I OBSERVER Tuesday, March 26, 1996 • Vol. XX VII No. 111 THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING NOTRE DAME AND SAINT MARY'S SMC class of ‘97 Hollywood lauds Prejean’s story ticket violates Sarandon wins Oscar, election policy nun continues crusade against death penalty By C AR O LIN E BLU M Saint Mary's Editor By KRISTI KOLSKI Assistant News Editor According to Board SAINT MARY'S of Governance ELECTIONS The movie “Dead Man Walking” Elections Committee, may have garnered Susan Sarandon the Jolie Pokorny the best actress award at Ibc Oscars (President), Laura Today: last night, but after the paparazzi I .oh (Vice-President), 7:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. and ticket sales diminish, there will Karyn Connolly in the Dining Hall still be the woman who inspired the (Secretary), and film. Katie Ellsworth 4:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Sister Helen Prejean has made a in the Dining Hall (Treasurer) ticket lasting impression through her work Photo courtesy of Gramercy Pictures running for senior with death row inmates in In the Tim Robbins film “Dead Man Walking,” Sister Helen Prejean (Susan class office next year Unofficial results will be Louisiana’s Angola State Prison and Sarandon) lays a compassionate hand on the shoulder of death row inmate has violated an elec­ posted at 9:30 p.m. has unw ittingly found herself in the Matthew Poncelet (Sean Penn). tion policy. spotlight as a spokesperson against of the Center for Pastoral Liturgy at tims, to find forgiveness. In addition While campaigning, the Pokorny ticket passed capital punishment. Notre Dame and a friend of Prejean, to her work with death row inmates. out their 8 1/2” x 11" platforms to the entire Appearing on Oprah and featured believes that the movie is a serious Prejean offered assistance to the campus, a violation of Election Poster Policy No. in journals across the nation, Prejean issue for contemporary society. families of victims to help them find f> that states, "Any additional handouts must be has become a bit of a star herself. As “Sister Prejean never says that a some sense of peace. smaller than the 8 1/2" x 11” flyer.” the author of the 1993 autobiography sin is okay. She shows that we can “Through her work you gain an “ We need to take into account how many peo­ with the same title as the movie, condemn the sin but forgive and offer appreciation of what compassion, ple their flyers affected,” Elections Commis­ Prejean exposed more than the crim­ mercy to the sinner,” Bernstein said. justice, mercy and patience means,” sioner Emily Ruffner said. “The flyers could inal. She also exposed the human “The real struggle for human being is said Brother Bonaventure Scully, rec­ being behind the violence and the to do the kind act, to confront the tor of Keenan Hall. see E L E C T IO N / page 4 families of victims who must struggle sinner and be compassionate.” Scully has followed Prejean's with issues of forgiveness. The movie expressed the difficulty, efforts since she visited Notre Dame Sister Eleanor Bernstein, director especially for the parents of the vie- in the spring of 1994 as part of a pre­ sentation sponsored by Keenan in Herro trial reset conjunction with several other dorms. At that time the movie was a fledg­ for later date ling idea but it emerged into an hon­ est representation of the issues in By BRAD PRENDERGAST Prejean’s book surrounding the News Editor death penalty. “The movie does not tell you what The trial against Notre Dame Professor Mark to think about capital punishment llerro, accused of molesting a 14-year-old boy, but it does challenge you to face the has been rescheduled for July 8. question,” Scully said. Ile rro ’s trial had been set to start March 21, Racial, socio-economic and politi­ but was postponed at the I cal factors in addition to issues of request of his lawyer. J tS /g S H k Catholicism all emerge in the por­ Charles Asher. trayal of Prejean’s life. Reasons for resetting the The movie highlighted the fact that trial dale were not available, ijL # most people on death row are either and phone calls to Asher and a minority or unable to a fiord better St. Joseph County Prosecutor W r lawyers. Michael Barnes were not re- v “it reflects everything about our turned yesterday. H judicial system," Scully said. This is the second time Photo courtesy of Gramercy Pictures Sister Prejean (center) consults with Sarandon and director Tim Robbins on the set of the film. see PREJEAN/ page 4 see H ER RO / page 4 University raises record sum■ Graduate Student Union Special to the Observer Annual award honors Cash Contributions to Notre Dam e The University of Notre Dame Fiscal Year 1995 raised a record $70.2 million in cash contributions in fiscal year five student teachers 1995, according to the annual Corporate Contributions By MATTHEW LOUGHRAN cize the quality of graduate report of the University's De­ $18.1 million News W riter student teaching," said Ed partment of Development. Wingenbach, the head of the The total, which does not take Sorin Society For the second year in a row, awards committee. into account pledges of future $7 million Foundation Contribution the Graduate Student Union The independent instructors gifts, exceeded by more than $5 $5.9 million (GSU) will honor graduate stu­ are judged by Teacher-Course million the record established dents with the GSU Awards for Evaluations (TCEs), creativity in 1994. Matching Gifts Outstanding Teaching by a and innovation in the creation $2.7 million “Notre Dame is fortunate— Planned Gifts Graduate Student. of syllabi, and outside refer­ blessed, really—to receive such $11 million The awards are given for an ences, such as letters from de­ phenomenal support from vari­ outstanding teaching perfor­ partment heads. ous constituencies," said Daniel Annual Fund mance by a graduate student "The teaching assistants are Reagan, director of develop­ $14.3 million as a teaching assistant (TA) or harder to grade, because there ment. “There can be no ques­ Other $11.2 million an independent instructor. are no syllabi or TCEs for most tion that the progress Notre Teaching assistants help pro­ of them," Wingenbach said. Dame makes is due in large 1 9 fessors by grading and occa­ Teaching assistants are judged measure to the generosity of sionally giving lectures. Inde­ by letters from the professors our benefactors. We are more quests, trusts, insurance and $170 million. pendent instructors have com­ and, in some cases, letters than grateful.” other estate gifts—amounted to In its 52nd year, the Notre plete responsibility for their from undergraduates that have Record-setting totals in the $11 million, equal to the record Dame Annual Fund raised a classes. They are the main in­ taken the class. planned giving program, the established last year. The record $14.3 million, a four structors of the class. The committee that decides Notre Dame Annual Fund, and Bad in Guild, established for percent increase over the pre­ Winners receive one-hundred the awards is made up of four corporate support played a benefactors who include Notre vious record established in dollars and a place on a plaque graduate students from each large role in establishing the Dame in their estates, numbers 1994. The fund’s matching in the GSU office. "The major division of the University’s overall record for cash contri­ 491 members whose antici­ gifts program raised a record- reason that we started these Graduate School, Science, En- butions. pated gifts total more than awards last year was to publi­ Planned gifts—including be- see M O N E Y / page 4 see GSU / page 4 page 2 The Observer INSIDE• Tuesday, March 26, 1996 D etails ‘Braveheart’ wins five Oscars, including best picture LOS ANGELES The English actress told of visiting “ Braveheart," the epic about a 13th- author Austen’s grave at Winchester w o rth century Scottish patriot, won five Oscars Cathedral “ to pay my respects and tell Monday night, including best picture and her about the grosses.” best director for its star Mel Gibson. She concluded by dedicating her remembering Like Gibson, Emma Thompson also II award to Ang Lee, who directed the film won an Oscar in another area of her but was overlooked for an Oscar nomi­ 1 was speaking to a very “ craft, adapting the Jane Austen novel nation though the film was up for best nice woman the other day “ Sense and Sensibility" for the screen. picture. and she happened to men­ Susan Sarandon, who played a nun Supporting actor awards went to tion that I “generally pay no trying to redeem a condemned killer in Kevin Spacey, the verbal con man in attention to details." I was “ Dead Man Walking," took best actress “ The Usual Suspects,’’ and Mira outraged. Me, a sensitive, honors and Nicolas Cage was named “Braveheart” Sorvino, who played a hooker in caring man, not pay atten­ best actor for his role as a suicidal alco­ “ Mighty Aphrodite,” won the Academy tion to details. holic in “ Leaving Las Vegas." Awards for supporting actor and actress Sure, I can’t tell you what Gibson, a plaid vest flashing from Monday night. I wore yesterday (unless Best A c to r Thomas Roland between the lapels of his tuxedo, Spacey thanked his mother for driving I woke up late in which thanked writer Randall Wallace and pro­ Nicolas Cage him to acting classes when he was 16: case it’s the same thing I _ Managing Editor “ Leaving Las Vegas' ducer Alan Ladd Jr.