/ ^ \ T H E U b s e r v e r The Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Marys OLUME 43 : ISSUE 72 THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2009 Law prof, ND group react to Gitmo action S tu d en t S enate Printers to President Obama to sign executive order to close detention facility within one year By EMMA DRISCOLL be installed News Writer As one of the first moves of his presidency, in all dorms President Barack Obama halted prosecutions at Guantanamo Bay, and the Associated Press reported that Obama would sign an executive order Thursday closing detention By MADELINE BUCKLEY facility in Cuba within a year. News Writer Professor Mary Ellen O’Connell, a Notre Dame professor of international law and a During the first Student Senate specialist on the law of war, said she was meeting of the semester, the pleased with the action. group reviewed work done over “This was very good news, very good news break, including a resolution to indeed. The military commissions process get printers in every dorm, and that was set up at Guantanamo Bay is widely discussed committee agendas for considered to have been seriously Rawed, the spring semester. very defective ... so halting those commis­ The resolution that requested sions proceedings now was a very important AP printers in every dorm on cam­ move by the president to get the United President Obama has signaled that he will consider closing the U.S. military pus was passed before break by States back into good standing with the rest detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. the Campus Life Council and of the world,” O’Connell said. was approved by Fr. Mark Senior Catherine McKinney, the president said. “He sent such a strong signal that he cares Poorman, vice president for of Human Rights-ND, was extremely pleased Both O’Connell and McKinney agreed that about fundamental human rights, that he Student Affairs, over break, stu­ with the announcement as well. the timing of the announcement indicates understands how problematic Guantanamo dent body president Bob Reish “It’s a great step in the right direction on that the Obama administration will place an said. the road to close Guantanamo,” McKinney emphasis on human rights. see GITMO/page 4 “By the time you get back to school next fall, there will be printers in every dorm,” Reish said. Reish also updated the Senate on the progress of the Midwest Scully given presidential medal for ACE work Collegiate Council, an idea that originated in Reish and student Scully and three of his closest friends body vice president Grant By NORA KENNEY — fellow Holy Cross priests — traveled Schmidt’s campaign. News Writer to the n atio n ’s capital together. Fr. “As you know, the purpose of Richard Warner, who lives a floor below the Midwest Collegiate Council is Sitting in his office last semester, Fr. Scully in Fisher Hall, as well as his long­ to bring other college’s to Notre Tim Scully, received an interesting time friend Fr. Lou DelFra, and Fr. Sean Dame’s campus to discuss rele­ phone call — from the White House. McGraw, a priest at Harvard University vant issues,” he said. A member of President George W. with whom Scully co-founded the Reish told the Senate several Bush’s staff called to inform Scully he Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) prominent universities have had been chosen as a recipient of the program were there with Scully when agreed to make the trip to Notre Presidential Citizens Medal. he received the award. Dame. Student Government has “I was struck by complete surprise,” “The four of us went to the White received responses from Scully said. House and it was very beautiful and just University of Chicago, He went to Washington, D.C. on Dec. very moving,” Scully said. Northwestern University, Purdue 10 to receive the award, one of the At the White House, Bush asked University and Washington highest medals a civilian can receive in Scully to accompany him to his desk in University in St. Louis, he said. the United States, second only to the the Oval Office, where he presented Another project the Senate will Medal of Freedom. Scully with his medal. be working on this semester is According to the White House, the Since graduation from Notre Dame in creating a forum to educate stu­ award is given in recognition of the 1976, Scully has had a profound impact dents about their legal rights off Courtesy of the White House recipient’s “exemplary deeds of service on Notre Dame. He served as executive campus, Reish said. Fr. Tim Scully received the Presidential Citizens for their country or for their fellow citi­ Medal in December at the White House. zens.” see SCULLY/page 4 see PRINTERS/page 4 Nine seniors given scholarships Robbins speaks about National program selects high school students for full tuition scholarships'theatre as community' about the scholarship at the gram, an organization that By SARAH MERVOSH time because she expected focuses on providing “low hope and possibility, theater News Writer income, high achieving high By CATHERINE MILLER the e-mail to come later that should have the same effect, he day. school kids” with scholar­ News Writer said. ships, she said. High school senior “I just sat there for a little Robbins gave a lecture called Emerald Woodberry w.as in bit and was like, were they The nine students from Academy-Award winning actor “Theater as Community” in the the middle of learning a se rio u s? ” hail from California, and social activist Tim Robbins DeBartolo Performing Arts Center M ic h ig a n , T e x a s , song at gospel choir “I showed one of my best told an audience at the DeBartolo to students, faculty and stall'. Washington, Minnesota, rehearsal when she checked friends and she stopped the Performing Arts Center “Theater by nature is unique her e-mail on her cell phone whole rehearsal and showed Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Wednesday night that the goal of and more relevant when it the e-mail to everyone,” she Ohio. and learned that she had theater is to “create a lasting, involves community. It does not said. Woodberry said the appli­ won a $200,000 scholarship shared experience that will be work if you pretend community Woodberry is one of nine cation process was like any to Notre Dame. remembered.” isn’t there,” Robbins said. high school seniors who won other college application, “I always check my email He related that definition to the He illustrated the definition of a scholarship to Notre Dame asking for basic information [during rehearsalj," the inauguration of President Barack community by singing “Mary through the QuestBridge Toledo, Ohio, native admit­ Obama, saying that just as the National College Match pro­ ted, who wasn’t thinking see SENIORS/page 4 inauguration united humanity in see ACTOR/page 4 page 2 The Observer u PAGE 2 Thursday, January 22, 2009 In s id e C olu m n Question of the Day: If you w ere president ; what would you do on your first day in office ? Change h of plan Tuesday was all about change for a lot of people. During the afternoon, I w as sit­ 1 ting on my futon, innocently checking my Dillon Bailey Casey Larkin Bri Krafcik Leslie Hung Michael Winding e-mails, and found out that I got a job offer. Instead of being relieved and excit­ ed to prove to every single relative I have sophomore sophomore sophomore senior sophomore that my English Stanford Pasquerilla West McGlinn off campus Alumni major was in fact worth something, I Emma Driscoll “What would “Pull a Bill “Order “1 would make “I would jump immediately burst __________________ Paul Down into tears. Bill Clinton Clinton." everything on off a building. ’’ I’m not typically a News Writer do?'" the White House king. ” crier, but something menu. ” about the moment completely overwhelmed me and I felt inexplicably devastated. Sitting there, sobbing, I felt so ridiculous because I had no idea why I was so sad and 1 felt like I should have been more grateful to have a potential option. The longer I sat there, the more I re a l­ ized that it wasn’t the strange city or any surprises about the job itself that had In B r ie f upset me. It was the fact that I may have found a plan, and the plan would include The Notre Dame Student a lot of changes: moving away from Notre Film Festival will take place Dame, away from friends, away from today, Friday and Saturday everything that I have spent the last three at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m at and half years building. Browning Cinema in As much as I have stressed out over the DeBartolo Performing Arts last three and a half years about finding Center. The fesival will show a plan, I think 1 always secretly thrived 20 student films. Tickets can on the fact that I didn’t have one. For me, be purchased at performin- options and ambiguity are kind of com­ garts.nd.edu. forting and plans have always felt limit­ ing. John Smart, president of But after casually (and even proudly) the Acceleration Studies proclaiming “I have no idea what I want Foundation will give his lec­ to do with my life” thousands of times, I ture e n title d “Foresight may have arrived at something. Development in a World of I’ve always known that the future was Accclei ationg Change: coming, but it seemed so far away.