THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING NOTRE DAME, SAINT MARY’S AND HOLY CROSS ESTABLISHED 1966
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2026 | VOL. LX, NO. 43
Jones-Evers win StuGov election
By Observer News Staff
Elijah Jones and Riley Evers have been elected the next Notre Dame student body president and vice president. In an email to The Observer, Notre Dame’s Judicial Council confirmed that Jones and Evers won the election with 54.29% of valid votes. Meanwhile, McCart and Parikh received 45.71% of the vote. 159 voters out of 2,988 total abstained. Judicial Council vice president of elections Madeline Hutson verified the results at 10:38 p.m. Wednesday night. 34% of Notre Dame students voted in the election. In a comment to The Observer, Jones wrote, “Riley and I are extremely grateful that over 700 ND students signed our petition, and that over 1500 ND students voted
for us! We’re also extremely grateful for all the grassroots campaigning people did for us! We didn’t have an official campaign team (I made our platform, campaign materials, talked to people in the dining hall, and sent out a bunch of emails), but our friends, and people in our clubs and residence halls, helped get people to vote!” Jones and Evers were endorsed by The Observer and College Democrats, while College Republicans endorsed McCart and Parikh. The Observer was not immediately able to verify whether other campus groups had issued election endorsements. “We appreciate all the support we received, and we look forward to fighting for every student’s voice to be heard,” Jones wrote.
Siegfried holds ‘Day of Man’ event
Professors cut ties with Liu Institute amid controversy Criticism of Ostermann’s appointment mounts as Trustees meet By Liam Kelly Editor-in-Chief
This week, professor of law and global affairs Diane Desierto and research professor emeritus of theology Robert Gimello cut ties with the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, furthering pressure on the University to rescind the appointment of professor Susan Ostermann to head the Institute. This pressure comes as the University continues to defend Ostermann’s appointment. Desierto, who had previously served as a faculty fellow in the Liu Institute, cited Pope Leo XIV’s statements on abortion in a post on LinkedIn as a driving force of her actions. “All I will say on this is that
Holy Cross College announced Alex Jones, chief executive officer and founder of Hallow, a Catholic prayer and mediation app, will deliver their 2026 commencement ceremony address on May 16. This will be the
Members of Siegfried Hall’s section 2A stand outside North Dining Hall collecting donations for South Bend Center for the Homeless.
By Mara Hall and Andrew Poulton News Writers
Every Notre Dame residence hall hosts an annual signature event. For Siegfried Hall, that tradition is Day of Man, held each year on the first Wednesday of February. Throughout the day,
residents attended classes wearing only shorts, T-shirts and f lip-f lops despite winter weather to raise awareness and funds for people experiencing homelessness in South Bend. Organizers said the goal is to help students better understand the conditions see “Siegfried” on page 3
ISABELLE RUTLAND | The Observer
Professor Diane Desierto and professor emeritus Robert Gimello resigned from the Liu Institute after Susan Ostermann’s apointment.
it should not surprise anyone that in my work of teaching, scholarship and service at our preeminent Catholic university, I take and ref lect on Pope Leo XIV’s words seriously,” Desierto wrote. Desierto quoted a Jan. 31
speech by the pontiff, in which he stated, “No policy can genuinely serve the people if it denies the unborn the gift of life, or if it neglects to support those in see “Liu Institute” on page 4
HCC names Hallow founder as commencement speaker By Observer News Staff
MARA HALL | The Observer
NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
College’s 59th commencement ceremony. “Alex Jones represents the kind of thoughtful, faithfilled leadership we hope to cultivate in every Holy Cross graduate,” Holy Cross College President Marco Clark said in a press release. “Alex has taken his own journey of
faith and transformed it into a global ministry that brings hope, prayer and peace to millions. We are honored to welcome him to Holy Cross as we celebrate the Class of 2026.” Jones, a Columbus, Ohio see “Speaker” on page 4
Scam emails at SMC raise cybersecurity concerns By Soledad Castellanos Over the past two weeks, students and faculty have faced concerns about phishing scams circulating via email across the Saint Mary’s College campus. Although few have been affected, the threat was significant enough to raise awareness from ResNet IT Security,
the student IT services department. Students were put on high alert starting Jan. 26 via an email from ResNet. “Over the last week, Saint Mary’s accounts have received numerous phishing scams with subject lines such as: ‘Reminder: Complete with DocuSign: Saint Mary’s College Proposal e-Signature Required and Unread Vehicle Document
Available,’” the email wrote. “The messages are not coming from legitimate docusign.com addresses, and often the scammers are using legitimate Saint Mary’s email accounts.” Due to the subtle nature of the scam emails, some recipients paid no mind to the seemingly normal
SPORTS | PAGE 10
News Writer
see “Hack” on page 3
NEWS | PAGE 3
OPINION | PAGE 5
SCENE | PAGE 8
SPORTS | PAGE 19
Ivey needs to adjust
Hockey
12 competitors vied for votes from ND quarterbacks at Graham Family Hall’s event.
The club’s Executive Board urges the University to rescind Ostermann’s appointment.
Disney revives the beloved characters with a timely reboot staring numerous special guests.
Lack of roster depth raises questions for the sixth-year women’s basketball coach.
Irish travel to Wisconsin looking for redemption against Badgers after 7-4 and 9-2 losses.
‘ND’s Got Talent’
ND Right to Life
The Muppets return