/ ^ V TH E bserver OThe Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Marys VOLUME 42 : ISSUE 79 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2008 NDSMCOBSERVER.COM Six tickets vie to lead student body N ew s A nalysis Platforms include Webmail improvements, community relations, DVD rentals, shuttle bus Candidates Cooper Howes and Daniel body president with junior experience, the stuff that mat­ By JOSEPH MCMAHON Rimkus, Peter Kelly and John George Chamberlain, the Sorin ters the most to them are the determine Assistant News Editor Poelhuis, and Robert Reish and senator. stuff that impacts them on a Grant Schmidt will compete in Their platform includes a day-to-day basis, and I think With platforms ranging from this year’s student body elec­ number of initiatives focused that a large part of our plat­ revamping Webmail to provid­ tions, the Judicial Council said on improving the lives of Notre form is geared towards that.” platforms ing free DVD rentals to advo­ last week in an e-mail to the Dame students, including Braun said improving rela­ cating implementation of a student body. implementing a book delivery tions with the South Bend com­ nuclear power plant on cam­ After a year of leadership service to the dorms, increas­ munity is one of the key tasks Ways to reach students, pus, the six tickets running for under an all-female executive ing the points allotted to a of student government. Last Notre Dame student body pres­ administration, this year’s tick­ Grab-and-Go meal, improving fall, she and current student fu n d proposals debated ident and vice president all ets include only one female — the Webmail system, and plac­ body president Liz Brown dealt have different visions for current student body vice pres­ ing a coffee kiosk in the with an ordinance proposed by improving student life. ident Maris Braun. Hesburgh Library. the city to restrict large off- By KEN FOWLER Maris Braun and George “I would define our platform campus gatherings. Braun con­ News Writer Chamberlain, Bill Ehrlich and Braun-Chamberlain as a student life improvement siders improving off-campus Michael Roscitt, Rick Braun, a junior from Breen- platform,” Braun said. “I think When it comes time to decide Hollowood and Alex Tomala, Phillips, is running for student when you look at a student’s see ELECTION/page 3 what projects will receive sup­ port for funding in his adminis­ tration, Cooper Howes has a simple — and egalitarian — answer. “Our platform is just going to Students apply for transfer to Duncan Hall be using a magic 8-ball or drawing names out of a hat,” Nezv male dorm to house more than Howes said. Howes is running with Daniel 200 students; applications due Thursday Rimkus on one of the six tickets to become the University’s next to West Quad, will be the only student body president and vice By ROHAN AN AND dormitory built at Notre Dame president. News Writer in more than a decade. It will His answer to the funding accommodate approximately question may be the most Nearly 200 students are 234 men. The Office of straightforward, but it is not expected to apply to live in Residence Life and Housing the most popular. Duncan Hall this August, began accepting applications Robert Reish, who is running according to the Office of for the lottery, which is open to with vice presidential candidate Residence Life and Housing, all class levels, last Monday. Grant Schmidt, wants the stu­ which will draw 150 winning “There were a couple of dent body at large to determine numbers after the lottery closes glitches when the Web site what programs and events Thursday. opened on Monday,” Director of receive student activities funds. Students selected to live in Residence Life Jeff Shoup said To do that, Reish is proposing a the new male residence hall, last week, “but it's been smooth student census. currently under construction sailing since. We understand In fact, Reish’s platform just west of McGlinn Hall, will that there has been a lot of con­ includes a proclaimed desire to choose from singles, doubles, fusion about the lottery process replace the LaFortune arcade, triples and quads, as well as for Duncan, especially for cur­ which he says is not used “super-doubles” with large bay rent freshmen who have not enough to merit its location in windows for extra space and been through the room pick the building. However, he refus­ “super-quads,” which contain process like upperclassmen.” ERIC SALES / The Observer es to promise any changes to private bathrooms. Construction continues on Duncan Hall, set to open this Duncan Hall, the fifth addition see DUNCAN/page 4 August. see PLATFORMS/page 4 Panel discusses porn industry DanceFest raises funds Professor says videos may progress to more violence, youth exploitation for theater scholarship “Pornography is what the boring to viewers, anal sex ship of Mary Dubon, who By MADELINE BUCKLEY end of the world looks like,” was pervasive in pornographic By THERESA CIVANTOS has since graduated, News Writer he said. “When one looks hon­ videos. News Writer Hatfield said. estly at the contemporary “I asked one [pornography When Dubon founded Students, professors and porn producer! about the rise of Eight Notre Dame dance DanceFest, “there was vir­ rectors presented a wide i n d u s tr y , anal sex in the 80s,” Jensen groups performed for 600 tually no exposure for range of attitudes toward one sees said. “The producer replied people this weekend in dance groups on campus,” pornography during the som e d is­ that the majority of women do DanceFest, hosted by Welsh Hatfield said. “She was “Pornography: Fantasy, t u r b i n g not seek out anal sex, so when Family Hall. looking for a way to bring Reality and Industry” confer­ im ages of men get angry at their wives, “Attendance was about dance to campus.” ence Friday at the Center for where this they secretly think to them­ what we expected,” event Hatfield performed in Continuing Education in w orld is selves that they would like to coordinator Katie Hatfield DanceFest her freshman McKenna Hall. heading.” do that. Since they can’t, they said. and sophomore years, then Robert Jensen, a journalism J e n s e n like to watch it.” In two nights, Hatfield took over as coordinator. professor at the University of said th at Jensen described this atti­ said, DanceFest raised Since she assumed leader­ Jensen Texas, began the conference like any tude toward anal sex as “the nearly $2,000 for Soulhold ship, she said, “there’s by allowing attendees to finish other business, pornography sexualizing of male domina­ Dance Theater, one of the been more focus on trying the open sentence, companies have had to contin­ tion and female subordination. premier dance theaters in to bring every dance group “Pornography is....” Their ue producing new and inter­ [It’s] a disturbing mirror for Indiana. The money will on campus into one show.” answers ranged from “expres­ esting products. the culture in which we live.” allow students to enroll in Hatfield said every stu­ sive” and “entertainm ent” to In the 1960s and 70s, he A desire to expand the Southold who normally dent dance group per­ “seductive” and “dehumaniz­ said, pornography was gener­ pornography market has led would be unable to afford formed except the Pom ing.” ally a male and female partici­ pornographers to create its tuition. Squad, b ecau se it had to Jensen then filled in the pating in vaginal sex. Later, in DanceFest started five blank with his own answer. the 1980s, when this became see PORN/page 4 years ago under the leader­ see DANCE/page 4 page 2 The Observer ♦ PAGE 2 Monday, February 4, 2008 In sid e C olumn Question of the Day: W h a t ’s yo u r favo rite c a r to o n c h a r a c t e r o f a ll tim e a n d w h y ? Defining relationships Relationships. Honestly, I think that is one whole sentence. The word encompasses a Christina Zhu Taylor Poulin Mariana M ontes Katrina Epperson Erika Hagstrom Erin Rider noun, a verb and an adjective. You can be in a relationship and that freshm an senior senior sophomore sophomore freshm an is the noun. Walsh Walsh Lyons Welsh Family Walsh Lyons You can not Ashley Charnley be a “relation­ “Winnie the “Garfield, “Rocko from “Jimmy Neutron, “Batman, “Pinky from ship" person, so there is the News Wire Pooh. H e’s because it’s so ‘Rocko’s Modern because I wish he because I ’d ‘Pinky and the adjective. Editor cute. ” sarcastic. ” Life,' because I was m y lab want to ride in Brain ’ — As for the like his friend partner. Jimmy’s the Batmobile. ” because I can verb, 1 suppose it still needs inventing, but I promise inadvertent use isn’t Heifer. ” hot!” relate. ” new. What does it mean “to relationship?" Well, it must be the act of being “together." It is to want to be with a person who you care for and enjoy spending time with. So why do some people find it so hard “to relationship?" To attempt that question could take In B rief decades. As a matter of fact, it already has. Men and women have coexisted on this planet for an indeterminable Professor Dan Graff will pres­ number of years, and even after all ent on the largest single-industry that time, love is completely mysteri­ strike in US history, which ous.