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Volume 53, Issue 45 | thursday, november 1, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
Clubs host Day of the Dead celebrations Campus Ministry, Latino Student Alliance facilitate Dia de los Muertos festivities on campus By MARIAH RUSH News Writer
W hen junior Cecily Castillo arrived at Notre Dame her freshman year, she found one thing absent from campus culture were celebrations of Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. So, during her sophomore year, she went to Campus Ministry to ask why there were only a few Day of the Dead celebrations on campus. “I asked, ‘W hy is it that during my freshman year there were only two or three ofrendas [meaning ‘offerings’ in Spanish] on campus? ’” Castillo said. “It didn’t feel as much as an open invitation for anyone to place their own things there. I know that that
was definitely not intentional, but I remember feeling that way, especially it being my first year having not having that.” Castillo, a Day of the Dead committee member, said that common misconceptions about this celebration are that it is not compatible with the Catholic faith or that it is an extension of Halloween. “It is very much accepted in the Catholic faith as this is one big tradition that should be celebrated because it highlights the intersection of faith and culture,” Castillo said. “Nobody wants to think about what happens after they die. But a lot of this is really taking that head on. see OFRENDAS PAGE 4
Professors reflect on Hurricane Maria journeys By KELLI SMITH Associate News Editor
A few months after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in Sept. 2017, Marisel Moreno received an email. The email was addressed to her and Thomas F. Anderson, both professors of romance languages and literature. It invited them to speak about the impact Hurricane Maria had on Puerto Ricans in a series of informational videos. A month and a half later, they found themselves on a plane to Puerto Rico with the mission of documenting one of the island’s most catastrophic storms in less than a week. “It quickly developed, we got our dates, we got our tickets and … next thing we know we’re getting an email saying we’re sending a film
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crew so that we can do this professionally and you can interview people,” Moreno, who teaches Latino literature, said. “Of course we’re not reporters; we’re both professors of literature, so that was a little bit nervewracking but we jumped into it.” Moreno and Anderson conducted the project this summer as part of a digital teach-out, a global community learning opportunity focused on a current issue. The original model was developed by the University of Michigan, which reached out to Elliott Visconsi of Notre Dame’s Office of Digital Learning in hopes of collaborating on a Puerto Rico series. Visconsi reached out to Moreno and Anderson, and the idea became reality. see PUERTO RICO PAGE 4
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CLAIRE RAFFORD | The Observer
An altar, or ofrenda, for Dia de los Muertos sits in the Notre Dame Our Mother Chapel in Coleman-Morse Center. Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, celebrates, in a joyful way, those who have died.
ARK-ND volunteers provide therapy for kids By SERENA ZACHARIAS News Writer
Every Sunday night, Rolfs Aquatic Center fills up with student volunteers who gather with kids from the community for an hour of swim lessons and pool games. The weekly meetings function as a fun activity for
the kids who attend, but they also aim to offer distraction — the club aims to help children suffering from serious medical conditions, senior and co-president of Aquatic Relief for Kids at Notre Dame (ARK-ND) Ann Iverson said. ARK-ND coordinates with local hospitals to aid pediatric cancer and diabetic
patients through aquatic therapy, providing a safe environment for the young patients to have fun for an evening. ARK-ND was founded by a member of the Notre Dame women’s water polo team who suffered from cancer see ARK-ND PAGE 4
SMC Cycling Club hosts ride to raise money for ALS By MARIA LEONTARAS Associate St. Mary’s Editor
The Saint Mary’s Cycling Club hosted a Halloween Ride Wednesday night to raise money for the College’s ALS 5k, which will be held on Nov. 4. The ride was put on in the form of a class hosted by the club. Founder and president of
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the club, senior Megan Hall, said in an email that riders were encouraged to wear red for ALS. She also said the event was set to Halloween music. Marketing chair, senior Leslie Taubert, said in an email that she hoped having the event on Halloween would promote the fundraiser.
“We thought having [the ride] on Halloween would make it an even more fun ride and it would help encourage people to donate to ride,” she said. “We are excited to help out with [this] important cause and support everyone that is impacted by ALS.”
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see CYCLING PAGE 3