Print Edition for The Observer for Monday, October 10, 2022

University leaders discuss campus survey results

By BELLA LAUFENBERG a ssociate news e ditor

The campus inclusive survey, which has been done previous ly in 2018 and 2020, asked the notre dame student population to reflect on their sense of be longing and what factors have influenced how at home they feel under the golden dome.

data was collected from february to march 2022 and yielded a 42 percent response rate, according to vice president of student affairs gerry olinger.

“we had 5,380 respondents [to the] survey, which we were

actually very pleased with,” he said. “on average, the national response rate for these types of surveys is about 20 to 24 percent. so, we had a significantly higher response rate than many other institutions.”

The results of the recent sur vey, olinger explained, are entirely accessible to anyone within the campus commu nity, except in cases where ano nymity could not be preserved. students, faculty and staff can log into the survey results us ing their notre dame net id and password.

viewers can find the survey

results in their aggregate form by clicking through data in each of the nine survey topics: respondent characteristics, stu dent experiences at notre dame, comfort sharing aspects of identity, recommending notre dame, how notre dame has changed, insensitive remarks, adverse treatment, resources for reporting and open-ended comments.

out of many result statistics, olinger highlighted a few that he said stood out to him, both good and bad, including that

‘Studebaker Talks’ feature South Bend community

notre dame, city enters flu season

By PETER BREEN news writer

over 6,000 free vaccinations were administered exclusively for students during the first flu blitz, university health services (uhs) director edward Junkins told The observer. faculty, staff and dependents are eligible to make appointments for the sec ond blitz.

The uhs orchestrated its annual flu vaccine blitz in the stepan center on sept. 20 and sept. 21. The secondary blitz takes place this week on oct. 11 and oct. 12.

Junkins supplied the ra tionale: influenza is a highly communicable infectious dis ease that consistently causes morbidity.

influenza, Junkins said, is an illness that can quickly overwhelm the resources the university has in place in the event of a widespread outbreak.

“[morbidity] means loss of time from work, significant symptoms, so body aches, high fever, dehydration and putting people at risk who have chronic illness,” he said.

Feminists United holds voting rally

the voting process.

By KATELYN WALDSCHMIDT news writer

By ISA SHEIKH a ssociate news e ditor

freight trains rattled overhead and a double rainbow stretched across the gray sky as hun dreds of south bend residents gathered for the second annual “studebaker Talks” in a room that once served as a factory floor for the studebaker compa ny. The once-abandoned venue, which now serves as the south bend city church, reflected the history of the wagon and auto mobile manufacturer based in the city for more than a century, employing thousands in south bend until the plant’s closure in 1963.

The history of the space where

audiences heard and engaged six Ted-esque talks was some thing that organizers leaned into, according to organizing committee member Jacob Titus.

“That space has been rei magined in a way that you can definitely tell this was part of the factory,” Titus, a photographer and designer at the helm of a creative studio called Tutt street studio said. Titus is also behind the blog west.sb, which centers around south bend history and culture.

“[it adds] a lot of weight to the conversations having this shad ow of studebaker,” he said.

friday night’s event donated all net proceeds to the boys & girls club of st. Joseph county,

raising more than $2,500 in tick et sales.

Jonathan Jones, director of recreation for the city’s depart ment of venues, parks and arts, served as the night’s mc, intro ducing each speaker and facili tating discussion throughout the room in between each talk.

“Tonight we’re going to have an opportunity to celebrate in genuity and progress that is hap pening in our city and for some of us, myself included, tonight might be the very night that serves as a catalyst for you to re ally be inspired to make that first step … that’s going to help make it a place where everyone can

aint mary’s feminists united club held a rally s aturday afternoon in front of l e mans hall to mark one month until election day. e choing other women’s marches around the country also held s aturday, the rally centered around speakers who addressed the importance of women getting out to vote in elections.

s

“ we are trying to highlight voting right now with the midterm election coming up,” feminists united treasurer and senior l ibbey detcher said. “Traditionally, college students have a really low vot er turnout.”

feminists united’s mission is to empower and give com munity to women. e ach year, they hold events like femi nist trivia, work the women’s health fair, help with Take back the night and spon sor voting events such as the one on s aturday to encourage women to get out and vote.

feminists united president and junior madison mata said events like the rally are espe cially important to learn about and provide resources to assist

“i am from Texas and when ever i have to request my absentee ballot, i get really confused,” mata said about her own experiences.

detcher said women’s voic es are too often quieted in society.

“i think some voices tend to be underrepresented or even stifled sometimes,” she said.

The speakers at the event were all women in government offices who shared their sto ries and discussed the impor tance of women voting.

The first to speak was s aint mary’s alum r achel Tomas morgan, an at-large member of the common council in s outh bend. Tomas morgan talked about how she tried to encour age many people to run for city council seats before someone turned the question back on her and asked why she didn’t run herself.

Tomas morgan said she orig inally thought she didn’t have the knowledge, qualifications or experience to run. she had asked 60 people their opinions on her running before she felt validated enough to try.

i n her speech, Tomas

Courtesy of Jacob Titus

Speakers Zachary T. Nelson, Jeff Walker, Lety Stanton-Verduzco, Leslie Pinson, Caitlin Hubbard and Benjamin Futa stand on stage at Studebaker Talks. The event took place in South Bend City Church.

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Question of the Day:

Liana Bigaud

senior

Pasquerilla West Hall

biology.”

Tara Henry junior

Pasquerilla East Hall

Today’s Staff

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Monday

Virtues and Vocations online

12 p.m. - 1 p.m.

Presented by Brandon Vaidyanathan.

Cold War Flash Panel online

12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Livestream available on Nanovic Institute’s YouTube channel.

Bianca Contreras Lopez

Tuesday

Catholic Mass in Swahili

Badin Hall Chapel

5 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Refreshments will follow the service.

Film: “Watchers of the Sky”

1050 Jenkins Nanovic Halls

5 p.m. - 7 p.m. Register online.

Allison Fleming sophomore

Pasquerilla East Hall

“Engineering Computing.”

Nathaniel Clay junior Fisher Hall

Andrea Sánchez Tercero senior Lyons Hall

Wednesday

On-Campus Flu Vaccine Blitz Stepan Center

10 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Appointments must be made in advance.

Festival of Lights Bond Hall 334

5 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Hear the many stories that surround the Indian holiday Diwali.

Thursday

Noah Bongiovanni, Senior Piano Recital

LaBar Recital Hall

4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Works by Bach, Debussy and more.

Festa dos Santos Populares

Bond Hall 106

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Learn the traditional quadrilha dance.

Friday

SAS Donuts & Donations

Tent on east side of Jenkins Nanovic

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Annual fundraiser.

Football Fridays at the Eck Eck Visitors Center

11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Enjoy live music and tailgate food.

Kathryn Munchnick

Broder

Maria Gorecki

Photo Sofia CrimiVaroli

Sports

José Sánchez Córdova Scene Willoughby Thom Viewpoint

Andrea Jimenez

RYAN VIGILANTE | The Observer

The

stirs

spirit at

Dame’s football game on Saturday.

thrive,” Jones said.

The first speaker of the evening was Lety stanton-verduzco of the boys & Girls club, who discussed the needs of children in the south bend community.

“how many of you can honest ly say that in your childhood, your youth, an adult made a positive impact on your life and because of them you are the person you are today?” stanton-verduzco asked the room.

she discussed her upbringing in Gary, Indiana as the daughter of a steel mill worker who had to feed his six children, often dou bling up on shifts.

“It was not uncommon for me to go days without seeing my dad. At some point he had to sleep. so that meant that school became an extended part of my family and therefore my teachers and my coaches also became an extended part of my family and made an impact on me,” stantonverduzco said.

stanton-verduzco, who came to south bend to study writ ing at saint mary’s, recalled working with local youth the summer before her senior year. she discussed current local cri ses of violence and mental health and a lack of support in public schools.

“Kids need support, they need to feel valued. And only a person can make somebody else feel val ued. so how do we do that? how do we fill the gaps? everyone’s heard the saying ‘it takes a village’ but it’s more than just a saying, it’s a call to action,” stanton-verduzco said. “every day, I see the collec tive ability of individuals to make an impact. I see the two dozen of my former club kids who are now current club staff. I see it in the faces of kids and volunteers who show up every week, consistently to read to kids, to engage with them, to talk with them, to listen with them.”

stanton-verduzco closed with a call to action.

“every kid is one positive adult away from being a success story. And all of you already have every thing it takes to be that one per son,” she said.

The second speaker was Leslie Pinson, a podcaster and founder of the startup Local spirit. Pinson, originally from Texas, recalled coming to her stepmother’s na tive south bend as a child.

“This little Leslie loved Indiana, loved south bend and Indiana sweet corn,” she said. “so she loved Indiana sweet corn, rudy and the outdoor ice skating rink at howard Park.”

Pinson, through a tale of grief and trauma and self-healing ulti mately told the story of how mov ing to south bend was the way in which she faced her fears.

“I moved to the place that rep resented my deepest fear, and that was boredom. I thought it was boring, and yet I moved here and, y’all, what happened? What happened is by embracing my deepest fear, I found my greatest joy. I found who I am. I reconnect ed to the magic that is within me,” she said.

Pinson recalled seeing south bend on a list of dying cities and being upset at the “overplayed” narrative.

“Y’all, what if there was pieces of this city that needed to die so that the treasure could be re vealed? What if the way we help south bend find healing and be come that full potential, what if it’s like we individually do that for ourselves? And we don’t do it alone. We do it together, in com munity,” she said.

Third, Zachary T. nelson spoke. nelson, an artist and “amateur archivist” discussed the phe nomenon of going viral on TikTok because of the 100,000 photos and videos he had collected of his life, ranging from the mundane to the comical.

over the course of a rapid fire slide show that included fart

Aside from the congregate liv ing, Fox said he regards notre dame to be a well-protected, heavily vaccinated community.

noises and failed stunt attempts by nelson throughout his adoles cence, nelson told the story of his life growing up in the south bend area.

Ultimately, nelson made a more emotional point, stemming from a TikTok comment he had received. The commenter was re questing nelson show his archive from a certain date, a frequent appearance on his page. The date she asked for, however, was not random, or an anniversary or birthday.

“I want to see you lived the worst day of my life,” she wrote. nelson said that this opened his eyes.

“What I realized in this talk is that this is not the story of a guy who has 100,000 photos and vid eos of his life. This is the story of a guy who has lived 100,000 mo ments and you don’t need to pho tograph them and you don’t need to remember them for that to be important. I often wonder if by measuring our lives by the high est highs, we invite lower lows,” nelson said.

he closed with an argument about the significance of those forgetful moments.

“If you’re doing nothing, or you don’t have a studebaker talk to give … I just want you to know if it feels like nothing, nothing mat ters,” nelson said.

Fourth on the stage was south bend native benjamin Futa of botany, a plant store in northwest south bend. Futa discussed the importance of access to plants, his years directing the garden at the University of madisonWisconsin as well as botany’s work to build a public garden next to their store.

Plant shop owner benjamin Futa highlighted a potential us age of south bend’s “in-between” spaces. | courtesy of Jacob Titus

“I was born and grew up in south bend. I went to grade school downtown and on my way to school every single morn ing, we would pass these vacant

community is following virtually no mitigation strategies, I expect that this will be probably a more normal flu season,” Fox said.

decaying buildings and a down town that has really struggled to rediscover and redefine what it wanted to be,” he recalled.

Those vacant lots and aban doned buildings are an opportu nity for hope, according to Futa.

“so if you think about going to a normal public garden, you drive, you park, you pay the admis sion. You walk through a series of rooms — the rose garden, the herb garden — that tell stories. south bend, though, has a series of rooms which are spread all across the city. our front yards, our vacant lots, our alleyways, the nooks and crannies, the crevices, all of the in-between spaces that we haven’t quite figured out what to do with,” he said.

Futa said that plants and public gardens are the way to utilize that space.

“I believe great cities need and deserve public gardens because they reconnect us to one another and because they reconnect us to the natural world,” he said.

Fifth, Jeff Walker of Life outside reentry Assistance, a nonprofit to help formerly incarcerated men and women resume life in south bend, spoke. Walking onto stage, Walker peeled off his gray suit jacket to reveal a black t-shirt with the words “From enslavement to mass Incarceration.”

Walker spoke about the barriers to community for people return ing from time in jail, including difficulty finding employment, bureaucratic hurdles to jump through and social stigma.

“returning citizens are the most marginalized and vulner able people in our community. so what can we do? We can bring them in from the margins, to the center of our community. We can give them a helping hand. We can all walk alongside them through out this journey. And we can open doors for them,” Walker said.

he made a plea to employ ers and landlords to look be yond background checks and get to know former convicts as

Voting

con TI n U ed F rom PAGe 1

Though notre dame has a pri mary care clinic located on cam pus in saint Liam hall that takes care of urgent needs, Junkins said that the University does not have the resources to take care of hundreds of students.

“even though we have a high vaccination rate, we still get breakthrough infections and that very quickly overwhelms our clinic, our pharmacy,” he said.

In agreement with Junkins, st. Joseph county deputy health officer mark Fox said he thinks notre dame’s flu blitzes are ad vantageous to the community because of the congregate living on campus.

“It is obviously important for the campus community because there is a lot of congregate living,” Fox said. “so, the risk of spread ing any respiratory illness is sig nificant. so, any opportunity to reduce that is beneficial.”

Fox underscored the blitz’s effect on south bend.

“And while much of the cam pus lives in congregate living set tings, you know, it’s not a closed campus,” he added. “There’s a lot of interaction with notre dame students, faculty and staff out in the community, or volunteering or going to martin’s or going to Finnies or wherever.”

The cov Id pandemic’s third flu season beginning this fall, Fox pointed out the growing impor tance of flu vaccinations in 2022 than in direct years past.

“over the last couple of years in general, the flu rates have been lower because there were a lot of cov Id mitigation strategies in place and people who were sick were likely staying home or stay ing in their dorm,” he said.

Fox predicts that flu cases will increase now that pandemic era practices have gone away.

“now that most of the

With these risks, last year saw over 90% student compliance with the flu vaccine mandate, Junkins said. The 6600 studentdedicated appointments at the first blitz were all taken.

“shots in arms,” he said. “We still have about another 5000 or so students who still need to meet the requirement. I would predict about 3000 of those students will come back through during this next blitz.”

some students will get the vac cination over fall break but the University said they plan to set it up so that students can receive their vaccine for free before they travel home and back, Junkins said.

“of course,” Junkins said, “[the flu vaccine] is required in order to be able to register for the spring semester.”

morgan said a man would never question himself so much before running. she encouraged women to take more active roles in reaching for positions of authority and decision making.

“Women need to ask ‘Why not me?’” Tomas morgan said.

The next speaker was state representative maureen bauer.

“We do not have a truly rep resentative government,” she said.

bauer noted that st. Joseph c ounty has a general assembly made up of 77% men and that women in st. Joseph c ounty make around 72 cents to every dollar a man makes, a typical trend across the country.

In her argument, bauer used statistics to encourage women to fight for their rights

individuals “beyond this piece of paper.”

“We can help just by smil ing, just by a conversation. Your presence in a returning citizen’s life can go a long way because returning citizens coming back to the south bend community. They are different than us. They are just like us. They are us,” Walker said.

Finally, caitlin hubbard of the yoga studio bend Yoga, spoke. hubbard opened her studio at the end of February 2020, seeking a community around yoga that had not previously existed in the city, while adjusting to moving to south bend and learning her mother was dying of cancer.

“every restaurant I tried, every volunteer project I pursued, every gray and cloudy day left me feel ing dissatisfied and stewing in my own unhappiness. I didn’t have anywhere to go to do some yoga to help me deal with all this,” she said.

Though the pandemic changed her business’s trajectory and offered a new challenge to hubbard’s fledgling studio, she said there was something dif ferent about the grief she now experienced.

“but this time I wasn’t alone in those feelings. There was a com munal sense of loss, and of lone liness and fear,” she recalled. “As we slowly started to emerge from our houses, some people came back to yoga and they looked sad and they looked scared. but after yoga, they looked a little bit better.”

To hubbard’s eyes, the absence of a yoga studio in south bend on her arrival was initially a chal lenge. but it did not remain that way.

“I now try to see absence as an opportunity,” she said. “I invite you to consider: what does the city need that you can offer?” she asked the audience.

Contact Isa Sheikh at isheikh@nd.edu

and encouraged involve ment in politics, whether it be voting or running for office themselves.

state senate candidate melinda Fountain spoke last. Fountain detailed having faced harassment while in ro Tc and more subtle snub bing as a diplomat for the U. s Foreign s ervice.

Fountain voiced frus trations at the continuous discrimination she has en dured because of her gen der. she said she decided to make a difference in politi cal representation, starting small by running for her township board and now running for state sen ate. she advised the au dience at s aint mary’s to believe in themselves re gardless of what statistics may show or what others may say.

Contact Katelyn Waldschmidt

Charity course serves m ichiana

By K endelle Hung-Ino news Writer

twenty four students in notre dame’s Philanthropy and the Common Good course are pick ing several michiana non-profit organizations to award grants. t he course receives $50,000 to $70,000 each fall, and students act as a board of directors to re search organizations to receive the funds.

Philanthropy and the Common Good is offered in the fall semester by the political sci ence department, the Hesburgh program in public service and the constitutional studies mi nor. t he course is designed to teach the history and impor tance of philanthropy in the U.s. through an experiential learning style.

sophomore Liam redmond said the class was a good op portunity for him to expand his boundaries as a student.

“it’s a great avenue to get out of the notre dame bubble and really serve people. it’s been my favorite class and so rewarding,” he said.

t he non-profits chosen by the class address a range of causes. st. margaret’s House and United religious Community in south Bend are two organizations they have been in communications

with this semester.

Grants will be given to three to five charities at an award cer emony scheduled for dec. t he minimum grant amount the course awards is $5,000 and the maximum is $20,000. Last year’s recipients included the Youth service Bureau, motels4now, Cultivate Food rescue, Center for Community Justice and a rosie Place for Children.

t he 2022 sponsors for the course include t he Philanthropy Lab (a texas based program that sponsors similar programs nationally), notre dame public affairs, the de nicola Center, Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government and Brian Hegarty, class of 1976.

Jonathan Hannah, who has taught the course since it was first offered in 2019, said he ex pects the “fall class will award just over $50,000.”

supporting the michiana area, redmond said, is impor tant and necessary work.

“t here are people really struggling only miles away from campus, and they really need our help,” he said. “t hey need our funding, and they need our support.”

Survey

COntin U ed F rOm PaGe 1

89% of students reported feel ing a sense of belonging on campus. t his number corre lated with the 50% of students who responded to experienc ing adverse treatment ranging from verbal comments or jokes to threats of violence and per sonal property damage.

additionally, only 7% of re ported instances of adverse treatment were reported, either to a staff member, speakUp or another reporting mechanism. a lthough he did express con cern about the low number of reported cases of adverse treat ment, Olinger noted that most of the respondents did respond that they knew how to recog nize and report instances of discrimination.

“We can celebrate a strong sense of belonging, we can cele brate some of the more positive, but we also need to acknowl edge that there is work, impor tant work, to do ahead. a nd that’s where myself and others are so committed,” he said. in response to a low familiar ity rate with the reporting data base speakUP.nd.edu, Olinger said the steering committee is entering into an advertising campaign with notre dame student government and added a new racial discrimination and sexual assault awareness module to Welcome Weekend.

While the Office of strategic Planning and institutional research (OsPir) collected the

data and worked to format the results to assure anonymity, Olinger said the steering com mittee oversaw how the results were organized, interpreted and merged into both existing and future programs, includ ing the creation of more listen ing sessions. He also noted his weekly office hours and fireside chats as being open to anyone wishing to talk about campus issues.

a longside Olinger at many of those student-led sessions will be the inaugural vice presi dent for institutional trans formation and advisor to the president, Hugh Page. a part of notre dame faculty since 1992 in theology and a fricana stud ies, Page transitioned from his former position as vice presi dent and associate provost for undergraduate studies in July. in his current role directly un der University President John Jenkins, Page said he works on campus wide diversity, equity and inclusion (dei) efforts.

“my responsibility now is to help coordinate and catalyze progress on dei initiatives on campus and to collaborate with the President and key leaders on campus, for example, members of the President’s Leadership Council and the deans in en suring the success of those ef forts,” he said.

a lthough Page acknowl edged his importance to the University, he explained that he is not necessarily the face of dei on campus.

“We have so many people

working on dei related projects and a collective sense that even though i’m in this role, if you were going to ask the question, ‘who is the face of dei at notre dame,’ the most reasonable answer would be all of us,” he said. “i am, in some ways, the first among equals in this sort of work.”

Page noted his eagerness for student guidance to inform their actions.

“in this day and time, there can never be too much conver sation about issues that enable us to feel a sense of belonging and focus on the kind of com munity that we want to be and the steps that we need to take,” he said. “more intensive con versations, opportunities to get to know one another and the in fusion of the efforts everywhere i think that’s something that we need to see going forward.”

Page and Olinger emphasized their joint intent to not only have conversations surround ing dei but also to put more in formed ideas into action.

“[the changes will] not be done in a vacuum but it’s done in very much of an iterative way,” Olinger said. “sometimes the fear is that the University is just listening, and i think it’s important to show that there are important action items and steps taken, but we also need to make sure that that action is being informed by student voices.”

By CAITLIN BRANNIGAN scene Writer

“ e xtraordinary Attorney Woo” is a Korean le gal drama focusing on Woo Young-woo, an au tistic law school grad beginning her career as an attorney at h anbada, one of the most re spected law firms in s eoul. Almost every episode focuses on investigating a different court case. In addition to the court drama, the show has a strong focus on emotional relationships between family and friends. The show’s greatest feat is the awareness it has raised for Autism s pectrum d isorder (A sd ) in s outh Korea.

According to s on d a- e un, the director of Autism Partnership Korea, the stigma surrounding dis abilities like autism has created a negative envi ronment for the disabled in s outh Korea. There is an association between disability and shame.

“You rarely have interactions with persons with autism on a daily basis. h istorically, people with autism are kept home, hidden away from the world,” said m s. s on.

Yoo In-sik, the director of “ e xtraordinary Attorney Woo,” said he hoped the show would foster discussion of diversity and help create a more equal society.

The show’s portrayal of ableism challenges viewers to counteract it in their daily lives. Woo faces discrimination from society — though she achieves a near perfect score from the bar exam and graduates summa cum laude from s eoul

n ational University, one of the top schools in s outh Korea, she is rejected from almost every law firm. e ven while she works at h anbada, she faces repeated harassment and bullying from certain lawyers who continuously try to get her either severely reprimanded or fired. The show acknowledges that, though she is an incredible lawyer and proves time and time again she is excellent at her job, she is being discriminated against solely because she is autistic. Attorneys who initially patronize her and believe she needs their help end up recognizing that she is the “stronger” lawyer — she is excellent at what she does without needing their help.

The show does a good job of providing general information on A sd and dismantling part of the stigma that surrounds it. For example, it drives home the point that autism is a spectrum disor der and presents differently in different people, combating the misconception that all autistic people have a common set of traits.

h owever, critics are concerned that its por trayal of Woo, who has savant syndrome, does not represent most autistic people. s avant syndrome is a rare condition present in about one in ten people with autism that leads to extraordinary abilities and talents. Woo can memorize and scrutinize enormous amounts of information as a result. There is concern that this will lead some viewers to place unrealistic expectations upon all autistic people.

As serious as the show’s criticisms of ableist

society are, it also has many lighthearted mo ments. The legal drama is entertaining and tends to pull at viewers’ heartstrings. In many cases, the viewer is led to sympathize with Woo’s client. Yet there are also cases that chal lenge Woo’s concept of what it means to be a law yer, morally and ethically, and offer insight into some aspects of her personal life. The develop ment of her relationships with her coworkers is a strong point for the show.

h owever, in some episodes, the drama of the court cases pales in comparison to other aspects of the show, like her relationships. This leads to pacing issues, as some episodes drag on for quite a bit before addressing the more pressing drama.

This show excels at keeping viewers emo tionally invested in its legal and interpersonal drama. It also provides insight into A sd and chal lenges viewers to examine instances of ableism they’ve witnessed through its portrayal of ableist characters.

Contact Caitlin Brannigan at cbrannig@nd.edu

“Extraordinary Attorney Woo”

Director: Yoo In-sik

Starring: Park Eun-bin, Kang Tae-oh

Streaming: Netflix

By ROSE ANDROWICH s cene Writer

Last Wednesday, s aint m ary’s c ollege hosted a showing of the documentary “Utica: The Last r efuge.” The film showcased the many aspects of what it means to come to America, including the struggles and the hardships migrants face. The documentary looks back on the experienc es of what it was like to be an immigrant three generations prior to now.

The film opens with an introduction of the Azein family who hope to resettle in Utica, n ew York after leaving s udan. From the beginning, the viewers learn of the struggles of what it is like to “become American” as the family arrives to s yracuse International Airport.

The documentary not only shows the kind ness and compassion of those who are willing to provide for refugees, but also demonstrates

the family’s struggle with the overwhelming decision of whether they should distance them selves from their culture or assimilate to their new society.

The film clearly visualizes the sociological cy cle of immigrants and how it varies each genera tion. It was evident that the five Azein children would be raised as Americans.

It is not solely the children who begin the pro cess of integration. m ohammed Azein began school in 2019 while also working to support his family. h is journey of finding work and enrolling in school was done with the help of the m ohawk v alley r esource c enter for r efugees ( mvrcr ).

The documentary highlights the struggles that the mvrcr faced as policy changes oc curred at the state and national level in the United s tates. d espite, the restricted number of refugees allowed into the country, ‘Utica: The Last r efuge’ pushes back and argues for the

rights of immigrants.

In the final scenes of “Utica: The Last r efuge” the audience witnesses the emotional presenta tion of citizenship certificates. This documen tary calls viewers to action. The town of Utica is also a major player in this film. Their economic structure somewhat relies on refugees. s cenes of protests shortly after the 2016 election dem onstrate the power of advocacy as well as the role politics plays within topics of immigration in small towns and cities across the country.

Contact Rose Androwich at randrowich01@saintmarys.edu

“Utica: The Last Refuge”

Director: Loch Phillipps

A love letter to my family

Christina Sayut Graphic designer

s omething I always hear from my friends is that their parents want them to call home more — that could never be me. I call my parents before I even know what I want to talk about. In o ctober, I called my mom and dad a total of 24 times, but if I had it my way it would be more like 48. m y mom genuinely is my best friend — she just gets me in a way that nobody else does. I’d classify my July as a “h annah montana summer”, because all I did was relax and hang out with my fam ily. If you snapchatted me in July, I probably responded while watching The Price is r ight with my mom, doing random work with my dad, bird-watching and gardening with my grandparents, or chasing around my baby cousins with their awesome mom, m addie. s ome people may ask me, “c hristina, why are you homesick in your junior year?” and the answer is simple — I love and miss my family more and more each year. b eing the young baby of a family has its perks, specifically going to school with your older brother. John graduated from nd last year, and I had no idea that his presence had such a deep impact on my college experience. Whenever I felt vaguely homesick, I could just pop over to d illon h all for a hug and a quick snack. now that he moved away for graduate school, it’s a lot easier for me to feel home sick, because now I miss him too. To my icon of a brother, thank you for being a great influ ence while I grew up, getting me interested in notre d ame and involved with Pemc o, and for managing my fantasy football team.

To my angel of a mom, thank you for always answering my calls, sending me memes on Instagram, sending me “Good morning bes tie xoxo” texts without fail and for keeping a 1,470 day streak with me on snapchat. To my genius of a dad, thank you for being the smartest man that I know, sending videos of animals in our family group chat and help ing me apply for an Apple credit card even though I was denied. To my dear nana and Pap, I want to thank you for always showing me what it is like to love someone and to be a mosier — look at birds, watch for deer, be 15 minutes early, and always show up with a cookie tray. To the s nyders, e gglestons, and Lorings, thank you for letting me crash every holiday, hosting the best barn parties, and throwing the best family vacations.

To everyone else in my crazy and loving family, thank you for the constant dedication to sending birthday cards, baking thousands of cookies for every family wedding, and al ways reminding me that no matter where I am, I can always come home.

You can contact Christina at csayut@nd.edu.

This views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

one more time, with feeling: In response to the current campus climate

Editor’s note: This letter includes mentions of sexual assault. A list of sexual assault reporting options and on-campus resources can be found on the Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross websites.

I graduated in January, but I still live in s outh b end and come to campus frequently. I am still connected to this community, and I still check YikYak, an anonymous app wherein only people near you can see your posts. If you have the app downloaded, you have likely seen many recent posts about specific cases of interpersonal vio lence and whose side is in the right. I don’t want to discuss specific cases. I want to discuss how our treatment of each other in these dialogues about power and gender speak to several sys temic issues in the tri-campus community. For example, YikYak was also recently flooded with degrading posts about smc students being over weight – comments that even went so far as to demean people with eating disorders. The nar ratives about smc students are rather pervasive at n otre d ame and do not bear repeating. They were likely taught to you early on in your time here and for many of you, they stuck. For hope fully fewer of you, they became an excuse to put women down — to assert your superiority over other people because you see them as beneath you or you are a woman and do not wish to be put into the same box.

This attitude of maintaining superiority is persistent here. o n social media and in person, I have seen people use their uneasiness with one accuser’s story to discredit all women. I have seen people use accusations of assault toward people of color as an excuse to be racist. I have seen people use accusations of assault by people of color as an excuse to be racist. I have seen people belittle protestors of Title IX procedural issues and the danger in our campus culture.

When n otre d ame students degrade women for their weight it shows me that women are only worth kindness to some men if they find them attractive, by which I mean useful. m indsets like these toward historically-oppressed groups are fostered on this campus, even if they are not verbalized. If you are thinking to yourself that these are isolated individuals making ig norant comments that are not indicative of the campus milieu at large, I ask you to challenge that thought. People upvote these YikYak posts. People say these things to their friends outside of the anonymity of the app. m ost people who are not making these kinds of comments do not do anything to call out these attitudes when they encounter them. o ur campus community has been hurting for a long time.

What I hoped would be addressed by the up tick in conversations about sexual assault at n otre d ame (instead of the expected devolution into picking sides and treating assault allega tions like juicy drama, followed by the influx of degrading comments about smc students) are the serious issues in the Title IX process as it stands. These are exacerbated the way most of

us have been taught about consent and who the burden of preventing violence is on — victims and bystanders. e ven our bystander intervention training is not taken seriously by many students. This stems from the simplistic and damaging narratives present within this university and elsewhere about gender and power. These nar ratives have torched my own life and the lives of others, and yet most of the tri-campus com munity was quick to move past the expressions of pain shared on Instagram and in protests by multiple students recently in order to focus on attacking either side of a specific situation or return to complacency.

I have watched the lives of people I love turn to darkness after assault. I have watched mul tiple men watch me protest to being groped and laugh. I have let the teacher embarrass me in front of the class for losing focus even though the boy sitting next to me is the one with his hand between my thighs, even though I have tried to push him off. I have watched people ignore the violence that their friends have per petrated out of convenience. I have watched brave students in s how s ome s kin tell the stories of other brave students who have experienced discrimination. I am sick of it. I am tired. I am grieving constantly for myself and the people around me, knowing that I cannot personally convince other people to feel for those around them and for our shared human experience.

This University needs transformation and bet ter demonstration of compassion from its com munity members. r eviewing and reforming Title IX procedures, resources for survivors, staff training, curricula and residence hall culture would go a long way, but what really needs to change is our apathy toward the people around us. It does not matter if the facade is beautiful if it is crumbled beneath. The engineering is not sound. e very r elationship-v iolence awareness month, b lack h istory month and LG b TQ h istory month, members of this campus community speak out in hopes that finally, enough people will listen and take up examination of their ac tions to effect change institutionally, but every time we let the structural damage quickly fall to the wayside when it is no longer convenient or trendy to talk about it.

I love so many parts of this school, but so many of the load-bearing beams are cracked. I am begging you, one more time, with feeling, to keep the conversation ongoing and productive. I am begging students to fight for those around them. I am begging n otre d ame to consider ex amination and reforms of the culture it fosters.

If you want to discuss specifics of the reforms that need to be implemented or share your expe rience with campus culture and Title IX related issues, you can email me at blewand2@nd.edu. I’m all ears.

Brenna Lewandowski

our dependence on God

hurch and state

man is wholly dependent on God. This is not merely pious rhetoric but thoroughly biblical. We have been cre ated (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139:13) and are sustained by God (hebrews 1:3). We cannot live one hour (Luke 12:25-26) or even take a single step (Acts 17:28) apart from his power and foreordination.

even more, it is not only in the biological realm that we find our utter reliance on God but also in spiritual matters. It “is impossible” (matthew 19:26) for man to save himself. man’s heart is so depraved that he cannot even desire God but hates him (romans 8:7; John 3:20) and, therefore, God must sovereignly and supernaturally change man’s heart and save him (John 3:3, 6:44). Indeed, even faith (matthew 11:27) and repentance (Acts 5:31, 11:18) are gifts of God, eliminating any remaining reason to boast in ourselves.

Yet it would be quite wrong to conclude that our depen dence on God stops at the point of conversion. rather, see ing our tremendous weakness and desiring to know and serve him, christians are increasingly driven to the rock of Ages from which “[e]very good and perfect gift” (James 1:17) flows.

The christian cannot understand God’s Word apart from the spirit’s power (John 3:27, 6:13; 1 corinthians 2:1013) and cannot do any good work on their own strength (John 15:4). Unless God intervenes, we are helpless against the attacks of satan (Luke 22:31-32; ephesians 6:12-13). The temptations (1 corinthians 10:13; matthew 18:10-14) and evils of the world (Psalm 3), too, or even the pains and struggles of life (2 corinthians 1:8-10) would prove too much for us if God did not hold us and sustain us every step of the way (Psalm 94:17-19; 1 corinthians 1:8; romans 8:38-39).

Thus, a christian would affirm such a great and allencompassing dependence. despite this, there is often an

apprehension toward going to God and seeking him and his help.“I can’t go to him now, can I?”, the thought goes. our minds come up with all sorts of reasons to dissuade us from fleeing to God, and we — myself certainly included — are quick to believe them. After all, we think, we do not want to presume on God’s grace, nor would we want to come to God in an unfitting or wrong manner. such objec tions sound reasonable and reverent, yet they are so often neither.

Indeed, in such times, far from honoring God, we di minish God’s grace and power, forget our dependence on him and, as articulated in Ichabod spencer’s “A Pastor’s sketches”, desire to establish our own righteousness by which we are then “worthy” to come to him. Let us now examine a few common scenarios, showing how our fears are ungrounded and that there is never a situation in which it is wrong to go to God in prayer and to read his Word.

many christians believe they cannot come to christ because they do not have the right feelings to do so. When they feel down, apathetic, tired, or anxious, they ask them selves if it is even right to pray or read the bible in such a state because they feel they should be joyful instead (or because they think they are not “sad enough” about their sin to ask God for forgiveness). While it is a good thing to be joyful and we do need to be repentant for our sins, it is vital to remember that we should not judge our standing with God on our emotions. doing so will lead to innumer able troubles. It is not the amount of joy or the depth of our sorrow that renders us right before God; if it were, we would all be hopelessly lost, for our emotions are imperfect and polluted by sin. but our standing rests on the work of christ and his righteousness, and, therefore, our emo tions, which come and go like the wind, have no reason to hinder us from going to christ. resting on our emotions suggests that we need to bring something to God rather than understanding we rest on his grace alone, which frees us to go to him despite our frailty and weakness.

some, too, wonder if they can truly go to christ amidst temptation. “The temptation is so strong, and I feel a desire to give in. how can I go to God with such a heart?” but how do you expect to prevail in temptation if you do not flee to christ? Further, the bible tells you to come to him in times of trouble (matthew 6:13, 26:41; hebrews 4:16). To not cry out to him when facing temptation is to say either that you don’t need God to overcome it or that you need to prove to God that you are “good enough” for him to love you.

Lastly, some christians are weighed down by their own sin and believe they are not good enough to pray or read the bible. but such hiding will do you no good. The only thing that can is going to God, confessing your sins and resting on christ’s work, not your performance, for your salvation. remember this: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). Yes, we still sin, but that does not undo our salvation as it never rested on our works but on christ’s finished work. by turn ing our eyes towards Jesus and confessing our sins, we understand both our unworthiness and the overflowing abundance of grace by which “we have peace with God” (romans 5:1).

Let us, then, remember that no matter our situation or state, it is never wrong to go to God, but it is quite wrong to refuse to his invitation. so let us go to our savior with ev erything and in everything, for we are in great need of him and his grace is sufficient for us (2 corinthians 12:9).

Andrew Sveda is a senior at Notre Dame from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, majoring in political sci ence and theology. In his free time, he enjoys writing (obviously), reading and playing the piano. He can be reached at asveda@nd.edu or @SvedaAndrew on Twitter.

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

Journey to Notre Dame

m y journey to n otre d ame was not that of the average n otre d ame student.

d uring my senior year of high school when ap plying to colleges, I knew wholeheartedly that I wanted to be at a college that had a warm and welcoming, yet academically rigorous environ ment, much like the college prep, Jesuit high school I was attending in c hicago. It didn’t take long for me to realize that n otre d ame checked all of those boxes and then some.

When it came time to submit college applica tions, n otre d ame was at the top of my list. Like many other students, I spent countless hours try ing to perfect my essays. When it came time to write the “Why n otre d ame?” essay, I vividly re member wondering whether or not I’d be able to say everything I wanted to say without exceeding the word limit. There were so many reasons why n otre d ame was the perfect school for me and why I wanted to cheer on the Irish as part of the c lass of 2025.

When I felt my application said everything I could possibly articulate about my love for n otre d ame, I clicked submit and was filled with hope (and nervousness) for the future. I began praying that my dream would come true, and that I would find myself home under the dome that fall.

A few months later during the spring of my senior year, my parents were getting ready to go watch my brother play hockey when I got the email. e very n otre d ame student knows the email I’m talking about. It was the email that stated that application decisions would be re leased that evening.

m y mom decided to stay home with me because she knew I would anxiously be awaiting the deci sion. I could barely focus that evening, as n otre d ame was all I could think about. e very minute that passed felt like an hour, and every hour that passed felt like an eternity, as I anxiously paced the floors of my living room.

When it was finally time to open the decision letter, I remember my heart pounding and my hands feeling numb. n o other college decision evoked this much emotion from me. This was the moment I had been waiting for for such a long time. It felt like all four years of high school — the sleepless nights spent studying, the stress of AP classes and the hours spent participating in extracurricular activities — had all been lead ing up to this moment. Within one click, I knew I would find out my fate for the next chapter of my life. And unfortunately, within one click, I received the news I had not been hoping for. The news that said, “we regret to inform you that we are unable to offer you admission to n otre d ame.” I was instantly crushed and experienced the heartache that I know many others can relate to.

I knew life was moving quickly and that I had to make a decision. A few months later, I decided to accept admission into the honors program at the University of m ichigan. As much as I tried to envision myself there, my heart kept leading me back to s outh b end.

A few days later, it was as though God had heard my prayers. A mentor had told me about the wonderful community at h oly c ross c ollege. God was laying out h is plan for me; I just had to decide whether or not to follow it.

e ven though it was not in the way I had expect ed, I still found myself in s outh b end that fall.

From the first day I stepped foot on h oly c ross’s campus, I immersed myself in my classes and the tri-campus community. Although I wasn’t in the Gateway program, I was not giving up on my dream of attending n otre d ame just yet.

At the beginning of the school year, I received an email that n otre d ame would be playing the movie, r udy, on their football field — an experi ence that was sure to be unforgettable. As much as I wanted to go, I couldn’t bring myself to watch something that hit so close to home. Although our stories are a little different, I related to the longing desire of making your dream a reality.

d uring second semester, I submitted my trans fer application, filled with the same hope and nervousness that had consumed me months earlier, maybe even more so because I was able to experience the magic of n otre d ame’s commu nity firsthand.

Flash forward to today, and I am grateful to be writing this in my dorm room at n otre d ame.

I am also grateful to my high school ( s aint Ignatius), h oly c ross, my parents for believing in me and the many mentors that stood in my cor ner along the way.

We all have our own journeys in life to follow. If there’s one thing this experience has taught me, it’s that sometimes we have to be open to follow ing a slightly different path in order to reach our final destination.

Isabelle Kause is a sophomore at Notre Dame study ing sociology and minoring in journalism. When she’s not busy, you can find her listening to country music or Taylor Swift or trying out new makeup/skincare prod ucts. She can be reached at ikause@nd.edu.

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

Andrew Sveda

Isabelle Kause simple beauty

Irish pick up first Acc wins

By JOSE SANCHEZ CORDOVA s ports Writer

notre dame went back on the road snagging their first two Acc wins, sweeping s yracuse 3-0 on Friday and beating b oston c ollege 3-1 on sunday.

It was a much-needed bounce-back weekend for notre dame and first-year head coach s alima rockwell after a disappointing home stand where they lost against Georgia Tech and c lemson.

Syracuse

notre dame swept the o range in three sets to pick up their first conference win on Friday night. The sweep is a bit misleading though as it was a tight match throughout. In the open ing set, the Irish won 25-21 with sophomore outside hit ter Paris Thompson making the difference with 10 kills. o verall, Thompson finished with 20 kills, a career-high total for the Florida native.

The second set saw the two teams closely matched early until a 7-0 notre dame run gave the Irish some breath ing room at 13-7. After a time out, the o range responded

with a run of their own to close the deficit to just one point at 14-13. From there, the teams traded blows, but notre dame was even tually able to close it out. A Thompson kill gave the Irish a tight 25-23 set victory.

The final set was close throughout with six ties and three lead changes, but eventually, the Irish were able to separate with a 4-0 run led by the ser vice of junior libero hattie monson. o n match point, it was Thompson who stepped up once again with the winning kill to give notre dame the final set 25-20.

Boston College

It was a tight first set that went down to the wire. b oston c ollege had the late lead at 24-21, but notre dame fought off three set points to tie it at 24 and extend the set. The teams traded points until a kill from freshman outside hit ter Avery ross made it 28-27 before an attack error from bc gave the Irish the twopoint win in the first set.

The second set saw the Irish get off to a slow start, going down 1-6 early but

a timeout from rockwell seemed to turn the tide. They fought back to tie it at 11-11 and eventually take the lead. It was a close set through out but four straight points at the end gave notre dame another set victory at 25-21.

The third set was nev er close as bc got off to a quick start and pulled away with an 8-0 run to win it 25-13 to avoid the sweep. From there, the momen tum shift was evident as the e agles got out to a 16-8 lead. but with monson serv ing, notre dame went on a 7-0 run to make it 16-15 and force the bc timeout. The teams traded points and with the set tied at 23, notre dame brought in fresh man serve specialist maisie Alexander who closed it out to give the Irish the 25-23 set and match win. notre dame volleyball re turn to Purcell Pavilion this weekend for two Acc games. They open with Wake Forest on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and then face v irginia Tech on sunday at 1 p.m.

Contact Jose Sanchez Cordova at jsanch24@nd.edu

W Soccer

her tally to cap off the rout ten minutes before the fi nal whistle, racing behind the defense and confidently slotting home a close range finish.

The win was a crucial tri umph in both a short and long view for the program.

For one, the victory rep resented a historic level of dominance for notre dame.

The Irish hadn’t beaten a top-three opponent by a margin of four or more goals since 2000.

but in the context of this season, the Irish now own a pair of victories over top three opponents at home.

As a result, norman and co. find themselves in the thick of an Acc title race despite a pair of tough losses to Pitt and clemson.

Junior centerback eva Gaetino, who leads a de fense that hasn’t conceded a goal since sept. 25th, noted that the team has under gone a mentality shift since the 2021 season where notre dame was defeated three times in overtime by oppo nents ranked in the top ten.

“There is 100% a mental ity difference,” Gaetino said. “Going into some of those games, it felt like everything would have to go perfectly and then we’d need a little

Jayden Thomas steps up for Irish when it matters

By NATE MOLLER senior sports Writer

After some key departures at wide receiver last sea son and a couple of injuries, there were a lot of question marks surrounding notre dame’s wide receivers this season. In saturday night’s win over no. 16 bY u, it was sophomore wide receiver Jayden Thomas that stepped up for the Irish. Thomas finished the night with 74 yards, which included a high light reel touchdown catch at the end of the first half.

on a crucial third and three with the Irish already up 12-6, junior quarterback drew Pyne heaved the ball up to Thomas at the goal line. Thomas had to work his way back to the football, and he made a stellar catch with a defender in his face to com plete the 30-yard reception.

Thomas had to pin the ball against the defender to complete the catch, which was his first touchdown re ception of his career. That play capped a 10-play, 79yard drive for the Irish that took just over five minutes.

Pyne acknowledged that

he under threw the ball on that play, and he was ec static when Thomas still made a play on the ball.

“Jayden went up there and made a play. I under threw it, and he went up there and made an unbe lievable play,” Pyne said.

Thomas had another key catch early in the fourth quarter. bY u had a lot of momentum after scoring two touchdowns to move within five of the Irish, and the Irish offense desper ately needed momentum.

on the first play of the Irish drive, Thomas answered the call with a 32-yard re ception over the middle to get the Irish back on track.

Pyne credited Thomas’ success on saturday to his work ethic.

“he has worked really hard,” Pyne said. “he worked really hard, and he deserves that.”

Pyne said he knows that Thomas will be a huge part of the Irish of fense the rest of the season.

“I’m so proud of him, and we are going to need him to keep doing what he’s doing. he’s going to play a big role for us in the future,” Pyne said. “All

of our receivers I really trust and I am so happy for him.” head coach marcus Freeman discussed how Thomas’ emergence as a reliable wide receiver has benefited the team.

“To see Jayden make some of those catches that he made today was huge for the confidence of our wide outs room and for the con fidence of our quarterback to be able to spread the ball around. It was really good to see that,” Freeman said.

The Irish receivers made some outstanding catch es on saturday night, and Freeman understands the importance of these catches going forward.

“credit to those wideouts they made some big catches. Those are catches that we need. We need guys that make the quarterback look good. It’s too often that the quarterback gets too much blame and too much praise,” Freeman said.

Freeman praised offensive coordinator Tommy rees’ preparation and game plan on saturday, which allowed Thomas to be successful.

“To get the results, you have to prepare the right way,”

bit of luck to win. but go ing into these games, if we do what we do and we do it right, we will win these games. And that’s what I think we showed today.”

Gaetino also noted that going forward the team would need to continue to hold firm mentally with their big win emboldening notre dame’s opponents as much as the team:

“[We have] more con fidence. but I also think there’s a beaming red target on our backs now that we have beat these top three teams. I think [for some teams], we’re going to be their biggest game of the year, when previously we might not have been. I think we just need to have the hu mility to know that every game from here on out is go ing to be a battle, and we’re going to have to bring it ev ery single game.”

notre dame women’s soc cer will now enter a three game road gauntlet over the next two weeks, traveling to Louisville, virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

If the Irish can make it through those next three games unscathed, they could play for an Acc title in their final game of the sea son against no. 7 duke.

Contact J.J. Post at jpost2@nd.edu

Freeman said. “That’s what I love most about what coach rees and that offensive staff has done. They have really challenged themselves to

practice at a higher level and perform at a higher level.”

Contact

THOMAS

Ryan vigilante | the Observer

Irish sophomore wide receiver Jayden Thomas carries the football against BYU during Saturday’s game at Allegiant Stadium.

in

Happy

passionate approach will help you draw attention,

to charm others into seeing and doing things

help. use your

way, and you’ll outmaneuver any competition you encounter. you may want to make a domestic change, but be smart and do so only if it will result in improving your assets and lowering your liabilities. your numbers are 7, 13, 23, 25, 32, 39, 42, 47.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): stop fretting and face uncertainties directly. don’t hold back or let anyone back you into a corner or take you for granted. speak up and follow through with action, and you’ll gain respect and ease stress. Personal growth will be enlightening.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): skip anything that sounds costly or infringes on your downtime with someone you love. keep the peace, be patient and plan to sort through any documents about to need renewing. Ask pointed questions, and you’ll find out where you stand.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Pick up the pace to get things done. reach out and help someone who has something to offer in return. keep an open mind, but when it comes to taking care of yourself and your future, do what’s best for you.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): don’t share secrets. Pay attention to emotional matters, and put an end to misunderstandings quickly. you’ll experience physical setbacks if you don’t maintain a normal fitness level. enjoy what life has to offer. no risk, no problem.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): you’ll develop ingenious ideas. reach out to a friend, and you’ll receive sound advice regarding all you need to know to get what you want running smoothly. make changes for the right reason. be a groundbreaker, not a follower.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): look for opportunities, but use discretion to avoid being taken advantage of by a scammer. know what you want, be specific in your discussions and spend only what’s necessary. keep your life simple and safe.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): emotions will be the driving force today. Proceed with caution when faced with opposition. Arguing will not help you resolve matters, but action will send a message that you don’t plan to back down. step into the spotlight and present your thoughts.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): getting along with others will be half the battle. Patience will be required when dealing with some people. be reasonable, but don’t let anyone take advantage of you. Think of entertaining ways to keep everyone happy, including yourself.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): fine-tune your surroundings. If you are comfortable and happy in your environment, you’ll find it easier to excel. don’t waste time or energy on people or projects that annoy or complicate your life. Personal gain is apparent if you make good decisions.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): steer clear of anyone asking you for too much. Take better care of your health and learn all you can to prevent emotional, physical or financial problems from sprouting. make positive changes that lower stress and give you a chance to relax.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Avoid anyone trying to coerce you into doing things differently. follow your heart and do what works best for you. Put your energy where it counts, and set your sights on your goals. Personal, financial and physical progress can be yours.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): looking around and observing what others do will give you some clues as to how you can help or get involved in something that concerns you. The people you connect with through protests, conferences or volunteer work will impact your life.

Birthday Baby: you are outgoing, playful and entertaining. you are intuitive and persistent.

JuMBlE | dAvId hoyT And Jeff knureksuDOku | The mePhAm grouP

BYU

Jayden Thomas’ stellar 30 yd touchdown catch grants Irish steady lead cheers erupted at the end of the second quarter as sopho more wide receiver Jayden Thomas received a 30-yard pass from Pyne and ran for an irish touchdown. This was the first touchdown of the georgia native’s career and helped the irish gain a steady lead against the cougars. The spi ral by Pyne and stellar catch by Thomas in the final minute of the quarter certainly made this one of the top plays of the game. With the score at 18-6, the irish were sitting in a com fortable spot heading into the second half. That is, until the cougars had something to say about it.

A sheer struggle from the Notre Dame defense in the second half allows BYU back in the game

Though notre dame’s of fense has typically been char acterized as the weaker link this season, the defense almost cost the irish their lead. The cougars came out of the gate hot in the second half, and the irish defense lacked the momentum to deal with this. The defense performed de cently in the first half, only let ting in one touchdown for the

cougars in an otherwise solid performance. an interception by bracy had things looking bright, but this quickly shifted around in the second half.

notre dame’s poor tackling performance and lack of com munication by the second ary allowed bY u to get back into the game after trailing by double digits. giving up chunk plays in the second half, a trend

that has consistently repeated itself this season, allowed bY u to rally.  What should have been a 3-and-out for the notre dame defense turned into an 87-yard, 10-play scor ing drive for bY u as the mo mentum shifted, bY u fans got louder, and the irish defense sank lower. Luckily, the notre dame defense had a huge 4thdown stop to save the day and

secure the irish victory.

Pynes’s play continues to develop consistency and effectiveness

Tommy rees will surely be more content this week after quarterback drew Pyne con tinued to build upon the con sistency he began showing during his first start against cal and expanded upon in the

irish’s matchup against unc Pyne threw for 262 yards with three touchdowns and was an efficient 22-28 with only one interception, which was tipped at the line. he spread the ball around to seven different irish receivers and remained cool and confident under pressure.

Contact Madeline Ladd at mladd2@nd.edu

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‘he’s a special football player’: mayer shines in vegas, sets reception record for tight ends

By NATE MOLLER s enior s ports Writer

Junior tight end m ichael m ayer stole the show s aturday night in Las vegas by setting the alltime n otre d ame record for receptions by a tight end. m ayer finished the game with an outstanding 11 receptions, 118 yards and two touchdowns, lead ing his team to a state ment win over n o. 16 b YU by a score of 28-20. m ayer made his presence known early in the game, as he finished the first half with eight receptions for 83

yards. That first half perfor mance was highlighted by his record-breaking catch on a 24-yard pass from junior quarterback d rew Pyne. The catch by m ayer was by no means easy, as m ayer had to leap in the air and catch the ball over his head to secure the record.

m ayer’s touchdown re ception, which capped a ten play, 75-yard i rish drive, was his 141st of his career and put him in front of Tyler e ifert for most recep tions by a tight end. b y the end of the night, m ayer had recorded 146 total recep tions in his career putting

him eighth in all-time re ceptions at n otre d ame, regardless of position.

m ayer was unaware about the record after making the catch, but he found out about it when he saw himself on the big screen after the play.

“ i wasn’t aware. i went back and sat on the bench and saw me up on the screen and heard they kind of an nounced it,” m ayer said.

m ayer is extremely grate ful for all his coaches and teammates that have gotten him to the point he is today.

“ i am very grateful. i ’ve been around a ton

of good football coaches and a ton of great football players that have gotten me to this point, start ing in fifth grade,” m ayer said. “There are tremen dous people here at the University of n otre d ame that have gotten me to this point, and i am grateful.”

h ead coach m arcus Freeman praised m ayer after the game for his lead ership and hard work.

“ h e’s a special football player,” Freeman said. “ b ut the thing you love about m ichael m ayer is he is the hardest worker. When your best player is your hardest

worker, that’s the great est example you can have for young guys and your entire team. i am just go ing to continue to push him to continue to be the hardest worker we have.”

a lthough m ayer is ar guably the top tight end in college foot ball, Freeman acknowl edged that m ayer strives to get better each day.

“ h e’s not a finished prod uct, and that’s tough to say for a guy who holds prob ably every single record there is at n otre d ame for tight ends,” Freeman said. “ h e doesn’t want to be told what he does well. h e wants to know how he can improve. That’s what makes him special.”

m ayer continued to make an impact in the second half s aturday night as well, scoring another touch down in the third quarter. This time m ayer made a fantastic over the shoul der catch, fully extending his arms out to haul in the 19-yard pass from Pyne.

By Richard Bautch, Ph.D. Interim Executive Director of the Holy Cross Institute at St. Edward’s University

Freeman also praised m ayer for his ability to have a set game plan go ing into every game.

“The ones that are the great players like m ichael m ayer know what the de fense is going to do, and they know how to still find a way to win. You see he does that more than not,” Freeman said.

Pyne applauded m ayer’s ability to get open after the game.

“ h e’s kind of uncover able,” Pyne said. “ m ike absolutely dominates who ever is in front of him.”

The chemistry between Pyne and m ayer has con tinued to grow this season, and m ayer credits that to lots of repetition and play ing catch after practice.

“ i t’s a lot of practice and a lot of repetition,” m ayer said. “ i t really works, and it worked today.”

a fter Friday’s game, m ayer has a team-leading 33 receptions this season and 146 total receptions in his career. With sev en regular season games to play, m ayer will have plenty of chances to move further up on the all-time n otre d ame receptions list. a lthough m ichael Floyd’s 271 receptions is likely unattainable for m ayer, m ayer only needs 181 receptions to match T.J. Jones for second on the list.

“The Open Circle Through a Biblical Lens: What You Didn’t (But Should) Know About the Persian Period”

notre dame topples bYU in bible brawl: Five key moments

By MADELINE LADD Associate sports editor

Allegiant stadium was electric and energy-filled to night from both bYU and notre dame as 62,742 fans witnessed a close match of college football in the 2022 shamrock series. Ultimately, the Irish saw victory over the cougars, 28-20. They never lost the lead, but the win was not always certain. It would not be a notre dame game without a borderline heart attack in the second half, and this game certainly fit the bill. The Irish offense did their job consistently well, except in the red zone where Tommy rees’ questionable play-calling left points off the board. The defense fell short in the second half and cost the team a substantial lead, but the Irish were able to pull it together and perform when it mattered most. notre dame showed what they could do on offense — something Irish fans have been waiting to see. The defense was frustratingly

inconsistent but created the 4th down stop when needed.

A TaRiq Bracy interception starts things off right for the Irish notre dame won the toss and deferred to the sec ond half, but bYU certainly did not have the ball long. r ight out of the gate on firstand-10, Irish graduate stu dent cornerback Ta r iq bracy picked off a massively un derthrown ball by c ougar’s quarterback Jaren hall. bYU has seemingly owned the turnover battle this season, but bracy humbled them early in the game.

bracy’s turnover marks the Irish’s first interception of the season and a big mo ment for the Irish defense. This allowed the Irish to gain possession and make it 3-0 with a field goal. bracy apparently injured his ham string at the end of the game and his status for next week is unknown at this point, but he significantly contributed tonight.

Michael Mayer leads Irish offense in record-breaking performance

“drew Pyne’s pass complete to michael mayer” echoed repeatedly this saturday night in Allegiant stadium. consistently present to re ceive junior quarterback Pyne’s passes, mayer helped the Irish rack up big yard age throughout the entire game and stole the show in vegas.

In the second quarter, mayer’s sixth catch of the game — a touchdown and the 141st reception of his ca reer — allowed him to surpass former Irish All-American Tyler eifert atop notre dame’s career reception list for tight ends.

This momentous moment for mayer was certainly well deserved saturday night as he racked up 118 yards and amassed two touchdowns. mayer was a key component of the Irish’s successful per formance tonight.

Irish roll no. 3 seminoles 4-0 in statement win

By J.J. POST sports Writer

on sunday afternoon, notre dame women’s soccer notched a massive victory in their quest for an Acc title, taking down no. 3 Florida state 4-0 at Alumni stadium.

The Irish started off hot thanks to sophomore mid fielder Korbin Albert, who picked the pocket of a Florida state defender before charg ing in on net for a clinical oneon-one finish. And then less than five minutes later, olivia Wingate ripped a shot from just outside the 18 yard box that found the back of the net.

down 2-0 within the open ing ten minutes, Florida state struggled to regroup over the remainder of the first half. The seminoles earned a penalty three minutes after Wingate’s goal, but Jenna nighswonger fired wide. seemingly shaken by the deficit and the missed chance, Florida state strug gled to connect in the mid field for large stretches of the first half. notre dame entered the break with a two goal ad vantage that matched their

largest halftime lead of the season so far.

head coach nate norman noted the hot start helped the team set the tempo for the rest of the match:

“I think every game we talk about the need to come out with a tremendous amount of energy and get after teams,” said norman. “We thought that if we can just win the ball then we can go at them as quickly as possible. obviously getting those two goals was great. It put us on the right foot, and we carried that on the rest of the game. I’m very proud of them.”

The Irish kept the momen tum rolling in the second half. racking up eight shots to Florida state’s five com ing out of the break, notre dame finally cashed in after 25 minutes thanks to maddie mercado. Though she was kept out of the starting lineup by injury, the senior made her mark on the game off the bench, firing home a Wingate cutback. Wingate would go on to add a second goal to

RYAN

The Irish defensive line tries to block a BYU field goal attempt. The win over the Cougars moved the Irish to 11-0 in the Shamrock Series.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Senior forward Kiki Van Zanten makes a tackle during Notre Dame’s 3-0 home win over the NC State Wolfpack. The Irish continued their strong form with a 4-0 win over No. 3 Florida State on Sunday.