THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING NOTRE DAME, SAINT MARY’S AND HOLY CROSS ESTABLISHED 1966
FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2026 | VOL. LX, NO. 39
University announces death of graduate music student Observer Staff Report The Division of Student Affairs at Notre Dame sent an email Wednesday morning informing the student body that Olusegun “Segun” Olubunmi Soyemi, a second-year graduate student, had died over Christmas break. In the email, University President Fr. Bob Dowd, Provost John McGreev y and vice president for student affairs Fr. Gerry Olinger shared that Soyemi was in the master of sacred music program studying voice. He was from Lagos, Nigeria. Soyemi was buried on the Notre Dame campus at Cedar Grove Cemetery in December 2025. The email clarified that members of the sacred music program were notified of Soyemi’s death in December, but administrators shared the information this week with the entire campus in order to offer support for
community members who had returned for the spring semester. The master of sacred music is a two-year degree requiring 48 credit hours, with a curriculum focused on applied music, sacred music history and analysis and liturgical studies. Students enter the program through one of three studios: choral conducting, organ or voice. According to the University website, “The MSM program equips students for professional careers in church music – where employment opportunities are plentiful – while also providing them with the foundations to pursue doctoral studies or other professional career paths, including music education, music ministry and concert performance.” The email included available support resources and plans to gather in remembrance. Campus Ministry is
available to offer pastoral support to any members of the University community affected by Soyemi’s death. The University Counseling Center also offers confidential counseling services to all degree-seeking students currently enrolled at Notre Dame, as well as international non-degree-seeking students. The University will celebrate a Mass of remembrance in Soyemi’s honor on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 5:15 p.m. in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Dowd will preside over the Mass, and Fr. Pete McCormick, assistant vice president for Campus Ministry, will deliver the homily. In the email, University administrators encouraged members of the community to support one another and to keep Soyemi and his loved ones in their prayers during this time of loss.
Prospective tickets petition for presidential ballot
NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
Shooting response addressed at SMC
SOPHIE LEWANDOWSKI |The Observer
Saint Mary’s students were not notified by the College of Jan. 11 shooting at the intersection of Michigan Street and Angela Boulevard.
By Sophie Lewandowski News Writer
Following the recent shooting that occurred at the intersection of Angela Boulevard and Michigan Avenue on Jan. 11, Saint Mary’s Campus Safety department did not send out an alert to students. Phil Bambenek, director of campus safety at Saint Mary’s, explained his office’s decision not to communicate with students about the incident, which left one South
Bend resident dead. He said it was determined that students were not in need of either type of alert the office sends out; a campus crime alert or a timely warning. Crime alerts warn students of situations which they need to be aware of for their immediate safety. Timely warnings notify students of a situation which has already been resolved but which Campus Safety determines occurred in a location see “Safety” on page 3
New ND law clinic accepting clients
Observer Staff Report
By Lucy Loes
Two presidential tickets have announced their intention to qualify for the student body presidential election, seeking the 700 signatures required to appear on the student government election ballot. Petitions began on Jan. 14, and election hopefuls must reach the minimum signatures before the Jan. 26 deadline. Mason McCart and Luke Parikh became the first ticket to declare their intention to run for the student body presidency, with an Instagram announcement on the first day of petitioning. McCart is a junior from Dillon Hall and co-director of student life in student government. Parikh is a sophomore, also from Dillon Hall. He serves as a committee member for the Department
of Communication and Department of Student Life. “We want to leave no doubt in your minds that we will serve you all with your best interests in mind,” the post read. “Sign the petition in our bio to get McCart Parikh on the ballot.”
A day later, Elijah Jones and Riley Evers announced their presidential bid in an Instagram post. Jones is a junior from Alumni Hall who serves as president of the Judicial Council. Evers is a sophomore who represents
This January, Notre Dame Law School began accepting cases for its new Immigration Clinic, now its tenth clinic in operation. Designed and led by director Ashley Sanchez, the clinic offers pro bono legal assistance to members of the South Bend community while providing an experiential learning opportunity for graduate students. Rather than waiting until they pass the bar, law students are able to take on cases and interact with clients before finishing their degree through University-run legal clinics that offer faculty guidance. “It’s the opportunity for [law students] to dip their feet in the water of being a real lawyer and [without] having the stakes where everything falls on them,” Sanchez
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News Writer
Photos courtesy of the McCart-Parikh and Jones-Evers campaigns.
Petitioning for student government elections is underway, with prospective candidates working to reach the required 700 signatures.
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Author Dean Koontz
said. These graduate students will be taking on a wide range of immigration-related cases within the South Bend community. “We’re going to focus on family and humanitarian based immigration. So that means we’ll help people who want to get their green cards through their U.S. citizen family members and help people apply for citizenship, help people apply for asylum or people who are in removal proceedings, things like that,” Sanchez said. This semester, the clinic consists of six graduate students, mostly in their second and third years. Working in pairs based on the type of language they’re familiar with, students are assigned clients and will begin to meet with them in the next few see “Immigration” on page 2
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