The Dining Hall Digest

Nick and Elizabeth Found in New York

Live(ish) from the streets of New York City, Nick and Elizabeth talk city life, what “post-pandemic” even means, and some lingering questions from this past year. And we bid farewell to Elizabeth as she heads off to new adventures in Rome. Thanks to everyone who has joined us and listened over the last fourteen months!

Indigeneity, Identity, and Decoloniality (ft. Shannon Pōmaikaʻi Hennessey)

We are back, and maybe we're better than ever, you won't know until you listen! But we definitely have an incredible guest, Shannon Pōmaikaʻi Hennessey, joining us to talk about her research on Native Hawaiian identity and indigenous ways of knowing. We talk about decolonization in academia, how art can express what words cannot, and how activism and scholarship prove essential to each other. It's a great conversation about important topics, and maybe we'll talk about some of what's making us happy too.  Check us out @DHDcast on Instagram and Twitter for links to recommendations and further reading connected to this episode.

Mailbag! Holidays, Post-Grad Life, and More

We're doing another mailbag! We answer some questions from friends and listeners about how to safely celebrate the holidays, what to do in COVID times, and what we're thankful for. Also, introducing a new segment: Do We Love to See it?

Voting Rights and Civil Discourse (ft. Steven Higgins)

Hey. Vote (if you can). Thanks. Are we living through a crisis in American democracy, or simply an incredibly scary time for American democracy? This episode, we're joined by Steven Higgins, a Notre Dame graduate and 1L at UVA Law known among his friends as "the voting guy." We talk about the current state of American voting rights, why people need to vote, and how to keep politicians accountable after Election Day. We also discuss the substance behind the buzzword "civil discourse," why it's important for colleges to support it, and how to navigate conversations on fundamental issues of human rights.

Organizing for Black Lives (ft. Erica Browne)

What's the most effective way to make change: through elections and voting or through demonstrations and protest? This episode, we're joined by Erica Browne, a student at Notre Dame who helped organize a Black Lives Matter rally in Oklahoma City over the summer. We talk activism at Notre Dame, how her pre-med classes don't reflect necessary skills for doctors, and Boiling Point Organization, an organization she co-founded with her fellow organizers. We also talk her work with the Kendra Horn campaign in Oklahoma's Fifth District, why she became a notary public, and what Netflix series she's binged recently.