Students enjoy oncepolluted campus lakes Senate debates on, confirms Brooke
By LIAM PRICE News WriterWarm weather attracted hoards of students to Notre Dame’s two campus lakes this week. As temperatures climbed into the 70s Tuesday, many students took time off studying to enjoy the lakes’ environment, with scores of runners circling the lakes and other students simply relaxing at the newly constructed Our Lady of the Lake World Peace Plaza.
Senior Mary Capps was one such student, facing the lake with a set of binoculars and a birdwatching
SMC Votes hosts LGBTQ+ discussion
By SALLY BRADSHAW News WriterSMC Votes held a “Discussion and Donuts” event Wednesday evening in Stapleton Lounge, where attendees met in small groups and talked about LGBTQ+ rights and politics.
SMC Votes holds monthly nonpartisan discussion spaces to allow students to discuss current political topics, according to Sarah Neitz, assistant director for justice and solidarity with the Center for Faith, Action and Ministry (CFAM).
Neitz said she hopes students attending the event walk away with the understanding that “it’s possible to have conversations about some of the difficult things that are happening in our political life and to have those conversations in the spirit of goodwill, learning, curiosity and mutual respect.”
Since the College instituted and subsequently reversed a policy allowing the admission of transgender students earlier this year, CFAM noticed students wanted a space to discuss LGBTQ+ issues. Neitz said the student leaders of
SMC Votes wanted to provide a place for students to discuss these issues in tandem with Catholic social teaching.
“Catholic social teaching is very insistent that every human being is made in the image and likeness of God, and it is explicit that that includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, queer and all other gender and sexuality identities,” Neitz said.
“I think as a women’s college, there are a lot of places at Saint Mary’s where students are able to talk about gender really freely, and that’s a thing that I’ve appreciated since I started here in August,” Neitz said, commending the SMC Votes student leaders in particular for their work facilitating these discussions.
During the meeting, the student leaders shared a timeline of LGBTQ+ rights in America, discussing relevant legislative bills — such as Indiana HB 1291 and the Florida HB 1557 — and shared resources for further student discussion and involvement, including CFAM, the division for inclusion and equity and the SAGE
By ISA SHEIKH Notre Dame News Editor
The week after the Keenan Revue pilloried “a young ambitious dorm senator” from Carroll Hall with “his dumb, blonde hair,” the student senate reconvened on Wednesday evening to once again consider Hunter Brooke’s nomination to Judicial Council president, ultimately passing it. Brooke’s nomination failed last week, receiving 14 yes votes, 15 no votes and nine abstentions. This week, Brooke’s nomination received a total of 19 yes votes, 13 no votes and seven abstentions.
The senate’s first general
order was to redistribute $251,595 in funds from the COVID-19 response financial account, which were allocated to The Shirt charity endowment.
Student Union treasurer Hannah Blaskiewicz explained that the fund was established to hold unspent pandemic-related funds.
The Shirt charity fund provides money to students in “an extraordinary medical situation” and “in a situation where they have a financial necessity for money,” Blaskiewicz said.
Next on the docket was a resolution to update the wall of North
Latino Student Association plans honorary quinceañera
By KATHERINE LIEBERTH News Writer
On Saturday, March 2, Notre Dame’s Latino Student Alliance (LSA) will hold an honorary quinceañera on campus to celebrate culture and community.
Iliana Gamboa, a senior studying psychology and Latino Studies with a minor in Italian, had the idea of holding a quinceañera on campus last spring.
“At the end of the year, I was like, ‘I feel like we
could actually do that. I feel like we have really good Latino leaders on campus and Latino student leaders and really amazing people that can get it done,’” she said.
Although this event has been coming together for about a year, the planning process didn’t truly start until about a month ago. Traditional quinceañeras are planned two years in advance.
“What’s been really, really cool about this event
is just how much support we’ve gotten both on campus and beyond,” Irasema Trujillo, co-president of LSA, said. “We’ve gotten co-sponsorships from more than 20 clubs, and not just clubs, but institutions.”
When asked about her ‘why’ for planning this event, Trujillo said she wanted to unite the Latino communities across the tricampus, creating an event where students feel like
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ND’s ‘piano man’ manages over 100 pianos
By GRACE TADAJWESKI News WriterWhile he is not Billy Joel’s piano man, Norman Vesprini is certainly Notre Dame’s piano man or, more formally, piano technology program manager. Vesprini joined the University in July 2016 to serve in this newly created position.
“It wasn’t until I was a grad student that I discovered piano technology,” Vesprini said. “And then eventually that became my career, and it’s really been the perfect fit. And then of all places, I ended up at Notre Dame.”
Vesprini graduated from Central Michigan University with an undergraduate degree in music and piano performance. He later received his graduate degree from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor in music and piano performance. However, at the start of his undergraduate career, Vesprini planned on pursuing engineering.
“I really knew I was doing the wrong thing, so I decided to study piano for better or worse,” Vesprini said. “I don’t know that my parents really liked that idea.”
Although his own children are deeply involved in the arts, Vesprini himself did not grow up in a music-oriented household.
“When I was very little, I asked for lessons, piano lessons,” Vesprini said. “We had a piano in the house. I wanted to play, so my parents got me lessons with a Dominican nun of all people. I stayed with her from my first lesson until I graduated from high school.”
Vesprini noted that having the piano as a source of stability during his adolescence was an interesting experience. Although he had never envisioned it, Vesprini maintained his connection to the piano long after graduating from high school. Following the completion of graduate school, he dedicated nine years to pursuing music and teaching.
In addition to his passion for the piano, Vesprini aspired to start a family, recognizing that his current career path would not support this future ambition. In 2005, an opportunity arose when one of Vesprini’s former graduate school professors offered him a position
on the piano technology staff at the University of Michigan.
“I didn’t envision it,” Vesprini said. “It kind of just happened that way.”
Vesprini served as a senior piano technician at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theater, and Dance for 11 years. He has been with Notre Dame for over seven years and intends to retire from this institution.
“I’m here for the long haul,” he said. “I feel really blessed and so fortunate, not only to do what I do and to have a skill but also to do it here at Notre Dame. It’s such an extraordinary place.”
While Vesprini initially missed teaching when he first began working in piano technology, he developed similar relationships with students at the University of Michigan and with private clients. Since coming to Notre Dame, he has enjoyed the strong sense of community here.
“To be able to move around to be at all the residence halls, to be in so many other interesting spaces and get to know staff, faculty, students all around campus is
really my favorite part of my job,” Vesprini said.
Vesprini’s role is supported by the Department of Music, Sacred Music at Notre Dame, the Division of Student Affairs, and the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. As the piano technology program manager, he is responsible for maintaining approximately 110 pianos across the campus, including the 56 in O’Neill Hall and others dispersed throughout the residence halls.
“There’s a need for piano technicians generally, but there’s really a need for high level concert piano technicians,” Vesprini said. “So there’s lots of opportunity, especially I think in higher ed, there’s opportunity for people that have interest in working with their hands and being in an interesting career and having a skill.”
Vesprini tunes the pianos according to their usage frequency, maintains their functionality, and oversees the inventory. He notes that the university’s piano collection is valued at several million dollars, highlighting that a single high-quality instrument can cost
up to a quarter of a million dollars.
Enjoying the dual benefits of traversing the campus to interact with individuals from diverse disciplines and being the first to play the pianos, Vesprini indulges his continued passion for playing. The piano located in the LeBar Recital Hall within the O’Neill Hall of Music stands out as his favorite instrument.
“It’s a nine foot Steinway, and it’s the newest concert piano on campus,” Vesprini said.
Above all, Vesprini emphasized he enjoys the craftsmanship that goes into making good music.
“I think when you study music at a very high level as a performer, you learn to produce the most beautiful high level work you can produce,” he said. “Performance is a craft at some level, and so I think I take that same level of craftsmanship and approach to what I do in piano technology and try and do my best and get the instrument to be as good as it can be, whatever the instrument is.”
Contact Grace Tadajweski at gtadajwe@nd.edu
club.
Freshman theater and psychology major Morgan Allred said her biggest takeaway from the discussion was “getting to learn kind of an outsider’s perspective on some of the issues”.
She said it was helpful to have an opportunity to reflect on her own beliefs and ideologies in the space of the small group.
“I think it’s important to talk about these topics because it’s an issue that we’re going to face, not just in college, but in the rest of our lives worldwide and it’s an issue that is
affecting people around the world. It’s something we have to address, we can’t just brush it under the rug,” Allred said.
Allred said she believes the College needs to have more open discussions with authority figures about their intentions and beliefs as a school with regard to diversity, equity and inclusion, but commended the work the College has done.
“There is a lot of room for grace,” she said. “A lot of people are very understanding and there can be a lot of benefit to us working together and hearing each other out.”
Contact Sally Bradshaw at sbradshaw01@saintmarys.edu
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FASO’s Fiestang event to highlight Filipino culture
By MARCELLE COUTO News WriterThe Filipino American Student Organization (FASO) will hold its annual cultural showcase on Saturday at 6 p.m., featuring a trip across the Philippines and dances from various regions of the Philippines. Fiestang is sponsored by the Liu Institute and Multicultural Student Programs and Services.
Not only will the audience explore the islands, but they will also travel through ‘Jeepney Joyride,’ a unique form of public transportation in the Philippines. After the Philippines achieved its independence in 1946, a significant number of surplus U.S. military jeeps from World War II were repurposed for everyday transportation. Today, they are adorned with cheerful and colorful decorations, which have emblazoned them as a cultural icon in cities.
“The show highlights a lot of tradition, so there’s a lot of traditional dances, but then we also have more modern things,” Bianca Feix, co-president of FASO, said. “One of my favorite dances is the modern Tinkling, where we take a traditional dance and put a modern spin on it.”
Even the modern songs are still by Filipino or Filipino-American artists — such as Bruno Mars, who is half-Filipino — highlighting prominent Filipinos in American culture while also celebrating the Filipino heritage within the traditional dances.
“It’s a great celebration of specifically the Notre Dame Filipino community,” Sophia Labrador,
another co-president of FASO, said. “When I was an underclassman, one of the first ways I got connected with the community here was through Fiestang.”
Miguel Camacho, the director of the show, emphasized how it has been a learning experience for him: “I haven’t seen most of these dances though I was born and raised in the Philippines. It’s interesting to see all of them converge here in the U.S.”
Camacho emphasized the diversity of the Philippines
“A lot of people don’t realize the Philippines is a really diverse place,” Feix said. “It’s made up of over 7,000 islands. This is a big excuse to get everyone together and everyone brings their own perspective.”
Camacho clarified how the dances reflect many historical developments in the Philippines.
“A lot of Filipino dances, music, and culture involve a combination of pre-colonial history for more than 300 years, as well as later Spanish and American influence,” he said. “We were colonized by a lot of people but today we have our own unique identity.”
Camacho noted this year’s version of Fiestang will include dances from previous years and new editions, like Aray, choreographed by a law school student, and even a classical performance with violin and piano coming from a Filipino composer. Additionally, older dances from previous years will contain new choreographies.
Feix said people should look forward to the coconut dance and Tinkling, which features bamboo sticks, and Bangko, with dances
performed aloft stacked benches.
There will also be various musical acts this year, with original Filipino music (OPM) featuring prominently. Many bands will also sing songs in Tagalog, a native Filipino language. Leaders of FASO expect about 200 people to attend.
After the performance, FASO will hold a banquet with Filipino food in the Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion on the second floor of the LaFortune Student Center.
During the banquet, there will be an exhibit showcasing and explaining the dances and performances, another twist in this year’s production.
Camacho emphasized the importance of community being transmitted through the message of the show.
“There are countless souls who dedicated so much time and effort to this performance, and that’s what shows the beautiful thing about community,” he said.
Labrador, a junior, said the show also helps Filipino students relate to others at a broader level.
“It makes us very proud of having the opportunity to share it with the broader Notre Dame community,” she said.
Diego Abab, a senior performing in the show, commented on the sense of unity the event creates.
“We are one of the biggest and one of the oldest student cultural clubs on campus and we are really proud of doing this,” he said.
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guidebook to observe the variety of wildlife on Saint Mary’s Lake.
“There’s lots of raccoons around the lake that like to sleep in trees during the day, which you’ll learn if you look up at the trees a lot,” Capps said. “The waterfowl here is very interesting because in the winter, St. Joe’s Lake never freezes so you get a lot of birds coming down that have concentrated on the lake because all the other bodies of water are frozen.”
Capps said she has seen a lot of goldeneye and hooded merganser at the lakes, among other types of ducks, as well as a variety of warbler songbirds. She has always enjoyed spending time at the lakes during her time as a student, which she says provides the campus with a tranquil environment to deal with the pressures of school.
“It’s a place of beauty,” Capps
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they belong and give back to other Latinos beyond Notre Dame.
Half of the proceeds from the event will go towards funding a quinceañera for a teenager in South Bend. In addition to ticket sales, LSA is raising money through daily posts on their Instagram that highlight quinceañera traditions across Latin American cultures. They provide their PayPal to collect donations at the end of each post’s caption.
“This is really a celebration but also a good way to give away something from the Notre Dame community to the community that has been hosting us for our four years,” Rebeca Santa Maria, LSA’s alumni coordinator, said.
Sylvia Garcia, a senior accounting and economics major living in McGlinn Hall, was chosen as this year’s quinceañera honoree after signing up and getting the most engagement out of all of the applicants on an Instagram post on LSA’s account.
Garcia’s preparation for the event has included dance practice and dress shopping.
“We ended up finding a dress there that worked out perfectly well and that’s the one I’m going to be wearing.
So we got that for free which was very nice,” she said.
Ash Noriega Galvan is a junior resident of Howard studying psychology, gender studies and studio art. They are the main chambelan, which is the dama’s main dance partner.
“For me to be the first chambelan as a non-binary person, that’s pretty cool. That’s a step in the right direction,” they said. “Seeing the amount of support that I got in the comments and the
said. “It can be very stressful studying at Notre Dame, and sometimes you just want to go out on a nice day and just enjoy some sun, enjoy some fresh air, getting away from the stresses of class and everything.”
But it wasn’t always that way, according to Ronald Hellenthal, a professor emeritus of biological sciences who taught aquatic ecology at Notre Dame from 1977 until 2012.
“The origin of the Notre Dame lakes goes back to the last glacial period, maybe 13-14,000 years ago when the glaciers were retreating,” Hellenthal said. “At Notre Dame, when it was founded in the 1840s, there was essentially one lake, but it was actually the product of two relatively close terrestrial icebergs, each one of which had a deep area.”
The shallow area between the two depressions was a swamp, Hellenthal said. The “du Lac” of University of Notre Dame du Lac is
amount of people that liked the post was also pretty cool.”
Galvan said quinceañeras can be stressful and require a lot of preparations, but they have enjoyed practicing.
“Getting to learn from other people who are really experienced in dancing has been really rewarding,” they said.
Communities across Latin America and the United States have different quinceañera celebrations. The planning committee has focused on making sure everyone feels included in this celebration. They will keep traditional rituals such as changing of the shoes, handing off of the last doll and the father-daughter dance.
“We are going to … stick to demonstrating these traditions and demonstrating the joy and the gratitude and the community that comes along with the Quinceañera,” Gamboa said.
The quinceañera will begin with a prayer service at the Grotto at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Following the service, programming will take place from 7-8:30 p.m. at Downes Ballroom. More than 40 performers will take the stage, including dancers from Ballet Folklorico.
Tickets are on sale at the LaFortune StaND for $10 until 3 p.m. on Friday, March 1 or at the dance for $15 at the door if they are still available.
“We hope that this inspires other not just Latinx students … but also broader students across all communities to feel like they can also do things like this and have big dreams and do it with a community of students that really believes in them,” Trujillo said.
Contact Katherine Lieberth at kliebert@nd.edu
singular because “when you looked at the surface, there was one lake.”
The lakes were the University’s source of drinking water, but this water was “terribly contaminated.” A cholera outbreak killed more than 20 Holy Cross brothers between 1847 and 1855, threatening the University’s existence in its first decade.
Epidemiological understandings at the time did not connect the relationship between swamps and cholera, but swamps had been associated with diseases.
“So what they did is they got all of the brothers out there and they hand filled that swampy area and transferred it from a single lake to two lakes,” Hellenthal said.
“There were no grocery stores in 1840,” Hellenthal noted, so the University had to be self-sufficient. The lakes were fundamental to this life, but not for recreational purposes.
Agriculture lined the edge of the
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Dining Hall to remove Zahm House and to add newer dorms such as Johnson Family Hall. The issue was postponed following a motion by Dillon Hall senator Sam Godinez.
“I just want to say there are a lot of visitors in here, who will probably want to think of something else than the resolution. So I am motioning to postpone till next week,” Godinez said, in reference to Brooke’s nomination.
Current Judicial Council president Koryn Isa offered an addendum to her nomination letter last week.
“I would like to acknowledge that I am fully aware that my renomination of Hunter has caused some dismay,” she read aloud. “As I stated previously, I feel strongly that nominating Hunter is in the best interest of the Student Union and that I would be doing a disservice to concede so quickly in the face of pushback.”
Brooke took the opportunity to “pull the curtain back” and tell the story of his love affair with student government.
“So I’ll start with high school in which I did a lot of service work probably like all of us, I’m guessing, but we really didn’t have a student government, and so when I was headed to Notre Dame and looking for opportunities to continue to serve the people around me, I stumbled on Notre Dame student government,” he said. “And I remember finding a copy of the [student union] constitution and thinking, oh my gosh, a real life constitution. I found a recording of [then-student body president] Rachel Ingal delivering the state of the union address. And I think I … nearly fell out of my chair.”
Brooke characterized his behavior leading to his impeachment recommendation as merely immature.
“It’s kind of like a little puppy that just got off the play, and was so excited and was running around and was peeing on the floor, and eventually getting people by accident. And obviously, one of those
lake, with waste from pigs and cattle thrown into them. In the early decades, the marl deposits in Saint Mary’s Lake were used to produce cement and raw materials for brick.
The fresh air Capps and the rest of the University’s students enjoy on a nice day are a distant dream from what the lakes once were to the University.
“If you read early writings of the campus, you almost never hear anything about the lakes and, if you do, it certainly would not be positive,” Hellenthal said. “They must have smelled, they were full of poop. In the early days of the chemistry department, the wastes from the sinks went right into St. Mary’s Lake.”
Almost all productive uses of the lakes have faded away over time. The only productive use of the lakes today is from the University’s power plant, which uses water from Saint Joseph’s Lake for cooling
nips was the FUEL incident,” he said. “I’ve never really had malicious intentions.”
Debate once again raged on the nomination.
“I guess I’m confused as to how you can currently claim that you have vast knowledge of the constitution,” Mary Grace Walsh, director of the department of disability advocacy, said.
Knott Hall senator Clay Chauncey asked Brooke if he thought that his serving in this position would benefit the student body.
“I’d say the Judicial Council does not have the most sort of direct impact with students, but I think by uplifting other students, student leaders, and by ensuring that we have clean and transparent and accountable elections,” Brooke said.
Chauncey seized on his words.
“You mentioned uplifting student leaders. Do you think the fact that the majority of student senators voted against your nomination kind of contradicts that point?” he asked.
Chauncey offered a point of order.
“Seeing that our constitution states that nomination of judicial council has to pass through senate, and it’s already failed, I would argue that this person is unqualified, and I think that this entire nomination should be considered out of order,” he said.
Student body vice president Aidan Rezner disagreed and emphasized the slim margin on the previous vote.
Pangborn Hall senator Charlie Pehl said he had abstained last week, but had now committed to vote for Brooke.
“I think that today’s meeting … shows that it’s very clear that Hunter is not some malicious guy, or power-hungry guy that can be very corrupt. It seems very clear that he’s grown a lot and is very eager and I think it’s very important to see that,” he said.
Baumer Hall senator Thomas Kluck said he had not changed his mind.
“I feel like we made a decision last week, and I trust that decision
purposes.
“As far as I know they’ve never really seen any evidence that it has any impact on the organisms that are living in the lake,” Hellenthal said. “And there are tight constraints about how warm the water can be when it goes back into St. Joseph Lake. They’re not putting it in boiling or anything like that.”
The warmed water recycled back into the lake is why Saint Joseph’s Lake doesn’t freeze in the winter.
“My opinion is that the University is doing the best they can to be good environmental stewards and make the lake so that they can serve [their] purpose, both aesthetically and for the needs of the University,” Hellenthal said. “The lakes are in reasonable conditions, all things considered. I mean, they’re not Alpine, pristine lakes, and they never were.”
Contact Liam Price at lprice3@nd.edu
and that judgment. I don’t think I was a dumb person last week, and I don’t think I’m that much smarter this week. And so, I think we made a decision and if our judgment was respected, we would not be talking about this right now and we probably would be out of this room,” he said.
Former parliamentarian Griffin McAndrew also spoke about his working relationship with Brooke, encouraging senators to vote against him.
“I worked very closely with him on a number of issues, including food robots, flex points, the whole shebang basically and prior to that [impeachment] meeting, I know we’ve had a strategy meeting,” he said. “I came out of that meeting, to be honest, feeling like a total idiot. I felt tricked. I felt taken advantage of and from then on, our relationship deteriorated. That was one of the largest factors in why I ran for student body [vice president]. It was one of the larger factors when I applied for parliamentarian. Hunter betrayed my trust in a lot of ways during the meetings.”
Walsh also urged senators to vote against the nomination.
“The Judicial Council president is someone who nominates people for other positions, and to put someone in a position like Judicial Council president, who has a known history of appearing before the ethics commission with apparently unethical allegations ... it just feels like a no brainer to not elect him. And I’m like, ‘You guys have other options?’” she said, referring to Thomas Musgrave.
Musgrave, the Judicial Council vice president for peer advocacy, spoke earlier in the meeting and said he had applied for the position, though he supported Brooke’s nomination.
The vote was held with a showing of hands. Brooke was welcomed back into the room with a round of applause.
Editor’s Note: The full version of this story can be read online at www.ndsmcobserver.com
Contact Isa Sheikh at isheikh@nd.edu
Why you should invite someone to have a meal
It sucks to feel alone in a crowded room, but that’s college for you.
As one YikYak user said in a post with 72 upvotes last Sunday, “Why does no one talk about how incredibly lonely college is?”
You attend class each day with hundreds of fellow students, eat lunch in the dining halls, take a shower in your communal bathroom and fall asleep in a room shared with a roommate. But even when you’re constantly surrounded by people, you can still feel isolated.
A lot of students feel lonely and homesick during their first few weeks on campus as they move away from home for the first time and are immersed in a whole new life at Notre Dame. Many of us spent Welcome Week crying alone in our dorm rooms. But what happens when that feeling persists past the first week of freshman year?
According to the 2022 Inclusive Student Survey, 82% of students who responded to the survey reported they felt a sense of belonging at Notre Dame, while 18% reported being neutral or disagreed that they felt a sense of belonging. One out of four students said they have seriously considered leaving Notre Dame.
Many college students have reported feeling lonely, and this trend was exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. A study from 2020 found that 20-48% of adolescents and young adults report
severe levels of loneliness. Post-COVID-19, rates of loneliness are dropping overall, but young adults and college students are still reporting alarming levels of isolation.
It’s a private problem, but we’re writing about it in The Observer because loneliness is a public issue.
Studies have shown feeling lonely can be harmful to your health, increasing blood pressure and stress levels while suppressing the immune system. However, we hardly need to cite studies here: students today know the toll that loneliness can have on our mental and physical well-being — we universally experienced it first-hand during the pandemic.
Loneliness may even threaten our democracy. As recent Notre Dame speaker Robert Putnam may have it, a healthy democracy runs on strong social capital, in which citizens of a nation are involved in their communities through various associations and groups. Feelings of belonging bind our society together.
To Putnam, it doesn’t matter if you join a human rights campaign or your local bowling association. It’s a matter of great importance to just get involved: “This country needs a moral reawakening,” he told his Notre Dame audience. “We owe it to each other.”
On the tri-campus, we strive to build social
capital and stoke democratic dialogue, but sometimes when trying to maximize these opportunities, we miss the whole point. People are lonely, and the cure starts small. It can begin with something as simple as lunch. When we use the term civil society, we think of academic research when maybe we should really be thinking of a meal swipe.
At Notre Dame, there are countless opportunities to get involved in civil society. But no matter what you’re interested in, everybody needs to eat.
When it’s rush hour at the dining hall, eating alone at one of the communal-style tables can sometimes make you feel like the loneliest person in the world. It’s easy to feel alone in a crowded room — when you actually are.
While some eat alone of their own volition, grabbing a quick meal between classes or extracurriculars, we should remember what those shared spaces are there for.
“The communal tables help students connect with each other during meal periods and increase fellowship,” writes Experience Notre Dame assistant director Molly Di Carlo. “Breaking bread with fellow students nourishes mind, body, spirit and aligns with the University’s mission.”
Let’s combat loneliness by breaking bread together. If you just ask someone in your dorm or a class out to lunch, you might be surprised how likely they are to say yes.
Do you feel older?
It’s your birthday. After responding to your grandma’s grainy balloon GIF and justifying your choice of chocolate cake for lunch, one of your friends finally hits you with the inevitable question: “Do you feel older?”
You might pretend to think about it for a while, eventually responding with the perfunctory “Oh, you know it” and a self-deprecating laugh or, for the more serious: “Not really. Time is a concept anyway.”
If you’re like me, you’ll probably reply with some joke about how you’ll always feel like a teenager, adult life so abstract it’s almost laughable: “Me? They’re allowing me to sign this lease and buy this plane ticket? Suckers, looks like the jokes on them.”
The question is amusingly futile — I don’t know anyone my age who’s actually answered “yes.” And yet I’m also guilty of asking my friends the question every year, as if an entire year’s worth of wisdom has suddenly descended upon them in one day.
Here you are, some newly enlightened being now that the earth has completed yet another trip around the sun. I can almost see the wrinkles forming!
But in light of recently turning twenty – and still failing to respond with a resounding “yes, of course!” – I started to worry. Entering a new decade feels like a major milestone, the official end of my teenage years and the beginning of my “roaring twenties.”
Our culture paints our twenties as the most important period of our lives: it’s when Bill Gates dropped out of college to start Microsoft, when the Beatles released their first single, when Sophie Sheridan frolicked around Greece to find her biological dad.
In your twenties, truly anything seems possible.
Yet, much like birthdays past, I didn’t wake up feeling magically transformed on my twentieth. Maybe I accidentally missed my own official aging ceremony, the part where I deleted all my favorite Olivia Rodrigo songs and renounced texting in lowercase. Because all I know is that I still listened to “Love is Embarrassing” on my run today and that my texts still read as super cool and casual (obviously).
I think the problem lies in the fact that you aren’t officially dubbed an adult in one day. The feeling of aging requires an emotional weight — a birthday just marks the passage of time.
Because when I stop and think about it, I do feel older! It’s just that expecting one day to legitimize it is pointless. Waiting to feel older on your birthday is like waiting for North Quad residents to finally admit that South Dining Hall is superior. No matter how much you want it to, it’s just not going to happen.
Instead, the feeling catches me by surprise when I least expect it — like when my not-so-little cousin asked me for advice on his college applications, or when I realized that I’m now one of those sophomores who I looked up to last year, thinking they had it all figured out (we don’t).
“Feeling older” is seeing how far you’ve come, but not remembering when or how you got there.
It’s realizing that time moves on without your permission. And like it or not, each little reminder that sneaks up on you is a sign that you must be doing something right.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not calling birthdays overrated or arbitrary. I’m just saying that if you don’t feel different on that day, it’s okay. Growing up doesn’t happen overnight – you might say it’s what happens between them that counts.
So, the next time it’s your birthday, take a second to reflect on your year (and happy birthday!). Even if you feel like an imposter because you haven’t launched into young stardom or reinvented the wheel, chances are you have done a lot of maturing. Cut yourself a little slack.
And when asked if you feel older, you can now launch into a really long explanation of how “it’s complicated,” and that maturing is really more like a day-to-day, continuous journey of growth and responsibility that we undergo from childhood to the present moment, never ending until we pass from this Earth.
I’m kidding. But in all seriousness, enjoy the struggle to answer this question. We’re lucky to be able to spend the rest of our lives growing up.
Allison Elshoff is a sophomore studying business analytics with minors in impact consulting and the Hesburgh Program of Public Service. Originally from Valencia, CA but currently living in Badin Hall, you can find her unsubscribing from email lists or hammocking by the lakes. You can contact Allison at aelshoff@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Am I doing too much?
Jose Sanchez Cordova Assistant Managing EditorA friend of mine told me this weekend that it feels like I’m “always running around.” On Tuesday, I worked 11 hours after taking three classes during the day.
Maybe she’s right.
A look at my calendar screams that she is, but I’m not so sure.
Thankfully not every day is like Tuesday, but I’ve still been asking myself whether I’m doing too much lately. My friend Emma Duffy actually wrote about this same issue not that long ago. Her take?
“Maybe cut back on some things that are not necessary. If it is bringing you more anguish than joy, it has to go.”
I have thought about letting things go. Tuesday was a productive day, but there are always tradeoffs to being so busy. Sometimes I don’t sleep enough. I often don’t have enough time to do the hundreds of pages of readings I get assigned. Yes, I made some money at work that night, but how much is that truly worth? How can I strike a balance between productivity and rest?
Personally, it’s a little more complicated than
Kat Regala The Absurd-verIt started with the white paint.
how Emma described. Yes, how much I like doing something is part of it, but I also think there’s good to be found in things you don’t like. I didn’t complete all my University requirements in philosophy, math and theology because of a deep passion for those subjects. I did it because I had to. Even so, I’m glad I did. It sucked at the time. I didn’t like those Aristotle readings. I didn’t like those calculus problem sheets. But it was something worthwhile.
And looking back, I have no doubt about that.
That’s how I look at my Tuesday. Yes, I had been up and running around since 9:00 am, but as I walked home just before three in the morning, I didn’t feel tired and overwhelmed. I felt happy. I went home, took a shower and went to sleep fulfilled. Even Touchdown Jesus had gone to sleep by the time I walked past, but I hammered away at school and work all day and I was rewarded with a day I’ll remember for a long time.
I started a riot in the streets of Paris during the role-playing unit of my history class. We discussed Michael Herr’s fascinating Vietnam War memoir “Dispatches” in my journalism class. I had lunch and caught up with my friend Joan. In French class we talked about the Algerian War of Independence and the book “L’art de perdre.” I shared a fun Au Bon Pain shift with my friend
Linda. I watched Markus Burton take Wake Forest apart to give Micah Shrewsberry his best win as Notre Dame’s head coach. And I closed it out at one of my favorite places in the world, that musty, messy and unforgettable office in the basement of South Dining Hall. What would I remember about Tuesday if I had just taken two classes and then went home and made dinner before an early bedtime?
I know it won’t always be this way. My term at The Observer is over next week. I won’t be heading to the office on Sundays or walking home from the office at 3 am. In a few months, I’ll graduate. I’ll be off to a regular, stable 9-5 job. I’ll miss all of it. There won’t be anymore running around to a million things. It’s just the way things go. Time passes and life settle down. I’m looking forward to it in some ways. I’m sure it will be nice and I’ll find a different kind of joy in the domesticity.
But not yet. I’m having way too much fun making memories and doing absolutely everything I possibly can with the time I have left at Notre Dame. I want to keep running around just a little longer.
You can contact Jose at jsanch24@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Why I can’t go home
skyrocketing property and cost-of-living prices, driving many locals out of their neighborhoods, pushing them further and further from downtown.
own way while I’ve been at school. My friends have gone off and done their own things. I don’t have the built in community of school and extracurriculars anymore.
Like dying coral, the Mediterranean hues that decorated the main drag were bleached into a single tone. Bright, pastel Key West-type homes were torn down and replaced with a milky, transitional-style construction. The orange coat of the vintage trolley was painted over.
The white paint became a glaring evidence of something amiss.
In reality, the white paint was just a striking visualization of Naples’ unfolding evolution.
My childhood has been filled with little signs: singlestory homes have slowly made way for multi-story mansions. Swaths of swamp land have been drained to make way for condominium developments. Luxury restaurants (with luxury prices) dominate the food scene. Local businesses have been bought out by a big-time Chicago developer.
And this process has only magnified since the pandemic began.
With its tropical weather that allows for year-round outdoor activities and low taxes, Naples became a safe haven for those seeking to escape stringent pandemic restrictions with enough resources to move or purchase a second home. This has caused a housing boom,
I left Naples for Notre Dame nearly three years ago. Like many college students, I had to say goodbye to my hometown and move to a new place. With the distance — and South Bend’s horrible winters — the image of Naples persists in my memory like a 1950s-style postcard: a sunset over the beach framed with palm fronds, orange slices and a smiling sun that shoots rays of light.
As snow falls outside the window of my classroom, I daydream of the radiating heat of white sand beneath my feet and the sound of four o’clock rain showers upon my tin roof. Home is always in the back of my mind.
Last Fall, when Hurricane Ian hit Naples, I sat distracted in class, scrolling through images and videos of cars and boats floating through city streets, houses and businesses being decimated and causeways collapsing. Even though I was separated from the horror by over a thousand and living in a better situation, I felt a weird desire to be back at home, hurricane and all. I felt detached from a collective experience that I did not participate in but would witness the effects of.
Despite my constant longing and nostalgia for home, every time I return to Naples, it never feels fully right.
There are natural reasons. I have grown up and changed. I am no longer the little girl living with her family. My family has gotten older and developed in their
Alongside the natural changes, there is the inarguable fact that Naples is no longer the city that I grew up in.
The Gulf, which is central to many of my memories, from birthday parties to boat days, is often unswimmable from red tide. The beaches get littered with asphyxiated fish.
My neighbors and friends have scattered due to housing prices and hurricane damage. Local government has become overrun by conspiracy theories. Streets back up for miles with seasonal traffic. Rising sea level and heightened natural disasters loom over the future.
I will always love Naples and it will always be my home. But I have to come to terms with the fact that whether through natural progression or Naples’ transformation, I will never go home to the place I once knew.
Kat Regala is a junior studying the Program of Liberal Studies with minors in computing and digital technology and science, technology and values. She originally hails from Naples, FL, but loves traveling. When not reading or writing, you can find her drinking coffee, practicing yoga or binge-watching reality television. You can contact Kat at kregala@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
By PETER MIKULSKI Viewpoint Copyeditor
The plague gave us Boccaccio’s “The Decameron,” tuberculosis gave us Mann’s “The Magic Mountain,” HIV/AIDS gave us “Angels in America,” yet COVID-19 awaits its masterpiece. “As We Are” (a play produced by the Department of Film, Television, and Theater running at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center from Feb. 28 to Mar. 3) steps up to the plate but — despite the best efforts of cast and crew — strikes out.
Overall, this play’s problem is a shaky foundation: the script. Otherwise, the acting and design are often very good, save for a few tiny foibles. For instance, two members of the cast had to smoke cigarettes, and reader, they wielded them like they had never seen a dart in their lives! Similarly, in one of the last scenes, a player poured a glass of stagetequila so large and drank it so fast that in real life, it probably would’ve knocked her over. Meanwhile, Eny Ramirez, in her portrayal of “Celia,” delivered a remarkably convincing performance, skillfully handling her glass of wine with believable finesse.
If someone forced me to critique the acting past nitpicks of that sort, I’d be hard-pressed. There were a couple lines, though, where the cast shot for “serious” and “deep” but would’ve been better off going for laughs. One of the most successful sequences
‘AS
WE ARE’ IS AS GOOD AS IT COULD BE
in the play (a zoom graduation followed by some dialogue about a turtle and then a shocking confession) worked precisely because it was funny — funny enough to change my mind about a character I had found too dour, even.
The design was also well done, the set attractive and the sound effective. Still, I generally dislike black box theaters and theater in the round — actors popping out from curtains and walls without warning. Frankly, it makes me feel schizophrenic.
The script, however, is an entirely different story from the acting and design. It’s terminally play-y. It’s chock-full of cliches, like the way it repeatedly introduces tragic backstories for its characters out of nowhere with the same melodramatic past tense: “I had a brother,” “It’s a song my wife used to sing,” “He was an accountant,” etc.
As a rule, the characters are much too profound much too soon. Right out of the gate, they declare things like “I’m old, Audrey, I hate everything,” “Empathy doesn’t keep the lights on” and “I love color.” Meanwhile, they stare wistfully into the audience as if they’ve said something immensely significant. But these truisms don’t land because we’ve hardly met these people, so we have no reason to care about what they’re saying and no frame of reference to discern their meaning.
If a stranger asked me a question like “What are your vices?” or “What made you?” or “Have you ever
SMC SENIORS
loved?” — as happens in this show — I think I’d call the police. Also, the text of the play unironically references its own title. (I had to stifle a laugh.)
The work stinks of liberalism, too. At one point, a romance plot line stops dead in its tracks simply because of a seven-year age gap between two adults, and for some reason, the characters go out of their way to denigrate great works of classic fiction: one character says they hate “The Old Man and the Sea,” another David Foster Wallace, another “King Lear,” yet another J.D. Salinger.
Nevertheless, as we got to know the characters, there were some touching moments. The parallel dialogues about rent between Ros and Celia, and Orlando and Oliver, constituted one of the play’s most compelling scenes. Orlando’s monologue on the death of his and Oliver’s brother was also beautifully written and movingly delivered. Audrey (played by Logan Schlitt) was fun and charismatic, capable of being serious without being pretentious. Phoebe (played by Makena Mwathi) was down-toearth and naturalistic, a huge help to a script with its head in the clouds.
All in all, “As We Are” tries to retell Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” in a more modern and relatable way, yet it’s so clumsy that the original — penned in 1599 — feels more present and immediate.
Contact Peter Mikulski at pmikulsk@nd.edu.
By MARGUERITE C. J. MARLEY Scene Writer
FLEX THEATER MUSCLES IN ‘THE SEAFARER’
This weekend, Saint Mary’s theater seniors will perform their senior compressive production of “The Seafarer” by Conor McPherson. Senior comprehensives are mandatory projects for all Saint Mary’s seniors to fulfill graduation requirements, yet the theater comprehensive consistently stands out as the most intriguing.
The idea to perform the “The Seafarer” as the senior project started as a joke. Mimi Panzica, the director of the show, said, “We were meeting to discuss what show we wanted to do, and we began suggesting silly concepts for productions — ‘No Exit’ done in a Sandbox, ‘Clue’ in the Barbie Dream House, etc. A. Milz suggested we stage ‘The Seafarer’ on a boat. Most of us had already read the show in play analysis class, so this was like a lightbulb moment for us. I remember sitting there like, ‘Oh my God, we have to do “The Seafarer,”’ and here we are!”
“The Seafarer” unfolds the tale of a young woman
returning to modern Dublin to care for her blind sister, set against the backdrop of a Christmastime card game with stakes far more perilous than any of the characters could anticipate. This production is outstanding!
The performances of all actresses were remarkable, particularly Isla Hofmann, who portrayed the blind sister with such authenticity that I was astounded when she made eye contact with me. Equally impressive was Hannah Bruckman, who excelled as the enigmatic Ms. Lockheart, masterfully straddling the line between a cosmic horror antagonist and a casual card player.
The story tends to flip-flop between a very “Derry Girls” style of humor, the comedy derived from many characters talking over each other and criticizing one another, and cosmic horror. This production is able to switch expertly between the two very different tones with the use of lighting; all of the humor scenes are lit as a single-camera sitcom, and the cosmic horror scenes switch to much more dramatic lighting.
Every theater major had a hand in this production
in one way or another, many of them taking on multiple roles. For instance, Natalie Biegel not only plays the lead but also serves as the dialect coach and lighting designer.
Every element on stage, from the costumes to the sets, is entirely student-crafted, achieving a quality that rivals professional productions. These actors have spent the last four years in productions with each other, and it shows. The performer’s apparent closeness enhances a lot of the dialogue. Isla Hofmann and Natalie Biegel can perform siblings so well that I was surprised to find they weren’t related.
Overall, this production of “The Seafarer” is exemplary, and I can’t wait to see where these performers go after graduation.
“The Seafarer” will be performed on March 1 and 2 at Little Theater in Moreau Center for the Arts at 7:30pm. Tickets are free for all audiences, so be sure to check it out!
Contact Marguerite C. J. Marley at mmarley01@saintmarys.edu.
Saints rally in fourth quarter, come up short in OT
By THOMAS ZWILLER Senior Sports WriterAfter a fourth quarter rally where the Holy Cross women’s basketball team outscored Olivet Nazarene University 22-11, McKenna Arena headed into overtime. Despite having multiple chances to win the game, including the contest’s final shot, the Saints fell short 73-72.
The initially low-scoring affair saw both sides struggle to score early, with neither team shooting over 30% from the floor in the opening quarter. Olivet’s defensive full-court press forced the Saints into some hardfought possessions. When a Holy Cross player did break free, she typically struggled to make her layup.
As the game moved to the second quarter, the Tigers began shooting the ball better than the Saints, who struggled mightily. The Holy Cross starters — junior guard Jordyn Smith, senior guard Lauren Morris, sophomore guard Kayliana Hammel, junior forward Grace Adams, and senior forward Neva
ND LACROSSELonghofer — combined to go 3 for 9. The lone bright spot was Adams, who had 6 points on 2 for 3 shooting and two free throws.
The Saints were not helped by their eight second-quarter personal fouls. In total, the Saints were called for 27 fouls, which sent Olivet to the line 36 times. The Tigers scored 24 points, heavily shifting the fairly even balance of the game
The Saints only took 11 attempts but made eight.
The third quarter was where the two teams found their stride offensively. The Saints scored 21, largely thanks to Hammel’s seven. It wasn’t enough to match the Tigers, who scored 23, largely thanks to their 10 free-throw points.
Despite an uneasy feeling in a packed McKenna Arena as the game seemed to begin sleeping away, the Saints were still within striking distance, down 11.
After a long, awful shooting night out of the Saints, Holy Cross began what would become a 22-point fourth quarter with a Morris 3-pointer. With the make,
Morris energized the Saints and helped swing momentum back to even. Morris finished the game with 11 points and seven rebounds, Morris hit a jumper and Lilly Toppen shot another long ball to cut the lead to five. Then Hammel made a three to cut the deficit to two. The Saints finished the quarter making 8 of 13 shots from the floor while going 4 for 7 from downtown, burying the Tigers in an avalanche of points.
The Tigers ultimately had a chance to win the game, but a block by Adams with one second left sent the game to overtime.
In overtime, Olivet was awarded two free throws after a foul, and Brooklyn Marshall made both. After Adams made it a 67-66 game, Kayleigh Flach extended Olivet’s lead by two until a Toppen three gave Holy Cross its first lead since 4:13 of the first quarter.
Morris hit a three to give the Saints a 72-68 lead with 2:01 to play. After another Olivet trip to the line made it a 72-70 game, the Saints had a chance to win the game on
a long pass to Longhofer.
Longhofer, who beat the Tigers’ press defense, had the ball on a free layup with a tailing defender but missed what could have been a season-defining shot.
After Longhofer’s missed shot, the two teams traded possessions, with the Tigers tying and Adams missing a jump shot before Khendel Rolison made one final free throw for the Tigers.
It put them ahead 73-72, and the Saints took a timeout with eight seconds to play. The Saints successfully inbounded the ball, but an awkward exchange between Adams and Smith resulted in a last-second desperation shot from Smith that just missed.
The loss ends the Saints’ conference playoff run and their aspirations to make the NAIA tournament via the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference automatic bid. The CCAC has two bids, which are awarded to the regular season and postseason champions.
The team loses seniors Neva Longhofer and Lauren Morris. Morris averaged
10.8 points per game, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.9 steals across her 29 games. Longhofer averaged 6.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.6 steals across 29 games.
The key returning starters for the Saints are Adams, Smith and Hammel.
Adams had a sensational season for the Saints, averaging a double-double with 18.6 points and 10.1 rebounds in 29 starts. Smith averaged 11.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Hammel had a strong sophomore season, starting in 29 games and averaging 30 minutes per game. She contributed an average of 11.5 points and 4.3 rebounds.
Though the Saints came up short, the season is undoubtedly a successful one. The Saints finished 12-8 in conference play, tying the program record and hosting their first CCAC playoff game.
Head coach Tom Robbins will look to continue building on a successful couple of seasons next year.
Contact Thomas Zwiller at tzwiller@hcc-nd.edu
Irish look to bounce back from tough losses this weekend
By NOAH CAHILL Sports WriterMen’s Lacrosse
The preseason hype was through the roof for a Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team that entered the season as reigning national champions while also returning the nucleus of their team, most notably, the two Kavanaugh brothers (attackers graduate student Pat and junior Chris) and first-team All-American graduate student goalie Liam Entenmann. However, facing their first test of the season against now No. 11-ranked Georgetown, the Irish received an early-season wakeup call.
The overtime loss came in heartbreaking fashion following two opportunities to win the game, one at the end of regulation and the other after securing the first possession of overtime. However, the Irish can’t afford to dwell on the loss, as they get back in action on Sunday against No. 3 Maryland, who have started the season 4-0 with impressive wins against No. 15 Princeton as well as against No. 14 Richmond and No. 7 Syracuse, both in overtime.
Already this season, Maryland has shown the ability to grind out wins in close games. Their success has been largely attributed to their stellar defense, which despite the top competition, has only allowed 8.5 goals per game, ranking tied for seventh in the nation. They lean on veteran long sticks including junior Colin Burlace, senior Ajax Zappitello and graduate student Jackson Canfield. Behind them is another experienced presence in goal with graduate student Logan McNaney. Braden Erksa is off to a great start this season, notching 10 goals and 4 assists for a team-high 14 points. Not far behind with 11 points, and leading the team with 8 assists, is Eric Malever. These two pose a threat to any defense in the NCAA. The Irish defense ranks first in the nation allowing only 7.33 goals per game. While this number is undoubtedly inflated by a lower level of competition in the first two games, this unit remains one of the most formidable in college lacrosse. Despite losing their anchor from last season in Chris Fake, who earned second and third-team All-American honors for his
play last season, the return of Entenmann alone elevates the ceiling of this group massively.
To take down this Maryland team, the Irish will need more production from their offense. The Irish should have more than enough talent offensively to create more than they did last game, especially with the return of both the Kavanaugh brothers and graduate student Jake Taylor, as well as senior midfielder Eric Dobson and rising star freshman Jordan Faison, who has already tallied seven points this season. Of that group, however, the onus will be placed the most on the Kavanaghs, who were held to a combined four points against Georgetown. Expect a response from those two in this game, especially if Notre Dame has more offensive success.
The final key to success for the Irish will be eliminating penalties and turnovers. Against Georgetown, they gave it away 15 times and suffered from a pair of two minute unreleasable penalties that swung the game out of their control.
The contest will take place at Arlotta Stadium in South Bend on Sunday at noon. ESPNU will provide the broadcast.
Women’s Lacrosse
The men were not the only ones that generated national excitement heading into the season. Coming off of an impressive quarterfinal run in the NCAA tournament last season, the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse Team had high expectations coming into the season as well. They put the nation on notice with their 14-10 win over reigning champions Northwestern, which highlighted a 4-0 start. However, after being handed their first loss of the season by No. 4 Syracuse, they will look to respond against No. 7 North Carolina on Saturday.
The Tar Heels have also started 4-1, their only loss coming in the opening game of the season against No. 2 James Madison in overtime. To continue the fourgame win streak they have put together since that crushing loss, they will need to be playing their best lacrosse. Facing this high-caliber Irish team will be a challenging test, one that carries great significance for conference positioning in a stacked ACC.
The key to their success will be continued production from Ashley Humphrey, who is off to a brilliant start with a team-high
27 points. She is joined in attack by Caitlyn Wurzburger, who is second on the team in goals with 12. These two especially will have to step up to break down an Irish defensive unit that ranks tied for seventh in the nation, allowing only 7.6 goals per game.
The Notre Dame attack has been prolific to start the season, averaging 19.2 goals per game, albeit against some weaker teams. Their attack is led by graduate student attackman Jackie Wolak, who leads the Irish in just about every offensive category including goals, assists, and total points with 27. Graduate student Kasey Choma has contributed 23 points of her own from midfield, the secondbest number on the team behind Wolak. The driving force of these two veterans in attack alongside stellar defensive play has been a formula for success early in the season.
The top 10 matchup will take place at Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. ACC Network will provide the broadcast.
Contact Noah Cahill at ncahill2@nd.edu
Happy
and lifestyle will give you the power you need and want to reach your target this year. Revisit contracts, adjust agreements, and only promise what you know you can deliver. Stabilize your position and carry on with confidence. Your numbers are 6, 13, 17, 24, 32, 37, 45.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Take it upon yourself to do the legwork. Keeping busy will help you stay out of trouble. Live up to your promises, but don’t deny yourself the time you need to soothe your soul. Balance and equality are the paths to personal happiness.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Take a breather. Don’t exhaust yourself physically. Accidents happen when you are run down and overly emotional. Focus on pampering yourself and rethinking your strategy and what’s in your best interest. Examine your professional or domestic situation and prepare to make positive adjustments.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Don’t be fooled by what others say. Get your facts straight before you participate in something that may have consequences. The time spent on personal growth and self-improvement will encourage better choices and rewards. Keep the takers in your life at arms-length.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Participate in events that can teach you something. A receptive attitude will allow your imagination to morph into something promising. It’s not the cost of things that makes them better; it’s the ingenuity and simplicity that makes them great. Budget wisely.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Don’t feel you have to make a move or follow in someone else’s footsteps. Consider your options and what makes sense, and you’ll discover a manageable path. Keep the peace; position yourself better to ensure you get what you want.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Ignore outside influences and carry on with your plans. The changes you want to implement will open doors to new beginnings. Attend events or reunions that enable you to address questionable issues. A partnership will improve your chance to achieve your long-term goal.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Physical activity will clear your head. Decisions regarding joint ventures will cost you if you let your emotions call the shots. Spend more time mastering the art of doing things yourself rather than relying on others to prop you up. Personal improvement is favored.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You’ll face tough choices. Forward-thinking is essential if you want situations to turn favorable. Take the blame for your mistakes and credit for successes. There is no shame in learning as you go, but there is if you continue to fall short due to waffling.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Distance yourself from pushy, relentless individuals eager to mislead and make you look bad. Only trust in yourself and what’s tangible. Avoid unfamiliar places and people or situations that befuddle and leave you feeling vulnerable. Don’t broadcast your every move. Aim for secrecy and stability.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Side-step controversy and avoid a precarious position that keeps you from mastering the skills you need to reach your goals. Take a unique approach to how you use your disposable funds to invest in yourself and bring about the changes conducive to success.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Keeping up will require ingenuity and well-thoughtout plans. If you muscle your way forward, you will make mistakes or run into opposition. Patience and moderation will deter unnecessary change that can result in overpaying or underspeculating. Choose simplicity over complexity.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Don’t waste time; set your sights on your goal, and refuse to let anyone lure you off track. Show your strength and courage by ignoring temptation and embracing what makes you feel alive. Your happiness lies within, it’s up to you to make it happen.
Birthday Baby: You are dedicated, authentic, and empathetic. You are amendable and philanthropic.
Red-hot Irish gear up for Senior Day matchup
By MATTHEW CROW Associate Sports EditorOn Tuesday night, Notre Dame men’s basketball secured what was arguably the team’s biggest win of the season to date, a 70-65 nail-biter at home against Wake Forest.
The Irish will have the chance to follow up that win with an even bigger one — and earn their fifth ACC victory in their last six games — when they take the court at Purcell Pavilion for the final time this year to face Clemson on Saturday night.
Just three weeks ago, the Irish season appeared to be in a free fall. Notre Dame was just 2-10 in conference play and had lost seven consecutive games, a stretch that culminated in a blowout defeat on the road against Duke. But the Irish have emphatically turned things around in the time since, as the continued improvements that the young team has made in its first year under head coach Micah Shrewsberry have begun to translate to the scoreboard.
Notre Dame earned home wins against Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech before making it three in a row with a 22-point victory against Louisville on the road.
Last Saturday, their win streak was snapped at the hands of Syracuse, but the Irish still managed to put their impressive resilience on display by coming back from a 29-point deficit to ultimately fall by just three. And after Tuesday’s win, they sit at a far more respectable 6-11 in the ACC — already doubling last season’s conference win total — and seem to have hit their stride heading into a Senior Day game against Clemson.
That late-season surge has been sparked in large part by the dynamic play of the Irish’s talented freshman backcourt duo. Markus Burton has been Notre Dame’s go-to guy offensively ever since he broke a program record by scoring 29 points in his career debut, but he’s taken his game to another level on both ends of the court as of late.
After averaging nearly 17 points, seven assists and six steals against Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech, the freshman guard earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors last week following a 16-point, threesteal effort against Louisville and a 28-point, eight-assist outing that nearly willed the Irish to a win against Syracuse.
And after posting what was likely the best performance of his young career against Wake Forest, he’s likely to secure Rookie of the Week accolades
for the fourth time, which would establish a new Notre Dame record.
Burton was aggressive right from the jump against the Demon Deacons, scoring 19 points before halftime to keep the Irish within striking distance. He would finish the night with a career-high 31 points, four steals and three assists. His 11-11 performance from the free throw line helped Notre Dame seal the win down the stretch.
While Burton has deservedly garnered most of the headlines for the Irish, the emergence of freshman guard Braeden Shrewsberry as a key part of the starting lineup has helped unlock what had been a struggling Notre Dame offense. Against Louisville and Syracuse, the sharpshooting Shrewsberry was a combined 13-20 from beyond the threepoint arc en route to 41 total points. And while he struggled to find the mark against Wake Forest amid a 3-13 shooting night, he remained confident and calmly drilled the biggest shot of the game —a threepointer that put Notre Dame ahead by four with just over a minute remaining. Both freshmen will need to be at their best for the Irish to compete with a strong Clemson team that is currently riding a three-game winning streak.
The Tigers (20-8, 10-7 ACC) sit at fourth place in the conference and are currently projected by ESPN to be a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Clemson boasts a pair of highlevel interior players — PJ Hall (19 points and seven rebounds per game) and Ian Schieffelin (10 points, nine rebounds) –who will put pressure on Irish sophomore forwards Kebba Njie and Tae Davis and freshman forward Carey Booth throughout the night. The Tigers have also gotten a significant scoring boost from Syracuse transfer Joseph Girard III, who has racked up at least 13 points in each of Clemson’s last 10 games.
Saturday will be a battle of teams with contrasting styles, as Clemson’s offense, ranked fourth in the ACC, will aim to push the pace and break through the Irish’s stingy second-ranked defense. The matchup against Clemson will be Notre Dame’s last at home before the Irish hit the road to close out their regular season against North Carolina and Virginia Tech next week.
Notre Dame has been at its best when defending Purcell Pavilion — the Irish are 8-8 at home compared to just 2-8 on the road.
And while the team is extremely underclassmen-heavy
following the departure of most of last year’s veteranladen squad, Notre Dame will recognize a trio of seniors on Senior Day.
Matt Zona arrived at Notre Dame from Blauvelt, New York, in 2020. After seeing minimal playing time in his first two seasons in South Bend, the forward has carved out a key role over the last two years.
He finished his junior year strong by scoring 19 points and sinking five three-pointers across the Irish’s final two games and has parlayed those performances into a careerbest season as a senior. He’s started six games while appearing in all 28 and has set per game career highs in minutes (11.0), points (2.1) and rebounds (2.4). He hauled in a season-best six rebounds in just 13 minutes on Tuesday against Wake Forest and ranks sixth on the team with 10 three-pointers.
Tony Sanders Jr. is the Irish’s other four-year player. The guard from Miami, Florida, earned his first career start as a freshman in a road win against his hometown Hurricanes. After battling through injuries as a junior, he opted to remain at Notre Dame despite the departure of former head coach Mike Brey and has connected on three-pointers in wins against Maryland Eastern Shore and Virginia this year.
Raheem Braiton is one of five walk-ons that joined the Irish team this season. The guard and South Bend native achieved his dream of playing for Notre Dame after serving as a team manager for the previous two seasons. Braiton has made five appearances for the Irish this year and has recorded two assists and two rebounds.
Notre Dame will look to honor its seniors with a win while also picking up a crucial ACC victory. A win would mark the team’s third against teams currently in ESPN’s projected NCAA Tournament field (Virginia and Wake Forest).
It remains to be seen whether the Irish will be at full strength on Saturday, as junior guard J.R. Konieczny missed his first game of the season on Tuesday with right foot soreness. Konieczny’s status for Saturday is to be determined, but having their third-leading scorer and rebounder back in action would be a major boost for the Irish as they set their sights on another upset victory. Notre Dame will host Clemson at Purcell Pavilion on Saturday night at 7:45 p.m. The Senior Day matchup will be televised on The CW Network.
Contact Matthew Crow at mcrow@nd.edu
ND MEN’S GOLF
Irish place third at invitational
By ANDREW McGUINNESS Sports EditorAfter an unremarkable start to the spring season, placing eighth at the Watersound Invitational, the Irish showed their potential earlier this week at Georgia Southern’s Invitational at the Ford. Notre Dame finished a season-best 18 under par over three rounds at the Ford Field & River Golf Club in Richmond Hill, Georgia. Their efforts earned them a top-three finish, their best performance in a competition with at least five schools since winning their first event of the season back in the September Folds of Honor Collegiate.
On an Irish team full of veteran talent, a freshman stole the show. Jacob Modleski finished tied for third among the entire field. His round three 67 was the fourth best single round score in the tournament. Graduate student Palmer Jackson was close behind, finishing four-under for the week and tied for 12th place. Senior Angelo Marcon
bounced back from an opening round 76, closing his event with Notre Dame’s second best round of the invitational with a score of four under par. Sophomore Nate Stevens also broke 70 in a round, shooting a 69 in the middle part of his week. Both finished tied for 17th.
Notre Dame’s score of 18 under par was bested only by Wake Forest (-23) and Wisconsin (-24).
Four of the top six golfers came from those two schools, with Wisconsin’s Cameron Huss and Blake Wisdom taking the top two spots.
Huss finished five strokes ahead of Wisdom, shooting below 70 in each of his three rounds.
The Irish will return to the Peach State in two weeks for the Johnnie-O at Sea Island competition. Hosted by Rutgers, the event will take place at Sea Island Seaside Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Georgia, from March 11-12.
Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu
WBB
I got here, Notre Dame was the staple…You were in awe of their teams…Five, six, seven years later, we’re the regular season champion. That means a lot.”
With Thursday night’s win, Notre Dame continued to fight another day in the ACC. The team is currently tied for third. The top four teams in the ACC earn a double bye in the conference tournament, advancing straight to the quarterfinals next Friday.
On Sunday, the Irish will host Louisville, who is currently tied with Notre Dame for third in the league. Sunday’s winner will take home an extra bye, an advantage that would afford an Irish team currently playing with just seven regular rotation members some much-needed rest.
Louisville comes to South Bend fresh off a 15-point win against Florida State. The Cardinals beat the Irish a month ago in Kentucky. Notre Dame shot just 11% from three during the loss but have rebounded with five wins in six games since. Sunday’s action tips off at 2 p.m. on ESPN.
Contact J.J. Post at jpost2@ nd.edu and Jake Miller at jmille89@nd.edu
ND SOFTBALL
Notre Dame prepares to face Virginia Tech
By CLAIRE WATSON Sports WriterAfter coming off of three losses and two wins at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, the Irish look ahead to their games against the Virginia Tech.
Last year when the Irish faced the Hokies, they went 2-1 in a home series. The Irish won the first game 6-1, lost the second game 8-7 and won the last game 11-3 in five innings.
In the first game, current senior catcher Carlli Kloss started strong for the Irish with a single to left field and a steal of second, followed by Lexi Orozco with a home run making the score 2-0. The Hokies came back in the second inning with one run scored making the score 2-1. The Irish were quick to respond in the third inning scoring three runs to gain a 5-1 lead and then scoring the final run in the fifth inning winning the
first game 6-1.
In the second game against the Hokies, the Irish unfortunately took the close loss of 8-7. Junior Shannon Becker started on the mound for the Irish, throwing 1 inning with sophomore Micaela Kastor coming in to pitch the next six innings.
The Irish battled back and took home an 11-3 win in the third game against the Hokies. Payton Tidd started in the circle for the Irish. Throwing the entire game, Tidd only allowed 6 hits and 3 earned runs in the 5 inning game. Offensively, Joley Mitchell led the team going 3-4 at the plate, driving in 4 runs and scoring twice herself. Orozco (who hit her 12th home run in this game), Miranda Johnson and sophomore outfielder Mickey Winchell also added to the offense success, all having multiple hits.
Virginia Tech notched four wins and one loss this
past weekend at the Georgia Classic. Starting the weekend off strong, the Hokies took an 8-0 win over Radford and a close 5-4 win over No. 3 Georgia. Saturday did not start off great for Virginia Tech with a 7-5 loss in their second game against Georgia. Battling back later that day, Virginia Tech won 6-0 against Dartmouth. In their final game of the weekend, the Hokies took a 13-1 win in their second game against Radford. Virginia Tech has strong players in all areas of play.
Starting with batting, Addy Greene leads the team with a .442 batting average. Michelle Chatfield also is a star in the box with a .395 batting average. Emma Ritter leads with a total of 16 runs scored and a total of 21 hits on the season so far. Greene additionally leads the team with a total of 14 runs batted in. Chatfield, Greene and Emma Ritter have combined to club 13
home runs as well.
Virginia Tech has four pitchers that have been seen on the mound: Emma Mazzarone, Cassie Grizzard, Lyndsey Grein and Emma Lemley. Grein leads in the circle with a total of 44 strikeouts and two saves for Virginia Tech. All four have ERAs below 3.50.
In the field, Virginia Tech also had many leaders. Infielder Emily LeGette leads the team in putouts with a total of 83 with her teammate Kylie Aldridge also being high in the stat with a total of 63 putouts. Utility player Bre Peck leads the team with a total of 32 assists in the field.
The Irish and Hokies face off in Blacksburg, Virginia, on 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday. All three games will be broadcasted on ACC Network Extra.
Contact Claire Watson at cwatson01@saintmarys.edu
Hidalgo, Westbeld notch double-doubles as Irish power by No. 5 Hokies
By J.J. POST and JAKE MILLER Associate Sports Editor and Senior Sports WriterIt may have been a Leap Day, but March Madness arrived early on Thursday night in Purcell Pavilion.
Notre Dame had won home games this season – nine, to be exact. But none brought the standing-ovation, pulsating energy that had punctuated monumental victories over UConn in 2022 and North Carolina State in 2021.
With 1:26 remaining in the fourth quarter, freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo slipped in an entry pass to junior guard Sonia Citron, who laid the ball into the hoop to effectively put a potentially season-defining win for the Irish in the books. The crowd at Purcell rose to its feet in applause, the type of clamor reserved for the collective feeling of relief that comes with a team reaching touching distance of crucial home win. Hidalgo punctuated her signature flex
celebration with a yell of jubilation before extending her arms to the sky and motioning to the rafters for more noise.
She would get her wish, with the atmosphere in South Bend growing to a fever pitch as Notre Dame closed out a 71-58 win over No. 5 Virginia Tech. Notre Dame, in search of a statement heading down the stretch of the season, won its first top-five game in 452 days.
Donning green jerseys, Notre Dame lived up to its unique look by breaking its recent streak of slow starts in big games. The Irish ended the first quarter leading 17-16 in a solid but unspectacular start.
In the second frame, though, the Irish found some fireworks.
Notre Dame entered the halftime break having opened up a 8-point lead, in large part thanks to the duo of Hidalgo and senior forward Maddy Westbeld. Heading into the break, the pairing accounted for 78% of the home squad’s points.
While a high-powered Irish
offense has made headlines all season, their defensive output won the day on Thursday night. Drawing a matchup with backto-back ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley, Westbeld and her front court compatriots dug in. Despite a three-inch height discrepancy, Westbeld and the rest of the Irish defense held Kitley to just 12 points on 4 for 11 shooting.
After the game, Westbeld commented on how she won the matchup in the low post.
“Playing physical with her [was key],” she said. “We’ve done that in the past; it’s been successful in the past.”
Westbeld mentioned that she tried “keeping that same tone, making [Kitley] work for everything.”
Notre Dame’s backcourt didn’t slouch on the defensive end either. Virginia Tech guard Georgia Amoore entered the game averaging 7.6 assists per game. The Irish held her to two. Amoore would score 20 points to lead the Hokies, but on just
a 29% shooting split from the field.
While Hidalgo and Westbeld dominated the first half, Citron took over in the second. It took her 20 minutes and 10 seconds to sink a shot, but she poured in 21 points over the game’s final 20 minutes, including eight of Notre Dame’s final nine points to ice the victory.
Citron said her mentality allowed her to flip the switch coming out of the halftime break and find her groove.
“I was honestly just trying to cheer on my teammates and not think about it at all, and just know it and just play my game.”
All told, Citron, Westbeld and Hidalgo combined for 63 of Notre Dame’s 71 total points. The trio accounted for the only three players to score in the second half for the home side. Hidalgo and Westbeld each posted double-doubles –Hidalgo amassed 23 points and 12 rebounds while Westbeld notched 19 and 10 in the same categories.
It was a busy night across the ACC, one with implications for both teams on the court on Thursday night. Notably, in an overtime thriller, North Carolina State took down Syracuse – and with the Orange’s loss, Virginia Tech clinched the regular season ACC title.
Head coach Kenny Brooks learned about the feat from a reporter in the postgame press conference. Even on a disappointing night, Brooks was proud of his players and their accomplishment.
“On a night where you lose a basketball game but gain a championship, it’s huge,” he said.
Despite the loss, Brooks noted Notre Dame’s storied history in women’s college basketball helped make the moment more special.
“To be told we won the outright regular season championship at Notre Dame means a lot,” said Brooks. “Because when