Print Edition of The Observer for Friday, February 23, 2018 by The Observer

The Independent

TO Uncover

Newspaper Serving

The Truth

Notre Dame And

And Report

Saint MAry’s

it accurately

Volume 52, Issue 88 | friday, february 23, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Election nears end, reaches boiling point Candidates publicly debate for last time By KELLI SMITH News Writer

The remaining student body presidential candidates and their running mates made their final campaign pitches Thursday in a Judicial Council runoff debate in the Duncan Student Center. The debate was held a day before Friday’s runoff election, which will determine the 20182019 student body president and vice president. The contenders, juniors Alex Kruszewski, with running mate Julia Dunbar, and juniors Gates McGavick, with running mate Corey Gayheart, discussed topics such as mental health, sexual assault, dorm inequality, campus unity and the

feasibility of their ideas. Dunbar said student life is only one of the pillars of the Kruszewski-Dunbar platform and that the ticket was shifting away from “surface-level stuff.” “We got to sit back to re-brand ourselves a little bit [this past week],” Kruszewski added. “The ideas are the same and they have been there all along in the plans that we have had on our website, but we decided that we wanted to restructure [our platform].” According to the KruszewskiDunbar website, the ticket re-focused itself around “five passions” — well-being, sexual assault prevention and student safety, student see DEBATE PAGE 4

McGavick-Gayheart ticket to forfeit 12 percent of vote Observer Staff Report

The McGavick-Gayheart ticket will be required to forfeit 12 percent of the votes cast for it during Friday’s student government presidential runoff election, Judicial Council announced in a press release Friday morning. According to the release, McGavick and Gayheart were “found to have supporters releasing confidential information from previous Judicial Council allegation hearings, as well as engaging in a continued pattern of unethical behavior,” which violated Judicial Council’s Election Regulations and Sections 13.4(e), 17.1(g) and 17.1(h) of the Student Union Constitution.

Welsh Family Hall resident crowned Miss ND By THOMAS MURPHY News Writer

Sophomore Christina Murray of Welsh Family Hall was crowned Miss ND in O’Neill Hall’s signature event Thursday night. The annual pageant supports South Bend’s Center for the Homeless. The organization, founded in 1988 by two Notre Dame faculty members, seeks to meet the immediate needs of the

homeless while preparing them for future success. According to the pageant’s program, the Center assists “its 200 or more homeless men, women, mothers with children and military veterans [to] break the cycle of homelessness and poverty in which they find themselves.” “The shelter does not only shelter the homeless temporarily … they also set them up for success so that they’re no longer in that

position,” junior Nick Martinez, the event’s organizer, said. Last year’s pageant raised $1,400 for the shelter, and Martinez hoped this year would raise even more. The pageant was hosted by sophomores and O’Neill residents Brendan Kopf and Andrew Looney and included volunteer contestants from each female see MISS ND PAGE 3

Student Union Board hosts annual music festival By KARA MIECZNIKOWSKI News Writer

This weekend, collegiate bands from across the nation will travel to South Bend to perform in Notre Dame’s 60th annual Collegiate Jazz Festival (CJF). The festival — which is the oldest in the nation — also features a panel of world-renowned jazz musicians, who serve as performance adjudicators throughout the event and

News PAGE 2

participate in a “Judges’ Jam” on the first night of performances. This year’s CJF will feature jazz bands and ensembles from Western Michigan, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Roosevelt University, Lee University, Columbia College and Alma College, as well as Notre Dame’s own Jazz Band 1 and New Orleans Brass Band, junior Kyle Miller, the event’s lead programmer, said. “This has been in the works

SCENE PAGE 5

since last June,” he said. The CJF committee, a program of SUB, has 10 members who all help with planning and running the event. The committee also collaborates with Notre Dame’s music department to pick judges for the performances. “We actually have musicians reach out to us, asking to judge at the festival,” Miller said. “[Assistant director of bands] see FESTIVAL PAGE 3

VIEWPOINT PAGE 6

The aspect of the Election Regulations the ticket violated, the release said, mandates that candidates are “responsible for [their] actions as well as the actions of [their] supporters.” Section 13.4(e) of the Student Union Constitution states that, aside from information included in Judicial Council press releases, “all other information pertaining to hearings and appeals shall be considered confidential.” Section 17.1(g), another section the ticket was found to have violated, reads, “Candidates may not be involved in or instruct others to engage in any unethical behavior as detailed in 17.1(h).” Section 17.1(h), the final section Judicial Council found the

ticket to have violated, states that “Candidates are expected to behave ethically at all times.” According to the press release, “Judicial Council will not release the election results while there are pending allegations and appeals,” in accordance with Section 17.1(m) of the Student Union Constitution. The McGavick-Gayheart ticket did not immediately respond to The Observer’s request for comment. This is the fifth instance of sanctions issued by Judicial Council in year’s election, including one that requires the Kruszewski-Dunbar ticket to forfeit 10 percent of votes it receives in Friday’s runoff election.

Professor speaks on religion, peacekeeping By SYDNEY DOYLE News Writer

Kwok Pui Lan, professor of theology at Emory University, addressed the role of religion in peacekeeping processes across the world in as part of the Saint Mary’s Endowed Spring Lectures Series on Thursday. Pui Lan began her lecture by talking about when she met the Dalai Lama 25 years ago, who said everyone has a role to play in creating a climate of genuine peace. She there is a continuation of conflict and hostility between religions, as highlighted by the media. “Recent attacks in New York, London, Brussels and Berlin highlighted our awareness of the role of religion in conflict,” she said. “Although the spotlight has been on Muslim extremists, it is important for all of us to remember that religious extremist of other religious traditions have also caused oppression and threatened peaceful coexistence.” Pui Lan said Christianity also has its humanitarian failings, such as the colonization of the

ND W Basketball PAGE 12

Americas. When referring to modern day Muslim culture, she said terrorism and peace come from the same place. “A tiny minority of Muslim extremists should not be taken as representative of the whole tradition of Islam,” she said. Although it is sometimes very challenging, gaining an understanding of other cultures is crucial to creating peace, Pui Lan said. Pui Lan said Christians in America are privileged because of their large numbers in the U.S. This is detrimental to the practice of peacekeeping because it allows for ignorance and fear of other beliefs and cultures, Pui Lan said. “Because of Christian privilege, many have insufficient knowledge of the beliefs, values and practices of non-Christian religions,” she said. “Many Christians still harbor elements of Christian or religious superiority and look at other religions with suspicion and discontent.” It is important to keep in perspective the many historical faults see RELIGION PAGE 4

Men’s basketball PAGE 12

TODAY

The observer | friday, february 23, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Question of the Day: ndsmcobserver.com

Have a question you want answered? Email photo@ndsmcobserver.com

What’s your favorite thing about the weekend?

P.O. Box 779, Notre Dame, IN 46556 024 South Dining Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556

Brendan O’Donnell

Terese Schomogyi

sophomore St. Edward’s Hall

sophomore Ryan Hall

“Being able to sleep in and hang out.”

“DH brunch dates with friends.”

Lauren Lombard

Alicia Cristoforo

freshman Welsh Family Hall

sophomore Badin Hall

“Not having to wake up Claire Sweeney for class.”

“Unpopular opinion, but SDH fish tacos.”

(574) 631-4542 bpadanil@nd.edu

Claire Sweeney

Fabi Shipley

Managing Editor

freshman Welsh Family Hall

junior Lyons Hall

“Procrastinating all my homework for Sunday.”

“Weekly Chinese takeout and sweatpants.”

Editor-in-Chief Ben Padanilam Managing Editor Katie Galioto

Asst. Managing Editor: Marek Mazurek Asst. Managing Editor: Rachel O’Grady Asst. Managing Editor: Megan Valley News Editor: Viewpoint Editor: Sports Editor: Scene Editor: Saint Mary’s Editor: Photo Editor: Graphics Editor: Advertising Manager: Advertising Manager: Ad Design Manager:

Courtney Becker Mary Freeman Elizabeth Greason Adam Ramos Martha Reilly Chris Collins Lauren Weldon Molly McCarthy Alexandra Pucillo Madison Riehle

Office Manager & General Info

Ph: (574) 631-7471 Fax: (574) 631-6927 Advertising

(574) 631-6900 ads@ndsmcobserver.com Editor-in-Chief

(574) 631-4542 kgalioto@nd.edu Assistant Managing Editors

(574) 631-4541 mmazurek@nd.edu, rogrady@nd.edu, mvalley@nd.edu Business Office

(574) 631-5313 News Desk

(574) 631-5323 news@ndsmcobserver.com Viewpoint Desk

(574) 631-5303 viewpoint@ndsmcobserver.com Sports Desk

(574) 631-4543 sports@ndsmcobserver.com Scene Desk

(574) 631-4540 scene@ndsmcobserver.com Saint Mary’s Desk

mreilly01@saintmarys.edu Photo Desk

(574) 631-8767 photo@ndsmcobserver.com

The next Five days:

Want your event included here? Email news@ndsmcobserver.com

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Silent Retreat Moreau Seminary all day Day focused on silent prayer and reflection. Open to the public.

Performance: Seraphic Fire Leighton Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Musical performance spanning genres.

Violin Concert: Tricia and Taylor Leighton Concert Hall 2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Includes classical and American fiddle tunes.

Information Session: MercyWorks Geddes Hall 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Postgraduate full-time service opportunities.

Yoga in the Galleries Snite Museum 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. Free and open to all experience levels. Space is limited.

Hockey vs. Michigan State Compton Family Arena 7:30 p.m. The Irish take on the Spartans.

Theatre: “Native Gardens” Philbin Studio Theatre 7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Tickets available to the public online.

Women’s Basketball vs. NC State Purcell Pavilion 2 p.m. The Irish take on the Wolfpack.

Reading by Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi Hammes Bookstore 7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Open to the public. Author of “Fra Keeler.”

Pizza, Pop & Politics Geddes Hall 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. Discussion on the legal framework of sexual harrassment law.

Systems & Web Administrators

(574) 631-8839 Policies The Observer is the independent, daily newspaper published in print and online by the students of the University of Notre Dame du Lac and Saint Mary’s College. Editorial content, including advertisements, is not governed by policies of the administration of either institution. The Observer reserves the right to refuse advertisements based on content. The news is reported as accurately and objectively as possible. Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the majority of the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Assistant Managing Editors and department editors. Commentaries, letters and columns present the views of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer. Viewpoint space is available to all readers. The free expression of all opinions through letters is encouraged. Letters to the Editor must be signed and must include contact information. Questions regarding Observer policies should be directed to Editor-in-Chief Ben Padanilam. Post Office Information The Observer (USPS 599 2-4000) is published Monday through Friday except during exam and vacation periods. A subscription to The Observer is $130 for one academic year; $75 for one semester. The Observer is published at: 024 South Dining Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556-0779 Periodical postage paid at Notre Dame and additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address corrections to: The Observer P.O. Box 779 024 South Dining hall Notre Dame, IN 46556-077 The Observer is a member of the Associated Press. All reproduction rights are reserved.

Today’s Staff News

Sports

Natalie Weber Alexandra Muck Serena Zacharias

Elizabeth Greason Mary Steurer Morgan Johnson

Graphics

Scene

Dom DeMoe

Charlie Kenney

Photo

Viewpoint

Rosie LoVoi

Hannah Bruening

Corrections The Observer regards itself as a professional publication and strives for the highest standards of journalism at all times. We do, however, recognize that we will make mistakes. If we have made a mistake, please contact us at (574) 631-4541 so we can correct our error.

Library implements new system By COLLEEN FISCHER News Writer

The The Cushwa-Leighton Library will switch its collaborative system to the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) program, Catherine Pellegrino, a Saint Mary‘s librarian, said. “Saint Mary’s students will benefit by having access to the combined collections of all 24 PALNI libraries. … The service will be faster than our current interlibrary loan service, and the loan periods will generally be longer,” she said. Saint Mary’s and Bethel College were previously part of a group of four colleges which shared books but are now leaving to join PALNI, Pellegrino said. “[We‘ve] been aware of PALNI for a long time,” Pellegrino said. “They’re a very important and innovative group among Indiana’s academic libraries.” The current system of sharing between the colleges will end on April 2, and PALINI will replace it at the beginning of next year. Although Saint Mary’s is leaving its current book-sharing group, it will continue to loan to other schools in the community, Pellegrino said. “[Saint Mary‘s] will still lend books

to the other schools in the South Bend area, and they will still lend books to our community,” she said. The new system will not take any additional resources out of the library. Pellegrino said the College’s librarians are “going to be working very hard through the rest of the spring, with the goal of launching the new system shortly after the end of the spring semester.” “This is a really, really big job for our librarians and staff,” she said. After the transition, Pellegrino said, the library system will be easier to use. “The behind-the-scenes things that library staff do with the system, like ordering and cataloging books, will be much easier,” she said. Pellegrino decided to make the switch as Notre Dame’s libraries began to consider implementing a different system. “As Notre Dame begins the process of considering a new library system, this was a logical time for us to think carefully about what our students, faculty and staff need from a library system, and whether staying with Notre Dame was the best choice for our community,” she said. “We considered the options carefully, and ultimately decided that PALNI’s innovative, collaborative

model where we would be partnering with other schools like us — schools that understand the constraints but also the flexibility that go along with being a smaller library — along with the additional benefits of PALNI’s model of deep collaboration would result in better service and support for our community.” The many benefits that PALNI offers comes with one minor downfall in that Saint Mary’s “will be losing the flexibility of searching the catalog at Note Dame at the same time that we search our own catalog,” Pellegrino said. However, library staff is working to decrease the effects of this change, she added. The PALINI program will not affect the physical collection of the library in any way. “When [students] return next fall, the online catalog will be very different, and a lot better and easier to use,” she said. “We also think that you’ll find that requesting books from other PALNI libraries will be much more seamless than our current system. We’re very excited about this change, and we’re looking forward to sharing it with students as soon as we can.” Contact Colleen Fischer at cfischer01@saintmarys.edu

News

ndsmcobserver.com | friday, february 23, 2018 | The Observer

Festival Continued from page 1

Larry Dwyer helps us make a decision.” Each band performs for an audience and the panel of judges, and they are then given the

opportunity to have their performances critiqued by a judge in a brief clinic. The event draws crowds from both Notre Dame and the surrounding community to Washington Hall, where the festival takes place on Friday and Saturday nights. A “preview

Paid Advertisement

night” is also held Thursday evening, during which Notre Dame’s Jazz Band 2 performs. CJF is notable for its featuring of a wide range of talented jazz bands and professional musicians, but it also offers Notre Dame’s own jazz bands a chance to showcase their sound. “Performing for CJF is a great time, as we show the work that we put in year round,” sophomore Saul Cortez, a bass trombonist in the University‘s Jazz Band 1, said. “We also enjoy having our best instrumentalists perform some of the most exciting and moving solos that you can only experience if you paid to watch professional jazz musicians.” And now that the festival is set to get underway, Miller said he hopes turnout from the student population will be high given the quality of the performers coming in. “The type of jazz played by each band ranges from traditional jazz to New Orleans style to Latin fusion,” Miller said. “We have some really great bands coming out this year, and we hope to see lots of students there.” The festival begins Friday night at 7 p.m. in Washington Hall. Contact Kara Miecznikowski at kmieczni@nd.edu Paid Advertisement

Miss ND Continued from page 1

residence dorm. After being given the opportunity to show off their individual talents, they were then judged by a panel of four judges. The panel included South Hall Dining monitor Pam Hardy Jobin, junior Jerry Tillery — an O’Neill Hall resident and Notre Dame football player — Miss South Bend 2016 Gina Klingel (’14) and sophomore Madelyn Steurer, who holds the title of Miss Great Lakes 2018. Some of the talents performed by this year’s contestants included the ability to post on Facebook, performed by junior Emily Aberle of Flaherty Hall, catching food in one’s mouth — which became progressively more impressive as the food graduated to larger objects such as broccoli — by sophomore TC Burrows of Lewis Hall and a pair of stand-up comedy routines by sophomores Anne Jarrett of Howard Hall and Mary K Wentzel of McGlinn Hall. Martinez said the emphasis on the talent segment of the pageant is important to assuring that the pageant doesn’t suffer any of stigmatization common in pageants. “When you hear pageant, you think of big fancy dresses, heels, walking and strutting down the runway,” he said. “We don’t do anything of that sort. We encourage the girls to do whatever they’re

comfortable with. ... That’s kind of how we shift away from [the stigma of pageants] and highlight some cool talents we have on campus.” Martinez said although not all the talents performed were traditional, they were all praiseworthy because of the confidence required to perform them on stage. “Being able to give up some of your pride, maybe make a fool of yourself on that stage to try to help raise some money for some vulnerable people who live down the street from us, that’s really amazing,” he said. Following the talent show portion of the event, the judges chose three contestants to move on to a question and answer portion. The final questions were for Murray, who had performed a baton twirling routine. Jobin said she was impressed by Murray’s performance and overall presentation, and looks forward to returning for next year’s pageant. Murray said she was happy to receive the title of Miss ND and enjoyed being able to share her baton twirling with those in attendance. “It feels fantastic. I’m so glad that the judges chose me to get this title. It’s really an honor,” she said. “I love baton twirling and I’m so glad that I could give my talents to everyone and I’m glad that everyone like it. It was a great audience.” Contact Thomas Murphy at tmurphy7@nd.edu

NEWS

The observer | friday, february 23, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Religion

Debate

Continued from page 1

of the Christian church and recognize that no religion is without its faults, Pui Lan said. Christians must be aware of their prejudices, she said, and embrace the differences between religions. “Christians especially need to learn from others’ traditions if we want to embrace our religious neighbors and work with them in solidarity,” Pui Lan said. Pui Lan read verses from the Quran and said just as Christians practice what they learned from the Bible, the vast majority of Muslim people practice peace as taught in the Quran. Likewise, she said, both the Quran and Bible have historically been used to justify violence. Regardless of a country’s religion, across the world women and children are still targets of violence, Pui Lan said, so it should be everyone’s goal to break religious barriers and free those who are persecuted. “Many women work very hard to form their own movements and institutions to find spaces to promote peace,” she said. “One of the tragedies of war is that of children and young people being recruited as soldiers. Therefore the participation of young people in peacekeepers is important.”

life, diversity and inclusion and sustainability — rather than just student life. McGavick said he and Gayheart have stayed with their platform’s pillars and that student life and other critically important issues are not “mutually exclusive.” “Students know what’s best for them and that’s why we’re in this,” Gayheart said. “We want student government to be a voice for all students no matter what.” To improve mental health resources on campus, Gayheart said the ticket is focusing on making University Health Services (UHS) and the University Counseling Center more “proactive instead of reactive” through methods such as increasing UHS booths at events. Dunbar said campus resources are being underutilized, and there must be increased awareness and accessibility to them. When asked about the achievability of “lofty campaign goals,” Kruszewski said asking more of student government and addressing big questions that may not seem feasible is the first step. “We can’t just focus on being transparent, we can’t just focus on being approachable,” he said. “Feasibility comes starting with asking the question of administrators and asking the difficult

Contact Sydney Doyle at sdoyle01@saintmarys.edu

questions … and working collaboratively with the administration.” Repealing the University Housing policy and improving dorm maintenance shouldn’t be lofty goals, McGavick said, as there is common consensus among students regarding these issues. “A way to make a lot of these bigger goals more feasible is seeing clear, tangible progress from student government in getting the little things right,” McGavick said. “ … Once we have a better connection between the campus and student government, then we can really get to amplify student voices on each issue.” Both tickets agreed there are inequalities between male and women’s residence halls. McGavick said there should be a more equitable application of the rule and increased awareness of parietals amnesty. “Sometimes things are exercised way more strictly in women’s halls than they are in men’s halls and that’s a discrepancy,” he said. “That is a problem because it sends the wrong message about the way that we’re training our hall staffs.” Reforming hall staff training is a great place to start, Dunbar said, but concerns should also be raised regarding dorm structural obstacles. “When they’re building new dorms, they think that girls want kitchens instead of more gym space,” Dunbar said. “Maybe, but Paid Advertisement

I don’t know who came up with that … they’re playing off these stereotypes that don’t really fit the mold of the average Notre Dame student.” Kruszewski said there needs to be structural answers regarding sexual assault as well, and programs such as GreeNDot awareness, Callisto and Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) classes need to be improved. Gayheart said he wants to expand GreeNDot, parietals amnesty and the Title IX campaign. “ ... Notre Dame should be an active leader in the national discourse on Title IX and we will make sure that we do that,” Gayheart said. Regarding campus unity, Gayheart said though many people don’t want to talk in the political environment, he and McGavick are prepared to do so as McGavick is more conservative and Gayheart is more liberal. In response, Kruszewski said the first step to promoting campus unity is stepping away and not recognizing politics. “[Gayheart] makes a really interesting point that political differences shouldn’t matter and that’s why Julia and I haven’t told you what our political orientations are,” Kruszewski said. “We also want to listen ... the difference is that we want to listen to these ideas on campus and take them into account which is why we had

a moving platform since day one.” In their closing statements, Dunbar said the passions she and Kruszewski will focus on get to the core of “what hurts” in a student’s life. “[Student life issues] are things that we definitely want, but it’s one of [our platform’s] 15 departments,” Kruszewski said. “... if you care about other passions in life, if you care more about sexual assault and how that can impact the daily life of a student, potentially even more than paying a couple of extra dollars for a sandwich, we’re the candidates for you.” Gayheart said leaders must be willing to take a stance, even when it is not popular. “The definition of a true leader is someone who stands up when others aren’t willing to stand with them,” Gayheart said. “ … Student government should be a leader on this campus and it shouldn’t be blowing whichever way the winds are blowing.” There is a difference between evolving on issues and totally shifting from them, McGavick said in his final statement, and consistency is what he and Gayheart will project if elected. “We really want to emphasize that we’re trying to bring a wide campus perspective into student government,” he said. Contact Kelli Smith at ksmith67@nd.edu

The observer | FRIDAY, february 23, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

DOMINIQUE DeMOE | The Observer

The observer | friday, february 23, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Inside Column

Snap cashing out Eddie Griesedieck Photographer

As many of you know, Snapchat recently did a major overhaul of its platform. This isn’t uncommon in the world of social media. Instagram has had many iterations, and Snapchat has changed over the past years to progress forward. Every time Snapchat comes out with a new update, there are people who complain. Change is different, and you can never please everyone. When best friends were removed, many took to the internet to proclaim their disappointment that you could no longer see who was whose best friends on Snapchat. Yet, every iteration of Snapchat previously had been aimed at improving the user experience, whether other people will admit it or not. However, Snapchat is a business and has to make the money it needs to make sure that its platform has the ability to generate revenue and earnings. Prior to the current update, Snapchat had introduced a discovery platform that held sponsored content and included sponsored stories in between the regular user stories. This was created to allow more opportunities for revenue and sales, with companies coming in and buying up slots to advertise their products or services. Many people even began to use Snapchat as a way to get their news for the day, with CNN, E News and even National Geographic having regular programming on Snapchat. Yet, with the most recent update, we saw something different from Snap, Inc. We saw an update that was purely centered around maximizing profit instead of user experience. The new update came abruptly and was met with heavy resistance that has not died down. The new clunky interface makes a whole page specified for paid content and makes finding your friends stories a “Where’s Waldo?” adventure; interspersing sponsored content with your friends’ content to attempt to mesh the two together. Many people took to the internet proclaiming Snapchat was too much like Instagram with the new update and that they would be moving off Snapchat to Instagram altogether; and for the first time, Snapchat usage went down. As a diehard user of Snapchat, it is disheartening to see such a great platform show its true priorities. Since the update, Snapchat has made comments saying it will be changing its platform back in some ways to cater more towards the users, but the damage is already done. Snapchat saw an opportunity to create more features to gain revenue at the cost of the interface for its users, and it took it. This is something we have seen Facebook and various other social media sites do in the past; the most important part is how they handle this move going forward. Will Snapchat revert and go back to catering to its users, or will it continue to change its platform in a way that supports its growth as a business? Contact Eddie Griesedieck at egriesed@nd.edu The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Let’s talk about sex I’d like to start this conversation with a quote from the book of the Bible that I have read more than any other, Song of Songs: “Come, my love, let us go to the fields. We will spend the night in the villages, and in the early morning we will go to the vineyards. We will see if the vines are budding, if their blossoms are opening, if the pomegranate trees are in f lower. Then I shall give you the gift of my love” (Song of Songs 7:12-13). Any sort of basic theological or literary discussion should grant that this is about the promised bride’s budding sexuality and the groom’s encouragement to act on that, which they do. Allow me to be clear: Song of Songs is about premarital sex. Like, really great premarital sex. It’s discussed here as beautiful and poetic, to the extent that we should see the Church as the bride and God as the bridegroom. Why, then, do we have such an aversion to premarital sex? If it indeed can be beautiful enough to emulate God’s love for his Church, why are we taught to feel shame about this natural bodily process? A lot of Notre Dame students attended Catholic school prior to their education here. It’s likely that your school taught sex education much like mine, only insofar as that premarital sex is a sin (and as they are not procreative, so are all instances of oral and anal sex which result in an offshoot of onanism, pun not intended). Why might this be? For much of the Church’s history, the prescribed rules about sex were written by celibate men. Sex was thus seen as somewhat of a necessary evil to allow children, which the evangelizing Church has always encouraged. It seems probable then that pleasure, specifically female pleasure, was not valued much by these men (or arguably anyone but women, ever). Obviously, male pleasure was prioritized within the sex act because without it, conception could not occur. But what happened to the female pleasure and sexuality so explicitly discussed in Song of Songs? Women, specifically, are frequently shamed for seeking out sexual pleasure. Society praises men for their sexual prowess, while at the same time shaming women if they do have sex. Even the social construct of virginity is unfairly seen as something women lose and something men take. This creates, especially for women, a culture of shame often centered around religion. Catholicism indeed shames women for their sexuality more than men. Ask yourself: When was the last time, in a theological discussion of sex, the idea of female masturbation was even touched on? I would guess these instances are rare, as the Church still does not take seriously the idea of female sexual pleasure except to paint shame over all aspects of female sexuality with a broad brush. Again, this is likely because, for a long time, women were not included or considered in Church discussions. Obviously, this has horrible side effects for the men as well, as they can often be seen as naturally sexually aggressive or addicted to sex.

So then I ask you, why at Notre Dame do we perpetuate this culture of shame around sexual pleasure? Perhaps it is the Catholic ideals of the University, but I would push it further than that. Rather, I argue that Notre Dame still maintains such outdated ideas regarding sex — specifically single sex dorms, the condom ban and the removal of birth control by Fr. Jenkins under the cover of darkness — because for a long time, women had been absent here. Moreover, women continue to be absent, especially in positions of power, given that our president must always be a priest and thus male. Of course, I will admit we have made some progress since 1972, but compared to our peer institutions, we are eons behind in terms of gender equity. This manifests itself in numerous places, from the underpay of our support staff, unequal pay for male and female professors, policies, etc. But I specifically want to note the continual undermining of female sexuality present on this campus. For some reason, Catholic guilt and shame is forced on women here, even those who are not Catholic. Though sexual pleasure is an innate and amoral desire, like that for food, sex is typically only discussed in one day in Moreau that touches only on sexual assault brief ly and gives what I, and our peer institutions, consider to be a f lawed definition of consent. No, I’m not advocating for Notre Dame to give us a full sex-ed class (though it probably could not hurt the thousands of students here who only received abstinence-only sex ed). Instead, Notre Dame should simply be realistic about the sexual habits of students and faculty and allow them to make decisions regarding their sexual health and well-being — including having sex with another consenting adult as well as obtaining and using birth control and other contraceptive measures if they so choose. UHS already suggests using condoms to prevent STIs, so providing them for free seems to be the next logical step. As Notre Dame also already fully covers Viagra, a drug used only for (typically male) sexual pleasure, the administration seemingly is supportive of men who have sex. It does not seem like it is overreaching to suggest that it is logical to also cover birth control. The long and short of the matter is that Notre Dame students have sex, and a considerable amount of it. On campus, off campus and basically anywhere they want. Especially given that we’re forcing students to stick around until they are 21, it seems absurd to think that no students will engage in this natural bodily process. Thus, we demand the University gives us the ability and tools — via real consent education as well as coverage for contraception — necessary to make our own decisions about our bodies.

Join the conversation. Submit a Letter to the Editor: Email viewpoint@ndsmcobserver.com

Anne Jarrett sophomore Feb. 20

The observer | friday, february 23, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

A response to ‘The real criminals’ Nicholas Marr Civics Corner

This morning, I read a letter to the editor titled, “The real criminals.” It is inflammatory in its tone and far-reaching in its conclusions. It was, no doubt, intended to provoke a response. I hope to offer a reasonable one. The author of this letter and I can probably agree on this: Christian guidance and American history tell us that supporting immigration to this country is good. That our ability (or, at least, our aspiration) to support and sustain a just immigration system is good. It is good because there are many who wish to build a better future for their children, and they see our country, despite all its shortcomings, as the best place to do so. It is good because a system which will help those people become citizens will allow them to enjoy the benefits of citizenship — things like legal protection from abusive working environments and their children’s education. Because of how far our current system is from this aspiration, the outrage expressed in the letter is understandable. What is not understandable is the brutal demonization of the opposing side, the endorsement of a false choice between unrestricted borders and completely closed ones and the inaccurate representation of moral responsibility. Here is the moral spectrum for which the letter fails to account. First, we cannot provide what we cannot provide. I heard a story today about a Catholic Worker house that tried to develop a weather amnesty program to shelter the homeless from below-freezing temperatures. This is surely a good intention. But the house,

with limited volunteers and space, was unable to sustain a safe and effective environment. It had to end the program. Likewise, we simply are unable to support a system of unrestricted immigration while at the same time protecting all those people who enter illegally from exploitation and crime. We can’t want to help meritorious immigrants and also push for completely unrestricted immigration. We must strike a balance. Thinking in the terms presented in the letter pushes us away from any balance and discredits any reasonable approach. The letter does not entertain the possibility that the high costs of illegal immigration could be the fault of any party but the United States government. In reality, there are a couple other culpable parties involved. While it is exceedingly difficult to enter our country legally, people who choose to enter the country without documentation and through illicit networks take on tremendous risk. They bear some responsibility for the costs of their decision. But what are the circumstances that led to their flight, and how are they treated while crossing the border? This is where the primary responsibility for the high costs of illegal immigration lies — with the governments and cartels. The Mexican government, for example, allows rampant corruption and accepts violent cartel activity across the country. It’s no wonder people want to leave. Not providing for the safety of citizens is a governmental failure of the highest order. This failure ensures that the drug cartels are the most sinister threat — a point the letter actually develops well. The cartel exploits and brutalizes people wanting to cross the border. The letter falls short when it attributes responsibility for the inhumane treatment of immigrants by the cartels to a U.S. policy of increased border security. Such responsibility would suggest that the degree of criminal activity

in spite of law necessitates a change in the law to accommodate the crimes. This notion is false. We want to protect ourselves, to the extent that we can, from the cartel violence that plays a crucial role in illegal immigration. The difficult part is balancing our good desire to help innocents with our duty to protect our nation against cartel violence. The solution, however, is not to loosen border security to accommodate the cartels. We wouldn’t be helping our people or the innocents. We wouldn’t be upholding human dignity. To simply blame ourselves and change our laws based on the immoral actions of others is foolish. To put that blame so harshly and directly on those who hold political beliefs contrary to our own is even more foolish. I agree that we must look seriously at our own policy shortcomings in immigration. We should likely change some laws. But we must not do so in light of the standards the cartels and corrupt governments set. Criminal activity cannot dictate the laws we set. We must instead look to change laws and policies with an accurate view of our own principles, of our noble aspiration to a just immigration system. We must ask ourselves what the best way to uphold human dignity is — an open border, a closed border or something more secure, more sustainable and more just? Nick Marr is a sophomore from San Diego. He is majoring in history and political science with a certificate in international security. His favorite liberal is John F. Kennedy. He knows there could be opinions other than his own, and he encourages them to be directed to nmarr@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

ND Right to Life statement on contraceptive coverage in University health plan The Executive Board of Notre Dame Right to Life appreciates the time and consideration University President Fr. John Jenkins devoted to his most recent decision regarding the health insurance plan provided by Notre Dame to its students, faculty and staff; yet we are disheartened to hear that despite being offered an exemption from covering contraceptives, abortifacients and sterilizations, the University will directly fund coverage of contraceptives through its health insurance plan. We commend the administration’s decision to take the exemption and no longer cover abortifacients and sterilizations. We also support the decision to provide funding for natural family planning options — methods which are supported by Church teaching and which uphold human dignity. However, we believe these steps forward are not nearly enough. The provision of contraception has no place in the health insurance plan of a Catholic institution. The funding of simple contraceptives for the intended purpose of preventing conception is in no way “based on Catholic principles:” on the contrary,

it is directly against the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which states that “every action which … proposes … to render procreation impossible is intrinsically evil.” Moreover, the intrinsic evil of contraception concerns not only Catholics themselves, but every member of our University community. As long as simple contraceptives remain a stain in the health care policy of Notre Dame, the persons who are being allowed this access are being encouraged to enslave love. Contraception denies men and women the fruitfulness of their love and insularizes relationships, an injustice which damages the virtue and integrity of our community — for all individuals from all faith traditions. In his letter concerning the new healthcare policy, Jenkins acknowledged those groups who may view the new policy as not restrictive enough, but we, as the leaders of Notre Dame Right to Life, wish to clarify that we find this policy not liberating enough. It is not freeing for women, whose sexual objectification is promoted with the use of contraception; it is

not freeing for men, who may be misguided by this policy in their pursuit of authentic love; and it is absolutely incompatible with our mission as a community, which seeks to know truth and grow in love. Sarah Drumm president senior Talia Caridi co-vice president of events sophomore Dan Lindstrom co-vice president of events junior Matthew Connell vice president of communications junior Feb. 21

Classifieds

The observer | friday, february 23, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Crossword | Will Shortz

Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Do your best to get ahead. Believe in yourself and your abilities. Don’t show anger when staying calm will get you where you want to go. A financial opportunity will develop from a kind gesture you offer or the input you give as a volunteer. Sign up for the causes that move you and you will make a difference. Your numbers are 7, 10, 19, 27, 33, 42, 49. ARIES (March 21-April 19): An opportunity will arise if you have been patient and willing to listen to the powers that be. Don’t let anger or opposition get to you. Stick to what you know and do best and listen to those offering positive change. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Opportunities will open up if you share your thoughts and feelings. Embrace the future with enthusiasm and with the purpose of striving for greater stability and security. Partnerships will bring out the best in you. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Dig deep and do your due diligence when dealing with peers, people who work in administrative positions, government agencies or institutions. A wrong move will turn into a learning experience that could end up being costly or ruin your reputation. CANCER ( June 21-July 22): A partnership will encourage you to try something new. Broadening your circle of friends will spark an interest in developing a skill you haven’t used for some time. Let your imagination help you find answers and solutions. LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22): Try not to overreact, spend when you shouldn’t or take on too much. When you have a choice, remain moderate and don’t get involved in something that will cause you stress or complicate your personal life. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Short trips, networking, educational pursuits and meetings are all favored. Discuss your intentions with others and you’ll be offered information that will help you fine-tune your plans. Refuse to let your personal life interfere with your professional goals. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Emotions will interfere with your train of thought. If you can’t decipher what others think or want, it may be best to observe the reactions you get as you move toward your goal. Keeping the peace may not be possible. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Be careful if someone asks you to invest too much in something risky. Consider how much you need to spend and what you can do on your own. Don’t let emotional situations lead to temptation. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):Look for new opportunities or better ways to invest your money. Don’t take a risk or let someone else handle your personal affairs. Stay focused on what’s important to you and protect your possessions and assets. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Put more time and energy into getting ahead. Professional and personal goals are favored, and greater opportunities are heading your way. Someone from your past will encourage you to mix old and new ideas together. AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You’ll be tempted to sign up for something or book a trip you cannot afford. You’ll be happy you took a pass and have money in the bank as the month comes to a close. Try to break bad habits and avoid poor influences. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Follow through with your plans. Make changes that will benefit you as well as those you love. Step up and take over. Show your strength and courage and you will gain respect and ownership of whatever you pursue. Birthday Baby: You are helpful, persistent and curious. You are openminded and ambitious.

WINGin’ it | BAILEE EGAN & Olivia wang

Sudoku | The Mepham Group

Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek

Work Area

Make checks payable to and mail to: The Observer P.O. Box 779 Notre Dame, IN 46556

Published Monday through Friday, The Observer is a vital source of information on people and events in the Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s Community. Join the more than 13,000 readers who have found The Observer an indispensable link to the two campuses. Please complete the accompanying form and mail it today to receive The Observer in your home.

Enclosed is $130 for one academic year Enclosed is $75 for one semester Name Address City State Zip

sports

ndsmcobserver.com | friday, february 23, 2018 | The Observer

nd Women’s tennis

Sports Authority

It’s the moment, not the medal Elizabeth Greason Sports Editor

While it seems my fellow columnists have not taken the opportunity that only arises for two weeks every other year to write about the Olympics and have instead chosen to focus their attention, for the most part, on the Cleveland Cavaliers, I’ve had NBC and NBC Sports running in the background of my life nonstop, watching various obscure snow sports and taking advantage of these two weeks. Let’s be honest. The United States has not lived up to many peoples’ expectations so far during these Olympic Games. With only two-thirds of the medals that medal-count-leader Norway has, America seems to be dragging behind. But honestly, that’s OK. Because the medal moments the United States has accumulated so far have been so incredible, so breathtaking, so tear-jerking, that I don’t really care what the final medal count is. Yes, of course I want my country to win every event, but if that isn’t going to happen, I want to at least be able to appreciate the wins and the winning moments that have gone into the Games so far. Let’s recap.

Women’s hockey defeats Canada in gold-medal rematch We can start with the big one. Canada took down the U.S. in the gold-medal game four years ago, and the Americans have been waiting exactly that long for a rematch and for a chance to hang those gold medals around their necks. And they did it. The game went to overtime. And then a shootout. Goaltender Maddie Rooney led the Americans to victory in a 3-2 shootout for their first gold medal since 1998.

Lindsey Vonn earns bronze in (probably) her final Olympic downhill race How can you root against Lindsey Vonn? One of the first columns I ever wrote was about how Vonn is, in my mind, the world’s best athlete. And that was before half of her injuries. So for her to come back, eight years after her first Olympic medal, is even more impressive. She may not have taken home gold as many were hoping, but finishing in the top three in the world’s most prestigious competition isn’t half bad.

U.S. earns first-ever women’s cross country medal The United States hadn’t won a cross country medal of any sort since 1976, and the women’s team had never medaled. That is until Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall took the reins in the team-sprint freestyle race in a remarkably close finish. And not only did they

medal, but they finished in the gold-medal position. Randall, who is 35 and the only mother on Team USA in Pyeongchang, finally won a medal on her 18th attempt.

Mirai Nigasu becomes first U.S. woman to land triple axel at Olympics Three American women have landed triple axels in competition — Kimmie Meissner, Tonya Harding and Mirai Nigasu. And Nigasu just became the first American to land one at the Olympics, as she did during the long-program portion of the team competition in Pyeongchang, helping the Americans to a bronze medal in the event.

Jamie Anderson wins inaugural big-air snowboarding medal Slopestyle specialist Jamie Anderson — who repeated her goal medal from Sochi in Pyeongchang in that event as well — expanded her repertoire to include the Games’ newest event: big-air snowboarding. Anderson found herself leading for most of the finals of the event, until she was knocked to the second step on the podium by the final competitor in Anna Gasser of Austria. However, Anderson’s silver medal in the event’s first appearance in the Olympics can only bode well for things to come for Team USA.

Mikaela Shiffrin medals. Twice. The young phenom was expected to take the gold in the slalom, a repeat of her win in Sochi. She didn’t. She finished just off the podium. And yet, she’s got two medals as we speak. How did that happen? Shiffrin took gold in the giant slalom the night before her slalom race and then showed up Vonn in the alpine combined, finishing in the silver slot (even more impressive because Shiffrin only has one downhill World Cup win in her career). And these are just some of the big moments from the last few days. There’s Shaun White, Chloe Kim and Red Gerard. There’s the speed skaters. There’s the bobsledders. While many may just look at the medal count and say these Olympics have been lackluster for the U.S., I say the opposite. Look at the records that have been broken. Look at the moments these athletes have shared and the history they have made. They may not have every win in the book, but they certainly have a number of medals that matter. Contact Elizabeth Greason at egreason@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Irish to face off against Panthers, Falcons By CHARLIE ORTEGA GUIFARRO Sports Writer

Notre Dame will host Pittsburgh and Bowling Green for a Saturday doubleheader, coming off a two-win doubleheader Sunday. Pittsburgh (5-2, 0-1 ACC) will be the second ACC opponent the Irish (4-2, 0-1 ACC) will face this spring season. Irish head coach Jay Louderback said the matchup with the Panthers is an important one to getting off to a good start in the conference. “For us, it’s a big one just because it’s ACC. It’s our second ACC match, and we’ve had a couple of tight [matches] with [Pittsburgh] the last couple of years, and they just had a good win over Penn State last week,” Louderback said. “Pitt’s been playing pretty well. I think it’ll be a good [match] for us — any ACC match, we know it’s going to be tough.” Bowling Green (5-2, 0-0 MAC) will be another tough opponent for the Irish. Louderback praised the Falcons for the progress they have made in the last two years. “[Bowling Green is] solid. They’ve gotten — in the last two years, they’ve really made a big jump in how many good athletes they have,” Louderback said. “They’ve had a lot of tight matches; it seems like they have a lot of close ones. [Bowling Green] being the second match of the day, we’ve just got to be ready; they’re solid and athletic — should be a good match.” The team has been preparing by attempting to emulate the

Observer File Photo

Irish sophomore Zoe Spence returns the ball during Notre Dame’s 5-2 win against Purdue on Feb. 22, 2017, at Eck Tennis Center.

competitiveness of its matches. Louderback emphasized the importance of having players practice under match-like conditions. “We’ve been working a lot, still, on trying to keep our [players] very competitive,” he said. “We’ve been making practices competitive and having [our players] get used to competing. In every match we play now — it seems like everybody is good, so every match we play we have to be ready to compete. That’s what we’ve been doing in practice, just a lot of play and having [our

players] compete.” Coming off a doubleheader last Sunday, the Irish are looking to obtain four wins in a week. Aside from practicing to match the competitiveness of matches, the team is also training to keep players refined and polished. Louderback said the way practices run throughout the week varies. “We do different things in practice. There are some days where we play more, where we’re just playing competitive sets or games,” Louderback said. “When we have those days, [the coaches] are mainly just observing — you don’t talk to the [players] on how they’re playing the points. Then, there’s some days where we just drill. We’ll have the [players] do a lot of repetition to get them to feel confident when they hit the ball. It just depends on what we do that day.” The team has not yet chosen the lineups for Saturday’s matches, but Louderback said there will not be much change from last week’s lineup. “We don’t change [the lineup] a lot, once we get going,” he said. “We just wait — a lot of it depends on [players] being healthy and just different things. We don’t completely set [the lineup] until the day before.” Notre Dame’s conference matchup with Pittsburgh get underway at 10 a.m. Saturday at Eck Tennis Pavilion, with the Bowling Green match beginning at 3 p.m.

Observer File Photo

Irish senior Allison Miller serves during Notre Dame’s 5-2 win against Purdue on Feb. 22, 2017, at Eck Tennis Center.

Contact Charlie Ortega Guifarro at cortegag@nd.edu

The Observer accepts classifieds every business day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Notre Dame office, 024 South Dining Hall. Deadline for next-day classifieds is 3 p.m. All classifieds must be prepaid. The charge is 5 cents per character per day, including all spaces. The Observer reserves the right to edit all classifieds for content without issuing refunds.

Sports

The observer | friday, february 23, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Fencing Continued from page 12

Carolina, at the Duke Duals, but the trip was cancelled due to weather. Although Duke is typically some of the top competition in the conference, Kvaratskhelia said his team will not be phased.

M Bball Continued from page 12

needed to get another quality win on our resume, and we couldn’t get it,” Brey said Monday. “That’s exhausting for us. ... It’s frustrating we haven’t been able to close them out this year.” Prominent injuries for the Irish have been what Brey called “the story of the year.” Monday’s loss added to that narrative, as the Irish were without the services of junior guard Rex Pflueger, who was ruled out prior to the contest with the Hurricanes due to a back injury, though he is expected to play Saturday. Freshman wing D.J. Harvey has been ruled out for the remainder of the season, and senior forward Bonzie Colson has returned to practice this week, but he’s not expected to play against the Demon Deacons (11-17, 4-12 ACC). But there is some light at the

While the Irish have not faced Duke this season, they have competed against North Carolina, and Kvaratskhelia said he was pleased with the results. “The last three years, it’s come down between us and Duke, but North Carolina and Boston College will also be tough to deal with,” he said. Upon their return from

Greensboro, the Irish will shift their focus to NCAA qualifications. Kvaratskhelia said the list, a national ranking based on strength of competition, will be released two weeks after the ACC championships to determine who qualifies for the national championship. The results of this weekend have no bearing on the ranking.

end of the tunnel for the Irish, as they expect to have Colson back in action for Senior Night against Pitt on Feb 28. And of the three remaining teams on Notre Dame’s schedule, No. 1 Virginia is the only team with a winning record. Despite being at the mercy of the tournament committee, the senior leadership on the team insists they are not putting too much thought into the tournament, as their main concern is finishing the regular season. “We’re not trying to worry about that; we’re just trying to worry about the next game. We’re going to get back in the gym tomorrow [and] get to work,” senior forward Martinas Geben said Monday. “We’re only worried about Wake Forest. And we’re going to control what we can control. We have to try to forget about it as fast as we can and get back to work. That’s the only thing we can do.”

Senior guard Matt Farrell agreed with Geben and said he believes Colson’s return will help Notre Dame down the regularseason stretch. “We [have] some good mojo coming — we got Bonzie back,” Farrell said. “We just have to keep fighting. We have three games left. We have to win them.” Heading into Saturday’s matchup, the Irish are 3-2 against the Demon Deacons since joining the ACC in the 201314 season, with Wake Forest’s last victory over Notre Dame coming in the first round of the 2014 ACC tournament. Although the squad’s future is uncertain at the moment, Brey’s goal remains to win out in hopes of extending his seniors’ seasons into March, he said. “I don’t know what tournament we’re going to, but I just want [Colson] to get to play something before the season ends,” Brey said. “ ... I hope I get to coach them Paid Advertisement

“The team is very motivated,” Kvaratskhelia said. “It’s not our destiny to win every single year, but hopefully we’ll be strong enough to retain the titles.” Despite the looming national competitions, Kvaratskhelia said he intends to focus on the present. “We have to stick to our

daily routine and avoid looking ahead,” he said. The men’s individual and women’s team competition will take place Saturday, followed by the women’s individual and men’s team championship Sunday. Contact Charlotte Edmonds at cedmond3@nd.edu

ZACHARY YIM | The Observer

Irish junior guard Rex Pflueger pump fakes a defender during Notre Dame’s 84-69 win over Florida State on Feb. 10 at Purcell Pavilion.

some more. I hope I get to coach them in March for a while, too.” The Irish will face off against the Demon Deacons on Saturday in Winston-Salem, North

Carolina, with tipoff scheduled for 3 p.m. Contact Mia Berry at mberry1@nd.edu

Sports

M Lax Continued from page 12

needed, and our guys did a good job of working hard for us to make some progress.” Corrigan said the goalie competition that took place during the preseason was settled after the first game. He reiterated that freshman goaltender Matt Schmidt will remain the starter for Saturday’s game, while senior goalkeeper Owen Molloy will serve as the backup. Paid Advertisement

ndsmcobserver.com | friday, february 23, 2018 | The Observer

“I think Owen will do a good job in the role that he’s in right now, but Matt is our starter,” Corrigan said. After this game, Notre Dame’s next three games will be against Maryland, Denver and Virginia, respectively. However, Corrigan said his team is not looking ahead to those matches yet and its focus is on Richmond this weekend. “We don’t look at what’s down the road,” Corrigan said. “We’re just concerned about what’s in front of us right now. Pretty clearly for our team, we have to focus on ourselves and on what is in front of us, and that is all we are worried about doing. It will all play out in the end, but it is not something that you spend a lot of time now thinking about Denver and Virginia. We got Richmond on Saturday. We can’t afford to go any further ahead than that.” The game is scheduled to start at noon on Saturday afternoon at Loftus Sports Center. Contact Michael Ivey at mivey@hcc-nd.edu

ROSIE LoVOI | The Observer

Irish junior guard Arike Ogunbowale drives past a defender during Notre Dame’s 89-59 win over Florida State on Thursday.

W Bball Continued from page 12

an established lead it would not give up the rest of the way. Irish head coach Muffet McGraw commented on this critical stretch for her team after the game. “I thought that was important just to get up, I think we got up five

Paid Advertisement

or six, and then it was 10, and then I think that was pretty much it,” McGraw said. “Arike really got going in that stretch, I think Marina got a shot during that stretch. We weren’t able to really score inside and that was our game plan to score inside, so I was thankful we were able to hit from the perimeter.” Along with the strong play of

Ogunbowale and Mabrey, sophomore guard Jackie Young was able to put up a solid performance as well, totaling 12 points and 10 rebounds. McGraw recognized how impressive the play of her three guards has been both in this game and on the season as a whole. “When you don’t have a sub, you really have to be impressed with what they’re doing out there. They’re playing hard, Jackie is one the boards, she’s making big plays. They’re trying to run the offense and spelling each other at the point a little,” McGraw said. “Arike is able to go up and score pretty consistently, and I think defensively we got a little more aggressive at times. There’s always some work to do there, but overall all three have had a tremendous year. I think all three deserve allconference accolades and [I am] certainly looking forward to having them continue to play this well and hopefully be in great shape for the ACC tournament.” A special moment in the game came for senior forward Kathryn Westbeld as she was able to score her 1,000th career point in the third quarter. Afterwards, McGraw spoke highly about Westbeld’s character and what she has meant to the team. “She is one of the most mentally-tough players that we’ve ever had. She’s somebody that is the consummate team player, always willing to give up her body and her stats for the team, and will always do exactly what you need her to do,” McGraw said. “She’s a smart player who has a really high basketball IQ. She does the little things and she glues us together. She’s poised, she’s the calm in the storm, especially against the press, and she has meant so much to our program over the last four years. She leaves a huge hole when she graduates that I’m not sure anybody can fill because she just does so many things well, and she just has such a great attitude. She’s been a joy to coach.” With the victory, the Irish extended their winning streak to 11 games with just one game left to go in the regular season, which will come Sunday at home against No. 21 North Carolina State. Notre Dame is currently tied with Louisville for the regular-season title in the ACC, so Sunday’s matchup remains critical for the Irish. On top of the implications in the standings, Sunday is Senior Say for the Irish, so McGraw recognizes the challenge that lies ahead for her team. “It’s going to be an emotional day,” she said. “It’s always tough, and it’s not going to be our last game here, so I think we can at least think of that, but for what these seniors have meant to our program, it’s going to bring so much emotion. We’ve got to be able to focus, and hopefully the underclassmen can carry the day.” The Irish will face off against the Wolfpack (22-6, 11-4) on Sunday at Purcell Pavilion. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. Contact Alex Bender at abender@nd.edu

The observer | friday, february 23, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

fencing

nd women’s basketball | nd 89, Virginia tech 59

ND heads to ACC championships

Mabrey, Young notch double-doubles in victory By ALEX BENDER

By CHARLOTTE EDMONDS

Sports Writer

On Thursday night at Purcell Pavilion, No. 5 Notre Dame was able to fend off a hot start by Virginia Tech to pull away in the second half and secure the 8959 victory. Leading the way for Notre Dame were junior guards Arike Ogunbowale — who scored a game-high 26 points — and Marina Mabrey —who posted a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds. While Notre Dame (26-2, 14-1 ACC) is typically known for getting off to hot shooting starts, the Irish of found themselves on the receiving end of a strong start from the Hokies (17-11, 6-9). Virginia Tech jumped out to a lead courtesy of particularly strong shooting, especially from deep where it was 3-of4 to start the night. Down 15-11 at one point in the first, the Irish were able to right the ship and come out of the first quarter up 26-24. In the second quarter, however, Notre Dame began to take over the game, going on a 12-0 run and securing

The Notre Dame’s men’s and women’s squads will travel to Greensboro, North Carolina, to compete in the two-day ACC championships beginning Saturday. Twenty-four of the 65 members of the team will make the trip, with four athletes representing the Irish in each category of competition. The tournament will see eight different champions crowned, as there are individual men’s and women’s titles in foil, epee and sabre as well as men’s and women’s team champions. Irish head coach Gia Kvaratskhelia said he is looking forward to seeing how the chips fall, as ACC play is always interesting due to the high level of competition. “They are two independent competitions, but all of our athletes will compete in both,” Kvaratskhelia said. His strategy throughout this week of practice has been to focus the teams and prepare them to deal with both competitions, he said.

see W BBALL PAGE 11

ROSIE LoVOI | The Observer

Irish junior guard Marina Mabrey takes a jump shot during Notre Dame’s 89-59 win over Virginia Tech on Thursday night.

Squad prepares to face Spiders Sports Writer

No. 8 Notre Dame is set to host its second-straight game to open the season when it takes on Richmond on Saturday afternoon at Loftus Sports Center. The Irish (1-0) opened the regular season with a 10-7 win over Detroit Mercy on Feb. 11. In that game, the score was tied 4-4 at halftime before the Titans (1-2) scored two goals to take a 6-4 lead early in the third quarter. Notre Dame scored the next six goals while only allowing one the rest of the way, however, to pick up its first win of the season. Sophomore midfielder Bryan Costabile scored a career-high five goals and added two assists for a seven-point outing. Senior attack Mikey Wynne added two goals of his own, while senior midfielder Brendan Collins, junior attack Ryder Garnsey and junior midfielder Brendan Gleason each notched one. The Spiders (2-1), meanwhile, are coming off of a 13-10 victory over Mount St. Mary’s on Tuesday. Irish

see FENCING PAGE 10

men’s basketball

men’s lacrosse

By MICHAEL IVEY

“If we attack every day with the same intensity, when we go to compete, we should have all our ducks in a row,” Kvaratskhelia said. The women have maintained their No. 1 ranking all season. Meanwhile, the men have recently dropped behind Harvard to the No. 2 spot nationally. Both programs are hoping to clinch their fourth-straight conference titles. “The rankings are so subjective. Last year, the women were ranked third nationally and the men were ranked fourth, but we dominated the ACC championship,” Kvaratskhelia said. “Likewise, in years past, we were ranked No. 1 and didn’t win the title.” Of the 24 athletes participating, nine finished in the top 15 at the NCAA championship. That veteran squad is joined by five freshmen. The team is coming off of a long break, having last competed in the Northwestern Duals at home on Feb. 4. It was scheduled to face Duke in Durham, North

head coach Kevin Corrigan knows his team will face a tough test from the Spiders (2-1) on Saturday. “They are a very smart and very well-coached team,” Corrigan said. “They play with a really good sense of themselves and who they are and what they can and can’t do, and they play really good defense and just don’t give away a lot of plays over the course of a game.” Corrigan said he is happy his team has had a few weeks in between its first and second games of the season. Corrigan believes the extra time and rest will benefit his team in fixing some of the problems they encountered against Detroit Mercy. “I think we were lucky we had a weekend open where we could work really hard last week to get better on things we knew we really needed to get better at and still have some time for our guys to get their legs back and get ready for this weekend,” Corrigan said. “I’m really happy that we had that extra time to get our guys prepared because it was something we see M LAX PAGE 11

Notre Dame aims to end season on high note By MIA BERRY Sports Writer

Notre Dame’s chances to qualify for the NCAA tournament have narrowed to slim to none at this point in the year. But the Irish will look to keep that chance alive when they travel to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to take on Wake Forest on Saturday. After another home loss against Miami on Monday night, the Irish (16-12, 6-9 ACC) saw their NCAA tournament status dwindle from a bubble team to a team that is likely to miss out this year. Contrary to Notre Dame teams in recent years, the Irish have struggled to finish close games, a pattern Irish head coach Mike Brey is cognizant of. However, their inability to finish down the stretch is just one of many issues that have plagued the Irish this season. And in spite of another close loss, Brey remains optimistic. “This isn’t a bad loss, but [we] see M BBALL PAGE 10

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Irish senior forward Martinas Geben takes a free throw during Notre Dame’s 77-74 loss to Miami on Feb. 19 at Purcell Pavilion.