the #MeToo movement Tuesday in Geddes Hall. McAward lectured with political science professor Geoff Layman.
Exhibit showcases student photos By MAEVE FILBIN News Writer
Professor Douglas Tyler gave his “Introduction to Digital Photography” students a simple instruction: Construct a diary illustrating daily life through a camera lens. The result was “Digital Diaries,” an exhibit on display since mid-February in the Saint Mary’s Cushwa-Leighton Library that explores the mundanities of life through a digital photography series. Tyler said his students are working with diaries in part because his course integrates women’s voices, which are strong in that area of literature. “The assignment also allows students to equate actions in the area of literature with actions in the arena of the visual arts — both seek to express themselves through images,” Tyler said in an email. “The final project for the students is presented on their personal website and is intended to broaden the students’ appreciation for the multiplicity of presentation modes available to contemporary photographers.” This exhibition allows digital
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photography students to share their thoughts and expressions with others, hopefully enriching the lives of viewers and exposing the fundamental truths that lie within the images, Tyler said. “Art is of little value in a closet,” Tyler said. “Putting one’s ideas … on public display involves risk. What will others say or think about my work? The mere act of exhibiting [students’] work is intended to build confidence in the inherent significance of their images.” Fourteen students contributed to this series, submitting photography from their diary collections. Junior Haley Crnarich said she snapped a photo of an icy branch that caught her eye. Her submission, “Icy,” encourages viewers to be aware of their surroundings, she said, as there is beauty to be highlighted through art. “Most of the time ... we are so occupied with what is on our phones that we miss the simple beauty that we pass up on our everyday routes,” Crnarich said in an email. “I invite us to live in the moment and celebrate the nature see PHOTOS PAGE 4
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Reproductive health club promotes contraceptives By NATALIE WEBER Associate News Editor
In response to changes in the University’s contraceptive coverage policy, students have organized to advocate for contraception access on campus, forming the new group, Irish 4 Reproductive Health (I4RH). “We want to, as it says in our mission statement, allow
members of our community and enable them, regardless of gender, regardless of class, to get the health care — specifically reproductive health care — that they need,” sophomore Anne Jarrett said. “We also want to foster a dialogue on campus about these issues because we believe in reproductive health for all members of the community and their own agency
in deciding the best way to be healthy.” I4RH is a “non-hierarchical” group, independent of Notre Dame, according to its mission statement. While it has received support from national organizations, including Planned Parenthood, I4RH is also independent of these groups, see HEALTH PAGE 4
Visiting actors to perform ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ By MADISON RIEHLE News Writer
The Actors from the London Stage are returning to Notre Dame this week for their 36th show on-campus. The group will perform Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” in Washington Hall, Wednesday through Friday. The actors will also work with classes
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throughout the rest of the week. “Actors from the London Stage has 14 shows in its repertoire that they do with five actors,” Scott Jackson, executive director of Shakespeare at Notre Dame, said. “The last time we did ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ was spring of 2008. It was time in the rotation for it to come back.” Jackson said Shakespeare at Notre Dame not only hosts the
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Actors from the London Stage twice a year before the group departs on its two month rotation across the United States, but also serves as the administrative base for the scheduling and logistics of their tours in the United States. “This is a fascinating piece to do in this idiom because of the intrinsic problems with it, see ACTORS PAGE 4
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