Print Edition of The Observer for Monday, October 19, 2020

notre dame 12, louisville 5 | monday, october 19, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

‘Winning is hard’ Irish defense holds strong against Cardinals as Notre Dame wins 22nd straight home game

Photo courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics

Irish sophomore running back Kyren Williams cuts to the left during Notre Dame’s 12-7 victory against Louisville on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium. Williams rushed for 127 total yards during the game, leading an offense that had limited red zone production. This is the fewest points Notre Dame has scored in a home win since 1978 against Purdue.

A glass half full outlook at ND beating Louisville Charlotte Edmonds Senior Sports Writer

Let the record show, I’m agreeing w ith Brian Kelly for *possibly* the first time in my life. At least mostly agreeing.

Notre Dame’s show ing versus Louisv ille was nothing to w rite home about, but before the panic sets in, there were some good takeaways. Yes, the team only scored a single touchdow n and the Cardinals recorded see EDMONDS PAGE 3

By CHARLOTTE EDMONDS Senior Sports Writer

It’s hard to imagine a Notre Dame game could get any more uneventful following the 45-0 routing of South Florida Sept. 19, but Saturday’s matchup against Louisville definitely gave it a run for its money.

“Their preparation was outstanding during the week,” Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said of his team leading up to the game. “I thought they came in with a mindset that was such that they knew this was not a 1-3 football team they were playing today.”

Kelly’s big takeaways from the game boiled down to two key points.

“I think the things we have

to do better, obviously if you watched the game — red zone,” he said. “Obviously we’ve got to score touchdowns and not field goals.

Then we’ve got to get off the field on third down. Those are the two things we talked about. We’ve got to be better there. We’ll certainly spend time in those two particular areas in working to be better and more efficient.”

The opening drive had all the makings of a dynamic offensive performance for the Irish. A five-yard rush by sophomore running back Kyren Williams kicked things off, followed by an 18-yard pass from graduate student quarterback Ian Book to junior wide receiver Kevin Austin. This marked Austin’s first catch of the

season, after being sidelined for a foot injury back in August that ultimately required surgery.

With the ball just past the 50-yard line, Book decided it was his turn to make a splash, cutting through the middle of the Louisville offense for an 18-yard gain.

After back-to-back incomplete passes to senior Brock Wright and freshman Michael Mayer, Book found graduate transfer wide receiver Ben Skowronek for 16 yards and a first down.

The momentum would eventually run out though as the Irish failed to convert on three attempts within the 15-yard line, bringing out senior kicker Jonathan see VICTORY PAGE 2

Skowronek, Austin return from injury to make mark

By MANNION McGINLEY Sports Writer

After the 12-7 Irish w in over Louisv ille, w ide receivers junior Kev in Austin and graduate student Ben Skow ronek topped the target list Saturday for graduate student quarterback Ian Book. The pair each had t wo targets, w ith one and t wo receptions, respectively. These were their first receptions of the season, as they are both coming off injuries.

Austin had foot surger y see RECEIVERS PAGE 3

2

Insider

The observer | monday, october 19, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Victory Continued from page 1

Doerer to complete a 32-yard field goal and put the Irish on the board.

Book and co. didn’t stay out for long as the Notre Dame defense held Louisville to only 13 yards in their first drive of the day. Upon returning, the Notre Dame offense went back to the same playbook — mixing up looks between their running corps and the big receiving targets on the outside. A few short gains from Williams were followed by a 10-yard pickup from senior Avery Davis and a holding penalty against Louisville, bringing Notre Dame within striking distance.

The Irish were unable to close out the drive, with Book ultimately being sacked just around the 10-yard line.

However, Doerer made sure the Irish drive wasn’t without anything to show, hitting another field goal and putting the Irish up 6-0 to close the first quarter.

Returning for the second quarter, the Louisville offense looked to get star junior receiver Tutu Atwell and redshirt junior tight end Isaac Martin involved in the play.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees elected to focus on the run game, continually looking to give Williams and freshman running back Chris Tyree the ball.

Following three straight drives with neither team managing to make it into the red zone, the Irish found themselves on the 13-yard line. On third down, Book found Austin in the back right corner of the end zone. While the crowd erupted in cheers, the officials eventually overturned the touchdown upon determining that Austin’s foot was out of bounds.

With less than a minute left in the first half, Notre Dame sophomore punter Jay Bramblett pulled a trick play on the Cardinals, going from holder to running back as he attempted to barrel his way toward the goal line on a fake kick. Bramblett ultimately came up two yards short of converting the first down and the Louisville offense returned to close out the half.

Kelly discussed what went into that play call.

“On film, in film study, we

felt like there was a vulnerability there,” he said. “We felt like it was going to go for a touchdown or I wouldn’t have called it, coupled with the fact that that was the time to take a shot at it.”

The halftime break proved pivotal for the Cardinals, who looked like a different team emerging from their locker room. Using up nearly half of the third quarter on their first drive, redshirt junior quarterback Malik Cunningham marched his offense 83 yards down the field, highlighted by a 29-yard pass to redshirt sophomore running back Javian Hawkins who was brought down inches short of the goal line. Cunningham eventually found redshirt sophomore Marshon Ford for the go-ahead score, giving the Cardinals their first lead of the game.

Kelly praised Louisville for the way they competed in the contest.

“Louisville played

extremely well,” he said. “[Head] coach [Scott Satterfield] had them ready to play. They took care of the football. I think I commented earlier in the week that I thought they had beaten themselves, quite frankly, and they easily could have been 4-0. They played like a 4-0 team today. We withstood that.”

That lead didn’t last long, though. The trio of Book, Tyree and Williams responded once again, with Book scrambling out of the pocket on third-and-long down the left sideline and over the pylon to put Notre Dame back on top.

Despite the struggle of the offense, graduate student defensive linemen Daelin Hayes said the defense never wavered and expected to do their job from the opening kickoff.

“We tell the offense all they need to do is give us three points and we’ll go do

the rest,” Hayes said. “That’s the mindset that our defense, you know, embodies, that [Defensive Coordinator Clark] Lea has instilled in us.

And that’s the mindset that we go out and we hold each other to that standard each and every time on the field.”

Hoping to give themselves a touchdown cushion, the Irish went for the two-point conversion but couldn’t convert, returning to their sideline up five. The offensive struggles continued to plague both teams as neither were able to get on the board for the remainder of the game.

However, the Irish managed to burn nearly eight minutes of clock in the fourth quarter as they got three key third down conversions. They would take a knee in the red zone to ice the final minute and a half of play.

While some fans may have left the game disappointed, Hayes reiterated that this game was about discipline.

“We just wanted to get back to the basics, stick to our fundamentals, and just play our type of ball, so we were confident in that,” he said. “Coach allowed us to go out and make plays, kept the game plan simple.”

While fans may not have taken a glowing impression of Notre Dame’s offense from this game, Kelly believes the final score can be misleading.

“I’ve coached a lot of games over 30 years,” Kelly said. “I don’t know that I’ve been in one quite like this. I’ve been in a 12-7 game when it was a stinker. You’ll be like, ‘Ew.’ But this game was a little different. It was hard-fought.”

Ultimately, Kelly is content that the team came away from the game with a win.

“We’re excited about the victory,” he said. “Winning is hard. [We’re] proud of our football team.”

Contact Charlotte Edmonds at cedmond3@nd.edu

Photo courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics

Irish senior offensive lineman Aaron Banks lifts up graduate student quarterback Ian Book in celebration after Book’s rushing touchdown late in the third quarter of Notre Dame’s 12-7 win over Louisville at Notre Dame Stadium. Book already has five rushing touchdowns on the year.

Play of the game

player of the game

Ian Book rushes for a 13-yard touchdown

Notre Dame safety kyle hamilton

Near the end of the third quarter, Notre Dame was trailing 7-6, and time was running out to reclaim the lead. At third-and-eight on the Louisville 13, the Irish were in danger of seeing another red zone drive fizzle out. Ian Book took the snap and rolled to his right, but all the receivers were covered. He scrambled left and saw space in front of him, diving into the end zone for what turned out to be the game-winning score.

Sophomore Kyle Hamilton has continued to build on a strong freshman season that saw The Athletic name him to their Freshman All-American team. During Saturday’s game, he had five tackles, all unassisted, good for second-best on the team. He also set the tone early for the Irish defense, diving to break up a third-down pass on Louisville’s first drive.

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Volume 55, Issue 26 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

ND begins saliva testing New method allows for up to 1,000 lab tests per day

By MARIA LUISA PAUL News Writer

From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, medical experts have been looking for inexpensive and effective ways to detect positive cases.

While nasal swab and nasopharyngeal testing gained traction across the U.S., saliva-based testing is becoming more prominent, with the technology being adopted in the surveillance testing strategies of institutions like University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Yale University, University of South Carolina and Rutgers University.

Here at Notre Dame, this type of test was implemented on Sept.

20 as part of the University’s largescale surveillance testing strategy, which also includes nasal swabs.

Associate vice president for research, Liz Rulli, who also leads the team that planned and implemented the University’s surveillance testing strategy, said Notre Dame adopted saliva-based testing due to its effectiveness and lower costs.

“It’s self administered, so it doesn’t require nursing staff to do the test, and it’s very safe for everyone at the collection and in the lab as well,” Rulli said.

Paul Bohn, a professor in the department of chemistry, who advises Rulli’s team, said saliva-based testing expedited the chemical process behind detecting the virus compared to nasal testing.

“Basically if you have the virus, the virus is transferred to the swab, and then there are two separate steps that are associated

South Bend holds Women’s March

with getting the virus off the swab, breaking the virus down and then transferring the virus into a solution that can turn the RNA into DNA,” Bohn said.

The move towards salivabased testing came after Bohn became aware that a long-time colleague and Notre Dame alum, Paul Hergenrother, a professor in University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign’s department of chemistry, was working on a new kind of sample collection strategy.

“I thought, ‘Well, this sounds like it could really be valuable for Notre Dame,’ because if we were going to get to the point where we were going to want to do widespread testing, we would need something that would be sufficiently acceptable see TESTING PAGE 3

News Writer

Pat Hackett, a candidate running for Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District seat, spoke at the Women’s March in South Bend on Saturday.

By MARIA LUISA PAUL News Writer

For the past three years, millions — typically clad in pink hats — have taken to the streets in support of the women’s rights movement in January. But this year, the Women’s March organization decided to host a second protest on Oct. 17.

While the first Women’s March was held the day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration in

NEWS PAGE 3

2017, this year’s Saturday’s march was organized to both honor late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy and to oppose Trump’s choice to replace her with former Notre Dame law professor, Judge Amy Coney Barrett.

“We’re holding socially distant actions across the country to send an unmistakable message about the fierce opposition to Trump see MARCH PAGE 4

SCENE PAGE 5

By TRINITY REILLY News Writer

Student government held their annual Race Relations week from Oct. 12-15 featuring multiple talks, a resource fair and a prayer service at the Grotto.

Kaya Lawrence, senior, is the director of diversity and inclusion in Student Government. Responsible for planning the week, she said she wanted to focus on Black liberation, intersectionality and the passion surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement this summer.

Lawrence intentionally chose to host Race Relations last week because it began on Indigenous People’s Day, she said. It also lined up with McWell’s Restoration week and the 27th Annual Hesburgh Lecture, which featured Angela Davis. Lawrence said she planned the week to fit with each of these other events.

“Monday was Indigenous People’s Day, and we wanted to bring recognition to that,” she said. “We also wanted to plan a presentation on racial battle fatigue, which we felt was a good see RACE PAGE 4

Respect Life Week promotes pro-life issues

By MAGGIE EASTLAND

Photo courtesy of Jennifer VanderVeen

Race Relations week highlights intersectionality

Notre Dame Right to Life celebrated Respect Life Week Oct. 12-16 with a variety of events including a movie showing, video message from Dr. Alveda King and a pro-life question-and-answer session.

Respect Life week is a recurring event the club hosts every year Mary Benz, senior and president of ND Right to Life, said. A similar weekly celebration, called You are Loved Week is usually organized for the spring semester.

Both of these week-long programs have a similar goal of “spreading awareness about the pro-life movement and educating students on campus about all that the movement encompasses,” Benz said.

She also noted that each week has a unique theme.

“This year the theme is life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” Benz said. “We’re trying to create a culture of dialogue for people across all spectrums where we can peacefully and lovingly discuss important topics surrounding life issues.”

Mary Biese, a junior and

VIEWPOINT PAGE 7

director of education for Right to Life, said in an email that the week is a unique way to hear new perspectives.

“It’s easy to just go to the March for Life every year. Respect Life Week provides new, coherent perspectives and is meant to encourage and enliven our resolve to fight for life not just in January, but every day for the year, through service, dialogue and prayer,” Biese said.

The week kicked off on Monday with an opening mass at the Basilica followed by a doughnut fellowship. On Tuesday, club members sported their right to life gear during the day, and a group gathered in the Carey Auditorium to view the movie “Divided Hearts of America.”

Biese called the movie a “well done overview of the situation of the abortion issue in America.”

The movie also featured an interview with Notre Dame’s own O. Carter Snead, a law professor and current director of the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture.

On Wednesday, Notre Dame students could join a Zoom video and discussion about the Moreau College Initiative, a program through which

nd w soccer PAGE 12

incarcerated individuals at the Westville Correctional Facility receive a liberal arts college education with the help of Holy Cross and Notre Dame professors.

The relatively new program began in 2013, and Alesha Seroczynski, director of college operations at Moreau College Initiative said in an email that it has grown from 15 students in four classes in 2013 to 75 students in 40 classes this last year.

“We have offered 80 unique, unduplicated classes over the past eight years. For the size of our college, that is an extremely robust education,” Seroczynski said.

This Zoom session marked the first collaboration between the Notre Dame Right to Life Club and the Moreau College Initiative, but Seroczynski said she would be willing to collaborate again in the future.

Seroczynski said the outreach is a life issue. Throughout the Zoom session, she talked about how education for those behind bars can lead to a renewed purpose and path in life.

“A lot of people who are see PRO-LIFE PAGE 4

nd volleyball PAGE 12

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Basilica Mass Basilica of the Sacred Heart 11:30 a.m. and 5:15 p.m.

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Gallery Tour virtual 12:30 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Featuring works from “Touchstones of the Twentieth Century.”

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Friends with Sisters forms bonds

By MIA MARROQUIN News Writer

Friends with Sisters, a program of campus ministry at Saint Mary’s, was founded in 1976 and has remained popular among sisters and students alike for nearly 50 years.

The connection between Saint Mary’s and the Sisters of the Holy Cross is an invaluable experience, senior Addie Bobosky said in an email.

Bobosky joined Friends with Sisters her freshman year and has remained an active member ever since.

Students are invited to apply to the club, and if selected, are partnered with a Holy Cross sister, with whom they are able to communicate and socialize with in organized events and casual settings. In a typical year, group events range from costume parties to bingo.

“I am so thankful to be a part of the club because of the friendships,” Bobosky said. “My sister, Sr. Claire Alfred, has been such a blessing in my life. I truly enjoy being with her and learning about her life. Pre-Covid, we would go to church together,

eat Sunday brunch together and participate in all the club events together.”

For Bobosky, the experience became even more special when her sister Julia, a sophomore, joined during her first year at the College.

“It has been such a blessing going to events together as well as bonding with both of our convent sisters,” Addie Bobosky said.

“I’m honored to have such an amazing opportunity to have a sister from Sisters of Holy Cross,” Julia Bobosky said. “Being able to have a personal relationship, learning from them, sharing their life stories as well as yours, our memories — I will never forget.”

Julia Bobosky spoke to the role that her sister, Judy Murphy, played in her transition to college and battle with homesickness.

“She would always tell me how loved I am, and if I need anything to always come to her,” she said. “She always thinks of others before herself, and I loved having the opportunity in my life to learn from such a role model.”

When students were sent home

over spring break, the Bobosky sisters used the opportunity to write over 50 letters to every sister with words of encouragement and prayer to let them know they were thinking of them.

Due to the ongoing pandemic and added restrictions at the convent, students have not been able to visit the sisters this semester which has impinged upon the normal operations of the group.

Letter writing has become a staple of the club’s activities this fall to maintain contact and stay in touch with the sisters.

Club president, senior Allison Schibi, organized an upcoming Halloween parade in which students can dress up in costumes and walk around the convent for the sisters to see.

“I highly recommend this club to anyone looking for a lifelong friendship with a Holy Cross sister. I promise that you will learn so much from their experiences,” Addie Bobosky said.

Contact Mia Marroquin at mmaroquin01@saintmarys.edu

News

ndsmcobserver.com | MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020 | The Observer

3

Author speaks on allyship at weekly lecture

By GABRIELLE PENNA News Writer

Media producer, author and speaker Austin Channing Brown spoke Friday afternoon on the importance of allyship between racial groups at the Klau Center’s weekly lecture series, “Building Anti-Racist Vocabulary.”

Channing Brown is the author of bestselling book, “I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness,” and she is also the executive producer of “The Next Question: A Web Series Imagining How Expansive Racial Justice Can Be.” Before beginning her talk, Channing Brown spoke on the applications of allyship.

“Even though I am going to talk about this in a black, white, people of color context, allyship does have applications beyond that,” Channing Brown said.

She further explained that allyship applies to all marginalized communities, although in this context, she spoke about race specifically.

Channing Brown defined what it meant to be an ally using four

Testing Continued from page 1

that students would want to or be okay with being tested on a routine basis,” Bohn said.

Hergenrother began developing this type of test in late April through the Manhattan Project, which aimed to “develop a fiber based test that bypassed any sort of the need for any supply chain limiting reagents, and that could be employed at a large scale and with a high frequency, and that was inexpensive,” he said.

After the experimental stage concluded, Hergenrother said the group made its manuscripts freely available in order to help other universities cope with the pandemic.

“The thing that universities have is that they have the technical expertise, and they have the equipment to run these tests,” Hergenrother said. “Here at the University of Illinois, we’re doing 10,000 a day, and have really dramatically lowered our positivity in the area. It’s just a luxury to be able to go get tested whenever you want and get a result in five to 10 hours. It’s remarkable.”

Contrary to the nasal tests that are also administered at Notre Dame, the saliva samples are not taken to a commercial lab, instead, they are processed on campus at the University’s Genomics and Bioinformatics Core Facility, directed by Michael Pfrender, a professor in the department of biology who was tasked with getting the laboratory ready to process samples.

“For the past two months, it’s really been helping to get that lab organized and set up,”

pillars of thought and action.

“Allies are less concerned with being nice and more concerned about being brave,” she said.

Channing Brown said nice people often acknowledge injustices, but fail to actively prevent injustices from continuing.

“It is important that the ally chooses courage over niceness,” Channing Brown said. “Too often, allies get so focused on being perceived as nice that they forfeit actually being courageous and fixing a situation, healing a situation, changing a situation of injustice.”

She also asked allies to realize the importance of fighting against structural inequalities to benefit marginalized communities.

“All allies know that people of color are not the work, that working on the system, changing the system, influencing the system, is the work,” Channing Brown said.

For her, the “work” is about changing unjust systems to create a community that acknowledges the humanity of people of color.

Beyond acknowledging where the problem lies, Channing Brown defined the active role allies must take.

“Allies are always looking for ways to support, fund, and assist members of a marginalized community,” Channing Brown said.

Allies, to Channing Brown, must not be closed-minded or afraid, she said. Instead, they are “teachable and committed,” and they cannot be fearful of perfectionism.

“You have to be willing to be vulnerable, and being vulnerable is willing to make mistakes and to be held accountable for those mistakes,” Channing Brown said.

As the discussion regarding racial injustice continues, Channing Brown said the language is also changing.

She said she particularly likes the manner in which “ally” and “accomplice” have become interchangeable.

“It sounds like the stakes are high, that you have something to lose, and that is what we are trying to get with allyship,”

Channing Brown said.

During the question and answer session, Channing Brown discussed some of her experiences growing up in predominantly white institutions.

She said that she often felt she could not relate to her peers, but she encouraged young students of color “to indulge in all of you.”

While many students of color today face school work, extracurricular activities and the ongoing fight for racial equality, Channing Brown encouraged students of color to try to enjoy their youth.

“The fact that you are surviving, the fact that you are here, the fact that you are trying to create a better life for you, for your community, for your family, that is enough,” Channing Brown said.

Channing Brown explained that learning about racial injustice is not easy; it takes time and work.

“It is extraordinarily painful work. And we do it anyway,” Channing Brown said. “It has to be done because my life is dependent on it.”

Channing Brown

acknowledged that education on racial injustice is not easy.

“This work requires all of us to get uncomfortable. The thing is, people of color already are. We are not asking white people to do something we are not already doing,” Channing Brown said.

She said she is asking white people to join her in the discomfort of modern-day injustices.

“We are already giving it our all,” Channing Brown said, referring to herself and other people of color.

Channing Brown noted that despite her setbacks and despite the fact she doesn’t know if she will see equality in her lifetime, she will not stop fighting for justice.

“Whether or not I’m going to do the work is never in question,” Channing Brown said. “Whether or not I am going to give up is never a question because of my human dignity. My personhood demands that I seek freedom, even if I never get to experience it.”

Pfrender said. “We started from scratch with all the equipment needed to run the tests, and we had to hire staff to staff it. And then we hit the setup all the computer infrastructure working with our Center for Research Computing.”

Since September, around 8,000 saliva samples have been collected, Rulli said, but the University is looking to ramp up its daily testing. On Oct. 14, 827 tests were collected — the largest amount per day— according to the HERE dashboard.

However, Pfrender said the laboratory has the capacity to process 1,000 samples per day.

“The sample part is easy and quick,” Pfrender said. “We can do a lot of people and generate or collect a lot of samples. Having a facility on campus allows us to do that high throughput, and we can get the results very quickly.

So if we do find individuals that we think warrant further testing, or that we should be following, we can do that. So that’s the big advantage of having a facility like that.”

tests — are part of Notre Dame’s surveillance testing strategy.

Another key difference between the three is that, at Notre Dome, only the rapid antigen tests and nasal swabs can be utilized as diagnostic test, as the university is still working on obtaining the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certification for salivabased testing.

“You have to have your lab CLIA certified in order to give a result to a patient,” Rulli said.

“So we’re unable to say you’re positive or you’re negative.

With those tests out of those saliva lab, we’re able to say, there’s nothing further you need to do, or we need you to go get a diagnostic test.”

Since saliva-based tests are currently exclusively used in a surveillance fashion, instead of having the samples traced back to individuals, they are aggregated into a pool of people.

“If everybody in the pool is negative, the whole pool tests negative, but if the if one of the people is positive then the whole pool is asked to go and get a diagnostic test,” Bohn explained.

Pfrender said that having a robust surveillance testing strategy provides the benefit of early detection, something that can help mitigate the spread.

“What we know now about the virus is that actually, you’re shedding the virus, typically for a few days before you show any symptoms. So, it you randomly test everybody, you have a much better chance of catching people early on before they start to show symptoms,” Pfrender said.

Another advantage, Pfrender explained, was that surveillance testing enables the identification of asymptomatic people.

“Many people, especially in the demographic age group that’s in college and undergrads and early 20s, have a large portion of asymptomatic cases.

They never show the symptoms, but yet they can still transmit the virus. And so if we can catch those people, then we can also further prevent the spread to people who may be more susceptible to the symptoms,” he said.

In order to carry out this surveillance strategy, 50 students have been employed to collect the saliva samples. Their tasks include ushering, aiding and checking-in people inside the Joyce Center — where Notre Dame’s testing facility is located. They also scan, label and collect the testing tubes, senior Haley Rague said.

One of their main goals is to provide an accommodating and calm space, Rague said.

“It’s a stressful time, and we just wanted to not make going into surveillance testing seem scary and remind people of how scary the whole situation could be,” she said. “We play music throughout the whole day, and we try to be as friendly as we can with people.”

Senior Katelyn Steenvoorden said she has felt safe working with potentially COVID-19 positive tests, as the students are given with protective equipment and underwent BSL2 training before starting their job.

“We’re very careful as workers, we’re never actually touching the person coming in to do the test nor their sample. So I would say it’s a pretty safe process,” Steenvoorden said. “I’m always wearing gloves, I wear glasses to protect my eyes and we’re distancing ourselves.”

For Steenvoorden, carrying out tests has proved to be a learning curve. The team constantly makes changes to the process in order to make it more efficient, she said.

“Our supervisors encouraged us to come to them with any feedback that we had about the process and what was working and what wasn’t working. This process has been evolving, just like our school has been adapting to the whole situation. So we’re pioneering it and making the most efficient changes we can,“ she said.

The students are not only working to expand saliva-based testing on-campus, but are also helping in the efforts to cross-reference nasal and saliva samples to measure their effectiveness, senior Riley Wester said.

We have been cross referencing our test with diagnostic tests. Since saliva tests are faster, we want to switch over to them. So we’re making sure that the two tests are synced up — that people test the same way in the two — and, if they are not, to dig deeper into why that is,” Wester said.

The three students made the same plea to the Notre Dame community: “Please show up for surveillance testing.”

“I know it can be an inconvenience, but just remembering why it’s important for us to stay here on campus and showing up if you’re called for testing is extremely important,” Steenvoorden said. “We have to just accept it as the new normal. It’s going to be here at least through next semester.”

Surveillance Notre Dame

testing

at

The University’s reopening of campus for the fall semester was possible in large part due to its establishment of a large scale testing strategy, which includes three types of tests: rapid antigen, commercial nasal PCR and saliva-based testing.

The rapid antigen test results are delivered in a matter of 15 to 20 minutes and are administered to people who receive a red pass from their daily health check, or are presenting symptoms. The commercial nasal swabs and the saliva-based samples — which are both PCR

Contact Gabrielle Penna at gpenna@nd.edu

Contact Maria Luisa Paul at mpaulran@nd.edu

4

NEWS

The observer | MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Pro-life Continued from page 1

invested in early life are not invested in end of life or later life,” Seroczynski said.

Her presentation strived to show the connection between the Moreau College Initiative outreach and respect for human life.

“Over 95% of all incarcerated persons in America will return to our communities. We should all be asking ourselves what kind of people — what kind of parents, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, citizens — we want

Race Continued from page 1

intersection between Race Relations week and Restoration week. Tuesday, Angela Davis was the annual Hesburgh lecturer, and, well, Angela Davis is always relevant, so we let her be a part of that as well.”

On Monday’s talk, which discussed repairing relations between Notre Dame and the Potawatomi tribe, and Tuesday’s lecture on racial battle fatigue were both held over Zoom. Wednesday’s small group session on the Black Lives Matter movement was socially distanced in the LaFortune

March Continued from page 1

and his agenda, including his attempt to fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat,” the Women’s March website said.

As a result, 425 demonstrations took place across the nation. In Washington, D.C., protestors marched from Freedom Plaza to the National Mall. In South Bend, some 200 people — including former Notre Dame women’s basketball coach Muffet McGraw and former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg’s mother Anne Montgomery — congregated in Howard Park in a rally organized by local attorney Jennifer VanderVeen.

Participants wore masks — some even emblazoned with colorful words such as “Vote!”

— and spread out across the park’s festival area.

“I thought we had a good turnout — especially considering the fact that our COVID numbers are up in the area — and we still had people who were willing to come out,” VanderVeen said.

Despite only having three weeks to assemble the rally, VanderVeen said she was inspired to rise to the challenge due to her desire for political change and Ginsburg’s death.

“I was losing a lot of sleep right after Justice Ginsburg passed, and it really did rattle all of us in the legal community when she passed,” VanderVeen

to return home after spending time in our penal system.

I believe any learned member of the Holy Cross community would agree that a liberal arts education is life-giving, and has the ability to offer a better, and more holistic, life for our students than the one they might have known otherwise,” Seroczynski said in an email.

For those who wish to get involved, Seroczynski said the program is always looking for professors to help educate these individuals.

Thursday featured Dr. Alveda King, pro-life advocate and niece of Dr. Martin Luther King

Jr., who recorded a video for the students of Notre Dame. She shared her personal story, relaying how her mother almost aborted her when she was a fetus and how she herself had two abortions.

“My mother was pregnant.

At that time in her community, there was an organization going around and passing out information to women, specifically Negro women,” Alveda said.

She said this organization was advocating for dilation and curettage, a gynecological procedure that can be used for abortion in the first trimester.

Alveda said Dr. Martin Luther

King Sr. actually convinced her mother not to go through with the procedure.

According to Alveda, King Sr. told her mother, “That’s not a lump of flesh, that’s my granddaughter. I saw her in a dream three years ago. She has bright skin, bright eyes, and red hair.”

Alveda discussed the relationship between abortion and race.

“If we’re thinking about equity, racial harmony, racial reconciliation, aborting a baby is not going to bring that into existence,” she said. “...I believe in woman’s rights. I believe that a woman has a right to choose what she does with her body.

The baby’s not her body. We must continually ask, where is the lawyer for baby? Abortion hurts women. Abortion sometimes kills women. Legal abortion kills women.”

The week concluded Friday with a pro-life board discussion and social in the LaFortune Ballroom. Students had the opportunity to engage with fellow students and Notre Dame professors, including political science professor Daniel Philpott and theology professor Father Kevin Grove.

Ballroom. Thursday’s resource fair was also in-person, but outside, and the prayer service for unity on Friday was in-person and accessible through live stream.

Sarah Galbenski, senior and student body vice president, said that student government wanted to host both in-person and virtual events, so that events could be meaningful without excluding anyone who feels uncomfortable gathering in person, or anyone in quarantine or isolation.

“We wanted to be cognizant of including people who may not feel comfortable going to an in-person event or were in quarantine or isolation and

still wanted to participate,” Galbenski said. “I think we struck a good balance — we’ve really learned about adaptability this semester and tried to get a good blend of in person and virtual events for this week.”

The co-directors of student life in student government played a large role in planning Thursday’s event. Senior Izzy Edgar, and junior Ian Baker planned a resource fair where different clubs on campus, including the Black Students Association, the Asian American Association and the Latino Student Alliance could hand out information and educational resources.

Other clubs, like PrismND and

Access-Able, had tables to discuss intersectionality between issues regarding race and sexual orientation and ability, Edgar said. The fair also had food from Black-owned South Bend restaurants and a book raffle.

“I think we were most pleased with the Dismantling Racism resources fair because the club fair couldn’t happen in-person this year,” Galbenski said. “So all these groups hadn’t had a chance to be together and advertise what they do and attract new members and talk about the importance of their mission.

So we were pleased to have a mini club fair for clubs that put diversity and inclusion at the forefront.”

Lawrence said she headed into the week with high expectations and came out impressed with campus engagement.

“Going into the week, I was really excited, because I had spent so long planning everything,” she said. “I would say that I am really happy with all of the conversations that were had across campus, especially given the limitations of COVID. I think that we were still able to have an impact on campus, and encourage our students, faculty and staff to engage in those difficult conversations.” early November.

said. “I am just coming off of board service on a national organization, so it was just kind of the right time, I felt, for me to jump up and do something and be politically active.”

VanderVeen said she hoped the rally encouraged people to vote.

“I really do feel that part of what happened in 2016 was voter turnout, because everyone saw the polls and thought we all knew what was going to happen. And I think people stayed at home or people voted third party, and that that led to the situation we’re currently in,” VanderVeen said. “It was really just trying to get people to realize that every vote does count. And that even though Indiana is so solidly red, if everyone voted, that could change.”

Several rally attendees carried signs decrying Trump’s move to replace Ginsberg with Barrett. Though Republicans have defended that choice by highlighting the fact that Barrett is a woman, Pat Hackett, a Democrat running for election to the House to represent Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District, gave a speech stating that Barrett’s gender alone does not qualify her for the job, as her “patriarchal perspective” and judicial record indicates an opposition to issues like abortion rights and LGBTQ marriage rights.

“Let’s be clear, the fact that this is a woman being appointed to the Supreme Court doesn’t make a difference

because the agenda is the same,” Hackett said.

For VanderVeen, however, one of the main issues behind Coney Barrett’s nomination is not the person, but rather the context.

“It wasn’t about her. It was about the process,” VanderVeen said. “It’s about the fact that a group of senators who stalled a nomination four years ago, all of whom gave lengthy quotes at that time defending themselves and saying, ‘If this happens again, in four years, you can quote us on it,’ are now turning around and doing this.

That is really what most people are galvanized around. I think it would be happening, almost no matter who [Trump] put up.”

With the presidential election taking place in only 17 days, VanderVeen had a message to the women of the Notre Dame community: Go vote.

“Many of you are going to be voting in your first presidential election,” VanderVeen said.

“It’s not a privilege to be taken lightly. If you go back and look at the history of women’s suffrage in this country and what women went through to secure that right for us to vote, it’s incumbent upon all of us to do that every time and exercise that right because of how hard they fought for us to have it.”

In previous years, students from the tri-campus community have attended the Women’s March in Washington, D.C in January. However, with the ongoing pandemic and recent

spike in COVID-19 cases, junior Cate Prather, the executive planner for the Women’s March 2020, said it was unlikely the group would be able to participate.

“With anything going on in the world outside and on campus, the safety of the community in our participants are at the forefront of our mind,” Prather said. “It’s looking like right now it is likely not going to happen due to the concern about bringing an outbreak back or getting the help of our participants.”

Nevertheless, Prather praised the Women’s March organization and their aim to give women a voice through a protest that has gained traction throughout the nation — an ideal that has ignited inspiration within students.

“I think that marches like the Women’s March and ideas that are nationalized, and communicated through media outlets are able to reach back even here to South Bend in the Midwest and students are able to feel invigorated and inspired by all these people who they stand in solidarity with to be able to create action here on campus,” Prather said.

To illustrate her point, Prather said that the experience of attending the D.C. Women’s March in 2019 served to inspire her to voice her beliefs on campus.

“It certainly has empowered me to come back to Notre Dame to stand up for and use my voice more for

issues that I care about knowing that I have a vast network of support around,” Prather said Student body vice president, senior Sarah Galbenski, echoed Prather’s beliefs on the march’s inspirational effects, noting that the movement’s strength “derives from its intersectionality.”

“Especially in light of our country’s well overdue reckoning with racial injustice, the women’s rights movement must strive to be intersectional and fight for the freedoms of all women regardless of race, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status,” Galbenski said.

Though to some the Women’s March movement has been equated to a specific set of beliefs, Prather said that, just like women from across the world, participants have different opinions and beliefs.

“There’s certainly a strong movement for pro-choice ... with how people interpret women’s rights and women’s reproductive rights,” Prather said. “But there are also people there who are pro-life and pro-women. And there’s a way for that to intersect in this march, and there’s a way to find common ground and to help support women in general. It certainly takes both sides to reach an agreement and to reach what hopefully will be a better way forward in the future.”

Contact Maggie Eastland at measlan@nd.edu

Contact Trinity Reilly at treilly5@nd.edu

Contact Maria Luisa Paul at mpaulran@nd.edu

5

The observer | MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

By SARAH KIKEL Scene Writer

Keough (1996) wants to be the next Steve Irwin. He never goes anywhere without his Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals, “Kanga” and “Roo,” for security. Keough enjoys pulling the other kids on the classroom chariot, their red Radio Flyer wagon, while pretending he is a pair of golden horses.

O’Neill (1996) is a big trouble maker. The preschool teachers have had their hands full keeping his anger under control, and they have made it clear in parent-teacher conferences that he would have been kicked out if his three siblings — they are quadruplets, of course — were not model students. O’Neill has a notorious history of setting fire to various objects with which he comes in contact, such as alphabet charts, the wooden blocks in the playpen and his sisters’ hair.

McGlinn (1997) is a born performer. She seeks the limelight, and she is the first in line for the dress-up box and to try out for the talent show. Due to being a big risk taker and her habit of staging baby bets with Goldfish, McGlinn’s teachers suspect that she might turn into a bit of a gambler when she grows up.

Welsh Family (1997) is a wild child. Always following

By COLLEEN FISCHER Scene Writer

The opening of “The Trial of the Chicago 7” is the best part of the film. The fast-paced montage of historical clips, each presenting a new hopeful leader calling for unity and change only for the next clip to show them getting gunned down, is punctuated by scenes of the violence in Vietnam and the draft, finally ending with Aaron Sorkin’s quick dialogue setting the stage for the climactic event of a generation — the protest outside of the 1968 Democratic Convention.

Known for his long-winded monologues usually featuring an upper-class white man explaining how the world should be, one would think that Sorkin, the director and writer of the film, would have been freed by the student protest movement of the ’70s. Instead, he was stifled by it. Sorkin would have been better off creating a fictional story where he could imprint his outdated brand of liberalism at free will, but instead, he put his beliefs in other peoples’ mouths.

Regardless, the performances in this film are immaculate. Eddie Redmayne is charming and beautiful, Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives a reliably solid performance and Sacha Baron Cohen offers a portrayal of activist Abbie Hoffman that is so historically accurate that it becomes a little eerie at times. Every time the courtroom atmosphere grows stale, the film moves along, making the over two-hour runtime tolerable. This movie is dripping with talent and relevance — they filmed scenes depicting police violence against protestors only to see them on the nightly news a few months later. But this movie isn’t about 1968; it’s not about the riots or the Chicago 7; it’s not about a corrupt criminal justice system and it’s not about the violence or the hope of the time or the current political atmosphere. This movie is about Aaron Sorkin.

As someone who sometimes reads the Port Huron Statement and cries, Sorkin’s portrayal of Tom Hayden in this movie is frustrating. Eddie Redmayne’s character is the laced-up alternative to the Yippies, allowing Sorkin, a standin, to criticize them without ever having to sympathize with

adventure, she lives a spontaneous life on the playground, turning cartwheels, hanging upside down on the monkeybars and running in circles. Welsh Family has good intentions, but she gets into a fair share of mischief, such as tricking her friends into drinking milk cartons with ketchup and mustard mixed in.

Duncan (2008) is an old soul, often teased by his peers for his anachronistic gothic style. Wholly unaffected by their insults, he spurns their comments by wearing a green blazer on Fridays, though the sleeves are a tad too long for his 4T size. When Duncan is not forced to listen to “The Wheels on the Bus,” he is found listening to Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole.

Ryan (2009) is the ultimate daddy’s girl. She cries everyday when her father drops her off, but cheers up when she is allowed to wear the aqua and navy Cinderella dress. Ryan likes to boss the other kids around during playtime, but her peers admit that she has good ideas. She keeps extra Disney princess fruit snacks in her cubby in case she doesn’t like the snack of the day that the teachers serve.

Dunne (2016), more extraverted than his twin Flaherty, demonstrates an unceasing pursuit of knowledge, which he intends to use for classroom power. He is always the first to volunteer in preschool exercises and loves being the line

leader. Dunne shows great promise as a future business leader.

Flaherty (2016), sensitive and emotional, carries around a collection of miniature Care Bears which she uses to indicate her feelings at the moment. Typically shy, she will open up to other children who show an interest in playing with the stuffed bears. But Flaherty is also possessive and has a tendency to scratch anyone who she suspects of wanting to steal her precious bears.

Baumer (2019), the new kid, is amazingly well put together. With a similar resemblance and fashion style to Dunne, the two have been known to butt heads in alpha male tension. Baumer has an overabundance of confidence due to being sent to school early, but Dunne is angered that they now let three-year-olds in preschool and thinks that an older kid should lead the pack.

Johnson Family (2020) is a mystery to even her teachers.

Quiet and mystical, she often suddenly appears and disappears, leading everyone to wonder if she is just a wanderer or some sort of mythical creature. As none of the teachers have ever seen Johnson Family’s parents, her origins are unknown.

the actual Tom Hayden. Historically, Hayden did not only tolerate the Yippies’ perspective and antics, he sometimes participated in them by wearing a fake goatee to court, mouthing off to the judge and at times mocking the proceedings in general. When put into context with his other works, Sorkin’s changes seem to be intentional to his message rather than just storytelling technique. He made them so he could write about the counterculture movements without ever having to actually identify with it. He wanted all of the idealism and none of the sex, drugs and rock and roll.

The fact that we allow the man who literally teaches the Masterclass on screenwriting to get away with writing script after script with few so multi-dimensional people of color or women confounds me. The historically unjust treatment of Bobby Seale, brilliantly played by Yahya Abdul Mateen II, is on full display in this film. Seale was the eighth member of the Chicago 7, and his presence led to the group being referred to as the Chicago 8 or the Conspiracy 8 because they were brought up on conspiracy charges. He was often the only person of color in the room, but this does not justify how Sorkin wrote his experience. Historically, the Honorable Julius Hoffman ordered Seale gagged in court after he repeatedly called out the racism in Hoffman’s denying him an attorney.

In the movie, it happens following an emotional outburst in which he screams profanities following the assassination of Fred Hampton by police. This use of Black pain by Sorkin without the subsequent display of Seale’s strong rhetorical talents is shameful. The only place Sorkin even attempts to rectify his story profiting off of Seale’s pain without giving him subsequent depth is when he lectures Tom Hayden. This moment though poignant is opportunistic and also frustrating. Sorkin uses Seale as a tool to expand Hayden’s depth.

Seale simply says what everyone watching and in the room knows so Sorkin can prove he himself is not racist.

There are essays, Youtube videos and even a whole TikTok account dedicated to exploring the ways in which Sorkin’s writing is sexist. I was hopeful that this criticism would have resulted in change but it did not. He opted to erase the historical and influential presence of women at both the protest

and the trial in lieu of a half-baked fictional storyline involving Jerry Rubin and an undercover female cop. Historically, Rubin’s wife Mimi Leonard was dragged out of the courtroom, but in the film she’s replaced by a side story that wastes covetable storytelling space. This also means that the only female character in the film who is in more than two scenes and isn’t a secretary is a manipulative liar.

Sorkin was handed one of the most interesting stories, full of complex characters and a star-studded cast, and he simply dropped the ball. Instead of making a film about young men and women fighting for change, he chose to make it about infighting and his own political agenda. The movie starts with the assassination of a generations’ leaders and ends with the jailing of the next generations’, yet I spent this entire review talking about how Sorkin simply dropped the ball. I wanted to write a poignant review featuring these leaders and their beliefs, how they changed their contempt for their government into action — something so many current college students can relate to. I wanted to talk about the loss of a generations’ consciousness and end with an encouraging note about how this generation’s leaders shouldn’t become complicit in the same way the seven did. But it didn’t feel right to praise Sorkin’s failure. In the end, I am just disappointed, but at least more people are learning about the Chicago 8.

Contact Sarah Kikel at skikel@nd.edu

Contact Colleen Fischer at cfischer01@saintmarys.edu

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” Starring: Sacha Baren Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Director: Aaron Sorkin Genre: Historical drama Where to watch: Netflix

LIYA BLITZER | The Observer

6

The observer | Monday, October 19, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Finding your place in the universe

Inside Column

The power of pink

Gabriel Niforatos The Road Less Traveled

Olivia Luchetti Viewpoint Copy Editor

It is definitely safe to say that 2020 has been a wild ride.

I don’t need to get into the details — you all know the drill by now. Global pandemic, a heated presidential election, et cetera. All of this chaos has been occupying my mind, so much so that I didn’t even realize what month it was until I walked into South Dining Hall one evening for dinner.

As I walked in, my eyes were drawn to the display of pink ribbons, boas and roses in the window. Crap — I completely forgot it was October. I forgot it was breast cancer awareness month.

Although I may have forgotten what month it was, I will never forget what my family has gone through. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer during the fall of my freshman year of college, almost a year to the day after her mother — my grandma — was diagnosed with breast cancer. Two of the most important women in my life were fighting the same disease at the same time.

My mom made the decision to take preventative action against the cancer, and my winter break of freshman year was filled with doctor’s visits, hospitals and many movies in bed together. Taking care of her alongside my sisters was a privilege for me. This unexpected time together truly bonded us as a family. Seeing the strength my mom displayed every single day taught my sisters and I the true meaning of courage and perseverance. She never once complained about the pain she felt or expressed her worries about the next surgery. She just knew she had to do it for us. My mom followed the example my grandmother set in her own fight. She fought hard for us, and I will forever be grateful for her determination.

My mom’s determination is the reason why I still have the chance to call her every day. I still have the chance to go on unsweetened iced tea runs with her. I still have the chance to make fun of my dad with her. I still have the chance to eat her famous buffalo chicken dip and enjoy her banana drinks. I still have the chance to travel on long road trips with her, jamming out to “Africa” by Toto.

And I know many people are not as lucky as I am to still have the chance to do the little things with their fighters.

Which is why we cannot let this October pass us by. Just because we haven’t been able to participate in 5k races or see sports teams donning their pink uniforms does not mean we can forget about the fighters in our lives!

So let this column serve as your official reminder that it is breast cancer awareness month! Let this column remind you to hug the women in your life harder, appreciate the little things they do for you and maybe pick up the phone and give them a call.

And ladies: Don’t let this pandemic scare you away from the doctor’s office! Know your family history, schedule those mammograms and talk to your doctor. When you have your health, you have everything. Without your health, you have nothing.

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

Do you feel at home in the universe?

This is the question that my professor began class w ith last Monday and it has stuck w ith me ever since, because I am not sure that there is an easy answer to it. Perhaps there is something about October that puts me in an introspective mood. Maybe it has to do w ith the fact that the semester is w inding dow n and ever yone is thinking about home, a ten-week long w inter hibernation and how COV ID-19 w ill impact holiday plans. Maybe it is related to an age-old Halloween tradition to tell stories to one another as the weather turns cooler and the leaves begin to turn color.

The question of feeling at home in the universe was a preface to a presentation that my class saw in Jordan Hall’s Digital Visualization Theater the follow ing day.

Many of you might be familiar w ith the Theater, or DV T, but as a political science major who has rarely made the Magellan voyage across campus to the hall of science, last Tuesday was a first for me. W hen you enter the theater, it looks like the inside of an obser vator y (I say confidently, as if I frequent obser vatories ever y weekend), and I was confident that the presentation would be the sort that we are all familiar w ith. You know what I’m talking about. A presentation about the universe that portrays it as a nesting doll on the cosmic level, starting w ith Earth and w idening the scope to the solar system, the Milk y Way gala x y and so on and so forth. W hile this was the structure of Tuesday’s presentation, I could not have predicted the experience. The technolog y of the theater made you feel as if you were f loating alongside Earth, gala x ies and nebulae, a priv ileged obser ver w ith an angle of the universe that we can only dream of in our present ignorance. W hile the experience was enjoyable, I confess that I was overwhelmed by it all.

I have always been fascinated w ith science and the universe. My close friends w ill be able to tell you that the first job I wanted when I was a child was to study quarks, that I was inches away from adding a Biolog y major during sophomore year. But I entered the theater on Tuesday w ith my political philosophy and constitutional law books tucked under my arm, ready for whatever I was about to see. An hour and fifteen minutes later, and a near four years of college suddenly seemed completely unsure to me. I felt lost in the size of the universe, dizzy, reeling as if I had been pulled out of the ocean. It is impossible to comprehend the immensit y of it all, and the loneliness of earth was magnified against this backdrop. I left the theater, and my legs

felt wobbly. There are billions of gala x ies and a countless number of stars w ithin the universe. How insignificant the trees and the w ind and the sidewalks seemed to me now, let alone the inter working of my ow n life. To say that humanit y is a speck of dust compared to the vastness of all that is in space is an understatement.

This is usually the place in my column where I pivot. Nothing can be entirely existential, right? The fact that life ex ists on Earth must set us apart as meaningful in some facet, regardless of whether you define that as a spiritual or scientific anomaly. God became incarnate and this must mean that he sees us past the dust of nebulae and the light of faraway worlds, right? I w ish I had an answer for you, but I reentered the world on Tuesday night and I w rite this to you as someone who feels as if they are out at sea.

Do I feel at home in the universe? Finding my place in the universe sounds a whole lot more daunting than finding who I am on this planet, but I think that this task is fundamentally the same in some regards. That doesn’t mean I have all the answers, or any of them for that matter. We are all made of star stuff, as Carl Sagan once said, formed from elements and materials from ancient stars. But right now, I cannot say that I feel at home in the universe.

W hat I do know is that the universe is expanding, and I implore you to do the same.

Space is infinite, but I think that we might be as well.

Gabriel Niforatos is a senior majoring in political science with minors in the Hesburgh Program in Public Service and theology. He is passionate about giving a voice to the disenfranchised and writing is the muse he is persistently chasing. He can be found at gniforat@nd.edu or @g_niforatos on Twitter.

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

Follow us on Twitter: @ObserverViewpnt

KERRY SCHNEEMAN | The Observer

The observer | Monday, October 19, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

7

Is free speech still worth defending?

Eva Analitis On Second Thought

It’s game night. You and your friends huddle around the dining room table, prepared to face off in a riveting game of Bananagrams. One friend unzips the sacred yellow pouch and pours out a pile of little letter squares. Another complains that Sophie, who has the entire English dictionary memorized, always wins. She’s just too good. To even the playing field, this friend declares a new rule, to which everyone agrees: Whenever Sophie swaps out a bad letter, she must draw fifteen new letters, while everyone else must only draw three. Excited that you might finally be able to dethrone Sophie as the Bananagrams champion, you divvy up the letters among everyone, and get right to speedily spelling all the words you can.

It’s a tight game, and Sophie’s already arranged her letters into a few words you’ve never heard of. But now she’s stuck and needs to swap out a pesky “Z” for fifteen new letters.

Meanwhile, you manage to form your final word, for the game-winner. But what’s game night without a rematch?

This time, the group has decided that you are the one who has to draw fifteen letters when you swap, while everyone else only draws three. Wait, this wasn’t part of the plan — they can’t do that, can they? Suddenly, you wish the rules hadn’t changed. It was fine when others had to draw fifteen letters because it helped you win, but you didn’t think they’d ever make you draw fifteen.

Lately, I’ve noticed a growing distaste toward the words “free speech.” Certain people cringe at the thought of letting words run wild because some seem dangerous. A segment of society is saying that not all speech is worth protecting — that morally bad speech should not be allowed. We are diverging into two paths when it comes to free speech, but heads up: One is a dead end.

There seems to be a negative attitude toward fans of free speech based on the assumption that the reason these people defend the freedom to say bad things is because they have bad things they want to say. This isn’t much of a surprise. While free speech was originally prized as a tool against tyranny, nowadays it often seems like a cover

for spewing vile words and an excuse to offend. We see it invoked today to defend neo-Nazi and white supremacist rallies, as well as to allow alt-right speakers on college campuses. Thus, to position oneself as a friend of free speech seems to express tacit approval of discriminatory attitudes toward historically oppressed groups. In other words, if you consider yourself a “free-speech person,” we think that what you really want is simply the right to be racist, sexist and hateful in other ways.

Moreover, free speech has come to be implicitly associated with the political right. “Oh, so-and-so told you he thinks we should hear out all viewpoints and let the best ones win?

He must be a conservative.” If we associate free speech with conservatives, and conservatives with principles we do not like, we might conclude that free speech is something we should not like. It is slowly being etched into leftwing ideology that “free speech” is really just code for linguistic oppression. However, I urge the left to reclaim the liberal position: the defense of free speech.

John Stuart Mill, one of the strongest early advocates of free speech, argued that we should let all thoughts flow freely in society, without any censorship, and that in the marketplace of ideas, the best ideas will prevail. Mill reasons that since no single person can know everything, by allowing all of our ideas into the public sphere, we can collectively reach a more complete truth. I somewhat agree with Mill — but I have a slightly different take. Some speech is so objectively reprehensible and unproductive that, unlike Mill, I would be hard-pressed to say it is beneficial to our country’s discourse.

For example, when neo-Nazis wanted to parade through Skokie, Illinois, a town with the largest population of Holocaust survivors outside of Israel, and the Supreme Court upheld their right to do so under the First Amendment, I am certain our nation could have done without their march and still had a vivacious marketplace of ideas. We did not need them to parade through Skokie to remind us how repugnant their ideology is, so that we might decide that it is bad.

We already knew. When such blatantly hateful speech is involved, the reason we must defend the right to free speech is not because it strengthens our democracy and discourse, but because the alternative is more concerning.

If we decide to disallow hate speech, we must next

determine what constitutes such speech. Who should decide that, and how do we enforce this? It is not as easy as simply banning the speech of Hate Group A. Who qualifies as part of this group? What if people share Hate Group A’s ideas but are not official members? And should their speech be banned at all times, or only when they promote the ideology of Hate Group A? In the blink of an eye, what started off as a narrow ban on clear hate speech can spiral into a sweeping prohibition of anything that seems to even come close to such speech.

What society might consider to be hate speech can change with time and with who holds power. Leaving determination of what speech should be free to the discretion of the majority at a given time should alarm any of us. You do not need me to remind you of all the times the majority has been wrong. If your favorite group is in charge, you might agree with what speech they deem hateful and support banning it. But what if the next administration deems your own ideas hateful and suddenly your speech is the one being suppressed? I’ll bet you’d wish you hadn’t changed the rules.

“I take it back! Sophie doesn’t need to draw fifteen letters!”

Those on the left who nowadays seem skeptical of freedom of speech share ideas with people who historically were themselves victims of curtailed free speech. In the 1900s, Communists were frequently denied free speech protection by the Supreme Court. If limitations on free speech were used against the left once, what makes us think they will not be used in that way again? Sure, some of the people seeking free speech defense today seem to be people we despise. But what if someday the people deciding whose speech deserves protection despise us? We must be cautious when changing the rules for other people because one day we might have to play by our own rules. We have to ask: Was one Bananagrams win worth it?

Eva Analitis is a junior in Lyons Hall majoring in political science and pre-health. If you see her around campus, don’t be afraid to whisk her off for an impromptu philosophical discussion. Otherwise, you can reach her at eanaliti@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Joe for America, Joe for Notre Dame Some moments in life are so significant, so integral to your story, that they become forever ingrained in your memory.

One such instance that has been on my mind recently is from when I boarded the airplane that would take me from London to my first semester at this spectacular institution.

It would be the second time in my life, the first being my formative years in Manhattan, that I had called the United States home. I remember holding my handsome navy-blue American passport in my hands and wondering, nervously, whether the journey would be worth it.

As a teenager living across the Atlantic, the America that I envisioned was, as Ronald Reagan described it, “intoxicating.” It was the land of the dreamy technicolor of “The West Wing,” the heroics of Pointe du Hoc and the Apollo Missions. It was the land where aspiration could, and would, collide with reality.

However, before my flight I had seen — as many across the world did — a shift in the American narrative. The wild and toxic posturing of this country’s leaders made me think that perhaps the rosy images in my head were dreams, and nothing more. Maybe the kid with the plummy voice and the crooked nose, who had grown up in England, wasn’t meant to fit into this America.

I was absolutely wrong to be worried. Since arriving in the United States, I have encountered a country that has exceeded even my most idealized expectations. If I were to describe my American experience in one word, it would be kindness.

This virtuous quality hasn’t just defined the people that I’ve had the good grace to encounter, it defines this university that I’m proud to call home. Notre Dame is predicated upon Catholic social teachings, principles that intrinsically

embody kindness and philanthropy.

Ever since our founder, Fr. Edward Sorin, proclaimed his dream that this University would be “a powerful force for good in the world,” Notre Dame has delivered. Incredible acts of good are produced daily by our students and alumni.

However, recent events in Minneapolis and Portland have proven that significant proportions of our nation are yet to experience the full benefits of the values we cherish.

This is also clear in the COVID-19 pandemic and the inequities — perhaps even the cruelties — of life in this country that it has laid bare.

America’s leaders have been at best inept, at worst complicit, in creating this reality. Over the last four years we have seen children imprisoned on our southern border, temporarily orphaned by law enforcement officers. We have seen repeated failures in our justice system, and the horrifying deaths of innocent Americans. We have also seen the dangerous fissuring of our society along political, racial and economic lines, with little reconciliation in sight.

Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020 is the day that we must recapture our essential American ideals. I believe that we have a clear choice to achieve that worthy end.

Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee for president, is axiomatically compatible with our ambitions for a benevolent, prosperous nation.

As an individual Joe Biden is the image of compassion.

This is clear to see on the campaign trail.

His — at times astounding — kindness has been demonstrated in comforting those who have unnecessarily lost loved ones to the coronavirus. It has been demonstrated as he has sought to assuage the anguish amongst communities that remain abused in our society. It has been demonstrated in his interactions with ordinary citizens, including

a young boy from New Hampshire whom he helped overcome stuttering.

I would argue that the best way to lead, if not the only way, is to do so by example. Joe Biden and the kindness he evidently possesses will proliferate throughout his policies, his government and America as a whole. That is, if he is elected.

Don’t believe in Joe Biden’s compassion? Take a look at his healthcare plan. His proposed public insurance option will, god willing, bring an end to many barbaric conversations occurring during this pandemic — whether this nation’s poorest can afford the treatment of their loved ones. I can think of few political aspirations that so clearly pursue kindness as an outcome.

Each successive generation of Americans has sought to close the gaps between our country’s original ideals and its reality. Those who have changed this nation did so out of love, out of a real desire to see our principles realized.

Continuing that legacy falls to us on Nov. 3.

Joe Biden will, through his policies, and his proven commitment to compassionate leadership, move America closer to the kindness that we seek here at Notre Dame. A vote for Joe Biden is not just a vote for a better America, it is a declaration that we want to see our institution’s principles universalized.

I encourage my fellow students to join me in the worthwhile endeavor of electing Joe Biden as president. There is a whole lot at stake.

Vote for Joe, Vote for Notre Dame.

Henry Jackson sophomore Oct. 14

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DAILY

The observer | MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Crossword | WILl shortz

Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Dig deep, and question everything and everyone. Gather facts and consider your objectives, and you’ll find the best way to move forward with your plans. Set goals, distance yourself from adversity and put your time and effort into personal gains and meaningful relationships. Preparation will make a difference to the outcome, so pay attention to detail. Put the past behind you. Your numbers are 6, 13, 18, 25, 31, 38, 47.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Make the most of your day. Steer clear of adversity and situations that will lead to trouble. Put the past in its place, and focus on future possibilities. Share with someone you love to ensure you are on the same page.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Embrace change. Look for opportunities, and make peace and plans with someone you love. Use your connections to further your interests and persuasive tactics to get your way. Call the shots, and commit wholeheartedly to reach your goal. Romance is favored.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Refuse to let anyone talk you into something sketchy.

Protect your reputation and your status by not sharing personal information.

Honesty and integrity will be necessary to avoid an unsavory situation. Watch your back.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Pairing up with someone who has less to offer will test your patience. Set ground rules before you get involved in a joint venture. Don’t give away your ideas prematurely. When in doubt, do your own thing and forgo questionable partnerships.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): A change at home may not be to your liking. Don’t fight the inevitable. Look for an alternative that will encourage new beginnings. A physical challenge will help you blow off steam. Learn from the experience, and move forward peacefully.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Say what’s on your mind, and find out where you stand.

Taking control of a situation will help you resolve unfinished business. Once you’ve established your position, you can enjoy quality time and make unique plans with someone you love.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Plan a quiet day, free from adversity and those who like to be disruptive. Don’t let uncertainty at home or with someone close to you create an unsavory atmosphere. Rise above, be positive and do what brings you peace of mind.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): An unusual opportunity will come your way. Ask questions, and you’ll figure out a way to take advantage of an offer. Teaching something you feel passionate about or spending more time doing something you love is encouraged.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Keep your emotions hidden from someone who is prying into your affairs. The less information you share with others, the easier it will be to get things done. A physical challenge will be stimulating and help you stay fit and looking your best.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Make home improvements that will help you save time and money. A problem with a friend or relative will escalate if you cannot agree. Keep your opinions to yourself, and be a good listener to gain respect.

Romance is favored.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Refuse to let what others do or say bother you. A pending financial, legal or health matter will leave you feeling anxious. Stay calm, and look for practical solutions. A skill or service you can offer will bring in extra cash.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Do what you can to help others. Volunteer your services, but be reluctant to make a cash donation or pay for someone else’s mistake. A gift, proposal or investment will have a positive influence on the way you live. Romance is encouraged.

Birthday Baby: You are insightful, relentless and knowledgeable. You are unique and distinguished.

Sudoku | The Mepham Group

Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek

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Sports Authority

Sports Authority

NBA bubble was a big success Charlotte Edmonds Senior Sports Writer

To the surprise of no one, I’m going have to dedicate this Sports Authority to the NBA … at least in part. My admittedly extreme bias toward the NBA aside, we have to acknowledge the accomplishment that was the NBA bubble and the NBA’s response to the early COVID-19 spikes in March.

I distinctly remember sitting on a rooftop bar in Santiago, Chile, on March 11, having just found out our study abroad program was being cancelled when I received a call from my dad who was supposed to be at the Thunder game against the Jazz in Oklahoma City that night. Up until that point, getting sent home from a country with relatively few cases seemed like a broad overreaction, considering how little life in America seemed to have been impacted. Of course, that would prove to be very wrong, as the world quickly skid to a halt. But that skid only came on the back of a positive test by Jazz forward Rudy Gobert. Yes, events and leagues around the world had started conversations about adjusting plans with minimal or no attendance but that all seemed like a contingency plan, unlikely to come to fruition. However, from the time I hung up with my dad following a 10-minute conversation on his walk home from the postponed game and into the wee hours of the next morning, it seemed like Twitter was blowing up with a series of new cancellations touching every industry.

It’s impossible to know how other leaders would’ve reacted, but Adam Silver certainly rose to the occasion. Without so much as calling a meeting with the Board of Directors, Silver had determined that a positive test within the league would result in an automatic shutdown. Just watch Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban’s reaction to the news to know how autonomously Silver acted in a time of such uncertainty.

It’s one thing to shut down, but it’s a whole other thing to start back up, and that’s where Silver and the NBA distinguished themselves. After extensive planning between Silver, Disney CEO Bob Iger and Chris Paul, president of the NBA Players Association, the league finally returned to play in late June, gathering in Orlando at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

Over the course of the next three and a half months, the league managed to complete the regular season and execute a full playoff schedule all while not reporting a single positive COVID-19 test beyond the initial quarantine.

Beyond the logistical success, I

9

know I personally was pleased about the fan experience. No, it wasn’t being in a jam-packed arena, but I celebrated Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Game 3 winner just as much as I would’ve any other year.

Granted, they had extensive resources at their disposal for regular testing and strict rules in regards to personnel on campus, all costing them a pretty penny of $170 million just to salvage the season. And even then, things weren’t perfect. Countless stories of low player morale emerged from within the bubble, and the national conversation regarding racial inequality was on the mind of virtually every coach and player, some who felt their participation in the bubble was a distraction to progressing the efforts of racial equality, even to the point of a league-wide protest during the playoffs.

But if it’s so easy, how come other sports didn’t pull it off?

With the exception of European soccer (which is likely a result of their governments’ responses), no other major American league has managed to salvage their season so successfully. Both college and professional football have had to cancel games due to outbreaks among teams. And don’t even get me started on baseball.

For a sport that’s experienced huge declines in viewership the past couple decades, the fact that they — an outdoor, socially-distanced sport — couldn’t capitalize on this gap in entertainment is beyond me. Spring training essentially is a bubble itself.

Now, as football and baseball try to manage the realities of a traveling schedule, the bubble has come to an end. The Lakers have been crowned champions no less than nine months after Kobe Bryant died, and the Heat have returned to South Beach no doubt enthused by the potential of what’s to come with the young group. But the challenges aren’t over. The pandemic still rages on and racial inequality is nowhere near being solved. This is where the true test will arrive for all organizations, including the NBA. Like most everything in this world, sports will likely never be the same post-March 11.

The NBA’s swift actions set off a domino effect of necessary shutdowns. Rather, the world is learning to live with this virus, developing safe alternatives to former norms. With and unknown offseason timeline in play, the NBA is set for their biggest test yet.

Contact Charlotte Edmonds at cedmond3@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Previewing the World Series: Dodgers vs. Rays Andrew McGuinness Sports Writer

Even baseball’s biggest detractors have to admit that this year’s postseason has been pretty great.

The larger-than-usual field didn’t dilute the quality of play in the later rounds, as this year’s tournament was just as — if not more — exciting than most, even if limited fans have only been allowed to attend the NLCS and World Series. This year has had a perfect balance of upsets and favorites pulling out victories, with almost every series feeling competitive and a lot of epic individual games, leading to two of the most memorable League Championship Series in recent memory.

But the LCS is officially in the rearview mirror. Tonight, 28 fallen clubs, 14 eliminated during the postseason already, watch as baseball’s two prized fighters prepare to throw their best punch on baseball’s biggest stage. From the bubble in Arlington, Texas, it’s a World Series like no other — a first-time Fall Classic matchup that should produce another memorable series and a worthy champion.

The matchup: No. 1 Tampa Bay Rays (40-20) vs. No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers (43-17) The journey here After a pretty forgettable twogame sweep of the Blue Jays in the Wild Card Series, the Rays won wars of attrition in two series that went the distance.

An 8th inning homer by backup catcher Mike Brosseau propelled them to a 2-1 Game 5 win over the Yankees in the ALCS. After jumping out to a 3-0 series lead in the ALCS, Tampa Bay came dangerously close to being just the second team in baseball history to blow such a massive advantage. However, a gutsy 4-2 victory in Game 7 knocked off the other evil empire of the AL, the Houston Astros.

The Dodgers held the best record in baseball during the regular season, and they picked up right where they left off in the postseason, sweeping their fellow 2018 semi-finalist Brewers and the young-gun Padres with relative ease. Things looked bleak after falling behind 3-1 to the Braves in the NLCS. But quality starting pitching and a red-hot offense that set a postseason record for most runs in a first inning in Game 3 (11) pushed them from the brink of elimination to the Fall Classic.

Last time here Tampa Bay is making just their second World Series appearance, and this year’s club has a lot in common with the 2008 squad that made their first. That team was young and heavily underrated, but had the best regular season record in the AL and took out the defending champion Red Sox with a 2-run win in Game 7 of the ALCS. But the Cinderella story ended shortly thereafter, as they lost the Fall Classic in five to the Philadelphia Phillies.

This is the third time in the last four years the Dodgers have represented the NL on baseball’s biggest stage, but they’re still in search of their first championship since 1988. L.A. fell victim to the Astros trash-can scheme in seven games in 2017, and they were beaten soundly in the 2018 Fall Classic by the Boston Red Sox, falling five games despite a memorable 18-inning walk-off win in Game 3.

Why Tampa Bay will win Though they were the number one seed in the American League, not many picked the Rays to return to the Fall Classic for the first time since 2008 due to their lack of household names and reliance on defense and contact. However, their power has woken up, with over 70% of their runs coming on long balls this postseason. Rookie outfielder Randy Arozena has already passed ex-Ray Evan Longoria for most postseason home runs by a rookie. Tampa’s lineup is loaded with underrated contributors like Ji-Man Choi and Manuel Margot, though their usually dynamic middle-infield tandem of Brandon Lowe and Willy Adames have gone cold at the dish.

However, Tampa Bay won their series against the Astros in the field. While Houston second baseman Jose Altuve was busy making multiple errors on routine throws, Tampa’s Hunter Renfroe, Margot, Choi and others were busy making highlight reel catch after highlight reel catch, robbing the Astros of surefire runs on a daily basis. Save for a brief falter in the middle of the ALCS, the Rays bullpen has been rock solid all season long, with 13 different pitchers recording a save for Tampa at some point this season. And their rotation is strong, too, with a healthy mix of young budding stars like Tyler Glasnow and 2018 AL Cy Young Blake Snell and wily veteran Charlie Morton.

Why Los Angeles will win They proved they were the

best team in baseball in the regular season, and they’re finally ready to do it again in the postseason. Thanks to spending enough money to fill the Grand Canyon, the Dodgers have built a powerhouse full of big names and some intriguing young stars alike. Offensively, the Dodgers are absolutely dominant, as their record-setting performance in Game 3 against Atlanta showed.

Corey Seager has gone off in this postseason, bouncing back after needing Tommy John with a home run in nearly every game against Atlanta. Acquired from Boston in the winter, Mookie Betts is looking to join LeBron in the “go to L.A. to get paid all of the money and win a title” club, continuing to cement himself as one of baseball’s brightest stars.

Oh, and they also have 2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger in the heart of their lineup. Surrounding those studs are postseason showstopper Justin Turner, budding catcher Will Smith (who homered off Will Smith in the NLCS!) and a Max Muncy who’s bouncing back from a trying regular season.

On the pitching side, the Dodgers look just as strong.

Whether it’s young stars like Brusdar Graterol in the pen or Dustin May in the rotation, emerging ace Walker Buehler, or a return to form for Kenley Jansen leading an underrated bullpen, L.A. is tough to beat.

The one exception? Clayton Kershaw. The 3-time NL Cy Young Winner has continued his career long trend of postseason ineptitude, hurling an ERA over 4 in the postseason in his career. His failures have held the Dodgers back from the promised land countless times over the decade; L.A. desperately needs him to find regular season form soon.

The Pick Like the Tampa Bay Lightning in the NHL, the Dodgers have been all around a championship for the last five to ten years, yet have somehow always come up short. But the Lightning won the championship against Dallas this season, and with the World Series being played in Texas, the Dodgers should be able to capture the Bolts’ magic and find the title that has eluded them for 32 years. Dodgers in 6.

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

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

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Volleyball Continued from page 12

Irish came on strong to open the fourth set. Opening 8-6, the hosts distanced themselves from Pitt, with two kills

by Meuth helping to put the team up 14-10. Three more points after a Panthers timeout extended the lead to 17-10, but Pitt responded with a 6-1 run. Meuth again helped secure the 25-20 Irish win with a block and a kill.

With the game tied two-all, Notre Dame clinched a tight winner-take-all match to win the series. Pitt and Notre Dame exchanged the lead all game, with the Irish starting out with a 5-4 lead and Pitt scoring four to move ahead 8-5. Ultimately, errors would get the best of Pittsburgh; Notre Dame completed their rally with a 17-15 set win after three Panthers errors.

Unfortunately for the Irish, the defeat only seemed to cause the Panthers to shift gears, as they beat Notre Dame 3-1 on Sunday.

Notre Dame again came out strong, with freshman libero Hattie Monson landing an ace to help the Irish open with a 4-1 lead. Pitt battled back, making the score nine-all, but Notre Dame pushed back with

three straight points to take the lead 12-9. Despite Pitt getting with one eight times, the Irish held the lead and Lauren Wenzel, a junior middle blocker, seized the 25-23 win with a kill.

Strong offense in the second match swung the momentum Pitt’s way. After opening with a six-all score, Pitt took the lead with a 7-1 run against the Irish to make it 13-7. Although Notre Dame closed the gap to make it within striking range of the win at 22-19, the Panthers ultimately won the match 25-19.

The third and fourth sets didn’t go the way the Irish would have wanted it. The Panthers took the lead in each match with scores of 5-1 and 6-3 respectively, and while Notre Dame put up 23 points in the third match, they never managed to take the lead over Pitt. An Irish service error led the way to a Panthers win. The Irish were able to fight to a 12all score in the fourth match but were again unable to take the lead. Pitt took the frame 25-17, winning the game 3-1.

The Irish will look to bounce back with their regular season finale on the road against Boston College next weekend, on Friday and Saturday. The games will be streamed at 8 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.

Sports

Observer File Photo

Former Irish setter Paige McKnight serves the ball during Notre Dame’s 3-1 win over Syracuse on Nov. 17 at Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame is currently fourth in the ACC, tied with two other teams with 4-1 records.

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W Soccer Continued from page 12

center-forward role. The game got off to a blistering start, and the first gilt-edge chances went the Irish’s way.

With less than 10 minutes gone, freshman midfielder Eva Gaetino won the ball in an opportune spot in the midfield and was able to slip in Eva Hurm, but the senior forward’s near-post effort was saved by a strong left hand from Clemson junior goalkeeper Hensley Hancuff.

Off the ensuing corner, Hancuff made a fantastic double save. Fisher’s corner towards the back post was volleyed first-time by junior Brianna Martinez from just over six yards out. The rebound off Hancuff’s initial save looked destined to be tapped home by either sophomore midfielder Maddie Mercado or senior forward Olivia Wingate, but Hancuff threw her body in the way and held on to Mercado’s effort.

Less than a minute later, Hershfelt made the Irish pay with her first goal of the year.

After a great run down the right-hand side by Clemson sophomore defender Makenna Morris, a Bornkamp cross was only partially cleared. Tigers sophomore forward Lauren Bruns controlled the ball just outside the top of box before tapping it to Hershfelt, who ran at the Irish back line before lashing the ball past Notre Dame junior goalkeeper Mattie Interian to give Clemson the early lead.

ndsmcobserver.com | MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020 | The Observer

The Irish failed to meaningfully test Hancuff for the remainder of the first half despite dominating the ball, but a halftime adjustment paid dividends right after the break. Ospeck was moved from defense up to the center-forward position as Fisher moved back into midfield, and the pair combined for the equalizer just seconds into the second half.

Fisher had plenty of room in the center of midfield after receiving the ball from senior forward Luisa Delgado, and she promptly slipped in Ospeck for a one-on-one with Hancuff.

The Clemson goalkeeper slid in but was left helpless as her save ricocheted off Ospeck and past the goalkeeper for the freshman to easily bundle home.

With Notre Dame clearly in the supremacy, the only yellow card of the game was given to Bornkamp after a foul on Gaetino, who was outstanding at winning the ball back for the Irish in over an hour of action.

She also weathered a litany of hard fouls, including more than one committed by Bornkamp, in an extremely physical game that featured 29 fouls in total.

Just before the midway point of the second half, the Irish were inches away from going ahead. Again, Ospeck caused the Tigers back line problems with her speed. After racing down the left-hand side, she cut it back for Delgado, whose sidefooted effort at the top of the 18 was denied by Hancuff’s right post before the rebound was sent over the bar by Wingate.

The Irish pinned Clemson back for the vast majority of the second half, but the Tigers

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ryan vigilante | The Observer

Irish senior forward Eva Hurm dribbles toward the net during Notre Dame’s 3-2 loss to Iowa on Sept. 14, 2019, at Alumni Stadium. Hurm is responsible for one of the five Irish assists so far this season.

snatched the victory with just seven minutes to play through Bornkamp’s third goal of the season. Bruns was given plenty of space to bring down a crossfield ball inside the Irish penalty area before cutting it back to Bornkamp. Her initial shot was blocked by sophomore defender Waniya Hudson, but Bornkamp kept her composure at the second time of asking.

erin fennessy | The Observer

Two Irish players battle for a header during a 3-0 Notre Dame shutout of Syracuse on Oct. 4, 2019, at Alumni Stadium. Notre Dame finishes their regular season next weekend.

Notre Dame predictably pushed hard for a late equalizer. The Irish came closest when Fisher made contact with a low cross from Wingate, but she could only find side netting with a flick off the outside of her foot.

As the Irish looked desperately for a second goal, forward Kiki Van Zanten remained on the bench. Van Zanten entered

the contest leading the country with an average of 1.2 goals per game and first in the ACC with six goals in conference play, but the sophomore only featured in the final 14 minutes of the first half.

Kickoff at Louisville next Sunday is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The game will be nationally broadcast on the ACC Network.

ryan vigilante | The Observer

Irish junior forward Olivia Wingate passes to a teammate during Notre Dame’s 3-2 defeat against Iowa on Sept. 14, 2019, at home. The Irish are currently ranked No. 14.

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The observer | MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

nd women’s soccer | clemson 2, nd 1

Irish lose 2nd straight at home Observer Staff Report

No. 14 Notre Dame suffered a second consecutive home loss in a 2-1 defeat to No. 4 Clemson Sunday afternoon in the home finale for the Irish (3-3, 3-3 ACC) at Alumni Stadium.

Irish freshman forward Ellie Ospeck cancelled out Clemson (5-2, 4-2 ACC) sophomore midfielder Hal Hershfelt’s 13thminute opener under a minute into the second half, but Tigers freshman midfielder Megan Bornkamp’s goal six and a half minutes from time meant all three points traveled home with the Tigers.

It was another gut-wrenching loss for Notre Dame, who had conceded an 87th minute winner last time out against Wake Forest. The Irish had the lion’s share of possession against the Demon Deacons but failed to take advantage, and it was a similar story Sunday despite an impressive second-half display by the Irish.

Notre Dame outshot Clemson 19-9 and mustered 11 shots as opposed to Clemson’s four, but the Tigers needed just a single

shot on goal in the second half to all but secure one of the eight spots in this year’s ACC tournament. After Sunday’s victory, the Tigers find themselves in third place in the conference standings on 12 points, five above ninth-placed Wake Forest.

The Irish now face a critical road trip as they hope to qualify for the tournament played in Cary, North Carolina, for a second straight year. Pittsburgh and Notre Dame now both sit on nine points, occupying the seventh and eighth spots in the conference, respectively.

The Irish travel to Louisville, who are currently fourth in the ACC, next Sunday before finishing the season at No. 1 North Carolina four days later.

On Sunday, Notre Dame head coach Nate Norman appeared to opt for a more offensive-minded lineup with the surprise inclusions of junior midfielder Brooke VanDyck and Ospeck in the starting XI, pushing senior attacking midfielder Sammi Fisher into a

nd volleyball | nd 3, pitt 2; pitt 3, nd 1

No. 5 ND splits weekend series against No. 10 Pitt Observer Staff Report

The Irish came out of the weekend with a 1-1 split against No. 10 Pitt after winning Friday’s game 3-2 and losing Sunday 1-3 inside Purcell Pavilion.

The fifth-ranked Notre Dame volleyball team (4-1, 4-1 ACC) came from behind to win Friday’s match. After falling behind 0-2, Notre Dame rallied against the Panthers (3-3, 3-3 ACC), winning the last three sets by four, five and two, respectively, marking the first time since October 2017 that Notre

Dame volleyball came back from a 0-2 deficit.

After opening the first set five-all, the Irish took an early 8-5 lead after sophomore outside hitter Caroline Meuth landed two aces.

Meuth’s third ace put Notre Dame up 16-12, but Pitt managed to respond, putting the score at 22-22 before eventually scoring three straight to win the set 25-22.

Pitt kept up the momentum going into the second, winning seven of the first 10 points and forcing an early Irish timeout. Notre Dame managed to get within five at

22-17, but again the Panthers scored three straight to win 25-17.

With their backs against the wall, Notre Dame came back strong in the third set, winning 25-21. A 4-0 run aided by two blocks and a kill from senior middle blocker Hannah Thompson kickstarted the Irish’s momentum and put the team up 14-11. Junior right side hitter Sydney Bent sealed the deal for Notre Dame to take the set 25-21.

Invigorated by the win, the see VOLLEYBALL PAGE 10

see W SOCCER PAGE 11

Observer File Photo

Irish junior outside hitter Charley Niego spikes the ball during a 3-0 Notre Dame win over Valparaiso on Sept. 14, 2019, at Purcell Pavilion. Niego is averaging a team-best 4.5 kills per set so far this season.

baseball

Class of 2013 catcher dies of brain cancer Observer Staff Report

erin fennessy | The Observer

Irish senior midfielder Sammi Fisher winds up for a kick during Notre Dame’s 3-0 win against Syracuse on Oct. 4, 2019, at home.

Former Notre Dame baseball catcher Ricky Palmer died Saturday morning surrounded by family and friends, according to his sister, Lauren Earnest. He was 29. Palmer, a 2013 graduate of Notre Dame, had been battling a brain tumor since November.

Palmer walked onto the team in the fall 2010, and appeared in nine games for

the Irish, all in 2011. His lone career hit, a double, came in his first career at-bat. He contributed primarily as a bullpen catcher, helping the pitching staff prepare for games.

Born Richard Dale Palmer III, on Feb. 28, 1991, he was from Orland Park, Ill. He attended high school at Brother Rice High School.

After graduating with a degree in finance, Palmer had worked at a tech startup in

Chicago until his diagnosis.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ricky Palmer’s family,” head baseball coach Link Jarrett said. “He was the epitome of what it means to put your team, program, and Notre Dame first. A true representative of all we stand for and loved by all.”

Palmer is survived by his parents, Richard and Priscilla Palmer, and two sisters, Lauren and Jenna.

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Receivers Continued from page 1

just as the Irish returned to campus, but now says he feels stronger and faster and doesn’t feel as though he has missed a step w ith Book.

“Before my injur y, I had to spend a lot of time w ith Ian working on passing and being on time,” Austin said. “So, when I came back, there wasn’t really a misstep. But while I was injured, I was really focusing on strengthening both my opposite leg and the leg that I injured and tr ying to stay off the foot and just focus on my strength of my leg.”

Skow ronek followed the same mentalit y, coming off of a season-ending injur y last year and a hamstring injur y in the Duke game this season that pulled him from the South Florida Game.

“Like Kev in Austin was saying, you know just staying consistent coming ever y day to work and when our numbers called just being ready to make the plays,” Skow ronek said.

He then continued, describing how it feels to return from that.

“Obv iously, it was ver y frustrating. Hav ing a season-ending injur y last year, and then the first game this year, pulling my

Edmonds Continued from page 1

17 more passing yards than the Irish. But they also outrushed Louisville 232-96 and only committed three penalties for a total of 18 yards.

Kelly put it best when he said “It’s not going to go down as an instant classic, but boy we did a lot of good things today. We scored goals, not touchdowns.”

There will be a lot to criticize about this game.

Most obviously, the fact that Notre Dame continues to play down to the level of their competition, allowing much lesser teams to stick around and just barely squeaking by. All you had to do was watch the final minute-and-ahalf of the game and hear the boos of the crowd ring throughout as Ian Book took a knee to know people were not pleased. That criticism would ring true this weekend.

But there’s also no doubt in my mind — and likely the mind of anyone who watched that game — that this team is infinitely better than Louisville. The ingredients are all there, now it’s just a matter of putting them together.

The young corps of

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ndsmcobserver.com | monday, october 19, 2020 | The Observer

hamstring,” he said. “It was ver y frustrating. You know, I wasn’t really in a great place mentally, but I had a great support staff and my family, guys like Ian just had my back and [were] always believing in me. And it was kind of like a kid before Christmas last night, I was so excited to play. I’m so excited to get back out there w ith my brothers. Just going through adversit y, it makes ever y thing sweeter. So, being out there today was awesome, and being able to have some catches and product was great as well.”

The excitement towards being back on the field that both Austin and Skow ronek expressed transferred into their play. Austin ran his reception for 18 yards and a first dow n in the first Irish drive, while Skow ronek made two catches in key situations, converting tw ice on third dow n for 28 yards total. He made his longest catch of the game for 16 yards.

That emotion was palpable from each of them but especially Skow ronek for head coach Brian Kelly.

“I mentioned him in postgame — Ben had been certainly somebody that we were counting on,” Kelly said. “He’s been injured really and hasn’t been able to fully engage. It’s nice to see him contribute. I know he’s excited.”

W hen asked if Skow ronek would become a sort of safet y-blanket after his thirdand-seven, 12-yard catch, Kelly said, “I don’t know that he wants to be called a safet y blanket, but he’s certainly a guy that we’re going to count on mov ing for ward.

It’s good to see him back out on the field contributing.

He’ll be a guy that w ill continue to improve for us and make plays for us.”

Skow ronek attributes Kelly’s trust in him to a few key pieces of his game, outside of his reliabilit y against Louisv ille on third dow n.

“It’s experience — I played a lot of football, probably the most [football], on the perimeter, and the offense,” he said. “But, yeah, a lot of people would probably describe me as a possession receiver, but I just want to be a playmaker. Someone who can make a play when my number is called, and just be able to help the team w in games.”

Rather than a safet y blanket, Skow ronek said he’d prefer to be described as a w inner.

“That’s what’s most important to me: just going out there ever y game and getting the w in; stats aren’t really that much. They don’t mean that much to me — all I care about is w inning.”

running backs Kryen Williams and Chris Tyree and tight end Michael Mayer looked like a veteran offensive unit against the Cardinals. A few more reps and a few less dropped passes and this group has the potential to be special.

And that’s not even getting to the defense. The fact is, holding any team to seven points is impressive, period. Add in the fact that the Cardinals only recorded 14 first downs in the game, there’s no question who the more dominant defense was.

Now I’m not naive.

Saturday’s performance will not f ly against Clemson and the almighty Trevor Lawrence. The Tigers offense is simply too dynamic to control, Ian Book is going to have to have some answers of his own. In fact, it may not even f ly against Pitt and Georgia Tech these next two weeks on the road.

But not all hope is lost.

In the same way that Notre Dame tends to play down to their competition, they also tend to rise to the occasion (at least to the point of keeping things competitive).

The fact is this game was boring, but it wasn’t sloppy. You didn’t see the pattern of mistakes that Notre Dame tends to make

with penalties piling up and turnovers in the red zone.

Rather, they took care of business but lacked any of the sparkle that was expected of them. In fact, some would even argue they were disciplined to a f law. Senior kicker Jonathan Doerer went 2-2 on extra points from, only 18 yards in penalties and zero turnovers.

Even the two times they mixed things up with a trick play on fourth down and attempting the two-point conversion, the were relatively low, calculated risks.

They’re going to have to take some chances at some point, but today was not that point. Don’t start betting against the Irish quite yet.

It seems fitting that considering my first official column on the football beat was a scathing review of Brian Pollian that my family still quotes at me to this day, I could end things on a slightly optimistic note.

Thanks for sticking with me.

And with that, I’m signing off from Notre Dame stadium for likely the last time.

Contact Mannion McGinley at mmcginl3@nd.edu

Contact Charlotte Edmonds at cedmond3@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Scoring Summary 1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Total

0

0

7

0

7

6

0

6

0

12

notre dame 3, louisville 0

Jonathan Doerer 32-yard field goal

9:26

remaining Drive: 12 plays, 61 yards, 5:34 elapsed

NOTRE DAME 6, louisville 0 Doerer 30-yard field goal

0:30

remaining Drive: 15 plays, 76 yards, 7:09 elapsed

3

louisville 7, notre dame 6

Marshon Ford 1-yard pass from Malik Cunningham (James Turner kick)

7:37

remaining Drive: 13 plays, 83 yards, 7:23 elapsed

Notre dame 12, louisville 7

Ian Book 13-yard run (two-point conversion failed)

3:43

remaining Drive: Eight plays, 66 yards, 3:54 elapsed

statistics RUSHING yards 96 232

PASSING yards 137 106

total yards 233 338

Photo courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics

Irish junior linebacker Bo Bauer, right, helps bring down Cardinals quarterback Malik Cunningham during Notre Dame’s 12-7 home win.

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The observer | monday, october 19, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Photo courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics

Irish graduate student quarterback Ian Book scrambles forward with the ball while freshman tight end Michael Mayer looks to pick up a block during Notre Dame’s 12-7 win over Louisville at home Saturday. Mayer only had one reception, but he showed his strength and agility, stiff-arming one would-be tackler and leaping over another defender.

A rather blustery day

Notre Dame reached the red zone on both of their first two drives but had to settle for a pair of field goals. Those turned out to be half of their scoring for the rest of the game, as high winds contributed to an inconsistent passing game. The defense held their own, only allowing a third-quarter touchdown, and an eight-minute last drive kept the ball out of Louisville’s hands.

Photo courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics

Irish senior wide receiver Avery Davis looks to avoid a tackler during the win at Notre Dame Stadium.

Photo courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics

Irish graduate student wide receiver Javon McKinley leaps for a catch during the win over Louisville. Notre Dame is now ranked No. 3.

Photo courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics

Irish freshman running back Chris Tyree is tripped up and dives forward during the 12-7 Irish win.

Photo courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics

Irish graduate student quarterback Ian Book runs for a gain during Notre Dame’s 12-7 victory against Louisville on Saturday. Book was the team’s second-leading rusher, picking up 47 net yards on the ground.