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Volume 53, Issue 69 | friday, january 18, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
Keenan Hall embraces bonding events Founded in 1957, Keenan is known for its signature event, the Keenan Revue, a comedy sketch special By JOE ANDREWS News Writer
Not many college residencies can claim there is an Instagram account devoted solely to documenting the dorm’s nightly battles over who claims the leftover pizza. “It’s almost like we’ve got our own ‘finsta,’” Keenan president and junior Tom Walsh said. “Every dorm has social media, but we’re the only dorm with a burner account.” When you look past the facade of Italian food brawls, however, you discover a brotherhood built strongly on the foundations of loyalty, service and stripteasing for the amusement of peers. Welcome to Keenan Hall. Built in 1957, the dorm was named after Notre Dame
alumnus James Keenan and dedicated to his son, who died shortly before starting his freshman year of college. Almost as well-known as the dorm itself, of course, is Keenan’s hotly anticipated signature event — the Keenan Revue, a comedy, music and stripping extravaganza that allows the humor and creativity of Knights to be exhibited to the student body every February. The Revue, which Walsh said drew around 5,000 attendees last year, was started as an alternative to college drinking events and has continued this tradition of lighthearted, culturally relevant humor since its inception in 1976. “Nobody escapes criticism,” law student and assistant rector see KEENAN PAGE 4
Students look ahead to 2019 March for Life By MARIE FAZIO and COLLEEN FISCHER News Writers
When senior Matt Connell looks back on his previous experiences at the March for Life, one of the most poignant moments occurs every year toward the end of the March on Constitution Avenue. Passing the Capitol Building, as the road slopes upwards towards the steps of the Supreme Court, he recalls turning around at the top of the hill in awe of the seemingly endless stream of marchers behind him, all bearing witness to the pro-life movement. “There is no way you can feel alone in the pro-life movement after experiencing that,” Connell, vice president of communications for the executive board of the Right to Life Club, said. “It serves as a reminder of the strength and vitality of the pro-life movement in our nation, and it is a sign of hope that we will ultimately build a culture of life that respects all life, including the unborn.” This Friday, Connell, along with
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around 850 Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross students, faculty and staff, will again make the journey to Washington D.C. to participate in the 46th annual March for Life. Notre Dame Right to Life — the largest club on campus — organizes the trip each year with support from the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture. The Right to Life club also offers a variety of prolife events throughout the year, Connell said, including group prayer services and service events, which include free babysitting for graduate students with children, educational lectures about the pro-life movement and more. “There’s a lot of really serious attacks on life in our nation and around the world, chief among them abortion,” Connell said. “It’s really important to bear witness to the dignity to every human life and remind people what a gift it is to have life.” This year, 16 buses will depart from campus Thursday night, see MARCH PAGE 4
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Observer File Photo
Keenan residents perform in the 41st-annual Keenan Revue in 2017, the “State of the Revuenion.” The Keenan Revue began in 1976 as a way for students to particpate in an alcohol-free activity on campus.
University to host annual Walk the Walk Week By SERENA ZACHARIAS News Writer
Notre Dame will kick off the fourth-annual Walk the Walk Week on Jan. 20 to encourage diversity and inclusion on campus with a series of events open to all members of the Notre Dame community. The week will begin with a candlelight prayer service in the Main Building Rotunda on Jan.
20 at 11 p.m., followed by a complimentary breakfast in South Dining Hall. The Office of the President and the President’s Oversight Committee on Diversity and Inclusion will sponsor the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Luncheon on Jan. 21, which will include a panel discussion with seven members of the Notre Dame community. Senior Alyssa Ngo, chair
of Diversity Council, will be speaking on the panel to bring a student perspective to the dialogue. “I see it as my role to push the other panelists because some students are unhappy with the administration and faculty in terms of how the University treats diversity,” Ngo said. see WALK PAGE 3
Saint Mary’s begins 175th anniversary celebration By GINA TWARDOSZ News Writer
In 1844, four Holy Cross sisters, at the request of Fr. Basil Moreau, braved a 40-day voyage from Le Mans, France to Bertrand, Michigan, where they established the first Saint Mary’s school and novitiate. 175 years later, the school has moved a little south and grown extensively in
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size, but still upholds those four sisters’ core values. This year, the year of 2019, marks the 175th anniversary of Saint Mary’s College. To commemorate this anniversary milestone, the College has planned several events to honor of Saint Mary’s’ rich history of community service, education, justice, faith and spirituality. This celebration will last a full calendar
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year, with a closing celebration on Dec. 8. The anniversary celebration will kick off Jan. 20, the official day of the Blessed Feast of Fr. Basil Moreau — the founder of the sisters, brothers and priests of the Holy Cross. Vice president of admissions Judy Fean said having the see ANNIVERSARY PAGE 4
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