Print Edition of The Observer for Thursday, April 27, 2017 by The Observer

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Volume 51, Issue 126 | thursday, april 27, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

Five students fast for fair food Notre Dame undergraduates protest Wendy’s refusal to sign agreement By COURTNEY BECKER News Editor

Lent may be over, but a group of five University students are embarking upon another fast, giving up food for one to two days beginning Wednesday afternoon. The students are fasting as part of a movement to put pressure on Wendy’s to sign onto a fair food program that ensures participating fast food restaurants and grocery stores pay an extra penny per pound of tomatoes to contribute to fairer wages for farm workers, according to junior Tommy Clarke. “They have not signed on to this fair food program that a whole bunch of other incredibly big fast food chains have bought on to ... that ensures

MICHAEL YU | The Observer

see FAST PAGE 4

Junior Tommy Clarke leads a prayer service at the Grotto to kick off the students’ two-day hunger strike, which protests Wendy’s refusal to sign a fair food agreement that leads to fairer wages for farmworkers.

Observer Staff Report

Make a Wish Notre Dame set to host Variety Show By ALEXANDRA MUCK News Writer

Notre Dame community members have the opportunity to make a Michiana-area child’s wish come true by attending Make a Wish Notre Dame’s first annual Variety Show on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Carey Auditorium. All proceeds from the event’s $10 admission charge will go to fulfilling the patient’s wish. Editor’s note: Sophomore

Megan Crowley, one of the organizers of the event, spoke to The Observer with the assistance of her nurse, KC Buder, who is quoted below. “The event is specifically to raise money for Make a Wish, so every dollar they raise goes directly to Make a Wish, not to the club,” Buder said. “All of the money that they’re raising at this event and all the events they’ve had … will go to a wish for a kid.” The inspiration for the Variety

Show came from a desire to engage students across Notre Dame’s campus, Buder said. “They originally wanted to do a gala, but it was a lot of work,” Buder said. “A variety show could include more students. They wanted to make the club a lot more wellknown on campus, so by including a lot of acts from different students around campus, that could help them spread the word about Make see WISH PAGE 3

Therapy dogs visit campus to help students unwind In addition to the warm weather, students were drawn to North Quad on Wednesday by eight therapy dogs from Therapy Dogs International as part of the McDonald Center for Student

Well-Being’s (McWell) “Paws to Relax” event. Assistant director for student well-being at McWell Katrina Conrad said the dogs at these regular events help students to relax and discharge stress, particularly at times such as the middle and end of a semester.

“Knowing that finals are approaching, we wanted to provide an opportunity for student stress relief, and spending time with dogs is a great way to do so,” Conrad said. “Therapy dogs are natural vehicles for providing support and

News PAGE 3

SCENE PAGE 5

VIEWPOINT PAGE 6

By ARTHUR ZHAO News Writer

Rape reported at Notre Dame

see DOGS PAGE 3

A rape was reported Tuesday to a University administrator, according to the Notre Dame Security Police (NDSP) crime log for Wednesday. The alleged rape occurred March 26 in a North Quad women’s residence hall, according to the entry. Information about sexual assault prevention and resources for survivors of sexual assault are available online from NDSP and from the Committee for Sexual Assault Prevention.

Saint Mary’s to perform ‘Lucky, Liar, Loser’ By STEPHANIE SNYDER News Writer

This weekend, an original dramedy called “Lucky, Liar, Loser” will premiere at Saint Mary’s in Moreau’s Little Theatre beginning Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. The show, which centers on the theme of violence against women, was written and is directed by Casey Whitaker, a member of The Second City — a comedy theatre in Chicago — who is this year’s annual Saint Mary’s Margaret M. Hill visiting artist in residence. After previously coming to teach some workshops at Saint Mary’s in 2015, Whitaker said she fell in love with the Saint Mary’s community. “When I started writing this play, I reached out and we started figuring out a game plan,” she said. “The topic of the play was already established before Saint Mary’s was interested — I think it is the

SOFTBALL PAGE 12

perfect place to display it.” Whitaker defines a dramedy as a serious and dramatic play with elements of comedy. She added that originally, she did not mean for the comedy aspect to be such a major part of the show. “Violence against women is not a laughing matter — it just crept in,” Whitaker said. “Then you think about what humor is actually used for — a lot of time it’s just a cover for what’s on the inside. That’s why we are able to find the truth so quickly, it’s because we’re broken.” Whitaker had originally written the show as a short-film for the Goodman Theatre in Chicago when they requested entries for a screenplay to produce. However, the Theatre never produced any of the screenplays. Last December, Whitaker rewrote the screenplay into the current dramedy in only 48 hours. “I had carried around every see LUCKY PAGE 4

Baseball PAGE 12

TODAY

The observer | thursday, april 27, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

Question of the Day: ndsmcobserver.com

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Where did Fr. Bob learn to cook his chili?

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

Max Foreman

Matt Musetich

junior Sorin College

freshman Sorin College

“When backpacking the Chinese mountains.”

“From Reddit.”

Patrick Clark

Ethan Holland

freshman Sorin College

senior Sorin College

“The Otter Room.”

“From Mrs. Fr. Bob.”

(574) 631-4542 bpadanil@nd.edu

Peter Rymsza

Ben Sutter

Managing Editor

sophomore Sorin College

senior Sorin College

“The mountains of Tibet.”

“His momma’s kitchen.”

Editor-in-Chief Ben Padanilam Managing Editor Katie Galioto

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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. 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

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Courtney Becker Alexandra Muck Marie Fazio

Elizabeth Greason Meagan Bens

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Michael Yu

Brian Boylen

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Sarah Hynds

Cristina Interiano

Corrections A letter to the editor by sophomore Michael Walsh published Wednesday was incorrectly attributed to a different author. The Observer regrets this error.

MICHAEL YU | The Observer

A student works on her photos inside the digital printing studio located in Riley Hall. Students in “Photography I,” a studio art course based on the use of digital cameras, will submit their final portfolio in class Thursday.

The next Five days:

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

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Can You Take the Heat? Fieldhouse Mall 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. PE’s annual buffalo wing-eating contest.

“Water, Energy and 21st Century Solutions.” Mendoza College of Business 10:40 a.m. - 12:10 p.m.

Spring Freebie: Yoga Snite Museum of Art 11 a.m. - noon No registration required. Arrive early, spaces are limited.

Vespers Basilica of the Sacred Heart 7:15 p.m. - 8:15 p.m. All are welcome to join for evening prayer.

2017 BFA/MFA Candidates Thesis Exhibition Snite Museum of Art all day Attendance is free.

Stories of Grace Geddes Hall 7 p.m. Sharing stories of the transformative power of God’s grace.

Dueling Pianos Legends Nightclub 10 p.m. Sing along with talented pianists at this crowd-favorite.

25th Annual Fisher Regatta St. Mary’s Lake noon Fisher’s signature homemade boat race.

Rejoice! Mass Dillon Hall 8 p.m. - 9 p.m. Come celebrate Mass rooted in the AfricanAmerican tradition.

Catholics in the Early Republic Hesburgh Library 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Rare Books and Special Collections series.

News

ndsmcobserver.com | thursday, april 27, 2017 | The Observer

Wish

STUdent SENATE

Group learns of upcoming bookstore renovations By AIDAN LEWIS News Writer

David Werda, the director of Hammes Bookstore and retail operations, spoke to student senate Wednesday evening about future changes to the campus bookstore. “We’ve developed a list of goals and objectives over the last couple of years in terms of the new vision for your campus bookstore,” he said. Werda said the importance of the bookstore cannot be overstated, considering Notre Dame is the second most visited tourist attraction in the state of Indiana. “You can think of the Notre Dame bookstore as that tourist attraction’s gift shop, and it reflects that on an annual basis in terms of foot traffic and revenue,” he said. The challenge is to design the bookstore to cater to both the enormous crowds on football weekends and students on the average school day, Werda said. “What we’re looking to do is to create a space that serves

both those guests who visit on an annual basis, but equally important, the students, the faculty and the administration of the University,” he said. “We need to create spaces within the bookstore that are not interrupted on those six or seven weekends a year during football season.” Werda said in response to the concern that the bookstore focuses too much on the tourists and sets “an unwelcoming presence for the campus community” that the bookstore’s new design will feature more academic and social spaces for students. “We want to create a space that is more interactive,” he said. “Having places where you can sit and study, where you can come and study in small groups.” In addition, the bookstore will be reorganized to adjust to the changing times, Werda said. “We’re taking our general reading books, those stacks and stacks of books where ten years ago it was important to have a library of books for people to browse, and

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moving them upstairs,” he said. “In terms of ‘I’m going to go in and buy a New York Times bestseller,’ that’s not how this business is going anymore.” Further, Werda said women’s apparel, a growing market for the bookstore, will expand and occupy more wall space on the second floor, and gifts will move downstairs. Religious gifts, one of the bookstore’s most unique draws, will remain front and center, he said. “The religious section is very much the soul of the bookstore,” he said. “There are very few places, if any in this day and age, where you can buy most of the religious things that we sell.” During the session, Werda received student input and feedback regarding the bookstore’s renovation. Claire Saltzman, the senate representative for Ryan Hall, requested an earlier opening for the Einstein Brothers Bagels location in the bookstore. “For 8 a.m. exams and 8:20 classes, the 8 a.m. opening time does not give students enough time,” Saltzman said. Christian Femrite, the senate representative for Morrissey Manor, asked for lower prices on everyday items, such as toiletries. “I understand the bookstore has the Notre Dame logo on everything, but for the stuff students come in to use, I think it would be more appropriate to have lower prices,” he said. Werda said the goal is for the renovation to start after Reunion weekend and be completed when students return in August. Contact Aidan Lewis at alewis@nd.edu

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a Wish.” Make a Wish is a national organization with the goal of “[granting] the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experiment with hope, strength and joy,” according to the nonprofit’s website. The Make a Wish Notre Dame club seeks to do so on a smaller scale by raising money to help fulfill these wishes. The show will feature about 12 acts, including Irish Dance, Harmonia, the Notre Dame Student Standups, Humor Artists, junior musician Kieran Kelly, the Notre Dame Dance Company and an original Keenan Revue skit by residents of Keenan Hall. Crowley said she is most excited to see the Keenan Revue act. Since the sketch is being written exclusively for the Variety Show, even the organizers will not see it before the event, she said. This year is Make a Wish Notre Dame’s first year as a full club on campus after being a probationary club as a newly proposed organization last year. This variety show being one of the club’s first official events makes the event

Dogs Continued from page 1

companionship to students.” The new initiative this year was inspired by Notre Dame students’ general love for dogs, Conrad said. “We have noticed that many students light up when they see dogs on campus, and we’ve had countless students approach our office about having therapy dogs on campus more often,” she said. Conrad said the events were also inspired by the growing popularity of therapy dogs at similar events on campuses across the country. “Therapy dogs visiting college

especially exciting for the club members, Buder said. “This will be their first real, big event,” she said. “It’s going to be really fun, entertaining and exciting to see it come to life because they’ve been working on it all semester.” The club’s goal for this year is to raise money for one Wish kid, Buder said. Since the club must wait for the Make a Wish chapter of Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky to let them know which wishes are available for fulfillment, the club members did not know the specifics of the Wish they were fulfilling until the middle of the year, and will not have any specific information about their next Wish kid until well after Friday’s event. “They try to aim for a Wish kid to be from the area, whether it be Notre Dame, Mishawka [or] South Bend,” she said. “They try to make it more local.” Make a Wish Notre Dame hosted a Superhero 5k run last semester, as well as a concession stand during a football weekend to raise money for wishes. Crowley said the club is also organizing a fundraiser to host at Commencement. Contact Alexandra Muck at amuck@nd.edu

campuses seems to be a rising trend,” she said. “There has indeed been research on the effects that this has on students related to how they can lower perceived stress levels.” So far, the event has attracted 472 students and staff members, according to the McWell Center, who gather on North Quad to pat, hug and scratch these therapy dogs. Senior Chris Maheu said he was attracted to the event because it reminded him of his own pets at home. “It was really cool [and] I maybe miss my dog at home,” he said. “For exam week I have four projects to do, so it’s a good break before I start getting ready for all that.” While students were energized by the event, therapy dog owner Ben Rose said the therapy dogs were also having a good time interacting with students. “Chance loves to come hang out with people,” Rose said of his dog. “He loves the atmosphere and getting pats. Most of the time he visits at the Memorial Hospital. Once a week he goes there and visits patients and staff.” The McWell Center has also taken extra considerations for the safety of both the dogs and the students, Conrad said. “We have chosen to work with certified therapy dogs because of all the extra training that they receive in order to become certified,” she said. “Their owners will be with them at all times and they are trained to be in this type of situation. When the dogs go to volunteer in the community, they wear a special bandana that helps them realize they are ‘going to work’ and not to just play.” Contact Arthur Zhao at azhao4@nd.edu

NEWS

The observer | thursday, april 27, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

Lucky Continued from page 1

single scene in my head for over a year,” she said. “This project was in my head, and now it’s time to do it.” Her inspiration for writing this first came when a man broke into her bedroom two years ago. Whitaker said her boyfriend happened to be there that night to fight the intruder off, but the event stuck with her. “It kind of opened my eyes to what I already knew and how this topic is handled,” she said. “It broke my heart.” Whitaker said the nine main characters in the show are based on her personal experiences and other women who were willing to tell her their experiences. “Anyone I met who was

willing to tell me their story, I listened,” she said. “It’s a tribute to all the women I have met and the women who have survived and the women who aren’t ready to talk.” Based on the experiences she had in mind, she separated the nine characters into three sections with three characters in each — the lucky, the liars and the losers — and left the characters unnamed. The lucky are those who say they are lucky because they have not been physically abused, but instead have possibly been emotionally abused without realizing it. The liars are those who tell themselves and others they are not victims, when they are, for various reasons. Whitaker said the loser section was the trickiest section to express. The losers are those who know violence is occurring

but don’t do anything about it — don’t act in the moment or don’t share their survival story. “Loser is a tricky word because it’s hard to make it not sound so negative,” she said. “The actual definition is a person or thing that is put at a disadvantage by a particular situation – so it’s a temporary thing.” Gabrielle Weldy, a junior at Saint Mary’s and the stage manager for the show, said there are cast members from Saint Mary’s, Notre Dame, Holy Cross, the South Bend Community and Fischer Dance Company. “The cast of the show has 27 people total — a large cast for the small department,” Weldy said. “That’s not including all of the contributors — costume, set, sound and lighting.” Whitaker said Hannah Fischer, the owner of Fischer

to participating students from other universities, Clarke said. “I’m trying to cut down on a lot of my food intake,” he said. “My meals are getting smaller so I can try to shrink my stomach a little bit so I won’t be as hungry, as well as, I’m just trying to eat less to kind of get the feeling of hunger, and so I’ll be a little bit more used to it when it comes. … Obviously safety is of the utmost importance to us, so if anybody is in need of food, absolutely we’re going to try to honor that and support those people.” Clarke said the participants are encouraging community members to become involved by attending a documentary screening about fair labor standards in the Andrews Auditorium on Thursday evening, as well as fasting for a meal on Friday. “If you give up your Friday lunch swipe, we encourage you to still use your lunch swipe if you have it, go in to the grab and

go, grab some non-perishable items,” he said. “We’re going to try … to have tables outside on Friday for lunch, and we encourage people if they want to still use their Friday lunch swipe to donate some food that we’ll take to the Northern Indiana Food Bank.” The group’s dedication to this cause is an inspiring demonstration of student power, Clarke said. “The people who are actually fasting are just awesome people and willing to sacrifice their bodies for this cause,” he said. “And I think that says something about how much this means to us and how much it should mean to everyone else, because we’re not going to go silently. We are hungry for justice for farm workers and we’re willing to go hungry to make that point clear.”

Dance Company in South Bend, has especially contributed to making the show what it is. “I had written in movement sequences to the show,” she said. w Fischer graduated from Saint Mary’s in 2011 with a major in women’s studies and dance. Only six of the cast members are from her dance company; the rest are from the community. “This show is focusing on modern dance, but I’m working with a cast that hasn’t been trained in modern dance,” Fischer said. “The whole show is a combination of modern dance, theater and everyday movements in block features that look like dance” Those who come to the show who have experienced violence should not have to worry about triggers, Whitaker said. “I can’t say for sure, but I

think people are going to be pleasantly surprised with how accessible the material is,” she said. “If one is a little too close to home, there’s eight more you might feel a little more connected with.” Fischer said the style of this show is unique, especially to the South Bend community. “This show is groundbreaking for South Bend,” she said. “Work like this isn’t done in the area.” Whitaker said the end may not be happy, but it is powerful. “All I can do is start a conversation and let people know they are not alone,” she said. “The message is empowerment, I don’t think anyone will leave and feel worse than they did when they walked in.” Contact Stephanie Snyder at ssnyder02@saintmarys.edu

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Fast Continued from page 1

better wages, human rights, a lot of awesome things,” he said. In response to Wendy’s not signing on to this fair food program, 19 students at Ohio State fasted for seven days to protest their school’s contract with Wendy’s, which has expanded into a “rolling fast” campaign throughout the country, Clarke said. “Since Wendy’s hasn’t signed on, these students got their administration to promise to cut the contract, but just recently they extended their contract with Wendy’s,” he said. “And so they decided that the best way to protest and make their voices heard was to fast. So they fasted for seven days, they went without food somehow — I don’t know how — and then a whole bunch of other college campuses around the country have been taking up [the cause].” Clarke said the movement is drawing attention to poor labor standards for workers who grow and collect this food. “There are still injustices that are happening out in the fields,” he said. “There are abuses, there’s sexual violence, there’s wage theft — there’s still a lot of problems out there, but we have a chance to make our voices heard and to get justice for a lot of these farm workers.” Over spring break, Clarke traveled to Florida with 10 other students as part of a seminar sponsored by the Center for Social Concerns, where he had the opportunity to speak with these workers directly. “We actually got to meet a lot of the farm workers that are actually going out,” he said. “ … We talked to these people and heard some of their stories, and just heard how tough this labor is, how tough this work is, but yet how much pride they have about their work as well as joy of life.” The 19 students who fasted at Ohio State have offered advice

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CRISTINA INTERIANO | The Observer

6 Inside Column

Reflections from a freshman Alexandra Muck News Writer

At the beginning of the school year, someone told me that high school was about “finding yourself” and college was about making the most of who you are. Upon hearing this statement, I mentally sighed in relief. “That’s good,” I thought. “W ho I am now is who I w ill be for the rest of my life, and now I get to move on w ith that phase.” To some degree, what that person said was true — high school does involve a lot of “finding yourself” — but I disagree that “finding yourself” is an activ it y limited only to high school. It doesn’t take much ref lection for me to point out several moments this semester where I felt like I understood who I am a bit better. From the crucial moments of choosing my friends to deciding how I was going to act and spend my time when my parents were no longer close enough to tell me what to do, I have realized some important things about myself, which I think this is normal for a first year away from home. Severa l mont hs past t he benchmark when I was told I was f inished “f inding myself,” t hough, I still don’t t hink I have hit t he mark where I can stop “f inding myself.” W hile I understand who I am much better t han I did when I was in middle school or high school, I believe life still holds key moments where I w ill surprise myself. W hat about my f irst year after graduating from college? W hat about t he moment where I have to stand up for somet hing I didn’t k now I believed in so strongly? W hat about t he moment when I use streng t h I didn’t k now I had? I t hink t hese moments w ill a ll hold lessons for me to learn more about who I am. Upon ref lecting on these ideas, I think we need to change the language we use when we talk about learning about ourselves. Oftentimes, we use “finding yourself” in a negative way, as if it implies someone is too young and has a lack of focus in his or her life. Such a connotation would explain why I felt relief upon hearing that I was finished “finding myself” and could move on w ith my life. Instead, by re-characterizing “finding yourself” in a more positive light, as if it is a lifelong ride, one that we never fully get off, I think younger students w ill feel less pressure to “find themselves” so quick ly and we can simply enjoy our experiences, learning a little about ourselves as we go. To start this rebranding, I vote we start w ith ourselves. Tell yourself that you still have surprises in store for yourself, and let’s go from there, changing perceptions of how we find ourselves, one person at a time. Contact Alexandra Muck at amuck@nd.edu The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

The observer | THURSday, april 27, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

We have more in common than we think Ben Robinson BridgeND

Let’s be honest, our political discourse is pretty divided these days. Speakers on campus bring immediate controversy, the media and our president are at odds, the government is on the brink of shutdown again and members of political parties cannot compromise. How we speak about politics is often focused on our divisions rather than our commonalities. Identity politics is partly responsible for this; we now picture the Republicans as racist white working-class and the Democrats as social and cultural city-dwelling elites. Blanket labeling has also played a role in this. Someone who doesn’t support an unobstructed path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants is automatically a racist, and someone who doesn’t support a women’s full right to get an abortion is automatically a misog ynist. The rural whites are assumed to know nothing about policy or government, and the urbanites are assumed to care mostly about bathroom choice. Now maybe you don’t agree with these labels, but that is precisely the point. We make generalizations about whole groups of people, and most of them are incorrect. But we do have differences, right? Isn’t that why these divisions arise? Well, yes, we are different. But that shouldn’t be the focus of the discourse. It is not productive at the start of a project to assume your peers are incompetent because they live in different dorms than you do, just as when Congress crafts a bill it’s unproductive to assume the other party dislikes all your ideas and is unwilling to compromise. Because even the perception of difference can create a rift between groups, whether among your friends, your classmates, your school or your nation. And rifts are unproductive. If we engage with each other, we might instead find that perceived divisions do not actually exist. If we approach each other with respect and openness (and both sides are guilty of not doing this), we might find that we have more in common than we thought. But if we shut ourselves off from differing opinions or discourse in general, we will continue to focus on the differences. Rather than immediately protesting any speaker who comes to campus based on their advertised position, maybe it would be more productive to listen to him or her and realize that you agree with small portions of what he or she has to say. We saw this two weeks ago at the gun control debate held by BridgeND. By the end, both the gun control advocate and gun control opponent agreed that the safety and health of American society was important, and even agreed on certain regulations and policies. W ho knew two political opponents could say “I agree” to each other? Maybe you would agree with Charles Murray that our culture is becoming more divided. Or maybe you would agree with Matt Walsh that Catholics should stick to their values. Or maybe you would agree with

Wendy Davis that late-term abortions should not be allowed. Or maybe you would agree with Betty and Elena on some aspects of affirmative action. Engaging our views, even if they differ, is the best way to recognize that often we all have the same goals in mind, or even that we agree on some issues. And if you don’t agree, great, then you have undertaken a fruitful exercise to refine your own views. Refusing to hear opinions or engage in conversation helps no one. It reinforces our differences, not our commonalities. It digs the rift deeper, so neither side even has the opportunity to understand the other. Violence does not help, either. Around the countr y, we have seen campus protests turn violent and destructive on a number of occasions this year. Not only is this unnecessarily dangerous, but it is odd that students wishing to silence speakers end up giving them a larger platform on the national news. Campuses, even recently, prided themselves as being capable to receive any discourse peacefully, but that does not seem to be the case nowadays. Speakers are derided with labels, and critics claim that they will never be able to understand why someone would think as the speaker does. Unfortunately, the world will not work that way. And not that “the world will never change from the mean, harmful place it can be,” but instead that the world requires mutual understanding and civil discourse to ensure peace and prosperity for all. To refuse to engage with others’ views is ultimately to reject that future for our world. But to listen to the views of others, to be educated, to read articles (not just the headline, but all the way through) and to focus on the commonalities is how we will work through any problem which we now face. There is a lot we can all agree on, if you think about it. We would agree that violence, among warring states or between protesters and speakers, is never the final solution. We would agree that equal opportunities among people, for the LGBTQ community and for disillusioned coal workers, are important. We would agree that all humans, those yet unborn and those who are soon to deliver, demand respect and autonomy. These are just some starting points. If we look at these commonalities, we would also agree that ever yone, Republicans and Democrats, urbanites and rural workers, have some things in common. And the sooner we focus on that, the sooner we can be productive. Ben Robinson is a junior neuroscience major from Keenan Hall and an officer of BridgeND. He is open to discussion and can be contacted at brobins7@nd.edu BridgeND is a bipartisan student organization that brings students from across the political spectrum together in discussions concerning public policy issues. The viewpoints expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinion of BridgeND but are the individual opinions of the author. Contact BridgeND at bridgend@nd.edu or follow them on Twitter at @bridge_ND The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

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The observer | THURSday, april 27, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The fundamental right to marriage Dear Mr. Buhr, In your letter on April 24, you began by stating that opposing same-sex marriage is not an intolerant view because “government entitlements are not human rights.” I disagree with this statement because marriage is, in fact, a right. In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court presided over the groundbreaking case Loving v. Virginia. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion for the unanimous court that “Marriage is one of the basic civil rights of man, fundamental to our very existence and survival.” But perhaps this is not enough to convince you, as the Loving case concerned interracial marriage rather than samesex marriage. If you remain unsatisfied, it may help to read Judge Vaughn R. Walker’s majority opinion in California’s federal district court case Perry v. Schwarzenegger. In this 2012 landmark case, Walker struck down California’s Proposition 8, which sought to eliminate same-sex couples’ right to marriage, citing the constitutional right to marry. But maybe you don’t feel that the Supreme Court has the right to make these rulings, as marriage is not defined as a right in the Constitution. However, the Constitution does include Amendment IX, which asserts that the rights of

citizens are not limited by those explicitly listed in the Constitution. In fact, the Supreme Court has relied on this amendment to define other fundamental rights besides the right to marry, like the right to parent one’s children, the right to privacy, the right to follow a profession and the right to associate with others. Indeed, there are so many non-enumerated rights that it is difficult to pick a favorite (personally, I’m torn between protection on the high seas from pirates and the right to vote). At any rate, I wholeheartedly agree with your opinion that government entitlements are “certainly not” human rights. Unfortunately, marriage is not a government entitlement, as it has repeatedly been defined as a fundamental human right. I think possibly my confusion at your letter comes from the fact that legalizing gay marriage would not affect you in any way. Please, illuminate me as to how a same-sex couple getting married in this country infringes on your ability to enjoy your own life. Is it simply that you believe same-sex couples disrespect the very idea of traditional marriage? Perhaps Justice Kennedy’s thoughts on same-sex couples in 2015 would help allay some of those fears: “Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for

themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right. … It is so ordered.” Simply put, when it is so ordered and someone rejects that order, he is intolerant. In this case, he is intolerant of same sex couples and their rights and intolerant of the courts that protect them. We cannot allow people to twist definitions to validate their intolerant views. It will always be a painful truth that there are people out there like you, Mr. Buhr, who oppose the right to marriage. But one thing that gives me hope, and that gives hope to people like me, is that the justice system in the United States declared the right of same-sex marriage to be fundamental. It has cemented this right in the decisive case of Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015, and time and time again in the dozens of cases that came before it. It has cemented this right as it has every other, with those four important words: it is so ordered. Mary Szromba freshman April 26

Christ’s Passion Erin Thomassen The Examined Life

The most intense religious experience I had during this past Easter weekend was watching “The Passion.” As a member of the Folk Choir, I sang at Holy Thursday Mass, Good Friday Stations of the Cross and two Easter Sunday liturgies. Yet no service made as real to me what Easter and the entire Catholic faith celebrate as that melodramatic Mel Gibson film. There is nothing wrong with a sorrowful Good Friday confession or joyful Easter homily. Yet I, like many of my millennial comrades, am a visual learner. I learn best through stories — and not just having them told to me, but seeing them myself. I often find my mind wandering during readings in the beautiful Basilica of the Sacred Heart. I miss a phrase or two and attempt to rejoin, but miss the main message. My mind could not wander while watching “The Passion.” I always imagined the crucifixion as excruciatingly painful — it can’t be fun to have nails hammered into your palms and feet and then let your entire body weight hang from them—but I never thought about the drawn-out suffering of Christ that lasted hours before the crucifixion. Jesus realizes that Judas has betrayed him and anticipates what is to come. Jesus spends hours getting passed in chains between the Jewish people, high priests and Pilate. Jesus is stripped and then whipped so much that there is barely any f lesh left covering his bones. I never realized what the word scourged meant before the film. Somehow, I had confused it with scorned. Though being scorned is not desirable,

being scourged, or whipped with leather that has nails and screws sewn to it so that it can pierce and tear open your f lesh, is unimaginable. I shiver to think of the thousands of people who suffered this barbaric punishment and am devastated that this was done to God incarnate. Jesus allowed drunken idiots to torment him, idiots who didn’t realize that if they kept hitting him, he would fall down and not be able to carry the cross to his crucifixion site. Am I one of them? Or am I Simon of Cyrene, an uninvolved passerby unexpectedly asked to help Jesus carry his cross? In the film, he protests that this is not his affair, that he is an innocent man who should not be involved in this guilty man’s crime. Little does he know how blessed he is to help Jesus carry his cross. During the long, tiring journey, he starts to realize that there is something different about this criminal, but can’t put a finger on it. When his job is finished, he almost doesn’t want to leave. One friend pointed out that Christ does not say one word to Simon through the entire film. He thought this could be related to how non-mystics on earth are often asked to carry the cross without verbal instructions or affirmation from the divine. It was only while watching the film that I marveled at the fact that Veronica was able to get close enough to Jesus to wipe his face. When going through the Stations of the Cross at the Basilica, I failed to realize how much of a miracle it was that this young woman weaved through guards and a surrounding mob to perform an act of love. Moreover, the fact that Mary, Jesus’ mother, was able to meet her son on his path to Golgotha was also nothing short of a miracle. Jesus on the cross is often pictured in churches as thin, stripped of clothes except his garment,

with his side pierced. Yet I have never seen him presented as such a gruesome, bloody, beaten-up mess as in that film. In looking only at G-rated images of Christ crucified, it is too easy to become desensitized to the grave and savage crucifixion. God did not die by the sterile injection of the 21st century, but by the barbarous and cruel cross. The real passion was not filmed. There were no cameras to add gravitas to the event — it may have felt like a routine execution of a messianic pretender. For a record of the most important moment in history, I must rely on four gospels and any other historical records from that time period. Though Mel Gibson’s film was likely not 100 percent accurate, it is a dramatic representation of what happened. This is why every student, every human, should watch “The Passion” — not because it is the most truthful account of what happened, but because it may give rise to emotions you would have felt if you had seen the real passion. It will force you to spend two hours dwelling on the horror that the historical man of Jesus Christ underwent thousands of years ago and will cause you to ask what relation his suffering has to you today. Yet it is already two weeks after Easter, and isn’t “The Passion” something to watch on Good Friday? The passion — and the Resurrection — is something to watch or commemorate every day, for only then can we live with what matters being foremost in our minds. Ms. Thomassen is a senior studying mechanical engineering. She lives at the Château off campus with four friends and more crepes. She can be reached at ethomass@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 | thursday, april 27, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

Crossword | Will Shortz

Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Make your voice heard. Rely on your ability to see situations clearly and act precisely in order to have a calming influence on chaotic situations. Take ownership of what’s happening and be responsible. How you react and deal with others will determine how far you get this year. Use logic and reason instead of pressure tactics and you will reach your goal. Your numbers are 7, 18, 23, 27, 35, 39, 41. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Figure out the best way to reach your goals and start the process of turning your dream into a reality. Educational pursuits will give you insight into something you enjoy doing that could also lead to additional income. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Emotions will be difficult to control, but will also help you deal with situations that you have not encountered in the past. Be honest, but also ready to offer solutions that will bring about a positive outcome. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Offer suggestions instead of taking on responsibilities that don’t belong to you. You will be better served by doing things that will benefit you, not someone else. Excessive behavior will lead to criticism and financial loss. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Don’t be a follower. Set your own course and make do with what you have. Your resourcefulness will help you get more out of whatever you decide to do. Make a point to address demands, but don’t promise to get involved. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): What you want to do and what you are allowed to do will conflict. Don’t make a fuss when a determined attitude, preparation and good organization are required to complete what’s necessary as well as fulfill your needs. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You’ll have a chance to put your skills, knowledge and expertise to the test. Don’t be afraid to show off. Anyone who doesn’t appreciate you is probably jealous of what you can do. Hard work and a good attitude will be rewarded. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): It’s in your best interest to take time to improve your surroundings at home or to get your personal documents or taxes in order. Ease your stress by taking responsibility for situations. Selfimprovement is featured. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Emotional matters will lead to unusual changes. Express your desires and take the initiative to incorporate your plans into your daily routine. Don’t deny yourself the right to a better life or a brighter future. Do what’s best for you. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Consider your past and the way things turned out before you make a decision about the future. History will repeat itself if you don’t learn from your mistakes. Use your intelligence to make the best choices for you, and you will excel. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Do whatever it takes to ensure that you feel comfortable and at ease with the lifestyle you have chosen and the people you spend most of your time with. Don’t put up with uncertainty. Ask questions and resolve issues. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Voice your opinion, offer solutions and be a participant if you want to bring about positive changes. If you don’t participate, you won’t have the right to complain. Do your part and you will encounter someone who can help you personally. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Perfection, precision and being reserved about your plans until you are fully prepared to share will set the stage for a successful outcome. Your upbringing and experience will help you deal with difficult situations. Birthday Baby: You are sensitive, loyal and earnest. You have endurance and high standards.

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SPORTS

ndsmcobserver.com | thursday, april 27, 2017 | The Observer

Sports Authority

mlb | braves 8, mets 2

GMs have hardest task in NFL Marek Mazurek Assistant Managing Editor

Would you like to know the hardest job in sports? No, it’s not the person who has to t y pe up the closed captioning for Charles Bark ley. No, it’s not an NHL goalie, nor is it an NFL quarterback, although both positions are extremely challenging to play at a high level. The hardest job in sports is actually the guy or gal who has to pick who plays quarterback. And for general managers across the NFL, the toughest day of the year comes on Thursday, as the 2017 version of the League kicks off in Philadelphia. And what makes a GM’s job on draft day so darn hard boils dow n to two things: immense pressure and working w ith incomplete information. To say there is a lot of pressure on GMs to get their picks right on draft day seems like an obv ious thing to say, but just how important the draft is actually gets understated. Ever yone knows you can’t w in in the NFL w ithout a good quarterback, and you can’t w in a Super Bowl w ithout a great one. But where do you get that franchise quarterback? You hardly ever get one through free agency, because if a team has a quarterback good enough to be franchise material, they wouldn’t trade him and would pay him enough for him not to leave. So, for teams that lack the most essential component of success, that franchise quarterback has to come from the draft. So if you’re a GM, the pressure to find your team’s next franchise starter is huge. You pick an underthe-radar cornerback in the fourth round to give your team solid depth at the position? No one cares. You trade up to steal away a first-round caliber player in the beginning of the third round? No one w ill give it a

second glance. But if you can’t find a quarterback, you’re done. Period. Full stop. It doesn’t matter if there don’t seem to be any good quarterbacks in the draft the year you have an OK pick. Tom Brady was a sixthround pick in 2000. Joe Montana was taken in the third round. Just last year, Dak Prescott was picked in the fourth round and led the Cowboys to the playoffs w ith the best record in the NFC. But know ing those unlikely success stories makes the job even harder. A lso making the job harder is the fact that GMs aren’t play ing w ith a full deck in their war rooms. So much depends on accurately evaluating potential quarterback prospects, but how much can you truly know about a 21-year-old player who started for just a year in college? Some draft experts say Mitch Trubisk y may be the first quarterback taken, yet he only started at North Carolina for one season. If you’re the GM of the Jaguars or the Brow ns, would you bet your job on a guy who only started a single year? You can talk to coaches, inter v iew the player, do background checks, but that doesn’t and can’t give you a definitive picture of anyone. Despite all that, let’s say you find a quarterback you like. You think he’ll fit your system and you like his attitude. But, oh, what’s that? The Chiefs traded up to the pick right in front of you and took him? Too bad. Your fanbase w ill surely understand that you had him all vetted and picked out, but you just got outmaneuvered for him. Am I say ing to cut your GM some slack when he trades up to pick Patrick Mahomes? No. A ll I’m suggesting is the job is harder than it looks. Contact Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Braves hand Mets their fifth consecutive loss Associated Press

NEW YORK — Julio Teheran stif led the Mets into the seventh inning, Robert Gsellman staggered through a five-run first and the Atlanta Braves handed New York its fifth straight loss, 8-2 on Wednesday night. Atlanta ended a six-game skid behind 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball from Teheran (2-1). The right-hander allowed four hits, four walks and a pair of sacrifice f lies while striking out four. He is 4-0 with a 0.91 ER A in his last seven starts against New York dating to June 21, 2015. The ailing Mets got Yoenis Cespedes and Travis d’Arnaud back in the lineup but still dropped their ninth in 10 games. Gsellman (0-2) allowed his first seven batters to reach in an exasperating first inning, including one on his own throwing error.

The 23-year-old rookie allowed six runs, 10 hits and three walks over four-plus innings. His ER A climbed to 6.23 one start after he pitched effectively into the eighth inning against Philadelphia. Tyler Flowers had a threerun double in the first and matched his career high with four RBIs. Gsellman was announced as New York’s starter a few hours before the first pitch after having his scheduled start Tuesday rained out. The Mets initially indicated they would skip Gsellman’s turn and pitch Noah Syndergaard on Wednesday, but manager Terry Collins opted to push his rotation back. When asked why, Collins said “because I wanted to” and insisted he never said Gsellman would be skipped, though even the Mets’ official Twitter account was promoting Syndergaard as

Wednesday’s starter. Gsellman began the game with four hits allowed, two walks and his own throwing error. Matt Kemp and Nick Markakis had RBI singles, the latter when Freddie Freeman scored on an overturned call at the plate following Cespedes’ throw from left field. Fans booed when Gsellman’s throw pulled first baseman Jay Bruce off the bag on Adonis Garcia’s swinging bunt, and they jeered again when Flowers doubled down the right field line to make it 5-0. Flowers chased Gsellman with an RBI single in the fifth. New York’s Neil Walker hit a sacrifice f ly to the warning track with the bases loaded in the fourth inning. Markakis had three hits, and all eight starting position players for Atlanta had at least one.

MLB | yankees 3, Red sox 1

Judge hits home run to secure win over Red Sox Associated Press

BOSTON — Luis Severino pitched seven innings of three-hit, shutout ball and Aaron Judge celebrated his 25th birthday with a two-run homer and spectacular catch, carrying the surging New York Yankees to a 3-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night in the longtime rivals’ first meeting this season. It was the 11th win in 14 games for the Yankees after they opened the season 1-4. Severino (2-1) struck out six and walked two, posting his third straight strong start. In his previous two, the 23-year-old righty became just the third Yankee ever to post double-digit strikeouts without more than one walk in consecutive games. Reigning AL Cy Young winner Rick Porcello (1-3) lost his third straight start, giving up three runs — two earned — in 6 2/3 innings. He didn’t

lose consecutive starts last season. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Judge became the first Yankee to homer on his birthday at Fenway Park since Roger Maris did it on Sept. 10, 1966. Dellin Betances worked a perfect eighth and Aroldis Chapman got the final three outs for his fifth save despite giving up a run. In the third, right fielder Judge made a running grab of a foul ball that carried him, flipping over head first, beyond a short wall into the seats. He came up showing the ball with his bare hand and it was originally ruled “no catch” by first base umpire Mark Carlson, but was overturned after a challenge. He homered into the Yankees’ bullpen an inning earlier. Fog rolled in during the middle innings after both teams didn’t have batting practice on the field because

of steady rain, probably causing a rare non-sellout in a game between the teams in Boston.

Trainer’s room Yankees: Manager Joe Girardi said SS Didi Gregorius is close to returning. “We’ll see him sometime in the next series” he said. Gregorius continues to recover from a strained right shoulder while playing at Class A Tampa. He went 2 for 4 and played the entire game at short Wednesday. Red Sox: Manager John Farrell said 2B Dustin Pedroia still had some “lingering soreness” and he “didn’t want to risk him losing his footing on the wet ground.” Pedroia missed his third straight game after Orioles 3B Manny Machado slid into the back of his left leg. The manager also said that “the symptoms that caused the onset of the vertigo, seemed to have cleared up” for utility infielder Brock Holt.

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The observer | thursday, april 27, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

Track Continued from page 12

w ill handle the [800-meter] leg. It’s going to be a really good competition between us, Villanova, Stanford and Indiana to see who can come out on top — but those four are our best bet to w in.” Turner’s confidence in the women’s distance medley relay is not unfounded, as the Irish won the event at the ACC indoor championships earlier this year. Aragon’s presence this time around prov ides a significant upgrade to the squad, as the graduate student finished first in the women’s

1,500-meter race w ith a time of 4:15.65 last weekend at the Virginia Challenge, while also running her fastest 800-meter race since the 2013 Stanford Inv itational w ith a time of 2: 07.27. Aside from the women’s distance medley relay, Turner said he expects the other Irish relays to perform well, as the entire team gears up for the ACC championships. “I think our women’s [400-meter] hurdlers relay should finish as one of the top-three teams, and on the men’s side, I’m really excited to see the 4x800-meter relay and 4x1600-meter relays,” Turner said. “We’ve got a lot

of guys running really good, consistent times.” W hile the main action will be at the Penn Relays, Notre Dame will also have athletes competing at the Gina Relays held at Hillsdale College in Michigan, where many younger, more inexperienced runners will get the chance to compete this weekend. The Penn Relays begin at 1 p.m. Thursday at Ben Frank lin Field and w ill go through Saturday, while the Gina Relays w ill begin Friday at noon at Ken Herrick Track and w ill also last through Saturday. Contact Joe Everett at jeveret4@nd.edu

MICHELLE MEHELAS | The Observer

Irish junior Payton Miller runs the 400-meter dash during the ACC indoor championships at Loftus Sports Center on Feb. 24. Paid Advertisement

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Irish junior Jessica Harris runs her leg of the distance medley team relay during the ACC indoor championships at Loftus Sports Center on Feb. 23. Harris ran the mile as the anchor leg for the Irish. Paid Advertisement

M Tennis Continued from page 12

themselves out of a hole to hold their doubles match 5-5, but Wake Forest won the next two games to take the match and secure the doubles point. The Demon Deacons extended their lead to 2-0 as Covalschi fell in his singles match 6-3, but Hagar brought the Irish back into it with his win over Wake Forest sophomore Petros Chrysochos. Hagar is 2-0 in his career against Chrysochos, also having beaten him in during last

year’s ACC championships. Wake Forest extended its lead to 4-1, clinching the next two matches. Cabrera played a competitive, comeback match to win 4-6, 7-5, 10-8, making the overall score 4-2, but the Irish dropped their final match to finish the night at 5-2. Next up, the Irish will take on Louisville on Thursday in the second round of the ACC championship, hoping to continue through the weekend to Sunday’s championship. The Irish lost to the Cardinals (20-8, 6-6) 4-3 during their regular season in March.

THE SOULS OF CHINA T H E R E T U R N OF R E L IGION A F T E R M AO

Thursday, April 27 | 4:00 pm Hesburgh Center, Room C103 Lecture by Ian Johnson Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Irish senior Josh Hagar follows through on a serve during Notre Dame’s 7-0 win over Boston College on Feb. 11 at Eck Tennis Pavilion.

kellogg.nd.edu/johnson

Sports

Softball Continued from page 12

7-9 Big Ten). “It’s funny because we have only had one mid-week road trip and that was [Tuesday],” Gumpf said. “The way that the girls responded, I couldn’t have been more proud. It’s not easy to take a slide the way we slid down and didn’t play well. To come back and just attack from the very first inning until the game ended — we never stopped attacking — showed a lot of character. It showed the team we want to be. The girls know what team they want to be and they were that team yesterday. It was really good to see.” Right at the start of the game, senior center fielder Karley Wester singled to third base, stole second and advanced to third after a bunt by sophomore left fielder Ali Wester. A double steal brought Karley Wester in, and junior

ndsmcobserver.com | thursday, april 27, 2017 | The Observer

shortstop Morgan Reed walked to first. Continuing the momentum, sophomore pitcher Caitlyn Brooks hit a three-run home run to put the Irish ahead 4-0. Putting points on the board from the start, the Irish took the rest of the game from the Wildcats. “It started with first batter, Karley, getting on base, making things happen,” Gumpf said. “Karley and Ali just kind of deconstructed their defense a little bit. Then for [Brooks] to come in and make that huge hit, it was everything. And that was kind of how the whole game played out, it was just great momentum.” Northwestern tried to get back in the game during the bottom of the second, but junior first baseman Sara White’s unassisted double play stopped any chances. In the third inning, White stepped up to the plate with senior right fielder Kimmy Sullivan and freshman second baseman Katie Marino on first and second. She

hit a three-run home run, the second of the game, resulting in an 8-0 lead for Notre Dame. The Wildcats responded with an infield RBI groundout in the bottom of the third, putting their first run on the board. Brooks continued to force outs in the third and fourth innings, maintaining the 8-1 Irish lead. As the fifth inning came around, the Irish took the game out of the Wildcats’ paws. Reed hit an RBI single bringing freshman pinch runner Alexis Bazos home from second, and Brooks’ double brought Reed home for a score a 10-1. Northwestern hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth, resulting in an Irish 10-2 finish in the fifth inning. The Irish will next take on No. 24 Arkansas in a three-game series beginning Saturday at 1 p.m. at Melissa Cook Stadium. Contact Meagan Bens at mbens@nd.edu

MICHAEL YU | The Observer

Irish senior outfielder and captain Karley Wester converses with associate coach Kris Ganeff during Notre Dame’s 13-4 win over IUPUI on April 12 at Melissa Cook Stadium. Paid Advertisement

Baseball Continued from page 12

Irish head coach Mik Aoki said Tuesday. “Offensively, I thought we swung the bat really well, so I think overall it was a really well-played game by us.” The offense started its damage against Crusader freshman starter Michael Mommersteeg in the second inning, as sophomore second baseman Nick Podkul delivered a two-run double to open the scoring. The Irish added two more runs in the frame, chasing Mommersteeg from the game after just two innings. In the bottom of the third, freshman designated hitter Nick Neville blasted another two-run double to extend the lead, eventually scoring on a single by junior right fielder Jake Shepski to bring the lead to 7-0. While the Crusaders immediately cut into that lead, the Irish got those runs back in the sixth thanks to the first triple of Ryan Lidge’s career. The senior catcher emptied the bases to push the lead the 10-3 — a score that stood thanks to four clean innings of relief by the Irish bullpen to secure the win for Smoyer. “We’ve been talking about trying to win three games a week for a while to get ourselves out of the whole we dug for ourselves early in the season,” Aoki said. “We’re within striking distance of climbing back over the .500 mark. … We’ve got three conference weekends left, and those will make the difference between us being able to move into the ACC postseason or not.” Pitching dominated Wednesday’s contest against the Eagles (17-24, 8-4 MAC). Notre Dame junior righty Charlie Vorsheck and Eastern Michigan’s freshman right hander James Harness made short work of the first three innings, but Harness was lifted for junior righty Justin McMurtry to start the fourth inning. Irish sophomore center fielder Matt Vierling welcomed the Eastern Michigan reliever to the mound by clearing the right-field fence with his sixth home run of the year to break the scoreless tie. Vorsheck’s final line read five hits over six innings of work with four strikeouts and no walks. That performance followed his first career start in which he allowed just one run over 5 2/3 innings while striking out six last week against Central Michigan. “[Vorscheck has] done a good job to dedicating himself to

getting into really good shape and working at the game at a higher level than he has in the past couple years,” Aoki said. “He’s always been a kid that we’ve had the faith that he would do the kind of things he’s doing for us now.” Freshman right hander Patrick McDonald replaced Vorsheck in the seventh and proceeded to throw nine strikes on nine pitches and record three strikeouts — an “immaculate inning.” The freshman kept the run going, striking out the first Eagles batter of the eighth inning on three pitches to record 12 strikes on 12 pitches, striking out four. Eastern Michigan freshman second baseman Drake Peggs singled up the middle — on McDonald’s 14th consecutive strike — to finally break the run. Aoki pulled McDonald after the single and brought in junior closer Sean Guenther. “[I wanted to keep going] a little bit,” McDonald said. “But I knew that we had Guenther out in the pen, and he would do a good job shutting down the inning in a close game.” “He gives up the hit, and at that point if they’re going to tie it up, I’d rather have it with one of the two guys we have the most faith in at the back end,” Aoki said. “The guys that have been there before. … At that point we felt like with five outs to go, let’s go to Guenther.” Guenther struck out a batter, conceded a single and then induced a grounder to the shortstop to shut down the inning. Vierling provided insurance in the bottom half of the inning. Podkul and sophomore shortstop Cole Daily both bunted for singles before senior third baseman Kyle Fiala walked to load the bases for Vierling, who delivered with a two-run single to center. Lidge followed with a single to score Fiala. Freshman outfielder Connor Power brought home Lidge later in the inning with a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 5-0 and give Guenther room to breathe. The junior closer did not need it — Eastern Michigan loaded the bases with one out, but Guenther induced a shallow fly to right for the second out before striking out the final Eagle to preserve the shutout. The Irish will next take the diamond when they face off against Duke in a three-game series beginning Friday at Frank Eck Stadium. First pitch it scheduled for 6:05 p.m. Contact Zach Klonsinski at zklonsin@nd.edu and Joe Everett at jeveret4@nd.edu

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Email Elizabeth Greason at egreason@nd.edu

The observer | thursday, april 27, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

Men’s tennis | ND 6, clemson 1; wake forest 5, nd 2

baseball | ND 10, Valparaiso 3; nd 5, eastern michigan 0

Irish pick up two wins in nonconference games By ZACH KLONSINSKI and JOE EVERETT

Observer Sports Staff

Senior Sports Writer and Sports Writer

The Irish kicked off a 13game home-stand with a pair of nonconference victories at Frank Eck Stadium, downing Valparaiso, 10-3, and Eastern Michigan, 5-0, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Notre Dame (20-22, 8-13 ACC) started off on the right foot Tuesday evening by scoring early and often to rout visiting Valparaiso (16-23, 6-10 Horizon). Senior right hander Ryan Smoyer gave the Irish five innings on the mound, holding the Crusaders scoreless except for a three-run blip in the fourth inning. “Ryan did a good job outside of [the top of the fourth] where he got behind a little bit, and the guys behind him did a really good job as well,” see BASEBALL PAGE 11

MICHAEL YU | The Observer

Irish senior pitcher Ryan Smoyer delivers a pitch during Notre Dame’s 8-3 win over Toledo on April 12 at Frank Eck Stadium.

track & field

Sports Writer

After setting multiple school and personal records last weekend at the Virginia Challenge and the Michael Johnson Inv itational, the Irish look to continue their streak of successful outings as they compete at the prestigious Penn Relays this weekend. The largest and oldest track meet in the countr y, the Penn Relays are held in Philadelphia at the Universit y of Pennsylvania and prov ide the level of competitive atmosphere that should ser ve the Irish well t wo weeks before the ACC outdoor championships. Irish head coach A lan Turner noted this weekend is a special opportunit y for the Irish to compete on a big stage and shared some insight into Notre Dame’s histor y at the Penn Relays. “This weekend is the last one before the ACCs, so it’s going to be important for us to compete well,” Turner said. “This is a great

Notre Dame closed its regular season over the weekend when it hosted Clemson and No. 1 Wake Forest in conference matches at Courtney Tennis Center. The Irish (13-12, 4-8 ACC) took dow n Clemson (9-15, 2-10 ACC) 6-1 Friday but dropped Sunday’s match against the Demon Deacons (25-1, 12-0 ACC) 5-2. In the Senior Night match against the Tigers, the Irish won the doubles point after sophomore A lex Lebedev and freshman Matt Gamble won their match 6-3 and junior Brendon Kempin and sophomore Grayson Broadus secured their w in 6-4. Notre Dame carried its momentum into the singles matches, recording w ins from freshman Guillermo Cabrera, senior Josh Hagar and freshman Johnathan Small. Senior Eddy Covalschi

extended the 5-0 lead w ith a 6-1, 6-4 w in, coming back from a 3-0 deficit at the beginning of the match. Clemson’s only point of the night came from the final singles match as Clemson’s Daffra Sanon defeated Lebedev in a close 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5) match. Against Wake Forest, Hagar had the most successful day of his career, recording t wo top-three w ins, one in his doubles match and the other in his singles match. Broadus and Kempin started off strong in the first doubles match but ultimately fell to the Demon Deacons 6-3. Hagar and Covalschi beat the countr y’s top-ranked doubles partners, topping Wake Forest’s Skander Mansouri and Christian Seraphim 7-5. Gamble and Lebedev dug see M TENNIS PAGE 10

ND SOFTBALL | ND 10, NORthwestern 2

Notre Dame bounces back after weekend losses

Squad looks to continue success By JOE EVERETT

ND splits despite Hagar’s career day

opportunit y to run some real fast relays in front of a huge crowd. We haven’t been to the Penn Relays since the ’90s, and we actually haven’t won a relay since the ’40s, but I’m excited to see what we can do.” W hile Notre Dame has historically come up empt y at the Penn Relays, Turner said he is particularly excited for one event this weekend — an event which he feels the Irish have a good shot at breaking their w inless streak in Philadelphia. “I think our women’s distance medley-relay team has the best shot at w inning our first Penn relay,” Turner said. “[Graduate student Danielle] Aragon couldn’t compete in our relays indoors because of eligibilit y restrictions, but she’s running really well right now and w ill run the 1200-meter leg. [Junior] Jessica Harris is going to run the mile, [junior] Pay ton Miller w ill run the [400-meter leg] and [sophomore] Kelly Hart see TRACK PAGE 10

By MEAGAN BENS Sports Writer

MICHAEL YU | The Observer

Irish sophomore pitcher Caitlyn Brooks winds up during Notre Dame’s 1-0 win over Eastern Michigan on March 29.

After being swept by Virginia last weekend, the Irish turned their game around to win over Northwestern, 10-2, Tuesday. According to Irish head coach Deanna Gumpf, the three losses over the weekend resulted from not responding to the Cavaliers (21-29, 8-13 ACC) well enough. “We didn’t do anything particularly well,” Gumpf said. “When you have a good ACC team that comes in, they are going to play their best softball against Notre Dame. And we didn’t, and things happened that were maybe a bit unexpected, and we didn’t respond really well. It just kind of got out of our control. When the game gets out of your control, you aren’t going to play very well and it sums up that whole weekend.” Although the Irish (28-18, 11-10) had a tough weekend, they responded quickly during their mid-week road trip to face Northwestern (20-24, see SOFTBALL PAGE 11