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Conboy releases statement following deadly Capitol Hill attack

Observer Staff Report | Friday, January 8, 2021

College President Katie Conboy released a statement in response to Wednesday’s violent congregation of rioters on Capitol Hill objecting to election results — due to allegations of election fraud by President Donald Trump and other Republicans. Those assembled eventually broke into the Capitol Building, temporarily interrupting congressional certification of Joe Biden as president-elect. Four protestors

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This November, a call for humility

Ellie Konfrst | Tuesday, October 27, 2020

It’s a tale as old as time — or, at least, as old as cable news. Americans are more politically divided than ever, and traditionally unifying places, such as the Thanksgiving table, have become battlefields filled with impeachment-shaped land mines. The conversation about American political polarization is more salient than ever as the country approaches

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Civility is hard for the oppressed

Letter to the Editor | Monday, October 26, 2020

A couple weeks ago, I attended a BridgeND event that emphasized the importance of civility in political discourse. After receiving similar emails from Fr. Jenkins and my rector, I decided to see for myself as to what this meant. This BridgeND event began with an enlightening lecture about the history of voting rights, then was

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Thoughts on political acceptance

BridgeND | Wednesday, October 21, 2020

As a BridgeND member, I thrive on having civil political discourse, and I have learned the importance of understanding different perspectives on political issues, especially in the heavily polarized time that we are in today. Something I have noticed recently, though, is many people on the left claiming that if someone supports Donald Trump, they

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Virtual BAVO panel sheds light on how the 2020 election will affect Title IX

Genevieve Coleman | Thursday, October 15, 2020

Saint Mary’s hosted a virtual discussion titled “How Voting Impacts Title IX,” co-sponsored by the Belles Against Violence Office (BAVO), the Title IX Office and the Office for Civic and Social Engagement (OCSE), Wednesday. Senior Elizabeth Day, the BAVO Event and Campaigns Chair, moderated the talk between Title IX Office advisor Dr. James Gillespie, political

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We deserve better

Gabriel Niforatos | Monday, October 5, 2020

It is an understatement to say that last week has been a hectic and chaotic one on every level, from the first presidential debate of the 2020 election on Tuesday night, to the news of President Trump and Notre Dame President Fr. John Jenkins testing positive for COVID-19. It is, unfortunately, impossible to cover the

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Clarifying the conversation

Joe Nolan | Monday, November 12, 2018

A flurry of arguments and letters to the editor have been thrown around since Notre Dame students published a proposal to limit Wi-Fi access to pornography on campus. For all their diversity, all seem to agree on one thing — dialogue. Since this is the one thing both sides can agree on, and since I,

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College students, faculty reflect on importance of civil discourse

Jordan Cockrum and Maria Leontaras | Monday, April 30, 2018

In the weeks leading up to the April 12 “Gun Rights are Women’s Rights” event organized by the Saint Mary’s chapter of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF), differing perspectives on the issue of gun rights emerged in a very visual way: vandalism of the pre-approved advertisements strewn across campus. Whether it be through tearing the

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Class promotes civil discourse, hosts workshop

Nicole Caratas | Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Throughout the semester, a group of Saint Mary’s students participated in class on civil discourse. In order to showcase their work, the class hosted a workshop on Tuesday focused on dialogue surrounding controversial issues. This event aimed to teach those in attendance the skills that students learned throughout the semester in a civil discourse class.

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New College course promotes civil discourse across political spectrum

Nicole Caratas | Friday, September 22, 2017

This year, Saint Mary’s is offering a class on civil discourse in hopes of promoting dialogue on campus. The one-credit course, which will begin after fall break, will focus on different controversial issues and promote civil discourse between students from across the political spectrum, philosophy professor Megan Zwart — who started the course — said. “You

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