Print edition of The Observer for Monday, September 25, 2017

Notre dame 38, Michigan sTATE 18 | monday, September 25, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

Complete effort, complete win Notre Dame tops Michigan State at Spartan Stadium behind balanced team performance

ROSIE LoVOI | The Observer

Irish junior running back Dexter Williams dives into the endzone for a rushing touchdown during Notre Dame’s 38-18 win over Michigan State on Saturday at Spartan Stadium.

Williams finished the game with 40 rushing yards and one score on the ground. He also added a score through the air on an eight-yard catch in the second quarter.

Irish take important, necessary step Ben Padanilam Editor-in-Chief

EAST LANSING, Mich. — On paper, a 20-point victory might seem to pale in comparison to 33- or 29-point victories.

But looking as something on paper can be deceiving.

On Friday, I wrote that Notre Dame’s 49-20 win over Boston College wasn’t as good as it looked on paper. The success in the running game had masked the deficiencies in the air attack — the same deficiencies that had showed themselves against Georgia in Notre Dame’s only loss of the season.

And a look at the box score from Saturday’s 38-18 win over Michigan State would, on paper, indicate similar struggles. Junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush threw for see PADANILAM PAGE 3

By BEN PADANILAM Editor-in-Chief

EAST L ANSING, Mich. — Football is a game of inches.

Michigan State and LJ Scott learned that lesson the hard way Saturday night.

With just over six minutes left in the first half, Notre Dame held a 21-7 lead over the Spartans (2-1).

But the Spartans were driving, putting the Irish (3-1) on their heels. An eight-play, 59-yard march positioned Michigan State at the Notre Dame 15-yard line, with an opportunity to narrow the gap back to a one-score game.

The Spartans put that opportunity in the hands of their junior running back on the drive’s ninth play.

Scott took a handoff from sophomore quarterback Brian Lewerke and cut through the middle of the Irish defense, breaking two tackles on his way to the goal line.

And it was just inches before crossing that goal line that he was stripped

by Irish junior cornerback Shaun Crawford.

Scott attempted to dive on the ball for the recovery in the end zone, but he came up empty. Crawford would smother the ball for the touchback, rewarding Notre Dame with possession.

And not even one of the night’s many replay reviews would change that.

“I just knew that I wanted the ref to get out there and call it a fumble so that our offense could get back on the field, because I know that whenever the defense can get the ball in the offense’s hands, we’re going to do special things with it,” Crawford said.

The stop would prove to be momentum-shifting for that very reason, as the Irish would march 80 yards in just five plays and 94 seconds, swinging what could have been a tight 21-14 gap to a 28-7 lead.

A lead the Irish would maintain comfortably for the rest of the night.

Granted, the Irish took the lead from the beginning

of the game, as junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush led Notre Dame’s offense on a 78-yard touchdown drive in just 1:55. The junior quarterback was 4-of-5 on the drive, finding junior wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown on 40-yard playaction pass to get the Irish in the red zone before scrambling for a 16-yard rushing touchdown.

“It’s definitely important for the offense and the entire team’s mentality early in the game,” Wimbush said of getting in a rhythm early. “The guys did a great job of making plays early on and up front, giving me a great amount of time to produce and execute these plays. And I think getting off to that start really kind of led to the rest of the game and the mentality we had throughout the rest of the game.”

The Irish would pad that lead on the Spartans’ ensuing possession, as Lewerke attempted to throw out to his left on third down, but

Focus on turnovers pays off for ND against MSU

see TEAM EFFORT PAGE 2

see TURNOVERS PAGE 3

By ELIZABETH GREASON Sports Editor

EAST L ANSING, Mich. — It looked like a touchdown as Spartans junior running back LJ Scott crossed the goal line with six minutes remaining in the second quarter.

But as Notre Dame junior cornerback Shaun Crawford knew, it wasn’t. It was the third of three turnovers the Irish (3-1) snatched up during their 38-18 win over Michigan State (2-1).

Inches before Scott crossed the goal line, Crawford was able to knock the ball loose, forcing a fumble, which he recovered in the endzone for a touchback. W hen the Irish offense got back on the field, it was only 1:34 before the Irish landed themselves in the opposing endzone, causing a 14-point swing.

The first turnover of the

2

Insider

The observer | monday, September 25, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

Team Effort Continued from page 1

Irish sophomore cornerback Julian Love picked off the pass and took it back all 59 yards for the score. After junior kicker Justin Yoon’s extra point, Notre Dame held a 14-0 lead less than five minutes into the game.

“It was onion concept, so the t wo was going to the f lat, and [defensive coordinator Mike] Elko calls a great defense for that,” Love said of his read on the interception.

“We’ve been preparing for their route concepts. That quarterback was really good on timing we learned early, and so it was a quick throw and I just broke on it. I don’t really remember the rest.”

But Michigan State would respond on its next drive.

Lewerke bounced back from the interception, turning a quarterback sneak into a 52yard pickup by taking advantage of confusion amongst the Irish front seven. Four plays later, Lewerke found sophomore w ide receiver Darrell Stewart Jr. on a fade

route to cut the Spartans’ deficit in half and making it a 14-7 game.

After trading punts to end the first quarter, the Irish were able to open up the scoring in the second period on the heels of another turnover. With Lewerke running towards the left sideline, Irish senior linebacker Greer Martini was able to force a fumble that sophomore defensive lineman Daelin Hayes would recover to give Notre Dame possession at Michigan State’s 24yard line.

And six plays — including a near touchdow n from Wimbush to St. Brow n that St. Brow n was unable to corral inbounds — later, the Irish were able to push the ball in when Wimbush rolled out right and found junior running back Dexter Williams for an eight-yard score to extend the Irish lead to 21-7.

“I don’t think we think about it,” Wimbush said about the offense scoring after the defense gets a takeaway. “We think about each drive as a separate drive,

and the defense has been doing a great job of taking the ball away and giv ing us field position, and we’ve been able to capitalize.”

And then just when it looked as though the Spartans would respond in turn w ith a touchdow n of their ow n, Craw ford took on Scott at the goal line, taking a puncher’s chance and turning it into yet another forced turnover.

“With the play going out to the goal line, I just saw the ball loose and knew I was going to get a punch at it,” Craw ford said of the moment. “Actually, I was watching some v ideos of Charles Tillman throughout the week, so I wanted to get my hands on the ball.”

The resulting 80-yard drive capped off by a Williams rushing touchdow n would give the Irish a 28-7 lead that they carried into the half.

And although the Irish would technically get outscored in the second half, it was a mere 11-10 difference, as the Irish were able to get stops defensively, despite not forcing another turnover

in the second half. The offense also sustained its success as far as managing the clock, as its three longest possessions of the game all came in the second half.

Irish head coach Brian Kelly was particularly complimentar y of the offense’s balance, as the team ran for 182 yards — despite not a single rusher amassing over 60 indiv idual yards — and another 173 yards through the air.

“You know, [we’re] really starting to establish who we really are in that we got much more balance today,” Kelly said. “Brandon threw the ball well today, 14-for-20, so we can probably move on about he can’t throw it. He’s just got the abilit y to do a lot at that position — he’s just grow ing. He hasn’t arrived, but he did some really good things at the position tonight that helped us become efficient on offense.”

That balance even included 12 carries for sophomore running back Deon McIntosh, who scored his first career collegiate touchdow n for the only Irish score of the second half. A lthough

the Irish conceded a late score and t wo-point conversion to bring the game to its final tally of 38-18, Kelly said he was ver y happy w ith the team’s performance throughout all four quarters. “[It’s a] good w in for our kids,” Kelly said. “Any time we go on the road … it’s hard to w in on the road any way, so to come in here against a team that was nationally ranked defensively and take the football away like we did and be opportunistic — really, really pleased w ith the results.”

And hav ing locked up t wo w ins on the road the last t wo weeks, the Irish can now turn their attention to hosting Miami (OH) to Notre Dame Stadium next weekend.

“I think we’re just going to keep it rolling,” Wimbush said. “We head back to South Bend and back to our home and our home fans. I think these t wo road w ins and then going back home w ill prove to be huge for the rest of the season.”

Contact Ben Padanilam at bpadanil@nd.edu

ROSIE LoVOI | The Observer

Irish junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush carries the ball upfield during Notre Dame’s 38-18 win over Michigan State on Saturday at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. Wimbush finished the game with a rushing touchdown and 52 yards on the ground, good for second on the team behind junior running back Josh Adams’ 56 yards.

Play of the game

player of the game

Shaun Crawford strips lj Scott at the goal line

Notre Dame quarterback brandon wimbush

Trailing 21-7 in the second quarter, Michigan State was driving with the hope of narrowing the gap to just one score, as Spartans junior running back LJ Scott took a handoff up the middle and surged towards the goal line. Just before Scott crossed the plane, however, Irish junior cornerback Shaun Crawford stripped him and recovered the fumble for a touchback, maintaining Notre Dame’s double-digit lead.

After hearing questions all week about his struggles throwing the football against Boston College and Georgia, Irish junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush found his rhythm against the Spartans. He would go 4-for-5 on the team’s first drive, capping it off with a 16-yard rushing touchdown. In the game, Wimbush finished 14-of-20 with 173 passing yards and a touchdown while adding another 52 yards on the ground.

The independent

To uncover

newspaper serving

the truth

Notre Dame and

and report

Saint Mary’s

it accurately

Volume 52, Issue 25 | monday, september 25, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

Dining Services weighs in on Grab ’n Go Directors discuss implications of, reasoning behind the Marketplace, flex points updates

By MEGAN VALLEY Assistant Managing Editor

A lthough the renovations to North Dining Hall (NDH) were the most obv ious innovations made to the student dining experience this semester, changes to the structures of Grab ’n Go and f lex points have also affected how students eat on campus.

Grab ’n Go has been replaced at NDH w ith the Marketplace — which requires f lex points — and f lex points have been increased

to 500 per a semester.

Senior director of campus dining, Chris Abayasinghe, said the changes were made based on student feedback, and expects this year w ill be a year of “adjustment,” especially after the eateries in Campus Crossroads open.

“This is a continuing conversation for us,” he said. “ … We know last year when we increased f lex points, we know that our students used all of their f lex points. What see POINTS PAGE 3

EDDIE GRIESEDIECK | The Observer

The Marketplace has replaced Grab ’n Go at North Dining Hall. The new dining venue features a la carte snack and meal options, but does not take meal swipes.

SMC promotes course on Hamilton rhetoric

By SYDNEY DOYLE News Writer

Saint Mary’s students are not going to miss their shot to take communication professor Terri Russ’s introduction to rhetoric course this semester, which examines the musical “Hamilton.”

Russ said the study of rhetoric can be taught in many ways, and she wanted to make the class enjoyable.

“The study of rhetoric can be really dry, and sometimes the approaches to these classes can be less than ideal, and I get that,” Russ said. “I knew it would be something that would appeal to students, even students who weren’t necessarily familiar with ‘Hamilton.’”

Russ said she decided to teach the course around “Hamilton” partly because of her own obsession, but also because she finds it critical to examine all elements of popular culture through a rhetorical lens.

“I’m really interested in pop culture, but I’m also interested in taking a critical exploration of pop cultural,” Russ said. “A lot of times we’re exposed to things in media, and we think we’re being critical, but we’re

News PAGE 3

not.”

All musicals can be subject to rhetorical exploration, and since “Hamilton” is so popular it makes sense to look at it critically, she said. However as popular culture changes over the years, Russ said the course could change as well.

“For now I’m going to stick with ‘Hamilton’ because it’s fun, and I think there is still more to be explored, so I think I’ll do at least one more time,” Russ said. “But in two years, who knows what will be popular?”

Russ said “Hamilton” is unique because it teaches about history in a special way. The creator of the musical, Lin-Manuel Miranda, added some special twists to the original story of the founding fathers, which makes the musical important and relevant, she said.

“Lin-Manuel Miranda took white history and added this twist through these very direct hip-hop and rap influences and references throughout the play,” Russ said. “Also, in the performance, having actors of color playing the founding fathers, that’s something we have see RHETORIC PAGE 3

SCENE PAGE 5

Students offer feedback on housing concerns

By COURTNEY BECKER News Editor

The announcement that the University will require students to live on campus for six semesters starting with the class of 2022 has been met with widespread reactions from students.

At a town hall held Sept. 13, students raised concerns ranging from financial difficulties to a lack of support for students who feel alienated when it comes to residential life on campus.

Senior Rohit Fonseca, who moved off campus after his junior year, raised a question at the town hall about the administration’s support for students who feel alienated in dorms on campus.

“The root of the question [at the town hall] was that there are people who are left out in the housing system,” Fonseca said Sunday. “I don’t think that’s done intentionally, but that’s just the nature of [housing]. … So the root of the question was how much do we value the input of people that don’t agree or don’t appreciate some of the basic values that we have in the housing system?”

Fonseca said parietals and dorm Mass are aspects of the housing system students might take issue with. While University President Fr. John

Viewpoint PAGE 6

Jenkins said the University makes “no apologies” about its Catholic identity, Fonseca said he believes the question needs more consideration if Notre Dame is going to require students to live in dorms on campus for three years.

“There’s a variety of reasons why people feel marginalized from the halls or why people disagree with whatever the practices are in the halls,” he said. “ … I wasn’t expecting a head-on answer, but I don’t think I have the answer either, personally. I don’t pretend to know what it is, but I think it’s an important discussion to have, and I don’t think we have it enough.”

While Fonseca said he enjoyed his time as a resident of Fisher Hall on campus, he knows students who have had negative experiences in their dorms. Fonseca said he believes requiring these students to remain on campus could actually end up being detrimental to hall communities.

“I loved my time on campus, but I know — and I have specific people in mind — who really didn’t like their experience their experience in the halls at all,” he said. “ … A big part of community is that people want to be a part of it or choose to be a part of it. So if you’re forcing

Men’s Tennis PAGE 12

people to be a part of something they don’t want to be in, I don’t think it’s the best move.”

The biggest concern Hoffmann Harding said the administration has with the changes to residential life is their potential to drive students to move off campus as seniors for the sake of taking advantage of the ability to do so. Junior Hanna Zook, who lives off campus this year, said she does see potential for backlash against the requirement.

“First of all, it could drive away students who feel as though they will not fit into the dorm system,” Zook said in an email. “For example, for someone who is gender non-conforming, the idea of three years in a strictly-male or strictlyfemale dorm might seem like too much to handle. So we actually diminish our chances of growing diversity as everyone who commits to the University is someone who feels as though they can mesh into our dorm system. Second … the requirement may cause the opposite of what the administration intends by encouraging seniors to move off since it will be something exclusive to seniors.”

Senior Sean O’Brien, who has lived on campus throughout see CHANGES PAGE 4

ND W Soccer PAGE 12

2

TODAY

The observer | MONDAY, september 25, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

Question of the Day: ndsmcobserver.com

Have a question you want answered?

Email photo@ndsmcobserver.com

What is your favorite midnight snack?

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

Michael Sokolowski

Caroline Lezny

sophomore Duncan Hall

sophomore McGlinn Hall

“Recker’s snack.”

“Popcorn.”

Shane Dolan

Patrick Starner

junior Duncan Hall

sophomore O’Neill Hall

“Pretzels.”

“Chips and salsa.”

(574) 631-4542 bpadanil@nd.edu

Harrison Brousseau

Lidya Abreha

Managing Editor

sophomore Duncan Hall

freshman Cavanaugh Hall

“Another full meal.”

“Cereals.”

Editor-in-Chief Ben Padanilam Managing Editor Katie Galioto

Asst. Managing Editor: Marek Mazurek Asst. Managing Editor: Rachel O’Grady Asst. Managing Editor: Megan Valley News Editor: Courtney Becker Viewpoint Editor: Mary Freeman Sports Editor: Elizabeth Greason Scene Editor: Adam Ramos Saint Mary’s Editor: Martha Reilly Photo Editor: Chris Collins Graphics Editor: Lauren Weldon Advertising Manager: Molly McCarthy Advertising Manager: Alexandra Pucillo Ad Design Manager: Madison Riehle

Office Manager & General Info

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

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

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

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

(574) 631-5313 News Desk

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

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

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

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

mreilly01@saintmarys.edu Photo Desk

(574) 631-8767 photo@ndsmcobserver.com Systems & Web Administrators

(574) 631-8839 Policies The Observer is the independent, daily newspaper published in print and online by the students of the University of Notre Dame du Lac and Saint Mary’s College. Editorial content, including advertisements, is not governed by policies of the administration of either institution. The Observer reserves the right to refuse advertisements based on content.

The news is reported as accurately and objectively as possible. Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the majority of the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Assistant Managing Editors and department editors.

Commentaries, letters and columns present the views of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Viewpoint space is available to all readers. The free expression of all opinions through letters is encouraged.

Letters to the Editor must be signed and must include contact information.

Questions regarding Observer policies should be directed to Editor-in-Chief Ben Padanilam.

Post Office Information The Observer (USPS 599 2-4000) is published Monday through Friday except during exam and vacation periods.

A subscription to The Observer is $130 for one academic year; $75 for one semester.

The Observer is published at: 024 South Dining Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556-0779 Periodical postage paid at Notre Dame and additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address corrections to: The Observer P.O. Box 779 024 South Dining Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556-077 The Observer is a member of the Associated Press.

All reproduction rights are reserved.

Today’s Staff News

Sports

Martha Reilly Gina Twardosz Marie Fazio

Tobias Hoonhout Rachel O’Grady Stephen Hannon

Graphics

Scene

Joseph Han

Adam Ramos

Photo

Viewpoint

Anna Mason

Mary Freeman

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

ROSIE LoVOI | The Observer

Irish junior kicker Justin Yoon prepares for a field-goal attempt during Notre Dame’s 38-18 victory over Michigan State on Saturday at Spartan Stadium. Yoon made the kick, his only field-goal attempt in the game, as well as all five of his extra-point tries.

The next Five days:

Want your event included here?

Email news@ndsmcobserver.com

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Information Session: International Summer Service Learning Program Geddes Hall 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Blood Drive Rolfs Sports Recreation Center noon - 6 p.m.

Sign up for a donation appointment online.

Postgraduate Service Fair Joyce Center 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

All students are welcome.

“Cycles of Life” Charles B. Hayes Family Sculpture Park 5 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Mindfulness meditation program.

Dante Now! A Divine Comedy Flashmob Various locations 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Presented by Italian Studies.

“Ireland: Crossroads of Art and Design” Eck Visitors Center 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Pieces from the Art Institute of Chicago.

Eid al-Adha ColemanMorse Center 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Celebrate annual Muslim holiday.

Stories of Grace Geddes Hall Chapel 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.

An evening in prayer and reflection. All are welcome .

Blue Mass Basilica of the Sacred Heart 5:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.

Fr. John Jenkins will preside.

Joe Piane Invitational Burke Golf Course 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Men’s and women’s cross country race.

News

ndsmcobserver.com | monday, september 25, 2017 | The Observer

CUSE facilitates workshops

By NATALIE WEBER Associate News Editor

In an effort to promote intellectual development, the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE) hosts workshops across campus that cater to undergraduates interested in research, scholarly engagement, creative endeavors and fellowships.

Assistant director of undergraduate research, Yvonne Mikuljan, said the CUSE workshops introduce students to various kinds of research and learning experiences while offering advice about how to pursue those opportunities.

“CUSE workshops and advising are designed to encourage undergraduates to think about their own unique interests and goals and assist students in developing meaningful research projects and experiences,” Mikuljan said.

The two workshops CUSE regularly offer are “Getting Started in Undergraduate Research,” which explores different kinds of research and scholarly engagement opportunities, strategies for finding a faculty mentor and developing a plan for pursuit of such interests and goals, and “Crafting a Strong Grant Proposal,” which walks students through funding sources at Notre Dame, the components of a grant application and a composing an effective grant proposal, Mikuljan said.

Student programming coordinator for CUSE, Kati Schuler, said

the workshops welcome students from all majors and grade levels every week.

“If you’re not quite sure where to begin exploring research and engagement opportunities at Notre Dame, ‘Getting Started in Undergraduate Research’ is the right workshop for you,” Schuler said. “If you have a specific project planned and would like to start the process of securing funding, ‘How to Write a Strong Grant Proposal’ would be the best.”

Since 2012, CUSE has offered about 35 workshops annually that are open to all undergraduate students, Schuler said. The workshops are typically held in Brownson Hall.

“We also bring our workshops into classes if a professor requests it,” Schuler said. “For example, in 2016–2017, 130 students attended the workshops held in the CUSE office, but we saw another 245 students during inclass workshops.”

Outside of workshops, Schuler said CUSE offers individual mentoring and advising to students pursuing scholarly engagement outside of class. Students can make an appointment with an advisor to discuss their project plans and get help on drafting a proposal, she said.

“CUSE can also help students connect to all of the various centers, institutes and resources on campus,” Schuler said. “We work like a compass, helping to guide Paid Advertisement

you through all of the different opportunities at Notre Dame.”

Mikuljan said CUSE is currently in the process of developing a grant writing series to provide more hands-on assistance during the grant writing process.

“CUSE is always working to create new and better workshops and resources to help students be successful in their research and scholarly endeavors,” Mikuljan said.

“Undergraduate students of every level and every college and discipline participate in a range for research activities at Notre Dame, around the country and abroad.”

Sophomore anthropology major Dayonni Phillips said she attended CUSE workshops to learn how to write a grant after being invited to do research in Ireland and attend a field school in Poland.

“I would definitely recommend students attend CUSE workshops or get involved with CUSE even if they do not have research plans,” Phillips said. “Although the CUSE workshop was meant to teach students how to organize a general grant proposal, I felt like the instructor was interested in specific questions that students had pertaining to their personal grants, and he would then address those questions as well.”

Contact Natalie Weber at nweber@nd.edu

Points Continued from page 1

was interesting was what they were buying with it, which is very similar to what we have in the Marketplace: certain snack-related foods, but also salads and makeyour-own items.”

Many of the changes made were to increase the “value proposition,” director of student dining Scott Kachmarik said.

Abayasinghe said moving from the “meal equivalency” of Grab ’n Go to using f lex points at places like the Marketplace helps with this.

“It’s never really equivalent to a meal in a dining hall,” he said. “W hat we attempted to do with the f lex points is allow you to say, ‘Hey, today I’m coming in for lunch, and I’m going to buy these three items.’”

Rather than using Grab ’n Go for their third meal, Kachmarik said students were taking advantage of using multiple swipes at once — another change this semester — to stock up on snack food.

“Anecdotally, we know meal counts are up in the dining halls, and meal counts are up in Grab ’n Go,” he said. “W hat we’re finding in Grab ’n Go, and we’re looking into that, is that it’s the snack food that’s going out, not the meals. “ … They’re not getting that third meal, so that tells us those increased f lex points are what people are using for that third meal.

The usage of Grab ’n Go is also changing, and we’ll figure it out through fall break and in the weeks after fall break.”

Reggie Kalili, assistant director of marketing for campus dining, said the

Rhetoric Continued from page 1

to grapple with in the this era of extreme acting up by white supremacists and other groups.”

Russ said the students in her class learn a lot from each other because those who are familiar with the musical and those who aren’t bring different perspectives to the subject matter.

“We’re developing a whole new language,” she said.

“We have the ‘Ham Freaks’ and the ‘Ham Newbies.’ The ‘Ham Newbies’ are actually teaching our ‘Ham Freaks’ a lot because they’re coming at this fresh and they see thing we have forgotten.”

Terri said she continues to be excited for this course because every class there is more to dive into and learn about.

3

difference between using meal swipes at Grab ’n Go and f lex points at other venues “seems like semantics.”

“It’s all part of the meal plan, and we did allocate f lex points because we knew the marketplace was going to be a little different than Grab ’n Go,” he said. “I know people have been in the Marketplace and have really loved what’s there, so I don’t think there’s a negative to that or what they’re purchasing — an acai bowl, for example. They’re totally different concepts.”

W hile Abayasinghe said the plan is not necessarily to phase out Grab ’n Go — that will depend on feedback and usage, he said — the choice to not include something similar to the Marketplace in South Dining Hall (SDH) was based on how the facility is designed.

“This really comes down to a design in infrastructure,” he said. “We were very, very intentional in how we designed the Marketplace, and also all of North Dining Hall. “ … The traditional Grab ’n Go that we have in South Dining Hall — we’re kind of limited in what we can do there, infrastructurewise. You know how tiny that space is, and once you get the refrigeration in there, the ability to create the Marketplace [in SDH] doesn’t really exist.”

Kalili said that while the Marketplace doesn’t exist in SDH yet, the plan was to include one in the future.

“Had we had the logistics and the space [in SDH], we would have put it here as well, he said. “So when [SDH] gets renovated again, we’re definitely going to be adding a Marketplace here.”

Contact Megan Valley at mvalley@nd.edu

“I’m a word nerd: I love language, I love playing with language and I love the nuanced ways we can use language to not only impart meaning but to really interpret the world in different ways,” Russ said. “Everyone in the class has had a moment when they realize one word and all the multiple meanings that word has, changed the way they understand everything.”

Russ said the ultimate goal of centering the course around “Hamilton” is to engage students in the study of rhetoric.

“I know that rhetoric, in large, sometimes has a bad reputation, and so one of goals is to create a whole new generation of word nerds, which is happening,” Russ said.

Contact Sydney Doyle at sdoyle01@saintmarys.edu

4

NEWS

The observer | monday, september 25, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

Changes Continued from page 1

his entire time at Notre Dame, said he doesn’t believe the requirement will have as much of an effect as most students think.

“I don’t believe that this requirement will completely ruin the sense of community of [Notre Dame] like many people are saying it will,” he said in an email. “I believe that the overwhelmingly negative response is being blown out of proportion. Things will not be that different. To my knowledge, most students stay on campus six semesters. So, there will be some people that will be affected.

However, as new students start coming in, this will just become the norm and no one will really know the difference.”

Another major question discussed at the town hall, which Zook initially raised, is whether or not the new six-semester requirement could potentially be harmful for students who have been sexually assaulted on campus.

Zook said the requirement for students who have gone through the experience to remain on campus represents a “lack of empathy” for those students.

“Being assaulted or experiencing any type of trauma in a dorm has the potential to make someone never feel fully safe on campus again,” she said. “Living off

campus decreases the chances of running into one’s attacker — since they are rarely expelled — and allows for a survivor to be in much more control of their environment. Requiring someone to stay on campus when they are no longer comfortable there is not only a complete lack of empathy on the part of the administration, it is a danger to the mental health and wellness of people who have already gone through awful things.”

Fonseca said the potential exceptions for survivor of sexual assault need to be determined before the requirement begins to affect students.

“Especially the sexual assault issue — obviously anything with sexual assault — it needs to be addressed,” he said. “If someone feels unsafe on campus and wants to move off for that reason — and I don’t think the University would block them. Erin Hoffmann Harding talked about potential waivers and things like that.”

While Hoffman Harding said at the town hall this conversation is one the administration will continue to have with students, Zook said the changes should not have been announced without an official solution to the problem.

“Saving a conversation for later isn’t adequate when the issue affects so many people,” Zook said.

One of the most common complaints from students about the

six-semester requirement is that living on campus typically costs more money than living off campus. Zook said this factor played a major role in her decision to move off campus as a junior.

“Since I’m studying abroad next semester, I needed a way to somehow cut costs and start saving up,” she said. “ … I am saving literally thousands of dollars this semester, so going abroad would have been very difficult financially if I lived on campus. And although there are aspects of dorm life that I miss, I am overall much happier off campus.”

One suggestion raised by students at the town hall was staggering room and board pricing based on the quality of dorm facilities.

This idea, Hoffmann Harding said at the town hall, would foster an environment that “would not be helpful to the integrated communities” the University is aiming for, a sentiment Fonseca said he agrees with.

“You would literally segregate the school by income — by family income — which I think is very dangerous,” he said. “So I do not think that staggering the housing prices is a good idea at all because people would know your socioeconomic background based on the hall you live in. So yeah, I think that would be a terrible idea.”

Two alternatives Fonseca said could be effective are decreasing Paid Advertisement

the cost of room and board somewhat for upperclassmen and updating meal plans for seniors.

“I think the University should … look into ways to subsidize oncampus housing or perhaps giving a break and a slight reduction in room and board to upperclassmen to encourage them to stay on campus,” Fonseca said. “That’s, I think, a very viable option. Even a drop in $1,000 or $2,000 I think is a viable reason to stay on campus.

And another thing they could do that I think we don’t do right now … a lot of people have swipes left over at the end of the week. And I think what we should do — and I think it makes perfect sense — is that all your swipes that are left over at the end of the week from your freshman through junior year, have those save up and then have that be your meal plan senior year.”

Zook said she appreciated that the initial email to students announcing these changes recognized flaws in residential life, but is disappointed the administration didn’t work to repair these flaws before enacting the requirement.

“I couldn’t believe that they sent an announcement of this magnitude in the middle of the night,” she said. “While reading the email for the first time, I was satisfied that they were accurately pointing out some of the problems of dorm life. But the decision

to create a new requirement rather than working to fix the problems really surprised me.”

While O’Brien said he does not appreciate the fact that students will no longer be able to decide whether or not they stay on campus for six semesters, he can see the changes to residential life having some positive effects in the long run.

“I think the biggest drawback is that the element of choice has been removed,” he said. “I think a positive of this rule will be an increased focus on residential life, and I believe that this will lead to positive changes.”

The lack of student say in the matter, Zook said, remains a point of contention with many members of the student body.

“I think a big part of it is that we feel as though our opinions were not at all taken into consideration,” she said. “Conducting focus groups did not seem to reflect the views of the current student body in general. Also, simply put, as young adults we don’t [need] more restrictions. Since Notre Dame already has such a high rate of upperclassmen living on campus, imposing a new requirement just didn’t seem necessary to many including myself. … There can be benefits, but they are reliant on some big ‘ifs.’”

Contact Courtney Becker at cbecker3@nd.edu

5

The observer | monday, september 25, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

By RYAN ISRAEL Scene Writer

“Do you know that story of the Russian cosmonaut?” beckons a mysterious female voice on the intro song for ODESZA’s new album “A Moment Apart.” The voice belongs to actress Brit Marling and is taken from her performance in the 2011 film “Another Earth.” On the track, Marling’s character continues to tell the story of the cosmonaut — who when trapped in a space station with an incessant ticking noise decides that in order to save his sanity he must fall in love with the sound.

While the sample may seem obscure, it serves as the perfect introduction to the electronic duo’s latest album, which was released earlier this month.

The heavy panting of an unknown person transitions seamlessly from the “Intro” song to the album’s title track. The second song carries an upbeat tempo that immediately puts the listener into the world of ODESZA’s genre and sets the stage for the rest of the album.

On “Boy,” a clear standout on the album, the lack of vocals does not detract from the song’s excellence.

The track holds an airy and chill mood until a magnificent beat drop sends it into a bright and energetic space. “Thin Floors And Tall Ceilings” maintains a relaxed and pensive vibe throughout, lending the album a bit of diversity.

A number of talented vocalists are brought on by Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, the duo behind

By GRACE WEISSEND Scene Writer

If you were suspicious of Fergie’s ability to deliver another high-quality pop album, your thinking was fictitious.

Fergie certainly understood the pressure that comes with a ten-year break between albums, but rather than pushing too hard to impress or to prove her staying power, the Dutchess delivers an updated and innovative album for the Girlboss generation.

Fergie still manages to weave in the explicitly sexual language we know and love her for (on “Like It Ain’t Nuttin’” she tells her ladies to “rub it on [their] boobies”) but this album is less scandalous and more money-fiend; a lot of the energy put towards Fergie’s bedside manner in 2007’s “Dutchess” is put towards her love of cold hard cash and being a boss lady on “Double Dutchess.” Fergie’s love of “the flossy flossy” has been no secret since “Glamorous,” and this album feels like a reflection on her life in the fast lane.

The opening track, “Hungry,” whets your appetite for the rest of the album; the song is almost too hype for its own good (and it’s got a Rick Ross feature, so how could it not get you going?). The beat features a soaring female chant that feels worthy of a cathedral, and Fergie makes sure you know she’s the deity in this church. The Dutchess promises us that she’s still ambitious, still hungry for success, and that she plans on coming out on top: “girl in the mirror / only

ODESZA. Leon Bridges brings the soulful sound of his latest album “Coming Home” to the song “Across The Room.” On the track, ODESZA manages to blend their signature indie-electronic style with Bridges’ ’60s inspired southern soul.

“Just A Memory” utilizes Regina Spektor’s beautiful voice to create a break-up inspired love song that holds deep emotion. Other notable artists that appear on “A Moment Apart” include Naomi Wild, Kelsey Bulkin and Sasha Sloan.

One song that especially stands out on the album is “Everything At Your Feet.” The song’s melodic verses are handled by the Spanish-speaking indie-pop band The Chamanas. Despite it being the only track sung exclusively in Spanish, the song fits perfectly with the vibe of the other tracks on the album.

A later song on the album features some Spanish in it’s title “La Ciudad,” which translates to “The City.”

Despite its lack of vocals, “La Ciudad” maintains a quick pace, creating a happy feel. ODESZA’s unique genre proves that it can mesh well with both English and Spanish vocals.

Knight and Mills’ newest album does not stray far from the celebrated sound that the duo created on their first two albums “In Return” (2014) and “Summer’s Gone” (2012). Many of the songs spark a feeling of youthfulness and elation. These songs could easily be the soundtrack to a YouTube montage of videos from travels around the world. Yet other songs on the album convey a slower and more thoughtful feeling, perfect

for relaxation and focus. ODESZA’s style of electronic music can not be pinned down to a single category because it is so unique. The group’s music has elements from indietronica, chillwave, electropop and more.

“A Moment Apart” has been well received and the success is well deserved. The album quickly gained the top spot on the Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums list, unseating Calvin Harris’ latest album, and appeared at third on the Billboard Top 100 Albums list.

The album is exceptional in the way that it inspires a wide variety of emotions from joy and ecstasy to peace and bliss. Almost any listener will be able to find a song on “A Moment Apart” that they enjoy while avid fans of ODESZA and their genre will enjoy the entire album.

one I fear, uh” she boasts in “Hungry.”

On “You Already Know,” Fergie does a nice job of throwing it back to some classic ’90s hip hop while keeping things fresh and modern. Nicki Minaj’s feature kicks the badass babe power on the album into overdrive, even though there is an unfortunate lack of interaction between Minaj and Fergie on the track.

The song also manages to seamlessly weave in a swingy, big-band bridge that serves to surprise and delight, even if only for a few seconds. This genre flexibility within songs turns out to be one of the album’s biggest strengths, especially on the Matomasounding “Life Goes On.” “Double Dutchess” feels heavily influenced by the deconstructed style peppered throughout the latest albums from Kanye West, Bon Iver and others — thanks in part to the abrupt tempo changes, spacey bridges and little kids talking about Jesus.

Unfortunately, there is no track to match the heartwrenching sing-along “Big Girls Don’t Cry (Personal)” from her first album. This is especially disappointing given Fergie’s recently announced divorce from actor — and Adonis — Josh Duhamel. The more emotional songs on “Double Dutchess” are vocally stunning but feel inauthentic, most obviously on the rather boring “A Little Work.” We get to the real deal on “Love Is Pain,” but Fergie isn’t inviting us to sing along with her – it’s clear from her cathartic scream-belting that she needs some alone time with this one.

A few songs on the album – “Enchanté (Carine),”

“Tension,” “Love Is Blind” – are definite bops, but “Double Dutchess” doesn’t pack nearly as hard of a punch as “Dutchess” did with its unprecedented number of hits. It would have been nearly impossible for Fergie to deliver another album as overflowing with pure pop gold, but it doesn’t make it feel any less disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, “Double Dutchess” is a good album; the problem is that “Dutchess” is objectively better. Thankfully for Fergie, I think I speak for the masses when I say I’ll always lose my mind when I hear “Glamorous” or “London Bridge.” Even if none of the tracks on “Double Dutchess” reach this level of pop prestige, it’s still a Fergalicious listening experience. As Minaj purrs on her feature, “make some noise for my girl Fergie Ferg.”

Contact Ryan Israel at risrael1@nd.edu

“A Moment Apart” ODESZA Label: Counter Records Tracks: “Boy” If you like: Porter Robinson, Flume, Jai Wolf

Contact Grace Weissend at gweissen@nd.edu

“Double Dutchess” Fergie Label: Dutchess Music/BMG Rights Management (US) LLC Track: Hungry ft. Rick Ross If you like: Rihanna, Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus

JOSEPH HAN | The Observer

6 Inside Column

In search of hot dog man Mary Stechschlute News Writer

It was fall of my freshman year, a hot autumn night, a Wednesday to be precise. I was in my room when the phone rang. It was my friend who had a rough day and wanted to do something wild. I, being the adventurous and bold person that I am, told her I would put on my hot dog suit — the one that I casually had lying around my dorm room. We took the 9:20 p.m. bus over to Notre Dame, getting many looks on the ride over. Once at Notre Dame, we embarked on a trip across the quads, yelling strange things at complete strangers. After about a half hour, my friend and I made our way back to the Grotto bus stop.

Suddenly, a large group of male students, clad only in under wear and viking helmets, jogged towards us. They were Siegfried boys, if my sources are correct. They all looked over to see two freshmen girls standing in the moonlight, one wearing a hot dog costume. A ll at once they started to chant, “Hot dog! Hot dog!

Hot dog!” I was stunned — I had forgotten how to interact with the male species, due to the fact that I attend an all-women’s college.

Then, to my utter surprise, the crowd of boys split like the red sea, and out of the sea of men came one hot dog–clad boy sprinting directly towards me. We collided as he screamed in my face: “OMG ! We are soulmates !” Alarmed by the events that had just occurred, I simply stared in utter disbelief. A ll of the mysterious hot dog man’s friends begin a new chant: “Kiss her! Kiss her!

Kiss her!”

I did not, in fact, kiss hot dog man.

Instead, he ran back into the crowd and out of my life forever. This was my first experience of Notre Dame campus, and I have never forgotten it. In hopes of finding my hot dog suit soulmate, I created a Tinder profile. After many inappropriate hot dog jokes and questions about my real identity, I gave up on my Tinder search. I have yet to meet my hot dog suit soulmate, and often wonder if any of my other chance Notre Dame encounters will live up to the magic of that night.

If you or any of your loved ones knows of him, please help a girl find love and send him my way. Our grandchildren would love to hear our stor y.

Contact Mary Stechschlute at mstechschlute01@ saintmarys.edu The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

The observer | monday, september 25, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

America’s own Don Quixote Gabriel Niforatos The Road Less Traveled

Can you imagine what the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia would have looked like if the founding fathers refused to listen to what the other members had to say? Can you imagine what would have happened if James Madison made pronouncements without any foundation and anticipated the potential arguments of those who might disagree with him, registering his opinion ahead of time and denying debate with them? W hat would the Constitution have looked like? Could there even have been one?

Without discourse nothing can get accomplished; leaders aren’t accountable or responsible and America falters globally and domestically. President Donald Trump’s use of Twitter is, in effect, such an egregious affront to the principles upon which America was built.

Of course, the use of Twitter isn’t itself the problem.

In an increasingly digital world, finding new ways of keeping in touch and facilitating debate is only natural. Democracy entails politicians and leaders being accountable to the people who put them in office and the use of social media can be seen as an abstract sense of that idea. President Obama was the first president to have a Twitter account and his ethical utilization of social media bolstered both of his campaign successes. Today, many politicians, business leaders and others employ Twitter and other forms of social media. Although one could argue that tweeting may be one of the least “democratic” means of communicating with the people because it is, in effect, talking “at” people and not “with” them, when used properly it encourages debate and conversation about the topics being discussed.

But facilitating debate is exactly what @realDonaldTrump is not doing. For Trump, Twitter is the 140-character venting of often unreasoned, incendiary opinion intended to preempt discourse. It’s the shield he uses to def lect negative press and transfer the blame and attention onto someone else, whether political opponents, such as Hillary Clinton, or even members of his own party, such as Sen. John McCain, who courageously once again announced that he would not support the latest effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Health Care Act. Via Twitter, Trump has escalated the tensions with North Korea, blatantly lied about reports involving the investigation with Russia, shamed his own party and condemned the mayor of London while investigation was still pending concerning another armed attack.

The point isn’t that our president should delete his account. The point is that there is no point in trolling straw men and, like Don Quixote, fighting fictitious enemies on battlefronts that either do not exist or that continuously change.

Trump’s use of Twitter goes against the cores of political responsibility and accountability that the founding fathers envisioned. They set the framework for the development of a government that is open

in its dealings, where the leaders of the government would be expected to listen to the will of the people.

Of course, this is not to say that the voice of the “dissenter” should be prohibited. Dissent is welcome and protected as a civil liberty in our Constitution. Yet, at the core of our nation’s ideals, it is argument and counterargument which contribute to the debate and constructive discourse toward making America the very best it can be. One-hundred-forty–character retaliatory barbs against those with whom the president disagrees, many of which incite distress and discord and, one cannot help but believe, are intended to create division instead of unity, isn’t the way to conduct policy.

Americans need to make Donald Trump accountable for throwing out opinions that don’t allow debate and many of which are attacks on other people. The issue isn’t one of grand, sweeping societal reforms to upend a system and it is not one as dramatic as any sort of revolt. It certainly don’t mean foisting opinions onto others or requiring others to change. This is, in fact, the root of the problem that needs addressing.

Americans need to take small steps that add up to big ones, and, ignoring the intentionally and often times adolescent rhetoric from a president who more resembles a child-king who retaliates against anyone who doesn’t affirm his immense and immensely fragile ego than the leader of the world’s greatest democracy, facilitate discussion that leads us to solutions.

Donald Trump has almost 36,000 tweets on his personal account and over 1,200 on the presidential account. But what is being said? In the Quixotic battles that are being waged, the only victor, the only speaker, the only voice in a debate that is shut down before it ever gets off the ground is that of Donald Trump. It is time to realize that the windmills against which America’s current president is waging an offensive war of words aren’t giants and focus on the conversations that matter. As the campaign of Bernie Sanders powerfully demonstrated, college students and young adults are the ones who have the ability to swing and determine the outcome of elections and the future of America. If America’s current leaders across both sides of the aisle will not reign in a president who effortlessly hurls unsubstantiated epithets at those whom he feels might upstage him, most recently professional football players and basketball players, then college students and young adults need to demonstrate, at the polls and in writing campaigns, town hall meetings that they convene and through all forms of social media, like Twitter, that they will no longer vote for or support elected officials who refuse to take a stand against the offenses against fellow Americans and the principles upon which this country was established by a president who is best caricatured as Twitter Man. Gabriel Niforatos is a freshman who is double majoring in economics and political science. When he’s not at school he is busy hiking and running in the New Mexico mountain range.

His email is gniforat@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Join the conversation.

Submit a Letter to the Editor:

Email viewpoint@ndsmcobserver.com

The observer | monday, september 25, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

7

The planes at JFK Lauren Fox Life Goes On

In the 1970s, my grandfather would go to John F. Kennedy (JFK) airport to film the planes, and my father would go with him to make a small fortune.

The planes mesmerized my grandfather. He would pull off to the side of the highway near JFK, take out a lawn chair and spend two hours watching and filming the planes while enjoying some cigarettes. W hen I was growing up, my family would share a laugh comparing his plane footage to his footage from family weddings. He had a great eye for the planes, but we always had difficulty determining whose dress or suit jacket we were staring at in the wedding videos ... Poppy always cut off their faces.

Watching the planes was hypnotic, my father told me: “It’s like sitting at the ocean watching the waves.” At JFK, the planes would come in every two to three minutes.

But the hypnosis of the planes was not enough to keep my father there, on the side of the road

with my grandfather. No, my dad was more interested in making a fast fortune inside the airport.

Off he’d go, from one end of the horseshoe shaped airport to the other, raiding the phone booths for spare change. JFK is an international airport, and loads of non-English speaking visitors would arrive, attempt to use the phone booths, fail and — luckily for my father — not understand the phrase “coin return.” My father, 12 years old at the time, would go from booth to booth, terminal to terminal, pulling the coin return lever. He would exhaust the booths in all the terminals, but “by the time I got back to Terminal 1 they’d be full again,” my father said.

By the end of the two hour time period, he would have collected between $10 and $20, the same amount of money he’d make for a full week of delivering newspapers.

In those days, a kid could disappear for two hours inside an airport without worried parents calling SWAT teams to find out where they are.

In those days, a man could pull off onto the side of the highway next to an international airport and film the planes coming and going without a

second glance. In those days, when my grandfather’s brother and sisters would come visit him from Ireland, my family would be waiting in the terminal with champagne, cheese and crackers, ready to have an airport welcoming party.

It’s not bad that things have changed since then. If my kids disappeared in an airport, I’d be calling in the SWAT teams too. Kids will always be mischievous. If they’re not traversing international airports alone scavenging for change, they’re finding other ways to keep parents on their toes. But the planes at JFK remind us to take life slowly and to take a breath. As parents or busy adults, we should always take an hour or so to sit in a lawn chair with a cigarette, letting the loud, steady swoosh of the planes captivate our minds and steady our hands.

Lauren Fox is a junior PLS major who enjoys listening to summer hits of the 2000s and playing 500 rummy.

You can follow her on twitter via @bylaurenfox and send fan mail to lfox6@nd.edu The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Poetry is hard I’m getting to the point where I’m OK with calling myself a poet. Yes, I still kind of feel like I’m wrecking the word, and I’m also all too aware that to declare oneself a poet is to sort of proclaim that you’re a Grade-A obnoxious person, but let’s be honest, I’m the worst (you deserve to know that).

This is super hypocritical, but in general, writers kind of suck. Get a group of them together, and writing is all they talk about. It’s a muscle f lex of I’ve written /this/ amount of words, I do /this/ much planning, I write for /this/ many hours. See, writers are quietly arrogant. They think that nobody /really/ understands them the way other writers can. They’re secretly trying to one-up each other. They think that writing is this awesome gift, and they were one of the few to be selected.

I don’t think that’s true. Most people write.

Most people have to get good at it for school.

Everyone dreams and feels and imagines, and I don’t know if writers do any of that better than anyone else. They just think and collect and memorialize which are all very human things that literally everyone is capable of. I’ve never felt special to be a writer. I’ll always cringe when I call myself a poet. I don’t like to call attention to the amount of words I’ve written. W hat’s the point if the quality is terrible? Maybe I’ve got the dribble work down, but I can’t make a shot. Any monkey can sit at a computer and type. To me, writing has always been something that could be learned.

Everyone has said quotable things; I’m just making the effort to put it down on paper.

That’s not to say it isn’t hard work. If you’ve ever been in a conversation where you’ve admitted that you’re working on a novel, the response you’ll get is always: “Wow, that’s impressive. I could never do that.” They’ll ask you what your novel is about and how many words you have right now and be perfectly in awe that you’re attempting this formidable feat. Novels are hard.

I know; I’ve tried them. I’ve written x amount.

(This is me leaving the quantity out, because it’s not important. The important bit is having written at all.) Plays scare me too much. I wouldn’t know where to begin; I can’t write one of those.

They’re hard as well.

But if you tell someone you’re writing a poetry collection, the response is typically: “Oh, that’s cool, I guess.” And I know that in their head they’re thinking that poetry is easy, because I’ve been told that to my face too many times by socalled writers and non-writers alike.

But, poetry. Is. Hard. Poetry is so hard. Poetry is me staring at a page for an hour and getting a three line stanza that’s really only half a sentence. Poetry is me looking at the first draft of a poem and then staring at one word for three hours because it’s not the one I want. Poetry is metaphor and analog y and sound and image.

There are so so so many things you have to think about when writing a poem that you don’t have to think about when writing a novel. There’s still

planning. There’s still pacing. But you’ve got to say it faster and different and topsy-turv y. You’ve got to understand yourself. You’ve got to understand other people. You’ve got to understand syllables and rhythm. You’re still story-telling, but in a tighter space. There is no margin of error in poetry. You might be forgiven for an entire page of filler in a novel. One wrong word in a poem? Bam. It’s over. For a long time I only wrote prose because I thought poetry was too hard. You have to think about shape. You have to think about what style (free verse, haiku, sestina, villanelle, ghazal, sonnet, limerick, cinquain, etc., etc., etc.) is the best way to make your point. It’s not random. It matters. It’s a mental rotation task with words.

It’s untangling the twisted web of life with your toes. I could give you so many other analogies, but I’m sure you get the point. Poetry. Is. Hard.

And that’s why I love it.

So yes, I’ll go atomic when my fellow “writers” all turn to novels and screenplays because “writing poetry is the easy way out.” I’ll never belittle novels or play writing, but to say that poetry is easy? I don’t believe that writing is intrinsic. I’ve worked for these words, fought to understand them. If poetry is easy, then you’ve never written a poem. If poetry is easy, then do you understand writing at all?

Follow us on twitter @ObserverViewpnt

Angela Lim junior Sept. 17

8

Classifieds

The observer | monday, september 25, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

Crossword | Will Shortz

Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Learn whatever you need to know in order to head in the right direction. You can and will make progress this year if you are intent on seeing matters through to the end. Caring about others and looking for better ways to improve your life, surroundings and your future will be rewarding. Move forward in a positive manner. Your numbers are 5, 12, 19, 26, 32, 34, 41.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Revisit old ideas and see if they fit into your current situation. Upgrade your skills or use them in creative ways. Your financial, medical and legal matters may need to be looked at more carefully.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Discuss important matters with a partner or someone who will be influenced by the decisions you need to make. Getting the go-ahead will give you peace of mind. Personal changes and romantic encounters will improve your life.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Check out online employment opportunities or sit back and take time to rethink your plans for the future. Consider what’s trending and how you can use your attributes to your advantage. Trust in yourself and don’t listen to hearsay.

CANCER ( June 21-July 22): A creative outlet will have a calming effect on you. Make plans to do something with someone special. Share your thoughts and feelings and make plans that will bring you closer to the ones you love. Romance is highlighted.

LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22): Home, family and personal finances will all need to be reconsidered. No matter what you decide to do, don’t jeopardize your security. The wrong move could turn into a costly mistake. Exhibit practicality and common sense.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Use friendly persuasion to get what you want and to complete what you promised you would do. Keep your promises and hold yourself accountable. Romance is highlighted.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Take hold of whatever situation you are faced with and do your best to encourage those around you to pitch in and help.

Express your thoughts and plans, and collaborate with people who share your concerns and interests.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Invest in yourself. Update your resume or appearance to fit the requirements of a position that interests you. Be creative in the way you present who you are and what you have to offer.

Celebrate with someone you love.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Information will be the key to getting ahead. Knowing what is going on around you and who has similar objectives will encourage you to surround yourself with the people who have the most to offer.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Don’t hold back when it comes to discussing your plans with someone you love. The input you get will help you revise and improve your intentions. Uncertainty will ebb as you develop your idea further. Romance is highlighted.

AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Don’t quibble over something you cannot change. Work alongside those trying to reach the same goal. Being a team player will help you overcome the challenges that you encounter. Keep your personal information and passwords well-hidden.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Make a promise and keep it. Explaining your intentions to someone you care about and consider an equal will help you bring your plans to fruition. Don’t limit what you can do. Speak up and take action.

Birthday Baby: You are persuasive, assertive and meticulous. You are realistic and helpful.

WINGin’ it | OLIVIA WANG & BAILEE EGAN

Sudoku | The Mepham Group

Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek

Work Area

Make checks payable to and mail to: The Observer

P.O. Box 779 Notre Dame, IN 46556

Published Monday through Friday, The Observer is a vital source of information on people and events in the Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s Community.

Join the more than 13,000 readers who have found The Observer an indispensable link to the two campuses. Please complete the accompanying form and mail it today to receive The Observer in your home.

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

sports

ndsmcobserver.com | monday, september 25, 2017 | The Observer

9

Sports Authority

Athletes should be able to protest Mia Berry Sports Writer

The days of kicking back with the boys watching a game free from political messages are long gone.

During televised football and basketball games viewers can expect to see active forms of political protest, from kneeling during the national anthem to warm up shirts with political messages such as “I can’t breathe.” The centuries-old imaginary boundary that has separated sports and politics has rapidly faded, and is almost nonexistent depending on which sport you’re watching.

Despite the initial taboo not to infiltrate the “sports sanctuary” with political agendas, in modern day sports it has become nearly impossible for sports to exists without including politics.

The great debate of whether or not athletes should be allowed to make political demonstrations during nationally televised games was sparked when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick spent the 2016 season kneeling during the national anthem to protest an increase in political injustice against African Americans and other minorities across the country. While some NFL players followed Kaepernick’s lead by protesting during the anthem, many players and owners harshly criticized Kaepernick for what they considered to be a disrespectful act against to the United States. Similar protests have been done throughout the WNBA and NBA with the same mixed reactions for fans and media alike.

Recently, the politically charged protests have made their first reaches into America’s favorite pastime: baseball.

This past weekend, Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell became the first MLB player to take a knee during the national anthem. Maxwell followed his protest by publicly voicing his frustrations about racial injustice and divisive comments from President Trump. Maxwell kneeled with the intention of bringing awareness to the plight of minorities in the U.S., without disrespecting the flag or the country. Last month, during a Boston Red Sox games against the A’s, fans were removed from Fenway Park for displaying a large sign which read: “Racism is as American as baseball.”

The sign captured the prevailing thought and fears that Kaepernick and many other supporters had been alluding to for the last few months.

The lingering question of whether or not athletes should

be allowed to protest has caused great controversy due to how the athletes are practicing their First Amendment rights. Given the current political climate of the country and the numerous issues that both directly and indirectly affect athletes, they should be allowed to participate in political protests without the fear of being disciplined.

The main reason for the drastic increase in political demonstrations can be correlated with a change in the political environment. Over the last year American politics has drastically shifted, and has garnered a series of firsts including the election of the first president in the modern era without vast established political experience.

Although, the average sports fanatic may not be pleased to watch the numerous political demonstrations, the demonstrations are necessary to bring public awareness to these issues. Many sports fans would disagree and say that the protests are a distraction from the sport and have contributed to a decline in viewership, which is well within their rights to voice their opinions. But the racial injustices in America that have been present for decades, and they deserve to be in the national spotlight in order to help work toward resolutions.

The protests have been met with staunch criticism from sports writers and fans encouraging athletes to just stick to sports, but wouldn’t it also be fair to tell politicians to stick to politics? After all, it should be taken into considering that Trump has made it a priority to publicly criticize Colin Kaepernick, Stephen Curry and all NFL owners. If sports and politics are going to coexist it should be acceptable to for both sides to voiced their opinions freely.

For those who attribute the demonstrations as actions disrespectful and detrimental to the country, it is also important take into consideration the issue and cause that the athletes are protesting not just how they chose to do so.

Considering the shift in the current political climate of United States sports fan should be prepared to see athletes taking many more political stands to combat the many underlying issues within the American justice system. Only time will tell if sports can once again survive without political involvement.

Contact Mia Berry at mberry1@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

ZACH YIM | The Observer

Irish senior midfielder Megan McCashland looks to pass during Notre Dame’s 3-0 loss to Duke on Thursday. McCashland has three shots and two shots on goal so far this season.

W Soccer Continued from page 12

minute off of a shot by senior Meghan Doyle to seal the deal for the Irish.

Senior Lex i Nicholas made her first career start for Notre Dame in goal, and also recorded her first shutout.

Coach Romagnolo was proud of how her team bounced back on Sunday, and described how it is difficult to compare games with different opponents.

“It’s really hard to compare between the Duke game and the NC State game, since they are just different teams,” she explained.

“We had good moments basically all game against Duke outside of a tough

stretch, when there were three tough goals that were ver y preventable. It felt good coming back [Sunday] and having better defense and keeping possession of the ball more. We created nice pockets that we could play in, and we were aggressive in the final third. We kept attention to detail, making sure we were focused defensively, not even giving the opposing team a chance to possess the ball or have a look at the goal.”

She noted the accomplishments of the team during their game against NC State.

“Some of the things we did well was keeping possession of the ball, being patient, and then breaking down the [opposing] defense and creating some

great opportunities,” she said.

“Then we executed on these opportunities with high quality finishes” Coach Romagnolo pointed out the keys of success for the Irish in Sunday’s contest.

“We generally just tr y to stick to our game,” she noted.

“We were able to control the game by having the ball most of the time. We were able to get our feet on the ball in the midfield, so they didn’t have much of a look at the goal or that side of the field at all. I’m proud of our defensive mentality and our decision to keep the ball away from them.”

Contact Brenna Moxley at bmoxley@nd.edu

ZACH YIM | The Observer

Irish junior defender Rachel Heard kicks the ball upfield during Notre Dame’s 3-0 loss to Duke at Alumni Stadium on Thursday. Heard has one shot on goal so far this season.

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

10

The observer | monday, september 25, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

M Tennis Continued from page 12

well. He had two good w ins and lost a heartbreaker to a ver y good player from A labama on Friday. But he can still take confidence from that match and obv iously to w in two rounds in prett y easy fashion against this level of competition was a good thing too. “... So like I said, all four guys had strong moments and good things they accomplished, yet all four are probably going back to campus w ith some things they want to work on and address from now until they compete again next.”

Sachire said he liked the improvement he saw in the doubles portion of the competition, but said his team w ill still work to improve in that area of their game.

“It’s tough because these are four different guys than the ones I was w ith out in California, so this was a different group of guys, but we definitely worked on doubles in practice over the last week and I think our guys ref lected a little bit of that this weekend and it is still definitely going to be a point of emphasis here in the next couple of weeks,” Sachire said. “Again, it is a long time until we start our dual match season in Januar y, so we w ill have plent y of time to address it, but it is definitely still a concern and definitely something we want to keep working on.”

“I was just really proud of the way all of our guys competed and fought to this point in the fall and we just have to keep getting better and keep being the best that

Please recycle The Observer.

Sports

we can be.”

Sachire also said another portion of the game his team w ill work to improve in is their second ser ve.

“I think a big thing honestly for a lot of our guys is working on their second ser ve,” Sachire said. “In tennis, to be a really good player, you’ve got to have a ver y reliable second ser ve, and I thought we double faulted a little too much this week dow n here, so I think in particular these guys w ill be doing a lot of second ser ve points and addressing that part of their game. You need to be able to not have that be a liabilit y and a weakness in your game. So I think that was one thing specifically that’s universal to all of these guys coming out of this, so we’ll address it over the next couple of weeks in practice.”

MICHELLE MEHELAS | The Observer

Contact Michael Ivey at mivey@hcc-nd.edu

Irish sophomore Matt Gamble looks to hit a forehand during Notre Dame’s 4-1 win over Northwestern on Feb. 24 at Eck Tennis Pavilion. Gamble won his match in the Irish victory.

Paid Advertisement

Sports

ndsmcobserver.com | monday, september 25, 2017 | The Observer

11

nd VOLLEYBALL | LOUISVILLE 3, nd 2; NC STATE 3, nd 2

Irish drop first two ACC contests on the road Observer Sports Staff

MICHELLE MEHELAS | The Obsever

Irish junior outside hitter Rebecca Nunge tips the ball during Notre Dame’s 3-0 win over Michigan State on Sept. 15 at Purcell Pavilion. Nunge had three kills, three blocks and one dig in the victory. She also had nine kills and two service aces in the loss to Louisville on Friday.

Paid Advertisement

Notre Dame opened conference play this past weekend, but fell in hard fought five-set matches to both Louisville and North Carolina State.

On Friday, the Irish (10-3, 0-2 ACC) dropped their second game of the season on the road at Louisville (7-5, 1-1). Although Notre Dame dropped the first set 25-23, the team rebounded and went on to win the next two sets, with the help of a crucial ace from senior libero Natalie Johnson in the second set and senior outside hitter Sydney Kuhn’s two straight kills to end the third.

But the Irish were unable to continue their hot streak in the final two sets, as Louisville got out to an early lead in the fourth set which they never gave up to force a fifth and final set. Trailing by four points in the final set, the Irish managed to tie the score at 8-8, but ultimately fell to the Cardinals by a score of 15-11. Despite dropping the match, Kuhn put on a stellar performance, recording 12 kills and 16 digs along with a season-high five blocks.

On Sunday, the Irish looked to bounce back in Raleigh, North Carolina, as Notre Dame took on the Wolfpack of North Carolina State (7-6, 2-0). In another tightly contested affair, the Irish went down 1-0 after dropping the first set 25-17. The second set went to the Irish, as they fought back despite an early four point deficit with a 9-1 run to win the set 25-19.

The Wolfpack bounced back to win the third set 25-16 after going on their own nine point run. But Notre Dame stayed alive, as the Irish persevered to win the fourth set, never trailing and closing out the match to win 25-21.

But in the final set, North Carolina State went ahead early and stayed ahead, winning the set 15-7 and the match 3-2.

Senior middle blocker Sam Fry recorded her first double double of the season with 10 kills and 10 blocks to lead Notre Dame.

The Irish will look to bounce back in the conference next weekend when Notre Dame opens their conference home schedule with games against Miami on Friday and Florida State on Sunday at Purcell Pavilion.

Follow us on Twitter. @Observer Sports

12

The observer | monday, september 25, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

MEN’S TENNIS | Crimson tide 4-in-the-fall

Young players find doubles success on road

By MICHAEL IVEY Sports Writer

Four Notre Dame players competed in the Crimson Tide 4-In-TheFall Tournament at the Universit y of A labama in Tuscaloosa, A labama this past weekend.

Among the notable results for the Irish include the doubles pair of junior Daniel Rayl and sophomore Conor Somers, who recorded two w ins out of the three doubles matches they played over the weekend. The doubles team of freshman Paul Gota and junior Nathan Griffin also recorded a doubles w in on Saturday. Rayl, Somers, Gota and Griffin all recorded singles w ins during the weekend.

Irish head coach Ryan Sachire said he was pleased w ith the performances of his players.

“As a whole, I thought we did ok,” Sachire said. “It wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but there were certainly some good spots and I think ever ybody

can take some confidence from certain aspects and certain matches we played this weekend. Now we have to build on them and tr y to do better in a couple of weeks when all of these guys play again in our next tournament.” “ ... We brought four guys dow n to this tournament. I was really excited about the doubles level from Danny Rayl and especially in Conor Somers as well. They did a really good job in the doubles portion had two good w ins, so that was a positive from the event from those guys.

The other two guys who were here were Paul Goda, who is a freshman, and he played at a really high level especially for a freshman to come dow n here. He played in the top draw w ith all the best players and he did well. He won two matches and played really well actually in all four of his matches. Then Nathan Griffin was the fourth guy who came dow n on the trip and he also played really see M TENNIS PAGE 10

MICHELLE MEHELAS | The Observer

Irish junior Alex Lebedev follows through on a serve during Notre Dame’s 4-1 win over Northwestern on Feb. 24 at Eck Tennis Pavilion. Lebedev dropped his match 6-4, 6-4.

ND women’s soccer | duke 3, ND 0; nd 4, nc state 0

Irish rebound with victory after loss to Duke

By BRENNA MOXELY Sports Writer

ZACH YIM | The Observer

Irish senior midfielder Taylor Klawunder controls the ball during Notre Dame’s 3-0 loss to Duke on Thursday at Alumni Stadium. Klawunder has one shot on goal so far this season.

The Irish split two conference games at Alumni Stadium this past weekend, falling to the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils on Thursday and shutting out No. 24 North Carolina State on Sunday.

Notre Dame (6-3-2, 2-1-0 ACC) lost their first conference game on Thursday after being shutout 3-0 by a Duke defense that has only given up six goals this season.

Although coming off a strong victory over Clemson in Notre Dame’s conference opener, the Irish offense, which leads the ACC in shots, struggled to create chances and were held scoreless for only the third time this season.

The two squads both entered halftime scoreless, but the Blue Devils (10-1-0, 2-0) pulled away in the second 45 minutes, scoring in the 60th, 74th, and 76th minutes.

With the win, Duke pushed its win streak to nine, and pushed Notre Dame’s home record to 2-2-1 for the year. The Irish now have lost two home games this season, and only four in the past three seasons.

But the Irish bounced back on Sunday by besting North Carolina State (8-2-1, 1-1-1) 4-0 on Sunday, scoring four goals against a Wolfpack defense that has only allowed four goals prior to facing Notre Dame.

In a total team effort, Notre Dame’s offensive unit produced a total of nine shots on goal, while the defense allowed only two shots on goal.

Sophomore forward Natalie Jacobs scored the first goal of the day in the tenth minute, collecting a cross from graduate student midfielder Sandra Yu and putting a shot off of the crossbar and in.

Yu followed this up with a goal of her own at the 31st minute mark, off an assist from junior defender Sabrina Flores.

After the halftime break, Yu added to her daily tally with a goal in the 60th minute, with senior defender Monica Flores setting up the goal. Yu now has a career-high six goals for the season.

Notre Dame’s fourth and final goal came only a few minutes later, when Jacobs capitalized on a rebound in the 63rd see W SOCCER PAGE 9

Insider

Turnovers Continued from page 1

night came when sophomore cornerback Julian Love picked off a pass from Spartans sophomore quarterback Brian Lewerke at the Notre Dame 41-yard line and ran it back for the second Irish touchdown of the game.

“I was just so happy that I could contribute to the team,” Love said of the pick-six. “I turned around after I scored and everyone was hitting me and was on me. It was just such an exciting feeling, especially in front of my family. … I love playing for this school, and I love to show it through that play.”

But the two takeaways against the Spartans are beginning to be characteristic of this season’s Irish squad under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Mike Elko, one of the program’s offseason hires. In the season opener against Temple, senior linebacker Greer Martini forced a fumble, which was recovered by senior linebacker Drue Tranquill. Tranquill had an interception the next week against Georgia. Senior linebacker Nyles Morgan and sophomore defensive lineman Julian Okwara each forced a fumble against Boston College, while Crawford tallied two interceptions.

Compare that to the team that had eight interceptions, eight forced fumbles and just six fumble recoveries in the entirety of the 2016 season.

Saturday’s three forced turnovers — the other was another Martini forced fumble recovered

ndsmcobserver.com | monday, September 25, 2017 | The Observer

by sophomore defensive lineman Daelin Hayes — are representative of the way the defense is trending as a result of a concerted effort the squad is making. A focus is being made each week on forcing turnovers — a focus the team feels is paying off.

“Every day, we go through the turnover circuit, and that’s showing,” Love said. “We’re getting and creating our brand and Shaun [Crawford] especially, the turnover magnet, we’re just going after them and we’re doing it for each other, and I think that’s why we’re making the big plays.”

Crawford emphasized the importance of focusing on turnovers, as the squad looks to follow through on each play and hopefully come up with a positive result.

“Well, we have emphasize turnovers a big amount on defense,” Crawford said. “Through winter training and summer training, we always fought to be here, and we finish as a team and everything we do, we gotta finish.”

Although the team is just four games into the season, there is a healthy rivalry developing between the members of the secondary. While each one wants an interception for himself, Love noted the bond between them runs deep, and they are always cheering one another on, something he feels has benefitted the team so far this season, and will continue to do so. “ … We’re brothers in the secondary, as well as on defense,” Love said. “We just get excited for each other. I’m so excited for the play of the evening. It feels

like I’m making them when he makes them, and I know he feels the same way about me. I think that’s leading to our success. Just that selflessness throughout the whole team is really going to push us forward.”

The defense came into this matchup with an attitude of punishment, as Tranquill put it after the loss to Georgia. After Love’s and Crawford’s turnovers Saturday, he feels the defense is succeeding in doing that.

“I feel like [punishing is] our mindset; I feel like that’s been our mindset the last couple of weeks,” Tranquill said. “We started slow at Boston College, brought it in the second half. I feel like that was our mindset today. You have guys like Shaun Crawford punching the ball out from the running back coming into the endzone. That’s what I mean by punishing our opponent. Making plays like that, and I think he embodies that. I think we had guys embody that today.”

With the emphasis the Irish defense has placed on turnovers — not the mention the success it has had in converting on those turnovers offensively — Mike Elko’s defense makes the Irish look like a completely different squad.

“I think the story here is defensively, we’re taking the football away,” Irish head coach Brian Kelly said after Saturday’s win.

“We hadn’t been able to take the football away over the last few years. We’ve taken it away, and then we’re opportunistic.”

3

Scoring Summary 1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Total

14 7

14 0

7 3

3 8

38 18

Notre Dame 7, Michigan state 0

Brandon Wimbush 16-yard run (Justin Yoon kick)

13:05

remaining Drive: Seven plays, 78 yards, 1:55 elapsed

NOTRE DAME 14, Michigan state 0

Julian Love 59-yard interception return (Yoon kick)

10:33 remaining

NOTRE DAME 14, MICHIGAN STATE 7

Darrell Stewart Jr. 4-yard pass from Brian Lewerke (Matt Coghlin kick)

6:33

remaining Drive: Seven plays, 75 yards, 4:00 elapsed

2

Notre Dame 21, MIchigan state 7

Dexter Williams 8-yard pass from Wimbush (Yoon kick)

9:32

remaining Drive: Six plays, 24 yards, 2:23 elapsed

Notre dame 28, Michigan state 7 Williams 14-yard run (Yoon kick)

4:47

remaining Drive: Five plays, 80 yards, 1:34 elapsed

3

Notre Dame 28, Michigan state 10 Coghlin 40-yard field goal

11:13

remaining Drive: Nine plays, 53 yards, 3:38 elapsed

Notre dame 35, Michigan state 10

Contact Elizabeth Greason at egreason@nd.edu

Deon McIntosh 9-yard run (Yoon kick)

7:46

remaining Drive: Eight plays, 62 yards, 3:19 elapsed

Padanilam Continued from page 1

only 173 yards through the air — his third game this season in which he failed to reach the 200yard threshold. And in contrast to last week’s win, the offense wasn’t buoyed by two 200-yard rushing performances, as not a single Irish runner exceeded 60 yards on the ground.

But looking for the box score to evaluate the success of Notre Dame’s offense Saturday would be misguided.

Because when it was all said and done, the Irish (3-1) walked out of Spartan Stadium on Saturday with their best, most complete win of the season.

The emphasis on a balanced attack was clear from the get-go, as Notre Dame came out with five passing plays in its first six plays. The Irish even allowed Wimbush to find his rhythm, as the first play from scrimmage was a one-step drop for the junior that allowed him to fire a pass on target to waiting sophomore wide receiver Chase Claypool.

After several screens that allowed Wimbush to get a few throws in, the Irish finally took their deep shot; and Wimbush connected, finding junior wideout Equanimeous St. Brown 40 yards downfield to set up the 16-yard rushing touchdown by Wimbush just two plays later.

Perhaps Irish offensive

coordinator Chip Long read my column and adjusted accordingly. But more likely than not, the Irish had this game plan from the beginning of the week — taking advantage of a Spartan defense stuffing the middle of the field to slow the run by throwing outside — and just didn’t want the rest of the world to know about it.

And sure, the numbers might not pop off the page, but the Irish maintained a balanced attack the rest of the way. Their 173 yards through the air was only narrowly surpassed by their 182 yards on the ground. And Wimbush’s 14-of-20 passing mark was good enough to make the Spartans (2-1) respect the passing attack or hurt them when they didn’t.

So while the Irish still stuck with a run-heavy game plan — toting the ball on the ground 40 times against just those 20 pass attempts — they did enough through the air to move the ball with success on most of its drives.

And they made sure their firstyear starter at quarterback was comfortable enough to deliver when they called on him.

But what truly made this a complete effort for Notre Dame was the performance of its defense. The unit made the plays it needed to for the Irish to pull ahead, singlehandedly shifting the momentum of the game.

Even head coach Brian Kelly couldn’t help but note that the true story of the game was the

defense’s ability to take the ball away.

The Irish forced three turnovers in the first half. Two came in the form of fumble recoveries, including a touchdown-saving punch out and recovery that would make former Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman proud by Irish junior corner Shaun Crawford. And the third was an early pick-six by sophomore cornerback Julian Love.

By the end of the first half, the Irish had turned all three of those turnovers into touchdowns.

Together, the offense and defense had done their part to jump ahead 28-7, a comfortable lead they would maintain throughout the second half.

And that’s why Saturday’s game represented Notre Dame’s best effort this season thus far, regardless of the numbers might seem to indicate.

Because the Irish were as good as they needed to be in every facet of Saturday’s win.

Is this Irish team perfect? No. But it cannot be ignored that Notre Dame took a big step in the right direction at Spartan Stadium. A step it very much needed.

Contact Ben Padanilam at bpadanil@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

4

NOTRE DAME 38, michigan state 10 Yoon 46-yard field goal

4:51

remaining Drive: 10 plays, 66 yards, 5:01 elapsed

NOTRE DAME 38, Michigan state 18

Gerald Holmes 25-yard pass from Lewerke (Cody White pass from Lewerke for two-point conversion)

3:09

remaining Drive: Seven plays, 71 yards, 1:35 elapsed

statistics RUSHING yards 182 151

PASSING yards 173 345

total yards 355 496

4

Insider

The observer | monday, september 25, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

ROSIE LoVOI | The Observer

Irish junior running back and captain Josh Adams runs up the field and looks to stiff arm a Spartans defensive back during Notre Dame’s 38-18 win over Michigan State on Saturday at Spartan Stadium. Adams had a team-high 56 rushing yards against the Spartans, and his 499 yards on the ground this season also leads the Irish.

Turning over the Spartans

Notre Dame forced three turnovers in the first half, scoring on a pick-six as well as on two drives that followed fumble recoveries.

The Irish took a 28-7 lead over the Spartans into halftime and chewed up the clock in the second half en route to a 38-18 victory. With the win, the Irish were able to avenge last season’s 36-28 loss to the Spartans at Notre Dame Stadium.

ROSIE LoVOI | The Observer

Irish junior defensive lineman Jerry Tillery tries to block a field goal at Spartan Stadium on Saturday.

ROSIE LoVOI | The Observer

Irish junior wide receiver Chris Finke, center, is tackled by multiple Spartan defenders while returning a punt during Saturday’s game.

ROSIE LoVOI | The Observer

Irish junior tight end Alize Mack looks to elude a defender during Notre Dame’s 38-18 win Saturday.

ROSIE LoVOI | The Observer

Irish junior linebacker Te’von Coney hurries the quarterback during Notre Dame’s win Saturday.

ROSIE LoVOI | The Observer

Junior tight end Alize Mack tries to get past a defender in Saturday’s game against the Spartans.