THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING NOTRE DAME, SAINT MARY’S AND HOLY CROSS ESTABLISHED 1966
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2025 | VOL. LX, NO. 19
Trump administration proposes university compact By Mara Hall News Writer
The Trump administration recently proposed a “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” to Brown University, Dartmouth College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Arizona, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University. The compact “would require colleges to freeze tuition for five years, cap the enrollment of international students and commit to strict definitions of gender,” in addition to ensuring that their campuses are run in a manner that would not question
or give resistance to conservative ideas. In exchange, the administration would give the universities priority in receiving federal funding. According to the Texas Tribune, the UT System board of regents chair Kevin Eltife is eager to engage with this compact, and UT-Austin has started reviewing the ways that gender identity is taught around campus in an effort to comply with the restrictions of this compact. The other universities have not made public remarks on the offer. Matthew Hall, the director of the Rooney Democracy Institute and professor of constitutional studies at Notre Dame, argued the compact was a “fascist” tactic. “All fascist politicians adopt similar tactics, and one of the most important tactics
is to create a sense of unreality by undermining objective facts. Therefore, fascist politicians are threatened by independent institutions that are designed to distinguish fact from fiction: courts, independent government agencies, the press, scientists, and — of course — universities ... The compact being presented to universities is a blatant, unprecedented attempt by the executive branch to take control of public and private universities,” Hall wrote in an email to The Observer. James Curry, a Notre Dame political science professor, clarified that using federal funding to shape university policy isn’t new. Similarly, President Barack Obama asked states to get waivers see “Universities” on page 2
Duncan Hall honors late resident with ‘Jorts for Joey’ By Maggie Powell News Writer
Working with the McDonald Center for Student Well-Being, Duncan Hall hosted its signature Jorts for Joey event on Friday, Oct. 3. This time around was the dorm’s third time hosting the event. The first Jorts for Joey event took place in the spring of 2024, just months after the death of Joey Harris, who graduated from the University in the spring of 2023 and committed suicide in January 2024. Preparations for the event, led by Duncan Hall health and wellness
commissioner Emerson Carella, began this past spring. Duncan Highlanders volunteered at the event by working the table, promoting mental health resources and assisting with jeans cutting. Peer listeners and University counselors were also present at the event to provide information. Those who visited their booth could donate $10 to purchase a pair of jeans to cut into jean shorts, or jorts. The proceeds from the event benefitted Movember, a nonprofit dedicated to men’s mental health and suicide prevention. Duncan Hall president Gabe
Angaiak spoke to the event’s significance. “It’s more than just raising money for mental health through Movember. It’s in remembrance of a guy that really stood for what Duncan Hall was,” Angaiak said. “He was a great guy. Everyone in the dorm loved him. He’s the type of dude that started a culture in Duncan Hall … You just have an open heart, and that’s who Joey was. I feel like this event really remembers that about Joey and instills that into Duncan Hall, even
NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
Sexual assault reported at SMC Observer Staff Report A sexual assault incident was reported in a residence hall at Saint Mary’s on Friday at 11 p.m., according to an email titled, “Timely Warning Notification,” sent by director of campus safety Phil Bambenek on Sunday morning. The College’s Title IX Office and the St. Joseph County Police Department are currently investigating the report, Bambenek wrote. He added that the suspect is not a member of the tricampus community. “The survivor of the assault reported that she had met the suspect through a dating app,” Bambenek wrote. The email included a list
of contact information for safety and support, including law enforcement agencies, hotlines and on-campus resources for students. Bambenek shared that students should reach out to the Belles Against Violence Office or Saint Mary’s Campus Safety Department with questions and concerns. Bambenek advised those with information regarding the incident to contact the St. Joseph County Police Special Victims Unit This was the first alert of its kind that Saint Mary’s students received this academic year. During the 2024-25 academic year, students did not receive any email alerts of reported sexual assault.
Authors discuss gender and asylum By Lucy Loes News Writer
interviewed 46 women whose stories inspired her to seek Waslin’s help in creating their book. “I was hearing these really unbelievably terrible stories from women from El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala [and] Mexico about what had happened to them that had forced them to come here to seek asylum. They described gang rapes by gang members,” Cleaveland said. “They described horrific gender-based violence and extortion threats … Then I started observing what happened in their court hearings, and those were very compelling moments, because I saw how difficult the journey is to convince an immigration judge that you meet all of the criteria to win asylum in the United States.” The U.S. asylum system doesn’t consider domestic or private violence to be a form of persecution. Waslin believes this stems from the original intent of the refugee system, which was designed to protect a limited number of people
Volunteers at the third-annual Jorts for Joey fundraiser pose for a photo on Friday afternoon. The event, which aimed to raise awareness for men’s mental health, honored the late Duncan resident Joey Harris.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Kellogg Institute for International Studies and the Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights hosted Michele Waslin, who holds a Ph.D. in government and international relations from Notre Dame, and her co-author Carol Cleaveland to discuss their book, “Private Violence: Latin American Women and the Struggle for Asylum.” The lecture was part of Graduate Student Appreciation Week. The authors spoke about how the U.S. asylum system fails to protect Latin American women seeking gender-based asylum because the current legal system requires persecution to come from state actors rather than private individuals. They emphasized the resilience of both asylum-seekers and their advocates. Cleaveland began research for the book when she was asked to ascertain the credibility of female Latin American genderbased asylum-seekers through psychological assessments. She
NEWS | PAGE 3
OPINION | PAGE 5
SCENE | PAGE 7
SPORTS | PAGE 11
SPORTS | PAGE 12
ND’s Institute for Latino Studies will host events to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.
Columnist Allison Elshoff highlights Victoria Nyanjura’s journey from Uganda to ND.
Swift’s new album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” started strong, but sadly, it continued.
No 2. Notre Dame prepares to host No. 5 Florida State in a battle of unbeatens.
The sports staff hands out a report card to Irish position groups following week six.
see “Jorts” on page 4
MAGGIE POWELL | The Observer
Hispanic heritage
Off the Dome
Taylor in trouble
ND women’s soccer
see “Asylum” on page 4
Football grades