The independent
To uncover
newspaper serving
the truth
Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s
and report
and holy cross
it accurately
Volume 54, Issue 9 | friday, september 6, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
SUB aims to promote inclusion Student leaders to provide opportunities to connect with others on campus By MARIAH RUSH Associate News Editor
The second f loor of LaFortune Student Center is home to Notre Dame’s ow n Student Union Board, or SUB for short. In a large room w ith walls decorated w ith posters from SUB’s past events, from “Dogs and Donuts” to “Cuddles and Cocoa,” students plan free events taking place on campus. SUB’s mission statement is to “enhance undergraduate student life by prov iding undergraduate student ser v ices and social, intellectual and cultural opportunities” for students on campus, but this year their main goal is to focus on diversit y and inclusion, executive director Eric Kim said. Kim, a senior, said the
inclusion aspect is especially important to SUB going for ward. “We tr y to really tr y to incorporate the themes of diversit y and inclusion,” Kim said. “Many people get confused ... the idea is that it’s great to have a diversit y of events, but people forget about the idea of inclusion. We want to make sure that all of our events have intentionalit y behind them, and we want to make sure that ever yone feels included in all events, because our all our events are for the student body, and not just specific people.” In the last year, SUB prov ided a packed audience w ith a talk by Karamo Brow n, one of the stars of hit Netf lix series “Queer Eye.” The group partnered w ith PrismND to sponsor
Conference to discuss diversity By GENEVIEVE REDSTEN News Writer
Members of the tri-campus community will join together Friday in conversation at the “2019 Diversity and Inclusion Conference” at the Morris Inn from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.. The conference is open to students, staff and faculty, and will explore ideas about race, gender, sexual orientation and identity. Eric Love, director of staff diversity and inclusion, said the event offers a unique opportunity to participants. “I think this will be an excellent opportunity for students, faculty [and] staff to come together [and] engage in those conversations in a way that doesn’t usually happen on campus,” Love said. The event’s keynote speaker Robin DiAngelo is the author of the New York Times bestseller “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism.” According
News PAGE 3
to the conference agenda, DiAngelo’s speech “Seeing the Racial Water” will examine how white people can “develop white racial literacy” to push for “greater racial equity.” Love, who is organizing the event, said DiAngelo’s speech has attracted interest from many faculty and staff who have held book clubs over the summer discussing her ideas. DiAngelo raises important critiques without pointing fingers, Love said. “I don’t think she attacks or blames white people,” Love said. “I think that she points out some patterns that oftentimes white people get uncomfortable when we talk about race or racism.” In the four years Love has worked at Notre Dame, the University became a far more inclusive environment, he said. “I think that every institution has work to do, and see DIVERSITY PAGE 3
Scene PAGE 5
Phone fraud reported Observer Staff Report
unique perspectives. “[Brow n] does prov ide a really interesting
In a campus-wide email sent Thursday afternoon, Notre Dame Police Department (NDPD) cautioned students against answering fraudulent phone calls that “[appear] to come from the main NDPD number (574-631-5555) or the South Bend Police Department.” According to the email, NDPD has gotten numerous reports of callers scamming Notre Dame students and asking for credit information or photographs. “The caller has warned the victims that they have been implicated in one of several
see SUB PAGE 4
see FRAUD PAGE 4
ERIC KIM | The Observer
Students gather on North Quad for a film screening last year, one of several free events hosted by Notre Dame’s Student Union Board.
Brow n’s event. Kim said SUB wants to continue these partnerships in the upcoming year, in order to give students
Artist presents ‘Legacy of Loss’ at Saint Mary’s
SARA SCHLECHT | The Observer
Visiting artist Jenny Yurshansky, a refugee from the former Soviet Union, found inspiration in her family’s hisotry while creating “A Legacy of Loss,” telling the story of a family torn apart over time. By REBECCA STELLA News Writer
Saint Mary’s welcomed fall 2019 visiting artist Jenny Yurshansky to speak to students about her exhibit ”A Legacy of Loss” at its official opening in Moreau Art Galleries on Thursday. Ian Weaver, assistant professor
viewpoint PAGE 7
in the Art Department, introduced the artist by explaining her diverse background and detailing his own personal experiences in working with Yurshansky. “I was super impressed by her work,” Weaver said. “She works exceptionally hard — I felt like a slacker comparatively.” Yurshansky said she refers to
ND W SOCCER PAGE 12
herself as a conceptually-based research artist and researched her current project three years before she even knew what the pieces would be. Her complicated family history inspired her current exhibit and required extensive research, she said. see LEGACY PAGE 4
nd volleyball PAGE 12