/ ^ V T H E bserver OThe Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Marys OLUME 39 : ISSUE 114 THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2005 NDSMCOBSERVER.COM Leaders reflect as terms come to a close Istvan, Bell: faith in Mooney , SAGA flank government restored W hite-M oran era By AMANDA MICHAELS By MEGAN O ’N EIL News Writer Saint Mary’s Editor Eor Adam Istvan, even the Today marks the end of so-far stalled struggle against another Saint Mary’s student the dome’s scaffolding has its government administration, silver — or rather, golden — and for president Sarah lining. Though it will bring Catherine White and vice him no joy as a senior at com­ president Mary Pauline mencement, as outgoing stu­ Moran, it concludes a year dent body president, he sees that began with the excite­ the situation surrounding the ment of a new college presi­ Main Building’s renovations dent and ended with the as confirmation that he has gravity of the approval of a fulfilled his campaign prom­ gay-straight alliance. ise of restoring faith in stu­ Elected in January 2004 dent government and break­ over then-vice president ing down campus apathy. Sarah Brown and Michelle "When seniors had a prob­ Fitzgerald, White and Moran lem with I the dome scaffold­ were immediately handed the ing!. they came right to stu­ task of welcoming former Outgoing Notre Dame student dent government to help and Notre Dame vice president represent them,” Istvan said. body presidmt Adam Istvan and and associate provost and “But when the alcohol policy vice president Karla Bell, above, incoming Saint Mary’s presi­ was instituted a few years dent Carol Mooney to cam­ and Saint Man/'s president ago, there were unorganized, pus. sporadic protests everywhere. Sarah Catherine White and vice “At the beginning of opr I think this shows that the 1 president M ary Pauline Moran, term we set out to ’ring’ in students are beginning to at left, end their terms today. the changes that were trust that we will work for planned to enliven our cam­ them to get things done, and ♦ pus this year, especially wel­ really, that’s huge." coming Dr. Mooney as our Intangible strides aside, PHOTOS BY president,” the two outgoing Istvan, vice president Karla BETH WERNETAND officers wrote in an e-mail. see ISTVAN/page 6 KELLY HIGGINS see WHITE/page 8 S ena te Journalist remembers Vatican II Members say farewell Newsweek editor analyzes media coverage of Pope John X X III Woodward said. His age major changes in church amid tears and smiles By MEGAN O ’N EIL meant Pope John would head teachings, Woodward said. Saint Mary's Editor the church only for a few Pope John and his council years, while in the meantime received more attention in Speaking to a room filled to a successor could be anoint­ the United States, Woodward capacity, author and con­ ed. said. The large Catholic pop­ tributing editor at Newsweek It was no wonder then. ulation in the country made it magazine Kenneth Woodward said, that when more of an issue, and even Woodward lectured on media the Pope decided to convene Protestants were interested coverage of Pope John XXI11 a council to revise canon law, in what the world’s most and the Second Vatican the magnitude of such an prominent Christian leader Council Wednesday at Saint event was not initially recog­ would say. Further, a rising M ary’s. nized. political star added to media The selection of Pope John Newspapers in England, coverage, Woodward said. 23rd as the new pontiff in Ireland and Australia had lit­ “ In 1959 a Catholic, John P. 1958 was initially perceived tle coverage of the three Kennedy, was running for the by the media, and then sub­ years of preparation that Democratic nomination for sequently portrayed to the went into the first of four president of a country that BETH WERNET/The Observer public, as a way to buy time council sessions that would Sorin senator Erik Powers addresses representatives, proposing the for church officials, eventually conclude with sec MEDIA/page 8 renaming of Spring Break to “Erik and Alec’s Week of Awesomeness.” scathing report about how the By MADDIE HANNA administration treats us like chil­ Associate News Editor dren,” student body president Lightning causes power outage Adam Istvan said. “But we’ve Between tears and laughs, sen­ already been there, so I’m not ators made their goodbyes, going to do that.” Dame with much of its elec­ an electric strike on the ByKATEANTONACCI heard discussion and passed a Istvan then said that when he tricity. The outage occurred main lines.” Hurry of resolutions, setting an next tried to come up with Associate News Editor at 11:09 p.m. arid concluded As a way to protect Notre example for the newly elected “something profound to change at approximately 11:29 p.m., Dame’s electric equipment, representatives crowding the everyone’s lives,” all that result­ More than 50 buildings on said Shawn Annis, operation the breakers opened up and room at the current Student ed was a blank sheet of paper. Notre Dame’s campus were supervisor at Notre Dame’s temporarily shut down Senate’s final meeting “ I guess all I can say is thank temporarily without power power plant. power, Annis said. Wednesday night. you to everyone,” Istvan said. Wednesday evening when “The one I power outage] “They IA E PI still had “When I was trying to figure “ It’s been an incredible year.” lightning struck a main we just had a little bit ago power; we just had to wait out what to say at my last officer lie cited the implementation of power line of American was from the storm coming for the storm to move report at the last Senate meeting, Electric Power (AEP), the through,” Annis said just first I was going to write a see FAREWELL/page 4 company supplying Notre after the incident. “It was see POWER/page 8 page 2 The Observer ♦ PAGE 2 Thursday, March 31, 2005 I n s id e C o l u m n Question of the Day: W hat is your favorite ice c r e a m flavor a n d w h y ? D om e has m eaning Two days ago, a friend perfectly described how the scaffolding around the golden dome has made the seniors feel this year. Al Klein Courtney Darlington Michelle Brintnall Paul Carlson Chris DeStephano Emily Rhatiean Driving back from Easter break, she recalled seeing the dome and saying: “It junior freshman freshman freshman junior freshman makes me want to Keough McGlinn McGlinn Dillon Keough McGlinn throw up.” Well put. And if seeing the “Blue moon, “Mint chocolate “If they had “My horse “Sherbet — it “I ’m gonna dome looking so unat­ because the chip ... cookie anything that bucked me off gets the job have to go with tractive didn’t make me queasy, reading about taste is out of dough ... black tasted like pina into a vat of ice done. ” frozen custard. ’’ Executive Vice President this world!" raspberry ... / colada, I ’d be cream as a John Affleck-Graves’ don’t know, I all over it. ’’ child. I almost attitude toward the Joe Hettler importance of it certain­ like drowned. Yeah, ly did. Senior S ta ff everything. ” I don’t like ice Affleck-Graves, the Writer cream. ” administration’s repre­ sentative on the issue, is quoted as saying in yesterday’s Observer, “ Honestly, I did not anticipate the huge reaction,” and “Graduation is not about the physical dome. You don’t remember standing in front of it I n B r ie f getting your picture taken.... There could be no dome and it would be a fabulous time.” While I credit Affleck-Graves for taking A conference entitled personal responsibility for keeping the scaf­ “Contemporary Catholicism, folding a secret from students, I’m still hurt. Religious Pluralism and That a University official would make such a Democracy in Latin America: comment is personally disheartening to me. Challenges, Responses, and I expected more from this University and its Impact” will take place at the administrators. Hesburgh Center for But maybe that’s the problem. Maybe we International Studies today students truly understand the meaning of from 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. certain places on this campus better than some of the administration. Fault the sen­ The National Prison Rape iors for actually thinking the dome has Elimination Commission will meaning on graduation day. Blame them for hold an open meeting from 1:30 making travel arrangements for grandpar­ p.m. to 3:30 in McKenna Hall. ents or aunts or nephews to make cross­ country and cross-world trips for just one A panel symposium entitled chance to share with them one of the most “After Objectivity: What Moral sacred aspects of this University. Hold them Norms should Govern responsible for seeing the dome and instant­ Reporting and Commentary?” ly remembering what this place stands for will take place tonight from 6 and why they chose it as their university. p.m. to 7:30 in the Eck Visitors’ I have heard the reasons for the scaffold­ Center auditorium. The event ing — money, costs, weather. But I would is cosponsored by the “Notre hope that the administration would realize Dame Journal of Law, Ethics how important this is to its students. and Public Policy” and the Attending Notre Dame was my lifelong DUSTIN MENNELLA/The Observer White Center on Law and dream and 1 did everything I could to get Dr.