Print Edition for the Observer for Wednesday, April 14, 2021

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Volume 55, Issue 59 | wednesday, april 14, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Tri-campus to host Take Back the Night GRC, BAVO to co-sponsor annual event to address sexual assault, elevate voices of victims

By GENEVIEVE COLEMAN AND BELLA LAUFENBERG Saint Mary’s News Editor and News Writer

Started in the 1960s, Take Back the Night (TBTN) is an international event and nonprofit organization dedicated to ending sexual assault and violence worldwide. This year’s tri-campus TBTN will take place Wednesday from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., with the goal of spreading awareness of sexual violence within and far beyond the borders of the tri-campus community.

Notre Dame’s Gender Relations Center (GRC) and Saint Mary’s Belles Against Violence Office (BAVO) spearheaded the planning of this

year’s event along with a large number of co-sponsors.

BAVO coordinator Liz Coulston explained the history behind Take Back the Night as an international non-profit organization.

“So it kind of started casually in the [1960s] in Europe when people began protesting that women weren’t able to walk safely down the street by themselves,” Coulston said. “Then this movement continued [with] protests across the country for various things that kind of relate to interpersonal violence. In 2001, the Take Back the Night Foundation was formed, so ever since then events see TBTN PAGE 5

ND students receive first dose of Pfizer vaccine

Courtesy of Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame

Staff and volunteers prepare to open the Notre Dame student, faculty and staff vaccine clinic in the Compton Family Ice Arena.

By MAGGIE EASTLAND Associate News Editor

Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published online April 12.

The University opened the on-campus vaccination site Thursday with plans to vaccinate thousands of students, faculty and staff with both doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine by May 6.

The first vaccine doses will

NEWS PAGE 5

be given until Thursday, and the second doses will be given between April 29 and May 6.

Vice president for campus safety and University operations Mike Seamon said Notre Dame applied to become a closed pod — a vaccination site designated for the Notre Dame community rather than the broader community — a few months see STUDENTS PAGE 4

VIEWPOINT PAGE 8

Observer File Photo

Members of the tri-campus community march to the Grotto during Take Back the Night in 2017. The annual event to raise awareness for sexual assault is part of an international non-profit organization.

College to require COVID-19 vaccine for fall Observer Staff Report

College President Katie Conboy announced in a Monday email that all students are required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine for the upcoming academic year.

The vaccine will be added to

the list of mandatory student immunizations beginning in the 2021-2022 term.

With students vaccinated, Saint Mary’s will plan to have complete in-person instruction and a traditional two-semester schedule, Conboy said. In addition, the

College’s current mask mandate and group gathering requirements will be lifted.

Conboy explained the College’s decision to mandate student vaccines, discussing the uncertainties see VACCINES PAGE 4

Belles discuss running small businesses

Sophomore Anna Guerra started making rings three weeks ago and credited family and friends for encouraging her

to start selling them online.

“I was thinking of ways to make some money and I thought these rings were a hot trend,” Guerra said. “My sisters encouraged me to post on social media and to start selling them, so without their help and my friends, I wouldn’t have started this little business.”

After struggling to find jewelry for herself, Guerra hopes she can create pieces that cater to everyone.

“My main goal is to make cute

rings that fit each and every finger,“ Guerra said. “I go into boutiques and see the coolest rings, but none of them fit [me], so I thought ‘Why not create what I want?’”

According to Guerra, people quickly bought her merchandise.

“Within the first two weeks I sold over 100 rings and girls have been very generous in reposting and spreading the word,” Guerra said.

SCENE PAGE 10

W LACROSSE PAGE 16

M LACROSSE PAGE 16

By GENEVIEVE COLEMAN Saint Mary’s News Editor

The Observer interviewed five Saint Mary’s students about running small businesses and the importance of female entrepreneurship. Here are their stories.

Anna Guerra

see BUSINESS PAGE 3

2

TODAY

The observer | wednesday, april 14, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

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What movie sequel would you like to erase from history?

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

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“‘Grease 2.’”

“‘Mulan II.’”

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senior Lewis Hall

“‘Mulan II.’”

“‘Pocahontas 2.’”

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“‘Cars 2.’”

“The ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks’ sequels. The titles are cringey.”

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Kate McLaughlin, Lily Condodina and Mary Laird hand out popsicles for the Student Union Board (SUB) at Snitehouse Mall. This week, SUB is hosting its annual “dreamtostal” event to give students opportunities to unwind, relax and socialize with friends.

The next Five days:

Want your event included here?

Email news@ndsmcobserver.com

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

OVI Seminar Series III virtual 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Lecture on the Vita Nuova in Italian. Please register online.

“The American Trip” virtual 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Art history lecture featuring guest speaker Damon Willick.

Shred Your Home Files at Work Day Mason Services Center Parking Lot 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Free, safe shredding.

Punt, Pass, and Kick Competition Ricci Fields 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Test your skills out.

Registration required.

Basilica Mass Basilica of the Sacred Heart 10 a.m. and noon All are welcome to attend.

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All are welcome.

Seminar: “ND in the Fight Against Human Trafficking” virtual 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Please register online.

Hesburgh Libraries Hackathon 2021 virtual all day This year’s theme is Building Connections.

Lewis House of Pancakes North Quad 9 p.m. - 1 a.m. $5 entry fee. Must sign up beforehand.

Notre Dame Day virtual 6:42 p.m.

Annual day of fundraising for University clubs.

News

Business Continued from page 1

Guerra described her excitement when more people discovered her rings.

“It amazes me how fast the word spreads and how happy girls are receiving these rings,” she said. “I’ve even shipped rings out to Boston and Ohio and have connections at Notre Dame and other colleges, thanks to friends.”

Speaking about her experience so far, Guerra commented on how she has felt empowered while running her small business.

“I’ve learned that if I have this image that most girls probably do too, but I’m going to be the one to start it and run with it for as long as it goes,” she said.

Giving advice to those who want to start a small business, Guerra encouraged others to try setting one up.

“For those wanting to start a small business, I say do it,” Guerra said. “What’s the worst that can happen? Because in the end, you never know who’s interested until you try.”

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, april 14, 2021 | The Observer

expect her first design to sell as well as it did.

“I made this little design and I uploaded it, kind of not really expecting anything to come of it,” Pinnow said. “Just like, ‘Oh, maybe I’ll make like a couple bucks,’ but I think a decent amount [of money] has come from it.”

Pinnow also creates designs based on what she finds interesting in pop culture, she said.

“I still upload things that I think, ‘Oh, this is fun. This is a cute little design’ — typically for things like movies or podcasts,” she said.

Pinnow said she still makes new designs but mostly focuses on other art forms.

“It’s one of those things I really mostly do when I have like a really good idea,” Pinnow said. “I typically don’t see Redbubble as my main art resource. It’s something I just get a little supplemental income from.”

Pinnow also encouraged others to set up their own Redbubble shops because they are simple to maintain.

“If you’re thinking about it, just do it,” Pinnow said. “because it’s easy to set up [and] it’s easy to deal with.”

Abigail Pinnow Junior Abigail Pinnow started uploading designs on Redbubble, a website that turns user’s designs into merchandise to be sold, when she realized she had an idea she thought other people would like.

“I pretty much started it because I had one idea for a sticker that I thought was really funny,” Pinnow said. “It says ‘I heart my haunted women’s college,’ and I tried looking for it online and I realized no one had made it and I thought ‘You know what, I bet people would enjoy this,’ because, you know, it’s fun, it’s silly — and that still is my very best seller.”

Pinnow noted she didn’t

Kalli Jungles, The Center Part Sisters Sophomore Kalli Jungles and her sister Kassidy Jungles (’20) started their small business — Center Part Sisters — during quarantine. They began by making bracelets before branching off into sunglasses.

“We ended up making friendship bracelets with beading,” Jungles said. “And then around that same time, there was a TikTok trend that came out and people were making sunglasses with beads.

And my sister’s like, ‘That’d be so cool if we can make sunglasses to match our bracelets that we’re making for football season.’”

After the sisters decided to try their new idea out, the project never lost momentum, Jungles said.

“We’re like, ‘Let’s just order a pack of 20 sunglasses and see how it goes,’” she said. “We made those 20 and we sold out super quick. Just from there, we decided, ‘You know what, let’s just keep going with it until people kind of get tired of the designs.’ But so far, that hasn’t been the case.”

Jungles noted that Center Part Sisters is thinking about venturing into thrifted clothing.

“Just seeing the success that we’ve had, I think we definitely would like to start incorporating new designs and new ideas, Jungles said. “My sister and I also really love thrifting. …

Obviously, with COVID, we’re not going out and shopping, but that’s definitely a direction that we’re kind of considering for the future, in trying to offer college students affordable, thrifted clothing.”

Jungles wanted students to know that even though small businesses require a lot of time, they are definitely worth the effort.

“I think you’ll be surprised if you like the product that you’re wanting to make. I can guarantee you there’s tons of other people who want that same product,” Jungles said.

“And it’s a lot of work, a lot of dedication, but at the same time, it’s something to be super proud of.”

Jungles also wished people support other small businesses, especially other female entrepreneurs at Saint Mary’s.

“Obviously, we would love for you to support us, but also support other Saint Mary’s girls,” Jungles said. “There’s lots of girls making really nifty and crafty things right now, and I think it’s just as great if we can all support each other and kind of continue supporting

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female entrepreneurship.”

Annie Maher, Riverbend Goods

Morgan Suchecki, Belle Yeah Designs

Sophomore Annie Maher said she started her small business Riverbend Goods after experiencing difficulty finding a job during the beginning of the pandemic.

“It was just getting really hard to find a job,” Maher said.

“And so I decided, ‘Why not start selling cards?,’ which is what I originally started with because I had done some original cards for family members.”

Maher expanded her card designs by beginning to create stickers and notes, which led to an increased following on social media.

“I found a way to digitally draw all of my cards, and it started more as just my family supporting me,” Maher said.

“Then I started making stickers as well, and that’s kind of when it started to work out for me — people actually started finding me, and I really started to use social media to try to reach new people.”

Highlighting nature in her designs, Maher noted she wanted to create things she and other people were passionate about.

“For a lot of my [designs], I’m definitely inspired by nature,” Maher said. “A lot of them are based on environmentalism or protecting the planet, because I think there are people out there who also believe that and want to show that just as I do.”

Maher described the many paths she is considering taking when growing Riverbend Goods in the future.

“You know, it’s one of those things where there’s so many things you want to do, and you’re just not sure where to go next,” Maher said. “So I’ve been thinking about starting to make key chains or starting to find a way to make embroidery designs for shirts.

And then I also thought about making notebooks and calendars [or] planners — there’s a lot of directions I want to take it.”

Detailing her personal experience, Maher stated she has been pleased with how people have reacted to her products.

“I think it’s really fun,” Maher said. “I really enjoyed it. I think it’s just such a unique experience and such a validating experience for people you don’t even know to think that your art or your work is worth their money … I definitely think it’s been an exciting adventure.”

Maher hopes people continue supporting small businesses, even after the pandemic.

“Especially during the pandemic, I think small businesses really both took a hard hit and got a big spotlight shone on them,” Maher said. “And I think it’s important to keep that momentum going after everything’s said and done.”

Sophomore Morgan Suchecki said she started her small business Belle Yeah Designs in January and is proud of the following she has received.

“I started with zero followers and started with only following my friends,” she said.

“Now I have 101 followers, which is definitely a step [up] from zero and a big step for a small business.”

Taking design requests through Instagram, Suchecki said she specializes in making digital art in Procreate.

“My customers [message me] on my Belle Yeah Designs account on Instagram,” Suchecki said. “They send me what their request is, like editing photos or digital art. I mainly get customers for digital art. The customer sends the picture, and it is done and sent to them the next day or later [the same] day, depending on what the image is like.”

In the future, Suchecki is thinking about growing her small business.

“I have considered expanding but with school right now, I have been very busy,” she said.

“I am thinking of starting my own Redbubble account and making stickers this summer.”

Suchecki advised students starting small businesses to persevere through the difficulties.

“The advice I have for other students wanting to start a small business is don’t give up,” Suchecki said. “I have wanted to give up so many times, and I still want to give up because many people don’t buy a lot, even though it’s at a lower price than other small businesses. Every small business starts out small, which I keep reminding myself.”

Contact Genevieve Coleman at gcoleman01@saintmarys.edu

4

NEWS

The observer | wednesday, april 14, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Students Continued from page 1

ago after the Indiana State Department of Health said vaccines would be made available to college students.

“The only wrinkle was, it was going to be the Pfizer vaccine, which is a great vaccine, but it requires a two-step dance,” Seamon said.

Because the vaccine is a twostep process, the University took rapid action to make sure students could complete both doses before the end of the spring semester, Seamon said.

Despite this pressure to plan quickly, Seamon said the student vaccine clinic, modeled after the St. Hedwig’s vaccination site in South Bend, makes it fast and easy for students to get vaccinated.

“Our number one job was to make this a really convenient, easy, accessible experience for the students,” Seamon said.

When students walk into Compton Family Ice Arena, they are greeted at the door and asked if they are feeling sick, and if they have an appointment.

After answering these questions, students make their way to the main registration desk to show their student ID and officially check in. After registration is complete and a student’s appointment is confirmed, they sit at one of 18 vaccination stations, where a medical professional once again verifies the student’s information and administers the vaccine.

After the student receives the first dose, the vaccination site worker registers the student for a second dose exactly three weeks to the day and time of their first dose. Finally, students sit in a designated waiting area for 15 minutes in order to ensure no adverse reactions occur, and they tap their ID on the way out in order to help keep count of how many students have been vaccinated.

Seamon said there is no line and the entire process takes only 20 to 22 minutes on average, including the 15-minute wait time. He added that student reactions to the clinic have been uplifting.

“This is the best of Notre Dame,” Seamon said. “[The students are] happy.

They’re excited. We’ve seen hugs. We’ve seen high fives. It’s a really positive experience, so we’re happy to be able to facilitate it.”

First-year Lauren Amrol, who received the vaccine Thursday, said the process was streamlined and convenient.

“The vaccine set-up in the Compton Arena was extremely efficient and enjoyable,” Amrol said in an email. “It was so well organized. It was clear where to go, and the staff were so friendly and welcoming throughout the entire process.”

Seamon echoed Amrol’s praise for the site’s staff, including both the medical professionals and the volunteers working.

“We have over 100 volunteers a day working in the site that aren’t on the medical team, and they are faculty, staff members and even students,” Seamon said. “It’s awesome. I think we’ve had over 400 people sign up to be volunteers in this first eight-day period.”

Robert Easley, chair of the IT, analytics and operations department, volunteered at the check-in and said he enjoyed witnessing and interacting with the new IT system provided by the state to coordinate the vaccinations.

Easley said he decided to volunteer out of gratitude for the academic year and to help ensure even more positive experiences in the upcoming year.

“I have been so grateful for the courageous stand Notre Dame took in the run-up to last fall by deciding that live interactions in the classroom would

remain the norm here,” Easley said in an email. “I am optimistic for next fall and want to do whatever I can to help get us to an even better experience by then.”

Director of talent consulting in the office of human resources Linda Costas also volunteered at check-in. She, too, said she volunteered out of appreciation for Notre Dame students and the University.

“The University of Notre Dame would not have a purpose if not for our students. They are the reason we are here,” Costas said. “Volunteering gives me a chance to support our students and to support this great university.”

Aside from the volunteers, Seamon said medical professionals from the testing center as well as the nurses, EMTs, Indiana University medical students, firemen, policemen, physicians from local hospitals and many who worked the Flu Vaccine Blitz in the fall semester will be pivotal in vaccinating thousands of students.

“It really makes you emotional looking at people who are making a difference for the health of the Notre Dame community and the greater regional community by participating in this,” Seamon said.

These medical staff and volunteers help make the student clinic a simple process, he said.

“It will never get easier for students or faculty to get vaccinated than it is through this [clinic],” Seamon said. “They can walk here. They can ride their bike here. It’s a 20-minute process. It’s easy. It’s awesome.”

Still, some students remain reluctant to sign up for the vaccine, such as those who voice concerns over the use of fetal cell lines to test the Pfizer vaccine in its early development stages or over the vaccine’s temporary side effects.

Esteban Alfaro Salas, a graduate student who received the

Courtesy of Matt Cashshore/University of Notre Dame

Graduate student Esteban Salas gets a bandage after receiving the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on the first day of the vaccine clinic.

vaccine Thursday morning, said his peers should get the vaccine to protect others.

“Science says that getting this vaccine is how humankind will protect itself from getting sick from COVID,” Alfaro Salas said in an email. “If not for yourself, at least do it for the people around you.”

Seamon said every student who is vaccinated receives information about potential short-term side effects and is encouraged to reach out to University Health Services (UHS) if symptoms persist.

In addition, he said students who are vaccinated should not report side effects on their daily health check and should instead reach out to professors if side effects impact attendance or academic performance.

“Someone might not feel well and might not be able to go to class the next day, so we’ve asked for everybody’s understanding,” Seamon said. “[Professors] understand the good of getting this done.”

Seamon said he is proud to be part of the vaccination effort and hopeful that the University will reach their 90% goal this spring.

“It’s moving,” Seamon said.

“This is a Notre Dame moment, and I’m grateful to be a part of it.”

Contact Maggie Eastland at meastlan@nd.edu

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Vaccines Continued from page 1

surrounding COVID-19.

“There is so much yet to learn about the COVID-19 virus, and while we are encouraged by the progress made thus far, we still see areas for concern; in particular the variant strains and what they could bring,” Conboy said.

“For this reason, among others, we are making the bold choice to mandate student vaccines.”

According to Conboy, the College will offer exemption to the vaccine policy for proper medical and religious reasons.

Conboy encouraged students to sign up for appointment slots at the upcoming vaccination clinic — which opens Friday — if they have not already done so. More information about the requirement can be found on the College’s website.

Gun shots heard Observer Staff Report

The South Bend Police Department responded to shots heard in the Keller Park and Riverside Place area Saturday night, according to a Notre Dame Police Department (NDPD) spokesperson.

The area where the shots were heard is located on the opposite side of Saint Joseph River, across from the Holy Cross and Saint Mary’s campuses.

The gunshot sounds echoed off the river, making them appear closer to Holy Cross and Saint Mary’s than they actually were, the spokesperson said.

NDPD was in contact with the Holy Cross College Department of Public Safety, and the department reportedly did not issue an emergency alert since the incident did not occur on campus grounds.

Editor’s Note: assistant sports editor Jimmy Ward contributed to this report.

News

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, april 14, 2021 | The Observer

5

Mendoza study examines relationship between education, job satisfaction

By SIOBHAN LAUGHNEY News Writer

New research from Mendoza College of Business professors Brittany Solomon and Dean Shepherd shows surprising findings on the relationship between education and job satisfaction, and sheds light on some of the factors that inf luence job satisfaction in relation to education level.

A commonly held belief is that pursuing higher education w ill lead to high job satisfaction and overall happiness. Solomon and Shepherd found a different result.

“It’s not that the highly educated can’t attain higher job satisfaction, but higher education doesn’t ensure it,” Solomon w rote in an email.

The study found there is no relationship between being highly educated and hav ing higher job satisfaction. It identified both

TBTN Continued from page 1

under that umbrella term ‘Take Back the Night’ have been happening internationally.”

Coulston also described how Take Back the Night became a tri-campus event.

“Take Back the Night at Notre Dame started as a Notre Dame event over a decade ago and then when BAVO’s office started in 2009, we became a co-sponsor of the event, and then kind of quick ly became a partner in planning the Take Back the Night event,” she said. “And then, Holy Cross joined us as fellow planners in 2017, making it a full tri-campus planned event.”

The event kicks off at 6:30 p.m. at Lake Marion on Saint Mar y’s campus. Saint Mar y’s and Holy Cross students are then inv ited to walk over to Notre Dame’s Dahnke Ballroom for a tri-campus “Speak Out,” which starts at 7:30 p.m.

GRC program coordinator for healthy relationships and communit y outreach Kaitly n Stankiew icz said the purpose of the Speak Out is to foster a space where sur v ivors feel safe to speak about their experiences.

“We’ll start w ith a Speak Out, which is essentially a space we’re creating in which sur v ivors can come for ward to share their

positive and negative factors that contribute to satisfaction, or the lack thereof, for the highly educated.

W hile people in this position may enjoy the benefits of more resources — such as greater income and job variet y — the jobs in question tend to have longer hours and high demands that contribute to stress rather than satisfaction. These factors play a key role in developing a sense of satisfaction in one’s job and are necessar y for discerning the right career or role.

“It’s important for people to clarif y for themselves what they value and what w ill make them happy when they go to work on a day-today basis,” Solomon said.

“This means taking into consideration both the perks (such as income and autonomy) as well as the demands and stress.”

In addition to the contrasting demands and resources, there are other inf luences that can determine job

satisfaction.

Particularly, the study noted that “being female exacerbates, and being self-employed attenuates, the negative association bet ween education and job satisfaction.”

Solomon and Shepherd also described the commonly held perception of an “ideal worker,” and how this idea can be ta x ing for employees. The professors describe the ideal worker as someone who works long hours and puts their job above all else, according to Solomon and Shepherd.

Recognizing that this feeds into the draining work env ironments that decrease job satisfaction, Solomon and Shepherd suggest redefining what it means to be an ideal worker.

“The new ‘ideal worker’ is someone who values all aspects of their life and understands the importance of boundaries (e.g., on their time) so that, ultimately, they are more productive and more

satisfied in the workplace,” Solomon w rote.

Solomon said shifting the outlook on what it means to be a good worker is not the only takeaway people should have from the study. She said there are important ideas for college students to consider as they discern their majors and career paths, emphasizing that academic and career pursuits are more than resume builders.

“It’s important for them to be true to themselves, rather than pursuing paths based on what their parents want, what they thought they wanted to do in high school or what sounds impressive when someone asks,” Solomon w rote.

W hile Solomon and Shepherd’s study might raise concerns for those seeking higher education, Solomon said postsecondar y schooling can still have great value if students honestly consider their field of study.

“Pursuing higher

education and graduate degrees [is] certainly valuable if you’re realistic about what the costs and benefits are of the program, as well as your job prospects,” she w rote.

Additionally, Solomon said workplaces have the potential to be better env ironments for employees by fostering a less intense and stressful atmosphere. W hen asked if she believed employers would take such studies into account, Solomon said she was confident in the positive benefits of reducing factors that diminish job satisfaction.

“Other researchers have demonstrated that recover y from work is important, and an emphasis on results rather than time spent in the office/working has also been show n to generate higher qualit y work and job performance evaluations,” she w rote.

stories to let us know what their experience is and they can share as much or as little as they want,” Stankiew icz said. “People who do come for ward in person are exempt from hav ing to have this reported to Title IX.” Stankiew icz said hearing stories from sur v ivors is t y pically a sobering moment for those in attendance where they can “hear the realit y of what’s going on w ith students in our campus communit y and stand in solidarit y w ith them.”

After the Speak Out, participants w ill move into a march around Notre Dame’s campus that starts at Gate E (the student gate) of Notre Dame Stadium at 9:15 p.m.

TBTN w ill conclude w ith a prayer v igil on South Quad at 9:45 p.m. In the case of inclement weather, the v igil w ill be moved to Dahnke Ballroom.

According to Coulston, this year she, along w ith a group of students and Saint Mar y’s Campus Ministr y staff, planned the event’s non-denominational prayer ser v ice so it would be inclusive to students of all faiths.

“Of course we are three Catholic institutions, but we wanted to make sure that people of all faiths felt welcomed and felt supported,” she said.

Senior Meghan McNamara worked w ith Coulston

and other members of BAVO to coordinate the night’s events. She explained why she decided to join the planning committee.

“I got involved in Take Back the Night because my goal in general … is to give people a voice and Speak Out and the march is giv ing those people their voice,” McNamara said. “So I think it’s just really important that people feel heard and seen.”

In addition, McNamara commented on what she has gained from planning Take Back the Night.

“I learned that people heal at different rates [and] it is not linear,” she said. “Some people need to speak and share their experiences, some people don’t. Some people just need to hear that they’re not alone and that they’re supported.”

In response to a question about the recent release of w idely-circulated emails sent by Zahm House residents containing sexually explicit language, Stankiew icz said it’s important not to tolerate jokes that support rape culture.

“Comments and jokes perpetuate rape culture, which kind of makes people less likely to say or maybe do something if they see something or hear something, and it makes it seem a little bit slightly okay to have a culture where that’s

acceptable,” Stankiew icz explained. “Jokes about rape, sexual assault minimize the severit y of someone who’s gone through that …

People’s lives are changed forever when they have that experience.”

Coulston also emphasized the need to support sur v ivors. “[Take Back the Night] is always an important event,” Coulston said. “Of course, w ith the recent release of those emails from Zahm and other public revelations related to that, I think it’s as important — if not more important than ever — to show sur v ivors that we support them and that we believe them.”

Coulston wants students to be aware of how sexual assault and interpersonal v iolence truly affect the tri-campus.

“I really hope that students walk away w ith an understanding of how prevalent these issues are in our tri-campus communit y and the power that they hold to address these issues, not only w ith our t y pe of bystander inter vention w ith stepping in when you see something, and taking action, but also kind of some of that proactive stuff like show ing support for sur v ivors,” she said.

Coulston also wants sur v ivors to feel a sense of communit y after attending the event.

“Additionally, I really

hope that sur v ivors that attend — whether they choose to participate in the Speak Out or not — walk away know ing that they aren’t alone,” Coulston said.

“People are around them that share their experiences and understand what they are feeling.”

In addition to TBTN, the GRC holds several other events to promote Sexual Assault Awareness Month, including No Longer Silent: Violence Against People w ith Disabilities on April 19 and 20 and Denim Day on April 28.

BAVO is also continuing to plan events through the end of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, w ith mov ie screenings on April 15 and 27 and a self-defense class on April 22.

Stankiew icz said she hopes students are motivated through these events to create a better culture on campus.

“I hope [TBTN] motivates people to really want to make a change and to be more involved,” Stankiew icz said. “Outside of Take Back the Night, we do have a variet y of events ... that we do ever y year so maybe it’ll get people more involved, and it w ill push for more of a culture change across campus.”

Contact Siobhan Laughney at sloughne@nd.edu

Contact Genevieve Coleman at gcoleman01@saintmarys.edu and Bella Laufenberg at blaufenberg@nd.edu

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The observer | Wednesday, April 14, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Inside Column

Instagram vs. reality

A nostalgic review of ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ (Ella’s Version)

Veronica Navarro Social Media Editor

Ella Wisniewski Consider This

At 14 years old I created my first (parent-approved) Instagram account.

My very first post was a heavily-filtered photo I had taken of myself with a full face of makeup, curled hair and jewelry. I remember posting the photo after I had followed every single one of my friends and family, waiting for each of them to like and comment. I sat there refreshing my page repeatedly, waiting to see how many people would engage with my post. Over and over again I would get excited when I would see the orange heart icon appear over my notification bar. Once a post stopped receiving likes after a day or two, I would post another. This trend continued with every single photo I posted up until recently.

Eventually, I got to the point where I would delete photos where I thought I looked bad, or that didn’t get enough likes. I would scroll through my tagged photos periodically and untag myself from posts that weren’t edited or filtered to my liking. I found myself obsessing over how I looked on social media and what other people thought of my posts. Looking back, it makes me incredibly sad that I was seeking validation online through photos that oftentimes didn’t even look like me.

I was reminded of how social media causes us to obsess over our “image” when news broke that one of Khloé Kardashian’s assistants accidentally posted a photo of the star by the pool in her swimsuit. The image displayed Khloé smiling and holding her phone, in what seems like a typical image that she would post on social media, but something was different. The photo hadn’t yet been heavily edited to portray her body in the way she had wanted to appear on social media.

When I heard about this, I wasn’t surprised. Anyone on social media knows that the Kardashian family is notorious for heavily editing their photos, specifically their bodies. What I found interesting about this, however, was how hard the family had been fighting to get the image taken down. The Kardashian family has worked to delete the image from the internet entirely, even going so far as to threaten legal action against anyone who had posted it. Khloé Kardashian is having trouble living up to her own beauty standard, not of what she used to look like, or what she looks like at any given moment, but rather the standard that she has set for herself on social media.

Thinking back, I’m guilty of almost the same thing. In high school, specifically after creating my Instagram account and posting photos of myself, I would make sure that I would wake up every single day early enough to put on a full face of makeup and to straighten or curl my hair. I spent each moment trying to live up to the standard that I had set for myself through the photos I had been posting on social media. In fact, I sometimes still do this. Even now, my Instagram account features mainly photos of me either alone or with friends where I am pictured with a full face of makeup. Just recently, I decided not to post a photo of myself with my boyfriend in front of the dome because I didn’t have makeup on in the photo and I didn’t want to be portrayed on social media as who I really am, or what I really look like. I chose not to post the photo, despite the crinkles around my eyes making the smile on my face completely obvious, because I would have rather been perceived on social media as pretty rather than happy.

In a way, the Khloé Kardashian photo scandal was like a wake up call for me. I realized that throughout most of my life on social media, I had only posted the best photos of myself. I even chose not to post photos where I was at my happiest, proudest, etc. just because I was worried about what other people would think about me. I failed to share some of my best memories with my friends and family, because I couldn’t bear the thought of them seeing me for who I truly am. Today marks the change.

My social media will no longer be a photo album of the prettiest version of myself, but rather a collection of the most awesome parts of my life, even if I might not be wearing makeup when it happens.

You can contact Veronica at vnavarr3@nd.edu The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

It’s a rare and special moment when a piece of media can instantaneously catapult you back 12 years in the past, and that’s exactly what “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” did to me this weekend. Once I heard the first few chords of the titular track, I reverted completely to thirdgrade mode. I remembered in great detail how each of the songs from the standard release of “Fearless” made me feel at the age of eight, and I also felt a strong compulsion to wear Crocs and knee-length pink plaid shorts. I was compelled by the re-release to articulate these vivid childhood memories, and to see if they hold up at all next to my present-day opinions.

“Fearless” — This is a solid first track. I remember my favorite line being “Capture it, remember it!” I do have a gripe with the line “It’s the first kiss, it’s f lawless, it’s really something” for giving me some unrealistic expectations. Once my first kiss with someone happened right after they ate a Quarter Dog. It was very f lawed.

“Fifteen” — I remember liking this one because I had a best friend who was a redhead. Listening back now, I’m a little disappointed, because I did have my first kiss when I was 15, but it didn’t make my head spin round. It was during “Austin Powers: The Spy W ho Shagged Me.” “Love Story” — I have a very distinct memory of making up a parody of this one which contained the line “I love cheese, and that’s all I really know.” It’s a bop for sure, but the narrative could use a little strengthening, since all of the tension between Juliet and her strict father throughout the pre-chorus is explained away with “I talked to your dad.” But hey, she was 18 when she wrote this, so I’ll cut her some slack. If you asked me to revisit anything I wrote when I was 18 I would literally never speak to you again.

“Hey Stephen” — This was one of my favorites on the album. I love that little sentiment of “The way you say my name,” and I’m pretty sure her little laugh before that last chorus awakened something in me. This song also contains the first of numerous misheard lyrics that I sung for years — I used to think she said “They’re dimming the street lights, you’re perfect for meat light, aren’t you here tonight?”

W hat is a meat light? W hy did I believe that was the lyric?

“White Horse” — I remember disliking (and frequently skipping) this one because of how slow it was. Another misheard lyric: “Holding on, the daystrap on.” W hat is a daystrap? Huh? I don’t know.

“You Belong With Me” — Inarguably a banger both in 2008 and 2021. It absolutely blew my mind when I found out that Taylor Swift was playing both herself and the mean girl in the music video for this song. And the video still rocks! That scene where she tries on all those different outfits in her bedroom is a perfect

exploration of the relationship between female identity and perceived desirability. Unfortunately, it does sound like she’s saying “laughing on a fart bench” in the re-release.

“Breathe” — Another song I would skip because it was slow. Listening to it now, I can appreciate the disheartening realization that you’ve established your self-identity around another person in a way that I couldn’t when I was but a young child of eight.

“Tell Me Why” — I remember liking this one alright, and I think it definitely has “Picture to Burn” vibes. It’s a solid song; I think the lyric “You could write a book on how to ruin someone’s perfect day” is great.

“You’re Not Sorry” — This falls into roughly the same category as “Breathe” as a song that I didn’t really vibe with then and still am rather lukewarm toward now. I used to think she said “And you’ve got your Sarah secrets” because I thought the man in question had cheated on Taylor with a girl named Sarah. If anyone can tell me what’s wrong with my auditory processing skills, I’d be happy to find out.

“The Way I Loved You” — I definitely used to pretend like I had screamed and fought and kissed someone in the rain when I sang this one. It holds up — I think her inf lection on “perfectly fine” and “comfortable” at the end of each verse is fantastic. I also like how the intensity of the backing track mirrors which guy she’s singing about.

“Forever & Always” — Yet another fave, both then and now! I think the vibes here are comparable to “The Story of Us.” I used to say “Were you just kidding?” and “scared little boy” with all the derisiveness I could muster. I still can’t believe that this song was about 2008-era Joe Jonas.

“The Best Day” — This is one that I absolutely did not appreciate as much as I should have when I was eight. I remember liking the line “I’ve got my big coat on,” because I, too, wore a big coat.

To be honest, this song makes me tear up a little bit. It hits different now, having lived through all the ages that she sings about. Also I think that “God smiles on my little brother” is a neat little unintentional reference to Austin Swift going to Notre Dame.

“Change” — I remember listening to Taylor Swift go from “These walls they put up to hold us back will fall down” to “fell down” in the final chorus and being like “dang, that’s so deep.” This is not a particularly remarkable song; it also has the most Christian rock vibes out of any on the album. That being said, I still think it’s a decent song to end on.

Ella Wisniewski is a junior studying English and economics. She tries her best not to take herself too seriously. You can reach her at ewisnie2@nd.edu or @ellawisn on Twitter.

The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.

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The observer | Wednesday, April 14, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate: not so obvious Eva Analitis On Second Thought

The time has finally come. For some, the day we’ve been waiting for: the chance to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

For others, the day they’ve feared: the University’s vaccination requirement for fall enrollment. This is not to say that campus is evenly divided between these two groups, but simply, that emotions of excitement and concern are both substantially present. At this point, you might have strong feelings either way, whether the University should require vaccination of students: *eye roll* “Duhh!” or *angry face* “Absolutely not!” Before you tune out the rest of what I have to say, however, because the answer seems obvious to you, consider the following: While it may be the obvious choice to get the vaccine as soon as possible for someone living in a multigenerational household in a city that has been a COVID-19 hotspot, it’s not so obvious for someone who lives with young, healthy parents or guardians in a remote area that has not been hard-hit by the virus. While the vaccination requirement might be an obvious issue of personal freedom to one person, it may be an obvious community obligation to someone else who regularly interacts with immunocompromised individuals or who has lost a loved one to the virus. It would do us all some good to be a little less sure that our stance is the morally superior one. That said, I invite you to come along with me to wrestle with the issue on one condition: that you momentarily step aside from what you think is obvious.

1. All squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares.

Vaccine hesitancy is not synonymous with the anti-vax mentality. Don’t act like it is. While anti-vaxxers are sure to be among those who decline the vaccine, there are Americans who happily comply with their regular vaccination and public health requirements but are merely uneasy about this newly developed vaccine. As time goes on, the American public is largely coming around to trusting the vaccine. A Gallup poll from March 30 shows that 74% of Americans are willing to receive or already have received a COVID-19 vaccine, up from 65% in December. People are simply protective of their bodies and hesitant about super new scientific developments, not stubborn and evil. As more and more data supporting COVID vaccine safety accumulates, more Americans will roll up their sleeves for the shot.

2. Not so fast ...

One of the most common concerns of vaccine-hesitant people seems to be the vaccine’s rapid development and the fact that it is only currently authorized for Emergency Use by the FDA. They’re scared of potential adverse effects down the road. We should take comfort, however, in the fact that Pfizer has released six months of promising data, and over 100 million Americans have received at least one

dose of a vaccine. We are no longer in the extremely early stages of vaccine administration. Pfizer plans to apply for full licensure this year, which will simply require observing volunteers for a longer period of time to determine how long protection lasts and to look out for any rare or longterm harmful effects. Healthline offers a great in-depth explanation of how the vaccine was developed so quickly and why this should not be a cause for concern, but the gist of the explanation is that due to the extreme circumstances of a pandemic, we devoted an extraordinary amount of resources and attention toward developing a vaccine against COVID-19.

3. What-abouts Given that the primary purpose of the vaccine is to prevent people from contracting and spreading the virus, it is difficult to argue that people who have been recently infected must take the vaccine despite their natural immunity. Last semester, a total of 1,597 graduate and undergraduate students tested positive for COVID-19, while as of April 12, 1,320 students have tested positive this spring. We must keep in mind that data regarding the duration of natural immunity is inconclusive. Natural antibodies could potentially wane, especially the further back a person had COVID-19, thus leaving the individual inadequately protected for the entirety of the upcoming school year. The Pfizer vaccine has thus far proven to offer strong protection against COVID-19 for at least six months (because we only have six months of data so far), but is expected to continue offering protection beyond this period. Furthermore, the vaccines are believed to provide more robust protection against variants than natural immunity. Combined with the demonstrated safety and efficacy of the vaccines so far, balancing the burden of requiring vaccination of these students against the risks of vaccination leans in favor of vaccination.

universal standard for the student body. Otherwise, if students have the choice to get vaccinated or not and the CDC has different guidelines for social interaction among vaccinated vs. unvaccinated people, this would be problematic to enforce on campus. Would the vaccinated be allowed to go maskless, while the unvaccinated are required to continue wearing masks? Such a policy would be impossible to enforce and could result in unvaccinated people spreading COVID-19. How would the University handle social distancing guidelines and occupancy limits in common places if both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals are to use them? It would be unfair to maintain full social distancing requirements for vaccinated students, but potentially dangerous to lift them for the unvaccinated. So, we need a common standard in order to live and study in a communal setting.

I will leave you with one final thought regarding hesitancy toward vaccination. When people are feeling scared or uncertain about something, the appropriate response is typically not to scream at and shame them (“What’s wrong with you? How dare you exhibit the slightest bit of unease toward this even though you have a unique personal situation that I don’t know all the details of!”) The better response is to acknowledge their feelings of fear and help them come to see that the thing they fear is actually not so scary.

4. Whose body?

“My body, my choice” is a tempting cry against the vaccination requirement, but its rhetoric is deceitful. This choice will not just affect your body. I, personally ,am not a fan of being told to take something, shut up and not ask any questions, so I’m sympathetic with the desire to have a say in what enters one’s body. But in the case of a contagious virus, the status of your body affects bodies around you.

These bodies will, in many instances, not have a choice to be exposed to you. Presumably, even those who don’t want to be vaccinated wish to return to “normal life,” which means they will come in contact with lots of other people — some vaccinated, some not, and some who cannot take the vaccine for religious or medical reasons.

5. Same rules for all players Ultimately, fairness and administrative ease point to the need for the vaccination requirement. Given uncertainty about the duration of natural immunity, new variants and differing guidelines for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, it makes sense that the University should set a

KERRY SCHNEEMAN | The Observer

Eva Analitis is a junior in Lyons Hall 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.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

A force for good When Fr. Sorin survived the winter trek from Vincennes to found our University in the cold and snowy winter of 1842, he expressed his gratitude and his dream that someday “[t]his college will be one of the most powerful means of doing good in this country.” Well, the Notre Dame community is now demonstrating how prescient Fr. Sorin was. We are in the midst of an effort to vaccinate as many members of our community as we can from the COVID-19 virus. Thousands of students, faculty, staff and even staff families have been vaccinated already through the generosity and dedication of many, including the Indiana and St. Joseph County Health Departments and the University of Notre Dame. Hundreds of volunteers have made this possible.

In my 50-year association with Notre Dame, I have never seen such a broad response from across our Notre Dame family. I had the privilege to work at the

vaccination site the last four days and was so grateful that I live and work among such a great family. Volunteers checked in students, assisted the vaccinators, scheduled second appointments and directed everyone through the well-organized faculty. Students may not have noticed, but the volunteers were C.S.C. priests, faculty, department chairs, administrators and staff from every corner of campus.

We all assisted the many dedicated medical professionals from University Health Services, our local community and even Indiana University medical students who worked during their spring break. None of this would have been possible without the leadership and dedication of Mike Seamon, Brian Fremeau and Carol Mullaney, each of whom were working every day to make sure everything ran smoothly. Special thanks to Adam Hill and Silvio Mendez who took good care of the hundreds

of volunteers. I cannot possibly name everyone who planned and coordinated this massive effort because there are so many and most worked “behind the scenes,” but I am grateful for your tireless efforts. The vaccination clinic has truly been a “force for good” for everyone.

I urge every student who has not yet visited the vaccination center to do so now. It takes less than 30 minutes and, for many, only 20 minutes. Make an appointment and, to save you time, complete all registration information in advance. Do it for you, your family, your Notre Dame family and your community. Most of your classmates, faculty and staff got vaccinated for you.

Jim Farrington class of 1974 Notre Dame Law School, ESTEEM Program April 12

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The observer | Wednesday, April 14, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

An open letter to my liberal friends Sophia Sheehy BridgeND

I cannot blame you for being fed up with complicity and social sin. I too am dismayed by the poor decisions of our fellow Americans. One year into this pandemic, I have become so disheartened by those who refuse marginal sacrifices for the sake of the greater good that I am nearly disenchanted with the whole idea of autonomy. You almost have me. My frustration has me teetering on the brink of liberalism. But each time I look over the edge, I slowly inch myself back to the no man’s land of never-Trump conservatism. It is not because I do not sympathize with liberal causes. I take the climate crisis, racial healing and wealth inequality seriously, and I try to consider how my life choices impact these issues. If all it took to be a card-carrying leftist was a healthy skepticism of unfettered capitalism and disgust in the jingoistic nonsense of the Republican party, I would be sold.

So it is not for lack of sympathy that I reject liberalism. It is more because I am allergic to the performative virtue signaling and selective public shaming that have become bastions of the left. A core aspect of liberalism is the belief that a central authority knows best — often, the federal government or the mob rule of the majority — and that this authority can internalize all externalities to create a more utopian society by forcing people to make the right choices. As much as it seems imperative to have people conform to my beliefs and make the choices I would, I have to concede we live in a free society. It is, after all, this free society which has allowed me to use my own moral faculties and reasoning to arrive at my beliefs in the first place. It takes more gall than I currently possess to strip this right from others.

What I find most troubling, though, is not even the notion

that everyone should rise to the moral standards of some. It is the inconsistency and hypocrisy with which this notion is adopted. All should accept the moral standards of the few, if those standards just so happen to be yours. At best, this is tyranny of the majority. At worst, this is a loud minority imposing their beliefs on everyone else.

You decry our bystander culture, but the truth is you want me to stand by. You want me to stay silent, so long as the disagreeable decisions of others do not impact the pet causes you have espoused. You want me to tolerate abortion, to watch the unspoken endure the unspeakable, in the name of personal choice. You want me to accept (or better yet, applaud) a hookup culture which engenders the consumerist ideology you feign to loathe. You want me to nod passively as you blame globalism for climate damage and poverty, while you enjoy the fruits of a job secured through globalism, in the comfort of a house that uses more energy than a village of climate-change-denying blue collar workers. You want me to cancel everyone who gathers in groups unless it is for a protest you can get behind or a celebration of an election that went your way. You want me to spit at everyone who has crossed the line and then either pretend I didn’t or double down when you inevitably shift where the line should be.

Decisions necessarily implicate others. Very few choices are personal ones. Everything, from how you spend your pandemic weekends, to your choice of romantic partners, to your meat consumption habits, impacts those around you. Yes, many are willfully ignorant of the harm they cause.

And as a result, ice caps melt, cities burn, prisons teem and conspiracies spread like Californian wildfires. But if God Himself bestowed free will on humanity, perhaps we should be a little more cautious in our eagerness to revoke it. And if the awful state of the world convinces you otherwise, then at the very least, you should be willing to have everything you do scrutinized under the lens of others.

Yes, government policy has a role in shaping a vision for a better future, one which perhaps inspires its citizens to stand up more boldly for what is right. Beyond that, to convert people into becoming better stewards of one another is an admirable goal. But let’s not convince ourselves this is evangelization. Public shaming has no place in our politics or culture. It’s not on me to tell others how to live their lives, even given that their lives impact millions of others in subtle but important ways. I will resist openly condemning those who say and do things I find offensive because ostracizing and berating never convinced anyone of anything. What I will not do, however, is put up with the boldfaced hypocrisy of the modern left, which demands I look the other way and mind my business until it is a cause that is socially acceptable to lambast others for.

To my liberal friends, to my fellow consumerism-despising, criminal-justice-reform-seeking, reusable-totecarrying, Biden-bumper-sticker-boasting friends: Please forgive me for not joining your moral crusade. Please don’t expect me to censure microaggressions, burn my Dr. Seuss collection or close my ears to half of America because listening somehow makes me complicit. Please don’t make me your next target because I don’t police those around me. You would not like the kind of cop I’d become.

Sophia Sheehy is a senior living in Cavanaugh Hall.

BridgeND is a non-partisan political education and discussion group committed to bridging the partisan divide through honest, respectful and productive discourse. If you’re interested in joining civil conversations, BridgeND meets weekly on Mondays at 5:30 p.m. You can contact the club at bridgend@nd.edu or @bridge_ND on Twitter.

The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Being ‘good’ is unfulfilling Ashton Weber Living Relig-ish

The first words I ever spoke were “good girl.”

I explained that to my therapist the other day and she looked at me a little shocked. We had just been talking about the kind of control I’ve tried to have over my whole life and I explained that I have some deep, compulsive need to be “good” in a way that is pleasing to and comfortable for everyone else.

In case you missed it, I’ve been dropping hints about my queer identity in the past few columns I’ve written. My next step does not involve coming out to you, so I figured I’d slowly start saying things to make you assume. For me, “coming out” in a stereotypical sense will not be empowering. I’m not confessing the deepest, darkest secrets about myself and asking you to tell me that I’m still “good.”

Instead, I’m telling you who I am and inviting you into my journey.

I’m not going to waste time with official labels and boxes that will make you comfortable to put me in. That’s not really what’s important. What matters is that everyone is clear that I am part of the community of women who love women.

As I’m sure you could gather from my other columns, this identity took me a long time to affirm for myself. I spent years suppressing it because the kind of faith I was raised in taught me that my love was not “good.” In high school, my Catholic school theology teacher told us “all gay people are empty and unhappy.” We debated whether same-sex marriage should be legal and wrote papers about the Church’s official position on “struggling with same-sex attraction.”

I was confused and exhausted and ashamed, so I decided it would be much easier to pass as straight. Instead of embracing my sexuality and being proud of it, I became the best ally ever. I was so outwardly OK with the idea that other people deserved happiness and full, affirming expressions of love.

But I was at war with myself and my weapon of choice was emotional starvation. When I came to college, I filled

out the entrance survey that asked for my sexual orientation as “questioning.” I’m pretty sure I knew then that I didn’t experience attraction to men in the way I was expected to, but picking any other label felt too daunting. Even though I left my label open-ended on paper, I continued to present as straight and engage with heterosexual campus culture. I thought it was so much easier to repress, restrict and control myself than to let myself live and love in a way that actually made me happy.

It took eight months of lockdown and extreme loneliness to realize that the things I thought I was looking for would never fulfill me. But I had spent so much time shutting myself down that I didn’t know what it would even mean to be freely, fully and authentically myself. As a person who hated myself for some of the most innate parts of my being and actively worked to disengage from them, the process of coming into myself has been painful. I have to undo 20 years of conditioning and I have to let go of 20 years of intense control. I have to stop being “good.”

I don’t see any benefit in pretending that all is well in my life now that I’ve invited more people in. The process of accepting and loving myself has required that I do the hard work of dismantling the inner voice that I’ve been using to harm myself for as long as I’ve been alive. So, for me to really invite you in, I have to share the messy parts of this process too.

I wrote last year about my struggles with disordered eating patterns. Looking back on that column, I realize that the official restricting-type anorexia diagnosis I got last month was long overdue. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to control my body because we unfortunately live in a world where it’s considered “good” for women to be small.

Although I’ve been engaging in anorexic behaviors for at least two years now, one might expect that the process of inviting people in and expressing my full self has helped me to develop a healthier relationship with my body and the things that fuel it. But I’ve found the opposite to be true for me. Twenty years of self-hate don’t magically disappear because I now allow myself to love and be loved in a way that’s fulfilling. My inclination to emotional starvation has

just morphed into physical starvation.

The other night, I was watching “This is Us.” In the episode, a 70-something man who lived his entire life alone as self-imposed punishment for a deadly mistake he made in his twenties gets invited to his nephew’s children’s baptism.

When he gets there, his first thought is to immediately go back home because he believes he deserves to be alone.

I never thought I’d see myself in a 70-something man, but I guess life works in funny ways sometimes because I spent the next hour intermittently sobbing as I came to a revelation.

I picked up my phone before I went to sleep that night and I typed out a note: “I starved myself of the kind of love I wanted and now that I have it, I don’t know how to live without being hungry.

There’s a deep part of me that still believes I deserve to be hungry. This part believes it’s ‘good’ for me to be hungry.”

“But I don’t want to be hungry and I don’t NEED to be hungry and I do not deserve to be hungry.”

I deserve to be full.

I deserve to be full of the love that brings me joy and the food that sustains my body and the friendship that sees me for who I am. I deserve to live a full life, no matter how my fulfillment is interpreted or judged by the rest of the world.

Recovery is a process and I still have a long journey ahead of me. But I don’t want to wait until I feel recovered to share my story. I don’t know who needs to hear it, but you don’t need to be “good” if it means hurting yourself. That’s not good. Loving yourself and the people who make you happy is good. Claiming agency to define and live the life you want is good. Being full is good.

Ashton Weber is a junior with lots of opinions. She is majoring in gender studies and economics with a minor in sociology. Ashton can often be found with her nose in a book, but if you want to chat about intersectional feminism, baking blueberry scones, growing ZZ plants or anything else, she’d love to hear from you. Reach Ashton at aweber22@nd.edu or @awebz01 on Twitter.

The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.

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The observer | wednesday, april 14, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

By AIDAN O’MALLEY Scene Editor

This week, I am tasked with writing 600 words on “Godzilla vs. Kong.” Alas, only six come to mind. So, to quote Chris Evans (and his sweater) from Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” — “This is stupid with two O’s.”

In all fairness, “Godzilla vs. Kong” seems to know that.

Or at least, I was told that it did. Adam Wingard’s film is, admittedly, sprinkled with gags (of varying hilarity) and one-liners (of varying quotability), most of which come courtesy of Brian Tyree Henry, who plays a podcasting conspiracy theorist. And the movie doesn’t carry itself with even half of the humorlessness as the three preceding chapters in its namesakes’ franchises. But there’s a difference between self-aware and fully sentient, and without spoiling the film’s climactic surprise, I don’t think “Godzilla vs. Kong” is online.

For a movie that seems so cognizant of the fact that literally no one cares why the girls are fighting, “Godzilla vs. Kong” spends an inane amount of time explaining why. In the following run-on sentence, I will try and remember the reason: OK, so, Godzilla and Kong are the last of two, like, rival species or something, which, millions of years ago, waged war against each other, to the point where now it is literally in their biology to go fullon fisticuffs the second they detect the other’s existence.

By SOPHIA MICHETTI Scene Writer

Live theater has returned to Notre Dame with the April 2021 PEMCo production of “Something Rotten!”

With theaters being closed for over a year during the COVID-19 pandemic, the dimming of the lights and the bright sound of the flute coming through the opening overture was a warm welcome for all theater lovers. Directed by sophomore Elizabeth Maroshick, “Something Rotten!” brought comedy and music back to Washington Hall with the story of the Bottom brothers and their plight to bring the next big thing to the stage in Renaissance England. While COVID-19 restrictions called for pre-recorded musical numbers and actors wearing masks on stage, “Something Rotten!” was a fun revival of what lovers of the arts have missed so much.

After being welcomed to the Renaissance, we meet Nick (sophomore Nick “Branches” Buranicz) and Nigel Bottom (sophomore Solomon Duane) — two brothers leading a troupe of actors trying to outdo the Bard himself, Shakespeare (first-year Nathan Esser), and earn a living for their family. Nick and Nigel are an interesting pairing in that each has what the other doesn’t. Nick has got the confidence and the drive to make it in the theater world (sometimes too much of it), but Nigel is the wordsmith of the two — he seems

There’s also a pinch of corporate espionage and a whole hullabaloo about something called the Hollow Earth, which I guess is a thing in the mythology of this series, but I’m sorry, I am not here for that. I am here to watch Big Monkey and Bigger Lizard go punch-punch.

Furthermore, why are there so many humans? Why do they have so much screen time? Why do the five (five!) writers credited with this story refuse to make them even a little bit interesting? Why are Millie Bobby Brown and Kyle Chandler reprising their roles from “Godzilla: King of the Monsters?” Does anyone even know their characters’ names? Did anyone even see that movie?

Listen, I am all here for a dumb-with-no-B “Godzilla vs. Kong,” but I just don’t think that the 2021 version is as aware of its own idiocy as it claims to be. If it “knew what kind of movie it is,” it wouldn’t bog itself down in convoluted world-building for a world that the audience is literally there to see destroyed. It wouldn’t overpopulate itself with so many characters that none can be developed, even though no viewer asked for even one character in the first place. It wouldn’t attempt to be “about something,” and most importantly of all, it would have more than just three Kaiju fights in its 2-hour runtime.

Oh, but when they fight, it is glorious. Godzilla and Kong don’t engage in a battle so much as an ugly bar fight; they kick the everliving sh*t up, down and out of each other with zero style but full fury. Hong Kong — with its

multicolored neon lights and looming, glass skyscrapers — serves as their stomping ground, and by the end of the movie, it looks like oatmeal. My friends and I shouted at the top of our lungs at least once during every single skirmish, and the volume was turned to an 11 when a third fighter entered the ring. “Are you not entertained?” Adam Wingard shouts at me. “Okay, maybe a little.”

So is “Godzilla vs. Kong” good? No. Nope. Absolutely not. But does it make for a fun Friday night — dare I say, is it worthy of a (vaccinated) trip to the theater? It just might.

Only: Make sure to stock up on snacks. You know, for when the humans are talking.

to spend more time hiding his notebook rather than writing in it on stage. Although the story closely follows the lives of the two brothers, there was talent amongst the entire cast of characters.

Despite the singing being pre-recorded, it was still obvious that there were very gifted singers among the group. The chorus captured the audience’s attention with the opening song, “Welcome to the Renaissance,” Buranicz kickstarted the plot with, “God I Hate Shakespeare,” and you could hear the power in sophomore Lucy Barron’s voice even through the recording as she sang “Right Hand Man.” While there were some startling transitions between the actors speaking their lines at one volume and the recording starting at a completely different volume, the actors moved completely in sync with the music, so the audience could easily imagine that they were watching the real deal.

I had no idea I needed so much tap dancing in my life until I watched “Something Rotten!” Hats off to sophomore and choreographer Caroline Crawford, as well as to senior and assistant choreographer Elizabeth Travnik, for creating exciting numbers that boosted the energy in the room through the roof.

Taking center stage in “A Musical” with sophomore Mary Kate Godfrey’s masterful performance as Nancy Nostradamus, the tap dancing in “Something Rotten!” included kicks, jumps and spins that I was pleasantly surprised to see. I’m still wondering if everyone in the

main cast and chorus knew how to tap dance before or if everybody learned it just for this show. Either way, I was thoroughly impressed.

I was also impressed by how emotive the actors were, despite having to wear masks. There was the perfect amount of exaggeration on stage to get the point across to the audience. Buranicz did a particularly great job at conveying his character’s unbelievable amount of stress, and senior Harrison Brousseau got laughs out of the audience with his hilarious portrayal of the leader of the Puritans, Brother Jeremiah.

By the end of the show, you probably wouldn’t have noticed that the actors were wearing masks that made the show different from any other you’ve seen in the past.

Running at around two and a half hours, “Something Rotten!” felt long for a musical, but it was filled with fun and amusement that kept the audience engaged.

After not being able to see live theater for so long, “Something Rotten!” was an exciting way to kick off the reopening of theater to the Notre Dame campus. Congratulations to the entire cast and crew for a great show! If you weren’t able to secure tickets to “Something Rotten!,” make sure you check out the PEMCo Revue coming at an undetermined date soon this semester.

Contact Aidan O’Malley at aomalle2@nd.edu

“Godzilla vs. Kong” Starring: Godzilla, King Kong Director: Adam Wingard If you liked: “Alien vs. Predator,” “Freddy vs. Jason,” “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice”

Contact Sophia Michetti at smichett@nd.edu CLAIRE REID | The Observer

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The observer | wednesday, april 14, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

JACKIE JUNCO | The Observer

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ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, april 14, 2021 | The Observer

Crossword | Will Shortz

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Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Stay focused and be receptive to possibilities. When one door closes, another will open. Learn to go with the flow, and you will find it easy to get ahead. A steady pace forward will make a lasting impression on people who can help you advance. Don’t limit what you can achieve because you don’t know how to say no. Your numbers are 8, 14, 21, 25, 33, 41, 47.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): A situation will not be what it appears. Don’t jump to conclusions or lose sight of your goal because someone says or does something you don’t like. Do your own thing, and focus on success, peace of mind and happiness.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Impulse is the enemy. Plan your actions, and dedicate time to reaching your objective. Put your energy where it counts, and your income will increase. Don’t let an outsider take over when it’s in your best interest to handle matters yourself.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gather information before you make a move or spend unnecessarily. Expect someone who has ulterior motives to mislead you. Think for yourself and take action based on facts, intelligence and what you will achieve. Live life your way.

CANCER ( June 21-July 22): You’ll get the help you want, but before you accept, consider the payback. Don’t put yourself in a precarious position, regardless of the temptation. Someone is waiting for you to make a mistake or show weakness. Be strong, innovative and competent.

LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22): Stop laboring over what others are doing. Consider what you want and figure out a way to follow a path that satisfies your needs. Discipline will help you excel and lead to opportunities that will buy you freedom and peace of mind.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Learn from the changes you’ve experienced, then proceed with confidence. Knowing what you want will make it easier for you to put whatever stands in your way aside so that you can excel. Don’t take health, financial or legal risks.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Pay more attention to what’s going on around you. Gather and verify information that will help you decipher who and what’s best for you. A partnership that is based on equality and shared responsibilities looks promising. Romance is in the stars.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Emotions will surface if someone rejects your ideas or opinions. Step outside the confines of a situation you face and look at every angle. An innovative approach will help create a favorable condition that will turn in your favor.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Tidy up loose ends. Focus on your surroundings and do what’s necessary to make your space user-friendly. Use what you already have to initiate positive changes at home and to how you earn your living, and it will pay off.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Listen to your friends and relatives, but in the end, do what’s best for you. Taking care of your responsibilities will help put your mind at ease and deter others from interfering. Put your energy into your work and financial gains.

AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Refuse to let your emotions wreak havoc with your financial well-being. Unnecessary spending will not make you feel better. Use your intelligence, and put physical energy into home improvements that contribute to your ability to boost your earnings.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): An unexpected change will turn out to be what’s best for you in hindsight. Don’t get discouraged when incorporating what you enjoy and do best can be better used uniquely. Be an entrepreneur, and you will flourish.

Birthday Baby: You are curious, direct and inflexible. You are helpful and disciplined.

Sudoku | The Mepham Group

Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek

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Sports Authority

nd MEN’S SOCCER

Bold MLB predictions W hile the season is 162 games long, that doesn’t mean it is too early to make some bold, early predictions for the rest of the season.

Here are my bold predictions for the 2021 season after a week of baseball.

that Bu xton’s fielding and speed on the bases are rivaled by few others — possibly even unrivaled. Through nine games, Bu xton has five home runs and is batting .481. If Bu xton can stay healthy (that’s a big if ), and he continues to hit well, he has a great chance to be AL MV P considering his other strengths as a player.

The Red Sox will be in contention for an AL East Title

The Indians will make the AL Central a three-team race

After w inning the World Series title in 2018, the Red Sox have failed to make the playoffs the past two seasons, and few expected much from the Red Sox again this year. After a week, though, the Yankees and Rays have struggled at times while the Red Sox have looked great since dropping their opening series of the season against the Orioles. J.D. Martinez has been phenomenal for the Sox so far w ith five home runs and a staggering 16 RBIs already this year.

W hile this team is young, they could shape up to really be a surprising team this year.

The Indians were w ritten off by many this year. Most people expected the Tw ins or W hite Sox to be in competition for the American League Central crow n.

Don’t count the Indians out just yet, though. The team still has a great pitching staff, one of the best in baseball. In fact, through nine games, the Indians have only given up 26 runs (2.9 runs/game). Hitting is a concern, but w ith the addition of Eddie Rosario to a lineup that still includes Jose Ramirez and Franmil Reyes, there is still enough firepower to compete w ith the Tw ins and W hite Sox.

Thomas Zwiller Sports Writer

Mike Trout and the Angels will finally make a playoff series and win I can confidently say that most baseball fans want to see one of the most celebrated players in the histor y of the game be successful in the playoffs. The Angels have been the definition of mediocrit y for years, but they have looked good so far this season. With the Athletics struggling early too, the door might be open for the Angels to w in the American League West.

The Padres will keep the NL West race close W hile I still fully expect the talented Dodgers to win the division, I expect the Padres to keep this one close after the first week of baseball. Despite losing Fernando Tatis Jr. to a shoulder injury, the Padres have a good combination of hitting and pitching that should pay dividends going forward.

Byron Buxton will win the AL MVP There was a lot of hy pe surrounding Bu xton in Minneapolis from the moment the Tw ins decided to draft him. Yes, his hitting has disappointed over his first several years in the majors. But there is no deny ing

The Reds can push for an NL Central Title Most expected the Reds to still be in a rebuilding year, but through 10 games, they have looked like a team that can compete w ith the Cardinals and Brewers in the National League Central. This roster doesn’t have a lot of big names on it.

W hat it does have is a good combination of young and veteran talent that makes the Reds a serious contender in the National League Central.

The Dodgers will win over 110 games This is a milestone that ver y few teams can accomplish. This Dodgers team, however, isn’t just any other team. Their starting rotation includes Clay ton Kershaw, Trevor Bauer and Walker Buehler. Because of that, I don’t see how the Dodgers go on any serious losing streak this year. And even if one of their pitchers has a bad game, the Dodgers should have plent y of run support from their starfilled batting lineup.

Contact Thomas Zwiller at tzwiller@hcc-nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Irish bested by Oklahoma State in overtime Observer Staff Report

A f ter over t hree weeks of inact ion due to COV ID-19, t he Irish suf fered t heir f irst loss of t he spring season Sunday.

Not re Da me fell in a 2-1 over t ime loss at No. 18 Ok la homa State.

A f ter sta r t ing 2021 w it h back-to-back 2-0 w ins away at Cincinnat i a nd at home to Missouri, respect ively, t he Irish (6-6-0, 4-4-0 ACC) had matches at Missouri a nd Ka nsas ca ncelled due to COV ID-19 posit ive tests, subsequent qua ra nt ining a nd cont ract t racing w it hin t he Irish prog ra m.

Not re Da me a lmost got of f to a drea m sta r t in t he 11t h minute t hrough sophomore for wa rd K ik i Va n Za nten.

Va n Za nten, who leads t he Irish w it h si x goa ls in t he 2020-21 season, hit a beaut if u l st rike f rom about 25 ya rds out but t he crossba r denied her a score.

Ok la homa State (12-31, 6-2-1 Big 12) took t he

lead eight minutes later.

Irish senior goa l keeper Ja ina Ecker t cou ld not corra l a da ngerous low cross f rom OSU senior for wa rd Gabriel la Colema n, a nd sophomore midf ielder Oly v ia Dowel l t humped t he rebound home f rom close ra nge.

The Irish wou ld not have to wa it long for a n equa li zer, however.

In t he 27t h minute, Maddie Mercado’s f ree k ick f rom just outside t he pena lt y a rea clea red t he wa ll a nd w rong-footed t he OSU keeper to g ive t he sophomore midf ielder her second goa l of t he season.

Bot h tea ms had cha nces to w in in reg u lat ion but fa i led to ma ke it happen.

OSU eventua lly preva i led t ha n ks to a golden goa l in t he f irst period of over t ime f rom Colema n.

This t ime, Dowel l turned prov ider a f ter a ma rauding r un dow n t he lef t-ha nd side.

She slipped a ba l l t hrough to Colema n, who f ired t he 98t h minute

w inner home f rom a t ight a ng le.

Not re Da me w i l l now t ravel to No. 4 TCU for its reg u la r season f ina le Saturday.

The Irish w i l l need to ea rn a w in in For t Wor t h if t hey hope to have a cha nce of ma k ing t heir second st ra ight NC A A tourna ment.

This yea r’s tourna ment, orig ina l ly slated for t he fa l l, w i l l consist of on ly 48 tea ms instead of t he t y pica l 64.

The tourna ment was postponed f rom t he fa l l by t he NC A A due to COV ID-19 complicat ions, a nd w i l l now ta ke place in May. Wit h t he ACC’s automat ic bid a lready ta ken by No. 1 Florida State, Not re Da me needs to ea rn one of t he 17 at-la rge bids ava i lable to qua lif y.

However, t he Irish a re current ly ra n ked 63rd in t he count r y in RPI, t he most impor ta nt metric used in t he select ion process.

K ickof f Saturday is schedu led for 8 : 00 p.m.

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Wanted B lack burn & G reen, At torneys for I njured People is seek ing to hire a PA R T-T I M E LEG A L AS S I STA N T to work les s than 30 hour s per week for their South B end / M ishawak a of fice.

The c andidate would be working with our legal secretaries a s sisting them with a variet y of ta sks such a s requesting medic al records and bills , preparing checks , c alling, and verif ying balances , t yp ing statements , filing, etc .

We are look ing for someone that c an work independently and with a team , be highly organized, detailed oriented, able to multi-ta sk , work in a fa st-paced environment , have excellent people and phone sk ills , proficient in M S O f fice products , and must be dedic ated to client ser vice.

C ompetitive s alar y included.

P lea se send resume with a cover let ter. Submit your resume to mcunningham @ blackburnandgreen.com NO P H O N E CA L LS P LE AS E

You keep calling, you keep calling / Saying that you want it back / All my loving, all my loving / But you can’t, you can’t / You keep tr ying, you keep tr ying / With that sweet talk on your tongue / But I ’m not buying, I ’m not buying / I can’t, I can’t / ‘Cause you had your chance and you blew it / Yeah, you wrapped it out and you chewed it / And the more you talk , you prove it / Yeah, you prove it / You’re such a / Did you think that I would let you / Crawl right back into my bedroom / Af ter ever y thing we’ve been through / I know the truth / That you’re such a / Dif ficult little devil / Tr ying to put it back together / ‘Cause you see I ’m doing better / Without you now See you smoking, see you smoking / Those electric cigarettes / Are you joking? Are you joking? / I can’t, I can’t / ‘Cause you had your chance and you blew it / Yeah, you wrapped it out and you chewed it / And the more you talk , you prove it / Yeah, you prove it / You’re such a / Did you think that I would

let you / Crawl right back into my bedroom / Af ter ever y thing we’ve been through / I know the truth / That you’re such a / Dif ficult little devil / Tr ying to put it back together / ‘Cause you see I ’m doing better / Without you now You can take your lies to your nex t girlfriend / ‘Cause I don’t want to hear it anymore / And if you’re all that’s lef t when the whole world ends / No, I still don’t want to hear it anymore / ( Dadadadada ) mmm / You’re such a / ( Dadadadada ) / Did you think that I would let you / Crawl right back into my bedroom / Af ter ever y thing we’ve been through / I know the truth That you’re such a / Dif ficult little devil / Tr ying to put it back together / ‘Cause you see I ’m doing better / Without you now You can take your lies to your nex t girlfriend / ‘Cause I don’t want to hear it anymore / And if you’re all that’s lef t when the whole world ends / No, I still don’t want to hear it anymore

sports

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ndsmcobserver.com | WEDNESDAY, april 14, 2021 | The Observer

Sports Authority

In celebration of Julian ‘Squirrel’ Edelman Mannion McGinley Sports Editor

T he tex t I received f rom my dad to ou r fa m i ly g roup chat at 5 :21 p.m. on Monday a f ter noon : “Edel ma n’s cont ract voided by Pat s. Fa i led physica l.”

My hea r t stopped.

I i m med iately picked up my phone to watch t he ret i rement v ideo a nd tea r up at t he cheer i ng wh i le a sma l l sm i le crept onto my face i n celebrat ion of a l l he ha s done.

I t hen tex ted a f r iend here who is a lso a major Pats fa n (a nd a lso f rom New York), a nd he i m med iately responded w it h one word t hat su m med it a l l up.

“Pa i n.”

A s I a m st i l l sit t i ng i n t hat pa i n, I do not have a snappy “Dea r Squ i r rel” let ter to w r ite a s I d id to Tom Brady, Rob Gron kowsk i a nd Ca m New ton.

T hat’s a lso because I have not h i ng but respect for Ju l ia n Edel ma n — no qu ips about aba ndon i ng us, resu r faci ng elsewhere or suck i ng at h is job a s I had for t he ot her t h ree, respect ively.

Instead, I have honest a nd t r ue respect for Edel ma n a nd t he ca reer he’s had.

Edel ma n had 620 recept ions for 6822 ya rds a nd 36 touchdow ns. He broke 400 ya rds r ush i ng a nd 100 ya rds pa ssi ng w it h a per fect reg u la r sea son complet ion percentage — a testa ment to h is col lege days.

To t h is day, Bi l l Bel ich ick a nd Rober t K ra f t cred it Edel ma n’s abi l it y to ma ke it to t he NFL i n a d i f ferent posit ion t ha n he played i n col lege. T hey bot h relea sed hea r t felt statement s on t he Pat r iots’ Instag ra m w ish i ng h i m wel l.

In l ig ht of t hose stats, what Edel ma n deser ves is a celebrat ion of h is accompl ish ment s, not a hea r tbroken let ter f rom me.

So, w it hout f u r t her ado, here a re my top 5 moments f rom h is 12-yea r ca reer.

In t r y i ng to pick t hese, I watched end less cl ips of Edel ma n bobbi ng a nd weav i ng bet ween defenders, brea k i ng tack les a nd bou nci ng a rou nd men who a re whole feet ta l ler t ha n h i m.

T he ones I selected a re a l l sta ndout moment s, even f rom a l l t hat genera l excel lence.

Not one of t hem a sk s t he sa me of h i m but ever y si ng le one is a testa ment to h is g r it a nd w i l l i ng ness to ma ke t he play happen.

No. 5 — Versatility: The Punt Returner Ja nua r y 2, 2011. Edelma n was pract ica lly tack led at t he si x-ya rd line.

He ra n into his ow n tea mmate t r y ing to back away f rom a div ing Dolphins defender.

Then, he proceeded to weave his way t hrough t he ent ire rest of t he defense a nd ma ke it 94 ya rds to t he ot her end zone for si x points a nd a hop into t he bleachers f u ll of cheering Pat riots fa ns.

Not on ly is it impressive t hat he was capable of ma k ing it a ll happen, but he got t he most stoic head coach (Belichick) to t r ust him on t he f ield at a lmost a ny g iven of fensive moment.

He wou ld go on to return 177 punts for 1986 ya rds a nd 30 k ick-of fs for 626 ya rds. That’s over 2500 ya rds on specia l tea ms a lone.

No. 4 — Falling Without the Bone Crush This subheading t w ist on t he 2020 Taylor Sw if t song “gold r ush” is more t ha n f itt ing.

In a reg u la r-season ga me aga inst t he Bills, t wo defenders went to ta ke Edelma n dow n a nd spun into each ot her.

Edelma n was brief ly caught in t he mess but never touched t he g round. He sat on one of t hem, pla nted his feet a nd kept r unning before div ing into t he end zone.

It’s his awa reness of t he ga me here t hat is so a ma zing.

They ca n spin him dow n while he’s bracing for impact, but he’s st ill awa re enough t hat t hey don’t get him to t he g round.

Instead, he la nds across t heir legs a nd has his w its about him enough to immediately sta nd up a nd ta ke of f for t he touchdow n.

He pushes t hrough unt il t he f ina l whist le, a nd while it doesn’t a lways work (t here was a simila r situat ion in which he just cou ldn’t get up st rong enough a nd his elbow

went dow n), he a lways t ries unt il t hat last whist le blows a nd t he ba ll is t r u ly dead.

No. 3 — Versatility 2: Quarterback Boogaloo As I ment ioned above, Edelma n played qua r terback in college.

He went into t he dra f t as a w ide receiver instead a nd was one of t he few players to ma ke t he sw itch successf u lly, but Josh McDa niels never let him forget his QB sk ills.

In cr unch t ime situat ions, McDa niels wou ld of ten hit t he bra kes on t he Greatest of A ll Time (Tom Brady, if you’re conf used) a nd instead turn his attent ion to t he former Kent State sta r ter.

This worked si x out of si x t imes for f ive f irst dow ns, a touchdow n a nd 128 ya rds in t he reg u la r season.

The t wo most inf luent ia l of Edelma n’s passes ca me in 2015 a nd 2019, bot h a f ter receiv ing back wa rds passes f rom Tom Brady.

This play made a specia l appea ra nce in t he 2015 playof fs, when McDa niels of f icia lly used Edelma n as a passer for t he f irst t ime.

In 2015, Brady hit Edelma n aga inst t he sideline, who set his feet a nd sent a per fect spira l to Da nny A mendola for a 51-ya rd touchdow n pass aga inst t he Ba lt imore Ravens.

A nd in 2019, Edelma n t hrew f rom t he 22-ya rd line to a w ide open Phillip Dorsett in t he Eagles end zone to w in t he ga me.

The best pa r t was t hat, no matter how of ten t he Pats did it, no defense ever ex pected it, a nd Edelma n executed it so clea n ly ever y t ime.

No. 2 — Super Bowl MVP, Julian Edelman This was t he best recog nit ion he cou ld have received t hat day (including w inning t he Super Bowl).

Yes, t his was a defenseheav y ga me a nd no, t here was not a lot of scoring — but t hat didn’t stop Edelma n f rom sta nding out.

Wit h 10 recept ions, Edelma n went for 141 receiv ing ya rds. That was t wo recept ions a nd 20 ya rds more t ha n a nyone else on t he f ield.

For just t he Pat riots, Edelma n gapped Gron kowsk i a nd t he rest of t he receiv ing crew by four recept ions a nd 50 + ya rds.

No one else on t hat offense deser ved it, and the defense worked so cohesively that there was no clear standout there either.

Yes, Brady made the receiv ing plays happen, but No. 12 had an interception, a fumble and no touchdow ns on the day.

On the other hand, Edelman stood out.

Not only was his receiving on point, but he also had t wo punt returns and one running play.

No. 1 — Can’t Touch This (Read: The Ground) I w i l l never forget how my hea r t lu rched a nd my breat h h itched at t h is moment i n 2017.

It wa s Super Bowl 51.

T he Fa lcons had led for t he ent i re ga me, a nd t h is New Eng la nd d r ive wou ld end up goi ng for 91 ya rds.

T h is wou ld resu lt i n t he t ide cha ng i ng for t he Pats.

None of t hat wou ld have happened had Edel ma n not pu l led t h is of f.

T he ba l l lef t Tom Brady ’s ha nds a nd bou nced of f Rober t A l ford’s ha nds before h it t i ng h is k nee a nd t hen h is sh i n.

A lso i n t he m i x were t he 5-foot-10 ta l l Edel ma n a nd t wo ot her defensive Fa lcon players.

T he def lect ion shou ld have forced a dead ba l l or, i f a ny t h i ng, a n i ntercept ion for t he Fa lcons.

Somehow, Edel ma n wa s able to pi n t he ba l l aga i nst A l ford’s foot a nd t hen get h is ot her ha nd u nder it a l l w it h i n i nches of t he ba l l touch i ng t he g rou nd.

T here wa s no quest ion, t houg h ; t he rev iew clea rly showed Edel ma n catch it, a nd t he 23-ya rd recept ion wa s clea n.

He si mply shou ld not have been able to catch it w it h t h ree defenders t here, rega rd less i f t hey had t ipped it.

However, h is g r it ca me t h roug h a nd he pract ica l ly ma n i fested t he success of t he play.

W it hout it, t he Pat r iots wou ld have been st uck at t hei r ow n 38-ya rd l i ne w it h 2 : 03 to go i nstead of at t he Fa lcons’ 41.

T hat’s a ver y d i f ferent — a nd much more dau nti ng — f ield v iew, one t hat I don’t t h i n k cou ld have t u r ned t he ga me a rou nd i n t he sa me way.

34-28 wou ld have been wel l out of reach w it hout t h is catch, a nd t h is wa sn’t even t he Super Bowl for wh ich he wa s na med

MV P.

His Achievement

Greatest

A side f rom Edel ma n’s u nbel ievable ca reer, t h is is, by fa r, h is best ach ievement to date.

I wa nt to ta ke a moment to ack nowledge a nd t ha n k Edel ma n for usi ng t he platfor m h is ca reer bu i lt for good.

Over h is t welve yea rs, Edel ma n ha s ta ken on a nt isem it ism a nd ta ken it upon h i msel f to be a d i rect posit ive i n f luence on t he mat ter.

T h is devot ion st reng t hened i m mensely a f ter a d i rect i ncident where someone ca l led h i m a Jew ish slu r on t he f ield i n 2011.

From t hen on, he ha s sa id “T here’s no room for a nt isem it ism i n t h is world” a nd become a voca l act iv ist a nd suppor ter of bot h t h is a nd ot her socia l a nd pol it ica l issues l i ke t he Black L ives Mat ter movement.

He ha s a lso of fered to have t he “u ncom for table conversat ions” w it h ot hers i n t he l i mel ig ht — bot h w it h i n t he NFL a nd i n ot her l i nes of work—to help t hem, a nd h i msel f, be bet ter.

Rega rd less of what you t h i n k of t he Pat r iots or Bel ich ick, t here is no quest ion Edel ma n wa nted a successf u l ca reer, a nd t hat is what he ha s had.

I a m g ratef u l for ever y t h i ng he d id for t he Pat r iots, a nd I look for wa rd to seei ng h i m aga i n i n a not her role, whet her on ESPN or a s a socia l act iv ist. Or I’l l even ta ke h i m on socia l med ia, just bei ng a dad.

Dear Squirrel — A Brief Note Julian “Squirrel” Edelman, Pats Nation owes you so much. Thank you and heal well.

Much appreciation, The woman who is watching her childhood team dissipate.

P.S. If you come back in orange, red and grey in a year, we’re going to have to have a chat.

Please don’t come back in orange, red and grey.

Contact Mannion McGinley at mmcginl@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

14

Sports

The observer | wednesday, april 14, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

FOOTball | WAY TOO EARLY

Way Too Early Preview: Virgina Tech Observer Staff Report

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story was published online April 13.

Next in our Way Too Early Notre Dame Football Prev iew?

Enter Sandman.

Opponent: Virginia Tech Date : Oct. 9, 2021 Location: Lane Stadium; Blacksburg, VA Kickoff: TBD

History of the Matchup The series between Notre Dame and Virginia Tech is a fairly recent one, beginning in 2016 amid the worst Irish season in the Brian Kelly era.

The Hokies posted a 34-31 statement w in in South Bend that season, roaring back from a 17-point deficit and notching a field goal w ith 4:16 left in the fourth to knock Notre Dame dow n to 4-7.

The Irish would go on to end the year 4-8.

Notre Dame captured v ictor y in the two subsequent matchups.

In 2018, the No. 6 Irish travelled to Blacksburg amid their CFP run to hand the Hokies a 45-23 thrashing.

In 2019, No. 16 Notre Dame won a nailbiter in South Bend when Ian Book took control and pranced into the end zone w ith less than 3 minutes left in the fourth to bring his team the w in after being dow n 20-14 w ith 3:40 left in the game.

M Lax Continued from page 16

to catch a glimpse of the gameplay.

Despite Duke hav ing one of the leading offensive fronts in the countr y, Notre Dame fans were able to watch as the Irish defense was able to shut the Blue Dev ils dow n, keeping them to a season-low eight goals.

Duke was the first on the board, but the Irish quick ly responded w ith show-stopping moments in the first quarter alone.

Sophomore attacker Pat Kavanagh made a behindthe-back shot w ith four

2020 Performance After starting the year 4-2, the Hokies went on a four-game skid, ending w ith a losing record for the second time in three seasons.

Virginia Tech had a series of COV ID-19 issues, including a game against NC State that had 23 v irus-related absences.

But the Hokies likely would have struggled even if it wasn’t a pandemic year.

Offensively, four different quarterbacks saw snaps.

Oregon transfer Bra xton Burmeister began the year as the starting quarterback as Hendon Hooker was sidelined w ith COV ID-19, but Hooker took the job back once he returned to full health.

He retained his spot under center for the majorit y of the season, passing for nine touchdow ns and rushing for nine more as he sought to keep his team above .500.

However, Burmeister took over again in the final t wo games of the season, w ith Hooker announcing his intent to transfer shortly thereafter.

Quincy Patterson II also saw time and threw for a pair of touchdow ns, and Knox Kadum took six snaps as play-caller as well.

The bright spot on the offense was the run game, headlined by running back K halil Herbert, who posted six 100yard rushing games in 2020.

Hooker also lifted a heav y load on the ground,

defenders approaching to tie the game up.

Two more unanswered Notre Dame goals were charted before Duke landed the final point of the period, making the score 3-2.

The second period proved to be the closest of the matchup.

Graduate student attacker Will Yorke extended the team’s lead by netting back-to-back goals early in the period.

Sophomore goalie Liam Entenmann — who would go on to make 12 saves throughout the match — managed to hold Duke off from taking the lead, but Duke eventually rebounded

aided by a strong offensive line.

But the defense was fragmented, making it difficult for a productive offense to translate into a w inning one.

2021 Outlook The Hokies lose their top t wo men on the ground: running back K halil Herbert and Hooker.

The t wo accounted for 68% of the teams rushing yards and 63% of its rushing scores.

Virginia Tech w ill likely look to air the ball out as t wo of their top three aerial threats return — w ide receiver Tay v ion Robinson (592 yards for three touchdow ns) and tight end James Mitchell (435 yards for four touchdow ns).

But Tre Turner (529 yards for three touchdow ns) has declared for the draft, an absence that w ill undoubtedly be felt.

Offensively, they’ll also lose tack le Christian Darrisaw, one of the critical players in Virginia Tech’s strong run game.

But other members of the so-called “Vice Squad” — Lecitus Smith, Brock Hoffman, Doug Nester and Silas Dzansi — w ill all return to protect the backfield.

Defensively, cornerback Caleb Farley w ill be absent from the secondar y, as well as DB Chamarri Conner and safet y Div ine Deablo.

On the line, Rayshard Ashby w ill also be missing from the lineup.

Their schedule isn’t a particularly grueling one, and

w ith three goals in three minutes, t y ing the score 5-5.

W hen it looked as though the teams would head into halftime on an even play ing field, the Irish pocketed t wo goals in nine seconds to put them up 7-5.

At the end of the first half, despite a weak showing in face-offs, the Irish had forced 13 Duke turnovers and held them to 17 shots.

Again, the Blue Dev ils were the first to score in the second half, w ith senior attacker Joe Roberston making it a onepoint game from an extraman goal.

The Irish proceeded to

the week before they host Notre Dame they have a bye.

They’ll be rested and likely game plan for the Irish, but it w ill be an uphill battle for the Hokies on the road to v ictor y.

This looks to be a rebuilding year as Virginia Tech attempts to resolve quarterback controversy and fill gaps across the board.

Way Too Predictions Ellen Geyer Sports Writer

Early —

Senior

Though the Hokies are coming off a bye-week, they look to be a fairly disjointed program in 2021.

They lose their top passer, their top t wo rushers, their best tight end, their leading tack ler, t wo of their best backs, a strong linebacker and a projected first-round offensive tack le.

It’s gonna be a tough year, and it w ill probably be too much for Justin Fuente to overcome w ith good coaching alone.

By mid-October, Notre Dame should be firing on all cylinders, but this game could easily become a trap (as it almost did in 2019).

With no Ian Book to bail them out this time, the Irish w ill have to hop out to an early lead and take care of business on the road.

Notre Dame 42, Virginia Tech 24 Emily DeFazio — Associate Sports Editor

but the Irish seem to be heav ily favored in this matchup.

The loss of talent on Virginia’s side alone could be cause for concern for our opponent, and that’s before factoring in all of the talent added to Notre Dame’s roster in this year’s recruiting cycle.

As mentioned in Purdue’s W TE Prev iew, however, the Irish need to be careful not to let up so much that they run into the familiar position of easy matchups becoming hard v ictories.

But I see this game being a v ictor y nonetheless.

Notre Dame 31, Virginia Tech 10 Mannion McGinley Sports Editor

—

I do not trust Notre Dame football to reach a score higher than 40.

I am not capable of that faith or trust any more.

Don’t get me w rong; it is a great surprise when they do but there is no reason that I should have that much faith at this moment.

That’s not to say the defense won’t come through like they always do.

Now that I have faith in.

The Irish w ill score once early, answer back and forth w ith the Hokies t w ice and then the defense w ill turn it on to shut the Hokies dow n once more.

This w ill clear the way for one more Irish touchdow n.

W ho knows, Irish offense? Prove me w rong. But for now? I’m not getting my hopes up.

Not to speak too soon,

Notre Dame 28, Virginia Tech 14

conduct a 5-0 run.

Senior midfielder W heaton Jackoboice scored t w ice in the attempt — both of which contributed to his hat trick — and the team rendered Duke scoreless for 14 minutes of play while they made the run.

The streak was broken when Duke freshman Brendan O’Neill scored his third goal of the day.

At the end of the game, Duke was able to add another point in the last eight seconds of play, but it was not enough to come back.

The Blue Dev ils fell 13-8 to the Fighting Irish.

Senior midfielder Morrison Mirer left w ith four

goals to his name, while graduate student and defenseman Jack Kielt y held the force of Duke graduate student and attacker Michael Sowers to one assist and no goals, making this the second time all season he has been unable to score.

The Irish w ill seek to continue this w inning streak as they look ahead to another matchup against Duke on April 22, this time in Durham, North Carolina, giving Duke the home-field advantage.

Coach Corrigan w ill also seek to add to his already record-breaking 311 w ins while on the road.

sports

M Soccer Continued from page 16

midf ielder Mayola K iny ua by passed t he ent ire Irish defense on a blistering one-ma n counterattack, leaving McLaugh lin oneon-one w it h K iny ua a nd st ra nded outside his box.

K iny ua’s shot forced McLaugh lin to t hrow up his ha nds to deny t he certa in goa l, a nd t he Not re Da me goa l keeper was prompt ly sent of f in what was li kely his f ina l match in a n Irish uniform.

Freshma n goa l keeper Br ya n Dowd ca me on as McLaugh lin’s replacement for just his four t h colleg iate appea ra nce.

Besides McLaugh lin, t he Irish honored f ive ot her seniors pre-match: defender Jacob Huber, midf ielder Michael Ly nch, midf ielder A iden McFadden, midf ielder Tow nsend Meyer a nd for wa rd Simon Roennecke.

McFadden, a t hird-round pick by At la nta United in t he 2021 MLS SuperDra f t, led t he Irish w it h four assists t his season.

Bot h Roennecke a nd Huber made t heir f irst career sta r ts for t he Irish on Friday.

Despite being reduced to 10 men, t he Irish created severa l cha nces late on.

Not re Da me senior midf ielder Dawson McCa r t ney, a 2021 secondround pick by t he Por t la nd Timbers who t ra nsferred f rom Da r t mout h before t he spring season, ca me closest to g iv ing t he Irish a lifeline in t he ga me when he hit t he post in t he 71st

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, april 14, 2021 | The Observer

minute.

Prior to t his yea r, t he senior class had been to t hree st ra ight NC A A tourna ments.

Their deepest r un ca me as sophomores in 2018 when Not re Da me reached t he qua rter f ina ls in head coach Chad Riley’s f irst season in cha rge.

Riley lauded his seniors for t heir leadership t hrough perhaps t he most unusua l colleg iate soccer season ever.

“Cer ta in ly disappointed in t he resu lt,” he sa id to UND.com, “but I a m proud of our seniors a nd t he way t hey have led our tea m t hrough t his pa ndemic. They have represented Not re Da me so well during t heir four yea rs.”

The select ion show for t his yea r’s NC A A Tourna ment, which was postponed in t he fa ll, is schedu led for Monday, April 19.

However, t he Irish w ill likely miss out on t he f ield for t he f irst t ime since 2011.

This yea r’s tourna ment w ill feature 36 tea ms instead of t he norma l 48, w it h on ly 12 at-la rge bids up for g rabs.

As of Sunday, Not re Da me is ra n ked 71st in t he count r y in RPI, t he most impor ta nt met ric used in select ing t he f ield.

The ACC’s automat ic bid went to Clemson, who won t he conference tourna ment in t he fa ll.

The Irish fell in t he semif ina l stage of t he compet it ion in a 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh.

Contact Greg McKenna at gmckenna@nd.edu

nd MEN’S TENNIS

Irish pick up crucial road victories at GT, Clemson Observer Staff Report

Notre Dame men’s tennis went on a southern swing this past weekend and emerged with a pair of conference victories, moving them up and over .500 in conference play after toppling Georgia Tech and Clemson on the road by 4-2 scores.

Notre Dame opened up their weekend in Atlanta, as the 42nd-ranked Fighting Irish took on No. 32 Georgia Tech, and a couple of upsets in singles plus a clean sweep in the doubles action was enough to tip the Irish over the edge for the minor upset victory.

Notre Dame took the early advantage with some spectacular play in doubles, grabbing the match point there with ease, taking victories at No. 1 (6-3) and No. 3 (6-1), giving the Irish an early 1-0 lead in the match.

In singles, the Yellow Jackets took the early advantage via Chen Dong’s victory at No. 6, but the Irish rallied back with some big wins courtesy of their top rackets, with 69th-ranked A xel Nefve winning at No. 1 singles, and senior Richard Ciamarra rallying for a major upset at No. 2 singles that switched the momentum in Notre Dame’s favor.

Ciamarra claimed the weekend’s first win after falling behind — he lost the first set 4-6 against 24th-ranked Andres Martin. However, Ciamarra battled back, took the second set 6-3 and then completed the upset and comeback with a 6-2 domination in the third set,

W Lax Continued from page 16

SOFIA CRIMIVAROLI | The Observer

Irish senior midfielder Aidan McFadden preps to strike the ball downfield during the senior game on Friday, April 9 at Alumni Stadium.

15

had t heir work cut out for t hem a ll day w it h t he Ta r Heel of fense.

Graduate student Kelly Donnelly forced a ga mehigh of t hree turnovers a nd won a pa ir of g round ba lls.

The Ta r Heels wou ld come out of t he brea k reenerg i zed, a nd once aga in jumped out to a n ea rly lead.

UNC senior attacker Ja mie Or tega, who a lways poses a t hreat to a ny defense, ra n k ing si x t h in t he nat ion in points per ga me a nd second in tota l points, scored t wo quick goa ls to

bringing the Irish even in singles. However, a loss at No. 4 singles kept the match in doubt, as the score was leveled at 2-2.

Meanwhile, Nefve’s victory was a sweep, but his battle against No. 20 Marcus McDaniel was far from easy. The first set went to tiebreakers, and the battle raged on in a 22-point tiebreaker before Nefve ultimately survived 7-6 (12-10) in set No. 1. Nefve rode that wave of momentum to a 6-2 second set victory, and with a pair of upsets in hand, Notre Dame was on their way to victory, up 3-2 on the Yellow Jackets. It was senior Tristan McCormick dealing the fatal blow at No. 3 singles, as he edged out his opponent in a second-set tiebreaker to secure the 4-2 victory for the Irish.

After the upset victory on Friday, Notre Dame looked to avoid an upset of their own on Sunday.

In the face-off against Clemson (1-10 in ACC play), the Tigers kept the higherranked Irish battling to the end. Once again, Notre Dame was buoyed by fantastic doubles play, claiming the early first point.

Nefve pushed the Irish advantage to 2-0 with a victory at No. 1 singles, but once again, some struggles down near the bottom of the singles lineup brought upon some struggles for the Irish.

Losses at lines four and six leveled the match, leaving Notre Dame facing the prospect of a devastating upset.

However, Ciamarra and McCormick clutched up once more for the Irish,

securing victories at No. 2 and No. 3 singles for the Irish, which clinched the 4-2 victory, and sent the Irish back to South Bend on a winning note.

The victories were particularly significant given that Notre Dame entered the weekend with a 1-5 record on the road. Having these two big match wins lifted the Irish to 13-8 (5-4 in ACC play), and now they return home for their final two regular-season clashes. The Irish will face off against Virginia and Virginia Tech in the Eck Tennis Pavillion on April 16 and 18, respectively.

The Irish are 10-3 on their own court. They’ll need to defend it well against the Cavaliers, though, who are 10-0 in conference play and 16-2 on the season.

At No. 4 in the nation, Virginia offers Notre Dame a chance to pick up a premier victory heading into the postseason. Sweeping the upcoming weekend also gives the Irish a faint chance at slipping into the No. 4 seed for the conference tournament. Being at No. 4 would grant them a doublebye to the quarterfinals.

However, Notre Dame could also fall as far as 10th if they have a poor performance in their final weekend of the regular season.

This puts a lot riding on that final weekend in regard to seeding and potential jockeying for an NCA A Tournament bid. At No. 42, Notre Dame would likely need a decent conference tournament run to crack the at-large field for the 32-team tournament.

open t he second ha lf but Maddie Howe was able to respond w it h a pa ir of her ow n t wo goa ls.

But w it h t he score k notted at 9-9 w it h 14:10 rema ining in t he ga me, Or tega was not f inished a nd wou ld snea k t wo more ba l ls past Deeha n despite Not re Da me’s best ef for t to keep t heir heads above water.

Irish Junior midf ield Madison Mote was able to f ind an equa li zer of f of a f ree posit ion shot to t ie t he ga me 10-10 w it h 8 :33 to play, but t heir ef for ts were not enough as t he Ta r Heels were awa rded t heir ow n f ree posit ion shot just over a

minute later a nd Or tega wou ld net what wou ld be t he ga me-w inning goa l.

The Irish a re not done w it h top-ra n ked compet it ion yet, t hough, as t hey w i l l head to Chest nut Hi l l t his week for a pa ir of matchups at No. 5 ra n ked Boston College.

The Irish w i l l face of f in t heir f irst ga me aga inst t he Eagles on Thursday at 5 p.m., a nd t he ga me w i l l be broadcast v ia ACC Net work.

They w i l l meet aga in on Saturday at 11 a.m., a nd t he second ga me ca n be st rea med on t he ACC Net work Ex t ra.

16

The observer | wednesday, april 14, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

nd women’s LACROSSE

Notre Dame loses by one to No. 1 ranked University of North Carolina Observer Staff Report

The Not re Da me women’s lacrosse tea m suf fered a na rrow loss to t he UNC Ta r Heels on Saturday.

The No. 4 Irish (6-3, 3-3 ACC) hosted t he No. 1 ra n ked tea m in t he count r y, t he unbeaten Ta r Heels (12-0, 6-0 ACC) at A rlotta Stadium in what wou ld produce a t hri l ling matchup in t he elements.

As t he ra in poured dow n t he Irish wou ld push t he Ta r Heels to t heir limit as t hey gave up a n 11-10 loss in a na i lbiter.

The Ta r Heels jumped out to a n ea rly 5-1 lead t hroughout t he f irst 12 minutes of t he ga me but t he Irish wou ld ra lly back w it h a 6-1 r un to ca rr y a 7-6 lead into t he locker room at t he ha lf.

Irish senior goa ltender Bridget Deeha n matched her ca reer-high w it h 14 saves, eleven coming in t he f irst ha lf.

Senior attack Maddie Howe was t he stea m for t he Irish of fense, recording a hat t rick on si x shots a nd adding a pa ir of g round ba lls a nd draw cont rols to her stat line.

Sophomore attack Jack ie Wola k a lso added a pa ir of goa ls on her si x shots, but she did cough up t hree turnovers.

Deeha n a lso added f ive g round ba lls to keep t he Irish in it t hroughout.

W hile Deeha n ser ved well as a n a nchor — even being na med I W LC A’s Nat iona l Defensive Player of t he Week for t he second t ime t his season for her outsta nding effor ts — t he Irish defense see W LAX PAGE 15

ERIN FENNESSY | The Observer

Irish senior attack Maddie Howe cradles the ball during Notre Dame’s 16-4 home win over Louisville on March 2, 2019 at Loftus Sports Center. Howe was named to the 2021 Preseason All-ACC Team in February.

ND MEN’S SOCCER

ND MEN’s LACROSSE

Squad takes down undefeated No. 1 Duke Observer Staff Report

By GREG McKENNA Associate Sports Editor

Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published online April 13.

It was a big weekend for the Irish as the No. 5 Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team defeated No. 1 Duke in a home matchup on Saturday.

The Fighting Irish (6-1, 2-1 ACC) delivered Duke’s (10-1, 2-1 ACC) first loss, ending the Blue Dev ils’ perfect season while marking a milestone w in for coach Kev in Corrigan.

Corrigan is now the w inningest head coach at Notre Dame and at a single program in NCA A DI histor y.

The anticipated matchup hosted a full-capacit y fan base in the stands, causing several onlookers to line the fences around Arlotta stadium see M LAX PAGE 14

Irish fall to Hokies on senior night

EMMA FARNAN | The Observer

Irish senior midfielder Wheaton Jackoboice preps to shoot during the Irish home win over UNC on April 20, 2019 at Arlotta Stadium.

Not re Da me closed t he 2020-21 reg u la r season w it h a four t h successive loss Friday night as t he Irish (8-9-0, 4-7-0 ACC) fel l 2-0 to Virg inia Tech (6-62, 5-5-2 ACC) during t heir senior night at A lumni Stadium.

Wit h t he w in, t he Hok ies kept t heir second st ra ight clea n sheet at A lumni Stadium.

Virg inia Tech had bested t he Irish 1-0 in Sout h Bend t his past November.

The Hok ies opened t he scoring just under four minutes before ha lf t ime.

Follow ing a sloppy g iveaway in midf ield by t he Irish, Tech junior lef t-back Kyle McDowel l f ired in a cross f rom t he w ing t hat was f inished bri l lia nt ly by junior Hok ies for wa rd Ka h li l Dover.

Dover, who had come on as a subst itute, opened up

his body to delicately place his side-footed vol ley in t he bottom right corner.

The Hok ies added a second shor t ly a f ter t he brea k.

Not re Da me senior goa l keeper Keaga n McLaugh lin made an impressive k ick save to deny Tech senior midf ielder K risto St rick ler in t he 52nd minute, but Hok ies senior for wa rd Jacob Labov it z slotted home t he rebound f rom outside t he pena lt y a rea.

The goa l was Labov it z’s sevent h of t he season, a nd brought him to a t ie for four t h in t he ACC for goa ls scored.

At seven goa ls, Labov it z leads t he Irish in scoring as wel l.

McLaugh lin saw his senior night end unceremoniously a f ter being red-ca rded just over a minute later.

Hok ies sophomore see M SOCCER PAGE 15