Print Edition for The Observer for Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Campus debates proposed porn ban

Notre Dame students, faculty discuss merits of establishing pornography filter on University Wi-Fi

By GABBY BEECHERT and PETER BREEN a ssistant managing editor and a ssociate news editor

Editor’s Note: This story contains mentions of sexual violence. A list of resources for tri-campus students can be found online.

l ast month, four notre dame student senators proposed a resolution to ban pornography on campus w iFi. The resolution appealed to the university’s c atholic

character, linking frequent pornography use with sexual violence.

“research indicates ‘frequent porn consumers are more likely to sexually objectify and dehumanize others, more likely to express an intent to rape, less likely to intervene during a sexual assault, more likely to victim-blame survivors of sexual violence, more likely to support violence against women, more likely to forward sexts without consent and more likely to

commit actual acts of sexual violence,’” the resolution said. w hile notre dame’s responsible use of data and i nformation Technology resources policy prohibits the use of university resources “to post, view, print, store or send obscene, pornographic, sexually explicit or offensive material, except for officially approved, legitimate academic or university purposes,” the policy is not widely enforced.

University rescinds COVID booster requirement

Observer Staff Report

i n an email sent to students Tuesday morning, university h ealth s ervices ( uhs ) announced that n otre d ame will “no longer require undergraduate, graduate and professional students to receive the covid-19 bivalent booster vaccine as a condition of enrollment for the 2023-24

academic year.”

The requirement, announced last n ovember, had required all students to receive an additional booster — or seek an exemption — by m arch

1. uhs also held a clinic at the s tepan c enter in late January to administer vaccine doses to students.

41 days after the deadline to get the vaccine, however,

Thom Browne speaks on fashion

the university has reversed course and no longer holds the bivalent booster as a condition of enrollment for the upcoming school year.

“The decision to rescind the covid-19 bivalent booster vaccine requirement follows ongoing review of the latest medical information and input from various university stakeholders,” the email told students.

saint mary’s announces commencement speaker

Observer Staff Report

Thursday morning, commencement committee chair m ichelle e gan informed the s aint m ary’s community via email that

c ollege p resident Katie

c onboy had announced the 2023 commencement speaker.

“ n oted environmentalist, cartographer and social entrepreneur m olly

b urhans will deliver the commencement address for the class of 2023,” e gan wrote.

b urhans is the founder and executive director of g ood l ands, a nonprofit that mobilizes “large landholders to use their property for environmental and humanitarian good.” h er work as chief cartographer for the first global data-based maps of the c atholic c hurch premiered at the v atican in 2016.

The announcement included a statement from c onboy.

“ m olly b urhans

is a revolutionary, bringing together the fields of cartography, sustainability and climate study to the c atholic c hurch,” c onboy said. “ n o one before her had cataloged the c hurch’s immense global landholdings and illustrated how, through this vast property ownership, the c hurch can help address the environmental crisis.”

By CAROLINE COLLINS a ssociate news editor

on Tuesday evening, Thom browne ‘88, wearing his signature gray suit with matching shorts and knee-high socks with four iconic white stripes, spoke to students packed into Jordan auditorium in the mendoza college of business. browne, who graduated from the university with a degree in business 35 years ago, is the notre dame i nstitute for advanced study ( ndias ) artist-in-residence, chair of the council on Fashion designers of a merica and a former g Q designer of the year. h is work, which reimagines the traditional gray suit, has been praised for its innovative approach to design. h is designs

have been recognized by museums around the world including the metropolitan museum of a rt and the museum of modern a rt.

Kristen collett-schmitt, the associate dean for innovation and inclusion, began the evening by introducing browne and m ichael hainey ‘86, the former deputy editor of g Q magazine who moderated the discussion.

“we join here tonight at the intersection of art and business, where creativity and entrepreneurship meet to celebrate and learn from the innovative work experience and expertise of one of the most talented fashion designers in the industry,” she said.

CAROLINE COLLINS | The Observer

Fashion designer and Notre Dame alum Thom Browne (right) discussed art and business at the Jordan Auditorium Tuesday evening.

Courtesy of Kylie Gallegos

During its annual WRAP week, SCOP chalked outside of LaFortune Student Center to spread awareness of the dangers of pornography.

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Wednesday

Kona Ice with SGA

Belle’s Backyard

5:30 p.m.

Chat with Saint Mary’s SGA officers and get free snowcones.

Cinema in the Shadow of Empire: “Volcano”

DPAC 7:30 p.m. - 10 p.m. Tickets free, online.

Thursday

Lecture by

Saturday

Seminar in American Religion/Book

Discussing “Heathen.”

Saint Mary’s

before browne and hainey took the stage, a short video highlighting browne’s creative work was played for the audience. The video featured clips of browne’s runway shows, celebrities including Lebron James and michelle obama wearing his designs and the football game photo shoot held on south Quad held in the fall. browne said he likes to start these types of talks with some footage of his work because “there’s so many stories that go into those 20 years [of work].”

a fter graduating from notre dame in 1988, browne got a job working at an accounting firm in new York. Then he moved to Los a ngeles where he tried his hand at acting, and when that failed, he moved back to new York to work for Giorgio a rmani and then as a designer for ralph Lauren before starting his own business.

browne said he is grateful he didn’t know what he wanted to do right after college because “i tried so many different things and i was open to meeting so many different people through that.”

he began his business in 2003 by making five gray suits at a

tailor’s shop in new York city’s West v illage. browne said the color gray represents non-fashion, as he was someone who didn’t come from a traditional fashion or design schooling. in the beginning, he advertised his designs himself by walking the city streets, hoping people would ask where he got his suit.

“i wore them myself. That was how people saw [my work],” browne said. “i had no business plan. i had no plan other than i knew exactly what i wanted to do.”

brown said that to be successful, you have to be your own best advocate. he described himself as his own best salesman, designer and producer. in the beginning, being a fashion designer wasn’t super glamorous. it was a lot of hard work and in 2009, the company almost went bankrupt.

but, he said he loved his business so much and knew “that somebody eventually would get it,” so he continued to make his suits.

“if you create something that is truly authentic and truly your own, nobody can take that away from you or knock it off or steal it because nobody can be you,” browne said. not only did browne want to be a fashion designer but he also “wanted to do something that really meant something.”

Through his fashion, he hopes to tell stories about the world and about things that are happening in the world. Fashion is about more than just making clothes or buying expensive clothes, he said.

Through his creativity, browne hopes to challenge people’s perceptions of fashion and how they view the world around them.

“it’s important to make people think,” he said. “Why not take something that they think they understand and give it back to them in a way that they totally don’t understand?”

even for people who may look at a piece of clothing and think “Who’s going to wear that?”

“i could care less if somebody wears it, [the] idea is just people seeing things differently,” browne said.

in 2018, ermenegildo Zegna, an italian fashion group known for its men’s suits, acquired an 85 percent stake in the company. browne said he is working with the Zegna group to implement sustainable and ethical practices while also making the brand accessible to more people. in the future, browne said he looks to continue his expansion into the visual and digital realms of the business of fashion.

Contact Caroline Collins at ccolli23@nd.edu

Rice-Hasson Distinguished Lecture Series

a dditionally, c onboy will present the President’s m edal to William s chmuhl and honorary degrees to Gretchen a nn Flicker and i da J. s tockman.

r etired director and chairman of h eywood Williams U sa i nc., s chmuhl still teaches as an adjunct instructor in the c ollege’s business administration and economics department. s chmuhl was a member of the c ollege’s b oard of Trustees for a decade and has remained active the last 16 years as a trustee emeritus. a round the greater s outh b end community, he has served on the boards of local television station W ni T, the Girl s couts of n orthern i ndianam ichigan, s tanley c lark s chool and d iscovery c harter s chool.

Flicker, a 1993 c ollege graduate, is a member of the m other Pauline s ociety and has volunteered on for the r eunion Gift c ampaign c ommittee three times since her

graduation. i n her 11-year tenure on the b oard of Trustees, Flicker was elected treasurer, vice chair and finally chair in 2019. a s chair, Flicker guided the c ollege through the covid -19 pandemic and a presidential transition.

a professor emerita in m ichigan s tate University’s communicative sciences and disorders department, s tockman continues to research, consult and mentor in the areas of a utism s pectrum d isorders and speech and language development. b etween journal articles, conference presentations and workshops, s tockman has made over 200 scholarly contributions, which have shaped clinical training and practice in her field.

The c ollege’s 176th commencement ceremony will held s aturday, m ay 20 at noon on Le m ans Green. m ore information about the commencement speaker and degree recipients can be found online.

The March resolution is the latest student-led attempt to filter pornography on Notre Dame’s Wi-Fi. The dialogue surrounding pornography on the tri-campus has garnered attention within and outside the community for years.

SCOP and the pornography filter

Students for Child-Oriented Policy (SCOP), a Notre Dame student group, has spread awareness about pornography’s dangers on campus for about a decade. SCOP’s mission is to advocate for children “by promoting marriage, education and adoption and defending against the harms of pornography and drug/alcohol abuse.”

“[SCOP] works in a lot of different areas that all kind of center on the family and upholding the dignity of every child — and a big part of that is supporting healthy relationships and healthy marriages, and a huge indicator of divorce is pornography use,” co-president Kylie Gallegos said.

On Oct. 23, 2018, SCOP kicked off its third-ever White Ribbon Against Pornography (WRAP) Week, an annual series of events to initiate conversations about pornography and addiction.

The next day, 81 male students signed a Letter to the Editor in The Observer requesting a porn filter on University Wi-Fi. One day later, 63 female students responded, standing in solidarity with the male students’ request.

Throughout the 2018-2019 academic year, a petition backed by SCOP garnered over 2,400 signatures after a shower of Letters to the Editor in The Observer and coverage from national news outlets.

In February 2019, SCOP’s leadership met with University President Fr. John Jenkins, presenting their policy proposal for a porn filter.

The University addressed SCOP’s concerns short of filtering pornography on the institutional level, implementing an “opt-in” system instead. Notre Dame now provides students, faculty and staff services to filter pornography on personal devices, as well as resources for those who struggle with pornography addiction.

“We are disheartened to see that Notre Dame has rejected the call of thousands of members of the Notre Dame family to adopt a campus pornography filter,” SCOP president Jim Martinson and vice president Ellie Gardey wrote in May 2019 after the University failed to fully address their concerns.

SCOP still supports enacting a porn filter and the group continues to encourage dialogue surrounding pornography at Notre Dame.

This February, SCOP held

its annual WRAP Week and hosted events that included a lecture, tabling in Duncan Student Center and chalking messages like “porn kills love” and “porn fuels sex trafficking” on sidewalks outside Duncan and LaFortune Student Centers.

“It’s super awkward,” Gallegos said. “It’s not very fun to table and to have to be like, ‘Hey, do you want to talk about pornography?’ No one wants to do that. But also [we recognize] how important that is and that if we’re not doing it, no one else is going to do it.”

Gallegos said SCOP recognizes a filter would be symbolic, as students would still be able to get off the University Wi-Fi and access pornography.

“[A filter] would say, ‘We as Notre Dame have these values, and we’re not going to allow this behavior or activity on our Wi-Fi that we pay for,” Gallegos said. “I think the sexual assault aspect of it is the most important.”

Though SCOP is not officially religious, Gallegos said the organization follows a Catholic sexual ethic.

“The Catholic Church [believes] sex is for inside of marriage, and it is for both procreative and unitive purposes,” Gallegos said. “It’s very contained … anytime you step out of that, sex within marriage for those two purposes, I think that there are a lot of consequences.”

After Notre Dame rejected SCOP’s petition in 2019, Gallegos said SCOP’s leadership was informed that the University might be more willing to consider a porn filter if a student government initiative was behind it.

Upholding the Catholic character University spokesperson Dennis Brown confirmed via email that after hearing

concerns four years ago about the impact of pornography on campus, Notre Dame explored ways to address the issue short of filtering on an institutional level.

“Pornography is an exploitative menace that Notre Dame condemns in no uncertain terms,” Brown wrote.

Brown wrote that Notre Dame does not filter pornography on an institutional basis, as doing so may interfere with legitimate research on the subject.

Notre Dame’s policies are targeted toward instances in which the University is informed of inappropriate use, Brown added.

“The University has enforced our policy against downloading of pornography in specific cases, including criminal prosecution,” Brown wrote. “It is important to note, however, that these interventions occurred in connection with individual cases or complaints, and not as a result of wholesale surveillance of nd.edu users.”

On March 8, a group of four students, led by John Soza of Morrissey Manor and Ayden Ellis of Siegfried Hall, introduced SS 2223-15 to the student senate floor.

If approved, the resolution would call on the University and its Office of Information Technologies (OIT) to prevent students from accessing pornography on campus Wi-Fi.

During questioning of the resolution, Soza and Ellis explained that Catholic peer institutions, such as Holy Cross College and the Catholic University of America, have taken steps to filter pornography from their networks. Soza defined pornography according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

In debate over the resolution, then-off-campus senator Jack Davies expressed concern

that the bill would threaten inclusivity at the University.

“The language in this bill is dangerous and sets a bad precedent,” Davies said. “Tying this to the Catechism is dangerous. Could we ban anything related to the LGBTQ+ community on campus, then?”

Then-student body president Patrick Lee said a filter would be a positive step forward.

“It might be accurate that there may be more fruitful ways to address sexual violence,” Lee said. “Maybe this won’t completely eliminate porn usage on campus, but students may ask, ‘Why is this banned? Is this a positive thing for me to be doing?’”

Griffin McAndrew, thensenator from Knott Hall, yielded his time to a constituent, Knott Hall residential assistant Spencer Koehl.

“There is value in the free will to choose not to watch porn instead of having someone else choose for you,” Koehl said.

In an anonymous, closed vote via Google Form, the senate voted down the resolution, 24-11.

Soza, who has followed SCOP since high school when the club appeared in national media, said he believed the resolution had a chance at passing.

“I didn’t go in thinking that it was going to absolutely fail,” Soza said. “But I think that there’s also the dynamics that go along with voting … publicly versus voting on a Google Form.”

Going forward, Soza hopes the University and its students remain vigilant of pornography’s dangers, he said.

“On college campuses, I feel like people are more inclined to talk about alcohol addiction, tobacco or nicotine addictions, even certain types of drug addictions,” Soza said.

“But no one really wants to talk about the fact that pornography is literally the same rewiring of your brain. It’s just that everyone’s uncomfortable to talk about it.”

In addition to addressing sexual violence, Soza said the University’s Catholic character was important to the resolution’s four sponsors.

“All Notre Dame has to do is say, ‘We’re not going to allow our students to serve as the middlemen, to allow our students to engage in something that we obviously deem to be immoral and problematic in society,” Soza said.

A pornographized culture

Faculty members Gail Bederman and Pam Wojcik responded to the senate resolution, addressing the role of pornography in society.

In recent decades, Bederman says young men have turned to pornography to learn about sex: how to do it and how to perform it.

“The whole question of sex as performance has really arisen a lot, even in the last 20 years,” Bederman, a history and gender studies professor, said. “It becomes more and more a performance rather than something you do because it feels good. I worry about that. I think that comes from a pornographized culture.”

Additionally, Bederman said pornography tends to depict a version of sex not pleasurable to women.

“Women for a while were talking about how men were throwing them around, which is not something that makes most women feel good,” Bederman said. “It tends to look good in porn. So that’s the problem that I’ve seen, as well.”

Wojcik, a gender studies and film, television and theater

see FILTER PAGE 5

PAID A Dv ERTISEMENT

professor, said she’s also “not personally a big fan of a lot of porn.”

“There have been feminist arguments against pornography that see it as misogynist, as rape-inducing, as leading to violence,” Wojcik said. “Those are different from the Christian arguments [against porn], which are anti-pleasure, anti-sex for anything but reproduction.”

And depending on the thread of feminism, Wojcik said scholars disagree about “what porn is, who it’s good for [and] who it’s not good for.”

While the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines pornography as “explicit material (verbal or pictorial) that is primarily designed to produce sexual arousal in viewers,” Bederman said the classification of content as porn has evolved over time.

“Between about 1932 and the mid-60s, Hollywood put in a code pressured by the Legion of Decency — which was a Catholic group — to leave out everything that they thought was pornographic, and that included any mention of birth control, any mention of abortion, any mention of homosexuality,” Bederman said. “Two people sitting in bed had to be in twin beds.”

During this period, Bederman said movies currently considered normal or even high art, such as James Joyce’s “Ulysses” or Alan Ginsburg’s “Howl,” were banned as pornographic. U.S. courts had to step in and say, “That’s too far,” Bederman added.

Wojcik spoke about the difficulty of defining pornography and how the label of pornography has been applied to sex education and LGBTQ+ content.

“Lots of shows now have full-frontal male nudity that they didn’t used to have,” Wojcik said. “Is that pornography? Is everything on HBO pornography? If there are people who count representations of trans bodies as somehow pornographic, if they consider certain medical imagery as pornographic, the expansiveness seems to make [defining] it impossible.”

The senate resolution to ban porn, Wojcik argued, suggests a cisgender, heterosexual framework.

“Frequent porn consumers are more likely to sexually objectify and dehumanize others, more likely to express an intent to rape, less likely to intervene during a sexual assault — I question a lot of this research,” Wojcik said. “Are you talking about straight porn viewers? Are you talking about queer porn viewers? Are you looking at race? Are you looking at class? Are you looking at education?”

The resolution failed to think about “who might be accessing porn as a way to access a different imagining of their sexuality,” Wojcik added.

“If statistically the number of students who watch porn on campus is what they say, and if the link between porn and rape is what they say, you couldn’t walk down the campus without rape, rape, rape,” Wojcik said. “It’s assuming a heterosexual [and] violent porn.”

Wojcik said the idea of shutting out pornography is unrealistic and against the idea of a Catholic university, which would involve conversing about porn in a moral context rather than imposing Catholic doctrine onto students.

“They keep linking it to sexual assault, and I think that is a conversation that has to happen on this campus,” Wojcik said. “But getting the filter

isn’t going to solve it. A filter is a restriction on freedom of speech. A university needs to be a place where there is freedom and access to information, and it should be a place where you can have conversations about difficult subjects, and porn is a difficult subject.”

Instead of eliminating pornography, Wojcik said there are alternatives that could be done on campus to address sexual violence.

“You could talk about the culture of the dorms,” Wojcik said. “You could talk about the culture of drinking on this campus, which is seriously problematic and really tied into sexual assault. You could talk about the way parietals prevent students from being able to say yes in a clear-cut way, so that situations get more blurry than they should. That also leads to sexual assault.”

Bederman, a member of the University’s Committee for Sexual Assault Prevention, said she wasn’t sure if the resolution would be productive. Watching pornography could become another “cool thing to get around, like parietals or drinking,” she added.

Assault is out there,” Bederman said. “People are confused about what consent is — some people think they haven’t consented when other people think they have — it’s a mess. That’s a mess. I don’t think closing down on pornography would [fix] that.”

The resolution could serve as a positive conversation starter, Bederman said.

“When I looked at the resolution, I mean, nobody’s for assault,” she said. “That seems to be the issue — that maybe they weren’t talking about assault. Maybe they’re just using assault as an example of why they wanted things to be more shut down as far as understandings of sex and porn.”

Wojcik said prompting students to think about gender and sexuality in complicated ways might help them see pornography differently and avoid participating in porn culture.

“I think it should be part of orientation,” Wojcik said. “It should be an ongoing conversation. A filter isn’t going to do anything. It’s just going to make people mad. And they can do workarounds. Insofar as they’re thinking, ‘What does this do to the dynamic on campus in relation to sexuality?’ That’s a good question. I think it’s a mistaken effort. We’d all like there not to be assault.”

Censorship, community and support

At Holy Cross, pornography has been filtered on the College’s network since at least 2009, student government association president Bradley Szotko and vice president Joseph Stokes said.

“Looking at the positives versus negatives of [porn], ‘Is it going to increase human flourishing?’ is sort of the framework that [we] like to use,” Szotko said. “The answer is no.”

While Notre Dame’s undergraduate population approaches 9,000, Holy Cross has around 500 students enrolled, and most identify as Catholic, Szotko said.

“Naturally, [Notre Dame] is going to have a lot more diverse belief sets,” Szotko said. “You’re going to have a lot more people who don’t identify as Catholic … Holy Cross hasn’t necessarily had the kind of pressure to move away from that Catholic identity that Notre Dame has.”

Szotko said most Holy Cross students find out about the porn filter through word of mouth as first-years, and the College’s handbook mentions it, as well.

“[Holy Cross] made the determination that they felt that it was better for everybody

involved on campus to not have [porn] available,” Stokes said. “So we won’t know the other side of the coin, just because that decision has already been made a long time ago.”

Saint Mary’s internet policy prohibits students from accessing, viewing, printing, storing, posting, sending or creating pornography on campus networks and devices. No official filter appears to be in place on Saint Mary’s Wi-Fi.

Lane Obringer, former Callisto campus champion and student government’s former director of gender relations:

Title IX and women’s initiatives, said she was aware of prior attempts to enact a pornography ban on University Wi-Fi.

“Banning porn will not ban sexual violence,” Obringer said. “To truly address the issue of sexual violence on college campuses, I think Callisto and I believe that it is important to make a more holistic approach, to focusing our efforts on campus-wide integration of holding perpetrators accountable, providing robust resources to survivors including the Callisto vault and then dismantling rape culture and engaging students in consensual sex education.”

Speaking on behalf of former student body president Patrick Lee, vice president Sofie Stitt and herself, former chief of staff Nicole Baumann said her executive administration supports the pornography filter.

“Patrick, Sophie and I stand strongly in support of the pornography filter on campus,” Baumann said.

Baumann said the pornography industry is known for its degradation of women, rape culture and disrespecting the human person.

“I would say at its best, pornography would still be the purchasing of consent,” Baumann said. “And in that transaction, a woman’s livelihood is still dependent on her ability to complete an act … We can’t unmuddle consent from pornography, even when it’s not the 16-year-old who was trafficked into a Pornhub scene or something of that nature.”

Allowing access to pornography on campus Wi-Fi defies the University’s mission, Baumann added.

“Notre Dame is designed to be a force for good in the world,” Baumann said. “That can’t fully happen if Notre Dame resources are used to support industries which ignore the dignity of women, muddle consent and ruin lives of both the consumers and those who participate in the industry.”

The terms of many student government officials referred to in this article ended on April 1.

Current student body president and vice president Daniel Jung and Aidan Rezner declined to comment on this story.

Contact Gabby Beechert at gbeecher@nd.edu

Contact Peter Breen at pbreen2@nd.edu

ND should not be the best years of your life

Anna Falk Scene editor

By the time I reached my senior year of high school, I had either officially (or unofficially) toured 33 universities.

Yes, you read that correctly. I toured 33 colleges in my search for the “perfect fit.”

My parents wanted my older sister to start looking at colleges when she was a sophomore, and I was roped into it as a freshman. Many of the colleges we looked at were within driving distance, though we made a few long-distance visits on the rare occasion that our family went on vacation.

I’ve always been a very anxious person, and the frequency of our trips combined with my tendency to hyperfixate on things was a recipe for disaster. When I wasn’t at school, participating in extracurriculars or hanging out with my family, I was reading countless articles online about how to get into your dream school or watching YouTube videos about random people’s college acceptances and rejections. I researched ways to get in touch with admissions counselors, stared at lists of majors, clubs and sports and even looked at the restaurants and shops in particular college towns until the early hours of the morning.

Considering my parents are Notre Dame alumni, many people questioned my search, especially since I researched every university I toured except for Notre Dame. The answer is simple: I didn’t want to go. I wanted to forge my own path and show that I could make it at a different school on my own.

Obviously, this determination to avoid anything Notre Damerelated at all costs backfired. I’ve been very happy at this university, and I’m eternally grateful for the friends, people and places that I’ve encountered. In fact, I’m so happy that I don’t want to leave.

Against the many fabrics of my being, this feels unnatural. While I like routine, I’ve never liked to stay in one place for too long. I never wanted to come here in the first place. There have been great opportunities that I’ve explored outside of South Bend, and I’m itching to leave the beige fields and gray winters of the Midwest behind — so what gives?

About this time in the typical four-year cycle of learning is where I begin to feel the ever-approaching reality of the future. It happened to me in high school as well. While studying for an AP Psychology exam, thoughts of college applications and major choices infected my brain. It came over in a wave, with a small thought intruding first and the rest coming in an onslaught. Dealing with it the only way I knew how (baking), my busy brain pounded and my racing heart crushed my ribs as I sat on the floor of my kitchen eating cinnamon rolls out of the pan and sobbing.

This pain I felt is an indelible memory, and I never want to go back to that time. Despite logic’s attempts, I crumpled under the weight of the unknown and of indecision.

I’ve returned to this state, though not in the same frostingcoated hot-mess manner from high school. This time, I’ve learned a lot about myself and about the world.

Starting in the fall, I will begin applying to graduate schools. I will have to face the reality of my future and of adulthood. Notre Dame has kept me safe, but it can’t guard me forever. All of my anxiousness in high school led me here, but it can’t keep me here.

The idea that college is “the best years of your life” shouldn’t be true. That’s not what we come here to do. Life doesn’t stop here even though this chapter of it ends. This stage of living comes with new notions of independence and responsibility, but it’s a gift to make it this far and to be given the opportunity to consider paths beyond Mishawaka.

I wish that I could go back in time and tell my younger self that everything was going to work out. It always does. Dealing with the unknown is part of life, but it doesn’t have to mean suffering.

You can contact Anna at afalk@nd.edu

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

7 reasons why you should not come to Notre Dame

Jonah Tran De re Publica

I would like to apologize in advance to Fr. John I. Jenkins C.S.C., the Notre Dame Board of Trustees, faculty and staff, student government, McKenna hall, the dining hall workers and Fr. e dward F. Sorin C.S.C. for criticizing your private research university which is inspired by its Catholic character to be a powerful force for good in the world.

From the title alone, you may think of me as a revolutionary whose sole destiny is to disseminate disinformation to the masses with hopes of political unrest. Perhaps you may think of me as an honest voice of reason amidst the nauseating din of Notre Dame exceptionalism. I can assure those who choose the latter that my honesty is uninfluenced by the rosy tour guide script curated by the admissions team.

1. Work hard, play hard is the name of the game

Notre Dame students pride themselves on subscribing to this mentality, one that is 50% noble and 50% ignoble in theory. Some have the liberty to increase the percentage of ignobility, thereby decreasing the amount of hard work, by midweek visits to South Bend’s finest establishments. Others are not afforded such liberty, condemned to weekend studies in hesburgh Library. It is truly remarkable that Notre Dame’s exceptionally diverse student population comprises of individuals who can effortlessly balance working hard and playing hard. Notre Dame is not suited for those who can do only one.

2. Ohio and New Jersey

For context, roughly 35% of students from the class of 2026 are from either the Buckeye or the Garden State. I will warn prospective students (and current students alike) to consider how they will be intimidated by the Ohio and New Jersey cults. Steer clear, rest of the world... you are outnumbered!

3. Football games are more disappointing than you think

I wager that Notre Dame students are actually Marcus Freeman apologists rather than actual football fans. Moreover, an even larger contingent is a fan of the tailgates or game day rituals, namely Instagram posts publicizing air pushups and non-publicized alcoholrelated illnesses. Did I mention the loss to Marshall? If you are a legitimate football fan, avoid a fencing school.

4. No fraternities or sororities here!

There is technically no Greek life here. The male and female dorms are but cheap imitations of frat and sorority culture. There are mild forms of “hazing” (if it can aptly be called that) but such rites of initiation result in firm slaps on the wrist from the Office of Community Standards. Dorm parties are playgrounds for first years to trampoline around in a crazed, sweaty mosh pit and swear that Notre Dame is the pinnacle of their human existence. however, if you are still attracted to sorority-esque practices, consider moving to Pasquerilla West hall or Cavanaugh hall. Their chants still haunt me in my sleep.

5. YikYak: A smartphone application for degeneracy

Besides The Observer, YikYak is Notre Dame’s most reputed and trustworthy news outlet, the topic range of which, is vast. Admissions of guilt, risqué personal

announcements, questions about academics and large-scale political arguments are all likely on YikYak. If you value reason or peace of mind, Notre Dame is not for you.

6. Midwest weather is mid

South Bend is notorious for brutal winters, except when it viciously ambushes you in November and blinds you until April. The permacloud is the main culprit behind Notre Dame’s poor weather. It essentially forces students into a vampiric hibernation inside their halls and their subsequent contemplation of orange spray tans. If you value more temperate weather, consider a university in the South.

7. The dining halls e nough said.

This seven-fold list gives an abbreviated sense of my criticisms of Notre Dame, which account for my irks with the academics, culture, student life and facilities.

These are the potential talking points that I would share with student tours if I had not been rejected to being a tour guide, yet I still fancy the honor of tour guide antihero. Despite these grievances, there is not a legitimate, valid reason to willingly deny a Notre Dame education. I do not think the accumulation of seven or 14 or even 21 annoyances would cause me to transfer to another school. Notre Dame is difficult and some of the seven points are the sources of this difficulty.

But why opt for a one-sided education — one that only challenges your academic capabilities or one that only challenges your liver? Why shirk the University’s unique difficulty — one that pertains to the mind, body and spirit? Why settle for anything less?

At times, I hate going to Notre Dame because it is so frustratingly difficult. I believe that I must work consistently for my ambitions, yet so many ambitions have consistently turned up empty. I hate failing, yet all I seem to do is fail. I have considered (just pondered) that failure can be avoided by jumping ship to another school. Notre Dame is a sobering experience for one’s identity, but only if you intend it to be.

I challenge that happiness in college is overrated, misleading even. If your experience at Notre Dame is characterized by a constant state of air push-up Instagram posts, then you aren’t trying your hardest. You just aren’t. If you find yourself delighted with the fact that you always succeed in your ambitions, perhaps your ambitions are not challenging enough. And perhaps, you are even a coward. If you do not fail, then I doubt that you are even trying.

I offer a summarizing reason for why one should come to Notre Dame; it is more honest and relevant than any exaggeration that McKenna hall could produce. I seriously doubt that any tour guide has the liberty to say that one should come to Notre Dame if he or she is willing to endure and learn from discomfort, difficulty and above all failure. Such a task is not suited for everyone, and similarly, Notre Dame is not for everyone.

Jonah Tran is a first-year at Notre Dame double majoring in Finance and Classics and minoring in Constitutional Studies. He prides himself on sarcasm and being from the free state of Florida. You can contact Jonah by email at jtran5@nd.edu.

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

How to choose your college

Pablo Lacayo reliable ramblings

As I prepare to venture into a new chapter in my life, tens of thousands of students across the world are currently preparing to enter the very life stage that I am on the cusp of leaving: college.

The college admissions process can be overwhelming and stressful, especially if you do not have useful insight and information left behind by an elder sibling who has already trodden down the same path. b eyond the demands of meticulously crafting picture-perfect essays and supplements, catering your resume to satisfy the specific expectations of competitive dream schools and preparing tirelessly for brief meetings with recruiters and students that are likely to forget who you are after closing the Zoom window, choosing — in and of itself — is as burdensome a task as well.

c learly, where you go to college and what you study once you get there are two of the most important decisions a high school senior can make. Where you go to school shapes the nature of your college experience as a whole. m y cousin, who studies in c olumbia, lives a much different life than I do in northern Indiana. The same applies to my friends scattered across state schools in the s outh and those that chose to go to school in s outhern c alifornia.

Your major is crucial as well. As a finance major, I am delighted to not have to worry about endless labs the way so many of my friends in s T em do, and I’m able to avoid the daunting task of drafting a long thesis as well. In short, these decisions matter, and they are indubitably consequential with regard to the path we chart for the remainder of our lives. What’s the best way to go about and choose them?

When determining where to go to school, certain factors are indispensable. Location, cost, major availability, school size and resources are all important elements that should weigh in on where you go to school. I was fairly intimidated by the prospect of ending up in a big city by myself at the ripe age of seventeen, so I preferred to settle for quainter college towns over urban campuses in sprawling cities. When boiling down to my final choices, I also whittled down the list of schools based on cost. As a prospective business student, I wanted to go to a school where the business school was robust and filled with encouraging prospective networking opportunities. Furthermore, having graduated as one of around sixty students, I did not want to end up as another

brick in the wall but have the ability to stand out within my future university community. Lastly, I dove into the strength of each school’s alumni network, graduating outcomes and other metrics that offered a little more insight into what I was getting into.

In the spring of 2019, I was down to my final three choices: n otre d ame, Purdue and m arquette. I was pretty indecisive and kept switching back and forth between each school on a daily basis.

Finally, I decided to add an additional factor into my decisionmaking process: vox populi.

To help me reach a final decision, I took on the task of consulting everyone whose opinion mattered to me in April 2019. I asked all of my teachers (current and former), my school administrators, my friends, my relatives and just about anyone else who came to mind.

I asked them a simple question: “Which of these schools would you pick if it were up to you?”

I tallied their responses, and after a two-week-long period of sneakily interviewing and tabulating their choices, the results were in. n otre d ame won, in a landslide.

I don’t remember the exact figures, but over three-fourths of the votes cast were in favor of me shipping up to the then-mythical land known as s outh b end, Indiana.

And so, I did.

n otre d ame turned out to be a wonderful fit for me. o ver the years, I think I can say I did pretty well for myself and made the most out of the opportunities provided whether they be social, academic or extracurricular. Although my final decision was settled by unconventional means, the process in itself was nothing but a ratification of a decision already subconsciously made. I wanted to go to n otre d ame but was somehow worried doing so would have been the wrong choice. h aving others “choose” for me helped me settle anxieties that were not worth dwelling on.

Although the overwhelming majority of The o bserver readers are already in college, this goes out to those who are not and are still in the process of choosing where to go in the next four years.

To quote the b ible: “ b e not Afraid.” Things tend to work out in the long term.

Pablo Lacayo is a senior at Notre Dame, majoring in finance while minoring in Chinese. He enjoys discussing current affairs, giving out bowl plates at the dining hall, walking around the lakes and karaoke. You can reach him at placayo@nd.edu.

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

can cats comprehend infinity?

Carlos Basurto eudaemonic banter

o nce upon a time, one too many years ago, I was told the story of the cat and the T v by a particularly special person. h e was young of age but terribly old of heart and soul. I do not know him and never will, but I can imagine he has gone through quite a lot on his own.

Anywho, while I may not be capable of giving justice to his story, it went something like this:

A man and his cat were sitting on the couch, both watching T v. It was the season finale of one of the man’s favorite shows. h e was on the edge of his seat with his eyes peeled as he eagerly absorbed every piece of information the device emitted. As character arcs came to fruition in an explosive and climatic battle scene, the music crescendoed into an ultimate harmony and the man’s heart beat so hard, it nearly blew out of his chest. h e cheered. h e cried. h e laughed. b efore he knew it, it was over. h e then sat in awe, watching the credits roll across the black screen, reflecting on what he had witnessed. The man contemplated how this was one of the best fictional stories ever told.

o n the other hand, the cat, simply sitting on the corner of the couch, stared forward. o ne could only wonder what the cat saw. What did the cat think? To the cat, what was the T v ? s urely, the cat had eyes and ears. The cat could register the flashy lights and strange sounds that the funny box generated, but the cat’s eyes and ears could never give the story its shape. A cat, even the smartest of them, could not possibly begin to understand the intricacies of storytelling, editing theory or set design. The cat could not feel the gravity of emotion portrayed by the protagonist like the cry at the death of the love interest.

e ven the meticulously constructed orchestration was just noise. The cat had no conception of anything at all. It was simply flashy lights and strange sounds.

At first, I thought this story was a bit sad. n o matter how hard the cat attempted to comprehend the answers before them, they would never grasp them. Worse yet, sometimes the cat would assume the nonsensical string of sensory information to be the answer itself and give up on the search for deeper meaning. e ven if the man were to intervene and sit down with the cat, seeking to explain every small detail step-by-step, the cat could not begin to discern the man’s words. Their brain was not developed enough to see what was apparent to the man. h ow could they hope to attain knowledge, when comprehension was struck down by biological limitations?

“What a dumb cat!” one may say. b ut we are the cat.

We stare into the abyss of the cosmos, the infinity of the quantum realm, the entanglement of forces beyond our understanding and all we can see are flashing lights and strange sounds. Any proper scientist will tell you how little we actually are aware of. We have but scratched the surface. The more we discover in our tiny journey that we call the human race, the more questions we encounter. The more you know, the more you know that you don’t know. And what about the things you don’t know that you don’t know about? e ven the thought of the magnitude of it all becomes a tongue twister. At our door lies an eternal sea, brimming with luminescence we perceive but how are we ever to recognize it for whatever it may be?

It was until much later that I realized this story was one of hope. It was an incomplete ode to the human spirit. c ertainly, we may be the cat, but in our confusion, we have still managed to create empires out of dust. We have developed tools and systems to approach the flashing lights, sensors and programs to register strange sounds. Professions and industries have sprung with the sole purpose of diving as profoundly as one could into the fundamental aspects of the universe we inhabit. Little by little, step by step, we begin to uncover the mysteries of the T v With every passing generation, we get closer to them. It is as if it is in our very nature to be drawn to the incomprehensible.

Is that not exciting? o ur lack of awareness is not a source of despair but of fascination. We are conscious of only a speck of humanity’s potential and there’s only more room to learn, so much more we cannot begin to imagine.

I would like to believe that is what the author meant. Ultimately, we get to decide how it ends.

m aybe, just maybe, someday we’ll begin to understand the story and the song the universe has laid out before us.

Carlos A. Basurto is a first-year at Notre Dame ready to delve into his philosophy major with the hopes of adding the burden of a Computer Science major on top of that. When not busy you can find him consuming yet another 3+ hour-long analysis video of a show he has yet to watch or masochistically completing every achievement from a variety of video games. Now with the power to channel his least insane ideas, feel free to talk about them via email at cbasurto@nd.edu (he is, tragically, very fond of speaking further about anything at all).

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

Asymptotes of success

h e sat in a full suit on the number 4 train lost in the tiny world of emails. h is hair was perfectly quaffed. h is energy radiated confidence.

As soon as I sat next to him, I realized a similarity we had: W e h A d T he s A me cos T co GLA sses ! I cracked a joke about our glasses matching and he seemed to retreat into his turtle shell, probably wondering why on earth this rando was talking to him about his glasses. Pushing the envelope, I cracked a joke about how he must be much cooler because mine were transition lenses, a purchase I had been conned into by the c ostco sales lady, a purchase which, unbeknownst to me, relegated me to a class of nerdiness beyond comprehension, a purchase that has caused a full-court press of mockery by my friends.

h e seemed a little more sure of himself after the joke but didn’t seem to take the bait for a conversation. Assuming my invisibility in the sea of people, I jumped into my newspaper app and read about the random controversies of the day.

h e looked over my shoulder, commenting at random intervals things like “That’s a biased piece” or “It’s not a bailout,” which led to a giant argument about the s ilicon v alley b ank collapse and what we thought was the best way to address it.

e ventually, the contention led to our own stories. I came to find out that he worked and lived in the financial district, and thus makes boatloads of money. o riginally from the s outh, he had come to n ew York in search of jobs in finance. e ventually, I learned his name (Adam) and his story.

Adam seemed to have his life together in a million more ways than I ever will. Power, money, prestige and influence seemed to ooze out of every single one of his pores. h owever, throughout our conversation, his initial air of confidence revealed a deep yearning. Just below the surface (see “perfectly quaffed hair”), he felt like he was just missing the mark. s tacey Abrams, after losing the governor’s race in 2018, described her life and work as “asymptotic success,” where she continually gets closer to her desired outcome yet its achievement remains just barely out of reach.

An asymptote is a concept that most of us encounter in a high school precalculus class. It’s a curve that comes oh-so-close to the line. It’s infinitesimally close, but never actually crosses the line. Always a slight bit closer, yet still so far away.

Abrams described “that’s sometimes how [she] feel[s her] life has gone — that [she] come[s] incredibly close to these things, but that barrier has yet to be crossed. I have understood for a long time that my trajectory was always going to be asymptotic, but my mission is to break the plane.”

“Asymptotic success” can broadly apply because, to a certain extent, we all have points in our life where we feel we can’t quite hit that line. o ur journeys are dogged by asymptotes — academic goals, career goals, friendships, potential relationships, faith, health/fitness or any litany of other things — where we keep getting ever so close to “success” yet keep falling infinitesimally short.

o ne of my professors told me of their journey in attempting to get tenure-track positions, but they just barely miss them. m y cousin describes her anxieties about not being married by the time she turns 30 as a goal that continually brushed her fingertips. o ne of my best friends describes how whenever they get close

to people, she feels like they leave her. In this case, long-term deep relationships are an asymptote. m y asymptotic anxiety often revolves around a feeling like I get to the finalist stages of competitive processes and just fall a couple of inches, hairs or feathers short.

This is a chronically privileged point of anxiety to a certain extent. To many on the outside, I seemed to have blazed past asymptotes or points of success. I earned a scholarship to one of the most intense academic universities in the world, participate in relationships that I care about so dearly and am working towards a life full of joy, purpose and meaning (even if I’m not exactly sure what that journey will look like).

That’s how I felt talking to Adam. h e seemed to feel on the edge but always a little distant. h e was almost valedictorian of his university but fell an A- short. h e proposed to his longterm girlfriend but they broke up before the wedding. h e was almost the youngest partner at his firm but cov I d delayed the process by three years.

I felt a kinship to Adam, a kinship marked by just missing the mark. This year I have been embroiled in applying for the Truman s cholarship, a “prestigious” award for those interested in public service. I went through an intense internal process, where dozens applied for the four nominations. I then made it through the more than 700 institutionally endorsed applicants to be one of the 200 finalists. I flew all the way to s eattle for an interview, falling just barely short.

I have often felt my own journey is asymptotic. s enior year of high school, I made it to the finalist stages of similar scholarships to the Truman. c oca- c ola gets 300,000 applicants, and I became one of 250 finalists, just to not be chosen. b ryan c ameron gets 3,000 applicants, and I was one of 80 finalists.

These sorts of things aren’t ends in themselves. They are tools that people can use to make the world a little bit better. They aren’t determinative but can help open doors and get into spaces that I wasn’t born into.

s ome might argue that these asymptotes are a matter of perspective. r ather than having a scarcity mindset of being distant from our goals we need to contextualize our “asymptotes” in comparison to others.

I find these explanations unhelpful. b ecause while in an ecology of the larger world, where our problem may be tiny, our own individual asymptotes feel big to us. c omparing ourselves to others is what gets us in these messes of mindset. It’s not about lowering our dream or aspirations for the world.

o thers argue that it’s not the asymptote, but our view of success. d avid b rooks wrote “The s econd m ountain: The Quest for the m oral Life,” which instead defines asymptotes as traps we set for ourselves in believing that there are certain markers of success that we find through external validation. h e argues, that once we ascend the first mountain of personal success, we realize there is a second much more meaningful mountain built on community and relationality with one another.

I was talking with a priest, spiritual advisor, friend and mentor the other day. We were discussing my anxieties about waiting on the decision on this process.

h e told me, “If we hold ourselves in our deepest identity as beloved children of God the outcome of these things means less.”

m y radical atheist queer activist friend, r anen, who won the Truman s cholarship last year said a similar sentiment, “What matters so much more is who you are and the impact you have on the people around you.”

Asymptotes are individually-focused and significant but incomplete because there is a wider impact. They are potentially life-transforming tools that you can use to make the world and the communities around you better.

In Abrams’ case, while not a complete breaking of the plane, her organizing in many ways flipped the United s tates s enate for the past two years. And, even with her most recent loss, I doubt she’s done. Are the asymptotes some redemptive force?

I feel like every time I get close to any of my biggest desires, goals or relationships, I seem to get just about as close as I can to not achieving it, and I fall just ever so short. m aybe that’s the fault line of having big dreams, high expectations and overachieving personality: Is reaching eudaimonia a fairy tale best left to my imagination or will I someday cross the line?

I don’t believe it’s about lowering our expectations. I believe, someday, I will cross the plane that someday we can. I brought up this anxiety to one of my professors and they said, “The fact that you get so close means that you’re onto something, just need a little shove, push or luck.”

m y professor is cultivating groundbreaking research and changing students’ lives, and yet the marker of security still circumvents them. Adam makes more money in a year than I will probably make in my entire lifetime, and yet the asymptote still evades him. m y cousin goes on a bunch of dates, and yet a long-term partner evades her. I’m waiting this month to hear back from a program to see if another asymptote is barely out of reach.

We don’t always break the plane. s ometimes, that’s a gift. s ometimes, it’s not. It’s about how we curve and respond to continually getting so close is something within our destiny in hopes that someday we might cross the plane.

I don’t have a panacea or some seed of hope that I can guarantee will grow into breaking the plane next time. I wish I did. If we’re getting close enough to feel as if there is an asymptote, it means we’re challenging ourselves and it also means our goals are infinitesimally close.

Fortunes can change very quickly. e ven o bama’s goals for the presidency were once evasive. In 2000, he was not allowed in the d emocratic c onvention and spent it in his hotel room. Four years later, he spoke in the keynote address. Four years after the keynote address, he accepted the nomination for president.

To a certain extent, breaking the plane is a matter of luck. If you’re that close to the line, it means you possess the capability to cross it and maybe you just have drawn a bad hand. ( m aybe many times!) m y dad always tells me that “Luck is where opportunity meets preparation.”

Adam might hit a break next year. m y professor might be tenure track in the next few years. m y cousin might meet the love of her life next week. I might break the plane next month.

If we don’t, how will we best prepare to try and break the plane next time so that when the opportunity comes and we can get lucky, we do?

Dane Sherman is a junior at Notre Dame studying American Studies, peace studies, philosophy and gender studies. Dane enjoys good company, good books, good food and talking about faith in public life. Outside of The Observer, Dane can be found exploring Erasmus books with friends, researching philosophy, with folks from Prism, reading NYTs op-eds from David Brooks/ Ezra Klein/Michelle Goldberg or at the Purple Porch getting some food. Dane ALWAYS wants to chat and can be reached at @danesherm on twitter or lsherma2@ nd.edu.

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

Dane Sherman saints Among Us

By ANDY OTTONE scene Writer

It was like every other romantic story before it: boy meets girl, boy already has a girlfriend, boy tries to date both at once, boy finds out he has to defeat his new girlfriend’s seven evil ex-partners, boy breaks up with old girlfriend and finally, boy fights the seven evil exes. bryan Lee o’malley published the first volume of the scott Pilgrim graphic novel series, “scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life,” which was a smash hit when it was released in August 2004. o’malley achieved further acclaim and recognition with each volume published. The series focuses on the titular scott Pilgrim, a 23-year-old slacker and all of his friends, enemies and sometimes those caught in between. The series bears his name but equally important is ramona Flowers, his mysterious new girlfriend, and the various characters making up the supporting cast. The books focus on scott’s efforts to beat ramona’s seven evil exes, and through this plotline, the book delves into issues such as overcoming trauma, acceptance of the past and maturing as an individual.

The series was adapted into a film, titled “scott Pilgrim vs. the World” after the series’ second entry and followed the plotline of the six books with concessions made to fit the entire story in a two-hour time slot. The character was

portrayed by michael cera, then known for his work on “Arrested development” and the film “Juno,” and mary elizabeth Winstead, known for her leading role in “Final destination 3,” played ramona. The film’s stars were not the only notable actors in the film. Anna Kendrick ( “Pitch Perfect”), brie Larson (“room,” “captain marvel”), chris evans (“captain America, “Knives out”) and Kieran culkin (“succession”) all starred in the film in s upporting roles. The series’ larger-than-life characters give every actor an opportunity to shine and stand out, with scott’s roommate Wallace being a fan-favorite due to culkin’s performance. The movie was critically acclaimed but did not see the same reception financially, with the film performing about $10 million under budget. bolstering the film’s release was a video game, “scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game,” which adopted the art style of the original illustrations.

The film adaptation began development between the publication of the first and second volumes, and filmmaker edgar Wright signed on as director after finishing development on his 2004 directorial debut “shaun of the dead.” michael bacall was hired to write the script in may 2005. At this point, the second volume was still a month out from publication. The film was released on Aug. 13, 2010, less than a month after the release of the series’ final volume “scott

Pilgrim’s Finest hour” on Jul. 20 of that same year. o’malley and Wright worked closely to ensure cohesion as both pieces developed, allowing the film to faithfully tell the same story. That being said, the publication of the final entry and the film’s release being so close to the film’s release led to deviation in the ways the stories end. series writer o’malley greenlit the film’s ending as he felt it was best for the condensed storyline.

now, nearly 20 years after the first volume’s publication, a new scott Pilgrim project has been announced. An animated series “scott Pilgrim: The Anime” has been announced by netflix, with almost all of the film’s stars set to return. Additionally, Anamanaguchi, the pop band that composed the music featured in the video game, posted the show’s announcement on their social media pages, indicating some level of involvement. While no official artwork has been released, it is not unreasonable to assume that the show will emulate o’malley’s artistic style to keep the designs in line with the original graphic novels. by combining the cast of the film along with the music of the video game and art of the original, it appears that the new adaptation will be pulling a bit of everything that came before.

Contact Andy Ottone at aottone@nd.edu

By ANGELA MATHEW manager of Talent and Inclusion

“stop-Zemlia,” which was screened at dPAc this past weekend, is a tender coming-of-age film following 16-year-olds in Ukraine. The film’s protagonist is masha, a girl with pale, bleached hair cropped short and a vaguely vacant air about her. Though she seems quiet and out of place compared to the boisterous students in her class, masha has found a home in two other indie kids — Yana and senia. The film, like its adolescent subjects, doesn’t know where it wants to end up and just follows them as they live in the moment — texting anonymous secret admirers during biology class, worrying about the shelling in their neighborhood and grooving to lo-fi beats at a house party.

This focus on capturing the teenagers’ lives rather than having a conventional story line betrays director Kateryna Gornostai’s roots. Though this is her first feature, she has made documentaries like “euromaidan, rough cut” (2014) that chronicles the maidan Uprisings in Kyiv, where citizens protested against then-President Yanukovych’s move to increase economic ties with russia.

“stop-Zemlia”, though not overtly political, shows Gornostai’s love of the documentary form as she lingers on the teenagers’ haunts: their

bedrooms that show off their personalities and unconventional framings. she intersperses slice-of-life scenes with interview segments of teenagers at masha’s school where the characters talk freeform on topics like love, mental health and their uncertainty about the future.

The slice-of-life scenes of masha with her friends Yana and senia were the most touching. In one sequence, the three staying the night at masha’s house all sleep in the same bed and companionably go on their phones in the dark before going to sleep. In another, masha butters bread for senia as they talk meanderingly about the rumors people at school have about senia being gay, just because he is a boy with two female best friends. Their conversation with the characters’ lack of assumptions or judgment and self-deprecatory quips felt utterly real. I appreciated the film’s focus on platonic intimacy.

In scenes like the above, the characters seem exactly like teenagers anywhere else. however, the precarity of Ukraine’s political situation lurks in the background of “stop-Zemlia.” Though the film premiered at the berlin Film Festival in 2021, around a year before the russian invasion of Ukraine, the film shows us how ordinary citizens had been feeling the shadows of conflict ever since the russian annexation of crimea in 2014.

sasha, the boy that masha quietly pines after, tells his mother that he was considering joining the army after high school. When his mother stoically suggests that maybe he was physically unfit to be a soldier, masha says, “They’ll take anyone nowadays.” At school, masha and her peers take “pre-conscription” classes where soldiers teach them about different rifles and where students do target practice.

The reality of impending conflict makes it more understandable why these teenagers seem more given to escapism and more embracing of uncertainty than usual. The non-diegetic sounds that Gornostai uses — twinkly and slightly dissonant synth music — perfectly capture this feeling of transience and slight melancholy as well. The teenagers think about entrance exams to university and talk abstractly about how notoriously difficult they are, but in the interview scenes, most of the teenagers don’t seem to believe that there is a point to thinking that far ahead.

After all, they’re still kids. They’re still on the playground playing “stop-Zemlia,” an eastern-european marco Polo-esque game, where the word “Zemlia” means world in Ukrainian. They shut their eyes, and submit to the moment as they “stop the world” and try to find their friends.

By AIDAN O’MALLEY senior scene Writer

I don’t know if I’ve told you, but last spring, I studied abroad in dublin, Ireland. While a running joke in The observer office is that I am quick to talk about it, to be honest, I don’t think I bring it up that much. not any more than it deserves, anyways. In fact, it is often other people who mention it to me.

I was in dublin when colm bairead’s “The Quiet Girl” first played at the dublin Film Festival. Unfortunately, I didn’t see it — I tried, but it sold out. Later, the film was released in Irish theaters four days after I left for the states.

“The Quiet Girl” is a significant achievement in Irish cinema, not least because it just became the first Irish film nominated for best International Feature at the oscars. It is also overwhelmingly spoken in Irish — not the first Irish film made in the island’s native tongue, but certainly the first to gain so much recognition.

While the teaching of Irish is compulsory in public schools in Ireland — and countless efforts are being made today to encourage its instruction and adoption — the 2016 Irish census revealed that less than 40% of the population is able to speak the language. Less than 2% are daily speakers.

most popular Irish films in America — including the brilliant “The banshees of Inisherin” — cast Irish people as gregarious folk who love nothing more than a conversation. or so it would seem. crucially, the conflict in “banshees” arises precisely because colm (brendan Gleeson) won’t talk to

Padraic (colin Farrell). And in “The Quiet Girl,” writer and director bairead is interested in a similar contradiction. For a group of people so known to talk, how do you explain a culture of silence?

“The Quiet Girl” (based on the novella “Foster” by claire Keegan) tells the story of cait, played with reserved grace by newcomer catherine clinch. she’s the fourth of five siblings, soon to be six, in an impoverished family living in rural Ireland in 1981. her parents neglect her, so much so that they ship her off to a distant relative’s house for the summer. We’re told this is because they can’t afford to feed her, but we suspect it’s because they can’t be bothered to.

she is welcomed to her temporary home by eibhlin (carrie crowley) and sean (Andrew bennett), a middle-aged couple who live alone on a large farm in co. Waterford. eibhlin treats cait with kindness, gently bathing her and brushing her hair. We understand it is the first time she’s ever been taken care of. sean, however, keeps a cold distance, and we deduce it is not without reason. When that reason is revealed, it is not altogether surprising. but “The Quiet Girl” doesn’t need a big twist to pack a powerful punch.

shot with shallow focus in Academy ratio by cinematographer Katie mccullough, “The Quiet Girl” takes the appearance of an old photograph. The camera often assumes the perspective of cait herself, framing the adults in her life from behind and focusing on small details and textures, like how sunlight will stream through a sea of trees as you look out the car window. The score by stephen rennicks, meanwhile,

sneaks up on you — just like the film’s ending, a cathartic final sequence that bairead drops the breadcrumbs for so subtly, they blend into the gravel of the country road itself.

“The Quiet Girl” is a great film made of simple themes: love, family, loss. but most of all, it is a film about language — about when we should speak and when we need not to. It takes the shape of the girl who gave it its name. At one point, a character observes of cait, “A quiet girl, this one.” sean responds, “she says as much as she needs to say.” maybe it’s the Irish in me that compels me to converse — that makes my voice carry farther than I realize, that makes me interrupt silence with any passing thought. maybe that’s why I like to write. but I am learning, if slowly, the art of being quiet. “The Quiet Girl” is a testament to that craft — a delicate Irish elegy. I hope I haven’t rambled too much about it. I don’t think I have. not any more than it deserves, anyways.

Contact Aidan O’Malley at aomalle2@nd.edu

“The Quiet Girl”

Starring: Catherine Clinch, Carrie Crowley, Andrew Bennett

Director: Colm Bairead

If you like: “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Petite Maman”

By AYDEN KOWALSKI scene Writer

For most of my viewing of “The super mario bros. movie,” I was in awe at its very existence. I grew up playing almost exclusively Pokemon and mario games, and even today the mario series never ceases to delight me. To see the world that so captivated me as a child rendered with the level of care and detail in this movie was honestly exhilarating for me. And yes, though the movie has its faults, it is genuinely good.

Illumination’s animation in “super mario bros.” is beautiful. The mushroom Kingdom is pristine and glittering, painted with bold colors. The visuals never overstimulate to conceal shallowness. The scenes are thoroughly envisioned, and the multitude of easter eggs in the film rewards a second watch. The score throughout the film is great, with composer brian Tyler successfully reworking classic mario themes. The movie also features unexpected needle drops that work very well: “holding out for a hero” is a delightful choice for a mario parkour montage, and the use of “Thunderstruck” for a mario Kart assembly scene is disarming and genuinely riveting.

The voice acting in “super mario bros.” is fantastic across the board. Jack black is the obvious mvP of the cast as bowser, unashamedly embracing the character’s extremes. Kevin michael richardson, who plays bowser’s right-handman magikoopa, is another highlight of the cast. As for

chris Pratt — the Internet didn’t need to worry. he fits well as mario, and while he doesn’t steal the show like black or richardson, that’s also not his task here. he’s the pilot of the movie, and he gives the audience a good ride. The weakest performances come from seth rogen as donkey Kong and Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach. both feel disconnected from their characters to some extent, especially Taylor-Joy, though she’s still emotive. There’s a veil between her and the movie’s world that’s difficult to describe, but the audience certainly feels the separation.

The story that ties this attraction together, however, is lackluster. The audience learns mario is motivated by his family’s disapproval, but this only matters for a few of the film’s slower moments, which are entirely unemotional for viewers.

It is as if the screenwriter googled a list of character conflicts and threw parental disapproval into the script. As for bowser, while his undying desire to marry Peach is accurate to the source material, the jokes it yields grow somewhat repetitive, and the rivalry this creates between him and mario is juvenile. If bowser had held some additional motivation for destroying the mushroom Kingdom with which the audience could sympathize — perhaps could have been bad blood between the Kingdom and bowser’s turtle tribe — then he would have been a more substantial and engaging villain for all audiences.

The movie makes up for its narrative weaknesses with its excellent world building and characters, along with

consistently fun set pieces. The action is great throughout, especially mario’s training session with its dynamic camera work around mario’s jumps and flips. The constant references to lesser-known parts of mario history are a joy for viewers in the know (and were so especially for me). The characterization of the main cast is spot-on in all cases, and even their small interactions are a joy. There is a bit of humor saved for older audience members with Luma, whose depressing and nihilistic jokes delightfully stand out from the rest of the world.

“The super mario bros. movie” is a festival, a loving celebration and a reintroduction of gaming’s greatest hero. As with the games it adapts, it makes up for what it lacks in drama with the joy of its action sequences and the charisma of its characters. It’s no masterpiece, but if you’ve been curious, it’ll certainly be worth your time.

Contact Ayden Kowalski at akowals2@nd.edu

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie”

Starring: Chris Pratt, Jack Black, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day

Directors: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic

If you like: The “Mario” series

Happy Birthday: Put your thinking cap on and you’ll discover what you want to do next. Do your research, ask questions and be open to suggestions. following your heart and doing something you love are within reach if you take the most comfortable path. A lifestyle change will lead to new connections and disposable cash. An investment will pay off. your numbers are 8, 15, 22, 26, 33, 38, 43.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Make changes at home that add to your comfort or that help you make a move. look at the underlying climate of the housing market, and you’ll recognize your good fortune. Don’t run and hide when opportunity knocks; turn your dream into a reality.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Changing your mind is an option; refuse to let someone make decisions for you. reach out to a friend or relative for information that will help you get a real-time view of what’s possible. g o directly to the source and proceed with confidence.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Pay attention to how you look and feel, and make adjustments to ensure you are sending out a welcoming and enthusiastic vibe. how you approach life and your responsibilities will tell you what’s to come. Commit and proceed.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Take charge and be fair to those following your lead. learn from experience what works best when you want something in return. Be a good listener; you’ll discover information that helps you drum up the support and hands-on help to succeed.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): listen, but don’t believe everything you hear. look for opportunities to advance your career. Mix business with pleasure and get to know those who can help you better. Control your future and do what you say, and others will pitch in and help.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): fix your space to suit your needs. Don’t rely on others to do the work for you. Put your skills to the test and you’ll be happy with what you save and the results you get. A lifestyle change will pay off.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Pay attention to how you present yourself to the world. how you work with others will be under a microscope, making it vital that you prepare and introduce yourself and what you have to offer with precision and detail.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Take nothing for granted. If you want something done your way, do it yourself. Pay attention to what’s happening around you. you can offer help, but don’t put health, finances or your position at risk. Evaluate relationships and how you handle money.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): refuse to let anyone limit your achievements. Create opportunities, be the mastermind behind your plans and play to win. A past connection will make a welcome return. If you want things to work out, be prepared to compromise. romance is in the stars.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): figure out what you want and make your wish come true. refuse to let an outsider talk you into something you don’t need or want. Choose to favor minimalism, not extravagance. Trying to buy love or favors will end in disappointment.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Push forward with enthusiasm. finding a way to use your skills diversely will help increase your earning potential. A personal change will boost your confidence and success but also draw criticism from someone jealous of or intimidated by your accomplishments.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Take control, focus on what’s important to you and do something to rectify the problem. Protect yourself from anyone who isn’t trustworthy or concerned about your well-being. A change of heart will help you move in a new direction.

Birthday Baby: you are knowledgeable, open-minded and opportunistic. you are hardworking and thoughtful.

Notre Dame takes two of three from Louisville, Gumpf makes history vs. MSU

By J.J. POST and ANDREW McGUINNESS

Associate sports e ditor, sports e ditor

Usually, a weekend series win in Acc play for notre dame softball would be the marquee headline. but after taking two of three from Louisville over the weekend, Irish head coach d eanna Gumpf etched her name in the notre dame record books.

o ver the weekend, the Irish picked up where they left off in Acc play after a thunderous 10-2 win to finish last sunday’s double-header against Pitt. Their two wins against the c ardinals came in completely different fashions, however. The first was a pitcher’s duel, as Irish graduate student Payton Tidd and Louisville’s duo of Alyssa Zabala and Taylor roby matched each other pitch for pitch. The one exception was a solo home run in the top of the third inning by senior infielder Joley m itchell, which held up as the only run. It was notre dame’s first 1-0 win since may 7, 2021, a victory at home over b oston c ollege.

The lone player to drive in a run in that game was current junior first baseman Karina Gaskins, who had a big impact on the rest of the Louisville series. The final two games of the series marked the first time all year that Gaskins,

notre dame’s home run leader a year ago, went deep in consecutive contests. Incredibly, Gaskins was the only player to go deep on Friday, even though the teams combined for 19 runs and 21 hits. notre dame’s 13 runs were the most they’ve scored in a conference game, and all of them came in the first four innings, punctuated by a five-run second. e ach of notre dame’s top three hitters – junior catcher c arlli Kloss, m itchell and Gaskins – each recorded multiple hits and combined to drive in seven runs. Freshman m icaela Kastor picked up the win, striking out five in 5.1 innings of relief.

however, the Irish forgot to save some runs for the season finale, though the team jumped out a 1-0 lead in the second on an rbI single by sophomore infielder Anna holloway. After responding with a run in the bottom of the third, Louisville took control of the game with a fourrun fourth inning. Tidd’s five earned runs allowed in 3.2 innings were the second most she’s allowed in a game this season. Gaskins got one back with a solo blast in the fifth. but Louisville once again answered with a run of their own to seal the victory and avoid the sweep.

Tuesday’s victory was a

historic one, as it marked the 849th career win for Irish head coach d eanna Gumpf. That broke the all-time record for most wins by a notre dame head coach in any sport, surpassing legendary women’s basketball coach muffet mcGraw. In her 22nd year as head coach, Gumpf has had an illustrious Irish career and now holds a piece of notre dame history.

The Irish got on the board early, pushing across three first-inning runs to quickly take control of the contest. notre dame made heavy use of small ball in their early surge, hitting four singles in the inning. Aggressive baserunning was also key, as both Kloss and m itchell were able to score after stealing second base.

Following a quiet second frame, the Irish got back to work in the third. Gaskins led off and expanded the lead with a titanic solo home run to center field. Gaskins’ blast was hit so high that the big Ten Plus broadcast lost the ball mid-flight.

Three batters later, holloway would add to the notre dame lead with a home run of her own. holloway’s two-run shot, which cleared the left-center field wall, was her second of the year.

The Irish would plate two more insurance runs in the

top of the fifth and sixth innings to put the game in runrule territory. With runners on second and third in the fifth, sophomore infielder Jane Kronenberger corked a sacrifice fly to center field. In the sixth inning, senior outfielder Leea hanks beat out an infield single in the same situation to push the Irish lead to 8-0.

Working with a comfortable cushion all day, Kastor enjoyed a strong outing in the circle. The freshman pitched three shutout innings, striking out a batter and allowing just three hits. Kastor dealt with some adversity early on, ceding a leadoff single in the first and facing a bases-loaded jam in the second, but escaped both times without allowing a run.

shannon b ecker entered in relief for the Irish and closed out the game without issue. Giving up two hits and no runs in three innings of work, the sophomore continued a nice run of form in her latest role as a reliever in the notre dame rotation.

notre dame will now face a quick turnaround, with Indiana coming to melissa c ook stadium for an in-state showdown Wednesday. The hoosiers have been red-hot over the last month, winning 24 of their last 26 games. The matchup will offer the Irish

a chance to make a national statement. The hoosiers currently reside on the fringes or inside of most national top 25 rankings.

Infielder Taryn Kern will lead the way for the visitors on offense, as the breakout freshman is enjoying a torrid campaign. Kern has 17 home runs on the year. she leads Indiana in homers, rbIs, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. In short, if Indiana has a leaderboard for an offensive category, odds are Kern is on top of it.

In the circle, it seems all but certain brianna c opeland will get the start for the hoosiers. c opeland is Indiana’s ace, boasting a perfect 14-0 record and leading the hoosiers staff in innings pitched. With macy montgomery given the starting nod for Indiana’s Tuesday clash against Louisville, c opeland appears set to start Wednesday in s outh b end.

notre dame softball will be back in action Wednesday against Indiana at melissa c ook stadium. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on Acc network e xtra.

Contact J.J. Post at jpost2@nd.edu and Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu

holy cross tennis dominates cc Ac foes, golf competes at sagamore

By THOMAS ZWILLER sports Writer

Holy Cross tennis

The no. 16 holy c ross c ollege men’s tennis team continued its dominant performance in c hicagoland c ollegiate Athletic c onference play when the team took on roosevelt University on monday.

The s aints began what would be a lopsided affair by defeating roosevelt in two doubles matches. s ophomore Perry Gregg and junior Will Page defeated the top roosevelt team by a score of 6-2. s enior m artin Fajardo and junior nolan s antacroce had a good outing as well, winning 6-3. The third doubles match also went to the s aints on a forfeit.

having taken the doubles points, the s aints then moved to singles play, where the team continued dismantling the Lakers.

Gregg took down Justin

magale in straight sets of 6-0 and 6-1. Page won his first set 6-2 but did not finish the second (though he did have a 3-2 lead).

In the third singles match, senior r yan Lee won his first set by a score of 6-4 and had a 1-0 lead in the second set, which was not finished.

Junior Laurenz Flender dominated the fourth singles match, winning 6-0 and 6-1, while Fajardo played in the fifth singles match, winning 6-0 and 4-1 (unfinished).

holy c ross won the sixth singles match via forfeit.

With a final score of 4-0, the s aints improved to 7-2 on the year, with a conference record of 2-0. The s aints are tied for first place in the cc Ac with c ardinal stritch.

The Lakers, meanwhile, fell to 0-6, with an 0-2 conference record.

The no. 18 holy c ross women’s tennis team also defeated roosevelt, though the team

did so via a forfeit. The forfeited match improves the s aints to 2-0 in the cc Ac and put them above .500 overall at 7-6. b oth teams won their matches against olivet nazarene on Tuesday afternoon. The men’s team won 5-0 and the women’s team won 4-0. b oth improved to 3-0 in cc Ac play.

Holy Cross golf

The holy c ross men’s and women’s golf teams competed in the s agamore shootout in noblesville, Indiana, on monday.

The men’s team shot a collective 321 in the first round, putting them in sixth place, three strokes behind marian University’s b Team, who shot 318. The top three squads were Taylor University (290), Indiana Wesleyan (303) and Indiana University Kokomo

(309).

Freshman matthew Politte shot a 73 (one over par), which tied him for fourth. s enior c arter silva was close behind in eighth with a 75. s ophomore Gianni Petrillo was next, in a tie for 35th at 85.

s enior c ollin Todora was three strokes back from Petrillo at 88 (+16). Tied for 43rd at 90 strokes was sophomore d illan mori.

The day’s second round saw the s aints improve as a team, but some players struggled individually. Politte shot a 76 and dropped into a tie for fifth. silva also shot a 76, which bumped him down two spots into a tie for 10th.

Todora was the only s aint to move up in the standings, shaving nine strokes off his first-round total and moving up three spots into 36th. mori

improved by four strokes and finished in 43rd.

Gianni Petrillo added eight strokes, going from 85 to 93, and fell nine spots, down to 44th.

All in all, the s aints totaled 317, bettering their first-round score by four. This effort lifted them to fifth place, passing marian University’s b team, who finished the second round with 321.

The women’s team finished in seventh place at the event with a final score of 796. They were led by junior Annika Johnson, who shot 166 and earned 17th place.

The s aints will rest a few days before they gear up for the b attle at blackthorn on April 14 and 15.

Contact Thomas Zwiller at tzwiller@hcc-nd.edu

HCC sports

score again until the seventh. in that frame, Prajzner doubled to score two key insurance runs just before Pitt’s Jayden melendez homered to make it 3-1. after another run in the eighth, the irish tore down the floodgates in the game’s final inning. bringing 13 gold helmets to the plate, notre dame tallied seven runs to adamantly take the series. Graduate outfielder nick Juaire, junior outfielder TJ Williams and carter Putz all contributed two-rbi hits.

Gunning for the sweep with sophomore ace Jack Findlay on the mound, the irish felt good heading into saturday. When Findlay finished off his fifth scoreless inning, they felt great. notre dame rewarded his smooth start by striking first once again, scoring two in the third on a throwing error. however, Funk answered with a game-tying tworun shot to chase Findlay out of the game in the sixth.

The irish wasted no time jumping back in front. in the seventh, Putz knocked a two-run double down the right field line, and Juaire followed with an rbi single. Pittsburgh lingered, though, pulling a run closer in the bottom half of the inning.

Leading 5-3, the irish unraveled in the eight. after recording the first two outs, graduate reliever carter bosch conceded a double and a walk to bring the go-ahead run up to bat. against a new pitcher, sammy cooper, pinch-hitter brett heckert and noah martinez guided consecutive slow-rolling singles through the infield to tie the game. Then, the Panthers brought out the boomsticks. Jack anderson (three-run) and Kyle hess (solo) tagged back-toback homers, earning a 9-5 Panther lead. Though notre dame put two runners on in the ninth, a double play and flyout shut down any late hopes for a sweep.

upon returning to Frank eck stadium, the irish fell short in a back-and-forth affair with the spartans. notre dame first went ahead 2-0 before making an out,

as Prajzner used the opposite field for his fourth home run of the year. irish starter blake hely was solid early, but michigan state ended his outing with extra basepunishment. in the third, mitch Jebb whacked a run-scoring triple. an inning later, bryan broecker and Greg Ziegler each went deep to put the spartans ahead 4-2. notre dame matched michigan state’s three runs in the bottom of the fourth. it all came on one swing — TJ Williams’ third home run of the campaign. The spartans fired right back in the fifth. Trent Farquhar greeted radek birkholz rudely, sending his third offering over the fence for a game-tying solo shot. birkholz shut down the spartans over the next 2.1 innings, allowing the irish to snatch the lead back, as strong base-running from sophomore outfielder dm Jefferson set up a Williams sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Will mercer wiggled his way out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the seventh, and the eighth was trending toward another houdini act. michigan state singled twice to start the inning but bunted into a double play. however, with runners on the corners, Trent Farquhar tied the game with a base knock. a baserunning out at third base prevented any further spartan damage.

as the game entered extra innings, michigan state applied pressure on the irish. in the tenth, the spartans put three runners aboard but ended the inning with a double play. however, the eleventh saw the visitors break through, as vradenburg launched a go-ahead solo blast to center field. after that, Wyatt rush finished off the irish and his spectacular relief outing. The senior carved out a new career high with four scoreless innings, punching out four to earn the win. noah matheny also excelled prior to him, tossing 3.2 innings with just one hit allowed.

notre dame will return to the diamond at clemson this weekend.

Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu

Irish head to Greensboro for ACC Championship

By ANDREW McGUINNESS s ports e ditor

The n otre d ame women’s golf team has been through some ups and downs during the 2022-23 season. The i rish have finished as high as second and as low as 13th in their 10 competitions during this campaign. They have received some outstanding individual performances. b ut everything that has happened so far has been leading up to this weekend. The i rish travel to Greensboro, n orth c arolina, for the 2023 acc c hampionship, which takes place at s edgefield c ountry c lub from a pril 13-16.

The i rish are hoping for a better performance than at last year’s acc c hampionship. n otre

d ame finished in last place among the 12 competing schools a year ago, when the tournament was held at The r eserve Golf c lub in Pawleys i sland, s outh c arolina. n otre d ame was the only school at the event that failed to record a team score of under 300 in at least one round. h owever, the i rish gained some invaluable experience at that competition that they hope will help them improve this time around.

n otre d ame returns three of its five scoring players from last year’s

competition and will look to its veterans to lead the way this weekend. That includes senior Lauren

b eaudreau, who comes into this year’s event playing some of the best golf of her decorated collegiate career, and junior c hloe

s chiavone, n otre d ame’s highest finisher at last year’s acc c hampionship.

s chiavone finished in a tie for 24th place a season ago, recording three of the team’s six lowest individual round scores at Pawleys i sland. s he was also the lone i rish golfer to finish with a score of 76 or better in all three rounds.

b eaudreau, meanwhile, turned in a dominant performance in n otre d ame’s final regular season event this year. h er third-place finish at the c hattanooga c lassic was the highest an i rish golfer has finished in a tournament this season since sophomore m ontgomery Ferreira took home the individual title in n otre d ame’s seasonopening competition, the b adger i nvitational, on s ept. 18-20. b eaudreau shot 68-72-71 to place third at the c lassic. a fter finishing top five in each of the i rish’s first three events, she had not reached that level since. s chiavone also turned in a solid performance in c hattanooga,

finishing in a tie for 16th.

b eaudreau did not compete in the acc c hampionship last year.

h owever, she turned in a strong top-20 finish at the event in 2021. s he was the highest-ranking i rish player in that tournament and turned in n otre d ame’s two lowest single-round scores with a pair of 72s.

b eaudreau has had a decorated career, consistently being one of the team’s top performers since her freshman season. a fter a pair of campaigns disrupted by covid, she is looking to end her senior season on a high note.

The n otre d ame roster features a trio of seniors in b eaudreau, c aroline Wrigley and m adelyn Jones, as well as a graduate student in c aroline c urtis. h aving such a wealth of veteran experience could help the i rish get back to their strong early-season form this weekend when it matters most.

The 2023 acc Women’s Golf c hampionship will take place from a pril 1316. s aturday and s unday’s action can be seen on acc n etwork e xtra. s aturday’s broadcast is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. s unday’s is from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu

was there, plus the coaches and all the support we had,” muhari said. “They just made me feel so relaxed and so hype that i was like, ‘we’re here, there’s nothing to worry about.’”

For Linder, this year was all about proving himself. a national champion in 2021, Linder had been there before, but in a covid -altered year. The 2021 season saw the juggernaut ivy League teams that often challenge notre d ame cancel their entire sports season and not compete in fencing at all.

i n 2022, Linder was limited during the regular season and fought through injury to finish seventh in his effort to defend his title at the ncaa s. a ll of that led him to a 2023 where, for the first time in his college career, he fenced a complete season while fully healthy.

“To be back this year, fully healthy the entire season

and to win it again when everybody is there, it just means a lot more,” Linder said. “e specially against a tougher field of opponents, it just proves that i’m still one of the best.”

it was a long road for the now two-time national champion who, despite the challenges, always put in the work to get back to the top.

“recovery took a while, but to have a whole season where i felt comfortable… it’s just incredible because it shows how committed i am to the sport and how much work i put in to get where i am now,” he said. “it all paid off.”

The i rish’s two individual champions also represent the blend of youth and experience that was present on this year’s championship team. muhari won the title as a freshman, but foilist c hase e mmer (tied-third place) and epee m aruan o smanTouson (eighth place) joined her as freshman podium finishers. Linder won his as a junior and was joined by four other upperclassmen on

the podium. e ven so, muhari stressed how they all came together as a team.

“[Going to college], i wanted to be part of a team and that’s the most perfect thing that i found here: a team,” she said.

While they enjoyed the victory for a bit, the notre d ame fencing team is already back at practice and looking forward to next season. e ven Linder, with three team titles and two individual crowns to his name, said he is ready for the next season to come along. he has his eyes on a greater goal.

“Four for four would be a huge, huge feat,” he said. “To set it up for the people who come after, when i’m gone, and to give them the opportunity to continue this and build on the success we’ve had, it’s an honor. it’s definitely something that i’m looking forward to for next year.”

Contact Jose Sanchez Cordova at jsanch24@nd.edu

featured both players going behind-the-back to push the Irish lead to 6-3.

Duke’s Dyson Williams snapped the Blue Devils’ scoreless streak with his 37th goal of the season. But Pat Kavanagh extended his dynamic second-quarter performance, scoring a goal of his own and assisting Chris Kavanagh and Dobson. Dobson’s score came with less than 10 seconds remaining in the half and sent the Irish into the locker room with a 9-4 lead.

Notre Dame’s 7-1 second-quarter run had as much to do with their defensive performance as it did with the scoring barrage. Duke featured one of the strongest attacks in the country and came into the game fresh off a 16-goal outburst in a win against then-No. 1 Virginia. But despite winning 11 of 15 faceoffs, the Blue Devils were held to just four first-half scores by the stifling Irish defense.

That effort started with graduate student defender Chris Fake. After a fouryear career at Yale, during which he helped lead the Bulldogs to the 2018 NCAA Championship, Fake has quickly become a centerpiece of Notre Dame’s defense in his first season with the Irish.

Duke’s attack is orchestrated by Brennan O’Neill, a favorite for the Tewaaraton Award (national player of the year) and one of the nation’s most prolific scorers. Fake was tasked with marking O’Neill for most of the game and stymied him more than any defender has all season. O’Neill finished with just one goal and no assists, ending his 21-game streak of scoring at least three points.

Fake’s individual effort, as well as the other Irish defenders cutting off passing lanes and pressuring ball-carriers, limited scoring opportunities for Duke’s high-powered offense. He received a bevy of awards for his performance, including National Player of the Week honors from Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse Magazine.

Most of the opportunities that the Blue Devils did create were stopped in their tracks by Irish senior goalie Liam Entenmann. He saved nine of Duke’s 13 first-half shots on goal and finished the game with a season-high 15 saves, marking his seventh straight game with double-digit saves. After the game, Entenmann sits at seventh nationally in save percentage, all the more impressive given the

caliber of offenses that he has faced.

While the second quarter was all Irish, Duke’s roster had too much talent to go down without a fight.

After Dobson started the second half with his third goal, Notre Dame’s fourth straight, the Blue Devils scored five of the next seven to trim the lead to just 12-9.

Pat Kavanagh then closed out the period with a goal from a near-impossible angle, and Duke went into the final quarter staring down a four-point deficit.

Any hope the Blue Devils had of a late comeback was erased in a span of just eight seconds. Chris Kavanagh scored the first goal of the quarter with exactly 14 minutes remaining. After an Irish faceoff win, Kavanagh scored again with the clock reading 13:52, this time off an assist from Pat Kavanagh. Those scores put Notre Dame ahead 15-9. They would add another pair in quick succession, as senior midfielder Reilly Gray’s goal was followed by another from Chris Kavanagh.

Kavanagh’s score would be the Irish’s last, and it marked Duke’s first time giving up at least 17 goals in regulation since 2015. It also capped off a standout performance from both Kavanagh brothers, who combined for 13 points. Pat finished with three goals and five assists, while Chris tallied five goals. Dobson added three goals and an assist, and Simmons and Taylor each had three points.

Saturday marked Notre Dame’s biggest win of the season, as well as one of the biggest regular-season wins in program history. The Irish improved to 8-1 (2-1 ACC) on the year, and 3-1 all-time in No. 1 vs No. 2 matchups. They now move into the final quarter of their schedule, which includes a rematch with Virginia bookended by a home-and-home against North Carolina. Winning all three would ensure Notre Dame at least a share of the ACC title and would likely earn them the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Before that, though, comes a bye week. This provides much-needed rest after a string of tough games but also forces the red-hot Irish to wait an extra week before getting back on the field.

Notre Dame will be back in action on Saturday, April 22, when they host North Carolina at noon on ESPNU. The Irish will celebrate Senior Day at Arlotta Stadium as they look for their third straight win.

Contact Matthew Crow at mcrow@nd.edu

Extra-innings loss finishes up-and-down Irish stretch

By TYLER REIDY Associate Sports Editor

Notre Dame baseball played four games over the past week, starting strong but struggling to the finish line. The Irish offense surged in a series win and near-sweep at Pittsburgh over the weekend. However, the bats couldn’t deliver late in Tuesday’s 7-6 home loss to Michigan State. The 11-inning defeat snapped Notre Dame’s five-game winning streak in midweek games. With the results, the Irish now sit 17-13 overall and 7-8 in ACC play. Notre Dame’s trip to the Steel City could not have started any better. The Irish struck for 10 runs in four innings against Panther starting pitcher Jack Sokol. In the first, Notre Dame made a quick two outs but sent its next six hitters all the way around the bases. Graduate catcher Vinny Martinez and freshman second baseman Estevan Moreno provided the first wave of offense, singling home a combined three runs. Then, on a two-strike count, junior backstop Danny Neri skied a fastball over the fence for a three-run homer.

ND WOMEN’S LAcROSSE

Pitt countered with three runs in the first two frames, including a second-inning Justin Acal blast, but graduate starter Blake Hely pitched through it and gave the Irish four innings of work. In the meantime, the left side of Notre Dame’s infield provided another power surge. First, sophomore third baseman Jack Penney launched a second-inning moonshot to right-center for his teambest seventh homer. Then, to push the Irish to double-digits in the fourth, graduate shortstop Zack Prajzner skied a two-run shot over the fence in left.

After offensively plateauing at 10, Notre Dame’s bullpen made it interesting in the seventh. Sophomore reliever Radek Birkholz ran out of gas after 2.1 innings, leaving runners at second and third for junior Ryan Lynch. The replacement surrendered back-to-back hits, the second being a three-run CJ Funk bomb to left-center. Pitt’s damage could have been more severe, but graduate first baseman Carter Putz made a diving stop to secure Notre Dame’s first out before the Panthers scored their four.

From there, graduate student Will Mercer started strong as the third Irish reliever, striking out five in two innings. However, he too struggled to finish his outing, yielding a run and loading the bases with one out. Junior Sammy Cooper entered and induced a game-ending 5-3 double play, dramatically closing out the tworun victory. Putz saved the day again on the play, picking what could have been a game-tying throwing error out of the turf.

Notre Dame again never trailed but won far more comfortably the next day. Game two opened with Irish starter Jackson Dennies extending his shutout streak past 14 innings. The junior mowed through Pitt over 4.2 innings, striking out six and lowering his season ERA to 2.25. Graduate southpaw Aidan Tyrell carried the Irish to the finish line, pitching well yet again over 4.1 frames of two-run ball.

All the while, the Irish bats awakened slowly. Penney kicked off the scoring with an RBI single in the third, but his team didn’t

Irish fall to BC, roll Butler

By THOMAS ZWILLER Sports Writer

No. 8 boston college narrowly overcomes Notre Dame

On Saturday, No. 11 Notre Dame women’s lacrosse took on No. 8 Boston College in a critical conference matchup.

Heading into the match, Boston College was 5-1 in ACC play, tied with No. 4 North Carolina and a game back of No. 1 Syracuse. Notre Dame sat even with No. 12 Virginia at 4-2, looking to move up in the standings.

The two teams played an incredibly even first quarter, with Boston College scoring the game’s first goal with just 1:17 remaining in the period. The Eagles were not quite done, as they added a second goal with just three seconds left in the first, giving them a 2-0 lead over the Irish.

Notre Dame got back in the game early in the second, as they took advantage of a man-up advantage with a goal from senior attacker Jackie Wolak at 14:24. The assist came from fellow senior attacker Madison Ahern.

With momentum now on their side, Notre Dame added two more goals from junior midfielder Kristen Shanahan and senior midfielder Kasey Choma (both were unassisted).

Boston College quickly tied the game and then re-took the lead on a free position shot. Ahern tied the

game at 4-4 with an unassisted goal. In the final five minutes of the half, the Eagles added on two goals. But senior attacker Jane McAvoy scored to keep the Irish within one heading into the half.

The third quarter saw the Irish go on a dominant run, only allowing one Eagle goal on five shots. The Irish scored five goals on eight shots, with Wolak scoring one and Ahern scoring two unassisted. Choma and junior midfielder Mary Kelly Doherty also chipped in with an unassisted goal each.

The Irish extended their lead to 11-7 to start the fourth with another Wolak goal. One minute later, Boston College scored a goal on a free position shot, and the Irish saw their lead start to slowly slip away.

With 4:12 remaining, Boston College scored again to cut the lead to two. A yellow card call on junior midfielder Ali McHugh gave the Eagles an advantage that they converted into another goal at 3:43. Then, at 2:30, the Eagles tied the game.

In the contest’s final seconds, the Eagles put one past junior goalkeeper Lilly Callahan, to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat. The final score was 12-11 in Boston College’s favor.

The loss dropped the Irish to 4-3 in ACC play with just two conference games left against Pittsburgh on April 14 and Louisville on April 20. After that, it is off to the ACC Tournament,

which begins on April 26.

Notre Dame take down butler

On Monday, the Irish took a break from ACC play when they matched up with Butler on the road in Indianapolis.

The short bus ride did not faze the Irish in any way, as Notre Dame rattled off the first 24 goals, with 12 coming in the first quarter.

Four Irish players had a hat trick: Choma, freshman attacker Fran Frieri, Shanahan and McAvoy. Ahern, Wolak, Doherty and freshman midfielder Franny O’Brien all contributed two each.

Goalkeeper Callahan earned a partial shutout, with seven saves in 45 minutes of action before she was subbed out for sophomore goaltender Malie Follet, who allowed three goals on the five shots she saw.

The win improved the Irish’s record to 9-4 overall. The win also served as their first road win of the season. Previously, Notre Dame had lost to Northwestern, Syracuse and Virginia on the road, though they had defeated Duke in a neutral site game.

The Irish will look to pick up another road win when they resume ACC play against Pittsburgh. The game is set for a 5 p.m. start on Friday. Contact Thomas Zwiller at

Individual champs Muhari and Linder power Irish to historic three-peat

By JOSE SANCHEZ CORDOVA Assistant m anaging e ditor

For years, notre d ame fencing has been making history. This year, they made a little more.

o n the road at the iconic c ameron Indoor stadium in d urham, north c arolina, they fought off the competition to win their third consecutive nc AA c hampionship. The success keeps the no. 1 on Grace h all lit and makes them the first team on campus to three-peat.

Their success was buoyed by the exceptional contributions of more than 60 fencers across countless practice bouts, lifts and everything in between. b ut on that championship weekend in d urham, it was just twelve fencers who secured the hardware for notre d ame. Two of them –freshman epee e szter muhari and junior sabre Luke Linder – rose above the rest to claim individual championships in

their respective weapons.

d espite their similar success, their stories could not be more different. For muhari, it is the typical freshman tale of adjusting to an entirely new environment and building a support group in a new place.

“[ c oming to notre d ame] was a really big adjustment and I was scared at first,” she said. “b ut thanks to my professors, the coaches and all the advisors and everyone we have, I have been able manage it well.”

That support system followed her all the way to nc AA competition, where she leaned on her coaches and teammates for support in the most crucial bouts of the weekend.

“At first, I was anxious about it, but as the bouts were going by, I got more confident, and that’s because of the crowd that was there from notre d ame. most of the team

see FencInG PAgE 13

Kavanaghs, Fake lead Irish to 17-12 victory against No. 1 Duke

By MATTHEW CROW Associate s ports e ditor

n otre d ame men’s lacrosse could not be held out of the nation’s n o. 1 spot for long.

Following a two-week absence, the Irish are back on top after a decisive victory against then- n o. 1 d uke on s aturday. In front of a soldout Arlotta s tadium, n otre d ame’s performance on both ends of the field, highlighted by three separate runs of at least four consecutive Irish goals, carried them to a 1712 win.

s aturday’s game did not get off to an auspicious start for the Irish, unusual for a group that has consistantly controlled the first quarter this season. d uke struck first with a goal in the opening minutes. While junior midfielder e ric d obson quickly responded with a score of his own, the rest of the period would see both teams trade goals and end with the b lue d evils leading 3-2.

The Irish’s only loss entering s aturday had come

against v irginia in a similar scenario – home game against a top opponent – and they needed their stars to step up in order to get a different result against d uke. That came to fruition in the second quarter, which saw n otre d ame play their most complete 15 minutes of the season to date.

n otre d ame sophomore midfielder b en r amsey tied the game at 3-3 just over a minute into the quarter. The Irish took their first lead soon after when a pass from graduate student midfielder Jack s immons gave sophomore attacker c hris Kavanagh an open look at the goal. With momentum on their side for the first time, n otre d ame continued to attack the b lue d evils defense. s enior attacker Pat Kavanagh assisted on senior attacker Jake Taylor’s second goal of the day. s oon after, the two reversed roles as Taylor found Kavanagh on a highlight-reel play that

GRACIE LEE | The Observer

Junior Luke Linder (left) shakes hands with an Irish teammate during the 2022 NCAA Championships in Notre Dame, Indiana. Linder won his second men’s foil national championship of his career in 2023. mEN’S LACRoSSE

GABRIEL ZARAZUA | The Observer

Sophomore attacker Chris Kavanagh drives against a UVA defender during Notre Dame’s 15-10 loss to the Cavaliers on April 1, 2023. He tied his season-high with five goals in Notre Dame’s 17-12 upset of Duke.