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Volume 51, Issue 103 | tuesday, march 21, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
Seminar class travels to London Students explore English culture, history on all-expenses-paid trip over break By SELENA PONIO Associate News Editor
For 12 students in a class called “The Life and Times of Henry the VIII,” learning was not restricted to the walls of a classroom. The seminar in the College of Arts and Letters hosted an allexpenses-paid trip to London for its students to help them gain a more in-depth understanding of the culture and history behind their readings. Sophomore Jarod Luedecker was one of the students that went on the trip to London and other cities in England. He said the most moving experience came when he saw the wall graffiti on the stones of the Tower of London. “It was so intricate, and it was hard to imagine that prison was made almost 500 years ago and it still survives today,” Luedecker said. “The fact that they felt the
need to leave behind a memento was really moving.” Luedecker said they also saw the Mary Rose, Henry VIII’s Tudor warship that sank along with 300 people on it. He said he learned it sat at the bottom of the sea for 400 years, and the students got to see what was left on the ship. “They had rosaries that men carried on board, and it was moving to think about men holding those rosaries and praying while the ship sunk,” Luedecker said. Sophomore Maggie Behan said she applied to this college seminar not only because the trip to London caught her eye, but also because she had a deep fascination for history. “I think [this trip] really helped because it’s easy to talk about things in class, but they all just kind of run together,” Behan said. see LONDON PAGE 4
Observer Staff Report
Photo courtesy of Jarod Luedecker
Students traveled to London and other English cities over spring break as part of a College of Arts and Letters history seminar.
Family funds new institute Observer Staff Report
The University announced in a press release Friday that it has received a $15 million donation from South Bend residents Rafat and Zoreen Ansari and their family for the creation of a worldwide religious studies institute. According to the press release, the future Rafat and Zoreen Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion will be will be included in the Donald R. Keough
School of Global Affairs. R. Scott Appleby, the Marilyn Keough Dean of the Keough School, said in the press release that this addition to the school will provide opportunities for faculty members and students to explore the effect of religion on a global scale. “The various roles of religions in alleviating suffering, accompanying the migrant and the refugee, serving the poor and reducing violent conflict are far less
understood and publicized than the havoc created by a tiny minority of deluded religious extremists on every continent,” Appleby said in the release. “The Ansari Institute intends to change the conversation about religion — not by denying the troubling aspects of religious expression, but by directing attention to the vast good done by religions, and the even greater good they might accomplish in see ANSARI PAGE 3
Class travels to Belize By GABY JANSEN News Writer
A Saint Mary’s marine biology class took learning in depth to a whole new meaning. The class spent spring break in Belize at South Water Caye applying what it learned in the classroom life to the natural world. Saint Mary’s assistant biology professor Laura Kloepper said marine biology had not been
News PAGE 3
taught in years, but the department now plans on regularly running the class. She said this trip is part of the lab component for the class. “We’ve resurrected the marine biology class and we plan on teaching this every two years,” Kloepper said. Kloepper said studying Belize was an obvious choice because of its diverse environment. “If you’re teaching marine
Scene PAGE 5
Law student dies
biology in Indiana doing a lab is a little difficult,” Kloepper said. “[Belize] is also one of the few coral reefs that is still fairly unaffected by coral bleaching.” Kloepper said the class went boating in the morning and worked on their individual projects in the afternoon. “As a class we were doing a marine life census,” Kloepper see BIOLOGY PAGE 4
Viewpoint PAGE 6
First-year law student Travis McElmurry, 30, died in his offcampus residence where he was found Sunday night, according to a University press release. St. Joseph County coroner Michael McGann said the cause of McElmurry’s death is unknown at this time, though he saw no signs of foul play or other unnatural causes. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday morning. “As a university community, we mourn Travis’ passing,” University President Fr. John Jenkins said in the release. “Our prayers are with his family and see McELMURRY PAGE 3
Women’s choir tours over break By MARTHA REILLY Saint Mary’s Editor
Performing at venues in Colorado, Missouri, Kansas and Indiana helped members of Saint Mary’s Women’s Choir ensure their spring break didn’t fall flat. Senior Lauren Zyber said the group stayed with alumnae of the College at various stops on the tour, and seeing them in the crowd added an extra dimension of meaning to the concerts. “A lot of them were very emotional and moved by the music,” Zyber said. “Seeing them tear up in the audience … I had to force myself not to look at them because it would make me really emotional about this experience.” Several of the alumnae who housed choir members achieved professional success after graduation, Zyber said. “We stayed with a music major who is now a pulmonary specialist, a top doctor in her field,” she said. “It was really wonderful to see how successful Saint Mary’s women are.” Sophomore Grace Haase said
MEN’S BASKETBALL PAGE 12
the alumnae she encountered along the way provided her with valuable advice about discerning a career path. “One of the main things I’ve learned through choir is that it’s okay if you don’t know what you want to do after graduation,” Haase said. According to Haase, Women’s Choir maintains such a tight-knit relationship because all members are made to feel indispensable. “Everyone is important. There’s no ‘this person is better than this person.’ You have to make sure that your voice doesn’t stand out,” Haase said. Zyber said belonging to Women’s Choir enforces ideals of commitment and teamwork. “You learn about how you can blend with people and how if one person is gone it affects the whole choir,” Zyber said. “If one person is missing, it’s automatically heard, and we sound weaker. That naturally fosters a strong community.” According to Zyber, the friendships members of Women’s Choir see CHOIR PAGE 4
ND W BASKETBALL PAGE 12
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TODAY
The observer | TUesday, MARCH 21, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
Question of the Day: ndsmcobserver.com
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What was the highlight of your spring break?
P.O. Box 779, Notre Dame, IN 46556 024 South Dining Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556 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: Courtney Becker Viewpoint Editor: Mary Freeman Sports Editor: Elizabeth Greason Scene Editor: Nora McGreevy Saint Mary’s Editor: Martha Reilly Photo Editor: Emmet Farnan Graphics Editor: Lauren Weldon Advertising Manager: Olivia Treister Ad Design Manager: Madison Riehle Office Manager & General Info
Ph: (574) 631-7471 Fax: (574) 631-6927
Chip Blood
Joey Wikelski
senior off campus
junior Farley Hall
“Meeting my niece for the first time.”
“I ate Tex-Mex at least once a day.”
Natalie Hernandez
Annalise Arroyo
junior Walsh Hall
freshman Lewis Hall
“I saw a corgi.”
“Eating really good food.”
Elizabeth Whiteman
Sarah Harrison
junior Walsh Hall
junior Breen-Phillips Hall
“Hanging out with my two friends.”
“Watching Netflix.”
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(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.
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Today’s Staff News
Sports
Selena Ponio Tom Naatz Courtney Becker
Elizabeth Greason Joe Everett
Photo
Scene
Michael Yu
Adrian Mark Lore
Viewpoint
Graphics
Bailey Boesch
Lindsey Meyers
Corrections A story that ran in March 9’s paper misnamed the club Clover Award recipient Jessica Pedroza co-founded. The correct name of the club is 1stG ND. The Observer regrets this error.
MICHAEL YU | The Observer
Members of the Notre Dame band perform the Alma Mater after the men’s basketball team’s second-round NCAA tournament game Saturday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. The Irish lost to West Virginia 83-71, ending their tournament run.
The next Five days:
Want your event included here? Email news@ndsmcobserver.com
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Global Cafe: St. Patrick’s Day Edition LaFortune Student Center 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Come enjoy free food.
Readings by Hilary Plum and Zach Savich Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.
PEMCo Performance: “Grease” Washington Hall 7 p.m. PEMCo’s spring show runs through Saturday.
Last Day for Course Discontinuance Campus-wide Last day for students to drop a class without a withdrawal mark.
Indoor Cycling Spring 2017 Freebies Rockne Memorial 11 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Cycle for speed and take on the hills.
“A Show of Fire and Ice” Jordan Hall of Science 6 p.m., 7 p.m. A free, but ticketed, physics show.
Alan Schwarz Talk Medoza College of Business 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Award-winning writer discusses his work.
“What Does Trump’s Election Mean?” Hesburgh Library 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. A conversation on the Age of Trump.
Higgins Labor Cafe Geddes Hall 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. All people are welcome, and all opinions are tolerated.
Family FuNDays: Intro to Climbing Clinic Rockne Memorial 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. All are welcome.
News
ndsmcobserver.com | tuesday, march 21, 2017 | The Observer
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Married authors to speak at Saint Mary’s By GINA TWARDOSZ News Writer
Authors and married couple Elizabeth and Ned StuckeyFrench will speak at Saint Mary's on their work as well as their experiences of being married to and living with a spouse who is an author. The lecture will take place in Carroll Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Thursday. English professor Dionne
Bremyer said Elizabeth and Ned are both established writers in their own right: Elizabeth is a novelist and Ned is an essayist. “Elizabeth’s most recent book is called ‘The Revenge of Radioactive Lady,’ but she’s also written a couple short story collections and a [young adult] novel,” she said. “Ned is an essayist who’s written about the form of writing essays, and also a couple personal essays.”
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Bremyer said by hosting the two authors, students can learn more about the different dynamics of writing, as well as meet prolific members of contemporary society. “We get to see the way two artists live and work together and think about what that dynamic is like, but we also get to think about the different paths we use to get to essay versus fiction, or think about what makes an essay versus what makes a short story and how we decide which is which,” she said. “As well, they’re just amazing prolific writers and teachers, so I thought they would be wonderful people to have on our campus. And they’re also from Indiana, so there’s a nice local connection there, too.” Bremyer said hosting visiting writers is a great way for students to obtain guidance for their own writing careers as well. “One thing that’s important for students to see is how the messy writing done in the classroom translates into a career,” she said. “It’s not always a straight line where the student graduates school and immediately becomes a writer. What does [being a writer] even mean, what does it look like, and how do we get from A to B? It’s important to see and talk about the process that artist’s have and for students to think about that as beginning artists and think about what they can learn from
artists who have been practicing for a long time.” Bremyer said inviting a visiting artist or writer to campus can be an intimate experience and is rewarding for all those involved. “What other setting do you get that’s so intimate to talk with an artist one on one?” she said. “If you read an interview of them in a magazine, you might get some guidance from that but it’s nice to be able to ask questions and be in dialogue with the artist.” Bremyer said that while writing and English majors have the most to gain from attending the presentation, all majors can and will benefit. “Everyone should come,” she said. “It’s a chance to meet and interact with someone who is living and practicing in the world of art. Sometimes we look at writing or art as something that happens at a distance. We should think about what contemporary artists bring to the world and what it’s like to be living in this contemporary moment.” Bremyer said visiting artists allow students to open themselves up to contemporary culture. “Some of the value, too, for all majors is thinking about writing itself,” she said. “Students spend a lot of time in school where they’re assigned things and they have to read things, and they don’t necessarily think about the kind of citizens they’re going to be in the world after they get out into the world. Sometimes
where I see students struggle after college is moving on without reading lists or some guidance in how to do things, and part of the process of being in college is learning about culture and learning about contemporary culture and how to interact with it. Even if a student plans on becoming a mathematician, there’s still value in thinking about contemporary art and contemporary culture and what is able to be gained from it.” Bremyer said visiting writers expose us to art in a way that can fulfill our innermost human desires and help us navigate the complexity of the world. “All good art speaks to what it means to be human,” she said. “Our essential desire is story, regardless of what we’re interested in. Constantly, we tell each other stories. If you think about conversations and interactions you have, it’s always storytelling. We’re always trying to get people to understand and empathize with our experience, or we’re trying to empathize with the experiences of others. We’re figuring out what it means to be human in this world — which is innately complicated and painful and sometimes joyous. It’s good to have art to filter that through. It helps us understand the experience of being human and couldn’t we all use a guide in that?”
McElmurry
release. In an email sent to students Monday morning, Vice President of Student A ffairs Erin Hoffmann Harding said the Universit y Counseling Center (UCC) and Campus Ministr y resources are available to all members of the Notre Dame communit y, even during spring break. A campus memorial mass w ill be announced and held soon, according to the email.
Contact Gina Twardosz at gtwardosz01@saintmarys.edu
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Continued from page 1
many friends. May God grant them consolation in this time of sorrow, and may Notre Dame, Our Lady, watch over them.” McElmurr y was from Granada Hills, California, and received his undergraduate degree from Pepperdine Universit y, according to the
Ansari Continued from page 1
partnership with universities and other public and private institutions.” The Ansari family said in the release they hope the institute will “help foster partnerships globally and locally,” and bring together communities “through a shared understanding of certain guiding principles inherent in all the world’s religions.” “Notre Dame is well positioned to understand and enhance the role of religions and religious people in addressing systematic problems like poverty and violence – something we care about deeply,” the Ansaris said in the release. “Having raised our family and built our lives
in this community, so close to Notre Dame, we determined that now is the ideal time to partner with the University in this new way.” University President Fr. John Jenkins said in the release that he is grateful for the prospect of deeper interfaith understanding within the University this donation presents. “The need for people of faith to focus on what unites us rather than on what divides us has never been more urgent,” he said in the release. “This extraordinary gift from an esteemed local Muslim family, longtime friends of Notre Dame, will allow us to bring together scholars of the first order to foster dialogue and deepen understanding. We are immensely grateful to the Ansaris for making this aspiration a reality.”
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NEWS
The observer | tuesday, march 21, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
Biology Continued from page 1
said. “We are [going to] be sharing those data with an organization in Belize that tracks the organisms across the reefs.” Senior biology major Casey Moorhead said during the trip the students saw what they learned in the classroom come to life by actually seeing the fish and algae of Belize. “We’ve been learning about fish identification, algae [identification] and we were able to apply what we learned in the class in the field over break,” Moorhead said. Senior biology major Ally Pudlo said in an email that the class learned about how different organisms interact as well as their roles in the environment. “We learned about the different interactions that occur at the reefs between fish and the corals,” Pudlo said. “We also learned about how vital the mangroves are to the environment and what they provide for the fish and the people.” Moorhead said the main purpose of the trip was for the class to learn first-hand about coral reefs. “Mostly this trip was going out in the field and learning about different composition of the different reefs around there,” Moorhead said. Kloepper said the best way her biology students can learn is by
experiencing and dealing with a situation when nothing is going according to plan. “When you’re out in the field doing field work nothing ever goes according to plan,” Kloepper said. “So it was really good for the students to be able to … learn how to adapt their experiments according to these real world scenarios.” Kloepper said her students adapted to field research quickly while facing challenges. “The students became very good field biologists overnight,” Kloepper said. “There was a lot of frustration, but a really important part of science is understanding that those frustrations are natural and learning how to change your experiment based on any challenges that come up.” While there were some frustrations, the students said overall they had a good time. Moorhead said she enjoyed the class’ night snorkel where it saw animals that were only out at night. “We did a night snorkel one night … we were all with our dive lights swimming around the reef and you would look to your left or right and it would just be complete darkness,” Moorhead said. “So we saw an eel, stingrays and then a sea star that opens up at night which was really cool.” Contact Gaby Jansen at gjanse01@saintmarys.edu
Choir Continued from page 1
develop play integral roles in improving the quality of their performances. “When people care about each other, they’re just naturally going to sing better together,” she said. “It increases morale, and that connection can actually really affect your sound. When you’re singing with people that you can connect with, it becomes something really special, and I think that transfers to the music.” Zyber said performing with Women’s Choir enables her to learn from those around her. “One of the things that
London Continued from page 1
“But when you’re able to see and touch and feel the things you’ve talked about, it makes it more real, and it makes it come to life.” Luedecker said he now has a physical experience to supplement his learning from class. He said at one point they visited Hampton Court Palace, a palace he had read about previously in class. He said they had read about so many palaces in class that they started to blend Paid Advertisement
is great about choir is that you get a lot of people from different backgrounds and majors and disciplines and fields,” she said. “Choir is not talked about as a team sport, but it really is. When you sing in a choir, you learn about how you can listen to other parts.” Zyber said she was happy to see first-year students enjoying the touring experience, since she strives to welcome them into the group. “It was really great to see the freshmen blossom,” she said. “Being a senior, it’s interesting to think about how I am a leader in the choir. I think back to ... how much I looked up to the
upperclassmen.” Students should embrace the opportunity to listen to the choir’s music at its upcoming concert, which will take place at 7:30 p.m. on March 24 in the Church of Our Lady of Loretto, according to Zyber. According to Zyber, knowing the Saint Mary’s community supports Women’s Choir energizes the group’s performances. “Not only are we sharing our music, but we’re also sharing the gift of Saint Mary’s,” Zyber said. “That’s why we sing.”
together, but he now has a memory to associate with the place as a result of the trip to London. Luedecker, a history major, said although the class was heavily related to history and required a lot of reading, he thought it was relevant to everyone, no matter their major. He said anyone could benefit from seeing the places they saw on their trip and that it added an extra dimension to their learning. By traveling to the places they learned about, they gained a more profound reverence for the culture and
time period that their readings came from, Luedecker said. “There’s so much history there,” Luedecker said. “That period of architecture, you could tell right when you looked at it because of the red brick and spiral chimneys. “It gives you a deeper connection with the history, and you understand the significance of events that happened 500 years ago.”
Contact Martha Reilly at mreilly01@saintmarys.edu
Contact Selena Ponio at sponio@nd.edu
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The observer | tuesday, march 21, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
By NORA McGREEVY Scene Editor
In her recently released Netflix special, “The Leather Special,” Amy Schumer walks onstage in an all-leather ensemble brimming with casual confidence. One of the first jokes she cracks is about her outfit. “Every comedian has a special where they wear only leather and they regret it later,” she quips before veering into a cuss-laced rant about how uncomfortable she feels in the outfit. “Already regret it — already regret it. Very overheated!” The irony is that, at the same time, Schumer appears radically comfortable onstage. An Emmy-nominated and winning comedian, Schumer possesses a fearless, magnetic stage presence. She’s dynamic and expressive, acting out raunchy scenes with reckless abandon and traversing the stage like it’s her very own living room, or maybe — given the nature of the jokes — her very own university residence hall. Schumer’s style of joke-telling, and the graphic content upon which her jokes rely, can either land as enormously off-putting or incredibly hilarious, depending on the setting and the audience. True to the theme established in her previous specials, most recently “Mostly Sex Stuff” in 2012 and “Live at the Apollo” in 2015, the bulk of Schumer’s content is raunchy to the extreme. She deals primarily in sex jokes and physical comedy,
By MIKE DONOVAN Scene Writer
As frontman for the Montreal-based noise-rock quartet Ought, Tim Darcy dealt largely with the macro. The group, comprised entirely of American expats, painted harsh images of Montreal’s urban nightlife with serrated guitar strokes, tweaked deadpan deliveries and needlepoint lyricism. Darcy and his bandmates saw themselves as a third-party link between Montreal’s lucid streets and Ought’s poignant post-punk. The grew their mythos out of detachment. Darcy’s debut solo effort, “Saturday Night,” stands in stark contrast to his work with Ought. It replaces the macro with the micro, detachment with introspection and dissonance with melody. Of course, these abrupt shifts are to be expected; we’ve seen them before. Look at the unabashed pop of Lou Reed’s self-titled solo debut in light of his mind-bending experimental work with the Velvet Underground, or maybe Paul Westerberg’s heavyhanded embrace of the guitar ballad as he methodically established his hegemony over fellow punks in the Replacements. The noise and clamor of band-produced music typically gives way to intimacy when a brilliant songwriter is involved. Darcy is a brilliant songwriter — or at least on his way to becoming one. If you pull back Ought’s cold angular arrangements, you’ll find that Darcy’s Ought lyrics prefigure the keen sensitivity that defines “Saturday Night.” “I’m no longer afraid to die / because that’s all I have left,” Darcy concedes on Ought’s signature track “Beautiful Blue Sky,” shedding an individual light on the sociopolitical rant that precedes it. The decrepit nature of the macro world, Darcy seems to say, frees the individual to explore without fearing the consequences.
the vast majority of which are unfit to print here or in the pages of any other publication. In “The Leather Special,” Schumer hits the ground running, launching into a full 40 minutes of sexually explicit material. It’s shocking and vulgar — especially because as soon as you think Schumer might lay off the sex jokes for a bit, she swings back with a vengeance. It’s shocking, and the shots of audience members’ faces reflect this: they’re laughing with mouths wide open, gaping and a bit dazed. And that, for the most part, is the point: to subvert boundaries and deliver the exact kind of authentic or explicit content that Schumer wants to communicate, deferring to nobody. In my opinion, however, the raunchiest bits of the show — which comprise the majority of the special — start to feel repetitive around minute 20, and verge on worn-out around the half hour mark. Luckily, Schumer changes direction for an extended segment about forty minutes into her special, and delivers a heartfelt critique of lax American gun policies. “If you’re blind,” she riffs, “you can walk into a gun store … hopefully,” and then throws out another pointed line, “Can we just work on not giving guns to mentally ill terrorists who are blind and beating their wives?” This is the social-justice oriented Schumer that won Emmys for the skit-based TV show “Inside Amy Schumer,” combining Schumer’s absolute fearlessness to take risks
with an ability to riff off-the-cuff on social issues in a way that makes them accessible and also poignant. Her speech — and it truly feels like a speech, compared with the rest of the production — oscillates between silly and serious, littered with cuss-words yet delivered with sobering gravitas. In my opinion, while the rest of the show felt trite, these ten minutes succeeded. Schumer ends the show with a creative callback to her very first joke, which is both surprising and delightful. She continues to make fun of her own appearance by comparing herself to a Victoria’s Secret Angel. The punchline doesn’t come until the very last second, when she flippantly declares that it doesn’t, in the end, matter — “That b---- will never be brave!” The ending exemplifies many of the characteristics of the show as a whole — an occasionally confusing mix of sincere and insincere, of self-deprecation and selfappreciation delivered jointly in quick succession along with moments of pointed social critique paired with looser slapstick bits. That being said, Schumer is correct in that her humor warrants attention — she’s already gotten significant online hate for the show, and it’s sure to continue in the coming months. Being Amy Schumer requires a distinct brand of bravery, one which Schumer possesses in good measure.
“Saturday Night” marks the culmination of Darcy’s fearless explorations. He’s no longer willing to hide behind strange chord structures and poetic angst. Experimental post-punk, while it appears dangerous, is actually quite safe. Its inaccessibility serves as an impenetrable bubble, obscuring the musician’s nuanced emotional intricacies in a disorienting fuzz. Pop, on the other hand, has no protective barrier. If you only have a few minutes and a few chords, transparency is your only option. The album’s standout track, “Still Waking Up,” is also its most accessible. The bonafide love song makes stylistic allusions to John Cale and Roy Orbison and lyrical allusions to the early work of the Beatles. “Waking up alone / Was always a hard day’s night,” Darcy croons over some delightfully rootsy guitar bedrock, “Cause my head is full of popular songs.” The track is an admittance of sorts. He’s pledging himself to pop’s universal affectations over the critic-pleasing calculations of post-rock. “First Final Days” embraces these popular affectations with greater referential depth. The instrumental piece would be right at home behind the vocals of indie-pop trailblazers like Galaxie 500 and the Pastels. The bustle ode brings the listener to a time when the edgier crowd favored the off-beat melodic mannerism of twee and indiepop was synonymous with controlled chaos. “Tall Glass of Water,” the album’s second single, conjoins two distinct pop-structure songs in an uneasy marriage, inserting a sliver of rage into the new palatable imperative. The first minute borrows heavily from the Velvet Underground’s three-chord rippers on “Loaded,” while the second two present cohesive Strokes-style instrumentation with a post-punk sheen. The Frankensteinian structure makes the track, like the monster, both alarming and genial. Darcy doesn’t completely abandon the disgruntled edge
of his Ought days. “St. Germaine,” a spiritual twin to “Still Waking Up,” takes its predecessors’ pop sensibility and colors it three shades darker. The noise-rock traditionalism of the title track, the piano fueled balladry of “What’d You Release?” and the shoegaze of “Beyond Me” — which recalls Cocteau Twins — accompany “St. Germain” in safeguarding Darcy’s familiar dark side. The resulting B-side exhudes an air of shocking morbidity, perfectly counterbalancing the ephemerality of the A-side. “Saturday Night’s” unstable position between the pop and the experimental marks a major advance for the noise rock and Americana subgenres. Darcy proves intelligent intimacy can glue the diametrically opposed disciplines together. His honest songwriting effectively renders genre barriers pointless. With this in mind, it would be more accurate to say that “Saturday Night” reestablishes the purpose of the solo record. Darcy’s solo debut isn’t just an excuse to try a softer and quieter genre. It’s a quest to dig deeper and explore the variable caverns of his inner life. It’s an expansive, standalone artistic statement as opposed to a mere side project.
Contact Nora McGreevy at nmcgreev@nd.edu
Contact Mike Donovan at mdonov10@nd.edu
“Saturday Night” Tim Darcy Label: Jagjaguwar If you like: Ought, The Velvet Underground, Kevin Morby Tracks: “Still Waking Up,” “St. Germaine”
LINDSEY MEYERS | The Observer
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The observer | tuesday, march 21, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
Inside Column
Redemptive qualities of ‘The Bachelor’ Brenna Moxley Sports Writer
“The Bachelor” is a dating game show that began airing 15 years ago on ABC. It now has 21 seasons and its partner show, “The Bachelorette,” has 12 seasons, which span from 2003 to the present. I began watching these two shows with Emily Maynard’s season of The Bachelorette in the summer of 2012. Since then, I have relied on these shows — and let’s not forget Bachelor in Paradise — to provide me with both enjoyment and an escape from reality on Monday evenings. By watching a two-hour dramafilled reality show once per week, I allow myself a small amount of time to not stress about exams, papers and deadlines. The episodes, regardless of the common belief that they lack truth, allow individuals to experience a multitude of feelings. For example, while getting to know contestants on the show, you learn about difficult circumstances in their lives, including: past heartbreaks, the passing of a parent or fiancé or the struggle of being a single parent. These tearjerker moments allow people to feel empathy, even towards a person they’ve never met. The gossiping and cattiness that occurs in the show allows a person to feel grateful that they are not a contestant on the show — or anywhere close to it. An average individual would never experience, or allow, this much drama in their daily lives. Therefore, these shows grant us the opportunity to watch entertaining, funny, even ridiculous drama, without having to deal with it in the real world. Furthermore, we, as viewers, get to watch love unfold in a way that is foreign to us. Who else, besides the Bachelor or Bachelorette, gets to have more than 25 eligible, attractive people fighting for their attention? This viewing platform allows for outright, harsh criticisms and lashing out at certain contestants without any consequences or backlash. For example, after a rough Monday, you can blame your horrible day on how terrible Corinne’s hair looks. Watching this show allows you to join in on your friends’ pool and make your bracket deciding on who will get eliminated each week. You can have viewing parties with other Bachelor fans, filled with smack talking, laughing at Nick’s awkwardness and wondering why these questionable individuals get to travel the world and you don’t. Although it is ludicrous that 25 individuals show up to the mansion in Hollywood believing that they are going to “find love,” viewers do end up connecting with certain contestants. Additionally, it is hard to not pick favorites and hope that the girl or guy you can relate most with gets chosen. There are also real elements to the show, including getting rejected, crying after a rough night, and being nervous around the person you like — situations we all know firsthand. While this season of The Bachelor was — personally, not up to par — I would still recommend you give this television series a chance. It provides you an escape from reality and it grants you the opportunity to laugh, cry and yell all in one two-hour episode. So grab a friend, grab some pizza and join the party. Contact Brenna Moxley at bmoxley@nd.edu The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
A letter of thanks from Fr. Jenkins Dear members of the Notre Dame community, I want to thank you for the many prayers and expressions of support you’ve extended to me and my family since the passing of my mother, Helen Condon Jenkins, on Feb. 13 in my hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. My mother had children and grandchildren graduate from Notre Dame, and she loved the school and the Notre Dame community. Your kindness has been a great comfort to us.
I will offer a Memorial Mass celebrating her life on Thursday, March 23 at 5:15 p.m. in the Basilica. Anyone who would like to join us would be most welcome. In Notre Dame, Rev. John Jenkins University President March 20
Fossil fuel and moral obligation As a Catholic institution, Notre Dame prides itself as a moral leader. In order to operate in a socially responsible way, Notre Dame’s Investment Office follows investment guidelines from The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The USCCB is composed of bishops representing Catholics throughout the U.S. with a mission to promote social justice and foster community through collaboration with churches and other organizations at home and abroad. The guidelines aim to protect human life and dignity by explicitly discouraging investment in industries such as abortion, contraceptives and weapons. They also list protection against human rights violations, racial discrimination and gender discrimination as essential to investing in a responsible way. The guidelines encourage institutions to keep their faith and the people they are called to protect in the forefront of their minds when investing. These guidelines are a manual for organizations seeking to act in accordance with Catholic Social Teaching. They provide a vital foundation for making ethical investments. They are, however, just guidelines. While they explicitly forbid investment in a few industries that harm the vulnerable people of the world, they mostly provide general language open for interpretation. Last updated in 2003, the guidelines do not yet reflect our contemporary understanding of care for our environment as described in Laudato Si’. Pope Francis’s encyclical calls for us to rise to the challenge posed by human-caused climate change. The last two sections of the USCCB guidelines, titled “Encouraging Corporate Responsibility” and “Protecting the Environment,” state that care for the environment should be a “central concern” for both industry leaders and investors. They do not explicitly discourage investment in fossil fuels, an industry whose business plan prioritizes the comfort of the already privileged at the expense of the poor and marginalized. The broad, sweeping nature of the guidelines leaves plenty of room for institutions to express “concern” without implementing policies which, in practice, bring about solutions to address current environmental crises. Since 2013, students in Fossil Free ND have led a campaign calling for the University to address this shortcoming. Last fall, Fossil Free ND circulated a petition calling for Notre Dame to divest from fossil fuels and pursue a stronger renewable energy commitment. The petition garnered nearly 1,200 signatures and was delivered to the administration on Dec. 1. Despite commending the University for its “ambitious” sustainability plan at the time of its release last fall, Fr. Jenkins responded to the Fossil
Free ND petition by writing that he is “reluctant to make ambitious commitments when neither I nor my colleagues will be in our current positions and accountable for meeting them,” in a Feb. 6 letter to Fossil Free ND. Catholic Social Teaching places emphasis on giving preferential options for the poor and vulnerable. The USCCB guidelines state, “The ecological problem is intimately connected to justice for the poor. ... The poor suffer most directly from environmental decline.” The poor throughout the world tend to suffer the worst effects of fossil fuel extraction, and people living in developing nations lack the means to adapt or relocate their communities after they are devastated by environmental catastrophes. Delaying action any longer is exacerbating an already-serious problem. In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis explicitly states “technology based on the use of highly polluting fossil fuels ... needs to be progressively replaced without delay.” Notre Dame’s passivity is not only untimely but unethical. We have failed to do what we know to be just and that is no less of a sin than directly committing an injustice. Fossil fuel divestment is not a political issue, but a moral one. In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis calls us to “replace consumption with sacrifice, greed with generosity, wastefulness with a spirit of sharing.” Notre Dame does not invest in abortion or embryonic stem cell research for good reason, and investing in companies that destroy our common home is no different. Notre Dame’s inability to see and act on this displays a lack of foresight and courage, and we demand more from our university. Brittany Benninger sophomore Janaya Brown freshman Greg Campion freshman Emily Clements junior Anna Scartz freshman Dillon Wintz freshman March 6
The observer | tuesday, march 21, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
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Wick flick Stephen Raab Let’s Talk Smart
While on the eight-hour spring break bus ride (after time change) from Notre Dame to Minnesota, I was scrolling through my Facebook feed when I came across a New York Times opinion piece by Gloria Steinem. The piece, titled “Women Have ‘Chick Flicks.’ What About Men?” is largely a reprint of a 2007 essay. In it, Steinem tells the story of a man she sat next to on a plane who, when offered a film selection, loudly declared “I don’t watch chick flicks!” Steinem uses this incident as a jumping-off point to develop an as-yet-undefined term for the opposite of a chick flick, which she calls a “prick flick.” Under this umbrella she groups films that “glorify” war from World War II to the present, horror flicks in which male killers stalk vulnerable women, or other genres she considers to subjugate women. Funnily enough, I found myself thinking back to the last thing I’d seen that Steinem would have tagged with the “prick flick” label — “John Wick: Chapter 2.” This film, which follows Keanu Reeves as the titular unretired hitman, is the most violent action movie I’ve seen since “The Raid 2” (which I still maintain was robbed for 2014’s Best Foreign
Language Film Oscar). It’s an hour and a half of murder, with flawless cinematography that refuses to let the viewer miss a second of the spectacle. The plot is almost completely irrelevant, existing mostly to provide an excuse for Reeves to shoot more people in the head. There are exactly two women of note in the script — one gets a sexualized death, and the other never speaks. Yet despite all this, I can’t say I’d label “John Wick: Chapter 2” a “prick flick.” Sure, it’s got a lot of guys in it, and they’re all doing very aggressive, violent things to one another instead of using their words. But I never got the sense that he was doing this as a way of proving his masculinity. Contrast something like “300”, “Sin City,” or really anything Frank Miller’s ever touched, where violent aggression is something that men do because they’re men. Reeves has neither the bodybuilder physique of Rambo nor the chauvinistic demeanor of any incarnation of James Bond; John Wick mostly just seems tired. But the clearest indication to my mind that “John Wick: Chapter 2” is not a “prick flick” is simple — it is not a bad movie. It may seem strange to claim that that alone disqualifies it from the “prick flick” label, but when have you ever heard someone praise a movie by calling it a “chick flick”? Certainly, there are plenty of films that star women and are geared heavily towards to female audiences, yet escape
condemnation as “chick flicks” because of their high quality. I think here of 2015’s “Brooklyn,” which was one of my favorite films of that year. Suppose, on the other hand, that Steinem believes that “chick flick” is not inherently a negative descriptor? If so, I suppose the “prick flick” designation is still useful, but as a value-neutral label, the way you would call a film a “creature feature” or “road movie.” Steinem’s tone has something of the snarl word about it; presumably, she is attempting to ape the connotations that “chick flick” has (undeservedly) acquired. Ultimately, it would be nice if we could move past the quality-focused implications of “chick flick” or the proposed “prick flick”. Gendering film only means that men and women will lose out on watching films they would otherwise appreciate. Maybe I’m just starry-eyed, but I look forward to the day when we can all feel comfortable watching what we like, especially if it involves a 52-year-old Ted Logan dispatching would-be assassins with a pencil. Whoa. Stephen Raab, an MSM Candidate at the Mendoza College of Business, graduated Notre Dame with a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering in 2016. He enjoys matching wits with all comers at sraab@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
How to stop worrying and love unions Devon Chenelle The Gadfly
It is no secret America’s unions have seen better days. Only one in 10 Americans in the workforce are members of a union. The percentage of private employees with union membership is now under seven percent, the lowest proportion since 1932, and their public counterparts are faring little better, as across the country, staggeringly insolvent municipalities duck their pension obligations. Even their political punch is reduced, as the flood of money that rushed into American politics after “Citizens United” has made it difficult for unions to keep up in the fundraising arms race. Some might think this a cause for celebration to any true conservative, as frustrated by the economic costs and inefficiencies unions impose as they are angered by unions’ steadfast support of leftist politicians. Yet to toast the decline of America’s unions would be foolish, for if unions’ decline continues, we will all pay the price. Though industrial labor unions only appear in the second half of our nation’s history, their roots in, and importance to, the American psyche were anticipated in one of the most prescient political works ever written. When Alexis de Tocqueville traveled across our nascent republic, he found that “nothing ... is more deserving of our attention than the intellectual and moral associations of America.” Tocqueville did not think it a coincidence “the most democratic country on the face of the earth” was one where associations were constantly formed, for he believed the civic bodies thus popularly created were integral to the success of the republic itself. Tocqueville was right to place such importance in America’s voluntary associations, for they simultaneously
suppressed the worst attributes (egoism, avarice, isolation) of American individualism and checked the potential excesses of a majority government. The voluntary associations described by Tocqueville are a perfect example of a mediating institution, a corporate body that, standing between the central government and the individual citizen, precludes the central government from certain spheres of life as well as insulating the individual from the often oppressive arm of Uncle Sam. Conservatism is defined, or at least has been since 1789, in great part by the fear of state power rising to unchecked supremacy over the population. An intellectually honest conservative must then support such mediating institutions, of which labor unions are an excellent example, that buffer the individual from the state. The modern state has mushroomed from a modest entity concerned almost exclusively with martial projects and regal comfort into a leviathan whose tendrils extend to nearly all areas of human experience. The individual man, once shielded from the emanations of the generally isolated central government by layers of mediating institutions — Church, guild, and city being only the most prominent — is now more exposed than ever to the caprices of the administrative state. In such a situation, the few remaining potent mediating institutions are of ever greater importance and ought be cherished and defended. Perhaps G.K. Chesterton best described labor unions’ significance, writing “in modern constitutional countries there are practically no political institutions thus given by the people; all are received by the people. There is only one thing that stands in our midst, attenuated and threatened, but enthroned in some power like a ghost of the Middle Ages: the Trades Unions.” Today our labor unions
are threatened by the gaping maws of the homogenous administrative state and omnivorous international capital. Should they engulf labor unions, we will have lost a irreplaceable element of our national identity, all for the sake of a few dollars in a businessman’s pocket. I can hear complaints about labor costs, corruption, and unnecessary regulations. I reply there is something higher than a quarterly earnings report at stake here, for it is the very soul of our republic we are bargaining away. We as a people must stop worshiping the golden calves of cold capitalist efficiency and profit maximization, for the sacrifices, forced upon the poor and the under-educated, made to those graven images shall stain our nation’s history as surely as any to Baal Hammon. Some day Americans will be forced to ask themselves whether our highest national god is that of Smith, Marx and Keynes or that of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Let us pray we have not fallen too far when that day comes. Two months into the reign of President Trump, the policies, assumptions and third rails of yesteryear do not even need to be discarded, for they are already gone. In such times, a shift by conservatives towards a pro-union policy that protects the welfare of the nation and society they claim to hold so dear would hardly qualify as radical, and would indeed make the party platform more coherent under a Republican president who openly bashes free trade and labor mobility before adoring proletarian crowds. Devon Chenelle is a junior in Keough Hall. He is a history major with an Italian minor. He can be reached at dchenell@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
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ndsmcobserver.com | tuesday, march 21, 2017 | The Observer
Crossword | Will Shortz
Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Travel, learning and partnerships should be your priority. Express your thoughts and pick up whatever knowledge, experience or skills you require to reach your goals. Change is favored and should be based on your relationship with someone you consider your counterpart. Personal changes will help to improve your standard of living. Romance is highlighted. Your numbers are 3, 8, 23, 28, 30, 34, 46. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Sign up for something that captures your attention. The experience you gain and the skills and information you have acquired through the years will encourage you to send out your resume. Personal improvements and romance are encouraged. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Dig up pertinent information regarding your investments, a pending deal or issues concerning your health. A couple of adjustments will put you in a favorable position to make a move. Do the work and you will gain respect and rewards. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Do what you can to help others, but don’t let anyone take you for granted. Work alongside someone instead of taking on their responsibilities. Be a mentor, not a controller. The greatest satisfaction will come from shared success. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Remain calm no matter what transpires today. Someone will test your patience, and temptation will lead to situations that could be costly. Partnerships will need to be handled with diplomacy and compassion if you want to keep the peace. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Experience will be the key to getting ahead. Live and learn as you forge into new territory. Express your feelings and engage in talks that will make you reconsider the best way to move forward. Personal improvements will lead to compliments. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Stop thinking about all the things you have to accomplish and just start doing them. Taking action will bring the results you are looking for and should encourage you to take on new projects that inspire you to do even more. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Watch your step when dealing with others. Not everyone will be on the same page, making it difficult to bring about the changes you want at home or at work. Overreacting will put a wedge between you and someone you love. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Use your imagination when dealing with matters that will influence partnerships or your home environment. It’s important to feel comfortable and at ease in your surroundings if you want to accomplish your goals. Do what needs to be done. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Be productive and pointed about how you go about your day. Giving in to laziness or meddling in other people’s affairs will result in a lack of success. Don’t pass up an opportunity to get ahead at work. Networking will be fruitful. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Don’t share secrets or agree to changes you don’t agree with. Look for a way to move forward alone if you can’t come to terms with the choices you have. Insecurity will lead to impulsive decisions and regret. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Get it together. Use discipline and willingness to bring about change and you will excel. Trust in your ability to set the foundation for improvement in your life as well as in your community. Be ready to fight for your rights. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You’ll face limitations and frustrations if you are unrealistic or unable to face facts. Honesty and self-assessment will encourage you to do what it takes to improve your skills, knowledge and future. Don’t sit back when you should be moving forward. Birthday Baby: You are outgoing, worldly and adventuresome. You are charming and popular.
JUST ADD WATER | Eric carlson & John Roddy
Sudoku | The Mepham Group
Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek
Draw comics. Email Ben at bpadanil@nd.edu
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Sports Authority
Resting players is a loss for NBA fans Daniel O’Boyle Sports Writer
Imagine you’re a lifelong Cleveland Cavaliers fan, living in Los Angeles. You’ve watched LeBron James carry an otherwise weak Cavaliers team to consistent playoff berths and a finals appearance, leave for Miami, return to Cleveland and eventually carry your team a championship with an all-time great finals performance. You raise your kids as loyal Cavaliers fans too. They watched the finals with you. They want to grow up to be LeBron. You check the Cavaliers’ 2016-2017 schedule when it comes out, and notice the team will be in Los Angeles for two games visiting the Clippers and Lakers. After hearing that your friends the Anderson’s got tickets to the game, you decide to save up and get your family tickets to the Clippers-Cavaliers game on March 18. You and your kids can’t wait to finally see LeBron, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in person. Until Tyronn Lue announces the Cavaliers inactives — Love, who had been recovering with an injury, misses out, but you can live with that; but Kyrie is out too, which upsets you and the kids you’ve taught to keep an open mind to f lat-eartherism; and worst of all, the greatest basketball player in the world is inactive too. Cleveland’s starting lineup is Deron Williams, J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye and Tristan Thompson. They lose by 30 points, with no player scoring more than 12. You can’t get any tickets to see the Cavaliers play the Lakers the next day. You’re not sure if you’ll have the time or the money to go to another game when the Cavaliers next come to Los Angeles. You just wasted your money to see a weakened Cavaliers team get blown out. That’s a situation that may well have occurred for last week’s Cavaliers-Clippers game, when Cleveland rested all of its “Big Three.” That’s not the only time Cleveland has done it this season
either, resting the trio for other games such as a trip to Miami earlier this month. And nor are the Cavaliers the only team to do this. When the Warriors met the Spurs on March 11 — in what would normally be one of the most anticipated matchups of the season — Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were all rested. Combined with Kevin Durant’s absence due to injury, the entire Warriors “Big Four” was missing. Fans instead were able to watch rookie Patrick McCaw go 0-for-12 shooting in a comfortable Spurs win. It’s hard to blame teams for this. The fact is that the system favors giving stars regular rest. An 82-game regular season just for the right to higher seeding and home court advantage for the playoffs means that coaches are nearly always making the right call by effectively throwing a few near-meaningless games. Last year, the better-rested Cavaliers defeated the greatest regular season team of all time because the Warriors wasted too much energy fighting with the Spurs for the top seed in the West and with the ‘96 Bulls for the all-time record single-season win total. Teams that perform in the regular season but underwhelm in the playoffs are at best forgotten and at worst become the butt of jokes, so it only makes sense to play to the system and let a few regular season games slide. That may make sense for the coaches at least, but for the fan who scrapes together money for a ticket to see his or her heroes declared inactive, it’s a tough loss. If the system favors letting a team’s main draws sit, then maybe it needs changed. The regular season should be shortened or its games should be better spaced-apart. If fans can’t go to games expect to see a team’s healthy stars, then something isn’t right. Contact Daniel O’Boyle at doboyle1@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
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tried to close the gap, but West Virginia made big shots to hold us off any time we thought we had a little hope.” West Virginia chiefly does two things really well: forcing turnovers, with its “Press Virginia” system, and crashing the offensive glass, with its frontline that features 6-foot-8 sophomore Esa Ahmad, 6-foot-9 junior Elijah Macon and 6-foot-9 senior Nathan Adrian. For the first few minutes Saturday, neither particularly plagued the Irish. Notre Dame turned it over just once in its first 10 possessions, and the Irish held the Mountaineers to just three second-chance points in the whole first half. Yet, despite ticking those boxes, the Irish found themselves behind 10-0. Soon, the turnover bug hit. Sophomore guard Rex Pflueger, freshman guard T.J. Gibbs and junior forward Martinas Geben turned it over on consecutive possessions, then later in the half, two turnovers in three possessions. Still, when Gibbs hit a pair of free throws with 4:31 left in the half, the Irish had closed the gap to just three, 32-29. Three turnovers later, it was back out to nine, at 38-29. “[The press] wasn’t something that we didn’t handle as well as we thought we could,” junior forward Bonzie Colson said. “It sucks that we didn’t do what we should have done.” In one way or another, that was the trend the rest of the day. When a pair of senior guard Steve Vasturia layups cut a 42-35 halftime deficit to 43-39, it was a Carter jumper and sophomore forward Esa Ahmad dunk that helped pushed the Mountaineers’ advantage straight back to nine. When five Colson points and a junior guard Matt Farrell 3-pointer brought the Irish within four twice, two Tarik Phillip 3s either side of a Carter trey pushed the lead back to 10. When Vasturia cut the lead to seven with 6:46 left, it was Ahmad who hit a 3. And with 2:35 left, just after sophomore forward Matt Ryan brought the Irish within six, Carter stepped up, hit a 3 and just about guaranteed a Mountaineers win. “Good defense, better offense,” Farrell said. “They’ve got talented guys who can score and those are backbreakers.” In many ways, it was Colson who kept Notre Dame in the game Saturday. The junior forward was 10-for-15 from the field — including a 4-for-5 performance from 3-point range — as he racked up 27 points and eight rebounds in the defeat. The performance, Brey said, was made more impressive by the fact that Colson, who played the final 9:47 with four fouls, was still feeling the effects of his sprained ankle suffered a week
earlier. “He puts the team on his back and he’s not 100 percent,” Brey said. “That ankle is bothering him. That’s one of the great performances, just trying to carry a team on a bad wheel.” Colson played the final 9:47 with four fouls, but Brey said there was never a chance of his star coming out. “That’s the ‘Coaching 101’ textbook that doesn’t mean a damn thing,” Brey said. “If I take him out, we lose by 20. He’s smart enough, he’s a veteran — he’s gotta play and he’s gonna be smart defensively, which he was, but he’s scoring for us. If you play around and, well, we’ll save him for the last — get out of here.” But where Colson was pouring it in, the rest of the Irish squad wasn’t. Colson’s teammates shot a combined 12-for-39 from the field, and hit just 6-of-23 3-point attempts. The most notable struggles, however, came from the squad’s two senior captains: Vasturia was just 1-for-5 from 3-point range, while forward V.J. Beachem was only 2-of-14 from the field, including 1-of-9 from deep. “My teammates did a great job of finding me open shots like they usually do,” Beachem said. “You know today, I just wasn’t able to knock them down.” Despite the struggles, it was easy for Brey to stick with his leader. “He’s our guy. He’s been a guy that has kind of bounced out of it and made those, then,” Brey said. “He’s had tough games maybe for 31 minutes and then he makes a couple plays at the end. And I just felt, you’ve gotta ride him.” When he was in the game, Ryan was a spark — he jumped a passing lane to feed Farrell and kickstart an Irish run in the first half, while his 3-pointer with 3:07 left was ultimately the last gasp of hope for the Notre Dame faithful. “We snuck Matt Ryan in there a bit and he gave us some really good stuff here, not only tonight, but in the postseason, which sets him up for next season,” Brey said. While the Irish turned the ball
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over 10 times in the first half, they adjusted in the second half, giving the ball away just four times against the West Virginia pressure. But Notre Dame just couldn’t get the stops, or the buckets, it needed at key points in the second half. “Their style of play is hard to deal with. It wore on us at times,” Brey said. “Even though we only turned it over 14 times, four in the second half, it probably caused us to miss some of those open looks. You’re going to have to make some open looks after you get it out of the trap, and we probably couldn’t make enough of them.” The Mountaineers finished 8-for-14 as a team from behind the arc, shooting far better from deep than their pregame season average (36.3 percent). “I thought we could play a little more zone and make them make more 3s, and they made every big 3-point shot, and Carter is a bigtime winner,” Brey said. Brey said he expects Colson to return next season for his senior year, but that if the opportunity is there, he’ll support Colson’s decision to head to the NBA a year early. “We’ll explore and talk about it,” Brey said. “I think he knows he should be a four-year guy, but like with any of our guys, if it’s time to really analyze and evaluate — and, if one team loves you and it’s the 18th pick in the draft, I’ll be the first to shake his hand.” Senior forward Ausin Torres will return for a fifth year, but the loss marks the end of Beachem and Vasturia’s careers at Notre Dame. The duo leaves Notre Dame after accumulating 97 wins in four seasons — a school record. “It’s tough. Two really good players and two really good guys; I’m just going to miss them off the court, you know,” Farrell said. “But they’ve got something to celebrate. Two great careers here — I’m trying to remember all the fun times we had — really good players and even better guys off the court.” Contact Alex Carson at acarson1@nd.edu
MICHAEL YU | The Observer
Irish senior guard Steve Vasturia tries to elude a defender during Notre Dame’s 60-58 win over Princeton on Thursday. 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.
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the scoring, giving the Irish (32-3, 15-1 ACC) their first deficit of this year’s tournament. Purdue continued to hold the advantage through the first quarter, leading 17-13 at the end of the period. Senior forward Bridget Perry and freshman guard Dominique Oden led the Boilermakers offense early, combining for 15 of those 17 points. In the second quarter, however, the Irish proved why they were given a No. 1 seed. First, it was freshman guard Jackie Young and freshman forward Erin Boley who took over, scoring the first 12 Irish points of the quarter to give Notre Dame the lead. Young said she was determined to make a difference after having a limited impact against Robert Morris on Friday. “I just knew I had to come out and produce today,” Young said. “I didn’t have a great game last game, so I knew I had to do some things to help my team. I knew that started with getting rebounds because we needed some, and then I knew I had to help on the offensive end and the defensive end.” Then, sophomore guard Marina Mabrey added eight points in just under two minutes to stretch the Irish lead to double digits. In the closing minutes of the quarter, Turner scored eight points and — with the Irish leading by 14 — looked set to add another basket after catching a lob pass from sophomore guard Arike Ogunbowale while wide open under the hoop. Turner didn’t extend the Irish lead, however. Her left knee buckled when she landed, and she fell to the f loor, eventually walking to the locker room with some assistance from the team’s trainers. Turner didn’t return to the court for the rest of the game, but the Irish held on to their double-digit lead through the third quarter. Despite their lead, the Irish did not appear to be safe. The Boilermakers set themselves up to get back into the game thanks to fouls from the already-depleted Notre Dame frontcourt. Junior forward Kathryn Westbeld, who already had two firstquarter fouls, picked up one more, while junior forward Kristina Nelson picked up her second of the game in the third period. In the fourth quarter, the foul count on Westbeld and Nelson became more and more of a concern. With five minutes left in the game, the Irish still led by 10 points, but Westbeld was up to four fouls and Nelson had three. Then, with the Irish on offense, Nelson was called for an illegal screen. With both Westbeld and Nelson unable to risk another
foul, the Purdue flurry began. After Purdue scored eight unanswered points to narrow the gap to two points, Ogunbowale’s layup attempt balanced precariously on the rim before falling to Boilermakers senior forward Bridget Perry. Perry was fouled immediately by Westbeld, meaning the Irish forward would be the second Notre Dame starter to see no more action in the contest. Perry made both of her foul shots to tie the game with 32 seconds remaining. Irish senior guard Lindsay Allen drove to the basket on the final possession for the Irish but could not finish. With four seconds remaining after using a timeout, Purdue had a chance to take the game in regulation but couldn’t get a shot away. McGraw said a combination of mistakes and the absence of Turner led to Purdue getting back into the game. “It was a little bit of us,” McGraw said. “Lindsay [Allen] drove it, nobody got back [and] they got a layup. Then we took another shot, they got it back [and] they got another layup. They had six points in transition when we were up 10, and that killed us. That was not protecting the rim. That was really bad. They got on an easy run, we’d foul them and they’d make their free throws. They weren’t making tough shots, necessarily — I thought they were making easy shots. And we just couldn’t handle the ball. We had an illegal screen, and then we turned it over. We just completely fell apart offensively. “It’s just so different without Bri. When you’re in the ball screen, they have to worry about her, and instead we were forced to go one-on-one, and it’s not our game. That is just not our game. We have to go back to the drawing board now and figure out what we’re
going to do late shot clock.” In overtime, with Notre Dame’s inside options limited, Purdue attacked the Irish weakness early and often. The Boilermakers led 78-76 with three minutes remaining. But the Irish had enough to late on to win. Young tied the score and Allen gave the Irish a lead before Mabrey made a steal and banked a jumper to give the Irish a two-score lead with just over a minute remaining. “That’s a prayer that got answered for us, finally, after we said a lot of prayers on the sideline throughout that game,” McGraw said of the shot. “We sure were happy it went in.” “I was just thinking, ‘We really need to score right now, and I can’t turn this over. So I’m going to shoot it,’” Mabrey said. Although Perry answered with two free throws, Mabrey was fouled with 13 seconds left and responded with two free throws of her own to bring the Irish lead back to four. Mabrey, who the Irish have relied on to make late free throws to ice close games against Clemson and Syracuse this season, said her experience in these situations helped her to focus only on making her shot. “I think being in that position a few times helped me there today,” Mabrey said. “But I’m really just concentrating on the shot, nothing else. Not the score or anything — I’m just trying to put the shot in.” Ogunbowale then added four free throws in the final eight seconds to seal the win, bringing the game to its final score of 88-82. The Irish will play Ohio State in Lexington, Kentucky, on Friday after the Buckeyes defeated Kentucky in their second-round game. Contact Daniel O’Boyle at doboyle1@nd.edu
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cruised to a 5-0 victory in Game 1 before squeezing by in Game 2, 5-2, to complete the sweep. The Irish benefited from a few lucky bounces and an offnight for Friar freshman goaltender Hayden Hawkey in Game 1, but the Friars struck first midway through the second period in Game 2. Irish freshman forward Cam Morrison knotted things up on a power play just over two minutes later, and junior defenseman Jordan Gross put Notre Dame ahead just 21 seconds into the third period on a seeing-eye shot from the point. Sophomore blueliner Bobby Nardella found the back of the net seven minutes later to put the Irish on top 3-1. A Providence goal midway through the third period brought the Friars within one, but sophomore forward Dylan Malmquist added a pair of empty-net goals for the misleading final 5-2 margin. “We knew it was going to be a tough weekend,” Nardella said after Notre Dame’s clinching win over the Friars. “They’re a good team; they play really hard all the time. “ … It’s a really good feeling right now.” “This group’s really figured it out here in the second half of the season,” Jackson said that night. “ … We had probably the toughest job in the country, as far as playoff round, playing one of the hottest teams in the country.” Sophomore forward Jack Jenkins staked Notre Dame to an early lead against UMass Lowell (26-10-3, 14-7-1) in Boston on St. Patrick’s Day. But there was no luck to be found the rest of the way for the Irish.
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The River Hawks tied the game 25 seconds after Jenkins’ goal and then took the lead for good just over two minutes later. UMass Lowell added two more goals in the second period and another early in the third to kill any chance at a Notre Dame comeback. The River Hawks also more than doubled Notre Dame in shots, 41-20. “They certainly create a lot of pressure to make bad decisions,” Jackson said after the loss to UMass Lowell. “We were our own worst enemy tonight. We made a lot of turnovers in key areas of the ice and in our coverage in our defensive zone. “[It is] familiar territory for us. UMass Lowell is a great team and they certainly have our number.” The numbers back Jackson’s claim: UMass Lowell has compiled a 9-2-2 mark against the Irish since the beginning of Notre Dame’s tenure in Hockey East. UMass Lowell also went on to win the Hockey East championship, defeating Boston College in the final, 4-3. If Notre Dame fans were hoping it would be a while before the Irish ran into the River Hawks again though, they might want to jump on the Cornell bandwagon in the NCAA tournament’s Northeast regional: Should the Irish get by the Gophers (23-11-3, 14-5-1 Big Ten) on Saturday, they would meet the winner of the game between the No. 3 seed Big Red and UMass Lowell, the region’s No. 2 seed, for a trip to the Frozen Four. The puck drops for Notre Dame and Minnesota on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in Manchester, New Hampshire. Contact Zach Klonsinski at zklonsin@nd.edu
Sports
ndsmcobserver.com | tuesday, march 21, 2017 | The Observer
Padanilam Continued from page 12
they shot just 3-of-12 from the field. Over the game’s last 5:19? They failed to score a single point, going 0-for-7 from the floor and turning the ball over three times, including two
shot-clock violations. Irish head coach Muffet McGraw said the team “completely fell apart offensively” without Turner in the game, citing the forward’s importance to their offense. Without her, the Irish couldn’t use the ball screen effectively, and they were forced to generate
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their offense by asking senior guard Lindsay Allen or sophomore guard Arike Ogunbowale to beat their defenders one-onone. And they simply couldn’t do it. The Irish clearly missed Turner on the defensive end as well, as the ninth-seeded Boilermakers (23-13, 10-6 Big Ten) had no problem driving to the basket, drawing fouls and scoring inside. Boilermakers senior guard Ashley Morrissette had 21 of her 23 points in the second half and overtime, and Irish sophomore guard Marina Mabrey — tasked with guarding her — said she struggled to do so without Turner behind her to alter potential shots. Notre Dame’s other forwards struggled too, as junior Kathryn Westbeld fouled out in the fourth quarter while senior Kristina Nelson couldn’t play much defense while trying to avoid picking up her fifth foul in the fourth quarter and overtime. So with Turner set for an MRI on Monday, the Irish need to start thinking about what they’ll do without her. Because their current plan when she isn’t available doesn’t look good — without a miraculous turnaround bank shot by Mabrey, which McGraw called a “prayer” after the game, the Paid Advertisement
Irish might not even be getting ready to play Ohio State in Lexington, Kentucky, on Friday. What are their options? Irish freshman forward Erin Boley defends the paint against Boilermakers sophomore forward Dominique McBryde during Notre Dame’s 88-82 overtime win over Purdue on Sunday at Purcell Pavilion. Offensively, perhaps McGraw should have played freshman forward Erin Boley more down the stretch. With Turner out and her other two forwards in foul trouble, Boley saw just 32 seconds of action in the second half. And this was despite the fact that she keyed the second quarter that gave the Irish the 14-point cushion they needed every bit of, as she scored seven points and grabbed three rebounds in the period. Whereas the Irish had a plus/minus of -13 with Westbeld on the court in her 20 minutes and just a positive four in Nelson’s 15 minutes, the Irish were +15 in Boley’s six minutes. That’s a change McGraw at least needs to consider if Turner cannot suit up Friday. One change McGraw did make in the overtime period — that she will need to continue to rely on — is more off-ball
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movement. Without Turner, the pick-and-roll wasn’t there, and Allen and Ogunbowale struggled to generate offense. But posting up Ogunbowale or setting off-ball screens to get Mabrey open for catch-andshoot opportunities worked a lot more in the overtime period. Allen is a great passer, so the Irish just need to give her different passing options when Turner isn’t in the lineup. So yes, the Irish did “survive and advance,” as is the mantra for many teams this time of the year. But there’s a lot to be concerned with, especially if Turner is unable to play against a top-10 Ohio State squad Friday. Because the Irish lost last year in the Sweet 16 with her, and it’s hard to believe they will win without her this year based on Sunday’s performance. So, if Notre Dame wants to have avoid a repeat of last season, it will need to go back to the drawing board before Friday. And it better hope that McGraw is able to come up with a game plan better than the one currently in place. Contact Ben Padanilam at bpadanil@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
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The observer | tuesday, march 21, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
Nd Women’s Basketball | ND 88, Purdue 82
Notre Dame survives Purdue; Turner injured ND blows 16-point lead but hangs on for victory in OT
Irish need to better prepare for life without Turner
By DANIEL O’BOYLE
Ben Padanilam
Sports Writer
Editor-in-Chief
In the second quarter of No. 1 seed Notre Dame’s NCAA tournament clash with No. 9 seed Purdue at Purcell Pavilion on Sunday, almost everything went right for the Irish. Almost everything. The only problem was that the one thing that went wrong was the worst thing Irish head coach Muffet McGraw could have to deal with. Junior forward Brianna Turner suffered a knee injury that put the game, and her team’s championship hopes, in doubt. The Irish escaped with an 8882 victory over Purdue and advanced to the Sweet 16, but now their star player’s status is now in question for the remainder of the tournament. Although Turner got to the free throw line in the game’s opening seconds, it was the Boilermakers (23-13, 10-6 Big Ten) who opened
EMMET FARNAN | The Observer
Let’s start with the obvious: Notre Dame really missed having Brianna Turner on the floor in the second half. The junior forward had just scored eight straight points for top-seeded Notre Dame (32-3, 15-1 ACC) in the second quarter, but then she fell to the floor clutching her left knee after attempting to catch a lobbed pass into the paint. With 48 seconds left in the half, a noncontact injury had drastically changed the game’s momentum. At the time of the injury, the Irish led by 14. From that point through the end of regulation, however, they would be outscored by that exact margin, as a comfortable win turned into an overtime thriller. The Irish struggled offensively the rest of the way, particularly in the fourth quarter. In that period,
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Irish junior forward Brianna Turner falls to the floor during Notre Dame’s 88-82 win over Purdue on Sunday at Purcell Pavilion. Turner injured her left knee on the play and did not return to the game.
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HOCKEY | Hockey East Playoffs
men’s basketball | West Virginia 83, ND 71
ND loses to UMass Lowell in semis By ZACH KLONSINSKI Senior Sports Writer
Notre Dame swept Providence in the second round of the Hockey East playoffs over the first weekend of break to reach the semifinals at Boston’s TD Garden for only the second time, but the Irish fell flat against the bane of their brief Hockey East existence — UMass Lowell — on Friday. The Providence sweep solidified Notre Dame (21-11-5, 12-64 Hockey East) at No. 13 in the final Pairwise rankings though, and the selection committee awarded the Irish the No. 4 seed in the Northeast regional of the NCAA tournament. Notre Dame will face off against the region’s top seed — and future Big Ten foe — Minnesota on Saturday. Notre Dame and Minnesota did not play this year, but the teams have played eight nonconference games against each other over the last five years; Minnesota owns the 5-3 edge in wins. “Every time I’ve played them
my freshman and sophomore year, it was a skilled, fast team,” Irish junior forward Jake Evans said Sunday after the tournament bracket was announced. “It’s fun hockey.” “We know the quality of team that they are and the skill that they bring to the table,” Irish head coach Jeff Jackson said Sunday. “They’re very skilled and they play with pace. They’re a fast team. They’re a good transition team. They’ve got a lot of weapons.” When Notre Dame welcomed Providence (22-11-5, 12-7-3) to Compton Family Ice Arena for the second round of the conference playoffs, it was the second time in three weeks the two teams met at the venue. The Irish pulled out a 4-1 victory in game one of that regular season series before overcoming three different one-goal deficits to force a 3-3 tie in the second game. With a trip to Boston on the line, the playoff series followed a similar path: Notre Dame see HOCKEY PAGE 1O
Irish fall short against Mountaineers in Buffalo By ALEX CARSON Senior Sports Writer
MICHAEL YU | The Observer
Irish senior forward V.J. Beachem hugs head coach Mike Brey during Notre Dame’s 83-71 loss to West Virginia on Saturday.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Before four minutes had elapsed in Saturday’s second-round matchup with No. 4 seed West Virginia, Irish head coach Mike Brey had to take a timeout; the Mountaineers had jumped out to a 10-0 lead on No. 5 seed Notre Dame. At times the rest of the way, the Irish (26-10, 12-6 ACC) made runs. At others, they struggled with turnovers, and later, keeping the Mountaineers off the offensive glass. But every time West Virginia (288, 12-6 Big 12) needed one, it had an answer ready. Mountaineers junior guard Jevon Carter was often that man, pouring in 24, as West Virginia ended Notre Dame’s season by a 83-71 count in Buffalo, New York. “That start hurt us,” Brey said. “When you’re digging out of a hole against a team like that, it’s just an uphill climb and it’s draining mentally and physically. I love that we made some runs and see M BBALL PAGE 9