Print edition for Friday, September 20, 2019

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Volume 54, Issue 18 | friday, september 20, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com

Award-winning author speaks on faith Alice McDermott reflects on Catholicism

Novelist discusses inspiration driving writing process

By MAEVE FILBIN

By MARIROSE OSBORNE

Saint Mary’s News Editor

News Writer

In her novel, “The Ninth Hour,” award-winning author and professor Alice McDermott explores the Catholic faith through the lens of multiple generations of women, telling the story of a young widow, her daughter and the group of religious sisters who care for them. Before appearing at Thursday’s Christian Culture Lecture to discuss her written works, McDermott reflected on her own Catholicism and her relationship with the Church. In an interview with “Image

The Saint Mary’s Humanistic Studies department hosted author Alice McDermott for the annual Christian Culture Lecture on Thursday. The topic of the lecture was McDermott’s eighth novel “The Ninth Hour,” followed by a question and answer session with the Saint Mary’s community. Professor Laura Williamson Ambrose, chair of the Humanistic Studies department, opened the lecture, and Saint Mary’s President Nancy Nekvasil introduced McDermott.

see McDERMOTT PAGE 3

MAEVE FILBIN | The Observer

Award winning author, Alice McDermott, delivers a lecture at Saint Mary’s about her novel “The Ninth Hour,” and her writing process. The book focuses on themes of selflessness and sacrifice.

Tri-campus to participate in Global Climate Strike By ANDREW CAMERON News Writer

Students from the tri-campus community will march from Notre Dame to downtown South Bend on Friday, joining other protesters to demand government action to curb climate change and environmental degradation.

The local demonstration, run by the South Bend hub of the Sunrise Movement, is one of hundreds of protests planned around the world for the Global Climate Strike, occurring from Sept. 20 to Sept. 27. Notre Dame senior and Sunrise Movement South Bend organizer Greg

Campion said the upcoming strike would be “a watershed moment for the planet.” “We have an existential crisis here,” Campion said. “We know that the cost of inaction is huge in the long run and that serious action is needed now. A little see CLIMATE PAGE 4

ND professor appointed to Pontifical Academy By MARIAH RUSH Associate News Editor

Last spring, Notre Dame philosophy professor Therese Cory learned she had officially been named a member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas by Pope Francis. The John and Jean Oesterle Associate Professor of Thomistic Studies is currently one of 50 members, and is only

NEWS PAGE 2

the third woman in history to be made a member. “It was really exciting news, because the Pontifical Academy of Thomas Aquinas is the body that considers Aquinas Aquinas thought for the Vatican, right in the heart of the heart of the Church,” Cory said. “And so that was definitely a very exciting moment and a big honor.” Cory was told in early 2019

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she had been nominated for the membership by others in the Academy. The nomination had to be approved by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cory said. “Spots open up when somebody passes away or retires,” Cory said. “So then [current members] go through a list of people who are working on Aquinas see PROFESSOR PAGE 4

VIEWPOINT PAGE 6

see LECTURE PAGE 3

Panel explores fair labor standards By MAry steurer Assistant Managing Editor

Members of the Notre Dame community discussed how colleges and universities can set the standard for fair labor practices in a panel titled “From Sweatshops to Sweating Audits” in the Hesburgh and Joyce Dining Rooms of the Morris Inn Thursday. The panel was preceded by a presentation from Student Worker Participation Committee members senior Anna Scartz, Armani Porter (’18), junior Eleanor Wood and junior Emily Yeager, exploring the role of the committee at Notre Dame and sharing how other institutions can join in forming similar groups. The panel featured four speakers: Kevin Cassidy, director of the United States Office of the International Labor Organization; Notre Dame professor of business ethics Georges Enderle; Jason Roberts, CEO of consulting company Sumerra; and Miriam Rodriguez, an auditor with the Fair Labor Association.

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Both events were hosted by the Committee on Trademark Licensing and Human Rights, established in 2018 to ensure the ethical manufacture of Notre Dame-licensed products. The panelists began by sharing their recommendations for how universities can better promote labor rights from their suppliers. Roberts said he suggested schools approach companies on a united front. “[If] universities could have joint opinions or views on what is expected in their supply chain, it’s much easier for licensees and factories to meet those expectations,” he said. Former University director of licensing Mike Low — attending as an audience member — said even though most colleges have written policies protecting labor rights, the problem lies in their enforcement. “I think when we all got started in this process, everybody was quick to adopt the code of conduct,” he said. “So we had a code of conduct, but nobody see LABOR PAGE 4

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