----- -~----------------------------------------~-~----------·~------------------------------~- Wednesday, April 22, 1998 • Vol. XXXI No. 130 THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING NOTRE DAME AND SAINT MARY'S Hatch highlights University diversity efforts By ERICA THESING people who need it won't take it." to teach a course to the entire News Writer Freshman Tamra Williams freshman class and synchroniz­ supported Fierro and explained ing their varied teaching styles The Office of the Provost is cur­ that such a course is necessary to would be difficult, he said. rently working on three main ini­ make Notre Dame students com­ "Faculty are independent intel­ tiatives to improve diversity petitive in a diverse world. lectuals and the last thing they issues on campus, but major "The major problem on this want to do is be given a common changes take time, according to campus is that people don't know curriculum to teach," Hatch said. Nathan Hatch, Provost. how to work together. We need Besides the addition of a new Hatch, who met with students to know how to speak and talk diversity course, audience mem­ and faculty during a listening with cultural diversity," she said. bers raised questions about affir­ session last night, outlined his "I think it affects everyone. It's mative action in hiring and initiatives and heard suggestions, not just a minority issue. I think admissions practices, the possi­ including the addition of a it's an obligation of Notre Dame, bility of a post-graduate program mandatory multicultural class for who prides themselves in bring­ in ethnic studies and retention of all freshman students. ing us all together, to teach us minority faculty and students. Sophomore Michael Fierro, how to live together. " Hatch outlined the initiatives of who originally proposed such a Although the provost was his office, including a "targets of course, suggested that a diversity receptive to the suggestion, he opportunity" program to help course replace one semester of expressed concern that the large departments hire exceptional the freshman physical education number of students involved minority faculty, even when the course. Students have plenty of would make such an undertaking money for doing so is not opportunity for physical activity very difficult to implement. Hatch expressly available in their bud­ through interhall athletics, tossed out the option of making gets. At this time, approximately according to Fierro, and would such a course voluntary, as 80 of the 900 full-time faculty at benefit from a diversity course. opposed to mandatory. Notre Dame are minorities and "You said that change takes In addition to the high number only 45 of the 680 tenure track place over time, but time is run· of students involved, Hatch faculty members are minorities. The Observer/Jeff Hsu ning out. Something needs to be expressed concern over the way The University is also in the University Provost Nathan Hatch listens to student and faculty con­ done," Fierro told Hatch. "If you to set up such a curriculum. It cerns about increasing diversity curriculum at Notre Dame. don't make it mandatory, the would require many instructors see HATCH I page 6 SMC Rome program Spring jam ... reopens application process for next year By DAVID FREDDOSO Senior SrafTWrirer The Saint Mary's College Home program will con­ tinue to accept Notre Dame students this semester, despite a temporary shutdown in the application process. Financial concerns had threatened to limit the number of Notre Dame students who could go on the program. According to Michael Francis, Assistant Provost for International Studies, 50 students had signed up to go to Home when the application process was halted. "We hadn't budgeted for this number," he said. "For a little while. it looked as if it would create a problem." llowever. after turning away applications for a short period, Francis said, the program has reopened and will be accepting applications until May 1. "No order ever came down to cut [the program] The Observer/Kevin Dalum back," Francis said. There was previously no limit Sophomore John Huston and his band, the Transoms, played a concert yesterday in LaFortune Ballroom. Chris on enrollment, but the number of applicants was so Goddard and the Skalcoholiks also played during the show. The Antostal celebration continues today with a pizza picnic on the South Quad at 11 :30 a.m. and a "Hippie Fest'' from 4 to 7 p.m. on the Fieldhouse Mall. St. Edward's great this year that there was concern over the Hall Charity Carnival also continues on North Quad today from 2 to 6 p.m. amount of tuition that would be taken out of Notre Dame and put into the Saint Mary's Rome program, he noted. When the application process was temporarily Saint Mary's develops new D.C. program stopped, administrators looked over the numbers and decided that more students could be accepted By COLLEEN McCARTHY the previous trip," Henshaw said. without much damage. Saint Mary's News Editor Among the landmarks the group The application process was reopened, and as a will visit are the Holocaust museum, result, "more students are going to go to Rome next During next semester's fall break, Smithsonian museums, the FBI, the year than went this year," Francis said. He attrib­ students from Saint Mary's College National Cathedral, Ford's Theater, uted the increase to the Italian department which will have the opportunity to descend Arlington Cemetery, Mount Vernon "has stirred up a lot of interest." upon United States' capital city. and the Bureau of Engraving. ''I'm sorry this happened," he said. Organized by business administra­ nections helped to make the first trip Additionally, participants will have a Meanwhile, other international study programs tion and economics professor Claude more interesting. Coates arranged for chance to take in a play at the will be expanding. The London program, according Renshaw, the trip to Washington, one of his staff members to give the Kennedy Center, the cost of which is to its director Anastasia Gutting, will be expanding D.C., will provide students with the group a VIP tour of the capitol build­ included in the trip's fee. from 90 to 120 students next spring. chance to explore the city on their ing. Although Renshaw said that he In addition, Gutting said, "We are now officially own and through organized tours After the success of the first trip, does not want the trip to be politically an undergraduate London program as opposed to and activities. people outside of the Young oriented, it is hard to avoid some an Arts and Letters London Program." The week-long tour originated in Republicans began to show interest contact with politics when you are in New courses will be offered in London in engi­ 1994 as a field trip for the Saint and Renshaw decided to expand the the city that is the heart of the neering, science, and business, she said, "so that Mary's Young Republicans. program to allow students who were American government. all students will be able to fit in." Previously, only a "The first trip was more politically not members of the club to go on the This is where Renshaw's connec­ very limited course selection was available for oriented," Renshaw said. "We met trip. tions come in. Notre Dame students in London. with Senator Dan Coates, a republi­ "The trip is not necessarily a field Students will be treated to VIP The Innsbruck program will expand by 25 per­ can senator from Indiana, and also trip for Republicans. I've taken most tours of the White House as well as cent. while programs in Toledo, Angiers, Japan, visited the Republican National of the political things out and we've the Capitol. Also, the group may have and Jerusalem would also be taking more students Committee." added more tourist activities since we in future years, according to Francis. Renshaw added that certain con- didn't have time to include those on see D.C. I page 6 ·--------------~------~---------------------- ------------ page 2 The Observer • INSIDE Wednesday, April 22, 1998 • INSIDE COLUMN Let's c"~l'uOutside the Dome -~ _.,:<'~\\ ~/ J Compiled from U-Wire reports Talk Officials call chemical waste dumping an 'isolated incident' SALT LAKE CITY, Utah not "create unwarranted concnrns in Last Tuesday, ESPN held The discovery of hazardous chemical the minds of some people." a town meeting televised waste in a University of Utah dumpster Manning said the incident was live from Houston regard­ earlier this month emphasized the unusual and must have been perpe­ ing race and sports. The importance of proper disposal of trated by someone who was unfamiliar panel induded 10 black chemical waste by research labs on with procedures. and white athletes, coach­ campus. Environmental Health and Safety es and administrators However, department officials say technicians identified 56 individual from the college and pro- this was an isolated incident and stu­ chemicals. many extremely hazardous. fessional ranks. Dan Cichalski dents should not be alarmed. The list included such highly corrosive Prnsident Clinton took Senior Staff Writer According to Steve Manning, manag­ er of the department of biology. substances as ferric chloride and the time to sit in on the er of hazardous waste for the Sparr called Manning and asked him potassium hydroxide, the toxic com­ discussion as well. further emphasizing its University Environmental Health and to come out and investigate the situa­ pound cupric sulfate, silver, which is importance. Safety office, a chemistry professor tion. considered a heavy metal pollutant, It was a dillcrent and much-needed pro­ discovered some dangerous chemicals Wearing gloves and protective cloth­ and the oxidizer calcium nitrate, gram on a station that generally entertains its disposed of in the dumpster between ing, it took Manning an hour to remove which could have caused a lire.