Print Edition of The Observer for Friday, October 2, 2020

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Volume 55, Issue 19 | Friday, October 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Obama adviser gives seminar Former physicist Sylvester James Gates Jr. speaks about race, science in virtual event

By ISABELLA VOLMERT Associate News Editor

The Multicultural Student Programs and Services hosted a conversation last night with renowned physicist and former adviser to President Barack Obama, Sylvester James “Jim” Gates Jr. The program highlighted the role of scientists of color in the field as well as the role of science in America.

The event was a collaboration between Notre Dame STEM departments, the Multicultural Student Programs and Services’ Building Bridges Lecture Series, the Multicultural Pre-Health Society, National Society of Black Engineers and Wabruda.

Vice president for student

affairs Erin HoffmannHarding began the evening remotely by commending students Jeff Musema, president of Wabruda and Multicultural Pre-Health Societ y, and Aubourg, v ice president of the Multicultural Pre-Health Societ y and a board member of Frontline ND, for initiating and organizing the program.

“The expansion and grow th of underrepresented students in the STEM field is one way of the many ways we are tr y ing to make Notre Dame a better place,” Hoffmann-Harding said.

Aubourg moderated the event from the Jordan Hall of Science, and Gates joined remotely. The conversation

Senate discusses Jenkins petition

was also live streamed, and began w ith a discussion on Gates’s accompaniments in his nearly 50-year long career.

“I learned from my parents, ‘If you can help someone why wouldn’t you? ’” He said, regarding his role first as an educator. “I want my students to walk through me as a door way to their future.

In 2009, Gates was asked to join the PCAST to adv ise President Obama. “W hat American could say no to that? ” he said, although he was ner vous at first. “I’d never adv ised a President before.”

During his time, he was the lead on four reports regarding the intersection of science and education in

America.

“Those reports were my babies,” Gates said. The first report directly contributed to the 2015 Ever y Student Succeeds Act, an effort to prov ide equal opportunities for America’s students.

Gates said the role of science in government is to fix problems before they begin.

He then described in detail the work the PCAST and other government agencies did to fight against the Ebola outbreak in 2013.

“President Obama was looking for all the possible adv ice ever y where in the government for how to protect our country from having the Ebola virus break out

The University will begin to loosen restrictions as a result of a decrease in the number of positive COVID-19 cases in the community, vice president for student affairs Erin Hoffmann Harding said in an email Thursday.

Students may begin to gather outdoors in groups of 20 or fewer, and indoor gatherings will depend on the distanced capacity of the space to allow for proper physical distancing.

As a result of a decrease in case counts in residence

see ADVISER PAGE 5

see RULES PAGE 5

News Writer

Courtesy of Mia Marroquin

By MAGGIE EASTLAND News Writer

Thursday evening, the Notre Dame student senate gathered to discuss student union investments, coronavirus education, support for Title IV and the petition for Fr. John Jenkins resignation.

The meeting began with an update from Student Advisory Council on campus reopening.

Major changes include indoor

NEWS PAGE 3

dining, which will begin in the dining halls Monday. More locations, such as Duncan Student Center and LaFortune Student Center, will likely open for indoor dining on Nov. 1.

In addition, heating lamps will be installed in the North Quad and South Quad tents to accommodate for colder temperatures. In regard to residential life, students can now host see SENATE PAGE 5

VIEWPOINT PAGE 7

Observer Staff Report

SMC to adapt ‘Alice in Wonderland’ for the stage

By LIBBEY DETCHER

The Notre Dame student senate convened Thursday night to discuss the Title IX policies and a petition calling for Jenkins’ resignation.

ND updates rules

The Saint Mary’s theater department will be showing performances of “Alice in Wonderland” Thursday through Sunday. The adaptation of the popular tale was originally supposed to be shown last spring, but was rescheduled due to COVID-19.

“The story we are telling is drawn directly from Lewis Carroll’s original text,” director Mark AbramCopenhaver said. “Almost all of the dialogue is drawn directly from the novel. In order to keep the show a reasonable length, 45 minutes, we have eliminated many of the scenes from the novel, but we have kept those which are the most iconic, including the Cheshire Cat, the caterpillar, the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party and the Queen’s croquet game, among others.”

This particular show, however, will look a little

SCENE PAGE 9

different than past productions shown by the theater department.

“Originally, the adaptation of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ was designed to emulate the production techniques used in the show ‘Sleep No More in New York City,’” AbramCopenhaver said. “In that show, the audience journeys with the actors through 50 different environments in a converted warehouse facility. The storytelling is nonlinear and the audience gets to follow whichever actors they choose.”

In the spring, the production team planned to host the performance in one of the residence halls. The audience and characters were to start on the main f loor.

Audience members would then follow Alice down the rabbit hole to meet the other characters and enter different scenic environments. This format has now been adapted to be suitable for outside conditions surrounding Lake Marion.

CROSS COUNTRY PAGE 16

“As we were preparing to return for the fall semester, the production team and I decided that we could remount the work that we had done in an outdoor environment that would provide an opportunity for social distance and the safety that the outdoors brings, while still keeping the innovative technique of having the audience follow the performers from environment to environment,” AbramCopenhaver said.

“Alice in Wonderland” has many parallels to the current world situation, and comes at a unique time when many events have seemingly sent us down a rabbit hole, Abram-Copenhaver said.

The production also offers students and faculty an opportunity to experience another community event.

“Alice’s story has delighted adults and children for so many years primarily because of it’s playful and see ALICE PAGE 3

ND W Soccer PAGE 16

2

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The observer | Friday, October 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

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JUNYA KANEMITSU | The Observer

The seasons change as October arrives. Students walk outside and green leaves turn all shades of orange and yellow on the trees by the west entrance of North Dining Hall. The sun shines and the skies clear in between rainy clouds and windy breezes.

The next Five days:

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Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Marvel Trivia Night Library Lawn 9 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Competition presented by Student Activites.

Picnic and Pops Concert Irish Green 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Outdoor concert and picnic.

The Big Draw virtual 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Sketch Snite art at home to partake in the Big Draw.

“Are Nuclear Weapons an Absolute Evil?” virtual discussion 7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Register with Kroc.

“Political Polarization in America” virtual lecture 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.

“Bridging the Divide” discussion series.

Food Truck Friday Library Lawn 9 p.m. - 11 p.m.

The Rolling Stonebaker and Smothered & Covered will serve.

SUB Movie: “King of Staten Island” DeBartolo Hall 5:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m Free movie viewing for the ND community.

“The Devil and Miss Jones” (1941) virtual 4 p.m.

Film hosted by Higgins Labor Program.

ND Jazz Band Performance Library Lawn 8 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Outdoor concert by the ND Jazz Band.

Tourament Tuesdays: Cornhole Library Lawn 7 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Cornhole competition.

News

ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, October 2, 2020 | The Observer

Fine arts groups to host concert

By SIOBHAN LOUGHNEY News Writer

Students are invited to bring blankets to the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center’s Irish Green for free burritos and live music as the Notre Dame Glee Club (NDGC) and Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra (NDSO) team up for a Saturday afternoon “Picnic and Pops Concert.”

The NDSO will kick off the performance at 2:15 p.m. with a repertoire of music, joined by NDGC at 3 p.m. Led by Daniel Stowe, the Director of both the Glee Club and Symphony Orchestra, the two groups have been practicing pieces that provide a change of pace from their usual collaborations.

“It’s kind of a lighter collection of pieces than we sometimes do at our formal concerts,” Stowe said. “With the Glee Club, we’re doing a mix of folk songs, spirituals and kind of Americana and Notre Dame songs.”

After months of uncertainty surrounding the state of the performing arts amid the pandemic, the musicians and singers are ecstatic to share their

talents with the campus community in a safe environment, senior NDGC president Philip Lally said. He hopes to bring the energy from last week’s music festival into this weekend.

“Both groups did the Notre Dame Music Festival last week as well,” Lally said. “Bouncing off that, we’re excited to do a more expanded set in a performance that’s focused on just the two groups.”

Rehearsals and performances have been operating under strict guidelines to protect the health and safety of the community. A large tent on the DPAC terrace, marked with social distancing reminders, is serving as the rehearsal area and stage for this weekend’s concert.

Cold weather will pose a new challenge to performing during the pandemic, as it becomes more difficult to spend rehearsal times outdoors. Even as temperatures drop, spirits are high amongst the members of NDGC and NDSO. “The guys in our group were just so happy to be able to rehearse under the circumstances of COVID because during

the summer, we had no idea if the group would even be able to meet,” Lally said. “Even if things are cold, I think guys will be happy to try to stick it out just because we love singing and we love what we do.”

The NDSO, led by senior copresident Victoria Whitmore, shares this sentiment.

“We’ve been able to play together before, usually Christmas music, so this will be a little bit different,” Whitmore said. “We’re just happy to be able to perform together and enjoy music.”

There is no shortage of enthusiasm among the NDGC and NDSO leading into the Picnic and Pops Concert. While campus activities look much different this semester, the groups are proud to be providing a setting for students to continue to take in the arts.

“It’s a chance to hear some great music performed by some of Notre Dame’s most talented students in a safe environment where you can reconnect with old friends and make new ones,” Stowe said.

While some beloved traditions are looking much

different this year, the semester’s timeline has not slowed down preparations for the NDGC and NDSO’s Christmas performances. They are looking to contribute their talents to this weekend’s fall festivities but will be shifting gears to virtually spread holiday cheer.

“We know that the University community is kind of starved for events, and we’re thrilled to be able to provide that for them,” Stowe said. “We’re going to learn some Christmas music and probably make videos before the end of the term, and then we’ll release them around holiday time.”

With a fall weekend ahead, Lally hopes that the concert will bring relief and joy to the campus community.

“We hope that it’s a reminder that this too will pass, in terms of the pandemic,” he said.

“We’ll do our best to make sure people can enjoy music in a semester when they haven’t really gotten that many opportunities to do so.”

Contact Siobhan Loughney at sloughne@nd.edu

College shifts to indoor dining Observer Staff Report

Beginning Monday, Oct. 5, Saint Mar y’s College students w ill have the option to eat inside the Noble Family Dining Hall, dean of academic student serv ices Karen Chambers announced in an email Wednesday.

This is a change from the outdoor seating that has been the norm at the College since classes

began in August of this year.

The email said all students w ith a meal plan w ill be required to make a 30-minute reser vation for lunch Monday through Friday as well as for dinner Sunday through Thursday. Students’ reser vations w ill remain the same for the rest of the semester.

“Lunch w ill start at 11:30 a.m.; the last lunch

reser vation w ill begin at 1 p.m.,” Chambers said in the email. “Dinner w ill start at 5:30 p.m.; the last dinner reser vation w ill begin at 7:30 p.m.”

Reser vation blocks are available ever y 15 minutes and are limited to 175 students at lunch and 150 students at dinner.

Students w ill continue to be able to carr y out their meals as outdoor dining

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areas w ill continue to be open to students if weather permits.

Additionally, plex iglass div iders have been installed to allow for social distancing at tables.

At this time only students w ill be able to eat inside the dining hall.

A ll other members of the communit y are asked to continue to utilize the carr yout ser v ice.

3

Alice Continued from page 1

whimsical treatment of otherwise serious matters,” he said. “It is fun. And right now, both the players and the audience are in desperate need of some fun.”

Students involved with the production have also shown excitement as its premiere draws nearer.

“The entire cast and crew has shown admirable dedication to making Alice in Wonderland come to life in a safe and fun way,” sophomore Sydney Ellis said.

Ellis will be playing the role of the caterpillar.

“This is my first theater production and I am so grateful to have had such a kind and welcoming crew,” she said.

Sophomore Fiona Connelly is one of three Saint Mar y’s students cast as Alice.

“A message I would like to send to the Saint Mar y’s student body would be that this show is a great example of how we can persevere in the midst of a pandemic,” she said. “Instead of canceling a show that so many people have done hours and hours of work on and poured their soul into, we used our creativity to make the show as safe as possible, such as adding fun character masks to the costume and incorporating social distancing into the blocking. I love this show and I hope ever yone else will too.”

The show will take place around Lake Marion, and community members who attend should gather in front of Haggar Hall, AbramCopenhaver said in a Sept. 25 email. The email also noted that students and faculty are required to register for the show beforehand due to a restricted audience size.

Only Saint Mar y’s students, faculty and staff are allowed to attend the production in accordance with safety protocols.

A registration link was included in the email for audience members to reserve their spots, as there is a 20 person limit for each show. Admission is free and themed masks will be provided for all audience members. All actors and audience members will adhere to social distancing and practice safety protocol.

The show will be filmed and shared with family members and those unable to attend the show. AbramCopenhaver also explained that the College will be a participant in the American College Theater Festival this year, with the hopes that Alice in Wonderland will be shared with other colleges in the region in early 2021.

Contact Libbey Detcher at ldetcher01@saintmarys.edu

4

NEWS

The observer | Friday, October 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

ND alumnus runs woodworking company

By DASHA KUDRIAVTSEVA News Writer

Irish Woodworks, a local company formed last year, is “Made at ND, for ND, to support ND,” according to their slogan. It is rapidly gaining popularit y among the Notre Dame communit y.

It all started w ith Jeff Riney — a 2019 alumnus — making a set of coasters to impress his friends when he realized that he fell in love w ith the laser cutter and engraver located at the Innovation Lab. Irish Woodworks created a website, w ithin the month, and are gaining more and more v iewers. “In past three weeks we’ve gone from 230 [Instagram] followers up to 2800 now,” Riney said in an email.

“I went around to Fisher, my old dorm, and other dorms, and I talked to their rectors, offering to make a set for their dorm and a discount if there’s a student run price, or a customer set,“ he said. “They loved the idea and, that way, I ended up hav ing 150 to 200 orders during graduate school. It was enough to validate that it was a good idea.”

Irish Woodworks is a nonprofit company that, as

stated in its slogan, supports Notre Dame.

“Irish Woodworks is a start-up out of the lab w ith the tag line ‘Made at ND, for ND, to support ND’ since the products are actually made in the I-Lab, for the ND Communit y, and approx imately 50% of proceeds come back to ND v ia licensing and equipment fees, and distributions,” co-founder and director of the IDE A Center’s Innovation Lab Matt Leev y said in an email.

W hen Riney graduated last year, he wanted to see the idea go on and sold his company to the Innovation Lab. “Now I’m working in D.C., I’m still overseeing ever ything going on,” Riney said.

“I do eight hours of work for my normal job, and then, I come home and I do about six hours of work for Irish Woodworks. Marketing and design are the things that I specialize in now.”

In response to handling such a demanding work load Riney said, “It’s fun going after something that you’re really passionate about.”

Even though Riney started the company on his ow n, he now has a team of seven people and is looking for ward to expanding and making the

company profitable one day.

“Since then, I desperately wanted to see this idea grow,” he said. ”I built out a team so I brought on a designer, someone to do fulfillment [and] a guy to do the website. So, now we have our team of seven people who have their ow n full time jobs, but use this as a side hustle.”

Their team includes t wo current facult y members: Matt Leev y and Shreejan Shrestha, as well as alumnae Jeff Riney, Sean Kassen and Ryan Kreager, Leev y said.

“We program the design through to the laser engraver, which just basically prints it out on a piece of wood, and then it w ill burn off the image onto the surface,“ Riney said about the process of engrav ing.

Among over 150 products on their website, Irish Woodworks makes coasters for ever y dorm. “We have an ornament for ever y dorm, we have a wall art for ever y dorm,“ Riney said.

Irish Woodworks has partnered w ith Hall Presidents Council to help increase hall government engagement.

“We’re going to be doing giveaways in ever y single dorm for the next five weeks.

DASHA KUDRIAVTSEVA | The Observer

Jeff Riney’s idea grew from making a set of coasters for his friends to becoming a co-founder and a COO of the Irish Woodworks company.

The main purpose of that was to get them more and more students to go,” Riney explained. “We’re prov iding over 300 free goods for the dorms to use.”

Riney said he hopes the

future includes the presence of Irish Woodworks products on the shelves of the on campus bookstore for purchase.

Contact Dasha Kudriavtseva at dkudriav@nd.edu

Health services offers first Flu Vaccine Blitz

ELIZABETH PRATER | The Observer

The Gate B Stadium Concourse is set up for students scheduled to receive vaccinations as part of the semester’s first Flu Vaccine Blitz.

By ELIZABETH PRATER News Writer

A version of this story was published online Oct. 1.

Notre Dame’s Flu Vaccine Blitz is taking place from Tuesday to Thursday. Students were required to reserve a

time to receive their vaccine at the Gate B Stadium Concourse set-up. Though all slots are filled for this Blitz, a second round of vaccinations will be offered later in October, according to the University.

Cindi Schwartz, assistant director of clinical operations for the University Health

Services (UHS), said receiving the flu shot is more urgent than ever this year.

“For the upcoming flu season, the flu vaccine will be very important to reduce the overall impact of respiratory illness on the population,” she said in an email.

There are many reasons to get routine vaccinations this year, Schwartz said.

“Routine vaccination prevents illnesses that lead to unnecessary medical visits and hospitalizations, which can further strain the healthcare system,” she said. “Routine vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic is essential for protecting individuals from vaccine-preventable diseases and outbreaks, including the seasonal flu.”

Cristian Koepfli, an assistant professor of biology at Notre Dame, studies the molecular epidemiology infectious diseases. He echoed Schwartz’s message of importance in getting a flu vaccine, particularly during COVID-19.

“This year, we need to keep the capacity for testing available for those that really need it,” he said. “Now if we don’t get vaccinated and we get the flu and undergo coronavirus testing, we may take a test away from someone else who maybe is infected with coronavirus. Then they have to wait longer until this person

knows whether to quarantine or not.”

Koepfli said time is an important factor when taking actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. If it takes a patient too long to get a test, he said, they will “meet other people and spread the virus.”

“Avoiding having these symptoms really helps us to have test capacity for those that are infected with coronavirus and we don’t have a vaccine. Our only line of defense is fast testing and isolating the people that are infected,” Koepfli said.

Notre Dame graduate student Sheiny Tjia-Fleck got her flu vaccination Tuesday. She said she usually gets the flu vaccine through her provider, “but since now my provider is through UHS [University Health Services], I just got it here.”

Tjia-Fleck said she had some difficulties while registering for an appointment due to a lack of availability for extended periods of time.

“I couldn’t register until [Tuesday] morning and then when I realized I was finally able to, there was only one spot available, which was at 1 p.m.”

However, once she got to the appointment, the whole process took “less than five minutes.”

First year Aryel Carreon also

got a flu vaccination Tuesday.

“I think every year since 2016 I’ve been getting my flu shot,” he said. “I know my grandma’s pretty susceptible to any virus. … I’m trying to make sure that she’s healthy and she’s not going to get it from me.”

He also said the actual vaccination process followed proper health procedures and felt safe while getting his vaccination.

Schwartz said extra precautions are being taken at the vaccination administration site to ensure the overall safety of everyone involved.

“Those arriving will need to show a green pass from their daily health check, wear a mask and physically distance,” she said. “Staff providing vaccines will be in [Personal Protective Equipment].”

Students are not required to receive their vaccination at the University-sponsored site.

“Students may also go off campus to receive their flu vaccine through a local primary care provider, pharmacy or walk-in clinic,” Schwartz said. “Simply need to provide documentation of receiving the flu vaccine via their UHS Patient Portal.”

More details for the next Flu Vaccine Blitz will be released soon, Schwartz said.

Contact Elizabeth Prater at eprater@nd.edu

News

ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, October 2, 2020 | The Observer

Senate Continued from page 1

two additional guests from their residence hall in their dorm as long as visitors wear a mask and keep doors open.

Administration also hopes to open the residence halls to non-residents provided case numbers remain low.

Surveillance testing will be unavailable this weekend as the testing center moves from its current location to the North Dome-Joyce Center.

Currently, the committee is working with administration to consider testing options before students return home for winter break, as well as possible educational opportunities for students during the 10-week break. Looking forward to the spring semester, administration is brainstorming ideas to help avoid student burnout, which has been especially prominent this fall in the absence of a fall break.

Next, an order to amend the constitution to prohibit student union investments in and consumption of forced labor was presented by senior Ricardo Pozas Garza with the senate voting to table the order and give the committee more time to finalize it. Since the Investment Office is a private

Adviser Continued from page 1

concern on the President of the United States,” he said.

Because of his experience with Ebola, Gates started paying attention to the coronavirus even in November. By February, he knew it was going to be devastating. He joked, though with a serious tone, even physicists know biology.

In regards to another topical subject, Aubourg said, “There’s a lack of Black perspective in the scientific and specifically physics field.” He then inquired into Gates’ own efforts to amend this problem.

Speaking to the death of George Floyd, Gates said it invoked a moral Awakening in America, and described a personal time in his young life when he had a confrontation with a police officer.

entity, senators must cooperate with them to achieve these policy goals. The committee executives will meet with the Investment Office on Friday to present their request to gradually divest in companies profiting from unethical labor investments.

Sophomore Isabella Garcia of Badin Hall was approved as the new appointment to the Campus Life Council before a resolution to educate COVID-19 positive students returning from isolation on the continued risks and unknowns about the coronavirus. Specifically, the resolution calls for administration to provide consistent information about how the level of antibodies and immunity can vary by individual and how research on reinfection remains ongoing.

Senior off-campus president Connor Delaney, joined by senior director of university policy Abby Wolfe, spoke next advocating in support of a resolution to uphold the preponderance of evidence standard in Title IX and other sex-based misconduct cases.

The University currently has two different evidence standards on record, but new national guidelines from the Department of Education

require that only one standard remain in place.

The preponderance standard requires that a claim presented for review must be more likely true than not with a greater than 50% likelihood while the clear and convincing standard holds that a claim presented for review must be highly and substantially more likely to be true. Citing already low rates of reporting among Notre Dame students, members of the committee endorsed the preponderance standard as the best option.

Given the limited use of the clear and convincing standard, zero cases in the last five years, and the worry that more stringent standards may lead to a decrease in reporting, the committee strongly favored the preponderance standard.

“It’s the only standard that treats complainant and defendant equally,” Delaney said.

The senate seconded the committee’s position, voting to approve the resolution in favor of the preponderance standard.

To wrap up the evening, the senate opened the petition for Father Jenkins’ resignation for discussion.

Since the petition garnered 213 signatures, the judiciary council was obligated to

formally sponsor a proposal for Jenkins’s resignation.

Juniors Ashton Weber, Makira Walton and Patrick Kelly-Dutile, the authors of the petition, made the case for Jenkins’ resignation, pointing to his violation of coronavirus guidelines in attendance at the nomination ceremony for Justice Amy Coney Barrett on September 26. The petition-writers said Jenkins’ hypocrisy, poor leadership and uninspiring apology were grounds for passing this proposal.

“He cast a negative light on the University as a whole,” Kelly-Dutile said.

Supporters also noted how the Dean of the Law School chose to follow guidelines, further proving Jenkins’s conscious choice to break protocols. They noted some students who broke COVID-19 guidelines were dismissed from the University while the president broke guidelines with no consequences.

Many senators spoke up against the proposal on the grounds that only 2.5% of the student population signed the petition. Additionally, they emphasized how the proposal was very extreme and would only be a recommendation on behalf of the student body

“I almost became one of those statistics,“ he said.

Currently, Gates is spearheading an effort with the American Physics Society (APS) to bring attention to and provide resources to diversify the field of science through a webinar series.

After this summer, Gates reasoned he could focus his experience and energies on the topic of diverse and Black representation within the field of physics, leading to the creation of the series, which is a coalition of organizations called “Delta Phi,” meaning “Change Physics.”

Gates said the series is about providing concrete information and resources for scientists to address racism in America and in the sciences. Gates will be the president of the APS next year.

Aubourg noted the strategies can be applied outside of the

field of physics, to which Gates agreed.

In addition to his scientific research, Gates has written extensively on diversity and the role of scientists of color, some of which has been quoted by the Supreme Court.

Aubourg, a environmental sciences and sustainability student, asked, “Just as you are a part of my journey and a part of my upbringing, how did your upbringing shape the way you got into the sciences?”

Gates said his father, who served in WWII was his first mentor. Gates saw “Spaceways,” his first science fiction movie when he was four years old. “It’s the reason I was a scientist, or one of them,” he said.

Gates said he struggled with reading when he was young, but loved mathematics. In 1969, he was admitted into MIT. “I learned how to cry over my

homework at MIT.” He was mentored by a few pioneering Black physicists among others.

“There were not people who looked like me out there… but there were people who would help me,” he said.

Gates was the first AfricanAmerican to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences. “It’s because something changed in this country,” he said. “Call me naive but I actually have faith in the people in this country.”

After decades of accomplishments, Gates stressed over and over again a key to success is hard work and enjoying the work.

“You’ve got to have fun in life,” he said. “And I’m having great fun.”

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Contact Isabella Volmert at ivolmert@nd.edu

halls, up to two additional residents of the same residence hall may gather in another student’s room. All will be required to wear masks, physically distance and leave the doors open.

“If this extension is successful and case counts stay low, we anticipate modifying the guest policy again by opening up 24-hour space in a few weeks,” Hoffmann Harding said. “Please help us achieve this goal by continuing to follow all requested health and safety protocols.”

The University has extended

5

with no binding power. A few senators supported less extreme measures to make student voices heard, such as an official statement of senatorial disapproval of Jenkins’ actions.

“Passing this resolution will only hurt you in the eyes of the administration,” junior Thomas Davis, the parliamentarian, said.

“The precedent you’re setting by passing this may shut [the senate] off from any further dialogue going forward.”

On the other side of the debate, the proposal’s supporters argued that extreme measures are needed to call proper attention to the situation.

“Something this actionable has never been done before,” the petition writers said.

“That is going to open up more dialogue and discourse than a petition advocating for dialogue and discourse.”

With these considerations in mind, the majority voted against the resolution with further discussion on formerly condemning the president’s actions and opening up dialogue on the situation slated for next week’s meeting.

Contact Maggie Eastland at meastlan@nd.edu

hours in a number of spaces across campus, and the eighth f loor of Duncan Student Center will now be open for study use between 8 p.m. and midnight daily.

A number of outdoor locations will begin to be heated, including Library Lawn, South Lawn, North Quad, South Quad, East Quad and West Quad.

North and South Dining Halls will offer indoor dining with physically distanced seats and plexiglass shields.

“These steps will increase seating capacity while reducing potential virus transmission,” Hoffmann Harding said. “All meals will continue to be served in takeout containers with additional seating available in the adjacent heated tents and other locations around campus.”

More details regarding the Winter Session will be relayed in the next few weeks.

Notre Dame will offer a limited number of housing options during the session, but separate charges and contracts will apply.

Hoffmann Harding closed the email by reminding students to continue to follow the health and safety protocols.

“Thank you for all you are doing to keep us healthy by following the University’s health and safety protocols,” Hoffmann Harding said. “I am proud of our community and grateful to be on campus together.”

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The observer | Friday, October 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Inside Column

Make it an outdoorsy girl semester

The next greatest generation Clark Bowden Snowflake Standpoint

Evan McKenna Viewpoint Copyeditor

Not to be dramatic, but I would literally die for Library Lawn. Every inch of campus’ newest installation brings me immeasurable joy — the lush, green lawns, dotted with fire-pits and cornhole boards; the tall, pleasant pergolas, housing safe student gatherings and serving major cottagecore vibes; and the dazzling hanging lights, casting the quad in a heavenly, golden glow. My faith in the University might be at an all-time low this semester, but when I lay my eyes on this revolutionary outdoor student gathering space, I can almost muster up enough school spirit to buy a blue and gold bumper sticker.

But Library Lawn isn’t the only new outdoor area on campus that restores my faith in Notre Dame and the world at large — if you pay close attention, you might catch glimpses of our quads transforming before your very eyes.

Chairs, tables, fire-pits, umbrellas, those strange-looking two-person rocking chair fortresses on South Quad — slowly but surely, our campus’ quads are being colonized. Furniture? On my quads? It’s more likely than you think.

COVID-19, our formidable foe during these unprecedented times, has transformed most of this semester’s on-campus gatherings into outside events, and our formerly barren (but still beautiful) quads into furnished and fully functional living spaces. So, I have a proposition. Bear with me, please.

We celebrated hot girl summer in 2019, immediately followed by an adventurous hot girl semester, a studious smart girl semester and a contentious Christian girl autumn. Now, as the world begins to emerge from quarantine, the human race is met with a crucial question: What comes next?

Fear not, human race, for I have the answer: outdoorsy girl semester.

“What in the strange-looking, two-person rocking chair fortress is outdoorsy girl semester?” you may ask. “Do I have to sign up somewhere?” No. “Is any prior experience required?” No — newcomers welcomed. “Can only women participate?” No — all genders welcomed. “Isn’t it too cold to be outdoorsy in South Bend?” No, of course not — throw on a parka.

But in order to fully comprehend the essence of outdoorsy girl semester, we must first understand the cultural significance of its predecessor: hot girl summer. Rapper Megan Thee Stallion, who created and popularized the term, explained that hot girl summer is about “women — and men — just being unapologetically them,” hyping each other up, having fun and paying no mind to others’ opinions.

Now, if you want to picture outdoorsy girl semester, just picture all that, but instead of beaches and poolsides, you’re in the wonderful city of South Bend, on a sunny, temperate Indiana day — laying on a blanket with your roommate in the middle of North Quad, swaying back and forth in rocking chairs as you laugh with your friends on South Quad, hanging out in an Eno on the shore of St. Joseph’s Lake. Outdoorsy girl semester is already all around us — we just have to welcome it.

And I know what you’re thinking: “Evan, it’s already October! The leaves are starting to fall! There still aren’t space heaters in the dining hall tents!

I wish you could’ve told us about this revolutionary cultural phenomenon sooner!”

To which I respond: Chill. Take it easy. All this worrying isn’t very outdoorsy girl semester of you.

In actuality, I think now is the perfect time to start. Don’t let this lateness hold you back. The peak of hot girl summer came surprisingly late, actually — Megan Thee Stallion’s song “Hot Girl Summer” featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign wasn’t released until the beginning of August 2019, and the music video dropped in September. It’s never too late to begin your outdoorsy girl semester.

So climb that tree. Rock in that rocking chair. Lay out that blanket on the quad. Savor these last few weeks of warm-ish South Bend weather. And hey, it doesn’t have to stop there — make it another outdoorsy girl semester when we come back for the spring semester in February. Just remember one thing: If they try to take away Library Lawn, we riot.

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

I have grown up in a trying time in American history. In just 21 years, I have lived through the terrorist attacks of 9/11, grown accustomed to near-constant war in the Middle East, become numb to watching the environment devastate our country through hurricanes, wildfires, f loods, droughts and superstorms, seen the deficit spiral out of control, perfected the art of school shooter drills, experienced two financial recessions and finally peered over my mask as a pandemic claimed the lives of over 200,000 Americans.

But these crises are not even the worst tragedy that my generation and I have endured: Our Democracy is being ripped apart from the inside out and is being replaced by partisanship and jealousy. People are becoming more allegiant to their party than they are to their country — that’s a death sentence for a republic.

As a student of political science at Notre Dame, I consider myself very blessed to have access to some of the best professors, resources and facilities in the world, but I am becoming increasingly frustrated with what more and more academics are insinuating or even saying outright. I am repeatedly told that I am witnessing the decline of a once-great nation, an aging empire that will soon be passed up and forgotten. I am told that our institutions have succumbed to corruption, that our leaders and journalists can no longer be trusted and that the American dream (whatever that really ever was) is dead. When I look to the generation before me, I see long faces etched with defeat. I watch what little fight they have left be poured into simply defeating their counterpart across the aisle.

Above all, I see hopelessness.

Now I could dedicate this piece to slamming the current generation of Americans in power for their stunning hypocrisy to sneer at their own youth for being ungrateful and lazy (Talk to me when I’m trying to keep Miami above sea level while paying your social security, Grandpa.), but that would fall on deaf ears (pun intended). I could also try to pick and choose which party has been the most egregious in its efforts to prioritize political gain above the needs of the country, but that would only compound the problem I’m trying to solve. No, in this column, I am going to talk to my peers and those younger than myself. We have a herculean task set in front of us; we are going to have to do something that none of us have seen from our leaders in our lifetime. We have to take the high road. We have to exercise forgiveness. We have to compromise, and for God’s sake, we have to place our country ahead of our

party.

For those of you who bore with me through that bleak opening, there is good news. Our generation is the most well equipped, well educated and the most technologically advanced generation in human history. More importantly, however, we have proven to ourselves that we have the necessary chops to get politically active and fight for what we believe in. Don’t forget, it was students who took to the streets of Washington, D.C., during the March for Our Lives protests to end gun violence.

It was students again who pressed forward on climate change and environmental awareness. It is currently young activists who are once again forcing civil rights to the forefront of national politics. The success of these movements can be debated, but the larger picture is that we are a fiery group of revolutionaries who are fed up with status quo partisan politics.

Unfortunately, our youth was the easy part. Soon we will begin to trickle into positions of inf luence. We will take over as political leaders around the country, replace the current titans of industry with those from our own ranks and become the very professors and academics from whom we now take notes. Suddenly, it will be our turn to lead. I urge you to remain idealistic and compassionate. It must be incredibly tempting to be swept up in superficial victories, personal success and cynicism because we have watched the generation before us fall into that very snare. Learn from their folly. Our country and institutions remained strong enough to survive one generation of such leadership; I highly doubt they can survive two.

Make no mistake, this is a fight for the survival of America. This battle is not as obvious as the ones America has fought with her military; those conf licts were more direct and immediate.

But this fight is equally as important.

This is when we determine who we are as a nation. We — you and me — get to decide. The burden of this responsibility cannot be understated but neither can the opportunity. America is down, but she is never out. If we work together, prioritizing the needs of our nation above the needs of ourselves, there is no challenge we cannot overcome.

First, we have to believe in America — then we have to save her.

Clark Bowden is a senior political science major. When he’s not sleeping through his alarm or reminding people that he studied abroad, he can be found in heated political debates or watching the Washington Nationals play baseball. He can be reached at cbowden@nd.edu or @BowdenClark on Twitter.

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

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

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The observer | Friday, October 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Amy Coney Barrett is no RBG Krista Akiki Inquisitor of the Unconventional

“W hen you grow up as a girl, it is like there are faint chalk lines traced approximately three inches around your entire body at all times, drawn by society and often religion and family and particularly other women, who somehow feel invested in how you behave…” — E. Thomas.

Being a woman presents numerous challenges, some of which have resisted decades of activism and societal/cultural evolution. One thing I have recently learned is that men are not the only ones to blame. Astonishingly, women too can stand opposed to feminism and equality, even if this opposition manifests itself implicitly. Ever since it was announced that Judge Amy Coney Barrett was nominated to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court, a plethora of opinions have been shared through columns, interviews, posts and tweets. I was sifting through some of these, researching facts and tr ying to form an opinion on this novel news. A tweet that particularly struck me was one posted by L. Knott Ahern.

It went like this: “Ruth Bader Ginsburg is going to be replaced by a woman who walked through ever y door that Ginsburg opened for her so she can promptly use her position to shut them all for others behind her.”

Headlines by nationwide renowned publications condemned Barrett’s nomination. The New York Times published an opinion piece entitled “Amy Barrett is No RBG.” Robin Givhan with The Washington Post went even further, saying that “Amy Barrett, Trump’s Nominee, lacks RBG’s gravitas.” Headlines condemned this nomination as ‘an affront,’ ‘bad for women’ and even ‘terrible for RBG’s legacy.’

Justice Ruth Bade Ginsburg, a canny, for wardthinking and audacious feminist, undoubtedly left behind an pertinent legacy. Despite the fact that her education and fragments of her career bore the effects of the culturally dominant and enshrined discrimination of her times, Ginsburg reimagined the world for us. Her efforts were in principal directed towards establishing equality between men and women particularly before the

law. In the 1970s, as a co-founder of the A.C.L.U.’s Women’s Rights Project, she argued six sex-discrimination cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and won five. She sought to invalidate laws that barred men from taking advantage of certain benefits, driving home the point — to an all-male court — that unequal treatment hurts ever yone equally.

Unfortunately, it seems that Barrett is nestled amongst the conser vative block that opposed RBG. I do recognize Barrett’s impeccable intellectual and professional credentials, yet her record as a judge stands in stark contrast to Ginsburg’s. In “Trump’s nominee is no RBG,” Givhan writes, “In her remarks, Barrett paid tribute to the late Justice Antonin Scalia for whom she clerked. She honored Ginsburg, too. Then she talked about her passion for mothering and driving the carpool and planning birthday parties.

And certainly if her rough sketch of her home life is accurate, she is a lovely neighbor and an attentive mom. But she has not been nominated to the school board.”

Barrett has written that abortion is “always immoral,” and joined two dissents against decisions supporting the right to choose. One decision stopped the enforcement of a state law that would have required a minor — regardless of her maturity or family situation — to notif y her parents of her decision to have an abortion, giving them veto power, unless a judge found this was not in her best interest.

Many believe that Barrett will oppose Roe v. Wade, a landmark legal decision issued on Januar y 22, 1973, in which the Supreme Court effectively legalized the procedure across the U.S. Roe was decided on the right to privacy, a right that reaches far beyond access to abortion.

Privacy is fundamental to a notion of conscience and to bodily autonomy; it is the connective tissue linking voting rights to health care, disability rights, reproductive justice and protection from discrimination in employment and housing.

RBG knew that reproductive rights are pivotal to equal protection before the law for women.

Barrett’s anti-feminism is about more than abortion rights. Yes, throwing abortion back into the hands of individual states will compound

the lack of access to healthcare that poor women — and disproportionately women of color — routinely face, along with creating a myriad of legal recognition issues. But more importantly, as Leigh Gilmore writes for W BUR, “replacing Ruth Bader Ginsburg with a woman who is an anti-feminist is just as cynical as replacing civil rights titan Thurgood Marshall with a Clarence

KERRY SCHNEEMAN | The Observer Thomas, a Black nominee who was avowedly hostile to affirmative action.”

It is no secret that the next justice appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court will drastically affect women’s fundamental rights, including the right to control their own bodies and the access to affordable health care. As Leigh Gilmore writes, “Women who use their power to harm other women by reducing their rights and freedom are anti-feminist.” The fact that the nominee is a woman matters less if she does not support the causes at the heart of Ginsburg’s long fight for gender equality.

Krista Akiki is a sophomore at Notre Dame majoring in business analytics. Coming from Beirut, Lebanon, she always enjoys trying out new things and is an avid travel-lover. She hopes to take her readers on her journey as she navigates college life and stands up for the issues she believes. She can be reached at kakiki@nd.edu or @kristalourdesakiki on Twitter.

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

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

It kills me that I’m not here I’m not here. It kills me that I’m not here.

Over the past few months, I’ve had low-grade fevers, shortness of breath and no sense of smell.

I’ve also experienced chills, loss of feeling in my hands and feet, dizziness, vision problems, hearing problems, nausea, weight loss, heart rate issues, fatigue, memory loss, panic attacks, twitching and spasms, chronic insomnia, depression and anxiety about all my other symptoms.

I don’t have COVID-19. I got mold poisoning.

It’s nobody’s fault, really. My car flooded a few months back. I kept driving it without getting it checked because, though I had heard that mold can potentially make people extremely sick, my car only smelled a little musty, and I didn’t think it would affect me. Safe to say, I was wrong.

Though I expect a full recovery with treatment, I wish none of it had happened. Nobody is to blame except myself and an unfortunate string of events.

However, here is the point: If, somehow — hypothetically — someone else had caused this to happen to me,

I would be furious. Absolutely furious. This illness has likely derailed my only shot at graduating on time with my friends. People who know me can attest that I’m extremely easygoing, but if I found out that this fungus trainwreck was someone’s fault, I’d be daydreaming about treating them to some WWE-style smackdown.

I’m writing this not as a personal sob story but because I could not ignore the parallel. There are thousands of people at Notre Dame who desperately want to stay there. Though you may think the risk is low, and it very well may be, if you get COVID-19 and you let a bad habit of negligence drive you like a musty Honda sedan, you could potentially get someone really sick. They might have to go to the hospital, or drop out for a semester, or a year. They might suffer physical or emotional trauma. It could take months for them to get well. How would you feel if you knew someone else’s lingering disease was entirely your fault? Could you live with that?

What if they don’t have the support they need? What if they don’t have adequate healthcare coverage? I’ve

been blessed to have both, and enduring an illness like this has still been hell. Have you thought about the others forced to go without?

HERE™️ is the TL;DR. You all have been doing a great job keeping cases low lately, but when it gets cold outside and everyone is stuck indoors, the potential for stupidity will go up again. The balance is fragile; if you don’t believe me, tell me what time our football team played last weekend.

Take it from me: The one-in-a-million nightmare scenario can happen to anybody. Don’t be the reason someone’s health is destroyed. Wear the mask, follow the rules. You’ve got the rest of your life to drink crappy beer in a crowded moldy basement somewhere, if you want.

While I’m on the subject, I’d skip the moldy basements, actually...

Noah Bongiovanni junior Sept. 22

Follow us on Twitter: @ObserverViewpnt

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The observer | Friday, October 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Can politics be a force for good?

Megumi Tamura Middle GrouND

In 1842, Fr. Edward Sorin arrived in northern Indiana on the grounds of what would become Notre Dame, predicting that this Universit y would be “one of the most powerful means of doing good in this countr y.” This mission of being a “force for good” is not only ingrained in the founding and histor y of the Universit y but, to this day, remains fundamental to the culture and communit y of Notre Dame and the tri-campus.

Ever y thing that makes this communit y unique stems from the idea of being a force for good in the countr y and in the world.

Because this mission is so emphasized, it’s something I think about often: How can I be a force for good among my friends and family?

Among my communit y? W hat or who are some forces for good in societ y and in my life? Can government and politics be a force for good?

I’d like to dive deeper into the last question: Can politics still “do good” for societ y or do they only div ide?

Before exploring that question, it’s important to define what politics actually means. The dictionar y definition states that politics is “the activ ities associated w ith the governance of a countr y or other area, especially the debate or conf lict among indiv iduals or parties hav ing or hoping to achieve power.” That definition alone was prett y interesting to me; nowhere does it mention that politics are supposed to solve problems, make the world a better, more peaceful and just place or be a force for good. It is fundamentally about power — obtaining it, manipulating it and preser v ing it.

So, if politics are solely about power, then why do we often turn to political bodies, like the government, to solve societ y’s problems?

That’s where I turn to the root of the word itself.

“Politics” derives from the Greek politikos which translates to “of, or pertaining to, the polis” which is a cit y, state or communit y and its citizens. Putting it all together, politics is fundamentally about the distribution of power, but this power is used to impact the lives of real citizens of a societ y, like me and you. That’s why political issues are not just things which are debated on stages by people in fancy suits or represented by numbers in polls or stock markets but are actually tangible and moral concerns for the people whose lives are impacted by political decisions.

Based on this definition and the basic et y molog y of the word, politics are the obtainment and distribution of power to be used in ways that impact people’s lives — for better or for worse. But can politics be a force for good? Looking at the news each day and pay ing attention to what’s going on in our countr y makes me want to say no.

Think about all of those family dinners that were ruined, conversations w ith peers that were suddenly made uncomfortable, maybe even friendships that were ended thanks to politics. Or think about how political partisanship got in the way of a more successful (or successful, period) response to COV ID-19 which led to thousands of deaths, how politics gets in the way of people believ ing scientists’ warnings of climate change, how politics gets in the way of people being able to agree that all human lives are valuable and deser v ing of justice and peace. Politics and government seem to be stray ing further from being a force for good w ith each day; in fact, it often feels like the main hindrance or antithesis rather than the mechanism for good and progress.

W hy do politics and government fail to be a force or mechanism for societal good? I think a lot of it has to do w ith partisanship. And I don’t necessarily mean partisanship bet ween the political parties or conser vatives and liberals. I’m talking about partisanship bet ween perceptions

of human good and ev il. I think politics are too often used as a tool for each of us to draw a metaphorical line div iding good from bad: If you agree w ith me, then you’re on the “good” side of this line, but if you don’t, then you’re on the “bad” side — you’re morally inferior or impaired.

Think about the topic of abortion. It’s a moral topic which has been made into a political one where you can only either be pro-life or prochoice. In each of our minds, we form this moral line where one stance is on the “good” side and the other is on the “bad” side. If someone’s on the opposite side that we’re on, then they’re morally bad. Because this line is draw n, we no longer want to talk to the other side to understand them better or work together to come up w ith solutions. Rather, we simply remain on our side of the line and cast dirt y looks at and question the moralit y of the other. See how nothing was made better? This line applies to a lot of other “political issues” too, and, in each one, nothing gets better because politics made us take actual issues and see them as opportunities to div ide people into good and bad across this imaginar y line which grows bolder w ith each day.

To be a force for good means to increase the amount of good in the world. This “good” might mean peace, equalit y, justice, progress. I don’t believe politics or governance is often a force for good in societ y, but perhaps it can be if we stop using them as tools to div ide people on to either side of this line bet ween good and bad and instead use them as tools for compromise and solutions to actual moral and human issues.

Megumi Tamura is a freshman in the Gateway Program.

She is originally from Ridgewood, New Jersey, and enjoys going to museums, watching political debates and eating Jersey bagels. She can be reached at mtamura@nd.edu or @megtamura on Twitter.

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

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Amy Coney Barrett represents the best and worst of Notre Dame Amy Coney Barrett is, ostensibly, a ver y intelligent and principled indiv idual. She also strikes great disappointment and shame in me as a Notre Dame student and prospective law yer.

Over the last few days, Notre Dame has been invoked alongside Barrett’s name. Her graduation at the top of her class in 1997 is used to justif y her possible ascendency to the Supreme Court. The fact that our Universit y’s name is being used to legitimize Barrett’s nomination strikes me as nothing short of reprehensible.

Notre Dame is a really special place for me. As an institution, Notre Dame and her supporters have aided me as a queer and displaced student.

I have seen what the Notre Dame communit y embodies: an uny ielding effort to spread kindness and uplift human dignit y, even across ideological or theological lines. Now, our Universit y President is signaling support for Barrett in a way that only denigrates our reputation and our relationship w ith healthy democracy.

Before Trump’s presidency, political commentators maintained that our government’s system of checks and balances would prevent any real destruction by Trump to political order. This has proved to be patently false. Trump has refused to submit to subpoenas, used the Department of Justice to defend him in personal cases, w ithheld foreign aid to bribe foreign officials, enabled foreign interference in our elections and generally

subverted any attempt to hold him accountable to the laws of our nation.

So what happens when someone like Barrett — “the best student, the smartest and most talented person to ever come through the Universit y of Notre Dame Law School,” — decides to play ball w ith a proto-fascist president? W hat happens when our nation’s best and brightest conser vative jurists are complicit in an egregiously hy pocritical power grab? Isn’t an appointed judge like Barrett herself supposed to be a check on Trump’s illiberal regime?

You might be asking, “Is this really a power grab, or is Trump just doing his job? ” The answer, of course, is that Trump and Mitch McConnell know exactly what they’re doing by rushing Barrett’s nomination in the days before the upcoming election. Republicans know that their chances of retaining their Senate majorit y are slim to none. This may be their only chance to appoint an originalist judge for decades, and in doing so they w ill dramatically alter the composition of our nation’s highest court, thereby allow ing conser vatives to force their conception of the law on a population that is increasingly liberal. This is likew ise a power grab by Trump in the sense that he is hedging his chances of a decision in his favor should a contested election go to the Supreme Court.

Notre Dame graduates ought to advance the national good, as chosen by the w ill of the nation. By accepting Trump’s nomination at this particular point in time, Barrett is complicit in and even enabling an anti-democratic power grab by Trump. Her actions go against the ver y core of our dut y as graduates of Notre Dame. We ought to uphold certain principles like “integrit y ... justice and ser v ice to societ y,” as Fr. Jenkins aptly put it. But does a person of “integrit y” snatch power to advance her fringe conception of the law? Do people who believe in “justice” deliberately undermine the credibilit y of the judiciar y, in the words of another Notre Dame law professor? Do people who “ser ve societ y” spurn the w ill of the majorit y of the American people to delay this appointment until after the election?

If you, like me, believe that a highly intelligent, principled and “immensely fair” Notre Dame graduate and professor should ser ve on our nation’s highest court, then Amy Coney Barrett — at this juncture in time — is not that person.

Amy Coney Barrett represents a reprehensible alliance w ith Trump and a disdain for American democracy. In short, she represents the worst of Notre Dame.

David Phillips senior Sept. 27

The observer | Friday, October 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

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JACKIE JUNCO | The Observer

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The observer | Friday, October 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

By COLLEEN FISCHER Scene Writer

Sculpture artist Spencer Shay is the best thing to come out of Seattle since Nirvana.

His youthful perspective directly influences his sculptures, bringing the viewer back into childhood in a pure and sincere way. As public sculptures become increasingly popular, Shay’s work echoes the art’s origins, offering private experiences for buyers and viewers alike. His use of common objects, bright colors and repetitive subjects provides poignant commentary on living in a postcapitalist world.

The art world has seen a strong resurgence of the Dada movement of the early 20th century, as young people connect with the disdainful, critical nature of its artists. Shay’s art lays on the edge of the movement, never quite pushing the boundaries of “art” but still highlighting the absurdity of life. His sculptures are often strikingly simple, aligning themselves with the movement, but also easily digestible.

Shay focuses his medium on everyday objects that he

By LEXI KILCOIN Scene Writer

Am I crazy or are you? Let’s let Nurse Ratched decide. In the new Netflix series “Ratched,” the psychotic psychiatric nurse derived from “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” finds herself face to face with a cold blooded killer. But does she want to help him or hurt him?

Inspired by Ken Kesey’s famous 1962 novel, which also takes place in a psychiatric hospital, “Ratched” takes us back to the late 1940s, when many things were considered a mental illness. Some examples include attention-deficit disorder (ADD), homosexuality and drug abuse, things which wouldn’t land you in a hospital today. Immediately we find ourselves locked in to the first episode, face-to-face with serial killer Edmund Tolleson, who leaves a blood bath among clergymen.

We later find out why Edmund kills the Monsignor and his clergy through a series of twists and turns and surprises at every corner.

This then brings us to the infamous Nurse Mildred Ratched, who comes to us with a strange personality, especially for a woman living in this time period. Sarah Paulson, the former “American Horror Story” actress, does a fantastic job keeping an emotionless face when she encounters all of her patients. Ratched can manage to keep a straight face when torturing a patient with “treatment” and convince herself — and them — that

might find around his eccentric Seattle apartment.

His little sister reportedly once had to eat her soup with a fork, an idiosyncrasy that inspired his piece “spoon hat.” The piece itself is striking, pushing the boundaries of creativity and forcing the viewer to view common day objects in a new way. The title of the piece creates ambiguity; it resembles a crown, yet he names it “hat.” Making the object not just out of the attainable, but also into the attainable, avoids the elitism that would come with its identification as a crown.

His art is easily digestible and sometimes comical.

His most famous piece, “Bottle Bot,” is a robot made almost entirely out of plastic soda bottles. Shay uses what most people would consider trash to create a visual representation of the spectacular. Its strong color choice only adds to this effect, featuring emerald green bottles, shiny clean silver and red glowing eyes. The repetitive linear use of the bottles displays the extent of human waste while also granting value to the devalued, all contained in a funky exterior that is reminiscent of an overgrown children’s

toy. The bottles quickly become a representation of childhood itself: easily thrown away and forgotten, but worthwhile when viewed through the eyes of Shay.

Another one of his notable works is “Yippie-ya-yoyo,” a tree made out of yo-yos. The yo-yos hang off the internal structure creating an organic appearance. There is again an environmentalist interpretation of this piece, pulling the attention away from the easily discarded and towards the natural. The presence of a juvenile object provided by the yo-yos reminds the viewer of their adolescence, while the image of the tree creates art out of a subject matter thought of as mature. The juxtaposition of the two time periods in the piece creates an emotional connection to a work that, on the surface, seems absurd.

While the Dada movement uses absurdism to criticize, Shay uses it as a reflective experience, allowing the viewer to again find value in images they associate with their childhood.

they have a horrible disease, almost as if she has no emotions at all. Dr. Hanover, owner of the hospital and its only doctor, is also somewhat of a psychopath.

His forms of “treatment” include shock therapy, drills in places there should never be drills, tranquilizing medication and, let’s not forget, ice picks. Dr. Hanover is a crucial part of “Ratched” because he is the key to torture in this hospital. Nurse Ratched encourages his “cutting edge treatments” and praises him for his work, all of course, in her favor.

The series places a clear emphasis on the choice of music, capturing the the vibe of a ‘20s jazz restaurant that has been haunted by ghosts. Sounds strange, but once you watch it you will see that “Ratched” is no normal Netflix show. Hollywood has been producing many movies and TV shows with theatrical twists.

The 2016 film “La La Land” is a great example of this as it combines a ‘50s aesthetic with a modern twist.

Similarly, “Rachted” has an air of theatricality, especially in the acting of the patients. Overly dramatic acting usually isn’t my cup of tea, but here it works because these characters are stereotypical psychiatric patients — they have crazy hair and wide eyes, and some think they are the Queen of England.

What’s most interesting about “Ratched” is how much it speaks to the present. Most of the patients in the hospital are there for common things like ADD and homosexuality. ADD is a mental disorder; however, it obviously does not warrant hospitalization and there

are many forms of treatment that don’t include drills and ice picks. Homosexuality is most definitely not a disorder or a choice, both of which Dr. Hanover and Nurse Ratched would disagree with, and it certainly does not require any sort of treatment. As our own society creates new social norms, “Ratched” buries them down, yet somehow Nurse Ratched finds herself in the midst of her own “disease” as she’s tempted to change her ways. But of course, I cannot spoil.

“Ratched” is well-deserving of a spot on your list of shows to binge. The twists, turns and suspense keep you on your toes, and once you think you know what’s about to happen another layer is added that’s sure to make your psyche shake.

Contact Colleen Fischer at cfischer01@saintmarys.edu

Contact Lexi Kilcoin at akilcoin01@saintmarys.edu

“Ratched” Season one Starring: Sarah Paulson, Jon Jon Briones, Judy Davis Favorite episodes: “Angel of Mercy: Part Two,” “The Dance” Where to watch: Netflix

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Crossword | Will Shortz

11

Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Mend what has fallen apart this year, and you will be able to move forward without regret or hesitation. Show compassion, but don’t let anyone take advantage of your kindness or generosity. Bring about changes at home that will give you the freedom to do things your way. Let experience and intellect lead the way. Personal gain is within reach. Your numbers are 8, 19, 22, 25, 34, 42, 46.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Uncertainty will revolve around your work, position and future status. Stay calm, and work hard to show how valuable and resourceful you are. Benefits will come your way. Strive for personal gain, physical fitness and romance, and you will excel.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Before you make a change, cover every angle and detail that’s required for you to be successful. Taking physical action to ensure you have everything in place will eliminate an error. Don’t count on others to take care of your responsibilities.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Look for help in familiar places. Reach out to those who are like-minded and have never let you down in the past. Don’t be shortsighted when it comes to partnerships. An unexpected change will take you by surprise.

CANCER ( June 21-July 22): Consider doing things differently if you want to bypass someone who has it in for you. Arguing will make you look bad, but going above and beyond the call of duty and coming up with a workable solution will pay off.

LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22): Deal with emotional issues that surface between you and a friend, relative or peer. Ignoring problems will lead to uncertainty and an inability to take advantage of an opportunity that comes your way. Self-improvement, personal growth and romance are featured.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Voice your opinion, bring about change and handle financial, health and legal matters yourself. Stay in control, take the initiative and live life your way. Someone older or younger will offer insight regarding how to structure your next move.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Tie up loose ends without making a fuss. Do what you have to do, and be transparent regarding your intentions. Clear the air, and put your plans in motion. Romance is on the rise, and physical improvements will fetch compliments.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): An opportunity will require you to make a lifestyle change. Don’t let uncertainty stop you from moving forward with your plans. Develop a strategy, and put your ideas in motion. Tidy up loose ends, and forge into the future.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Spend time with the people who bring out the best in you. Challenge yourself physically, and strive to take better care of yourself. Refuse to let anyone entice you to indulge or overspend.

Romance will improve a meaningful relationship.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Don’t get into a senseless argument with someone you love. Put your energy into positive changes that will make your life more convenient at home and work. A money matter will surface if you share expenses with someone who is extravagant.

AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You’ll discover a way to make extra cash using one of your talents. A partnership with someone will help you get your plan up and running. Romance is on the rise and will improve your relationship and lifestyle PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Look for a unique way to earn money, and you will change the way you live. Invest more time in honing your skills and putting your plan in motion. Someone you’ve collaborated with in the past will have something to offer.

Birthday Baby: You are aggressive, focused and active. You are convincing and playful.

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Sports

The observer | Friday, October 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

FB Column

Sports Authority

Show Lebron a little love Matt Smith Sports Writer

Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published online Oct. 1.

Amid all of the chaos of 2020, there has been one bit of normalcy that has convinced me this year hasn’t just been some neverending dream: a LeBron James-led team is in the NBA Finals.

After coming into the season as title favorites, James and the Los Angeles Lakers cruised through the Western Conference with series victories over the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets, culminating in a Finals matchup with the Miami Heat that begins Wednesday night.

Even though the Lakers are favored to win the series, it will be no easy task for them. With Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro leading the Heat, the Lakers could struggle to compete with Miami’s depth and 3-point shooting. But for fans and many members of the media, that is no excuse for Los Angeles to lose because they have James, the best player in the world and one of the best to ever play the game.

The sports world expects him to win every series, to dominate every game, to hit every clutch shot and to lock down the opposing team’s best player every play.

Despite his dominance, people never relent with the pressure they put on James to be exceptional every time he steps on the f loor.

For this Finals series, I propose that we do something a little different. I suggest we sit back, relax and enjoy watching one of the greatest athletes ever do his thing without complaint.

With the Lakers’ victory over the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, James booked a trip to the Finals for the 10th time in his career. The 10th time!

That is more Finals appearances than every team in the NBA except for the Lakers, Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors, and James has only been in the league for 17 seasons.

Every other franchise has been around for decades and has been unable to accomplish what James has for three different teams, as he previously made the

Finals during his stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Heat.

However, many critics point to James’ 3-6 record in the Finals as an underwhelming aspect of his legacy. It’s a fair point to make.

Other NBA legends such as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan were all much more successful with their trips to the Finals, sporting records of 6-0, 5-2 and 5-1, respectively. Yet none of those players had to face the juggernaut Warriors with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson four years in a row as James did with the Cavaliers, going 1-3 against them.

As a result, we shouldn’t punish James for having inferior teams during each of those seasons. Instead, we should focus on how impressive it is that James has been able to reach the Finals so consistently with multiple franchises and different groups of players.

Furthermore, James has certainly never been the reason that any of his teams have lost in the Finals. Although he underperformed compared to his high standards during the 2011 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, James was named the Finals MVP during each of his three championship runs.

Additionally, James is seventh all-time with 28.2 points per game during the Finals.

Due to his consistent scoring and all-around play in the Finals, we shouldn’t put all of the blame for these series losses on James’ shoulders.Numerous factors influence whether or not a team wins a championship, and I can guarantee that every franchise in the league would love to have James on its side during the playoffs.

Throughout the postseason, James has been the most talked about player in the NBA, just as he is every year.

Sports talk shows tend to analyze his every move, reassessing his legacy after every playoff performance to figure out how he compares to other NBA legends. This time around, I say we mix it up and just admire James for what he is: one of the most captivating athletes in all of sports.

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

Dame has never beaten Tulsa before, having faced off only once in 2010. They lost 28-27 thanks to a blocked extra point which the Green Wave returned for a two-point conversion. I don’t think this would necessarily be as bad a beatdown as USF, but I’m confident that it would be sweet for the Irish.

Game 3: vs. Oregon The matchups everyone wants to see: Oregon vs. Notre Dame and Nike vs. Under Armour. A battle to decide who the best team with at least some green color scheme is. Let’s see Notre Dame break out some Shamrock series jerseys against the school that’s most famous for alternate uniforms.

Oregon has pretty much run the Pac-12 the past couple of years (not saying much) while USC has been down. They’re a name-brand, quality program managing to recruit on a national level, and they have as many College Football Playoff appearances as (and one more win than) Notre Dame.

history, and it seems they’ve started making an effort to check them off of their proverbial ‘bucket list’ in the last few years. They scheduled the likes of Vanderbilt in 2018 and Arkansas in 2020, the latter of which was canceled because of COVID-19.

Kentucky is one such team the Irish have never faced, and I would mightily enjoy to see the blue and white run out of the guest tunnel of Notre Dame Stadium (ideally without a checkerboard pattern on their uniforms) and to see the Gold helmets shining in the sun on a return trip to Kroger Field.

Game 7: vs. Georgia Tech Maybe if we put an actual game between USC and Michigan (see next opponent) as a buffer (instead of, I don’t know, say, a bye week) the Irish won’t eke out a three-point win then get trounced by 31. Who knows? Just maybe.

Maybe if the Yellowjackets were still a triple-option team I would be hesitant to add them, but I’m trying to lighten the schedule load AND satisfy the contract with the ACC, and the ‘revamped’ Georgia Tech offense makes this attractive for fulfilling both of those criteria.

Bye Week We don’t need the Irish on a letdown ahead of their next opponent. Give them some time to process the win or loss over a high-tier program and get ready for Act II of the season.

Game 4: at Florida State Yes, Florida State is terrible, but there’s history between them and Notre Dame. And, as was also a large reason in playing Wake Forest the first game, I’m trying to play nice with the ACC and maintain their five contractually obligated games with Notre Dame, just because they provided the Irish a full football schedule amid COVID-19.

Maybe if the contest is in Tallahassee then it might be competitive, but in any case, it’s another name-brand. And at this point, aside from the five-game agreement, that’s all I can say.

My word, what the heck has happened to Florida State football?!?

Game 5: at Boston College Staying with ACC opponents, we’ll have a good ol’ fashioned Catholic showdown here between Notre Dame and Backup— I mean, Boston College. And what could go wrong playing them after Florida State? That’s never ended poorly for the Irish before…

Game 6: vs. Kentucky I’m not even going to explain why I really want this game on the schedule. If you’ve read my stuff in The Observer for any length of time you could probably guess why I want to see Notre Dame play Kentucky. Suffice to say I’m biased.

Notre Dame has only failed to play four SEC teams in program

Game 8: at Michigan I don’t think this needs explaining. Notre Dame and Michigan have a storied rivalry and the Irish owe them some payback for what happened in that monsoon last season.

Jim Harbaugh was so happy about the win that probably kept him off the hot seat that he didn’t care about his wet dockers. No one who wears dockers, wet or dry, should beat Notre Dame. And let the Irish show some fortitude by heading back up to Ann Arbor to try and find their pride where they lost it last season.

run out of Hard Rock Stadium embarrassingly, and let’s not mention what happened off a bye week against Michigan last year.

Miami is looking a lot better this year thanks to the addition of D’Eriq King at QB. Granted, King will be gone before these two square off again, but you’d like to think this means the Hurricanes are on the up-and-up. Let me see this rivalry renewed and for Notre Dame to have yet another chance at some satisfaction on this revenge tour of a season.

Game 11: at USC Like Michigan, I don’t think this requires much explanation. It’s Notre Dame’s biggest rival and it deserves a place on the schedule.

That said, I’d like to see Notre Dame finish the year at home, but I also see the appeal of a late November trip to California, so I’ve moved this game up a spot.

Game 12: vs. UConn Let’s end the season as we’ve spent most of it: looking for revenge. UConn, like Tulsa, has an all-time winning record of 1-0 over Notre Dame. You know it was a dark day in program history when the Irish lost to the Huskies in football.

UConn has since rejoined the Big East after a tryst with the AAC, but that’s not going to make them any better on the gridiron.

End with a cupcake to give the seniors a chance to play and win their final regular-season game in Notre Dame Stadium in front of a majority Irish crowd.

Bonus: College Football Playoff vs. Alabama and Georgia

Game 10: vs. Miami (Fl.)

I don’t care about the order, but I want to play both of them and get some more revenge. Bama killed Notre Dame in 2012, so I think that game speaks for itself.

The Bulldogs are arguably even more frustrating having eked out two wins by a combined seven points in the last four seasons.

Georgia also holds a 3-0 record over Notre Dame after beating them in the 1980 national championship, so let the Irish settle up by paying ’em back in kind, either in the semi-final or championship game.

There you have it. They say revenge isn’t healthy, but I think when it comes to football this what Notre Dame fans need to see.

It’d probably be the most satisfying season for Irish fans everywhere if the Irish could somehow run the gauntlet unscathed. That’s unlikely, I know, but we won’t know if they can do it until this schedule is set before them and they start chipping away at it.

So now it’s your move, Mr. Swarbrick. Don’t let me down.

A November matchup between Notre Dame and Miami (or, as some may know them, the Catholics and the Convicts).

Let’s try this again, shall we? The last time this scenario occurred the Playoff-hopeful Irish were

Contact Hayden Adams at hadams3@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Game 9: at BYU One of Notre Dame’s few ‘conference’ opponents, BYU at least offers some intrigue in terms of allowing the Irish to play their own version of the Holy War. I’m finding there’s a lot of religious conflict on this schedule, and I’m not sure why, but the prospect of the Irish and Cougars battling for Independent supremacy seems tantalizing, and the latter are owed a date out in Provo.

Bye Week Six games against any set of Power 5 teams are going to test you, and as the Irish get into November they’re going to need a breather to recuperate, especially for the next opponent.

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Roundtable Continued from page 16

matchup looks to be an interesting one. At times, Josh Allen and then Bills have looked to be one of the best teams in the NFL. Last week, though, the Bills blew a 28-3 lead against the Rams before coming back to win at the end. The Raiders offense appears to rely heavily on running back Josh Jacobs.

Jacobs didn’t have much success against the Patriots last week, and the Raiders struggled to get much of anything going. The Bills’ run defense has been decent so far this year, so I will take the Bills to win and cover in this one.

The way the Chiefs took care of business against the Ravens last Monday was truly impressive. I knew the Chiefs were good, but I didn’t realize that they were that good.

Patrick Mahomes was sensational in Monday’s night win and had a QBR of 97.7.

If Mahomes keeps this up, I think it will be hard for the Chiefs to lose this season. If anyone can match Mahomes’ play, though, it might be Cam Newton. Newton has made some mistakes this year, but he has fit very well in the Patriots’ offense and has looked like a top 5 NFL quarterback. I think Newton and the Patriots hang for a while, but the Chiefs pull away at the end and cover the spread.

Oklahoma-Iowa State looked to be one of the top Big 12 match-ups heading into the season. Both teams have already lost this year, however, in surprising upsets and this game doesn’t hold the same importance that many expected. Spencer Rattler was absolutely awful in the Sooners’ loss last week versus Kansas State. While I think he will play much better for the Sooners against the Cyclones, I don’t see Oklahoma winning this game. Iowa State has a history

W Soccer Continued from page 16

minutes played after a brilliant solo goal from Fisher.

Eva Hurm had her shot blocked, but Fisher picked up the scraps and then did the rest. After some nifty footwork to evade two Eagles defenders, Fisher delicately stroked her shot into Augur’s upper-right-hand corner while falling away from goal.

Though BC failed to record a shot on target until the waning minutes of the half, the Eagles produced their best chance before halftime in the 23rd minute. A cross from freshman midfielder Laura Govin (one of 15 underclassmen on the Eagles roster), was mere inches away from the lunging right foot of Michela Agresti, who found herself unmarked in the

ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, October 2, 2020 | The Observer

of starting the season off slowly, and they also have a history of pulling off upsets in Ames.

Give me Brock Purdy and the Cyclones to give Oklahoma their second loss of the season.

Liam I was not impressed at all by Georgia last week, even though the final score showed a blowout. They really struggled at times against a mediocre Arkansas team. Auburn, on the other hand, looked outstanding on both sides of the ball against Kentucky. JT Daniels was recently cleared to play by the Bulldogs, but he has had to learn a whole new system.

Georgia was uncharacteristically poor on the ground last week, averaging only 2.9 yards per carry, and it doesn’t get easier this week. Bo Nix will take advantage of the gaps in the Georgia defense, and Auburn wins outright.

I’ll admit, heading into last week, I thought this might be a down year for Alabama. I was proven wrong by the end of the first quarter. That being said, I think Texas A&M is a very good team, and their performance against Vanderbilt was not indicative of their talent level. I said in the preseason edition of the roundtable that I thought this was the year the Aggies put it all together, and I still believe that. But it won’t be enough to beat Alabama, or even come close. Alabama wins and covers.

Shane Buechele is one of the best quarterbacks in college football, and he wasn’t even the center of SMU’s offense last week. Running back Ulysses Bently IV ran for over 200 yards, averaging nearly 12 yards a carry. Memphis will provide much more resistance, but that run game will open up play action for Buechele, who will have a big game. Memphis’ defense won’t be able to slow down the Mustangs, who win outright.

The Bears might be the worst

penalty area after coming all the way up from her centerback position.

Augur, who finished with a career-high eight saves, made several key stops to keep BC in the contest despite the slick conditions. Just over the half-hour mark, one of Notre Dame’s nine corners in the match was f licked dangerously on net by sophomore defender Jade Gosar, but the Eagles keeper made an alert save with Irish sophomore forward Kiki Van Zanten lurking.

Van Zanten, who was coming off a hat-trick in Notre Dame’s 6-0 drubbing of Miami last Sunday, finally made it two for the Irish less than three minutes later.

After some sustained possession in the final third, Hurm served a tantalizing cross that left Augur rooted to her line. Van Zanten slid between

13

issues to be addressed on this team than just the QB position.

Indianapolis has looked solid after week one and I think that they will continue that trend against Chicago. Colts win and cover.

The Bills have been one of the more solid teams in the NFL this year despite the near choke against Los Angeles last weekend. Their matchup against the Raiders looks to be one of the better games on the slate. Vegas will look to rebound after a tough loss against New England but I don’t think they will have enough to top Josh Allen. Bills win and cover.

The Chiefs stepped up their game in a big way after looking shaky against the Chargers.

Their win against Baltimore makes it hard to bet against them like I did last weekend.

Cam Newton and the Patriots are still a solid team and I don’t think this will be a cakewalk for Mahomes but the Chiefs look like the team to beat in the AFC. Kansas City wins and covers the spread.

For my upset pick this week I’ll head to the NFL and take the LA Chargers over Tampa Bay. The Chargers looked like a solid team when they played at home against Kansas City so it was a big shock to see them play so poorly against a struggling Carolina team.

Justin Herbert did rack up 330 passing yards and a TD in his game last weekend which should bode well coming into this matchup. Look for the Chargers to pull off an upset against Tom and the Bucs.

Two SEC heavyweights in 4th

ranked Georgia and 7th ranked Auburn going at it will make for some quality entertainment this weekend. For Georgia, their offense, especially at the quarterback position leaves much to be desired. They might have been able to find their stride in the latter half of the game against Arkansas but they will need to be firing on all cylinders to take on a much better Auburn team. Bo Nix in contrast put on a solid and serviceable performance against Kentucky. The one thing that Georgia does have going is their defense. Georgia will be able to rely heavily on their defense in this one and sneak in a few scores to take the win but will not cover.

The Aggies have a lot to figure out after squeaking out a win against Vanderbilt 12-17.

There is no doubt the A&M offense is much more potent than what they produced last week but I don’t think that it will be enough against one of the better SEC teams in Alabama. A&M will find a way to rebound here in this game but I don’t think they will have an answer for Mac Jones and the strong Tide running game.

Alabama wins but does not cover.

SMU will likely be in better form than Memphis after getting three games under their belt. Shane Buechele along with Ulysses Bently IV will have a big showing against the Tigers who had a rough go of it against Arkansas State.

Memphis might be well-rested but it will be tough for them to get out of the gates to match the pace of the Mustangs. Look for SMU to hit quick early and win outright.

Compared to the other 3-0 NFL teams, the Bears are certainly the weakest link, barely beating the Lions, the Giants, and finding a nearmiracle comeback against the Falcons. Nick Foles was a hero for Chicago last weekend but I think that there are more

BC’s Samantha Agresti and Mia Karris and dispatched Hurm’s cross into the roof of the net from six yards out. It was Van Zanten’s team-high fourth goal of the season, all of which have come off the bench.

BC finally recorded their first shot on target just over three minutes before the break. Eagles midfielder Sam Smith produced a good touch in traffic to set up Alison Heckman, whose low drive from just outside the area forced Notre Dame junior goalkeeper Mattie Interian into a diving save at her near post.

After being out-shot 14-1 in the first 45 minutes, BC was much improved after halftime. Less than five minutes into the second half, Eagles grad student forward Jenna Bike had a golden opportunity off a cross from fellow

senior Jillian Jennings, but her left-footed effort from closerange was straight at Interian.

Just over five minutes later, Irish junior forward Olivia Wingate forced Augur into a sprawling save with a low drive that the BC keeper did well to parry away from danger, but it was the Eagles who came closest to scoring in the second half.

With almost an hour played, Bike, who missed the entire 2020 season due to injury, came inches away from halving the deficit. After receiving the ball just inside the Irish half, freshman midfielder and Icelandic youth international Linda Boama found Bike all alone on the right-wing. Bike’s low strike looked destined to squeeze inside the far post, but the Trumbull, Connecticut native saw her effort denied by the woodwork.

The Irish almost grabbed a

third goal just over two minutes later. Junior left-back Brianna Martinez slipped in Hurm after duping multiple Eagles defenders near midfield, but Augur got off her line quickly to deny the forward from Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Hurm’s one-on-one opportunity proved to be the final shot on target of the contest. The match petered out as both teams tired, and the Irish managed the final halfan-hour en route to a second successive clean sheet.

Notre Dame returns to action at Alumni Stadium on Sunday with a noon kickoff vs. Syracuse. Though spectators will not be permitted, the match will be available to stream on ACC Network Extra.

3-0 team in NFL history, barely scraping by against three bad teams. Nick Foles injected life into their offense, but it’s about time their luck runs out. The Colts have also faced mediocre opponents, so it’s hard to judge Phillip Rivers just yet, and Marlon Mack’s injury hurts. However, I still see the Colts finding a way to win this one. They’ll build a big thirdquarter lead and won’t choke it away. Colts win and cover.

The Raiders have been one of the most impressive teams of the year. I thought it was over for Derek Carr, but the move to Las Vegas seems to have transformed him into a top-tier quarterback. The Bills have been very impressive as well, as has Josh Allen. However, I’m going against conventional wisdom here and picking the Raiders to win outright, Jon Gruden gets another big win in Las Vegas.

The Chiefs were so impressive last week against the Ravens, that it’s tough to pick against them, no matter the spread. This Patriots team, however, has been seriously impressive. Bill Belichick has proven he can win no matter who’s on the roster, and I think this will be a close game. I’ll take the Chiefs, simply because of Patrick Mahomes, but they don’t cover.

Let’s see if I can go back to back on upset picks. Mike Leach and Mississippi State impressed me last week, but they could be due for a letdown this week against Arkansas.

The Razorbacks looked fantastic for a half against a very good Georgia team-despite my dismissal of them while picking Auburn-and this week they’ll put it together.

KJ Costello will not perform nearly as well, and the weak Bulldogs defense will show itself. Razorbacks win this one as 17 point ‘Dogs.

Dom

Contact Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu, Dominic Gibson at dgibson@hcc-nd.edu, Liam Coolican at lcoolica@nd.edu, Nate Moller at nmoller2@nd.edu, and Patrick Gallagher at pgallag4@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Contact Greg McKenna at gmckenn2@nd.edu

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Sports

The observer | Friday, October 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

XCountry Continued from page 16

at that time.”

Sparks also emphasized the importance of his team controlling what they can control, especially related to COVID-19.

“We know they’ll come to practice from 3:30 to 5:30 and do what is expected of them. But now the emphasis is do whatever you need to do to not have a close contact or get COVID because that is our biggest rival over the next five weeks,” Sparks stated.

“Our sport is conditioning. If you miss two to three weeks because of a close contact, your season is over. This is different from if a football running back misses two weeks for example. He’s maybe alright because conditioning isn’t their entire sport.”

Sparks is planning on bringing eleven women to Saturday’s race, which w ill hold great importance for deciding the ten runners who compete at the conference meet in a month.

“This [meet] w ill go a long way, but it won’t be the only factor,” Sparks said. “A lot can change in that fourweek w indow. The unique piece for us is that we have a lot of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors that we are counting on.”

The women’s team is ver y deep this year, which w ill make it hard to narrow dow n the roster to ten by the conference meet.

“From our one to 11, we are as deep and talented as we have been in six years.

We just don’t have the Anna Rohrer or Molly Seidel. We don’t have the star power up front that we had,” Sparks explained. “It w ill make it a little more challenging to narrow dow n from eleven to ten. That’s a good problem to have because all of them are running so well right now.”

Like Sparks, head men’s cross countr y coach Sean Carlson is eager to see how his team stacks up against some qualit y competition at Saturday’s race.

At the first meet of the season, the Irish men had ver y little competition, but

Please recycle The Observer.

Saturday’s meet should prove different.

“Obv iously our first meet, we got some feedback from, but we didn’t have any toplevel conference teams or top-level competition to get feedback from,” Carlson stated. “I think this w ill prov ide that. I think the cool part is that we w ill be able to compare some things.”

Carlson discussed how he is excited to see how his team compares w ith Ole Miss specifically on Saturday.

The Rebels have consistently been a top-15 program w ith some qualit y indiv iduals as well and being able to compare times w ill tell Carlson a lot about his team.

“It’s a really good reference point of where we are at and if we need to make any adjustments or not,” Carlson said.

With more competition, Carlson expects more spread among his team when compared to the first race of the season.

Despite this, he still expects his team to pack up when possible and work together through most of the race.

“We will certainly have a little more spread in our one to seven or maybe one to five, but I expect us to have a couple of packs,” Carlson said. “We are running about fourteen guys at Louisville.

In our top seven, I expect to have maybe t wo packs that are relatively close together throughout the race and then another two packs w ithin our next seven guys.”

Like the women’s team, Saturday will be very important in deciding who runs at the conference meet, especially this year with COVID-19.

“The limit at conferences is ten, but sometimes we bring less,” Carlson said.

“With COVID and ever y additional person we bring it puts our team more at risk, we might need to rev isit that. The biggest challenge outside of training this year is keeping our guys healthy and keeping our guys safe.”

Contact Nate Moller at nmoller2@nd.edu

Sports Authority

Best commentator calls in sports history Hayden Adams Sports Editor

A lot of the time I think that even I could do a better job than sports commentators and broadcasters.

Far too often those goobers are redundant mouthpieces rehashing the obvious play that I just witnessed with my own eyes.

Sometimes they are spitting nonsense looking for some way to fill content. At their worst, they are trying to appeal to an audience of non-sports fans — who may or may not have flipped to the game in question — with some of the most awkward bits and segments imaginable, while us real sports fans have to suffer through it.

Don’t misunderstand. Some quality broadcasters bring insight and entertainment to the games they cover. However, there are a very select few who absolutely nail it.

They are the ones who validate the existence of the sports broadcaster. They do so not just by being insightful or entertaining, but by imparting some of the most memorable phrases and utterances in not just sports lore, but all of human history (or so sports fanatics such as I like to think).

As they say, it ”gets the people going.” This is an homage to those individuals. I hereby present the best calls in the history of sports.

“Down Goes Frazier” This one is weird to me.

The moment I heard it while looking for great sports calls, I recognized it as an all-time great line, but I’ve rarely ever heard it brought up. Even so, I just feel in my heart of hearts that it deserves a place on this list. George Forman knocking down World Champion Joe Frazier wasn’t even the knockout blow, but the call is an all-timer for the excitement Howard Cosell brought to it.

“American Pharaoh… has won… the Triple Crown!”

This is here for no other reason than because it is one of the rarest athletic accomplishments of any sport, if not the rarest, so it isn’t too difficult to come up with a memorable call for it. I could elaborate, but I think I’ll just let Larry Collmus describe it: “And here it is. The 37-year wait is over! American Pharaoh is finally the one! American Pharaoh has won the Triple Crown!”

“The Band is out on the field!”

In the 1982 rendition of “The Big Game” rivalry between Stanford and Cal Berkeley, Stanford’s marching band would cause one of the most (in)famous moments in the history of college

football. Down one and with time expired, Cal managed to pull off a game-winning score thanks to five lateral passes.

However, it appeared to the Stanford Band that one lateral came after a Bears player had his knee down, so they stormed the field while play was still commenced. One of the band members was bulldozed by the ball carrier as he made it into the endzone. Cal announcer Joe Starkey left us this fantastic line that encapsulated “The Play,” as it would come to be known.

Aside from this game, The Play would provide the first red mark on the Stanford Band’s now checkered ledger (check out their Wikipedia page; some of that stuff is crazy).

“Auburn’s gonna win the football game!”

Believe me, I wanted to put this one first, but I think you can probably agree that No. 1 is just too iconic. As someone who wasn’t even legitimately into college football before getting to college, this was something to here. To this day it gives me chills to hear it as Auburn runs back the “kick-six” against No. 1 Alabama. Rest in peace, Rod Bramblett.

“Do you Miracles?”

believe

in

You may have thought of this one from Al Michaels the moment you started reading this story, and who could blame you?

The U.S.A. hockey team was a massive underdog to the U.S.S.R. in the semifinals of the 1980 Olympics. They managed to best the Soviets behind outstanding play from goalie Jim Craig and a go-ahead goal by Mike Eruzione — a goal which sparked one of the best celebrations ever.

Honorable Mentions: “And Boom Dynamite”

Goes

the

This is a TOUGH exclusion from the top-5. If you haven’t seen the clip, check it out immediately. Pure gold.

Then-Ball State student Brian Collins was taking part in a sports broadcasting program for students and, put bluntly, did horribly in his first live, on-air segment. However, he managed to come up with one of the most iconic sports lines in recent memory. It’s so great that no one even cares about how terrible the rest of his VERY short-lived broadcasting career was.

answered as archrival Michigan’s punter bobbled the snap, giving the Spartans enough time to force a fumble which they promptly returned for the game-winning score with no time remaining.

It’s worth watching the replay just to see the faces of Jim Harbaugh and that bespectacled Michigan fan with his hands on his head in disbelief. The announcer’s voice cracking is just icing on the cake.

“And… there’s a steal by Bird! / Havlicek steals it!”

A shoutout for the Boston fans out there. Gotta love those old grainy voices on the call for two of the greatest defensive plays in NBA Playoff history, one by Larry Bird and the other by John Havlicek.

“Ding Dong, the witch is dead!”

If you haven’t watched the ESPN 30 for 30 entitled “Winning Time” about Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers warring with the New York Knicks in the mid90’s, check it out. Patrick Ewing missed a gimme of a finger roll in game 7 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals to allow the Pacers to finally advance with a 107-105 win.

In adulation, the Pacer’s broadcast crew pulled out a reference to The Wizard of Oz as Indiana finally got over their personal wicked witch of the west (well, technically northeast, but you get the idea).

“Flutie did it!”

If you’ve watched an NBC broadcast of a Notre Dame football game in the last few years, you’ve probably heard reference to Doug Flutie’s legendary Hail-Mary pass to beat Miami. Here is the conversation that transpired between Boston College radio announcers: “Looks, uncorks a deep one for the endzone…”

“Oh, he got it!”

“Did he get it?”

“He got it!”

“Touchdown! Touchdown!

Touchdown! Touchdown!

Touchdown Boston College! He did it! He did it! Flutie did it! He got [Gerard] Phelan to the endzone!

Touchdown!”

Gotta love that energy.

“That’s a bold strategy, Cotton”

“Trouble with the snap”

One of the greatest, yet oft misquoted, lines (not “bold move, Cotton”) in cinematic history.

‘Nuff said.

One of the most satisfying calls for anyone who dislikes that team up in Ann Arbor, rivaled only by “Appalachian State has stunned the college football world!”

Down 23-21 with 10 seconds left, Michigan State’s prayers were

Contact Hayden Adams at hadams3@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

sports

ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, October 2, 2020 | The Observer

15

Roundtable

Observer Roundtable Week 3: Georgia, Alabama face tests against Auburn, Texas A&M Aidan Thomas, Dominic Gibson, Liam Coolican, Nate Moller, Patrick Gallagher Sports Writers

Consistency is key, and sportswriter Patrick Gallagher proved it last week, putting up 18 (out of a possible 24) points for the second consecutive week, to claim a 7-point lead in the overall leaderboard heading into the third week of the roundtable. Patrick’s big week was fueled by his massive upset call, as he picked LSU to fall to Mississippi State. Liam Coolican was this week’s big riser, after posting a 20-point performance last week to jump into third place. His Syracuse over Georgia Tech upset call doubled his score to make him the weekly winner. Who will star in this week’s roundtable predictions?

We’ve got another juicy slate of games for our third week.

The Leaderboard week 2:

after

Patrick Gallagher — 36 points (18) Dominic Gibson — 29 points (9) Liam Coolican — 27 points (20) Aidan Thomas — 18 points (6) Nate Moller — 14 points (8)

NCAAF #7 Auburn @ #4 Georgia (-7.0) #13 Texas A&M @ #2 Alabama (-17.0) #25 Memphis (-3.0) @ SMU

NFL Indianapolis Colts (-3.0) @ Chicago Bears Buffalo Bills (-3.0) @ Las Vegas Raiders New England Patriots @ Kansas City Chiefs (-7.0)

Aidan It’s our first top-10 matchup of the year, and it should be a good one. No. 4 Georgia has a brutal crossover slate with games against Auburn and Alabama, which will make their SEC East title defense difficult. Both teams won big last week, struggling in the first half before turning it on late. Georgia’s offense found a rhythm in the second half, and they get former USC starter J.T. Daniels back this week. Auburn struggled to get off the field on defense last week against a pretty mediocre Kentucky offense, so if the ‘Dawgs get rolling early, that could spell trouble for the Tigers. Bo Nix was effective, if not explosive last week, and he faces a much stiffer challenge in this Georgia defense. Give me Georgia to win but not cover.

Texas A&M was the most underwhelming Week 1 winner in the SEC, beating the hapless Vanderbilt Commodores by just five points. Alabama, meanwhile,

cruised against Missouri, 3819. It’s stunning to me that the Aggies continue to underwhelm with the talent on their roster, but I think Alabama is the best team in the SEC and they pull away on Saturday. However, the 17-point spread is huge, and I will give Kellen Mond the benefit of the doubt ... he’ll keep it within two possessions. Alabama wins but does not cover.

This is an exciting Group of 5 quarterback battle in the AAC, as Memphis’s Brady White battles with SMU’s Shane Buechele.

Buechele has looked very good early, and SMU has played three games to Memphis’ one. I think he comes out slinging and slaps 40+ on the scoreboard. The Mustangs swing the upset on their home field.

The Bears are the flukiest 3-0 team ever, having somehow come back from two huge fourth-quarter deficits, sandwiched around a less-than-impressive victory over the Giants.

Meanwhile, the Colts defense has looked pretty good, and the offense has been pretty strong, albeit against some pretty poor competition. I like Nick Foles, but it just feels like Chicago is not good enough to be 4-0.

Give me the Colts to win and cover.

I thought the Bills defense would be great and carry an OK offense, but it’s been the other way around so far. Josh Allen has looked like an MVP, while the defense gave up 28 to the Dolphins, 17 to the Jets (who have scored 37 total on the year), and 32 to the Rams, while almost blowing a 28-3 lead. Is the offense good enough to counter a pretty strong Raiders attack, led by Derek Carr, Josh Jacobs, and Darren Waller? I think so, but just barely. Las Vegas’s defense has been pretty porous, and the Bills should be able to put up at least 30, which I think will be enough to get the job done. The 3-point spread is really small, so I’ll go Buffalo to win and cover.

And finally, it’s the new-look Patriots visiting Pat Mahomes and the unbeaten Chiefs. After seeming vulnerable in an overtime victory against the Chargers, the defending Super Bowl champs looked anything but in a clean, two-touchdown victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Even against last year’s weak Patriots team, Pat Mahomes has struggled to dominate New England, but I will not pick against the Chiefs at Arrowhead. I think Cam Newton leads a good enough offense to keep it close, but the Chiefs have too many weapons. KC to win, but not to cover.

Finally, my upset of the week.

I’m 0-2 on this call so far, as I took the wrong Mississippi team last week, underestimating the strength of Florida’s offense.

For this one, I’m heading away from the Power-5. Air Force is a 7-point underdog against Navy, and while it is Air Force’s first game of the year, they haven’t lost at home to the Midshipmen since 2012. Navy hasn’t exactly looked very impressive, so give me the Falcons in the upset in their season opener.

Patrick Despite starting slow against Arkansas, Georgia eventually found their rhythm and looked like an elite team last week.

The only problem is that the Razorbacks have probably one of the least talented rosters in the entire Power Five, so the fact that the Bulldogs struggled at all against them is concerning. For me, the main issue lies in the quarterback position. Georgia has three solid options, but none of them are star-material. On the other hand, Auburn’s Bo Nix threw three touchdowns in the second half against Kentucky and looked like one of the better passers in the SEC. I believe Nix will be tested against Georgia’s defense; however, I trust his consistency and poise under pressure. Expect Auburn to pull off the upset.

Alabama seems like the best team in the SEC by a wide margin. The roster is stacked both offensively and defensively, and I would not be surprised if they remain undefeated going into the playoff. While Mac Jones is not the flashiest quarterback, his offensive weapons will certainly elevate his play this season. Receiver Jaylen Waddle accumulated 134 yards and two touchdowns against Missouri, and, while he did not look overly impressive last week, star running back Najee Harris should have a big game against Texas A&M’s mediocre run defense. The Aggies almost lost to Vanderbilt, so I do not think that the Tide will have any trouble in this matchup.

Alabama will win but not cover as their starters will get some rest in the fourth quarter.

SMU’s Shane Buechele is one of the most entertaining quarterbacks in college.

He commits more interceptions than one would like; however, Buechele’s big-play ability always seems to keep the Mustangs in reach of victory. He is ranked second in passing yards through three games, and SMU’s roster also boasts Ulysses Bentley IV – the nation’s leading rusher. This high-powered offense will give Memphis’ defense trouble as the Tigers gave up 424 yards

against Arkansas State. Expect Buechele to lead the Mustangs to an exciting upset, which may finally boost his team into the top 25.

Ever since choking against the Jags in week one, Indianapolis has looked pretty solid on both sides of the ball early in the season. The Colts defense has impressed holding their last two opponents under 15 points, and I expect them to perform well against a streaky Bears’ offense. If Phillip Rivers can keep his interceptions to a minimum, Indianapolis should cruise to victory covering the spread.

While the Bills have certainly played down against inferior opponents, their victory against Los Angeles proved that they can hang with some of the more talented teams in the NFL. Josh Allen has elevated his game throwing for over 1000 yards in only three games.

He has also kept his turnovers to a minimum — only committing one interception. The Raiders’ defense allowed Sony Michel to dominate and let the Patriots score almost 40 points last week, so I believe that the Bills will have a huge day offensively. Buffalo will win by a large margin covering the spread.

I doubted Kansas City last week, but I will not make that mistake again. The Chiefs scored at will against the formidable Ravens’ defense, and I think that they will at least accumulate 30 points against New England. Patrick Mahomes has been excellent so far as he has the highest QBR in the NFL. The Patriots have strung together some impressive defensive performances, but they have yet to shut down an elite offense. Belichick should keep things interesting early, but Kansas City will pull away late in the game covering the spread.

For my upset pick, I am begrudgingly trusting the Eagles to finally turn things around this week. Carson Wentz has been awful in 2020 throwing six interceptions and only three touchdowns. I believe that Wentz is too talented to continue this very troubling trend and think that he will finally bounce back against the injury-riddled 49ers. Nick Mullins did look like more than a capable replacement for Garoppolo last week, but everybody should pump the brakes on his hype train as San Francisco was playing the Giants, who just might be the worst team in the league. It will be a tough matchup, but I believe that Philadelphia can earn a win because, if they do not, their fanbase might start calling

for Wentz to be replaced soon.

Nate This is one of the first marquee matchups of the year in college football, and I expect it to be a good one. Auburn got a solid performance from Bo Nix last week against Kentucky.

Nix will likely need to perform even better this week if the Tigers are going to upset the fourth-ranked Bulldogs. Last week was a tale of two halves for Georgia against Arkansas.

The Bulldogs struggled mightily in the first half, but when they put in quarterback Stetson Bennett, the Bulldogs looked like a different team. I like the Bulldogs to take care of business this week against Auburn.

Georgia wins and covers.

Texas A&M looked less than impressive last week against a Vanderbilt team that has consistently been at the bottom of the SEC. Kellen Mond needs to be better for the Aggies, as he was only 17-28 for 189 yards last week. Alabama, on the other hand, looked smooth from start to finish. Mac Jones has not proven himself completely, but he has sure looked to be a solid quarterback so far.

I think the Tide will dominate in this one but the seventeen point spread is a little too much. Give me the Tide to win but not cover.

This American Athletic Conference matchup looks to be a good one between SMU and Memphis. In its last two games, SMU’s offense has looked spectacular, putting up 50 or more points in each of those games. Memphis struggled in their opener against Arkansas State, and they have had four weeks off between that game and Saturday’s matchup. I expect Memphis to start the game slowly because of this. SMU will build an early lead and use their prolific offense to win this one outright.

Although the Bears are currently 3-0, they have looked less than impressive in each of their victories so far this year.

Nick Foles was able to ignite the Bears offense last week in their comeback victory over the Falcons, and he might be the guy the Bears need. Even if Foles isn’t perfect, he has shown that he can rally an offense before and lead them to victory consistently. The Colts boast a 2-1 record but their two wins are against the Vikings and Jets- arguable two of the worst teams in the NFL this season. I think Philip Rivers and the Colts’ offense struggles against the Bears’ defense this week, and Foles does just enough to give the Bears the outright win.

This Bills and Raiders

16

The observer | Friday, October 2, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

ND Cross country

Irish to face quality competition in Louisville

By NATE MOLLER Sports Writer

The Irish cross countr y squads w ill travel to Louisv ille this Saturday for their second meet of the season, and last meet before the ACC Championships.

A lthough the meet size w ill still be relatively small for cross countr y, there w ill be around seven teams at the meet.

Matt Sparks, the head women’s cross countr y coach, said there w ill be seven teams from the SEC there who w ill prov ide good competition for the Irish.

“Arkansas and Ole Miss have kinda led the way for that conference lately. And both men’s and women’s teams are expected to be there. That w ill be a good test for us ahead of the ACC Championship,” Sparks said.

One challenge that the team w ill face is the bizarre schedule of this season. Usually, there are several races throughout the year before the

ACC Championships, and the team usually tries to peak for the NCA A Championships at the end of November.

This year, however, the Irish w ill need to peak for the ACC Championships at the end of October. Additionally, there is a four-week break between Saturday’s race and the ACCs, which w ill be a challenge for training.

“We’ve never gone four weeks w ithout a meet, so that’s going to be the challenge between Saturday and the conference meet.

It’s putting more pressure on the coaches to recognize what time of year it is,” Sparks said. “We have a more aggressive training plan in September, which is unique for our program. This is necessar y if the end of our season is the end of October.

Traditionally November is when we start to ramp it up for championship season, but this year it w ill be ending see XCOUNTRY PAGE 14

ANNA MASON | The Observer

Jack McNabola, a 2019 Irish freshman, placed 42nd at the Joe Piane Invitational at Burke Golf Course on Oct. 4. McNabola ran a 25:42.57 race, finishing 2.50 seconds behind the runner ahead of him.

football Column

ND WOMEN’s Soccer

Dream Notre Dame football schedule

Irish beat Eagles in home opener

By LIAM COOLICAN Spor ts Writer

Two first-half goals propelled Notre Dame (2-1) to a 2-0 w in over a youthful Boston College (0-1) squad on a rainy Thursday night at A lumni Stadium.

Victor y in the Irish’s 2020 home opener meant Notre Dame improved to 13-1-1 all-time vs. Boston College and 8-0 at home against the Eagles.

In this year’s condensed schedule of just eight conference games, ever y result could be v ital in the race for a spot in the ACC Tournament.

Notre Dame head coach Nate Norman was ver y happy w ith the result and pleased w ith his team’s performance on the whole.

“I thought we were ver y sharp in the first half,” he said. “We got a couple of goals and created a lot of chances in the opening 45 minutes. In the second half, see W SOCCER PAGE 13

we weren’t as sharp as we needed to be in the crucial moments but still created several chances. Overall, ver y happy w ith the performance. Boston College is a ver y good team and I was happy we were able to come away w ith a w in.”

The Irish were able to apply pressure early as BC tried to sit deep and soak up pressure. Junior for ward Luisa Delgado was especially active in the opening minutes. The Manhattan Beach, California native recorded the first of eight first-half shots on target for the Irish in the fourth minute. Eagles goalkeeper A llie Augur was up to the task at her near post, however, and also made a v ital save two minutes later off a cross from senior for ward Eva Hurm. Senior midfielder Sammi Fisher found Hurm unmarked on the right-w ing, but the for ward’s cutback was too close to the sophomore keeper.

The breakthrough came w ith just under fifteen

Hayden Adams Sports Editor

Notre Dame. So here it goes, but first:

Excluded: Navy, Stanford Notre Dame football met its darkest hour (so far) of its 2020 college football season when it was forced to postpone its Sept.

26 contest against Wake Forest.

I say it was their darkest hour, but while is understandably worrisome to many, in reality, this should not come as a surprise It’s a crazy disease and there’s only so much you can control. I’m not trying to make excuses; I’m just telling it like it is.

Hopefully, they learn from this and work to avoid another outbreak down the line — and it seems they have since they identified a pregame team meal as the culprit — because now they’ve used up the builtin buffer to their schedule.

And speaking of their schedule, considering I’ve already speculated on the men’s basketball team’s schedule for 2020, I feel like musing on my dream football schedule for

Let’s get this out of the way.

Say what you will about the military schools and the Navy series in particular. I’ve come around on it in the last few months since I vehemently defended its place on the schedule. But I must say I have sympathy for Clark Lea and pretty much any defensive coordinator who has to prep for the triple-option. Also, this game doesn’t work logistically with me trying to fit five ACC games in (more on that later).

That said, I remember covering a Notre Dame-Army lacrosse game as a freshman, and to see the way they treat rivalries (or matchups in general) against armed forces schools is really something special. So I’d like Notre Dame to go to an every-other-year model, and to get some variety by scheduling Army or Air Force in the Midshipmen’s stead.

As for Stanford, they care about academics like Notre Dame, but they don’t seem to

be showing football the same appreciation. As such, the program is slipping, and there just doesn’t seem to be enough history between the schools (unless you include what’s happened with the Stanford band) to warrant this maintaining a yearly spot on the slate.

And with that…

Game 1: vs. Wake Forest What can I say? I’ve got Wake Forest on the brain (queue James Taylor’s “Carolina in my Mind”).

The Irish Catholics and the Demon Deacons; I don’t think that religious connotation is played up enough when these teams face. Let me see Notre Dame take on a middle-ofpack type of ACC team to kick off the season so they can at least get a little test before a tough test in week 3.

Game 2: vs. Tulsa This is a revenge spot, very similar to this year’s matchup with South Florida. Notre see FB COLUMN PAGE 12