THE INDEPENDENT
TO UNCOVER
NEWSPAPER SERVING
THE TRUTH
NOTRE DAME, SAINT MARY’S
AND REPORT
AND HOLY CROSS
IT ACCURATELY
VOLUME 59, ISSUE 48 | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2025 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
StuGov ticket elected With record-low turnout, the VielhauerLumley ticket won unopposed Observer Staff Report
A n hour a f ter vot ing closed, Not re Da me students were informed v ia a n ema i l f rom Judicia l Counci l t hat sophomore Jerr y Vielhauer a nd junior Sonia Lum ley w i l l ser ve as student body president a nd v ice president, respect ively, for t he 2025-26 term. This ma rks on ly t he second t ime t hat a t icket has r un unopposed. Data attached to t he ema i l revea ls t hat Vielhauer a nd Lum ley received 899 votes, whi le t he “absta in” opt ion received 716
votes. “Absta in” votes have been ig nored in f ina l percentage ca lcu lat ions since t he 2008 elect ion, t herefore t he attached pie cha r t showed t hem receiv ing 100 % of t he “va lid” votes. On ly 1,621 votes were cast, resu lt ing in a n 18% turnout — t he lowest in recent histor y. Students were sent t wo ema i ls f rom judicia l counci l reminding t hem to vote v ia a n ema i l lin k bet ween 8 a.m. a nd 8 p.m. see ELECTION PAGE 3
John Green speaks on climate, hope By AYNSLEE DELLACCA and ANNELISE DEMERS Saint Mary’s News Editor and Associate News Editor
Bestselling author, educator and YouTube creator John Green delivered the fifth annual Ruskin Lecture Wednesday evening at Notre Dame, focusing on human existence, the urgency of the climate crisis and the necessity of hope. Hosted by the Reilly Center for Science, Technology and Values, the lecture aligns with the legacy of John Ruskin, an
EDITORIAL
Invite Trump to speak at commencement
English writer concerned with the intersection of art, philosophy and social justice. Robert Goulding, associate professor in the program of liberal studies and director of the Reilly Center, contextualized the event’s significance. “This is the Reilly Center’s annual lecture for undergraduate students, now in its fifth year,” Goulding said. “It’s inspired by the figure of John Ruskin, who was born on Feb. 8, 1819. Every year, we try to hold the lecture as close as possible to that date.”
Goulding introduced Green with a small synopsis on Ruskin’s inspirations for his works, echoing the sentiments and mission of the annual lecture. “One question seemed to animate him: ‘What can art and the humanities do to address the escalating crisis in which we find ourselves?’” Goulding said. “That remains the inspiration of this annual lecture for our students —the conviction that the arts and humanities see GREEN PAGE 5
College considers federal policies By SOLEDAD CASTELLANOS News Writer
Since his inauguration on Jan. 20, President Donald Trump started the first weeks of his presidency with a wave of immigration-related executive orders in an effort to crack down on undocumented immigrants within the United States. After placing the issue of immigration at the forefront of his campaign, Trump issued and signed more than 50 executive
orders, including an attempt to end birthright citizenship, the declaration of a national emergency at the southern border, the reinstitution of the “remain in Mexico” policy and the termination of the CBP One app, used by the Biden administration to provide an online registration system for immigrants attempting to enter the United States. Some of these executive orders have been subject to see POLICY PAGE 3
RA applications close at SMC God, country, Notre Dame. These words emblazoned above the side door of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart memorialize the 56 Notre Dame men who sacrificed their lives for our country in World War I. The phrase represents Notre Dame’s commitment to the United States of America, a civic faith that comes second only to our faith in the Creator. Though it bears a French
name and an Irish mascot, this is a decidedly American university. Notre Dame’s story has always been rooted in the promise and opportunity of this land, and it has a longstanding role in the civic life of the United States. America is what made Notre Dame possible, and it has never forgotten that. When the Union needed chaplains, Notre Dame sent its priests. When the Ku Klux Klan descended on South Bend in 1924, its students
SMC PANEL SERIES
‘COWBOY CARTER’
Observer Editorial Board
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drove them out. When the nation confronted segregation, University President Fr. Ted Hesburgh helped draft the Civil Rights Act and stood with Martin Luther King Jr. Through war, intolerance and injustice, Notre Dame has never stood on the sidelines. It has led. This commitment to country has long been an element of Notre Dame’s commencements. Less than a month after see EDITORIAL PAGE 7
THE OSCARS SCENE PAGE 10
By SOLEDAD CASTELLANOS News Writer
With resident assistant [R A] application season coming to an end at Saint Mar y’s College, students and facult y alike are preparing to assign and organize both residents and resident assistants across the campus’ five residence halls for the fall semester. The office of residence life released an open-call job
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posting through students’ emails on Dec. 2, 2024. A ll applications were due Jan. 16. These emails outlined minimum qualification requirements, some of which state that applicants must be of sophomore standing or higher by the beginning of the employ ment period, must have t wo semesters of residence hall liv ing experience and must be in good see RA PAGE 4
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