1 • I 1 I I I 1 I I I I I I I • I of I; • I o If I I 1 Tuesday, December 5, 1995 • Vol. XXVII No. 67 TilE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING NOTRE DAME AND SAINT MARY'S Ad Hoc Committee reports on progress formulating and discussing our Group attempts final recommendations," Firth wrote. to meet needs of The group held six meetings this fall, and four were devoted gays and lesbians to listening to the concerns of gay and lesbian students, for By DAVE TYLER the purpose of hearing numer­ News Editor ous voices from within the Notre Dame community. The University of Notre Dame Firth noted that these meet­ took another step in its months ings provided probing insights long process of trying to decide into the lives of gays and les­ the question of how to better bians at Notre Dame, finding meet the needs of its gay and that there often existed a "real lesbian students Monday. terror" in their lives. The Ad Hoc Committee on "Some students reported feel­ Gay and Lesbian Students ing such a sense of isolation Needs made public its interim that they contemplated sui­ report to Vice-President for cide," the report reads. Studnnt Affairs Patricia O'Hara The committee also heard in a full page ad in The Ob­ testimony about how gays and st~rver. lesbians attempt to balance "We wanted people to have their sexuality and their faith. sonw insight into what we've (Gays and lesbians) want the betm doing this semester," said University to provide the re­ Committee Chairperson Ann sources they need integrate Firth, who also serves as their sexuality and their faith O'llara's assistant. lives. Tlw document, authored by The committee report also Firth and submitted to O'Hara noted gay and lesbian student on l>nc. 1, outlines the experi­ concerns about "how very dif­ ences and impressions the ficult !.t is to be gay at Notre group formed and had since is­ Dame. suing a preliminary report May "These students have often I. had to look to each other for "The committee has chosen support and assistance, feeling The Observer/Brian Hardy to spend this semester listen­ that their needs are largely ig­ Light up the night ing, and we will spend the nored by the University," Firth early part of next semester Glowing brightly atop Grace Hall, the number one proudly reveals that the Notre Dame women's soccer see GLND/SMC I page 4 team is the best in the nation. Women's Resource Center responds to sexist e-mail By MEGAN McGRATH reasons as "Of course, if she Notes scandal at Notre Dame. and Pat Sicher, four male "We are most concerned with News Writer can't speak. she can't say no" In that incident, the Hall Notes Cornell students. As a group the blatant endorsement of and "If it hurts, I don't wanna of a male dorm defined a representing women's concerns rape and violence against The Notre Damn Women's hear it." woman as "a useless piece of on a college campus, we find women," Trahan said. Hesource Center is sponsoring a Women's Resource President flesh surrounding the vagina," (the list), strongly offensive." "All too often, offenses like pPtition addressed to adminis­ Erin Trahan said, "As a student among other descriptions. The petition includes exam­ this are overlooked, even by the trators at Cornell University to organization that promotes "We felt the Cornell list was ples of the most disturbing people they target," Trahan rnspond to an e-mail chain let­ gender equity, we feel it is our similar to the 'humor' at­ "reasons," including: went on to say. ter circulated by four Cornell responsibility to report the tempted in the Hall Notes last "If she can't speak, she can't "We want to give students the studtmts. event to Notre Dame students year," Trahan said. "Both are cry rape." opportunity to voice their opin­ Thn list, entitled "Top 75 and respond to such hateful, deplorable." "If she's in the kitchen like ion." Heasons Why Women (bitches) violent acts." The WRC petition reads: "On she should be, no one can hear The petition will be available Shouldn't !lave Freedom of WHC officer Christy Kenny behalf of the Notre Dame stu­ her anyway." for signatures today in the Spnnch" has been cireulated to received the list just before dent body, we, the Women's "If my dick's in her mouth, North and South Dining Halls. several nwmbers of the Notre Thanksgiving break and Resource Center, are writing she can't talk anyway." Students can also sign the peti­ l>anw and Saint Mary's commu­ brought it to the Center. For this letter to protest the content The petition goes on to rec­ tion in the Women's Hesource nity via e-mail. Trahan and the other WRC of the enclosed e-mail letter ommend "severe disciplinary Center. Tlw list is of a strongly misog­ members, the list drew com­ authored by Evan Camps, Brian actions be taken" against the The Center's hours are from ynist nature, containing such parisons to last year's Hall Waldman, Rikus Linschoten students. 3-9 p.m . lfiWI!Illlllllla • ilfri!!t!llillllllt iiii!Uill!Uill • CAMPUS liFE COUNCil Co-ed dorm debate continues By AMY SCHMIDT ties to the Student Affairs Trustees. Assistant News Editor Committee of the Board of The CLC also suggested the Trustees at their next meeting possibility of having a few The Campus Life Council is for consideration as an item of members of the Council accom­ currently working on a resolu­ action." pany Patrick in his presentation tion requesting dialogue on the Because parliamentary pro­ of the resolution. hotly debated issue of co-resi­ cedures regarding CLC matters dentiality that will be submitted and the Board of Trustees have In other CLC news, the sub­ to the Student Affairs Commit­ not been fully investigated, the committee for advising systems tee of the Board of Trustees in Board is postponing a decision at Notre Dame has been re­ the spring of 1996. on both the content of and the searching the effectiveness of However, the CLC has not, as vehicle for the final resolution departmental advisors in the of yet, chosen a vehicle for rep­ on co-residentiality until next Colleges of Architecture, Engi­ resentation to the Board. The semester. neering, Business, Arts and draft of the preliminary resolu­ At the meeting yesterday, Letters, and Science. tion included a clause that some members of the CLC sug­ Discussion on the effective­ "urges Patricia O'Hara, the vice gested that Jonathan Patrick, ness of advising will continue The Observer/ Brian Hardy president of Student Affairs, to student body president, serving next semester, with the possi­ Getting the stress out present the option for co-resi­ as the voice of both the student ble planning of a professional, Two Fisher Hall residents make the most of their free time playing dentiality for upperclassmen in body and the CLC, present the campus-wide or college-wide racquetball at the Rock. one or more of the new facili- resolution to the Board of advising system. -- --- -~------ ---------~ I I I I I o I • iII o I • I I It If I 1 I I I 1 I, page 2 The Observer • INSIDE Tuesday, December 5, 1995 • INsmE CoLUMN • Wmu.o AT A GtMH.!E Jet crashes in swamp, 72 passengers reported killed Fighting the DOUALA, Cameroon included at least two of the five crew A jet overshot a runway at members - a co-pilot and flight atten­ Cameroon's largest city and crashed dant. seasonal into a swamp, killing 72 of the 78 peo­ Most of those aboard were believed ple aboai_"d, officials said Monday. to be Cameroonians, said an official of The Cameroon Airlines Boeing 737 state-owned Cameroon Airlines. The sorrows was making a second try at landing flight came from the neighboring coun­ Sunday night when it went down about try of Benin. Seasonal depression is-------­ 2 1/2 miles past the airport at Douala, a Military helicopters and navy boats beginning. We see the port city of about 900,000 on the searched the estuaries of the Wouri sun less and less every Atlantic coast about 175 miles west of River for survivors, bodies and clues to day, or so it seems. the capital, Yaounde. the cause of the accident, but the thick Rain, wind, and snow A survivor told private radio station foliage hampered the hunt. are attacking us harder Africa Number 1 that sparks started The reason for the first aborted land­ and harder, and we are shooting out of the right engine as the ing was not known. piling on more and more jet was about to land. It was the first deadly accident warm clothes to combat The pilot tried to abort the landing involving one of the state-owned air­ these elements. We Margee Husemann but hit some trees and plunged into the line's jets in more than a decade. In have the sniffies, a Associate Viewpoint water, said the survivor, who was not 1984, 24 people aboard died when a cough, and a fever. We Editor identified. jet caught fire as it prepared to take ofT have less and less -------- The pilot was pulled from the wreck­ from Douala. money as we spend more and more in the age alive, but died later. Survivors season of giving. We have less and less free time as final rush up on us like rabid wolves.