THE INDEPENDENT
TO UNCOVER
NEWSPAPER SERVING
THE TRUTH
NOTRE DAME, SAINT MARY’S
AND REPORT
AND HOLY CROSS
IT ACCURATELY
VOLUME 58, ISSUE 49 | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
Kiser-Miller ticket wins Pair will serve as student body president and vice president Observer Staff Report
Junior Dawson Kiser and sophomore Maeve Miller were elected student body president and vice president Wednesday. Judicial Council announced the election results in an email about two hours after voting closed. The Kiser-Miller ticket received the support of 53% of valid voters. The second place Behn-Bowden ticket gathered about 26% of the vote, while the third-place Baird-Toth collected
about 21% . According to Judicial Council, more than 50% of the undergraduate student body voted. In total, 4,264 valid votes were cast. The turnout beat last year’s election, in which only 30% of undergraduate students voted but did not surpass the 2022 election, which garnered a turnout of about 58% . Students could voice their opinion about who they wanted to lead student government during the 2024Courtesy of Christian Bustillo 2025 term by filling out Junior Dawson Kiser and sophomore Maeve Miller were a form on NDCentral. elected with 53% of votes, with 4,264 valid votes cast.
TAP program helps locals By GRAY NOCJAR News Writer
For over 50 years, the Viv ian Harrington Gray Notre Dame-Saint Mar y’s Ta x Assistance Program (TAP) has prov ided free income ta x return preparation serv ices for low-income residents of the South Bend communit y. TAP’s ser v ices are lega lly available to any U.S. citizen or permanent lega l resident liv ing in Indiana or Michigan who has an indiv idua l income of less than $ 32,000, or
less than $ 64,000 for families. TAP was established in 1972 by accountancy professor Ken Milani, who founded the initiative after just three weeks on the job. “W hen I was in graduate school, I helped fellow students and others w ith their income ta x filing. Given my ‘bluecollar’ background, I was ready, w illing and able to help,” Milani said. Milani ser ved as facult y coordinator of TAP see TAXES PAGE 4
Students discuss College admissions reversal By SALLY BRADSHAW News Writer
Saint Mar y’s College experienced some turbulence over the past year w ith the November news of an admissions policy allow ing those who “consistently live and identif y as women” to apply to the historical women’s college. The change was approved by the Board of Trustees in June, but the
college was back in the headlines when President Katie Conboy met w ith Bishop Kev in Rhoades for a discussion and subsequently reversed the decision during Christmas break. “The desire of Saint Mar y’s College to show hospitalit y to people who identif y as transgender is not the problem,” Rhoades w rote in an open letter to the college. “The problem is a Catholic
woman’s college embracing a definition of woman that is not Catholic.” Rhoades acknowledged the call for a Catholic college to be an inclusive place for higher education, but reminded the school that their Catholic identit y should be their first priorit y. Students at Saint Mar y’s had mixed reactions to the decision to reverse the admissions policy. Some
students stood in opposition w ith the reversal, some agreed w ith this decision and some were unsure what to think. Freshman nursing student Nora Clark said the decision was surprising. “I was a bit surprised that it had been reversed, but I kind of had seen it coming from the phrasing of her prev ious email,” she said. “But honestly after reading
it and after reading the bishop’s letter to the school, I thought it made sense that it had been reversed because it didn’t sound like as much team thought or as many people went in to the initial decision as had the secondar y decision.” Clark said she agrees w ith the school’s standing policy “not because I have things see ADMISSIONS PAGE 3
Laundry causes upheaval in residence halls By CAROLINE COLLINS Associate News Editor
Frustration is mounting among students living on-campus as laundry room troubles persist, with malfunctioning machines causing inconvenience and delays in their daily routines. The residence hall laundry machines are operated through a contract with WASH Laundry, according to Dan Rohmiller, director of residential life: housing operations. As part of the contract, WASH Laundry owns and manages the laundry machines in the
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residence halls and is responsible for their maintenance and replacement.
This has increased the WASH Laundry response time to work orders,” he said. “Generally, their service technician responds to work orders submitted within one business day and, depending on the issue, resolves the issue the same day.”
In an email, Rohmiller said the University began a five-year contract with WASH Laundry in the summer of 2020. During the fall 2020 semester, laundry service was added to the room and board fee that students pay to live on-campus. Prior to the 2020-21 academic year, laundry machines were coinoperated or students could pay to do laundry with Domer Dollars. If repairs to washing
machines or dryers are required, residents can submit a work order through the online service system provided by WASH or on the WASH mobile app. After the work order is submitted, a service technician from WASH comes to campus to repair the unit. Rohmiller said WASH provides technicians to support the washer and dryer units in the residence halls at Notre Dame. “This past summer, WASH Laundry hired an additional technician for this general service area who is dedicated to the University of Notre Dame.
Despite the increased number of technicians supporting the laundry facilities at Notre Dame, students report that repairs can take weeks, or even an entire semester, to be completed. Freshman Gabrielle Kile said
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WASH Laundry contract
Students voice frustration
Howard Hall has six washing machines, but two have been out-of-service since the fall semester. The students living in Howard have to share four machines, and it’s difficult to find a time when the machines are free, Kile said. Many students feel the laundry system in the residence halls can’t support the number of students who share the facilities. The process of doing laundry is “frustrating and timeconsuming,” junior and Pasquerilla East resident see LAUNDRY PAGE 4
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