THE The Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Mary's VOLUME 41: ISSUE 93 WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY 28,2007 . NDSMCOBSERVER.COM Brown chooses new chief executive Students Sheena Plamoottil's selection solidifies all-female team in student government's top three give thanks said she has followed her By KAITLYNN RIELY progress closely in the to donors Associate News Editor Senate. Plamoottil redefined the Student body president­ Social Concerns committee at Letters to be written elect Liz Brown and vice the beginning of the year, to benefactors president-elect Maris Braun Brown said, and "she really took one of their first steps as took the committee and ran student government leaders with it and has gotten some By STEVE KERINS Tuesday when they good things accomplished." News Writer announced Pangborn senator The selection of Plamoottil and Senate Social Concerns fills the top three positions in chair Sheena Plamoottil as the student government with Students are giving thanks their Chief Executive women, something that has today for the nearly $68 mil­ Assistant (CEA). never before happened at lion . received by the Plamoottil will fill the posi­ Notre Dame. University for scholarships tion Brown currently holds Brown said she is happy to this year by partaking in under the Lizzi Shappell-Bill be part of history, but said "Thanksgiving in February," JESSICA LEE!The Andrichik administration. the choice of Plamoottil was an event organized by the Junior Sheena Plamoottil was selected by student body presi­ Brown called Plamoottil the Development Office allowing dent-elect Liz Brown to serve as chief executive assistant. "best person for the job" and see CEA/ page 6 students to personally thank individual donors. "'Thanksgiving in February' is basically an event to edu­ cate the students to the importance of donors to Conflict arises over pets in dortnitories Notre Dame and to give the students the opportunity to say thank you," said Aly By EVA BINDA Baumgartner, a member of News Writer the Senior Class Gift Committee helping to organ­ ize today's campaign. Beginning last fall, controversy has been From noon to 7 p.m. today, brewing in Pasquerilla East Hall because of students can stop by the a ·new resident, hand-chosen by the dorm's Sorin Room in LaFortune to rectress, Breyan Tornifolio. The unconven­ compose a note thanking tional resident is a cocker spaniel dog Notre Dame's donors for their named Ella. contributions. The Though numerous dorms on campus have Development Office will post pets, Ella's presence in Pasquerilla East some of the responses on its caused a slew of problems for three stu­ Web site and make others dents - Jacqueline Collins, Catherine available in print. Wetten and Lauren Carr - who suffer from Throughout the day, seniors allergies. on the Gift Committee and Originally placed in the dorm because it Development Office staff is air-conditioned - and thus the best members will be on hand placement for students suffering from explaining the purpose of severe allergies - the women were left "Thanksgiving in February" with a tough decision following Ella's and situating students at debut. They could either stay in Pasquerilla computer stations. East and deal with recurring health prob­ Baumgartner said that the lems or move out of the dorm. LINDSAY POULINfrhe Observer event's timing is not acciden- Pasquerilla East rectress Breyan Tornifolio plays with Ella, the dorm's cocker see PETS/page 4 spaniel, Tuesday on the first floor of the residence hall. see DONORS/page 6 Computer difficulties Dinner held for Ca111.bodian school delay SMC elections Students raise funds for PEPYND the voting difficulties and the pro­ By MANDl STIRONE cedures that needs to be followed. News Writer "Elections for class boards have By ROHAN ANAND been postponed until [tonight] News Writer Student Class Elections at Saint due to problems with Prism. The Mary's have been postponed for survey on Prism has been reset. Nearly 100 students skipped the the second time as many days Voting will start at 12:00 p.m. dining hall Tuesday. Instead of din­ because of administrative prob­ [tonight] and will last until 11:59 ner, they attended a Thai­ lems with the computer system p.m. [Thursday.] If you have Cambodian fundraising dinner for students use to vote, Board of already voted, you must vote Cambodian schoolchildren and a Governance members said. again," the e-mail said. school they hope Will be built. Students were supposed to vote Elections Commissioner One hundred percent of the pro­ Monday using Prism - the Saint Christin Molnar first noticed ceeds from the evening - which Mary's Internet program used for problems Friday when she real­ was the Student International various academic processes as ized that the online survey would Business Council's second fundrais­ well as Student Election voting. not be ready in time for the Prism ing dinner this winter - went Because of recurring problems, voting to begin Monday. Because toward the Protect the voting was pushed back to yester­ of that error, the voting was Environment, Protect Yourself day and then rescheduled again pushed back to Tuesday, she said. (PEPY Ride) organization. The for today. Students received an e­ The candidates were notified TIM SULLIVANrrhe Observer mail Tuesday from the Board of Members of PEPYND serve Thai and Cambodian food at the Governance informing them of see VOTING/page 8 see PEPY/page 8 group's fundraiser Tuesday in the Sorin Room of LaFortune. page 2 The Observer+ PAGE 2 Wednesday, February 28, 2007 INSIDE COLUMN QUESTION OF THE DAY: WHAT CELEBRITY WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME TO CAMPUS? WHY? The thrill of the fall I love the feeling of skydiving. I love the freedom that I get up in the air. Jumping's scary. When I jump Andrea Baker Caroline Green Jean Henegan Tony Piskurich Kevin Prawdzik out of that plane, I struggle to do it at first. I look sophomore sophomore junior sophomore sophomore down and see John Tierney Welsh Family Cavanaugh Lewis St. Edward's Fisher how big the fall can be, and won­ "Stacy and "Will Ferrell. "Daniel Craig "Rosie "Barack Obama der what's the News Wzre worst that can Editor Clinton because This place because those O'Donnell because he happen. I quickly there's so many needs a little eyes and that because then makes my life realize that the people who more cowbell. " accent." we could have worthwhile." worst thing that can happen is walk around more something that kind of sucks. I , could die. campus in controversy. But honestly, what are the pajamas. chances of that? I'm not really sure, but I know that they're pretty slim. I'm much more likely to break something - my leg, my arm, my skull, who knows what else. When I first jump out of the IN BRIEF plane, I'm scared. I think ... what's going to happen to me? What all can I break? What all will I break? The Department of Film, Will I still have a skull? What it Television and Theatre presents still be intact? Will they be able to Agatha Christie's "The fix everything I break? Mousetrap" on the Decio But then, after a little while, I Mainstage Theatre at the calm down, which is hard, consid­ DeBartolo Performing Arts ering I'm still thousands of feet up Center. The show opens today at in the air and there's still no way 7::lO p.m., and continues until of knowing if I will land safely. But March 4. Evening performances I realize that I can't enjoy the sky­ are at 7:30 and the Sunday mati­ diving experience (and, obviously, nee is at 2:30 p.m. Ticket prices I'm up there because I want to are $12 for the general public, enjoy it) if I don't just relax and let $10 for senior citizens, ND facul­ gravity and my parachute take me ty and staU and $S fiJr student..'>. away. I've taken a risk. It could end There will boa panel presentc't­ badly, but I wouldn't have bothered tion on "Sex and the City of God" taking the risk if I thought that it tonight at 7::lO in 101 DeBartolo would. I would never have allowed Hall. It will examine the interplay myself to go skydiving in the first between Catholicism and con­ place if I thought that I'd die, or if temporary culture. I thought I'd wind up with a bro­ Ren skull. So I let myself enjoy the Muslim prayer and meditation fall, and trust that I will be safe. will take place tonight at 7 in Skydiving is not a sport for the ANDREW STEVES/The Observer room 330 of the Coleman-Morse Mike Lavery, center, and Tim Campbell, far right, race in the Men's A category Center. weak. You have to know your bodi­ race in Columbus, Ohio at an event put on by Ohio State this weekend. ly limits on earth before you attempt to challenge them in the Breen-Phillips Hall will host the air. You must be confident in your annual Breen-Phillips Meal own skin, on your own surface, Auction today from 7 to 9 p.m. in before reaching out to the different OFFBEAT the LaFortune Ballroom. Meals environment of the vast sky. with "campus celebrities" will be Otherwise, it's bound to end in a Janitor spends weekend in Jones banged on the door, three second-story storage auctioned off and a silent auction failure of some variety. courthouse but no one heard him until rooms and were never in for restaurant gift certificates will I love skydiving.