Print Edition of The Observer for Wednesday, April 24, 2019

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Volume 53, Issue 12 | wednesday, april 24, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com

Activist discusses free speech Former national ACLU president speaks on importance of First Amendment By MARY STEURER Assistant Managing Editor

Encouraging colleges and universities to defend free speech on their campuses, former national ACLU president Nadine Strossen spoke on her new book, “HATE: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech” in a lecture Tuesday night in Jenkins-Nanovic Halls. Strossen opened by saying she believes free speech on college campuses is under threat. Institutions are becoming hostile toward visiting speakers, with incidents like the March 2017 campus protest at Middlebury College — where students shouted

down a speech by conservative author Charles Murray — becoming more and more frequent, she said. Society has grown too ready to label the open expression of unpopular or polarizing opinions as “hate speech,” Strossen said. “People use the ‘h’ word promiscuously to label and renounce and stigmatize any idea that they hate,” she said. “The classic way the term is used is to refer to speech that denigrates on the basis of who you are — people who are members of religious groups or racial or ethnic groups that have traditionally been see FREE SPEECH PAGE 3

McGlinn residents discuss Hall of the Year

Jenkins offers prayers Observer Staff Report

COURTNEY BECKER | The Observer

Nadine Strossen speaks about her new book on the importance of free speech in a lecture Tuesday night in Jenkins-Nanovic Halls.

University President Fr. John Jenkins offered his condolences for the over 200 people killed and 450 injured in church and hotel bombings in Sri Lanka in a statement Sunday. “On behalf of the University of Notre Dame, I extend my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims in the Sri Lanka attacks,” Jenkins said in the see SRI LANKA PAGE 3

Disabled students share experiences at ND By MARY STEURER Assistant Managing Editor

Students called for a greater understanding of students with disabilities in a panel organized by new student group Access-ABLE on Thursday in O’Shaughnessy Hall. The group, which works to advocate for individuals’ disabilities, hosted four student speakers. Each student shared their

experience living with disabilities at Notre Dame and offered advice for how to make the University a more welcoming space for disabled students. Senior Lauren Boutros, who lives with bipolar disorder, said she was surprised to find many of her professors were open to discussing mental illness. “Each of my [professors] presented information

about themselves that they really didn’t have to but really helped me feel more comfortable in my conversing with them,” she said. “ … It was something that meant a lot to me because I was struggling.” Boutros asked the student body to be open to discussion about disabilities. “It would be most see DISABILITIES PAGE 4

Student Union Board hosts spring festival Observer File Photo

The Shamrocks of McGlinn Hall were named 2018-2019 Hall of the Year, marking the dorm’s first win since it was established in 1997. By SOPHIA LAUBER News Writer

McGlinn Hall was named the 2018-2019 Hall of the Year, the first time it has been named Hall of the Year since its establishment

SCENE PAGE 5

in 1997. Sophomore and dorm vice president Isabella Schmitz said McGlinn has come a long way in recent years. “W hen I first arrived at ND see McGLINN PAGE 4

VIEWPOINT PAGE 6

By MIKE DUGAN News Writer

The Notre Dame Student Union Board (SUB) is hosting AnTostal, its annual spring festival full of food, giveaways and events this week. Senior Bethany Boggess, outgoing executive director of SUB, said in an email

VIEWPOINT PAGE 7

that she “had very little to do with the nitty gritty planning of AnTostal,” as the responsibility for planning the event fell largely upon junior Eric Kim, the outgoing co-director of programming for SUB, who will serve as SUB’s executive director for the 2019-2020 academic year, as well as senior Bridget Naylor-Komyatte,

ND Men’s LACROSSE PAGE 12

who has served as lead programmer of AnTostal during the 2018-2019 academic year. This year’s edition of AnTostal, dubbed “BlissTostal,” focuses on what an email sent to the student body said is “all things bliss” — five see AnTOSTAL PAGE 3

BASEBall PAGE 12


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