Print Edition for The Observer for Wednesday, October 4, 2023

ND to demolish Fisher and Pangborn

Two new residence halls will be built in their places to help increase total campus bed count

By MAGGIE EASTLAND

Editor-in-Chief

The University will permanently decommission and tear down Fisher and Pangborn Halls this summer and build two new residence halls in their places.

The move will increase the total campus bed count and provide more amenities for students living on campus, according to vice president for student affairs Fr. Gerry Olinger. Hall communities will remain intact throughout the process.

“We’ve got a lot of work in the next couple of years,”

Olinger said. Olinger has taken on interim responsibilities in residential life since Heather Rakoczy Russell’s departure last month.

Next fall, the Pangborn community will relocate to the new men’s residence hall on East Quad between Johnson Family and McCourtney Halls. Fisher will relocate to swing dorm Zahm Hall for two years.

The men of Pangborn will become permanent residents in the new men’s residence hall that will open for the 2024-2025 school year. The name of

Mendoza evacuated after fire

Belles For Life celebrates Respect Life Month

Observer Staff Report

A battery-powered electric skateboard caught fire in the Mendoza College of Business on Monday afternoon near the door of a basement classroom.

The fire was reported around 2:20 p.m., according to University spokesperson Sue Ryan.

Students in professor Chad Harms’ Business Problem

Solving (BPS) class were presenting their Deloitte case studies in room L061 when they heard a pop and noticed an orange glow through a window.

“There was a loud pop, and then plumes of gray smoke started coming in through the cracks of the door,” said Faith Sullivan, a senior marketing

By SAMANTHA GEBERT News Writer

Saint Mary’s Belles for Life is holding several events throughout the week to celebrate Respect Life Month, which began Sunday.

This year’s theme, “A person’s a person, no matter how small,”

was inspired by Dr. Seuss’s “Horton Hears a Who!” said Kathryn Schneider, a Belles for Life member.

To start off the week, the club asked students to show their support by wearing blue, pink or their favorite anti-abortion merchandise to class Monday.

Tuesday, club members invited students to visit the “Cemetery of Innocents” display, which represents the millions of unborn children lost to abortion. The display is located on Marion Island at the center of

Maggie Eastland | The Observer

Firefighters located, extracted and sprayed down the charred, combusted electric skateboard on the Mendoza College of Business’s lawn.

Chancelor Gordon | The Observer

Notre Dame announced Tuesday it will decommission and tear down Fisher and Pangborn Halls this summer. Two new residence halls will be built in their places on South Quad, set to open in August 2026. see HALLS PAGE 4

Samantha Gerbert | The Observer

The Saint Mary’s Belles for Life club organized its “Cemetery of Innocents” display outside of the Haggar College Center on Marion Island, each pink cross meant to represent “157,000 pre-born lives lost.”

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Wednesday An Evening with Camille Dungy Stapleton Lounge 6 p.m.

Dungy reads from her new memoir.

Oil Painting Workshop Innovation Garage 5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Learn to oil paint from a graduate student.

Thursday

Film: “Deep Red” (1975)

Browning Cinema 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Watch an Italian giallo film.

Trivia & Treat Night Stapleton Lounge 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Build-your-own snack bar and triva.

Friday

Signs of the Time Lecture Geddes Hall 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.

Lecture by Mayor James Mueller.

Fall Concert: ND Symphony Orchestra

Leighton Concert Hall 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Fall concert followed by reception.

Saturday

Ideals of Marriage with Fr. Chis

Mendoza

major who was in the classroom. “You could see this glow. It was kind of crackling at first and then there was this large pop.”

With the fire alarm triggered, a stream of black slacks and white collared shirts poured out of the Mendoza College of Business. Moments later, firefighters entered the building and pulled the smoking, charred skateboard onto the lawn to fully extinguish it.

Several members of the lacrosse team including Chris Kavanagh, Patrick Eilers and Michael Lynch were in the BPS class and saw the fire.

“Smoke was coming under the door, and there was a big orange flash,” Lynch said.

Eilers said the “explosion” sounded like a “vacuum” and he described watching the fire spread before quickly exiting.

“The fire was on the right. The exit was on the left. We were just trying to get out and get away from the smoke,” he said.

While they were evacuating, students said they saw Harms put out the fire with some assistance from Mendoza staff, using extinguishers and a water bottle.

“Chad Harms is a hero,”

Chris Zack, another student in the class, said. “He ran into the fire, past it. He grabbed the fire extinguisher. He came back, and he put the fire out.”

Several students added the skateboard outside the classroom belonged to a peer who had previously been scolded for bringing it inside the building.

After putting out the fire, Harms ushered his class into the nearby Stayer Center to finish their presentations.

According to an email from Ryan sent around 4:15 p.m., the fire caused no injuries and its cause is still under investigation. Ryan said Mendoza College of Business was temporarily closed for smoke remediation.

The College sent out an email at 5 p.m. announcing that access to the building to collect personal belongings would be available starting immediately, though the email said there would be no access to the lower level of Mendoza’s southwest wing for at least 24 hours.

Mendoza staff were working to relocate personal belongings left behind in the lower level of the southeast wing to Stayer Center Commons A, according to the College.

Lake Marion in front of Haggar College Center.

The club will host a table Wednesday morning in the Saint Mary’s Student Center with a banner reading, “When do you think human rights begin?” At the table, students will be able to cast a vote answering the question and discuss their response.

Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Monique Chireau Wubbenhort, a senior research associate from the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture at Notre Dame, will speak in the Stapleton Lounge about the roles women have played in the anti-abortion movement.

Finishing up the events of the week, a Students for Life Action Political Leadership workshop will be held all day Saturday in Regina Hall. The workshop will cover the nature of politics, leadership, student government, lobbying and elections.

At yesterday’s Cemetery of Innocents display, 400 pink crosses were on display, each one representing 157,000 lives. Elle Houin, a member of the club and junior at Saint Mary’s, said the crosses are a powerful symbol for the club to commemorate those who have been aborted.

“It means a lot to me. I think it has a really great impact on those who see it. I feel like many people don’t think about the amount of lives that are taken by abortion,” she said.

Along with the crosses, signs were posted reading, “Each cross represents 157,000 pre-born lives lost,” and “150,000 lives, 400 crosses, 63 million souls.”

Club member Alessandra Besachio said the crosses offer a reminder for those who walk by.

“I think it’s a lot easier for people to confront their beliefs when they are physically surrounded by a reminder,” Besachio said.

Besachio said the display is also a powerful reminder for her.

“This display means a lot to me. It’s such a physical reminder for us regarding the sanctity of life and that these are real people that struggled,” she said.

“I think it’s really easy for us in our modern day to read stuff, to see it on Instagram to hear stories about it, but it’s a lot different when you’re standing by a display that shows all these crosses.”

Some members of the club said they feel the club has a bad reputation.

“We’re all about supporting women. And I think a lot of people just kind of label us as evil and not supporting women. That’s just not true,” Houin said.

Schneider said she feels the club empowers women.

“Saying that women need abortions is like saying that they can’t be mothers and have a career,” she said. “We are prowomen because we want them to be able to do both. We don’t think that they should sacrifice the life of their child too.”

Contact Samantha Gebert at sgebert01@saintmarys.edu

Award-winning professor talks inspiration

By KATYELYN WALDSCHMIDT

News Writer

Harvard professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Annette GordonReed is coming to Saint Mary’s next week for a discussion of her latest book, “On Juneteenth.” Gordon-Reed’s “On Juneteenth,” takes a look into Juneteenth’s history and origins in Texas through the lens of both Gordon-Reed’s childhood in Texas and the broader scope of U.S. history.

In an interview with The Observer, Gordon-Reed broke down her inspirations for the book and what motivates her to write.

“Even when I was a kid, I wrote short stories and essays because I loved to read. And from that it went from learning to read other people’s writing to wanting to do it myself. It’s just an activity that I feel comfortable doing,” she said.

The impetus for “On Juneteenth” came during the pandemic. While holed up in her apartment in New York, she wanted to write something sentimental about her late parents’ lives and her childhood, she said.

“And I began to think

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

the new dorm has not been announced.

The new halls on South Quad will not be named Fisher and Pangborn because the former donor agreements only extend through the life of the building. They will be built in the neo-gothic style and are set to open in the fall of 2026 after two years of construction.

On Pangborn’s former foundation, the University will build a new women’s residence hall. In Fisher’s place, a men’s residence hall will be constructed. The Fisher community will move back into that hall once it is complete, after two academic years in Zahm Hall.

Although older dorms like Sorin Hall were designed to withstand restoration, the physical structures of Pangborn and Fisher do not lend themselves to the same types of renovation, Olinger said.

In total, the construction projects involving five residence halls will

about my parents who are no longer living and what they would have made at this moment.

“I thought I wanted to write something that would allow me to sort of relive our lives together. And so it was kind of a sentimental thing for me to do to bring them back into my orbit,” GordonReed said.

Gordon-Reed said her books often focus on the earlier history of the U.S. She said her specialty consists of the founding era between the American Revolution and the 1830s. Major issues that have plagued the country became commonplace during this time, she said.

“And a lot of the problems that the country has had to deal with were during that time, you know, the institution of slavery, the status of women, status of indigenous people, the development of American law … all of these things get set during that time period,” she said.

Gordon-Reed’s personal experiences growing up in Texas helped shape the book, she said.

“There are moves in Texas to stop people from talking about anything that they feel might

add 445 more beds in two years’ time.

Holy Cross Hall in 1990 was the last Notre Dame dorm to be decommissioned and torn down. Grace and Flanner Halls were decommissioned in the 1990s, but those buildings remain standing as offices and classrooms.

“As a result of this construction and the completion of the new men’s residence hall on East Quad, the University will further strengthen its investment in residential life at Notre Dame, accommodate the residency requirement, and permanently guarantee housing to all transfer students,” Olinger wrote in an email sent to students around 8:30 p.m.

Members of residential life met with the Fisher Hall and Pangborn Hall communities earlier Tuesday evening to discuss the transition.

Olinger said the plan — two residence hall demolitions and three new residence hall construction projects — is part of the University’s efforts to expand capac -

make white students uncomfortable. But there’s no way around the fact that slavery in the United States and slavery in Texas was racially based,” she said.

Mentioning the ways people try to avoid the discomfort that comes with discussing slavery is essential to evaluating the issue, she said.

“You can’t really have an honest discussion about that without bringing that side of it up,” Gordon-Reed said.

Her grade school and high school history classes didn’t fully cover issues like slavery, she said.

“From my perspective, I grew up in Texas and we had to take Texas history twice. You could take it again in high school. So you could have three years of Texas history and these kinds of tough issues didn’t come up,” GordonReed said.

This trend is changing, but not without backlash, she said.

“We have this new openness for the past 20 or 30 years about talking about history in a more expansive way,” she said. “And now there’s backlash against that.”

Despite Gordon-Reed’s primary field being law,

ity, relieve overcrowding and create physical building improvements following the six-semester residency required announced in 2017.

“You’re taking two buildings that don’t have a huge capacity and replacing them with buildings with larger capacity, and then adding an entirely new hall,” Olinger said.

Limited space for transfer students, particularly those in the Holy Cross Gateway program, has been a cause for concern among students and parents in recent years. By expanding residence hall capacity through this project, the University will guarantee on-campus housing for all transfer students.

“Transfer students are a really important consideration,” Olinger said.

“We believe very much in the importance of residential life. That’s why the University instituted the three-year residency requirement. Being able to give everyone that opportunity is really important to us.”

As the University

she believes that the two tie into each other and that her experience in law has only helped her writing.

“I think the biggest tie is the question of evidence. Part of history is about amassing evidence to support the conclusions you want to reach.”

Just as the concepts of justice and fairness are crucial to law, they apply to history as well, she said.

“When you write about slavery, it seems to me a matter of justice for enslaved people for you to take seriously the things they say. Doesn’t mean you have to believe everything, but you have to treat them with a degree of respect and dignity.

“That’s a part of what people who become lawyers want to do is be a voice for the downtrodden. That aspect comes into my writing as well. I’m writing about people who for many years were writing about slavery, writing about people whose words were kind of dismissed,” Gordon-Reed said.

Despite being an awardwinning author, GordonReed acknowledges that not everyone will be pleased with her work.

continues to conduct major dorm renovations, such as the ongoing project in Breen-Philips, beds are often lost to common spaces, kitchens and gyms. The 400-plus beds added through the maneuver will make up for beds lost during renovations of older dorms.

Both new halls on South Quad will have slightly larger footprints than its decommissioned predecessor to allow for more common spaces and amenities. The buildings will also have air conditioning.

Although the buildings will look similar to recent construction, Olinger said the University wanted to match the style of South Quad and South Dining Hall. The new women’s dorm, for example, may have “a little bit of a tower” that functions as a beacon at the end of South Quad, Olinger said.

Hall staff and current students “will decide how to best honor each hall’s legacy, including what traditions to uphold and the placement of hall

“Experience in law works into this very well because lawyers always know that there’s going to be an opposite side. I expect it and sometimes it’s invigorating. It can make you a better writer, more clearer in your presentation, your arguments,” Gordon-Reed said.

Her lecture at Saint Mary’s will encourage attendees to connect their personal experiences to history.

“I want people to think about their own personal connection to history. I think that anybody could write the history of their state or where they’re living through their family story,” she said.

People should see themselves as a figure of history, she said. This doesn’t involve doing anything famous or noteworthy; instead, all it takes is understanding how people fit into society.

“Your story of Texas may be very different from my story of Texas,” GordonReed said. “But it’s the story of Texas and things that happen to your family.”

Contact Katelyn Waldschmidt at kwaldschmidt01@saintmarys.edu

memorabilia,” according to Olinger’s email.

Olinger said that the Fisher Regatta, the hall’s springtime boat race across St. Mary’s Lake, could be renamed and preserved through the transition.

The three goals of the coordinated project are to increase the total bed count on campus, retain hall communities and provide similar amenities — social lounges, workout facilities and square foot per student — in every residence hall.

Over the past decade, Notre Dame residential life has completed major renovations in dorms including Dillon, Alumni, Morrissey, Badin, Walsh and Sorin. Breen-Phillips will soon join that list. The University has also built four new residence halls in that time — Baumer, Flaherty, Dunne and Johnson Family.

“It’s a good illustration of how important our residential communities are,” Olinger said.

Contact Maggie Eastland at meastlan.edu

By MICHAEL ASKINS Scene Writer

Indie rock band The National recently surprisedropped their tenth studio album “Laugh Track” as a follow-up to “First Two Pages of Frankenstein,” which they released earlier this year. If you are unfamiliar with the band, The National is made up of frontman Matt Berninger, brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner and brothers Scott and Bryan Devendorf, all friends from Cincinnati, Ohio, who came together to form The National more than 20 years ago in Brooklyn, N.Y.

You may know of Aaron Dessner from his recent collaborations with big name artists like Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, producing albums like Swift’s “folklore” and “evermore” and Sheeran’s “- (Subtract)” and recently released “Autumn Variations.” The National as a whole featured on Swift’s “evermore” on the song “Coney Island.”

“Frankenstein” and “Laugh Track” are the National’s first projects in the aftermath of these collaborations that brought new attention, including mine, to the band. Aaron credits working with these artists — particularly Swift — with teaching them “just to keep moving and to have confidence and maybe to not think so hard, to

just be productive without criticism, and put out more music.”

The songs found on these projects were written together, then split into the two albums and recorded separately. Berninger has been open about his struggles with depression and writer’s block, themes that he explores in his lyrics across both “Frankenstein” and “Laugh Track.” “Frankenstein,” which features artists Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens, is melancholic and introspective. “Laugh Track,” featuring Phoebe Bridgers, Bon Iver and Rosanne Cash, is more upbeat and alive, while keeping a fairly consistent overall sound with its sister record. This dichotomy is reflected in the album covers of the two records. They feature the same art of a young boy, but the cover of “Laugh Track” replaces the muted tones of “Frankenstein’s” cover with more vibrant and full coloration. “Laugh Track” also replaces the blank background of “Frankenstein” — representing its more introspective point of view, with the world around the boy.

Some of the best moments on “Laugh Track” are the three features, as Berninger’s deep vocals blend incredibly well with those of their collaborators on the record. “Weird Goodbyes,” one of three songs that were released prior to the album as singles, features Aaron’s Big Red

Machine collaborator Bon Iver. The song explores the feeling of trying to hold onto memories and things you have lost. The chorus reflects on the moment these memories come rushing back, and the realization that there was no proper end. “It finally hits me, a mile’s drive / ... / The grief, it gets me, the weird goodbyes.” Phoebe Bridgers also lends her ethereal vocals to the titular “Laugh Track,” a song about vulnerability and doubt in a relationship, and Rosanne Cash joins Berninger on the country-sounding “Crumble.”

“Space Invader” is a slow reflection about regrets and overthinking, these thoughts coming into one’s head “like a space invader.” The chorus is a series of what-if questions about things the singer could have done differently, and the outro sees them at “quarter after four in the morning” repeatedly asking “Why’d I leave it like that?” The album ends with the nearly eight-minute-long “Smoke Detector,” in which Berninger spirals out with repeated verses and increasingly desperate vocals, which you can hear most clearly in his delivery of the line “at least I’m not on the roof anymore” on the second run through of the verses. When talking about the song, Berninger said “It felt like the epitaph, burn it all down at the end.”

Contact Michael Askins at maskins@nd.edu

By LUKE FOLEY Scene Writer

“The Creator” is a film that shouldn’t be such a rarity, but it is in our current Hollywood landscape. A midbudget original sci-fi film released in theaters is something worth celebrating. But is it something worth watching? The latest film from Gareth Edwards, director of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “Godzilla,” is beautifully crafted with some wonderful world-building and action, but its poorly executed themes and shallow script weaken the film’s quality.

“The Creator” takes place in a near future where robots and artificial intelligence have rapidly advanced, giving birth to “simulants” or very human-like robots. Our main protagonist is Joshua, played by John David Washington, a jaded American soldier whom the U.S. sends to pro-AI New Asia to capture and destroy the AI’s newest weapon, a simulant child powerful enough to defeat the U.S. and win the war between them single-handedly.

The greatest strength of the “The Creator” is its direction and VFX. The film quickly engrosses you in its world, as the costumes, props and set design combine for some very effective world-building. Edwards and the crew’s decision to shoot most of the movie in real locations in Thailand adds a lot of weight and

immersion to the movie. Furthermore, the VFX is outstanding, especially considering the $80 million budget. This film’s VFX adeptly manages to have humans, simulants and robots all on-screen simultaneously, interacting with each other in an authentic, seamless manner. All the action scenes with their futuristic laser guns and large explosions are also beautifully rendered and shot. I was never once taken out of the film because of bad CGI and I don’t remember the last time I felt that way watching a movie.

The biggest problems with the film lie with its story and script. I want to preface this by saying that, despite my strong opposition to AI, I am not opposed to pro-AI films, which “The Creator” confidently is. In fact, “A.I. Artificial Intelligence,” Steven Spielberg’s heartbreaking masterpiece that empathically and intelligently explores the implications of humanlike AI, is one of my favorite films of all time. However, “The Creator” is very careless and unconcerned about making a compelling argument about why we should value AI the same as humans. It characterizes the AI robots as being the same as humans, yet never takes the time to delve into the feelings and traits of any of the AI characters, which ironically deprives them of the humanity the movie argues they have. Moreover, it ignores any possible issues with their existence beyond the war they’re facing. It’s a cowardly, lazy move and robs the

film’s pro-AI theme of any weight.

The film’s characters are also underdeveloped and lack depth. Joshua’s character arc from an AI-hating U.S. soldier to an AI ally dedicated to defeating the U.S. government is barely justified or elaborated on. He meets the AI’s secret weapon, which happens to be an endearing little kid named Alphie and, suddenly, all his bigotry against AI disappears after one road trip montage with the kid. It’s such a cop-out and leads to the film’s central relationship between Alphie and Joshua feeling incredibly rushed, which subsequently removes a lot of stakes in the film’s narrative.

There is no questioning that “The Creator” is exceptionally directed and crafted. Its visuals are gorgeous and I respect the audacity of “The Creator” to have such a pro-AI message at a time when there is so much, in my opinion, valid concern and worry about the continued proliferation of AI However, it never justifies this message due to shallow character development and a lack of meaningful depth and insight into AI, ultimately preventing the film from being great. I’m happy Edwards made a film that will leave him spared when AI inevitably rises up and conquers us, but he left me no choice but to write a review that will condemn me to be their prisoner.

Contact Luke Foley at lfoley2@nd.edu

Why don’t we dance? My two cents on internationalization

Cecelia Swartz

Imagine this: You are at a formal, an SYR or a wedding and the DJ is amazing. A song comes on that you just have to dance to, so you get up, get on the floor and … jump up and down. Maybe your hands go in the air; maybe you sing along.

We call this dancing. This is not dancing. This is jumping enthusiastically to music. Is it fun? Yes. Is it dancing? No.

I, too, thought this was all dancing at parties could be until I discovered the world of social dancing. What is social dancing, you may ask? Social dancing is an umbrella term for a set of improvised partner dances done at parties or social gatherings. There are many different types. A non-exhaustive list of the ones I know how to do include the 19 ballroom and Latin dances like the Waltz, Tango, Cha Cha and Rumba; several styles of swing dance like Lindy Hop and Charleston; the “club” (i.e. non-ballroom) Latin dances like the Salsa and Bachata and Argentine tango. There are more, but you get the gist.

The dances are all centered on skills called leading and following where one partner, the leader, improvises and initiates the moves of the dance, and the other partner, the follower, responds to the lead’s nonverbal signals through their connection and executes the asked-for move. Each style of dance is characterized by the music it is danced to, the way the dance is counted and the unique steps and patterns of the dance. Some dances, if they are in the same family, like the cha-cha and the rumba, which are both ballroomstyle Latin dances, might have the same patterns with different timings, which makes it easy to learn them together.

I started social dancing sort of on impulse. It was fall 2021, my sophomore year when things were just starting to open up after covid, and the swing dance club was active again. I thought swing dancing looked fun and chill, and so I joined. Then, later that semester, the swing dance club had a joint event with the ballroom dance club, and I saw 18 other styles of partner dancing I could learn, so I joined ballroom. By this point, I was too far down the rabbit hole. Ballroom competitions soon followed, and now I spend arguably too much time per week in a dance studio.

I have always been a dancer, but I grew up Irish dancing, which is a highly technical style designed for the stage and for competition. Ballroom and swing, while I do perform for both and compete for ballroom, are at their heart social dances. They are designed in such a way that once you know how to do them, you can dance with someone you have just met even if you don’t speak the same language, and that level of connection and communication between two strangers as they create art is what makes the social dances so beautiful.

Then, I went abroad to Dublin. I could not find a social ballroom in Dublin, but I did find social swing, and céilís (social Irish dance), and then salsa, and then Argentine tango. Yes, I learned Argentine tango in Dublin and had a great time. It was one of the most immersive parts of my study abroad. I would go to a social, alone or with friends, and meet people of all ages from all over Ireland and Europe. I’d have one partner who had lived in Dublin their whole life and then another one from Poland. I even managed to go swing dancing while on a weekend trip to Edinburgh. The céilís in particular held a special place in my heart because it was one of the first times in a while I had been able to Irish dance purely for the joy of it and not worry about being perfect for an audience or judges (I do still love to perform and compete though, but dancing for dancing’s sake is different).

At the same time, I got to participate in the active creation of an art form that I have loved since I was little. I was that little girl who wanted to be a Disney princess and do the waltz. Now, I have options for what type of waltz I want to do for a given song, and if a waltz doesn’t fit, then a foxtrot, tango, rumba, cha cha, swing or one of the other styles I know probably will. To be able to meet someone totally random and then dance a full song with them as you actively participate in the creation of art for nothing more than the love of it is one of the purest forms of human connection I have ever experienced and can sometimes feel magical.

What happened to me in Dublin holds true at home, both in Maryland, where I am from, and at Notre Dame. Dancing at Notre Dame with the ballroom and swing dance clubs has helped me make some of my best friends on campus and helped me engage with the greater South Bend community. There are weekly ballroom socials that the club sometimes attends on Fridays at Forever Dance, and even though I haven’t made it yet, I want to try the weekly Latin nights at Ironhand Wine Bar. When I am home in Maryland, there are several places I like to go dancing that have introduced me to people I never would have met otherwise.

The best part? It’s a lifelong skill. Every time I go out dancing, my partners range from my age to people in their sixties and seventies. I have also met upper-level dancers at competitions who started competing in college and continued for the next decade. Once you learn how to dance, you have that knowledge forever.

Social dancing is not something I ever thought I would do, but now that I do it, I could never imagine living without it. It has enriched my life in so many ways from helping me meet new people anywhere I travel to allowing me to actively engage in a gorgeous art form while I am simply doing something for fun. Also, now, when I am at a party, I know what to actually do on the dance floor for any song beyond just enthusiastically jumping to music. It is so much better.

So, I ask, why don’t we dance?

You can contact Cecelia at cswartz@nd.edu.

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

What is the purpose of a university education? Why are you here? Ideological tools of analysis. In his sermon during the opening mass last year, University President Fr. John Jenkins said much as opportunities to intervene directly in the war in Ukraine were foreclosed to the attending faithful, they could continue to make sense of the occurrences of the time in their classrooms. This is what he was appealing to: the idea of the university as the site for strategic retreats where students acquire the tools to make sense of reality.

For Notre Dame, this exercise is not an end in itself but a necessary precondition to transform and perhaps transcend that reality. Put simply, one cannot change fundamentally what one does not understand. The world is complex. Tools of analysis are thus conceptual paraphernalia we employ to process this complexity in order to effectively engage with the world and contribute to its forward march. How do you make sense of your existence as an individual and your place in the world, the exigency of our ecological crisis, the current strike by American auto workers, the development impasse in Africa? What intellectual and spiritual tools do you employ to decipher such questions? Those are tools of analysis. We all have some and they can be refined over time.

To the world, Notre Dame sells the promise of a holistic education: body, mind and spirit – oft represented by the Main Building, library and the Basilica. If the purpose of education is to satiate the most exigent needs of society, to form holistic men and women who can facilitate political and social revolutions, then the student is a vessel. Carriers of the hopes and dreams of society. This view may not be popular in a setting where the allure of personal advancement at the expense of society is so infectious, but we will maintain it nonetheless.

Notre Dame by default produces leaders of the world – its elite. They can pretend away or even shirk the responsibility but the men and women who get out of this school will one day rule the world. If this hasn’t been happening, the aspiration is clear in the new strategic framework. Notre Dame aspires to have many more of her students take an interest in public service thereby prevailing, for many, over the temptation of corporate America represented by our business school. Part of the aspiration is also an effort toward internationalization – helping Notre Dame become less white both in composition and thought. As it stands, the University is a truly North American institution in both regards.

What happens when you lure in students who are genuinely curious about and intent on fundamentally transforming their communities and fail to deliver? Is this something the University risks as it pursues greater internationalization?

In the new strategic framework, Notre Dame considers need-blind admissions for international students as a step in the right direction. The increasing internationalization of Notre Dame in admissions creates a demand – even though students may be

unaware because of that old paradox – you don’t know what you don’t know. A demand from the newly admitted for spaces and people where and with whom they can seriously engage exigent issues back home. Where they can acquire tools of analysis.

Exactly 58 years ago, then-President of the one-year-old Guinea, Ahmed Sékou Tourémade made a speech in Conakry where he said: “To take part in the African revolution it is not enough to write a revolutionary song; you must fashion the revolution with the people. And if you fashion it with the people, the songs will come by themselves, and of themselves. In order to achieve real action, you must yourself be a living part of Africa and of her thought.” Her thought. That’s the challenge. How does one remain part of the thought of a region from which one is physically removed in the face of very imposing alternatives? For Africans for example, there’s an obvious challenge trying to study the continent from outside with the view of having a lasting impact there. This is not helped by a dearth of directed scholarship on the region. A cursory look at the current menu of courses validates this point.

In the past two years, I have had interactions with comrades who, even in the safety of the Notre Dame bubble and the promise of America, are still concerned about how they can transform the political and social realities back home. These students need faculty who have dedicated their lives to some of these questions to help guide their thinking, disabuse them of naivete and keep their revolutionary zeal alive. This can only happen if they are critically examining these questions. They need classes that offer them the tools to grapple with the challenges back home. For obvious reasons, self-directed learning alone cannot suffice. How does Notre Dame address itself to the challenge of Africa for example as it pursues greater intellectual diversity both of the student body and faculty? It is true that the University’s responsibility is at best putting in place minimum standards. It cannot set anyone up. As per the framework, the University has committed itself to strengthening foundations (intellectual areas where the University already possesses excellence). What does this spell for areas it doesn’t? Does a strong African (not Africana) studies department at par with standards set by departments focused on Europe and America (much of the University’s offerings) and other institutions in the Association of American Universities (AAU) meet the qualification of minimum standards? As the University turns the page with the framework, internationalization in admissions must keep up with the demand it creates, or else the University will be overpromising where it can’t deliver.

Olemo Gordon Brian is a junior from Apac, Uganda, studying Economics and Political Science. In his free time, he enjoys reading political economy, playing badminton and watching Manchester United play. He can be reached at bolemo@nd.edu or @oneolemo on Twitter.

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

Scene Writer Olemo Gordon Brian To the Vanguard

The dirt god syndrome

Truth be told, there is a recurring issue I have found that has proven to be both deeply saddening and terrifying. That is, to encounter those who suffer from the dirt god syndrome.

Though there are many others more intelligent and prepared than I who have appropriate declamations against its dangers, I wish to explore this issue from an existential perspective.

For, after all, what makes you you? I mean not to be talkative, but many would agree that the sum of relationships in your life has an influence on the person you become or, at the very least, how you act. You are a child of someone, a parent of another, a student to many, a teacher to yourself. You own a body with particular and occasionally unchangeable characteristics capable of perceiving emotions and live in a household with beliefs: some cultural, others social or economical and perhaps a few political. You have an origin with a traceable and determined point in space and time and must deal with the consequences of such an existence. All that is to say, a portion of your identity can be understood with the pieces offered to you by everything and everyone around you.

This is the fundamental issue at hand because, ultimately, those fragments are not you. Not really, not in the manner in which it ontologically transforms you. I like to see them as reference points, lighthouses that remind you of the general shape and scope of the shore before the sea of the self. They may help you remind yourself regarding the position you inhabit in the universe at a given time, but in the end, they are not to be confused with the building blocks that conform or even generate the self.

These reference points have nevertheless proven to be quite useful so as to act in a particular desired manner and their hierarchy serves the purpose of guidance towards what matters most. Only by holding certain reference points over others can one have a solid grasp on what is important to them. A parent can only truly ever be a great

guardian if they consider their relationship to their child — and all of the social responsibilities it conveys — to be an imperative element of how they ought to act. If they do not care or do not consider themselves to have the want to play the role of a parent in a genuine way, they will never succeed in properly raising their children.

Still, even on these occasions, the parent must uphold an individual identity. Otherwise, the parent runs the risk of becoming dependent on the child to make sense of their individuality (of which they lack a true one). Any minor inconvenience that takes place with their relationship will not only result in the understandable and reasonable set of complex emotions that make one upset, disappointed or conflicted, but rather, it will also threaten the semblance of who they are as a person. Worse yet, it turns what could have been a beautiful relationship into an object of desperation for the parent, for their child becomes naught but a tool for understanding the parent’s world and identity — rather than an individual worthy of the same opportunities and respect. This is unhealthy in many ways and will not allow the parent to properly perform their role.

Thus, regardless of how positive or important a reference point may seem, the distinction must always be made: the reference points are meant to offer guidance, not override the self. When one loses sense of the self, in their panic, they may mistakenly take arbitrary reference points to be their identity. They will begin to understand only in relation to a particular reference point. They ask not, “what do I want to do?” but “what would a good student want to do?”

Then, they are entirely at the mercy of the reference point. They cannot comprehend anything without it, becoming the foundation for who they are. She is not Amy, she is a good sibling and nothing else beyond that. Anything beyond that scope is either irrelevant or unapproachable — Amy exists not, only as an archetype of siblinghood. This leads to obvious psychological conflicts, but the danger is made apparent when one realizes “good student” or “good sister” can be replaced with anything at all and have the same strength for the speaker. That is, forces of evil or other lost individuals can coerce those with fragile senses of self to cling to their chosen arbitrary archetypes for their

world

In the 2016 Dreamworks film “Trolls,” there is a character named Bridget.

In the world of “Trolls,” there are two species: trolls and bergens. Bridget is a bergen. She is small and purple-skinned with green freckles, pointy ears and a crooked smile. She wears a ratty apron and pigtails.

For the most part, Bridget is a great character and one that the audience sympathizes with. She has a dream of love and a lack of confidence standing in her way. The audience watches her transform, gain confidence and, most importantly, risk her own safety to free the trolls from harm.

In Bridget’s first appearance, she mops a floor in the background as she pines for Prince Gristle, her seemingly unattainable crush.

Other than Bridget, there are very few characters with human names, like Cooper and DJ Suki. The characters largely have names that correspond with the fantastical, sparkly world of “Trolls,” like Princess Poppy, Guy Diamond and Mr. Dinkles.

So, why name the maid Bridget? Not only is Bridget a real, human name, but it’s also a name steeped in political and historical meaning for Irish and Irish-American people.

If one of the trolls or bergens who was not a maid was called Bridget, it would not be so provocative, but it’s Bridget’s profession that makes her name choice questionable.

As a result of the Great Famine in Ireland during the mid19th century, a large number of Irish immigrants arrived in

the U.S. and took on domestic service and industrial jobs.

The “Irish Bridget” became a stereotype for domestic servants and Irish women in America in the mid-1800s.

According to Margaret Lynch-Brennan, author of “Bridget in Philadelphia: The Servant Girl,” the name Bridget became synonymous with Irish immigrant girls working in domestic service, particularly as maids, cooks and nannies.

The name Bridget was not only used to refer to Irish immigrant women, but to vilify them and paint them as “the other.”

Bridget was constructed by popular humor magazines, vaudeville stages and American cinema from 1895 to 1917, according to Peter Flynn, author of “How Bridget Was Framed: The Irish Domestic in Early American Cinema.”

Bridgets worked in middle-class American homes who were able to afford house staff. However, the very people who hired them feared them and held them in disdain.

At the time of the Irish Potato Famine, many Irish-Catholic families had a large number of children but were only able to provide a dowry for one. As a result, many daughters went to America in search of work and a husband.

Many of these women and girls had no family present in America. In “Trolls,” there is no mention of Bridget having any family or friends. Her affection for Prince Gristle seems to be her main motivation for much of the film.

This longing for friendship and love by Irish women caused immense fear and judgment from Americans. Flynn said, “For many, marriage presented the only realistic opportunity to escape the grueling work of domestic service, and consequently the quest for romance took on an added urgency, even obsessiveness.”

benefit.

This is possible due to the fact that the reference point becomes unequivocally unquestionable. To reason against it threatens not only something a person believes in, but the very fundamental sprouts of their logic and worldview.

The reference point transforms into law, it becomes divine word.

This is when they begin to believe in the dirt god.

Some reference points, under specific circumstances, can be framed so as to be perversely convincing. It matters not that these reference points may ultimately be nothing — lines drawn in the sand separating countries, sporadic and arbitrary distinctions between races or sexualities – for subjectively, through the help of conniving actors, they can become a matter of life and death, matter worth killing and dying for. These people can make dirt itself seem like God.

The dirt god syndrome is the resulting irrational veneration of a frivolous and frequently harmful conclusion due to supplanting your identity with what is, ultimately, a trivial reference point. A clear example of this is state-centered mania, such as nationalism or patriotism. If you suffer from the dirt god syndrome, being an American becomes not simply a way of knowing where and when you are, but your identity depends on your being an American and, if convinced that you must commit certain actions to retain that sense of self, the lengths you could go to strike down threats are completely unconscionable.

Yet, how could you not? The very soil you were born on is your God.

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

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

In “Trolls,” we can see Bridget being painted as obsessive and emotional. In one scene, when Bridget takes away Prince Gristle’s plate, she hugs his half-eaten chicken wing, and in her room she has a wall dedicated to her love for Gristle, covered in photos in which she taped him and her together.

In “Trolls,” Bridget’s boss does not even give her the respect of calling her Bridget; instead, she refers to her as “Idget,” which further makes Bridget “the other.”

Bridget also undergoes a makeover in which she transforms her entire look to become what her voice actress, Zooey Deschanel calls a “more sophisticated lady,” known as Lady Glitter Sparkles. When Bridget goes by her own name, she is not viewed as sophisticated or respectable by the bergens because she is a maid.

The objective of the movie “Trolls” is in no way to promote stereotypes about Irish people. In fact, the movie is entertaining and uplifting. But naming the maid who lives in the basement, is obsessed with the man in who’s house she works, wears dirty clothes and lacks social skills, Bridget, is an egregious choice. This choice could have easily been avoided by a quick look into the history of the name Bridget.

Erin Drumm is a senior at Notre Dame studying American Studies, journalism and history. She is from Philadelphia and spends her summers (and every weekend possible) at the shore in Cape May County, New Jersey. Outside of The Observer, Erin can be found cheering on the Fighting Irish and the Phillies, reading and talking about pop culture and history. She can be reached at edrumm@nd.edu.

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

The

of ‘Trolls’ is sparkly, colorful and anti-Irish?

Erin Drumm Drummer’s Circle

Carlos Basurto Eudaemonic Banter

Stop messing with my heart(man)

By EMILY DeFAZIO

Associate Sports Editor

With another primetime game coming down to the wire, I’m not sure how much more my heart can take as a Notre Dame football fan. Standing behind the end zone for that final drive may very well have been the best experience I have had as a sports writer, but it was certainly the most stressful. I couldn’t help but cheer under my breath as Sam Hartman made a mad diagonal dash across the field, praying that he’d get the down and convert a near-impossible fourth and 16. At a whopping 5’3”on a good day, I was unable to see through the players on the field to confirm with my own eyes that the drive was still alive, instead having to wait for the announcement to blast from the speakers followed by the resounding cheers from the Irish fan section. What these eyes did witness, however, was all the more important.

Hartman has thrown for 14 touchdowns without an interception, the most of any quarterback in Notre Dame history. Clearly, despite his years spent at Wake Forest, something seems to click in South Bend for the sixth-year quarterback. Marcus Freeman has commented multiple times on Hartman’s value as a seasoned member of the offense, citing his experience as a major trust factor between coach and QB. However, Hartman’s true effect does not limit itself to statistics or past seasons — it is in the newfound cohesiveness and camaraderie that this team has.

Hartman may not be one to talk about himself, but all of his teammates have commented on his positive addition to the team. His talent on the field is certainly a topic of conversation, with junior running back Audric Estimé affirming that “Sam is one of the best in the business” following the stunning final drive against the Blue Devils. But, more often than not, the true praise centers not on his physical impact but his emotional one. He is a leader, someone they could immediately rally — not behind — but alongside.

As a senior, I have witnessed four different seasons and four different Notre Dame teams. While

there have been some star players throughout that time, never has a team felt more cohesive than the unit they’ve been operating with this year. Yes, Hartman’s experience at the helm is certainly a factor in that. But something about adding him to the mix seems to have knitted the team closer together in ways no one knew they needed. Gone is the anticipation of each play of the drive, hoping that whatever they originally planned will work out. Now, there could be a minute left on the clock and still a hope that the team will be able to dig themselves out of whatever hole they are in, just like last weekend in Durham.

Now, if Plan A fails, everyone on the field is ready to step up when needed. Just this weekend, the Blue Devils did their best to shut down Estimé and the run game, limiting the star running back to 81 yards when he had been posting well above 100 in three of the four previous games this season. Instead, Hartman easily turned to the likes of junior tight end Mitchell Evans and freshman running back Jeremiyah Love, who showed up as effective playmakers that night. He uses everyone at his disposal to make the best-case scenario.

On top of this, the wide receiving corps were thinned out due to injuries, meaning more reps for those healthy enough to be on the field. Evans, who had 134 yards on the night, commented after the game that different position groups stepped up to fill those holes injured receivers left, attesting to the versatility of this team.

“We feel like we can execute whatever we have to, whatever look comes at us,” Evans said. “We didn’t panic, we didn’t flinch, we weren’t scared, we didn’t back down. You know Sam ran when it was fourth and 16 or something like that… that’s pretty sick.”

He proceeded to note that “champions respond” to moments like these, and this year a variety of players are being used to feed that mentality. As Hartman demonstrates on the field, anyone can be turned to whenever the opportunity presents itself. Because of this, there seems to be this symbiotic

Defense, special teams need to eliminate mistakes

By ANDREW McGUINNESS Sports Editor

While the fourth and 16 scramble by senior quarterback Sam Hartman was the defining play of Saturday’s game, defense and special teams significantly contributed to Notre Dame’s 21-14 victory. The Irish, met by a hostile Duke crowd, had a handful of head-scratching plays and defensive miscues. However, the team showed great resolve and overcame adversity to pull off the last-minute victory. Before looking ahead to next week’s road test in Louisville, let’s look back at the defensive and special teams performances.

Defensive Line

For the entirety of the first half, the defensive line looked great. Their stout run defense and strength at the point of attack forced Duke into a number of third-and-longs throughout the first half and helped the Irish enter the break up 10-0. However, in the second half, momentum shifted. While Duke had started the game at a roughly 50-50 run/pass split, the Blue Devils leaned heavily into the run game in the second half. On a number of plays, Irish defensive ends, including senior Jordan Botelho, lost contain, allowing Duke quarterback Riley Leonard to rush around the edge. As the crowd became more engaged in the comeback, the defensive line struggled to match the physicality of Duke’s ball carriers, who gained multiple chunk plays on the ground.

Head coach Marcus Freeman and defensive coordinator Al Golden are almost certain to emphasize this week the number of penalties the Irish committed Saturday. The defensive front had three offsides penalties that shortened Duke’s distance to the sticks. To make matters worse, the targeting call on Botelho set up Duke’s go-ahead t ouchdown midway through the fourth quarter. On the positive side, the standout on the defensive front this past week was senior defensive lineman Howard Cross III. Cross racked up a total of 13 tackles, 1 sack, 3 ½ tackles for loss and a key forced fumble to seal the game.

Weekly Grade: B-; Season Grade: B

Linebackers

Similar to the defensive line, Notre Dame’s linebacker corps was instrumental to the firsthalf shutout. Senior linebacker Marist Liufau stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with six tackles, ½ sack, ½ tackle for loss and a recovered fumble to end the game. Fellow linebacker JD Bertrand also had a solid performance, finishing with 11 tackles on the night.

While the end numbers for the linebackers looked impressive, they had a number of frustrating plays in the second half. By the fourth quarter, the Irish linebackers looked tired. On one play, Duke running back Jordan Waters slipped through the arm tackles of both Liufau and Bertrand. This was a significant change from their efforts in the first half. The linebackers seemed to constantly get stuck inside, which allowed Leonard to scramble.

Leonard might be tricky to defend, but if the Irish want to be ready for Caleb Williams in a couple of weeks, they need their linebackers to keep an eye on the quarterback at all times to avoid back-breaking quarterback scrambles.

Weekly Grade: B; Season Grade: B+

Secondary

After a couple of intermediate passes to move the chains in the first quarter, it looked like the Irish secondary might be in trouble. However, after the missed field goal on Duke’s opening drive, things certainly changed for the Irish secondary. On the next drive, safety — and former receiver — Xavier Watts read the eyes of Leonard perfectly and stepped in front of the receiver to get a takeaway. The only major mishap on the evening for the secondary was the confusion on Duke’s lone passing touchdown. When Duke receiver Jordan Moore moved in motion, graduate cornerback Thomas Harper jogged slowly behind him. While teams usually play man coverage in the red zone, Harper appeared to expect the defense to bump and account for the motion. Because of this, Moore found himself wide open and Duke got their first lead of the game midway through the fourth. Despite this one mishap, it was a great game overall for the Irish secondary. Leonard, a projected first-round draft pick, only completed twelve passes on the evening. Sophomore

cornerback Benjamin Morrison gave up more passes than Notre Dame fans are accustomed to, but the secondary used the “bend, don’t break” philosophy to keep everything in front of them. Duke lacked a vertical passing game and the secondary did not allow any explosive plays for the entirety of the game.

Weekly Grade: A-; Season Grade: B+

Special Teams

What a week to talk about Notre Dame special teams. The unit started out with a bang as Marcus Freeman called on freshman running back Jeremiyah Love to execute a gutsy fake punt play. Behind a convoy of blockers, Love scampered 34 yards into the red zone. The Irish then scored to take an early 7-0 lead after their first drive.

Later on in the first half, graduate transfer Spencer Shrader knocked a 35-yard kick through the uprights to give the Irish a 10-0 lead. Despite this initial make, Shrader missed from 37 yards midway through the second quarter. Distance was not the issue, it was the accuracy. Shrader’s kick sailed just to the right of the goalpost. Missed field goals have become commonplace for Shrader this year who is now 5 for 10 on the year. Despite the miss, Shrader redeemed himself later in the contest by knocking down a 45-yard attempt that sailed over the right upright.

Punter Bryce McFerson also continued his solid sophomore campaign and pinned the Blue Devils deep multiple times throughout the game.

A hair-raising moment occurred for Irish fans at the start of the third quarter. After the defense forced a threeand-out, Duke punted away to the Notre Dame 35. At the last second, senior wide receiver Chris Tyree tried to play the bounce and inexplicably dove at the ball. In a sea of Duke defenders, Tyree lost the football before it was quickly recovered by senior safety Ramon Henderson.

While the trick play was a great energizer for the team, the continuing field goal woes and the inexplicable Tyree decision harmed the Irish.

Weekly Grade: C; Season

Grade: B

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu

Happy Birthday: Size up your situation and devise a plan that utilizes what you know and do best. Changing your financial situation is possible but requires monitoring for safety due to temptation and scams. When in doubt, refer to an expert, but don’t give anyone control. Pay attention to health, fitness and proper nutrition, and approach life and love with passion and a positive attitude. Your numbers are 5, 12, 19, 27, 38, 42, 45.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Hone your skills and reinforce what you want to achieve. A clear mind and set goal will encourage you to put your strengths to work for you and to pursue what makes you feel passionate. Don’t clutter your plans with someone else’s demands.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Use your imagination to discover how to entice your peers to accept your ideas and plans. Don’t hesitate to spotlight the intricacies of every move you want to make, and be sure to enlist individuals you feel confident will carry out your plans as specified.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Look at the possibilities and put your energy where it counts. A playful presentation will grab the attention of someone eager to join your team. Offer tidbits of information, but not enough that someone tries to take credit for your ideas.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Refuse to let the hustle and bustle around you occupy your time when there is so much you can accomplish that will position you for greatness. Be aware of the possibilities and take heed of where your intuition leads you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Mingle, communicate, offer services and use charm. Refuse to let the decisions others make throw you off guard or put a dent in your plans. Follow your heart and engage in learning, traveling and putting your plans in motion. Personal gain is favored.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Embrace whatever comes your way. New beginnings will set your mind on fire and give you the courage to use your imagination to find solutions that excite you. Don’t limit your vision if discipline and hard work can carry you to victory.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Pick up the pace and dazzle onlookers with your enthusiasm and ability to surpass your target. Refuse to let someone’s negativity ruin your plans. Stay on the path that offers security and a healthy lifestyle.

Romance and updating your image are favored.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): A creative adventure will change how you approach life. Assess your lifestyle and goals, and you’ll develop a plan that is more to your liking. It’s time to live life your way and to deep-six programs that no longer fit your criteria.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Listen and respond with honesty and facts, or someone will challenge you. Take precautions when dealing with someone who tries to manipulate you emotionally. It’s up to you to take charge when necessary.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Choose a path that offers mental stimulation and the ability to change your routine and reach a happy place. It’s OK to be different and to do things your way. You control your destiny, so don’t allow others to deter you.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Sidestep anyone who tries to divert you from the direction you want to go. Give yourself the power to make decisions that ease stress and create the place you feel most comfortable. Walk away from temptation.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You’ve got the drive and the resourcefulness to do your own thing. Don’t let a bad decision, disagreeable associate or overindulgence be your downfall. Think about what concerns you, and surround yourself with people contributing to your success.

Birthday Baby: You are enthusiastic, flexible and imaginative. You are impulsive and charming.

Brian Kelly, Louisville was able to kneel the game out.

Notre Dame went on to lose again at USC the next week before beating LSU on a Brindza field goal in the Music City Bowl. Louisville, meanwhile, finished the regular season by defeating Kentucky before falling to Georgia in the Belk Bowl.

Sep. 2, 2019: Notre Dame 35, Louisville 17

The Irish and Cardinals entered this Labor Day tilt in totally different conditions. Notre Dame, fresh off a perfect regular season and College Football Playoff berth, held the No. 9 ranking. Louisville had just gone 2-10 in year one postLamar Jackson, resulting in the departure of head coach Bobby Petrino.

In the 2019 season opener at a near-full Cardinal Stadium, the Cards spooked the Irish early before Notre Dame settled down and won comfortably. Both quarterbacks, ND’s Ian Book and Louisville’s Jawon Pass, flashed their mobility, running for a combined 148 yards and three touchdowns. Also, Irish bellcow Tony Jones Jr. produced 110 rushing yards, while Jahmir Smith added two ground scores.

Notre Dame enjoyed an ideal start to the game and season. Book scampered for 37 yards on the opening play, leading to a Smith touchdown run from three yards out. Louisville punched right back, as Pass ran it home to cap off a 12-play, 88-yard drive. After an Irish three-and-out, Pass found the end zone again, following up a 44-yard run from 122-yard rusher Javian Hawkins.

Jones Jr. would gash Louisville on the ensuing Irish drive. The senior accumulated 79 yards, gaining 35 on a third-down run before reaching paydirt from 11 yards away. With that, the Irish had tied the game at 14 with one quarter in the books.

In the final 45 minutes, Notre Dame outscored Louisville 21-3. Neither team moved the ball throughout the second quarter, but a goofy sequence pushed the Irish ahead just before halftime. On a third-and-10 at his own 20-yard line, Pass fumbled. On the very next play, Book fumbled on a sack to hand possession back over. Still, Pass coughed up the ball again one play later and Notre Dame didn’t give it up. With 17 seconds remaining, Book ran for an 11-yard touchdown, giving the Irish a 21-14 lead.

Early in the second half, Louisville drove deep into Irish territory, but Pass fumbled yet again to keep Notre Dame in front. Minutes later, Book led a two-play touchdown drive, hitting Chase Claypool for 31 yards and Tommy Tremble for the 26-yard score. After a Cardinal field goal made it 28-17, Notre Dame put the game on ice. Marching 75 yards on 12 plays, the Irish converted three third downs, ultimately going up

three possessions on White’s second touchdown run.

Notre Dame went on to an 11-2 season, featuring losses at Georgia and Michigan with a Camping World Bowl win. Louisville improved drastically, going 8-5 and winning the Music City Bowl in its first season under Scott Satterfield.

Oct. 17, 2020: Louisville 7, Notre Dame 12

A year later, the fourth-ranked Irish edged Louisville in their most recent run to the Playoff. In improving to 4-0, Notre Dame struggled to finish drives against a 1-3 Cardinals team that had played suspect defense to start the season. Though Book completed just 11 passes for 106 yards, Kyren Williams rushed for 127 yards as part of an Irish ground attack that outgained Louisville 232 to 96.

On its first two drives, Notre Dame used a combined 12:41 on 27 plays. But, unlike the previous year’s touchdown-only performance in Kentucky, two field goals resulted. Tired of scoring three points, the Irish attempted a fake field goal in the first half’s final minute but failed to convert. After Louisville missed a 52-yard field goal going the other way, Notre Dame went to halftime ahead 6-0. Both teams embarked on only four drives in the opening 30 minutes.

Unbelievably, each team possessed the ball only three more times in the second half. The Cardinals and Irish traded touchdown drives, which combined to take over 11 minutes, to start. On Louisville’s crawl to the end zone, Malik Cunningham found Marshon Ford for six after sustaining the drive with a rushing conversion on fourth down.

Up 7-6, the Cardinals initially attempted and recovered an onside kick, but the play was called back. With excellent starting field position, Notre Dame finally cashed in on a signature play from Book. On a third-andeight from the Louisville 13, the experienced signal-caller scrambled to the left. After juking a defender to achieve the first down, Book lunged inside the pylon, restoring the Irish lead.

Trailing by five, Louisville gained a combined 24 yards on its next two drives. But when the Cardinals punted with 7:55 to play, they certainly expected to get the ball at least once more. In a game like this one? Of course not.

Running 14 plays, Notre Dame burned all three Cardinal timeouts, converting three third downs. On the last, Williams needed five yards and ran for 24, ending the game. In what could have been a four-touchdown victory, the Irish escaped with an old-school, five-point win.

Notre Dame went on to another perfect regular season, while Louisville fell back to a 4-7 mark.

Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu

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they were missing junior Jayden Thomas and freshman Jaden Greathouse due to injury. Those absences loomed large as the unit combined to catch just four passes on the day.

There were bright spots, specifically in the form of senior Chris Tyree and freshman Rico Flores Jr. Tyree finished with two receptions, including one for 22 yards that started an Irish scoring drive in the second half. After catching the near-game-winning score against Ohio State, Flores stepped up in crunch time again. During Notre Dame’s final possession, he made a crucial 24-yard grab that pushed the ball across midfield. After Estimé’s touchdown, he found space up in the back of the end zone and secured the twopoint conversion to put the Irish ahead by seven.

Overall, it was an inconsistent effort from the wide receivers, part of an inconsistent effort from the entire offense. They’ll look to regain their rhythm at full strength next week against Louisville. Whether they can do so will play a big role in determining the Irish’s offensive ceiling over the second half of the season.

Weekly Grade: C+; Season Grade: B

Tight Ends

Mitchell Evans was outstanding against Ohio State and even better against

Duke, serving as Hartman’s top target for the second straight game since returning from injury. The junior was responsible for more than half of the Irish’s receiving yards, racking up a career-high 134 on the day. He got started early, catching a pass for 28 yards on the second play of the game. On the ensuing drive, he added two more receptions for 35 yards to add to a strong first quarter.

After hauling in a memorable one-handed catch against the Buckeyes, he did so again on Saturday. In the second quarter, he used one hand to tip a high Hartman pass to himself, shaking off a tackle and rumbling for 36 yards after securing the ball. He was also crucial during Notre Dame’s final drive. With the Irish facing a third and 10 deep in their own territory, he made a 19-yard reception that kickstarted the offense.

The tight end group has surpassed all expectations this season, with Evans, Notre Dame’s leading receiver, and sophomore Holden Staes having grown into two of the team’s most reliable targets. Michael Mayer had 411 yards and five touchdowns through the first six games of Notre Dame’s 2022 season. Through six games this year, Evans and Staes have combined for 395 yards and four touchdowns. Those totals will rise as they continue to gain experience and comfort in the offense moving forward.

Weekly Grade: A+;

Season Grade: A-

Offensive Line

It was not a mistake-free evening for the Irish offensive line. The unit allowed two sacks, though that was to be expected against the Blue Devils’ talented defense. Not expected, though, were the numerous pre-snap flags against the O-line that contributed significantly to Notre Dame’s offensive struggles.

Penalties aside, Hartman faced a fair amount of pressure throughout the game. However, that had as much to do with Duke’s strong secondary preventing Irish receivers from freeing up as it did with him not getting enough time. Notre Dame also struggled to create holes for their running backs and was limited on the ground for most of the game. But the line was at its best on the final drive, giving Hartman sufficient time to pick apart the defense and freeing up Estimé for his game-winning touchdown run. The Irish offensive line was expected to be among the nation’s best and has shown the ability to play at that level. But they will need to find more consistency and clean up the mistakes in order for Notre Dame’s offense to reach its potential.

Weekly Grade: B; Season Grade: A-

Contact Matthew Crow at mcrow@nd.edu

trust between players and coaches that lends itself to effective gameplay in ways unmatched by past teams. A trust that Hartman will find the right guy at the right time, no matter who he is, and that that man will be ready to respond. That is what my eyes witnessed from my place behind the end zone at Duke. As Estimé charged in for the touchdown and celebrations abounded, you could feel just how excited every member of the team was to have somehow scored. However,

when Hartman met up with the huddle and immediately called for a two-point conversion, no questions were asked. The celebrators rounded back up into position, completely respecting the call from their QB. After they made good on the attempt, Freeman immediately pulled Hartman into a hug. One could sense just how much pride there was on that sideline.

“When Sam Hartman’s your quarterback, you have a lot of faith,” Freeman said postgame. “I don’t want to just give credit to one person but, you know, the plays he made on that series were huge.”

Hartman’s greatest gift to the Irish has not only been

his experience at quarterback but his ability to bring out the best in those he is on the field with. He is incredibly talented, and he knows his fellow players are too. Irish fans are witnessing what happens when a trusted quarterback trusts both himself and his teammates, uniting them under that shared sentiment. No matter how many future games come down to the wire or heart attacks are induced, one thing we can certainly trust is that the Irish will have done their best to utilize each other to the highest caliber of their abilities.

Contact Emily DeFazio at edefazio@nd.edu

History of the matchup: Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Louisville Cardinals

By TYLER REIDY Associate Sports Editor

On Saturday, No. 10 Notre Dame and No. 25 Louisville will meet in a primetime football showdown. And though Louisville ranks among the closest Power Five cities to South Bend, the Irish and Cardinals have clashed just three times – all in the past decade. Here’s a look into this shallow, but entertaining series, which has featured a senior day loss, three consecutive fumbles and one of the downright strangest games in modern Notre Dame history.

Nov. 22, 2014: Louisville 31, Notre Dame 28

The series began with a 24thranked Louisville squad stealing a victory in South Bend to reach 8-3. At that point, Notre Dame’s defense had spiraled out of control, yielding 30-plus points in five consecutive games after conceding no more than 15 through the season’s first five games. Additionally, the Irish had lost three out of four, including a heartbreaker at Florida State and a home stunner to Northwestern the week prior.

True freshman quarterback Reggie Bonnafon completed just eight of 21 Louisville passes, but it didn’t matter. The Cardinals ran all over Notre Dame, compiling

FOOTBALL OFFENSE GRADES

229 rushing yards to ND’s 99. Running back Brandon Radcliff totaled 134 yards on the ground, while Bonnafon added two rushing scores. On the other side, Irish tailback Tarean Folston kept the pace with 134 rushing yards, while breakout wide receiver Will Fuller garnered 109 receiving yards. But dynamic quarterback Everett Golson was stymied, finishing with a long run of just five yards.

After Notre Dame kicked a game-opening field goal, the Cards fired back immediately. Converting a third-and-14 and third-and-16 on its subsequent drives, Louisville reached the end zone twice in succession. Bonnafon scored both touchdowns on the ground, pushing the visitors ahead 14-3 through the first quarter.

Prior to halftime, Notre Dame’s offense wouldn’t offer up much resistance. After the Irish kicked a field goal early in quarter two, Golson threw a pick inside his own 20-yard line, setting up Louisville to rebuild its 11-point lead. That 17-6 score would carry to the break as both teams traded three-and-outs.

The Irish finally came alive after halftime, scoring back-toback touchdowns after Cardinal three-and-outs. Each drive required three plays, with Folston

capping off the first after consecutive 20-plus-yard pickups. On the second, Greg Bryant returned a punt to the Louisville three, setting up Corey Robinson to receive the go-ahead touchdown from Golson.

Unsurprisingly, Notre Dame’s defense didn’t maintain the advantage for long. Louisville countered with back-to-back touchdowns from DeVante Parker and Radcliff, opening the fourth quarter with a 31-20 lead. But luck sided with the rallying Irish down the stretch. On the ensuing drive, a thirdand-13 hail mary from Golson deflected into the arms of Fuller for a score. Then, at the end of an 11-play Cardinal death march, Greer Martini’s goal-line sack resulted in a missed 37-yard field goal from John Wallace.

Down three with five minutes to play, Notre Dame methodically moved into scoring range. But after a pass interference penaltybroughttheIrishtothegoal line, the drive stalled out. With 57 seconds left, Notre Dame called upon kicker Kyle Brindza to tie the game with a 32-yard field goal. Brindza, who had missed from 38 and 42 yards the previous week, sprayed it wide right. And due to questionable timeout usage by

Offense imperfect, steps up in key moments

By MATTHEW CROW Associare Sports Editor

It wasn’t easy, and it certainly wasn’t pretty. But after an up-and-down effort for more than threeand-a-half quarters against Duke, the Notre Dame offense stepped up at just the right time, driving 95 yards in the final minutes for the game-winning touchdown. Here is a look at how each position group performed during the Irish’s thrilling 21-14 victory on Saturday night.

Quarterbacks

For the second straight game, Sam Hartman was quiet statistically, finishing 15 of 30 with 222 yards. After tossing 13 touchdowns through the Irish’s first four games, he’s thrown just one in

the last two games combined. But Hartman was at his best when the Irish needed him the most, and his clutch fourth and 16 play during the final minutes was the difference between Notre Dame winning and losing.

Hartman has been dominant in two-minute scenarios all season. But most of those situations came with the Irish looking to tack on a score at the end of the first half. Important moments, certainly, but ones without the same stakes or pressure as a fourth-quarter two-minute drill to decide the game’s outcome.

With the Irish having been held to three points in their previous seven possessions and behind 1413, there was reason to doubt their ability to drive

down the field and regain the lead. But Hartman remained as cool as ever in the face of the roaring Duke crowd. He completed four of his first six passes for 52 yards to advance the ball into Blue Devil territory.

After three straight stops made it fourth and 16, Hartman made a season-saving play, escaping the pocket and narrowly picking up the first down with his legs. On the following play, Notre Dame would score the winning touchdown. Hartman’s leadership and clutch play were exactly what the Irish needed to bounce back from the Ohio State loss. He’ll look to be more productive through the air with several injured receivers expected to return to action next week.

Weekly Grade: B+; Season Grade: ARunning Backs

It was a strong outing for the Irish running backs.

Led by junior Audric Estimé and freshman Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame picked up 159 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 32 carries. Estimé and Love also supplemented the Irish passing attack, combining for 32 receiving yards.

For the most part, Duke was able to effectively contain the Irish on the ground. But Notre Dame was able to break through for a few key plays to start and finish the game. Facing fourth down near midfield on their opening drive of the game, Notre Dame opted to attempt a fake punt. The ball went to Love on a direct snap, and he accelerated around the

edge to pick up 34 yards. On the next play, Love caught a seven-yard pass from Hartman, and Estimé finished the job with a six-yard touchdown rush.

The Blue Devils would keep the Irish out of the end zone for the ensuing 55 minutes. But immediately after Hartman’s critical fourth-down scramble, Estimé would rumble 30 yards to the end zone for the game-winning score, sealing a victory and maintaining his status as the nation’s leading rusher.

Weekly Grade: B+; Season

Grade: A-

Wide Receivers

The Irish wide receivers saw limited production against Duke. That comes with an asterisk, though, as

CHANCELOR GORDON | The Observer Irish junior tight end Mitchell Evans recieves graduate student quarterback Sam Hartman’s pass in the 21-14 Sept. 30 win over Duke.