THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING NOTRE DAME, SAINT MARY’S AND HOLY CROSS ESTABLISHED 1966
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2025 | VOL. LX, NO. 36
NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
Notre Dame holds Mass for immigration reform By Lucy Loes News Writer
Notre Dame held a Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart for immigrants and immigration reform on Monday. The event was followed by a trip to the Grotto for prayer and further reflection on the state of immigration policy in the United States. University President Fr. Robert Dowd said that the Mass was inspired by his meeting with Pope Leo XIV and the rare special message from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops condemning “indiscriminate mass deportation” and advocating for immigration reform. “For some time, I have been thinking a great deal about the immigration issue in our country. A few weeks ago, during the visit that other university leaders and I had with Pope Leo, we talked about a number of things, including his concerns for immigrants in the United States these days. Just before that visit, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a special message on immigration. It was clear to me that it was time for us, as members of the Notre Dame family, to gather in prayer for immigrants as well as for sensible
MARA HALL| The Observer
University President Fr. Robert Dowd presided over a Basilica mass this past Monday dedicated to immigrants and immigration advocacy in response to the USCCB’s condemnation of federal deportation policy.
and humane immigration reform,” Dowd said in an email interview. Law School professor and director of the Notre Dame Immigration Clinic Ashley Sanchez said the USCCB’s message was not a call for open borders, but rather an appeal
for the need to recognize human dignity. “One thing that I really liked out of the bishops’ statement was saying that human dignity and national security are not in conflict … I think a lot of people just assume that you
have to choose either between hard line immigration and national security. And as immigration advocates, that’s not what we’re arguing for … We want people to follow laws, but the whole idea is to treat the people who are in the system with
dignity and respect. And that’s really not what’s happening right now,” Sanchez said. Sanchez further emphasized the relevance of this message in light of recent changes in immigration policy and enforcement. “There’s just so much anti-immigrant rhetoric that people are not being treated with basic dignity. People following processes they’re supposed to do are losing their immigration status arbitrarily … People are being arrested at their green card interviews. People who are in the process to have their applications heard are having their cases just canceled out of nowhere. This is not a normal environment. It makes it impossible for people [to] play by the rules,” she said. Alexandra Gonzalez-Amaro, a junior and member of Notre Dame’s Student Coalition for Immigration Advocacy, mentioned what she sees as the impact that Bishop Kevin Rhoades of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend has had on Notre Dame’s recent focus on immigration reform after his visit to the Law School in early November. “Bishop Rhoades reminded us of our Catholic duty, duty that precedes any political affiliation, whether see “Immigration” on page 2
Fire Department responds to Students complain chemical leak in Stepan Hall of heat in SDH more noticeable during seasonal transitions, the holiday break will enable us to shut down the building for several days and make system adjustments intended to mitigate the balance issues. We appreciate our campus community’s continued patience as we work to improve their mealtime experience,” a spokesperson for ND Dining wrote. Grace Shaible, Michael Agsam, Ryan King and Jack Knorr, Notre Dame students who frequent South Dining Hall described the dining hall as “unbearable,” “excessively [hot]” “inconvenient” and “very uncomfortable,” respectively. Despite their displeasure with the temperature, all four of these students said it was not affecting their choice of
Observer Staff Report
By Mara Hall
At 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, a lab on the second f loor of Stepan Chemistry Hall alerted emergency responders to a “suspicious odor,” according to a statement from a University spokesperson. Following the incident, four people were taken to the Notre Dame Wellness Center to be evaluated. A coalition of emergency teams arrived at the scene. The University deployed units from the Notre Dame Police Department, Fire Department and Risk Management teams. The South Bend Fire Department was also called to assist. Over a dozen vehicles remained parked around the north and southeast entrances to the building for at least
three hours. According to the spokesperson, the chemicals causing the odor were discovered and disposed of. “The lab remains off line until a refrigerator can be replaced,” the
spokesperson wrote. Four individuals brought to the Wellness Center were evaluated “out of an abundance of caution.” All
In addition to navigating the temporary serving areas in South Dining Hall’s west dining room and the p a r t i a l l y- u nde r - c on s t r uc tion former serving area amid renovations, students have been facing abnormally warm temperatures as they eat in South’s east dining room. On Dec. 3, measurements taken by The Observer found that dining hall temperatures reached up to 80.1 Fahrenheit. In a statement, ND Dining confirmed that the renovation efforts are temporarily affecting the heat balance and wrote they hope to resolve the issue over the upcoming Christmas break. “While that effect is much
NEWS | PAGE 2
OPINION | PAGE 5
SCENE | PAGE 7
SPORTS | PAGE 8
SPORTS | PAGE 12
The pope embarked on his first official trip away from Rome visitng Turkey and Lebanon.
A former Howard Hall resident reflects on life in the historic dorm, set to be retired next year.
Despite no longer actively performing, Hiene Borel and the Finite Subcovers lives on.
Irish gear up for this weekend’s challenging matchups against No. 2 Wisconsin at home.
Irish fall to No. 13 Ole Miss after leading at the half. The next matchup is FSU away.
Pope Leo XIV
News Writer
GRAY NOCJAR | The Observer
The Notre Dame Fire Department was still responding to a 3:30 p.m. report of a chemial leak in Stepan Chemistry Hall at 4:45 p.m.
Howard Hall
see “Leak” on page 3
ND math band vinyl
Hockey
see “Temperature” on page 3
Women’s basketball