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Volume 55, Issue 63 | monday, april 26, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
Professor explores voting rights history Klau Center guest speaker connects contemporary voting rights issues to historical voting rights events By RYAN PETERS Associate News Editor
Notre Dame political science professor Christina Wolbrecht spoke about the history of voting rights and current developments surrounding suffrage in the U.S. as part of the Klau Center’s “Building an Antiracist Vocabulary” lecture series Friday. Wolbrecht, who serves as director of the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy, began her lecture by explaining that despite the recent controversy surrounding voting rights the current climate is not out of the ordinary. “This, in some ways, is not
RYAN PETERS | The Observer
Notre Dame political science professor and director of the Rooney Center Christina Wolbrecht discussed voting rights Friday for the Klau Center’s weekly lecture series “Building an Anti-Racist Vocabulary.”
Saint Mary’s alumna publishes debut novel By GENEVIEVE COLEMAN Saint Mary’s News Editor
Susan Furber (’14) released her first novel “The Essence of an Hour” — a stor y about the coming of age of a young woman in the 1940s — Februar y of this year. Furber grew up in a small tow n in the Buffalo region — Grand Island, NY — and knew she wanted to be a w riter from a young age. “I think, for me, it was quite young, actually,” Furber said. “I always liked making up stories. I’m the youngest in my family, but [my siblings] would sometimes play dolls w ith me. And I would say, ‘Oh no, that character is not good enough — the character would be say ing this or doing that.’ So, I think it’s always been there.” Developing a love of literature in her childhood, Furber desired to become a part of the female literar y tradition. “I remember in my seventh
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grade English class there was a banner on the wall that had what were considered the greats of literature and I thought, ‘I’m going to read all of those,’” Furber said. “So that’s when I started really setting up and reading Jane Austen and the Brontes, and, you know, really w ith the concentration on women’s literature, and thinking where can I find my place? W here can I find my voice w ithin that? ” W hen she came to Saint Mar y’s, Furber said she debated between majoring in English or histor y because she excelled in both subjects as a high school student. Ultimately, she decided to study English so she could learn more about the craft of w riting. “W hat I enjoy most of all is English literature,” she said. “I’ve always concentrated on just reading as much as possible see NOVEL PAGE 4
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an unusual time,” Wolbrecht said. “Voting rights have been contested at nearly every s tage of American history. That’s because voting rights are a form of power, they’re a way in which we select our political leaders, and therefore they’re going to attract conflict.” She said the nation’s history of voting rights initiates debate about the extent of democracy in America. If democracy is government by the people, then the U.S. was governed by a very narrow definition of “the people” at the time of its founding, Wolbrecht said. She added that see LECTURE PAGE 4
Committee unveils ‘The Shirt’ 2021 design By BELLA LAUFENBERG News Writer
In a celebration Friday, the 32nd version of The Shirt 2021 was revealed on the Notre Dame campus and virtually via a YouTube premiere. The Shirt is an annual tradition for the Notre Dame community that began in 1990, The Shirt committee president Devin Diggs said. “In 1990, Brennan
Harvath was a student who had this idea to sell a shirt to raise money for AnTostal (the Student Union Board’s spring festival) and to raise money for student clubs and organizations,” Diggs said. “He made the first Shirt, and it was wildly popular, and everyone really got behind it.” Diggs said the second edition of The Shirt raised money for a student who needed
help paying off medical bills. As The Shirt grew in popularity in the years to come, the majority of The Shirt’s fundraising has continued to go to those two original causes — student medical bills, and student clubs and activities. However, Diggs said that this year, some of The Shirt’s funds will also go to the recently see UNVEILING PAGE 3
Courtesy of Mitchell Johnson
This year’s design emphasized the unity of the Notre Dame community in the midst of a pandemic and an unconventional year. The in-person Shirt reveal featured food trucks for students in attendance.
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Tulips bloom in front of the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue. The spring months are bringing warm weather and blooming flowers to the tri-campus community after many months of cold weather, snow and rain. Students sit near the statue, soaking in the sun.
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“Justice for George Floyd? Unpacking the Verdict” virtual 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Panel discussion.
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SMC professor aids in state redistricting efforts By CLAIRE REID News Writer
Saint Mary’s Assistant professor in mathematics and computer science Ranjan Rohatgi was selected to serve on the Indiana Redistricting Commission. The commission has held 10 public virtual hearings for districts in Indiana where more than 700 people have voiced their thoughts about districting and gerrymandering. The commission is gathering information to create a report advising the legislature to redraw the state legislature district maps in a fair and just way. Rohatgi said the Commission seeks to help the legislature to build lines that most effectively connect the public with their representatives. “We are not viewing ourselves as the legislature does this horribly, and we could do so much better. We are viewing this as we are getting all this information. Let us help the legislature,” he said. The commission consists of three democrats, three republicans and three independents coming from a variety of backgrounds, including professors, full-time activists and a retired mayor. The commission is not unique. According to the National
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established Student Enrichment
Committee of State legislatures (NCSL), five other states have advisory committees, and 14 states have committees who draw redistricting lines. “The Commission was formed to show the public how a more transparent and public-focused process could work,” Rohatgi said. “There are several states that have commissions where the legislature is not responsible for drawing their own lines.” The state legislature is responsible for drawing the lines for their own elections. Often representatives “pack,“ concentrate the opposing side’s power to a single district, or “crack,“ dilute an opposing side’s supporters across multiple districts, their opponents’ support to make it easier for them to win. This is an issue for both parties and can lead to feelings of disenfranchisement amongst the public. “Fixing gerrymandering does not need to be a partisans issue,” Rohatgi said. “Both parties have engaged in it for over 200 years ... voters of all stripes can be a part of fixing gerrymandering.” Districts and district maps often grow to resemble jagged snakes or dragons as a result of these processes, which are legal. Rohatgi
said that convoluted districts are a problem across the country, but there are other ways to undercut the opposite party’s support. “We should not just focus on shapes,” Rohatgi said. Indiana has very nice shapes, but in my opinion does not have very good representation.” District lines also often split up communities, including school districts and cities, lessening the effectiveness of their organizational power. “We want communities of interest to feel like they are being represented,” Rohatgi said. “All else equal, we should not split up a school district, or a town or a county.” These communities are not just geographical but also social and political. “Where are the people who regularly use public transportation?” he asked. “Those people should have a voice, so we shouldn’t split them up into four districts throughout the city.” To Rohatagi, ensuring that these groups have a voice is just as important if not more important as making sure that districts have proportional populations. “It is possible that our districts won’t always look pretty,” he said. “It is possible that our districts
won’t always have the same population. In theory, they should, but there are tolerances. In my opinion, if there is a community of interest that should be together, if that means that there is one district that will have slightly more people than another, I think that okay.” Creating better state district lines means not only ensuring that votes carry the same weight, but also that representatives are not too comfortable during elections, Rohatgi said. “More than wanting compact districts, we have heard that our fellow Hoosiers want districts that foster competition,” he said. Rohatgi further explained that the commissioners’ meetings involving South Bend citizens revealed that constituents were upset at the lack of engagement from their representatives following the 2015 redistricting due to the district no longer being competitive. The commission wants to help and make sure that constitutes feel as if their vote is valuable while also giving them an active voice in the creation of the maps, Rohatgi said. The commission is hosting map drawing competitions for Indiana’s nine congressional
districts, 50 seat senate districts and 100 house districts with cash prizes. Following training sessions with Districter software, the commission will present selections from the contest to the legislature. Rohatgi invites students who are not Indiana natives to get involved by researching their state’s process and contacting politicians on all levels of government. “Call your state senators. Call your state representatives,” he said. “It might feel like hitting our heads against a brick wall when we call and send emails to our state representatives, and to some degree, that is probably true, but on the other hand, if you are talking about state level legislatures, it matters how many people they hear from on a given issue. It absolutely matters. It is vital to contact your state representatives and tell them you care about this issue.” He urges students to get involved in any way possible. “The young people in the next 10 years will be the people making up the workforce and making the decisions down the lines so they should be involved in creating the lines.”
Fund. “Now we’ve also expanded [our fundraising] towards the Student Enrichment Fund, which helps students just have the full Notre
Dame experience — whether that be participating in extracurriculars or laptops or travel home,” Diggs said. Each year, president and vice
president of The Shirt committee determine what they want the year’s process to look like before the school year starts. This year’s president was junior Devin Diggs and the vice president was junior Grace Fjermedal. Diggs said they started taking applications for open positions in September, and their committee was complete later that month. The first objective after forming the committee is to choose a vendor, Diggs said. This year’s vendor picking process looked different than in past years. “We work with the licensing department to get a list of licensed vendors of Notre Dame to send a request for proposal to. And so, we send it to them and then we get proposals back from different vendors, and after reviewing those we make a shortlist again of who we’d like to invite to the campus to present why they should produce the shirt that year,” Diggs explained. “This year that was done virtually but, in the past, we have companies coming in from California and Nashville.” After choosing a vendor, the team then picks a color for that year’s Shirt. Diggs said that color choosing process can sometimes take up to a month. Diggs said this year, the entire design process for the shirt was done virtually over the 10-week winter break. “And so going into break, the designers had an idea of a theme that they wanted and the idea of how that could be embodied in an image or a graphic. They met weekly over break to keep developing those ideas, and the whole committee was involved in providing feedback via Slack,”
Diggs said. The Shirt’s early development, before the start of the spring semester, was “a nice weight off [the committee’s] shoulders,” Diggs said. The committee then turned to planning the reveal ceremony. The event took place last Friday at Library Lawn and South Lawn as well as virtually via YouTube. The ceremony started at 5:30 p.m. and consisted of student group performances, ND celebrity cameos and the final reveal at 6 p.m. Sophomore Mitchell Johnson, head of Alumni relations for The Shirt committee, said the sense of unity that the Notre Dame community receives from The Shirt motivates the committee. “As Notre Dame students, as Notre Dame fans, kind of the unity that you have when everyone is in the stands of the first football game, wearing The Shirt, we think is really something special, and something that inspires us as a community while we’re making The Shirt,” Johnson said. Diggs said he hopes this year’s design highlights that unity Johnson spoke of, especially during the turbulent times of the past year. “We definitely wanted to embody the unity that the Notre Dame community has shown through these challenging times,” Diggs explained. “And also, just how the tradition has remained so strong despite all the different circumstances we’ve been in the past year.” The Shirt 2021 is available on the Hammes Bookstore website for $18.
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Novel Continued from page 1
and reading many narratives and ... reading stories that may not necessarily be anything like what I’d like to read at all, but I think it all goes into teaching you as much about the craft.” Furber also developed an interest in philosophy after taking an introductory course and decided to pursue a minor in the field. She credits philosophy professor Patti Sayre for changing the way she viewed the world. “She really saw a promise in me and understood the way my mind thought — it wasn’t a sort of a logical philosophical mind, but that it was really interested in certain areas and certain ideas — and helped to develop that,” she said. In 2012, Furber was the only student to participate in the College’s inaugural year of the Oxford study abroad program, following Sayre’s suggestion. Furber described
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the issue of who should have a say in electing government officials is still being contested. “This is not a stor y of a steady march. I think we often have this idea of the arc of histor y bends towards justice,” Wolbrecht said. “In realit y, at least when we talk about voting rights, the arc has bent a little bit and then gone back up and dow n again.” Wolbrecht emphasized that the founding fathers did not spend a lot of time discussing voting rights at the Constitutional Convention. In fact, she said the Constitution does not include an affirmative right to vote. At the founding, propert y restrictions were w idespread throughout the U.S. as it was an inherited tradition from Britain. However, w ith the rise of A ndrew Jackson and “Jacksonian democracy,” as Wolbrecht called it, a push for universal white male suffrage became popular. By 1856, all propert y requirements were gone, which Wolbrecht said deser ves to be recognized as an important milestone. “The United States is a pioneer in simply allow ing all men, all adult men who are white, to participate in elections,” Wolbrecht said. “This is of course a ver y narrow slice of American population, but I think it needs to be recognized as still an accomplishment around the world.” Wolbrecht then discussed
her experience in the United Kingdom as “eye-opening” because of the community she was able to form with the other students she met overseas. Later in her academic career, Furber took a literature course at Notre Dame about the Bildungsroman, the coming-of-age story, in 19th century England and 20th century Ireland. After she completed the class, Furber ref lected on several ideas she wanted to incorporate into a novel. “I wanted to deal very specifically with young women’s lives, and how young women operate under the patriarchy — how women inf lict trauma on other women because of patriarchal control and why we’ve hurt one another,” she said. Furber wrote the first draft of what would become “The Essence of an Hour” in the span of a month when she was 19. After finishing the initial manuscript, she stopped working it for several years so her protagonist
could authentically ref lect on her teens when she was in her twenties. “W hen I’d written the first draft, it starts when the main character is a teen, and she’s looking back retrospectively 10 years later,” she said. “Of course, it sounds like a 19-year-old wrote it, and that layer of a natural voice of a slightly older woman, ref lecting back on it wasn’t there that well. So that’s something I’ve worked on, you know, in the second, third, fourth drafts.” After choosing to set her book aside, Furber graduated from Saint Mary’s, got a Master’s in publishing from Oxford Brookes University and settled into a publishing job in England. As someone who worked in the publishing industry, Furber said she was very happy to find a publisher that valued her craft but also wanted to collaborate to improve her manuscript. “[My book] ultimately was accepted by a very small Yorkshire publisher called
Valley Press, and they mostly do poetry, and that really struck a chord with me because I thought, well then they really care about language and they really care about their author,” Furber said. “So, they just seemed like a really lovely fit ... I wanted to work with an editor who would challenge me in the way that I like challenging authors.” The publication of “The Essence of an Hour” was slightly delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the novel was released this February. At the time, Furber celebrated its release with a virtual book launch. Now that the novel has been out for a few months, Furber said the audience has been more diverse than she initially expected. “I sort of thought the audience is probably young women who’ve been through similar circumstances or probably interest in this, but I’ve had older men read that as well and say what reminds [them] a lot of how [they]
thought when [they were] 18,” she said. “That’s really interesting that it can capture the way that it means to be young, for anybody.” Furber is currently working on her second novel and wants to continue writing about the themes of her first book. Furber advises young female writers to read a variety of literature that both conforms with and challenges the way they see the world. “Read as much as you can, I would say that is always the best advice ... maybe even things you don’t want to read, different points of view,” she said. Ferber said she also hopes aspiring writers will truthfully tell their stories without fear. “Don’t be afraid to just commit and keep telling your story as authentically as you possibly can and don’t worry again about the external criticism of [doing] that.”
African American voting rights. A fter the Civ il War, the 15th Amendment was passed which prohibited deny ing one the right to vote on the basis of race. She said that w idespread voter suppression still occurred in the South through the use of grandfather clauses, poll ta xes, literacy tests and white primaries — which relied on the argument that parties were private organizations and could run their elections however they wanted, and therefore could exclude Black people from voting. Regarding women’s suffrage, Wolbrecht mentioned that even though the 19th Amendment, which pro-
hibited states from deny ing one the right to vote on the basis of sex, was a major achievement that took generations to achieve, it did not help African A merican women. “A ll those A frican American women who are being discriminated against on the basis of race, the 19th amendment does nothing for them,” Wolbrecht said. Wolbrecht said even though the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 granted citizenship to Native A mericans born in the U.S., states still found ways to deny Native Americans the right to vote until 1957. Due to recent incidents
of anti-Asian v iolence, Wolbrecht said she finds the histor y of Chinese American voting rights to be especially relevant. She said the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prohibited Chinese immigrants from becoming U.S. citizens and thus denied them the right to vote. Chinese Americans were not able to become citizens and, in turn, vote until the act was repealed in 1943. To conclude her presentation, Wolbrecht talked about a 2013 Supreme Court case, Shelby v. Holder, which ruled the Voting Rights Act of 1965’s requirement that certain local and state governments needed to obtain
preclearance from the federal government before changing voting practices unconstitutional. Wolbrecht said since the 2013 ruling, states have been able to make it harder for people to vote by limiting the amount of polling places, and this development has especially affected minorities. “Since 2013 where states are making it harder for you to vote by prov iding fewer places to do that, the largest declines in polling places have come in places w ith large minorit y populations,” Wolbrecht said.
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By PAIGE HAEFLINGER Scene Writer
Michael Hanisch is perhaps best known around campus for his frequent Thursday night performances at Acousticafé or for his 2020 performance of Radiohead’s “Creep” at the “Keenan Revue.” A self-taught guitarist and pianist, Hanisch began writing songs about three years ago. For Hanisch, songwriting is somewhat of a therapeutic art form. “You get out on paper a lot of things you need to get out,” he explained, adding that the songwriting process involves “getting out that nasty stuff that needs to come out and trying to turn it into something beautiful.” “I kind of started and never stopped,” Hanisch said with regard to his level of enthusiasm for the craft. “I play all the time. It’s something I have to do. I don’t want to say I’m addicted but it’s kind of like a drug, I feel off when I don’t play.” Now a Notre Dame sophomore with a few years of writing experience under his belt, Hanisch recently released his newest album, “radiopassive.” Its title is a pun on the word “radioactive,” Hanisch’s album explores his experiences with love in high school, a period during which Hanisch said “[he] kind of just let things happen to [him]” and “was generally a very passive person.” The progression of the album’s narrative mirrors the trajectory one takes when falling in love and ultimately
By NICOLE BILYAK Scene Writer
After the failure of the 1997 “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation,” it seemed that the “Mortal Kombat” series would never manage a triumphant return to to the big or small screen. A third film was in development hell for more than 10 years due to numerous script rewrites, recasting attempts and crew changes. In late 2010, though, Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema acquired the rights to the “Mortal Kombat” series and announced a new film that same year. They then announced that the film — which, somewhat ironically, would not be released for over a decade, either — was to serve as a reboot for the entire series. The new film, aptly named “Mortal Kombat,” follows the main storyline of the games, but with a novel twist. The film features former MMA champion Cole Young (Lewis Tan) as he teams up with Special Forces member Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Black Dragon mercenary Kano (Josh Lawson) and thunder god Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) to stop sorcerer Shang Tsung (Chin Han) from taking over Earthrealm by competing in a Mortal Kombat tournament. The film alters the traditional plot of the games with the stipulation that a select few people are chosen via dragon symbol to be Earthrealm’s champions; however, an ancient prophecy states that “the blood of Hanzo Hasashi (Hiroyuki Sanada)” will unite a new generation of champions. The film does a great job of staying true to the original premise of the video game franchise by keeping the idea of a Mortal Kombat tournament. The film also does a great job
being rejected. In the first three songs of the album— “Boat Shoes,” “Stupid Together” and “IJWKY” (“I Just Wanna Kiss You”) — Hanisch masterfully portrays the innocence and infatuation characteristic of new romance. In “Boat Shoes,” Hanisch enters the headspace of someone with a new crush: he’s nervous, according to the song’s lyrics, but feels as though he can talk to this girl anyway. “Stupid Together,” according to Hanisch, is meant to be “more upbeat,” to evoke the feeling of “that first step, [when] you’re at a party and kind of forgetting about inhibitions and having fun in the moment.” Hanisch considers the album’s third song, “IJWKY,” to be “the love song” of “radiopassive.” Indeed, the truly genuine nature of Hanisch’s lyrics is striking: by his own account, the artist himself “thought the lyrics were really cheesy and corny and didn’t want to have to name the song that.” However, he added that “all the lyrics [he] wrote in that were true and [he] didn’t want to change it to sound cooler,” perhaps suggesting that part of the song’s authenticity lies in its relative corniness. As Hanisch put it, the song “really captures [his] feelings.” The tone of the album shifts dramatically from a romanticized first love to “rejection in the worst possible way” in “Bleeding Ink.” In explanation for this change, Hanisch explained, “a lot of the songs are me trying to guess what was going through her mind.” More specifically, “Too Close” allegedly
embodies Hanisch’s feelings, including his retrospective view of this failed relationship. “She had only liked me for my music,” he reflected, “and [for] the image of what I could give her, the conception that somehow what I produce is more interesting than who I am as a person.” Despite “feeling conflicted about releasing it,” Hanisch ends the album with a track called “Who’d You Think You Were?” — according to the artist, this song amounts to a cathartic “dump of emotions.” Presently, Hanisch considers himself to be a student first, but dedicates the remainder of his time to working on his music. “The plan right now is to keep writing and keep producing, and hopefully if one [of my releases] gets noticed I can produce a studio album,” he remarked. “I want to play as many shows as possible.” As for the future, Hanisch said the following: “After graduation, I know I would be angry at myself if I didn’t go for it. I want to take at least a couple of years to really focus on music, maybe move to Nashville or Boston. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out, but at least I [will have gone] for it.” Hanisch’s “radiopassive” is the result of rather humble circumstances, having been written, recorded and produced in Hanisch’s bedroom. This “bedroom album,” though, perfectly encapsulates authentic music.
of expanding on many lovable characters’ backstories and even introduces new characters that had yet to make an appearance in any previous adaptation of “Mortal Kombat:” Kabal, Kung Lao, Nitara and Reiko, for instance, all made their big-screen debuts. The reboot of “Mortal Kombat” also stayed true to the games in the sense that its producers made the movie as gruesome as possible. It features unique Fatalities that are laden with blood and guts and help to earn the film its respectable R rating; this rating can likely be attributed not only to the presence of extreme violence and gore, but also to the sheer amount of profanity it contains (enough to combat any horror movie or thriller). In terms of overall cinematography, the film seemed to be very dimly lit and even dark at certain points, especially in the Outworld scenes that involve Shang Tsung and his band of miscreants. The story that this reboot chose to tell was very unique, especially when one considers the franchise’s previous installments. The idea of having an original main character be the center focus rather than a character from the “Mortal Kombat” roster was a big (and not unwelcome) change. Also, the decision to make this main character a descendant of one of the most popular characters of “Mortal Kombat,” while a plot point that has already been used in the previous two games of “Mortal Kombat,” still seems to be a breath of fresh air for “Mortal Kombat” fans. Where there is certainly a lot to like about this new version of “Mortal Kombat,” there are unfortunately some glaring negatives, too. My first big complaint concerns the characterization of Kano. Kano is meant to be a foul-mouthed
psychopath who does not show any type of remorse for his actions. But while this film’s version of the character is still quite foul-mouthed, Kano’s more psychopathic traits seem to have been lost. As a result, this version of Kano becomes so annoying that you just want to turn off the film. Another problem with this movie is that some of the effects are really lackluster. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that much of the filming was done in front of a green screen — that’s what it looks like, at least. One moment marked by especially poor special effects is when Kung Lao (Max Huang) first makes his appearance onscreen via teleportation. Unfortunately, the teleportation effect looked really glitchy, and it just felt out of place. Regardless of these problems, though, the film is a truly faithful adaptation of the “Mortal Kombat” series and earns. Fans of the “Mortal Kombat” franchise should not expect to be disappointed.
Contact Paige at phaeflin@nd.edu
Contact Nicole at nbilyak01@saintmarys.edu
“Mortal Kombat” Director: Simon McQuoid Starring: Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson Genre: Action/Fantasy If you liked: “Detective Pikachu,” “Mortal Kombat (1995)”
MAGGIE KLAERS | The Observer
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The observer | Monday, April 26, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
Inside Column
Dear Talia, Allison Thornton Photo Editor
Warning: I apologize in advance for the sappiness. Yesterday was my sister’s high school senior prom. First of all, as the older sibling, you never realize how fast your younger siblings grow up when you leave for college. As I was standing there taking pictures of her and her friends, I realized that she is becoming an adult. Secondly, I was envious because she looked absolutely gorgeous and I would give anything to dress up for a night. She was truly a princess. Me and my sister have been best friends since day one and, this might be embarrassing, but we still share a room when I come home from school. Something about the bunk beds we have had since we were 10 and 12 give me comfort. She and I still stay up laughing our heads off and try not to wake my parents up when midnight comes. It’s like we are young again, and not 17 and 20 years old. There is a part of me that never wants her to grow up. Something you should all know about my sister is that she is a force to be reckoned with. Her personality shines through anything and she can make anyone smile, literally anyone. She is my better half and she knows it. Sometimes I think she knows me better than I know myself. In high school she accomplished so much and I know it will be hard for her to leave. But she shouldn’t worry because she will take Purdue by storm. Her academic performance is unmatched and the list of her extracurriculars include just about everything you can imagine. I really don’t understand how she has time for anything. But she makes it work and she looks good while doing it. As I was taking photos of her all these thoughts were running through my head. She had become a beautiful and strong woman. Now you are probably wondering why I am going on and on about my sister. Well that’s because she is my favorite person in the world and she is high school graduating soon. I want to dedicate this column to her and all her hard work. She always knows how to make me laugh and that is something I will never forget. I know this all sounds cheesy, but it’s true. Siblings always have their bickering and fights that last about ten minutes before they forgive each in silence and go get food. It’s just a part of the sibling code. She knows how to push my buttons and I hate it, but I know one day I’ll miss that. I know my sister well enough, she will never stop poking fun at me. Congratulations Talia: on finishing high school, overcoming a knee injury, starring in musicals, being homecoming queen, leading a varsity volleyball team and making it to the international science fair. I know you have way more accomplishments than that, but for the sake of space and words, I had to narrow it down. W hether you become a woman in STEM or a fierce politician, just know that I am so proud of you! Talia, I love you more than you can ever know. Love, Allison You can contact Allison at athornton01@saintmarys.edu The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
On boos and soulmates Trevor Lwere On The Other Hand
Not so long ago, the basis of marriage had very little to do with love. The calculus for choosing a partner or partners for marriage had to do with other considerations, such as necessary labor power to produce food and other items like prestige, familial ties etc. Indeed, residues of this tradition still hold in many societies today where modernity hasn’t yet sufficiently penetrated. With the onset of modernity, marriage and the calculus for marriage partners was one of the institutions and/or traditions that were transformed as sex-love gradually, and successfully, established itself as the primary basis for marriage amongst the moderns as part of the broader liberation of the individual from the yoke of tradition. One of the presuppositions of sexlove is that one can only love one person, an idea captured by the present-day colloquialism of a ‘soulmate.’ Thus, many of out here waiting patiently for their patented soulmate to show up in their life so they can live happily thereafter. But does this claim of modern love as we know it hold any water? The experience of my friend Sarah has led me to review some of the claims about modern love as we know it. I have known Sarah for over seven years now. During that period, Sarah has been in at least five relationships, an average of at least one relationship per year. I have been a witness of Sarah’s nature as a hopeless romantic in each of these relationships. I have seen and heard Sarah shower each of her so-called ‘boos’ with the same platitudes. “You mean the world to me,” “you’re the best thing that has ever happened to me,” “I love you to the moon and back,” “I don’t know what I would do without you,” “why did you take so long to find me” and much more. Nonetheless, all these ended same the way: in tears. A few days ago, Sarah called me sobbing inconsolably after a bitter break-up in what had seemed to be the most promising thus far of all attempts at finding her ‘soulmate.’ As the good friend that I think I am, and with all the experience that I have garnered in consoling inconsolable souls, I tried to help Sarah deal with her umpteenth heartbreak. This time, however, Sarah’s grief struck a chord that inspired this article.
I wondered how it is that Sarah has managed to ‘love’ with almost the same intensity six different people. I have witnessed her heart literally on fire for each of her ‘boos’ during the peak moments of each relationship. Moreover, I wondered on, how can Sarah claim to be searching for her ‘soulmate’ yet her heart has had room for six different individuals all of whom have set it on fire in similar ways? In other words, is Sarah’s search for a soulmate in vain if she has the capacity to love multiple people? Regardless of how bitter the ending was for most of them, she loved them dearly. And she moved onto the next one with the same ‘juice,’ as football players would say. So, I thought to myself, maybe the claim that we can only have feelings for one person is a temporal one. That is to say that while it is possible to love i.e., to have feelings for more than one person as in Sarah’s case, it is not possible to love more than one person at the same time. Admittedly, Sarah’s experience only proves that we can love more than one person with the same intensity. It doesn’t prove that we can love more than one person at the same time. Yet, with the proof of the ability to love more than one person, it wouldn’t be an overstretch to extrapolate and claim that we can love i.e., have feelings for more than one person at the same time. That is, if we can show that one can feel for more than one person, we don’t need to show that it happened at the same time to prove that it’s a possibility. What matters is the capacity for it, which Sarah’s experience, as that of many other people, proves. Feelings, it seems, are neither a scarce nor a non-renewable resource. They are like God’s love; always f lowing yet ever abundant and ever renewable. There is no evidence that having some for one person precludes having them for another person, simultaneously. But this remains an untouched area for anthropological research. So I’ll leave this underdeveloped thesis to the anthropologists to develop. Trevor Lwere is a junior at Notre Dame majoring in economics, with a PPE minor. He hails from Kampala, Uganda and lives off campus. He is a dee-jay in his other life and can be reached at tlwere@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Submit a Letter to the Editor: viewpoint@ndsmcobserver.com
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The observer | Monday, April 26, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
Liked, shared, delivered: Do you get your news from social media? Renee Yaseen Renaissance
When I log onto social media, my typical feed consists of an ample mix of my friends’ pictures, memes and political content. Now more than ever, we use social media to get, spread and react to news. This can be a good thing: social media allows ordinary people to share their viewpoints and perspectives. We can share news quickly, and gain support for our ideas very quickly as well. But here’s my problem with it: as I’ve written before, “For better or worse, social media is optimized for virality. Algorithmic, activity-based timelines ensure that the opinions you’re more likely to see are the ones that cause the most buzz, and that appeal to strong emotions — not always the opinions that get the facts straight.” I fear that we’re reacting to news more than we’re processing it, thinking about it or acting productively based on it. According to NewsGuard, the amount of social media engagement (likes and comments) with news websites that, “fail to meet basic standards of credibility and/or transparency” increased from 8% in 2019 to 17% in 2020. While I think social media can be a great way to become introduced to a particular topic or issue, if our education stops there, we’re doing ourselves and our country a disservice. There is only so much information we can glean from a short, punchy infographic on Instagram, and political issues are rarely simple enough to be reduced to a short blurb.
When you see a political post on Instagram, how often does it cite reliable news sources? If it cites news sources at all, do you check the original source on your own? And even if you do, you may encounter a further information problem: mainstream media outlets have been increasing the emotional, storytelling and argumentative bent to their work in recent years. A report on media literacy from the Rand Corporation tried to empirically measure how American news corporations have changed their presentation and information dissemination styles between 1989, 2000, and 2017. They found that, “post-2000 reporting engaged in more storytelling and emphasized interactions, personal perspective, and emotion more heavily than did stories in the pre-2000 period.” Prime time programming after the year 2000 saw a, “quantifiable shift toward subjective, abstract, directive and argumentative language, with content based more on the expression of opinion than on the provision of facts. This was accompanied by an increase in airtime devoted to advocacy for those opinions in contrast to balanced descriptions of context or events.” I imagine for the many Americans who grew up with the news being more “balanced” and less opinion-based, this switch in presentation style may have led us to putting more weight on opinion than is apt. Take this column as a call to refresh and diversify the sources from which you get your news. No one likes to think they’re getting their news from an echo chamber, but in this polarized age, there’s a good chance we are discounting certain opinions
without really taking the time to engage critically with them. Take time to collect all the relevant details when you hear a news story before reacting online. Read long form articles. Read books. We are living in an age where opinions hold a lot of weight. No more than ever, getting our facts straight is the minimum of what we owe to each other as Americans.
KERRY SCHNEEMAN | The Observer
Renee Yaseen is a junior who majors in economics with minors in theology and the philosophy, politics, & economics (PPE) program. In her free time, she writes poems, hangs out with loved ones, and works on her software startup. She can be reached via the chat on a shared Google Doc at 3 a.m., on Twitter @ReneeYaseen or at ryaseen@nd.edu by email. The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Being a kid during COVID
MARKUS N.
Being a kid during COVID is very hard. COVID is like the baddest germs ever! Even if there’s bad, there is still good that comes with it though. COVID has helped us spend more time with our family. Instead of going somewhere we get to play board games or watch movies with our family. We also get to spend more time with our dog.
Even if there’s good about COVID there is also bad. We don’t get to play with as many of our friends. We also don’t get to have playdates. When we see our friends in public we have to stay six feet apart from them. We have a sister that is at Notre Dame and we don’t get to see her because of COVID. Today, our mom is having our baby sister and she’s at the hospital. We don’t get to see her either. Since we can’t go to the hospital, we have to wait until she comes home to meet her. We are worried about our new baby sister getting COVID. COVID makes us feel very bad. Even though there are good things that can come from COVID, it is still hard to be a kid during COVID. Sometimes we wish COVID would just go away. Valentina N. age eight
VALENTINA N.
Markus N. age six April 23
Editor’s Note: The full names of the authors of this letter are withheld to preserve their privacy and identity as minors.
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DAILY
The observer | Monday, April 26, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
Crossword | WILl shortz
Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Rethink your strategy regarding work, status and reputation, and you’ll come up with a plan that will help you maneuver your way into a favorable position. It’s up to you to go after your dreams. The more you do to entice others to see things your way, the easier it will be to unlock the door to your happiness and overall success. Your numbers are 7, 13, 22, 29, 31, 39, 48. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Discipline will pay off. Set your sights on what you want to achieve, and you will reach your goal. Your enthusiasm and drive will attract someone who has something to offer in return. Collaborate, and a workable plan will unfold. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A last-minute adjustment will put your mind at ease. Strive for perfection, and it will lead to new beginnings. You’ll gain insight into a situation if you study what’s transpired. Don’t limit the possibilities; take charge. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Focus on what’s possible. It’s up to you to make the most of whatever situation you encounter. Dedicate more time to selfimprovement and broadening your vision, knowledge and skills. Let go of the past and discover what life has to offer. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Control your spending and your emotions. You’ll find it difficult to resist temptation if it promises you comfort and tranquility. Weigh the pros and cons before you get involved in something you cannot afford. Focus on cheaper alternatives and building meaningful relationships. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Stop worrying about what everyone else is doing; concentrate on mastering your skills and improving your relationships with close friends, family or your lover. A financial opportunity looks promising. Examine your assets and how much upgrading your lifestyle will cost. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Your charm will be impossible to resist. Time spent with someone you love will bring you closer together. Make plans that entail a lifestyle change that gives you more freedom to enjoy life’s little pleasures. Make it your objective to ease stress. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Maintain a steady pace forward. Fix up your space or engage in something new and exciting that will impact your life and how you live. Sell items you no longer use, and it will ease stress and bring in extra cash. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Take your time. Refuse to let anyone rush you or pressure you to jump into something that makes you feel uncertain. Be true to yourself and let your intuition lead the way. Detailed research will put your mind at ease. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You can reach your full potential if you concentrate on what you need to accomplish. An unexpected opportunity will open up that will spark your interest and lead to an exciting partnership. Don’t be bashful; present what you have to offer. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Stay in touch with the people you miss and love. Show interest in what others do. Make changes at home structured toward health, fitness and peace of mind. Personal improvements are favored, and romance is in the stars. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You’ll feel stifled by restrictions, dependents and outside influences. Look past any negativity you face, and you will gain insight into what’s possible. Invest more time and money in something you enjoy doing, and it will pay off. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Tidy up loose ends before you start something new. A chance to use your skills in a new and exciting way will encourage you to create your own business or upgrade your resume to fit trending job qualifications. Romance is featured. Birthday Baby: You are poised, organized and aware. You are productive and trendy.
Sudoku | The Mepham Group
Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek
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SPORTS
ndsmcobserver.com | Monday, April 26, 2021 | The Observer
Sports Authority
Sports Authority
Predicting the Omaha eight Aidan Thomas Sports Writer
While I was certainly among the many who mourned the lack of a March Madness tournament in the spring of 2020, I was also among the minority who was more upset about the lack of a College World Series. College baseball’s iconic event, held in Omaha, remains a bucket-list sporting event for me to attend, So I figured now is as good a time as any to take a stab at my first prediction for the 8-team field in Omaha, plus maybe a too-early national championship prediction.
No. 8 Arkansas Ranked No. 1 right now, Arkansas is a trendy national champion pick, and they crack my Omaha Eight to start these predictions, but I question if they’re built for a run in the CWS against the best of the best. They can score runs like nobody else, but their offense has gone cold at times, and they’ll face great pitching in Omaha. They’ve also given up 11, 13 and 14 runs on separate occasions, all in the past 16 days. The bats will get them there, but I’m not positive they go further.
No. 7 Notre Dame I want the Irish to be here, and maybe this is a tad optimistic, but Notre Dame is a gritty team, who won’t beat themselves, are capable of stunning comebacks and have yet to lose a series this season in a competitive ACC. Notre Dame leads the nation in fielding percentage, and the other reason I like the Irish is they already play a postseason style of baseball — with only one true starter, Notre Dame often cobbles together a string of bullpen arms against an opposing ace, and it’s worked quite frequently. However, you obviously can’t count on eightrun comebacks, so Notre Dame will need to clean up their act and build some consistency.
No. 6 Texas The Longhorns lost on Sunday — their first defeat since March 30th — and snapped a 16-game winning streak, but they are simply red-hot with great pitching and hitting balance. They have a 2.82 team ERA, and they rank second in the country in doubles, consistently driving the balls to the gaps. The pitching is really good, but my biggest doubt is definitely offensive consistency — Texas seems vulnerable to getting completely shut down if they run into a couple of hot pitchers in the postseason.
No. 5 TCU Horned Frogs More Texas teams in the tooearly Omaha field, as TCU is
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another red-hot Big 12 team, having just lost their seven-game winning streak, having already ripped off a 10-game stretch earlier in the season. TCU is dominant right now and the team has shown the ability to get hot enough to carry a torrid pace through the postseason.
Thomas Zwiller’s 2021 NFL Draft predictions Thomas Zwiller Sports Writer
Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB Grade: A+ Slam dunk, easily the new face of your franchise.
No. 4 Arizona
Jets: Zach Wilson, QB
We’re headed to the Pac-12 as we break in our final four. Arizona is one of my more surprising picks on this list, as they’re ranked 18th in the country at the time of this article. However, the Wildcats lead all Power-5 schools with a blazing .324 batting average, and they’ve flexed their offensive muscle in recent stretches, as they’re currently on a six-game heater, averaging over ten runs per game in that span.
Grade: A+ I think this should be Fields, but NFL sources say otherwise.
No. 3 Tennessee I’ve got faith in the Vols’ bats finding more consistency, and their pitching staff is pretty good, particularly at punching out opponents — averaging over a strikeout per inning. They’re pesky at the plate, and they’ve won some impressive series this year — taking two of three from Florida and Georgia, along with a sweep of LSU. They battled Vanderbilt, dropping two of three, but still remaining a top-10 team and one of my favorite picks.
49ers: Justin Fields, QB Grade: A+ I think Mac Jones is a smokescreen. Getting Fields is a bargain at three.
Grade: A With Matt Ryan getting older and more expensive, along with a whole new coaching staff, it’s time to move on.
Bengals: Penei Sewell, OT Grade: AThe Bengals have one job, protect Burrow! This pick gets that done.
Dolphins: Kyle Pitts, TE Grade: BThere are two options take a WR or take Pitts. Pitts is a generational talent that the Dolphins can’t pass up.
Lions: Ja’Marr Chase, WR
The Bulldogs dropped a hotlycontested series to Vanderbilt this past weekend, losing two of three after ripping off eight wins in their past nine conference games, including sweeps of Auburn and Kentucky, to go with an impressive series victory against rival Ole Miss. This team just gives me a good feeling, and they’ve got a solid pitching staff, as they’re a top-10 squad in WHIP (Walks and Hits against per inning pitched), which is possibly my favorite stat, at least for pitching.
Grade: A The Lions are stuck with Goff for the foreseeable future; they might as well get him some help.
It couldn’t be anyone else but the ‘Dores here. The 1-2 pitching combo of Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter is as dominant and talented a duo as I can ever remember watching at the collegiate level, as they may be the two best arms in the upcoming MLB draft. They have ERAs of 1.55 and 1.49, respectively, combining for a 16-2 record on the bump and averaging over six innings a start. And the Vandy boys can also hit, leading all Power-5 schools in slugging percentage. Contact Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
ultimately franchise tagged. With that in mind and new QB Andy Dalton you can build for now and the future.
Eagles: Jaylen Waddle, WR
Colts: Kwity Paye, ED
Grade: A To properly tell if Hurts is your QB of the future, you’re going to need an elite WR for him to throw to.
Grade: AWith the Colts losing Denico Autry and Justin Houston being in Flux, I think shoring up the D-Line is the right move.
Titans: Elijah Moore, WR Chargers: Christian Darrisaw, OT Grade: A Much like with Burrow and the Bengals, shore up that offensive line to protect your future!
Grade: A With Corey Davis and Adam Humphries walking out the door, the Titans need to get a playmaker on offense. This helps them give Tannehill a solid weapon.
Vikings: Teven Jenkins, T Falcons: Trey Lance, QB
No. 2 Mississippi State
No. 1 Vanderbilt
an OL piece here, but PFF hated those picks. So they give Jones a Heisman winner so that he can be adequately evaluated.
Panthers: Rashawn Slater, OT Grade: DI think the reason PFF hates this is because the Panthers would pass on Mac. With Darnold, they don’t need Mac and they don’t need a WR. Protect Darnold!
Broncos: Micah Parsons, LB Grade: BI think it’s the same reason the Broncos are passing Mac by. But I like Parsons here, give Locke some more time and improve an aging defense.
Cowboys: Patrick Surtain II, CB Grade: BThe Cowboys need to shore up their terrible secondary.
Giants: DeVonta Smith, WR Grade A I think that the Giants will take
Grade: B+ The Vikings could easily take Alijah Vera Tucker, but PFF graded Jenkins as the higher option.
Patriots: Mac Jones, QB Grade: A+ I really would be surprised if Mac fell here. The Lions, Panthers, and Broncos could all quickly snatch him up, but if he makes it this far, he’s a Patriot.
Cardinals: Christian Barmore, DI Grade: A+ I expect Kyler Murray to take a step up this year, and it feels like the offense has all it needs. Help that defense!
Raiders: Trevon Moehrig, S Grade: A+ The Raiders could use a tackle after the offseason they had, but with a secondary as bad as theirs (and in a division with Mahomes and Herbert), the secondary is the more significant need.
Dolphins: Alijah Vera Tucker, T Grade: AI would like to see the Dolphins invest in Tua now that he is the clear starter. However, to help with the loss of Van Noy this offseason, they could easily take JOK.
Washington: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB Grade: A Why not make a great defense all the better with the addition of Owusu-Koromoah? His time at ND showed he is a brilliant and athletic player.
Bears: Rashod Bateman, WR Grade: AAllen Robinson didn’t want to return to Chicago but was
Jets: Jaycee Horn, CB Grade: A Once the Jets get their QB, their new defensive-minded head coach will want to start building his defense. It is fitting to me that this is the pick the Jets got for Jamal Adams, so why not draft in the secondary?
Steelers: Najee Harris, HB Grade: B+ The Steeler’s lack of a run game was a significant problem for the last year. The Steelers could easily take an OT here to replace losses and try to help the run game, but why not take arguably the best RB of the draft to fix your run game?
Jaguars: Walker Little, OT Grade: ALike the Bengals and Chargers before them, you might as well protect the QB you just acquired.
Browns: Jayson Oweh, ED Grade: AI don’t think the Browns need to worry about anything offensively, and they shored up their secondary in the offseason. Now is the time to make a lethal defense.
Ravens: Terrance Marshall Jr., WR Grade: AThe Ravens did get a solid pass catcher in Watkins, but why not add to that and give Lamar the passing attack he deserves? All grades come courtesy of Pro Football Focus. Contact Thomas Zwiller at tzwiller@hcc-nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
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Somogyi Continued from page 12
whether it was for his cats, whether it was for his wife, he just felt deeply. He was the kindest and most caring person I’ve ever met.” Somogyi passed away unexpectedly on April 17 at the age of 58. Blue & Gold Illustrated reported he died of an apparent heart attack after playing tennis. A native of South Bend, Ind., Somogyi was born Aug. 8, 1962, and received a bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame in 1984. He is survived by his wife Amalia; stepchildren, Mike Vegh, Jennifer and Brandon Thomas and Kimberly Vegh; and stepgranddaughter, Noelle Thomas. When news of his death broke, accolades from Notre Dame coaches, reporters and fans alike flooded in. Many highlighted his vast knowledge of Notre Dame sports and acumen for writing. However, his friends and colleagues remember him not only as a legendary reporter but as a selfless, faithful, compassionate and kindhearted person.
An encyclopedic knowledge It was mid-August and COVID-19 had unanticipatedly brought Notre Dame and the ACC together. The unprecedented nature of the pandemic gave rise to different questions concerning practice alterations and, maybe most importantly, who would replace Coach Brian Kelly in case he got sick. “It would be Lou Somogyi,” said Kelly when asked about his potential replacement in a press conference. “I know Lou would do a great job with the special teams and he could keep [assistant coach Brian] Polian on the sidelines and from getting us a 15-yard penalty.” Kelly’s comment was meant to be tongue in cheek, but it revealed an aspect that defined Somogyi’s 37-year-long career as a Notre Dame football beat reporter and editor for Blue & Gold Illustrated: an encyclopedic knowledge on Notre Dame Athletics. After this episode, the staff at Blue & Gold — who often joked the magazine should be titled “Lou & Gold Illustrated” because of Somogyi’s dedication — created a fake cover with Somogyi’s face superimposed over a coach’s outfit. Patrick Engel, a beat writer at this publication, said everyone in the office found it hilarious. That is, everyone in the office but Somogyi, who replied, “It should be a picture of the Hindenburg.” “That right there just sums up his sense of humor and self-deprecation,” Engel said. Despite his self-deprecation, Somogyi had the impressive skill of knowing even the minor details of the University’s vast history. He could not only recall players and their statistics but games’ exact dates and weather conditions.
“You could say, ‘tell me, who was the backup center at the 1973 game against Southern Cal,’ and he could tell you where the kid was from, who won the game, what the weather was like when the kid played,” Stu Coman, Blue & Gold’s publisher, said. “It was crazy, yet he would always say he couldn’t remember what he had for lunch.” Somogyi’s wealth of knowledge did not limit itself to football — it comprised Notre Dame’s athletic history, including basketball. Because of it, the University’s Sports Information Office, coaches and reporters alike would often resort to him to answer their doubts. His expertise made him one of Coach Mike Brey’s main historic references. “He had the best mental and probably physical archived memory of Notre Dame history,” Brey said. “I always picked at his brain, especially during my early years when I was still kind of feeling my way and hoping to understand the big picture.” The Notre Dame men’s basketball coach said the two tended to engage in lively debates — the most illustrious of them regarding the greatest achievement in the history of Notre Dame basketball. After hours of going back and forth, they called a draw, with Somogyi concluding that the program’s best win was the 1978 upset against UCLA and agreeing that its greatest achievement was the 2015 ACC Championship, in which Notre Dame won over both Duke and North Carolina on Tobacco Road. “I respected it because he knew the history. So I always felt like ‘well, if it meant it was powerful to him, us winning [the ACC Championship] in 2015, then I know was powerful because he’s a true historian,’” Brey said. However, Somogyi’s mastery of everything Notre Dame sports preceded his career as a
professional reporter. While a student at Notre Dame, Somogyi formed a friendship with Notre Dame sports historian and founder of the National Fighting Irish Subway Alumni Association, Herb Juliano. This relationship greatly influenced Somogyi, said Chris Needles (class of ’83), who drew parallels between both men’s love for Notre Dame sports and devotion to the Church. “When Mr. Juliano died around 1998, I think Lou saw it as his mission to take that forward and assume the mantle,” Needles said. “Even though he didn’t specifically work for the university, he grew into that role as the historian, that if you wanted to know anything about any Notre Dame game, going back to the history of time, Lou was the person you consulted.” Needles, who served as The Observer’s Sports Editor from 1982 to 1983, remembered Somogyi as a passionate and hardworking writer who was willing to cover any assignment. “He was just somebody that showed up at The Observer to wanting to write stories and willing to cover any aspect of Notre Dame sports,” Needles said. “Lou was always happy and eager to take on what some might have seen as lesser assignments, but he loved it all. I mean, he loved everything about Notre Dame.”
Living the dream Somogyi was connected to Notre Dame since birth. He grew up on the outskirts of campus attending school in St. Joseph High School. Both of his parents worked at the University. The Four Horsemen painted his dreams. Like Rudy Ruettiger, he transferred from Holy Cross College and became a student in 1980. Four years later, Tim Prister (class of ’82) — also a South Bend native — hired him at Blue
& Gold. Since then, Somogyi lived his dream with fervor. “We grew up in Notre Dame Stadium. And so for both of us, it was a dream come true that we were covering Notre Dame football and working in Blue & Gold Illustrated,” Prister said. “He reached the pinnacle of his career when he started covering Notre Dame professionally. He didn’t need any more than that.” The son of two Hungarian immigrants, Somogyi learned to work hard from an early age, and he carried a “relentless work ethic” throughout his career. “He was a professional,” Prister said. “There was nothing that could prevent him from doing the job to the highest degree of his effort,” Prister said. Somogyi’s care for his work translated into a sort of perfectionism, often exerting himself into correcting any sort of mistake. In fact, even after the issue was proofread twice, Somogyi would take it upon himself to have a final revision. “Even back in the days before digital publishing, Lou would find a mistake after they had already sent it to the printer, and he would drive to Milford, Ind. — maybe 45 minutes from South Bend — with a two-line correction for them to paste,” Coman remembered. “This is crazy, but he cared about what he was doing, and he wanted things to be perfect.” He spent sleepless nights working on editions — surprisingly never turning to caffeine to keep him awake — and his drive and dedication were not merely personal, but it also rendered into patience and support for his colleagues. “There have been moments where I wonder like, ‘Am I good enough at this?’” said Engel about doubting his abilities. “When those moments come up, I will never forget what Lou saw in me and what he thought I could do. That alone is enough to get through that, and to keep
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confident and to believe I belong here and I can do this.” According to Coman, Somogyi’s generosity and love for Blue & Gold knew no bounds, as he often put others’ needs in front of his own. The Blue & Gold publisher teared up while recalling instances when Somogyi would pass on money if it meant benefiting the publication. “There have been several times where we’ve interviewed somebody for an open position, and he’s said, ‘if you need to reduce my salary to hire them, do it.’ And then we distributed some money on a profit share program to our employees, and Lou sent me a note saying, ‘I appreciate the money. But if you need to invest that in the company, that’d be fine with me,’” Coman said. “And that was kind of just how much he cared about the magazine being successful.” More than a star reporter, Somogyi is remembered as a man of faith — consistently showing up at St. Joseph Catholic Church’s 7 a.m. mass to play the organ — whose loss leaves many voids and whose kindness will continue inspiring all who met him. “He completely embodied ‘human first, journalist second,’ and I guarantee you he never lost sight of it once in forty years in the business,” Engel said. “He definitely enriched his days, just in his interactions with the other people and in how he rubbed off on other people.” It is in the spirit of this generosity that Blue & Gold established the Lou Somogyi Memorial Scholarship at Notre Dame, which will primarily benefit South Bend students who transfer from Holy Cross to Notre Dame, but also other students who make the same move to transfer or are in financial need. Donations can be made on the giving.nd.edu website. Contact Maria Luisa Paul at mpaulran@nd.edu
Sports
ndsmcobserver.com | Monday, April 26, 2021 | The Observer
nd women’s golf | acc tournament
Irish take 10th in ACC tourney Observer Staff Report
Notre Dame women’s golf concluded their season with a 10th-place finish in the ACC Tournament at the very difficult Sedgefield County Club in Greensboro, North Carolina. Only Duke and Wake Forest broke par as a team over the three-round tournament, as the Irish finished +64 with a 928. Notre Dame had some standout individual performances, particularly from their top golfers. Sophomore Lauren Beaudreau was the Irish’s top individual player, shooting a +4 over three rounds to crack the top 20. Senior Abby Heck shot a +1 in round 3, leading Notre Dame for the round, and ending her collegiate career with an 18th-hole birdie. Beaudreau got off to a hot start on Saturday, shooting a pair of even-par rounds. She notched eight birdies on the day, and utilized the back nine as a stabilizing point for her rounds, shooting -1 both times. After just two pars on the front nine of her first nine, Beaudreau notched six to go with a pair of birdies in Round 1, claiming her evenpar. In the second round, sitting at +2 with four holes to play, Beaudreau flashed her ability on the longer holes, securing birdies on the par-5 15th and 18th holes to end on a high note. Beaudreau’s day 3 got off to a bit of a rough start, as she teed off from hole 10 and couldn’t find an early rhythm, taking her out of contention for a top5 individual finish. However, the sophomore finished with some jaw-dropping highlights,
including back-to-back eagles on holes 5 and 6 in her final round. She was one of just five players to notch multiple eagles on the tournament, and over the course of the three rounds, she was the only player to eagle the par-4 Hole 6, which played as the most difficult hole on the course. Over three days, there was Beadreau’s eagle and just eight other birdies from the field. The highlight-reel shots helped Beaudreau salvage the +4 round and a top-20 finish. Meanwhile, Heck was a clear #2 golfer for the Irish, as she was extremely consistent in Rounds 1 and 3, with only an up-and-down middle-round costing her a potential top-20 finish as well. Heck was impressively consistent in Round 1, as despite not claiming a single birdie, she scored par on 16 holes to keep her round to a +3. However, the damage control was not as smooth in Round 2, as Heck scored four birdies but also a few big numbers that led to a +8 round and kept Heck out of individual contention. Despite this, the senior rallied to finish her career with a very impressive +1 score on a difficult course. After Beaudreau and Heck, the Irish saw sophomore Madelyn Jones, junior Claire Albrecht and freshman Julia Bordeaux also score. Bordeaux was impressive in her Round 2, notching three birdies en route to a +1 round. Jones had five birdies on the weekend for Notre Dame, while Albrecht chipped in with two. With two sophomores and a freshman among their major contributors, ND women’s golf looks forward to the next couple of years, while bidding farewell to Heck, the team’s only senior.
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Softball Continued from page 12
continued in the second as two more Hokies were sat down by Holloway, and with both teams unable to score, the Irish remained ahead as they entered into the third inning. Come to the fifth inning, the score remained unchanged. A single from senior outfielder Abby Sweet sent Holloway home, making it 2-0 in favor of Notre Dame. The Hokies were only able to get one run before the end of the match, and the Irish took home the win (2-1). Sweet was also named a top25 finalist for USA Softball’s Collegiate Player of the Year Award this weekend. This honor is largely regarded as the most prestigious in Division I women’s collegiate softball, recognizing extraordinary talent across the nation. She is the third Irish player in history to be nominated, and is one of four ACC players included in the honor this year. The second game of the day proved to be a closer contest. In the second inning, junior catcher Shelby Grimm clocked a run for the Irish after efforts from freshman infielder Karina Gaskins, sophomore outfielder Leea Hanks, junior pitcher Payton Tidd and graduate student infielder Chelsea Purcell at-bat. Purcell quickly stole second, and freshman infielder Cassidy Grimm launched a double to score Hanks and Purcell, earning her first career extra-base hit. Because of this, the Irish emerged from the inning up by three, having kept
Baseball Continued from page 12
driven in 21 runs, and Kavadas, who has mashed a team-leading 15 home runs so far this season. Kavadas is second in the conference in home runs, after going deep in both games of Saturday’s doubleheader. He was named to the prestigious Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list last week. The two teams have been
M Lax Continued from page 12
the net for the second time to make the 10-7 after three quarters in favor of UNC. After another North Carolina goal and facing an 11-7 deficit, Notre Dame scored two straight goals to cut the lead to 11-9 before missing multiple opportunities to cut the difference to one goal. William Perry scored an unassisted goal for the Tar Heels to make the score 12-9, putting the game out of reach for Notre Dame despite Yorke’s second goal — this time assisted by Jackoboice — with 1:08 left in the game. Kavanaugh and Jackoboice
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the Hokies off the board (3-0). The Irish extended their lead in the next inning as Marino reached the plate after a hit from Hanks. However, the Hokies quickly rebounded. With the bases loaded, Tidd became confined to the circle on a fielder’s choice ball, giving Virginia Tech the opportunity needed to gain two runs. By the end of the inning, they had tied the score 4-4. In the fifth, Cassidy Grimm was able to score, and Clark immediately followed her home. The Hokies were only able to chip away one run from the Irish lead, and with senior pitcher Morgan Ryan entering the circle, the Hokies were unable to score again, handing the game to the Irish (6-5). Saturday’s game proved to be an arduous one for the Irish, who were able to pull out a win after a nine-inning game. Holloway opened the game pitching three strikeouts in the first two innings and was able to hold the Hokies off until the bottom of the third. After a throwing error from the Irish offense, Virginia Tech led 2-0 heading into the fourth. Hanks was a force to be reckoned with in the fifth, stealing third and speeding home after an attempt to get her out. After this, Purcell’s defensive play proved to be too much for the Hokies, and the score remained 2-1 at the top of the sixth. Another error from Virginia Tech allowed Sweet to reach home on a single from Marino to tie the game. The teams went back and forth in runs; the Hokies hit an RBI single to give themselves the lead once more,
only to be followed by a solo home run from Holloway. They entered a ninth inning when the score remained tied, and senior infielder Sarah Genz hit her first home run of the season to put the Irish ahead, and eventually ensured their seriesclinching win. Coming off of this momentum, the Irish came into Sunday’s matchup knowing they had claimed the series. However, this did not diminish their efforts, and they swept Virginia Tech with a 3-1 win. They are now 5-7 in their contests against ranked teams this season. Home runs proved to be the key to Sunday’s match. Tidd pitched a complete game, and was able to keep the Hokies scoreless heading into the third. Purcell reached home, putting the Irish up 1-0. Virginia Tech was unable to tie the game until the fifth, as Tidd and the defense continued to seat batters. The sixth inning was the game-changer for the Irish, as solo home runs from Gaskins and junior infielder Quinn Biggio (her fifth of the year) allowed Notre Dame to lead 3-1. Both teams went three up, three down in the seventh, ensuring the series sweep. Notre Dame looks ahead to play their rescheduled game against DePaul on Wednesday, April 28 at 5:30 p.m., which can be streamed on ACCNX. They will then move on to play their annual Strike Out Cancer weekend in a doubleheader on Saturday, May 1, to raise both awareness and funds for those fighting childhood cancer and their families.
trending in opposite directions over the last month. Valparaiso has won just 4 out of their last 15 contests since the loss to the Irish, including a string of eight straight defeats at one point. Notre Dame, meanwhile, has knocked off ranked opponents in Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech and Louisville and has yet to lose an ACC series — the only team in the conference with that distinction. The team’s effort has not gone unnoticed, as they are ranked 6th in the most
recent Baseball America Poll, behind only Louisville in the ACC. Head coach Link Jarrett has used a pitchers-by-committee approach in the midweek matchups thus far, allowing the usual weekend starters to rest. They have used five pitchers in each of the two games. The first pitch is scheduled for 5:30 on Tuesday evening in Frank Eck Stadium and will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra.
led the way for the Irish with two goals and one assist each. Westlin also finished with three points, recording one goal and two assists in the loss. For Notre Dame, these two losses come on the heels of an upset victory of No. 1 Duke at home. That win had given head coach Kevin Corrigan win No. 311 at Notre Dame, the most for any coach at a single program in Division I history. The upset caused the Irish to rise to the No. 2 spot in the country but following the losses to Duke and UNC, this ranking is sure to drop as they are still in search of win No. 312. However, with their two losses coming by a combined three goals to the third- and
fourth-ranked teams in the country, Notre Dame’s postseason hopes are hardly in jeopardy. The Irish will return home for their regular-season finale on Saturday, May 1 against Syracuse. They will then turn their attention to the postseason, where they hope to make a run at Notre Dame’s firstever men’s lacrosse national championship. Getting a win against Syracuse will be vital for the Irish to build some positive momentum before the NCAA Tournament begins on May 29. The game will begin at 12 p.m. and can be seen in person by a limited number of students or on ESPNU.
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The observer | Monday, April 26, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
men’s lacrosse | north carolina 12, nd 10
ND drops 2nd straight game Observer Staff Report
The Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team dropped their second straight game with a 12-10 loss to No. 4 North Carolina on Sunday, April 25 in Chapel Hill. It was the second game in four days for No. 2 Notre Dame (6-3, 2-3 ACC), as they had lost to Duke by a score of 13-12 in overtime earlier in the week. The game against the Tar Heels (10-2, 3-2 ACC) was also tightly contested throughout, but once again the Irish came up just short. The first quarter was dominated by the defenses, with each goalie making six saves apiece. Notre Dame junior attacker Griffin Westlin finally broke the deadlock at the 8:57 mark of the first quarter, finding the back of the net after being set up by sophomore attacker Pat Kavanaugh. North Carolina responded with two goals of their own, taking a 2-1 lead into the second quarter. The Irish and the Tar Heels played even in the second quarter, with both sides notching
football
Friends, colleagues remember Lou Somogyi
three more goals before halftime. Notre Dame junior midfielder Quinn McCahon leveled the score at two apiece off an assist from Westlin, but, once again, North Carolina came back with two straight goals. Westlin recorded another assist for the Irish, this time to senior midfielder Wheaton Jackoboice, before an unassisted highlight-reel-level goal from Kavanaugh tied the game at 4-4. North Carolina scored less than a minute later to take a 5-4 lead heading into the halftime break. Notre Dame knotted the score at 5-5 just 80 seconds into the second half behind an unassisted goal from graduate student attacker Will Yorke, but North Carolina was then able to create some separation with four straight goals. Jackoboice helped the Irish stop the bleeding with another goal, this time assisted by freshman midfielder Eric Dobson. The teams then traded a few scores, with Kavanaugh finding the back of see M LAX PAGE 11
By MARIA LUISA PAUL Talent & Inclusion Manager
Photo Courtesy of Jeanette Blankenship
Lou Somogyi, right, poses with Christopher Rigaux while covering a game during the 2011 football season. Somogyi died April 17.
see SOMOGYI PAGE 10
nd BASEBALL
ND softball | nd 2, vt 1; nd 6, vt 5; nd 4, vt 3 (9); nd 3, vt 1
Irish sweep 4-game series against No. 15 Hokies
Squad prepares for Valparaiso
Observer Staff Report
Observer Staff Report
The Notre Dame softball team pocketed yet another series win with their sweep of Virginia Tech this weekend. With this victory, the Irish (26-12, 17-10 ACC) boast four top-25 wins. Head coach Deanna Gumpf gained her 778th-career win by the end of the contest. This is the first ACC series Virginia Tech has lost all season. In the first game Friday, junior outfielder Emma Clark stole second, reaching third on a Virginia Tech error in an attempt to get her out while stealing. She was the first to reach home after a sac fly from graduate student infielder Katie Marino brought Clark in from third, and the Irish were up 1-0. Senior pitcher Alexis Holloway struck out two batters during her first run in the circle, making quick work of the Hokies, who were unable to score in the inning. This pattern
After a thrilling, come from behind series win against Boston College, the sixthranked Notre Dame baseball team (20-8, 18-8 ACC) returns home for a midweek matchup with Valparaiso (8-21, 3-9 MVC) on Tuesday. After overcoming a 10-0 defeat in the opening game of the series, and battling back from a 9-0 deficit in the rubber match to take the series from the Eagles, the Irish look ahead to their third-midweek matchup of the season. The Irish have had success in their two previous midweek games, most recently defeating Central Michigan 8-4 on April 13. They also defeated Valparaiso 6-3 on March 23, behind two home runs from senior first baseman Niko Kavadas. This will be the second of three matchups with Valparaiso this season, with the third coming on the road on May 11th. The two schools have a long history, as this will
see SOFTBALL PAGE 11
Few people understand the grief of losing a beloved pet. When Irish Breakdown publisher Bryan Driskell and his wife, two self-declared animal lovers, had to make the hard decision of putting their dog down, not all could empathize with their overwhelming loss — except maybe their neighbor and Driskell’s colleague, Lou Somogyi. The senior editor for Blue & Gold Illustrated and longtime Notre Dame football reporter sent Driskell a heartfelt letter and a poem. He called to make sure Driskell was okay. He treated it like Driskell had “lost a child.” Overall, Somogyi displayed the care and kindness that characterized him throughout his life. “He just was such a caring, loving person,” said Driskell while remembering Somogyi. “Whether it was for people, whether it was for his dog, Bella,
ARI DENNING | The Observer
Irish freshman first baseman Karina Gaskins fields a grounder during Notre Dame’s 6-5 win over NC State on March 26 at home.
be the 103rd meeting all-time. The Irish have dominated the series, holding an 81-21 advantage including a 54-10 mark at Notre Dame. The Irish have also claimed 18 of the last 19 matchups. The Crusaders have struggled this season and currently sit last in the Missouri Valley Conference. Their team batting average is .230, while their pitching staff has compiled a 6.13 ERA. Despite this, they were tough for Notre Dame in the teams’ first matchup, leading 3-2 as late as the 6th inning before Notre Dame scored four runs to seal the game. Offensively, they are led by infielder Damon Jorgensen who leads the team with a 0.274 batting average, and outfielder Riley Dent, who has 12 extrabase hits and 13 RBIs. Notre Dame will likely rely on the continued production of junior infielder Carter Putz, who is batting 0.345 and has see BASEBALL PAGE 11