O B S E R V E R the Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Marys
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
THE O b s e r v e r The Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Marys VOLUME 40 : ISSUE 62 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2005 NDSMCOBSERVER.COM Lovitt granted clemency by Va. governor Notre Dame students bought him time on death row Lovitt was slated to be the Approximately 40 Notre Whitewater independent coun — until the day before his 1000th person executed in the Dame students have met Lovitt sel Ken Starr. worked on death row scheduled execution, when United States since the — who was convicted in 1999 Finlen returned to D C. this Virginia Gov. Mark W arner, Supreme Court reinstated the of murdering a man with a pair summer as an intern for case, met convict troubled by death penalty in 1976, a dis of scissors — while taking Kirkland & Ellis, where he the destruc tinction that drew national Professor Tom Kellenberg’s spent 10 weeks working on tion of DNA media coverage in recent capital punishment litigation By MADDIE HANNA Lovitt’s clemency petition. He e v i d e n c e , weeks. course in the Washington had been at Kirkland & Ellis Associate News Editor granted “In this case, the actions of Program. Two of those stu for slightly more than a month Lovitt an agent of the dents, seniors Christin O’Brien when the Supreme Court Convicted murderer Robin clemency. Commonwealth, in a manner and Ryan Finlen, have been granted Lovitt a stay on July Lovitt watc Warner contrary to the express direc following Lovitt’s case closely 11, his original execution date. hed waves of S e e A ls o issued a tion of the law, comes at the since meeting him in fall 2004. “We were pretty excited I in Notre Dame s t a t e m e n t expense of a defendant facing “I’m ecstatic,” O’Brien said. the office],” Finlen said of the students “Va. governor Tuesday Lovitt society’s most severe and final “I think it’s definitely the right July 11 decision, which came come and go spares man’s evening that sanction,” Warner said in the decision. They worked tireless hours before the scheduled through the commuted Lovitt’s sentence to statement. “The ly on that ... He’s a great guy.” execution. University’s life ” life in prison without parole, Commonwealth must ensure Kirkland & Ellis, a D C. law The Court’s Oct. 3 decision Washington page 3 just before his scheduled that every time this ultimate firm headed by double Domer not to hear Lovitt’s case came Program Wednesday night execution by sanction is carried out, it is Tom Yannucci, handled Lovitt’s while cycles of legal appeals lethal injection. done fairly.” defense, and so did former see LOVITT/page ND offers elective aviation course SEA seeks The course is currently By RYAN SYDLIK to lower taught by Dillon senior Lauren News Writer Centioli. “I got involved my freshman F l YUKE Posters publicizing year when I saw the posters emissions Fundamentals of Aviation — a for NDPI. ” Centioli said. “Since A C H A M P I O N relatively unknown course rFriel 1 was graduating that offered through the Notre year, the course would have Group joins Campus Dame Pilot Initiative — read ceased to exist if I had not Climate Challenge TODAY “Fly Like a Champion Today” come around. lie asked me if and encourage students to would teach it and I said yes.” rntnia itftjp learn to fly for elective credit. Centioli, a certified commer By JOE PIARULLI Though the University first cial pilot, flight instructor and offered a ground aviation ground instructor, said the News Writer course in 1973, the course program is an advanced iwdif.n Annual ended in 1977 because no ' ground school. When it comes to Notre professor remained to teach it. Holy Cross "Other programs teach you Dame, the word ‘admission’ But in recent years, the Missions just what you need to know to holds much more bearing than course has returned, thanks to pass the private pilot’s exam,” the word emission.’ But the the efforts of former Notre he said. “This class goes above Students for Environmental Dame students and currently wre Dame and beyond that. The scope is Action (SEA) are trying to give licensed pilots Joe Friel, Jeff i Folk Choir beyond that of simply passing the latter more attention. Newcamp and Brian the FAA test.” SEA co-president Nichole McCarthy. The purpose of the course is Mitchell recently decided to gel While at Notre Dame, the to fulfill one of the major Notre Dame involved in men taught the undergraduate 3 requirements for a pilot’s Campus Climate Challenge, a PHIL HUDELSON/The Observer course, under the guidance of license, Centioli said. With campaign through U.S. Public Notre Dame sophomore Christine Scacco reads the infor Air Force Reserve Officers’ Fundamentals of Aviation Interest Research Groups mational sign posted around dorms about the Training Corps (ROTC) profes (PIRG), with the hope of reduc Fundamentals of Aviations course offered at the University. sor Col. Michael Zenk. see AVIATlON/page 4 ing emissions on campus. Greenhouse gases naturally occur in the atmosphere and include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous Students begin planning for spring break oxide and ozone. But certain human activities add to the levels of these naturally occur ring gases — and become the Anthony Travel books students emissions the Campus Climate early for vacation destinations Challenge is aiming to control. The goal of Campus Climate Challenge is to get over 500 By LAURA BAUMGARTNER universities to lower their News Writer emissions by 2 percent each year below their 2005 levels in The holiday season has arrived and order to eliminate global brought with it a cold, snowy South Bend warming pollution. There arc winter — leaving many students dreaming currently 139 campuses of sun, sand, surf and 80-degree tempera involved nationwide. tures as they make spring break vacation “Energy conservation is a plans. worldwide initiative right Nearly 100 students have already booked now,” Mitchell said. “We have vacations through Anthony Travel, said a very ambitious and intelli Kayleon Carr, leisure manager for the gent student body and we agency. could really make a big differ “Typically we see about 600 students ence.” book through us per year,” Carr said. Some schools have gone as Carr said cruises and destinations in far as switching to renewable Mexico are usually the most popular vaca- PHIL HUDELSON/The Observer energy sources, while others Anthony Travel, the travel agency located in LaFortune Student Center, see BREAK/page 4 already has planned spring break trips for nearly 100 students. see CHALLENGE/page 4 page 2 The Observer ♦ PAGE 2 Wednesday, November 30, 2005 In s id e C olu m n Question of the Day: W hat a r e you d o in g fo r s p r in g b r e a k? All I want for Christmas 'M6 I can still hear the warnings, the strict advice that I would receive E: every holiday season as a child. It Patrick Kaiser Jim Bochnowski Nate Origer Gessica Hufnagle Jimmy Wilson Greg Ramsower came from my parents, teachers and virtually every adult I knew, and it sophomore sophomore senior junior freshm an sophomore was the art of Fisher Fisher Fisher Walsh Alum ni Keough getting every Kelly Meehan thing you wanted “What kind of from Santa “I don’t know. “Visiting the “I’ll be playing “I’m going to “Touring with question is that softball in the Canada with Clause. A ssistant How many Rue McLanahan the Glee Club in “If you are a News Editor months away is before Museum. ” Kia Classic.” some friends. ” southern bad girl, you will Christmas get nothing but it?" California. ” coal from Santa,” break?" they scolded me. I could not even escape the questioning from the old man himself, for there is not a child in the world that sits on Santa’s lap without him asking if they had, in fact, been a good boy or girl that year. For the first seven years of my life, Santa Clause was pretty much In B r ie f equivalent to God in my mind. I was constantly told that he was watching my every move, knowing if I had Joseph Antcnucci Becherer, been bad or good. I sang songs Ph.D. will give two lectures on about him, baked cookies for him, “Between Silence and Strength, and even wrote long detailed letters the Sculpture of Dietrich to him. I was basically worshipping Klingc.” The first will be at 6 the man. p.m. tonight while the second As the years passed, the letters will be at 6:30 p.m. tonight. stopped, I realized I cannot sing and Both will be at the S n ite I ate the Christmas cookies that I Museum of Art. baked. 1 learned that I was a bit naive in first grade when 1 burst Kevin Ducey, 2004 winner of into tears days before Santa’s the Honickman First Book Prize arrival and confided in my mother in Poetry, will read at 7:30 p.m. that I did not believe I had done tonight in the Hospitality Room enough to please this mysterious all of South Dining Hall, Reckers. knowing man to receive the coveted A reception follows. American Girl Doll that I so desired. I learned if 1 was relatively well NDtv will present the “Mike behaved, I would rip open my gifts Peterson Show Christmas on Christmas morning to find that 1 Special” Thursday at 10 p.m.