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Volume 56, Issue 58 | Friday, MARCH 25, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Pridefest kicks off with panel LGBTQ+ students from the tri-campus community discuss experiences By EMMA DUFFY News Writer
In the final days of the Njomo-Bisner administration, the Notre Dame student government is putting on Pridefest: a tri-campus event to spread awareness and appreciation for LGBTQ+ students. To kick off the weekend-long event, Pridefest featured an LGBTQ+ Student Experience Panel. Students from across the tri-campus came together for the panel to explain their experiences, struggles and opinions on how the tri-campus can provide a better future experience for queer students. Students Amaya Medeiros and Sophia Sanchez discussed
the struggles they had experienced beyond the tri-campus, specifically the attitudes and stereotypes in society that they said have made it harder for those in the LGBTQ+ community to embrace their identity. “I think the term ‘lesbian’ has attached a very hypersexualized notion around that concept,” Medeiros said. “So, I would use ‘queer’ instead of ‘lesbian.’” “I’ve definitely struggled with my identity only because my family is Catholic,” Sanchez said. “We’re a Latino/Latina household, so we don’t really talk about gender or sexuality.” Sanchez and other panelists see PRIDEFEST PAGE 3
Observer Staff Report
EMMA DUFFY | The Observer
LGBTQ+ students come together for a panel during Pridefest to discuss their experiences inside and outside the tri-campus community.
Students in CSC seminars travel over spring break
News Writer
The Notre Dame student senate convened Wednesday night for their penultimate meeting on the second f loor of LaFortune Student Center. After opening with a prayer, student body vice president Matthew Bisner conducted roll call and approved the minutes from March 16. Photo courtesy of Bianca Widjaja
Students in the Educational Equity seminar visit the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The seminar group traveled for their immersion trip over spring break through the Center for Social Concerns.
News Writer
Over spring break, groups of students traveled to Immokalee, Florida for the Migrant Experiences seminar and to Washington, D.C. for the Educational Equity seminar. Seminars are courses offered through the Center for Social Concerns. Groups meet during the semester in an academic setting with the course culminating in an immersion trip over fall or spring break.
NEWS PAGE 5
Maggie Lenhart, a junior and one of the leaders for the Migrant Experiences seminars, explained that the seminars are not traditional service trips. “They have some portions of service involved with the organizations we are collaborating with,” Lenhart said.” But what we are really doing is going to interact with and build relationships with people who have a direct lived experience of these issues.” The goal of the Migrant Experiences seminar was to “engage and be in solidarity
VIEWPOINT PAGE 7
with the community by understanding both their challenges, what motivates them, and the beauty they find within their community despite some of the injustices they are facing,” Lenhart said. According to junior Kayleigh Monahan, co-leader for the Educational Equity seminar, the goal of the seminar that traveled to D.C was “to quote the course description, to ‘begin to cultivate a vision of just education informed by an awareness of power, privilege see CSC PAGE 3
SCENE PAGE 9
Ukrainian Archbishop Borys Gudziak will deliver Notre Dame’s 2022 commencement address, the University announced in a press release Wednesday. Gudziak, the highest-ranking Ukrainian Catholic prelate in the United States and president and former rector of the see SPEAKER PAGE 3
Senate votes on UCC funds By KATHRYN MUCHNICK
By CAROLINE COLLINS
ND releases 2022 speaker
Bisner previewed several upcoming events on campus, including Pride Fest, a celebration of LGBTQ+ students that is scheduled for this weekend. On Friday, the Department of Sustainability will host a march, calling on Notre Dame to divest from the fossil fuel industry. The march will begin on see SENATE PAGE 5
SMC Economics Club revived By CORA HADDAD News Writer
The Saint Mary’s College Economics Club is not a new addition to the community, but one that is being revived for 2022. Co-presidents and Saint Mary’s juniors Nicole Drummond and Nikki Murphy hope to rebuild the club to what it once was before the pandemic. Nicole Drummond is a double major in finance and economics
Hockey PAGE 12
with a double minor in math and computer science. Drummond described how she got involved with the club this year. “Professor Ari reached out to me and was like, ‘Hey [do] you want to start this back up again, [to] get more girls interested in the major?’” Professor Ari Farshbaf is an assistant professor of economics at Saint Mary’s and acts as the Econ club’s advisor. see ECON PAGE 4
W Basketball PAGE 16
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At the end of a busy week, students study, chat and relax in Duncan Student Center after several days of South Bend rainy and sunny weather. They enjoy food, drinks and amenities of Hagerty Family Cafe, Modern Market and Chick-fil-A between classes.
The next Five days:
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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Lecture DeBartolo Performing Arts Center 7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Buy tickets online.
Karaoke Night Library Lawn 9 p.m. - 11 p.m. Sing on stage and eat free food from food trucks.
Basilica Mass Basilica of Sacred Heart 10 a.m. & noon All are welcome to attend.
Seamus Deane Legacy Conference Morris Inn and 1050 Jenkins Nanovic Halls all-day All are welcome.
Panel Discussion virtual 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. “Russian Propaganda and Western Media: A view from Ukraine.”
Dancing Under the Stars with PFresh Library Lawn 9 p.m. - 11 p.m. Hip Hop dance party and free food.
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Mass for Immigration Reform Basilica of Sacred Heart 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. All are welcome.
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UndocuALLY 138 Debartolo Hall 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Learm how to support undocumented individuals at ND.
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CSC Continued from page 1
and positionality.’” Seminar leaders spend months preparing for the immersion trips. The preparation includes engaging in team bonding activities within their groups, reaching out to community partners, scheduling meetings and planning itineraries, according to Lenhart. Despite all of the planning that goes into the immersion trips, junior co-leader for the
Pridefest Continued from page 1
made an effort to discuss the challenges that arise as an LGBTQ+ student at a Catholic institution. “Coming out to peers on campus was a little bit difficult for me,” Sanchez said. “I am Brown. I am gay. I’m a first-generation college student. I’m not the ideal Saint Mary’s woman.” The panelists also explained the stigma attached to the dorm process at Notre Dame. Before their first year, incoming students are assigned to the single-sex Notre Dame residence halls based on their sex at birth, not taking gender into account. “When you’re in the dorms and when everybody knows who’s gay, it’s like this red X on you,” Daniel Lau said. “Me being the only guy living in a women’s dorm started to make women uncomfortable,” Sam Capodicci said. The panelists detailed resources that have helped them through their experiences. The PrismND club and the Gender Relations Center (GRC) are both organizations that have impacted the time that students have spent on campus, helping them feel more comfortable being in this space. Other resources mentioned were shared about how the students found groups on social media. They explained that there is a QueerND GroupMe that allows LGBTQ+ students in the tri-campus to connect with each other and form a sense of
Speaker Continued from page 1
Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) in Lviv, will receive an honorary degree at the commencement ceremony on May 15 at Notre Dame Stadium. Gudziak was previously the recipient of the Notre Dame Award in 2019. University President Fr. John Jenkins said in the release the University further supports him as he speaks out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “The students, faculty and staff at Notre Dame have
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ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, MARCH 25, 2022 | The Observer
Educational Equity seminar Bianca Widjaja felt that the most memorable parts of the trip were conversations with other students and members of the community that were not planned. “There is great value in entering into conversations with others and learning about them by listening,” she said. Monahan noted she emerged from the seminar with a newfound understanding. “None of us are able to change the world singlehandedly, [but] it was
comforting to know we are not alone in this mission,” she said. For many students, the immersion trip helped to discern a career path. Monahan said it was “a good reminder to stay openminded about where I am being called in the future and that there may be multiple fields where my gifts would be valuable.” The immersion showed Widjaja how complex it is to create real change. But, this is necessarily a bad thing
because there are so many people working together towards the same mission. “I have come out of the immersion much more hopeful of the work that is being done to achieve justice while at the same time being more understanding as to what it takes to create change,” she said. Monahan explained the importance of seminars as a space for learning. “[Seminars] are a great space to connect with other students who are passionate about the
same issues as you [and] are a great setting to challenge your perspective,” Monahan said. Widjaja also emphasized the role that seminars have played in her life. “I made connections with people and have learned things that have impacted how I see the world, especially as it relates to the call of standing in solidarity with those who are marginalized,” Widjaja said.
belonging. The panelists expressed that they appreciate seeing broad student acceptance, but they also expressed ways in which they think tri-campus institutions can improve. One of the first issues discussed was the dorm system at Notre Dame. “[The LGBTQ+ community] would very, very, very, very, very, very, very much like to see some better housing options for trans people on campus,” Capodicci said. “I was really out of place living in a women’s dorm, and I have absolutely no desire, of course, to make women living in a women’s only space uncomfortable, but I don’t really have a choice.” Panelists also said that it would be helpful to have a better way to report instances of discrimination or microaggressions. Speakup already exists as a discrimination reporting platform, but Lau suggested that there may be a better way to handle these situations. “There’s so many layers to [incidences of discrimination], whether it’s people not feeling safe enough to even report somebody, or just how do you decide what’s a microaggression. It’s such a tricky situation,” Lau said. Saint Mary’s student government (SGA) has also expressed that they have many ideas to accommodate LGBTQ+ students. Sanchez said Saint Mary’s denied the opportunity to have their own Pridefest, but that she hopes to work toward hosting a similar event in the future. Saint Mary’s vice president of
student government Josie Haas said she would like to implement a mentoring program for queer students, including Holy Cross students. The mentoring program would help inform students who have questions about their sexuality or would like to know more about the sexual spectrum. Panelists also spoke up on issues with the application process for Saint Mary’s students. Since it is an all women’s college, students are required to apply using their sex. “I think not allowing women who identify as women to have the opportunity to go to an all women’s college, it just kind of sucks,” Sanchez said. The students said they felt as though change does not just need to come from higher level officials and that they believe professors and other staff members also have an obligation to create an inclusive
environment. “Staff members have a responsibility to actively seek out student input to use to implement and make sure that they’re effectively catering to our needs,” Medeiros explained. Several students on the panel expressed their exhaustion for the phrase that it is “too much, too soon,” saying it make it hard to maintain hope in the tricampus community. One student, Tilly Keevan, said they would like to see change at a faster rate because the lives of students are being disrupted and disheartened by the lack of progress. “Based on my experiences, I don’t have hope for the institution,” Tilly Keevan said. “I don’t have hope for the structure.” Despite this, students try to find hope wherever they can, saying that even the smallest of instances show them that
they are accepted and that they belong. Lau recounts a time in which the priest of his dorm suggested that the boys of the dorm bring their girlfriends or boyfriends to the dorm’s formal. “That just felt kind of good, for that small little moment,” he said. “I find joy in just small little moments where you realize you’re being noticed.” The panelists emphasized that students have the power to make the tri-campus more accepting. “I’m sure there will be more good because every year more good students come, more accepting students come, more inclusive students come,” Keevan said. “I just hope that more and more students will tip the scales.”
demonstrated continuing solidarity with Ukraine over this past month, and I know that they will benefit from and appreciate hearing the words of Archbishop Gudziak at our graduation celebration in May,” Jenkins said. Gudziak currently serves as the Metropolitan-Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy in Philadelphia. Gudziak was raised in Syracuse, New York, and his parents were Ukrainian refugees, according to the release. Gudziak moved back to Ukraine after his education and later helped to found UCU.
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Tri-Campus Thursday: A break abroad By SIOBHAN LOUGHNEY Manager of Talent & Inclusion
As the week of February 27 drew to a close, students f locked to beaches, hurried home to their families, or eagerly awaited some peace and rest as the tri-campus emptied around them. One group of students, sponsored by the Sorin Fellows Program and de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, had a spring break unlike most others. The group touched down in Tel Aviv Friday, March 4, embarking on a pilgrimage that would take them around the Holy Land, allowing time for spiritual growth and expansion of knowledge regarding the geopolitical forces of the region. The trip was run by Passages, an organization whose mission states, “The origins of both ancient Biblical faith and of a present-day nation — rich with culture, diversity, beauty, and challenges—are in Israel. The land and the people of Israel have a story to tell.” Passages brings Christian students to Israel to strengthen their faith and improve their understanding of the politics, culture and people who reside in modern Israel. Preparation for the journey included a crash-course of readings, videos, and quizzes from Passages to begin students’ engagement with ideas they would encounter throughout their trip. Nicole Becker, a fifth-year senior in Saint Mary’s and Notre Dame’s dual degree program, had a unique period of preparation leading into the trip. Students were already unsure if the trip would ever happen, as the Covid-19 pandemic maintains its grip on international travel. But, Becker had an even more unclear path to this pilgrimage. “I was not intending to go on this trip. I was originally supposed to go with my family to go snow skiing over spring break, and when those plans fell through, I just kind
Econ Continued from page 1
Drummond went on to say that the club is not only for econ majors and is open to everyone. “Some of my nursing friends are being very supportive in joining … It’s definitely open to everyone,” Drummond said. “Even on the board, I think I’m the only econ major actually. There are some econ minors or concentrations but overall people are global studies, gender and women’s studies or business majors.”
of scrambled.” Becker said. Still, Becker had been doing her own spiritual preparation, as she had been listening to Father Mike Schmitz’s “Bible in a Year” podcast. While studying the Books of Kings and Chronicles, she made note of locations around Israel that she would soon have the chance to see in person. It was that moment of realizing that the land in front of them was the land that Jesus had once walked upon that spoke to many of the other students on the journey, too. Notre Dame senior Dora Leonardo, a psychology major with minors in Education, Schooling and Society and theology, had spoken with her best friend about their longing to visit the Holy Land before graduating. Fulfilling that wish over spring break, Leonardo found herself enamored with the Holy Land. “It’s difficult because yes, everything has been touched. Everything has a church on it, so nothing is exactly the way that it was when Jesus was walking around,” Leonardo said. “But the one thing that never changed was sunrise and sunset. Being able to just watch the sunrise over the Sea of Galilee and be like, ‘Wow, this was something that he would have seen at some point,’ was really touching.” The itinerary was packed with masses, speakers, tours, and visits to as many temples, churches, and holy sites as one can imagine. Having the time constraint of spring break to complete their journey, the group experienced what Mary Frances Myler, a Notre Dame senior hailing from Traverse City, Michigan, called “liturgical whiplash.” Nevertheless, there was ample time to connect with one’s faith more deeply in the most profound settings. Another Notre Dame senior, Elizabeth Self, expressed how it felt to lay eyes on the lands so many people have only read about. “I think a lot of people
The Econ club has already had one event where they collaborated with the Saint Mary’s Investment Club. The event consisted of Farshbaf sharing his knowledge. He explained cryptocurrency and its relevance to the economy and the market. Drummond mentioned that the club intends to team up with other tri-campus groups later in the semester. “We are looking at doing an event with the Notre Dame Econ Club … getting involved and building the communities together and sharing knowledge between
Photo courtesy of Mary Frances Myler
Students walk the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem and pray the Stations of the Cross at dawn. The Via Dolorosa is a processional route that follows the path Jesus would have taken on the way to his crucifixion.
worry that they’re going to be frustrated if they can’t pinpoint the exact spot where things happen if they’re really, you know, laying their hands on the right rock,” Self said. “ I mean, odds are, they’re not, you know, but it’s really cool to be looking into the valley, looking over the hill that Jerusalem’s on and just knowing that everything we’re talking about happened in that space.” While being in Israel allowed students to physically connect with what they have read in scripture, it also conferred a deeper appreciation for practicing their faith not just back on the tri-campus, but anywhere in the world. Journeying to the Western Wall, the group had the privilege of witnessing deeply devoted expressions of other faith traditions. Knowing that so many other people
had made long pilgrimages to achieve such closeness with God, Leonardo was struck with gratitude for her own faith. “As a Catholic, you get to receive the Eucharist anywhere you are in the world, and that’s the closest that you can be to God,” Leonardo said. Myler, too, ref lected on the Eucharist. “I think it was just a really beautiful experience to find so much similarity between Catholicism in the Holy Land and these beautiful places, these churches and all the holy sites, to find something that is so familiar there,” Myler said. “Tradition is what unites us but also to realize that the Eucharist — it was there in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It’s also in all of our dorm chapels.” After this whirlwind of a spring break, it came time
to return to the tri-campus. Students, just completing a spiritually iwntense and physically exhausting week of travel, would soon be met with the tri-campus community, once again. The journey to Israel and back, however, was not just another spring break vacation. It was a pilgrimage. “You’re always going to have a longing to go back. The fact that it’s your first love’s home and the fact that it‘s Christ’s — it’s your home too,” Leonardo said. “I’ve come back from trips and I’ve been very happy to be back, and I don’t think this longing in my heart will just disappear. I think I’ll have to go back at some point. Yeah, it wasn’t a trip. It was definitely a pilgrimage.”
the clubs.” Drummond stated her hopes for the club and the goals that they are aiming to accomplish in the future. “We hope that they [club members] have a better overall understanding of what economics is and how it applies to everyday life,” Drummond said. “Also we’re just looking to build a community of girls that come together and share knowledge and share like different perspectives on things.” The Econ Club’s future plans include game nights and movie nights in the hope
that it will attract new members. The hope is also for the current members to bond and build the community that Drummond hopes to build within the club. Drummond hopes to extend this community to other like-minded clubs. Drummond also spoke of the mentor program in the club. “So it’s kind of like introducing and sharing a little bit about what kind of class options there are, what the electives are, [and] kind of helping girls figure out what their major or minor
is … and if they want help with their four-year plan or whatever.” Information regarding the Econ club can be found on posters posted around Saint Mary’s campus or can be found by emailing the club’s official email at econclub@ saintmarys.edu. Students can also get more information by contacting either co-president Nicole Drummond at ndrummond01@saintmar ys. edu or Nikki Murphy at nmurphy01@saintmarys.edu.
Contact Siobhan Loughney at sloughne@nd.edu
Contact Cora Haddad at chaddad01@saintmarys.edu
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Quiz bowl team to compete at nationals By GABBY BEECHERT News Writer
Notre Dame’s Quiz Bowl team will be one of the 32 Division II teams competing in the Intercollegiate Championship Tournament in Chicago on April 2. The team went to the national tournament in 2019 — placing 16 out of 32 teams — after they went undefeated in the Great Lakes Sectional tournament. The road to qualifying for Nationals this year was not so easy. The team was placed fourth on the waitlist to compete at Nationals after their sectional competition at the University of Illinois in February, senior and Quiz Bowl President Alexander Kuptel explained. The three teams ahead of them made it off the waitlist, Kuptel said. At that point, he said he did not think his team would get as lucky. But
Senate Continued from page 1
Debartolo Quad at 5 p.m. In addition, Bisner announced the Student Awards Night on Wednesday, April 6 to honor notable student leaders. Finally, Bisner thanked the student government departments of social concerns, community engagement and faith and service for their efforts to restart Back the Bend — Notre Dame’s campus-wide day of service. Interested students can still sign up to volunteer on April 2 with Back the Bend here. After executive announcements, vice president of peer advocacy Allison Sharp gave a presentation on Judicial Council’s Peer Advocacy Program. The program is designed to provide support and information to students after a violation of the University’s Standards of Conduct. Peer advocates are trained through Judicial Council and the Office of Community Standards (OCS), but Sharp emphasized that the Peer Advocacy program is not directly affiliated with OCS. After Sharp’s presentation, Judicial Council president David Haungs read out resolution SO2122-10A. The resolution is part of a series of two resolutions aimed at increasing representation for off-campus students in the Student Union. SO2122-10A proposed an amendment to the constitution that allows the off-campus community to elect one representative to the Student Union Board (SUB). The resolution passed unanimously. Though it was not voted on,
when a one-man team from a Minnesota community college declined their spot at Nationals, one of the four spots at nationals reserved for community colleges opened up, Kuptel said. So, the Notre Dame Division II Quiz Bowl team got off the waitlist and became national competitors. Although Kuptel he serves as the president of the club, he will not compete in the national tournament. He competed at sectionals on the Division I team that did not qualify for Division I Nationals. The members who qualified for Nationals are firstyears Alexander DelVecchio, Stephen Heritage and Bryan Fok, and sophomores Thomas Mercurio and Anders Lamb. The team may be young, but that’s not to say they’re incapable of success. DelVecchio, who has been competing in quiz bowl since he was in sixth
grade, was the highest scoring player at a novice tournament at Purdue University on Oct. 30. The whole team fared pretty well at the same tournament, DelVecchio said, as the team finished in second place. “We’re young. And that’s good because we can see not just where we are nationally in terms of other teams, but how we work together and how and where we might be able to strengthen and fine tune that team dynamic,” DelVecchio said. “I think that’s really one of the biggest things we can look forward to in this tournament.” While competing, the team will be tested on their knowledge in a variety of subjects, including social sciences, literature, fine arts and hard sciences. Kuptel described Quiz Bowl questions as similar to “Jeopardy” but “slightly more academic.” Throughout the semester,
the team has been practicing Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on the third floor of LaFortune Student Center. Practices usually involve scrimmaging against one another, but their regimen has become more focused in preparation for the national tournament. Each team member has been writing their own question packets on a specific subject and plays those packets during practice, Heritage explained. Kuptel said writing packets on a specific topic helps individuals develop a deeper understanding of one subject. The most competitive teams have highly specialized individuals in each subject. He explained that this strategy will benefit Notre Dame’s team because team members have general knowledge across a variety of topics. While many schools focus
on being as competitive as possible, the team said they agreed to also recognize the social aspect of being part of a team. “The thing about practices is they’re fun. You have your friends there and people you’re working with, but people are also making jokes and you can enjoy it,” DelVecchio said. This intersection of the team’s academic and social nature is something that Kuptel said he takes great pride in. “I think we exemplify a lot of the values that Notre Dame places on community and friendship and mutual care,” Kuptel said. “That’s something I’m very proud of this team ... that we’re able to do that and still go to Nationals and compete at a high level.”
off-campus council president Thomas Davis also discussed resolution SO2122-10B. Similar to resolution SO212210A, this resolution is aimed at increasing the number of senators that the off-campus community elects from two to three. Davis said that he views this as the “most constitutionally sound” option. “We would hate for this body to only talk about issues for students living on campus.” Next, the senate unanimously passed resolution SO2122-21. The resolution appointed Creed Leathers, who was elected student senator of Fisher Hall for the 2022-23 term, to the senate. Leathers is beginning his term early to fill the vacancy left after
Fisher Hall’s previous senator resigned. Juliette Kelley and Austin Wyman, co-directors of health and wellbeing in executive cabinet, then read resolution SS2122-12. The resolution calls for “greater funding for the UCC to hire individual counselors.” Kelley emphasized the need for consistent, easy-to-access care from the UCC. The resolution suggests that “when the UCC is unable to meet demand, students are less likely to seek help and their mental health issues go untreated.” Kelley also said that the UCC needs full-time counselors to provide the best quality care. Hiring part-time staff is a “band-aid” rather than a solution.
Keough Hall senator Benjamin Erhardt praised the resolution for its “timeliness,” and proposed an amendment to bring the resolution to the Campus Life Council. The resolution and the amendment passed. Finally, the senate moved to consider resolution SS212213, calling on Notre Dame to enroll in the Laudato Si Action Platform. Senator Annika Barron explained that the action platform was released by the Vatican as a series of “actionable goals” in response to Pope Francis’s encyclical, Laudato Si. Both the encyclical and the action platform aim to combat the climate crisis, but the action platform invites organizations
to respond to seven specific goals. Barron emphasized the f lexibility of the platform. “If you do become a partner institution, you’re given space to figure out what makes sense for you,” she said. Barron also said that 80 universities around the world have enrolled in the action platform, including 30 universities in the United States. The resolution passed with one senator abstaining. Before closing, Bisner announced that the senate would hear nominations for Student Union Board Directors at the next meeting.
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The observer | Friday, March 25, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Inside Column
It’s good to see your face Meghan Lange Saint Mary’s News Editor
The last time I sat in a classroom without a mask it was the year 2020. It was March, and I was a senior in high school. My AP Psych class had just ended, and it was officially spring break. I walked to my car among the other overly excited seniors who were headed home to leave on vacation. I, on the other hand, was headed to my after-school job at Barnes and Noble. I walked through the double doors, that had been propped open to let the warm spring breeze blow through the store. After clocking in at the employee computer, I walked through the maze of bookshelves in a predetermined route, specifically designed to avoid my managers and to get to my locker in the break room. After locking up my backpack and keys in my locker, I made my way to the children’s department, which was my typical section. I walked into the empty department and picked up a copy of “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” off a shelf near the entrance. Making my way towards the back wall I found my usual corner and sat down to read. I had only been reading for about 20 minutes when the first child came up to me and asked for my help to find a book. The day continued in that pattern over and over again. It was just another average day. The next day was anything but average. I was supposed to return to work for my next shift at 10 a.m., but at 8:30 a.m. I got a call from my managers that the store would be closed for the next couple of days “while the world figures out what this COVID thing was.” That couple of days turned into a couple of months and that “spring break” turned into an undefined period of virtual classes. Which culminated in Prom cancelations and Zoom graduation. The last time I had seen a stranger’s face without a mask and within 6 feet of me was that day in March. On that day, none of us thought the world would have changed so much in what seemed like a single night. So many people believed that COVID-19 wouldn’t affect them or touch their lives in any way. They couldn’t have been more wrong. COVID-19 disrupted the world’s timeline. We all turned another year older but where somehow stuck in the same place. Aging physically but not mentally. For so many, COVID-19 was a much need break in their hectic life, until it wasn’t. For others, many of whom were or are currently in high school or college, it was a breakdown in the system. All the events of high school and college were canceled: senior nights, dances, award ceremonies, big games, fall plays, spring musicals and class trips. In 2021 the world began to restart, like at the beginning of a carousel, we started spinning again ever so slowly, not back to our peak speed but slowly climbing. The world had just pushed the start button, and we were still warming up. Many people were still scared, and with every new variant, the world became more and more apprehensive to the possibility that we would ever see our old reality again. Now in March of 2022, almost exactly two years from that day back in 2020, Saint Mary’s College and the University of Notre Dame have announced that masks are now optional in most if not all classes, at the professor’s discretion. After two years of masks and social distancing, I was able to enter a lecture hall mask-less. It was the first time I’ve entered a college class with nothing to cover the nervous smile that was plastered on my face. Finally getting to meet the other students in my International Politics classes. It was like meeting an old friend again. I knew these people; in their souls, I knew them. I had taken multiple classes with them in my college career. I knew them personally and academically. I knew their opinions on politics. I knew what was going on in their lives. I knew what they were fighting about with their parents or that they didn’t like living by themselves in a single. I knew them in every way a student should know a fellow student. But I had never seen them. I had never seen the whole person behind the mask. You can only tell so much from a person’s eyes. To fully understand someone, you need to see their whole face, you need to be able to read the emotions that play on their face. To see the contagious smile that comes from pure joy or the pensive face contortion that comes from deep concentration. Needless to say, it’s good to see your face, and I hope I continue to. You can contact Meghan at mlange03@saintmarys.edu The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Mendoza and Nietzsche Jim Moster Thus Spoke Jim
Founded in 1921, the Mendoza College of Business earned its place in our Catholic university by claiming to marry business and ethics. Its slogan, “Grow the good in business,” aims to differentiate Mendoza from other schools which focus purely on profit. On the surface, it’s a laudable enterprise. But who is really in charge here? Can Catholicism really dictate business or is it the other way around? The University has never truly grappled with this question. For example, Catholic Scripture and Tradition are rife with condemnations of wealth and secular goods. Meanwhile, the overwhelming status quo in business is the endless pursuit of profit. The idea seems to be that Mendoza students will somehow ignore the selfish logic inherent in everything they learn and turn out humble servants. In reality, most careers in business are socially irresponsible. Some jobs produce tangible goods for society, especially working-class jobs, and other jobs produce intangible goods, like artists, educators and priests. Once you look at business careers, such as investment banking, consulting and marketing, it becomes very hard to trace the work to social good. In fact, these kinds of jobs mostly serve to perpetuate our prevailing economic order, the same one which is running our planet into the ground. Yet Mendoza claims that a business ethics class or two, plus the core curriculum, is enough to give business a Catholic spin. Looking past these potential contradictions, Notre Dame has instead doubled down on its marketing, and to great success. Forbes, in its profile on Mendoza, highlights the college’s dedication to “foster[ing] concern for the common good.” U.S. News writes, “Integrity is the theme of the … Mendoza College of Business.” The University has built a simple yet powerful brand image for Mendoza. Mendoza is a shining city on a hill overlooking the utilitarian, pagan schools. There’s just one small weakness in this narrative: Hardly any actual students buy it. Whether it’s cynicism about capitalism, doubts of the college’s rigor or just baseless disbelief, seemingly everyone mocks or disdains Mendoza. One popular stereotype is that all Mendoza students are white, wealthy frat-boy types who drink their four years away and then get handed a job at Goldman Sachs. Another joke is that Mendoza students can’t read, or that they only care about money. These potshots starkly contrast the idea that Mendoza students are stunning Catholic entrepreneurs. So why hasn’t Notre Dame sold the student body on Mendoza’s brand image, like it has the rest of the world? Friedrich Nietzsche employed psychology to answer questions like this one. One concept Nietzsche helped pioneer is ressentiment — the condemnation of a superior which emerges from one’s painful recognition that they are inferior. For example, a closeted gay man might condemn loud-and-proud gay men due to his own self-hatred. Furthermore, ressentiment elevates oneself, claiming “if they’re bad, I must be good.” In this case, the closeted man might decide he is actually superior for being able to keep his secret, even though the opposite is true. Returning to Notre Dame, could ressentiment explain the Mendoza hatred? Well, it’s true that American culture measures worth in terms of profit. Perhaps students who are unable or unwilling to pursue business develop a sense of inferiority, which escalates into ressentiment toward Mendoza. These folks attempt to invert our culture’s hierarchy of values by condemning the very lifestyles they desire. Ressentiment cannot explain every single person’s attitude toward Mendoza. For example, what about the students expecting to be high-earners who still dislike the business school? It may help if I outline other critiques of Mendoza through a Nietzschean lens. I suspect that many people will resonate with the ideas, even if they have never encountered Nietzsche. Let’s start with Mendoza’s slogan, “Grow the good in business.” Nietzsche might call this slogan an example of slave morality, or the idea that humility and kindness
are good while strength and power are evil. According to Nietzsche, slave morality is the legacy of oppressed peoples who sought to justify their lowly position using lofty terms. Over time, these moral concepts gained a life of their own, even among the already-powerful. Slave morality may feel out of place in Mendoza, one of the most prestigious business schools in the country. Yet it actually plays an extremely clever role. Calling business “good” justifies Mendoza’s presence on a Catholic campus while obscuring that Mendoza exists so Notre Dame can be a profitable, competitive university. Mendoza brushes past the tough questions and plays into the public’s general comfort with capitalistic logic. That’s the thing about slave morality — Nietzsche thinks it’s a front for self-interest. Another angle of critique relates to performativity. Nietzsche argues that all humans are performers who wear different masks to fulfill their personal and social roles. Given this fact, Nietzsche encourages us to use acting as a source of joy. In contrast, Mendoza graduates tend to dedicate their life to joyless acting. Businesspeople are endlessly networking and cultivating their public image to ascend in rank, groveling to strangers for career-related rewards. They willingly put on a mask they cannot wait to remove, but rarely (or never) truly can. Even worse than joyless acting is forgetting that one is acting altogether. Most people end up internalizing their careers to some extent, but businesspeople take it to a different level. Just take one look at a LinkedIn feed and you’ll find people who believe, for example, that crunching numbers at corporate Walmart is changing the world. These people turn their job into their entire life, not just a means to an end, thus forfeiting their creative, individual powers. Despite the cringe factor of these life-annulling acts, selling out may be worth it. If you graduate from Mendoza, you’ll likely live one of the most comfortable lives in human history. You’ll toss spare change to charity, as Notre Dame told you, clearing your conscience. But is working in business really the good life? In “The Gay Science,” Nietzsche calls Europe’s new businessman “an overworked slave.” He shrewdly predicts our current era. “More and more,” Nietzsche writes, “work gets all good conscience on its side; the desire for joy already calls itself a ‘need to recuperate’ and is starting to be ashamed of itself.” Ashamed of joy! What monsters capitalism has made of us! Even worse, capitalism’s hatred of joy has seeped into everyday culture. Our schools, homes and workplaces are obsessed with the nihilistic worship of empty productivity. Institutions like Mendoza serve to uphold this tragic status quo. For all of this criticism of Mendoza, other colleges have similar problems. In many ways, Mendoza is actually a microcosm of Notre Dame as a whole: wealthy, homogenous, ambitious. Perhaps the student body sees itself in Mendoza and uses the college to scapegoat its inner capitalist. The Arts & Letters major thinks, “Sure, I’m going into consulting, but I was an Anthropology major! I’m not dedicating my life to capitalism like the Mendoza students.” It’s also worth noting that Mendoza has outliers, people who pursue business to put their families and communities first. It is comforting to know that these people exist. Nietzsche is not a fan of comfort, though. He challenges us to look at the big picture, however unpleasant, and it presents itself clearly. The Mendoza College of Business has created a slave morality to hide its selfish goals, reinforcing the socio-economic order that tortures us all. Mendoza claims that if you slave away, paying lip service to Christian morals, you’ll be handsomely rewarded in this life — and the next! If only it were that simple. I certainly have. Jim Moster is a senior from Chicago majoring in the Program of Liberal Studies and political science. He spends his days chasing serotonin and sleeping. For comments, he can be reached at jmoster@nd.edu or @jimmoster on Twitter. The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.
The observer | Friday, March 25, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
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Journalists can’t be objective Blake Ziegler News with Zig
In “The myth of the noble lie,” Elizabeth Hale criticizes the propagation of “noble lies” by the media. Hale contends that journalists prioritize pushing a particular narrative above the truth, undermining the stream of information meant to serve the public. While I agree with her conclusion that news shouldn’t simply be a “dry recitation of facts devoid of any sense of the good,” I take issue with her idealization of objectivity in journalism. Hale’s letter repeats a sentiment routinely found in criticisms of the journalism industry, namely that journalists are overtly biased and skew their reporting to fit their worldview. The view supposes that rather than actually reporting the news, journalists twist information and carefully select narratives to the benefit of their personal political outlook. Instead, journalists should be strictly objective, void of bias and committed to the reporting of unfiltered information to enable members of the public to form their own opinions. This may be understood as objective journalism, defined as a “consistent method of testing information” so “personal and cultural biases would not undermine the accuracy of their work.” It’s often praised as the most accurate form of journalism that adheres best to the facts, not opinions. For the purposes of this column, I won’t delve into whether the media is actually biased or the extent to which it may be. Rather, I’m concerned with the idealization of objectivity in news coverage. It’s true that journalists should strive to limit biases and account for how personal beliefs may influence news coverage. However, the supposition that pure objectivity is the preferred, attainable goal is unrealistic. It fails to account for the biases that exist in journalism by design and as a consequence that journalists, like the rest of us, are human. There are three reasons that demonstrate news cannot be
objective. First, the nature of news and the journalism industry itself perpetuates bias. A newsroom will involve countless journalists, reporters, copyeditors, editors and for television, producers, anchors and countless other roles that all influence the news that’s reported. For any news report, decisions must be made concerning what story is covered, who is interviewed, what research is cited and how it’s presented to the public. Each decision in this process is inherently rooted in the implicit biases of the individuals involved in the story, creating a distorted version of the story. Even if multiple news stations cover the same set of facts, their coverage will be different due to these predispositions. This is especially true when one considers the profit motive behind many news organizations, which further influences story selections based on audience appeal and advertisers’ interests. Second, the elevation of objectivity as the goal in journalism introduces a startling course of action when discussing moral atrocities. A key premise of objective journalism is the use of neutral language when reporting events, including those that have obvious moral implications. The reasoning is that through neutral language, journalists are able to limit personal biases and simply present information. However, this incurs an absence of morality when reporting stories on human rights violations, unjust wars and other obviously immoral actions. According to the objective news doctrine, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine should be reported without denouncement of Vladimir Putin for his disregard for human life. Coverage on China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims couldn’t criticize blatant human rights violations. The requirement to avoid all biases in the name of neutrality and objectivity precludes the ability to accurately portray moral atrocities. The expectation that journalists should adhere to these instructions is an affront to the tragedies’ victims. I recognize that in her letter, Hale expresses some sympathy for incorporating morality into journalism, but my criticism applies to defenders of objective journalism writ large.
Third, the demographics of the journalism industry prevent adequate objectivity. Compared to the general population and other workforces, newsrooms in the United States overwhelmingly lack diversity. Despite comprising nearly 40% of the U.S. population and 35% of the workforce, racial and ethnic minorities only make up 23% of newsroom employees. In fact, almost half of newsroom staff are white men, compared to 34% of the general workforce. This diversity problem is exacerbated at the leadership level of the news industry, where only 11% of editors in the U.S. are non-white. The disproportionate representation in the newsroom inherently leads to biased reporting, as necessary voices are excluded, especially at the decision-making table. Objectivity in journalism is simply not possible. Instead of pretending it can be mitigated to the point of insignificance, we should acknowledge that bias exists in journalism, implicitly or explicitly, and determine how journalism can still act as a source of information for public discourse. My goal in this column is not to propose a new system of journalism. My hope is that others with more experience can tackle that problem. Rather, my intention is to highlight the misconception of objectivity’s attainability in news reporting and the need to grapple with the inherent bias in the newsroom. Objectivity is important in pursuit of reporting accurate information. However, while objectivity does have a role in journalism, it should not be the sole aim of a journalist. Blake Ziegler is a junior at Notre Dame from New Orleans, Louisiana, with double majors in political science and philosophy. He enjoys writing about politics, Judaism and the occasional philosophical rant. For inquiries, he can be reached at bziegler@nd.edu or followed at @NewsWithZig on Twitter if you want to see more of his opinions. The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Recognizing women in tri-campus history The Sisters of the Holy Cross opened the door for the tricampus to welcome women in 1844 with the founding of Saint Mary’s College. Holy Cross followed suit and began enrolling women in 1968, and after Saint Mary’s chose to remain independent of the University in 1970, Notre Dame became coeducational in 1972. From the incoming class of women in the fall of 1972 to the very first female leprechaun, The Observer Editorial Board recognizes the accomplishments of women in tri-campus history, especially as Notre Dame marks the 50th anniversary of women on campus. Diane Bourke ‘76 and the entire first class of women at Notre Dame paved a path for success at the University in an environment that was not always easy. Their diplomas were not the first awarded to a woman, though. Mary Bliley ‘72, a Saint Mary’s student, began taking classes at the University under the assumption that the schools would merge. When the merger fell through, she fought for and won the right to still earn a Notre Dame diploma, as Saint Mary’s did not offer the major she completed. Muffet McGraw coached Notre Dame women’s basketball for 33 seasons, including nine Final Four and seven national title appearances. The Irish won their first title with McGraw in 2001 — with a roster featuring current head coach Niele Ivey — and the second in 2018. McGraw also used her platform to advocate for gender equality. At Notre Dame’s 2019 Final Four appearance, McGraw said, “We don’t have enough female role models. We don’t have enough visible women leaders.” McGraw continues to be the fierce advocate she was throughout her career as a “female role model” in many ways, including teaching a sports leadership course in the Mendoza College of Business. To honor her work, the University plans to erect a statue of McGraw outside Purcell Pavilion —the first of a woman on campus.
Class of 2013 graduate Skylar Diggins-Smith played under McGraw. We celebrate her individual success and her position as one of many highly skilled female student athletes from Notre Dame. For the Irish, Diggins-Smith was the only player of any gender to amass 2,000 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists and 300 steals. In her career, she joined other WNBA players fighting for equal rights, especially for player salaries and benefits. Discussing her fight and success, Diggins-Smith addressed young women with ambitions: “Never, never, never just ‘shut up and work’, or dribble.’” Katie Conboy earned her doctoral degree in English literature from Notre Dame in 1986, co-edited the book “Writing on the Body: Female Embodiment and Feminist Theory” and is the author of various articles on feminist theory. Conboy was also an award-winning professor and currently serves as the 14th president of Saint Mary’s. Amy Coney Barrett graduated from Notre Dame Law School (NDLS) in 1997 before working as a law professor for many years. She was appointed as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 2017 and remained a faculty member at NDLS during her tenure. In October 2020, she was confirmed as an associate justice on the Supreme Court — joining only four other women to have sat on the highest court in the country. Condoleezza Rice, Notre Dame class of 1975, was the 66th Secretary of State from 2005 to 2009 and 20th National Security Advisor from 2001 to 2005. She was the first female African-American secretary of state and the first female National Security Advisor. She currently directs the Hoover Institution, a public policy and research institution promoting personal and economic liberty, at Stanford University. Notre Dame class of 1998 graduate Nikole Hannah-Jones won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 2020 — the highest award in journalism — with her publication of the 1619 Project in 2019. The project launched a national conversation about the origins and legacy of slavery. Hannah-Jones began working as a staff writer at the New York Times in 2015 and has extensively covered racial injustice and inequality. Hannah Storm, class of 1983, is a journalist and ESPN SportsCenter anchor. She was part of the first ever all-women
NFL broadcast team. Storm established the Hannah Storm Foundation to raise awareness, fund treatment and provide educational information for vascular malformation. Throughout her career, she created documentaries on women’s relationships with sports, including “Unmatched” and “Nine for IX.” She also wrote two books, notably one entitled “Go Girl!: Raising Healthy, Confident and Successful Daughters through Sports.” Lynette Wukie, an alumna of Pasquerilla West Hall — the first women’s dorm on campus — stepped up in fall 2019 as Notre Dame’s first female leprechaun and a symbol to young women that they belong at Notre Dame. Since Wukie graduated, junior Sophie Bouldoukian has carried on in the role. Marti Hogan, Saint Mary’s class of 1978, was elected as The Observer’s first female Editor-in-Chief (EIC) in 1977. On being EIC, she wrote, “We knew that The Observer would tell a richer story with a staff of men and women working together.” We also celebrate all of the succeeding female EICs and thank them for their remarkable leadership and journalism. These women embody strength and perseverance, setting unique examples in various disciplines. We’d also like to recognize the women who make up today’s Irish, Belles and Saints, as well as all the women in the faculty, staff and administration who empower us as students to step out of our comfort zones and seize opportunities to make a difference. There are opportunities to continue this recognition on campus as Notre Dame celebrates Women’s Empowerment Week to close out Women’s History Month. The month will culminate in a Sunday brunch that features a panel of influential women who contributed to the University’s rich history. In addition, since 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of women on campus, the University is holding a “Golden is Thy Flame” celebration. To do its part, the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development will host “Career Conversations with Trailblazing Women of Notre Dame” Friday afternoon. There, a panel of inspiring female graduates will share stories and advice from their “varied and accomplished careers.” Let’s come together to recognize and learn from influential women in our tri-campus history so we might walk together and further their legacies.
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The observer | Friday, March 25, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Taking the long way Eva Analitis Below the Surface
We’ve all been an audience to an unconventional success stor y at some point, listening in awe as motivational speakers or inspiring figures tell us about the twists and turns of their lives: How one day they decided they were sick of their lack luster office job and walked out and started their own business. How they majored in chemistr y but ended up hating the subject, and now they work in histor y instead. How they jumped right into the working world after high school but decided to go back to school later and get their bachelor’s. Or how unexpected life circumstances caused them to step away from college for a few years, but at age 26 they were able to finish their degree. We relish the risk-taking and courage of our fellow human beings and celebrate such stories of non-traditional paths leading to happy endings — except when we are the main characters. We have a double standard when it comes to ourselves. W hile others are allowed to experiment, to change their minds, to fail and overcome, we must stick to the paved path and get to point B by the most direct route: Finish college in four years and have a fancy job position or a spot at a prestigious graduate school waiting for us after graduation. Anything less is a failure, a shameful situation to share with those asking about our plans after college or career aspirations. As a second-semester senior, though, I’ll gladly admit that I have less of an idea now what I want to do with my life than when I set foot on campus as a first-year. Some people come into college with a career in mind and stick with it the whole way through, and many others come open-minded about careers but eventually narrow down their interests and find a path that suits them. If you fall into either of these categories, congrats. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t env y your position at least a bit. But my college years have unfolded in the opposite direction, and I have come to see that that’s okay, too. Throughout high school, I was certain I wanted to become a doctor, but now that graduation is approaching, I’m not so sure — all career options are now on the table. Last spring, I was just about to apply to medical school — the natural next step from my prehealth studies — when I finally paused to evaluate my path. In the three undergraduate years leading up to that moment, I had kept my head down and charged ahead with plans to enter
the medical profession, not stopping much to see what else was around me or to really think about my reasons for going into medicine. I had decided “what” while completely sidestepping the question of “why.” But when the time came to take a ver y serious step that would set the course of my life, I got the gut feeling to slow down and take a gap year. I had formerly scoffed at the idea — I wanted to keep chugging along immediately after college and not waste any time beginning what promised to be a long, grueling process to become a doctor. But I finally decided I needed to take the time to make sure that I was committed to this career. Gap years tend to draw eye rolls and raised eyebrows from older generations, many of our parents included, having the reputation of being a year of foolish frolicking and unmerited leisure for students who lack seriousness. This may be the common narrative, but it’s not the actual case. To take a year to explore outstanding interests, gain valuable skills and experiences and ref lect on how we want to spend our lives is actually a much more practical and beneficial alternative to rushing into a field or taking on the financial burden of graduate school and finding ourselves filled with regret years later or looking back one day and realizing we jumped into the wrong job. We live in a society that values speed and efficiency, getting rid of all unnecessar y steps and reaching the finish line as quickly as possible. We value the glitzy allure of impressive job titles and big name companies, even if the work itself is less than glamorous and the company’s mission less than admirable. We all want to be able to tell our aunt we landed a selective internship or a competitive research position when we see her at holiday parties rather than have to admit that we’re still “exploring” different fields. We value decisions over discernment. No one wants to know how you’re choosing your career but only what you end up choosing. No one cares to hear that you’re in the process of wrestling with whether or not you should go to medical school, only that you’ve been accepted to one. W hile advisors might, in theor y, encourage us to explore various fields and professions in our college years, practical reasons often force us to pick one and stick with it. If I do decide to apply to medical school at the end of college, I need to show years of clinical experience and activities related to the medical field to have a good shot at getting in — not details on how I tried out teaching, dabbled in finance, interned at a law firm and spent a summer on Capitol Hill. So in reality,
I’m either locked into medicine from the beginning, or ultimately shut out of it. This can all get to your head when you’re between the ages of, say, 18 to 22 making consequential decisions for the course of your life. It might pressure you to prioritize speed, comfort and security in selecting a career at the expense of truly finding your niche. But not so fast. By daring to accept a bit of uncertainty and risk right now, and by having the patience to take the long road, we have a better chance of reaching the right destination and finding long-term fulfillment and stability. I don’t write to you from the destination. I write from the winding path — and from what I take to be a ver y early point on it. I’m not telling you to be the guinea pig while I bask in the security of a set career and postgraduate plans. In March of my senior year, I have just had two recent meetings at the Center for Career Development for guidance. I don’t know what I’m doing next year or where I will be, though my freshman self thought she would have been able to tell you. I write to you while taking the long way — because I don’t want to just get somewhere, but to be able to choose where I’m going by making a confident, informed decision. Some things are so important that they are worth taking a few extra steps to get right; our life course is one of them. We must resist buying into the taboo associated with trial and error and fight the urge to stay the course even if we feel ourselves being pulled elsewhere. Just as it is okay for other people to take their time, make mistakes, change careers, go back to school or choose not to continue schooling, it’s okay for you and me, too. Don’t be afraid to take the long way. You’ll get where you belong in due time. Better to ride the cur ves of a winding road, taking in all the sights and sounds and making a few extra turns, than to rush somewhere and realize you don’t like the destination. Don’t be afraid to open doors you never imagined yourself entering or to close ones you had always thought you would enter. Don’t bow to the pressure of the crowd to get somewhere fast and have it all figured out. Show yourself the same admiration as you do for those who take the time to get it right. A former resident of Lyons Hall, Eva Analitis is a senior majoring in political science and pre-health. Even though she often can’t make up her own mind, that won’t stop her from trying to change yours. She can be reached at eanaliti@ nd.edu or @evaanalitis on Twitter. The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.
The observer | Friday, MARCH 25, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
By KATE CASPER Scene Writer
Nacho Cano, known by the name Harmless (formerly Twin Cabins), just released an EP entitled “Mr. Baby” following a slew of single releases over the past few years. While he is best known for the song “Swing Lynn,” which currently has over 130 million streams on Spotify, Cano’s latest project takes a much different approach lyrically and musically. “Mr. Baby” explores isolation, longing and feelings of worth, guiding the entire seven-track project with smooth vocals, danceable beats and flirty lyrics. The entire EP feels like a drunk phone call with a potential lover. It is conversational, raw and (at times) anti-climatic, but it’s also enchanting. The EP opens with the title track, which is a bouncy song with synth and a killer beat drop about trying to remove someone from your life. Despite the harsh and scathing lyrics, the song is romantic, even including common terms of endearment, which is persistent throughout the entire EP. This is the ultimate song to vibe to while on a slow walk to the class you’re already five minutes late for. It’s upbeat and rhythmic, comprising the perfect walking song.
By CLAIRE LYONS Interim Scene Editor
With the curtains up and the spotlight shining, Alice Murphy (Libby White) opened up Paquerilla East Musical Company’s (PEMCo) spring show, “Bright Star.” As she sings, the stage opens up, introducing the audience to a resilient female lead and the beautiful Appalachian landscape she inhabits. I was kindly invited by PEMCo to attend their first dress rehearsal of the show last Wednesday. As somebody who’d never heard anything about “Bright Star” and much less about bluegrass music and North Carolina, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I didn’t know how the company would make a musical about some country bumpkins emotionally compelling, even though it was originally written by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. But PEMCo did it. In fact, I was in for a treat. I got chills from the opening number. During a conversation with first-time director Gracie Conlon, she told me how much she loved the show. “Home can bring us hope in the darkest of times, and ‘Bright Star’ poignantly brings that theme to life with its tale woven with hope, love, tragedy and loss,” she said. The musical follows two plotlines set in Appalachia — Alice Murphy during the Jazz Age (1923) and Billy Cane (Luc Plaisted) during the aftermath of WWII (1946). Their paths merge when Billy returns home from war. He decides to submit some of his writing to the Asheville Southern Journal, introducing him to the intimidating magazine editor, Alice. As Alice mentors Billy, the audience gets a sense that she’s carrying some emotional
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“Mrs. Moody” and “U Up?” follow the opening track. “Mrs. Moody” is a song about pleading for intimacy and wanting to feel needed and validated. The slow, lo-fi vibe of the song, accompanied by a cha-cha rhythm, immerses the listener with the desire to lose themselves in another person. “U Up?” has a similar pacing to “Mrs. Moody.” The lyrics are pretty simple, and there isn’t much momentum or build-up in the song. However, the wholesome chorus makes up for it with its lyrics, “I just wanna be near you / Can I call you up?” Next up is “Nacho’s,” the only entirely Spanish track on the EP. It has a more enticing beat than the previous two songs, and while it required me to do some Google translating and digging into my high school Spanish knowledge, the lyrics delivered. Some of my favorites (due to their embarrassing relatability and vulnerability) were “I’m alone every day” and “Give me love.” The song is a gem on the EP for its honest lyrics and funky, danceable vibe. “Hannah Don’t Lurk” follows with chipper instrumentals and repetition — it’s almost hypnotic. The song’s lyrics feel like an older sibling bestowing wisdom, “Not every romance has to work / When are you gonna feel deserved?” The second to last song, “Call Katie,” is the song everyone wants sung about them. This is the best song on
the EP. The first verse details wanting someone and being driven crazy by them while the chorus pleads, “Baby, don’t leave me around.” This is a must-listen. Finally, “Notice Me” closes the EP powerfully, beginning with “It’s finally over / Babe I think I’m falling in love,” which seems to represent the closure of the narrator’s turmoil. The song ends with a tender question, “Do you wanna fall in love with me?” Overall, “Mr. Baby” is the EP for the bike-riding main characters weaving through pedestrians. It’s the soundtrack to groove to while on a late-night Grotto trip, thinking about that special person or to fall asleep to. It’s a hopeful romantic’s dream.
baggage but can’t exactly place where it originates. The production team clearly collaborated to deliver quality support for the cast. The set design sports wooden cut-outs that create the silhouette of mountains and rolling pieces of furniture that fully immerse the characters. The costume design is inspired by the time period with actors sporting humble workwear and 1940s hairdos. They even have a fog machine for a particular scene! They compliment each other phenomenally and enhance the audience experience. Every time the main villain, Mayor Josiah Dobbs (Andrew Crecca), steps on stage, red lighting looms over the mountains — a color which also haunts Alice”s costuming. Deliberate and thoughtful choices like this on the behalf of the production take this musical to the next level. Luc Plaisted does a fantastic job playing Billy Cane, who still remains hopeful after his time in the army. Abby Urban adds dimension to Billy’s love interest, Margo Crawford — Billy’s supportive childhood friend who encourages him to go to the city to follow his dreams. Both actors shine together in “Always Will,” which showcases their on-stage chemistry and singing abilities. The cast performing in “Please, Don’t Take Him” also deserves notice. Alice and her mom (Caitlyn Cano) sing powerfully in harmony while Daddy Murphy (Carl Knable) and Mayor Dobbs conspire against them. Andrew Crecca’s performance as the despicable Mayor Dobbs is particularly convincing, leaving me with my jaw on the floor by the end of the first act. Lucy Grant (Annie Griffin) and Daryl Ames (Bryce Bustamante) are a fantastic comedic duo that add levity to the darker themes of the musical. Daryl has some
laugh-out-loud lines that quickly made him my favorite character. Griffin adds charm to her role with a stand-out performance in “Another Round.” In this dance number, the ensemble performs elaborate choreography and sings in southern accents, slapping their legs and stomping on the ground to add percussive bluegrass elements. Libby White steals the show as Alice Murphy. She has a beautiful voice and plays her character with enough conviction that she brought me to tears. She inspired me to listen to the original cast recording of “Bright Star.” Although White’s voice lacks some of the experience of the original Alice (Carmen Cusack), she holds her own against a professional nearly two times her senior. White sings “At Long Last” with more hope and optimism — genuine emotion. She shines like a bright star up on stage. If anything’s for certain, this show is “A blessin’ unequivocal, truly it’s a miracle!” You should definitely come to see their show in Washington Hall Main Stage at 7:00 p.m. Friday or Saturday. This is an extremely impressive directorial debut from Conlon, and the hard work of the PEMCo members deserves to be celebrated.
Contact Kate Casper at kcasper@nd.edu
“Mr. Baby” Artist: Harmless Label: Nettwerk Favorite tracks: “Mr. Baby,” “Call Katie,” “Nacho’s” If you like: Phum Viphurit, Joji, Vacations
Contact Claire Lyons at clyons3@nd.edu
“Bright Star” Director: Gracie Conlon Produced by: Pasquerilla East Musical Company Starring: Libby White, Luc Plaisted Where: Washington Hall Main Stage When: Wed. Mar. 23 at 7:00 PM MAGGIE KLAERS | The Observer I AMAZON MUSIC, TEXTURE FABRIK, PEMCO PROGRAM
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The observer | Friday, MARCH 25, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
By MATHEUS HERNDL Scene Writer
Over the past few years, few video games have inspired such heated controversy as FromSoftware’s latest release, Elden Ring. For those unaware, FromSoftware rose infamy over the 2010s thanks to the wildly popular Dark Souls series, a trilogy mainly known for its ahead of its time game design, versatile combat system and of course its notorious difficulty. But since Dark Souls ended in 2016, FromSoftware has deviated from the traditional souls-like formula of fluid RPG classes, vague storylines and a complete overhaul of the combat system in 2019’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, a game that, somehow, manages to be even more difficult than Dark Souls and pushed the developer towards new gaming territories. And now, 3 years later, the much anticipated Elden Ring has finally been released. Personally, I was hugely invested in the release of this game, because not only is it the newest title of one of my favorite developers, but because its lore and story are the fruit of a collaboration between Souls’ mastermind Hidetaka Miyazaki and acclaimed writer George R. R. Martin, the creator of the Song of Ice and Fire series. The results? Amazing, but it fails to tread new grounds in many areas. To start, Elden Ring feels much more like a Dark Souls 4 than a Sekiro 2, not only through its medieval European fantasy setting but also through its gameplay and RPG mechanics which are essentially the same as Souls. After Sekiro, it seemed like FS was ready to move in a new direction, one that featured a more human protagonist than the undead husks of the Souls series and a combat
By CLAIRE LYONS Interim Scene Editor
“I knew there were going to be a lot of Docs in the crowd today, but I didn’t know there’d be this many,” freshman Riley Potter said. “Let’s count how many there are in line.” Last Friday, a small group of my friends and I traversed the treacherous Indiana Toll Road to arrive at The Vic Theater in Chicago. We were there to see indie-rockband,CarSeatHeadrest,kickoffthebeginningof their North American tour. Apparently, almost every other Doc Marten-donning, dyed-hair and silver-studded emo from the Midwest was standing in line for the doors with us. It was nearly wrapped around the block. If you aren’t already a fan of Car Seat Headrest, you’d probably be put off when the band stepped on stage. A single spotlight illuminated the stage, shining directly onto a stock-still Will Toldeo, the front-man of the band. If this wasn’t melodramatic enough, Toledo’s outfit adds to it all. Imagine the very skinny man wearing an XXL Goofy t-shirt, booty jorts (over leggings), all underneath a bright orange hazmat suit. Then, top it all off with a gas mask that has an LED board for eyes and with a pair of unidentifiable animal ears attached to it. Then, the band started playing background music with a warbly guitar and synths as Toledo delivered a
system more reliant on skill than ever before. Instead, Elden Ring repeats many of the tropes that the original Dark Souls created back in 2011, but perfects them and works as an amalgamation of everything that came before with one major twist: an entire open world to explore. While the Souls games had large, nonlinear maps, none of them could be considered “open-world” games. Elden Ring innovates by allowing players to explore the vast “lands between,” and FromSoftware’s first attempt at creating an open world is nothing short of breathtaking. Featuring magical forests, decrepit castles and hidden dungeons, Elden Ring gives players freedom to explore the map in whichever way they choose, never forcing them on set paths and allowing them to face bosses and quests in any order they like, which is at the same time this game’s greatest achievement and detriment. It is an achievement because it innovates on the old formula and that of the open-world genre as a whole. But it also makes Elden Ring by far the studio’s easiest game to date. As a Souls veteran who has completed every one of their games, one of my favorite aspects was the rewarding sensation I felt anytime I beat a difficult boss after carefully spending hours learning their attacks. If I did not, I would simply not progress. But since Elden Ring boasts a nonlinear design, it does not expect players to beat their heads against the wall to continue, instead, it explicitly tells you to leave, level up and come back later. There were many instances where, instead of working to learn how to beat a boss, I would simply return hours later over-leveled and take them down in a matter of seconds, an issue compounded by the fact that most bosses are optional. I feel as if Elden Ring lacks the gravitas of its
predecessors and does not feel as satisfying. Another issue was the glitches and bugs I experienced, with poor frame rates and crashes happening frequently, although I did play the game on last-gen consoles. On the upside, Elden Ring features one of the most intriguing plots of any FromSoftware game, with Martin’s influence being felt in this story’s themes of morality, betrayal and revenge, although it still has the same mysterious vagueness that any experienced Souls player would recognize. The world and its lore are as rich and fascinating as Westeros and learning more about it was one of my favorite parts of the experience. While Elden Ring at times feels like a retread of old ideas, it infuses them with new mechanics that, mostly, synergize well with the Souls format to create what is, in my humble opinion, FromSoftware’s best game, only behind the near-perfect Dark Souls 3. Elden Ring is certain to be a contender on this year’s best games lists and already boasts an unheard-of score of 96% on Metacritic, although I find some of this hype undeserved.
weirdly haunted and prophetic speech reminiscent of David Burne of The Talking Heads. It was their live performance of, “Crows.” Complementing waving green lights on Toldeo’s mask, green lights flashed behind the band on stage with an intensity and frequency that made it necessary to post an epilepsy warning at the doors. I thought it was pretty cool, but the group of tech theater kids next to me were unimpressed. In addition to their new stuff, the band played old crowd-pleasers. I’m impressed that they performed their fifteen-minute long magnum opus, “Beach LifeIn-Death.” In fact, Toledo actually stopped the whole show, legitimately shushing the crowd during a part of the song. “Wait, wait, wait. We’re gonna stop for a second,” he said. “We’re gonna build it up real slow and it’s gonna feel great.” Crouching on the ground, Toledo whispered into his mic, “This is my brother,” and chanted it over and over, growing taller each time until his voice crescendoed into a victorious howl. My favorite part of the show was their stripped-down performance of “Bodys.” Although the band scaled back on the elements that make their 2018 studio recording so compelling — the beautiful synth drum intro, the chorus crescendos and the layered production — they still kept the same enthusiasm during the live performance.
The crowd was sent into a frenzy as the song played. A man in front of me grabbed his boyfriend by the shoulders and shook him with all of his might. He screamed the lyrics, “I just wanna hold you!” Together, with the crowd jumping as one to the chorus, I forgot about the fact that I couldn’t see past their shoulders. I didn’t even care that there were people in the audience with cat ears and tails, as cringe as that is. We were all united by music and by an eccentric band that we all get bullied for liking. That’s the beauty of a Car Seat Headrest concert. That’s why so many strange people flocked to their concert last Friday. You can be whoever you want to be, and they’ll accept you.
Contact Matheus Herndl at mherndl@nd.edu
“Elden Ring” Available on: Playstation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Microsoft Windows Genre: Action, RPG, “Souls-like” If you like: Dark Souls, Sekiro, Bloodborne, The Witcher 3
Contact Claire Lyons at clyons3@nd.edu
Car Seat Headrest Tour: North American Tour 2022 Venue: The Vic Theatre If you like: “Can’t Cool Me Down,” “Beach Life-In-Death,” “Bodys”
CLAIRE KIRNER | The Observer I ASHISH R. MISHRA ON UNSPLASH, BANDCAMP
Classifieds
ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, MARCH 25, 2022 | The Observer
Crossword | Will Shortz
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Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: A disciplined attitude will help you overcome emotional mistakes. Refuse to get caught up in the moment. Educate yourself before you head down a path that presents uncertainty and confusion. Live with what you’ve got until you are sure you can successfully transform your dreams and expectations into something concrete. Eliminate doubt before you proceed. Self-improvement and personal growth are encouraged. Your numbers are 3, 16, 20, 24, 31, 39, 43. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Take a trip down memory lane before you jump into something that has blurred your vision. Look at the odds, and consider how much you want something before you become entangled in a situation with underlying problems. Focus on personal growth. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Assess situations. Don’t let emotions dictate what you do next. Think matters through, and put your energy into doing what’s best for everyone. Don’t rely on people who are uncertain or unpredictable. Don’t take a risk, and leave nothing to chance. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): False impressions will taint information. Get the facts before you make a move that can affect your position or reputation. Be aware of regulations and contracts before you make a move that can influence your lifestyle. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Be careful how you interpret someone’s words or gestures. Agreeing to something for the wrong reason or without doing your due diligence will lead to regret. Look out for your interests and your physical and emotional well-being. Choose your associates wisely. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): An unexpected situation will push you to rethink your strategy. Get out and observe the trends that are happening, and you’ll get a hint of how to use your skills to get ahead. Physically take charge of the way your life unfolds. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): More action is required and so is less complaining. Look over your financial or contractual position and implement an adjustment before it’s too late. Stay ahead of the competition. Put your emotions on the back burner and your intelligence to work for you. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Peddle what you have to offer. Networking, promoting and setting up meetings will require finesse if you plan to attract attention. Leave nothing to chance; preparation and presentation are critical if you want to win a spot at the table. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Peddle what you have to offer. Networking, promoting and setting up meetings will require finesse if you plan to attract attention. Leave nothing to chance; preparation and presentation are critical if you want to win a spot at the table. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Learn from the experience, and trust firsthand information only. Pay attention to detail and how you present how you look and what you do. Your actions will make a statement that reveals your reliability. Stick to what works best for you. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Don’t spread unverified information. A money matter will have emotional implications if you offer a false impression. An unexpected change someone makes will turn out to be beneficial. Bide your time, stick to the truth, and sit back and watch. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Draw on those who have the experience to help you. Don’t rely on big talkers or someone who has an emotional hold on you. Put your energy into the projects you enjoy and do well, and turn it into something tangible. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Listen to what others say. Find out the rules and regulations before you decide to get involved in something that can affect your position or status. Take the safe route by protecting your money and health. Birthday Baby: You are conscientious, engaging and reliable. You are determined and indulgent.
Sudoku | The Mepham Group
Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek
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Classifieds
The observer | Friday, MARCH 25, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Sports Authority
hockey
Kalemkerian: Avenge a busted bracket John Kalemkerian Sports Writer
After the agony of busted brackets and our men’s team making a bittersweet exit from the tournament on Sunday night, we have a moment to catch our collective breath before the Sweet 16 starts…today! After three long days off, the shrunken field will battle it out through both rounds this weekend to claim the coveted Final Four berth. Since my original bracket has just eight of the Sweet 16 teams right, I’m granting myself a second chance at bracket glory. Hopefully, I’ll do better this time around.
West Region Gonzaga vs. Arkansas The number one overall seed needed second-half heroics from Drew Timme to outlast Memphis, and the close call proved that they are indeed vulnerable. They have a powerful combination of experience and talent, but questions still remain about whether they can hang with the best. Arkansas, who played two close games against lesser competition, shouldn’t be a problem for Mark Few’s Bulldogs.
Texas Tech vs. Duke
overrated two-seeds in recent history, and Michigan’s “Cinderella” run will continue to the Elite Eight… but no further.
Houston to the Final Four Midwest Region Kansas vs. Providence Providence has been sneaky good this season, and a resounding win over Richmond has set the stage for their toughest test this season. Kansas has a veteran lineup and is rock solid on both sides of the court. Defense is the Friars’ calling card, but at the end of the day, they just won’t be able to put up enough points to hang with the one seed.
Iowa State vs. Miami The only good news from this matchup is that it ensures that at least one double-digit seed will be in the Elite Eight. The bad news: this game is unlikely to feature much good basketball. Iowa State (who scored a meager 36 points in a game earlier this month) will be outmatched by a Hurricane’s team that has gotten hot at the right time. Miami’s victory will be short-lived, as Kansas will both relish this Elite Eight matchup and beat them handily.
Kansas to the Final Four After one offensive masterclass and one very ugly game, the Red Raiders become the third team to attempt to spoil Coach K’s final game. Besides projected lottery pick Paulo Banchero, Duke doesn’t inspire much confidence. This has the makings of another ugly, low-scoring game and whoever emerges will be outmatched by Gonzaga in the Elite Eight.
Gonzaga to the Final Four South Region Arizona vs. Houston
East Region North Carolina vs. UCLA A nearly disastrous secondhalf collapse followed by a resilient OT win encapsulated UNC’s feast-or-famine season. When healthy and clicking, their group is talented enough to hang with the best teams in the country, a group that UCLA is certainly a part of. The Tar Heels are much more dangerous than their seed would indicate, and I have them pulling off consecutive upsets.
This is the game I’m most excited about. With only eight losses between them, Arizona and Houston both boast high-scoring offenses that don’t rely on one star player. These are two of the most complete teams in the tournament. I have Houston winning on a buzzer-beater, but either way, I’m picking whoever wins this game to go all the way.
Purdue vs. St. Peter’s
Villanova vs. Michigan
North Carolina Final Four
Apparently Michigan had a chip on their shoulder after an outcry from much of the basketball world that they made the field of 68. In the end, the Wolverines get the last laugh. Villanova is one of the most
Notre Dame defeats North Dakota 2-1 in overtime By THOMAS ZWILLER Sports Writer
In Thursday’s column by the hockey beat writers, writers agreed that “the battle of the NDs,” would be a lowscoring defensive battle in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Notre Dame (28-11-0) and North Dakota (24-14-1) did not disappoint.
1st Period In the first five minutes, the game was a very back and forth physical game. North Dakota was the superior team early on. The Hawks seemed better able to carry or dump the puck into the Ieiah zone and possess it while there. At the same time, Notre Dame was able to get the puck in the North Dakota zone, but the Hawks were able to clear the puck with a little more ease. Afterwards, Notre Dame seemed to settle down and generated some better scoring chances. However, North Dakota seemed better equipped to repel the Irish attacks and generated strong chances as well. Late in the first period (1:17), Griffin Ness won a battle on the boards against Notre Dame and was able to chip the puck out to Jackson Kunz. Kunz looked up and found Brent Johnson, who was sitting in wait at the point. Alone at the point, Johnson
took both ice and his time, waiting for the slot to crowd. As Jesse Lansdell approached Johnson, Johnson shot the puck that bounced in off the far post. It was a well-executed play from the Fighting Hawks. Once Kunz chipped the puck to Johnson, Kunz and Ness instantly moved towards the net, dragging their defenders with them. With four players breaking up Irish netminder Matthew Galajda’s vision, the puck needed only to find its mark. The period ended with Notre Dame ahead on shots 5-4, but with North Dakota ahead on the scoreboard.
2nd Period Notre Dame was much more aggressive early in the second period. Considering that Notre Dame was down 1-0 in a low-scoring game, it made sense for the defensiveminded Irish to try and get a quick goal. Not only did the Irish come out more aggressively, but they were also able to get a much-needed equalizer early on. Early in the second (18:57), Graham Slaggert generated a turnover with his foot. The redirected puck found Landon Slaggert on the blue line. Landon was able to drive the puck up the left side of the North Dakota zone and get behind the defense. Once behind the defense, he crossed
the crease and snuck the puck past goalie Zach Driscoll. The goal tied the game at one apiece, where it would remain tied until the end of regulation. Later in the second, Landon Slaggert would get on the scoresheet, albeit for a very different reason. At 9:17, Slaggert would be called for a boarding call, hitting a North Dakota player in front of the Hawks bench. The penalty would allow the Hawks to possess the puck and generate some scoring chances, but ultimately one of the best penalty-killing units in the NCAA was able to do what it does best. The rest of the period continued to be a back and forth physical game until 18:21 when North Dakota’s Chris Jandric committed a holding penalty. The penalty lasted through the conclusion of the second, but Notre Dame was ultimately unable to put the puck in the net. Notre Dame held the shot advantage 14-12 at the conclusion of the second period.
3rd Period Once the power play ended, the Irish continued to play dominant defense, denying the Hawks a shot on goal well into the third. At 7:27, the referees sent the Hawks to the penalty box again. The call was on at see HOCKEY PAGE 15
Can the Peacocks continue a magical run? Unlikely, but they’ll surely give Jaden Ivey and Purdue a run for their money. Ultimately, the Boilermakers’ star power and size will be too much for this tournament’s Cinderella team to overcome, and they will fail to become the first 15-seed to make it out of the Sweet 16.
to
the
Contact John Kalemkerian at jkalemke@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
GRACIE LEE |The Observer
Irish senior forward Graham Slaggert takes the ice in a January game against Minnesota. Now at the end of the season, Slaggert helps the Irish toward a win against North Dakota in NCAA tournament. The Observer accepts classifieds every business day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Notre Dame office, 024 South Dining Hall. Deadline for next-day classifieds is 3 p.m. All classifieds must be prepaid. The charge is 5 cents per character per day, including all spaces. The Observer reserves the right to edit all classifieds for content without issuing refunds.
sports
ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, MARCH 25, 2022 | The Observer
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baseball
Notre Dame looks to bounce back against Hokies By AIDAN THOMAS Sports Editor
A week ago, the vibe was quite different surrounding the Notre Dame baseball team. The Irish were ranked No. 1 and riding a ten-game winning streak into an ACC series with Louisville. There, however, the Cardinals put the Irish on notice. A 12-1 record, which included seven wins against non-Power-5 competition didn’t win them any awards. Louisville slapped Notre Dame in Game 1, 16-11, and tormented the Irish bullpen throughout the weekend. An 8-1 Saturday loss followed and on Sunday, the Irish surrendered an eighth-inning lead, losing 7-5. Suddenly, the Irish are now 124, 2-3 in ACC play. In the national rankings, Notre Dame plummeted outside the top 10. They sit at No. 11 in Baseball America, and No. 12 by DI Baseball Rankings. Now, it’s time to move past an ugly series for the Irish. The first chance to do some comes in their first home series, a three-game set with Virginia Tech. The Irish lost a chance to
Basketball
rebound this week versus Northwestern, as the non-conference clash was canceled twice. The contest was initially moved to Wednesday due to weather, and then postponed further due to bus driver availability with Northwestern. However, that means Notre Dame jumps back into conference play with a chance to pick up some big conference wins. The Hokies enter at 13-6 overall and 2-4 in ACC play. No. 16 Georgia Tech swept them in their opening ACC series, but the Hokies responded to take two of three from Pitt.
Bats seeking consistency While the pitching was the main culprit last weekend, the Irish bats went silent at the wrong times. After 11 runs weren’t enough for victory on Friday, the Irish couldn’t take advantage of a sparkling start by graduate student left-hander John Michael Bertrand on Saturday, scoring just one run. The bats were relatively average on Sunday, and the late bullpen collapse was enough to spell another defeat.
Fencing
Continued from page 16
Continued from page 16
the benefit of having a game just a short drive away from her native New Jersey. “I’m really excited. I have a lot of family, a lot of friends that are coming that normally don’t get to see me play a lot just because of the schedule and the location of all of our games,” Mabrey said. “I think it’s something I’m really grateful for, especially with my parents who have been to a bunch of these Sweet Sixteens and Final Fours, and now I’m here at Notre Dame doing it. And I know my parents are super excited about that too.” Notre Dame women’s basketball will play North Carolina State for a spot in the Elite Eight at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.of family, a lot of friends that are coming that normally don’t get to see me play a lot just because of the schedule and the location of all of our games. I think it’s something I’m really grateful for, especially with my parents who have been to a bunch of these Sweet Sixteens and Final Fours, and now I’m here at Notre Dame doing it. And I know my parents are super excited about that too. Notre Dame women’s basketball will play North Carolina State for a spot in the Elite Eight at 11:30AM Saturday at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN.
making a late comeback charge. Hseih commented on the intensit y of the intra-squad battle to start her day: “During the first bout, it was already ver y intense, so that kind of set the tone that I had to be careful for the next one and keep up the same v ibe.” She did just that, sweeping the rest of the opening round to start 7-0. Meanwhile, Pirkowski lost just one more bout, an overtime defeat, en route to a 5-2 start. The duo combined for an 8-0 record against Princeton and Columbia’s epeeists, t wo schools that figure to challenge the Irish dow n the stretch. “We had the first round against Princeton and Columbia, and they’re the toughest competition,” said Irish epee coach Cedric Loiseau. “Winning all of those bouts was a terrific start.” Pirkowski’s day was mixed from there, as she went an even 4-4 in her final t wo rounds. However, the sophomore, making her NCA A Tournament debut, fought hard and engaged in six overtime bouts. At 9-6, she remains in the mix for a semifinals berth w ith eight bouts of pool play remaining.
Contact J.J. Post at jpost2@nd.edu
On the season, the Irish are hitting .299 with a .846 OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage). Graduate student catcher David LaManna leads everyone, hitting .375, while senior right fielder Brooks Coetzee has been the big bat for the Irish. He’s hitting .350 with four doubles and five home runs. He’s one of five players to start every game this season. Sophomore outfielder T.J. Williams, senior first baseman Carter Putz and junior third baseman Jack Brannigan all boast averages over the .300 mark as well. Senior designated hitter Jack Zyska is 9-21 after working his way into the starting lineup this past weekend. He also has four home runs. The Irish have scored 10+ runs in seven games, but they’ve also scored four or less on four occasions. The Hokies gave up 28 runs in three games to Georgia Tech, but then just 11 over the threegame set with Pitt. So how Notre Dame’s inconsistent yet lethal bats show up will be a huge storyline in this series. see BASEBALL PAGE 14
Hseih, meanwhile is comfortable heading into Day 2. She lost just one bout all day, an overtime decision in round 2, en route to a 14-1 record. The defending national runner-up in the event, Hseih dominated most of her opponents before squeaking out a pair of onetouch v ictories to end her day. “Because I knew they were the last few bouts, that pushed me to hang in there,” Hseih noted. “W hen it’s really close, the focus, the hunger and the passion are really important.” Loiseau also commented on Hseih’s big day: “She knows she didn’t even fence her best, just fenced ver y smart. Fourteen w ins in fifteen bouts is just cra zy. Great performance.” Loiseau also went on to say that he believed Hseih had more left in the tank. She laughed at the comment but agreed, “He always says I have more left in the tank.”
Foil and sabre maintain the advantage W hile the Irish had their most success in epee, their other disciplines didn’t exactly f lounder. A ll four fencers in foil and sabre remain alive for a semifinal berth tomorrow. In foil, freshman Nicole Pustilnik and
ANYA RUFFINO |The Observer
Irish graduate student outfielder Ryan Cole bats against Valparaiso at the Frank Eck Stadium. Cole has started every game this year.
junior Amita Berthier represented the Irish. Berthier ended the day in fifth w ith an 11-4 mark, and Pustilnik sat in ninth at 10-5. Both are in position to make a charge on day t wo. The big efforts were particularly important for the Irish, as Columbia, which struggled in epee, made a big charge in this discipline, combining for a 24-6 record. Ohio State, the Irish’s primar y non-Iv y challenger, matched Notre Dame w ith 21 w ins. At sabre, the Irish boasted the defending champion in senior Kara Linder, as well as NCA A Tournament returner and sophomore Atara Greenbaum. They matched the foilists w ith 21 total w ins — Greenbaum holds fifth place w ith an 11-4 record, and Linder is in sixth w ith one less w in. Greenbaum had a spark ling start, going 10-1, but she dropped three of her final four to Ohio State and Princeton fencers. A ll told, Linder and Greenbaum went 3-5 in a competitive final round to drop dow n the leaderboard a bit. However, neither seemed particularly phased. “It’s definitely a really long tournament, and my experience has given me the tools to deal w ith a long day,” Linder said. “There’s a
lot of ups and dow ns and adrenaline that you have to deal w ith.” Greenbaum also commented on the tough finish. “I was definitely keeping my focus and sticking to what I knew was working. Being really aggressive [earlier in the day]...End of the day, I have to keep that focus up, that aggression.” Despite the slower finish, the Irish still didn’t lose much ground. Columbia picked up another t wo points on Notre Dame, going 23-7 in sabre, while Princeton matched the Irish’s 21-9 mark. A ll told, the Irish lead the event w ith 65 points. Princeton sits second w ith 58, and Columbia is in third w ith 55. Those three are e s t a b l i s h i n g themselves as the primar y contenders in the women’s field. Ohio State and Har vard are in fourth and fifth w ith 50 and 48 points, respectively. Linder noted that neither the Irish’s ranking, nor who they still had to fence, would affect their mentalit y. “We’re just going to go and fence like we would any other team. We want to w in all the bouts we can, and it doesn’t really matter who is in front of us.” Contact Aidan Thomas at athoma28 @nd.edu
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Sports
The observer | Friday, MARCH 25, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Baseball
Men’s tennis
Notre Dame prepares to take on Duke and UNC this weekend By MANNION McGINLEY Assistant Managing Editor
Exactly halfway through regular-season conference play, Irish men’s tennis takes to the court again this weekend to play Duke and North Carolina. With a 4-2 conference record, head coach Ryan Sachire said he is pleased with where the team sits currently. “It’s been a good start,” Sachire said. “We’ve played six matches, and we’re 4-2 in the conference. The one thing that’s pretty notable is how much parity [there is] in the ACC. Ten of the 13 are NCAA tournament-level teams.” In their last couple of matches, Sachire said he’s been able to rely on senior Axel Nefve and graduate student Peter Conklin, especially in their consistency. “[Axel’s] doing a great job. He’s been consistent every day. He’s finding himself in really tough matches, really close matches.” Sachire said. “And Peter’s awesome. He’s as steady a personality as you’re going to find. He’s ready to compete, and he does what he does.”
Most recently, though, the Irish took on the Miami Hurricanes in conference play. The match was tied-up, 3-3, before junior Connor Fu stepped up for the Irish to clinch the match. Sachire described what it took for Fu to find that win, especially having to regain composure for the third set since he won the first 6-3 and then fell 4-6. “Toughness. Mental toughness,” Sachire said of Fu in that moment. “He got broken at 5-4, did not play a good game. Connor immediately responded and broke the guy again.” He won the last set 7-5 over Juan Martin Jalif, Miami’s doubles leader. This win pulled the Irish ahead 4-3 to win the match over the Hurricanes. Sachire said the Irish expect to see two more “really tight matches” this weekend when they take on the Blue Devils (124, 5-1 ACC) and the Tarheels (9-6, 4-2 ACC). The one space where the Irish haven’t found consistent success in the last few matches has been in the doubles point. Against the Hurricanes, the Irish
lost the first two doubles sets. Juan Martin Jalif and Franco Aubone defeated Nefve and junior Matthew Che 6-3. Then, Hurricanes Benjamin Hannestad and Martin Katz took down Conklin and junior Matthew Halpin 6-3 as well. Fu and sophomore Jean-Marc Malkowski didn’t get to finish their set. In the previous conference matchup, the Irish fell in all three doubles sets as well. Sachire says he intends to maintain the combinations from Miami, though. “We lost the doubles point the last two matches, and we want to get that back on track,” Sachire said. “Our intention is to play with those combinations, or at least those six players and maybe tweak the combinations. It comes down to who complements each other very well. The six that we have do a good job of playing aggressive doubles and being really strong on our serve.” The Irish face the Blue Devils at 4 p.m. on Friday and then the Tarheels on Sunday at 12 p.m. Contact Mannion McGinley at mmcginl3@nd.edu Paid Advertisement
Continued from page 13
Pitching back
must
bounce
This is an absolute must. Louisville diced the Irish — particularly the bullpen. They surrendered 21 earned runs in just 11.2 innings of relief work last weekend, good for a 16.19 ERA. No Irish reliever could find a rhythm against the dangerous Cardinal bats. Freshman Radek Birkholz, graduate student Ryan McKlinskey and senior Alex Rao have been the most consistent for the Irish, but all three gave up runs last weekend. However, look for them to right the ship this weekend, as all three still feature ERAs under 3.00. Two other arms that the Irish could use to bounce back is the twoway player Brannigan and then
M Lacrosse Continued from page 15
working toward,” Corrigan said. This is just another game for Corrigan and his team as they strive to achieve their goal of winning a conference and national championship. “If you want to win the
freshman Caden Aoki. Both have electrifying stuff and have dominated, but they struggled in Louisville. Strong efforts from those two go a long way to preserving the Irish arms. However, the bullpen will do a lot better if they don’t have to go seven innings in the first game of the series. That’s what happened last weekend, as senior Aidan Tyrell was bounced after just one inning. That makes two rough ACC starts for the Irish’s Friday night starter, and he needs to re-establish himself atop the rotation. If he does that, that sets the tone for what the Irish hope is a much better weekend on the bump. Graduate students Bertrand and Austin Temple also figure to start this weekend. Game 1’s first pitch is at 4 p.m. on Friday. Contact Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu
league and if you want to win the national championship, you need to win games. This is the next game,” Corrigan said. Saturday’s game in Charlottesville will begin at 1 p.m. and can be viewed on ACC Network. Contact Nate Moller at nmoller2@nd.edu
sports
ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, MARCH 25, 2022 | The Observer
women’s lacrosse
men’s lacrosse
ND ready to hold the line against Duke By MOLLY FERAZANI Sports Writer
The Fighting Irish Women’s Lacrosse team will return to Arlotta Stadium this Saturday to face the No. 8 Duke Blue Devils following their 17-10 win against the Yale Bulldogs in Naples, Florida, last weekend. Yale opened last week’s game with the first goal, but the Irish responded quickly and dominated for the rest of the match. Notre Dame’s Maddie Howe led the Irish in goals, tallying seven, allowing her to establish a new career high. Howe also added four assists for an impressive total of 11 points. Senior captain and midfielder Hannah Dorney dominated on defense, tying her career high with five caused turnovers. Goalie Bridget Deehan collected 10 saves, obtaining a save percentage of .526. The Blue Devils currently hold a 10-1 record, and they lead the nation in goals per game due to their dominant offensive approach. The Irish will match the energy, however, as the area around the draw circle has become a point of strength for their offense,
Hockey Continued from page 12
Matteo Costantini for hooking. Once again, however, Notre Dame had chances but could not convert. The Hawks were not the only team to commit a penalty in the third. A Nick Leivermann hooking penalty at 10:30 would give North Dakota a penalty shot. Thankfully for Notre Dame, Galajda stood tall, denying Riese Gaber a good place for a shot. Gaber would miss wide, and the game would remain tied 1-1. The last penalty of the period was an Irish penalty (18:26). Jack Adams took a trip to the box for a hooking penalty. The penalty would keep the Irish short for the rest of regulation and early into the OT period. In the final seconds of regulation, the Slaggerts were able to drive the puck into the Hawks zone. Despite Graham Slaggert appearing to put the puck into the net with about 0.4 seconds left, the officials ruled that it was a little slow to make it into the net after a lengthy review. The green light behind each net appeared to go off well after the puck entered the net. The light goes on each time the clock is stopped during the game and when
15
allowing them to rack up possessions throughout their recent games. The Blue Devils returned 10 starters and 6 graduate students this year, including Attack Catriona Barry who received Preseason All-ACC recognition and Katie Cronin who held the title of Duke’s lead goal-scorer last season. While the Irish will have to be on the lookout for creativity in plays led by these veteran players, the Irish defense also boasts a lot of experienced players, allowing them to make some big stops. The Irish defense caused four turnovers just in the second quarter of their game against Yale last weekend. These two teams last faced each other at the ACC quarterfinal game in April 2021 with a close win of 17-16 by the Irish. With the Blue Devils hungry for redemption and the Irish ready to build on their victory, this should be an exciting game. The game will take place Saturday at 1 p.m. at Arlotta Stadium. Contact Molly Ferazani at mferazan@nd.edu
the period ends. However, the clock expired slightly before the horn and light were triggered. That meant one thing and one thing only: free hockey!
Overtime The Adams penalty had less than 30 seconds left as OT started, so Notre Dame started on the kill. However, as the Irish generated a turnover that could have turned into a free man rush, Jandric committed an interference penalty, ending the North Dakota power play and setting up the Irish to control the OT period. The penalty was not particularly malicious but more of a calculated choice. Instead of a potential breakaway that ends the game, Jandric elected to take a penalty and trust in a high-quality North Dakota defense. Notre Dame took advantage of the opportunity, with Graham Slaggert (assisted by Nick Leivermann and Landon Slaggert) giving the Irish the game-winning power play goal and first NCAA tournament win since 2019. The Irish will advance to face topseeded Minnesota State in the quarterfinals Saturday. Contact Thomas Zwiller at tzwiller@hcc-nd.edu
Irish head for test against third-ranked Virginia By NATE MOLLER Sports Writer
The No. 10 Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team (2-3, 0-0 ACC) will kick off ACC play on the road this Saturday against the No. 3 Virginia Cavaliers (6-1, 2-0 ACC). Although the Irish are coming off a convincing win last weekend against a solid Michigan team, the Irish lack a signature victory, which is something they can earn Saturday. Head coach Kevin Corrigan stressed the importance of controlling possession and being efficient on offense, which is something that the Irish have struggled with this year. “In the games that we’ve lost, we’ve been in a big deficit in the number of possessions,” Corrigan said. “We need to do everything we can in the faceoff game, the riding and clearing, and everything else to try to keep that from being a big gap. And then we have to be effective and efficient offensively with the possessions that we have.” Virginia has some of the best attackers in the country, averaging nearly 17 goals per game this year. Virginia’s best win on the year was against No. 9 UNC, whom they beat by a
15-11 margin. The Cavaliers are coming off of their first loss of their season to No. 1 Maryland, who they lost to by a 23-12 score. Corrigan acknowledged that Virginia has one of the best offenses in the country. “They probably have the best attack group in the country. It starts with defending those guys. They love to create scoring chances, especially in smaller numbers in situations where they can attack and all make big plays,” Corrigan said. Corrigan knows his team needs to take care of the ball to limit Virginia’s chances on net. “We’ve got to make sure to clear the ball effectively, so that we don’t create turnovers in the middle of a field. We got to make sure that we ride hard but intelligently so that we don’t create transition for them. And then we’ve got to make sure that we defend those guys in those transitions and unsettled situations,” Corrigan said. Junior goalie Liam Entenmann had a career day in last week’s win against Michigan, and Corrigan needs Entenmann to continue to play at a high level this weekend. “He’s playing great right now, and he has confidence. There’s no position on the field more Paid Advertisement
important than the goalie,” Corrigan said. The Irish have struggled at the faceoff all season, which is something that they must improve on Saturday. “It’s always important to limit their possessions as much as you can,” Corrigan said. “We’ve got to continue to work to do a better job and make sure at the end of the day that we’re as close to even in possessions as we can be because we have been on the bad side of that equation a little bit too much this year.” Corrigan has played in Charlottesville before, and he described the venue as a fun, energetic place to play. “It’s a good crowd and an exciting atmosphere,” Corrigan said. Corrigan knows his team is capable of being one of the best in the country, and he hopes his team puts it all together this Saturday. “I’m interested to see us put together a complete game. We’ve done everything well at times. We haven’t put all of those things together in a way that we are capable of. That’s the goal. That’s what we are see M LACROSSE PAGE 14
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The observer | Friday, MARCH 25, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
ND women’s basketball
Fresh off historic blowout, Irish prep for Sweet 16 game on home turf against known foe North Carolina State By J.J. Post Sports Writer
GRACIE LEE |The Observer
Irish freshman guard Olivia Miles looks to the basket in a February game against VA Tech. The Irish seek another win against NC State.
Notre Dame women’s basketball will play their first Sweet 16 game since 2019 on Saturday when they square off with the North Carolina State Wolfpack in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The game is of no small significance for second-year head coach Niele Ivey and her young squad. The Irish are making sure to both enjoy the experience while locking in against a known foe the Irish beat in a close 69-66 game at Purcell Pavilion at the beginning of February. The Irish couldn’t ask for more momentum heading into the second weekend of the tournament. Notre Dame will enter Bridgeport coming off a historic 108-64 demolition of Oklahoma, a game in which the Irish offense seemed unstoppable for stretches. Ivey made it clear that Notre Dame’s top priority for Saturday will be keeping that offensive
momentum rolling. “I think we want to play our style of basketball — that’s number one. If we do our job defensively, we’ll get a chance to get out and run,” Ivey said. “If you think about Notre Dame, at least this season, it’s about our pace. We have the best point guard in the country [in freshman Olivia Miles]. She’s almost leading the country in assists, so we want to get the ball to her and run. We have to know the way that North Carolina State is going to guard us. They do a great job on the ball screens being physical, but I think playing our style of basketball is what we have to do from the beginning and do for forty minutes.” Ivey also discussed how the team was preparing for a second matchup with the Wolfpack, and the adjustments she and her staff have made after watching the physical nature of the first game: “We’re going to do a couple
toughness drills today because we have to expect that [physicality],” Ivey said. “We had a lot of adversity that game. Abby [Prohaska] went out, Sam [Brunelle] went out, and everyone had to step up and do a little bit more. So we have to expect it, and we have to prepare for it — mentally and also physically. Were going to do some drills that will help us work to get open and be physical in the box outs. We just have to expect it. This is forty minutes to get to the Elite Eight and we have to be ready.” Though the Irish will be playing at a venue that will likely feel like a road game in the stands, with regional two-seed Connecticut just over an hour’s drive away from Total Mortgage Arena, the Bridgeport draw has provided a silver lining for the Notre Dame lineup’s strong northeast contingent. Senior guard Dara Mabrey spoke about see BASKETBALL PAGE 13
ND Fencing
NCAA Fencing Championships: Irish, looking to defend title, lead after the first day of bouts By AIDAN THOM AS Spor ts Editor
Last year, Notre Dame Fencing won the national championship. However, the v ictor y came against a somewhat depleted field. Due to COV ID, the Iv y League schools did not participate, leav ing Notre Dame a dominant force at the tournament. “Last year, because of COV ID, the playing field wasn’t as high. The Iv ies are back, and they’re really, really good,” sophomore epeeist Kaylin Sin Yan Hseih said. “I feel like I’m experiencing the first normal year.” However, even w ith a fully charged field ready to challenge the defending champions, Notre Dame still looked the part. Powered by a fantastic start from their epeeists, the Irish lead w ireto-w ire on day one, ending w ith a sevenpoint advantage. The format is relatively simple,
as each discipline competes in five rounds. Their first is seven five-touch bouts, w ith the follow ing rounds consisting of four bouts. For each v ictor y by a fencer, the school earns a point. The top four fencers in each discipline after the 23 total bouts move on to a 15-touch semifinal round to compete for indiv idual championships. The indiv idual championships do not affect the team score.
Epee sparks the Irish On Thursday, the women completed the first three rounds in each of epee, sabre and foil. Epee started the day, and Hseih and fellow sophomore Amanda Pirkowski got the Irish off to a hot start. They battled each other in an intense opening bout that was decided by a 5-4 margin, w ith Hseih see FENCING PAGE 13
Kendra Osinski | The Observer
Irish senior Gustavo Rosselló competes in foil at past ACC championship. The Notre Dame fencing team maintains momentum through first day of NCAA championships at the Castellan Family F encing Center.