ND Students, Staff Speak out for Garrick Npeople Talk About the Notre Dame Family
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- -~~-~--~-~------- -~--~---~-~--------· Wednesday, March 25, 1998 • Vol. XXXI No. 113 THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING NOTRE DAME AND SAINT MARY'S ND students, staff speak out for Garrick nPeople talk about the Notre Dame family. Families give love, support. They don ,t judge. This family loves you more than you ,ll ever know. ,, - SENIOR ANDREA 0ESS The Observer/John Daily and Kevin Dalum Above: Members of the community show their support for Father Garrick. Right: Garrick offers a blessing to the gathered crowd. By TIM LOGAN sexual orientation." News Writer "We need to be proud of our minority sexuality and we need all of you of the NParly 250 members of the Notre majority sexuality who are gathered Dame community came together at the here," continued Garrick. "Without your FiPldhouse Mall yesterday to watch, lis help, we can't get equal rights." ten to and participate in a speak-out Garrick also affirmed his belief in the regarding the University's treatment of necessity of a non-discrimination clause, homosexuals. saying, "It is essential that the University The event was sparked by the resigna teach about equal rights, and that they tion of Father David Garrick, a communi do this by giving equal rights to gay and cations and theater professor, who lesbian students, faculty and staff." announced last week that he will be leav In a prayer offered at the start of the ing the University because, as a celibate event, Garrick called for a "blessing on homosexual, he feels he is the object of Notre Dame and Saint Mary's ... and that disrrimination by the administration. good fruit may come out of this, with More than 20 students and faculty, equal rights for everyone." including Garrick, addressed the crowd. Other speakers concurred with Garrick Their tones ranged from anger to frus on a number of these issues. tration to hope for the future. Nearly all "I came here because I support a non of them called on the community to work discrimination clause and gay and les for greater acceptance of homosexuals bian rights at Notre Dame," said Gail and on the administration to create a Bederman, assistant professor of history. legally binding anti-discrimination clause ''I'm proud to be a part of this University which would replace the "Spirit of ... because of its belief in social justice. It Inclusion" statement enacted in is a disappointment and sadness to me September. that Notre Dame won't extend this belief The highlight of the event came with to gays and lesbians." Father Garrick's speech. A number of speakers expressed frus "Nobody has secure rights until every tration with the Spirit of Inclusion, a doc one has equal rights," he said. "This ument which is "euphemistically named, applies to people we don't agree with in to say the least," said graduate student their outlook, ethnic background and see GARRICK I page 6 O'Hara hosts listening session on multicultural issues By KATHLEEN O'BRIEN that I'm looking for a pretty unique per cially recognized. Major concerns raised by News Writer son with a special blend of qualities," said "In our University standards, as a students in last night's O'Hara. "I've got extraordinarily high Catholic university, we find it important Patricia O'Hara, vice president for standards for upper-level positions. I'm that our student groups adhere to the listening session with Student Affairs, listened to concerned stu always looking." Catholic mission," O'Hara responded. Prof. Patricia o•Hara. dents, faculty and parents last night who "I think the frustration that a lot of us of O'Hara asserted that GLND/SMC had feel the University's stance on diversity is color feel are that the only place you see stated, in a written statement to her inadequate. people who look like us in a leadership office, "beliefs not aligned with the Lack of diversity in Before listening to the comments of stu position are in a role in a multi-cultural Church's teachings." Due in part to this administrative positions dents and faculty, O'Hara offered some office," said senior Cavanaugh resident fact, she denied the group recognition. personal reflection on diversity in student Qiana Lillard. "This has to be changed O'Hara did provide concrete evidence of The need for a top-down activities and residence life. from the top down at the University. the work of the Office of Residence Life by changeinthe "I think that the presence of under-rep Sometimes it helps if a person has shared passing out copies of a six-year retrospec resented students here is critical," said your experiences as a person of color." tive on multicultural programming. In administration concerning O'Hara. "In a world that is shrinking, Another concern of students expressed addition, the members of the University Notre Dame cannot be homogeneous." was an unclearness about where to voice Committee on Cultural Diversity distrib multicultural issues Audience members questioned the their grievances regarding racial discrim uted an overview of the work done in University policies on University's commitment to multicultural ination and harassment. These problems their subcommittees. Copies of these doc ism, emphasizing the lack of persons of are heightened by the lack of diversity uments are available through the Office discrimination color in management positions as well as and education about minorities in the of Residence Life. the handling of racial grievances. University's curriculum. Some goals which O'Hara has with • Lack of diversity A repeated point by students was the Sophomore Burgandie Montoya sug regard to improving multiculturalism are: in the curriculum failure to replace Kevin Warren, an gested revising the curriculum to include expanding the education process current African-American, since he left his posi more multicultural books and courses, ly in place for rectors, assistant rectors, Handling of discriiTlinat tion as assistant vice president for changing things so that the majority and resident assistants to include staff in Student Affairs. Numerous individuals reaches out to the minority instead of vice all of her offices; increasing the percent charges by the Office of questioned how O'Hara could not have versa, and making social situations better ages of rectors, assistant rectors, and res Residence Life found a suitable replacement in several reflect minorities' interests. ident assistants of color; increasing the J years' time and why she is not actively A final concern reflected on the place of number of multicultural events on cam advertising for a replacement. homosexuals at Notre Dame, and why pus; and educating people about diversi The Observer/Jon King "The only thing I can say about that is groups such as GLND/SMC are not offi- ty. ·r-----p... ag·~·2---------~ ... --------------T-h-e~O-b-se-r-ve_r_•_I_N_S_ID-E----~-- ~~~~---Wednesday, March 25, 1998 • INSIDE COLUMN A Lagging 'Spirit' Disgruntled student sues school over medical problems """":=~~~ Well, it happened. PRINCETON, N.J. also said the steroids have eausml an Father David Garrick on Former graduate student Jim Connell otherwise inactive brain cyst to grow, Thursday became the first is suing Princeton University for 60 the cartilage on his knees to detnriorate victim or the !laws in the counts ranging from personal injury to and his stomach to erode, resulting in University's "Spirit of criminal negligence, citing several years regular bloody vomiting. Inclusion." less than seven of ignored complaints regarding his res According to Connell's onicial com months al'tPr that statement idential housing and laboratory condi plaint. the university also made several was originally mleased. tions while studying neuropsychology. attempts to deny him his student status. (;arriek rnsignnd in protest of the University's Brad Prendergast Among other grievances, Connell Connell said these attempts included aecusnd the university of providing "liv aecusations of general harassment and rnfusalto provide homo- Senior Sratl"Wrirer ing quarters which were dangerous, sexual harassment as well as a falla sexuals with explicit legal flooded and moldy," causing him to cious assertion that he was failing sta protection from discrimination. develop a dangerous lung condition Housing associate director Harold tistics. Connell said his professor told Garrick said his protest. resulted from his own called aspergillosis, according to the Szenes refused to comment on him hn would pass the eoursn if he did encounter with the University's non-discrimina complaint he filed last year. In addition. Connell's allegations. The university's well on the final exam. tion clause, which fails to include sexual orienta Connell "had to perform research in a legal representative in the case, Peter Connell also said in the complaint tion. lin announced that he had been suspended laboratory that was undergoing McDonough, was unavailable for com that he was left without medieal insur de facto from his Eucharistie and eonfessional asbestos removal and lacked a func ment, according to the university coun ance after the university terminatlld his ministries at the Basilica of the Sacred lleart tioning fume hood," according to the sel office. student status. "As of, on or about May bm:ause of his snxual orientation. same document. Aspergillosis, a disease that involves 16, 1997, my knees are so bad from Father John Jenkins, a mligious superior at Further. Connell said in the document mold growing in the lungs, can be deteriorating cartilage, that I have to the Basilica. has since said that "Father Garrick tlmt his repeated requests for improved cured only through daily high-level have surgery this summer ... I do not has always had and continues to have full faeul living conditions were ignored by the doses of steroids for a prolonged period know what I will do to take earn of mv tins to preside at the Eucharist and hear confes housing department.