The independent
To uncover
newspaper serving
the truth
Notre Dame and
and report
Saint Mary’s
it accurately
Volume 52, Issue 95 | tuesday, march 6, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
Saint Mary’s hosts autism workshop Friday’s event regarded as largest “disability-related training of this magnitude in this area ever” By JORDAN COCKRUM News Writer
Saint Mary’s hosted nearly 600 participants Friday in its Introduction to Pivotal Response Treatment workshop in O’Laughlin Auditorium. Stanford University researchers Bob and Lynn Koegel, who developed Pivotal Response Treatment — an approach to autism intervention that targets certain aspects of development, rather than individual behaviors — provided level-one certification for participants upon completion of the workshop. “One of the things that’s really important in this community is that we have a lot of really talented people who are thirsting for knowledge about the most cutting-edge approaches to working with individuals with autism,”
Master of Autism Studies faculty fellow Joshua John Diehl, said. “And so, by setting up something like this, it’s creating opportunities that this community wouldn’t otherwise have.” This event was made possible by collaboration among the Master of Autism Studies program, the department of communicative sciences and disorders, LOGAN Autism Services — a learning center that offers education and resources to individuals with developmental disabilities — Special Friends of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s and the Students Supporting Autism group. Pivotal Response Treatment provided the workshop free-ofcost and only required registration to partake in the training, Diehl said. see WORKSHOP PAGE 3
Photo courtesy of Michael Waddell
Stanford University researcher Bob Koegel speaks at the Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) training workshop in O’Laughlin Auditorium on Friday. The workshop provided certification for participants.
Bishop examines role of faith for young adults By NATALIE WEBER News Editor
While often raised in religious traditions, many young people, known as the “Nones” do not identify with any single faith. Bishop Robert Barron, founder of Word on Fire ministries, is seeking to evangelize this population, he said in a lecture at Leighton Concert Hall on Monday.
“ … The situation of young former Catholics is at the same time, something of an indictment of our educational, catechetical strategies, and I believe this, at the same time, a real Kairos,” he said. “It’s a privileged moment to connect with young people. It’s a call to action. It’s all of that at the same time.” Citing the research of Notre Dame professor Christian Smith,
Barron explored the trends amongst formerly Catholic young adults. One finding, he said, was that most people in this demographic believe in a god of some sort. However, he said, many do not have a clear sense of who God is, revealing a “rather deep confusion.”
Community march promotes political activism
see BISHOP PAGE 4
Conference links youth culture, religious practice By KELLI SMITH News Writer
A three-day conference dedicated to examining cultural influences on young people and equipping the church with a renewed missionary creativity started Monday in McKenna Hall. Themed “Cultures of
news PAGE 2
Formation,” the conference is hosted by the McGrath Institute for Church Life, which brought in speakers including Bishop Robert Barron from the archdiocese of Los Angeles, Nicholas Carr — a technology and culture writer and previous finalist of the Pulitzer Prize — associate director of youth ministry for the archdiocese of Atlanta Katherine
scene PAGE 5
Angulo and filmmaker Joe Campo. John Cavadini, director of the McGrath Institute, said the conference is bringing in people from different areas of youth culture to try to propose a paradigm shift in ways the church can engage young people. see CONFERENCE PAGE 4
viewpoint PAGE 7
ANDREW CAMERON | The Observer
Students meet before participating in the Dream SB march on Friday. The march was organized in support of a “clean” Dream act. By ANDREW CAMERON News Writer
Over 90 students and members of the South Bend community marched from Notre Dame to downtown South Bend on Friday, rallying for the passing of a “clean” Deferred Action
football PAGE 12
for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Act and demanding representation from Indiana senators Todd Young and Joe Donnelly and representative Jackie Walorski. The march, led by student grassroots campaign Dream SB, first met in see MARCH PAGE 4
men’s basketball PAGE 12