Print Edition of The Observer for Wednesday, September 2, 2020

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Volume 55, Issue 6 | Wednesday, september 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

University to resume in-person classes Following decrease of daily COVID-19 cases, lower-level courses return to face-to-face instruction Observer Staff Report

University President Fr. John Jenkins announced in a Friday address to the campus community that undergraduate classes would begin to return to in-person instruction in phases, commencing today. Courses in the 10000 and 20000 families will resume today with other classes returning to normal instruction Sept. 7. Certain courses may return today at the discretion of a dean or department chair.

In his address, Jenkins urged students to wear masks, maintain physical distance and wash their hands. He also asked students to continue completing

their daily health checks and come in to get surveillance tested when called.

“We must do these things if we are to have a safe and successful semester on campus,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins announced Aug. 18 that undergraduate courses would be taught remotely for at least two weeks after the University reported a single day COVID-19 case count of 89 the previous day. In addition to the shift to online classes, residential halls were restricted to residents only, and off-campus students were instructed to not come onto see REOPENING PAGE 3

Club educates about autism

ELLIS RIOJAS | The Observer

Students reflect on DNC, RNC conventions

By ISABELLA VOLMERT Associate News Editor

This yea r’s politica l pa rt y conventions made histor y.

La rgely pre-recorded a nd v iewed remotely from across t he countr y, t he Democratic a nd Republica n Nationa l conventions (DNC a nd RNC, respectively) concluded t heir consecutive weeks w it h former Vice President Joe Biden accepting t he Democratic nomination for president

Courtesy of Emily Bednar

SMC for the Spectrum, a new club, aims to foster acceptance, support and understanding for College community members with autism.

By GENEVIEVE COLEMAN Associate News Editor

In 2018, Saint Mary’s established the Master of Autism Studies program, allowing Belles to gain a deeper understanding of autism science and intervention in a multi-disciplinary program.

Students from the department recently created a new campus club called SMC for the Spectrum to provide support and educate the community about the autism

NEWS PAGE 3

spectrum.

Saint Mary’s alumna and club president Emily Bednar (‘20) explained how the club has been in the works.

“SMC for the Spectrum was an idea that my fellow board members and I have been thinking about for about a year now,” Bednar said. “We are all members of the first cohort of the Master of Autism Studies Program, and we see SPECTRUM PAGE 3

VIEWPOINT PAGE 8

a nd incumbent President Dona ld Tr ump accepting t he Republican nomination.

Notre Da me students sha red t heir impressions of t he conventions as t he election nea rs over a series of ema il correspondences.

Zacha r y Holla nd, junior co-president of t he College Democrats Club, sa id he was impressed w it h t he DNC given t he circumsta nces.

“I watched t hree of t he four nights, and I t hought t hat

t he Democratic Pa rt y’s uplif ting message of progress a nd hope was one desperately needed in t his terrible yea r,” Holla nd sa id.

Holla nd found Biden’s speech to be his best ever a nd was a lso impressed w it h former President Ba rack Oba ma’s speech, a mong ot hers.

“My ow n favorite was t he speech of Sen. Bernie see POLITICS PAGE 4

ND Football social media post sparks controversy

By COLIN CAPECE News Writer

In t he midst of t he current movement promoting racia l equa lit y, sports have played a role in t he conversation. Socia l media platforms like Tw itter and Instagram have given indiv idua l players, teams and leag ues t he opportunit y to voice t heir opinions on t he

SCENE PAGE 9

protests t hat continue to erupt in cities across t he countr y. However, t he pictures, v ideos and t weets t hey post come w it h bot h support and back lash.

On Aug. 26, t hree days after t he shooting of Jacob Bla ke by a police of f icer in Kenosha, Wis., Notre Dame footba ll posted an image to its socia l media accounts t hat provoked t housands of

BASEBALL PAGE 16

comments on multiple platforms. The image displays Irish graduate student cornerback Nick McCloud raising his f ist while wearing a Black Lives Matter tshirt a long w it h t he words “stand toget her.”

The commenters on t he post div ided t hemselves primarily into t wo camps. see ND FOOTBALL PAGE 4

ND M BASKETBALL PAGE 16

2

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Masked students play a game of beach volleyball on the court by Ricci Fields, located on the north end of the Notre Dame campus, with a string serving as a makeshift net. Due to COVID-19 regulations, everyone must wear a mask outisde or inside at all times.

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Study Abroad Open Advising Sessions virtual noon - 1 p.m.

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Flash panel.

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Receive Sacrament of Confession.

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ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, september 2, 2020 | The ObserveR

3

IDEA Center provides coaching, opportunities

By TRINITY REILLY News Writer

The IDEA Center, located just outside of campus, may be a long wa lk away for many students — but ma k ing the trip might be worth it.

This semester, the IDE A Center has many opportunities for undergraduate and graduate entrepreneurs, including startup coaching and a pre-accelerator program.

Students must apply to the pre-accelerator program, a si x-week intensive curriculum where students focus their ideas and create an initia l product, culminating in an opportunit y to pitch a product to sma ll-sca le investors.

Among the programs offered, the most accessible is startup coaching.

Patti Reinhardt, director of student engagement at the IDE A Center, said any student can simply go to the IDE A Center’s website to submit an idea and begin the coaching process.

“Students who have an idea can actually submit their ideas through our pipeline,” Reinhardt said.

“They can get startup coaching, access to workshops and pitching opportunities,

Spectrum Continued from page 1

wanted to come up with a way to expand our passion for autism past the walls of our classroom and integrate it within the Saint Mary’s community.”

Bednar also described SMC for the Spectrum’s mission as focused on education and acceptance.

“As a club, SMC for the Spectrum aims to educate students about autism spectrum disorders, create an accepting culture at Saint Mary’s regarding autism spectrum disorders, and provide support for the wider autistic community and culture in the greater South Bend area,” Bednar said.

Saint Mary’s alumna and club vice president Catherine Coggeshall (‘20) stated that in addition, the club seeks to correct common stereotypes about people on the autism spectrum.

“There was a realization that students and faculty members at Saint Mary’s College know autism exists, but they do not know what autism actually is, which leads to issues like misinformation, stereotypes, an inability to support those with ASD and their families and poor interactions with those on the spectrum,” Coggeshall said.

Coggeshall encouraged all tri-campus students to join the

which include connections, adv ice and small amounts of funding. And we take no equit y in student ideas at the IDE A Center.”

Sophomore Spencer Koehl is a senior startup coach w ith the IDE A Center this year. He began working w ith the IDE A Center last year as a venture coach.

This year, Koehl said, the coaching program wants to focus on encouraging student entrepreneurs to truly take initiative themselves w ith coaches’ support.

“We’re going to give you the tools to show and conv ince investors that you have something worth building,” Koehl said.

During week ly coaching sessions, he said, students do any thing from theorizing about a problem that needs solv ing to inter v iew ing random people about their product in order to reach the ultimate goal of creating an idea ready to pitch to investors.

“You learn a lot about how to inter v iew and how to create value out of talking to people,” Koehl said. “And the program is great w ith public speaking — you have to learn how to pitch, how to design pitch decks and how to answer questions on the f ly.

organization.

“The club is targeted towards students at Saint Mary’s College, Holy Cross College and the University of Notre Dame who are interested in learning about autism, raising awareness and acceptance of autism, or those with autism who are looking for an accepting group of peers to interact with on a regular basis,” Coggeshall said.

Bednar reiterated this point, emphasizing the importance of building community among members.

“Our aim is to be as inclusive as possible and make it known to our members that we want them there and to be enjoying themselves while they are attending our meetings and events,” she said.

Bednar also hopes that students learn about how to be allies for individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

“Overall, we would like students to walk away from our club with a greater understanding of autism spectrum disorders and with skills that will help them to promote and support neurodiversity in all aspects of their lives,” Bednar said.

The club is planning to begin events in September.

“We have meetings prepared for the second Sunday of each month, beginning on Sept. 12,” Coggeshall said. “While meetings will be conducted in person with safety precautions

TRINITY REILLY | The Observer

The IDEA Center, pictured above, allows undergraduate students to work with various design tools and creative strategies to create their own product. The IDEA Center is located just outside of campus.

And how to sell people on your v ision.”

As students figure out their v ision and begin to craft their initial product, they often head to Matt Leev y, director of the IDE A Center Innovation Lab. There, students have access to industrial design ser v ices, 3D printing, laser cutting and more — all for free. The lab is only t wo years old, but its layout has already changed over 15 times thanks to giant Lego brick walls that lend to the dy namic env ironment.

“Specifically w ithin this Innovation Lab concept, we have created a number of resources to facilitate

in place, there will also be a Zoom link provided for those that would like to participate virtually.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SMC for the Spectrum has had to adapt their original event plans, but is eager to share them with the community.

“We also have a number of student and community events planned but need to make adjustments due to COVID-19 and the safety precautions set by the College,” Coggeshall said. “Some of these events include movie nights, a sensory night and a walk/run to raise awareness for ASD. While these do not have a set date, we are determined to make them happen this semester despite the pandemic.”

Coggeshall expressed why autism awareness is important for people to understand.

“According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it is estimated that an average of one in [54] children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in the United States,” Coggeshall said. “This high percentage of prevalence means that at one point or another everyone is going to come in contact with someone that has ASD, whether it is a relative, classmate, family friend or complete stranger. By creating an awareness and acceptance of autism, these interactions will become natural and beneficial

entrepreneurship w ithin the physical product space, so anybody w ith a physical product — big or small, by the way — and we are here to pour gasoline on that fire and get it going,” Leev y said.

A ll students need to do is email Leev y to get the process started. At the lab, they can tinker around, discover available tools and begin working.

There is one catch: once students begin selling their products, they then have to pay for any equipment they use at the lab, like any real business.

But, Leev y said, that is the point.

Ultimately,

for both parties.”

Though autism awareness is important, Bednar argues that people need to take further action to truly advocate for individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

“Personally, I think that awareness for ASD is awesome, but I think that it is only a small step in the right direction,” Bednar said. “Instead, I think that we should be focusing on acceptance of ASD because to me acceptance goes further than awareness does. ... [W]hen people begin to have acceptance for a situation it shows that they understand.

With that, as a club we decided to focus on three major points: education which leads to acceptance which leads to support.”

Coggeshall stressed the value of individuals on the autism spectrum.

“As a previous special education teacher, it hurts me to hear about those with ASD being misunderstood, written off or completely ignored by teachers, family members, doctors and others they come in contact with,” Coggeshall said. “Those with ASD are important and loved, and add a unique perspective on life.

They matter and deserve the same respect that everyone else does.”

Contact Geneveive Coleman at gcoleman01@saintmarys.edu

the IDE A Center wants to get undergrads to a place where they can start their ow n business. So far, around 20 student businesses have begun in collaboration w ith the lab, he said.

“The IDE A Center, really, is just a hub for driven, motivated people who want to make the world a better place,” Koehl said. “That’s why I get out of bed ever y morning and I’m like, ‘I love this job.’ It’s meeting all these different people and getting all this incredible experience.”

Contact Trinity Reilly at treilly5@nd.edu

Reopening Continued from page 1

campus.

As cases began to decrease over the past two weeks, Jenkins announced the return to in-person classes. As of Tuesday at noon, the University had reported a total of 583 cases since Aug. 3, with six additional cases since Monday and a seven-day positivity rate of 2.7%.

In response to Notre Dame’s announcement to restart in-person classes, interim vice president of student affairs Gloria Roldán Jenkins gave the Saint Mary’s student body updated information on how the decision affects the College.

Though students are now allowed to go to Notre Dame’s campus, Jenkins asked that they only attend essential gatherings.

“Even though ND’s campus will open on Sept. 2, we ask that students only go to the ND campus for necessary activities like class, band practice and student organization meetings,” Jenkins said.

The Sweep and Blinkie will resume service to accommodate students traveling across campuses.

“Beginning Sept. 2, the Sweep will resume its normal schedule,” Jenkins said. “Blinkie will begin the ND loop on Sept. 4. The last run to the Grotto at ND is at 9 p.m.”

The College has reported a total of 31 confirmed cases since Aug. 3, with one additional confirmed case Monday.

4

NEWS

The observer | wednesday, september 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

ND Football Continued from page 1

Those who voiced their displeasure did so for a number of reasons. One commenter objected because he felt that the post portrayed Notre Dame football’s support for a “Marxist terrorist organization.” Another dissenter was displeased with the crossover between college football and a social justice issue.

The other group of commenters was those that gave their approval to Notre Dame football for posting the image.

Notre Dame students mostly

Politics Continued from page 1

Sa nders, who made it quite clea r what is at sta ke in t his election, a nd how Joe Biden w ill move us for wa rd rat her t ha n just ma inta ining t he status quo,” Holla nd sa id.

He was disappointed, however, t hat t he DNC didn’t embrace t he progressive movement emerging from t he la rgely younger members of t he Democratic pa rt y.

Holla nd watched pa rts of t he RNC, of which he was critica l.

“W hen t hey weren’t openly def y ing t he law, like hosting t he president’s accepta nce speech at t he W hite House, t he Republica n Pa rt y was sow ing a message of div ision a nd fea r at t he RNC, of ten w it h cla ims not backed up by fact,” he sa id.

In rega rd to t he f ina l outcome of t he election, Holla nd sa id he was skeptica l.

“Democrats w ill have to

belonged to this group, and many voiced their support for the team’s statement while condemning the comments made by the opposition.

Sophomore John Carr was one Notre Dame student who commented on the post.

“My initial reaction was definitely positive,” he said. “I was happy that the football team took a stand on behalf of its players and showed its support for an important cause.”

Junior Jacob Messineo also explained why he supported Notre Dame football’s stance.

“The players and the football team should be speaking out on the issues they feel are

important,” he said. “People who can’t support the team allowing its players to voice their opinions on social issues can’t really say they support Notre Dame football.”

The team’s post is part of a larger movement across sports protesting police brutality and systemic racism. The Milwaukee Bucks became the first team to respond to the Blake shooting by boycotting their Aug. 26 playoff game against the Orlando Magic. The NBA responded by canceling two more days of playoff games, and other leagues like MLB, MLS and the WNBA followed suit.

Speaking out on social justice

issues is something that Notre Dame football has done in the recent past. After the killing of George Floyd while in police custody in late May, the team posted a series of statements made by players, including junior wide receiver Braden Lenzy and graduate student defensive lineman Daelin Hayes, calling for justice and systemic change.

The team also organized a rally and walk for unity June 19, and created a video series with players voicing their support for their black teammates.

The Notre Dame administration released a statement regarding its commitment to

combat racism on campus following Floyd’s death, with University President Fr. John Jenkins sending a letter on the matter to students and faculty and offering a prayer at the football team’s June 19 rally.

The University has not yet made an official statement on the Jacob Blake shooting.

“W hile I w ish it were not t he case, I am not surprised t hat t he footba ll team posted somet hing in response to [t he shooting of ] Jacob Bla ke before t he Universit y,” Carr said.

f ight ever y day for t he next nine weeks to w in t his election,” he sa id.

Sophomore, president of t he College Republica ns Club Ada m Mor ys sa id a f ter watching pa rts of t he RNC, he was lef t w it h a n overa ll positive impression of t he RNC. “They gave a strong defense of t he A merica n way of life — patriotism, respect for t he r ule of law, freedom of speech a nd A merica n exceptiona lism,” Mor ys sa id.

Mor ys was impressed w it h a number of spea kers, most of a ll A nn Dorn, t he w idow of late retired St. Louis Police Capta in Dav id Dorn. “[She] delivered a n incredibly mov ing address t hat w ill wa ke up A merica ns a ll across t his countr y. Her speech was my favorite,” Mor ys sa id.

Additiona lly, Mor ys was in favor of Sen. Tom Cotton’s pra ise of President Tr ump’s foreign policy actions but sa id he was unsupportive of t he crimina l justice reform

policies proposed by dif ferent RNC spea kers.

President Tr ump’s speech a lso impressed Mor ys, especia lly “his attacks on Biden’s policy platform, strong condemnation of v iolence in A merica n cities a nd unapologetic defense of A merica’s histor y a nd greatness.”

Overa ll, Mor ys sa id he t hought t he RNC improved t he Republica n Pa rt y’s cha nces in t he election.

“If t he Republica n Pa rt y consistent ly defends t he r ule of law, t hey w ill perform well in November,” he sa id.

Former ND footba ll coach Lou Holt z was a spea ker at t he RNC as well.

Internationa l economics a nd politica l science major junior Kyle Dorshorst watched bot h conventions a nd followed t hem on t he news a nd Tw itter.

“I t hought it was rea lly importa nt to see bot h sides, a lt hough I a m def initely pla nning on voting for Joe Biden,” he sa id.

A Milwaukee native, Dorshorst sa id he was disappointed t he DNC could not convene f ully.

“However, I t hink t hat t he DNC took great adva ntage of t he digita l format by showing bot h t he diversit y of t he countr y a nd t he unit y of so ma ny dif ferent people behind Joe Biden,” he sa id. “They a lso did a much better job of addressing people’s concerns about t he coronav ir us t ha n t he RNC, in my opinion, a nd made a strong case for why Biden should be t he next president.”

Gregor y Miller, junior copresident of BridgeND, a club t hat fosters politica l dialog ue bet ween students of opposing v iews, followed bot h conventions a nd concluded t he election has become “a referendum on Tr ump,” he sa id.

“Indeed, t he RNC decided not to release a pa rt y platform t his yea r; instead, t hey a nnounced unconditiona l, ‘ent husiastic support’ of

Dona ld Tr ump,” Miller said.

“Mea nwhile, t he DNC was a n attack on Tr ump a nd a propping up of Biden’s mora l cha racter but still fa iled to actively prov ide a nd center a policy platform t hat Democrats support. In t his process of pa rtisa nship, policy was lost.

A nd when policy loses, t he A merica n people lose.”

The Obser ver posed a poll to its Tw itter followers Monday, ask ing whet her t hey watched t he DNC, t he RNC, bot h or neit her. Of t he 190 votes

by Tuesday evening, 24% sa id t hey followed t he DNC, 17% t he RNC, 20 % bot h a nd 39% neit her.

The genera l election is Nov. 3., 61 days away. A not her on-ca mpus group, ND Votes, seeks to increase voter registration a nd education at ND. The group has published a voter g uide for students which ca n be accessed at t heir website.

Contact Colin Capece at ccapece@nd.edu

Contact Isabella Volmert at ivolmert@nd.edu

CSC seminars altered to fit COVID guidelines

By ELIZABETH PRATER News Writer

Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published online Aug. 31.

The Center for Socia l Concerns routinely of fers opportunities to engage in current issues t hat dea l w it h injustice, povert y a nd oppression. As a result of t he coronav ir us pa ndemic, some semina rs have undergone cha nges t his semester.

Notre Da me, Sa int Ma r y’s a nd Holy Cross students a re able to pa rticipate in socia l concerns semina rs, which a llow students to ta ke a pragmatic approach towa rds lea rning about socia l issues t hat impact t heir communities a nd beyond.

Under t he direction of Ada m Gustine, interim progra m director of t he socia l concerns semina rs, students in t hese progra ms a na lyze dif ferent texts, study t he role

of Cat holic socia l tradition a nd pa rticipate in ha nds-on immersion experiences in order to develop bot h empat hy a nd understa nding towa rds socia l concerns topics.

Associate professor K ra ig Beyerlein, was unable to teach his norma lly popula r course, t he Border Issues Semina r, t his yea r.

“It’s hea rtbrea k ing,” he sa id. “This course is a lways t he highlight of my academic yea r a nd t he immersion trip has tra nsformed in ma ny, ma ny ways, a nd it’s hea rtbrea k ing t hat we couldn’t do it.”

In t y pica l yea rs, t he fa ll semester would be spent in t he classroom completing academic readings a nd a n immersion trip to t he Mex icoU.S. border would ta ke place t he f irst week before spring semester begins. This yea r, t he semina r w ill not ta ke place at a ll.

W hen asked if t here was ever t he consideration t hat

t he semina r would be moved v irtua lly, Beyerlein sa id, “Immersion is in t he tit le of t he course description.”

He later added, “It was a n issue of integrit y. I couldn’t teach a course t hat didn’t do justice to t he description.”

Gustine echoed Beyerlein’s v iews about ca nceling some of t he semina rs due to COV ID-19 restra ints.

“The DNA of a semina r is rooted in a n immersive lea rning experience, encountering people, encountering situations,” he sa id.

However, he a lso had a positive out look upon t he cha nges made w it hin t he semina rs.

“There a re new opportunities t hat we have because we a re not traveling t his semester. A nd t hat is to ask questions related to la rger cultura l issues, la rger societa l elements t hat we’re in, a nd to ask good questions about what it mea ns to be a people committed to fa it h a nd justice a nd action on ca mpus a nd w it hin

t he Notre Da me communit y,” Gustine sa id.

He is a lso excited about offering t wo additiona l sections on racia l justice ca lled “Act Just ly,” which eva luates prejudices t hrough t he lens of t he ca mpus communit y.

Gustine revea led t he semina r t hat cha nged t he most t his yea r was t he Spirit of Appa lachia. Ty pica lly, t his course involves a trip to Appa lachia as t he culminating experience. Instead, t hey have adapted it into a semina r ca lled “People, La nd a nd Communit y” which Gustine described as “t hink ing about questions of creation, ca re, communit y a nd huma n dignit y t hrough t he lens of Appa lachia n pastora l letters a nd some ot her t heologica l ref lections as well.”

W hile semina r professors a nd directors a re ta k ing importa nt steps to prov ide students w it h opportunities to get involved despite travel restrictions t his yea r, it doesn’t

go w it hout remorse.

“It’s tr uly disappointing on so ma ny levels. I k now students a re disappointed, I’m disappointed,” Beyerlein sa id. “At t he end of t he day, it is about keeping people sa fe, a nd I don’t see a universe in which we could have done it, as unfortunate as t hat is.”

Contact Elizabeth Prater at eprater@nd.edu

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5

University students protest for racial justice

By MARIA LUISA PAUL News Writer

Editor’s Note: a version of this story was published online Aug. 31.

Ever since George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officers in May, people all over the country have taken to the streets to speak out against racism. Inspired by this pursuit for racial equality, a group of students planned the Notre Dame Strike for Black Lives, a virtual demonstration seeking to increase awareness about racial injustice, which took place Monday.

According to a statement multiple students and organizatiwons posted on social media, students were encouraged to enter their courses’ Zoom links and share a message in the chat stating the aims of the strike.

Then, they would log off Zoom and spend their class time researching and learning more about racial justice at Notre Dame and around the world.

The demonstration’s organizers, seniors Annie Morejón and Mary Killeen McCans and junior Duncan Donahue, said they spearheaded this initiative to allow for increased student participation while shedding light on current issues.

“We began conceptualizing what a student strike might look like and what the aims of our strike would be,” Morejón said.

“We figured out what kind of demonstration would be most accessible to those who would want to participate and meaningful in raising awareness.”

Students wishing to protest could submit a form expressing their interest in order to receive further information. Donahue said 260 students had registered their email addresses, but that some hundred more had shared information about the strike in their social media profiles. According to McCans, more than 800 people read their Student Strike for Black Lives document.

Because the strike called for students to leave their classes, McCans said they encouraged participants to reach out to their professors beforehand.

“Our goal is to get in the way of normal routines and bring awareness of issues to professors and students, not to derail lesson plans,” McCans said.

Daniel Lapsley, a professor in the Department of Psychology, said he was given notice of the initiative with a politeness he deemed “characteristic of Notre Dame students.”

“They informed me that they were going to have this strike. I was nonplussed by it — in fact, I rather encourage it,” Lapsley said. “I’d like to see some student activism, you know, I always encourage student activism in political matters and matters of justice and fairness.”

As a teenager during the Vietnam War and Civil Rights Era, Lapsley said he witnessed similar unrest when he was growing up. Yet the current movement’s scope seems broader to him, and he said he hopes students will continue to advocate for justice.

“I’ve never witnessed something like this since the ‘60s, and it’s galvanized the whole country. And I’m glad to see it’s galvanizing Notre Dame students,” Lapsley said. “I’d be frankly a little disappointed in the student body if the movement towards racial justices somehow didn’t resonate with our own students, who are brought up on a steady diet of Catholic social teaching.”

Provost Marie Lynn Miranda also informed faculty members of the strike on Sunday night.

In an email to faculty, Miranda said her aim was to “give [faculty] the opportunity to think about how [they] might handle/ respond to the situation if it arises in [their] classrooms.”

According to Lapsley, this was a “friendly” email sent to give professors notice about the event. As such, he found reassurance about discussing the strike’s objectives with his students.

“I felt good about sharing the four agenda items with my class, which I did because the Provost shared it, so it gave me license to engage further. I thought was very helpful,” Lapsley said.

Moreover, Patricia Culligan, Dean of the College of Engineering, made faculty members in the College aware of the Monday demonstration, and askedW to consider recording classes so those participating in the strike would not be disadvantaged.

Culligan said efforts to promote racial justice on campus are crucial.

“The importance of cultivating an anti-racist culture in our college and on our campus cannot be overstated, and I thank everyone for the efforts they are lending to this vital mission,” Culligan wrote in an email to faculty.

Striking for four demands One of the main goals behind the Notre Dame Strike for Black Lives was to “stir the pot,” McCans said. With this protest, the organizers hoped to not only open up a space for the dialogue, but to stand in solidarity with the Black community.

“We want students talking about the movement and buying into it on a local scale,” Morejón said. “Another important aspect is of it was communicating support for our Black peers here at Notre Dame. This year has been full of so much grief and hardship for the Black community. There’s an urgency in this moment to build support and communicate compassion

through action.”

Though elevating consciousness about racism was at the cornerstone of the strike’s mission, the organizers also strived to not merely talk the talk, but also walk the walk. As such, they are aiming to have four demands met: calling attention to oncampus racism, supporting the racial justice movement, defunding the Notre Dame Police Department (NDPD) and ceasing the University’s investment in private prisons and detention centers.

In regards to defunding the NDPD, Morejón said the group acknowledged it could be “a contentious demand.”

However, they believe a reform is necessary due to the “the nature and history of policing in the United States,” Donahue said, and their “overreliance” on weapons.

“We believe that a large portion of NDPD’s responsibilities such as handling drunk students and monitoring for alcohol consumption could be handled by strategies that do not disproportionately impact students of color,” Donahue said.

To bolster action to meet such objectives, the organizers collaborated with other students working in organizations like Notre Dame Socially Responsible Investing (ND SRI) and the Black Student Association (BSA), which have previously advocated for these goals.

ND SRI was founded in the spring of 2019 in order to “introduce a socially responsible investment option to faculty and staff 403(b) retirement funds to avoid current investment in privatized prisons,” junior Madeline Whitney, one of ND SRI’s founders, said.

As stated in Notre Dame’s Office of Human Resources’ webpage, the University’s faculty and staff must participate in the University of Notre Dame’s 403(b) Retirement plan “upon meeting the oneyear-of-service eligibility period of employment.”

This mandatory plan, in which 95% of all faculty and staff invest their retirement money, is a mutual fund comprised of different stocks run by Vanguard, one of the world’s largest investment companies.

Among the stocks which make up the mutual fund are CoreCivic and GEO Group, two of the largest private prison and detention center corporations in the nation, which respectively own 120 and 125 facilities across the U.S. Whitney said investing in these corporations represents a “massive violation” to Notre Dame’s Catholic values, which include the “utmost protection of life and dignity of the human person.”

Courtesy of Mary Killen McCans

Students changed their profile pictures on their Zoom accounts to Black Lives Matter messages to signify their intention to strike.

“As institutions that run for profit, there is a strong incentive to fill each bed and keep people locked up for longer in abhorrent, inhumane conditions,” Whitney said.

“Through their investment, our faculty and staff are directly profiting off these human bodies.”

Lapsley said he was “taken by surprise” by the University’s investment in CoreCivic and GEO Group, and only became aware about it through the strike.

“The University has a whole investment strategy,” Lapsley said. “It’s very complicated and most faculty have no idea where retirement funds are being invested, we just don’t.

So there’s a lot of details of that we’re not privy to.”

However, he said after learning about this situation, he expected more faculty members would demand change.

“I do hope there is some faculty pressure or some way that we can address the issue,” Lapsley said. “The money should be invested in ways that reflect Notre Dame values, that should be the guiding light.”

Through the strike, Whitney said she not only hoped to raise awareness about this situation, but also increase social justice at Notre Dame.

“The strike is for so much more than just advocating for a socially responsible investment option, and I believe it will achieve its goals of standing in solidarity and bringing awareness to racial inequality on campus,” Whitney said.

Building momentum for future change The strike was a one-day event; however, Donahue, McCans and Morejón said they hope it will spark change.

“This can’t just be a oneand-done effort,” Morejón said. “If we want to go beyond performative activism, this has to be a catalyst for sustained and meaningful action once the day is over tomorrow.”

Student body president, senior Rachel Ingal, was inspired to participate in the strike and said she hoped the University would be on the forefront of fighting racism.

“I have been amazed to watch this movement grow and see student organizers take the helm to hold Notre Dame to a higher standard, and I wanted to help them build momentum for this cause,” Ingal said. “It is important to capitalize on the current conversation around racial justice to enact real change, and I would hope that Notre Dame could be a leader on this front the way we once were.”

Ingal said she is looking forward to work “hand in hand” with other student activists, and that their demands would be addressed in conversations throughout her administration’s mandate.

“I see it as my responsibility to show solidarity and support for these grassroots movements, and I have been grateful to have already had such fruitful dialogue with some of the student leaders involved in today’s strike,” Ingal said.

“We will remain in dialogue throughout the year on how to further their vision, and we hope to bring these goals to other bodies like the student senate as well.”

Even though the current climate is marked with ongoing protests and instances of intolerance, Lapsley said he was was inspired by the younger generation and said he felt optimistic about its ability to produce significant change.

“I think your generation is probably more tolerant than any generation of my experience, so I actually have enormous confidence in the transformative power of your generation, and I say that sincerely,” he said. “I think your generation is not going to put up with the nonsense that my generation did.”

Contact Maria Luisa Paul at mpaulran@nd.edu

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The observer | Wednesday, September 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

The role of religion in government

Inside Column

A motion to rename the quads Ryan Israel Scene Editor

Sometimes people can’t handle the truth but they need to hear it.

In many conversations with my friends — I have tons of them by the way — I’ll bring up my idea to rename the quads. “Ryan,” they’ll say, “You’re right, as always, but people aren’t ready to hear that truth.”

Well my friends, it’s now or never.

We need to rename the quads.

The main change to the quad names revolves around the false advertisement that is South Quad. South Quad is by no means the southernmost quad on campus. Its name is a misnomer and ought to be changed. North Quad, a truly wonderful quad, is the northernmost quad on campus; West Quad, a fine quad no doubt, is the westernmost quad campus — excluding Carroll Quad, which is only included in this motion as a kindness to the boys way out west and can’t lay claim to any other name than the one given by the only building on it.

So geographically, South Quad is false. The very fact that it is called South Quad is an embarrassment to mapmakers and cartographers everywhere. The true “South Quad” is the one which many call DeBart Quad. Bookended by the Fitzpatrick Hall of Engineering and the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, DeBart Quad is a criminally underrated swath of campus which includes wonderful buildings such as DeBartolo Hall, Jenkins Nanovic Hall, the Stinson Remick Hall of Engineering, the Eck Hall of Law, the Hesburgh Center and the Stayer Center — at least those are the only buildings on DeBart Quad that matter.

DeBart Quad is the true South Quad, and this motion seeks to recognize that by officially calling it so. As for the fate of the once glorious South Quad, only one names seems fitting –– West Quad II. West Quad II stays true to South Quad’s previous geographically focused name while also acknowledging the existence of West Quad. West Quad II has a nice ring to it, although careful attention must be paid so that it’s not misconstrued as “West Quad too,” and the Roman numerals add a nice regal touch.

Along with this renaming, the motion recognizes the updated quad rankings as 1) God Quad 2) North Quad 3) Mod Quad 4) South Quad 5) West Quad 6) West Quad II and 7) Carroll. No further explanation will be given or questions fielded regarding these rankings at the time the motion is presented. Thank you for your understanding.

Lastly, the motion memorializes Oct. 28 as Notre Dame’s official “Rename the Quads” day, on which classes will be cancelled for the full day and students will be called to reflect on the importance of names.

I really hope someone in Student Government reads this — I know they’re such big fans of The Observer — and can bring this motion to the floor or at the very least every student on campus reads this Inside Column, agrees with it completely and begins referring to the quads by their new and proper names. If you need me to speak on its behalf, I’ll be off-campus with the other outcasts, pariahs, scapegoats, ne’er-do-wells, miscreants and fools, sitting on South-South Quad, also known as my backyard.

You can contact Ryan at risrael1@nd.edu The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Submit a Letter to the Editor: viewpoint@ndsmcobserver.com

Blake Ziegler News with Zig

Not even Notre Dame can escape the Republican National Convention following famed football coach Lou Holtz’s speech last week. There has been some coverage from The Observer about students’ reactions, but I want to focus on a particular aspect of the speech.

The most controversial part of Holtz’s time on the virtual stage was when he called former Vice President Joe Biden a “Catholic in name only.” This is a peculiar comment, considering that the United States is meant to be characterized by separation of church and state. Why would Biden’s religious beliefs matter? Holtz was likely attempting to sway Catholic voters towards President Trump, but his words raise questions regarding the role of religion in our secular government. How do we balance freedom of religion in a non-religious government? How much should our religion influence our political beliefs and political systems?

My hope is that this column delves into these questions by presenting a brief history of the separation of church and state, followed by an analysis of how religious beliefs should influence lawmaking.

Let’s start with a brief history of the relationship between religion and government in the U.S. The only mention of religion is in the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, where it is stated that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”

This means that the government cannot endorse or prohibit the practice of a particular religion on the local, state or federal level.

While individuals are free to express religious beliefs, the government cannot. Thomas Jefferson described this phenomenon as the “separation between Church and State.” There is a lengthy list of Supreme Court rulings further clarifying the Establishment Clause, but an important case to note is Lemon v.

Kurtzman. Here, the Supreme Court established the aptly named Lemon Test to determine if governmental action violates the Establishment Clause. A government action is found unconstitutional unless it has a significant secular purpose, does not have the primary effect of advancing or inhibiting religion and does not foster excessive entanglement between government and religion. If the government does not meet any of those requirements, then the action is unconstitutional.

The Lemon Test provides guidance as to whether the government is violating the Establishment Clause. Student-led and student-initiated prayer at high school football games? Unconstitutional. Intelligent design being taught in public schools? Also unconstitutional. The Lemon Test is very clear when government action is directly related to or affects religion. However, it provides little assistance in determining if a government action motivated and justified by religious beliefs is unconstitutional. Would lawmakers’ religious beliefs as justification to enact a law be a violation of the Establishment Clause or be protected by freedom of speech? To analyze this further, we should go back to Holtz’s comments about Biden’s Catholic faith.

Holtz called the Biden-Harris ticket “the most radically pro-abortion campaign in history” while praising Trump as an “advocate for the unborn.” This is a clear appeal to Catholic voters on the issue of abortion, with Holtz

hoping that he could sway pro-life Catholics to support Trump. In criticizing Biden’s fidelity to Catholicism, Holtz implies that we should be passing pro-life policies on Catholic ground; otherwise, he would not be mentioning Biden’s religion. Holtz’s actions are a clear demonstration of the issue at stake: if a policy or governmental action is motivated and justified by religious belief, is it constitutional? For instance, if the federal government decides to limit access to abortion because the Catholic Church opposes abortion, is that favoring a particular religion?

The use of religious belief to justify policymaking is largely untouched territory by the courts, and requires a deep consideration of the Establishment Clause. The argument could be made that when the government starts passing policies because of a particular religion’s beliefs, it is now imposing religion onto those who are not members of that religion. That is a violation of the Establishment Clause, as no one in this country has the right to enforce religion onto others. At the same time, one’s religious beliefs are very similar to other biases that inform decision-making in government, such as political ideology, interests of one’s constituents and other factors. It might be difficult to prove that only religious belief motivated the government. Even then, the law is unclear if the motivation behind enacting a law is under the same scrutiny as its direct effect on citizens, as the Lemon Test describes.

If we are to let our policies be dictated by religion, where does it end? So, assume we ban abortion because Catholicism demands it.

Does the post office close on Saturday to observe the Jewish sabbath? Does the stock market close to observe Muslim prayer? Should our coinage feature the Flying Spaghetti Monster?

When we introduce religion into politics, we must seriously consider the implications of using religious beliefs as motivation for lawmaking. The founding fathers envisioned a nation where no one would be persecuted for their religion, whether through discrimination or having religion imposed on them. The question is if religious belief as motivation for policymaking is considered imposing religion onto others.

If America is to be a nation where the people are sovereign while belonging to different religions, then the official religion of the United States should be no religion. At the same time, we must respect the right of our elected officials to hold their own beliefs. How should religious lawmakers balance their beliefs with their obligations to their constituents? These are factors we should be using when evaluating candidates for office or determining the guidelines for policymaking. I do not have the answer and I am sure others do not, as well, but this is certainly an important discussion to have. If we want to inject religion into the political sphere, we must be prepared to deal with its ramifications.

Blake Ziegler is a sophomore at Notre Dame from New Orleans, Louisiana, with double majors in political science and philosophy.

He loves anything politics, especially things he doesn’t agree with. For inquiries, he can be reached at bziegler@nd.edu or @NewsWithZig on Twitter if you want to see more of his opinions.

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

The observer | Wednesday, September 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

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We stand with all the Irish Sydni Brooks Everything is Fine

When I proudly responded “Notre Dame” to the question “Where are you going to college this fall?” during the summer of 2018, I was met with roughly the same answer from every individual who asked — “You’re going to love it there; it’s a great community.” Though I knew of Notre Dame’s caliber and nobility, mentors, faculty and students affirmed that I was beginning a journey with a family I would live with for the rest of my life. I was excited to be part of a community so elite and special, yet so global and diverse.

I was provided with the image that the Notre Dame community did not only encompass those living and working in Notre Dame, Ind., but that the University took pride in its extended family of former faculty and staff, donors, sports fans and the population of the city of South Bend. I knew the representation of those who looked like me, a Black woman, was small, but I believed that the Notre Dame community would support me regardless, because I was the Notre Dame community.

I have found I was proven wrong, but I was proven differently.

As a member of the Black community at Notre Dame, I am blessed with a box seat view to witness the incredible and unique stories of our Black students, and as I hear the backgrounds of each individual, I learn more about my own. This invitation to connect with Black students on a familial level in a school filled predominantly with white faces became vitally important because my Blackness is not something I could simply leave in Ohio; I am a Black Notre Dame student, and the “Black” prefix will never be eliminated. Though we make up just 3.56% of the student population, we do not simply add diversity; we provide intelligence, creativity and innovation. Our stories rise from

beautiful and sometimes painful origins of intersectionality, and our different life experiences that somehow result in similar life lessons unify us as the Black community of Notre Dame.

While Notre Dame’s Black community continues to take pride in their University, racism continues to sever the bond between the entire Notre Dame community and its Black students. The Instagram account @black.at.nd highlights the anonymous voices of present and former students and faculty and their experiences with racism on this campus. The incidents from student’s pasts continue to echo through Notre Dame’s buildings as several first-year students have already detailed their experiences on the Instagram page after only attending college for three short weeks.

Furthermore, an Instagram post from @ndfootball expressing its solidarity with the University’s Black student athletes forced several so-called lifelong “fans” to throw in the towel of their support for the Fighting Irish. The comment section was riddled with racist and misinformed remarks regarding how un-Catholic the University was for authorizing a public display supporting terrorism, when the post simply expressed the University’s call to defend its Black student’s lives in the face of racism, systemic oppression and bigotry. Several long time “supporters” of the Irish provided the Instagram account with an ultimatum, demanding that it renounce its message, or their 50+ years of fanhood would be apathetically thrown out the window.

I have already expressed my thoughts on these comments in the post’s comment section, but in 1953, the first Black Notre Dame football player touched the field on gameday, and I find it hard to believe how so many “fans” missed the past 67 years filled with Black Domers, who are, in fact, included in the community they claim to support.

Our Notre Dame community is made up of beautiful, intelligent and talented pieces, yet in particular facets, we

have failed to hold the pieces together and stand as a unified community. Our acceptance letters into this institution should be the only qualification needed to prove we belong here. When we signed up to be part of the Notre Dame community, we were tasked with the responsibility to protect and defend each other, because that is what communities do. How do we plan to succeed in our futures without the guidance and support from our peers and mentors, regardless of their skin color? We as Black Notre Dame students love and support this University, or else we wouldn’t continue to attend. Why is it so difficult for many of those in the community to support us? Why have some made it a political agenda to support the lives of those we attend classes with, share lunch with and sleep across the room from?

Though our Notre Dame community has worked hard in eliminating the prejudice within it, we still have work to do. We cannot call ourselves a community if we all do not support the lives of those in it. Much like the students who clapped back at Instagram commenters, defending their peers, all former students, current students, faculty, staff, donors and sports fans who say they support Notre Dame and are part of the Notre Dame community must be committed to eradicating any message that would insinuate hate belongs on this campus. That support is the Notre Dame community I believe in, and that is the pride I want to have in the University and all the people included in it.

Sydni Brooks is junior at Notre Dame majoring in English with a supplemental major in pre-health and a minor in Africana Studies. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, she has made Flaherty Hall her campus home.

She aspires to be a gynecologist to serve women from all backgrounds in the medical field. Sydni can be reached at sbrooks2@nd.edu or @sydnimaree22 on Twitter.

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

Ask not what you can do Ellie Konfrst Butterfly Effects

This summer, while driving across the country for work, my friend and I stopped at a rest stop in Oklahoma. If it weren’t for us and the rest stop employee in our masks, you probably wouldn’t have known there was a pandemic going on. Walking into the small, cramped bathroom, I heard a (maskless) woman whisper to her friend, “are we supposed to have masks on?”

Her friend responded, “I don’t think so — you have to in Oklahoma City, but not here.”

I was fascinated by this. My friend and I weren’t wearing masks because of any official mask mandate — we were wearing them because it could help stop the spread of COVID. These women in the bathroom didn’t have any malintent, though — they weren’t criticizing us, or mask wearing in general — they just didn’t see any reason to wear a mask, since no government entity had officially told them to.

This event highlighted the real nuance required in having a conversation about institutional versus individual responsibility during a pandemic. Is this starting to sound familiar?

Don’t worry — as much as I’d love to write a column about who bears responsibility for the recent outbreak on campus, most of my thoughts have already been beautifully articulated by other columnists. Instead, I want to talk about individual responsibility more generally, and how focusing on individual actions instead of institutional choices often lets those institutions that bear most responsibility off the hook.

Since we’ve all been talking about nothing but COVID for the last six months, I’ll use a different issue as a case study for this discussion: climate change.

The environmental movement has long been struggling to find the best way to make the urgent adjustments needed to avoid the worst effects of climate change. On an institutional level, they’ve worked with governments to limit corporate carbon emissions, and on an individual level, they’ve implemented social campaigns to encourage people to act more sustainably.

Both of these tactics are certainly necessary, but recently

the latter has overtaken the cultural conversation. Discourse about using plastic straws, eating meat and consuming fast fashion have overwhelmed conversations about the culpability of corporations in rising carbon emissions. While campaigns for institutional change still exist (e.g. the Green New Deal), the heavy emphasis on individual responsibility in the social sphere limits the efficacy of those campaigns, and makes it harder for the necessary change to happen.

There’s a few reasons why this is true.

First of all, holding individuals alone accountable usually cannot solve massive social problems, especially when those social problems have structural foundations. This issue is painfully clear with climate change. When the world froze back in March, it led to the largest ever annual fall in carbon emissions: a greater drop than in any previous period of war or economic crisis. While that kind of dip in carbon emissions is theoretically a huge win for environmentalists, a study from just a few weeks ago found that the effects of the lockdown will be “negligible” on warming rates. To see an actual impact on the climate crisis, governments would have to focus their recoveries on shifting to a green economy. Even the biggest adjustment of individual actions in history wasn’t enough to make a dent in global warming.

Additionally, individual responsibility campaigns tend to target those in vulnerable populations whose actions are the results of systems they can’t change. Another key sustainability campaign in recent years has been the crusade against “fast fashion” — a type of clothes manufacturing that makes cheap, disposable clothing. Aside from the abhorrent labor practices many of these businesses employ, fast fashion produces 10% of the world’s carbon emissions and is the second-largest consumer of water. Instead of targeting the companies who profit off fast fashion, many have chosen to shame people who consume fast fashion as complicit in the destruction of the environment. This is, frankly, pretty classist, since fast fashion is one of the only sources of clothing for low-income people all around the world. These companies are fully aware of the harm they’re causing, and they exploit a population whose options are limited because they know society will target the consumers

instead of them.

This brings us to the third and, perhaps, most important issue with focusing on individual actions over institutions.

Diverting attention away from systems and structures that are largely responsible for social ills also deflects responsibility from them. Most people have probably heard the stunning statistic that just 100 companies are responsible for 71% of the world’s carbon emissions. Additionally, most of us have probably heard of the concept of a carbon footprint, essentially a way to measure each individual’s impact on overall carbon emissions. While the concept was invented by ecologists in the ‘90s, it was popularized and boosted by a 2005 campaign from BP Oil . Those 100 companies know that campaigns that focus on individual responsibility actively draw attention away from their own actions that cause far more harm to the environment.

At this point, it’s important to say that I don’t think individual responsibility campaigns are bad, and absolutely think we all have a role in reducing the effects of social problems like climate change, or a global pandemic. The point of this column is simply to point out that the effects of individual actions are extremely limited in a world dictated by structures and systems, and that we have to be careful not to let institutions off the hook when holding individuals accountable.

This holds true for climate change, and it holds true for the COVID-19 pandemic here on campus. Next time you talk about holding individuals responsible, just make sure to take a step back and consider who you’re implicitly absolving of responsibility — usually, it’s an institution with far more control over that situation than any individual.

Ellie Konfrst is a junior majoring in political science, with minors in the Hesburgh Program for Public Service and civil & human rights. Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, she’s excited that people will finally be forced to listen to all of her extremely good takes. She can be reached at egloverk@nd.edu or @elliekonfrst13 on Twitter.

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

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The observer | wednesday, September 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Cautious optimism Notre Dame’s announcement to let students attend football games was one that I looked at with cautious optimism, the same way I’ve looked at most campus announcements over the last few weeks. Optimistic because it meant I could go to the games, cautious because I knew there must be a catch.

“Students will only be grouped with their rooming assignments. Those who are in single occupancy rooms or whose roommates do not purchase will be seated as singles.” And there it is — the catch.

Once again, students living in singles are forced to choose between going to an event that is inherently community-based by themselves or finding an alternative way to spend time with friends, missing out on a college experience that is already a shell of what it should be.

This isn’t like the opening mass or the “Rudy” screening, though. This is different. This is my senior year football season. The football season that I looked forward to more than any other. My friends who studied abroad in the fall

and missed last season are back, I get to throw marshmallows and I get to be closer to the 50-yard line than I’ll probably ever be again in my life. All of this is contingent on whether I’m willing to gamble $200 on the odds that I’ll end up sitting next to one of my friends, or at the very least someone I know. Because let’s face it, it’s senior year.

Everyone knows who they’re going to the games with by senior year.

The worst part: Two years ago when students were signing contracts to live off-campus, the University implemented a new incentive program for students to stay on campus. This waived the single fee, offered free laundry and provided a few other benefits as well. I’m grateful for all of these benefits. They are part of what kept me on campus, along with friends, convenience and a sense of community. The University wanted seniors to stay on campus, and that’s what I’m doing. And now I’m being punished for it.

Ultimately, it was my choice to live in a single. But what

about the students that didn’t get that choice? The students in the dorms who are forced into singles? Or the first years whose roommates weren’t able to make it to campus because of COVID-19? What about the resident assistants, serving in leadership roles on campus? Did any of these groups choose this?

And I wonder if the University has considered the alternatives. A large portion of students living in singles are seniors, meaning they are probably 21. While no tailgating is permitted, what is to stop these students from going out to watch the games? They’re able to be together that way, something that has been in short supply the last few weeks.

I’m not asking to be seated with my entire friend group.

I’m simply asking for one friend, or maybe two or three friends. You know, a household.

Gabrielle Biltz senior Aug. 31

Kaepernick, 4 years later Justice Mory In the Interest of Justice

Editor’s Note: The full version of this letter is published on The Observer’s website.

From “keep politics out of sports” to “shut up and dribble,” many Americans refuse to listen to the voice of outspoken athletes and reject the notion that sports have always been tightly woven with political issues. However, much of history is the politics of the past, and politics and sports have always been undeniably intertwined.

Almost four years ago today, the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers took a knee during the national anthem.

Colin Kaepernick quickly became a voice for the movement against police brutality and injustice toward the AfricanAmerican community.

The issue became polarizing and political, with many simply refusing to hear Kaepernick’s message at all. Many believed he was unqualified to have a voice, that his cause wasn’t that big of a deal, that he was unpatriotic or somehow disrespecting veterans and the national anthem was not the “right way to protest.” Kaepernick was clear: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

Was kneeling during the anthem ever showing disrespect toward military veterans? As recently as June of this year, Saints quarterback Drew Brees thought so. When discussing kneeling for the national anthem to protest police brutality Brees said, “I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country … I think what you do by standing there and showing respect to the flag with your hand over your heart, is it shows unity.”

While I believe Drew Brees to be a good man, this comment was tone-deaf in its timing, in the immediate wake of the killing of George Floyd by an officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.

Additionally, Brees’ comment misrepresents what the protests were about. From the outset, Kaepernick took on advice to kneel rather than sit during the anthem, after having a conversation with Nate Boyer, a former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces. When asked specifically about the military, Kaepernick said, “I think it’s a misunderstanding.”

His message, his protest and his movement were ignored and he was continuously criticized and mischaracterized, including by the president of the United States.

Elijah McClain. Breonna Taylor. George Floyd. Rayshard Brooks. Countless others. This problem of police killings of African Americans is not new, but in 2020 it has reached a flashpoint as horrific stories and videos of blatant injustice have surfaced and circulated. It has come to such a point

that people can no longer ignore the existence of this problem and people have found their voice in protests nationally.

The sports world, as well as the mainstream, are finally starting to see Colin Kaepernick for what he was — a heroic sports figure who was ahead of his time.

He is a person who sacrificed his achievement of the “American Dream” as an NFL quarterback to give a voice to a movement, at a time when people refused to listen.

Before many were ready to accept his message, Kaepernick sacrificed his multi-million dollar NFL career to put the spotlight on the dangerous racial bias and injustice in the U.S., specifically when this racial mistreatment is behind a badge. Years before the Black Lives Matter movement would catch on as it has, before NBA, WNBA and NHL player-led initiatives would result in playoff strikes, and before NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell would go so far as to say, “I wish we had listened earlier, Kaep, to what you were kneeling about and what you were trying to bring attention to,” Kaepernick was using his professional sports platform to speak up for what he felt was right, no matter the cost. The issue has become so widely discussed that it cannot be ignored, meaning figures like NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell can no longer stand against people like Kaepernick.

Those who sit in a position of power, who do not prioritize social justice advocacy, will no longer get off the hook, thanks to a recent groundswell of public support for the cause of Black Lives Matter.

Colin Kaepernick’s method of protest through kneeling is still criticized by some, but his message and his legacy are being seen in a much more acceptable and positive light.

Polls say his support has risen from 28% to 52% since he first began his peaceful protest.

Kaepernick’s activism has the potential to be immortalized among the likes of other great athletes cemented in history and their impacts, such as John Carlos and Tommie Smith, Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali, who were all hated among the mainstream before people eventually understood their importance. We are seeing this dynamic unfold with Kaepernick in real-time, and he will likely go down in sports and American history as an extremely influential and important figure. From his organization focused on fighting oppression through social activism and education, philanthropic donations and the attention he brought to a very real and still extremely relevant issue of police brutality against communities of color, Kaepernick’s impact lives on, despite being denied an NFL opportunity in the four years since he took a knee to take a stand against injustice.

Another former 49ers player, defensive tackle Ian Williams, was a student-athlete here at the University of Notre Dame. In a recent article, he recounted his Notre Dame experience: “Notre Dame’s a great university. It is predominantly white. It’s Catholic, and there are people who love me on game day, on Saturday, but they hate me Monday through Friday and on Sunday.” These comments came out just a couple months before insensitive and harmful

KERRY SCHNEEMAN | The Observer

comments emerged under a Notre Dame Football post supporting a player advocating the cause of Black Lives Matter.

This caused current Notre Dame student-athlete Shaun Crawford to tweet, “I’ve seen it all smh … the comments don’t reflect this university but they do reflect why we are speaking up for love, peace, and equality! Keep pushing the standard.”

If Notre Dame students are to be the leaders of tomorrow, treating people the right way needs to start here and caring about issues that affect your peers needs to start now. “So we all studied the Civil Rights movement. We all studied slavery. We’ve all sat there and thought about what we would do if we lived in that time. Well, we’re doing that right now.

Whatever you’d be doing then, we’re doing now,” shared Williams. Notre Dame students should open their hearts and minds to not only see Kaepernick for what he was, but much more importantly, to see what he was advocating for. It is a movement against systemic prejudice and violent injustice at the hands of the same law enforcement that is supposed to protect all Americans. This is not the time to be silent or indifferent. This is an issue that affects your peers from different backgrounds, peers that deserve our support in combating systems that treat them unfavorably.

Improving the country and calling out injustice should never be considered unpatriotic; it is the most patriotic action a person can do. “Once again, I’m not anti-American,” Kaepernick said, “I love America. I love people. That’s why I’m doing this. I want to help make America better.”

Justice Mory is majoring in business analytics and is part of the John W. Gallivan Program in Journalism, Ethics, and Democracy. He is from Southern California and now lives in Duncan Hall. His main goal is to keep learning and to continue to become more informed.

He can be reached at jmory@nd.edu or @JmoryND on Twitter.

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

The observer | wednesday, september 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

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ELLIS RIOJAS | The Observer

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The observer | wednesday, september 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

ELLIS RIOJAS | The Observer

By DESSI GOMEZ Scene Writer

Zac Efron has taken on a new env ironmentalist angle in his executively produced Netf lix special “Dow n to Earth w ith Zac Efron.” He and his health guru friend Darin Olien travel to eight different places in the eight episodes of season one.

Within each episode and place, the pair focuses on different env ironmental issues, questions or problems that their location focuses on, capturing a variet y of ways that one act more consciously or can change their lifest yle to better ensure the preser vation of the planet.

First stop on the itinerar y is Iceland, where the t wo v isit an energ y plant, a chocolatier, a restaurant where the chef uses ever y part of the materials he cooks w ith and a couple ver y popular tourist attractions, culminating in a v isit to the Blue Lagoon. Iceland teaches v iewers a lot about renewable energ y, being resourceful in cooking and how geothermal energ y in particular can power a nation. There is even a segment about skincare, because the Blue Lagoon’s clay helps w ith conditions like psoriasis.

In France, Efron and Olien focus specifically on Paris’ public water filtration system. Prior to traveling through the Chunnel, the tunnel under the

English channel connecting England and France, they consult a water sommelier who educates them about the mineral content in water and how purified water is not actually the most ideal form of water to be putting in our bodies.

Paris’ public system of water fountains saves many plastic bottles a year, which is a small action each one of us can aim to do to contribute alongside them. The fountains keep important natural contents of water and there are even some bubbly fountains that prov ide carbonated water.

In Costa Rica, the pair v isit a friend of Olien’s who takes them through the communit y in which he lives, pointing out landscaping choices that actually result in plants that are all edible. House construction is also touched upon, in terms of making choices that can lead to the smallest carbon footprint possible. Another stop they make is at a school in the communit y whose teaching st yle is different yet ver y dy namic, as ev ident in the students Zac and Darin meet.

In Lima, Peru, the duo v isit a seed bank, a farmer of superfoods as well as a world-renow ned chef.

The seed bank specifically preser ves over 4,600 species of potatoes, as they are an important source of food for those who may not have access, which calls to mind world hunger. In their v isit to the superfood farmer, who grows maca amongst

other t y pes of superfood, Efron talks a little bit about biopiracy and how it affects both the consumer and the producer of illegally stolen plants.

At one of their last stops in the episode they tie in cultural aspects related to caring for the planet and the lands that constitute it.

Even watching one episode of this show w ill teach the v iewer something — and often more than just one thing — new. It also gives audiences a travel experience that in realit y is ver y limited right now w ith the pandemic, while bringing about a new found appreciation for things that many of us take for granted like apples, potatoes and water. It helps that Efron and Olien have fun while filming, too.

Contact Dessi Gomez at dgomez5@nd.edu

“Down to Earth with Zac Efron” Starring: Zac Efron and Darin Olien If you like: “Salt Fat Acid Heat,” “Our Planet” Favorite Episodes: “Iceland,” “France,” “Lima” Where to Watch: Netflix

DIANE PARK | The Observer

By HAYDEN ADAMS Scene Writer

There’s an old Family Guy bit where baby Stewie writes a love song for another baby entitled “Susie.”

Brian the Dog proceeds to sarcastically remark, “A song named after a girl … there aren’t a million of those already.” At Stewie’s behest, he then lists off 31 songs named after a girl to prove his point.

Check out the clip; it’s funny. More importantly, however, it inspired me to make a Spotify playlist of all the songs Brian named, and then some. If you’d be so kind, please check it out — “Songs Named After a Girl” — and give it a follow. I’m the creator, hadams3-us (original, I know).

But enough with the shameless self-promotion.

I bring this up because, of all the pieces I’ve written in my time at Notre Dame, the most popular, it seems, have been about music. Being in the sports department, I don’t get to write about it much (but you should check out our “authoritative pre-game playlist”). So the point of this piece is to give songs named after girls their due praise –– praise which Brian apparently feels they don’t deserve.

Don’t get me wrong, I fully acknowledge that the market is saturated with girl-named songs (I’m currently up to 154 on my playlist), but there is much to be had from such a massive mishmash of melodies. Firstly, there’s a quasi-rainbow of options from which to choose, from blue (“Suite: Judy Blue Eyes”

and “Jackie Blue”) to black (“Black Betty” and “BlackEyed Katy”) to brown (“Sweet Georgia Brown”).

Speaking of Georgia, she and Virginia dominate the stately-named females demographic, with John Mayer, Jim Croce, Vance Joy, Train and The Rolling Stones covering that duo. And speaking of the state of Georgia, we’ve got Sammy Kershaw’s “Vidalia” leading the group of plant-based ladies, along with “Cherry Cherry,” “Daisy Jane,” “Jennifer Juniper” and “Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes).”

Of course, I think we can all agree that the real appeal of these songs arises from a similar source, as does our love for those gas station keychains and that 2014 Coca-Cola bottle marketing campaign: You want to find your own name (or that of your significant other).

I can pretty much guarantee you that you’ll have better luck with songs than bottles and name tags if your name is “Rhiannon,” “Amoreena” or “Sharona.”

On the opposite end of the spectrum, however, is the plethora of songs named after Mary, Emily, Rosie, Sara and Jane. There are some fortunate souls out there with a large romantic arsenal at their disposal if they’ve landed ladies with these more “mainstream” names.

But maybe none of this applies to you. Maybe you’re simply a connoisseur of compositions that honor women. If that’s the case, might I present you the star-powered lineup of The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Elton John, Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond, The Rolling

Stones, Sam Cooke, Simon & Garfunkel, Steely Dan and Zac Brown Band, because they all make frequent appearances on my playlist. Additionally, Fleetwood Mac, Toto and Michael Jackson each have a couple of gems to their name.

What more is there to say? I think I’ve underscored the point enough that, if your desired partner is of the fairer sex, you have an almost unlimited array of romantic armaments to throw her way (as for the males, I’m sorry the music industry is so sexist).

Again though, please check out my playlist. If you have any suggestions, I’m always looking to expand it. Hit me up on Twitter (@HaydenAdamsND) or by email (below). And while you’re at it, I have a request.

There are some “controversial” songs that lack clarity on whether or not they qualify for this list.

I’d like to get some input on tracks like “Jack and Diane,” “Be My Yoko Ono” and “Stacy’s Mom,” and if you, my gracious audience, feel they deserve a place among the rest (for reference, I have allowed Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson” on there). Again, email or Twitter are the best ways to reach me on this.

But regardless of whether or not you have a strong opinion on any of this, I hope I have provided you with some quality listening material. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll eventually be able to name 31 or more songs named after girls off the top of your own head.

Contact Hayden Adams at hadams3@nd.edu

Classifieds

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, september 2, 2020 | The Observer

Crossword | will shortz

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Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Take the plunge, and put your plans in motion. Stop procrastinating, and start moving toward your dream. Once you take the first step, you’ll be glad you did. You have so much to offer and even more to gain. A mix of what you have done and what you are doing now will lead to greater opportunities. Your numbers are 9, 17, 21, 26, 35, 37, 44.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Keep your life moderate and straightforward, and pay close attention to your physical well-being. Don’t take unnecessary risks or give in to someone trying to entice you to partake in something indulgent or risky. When you’re uncertain, slow down and reflect.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Send a message that will inform peers, relatives or friends of a decision you’ve made. The support you receive will help you get what you are trying to achieve up and running. A personal change will bring you closer to someone you love.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Refrain from sharing personal information with someone who can influence your position or standing in your community.

Work quietly on your own until you are happy with what you accomplish.

Someone will try to make you look bad or take advantage of you.

CANCER ( June 21-July 22): Virtual travel and research will pay off. A creative pursuit will help you make positive changes at home that will allow you to make extra money. How you handle a partnership will determine how much help you receive. Romance is encouraged.

LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22): Take care of business, money matters and your reputation. Don’t feel you have to make a change because someone else does. Put your energy into what makes the most sense and brings the highest return. Avoid taking a physical risk.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A change of pace is required. Set new goals that will challenge you. A new hairstyle or fitness routine will lift your spirits and prompt you to pursue your dreams. It’s time to take control and make things happen. Romance is favored.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Sit back and take in what’s going on around you.

Observation will buy you time and save you money. Arguing won’t help you deter others from making a mistake. Do your own thing, and refuse to get roped into someone’s misfortune.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Plan something special for someone you love. Take the initiative, and make a change at home that will add to your comfort and your happiness. Romance, self-improvement and a shift in your routine are featured. A creative pursuit looks promising.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Don’t trust anyone with personal information, passwords or possessions. Concentrate on taking care of business and staying out of trouble. Too much of anything will work against you. Limit yourself to pursuing personal growth and better health.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Investments, partnerships and joint ventures will change the way you live and do things moving forward.

A relationship with someone special will take a positive turn. Home improvements, a better lifestyle and romantic adventure are heading your way.

AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Go at your own pace. You don’t have to keep up with anyone or follow someone taking a path you don’t want to pursue.

Concentrate on what matters to you, and don’t lose sight of the personal goals you set.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Let your intuition guide you and your heart take you in a direction that promises better days ahead. Personal gains, love and romance are within reach; all you have to do is be honest with yourself and others.

Birthday Baby: You are helpful, engaging and persistent. You are charismatic and spirited.

Sudoku | The Mepham Group

Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek

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sports

The observer | wednesday, september 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Mooney

Sports Authority

Angels ruining Trout’s prime Matt Smith Sports Writer

Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published online Aug. 31.

Armed with the best player in baseball for the past ten years, the Los Angeles Angels still haven’t figured out how to become playoff contenders. Mike Trout has won three American League (AL) MVP awards to go along with four runner-up finishes during his time in the big leagues, yet the Angels have only appeared in the playoffs once during that span, getting swept by the Kansas City Royals in the American League Division Series (ALDS) in 2014. However, their moves this past offseason suggested the team was trending in the right direction.

Following a failed experiment with Brad Ausmus at the helm last year, the Angels decided to bring Joe Maddon in as manager. A proven winner, Maddon spent 31 years in the Angels organization earlier in his career before leading the Tampa Bay Rays to an AL pennant in 2008 and the Chicago Cubs to a World Series title in 2016. Thus, bringing Maddon back into the organization seemed like a smart first step in establishing a winning culture.

To go along with Maddon, the Angels signed star free agent third baseman Anthony Rendon to a seven-year, $245 million contract, adding a proven bat to the lineup to pair with Trout in the middle of the order. The Angels also added to their starting pitching depth by trading for Dylan Bundy and signing veteran Julio Teheran to a one-year, $9 million deal. All of these moves signaled that the Angels were ready to start winning now and contend for a playoff spot, especially in a shortened season where the postseason is expanded from the typical ten teams to sixteen.

Despite their offseason activity, the Angels are sitting at 12-24, giving them the secondworst record in baseball. Mike Trout has continued to be his otherworldly self, batting .277/.369/.622 to go along with 12 homers and 32 runs batted in (RBI). Rendon has been impressive for the Angels as well, proving himself worthy of his contract with a .299/.440/.514 slash line and 19 RBI. Overall, the Angels’ offense has scored the seventh-most runs in the league, which should at least

put the team in contention for a wild card spot. However, the rotation has ruined their playoff aspirations.

The Angels have given up the third-most runs in the majors to go along with the seventh-worst team earned run average (ERA) at 5.09.

Their rotation also ranks in the bottom ten in the league in walks, WHIP and opposing batting average. The team’s trade for Bundy has proven largely successful, yet Teheran has been a mess with an 0-2 record and 9.17 ERA. Shohei Ohtani, their star two-way player from Japan, has also been a disappointment on the mound with a 37.80 ERA in two starts.

With the Angels out of the playoff race, the team has turned its focus to next season by trading away second baseman Tommy La Stella, catcher Jason Castro and outfielder Brian Goodwin before the trade deadline Monday. So, do the Angels have any real shot at turning their fortunes around in 2021?

With a farm system that MLB.com ranked No. 26 in the league, the Angels don’t have much hope of a savior coming up through the minors to bolster the rotation.

Thus, the Angels’ top priority should be to lure a highend starting pitcher such as Trevor Bauer or Marcus Stroman to Anaheim through free agency. Bauer has been phenomenal up to this point with a 3-2 record and 2.13 ERA for the Reds, so he should be the main target. The team could also look to acquire a reliever such as Blake Treinen to strengthen its bullpen.

Whatever route the Angels choose, they will need to spend big money if they want to seriously compete in the AL. The COVID-19 pandemic certainly changed the outlook of the season, and the shortened prep time likely didn’t allow the players to gel as they would’ve hoped. Additionally, Maddon might just need more time to build his winning culture from within. Whatever the case may be, the Angels need to figure out their organizational direction soon, otherwise they risk wasting Trout’s prime and depriving the baseball world of watching its biggest star under the bright lights of October.

Contact Matt Smith at msmith88@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Continued from page 16

knows if it’s going to be in a bubble setting again. There’s a lot of talks, a lot of concerns on the G League, whether or not that’s even going to be a thing next year. So just with the combination of all those things, I thought it was wise to look elsewhere, just to have some security.”

Mooney credited former Irish teammates Bonzie Colson and Matt Farrell as well as head coach Mike Brey and assistant coach Ryan Humphrey for being resources to him throughout the decision process.

“Those four guys have been extremely helpful for me just to be able to ask them questions about the process, ask them questions about international basketball, you know what I can expect,” Mooney said. “It’s been awesome to get in touch with those guys and stay connected with them.”

This search for an opportunity eventually led him to Perth, courtesy of his agent, Adam Pensack, who represents other members of the Perth program and was familiar with the organization.

“It kind of worked out well.

Their forward this past year actually moved on so they had an open spot,” Mooney said. “Me being a forward, kind of jumped on it and Perth also saw the opportunity was there so it kind of worked out. … Everything just kind of clicked and I thought it was a great fit.”

Perth, located on the western coast of Australia, is home to over 2 million people,

making it the fourth largest city in Australia. According to Mooney, they have a long tradition of success and their fans have a reputation of being some of the best in the NBL. “They’re are a championship organization,” he said.

“After speaking with their head coach a couple times, I get the sense that they come from a winning background and their values align with mine. Their values include hard work, winning, and respecting everyone in the organization and the community.“ Additionally, Mooney is optimistic that Australia’s aggressive response to the COVID-19 pandemic will allow the league to resume play with some live fans in the near future.

“Last time I talked, they’re planning on having fans. I don’t know if they’re going to do a capacity limit or if they’re going to have everyone in there. As a player you want to play in front of fans so hopefully they’ll allow the fans in there,” Mooney said. ”From what I’ve heard the Perth Wildcat fanbase is crazy and they’re really huge on basketball so I would love to play in front of them.”

For Mooney, one of the best parts of this contract is that it gives him f lexibility to continue to pursue his dream of playing in the NBA. The NBA-out class gives him the ability to continue to prepare for the NBA Draft, which is currently set to take place on October 16. If he gets drafted or is signed as an undrafted agent with an NBA team, then his contract with the Wildcats is voided.

If not, he’ll be on a plane to Australia within a week of the Draft.

“It’s definitely nice to have the f lexibility to still go through the NBA Draft process,” Mooney said. “That’s been my dream as a little kid to play in the NBA so I guess I can have some closure and give it a shot before going over to Perth.”

In addition to the f lexibility the contract offers, Mooney is confident that he would could fit in well with the Wildcats’ style of play.

“They recently had a power forward who was very similar to me and a skill guy who could be versatile and go inside and outside, rebound the ball and can defend. …

I’ve been watching some film on their team and how they used him in particular, and I think I can fit in well and add value to the organization,” he said.

Despite such exciting opportunities on the horizon, Mooney is trying to stay in the moment and focus on the things that are in his control.

“The big thing is just not trying to look too far ahead in the future. I’m just going to try to take it day-by-day and focus on what I can control, which is just trying to get better every day and staying consistent and diligent,” Mooney said. “There’s just a lot of uncertainties, a lot of unknowns in this world. It’s hard to predict what the next few months are going to exactly look like. I just feel like if I continue to do my job on a day-to-day basis, then things will work out.”

Contact Charlotte Edmonds at cedmond3@nd.edu

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I lit up from RenoI was trailed by twenty hounds Didn’t get to sleep that night Till the morning came around.

Set out running but I’ll take my time. A friend of the Devil is a friend of mine.If I get home before daylight.I just might get some sleep tonight. I ran into the Devil, babe. He loaned me twenty bills.

I spent that night in Utah. In a cave up in the hills. I set out running but I take my time A friend of the devil is a friend of mine. If I get home before daylight.

just might get some sleep tonight. I ran down to the levee But the Devil caught me there He took my twenty dollar bill.

And he vanished in the air. I set out running but I take my time. A friend of the Devil is a friend of mine. If I get home before daylight. I just might get some sleep tonight. Got two reasons why I cry. Away each lonely night. The first one’s named sweet Anne Marie. And she’s my heart’s delight. Second one is prison, baby. The sheriff’s on my trail .And if he catches up with me.

I’ll spend my life in jail. Got a wife in Chino, babe. And one in Cherokee First one says she’s got my child But it don’t look like me I set out running but I take my time A friend of the Devil is a friend of mine If I get home before daylight I just might get some sleep tonight Got two reasons why I cry Away each lonely night The first one’s named sweet Anne Marie And she’s my heart’s delight Second one is prison, baby. The sheriff’s on my trail. And if he

catches up with me. I’ll spend my life in jail. Got a wife in Chino, babe The one in Cherokee The first one says she’s got my child But it don’t look like me I set out running but I took my time A friend of the Devil is a friend of mine If I get home before daylight I just might get some sleep tonight.

Look out of any window. Any morning, any evening, any day. Maybe the sun is shining. Birds are winging or rain is falling from a heavy sky. What do you want me to do. To do for you to see you through? For this is all a dream we dreamed. One afternoon long ago Walk out of any doorway.

Feel your way, feel your way like the day before. Maybe you’ll find directionAround some corner where it’s been waiting to meet you. What do you want me to do. To watch for you while you were sleeping? Then please don’t be surprised When you find me dreaming too

sports

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, september 2, 2020 | The Observer

W Bball

Sports Authority

Youth in NBA brings new feeling to playoffs Jamison Cook Sports Writer

As an avid NBA fan, I have become used to watching the greatness of this generation of stars. It seems hard to imagine an NBA without LeBron’s chase-down blocks, Steph’s unlimited range, Kawhi’s unwavering demeanor, Kevin Durant’s pull-up threes, Westbrook’s triple-doubles, and Harden’s prolific scoring. But most of these players will retire this decade, and the league will need a new set of stars to carry the brand forward. This seems to be happening sooner rather than later, and in a year that has seen so much change in every facet of our lives, the NBA seems to be following the trend.

This year’s NBA playoffs are very different from anything the league has seen before. 22 teams traveled to the bubble to resume the season in mid-July, and after a few seeding games, the playoff bracket was set.

Players have quarantined without family members, displayed social justice messages on their jerseys and boycotted games in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake.

Some things are still familiar — the Lakers back in the playoffs, the Celtics dominating the 76ers, LeBron moving to 14-0 in first-round playoff series, Russell Westbrook and James Harden back together — but the fan-free arenas aren’t the only difference this season.

W hile established stars like LeBron, Kawhi and Giannis Antetokounmpo will likely lead their teams to their respective Conference Finals, they have been largely overshadowed thus far in the postseason. The playoffs’ first round has seen the emergence of the league’s young talent in dramatic fashion. If you did not think that Luka Doncic, Jamal Murray, Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum were ready to lead a team in the postseason going into the bubble, think again. The time seems to be now for these youngsters as the NBA begins its transition from one generation of stars to the next.

Despite losing to Clippers, Luka was often the best player on the court in his first-ever playoff series, even though he was playing against reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and perennial All-Star Paul George. He hit a buzzerbeating step-back threepointer to win Game 4, making him the youngest player in NBA history to hit a game-winning buzzerbeater in the playoffs, per ESPN. Luka did all of this in the absence of co-star Kristaps Porzingis for the majority of the series, and he was almost single-handedly responsible for extending the series to six games.

Elsewhere in the West, Denver’s Jamal Murray and Utah’s Donovan Mitchell have caught fire on their way to a Game 7 showdown.

Mitchell and Murray have become just the third and fourth players to have multiple 50-point games in the same series, and the first time that opposing players have multiple 50-point games in the same series, per NBA.com. The breakout of these two might be the most surprising development in the bubble, with Murray finally establishing himself as the costar the Nuggets need alongside Nikola Jokic.

In the East, Tatum dazzled in the Celtics’ sweep of the 76ers, averaging 27.0 points and 9.8 rebounds.

His dominance in this series was relatively quiet, a testament to both his efficiency and the Celtics unselfish style of play.

Tatum is widely recognized as a star, but if he can take the next step and lead the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals by beating an incredibly balanced Raptors team, then he will solidif y his place among the best in the league.

But what does this mean in the short term? Not much this season, at least. With the Mavs eliminated and the winner of the NuggetsJazz series running into the Clippers, there likely will not be too many new faces in the Western Conference Finals. In the East, Tatum and the Celtics will have to find a way to solve the Raptors, who somehow seem better without Kawhi.

If they manage to reach the Eastern Conference Finals,

Please recycle The Observer.

stopping Giannis or the redhot Heat will be a tall task.

Beyond this season, however, the NBA finds itself at a critical juncture. The league and its fans around the world have been blessed for the last 30 years. A “greatest-of-all-time” caliber player has been in the league for the last 35 years, as Michael Jordan’s dominance gave way to Kobe’s and then on to LeBron’s.

W hile the league is full of stars and the highest talent level ever, the question remains as to who will fill that void when LeBron hangs it up. LeBron has not only been a dominant force for years, but he has also been one of the most marketable athletes in recent memory.

This makes the emergence of the young stars in the bubble even more important. As the popularity of the league soars overseas, a new wave of talent is needed to welcome in a new era of NBA basketball. A new face of the league will emerge in a few years, but it seems unclear as to who will distinguish themselves. Will it be reigning MV P Giannis, or will his postseason struggles hold him back? Could it be Luka, whom many believe will be a perennial MV Pcontender? Will Harden finally bring his regularseason scoring dominance to the playoffs? Does Kawhi continue his quiet dominance of the playoffs? Or will someone else catch us by surprise, as Murray and Mitchell have?

2020 has been a year of change. The ways we go to school, work and watch sports have been f lipped on their heads. The NBA bubble has been a massive undertaking that has cost the league hundreds of millions of dollars. But it has allowed them to finish their season, make a stand for social change and, perhaps unexpectedly, discover a new group of young stars who are ready to take the basketball world by storm sooner rather than later.

Contact Jamison Cook at jcook22@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Continued from page 16

unfortunate circumstances of injury,” she said.

“I feel like I have a really great relationship with the coaching staff,” she said. “Watch them, the way that they are able to adapt and adjust to the different strengths of the team, it is really beautiful to be able to watch the incredible talent the coaching staff has.”

In addition to the relationships, it is the small moments that make being a chaplain so special. Before each game, the coaches and support staff all line up, in a specific order, and high five the players as they run onto the court. McGraw usually stood directly behind Tornifolio, but before one game, she lined up in front of her.

“I have this moment of “Do I tap her on the shoulder, and tell her she’s in the wrong place, what do I do?” So I said, ’Coach, you stand behind me. You can’t be in front of me, we can’t screw it up before we start!’ She laughed, and I laughed, and I got in front of her,” Tornifolio said.

Notre Dame has always been an important part of Tornifolio’s life. Growing up Catholic in the small town of Follansbee, West Virginia — the same hometown as legendary Irish coach Lou Holtz — people cheered for two teams — West Virginia football and Notre Dame football. So when the top ranked Irish faced the third-ranked Mountaineers for the 1988 national championship, it was a big deal.

“I remember sitting in church, and our priest giving a homily on what we should do for that game, and it was serious,” Tornifolio recalled. “For one half, you will sit on one side of your living room, and you will cheer for Notre Dame, and for the other half, you will sit on the other side of your living room and you will cheer for West Virginia.”

The Irish ultimately prevailed to claim their 11th national title. “[I’ve been] a fan of Notre Dame for as long as I can remember. It was around sports, and certainly around the football team, and then as I got older, I knew of Notre Dame for its excellence in academics, for ways in which it continues to serve the church, and so as I grew my knowledge of Notre Dame grew as well,” she said.

“When I was ultimately offered a position here, in some ways my family’s dream came true, that I was going to come out here and work at this Catholic institution.”

Tornifolio first came to Notre Dame after hearing about a job opportunity to be a rector.

“I met this wonderful woman by the name of Sister Jean Lenz, and she was in charge of hiring rectors,” Tornifolio said. “She told me, when I asked her, “Sister Jean, can you tell me a little bit about what a rector is, and she said, “Bre, being a rector means sharing life.

You share life with the students, you are with them in their things that are happening that are really great, and you walk with them when they’re experiencing things that are really hard.” And how

13

beautiful it is, and what an amazing witness it is, and how humbling it is, to walk with them on that journey.”

She began as the rector of Pasquerilla East Hall in 2006, where she stayed for three years, before moving on in 2009 to become the first rector at the newly opened Ryan Hall, where she lived for four years.

“That time as a rector, was probably the most blessed time that I’ve had,” she said.

She said being a rector, in many ways, is quite similar to being a chaplain.

“We talk about this in rector world, and I think it holds true now. A ministry of presence, to be there, to be around, in some ways, to be prepared if you might be needed, to be present, physically present, if I can be there,” Tornifolio said “I’m at the games, I’m in the locker room, I lead prayer with the team before every game. The prayer will vary depending on what’s happening in our world, or what’s happening with the team. I get to be around, and I’m grateful for this, when the women have a recruit come in, I get to meet the recruit, I get to meet their families, which is really lovely and a great way to welcome our students before they even come.”

Tornifolio was first approached about the chaplaincy by Sister Sue Dunn, the chaplain of the team at the time, who wanted to add a co-chaplain.

“I ended up going to lunch with Sister Sue, Coach McGraw, their director of [operations], Stephanie Menio, and one of their newer assistant coaches, Niele Ivey, we went over to Legends to have lunch, and we talked. We got to know one another, started to form a good relationship, I got to know them, they got to know me a little bit,” she said. “[I] started going to the different games with Sister Sue. Building that relationship with them, and then finally, after being around, and knowing them, ‘Okay, let’s do this, lets have two chaplains here, more resources, more women to be around,’ which I thought was beautiful. Sister Sue and I served as co-chaplains, for about two or three years until she left Notre Dame, and took on a different position, and I have been doing it solo ever since.”

Tornifolio said she has grown from the experience.

“It’s something that actually has really awed me and inspired me about this women’s basketball team, and that is the way that it’s a family, it is a Notre Dame women’s basketball family,” she said.

“When you are around this team, you realize that the relationships extend beyond just the players and the coaches, but I have been so inspired by the dedication that coaching staff and the players have to the community. It all comes back to the Notre Dame family. I think Sister Jean’s words to me of sharing life in so many ways is how I feel like I’ve lived out my time at Notre Dame, now starting my 15th year here.”

Contact Liam Coolican at lcoolica@nd.edu

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Sports

The observer | wednesday, september 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

OBSERVER roundtable

Observer Roundtable : Conference Champs Liam Coolican, Dominic Gibson, Patrick Gallagher, David Kramer and Aidan Thomas Sports Writers

After a brief hiatus, the Observer Roundtable will be continuing our coverage of the presumptive 2020 college football season with Power 5 conference championship picks. Much as we did with our top-25 teams and top-10 quarterbacks, we are including the Big Ten and Pac-12 in our selections, regardless of whether Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields’ petition is successful in letting them play in the fall, they play in the spring or they don’t play at all. We refuse to give them the satisfaction of depriving college football fans of the content they deserve.

Without further ado, on to the picks.

Aidan In the ACC, it’s Clemson and Notre Dame, and then everyone else. Florida State and Miami are extremely talented but they’ve struggled to put things together in recent years. UNC is an intriguing darkhorse, as is Virginia Tech and Louisville, but ultimately, the Irish and Tigers are the clear top two teams in the conference. I like Notre Dame’s depth this season far more than the last time they took on Clemson, and I’m going with the shocker — ND over Clemson for the ACC Championship.

Recent reports have the Big Ten possibly trying for a late fall/early winter season, and it’ll be interesting to see whether any top prospects renege on their opt-out decisions. I initially had Penn State winning this, but their lack of home-field advantage in the Ohio State clash makes things tough, as does the loss of Micah Parsons on their defense. Ohio State edges out Penn State in the East while Wisconsin squeaks out of the West but gets clobbered by the Buckeyes, by 24 points in the title game.

Recent mayhem out of Norman, Oklahoma has shaken my confidence and the Sooners in the Big 12.

While I will not walk by my original prediction too much — Oklahoma still makes the championship — but give me the Texas “We’re Back” Longhorns putting the nail in the coffin on Oklahoma’s five-year reign in the Big 12.

When it comes to the Pac12, the conference is either boring (with a lack of true national contenders) or exciting (literally everybody is mediocre, so the title chase is never

a runaway). Depends on how you look at it. Last year, Oregon and Utah both gave the CFP a half hearted chase, with Oregon losing a week before the Pac-12 championship and Utah getting blown out of the water by the Ducks in the Pac-12 title clash. This year, I anticipate Utah to take a huge fall, and USC to make a big jump. Slovis would have been a Heisman contender if he had the chance to play, and I think he puts the Trojans back on top, defeating Oregon in the championship.

Finally, I think the downfall of LSU is being largely overplayed and I think the SEC West comes down to Alabama’s trip to Death Valley. While I’m picking Alabama, it’s not with a high degree of confidence, as I think LSU may get consideration as a playoff team with only 3 Power-5 conferences in play. In the east, give me Georgia. I like Kyle Trask more than Jamie Newman, but the Bulldogs’ defense may very well be the best in the country, and I’m not sure Trask has the running game behind him to defeat Georgia this year. In the title game, it’s Bama over Georgia in a nail-biter.

David The ACC, far and away, stands as the Power Five conference with the greatest amount of disparity between its elite contenders and second-rate pretenders.

The chasm of talent undoubtedly boils to Notre Dame and Clemson fending off the lurking UNC and Virginia.

Notre Dame’s borderline bullying of ACC teams in the past few years surely should encourage us, and the home matchup against Clemson serves as a precursor to the ACC Championship game.

A battle between two established quarterbacks, Ian Book and Trevor Lawrence, will leave the latter with greater composure and command in the big playoff situation. Sigh.

Clemson takes the ACC title.

To even begin to write about the Big Ten makes me sad, but I’ll look to keep my composure as I root against Ohio State football for consolation. The developmental factory out of Columbus, Ohio makes for a formidable opponent every year, no matter the overpowering quarterback that emerges from their pipeline. Despite its off-season losses (enter Rashod Bateman), I expect Minnesota to compete with Wisconsin for the West as Ohio State squeezes by Penn State. The Gophers have no business winning at Camp Randall this year, but look for

an upset as Minnesota faces the Buckeyes in the Big 10 Championship. Ohio State by 10.

The Big 12 carries the greatest amount of uncertainty for this year. TCU looks to rebuild behind Max Duggan and reclaim their former dominance. Baylor hopes to recover from the tremendous amount of lost talent from their strong squad last season. And Oklahoma just hopes for a mediocre defense, per usual. But above all, Texas’ seemingly agonizing stretch of Texas, Oklahoma, Baylor and Oklahoma State in the heart of their schedule should determine the fate of their opponents. Look for Oklahoma State to upset Oklahoma in regular-season play and twist the knife against Baylor in the Big 12 Championship.

Ah, yes, now on to the puppet of the Big 10. The Pac-12 always leaves much to be desired, so I hesitate to invest too much into this pick. Yet here we are. Oregon stands alone as a talented contender, and while great lengths still stand between them and a dynasty out West, I expect them to cruise past their competition in the North.

Admittedly, the South presents a slightly tighter fight for a slot in the title, as USC and Utah present a strong arsenal of well-established returning weapons. Kedon Slovis should become the bane of Pac-12 defenses’ existence and make a strong Heisman case. Oregon over USC in the Pac-12 game … and expect a massive yawn from yours truly.

With LSU beyond its all too brief golden age, the SEC title is back up for grabs. Florida and Georgia will continue to dominate in the East, surprising no one. Kyle Trask returns to Gainesville for his senior year as a true underdog recruit; his admission into Florida as a two-star recruit, commitment to earning a Master’s degree despite his NFL potential and contention for the Heisman all make for an incredible story this season. LSU falls just short of the title game, losing to Alabama in Week 7. Florida inches past Georgia in the East, faces the ever-titanic Alabama in the title game, and the Gators emerge as a major CFP contender.

Liam It should be a competitive battle for the second spot in the ACC championship game.

As much as I want to pencil Notre Dame in there, they’ll face stiff competition from UNC, Virginia and probably several surprises. UNC is

poised to contend this year, and with Heisman contender Sam Howell and most of their production returning, they’ll have an advantage in a shortened offseason. They also play an easier schedule, avoiding Clemson, and have the late-season game against the Irish is at home. However, none of this will be enough to beat Clemson. Tigers roll to a sixth-straight ACC title.

I’m high on Penn State in the Big Ten this year, but I don’t think they have quite enough to topple Ohio State, as the Buckeyes are just too dynamic. It will come down to a late-season game in Happy Valley, and in a normal season, I might give the edge to Penn State and their terrific home-field advantage, but the Buckeyes should squeak by. In the West, no team sticks out as a favorite.

Minnesota will likely take a step back, with star receiver Rashod Bateman opting out. Wisconsin doesn’t have a clear replacement for Jonathan Taylor’s production, and Iowa is facing a whole host of culture problems. In this strange season, anything can happen, so I’ll take Nebraska to come out of the West. If Adrian Martinez can finally stay healthy, the offense should be very good, and while the defense is young, it certainly has talent.

However, the Buckeyes will be too tough on both sides on the ball for the championship game to be very competitive.

If Spencer Rattler is anywhere near as good as expected, Oklahoma should be far and away the best team in the Big 12, and even if he isn’t, the rest of the conference is rather weak. Oklahoma State has dysfunction in the locker room, and Texas is perennially overrated.

Iowa State should continue to improve, and Les Miles’ Kansas team won’t be as bad as many think, but I’m picking a rematch with Baylor in the championship game.

Even with Matt Rhule gone, the Bears still return seven starters on offense, and they should be able to put up a lot of points, which is crucial to winning in the Big 12.

The Pac-12 is by far the weakest Power 5 conference, but it should still provide some competitive action. In the North, Washington has talent, but doesn’t have a clear starter at quarterback, nor does Oregon to replace Justin Herbert. The Ducks will certainly be very good no matter who is under center, but I think it is Cal’s year in the North. They certainly have the defense, and Chase Garbers leads a dynamic offense. In the South, Utah will

challenge again returning several starters, and Arizona State figures to continue to improve, but USC’s offense is by far the best in the conference and that should be enough to send them to the championship game.

Cal should give them a run for their money, but USC’s depth should carry them to a victory.

The SEC will most likely be the most competitive conference. In the East, Georgia and Florida are the only true contenders, and since Georgia lost so many starters to the NFL, especially on offense, while Florida retains most of its production and should field another dominant defense, I’ll take the Gators.

In the West, LSU will take a step back, but still should be competitive. As I’ve said in other issues of the roundtable, I think Kellen Mond and Texas A&M will be very good this year, and Alabama will be their usual selves, but I like Auburn and Bo Nix. After winning SEC freshman of the year, he only figures to get better and has a terrific supporting cast. This figures to be the most competitive of the championship games, but I’ll take Florida to win in a nail-biter thanks to their defense.

Dom With Notre Dame now in the mix for the ACC title, the race for the second team into the championship game with Clemson just got a lot more difficult. While most people might have Notre Dame as an auto-lock into the second slot, I think UNC and Virginia will pose big threats to that reality. I think the Tar Heels have the most potential to dispatch the Irish with Sam Howell and coach Mack Brown leading the charge but I still feel that Notre Dame will find a way to win and earn a spot into the conference championship game.

While the ACC championship game might be contested a little more, the Tigers are too dominant and will win their sixth championship in a row.

With Justin Fields leading the offense of Ohio State, it is hard to imagine that anyone else will pose a serious threat to the Buckeyes in the East division of the Big Ten. Penn State will most likely come the closest with their talented roster, but the loss of Micah Parson is a serious blow to the team. Out of the West, Wisconsin is my pick to make it to the championship game.

Minnesota will be close behind and give the Badgers the most competition, but I feel Wisconsin is the team with the least amount of holes in

sports

Champs Continued from page 14

its roster. While the West might be tightly contested, the championship game most likely will not be. Ohio State will keep up its dominant ways and win the Big Ten again.

The Big 12 is wide open this year as I think that Oklahoma will not be as dominant as it has been in years past. They will no doubt be tough to play against, but the fact that Spencer Rattler is largely unproven has me hesitant to make them auto locks into the championship game like they have been before.

Texas and Tom Herman are in a must-win season with the threat of another coaching change looming at the door should Herman not win the Big 12 this year. Baylor, despite a coaching change, will still be a salty team as will Iowa State. Ultimately, I think we will see a repeat of the 2018 season, and the Longhorns will take on Oklahoma in Arlington. Sam Ehlinger is the more experienced quarterback and the Horns should have a muchimproved offense to keep the Sooners relatively limited.

This game will still likely be a shootout, but I think the Longhorns edge out Oklahoma and Tom Herman saves his job for another year.

With the lack of any true competition in the Pac 12, it is hard to get a great read on how things might go this season. Compared to the other Power 5 conferences, the Pac 12 are severely lacking. Despite all of this, Oregon seems to be headed in the right direction coming off of a great performance last season. I don’t see them struggling much in the North, especially with the fall of Washington. The Ducks are my pick to make it out. In the South, Kedon Slovis and the Trojans are my pick to make it to the championship game. Utah will remain a solid team but the offense of the Trojans will no doubt win them games, and I think that it will help them edge out the Utes. Despite their improvement, I don’t think this is quite the year for USC and will ultimately fall to Oregon in a close game.

With LSU losing so much this offseason, I see it hard for them to make it back to the SEC championship game. Out of the West, the usual suspects of Alabama and Auburn will most likely contend for that spot, but the Tide are the better team and will edge out the Tigers.

From the East, Georgia and Florida will be most likely to dominate the season.

While both are solid picks to make it through to the

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, september 2, 2020 | The Observer

championship game, Kirby Smart has the better overall team despite the Gators having the edge at the quarterback position with Kyle Trask. Georgia advances to the championship but in 2018 fashion, will fall to the Tide again.

Patrick Due to the Irish’s eligibility, the race for the ACC title game is going to be a whole lot less competitive than usual. Notre Dame and Clemson are a class above all other ACC opponents in talent level, and both programs should easily qualify for this postseason matchup.

Clemson has captured five straight conference championships, and I suspect this trend will continue in 2020.

However, the Irish will have the opportunity to learn more about the Tigers in the regular season, which might lead to a more effective game plan for the ACC championship. I believe that Notre Dame will be able to keep the score close, but it is just too hard to bet against the dominance of Clemson.

Even though Penn State has one of the best overall rosters in college football, I cannot imagine a scenario in which Justin Fields and the Buckeyes miss out on the Big Ten championship.

Ohio State has no shortage of offensive weapons with wide receiver Chris Olave, who would probably exceed 800 yards once again if playing this season. Fields will also have former five-star prospect Garett Wilson as his newest threat downfield.

The young wide receiver is known for his speed and remarkable ball skills, which will allow him to become a breakout phenomenon whenever the Buckeyes take the field next. In the West, I will take Wisconsin because of its formidable defense.

However, it will not be strong enough to overcome Ohio State in Indianapolis.

With the loss of Baylor’s coaching staff and the offseason troubles at Oklahoma State in mind, I expect Texas will have the best opportunity to dethrone Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship.

The Longhorn’s defense could be much improved in 2020 as defensive-end Joseph Ossai enters his junior year.

Ossai finished the 2019 campaign with 90 total tackles, five sacks and two interceptions making him one of the most impactful players in the conference, and I only expect his numbers to improve this season. He is joined by safety Caden Sterns, who recorded four interceptions as a true freshman in 2019 and looks like he might become one of the best pass-defenders west of the Mississippi. Despite the clear talent on Texas’s defense, the Longhorns success

will be predicated on the performance of Sam Ehlinger.

If he can show us more than a glimpse of the skills displayed in last year’s LSU game, I fully expect that Texas will be back and ready to defeat the Sooners.

Despite losing Justin Herbert and a few key offensive linemen, Oregon should be able to rise to the top in the PAC-12 North. Lineman Penei Sewell will be the anchor of the Ducks offense and may be a future top-five pick in the NFL draft. Sewell and a young but skillful offensive line should also allow running back CJ Verdell to play more consistently in 2020.

Last year, Verdell accumulated over half of his 1,220 total yards in three impressive games, and, if he can sustain that level of play for a whole season, Oregon will be hard to beat. However, with a healthy Kedon Slovis, I think USC should be the clear favorite to win the PAC-12 championship. Slovis’ big-play ability is practically unmatched in the NCAA, and he can scorch even the best secondaries on any given night. Jay Tufele and Drake Jackson should also return for a big season on the defensive line. These high-end talents will offset Clay Helton’s coaching shortcomings, and the Trojans should defeat the Ducks thrillingly.

After losing many key starters on both offense and defense, LSU will not return to the SEC title game. Alabama is eager to avenge last year’s gutting 46-41 loss to the Tigers and look to be an even better team in 2020. Najee Harris will almost certainly break 1,000 rushing yards once again for the Tide, and he just might have the best chance to win the Heisman out of all the non-quarterback candidates. Star wide receivers DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle should also make up for Alabama’s lack of top tier talent at the quarterback position. Looking at the SEC East, I think Florida will make it back to the championship for the first time since their horrific 54-16 loss to Alabama in 2016. Kyle Trask’s veteran leadership and familiarity with the Gators’ offensive system should give his program an advantage over Georgia, their only real competition for this spot. Unfortunately for Florida, Alabama is a much better team defensively and will win their ninth SEC championship.

Contact Liam Coolican at lcoolica@nd.edu, Dominic Gibson at dgibson@hcc-nd.edu, Patrick Gallagher at pgallag4@nd.edu, David Kramer at dkramer2@ nd.edu and Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu.

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

Baseball Continued from page 16

the NCA A tournament, could he succeed at Notre Dame?

Aoki was one of the top analytical minds in baseball, but it didn’t translate to on-field success. His teams didn’t hit for much power or average, and while the pitching staff often found more success, in his two last seasons, their ERA ballooned to over 5.00. Players had a great deal of individual success during his tenure. There were 55 MLB draft picks while he was at Notre Dame, but he struggled to win big games.

Aoki did do an admirable job transitioning Notre Dame to the ACC, one of the toughest conferences in baseball, which was certainly a major challenge.

Now is a time in baseball when analytics and advanced scouting have become even more important to most teams. In the MLB, nearly every team uses some form of defensive shift and makes other in-game decisions using analytics.

They use analytics to better understand both their own players and opposing players, allowing them to make decisions based on underlying data rather than simply the “eye test.” Analysts will look at anything from the path a runner takes on the bases to the spin rate on a pitcher’s curveball. This has increasingly held true at the college level as well. Analytics have become especially important for scouting high school players, as the scope of competition is so varied, scouts can more easily predict which skills will translate to the next level.

However, even though conventional wisdom within baseball thinks analytics are the way of the future, there certainly is an argument against them. Hitters may perform better when they simply focus on the pitch rather than determining exactly where a pitcher will throw his changeup or the amount of break on his curveball. Baseball is a game of one-on-one battles, and often the player with the best focus will win. Jarrett certainly isn’t entirely against analytics, but he isn’t as big of a proponent of them as Aoki was.

I was surprised when the Irish hired such an “oldschool” coach who didn’t have any experience coaching in a major conference.

Even though Jarrett’s first season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I am prepared to admit I was

15

dead wrong. The Irish were fantastic through 13 games, going 11-2 including a three game road sweep of North Carolina, winning their last seven prior to the premature end to the season. Jarrett is a proponent of an approachbased, consistent method for his players, and they seem to have responded.

However, it wasn’t just the record that stood out. The underlying stats suggested the hot start was not an anomaly. The Irish averaged an astounding 8.9 runs per game while batting over .300.

They also hit 16 home runs over 13 games, suggesting the lack of power shown by many of Aoki’s teams is long gone. The pitching staff was equally impressive, holding opponents to a .183 batting average while striking out 131 batters. These stats aren’t the advanced statistics that sabermetricians love, but we don’t need them to understand how good Notre Dame was last season.

Another mark of how good Jarrett and his staff were last year was the amount how many of the players he inherited improved. Admittedly, it was a small sample size, but there were marked improvements across the board.

Multiple players, including Eric Gilgenbach and Spencer Myers, saw their batting averages increase by more than 100 points, and the pitching staff’s collective ERA dropped from 5.01 to 3.77. While those statistics couldn’t be expected to hold had the season gone on, especially as the Irish went on to playing more ACC teams, such large increases show how good of a job Jarrett and his staff have done in regards to development.

In 2021, the Irish will have a shot at the ACC title. The approach Jarrett has taken clearly resonates with the players, and they have the talent to be competitive in nearly every game. It will be fascinating to see what happens when the Irish take on teams like Louisville, Florida State and Virginia. There will be some learning curves when taking on these established foes, but this team has proven they can handle it. It’s an incredibly long offseason, but if the team can carry over even some of the momentum it had when the season was postponed, Notre Dame baseball will be a force to be reckoned with.

Contact Liam Coolican at lcoolica@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Write Sports.

Email us at sports@ndsmcobserver.com

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The observer | wednesday, september 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

ND Men’s Basketball

John Mooney signs with Perth Wildcats

By CHARLOTTE EDMONDS Senior Sports Editor

Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published online Aug. 28.

Like much of the world, former Irish forward John Mooney has spent the last six months in a state of flux, unsure of how things will play out. So when the opportunity to continue his career in Australia came along, he had to take it.

Speaking to Mooney back in early May, there seemed little doubt that he’d have settled into his next move by this point.

In fact, up until a few weeks ago his sole focus was the NBA. While that dream is still alive, Mooney recently signed an NBA-out clause on August 14 with the Perth Wildcats, securing a future opportunity while awaiting the NBA adjustments to the new draft timeline.

The decision to pursue opportunities overseas came as events designed for draft exposure were cancelled.

“The Senior Invitational in Portsmouth [Virginia]

was canceled,” Mooney said.

“There’s been no workouts with teams. Up until this point, there’s been no combine.

There’s no summer league.”

These opportunities are especially important for a player like Mooney, who’s game — while productive — isn’t necessarily flashy.

While disappointed in the end to his senior season and the delay to starting his professional career, Mooney has appreciated spending time with family back in Orlando.

“I’m working out, working on my game, trying to get ready for the next level. And that’s kind of just my focus, trying to get better every day,” he said. “…

I guess that’s one of the silver linings of this whole thing is a being able to spend time with family.”

Throughout his time at home, Mooney started to become uneasy about the growing number of concerns regarding the NBA’s return to play next season.

“No one knows when it’s going to start,” he said. “No one see MOONEY PAGE 13

Connery mcfadden | The Observer

Former Irish forward John Mooney shoots a free throw during a 67-56 victory over Duquesne at Purcell Pavilion on Nov. 20, 2018. Mooney recently graduted from Notre Dame and plays basketball in Australia.

ND Women’s Basketball

Baseball

Jarrett clearly right fit for Irish baseball squad

Tornifolio reflects on chaplain role

By LIAM COOLICAN

Liam Coolican

Sports Writer

Sports Writer

Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published online Aug. 31.

Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published online Aug. 31.

W hen Link Jarrett was hired as the new Notre Dame baseball coach last July, I, like many other Irish fans, were surprised by the move.

It was clearly the right time for a coaching change; Mik Aoki had a losing record over his nine year tenure and led the Irish to the NCA A tournament just once.

Considering they had been to the tournament 12 times in 15 years from 1992 to 2006, these last 15 years have been tough for Notre Dame baseball. But many questioned whether Jarrett was the right man for the job.

Although he was a twotime Southern conference coach of the year and had guided UNC Greensboro to

Alexis hernandez | The Observer

see BASEBALL PAGE 15

Irish sophomore infielder Carter Putz prepares for the pitch during a 5-2 victory over Virginia at Frank Eck Stadium on Apr. 5, 2019.

“Hallowed ground” is how Breyan Tornifolio, the chaplain of the Notre Dame women’s basketball team, describes being in the locker room before a game. “[It’s] this sacred space where not very many people get to be.”

Certainly, she has experienced many incredible moments during her time as the chaplain. She vividly recalls the 2018 national championship.

“Being on the court in Columbus, and watching all the former players that coach [Muffett] McGraw has coached come onto the court, talk about Notre Dame family, talk about the importance of family, that was one of the most incredible nights to watch that all happen and unfold,” she recalled.

She remembers watching as the banner was dropped in Purcell Pavilion to celebrate McGraw’s induction into the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011, and when Niele Ivey, who was named as McGraw’s successor this summer, was inducted into the prestigious ring of honor in 2016.

Just as impactful, however, if not more, are the smaller moments she gets to share with players, and the relationships she has built with them.

“Some of my other favorite moments are when it’s more intimate with the team, being able to be in the coaches area before a game, and just being in that space,” she said.

A rector for seven years, she bonded in particular with the players who lived in her dorm, and got closer to those who were recovering from injuries.

“Whether it’s sitting and talking to them before the game started, I think about Mikayla Vaughn or Brianna Turner, these are two incredible, incredible women, that I feel like through them being injured, I’ve gotten to know them a little bit better.

That has been a blessing through see W BBALL PAGE 13