News

Saint Mary's screens 'Band of Sisters'

Panelists debate corporate taxation

Authors address incarceration

Group changes email wording

Lifeline Law absolves 'Good Samaritans'

CUSE sponsors student pursuits

Professor ties Potter series to Christ

SMC elects, appoints new senate members

Jenkins' address invokes Catholic mission

Attorney analyzes application of Constitution

Lecture series honors late professor

Wall Street Club to host internship forum

Getting the job done'

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg disclosed orders to deploy to Afghanistan at a press conference Thursday, which will mark his first time in active duty. Buttigieg, a Lieutenant, Junior Grade (Lieutenant JG) in the United States Navy Reserve, said he received the orders on Aug. 28.

SMC screens 'Band of Sisters'

Saint Mary's College will screen the film "Band of Sisters," directed by Mary Fishman, Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Carroll Auditorium. A panel discussion and a question and answer session will follow the film.

Top Pentagon women discuss leadership

Two of the highest-ranked women in Pentagon history spoke Monday in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center at the opening discussion of the Notre Dame Forum 2013, whose theme this year is "Women in Leadership."

Ecologist studies Great Lakes

Notre Dame research assistant professor Sheila Christopher earned a $155,358 grant from the University of Michigan Water Center, which focuses on environmental issues specific to the Great Lakes, to study environmental solutions in Lake Erie.

Composer discusses careers in music industry

On Monday, composer Mark L. Priest, delivered a lecture titled "Life After a Music Degree: Writing Music for Visual Media," elaborating on how he discerned his own career path in the music industry.

Triple C initiative inspires outdoor activity

Local youths have a new opportunity to engage in the outdoors through Triple C, an initiative founded by Victoria Lam, a Notre Dame Ph.D. student in biology. Triple C - which stands for camping, climbing and cameras - is a "501(c)3 backed program that takes a three-pronged approach to connecting youth to the outdoors," according to the organization's Facebook page.

Students embark on spiritual trip

This weekend, a group of approximately 50 sophomores from Notre Dame and Saint Mary's embarked on a figurative and literal spiritual journey to an undisclosed location on Campus Ministry's signature sophomore retreat, the Sophomore Road Trip. John Paul Lichon, Campus Ministry's assistant director for retreats, pilgrimages and spirituality, helped coordinate the Sophomore Road Trip. "The Sophomore Road Trip is a wonderful retreat to allow sophomores to take a step back as they begin their sophomore year," Lichon said. "[Sophomore Road Trip] is really a chance to think about 'Am I the person I really want to be?' Our biggest hope is that a retreat is a genuine encounter with God."      Sophomore theology major Irina Celentano said the trip gave her a better perspective on her own life and the lives of others. "[The trip] gave me the time to step back and become more acutely aware of myself and what things I can change or improve on, but it also showed me how much progress I've made," she said. Celentano said she went on the retreat in order to clarify her own goals and faith and to grow closer with her classmates. "I wanted to know what other people are going through and where they are on their various life journeys. I wanted a better appreciation of other peoples' stories," she said. Students do not know where the road trip will end until they actually arrive for the retreat, Lichon said. "It provides a nice analogy for our faith. There are twists and turns and ups and downs, but you get where you need to go," Lichon said. In addition to enhancing to the intrigue and excitement of the retreat, Lichon said Campus Ministry designed this aspect of the retreat with a certain message in mind. "There's a sense of mystery behind [Sophomore Road Trip], and some students come to find out what it is all about," Lichon said. Lichon said the mission statement of the Sophomore Road Trip, written by the junior and senior leaders of the retreat, reads: "Through reflection informed by Holy Cross Spirituality, the University of Notre Dame Sophomore Road Trip provides students with tools to navigate the twists and turns of their vocational journey towards completeness in Christ." Celentano said the mystery surrounding the destination of the retreat added a sense of unity to the weekend. "There's something kind of exciting about not knowing where you're going but still knowing you're all going there together," she said. Like all Campus Ministry retreats, Sophomore Road Trip is entirely student-led. Lichon said the team of leaders for this weekend's Sophomore Road Trip began meeting before students left for summer break last year and continued as soon as the school year began in August. Celentano said the retreat revolved around a series of talks and group discussions but maintained a well-balanced dose of individual prayer, team-building exercises and discernment. "We had a lot of talks from the leaders on vocation and discernment and taking a step back to see where we are in our lives," Celentano said. There are other opportunities to attend Campus Ministry retreats this year. "If people miss Sophomore Road Trip, they can go on a preached retreat, silent retreat or one of the pilgrimages over breaks," Lichon said. Registration is now open for the Oct. 4 through 6 Sophomore Road Trip on the Campus Ministry website.  

JDRF walk spurs diabetes awareness

Saint Mary's junior Becky Walker does not flinch at the idea of giving herself four shots every day. But when it is someone else's hand that has to administer the injection, her childhood fear of needles settles in.   "I'm diabetic, and I deal with [needles] because I have to," Walker said. "Otherwise, I'm kind of terrified of them." Walker fearlessly took a stand against her disease along with an estimated 15 combined members of the Saint Mary's Rotaract Club and the Notre Dame Diabetes Sidekicks on Sunday at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation 2013 Walk to Cure Diabetes. The charity walk raises funds through team and participant donations for the millions of people living with Type 1 diabetes. Walker said people who are personally tied to the disease often offer donations.   "Definitely a part of it is that I am diabetic, so this would be a reason, specifically, to participate in a diabetes walk," Walker said.  "It was close to me.  If I wasn't diabetic, I don't think I would have heard of it or been looking for it." Nicholas Holuta, president of Notre Dame Diabetes Sidekicks, said Walker and her team joined thousands of South Bend and surrounding area residents at 2 p.m. in braving the slight drizzle of rain to walk the two-mile course in Beutter Park, Mishawaka. "The atmosphere was pretty awesome," Holuta said. "The weather was a little worrisome early on, but luckily the rain held off pretty well and we had a great day. There were a bunch of fundraising teams there from the South Bend and Mishawaka communities, and it was just a great event as a whole.  Everyone seemed to be having a great time." The walk marks the first monthly event for the Rotaract Club, president and junior Kaitlin Maierhofer said.   "[Becky] thought it would be something Rotaract could team up with because we are always looking for service opportunities.  I just became president, and I said 'Go for it, we can put it together, I'll support it, it sounds like it will be a blast.' I'm all for helping whoever I can.  It just sounded fun.  It was different. We haven't done anything like it in the past," Maierhofer said.   From a personal standpoint, Walker said her story is similar to those of other members in the Notre Dame Diabetes Sidekicks. The organization was initiated two years ago and open to both diabetic and non-diabetic students. "With Notre Dame, we [basically] have a weekly dinner, and we serve as a support group for ourselves," Walker said.   The newly established club attracts approximately 15 members each week, boasting a total of 30 active representatives, Holuta said. She said half of the members are not even diabetic. "Yes, many people in the group are diabetics, but there is still significant portion of the group who have are not diabetic who play a huge role in what we do," she said. "Originally, we were founded as a support group for diabetics on campus, but now we're way more than that, and I really like the direction we are heading." The growth and progress of the group continues to develop through word of mouth and publicity for events such as the JDRF walk, vice president and sophomore Nora Eder said.   "We've talked to health services to see if we can get any kind of outreach for the club like send a newsletter," Eder said. "More awareness has definitely been our focus for this year, and letting people know we are out here, and trying find ways to reach out to incoming freshmen whose parents are totally nervous about their kids coming to college for the first time." The organization continues to raise funds for its planned calendar of monthly events through JDRF, chairperson and senior Clare LaRosa said. "Our overall goal is to be a resource for diabetics on campus, [so they] know that they're not alone and to have other people going through the same things, to talk to if they have any issues," LaRosa said. "We are on the path to becoming an official club, so we have more leverage to get things done on campus." LaRosa said the club is looking to demand more flexibility and greater availability of dining hall meal plan options for diabetics on campus. "Any diabetic students can email one of the nutritionists in the dining hall.  We can, for free, get an extended meal plan so we get 28 meals a week instead of 14 without paying extra," LaRosa said. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 15, LaRosa said adapting to the disease and then later transitioning into college with it as a handicap was somewhat of a struggle. "College is way different.  You might start class at 9 [a.m.] one morning and noon the next day, and then on the weekends you might be sleeping in really late, so eating meals at a bunch of different times can really mess with the blood sugar," LaRosa said. "Getting used to all of that is a big transition.  This club didn't exist when I was a freshmen, but if it had I think it would have been a good resource to just have people to talk to about this stuff." Walker works to educate students about on-campus options for diabetics while providing aid and assistance to fellow Saint Mary's diabetics on where to purchase and restock on medicine.   "I don't have an official title, but I see myself as the official Saint Mary's ambassador of the [Notre Dame Diabetes Sidekicks]," Walker said. Considering she is not a diabetic herself, club president Kaitlin Maierhofer and Rotaract member's own motivation for participating in the club goes beyond representing Rotaract's executive board. "You really don't hear much about diabetes, I mean it's really prevalent in the world and in today's society, but there's not much people really do.  This [JDRF Walk] is a different little spin on something we can help with," Maierhofer said. LaRosa said the specifics of type 1 diabetes are overshadowed by those of type 2. The JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes succeeds in raising consciousness of type 1, LaRosa said.     "Diabetes touches a lot of people, and it's something that really changes somebody's life," LaRosa said. "As a club, one of our main goals is to educate and raise awareness.  That will be something we're working on going forward is educating campus about the difference."