Print Edition for The Observer for Friday, August 25, 2023

‘hard-hitting, physical, wreaking havoc’: bertrand ready to lead Irish defense

By MATTHEW CROW Associate sports editor

It might not seem like much is new for J d b ertrand in the fall of his fifth year at n otre d ame. The graduate student has started at middle linebacker for the past two seasons, has been a team captain and has played in the c ollege Football Playoff. b ertrand even played a football game in d ublin, the site of the Irish’s season opener against n avy, as a high schooler in 2016.

The same could be said for n otre d ame’s entire linebacker unit. When the Irish released their depth chart for the n avy game earlier in the week, the linebacker rotation offered no surprises. Last year’s trio of starters – current graduate students b ertrand, Jack Kiser and m arist Liufau –will once again be piloting the Irish defense.

For a group that has proven their ability to play at a high level and has all the big-game experience you could ask for, questions lingered about how they could raise the bar in 2023, what they could do differently

freeman feature

to continue elevating their own performance and that of the entire defense.

To b ertrand, who led the Irish with 82 tackles last season (8.5 TFL) and was named the team’s d efensive Player of the Year, that growth has been multifaceted over the nearly eight months since n otre

d ame’s Gator b owl victory last d ecember. For starters, the unit has continued to build the same trust and chemistry on the field that they have off it.

“

o ne of the coolest things is just having them as my best friends off the field,”

b ertrand said about Kiser and Liufau during fall camp. “I think that really does come onto the field [when] we’re trying to beat each other to checking the defense or we’re trying to make sure that each other knows every single little detail and [can anticipate] the offense.”

That trust has also been built with the coaching staff, especially second year defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Al Golden. With a full season in s outh b end now under his belt, Golden has

felt more comfortable raising his expectations for the unit and b ertrand has eagerly taken on added responsibility.

“

o ne of the biggest things is that he’s able to put more load on us as linebackers because he knows that we’ll be a common voice for the defense,” b ertrand said about the difference in Golden’s coaching from last season. “ s o when a motion comes in or a check needs to be made, we can make that check really fast and calm everyone else.”

While the Irish’s starting linebacker core remains the same, the group features several talented young players. n ow a twotime captain, b ertrand’s responsibilities extend to preparing his younger teammates for the big moments that they may step into at some point in the season.

“h aving so many younger guys in our system, it’s been an opportunity to teach,” b ertrand said. “Whether it’s answering every single question they have or looking at the details and their technique, it’s been a really cool opportunity to

almost test my knowledge by getting all these kinds of questions.”

In terms of on-field performance, Golden noted four areas that the Irish’s linebackers have prioritized this offseason.

“We need great ball disruption, we need to finish [with] effort and attitude on every single play,” Golden said. “We need to understand, identify and execute in situations and then we need to be better tacklers.”

m aybe the improvements that b ertrand and the linebackers have made won’t jump off the page as much as they will for some of the Irish’s less experienced position groups. b ut that doesn’t mean they won’t be present.

They could show up as the heightened effectiveness with which b ertrand communicates to his teammates. o r the standout play of the unit’s younger members that stems from his leadership. o r the Irish linebackers disrupting more passes, playing with more energy, reading and reacting quicker and tackling better while taking on an expanded role in the defense.

Freeman ready to turn Year one lessons into actions

By ANDREW McGUINNESS sports editor

during fall camp, head coach marcus Freeman and the new-look coaching staff met with athletic director Jack swarbrick. swarbrick has overseen 10 national champions in 15 years as the University’s athletic director, the most in notre dame’s illustrious history. he knows what a championship-caliber team looks and feels like — and what it doesn’t. The meeting’s message resonated so much with the head coach that he asked swarbrick to deliver it to his players. but after swarbrick finished talking, Freeman made sure his team took away the right things from it. no matter how much notre dame improves from its rollercoaster 9-4 inaugural season under Freeman, it cannot win the national championship in september. heck, it can’t even beat navy until the ball is kicked off at Aviva stadium in dublin

on saturday night. but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been anything at stake in the time between then and the final whistle of notre dame’s dec. 30 Gator bowl victory.

“I reminded the guys that’s the result of a lot of different things,” Freeman said. “don’t worry about saturday. Focus on today. You are in a competition versus your opponent. We’re both practicing today. so who’s gonna win today?”

notre dame will ultimately be judged by who wins on 12 of the next 14 saturdays and, the Irish hope, beyond. Freeman knows this. his first year leading the Irish was not without its triumphs. The Irish pulled themselves off the mat after suffering a second potentially season-shaking loss to stanford on oct. 15. A disappointing 3-3 start gave way to a 6-1 burst that was highlighted by a blowout win over no. 4 clemson.

That turnaround is evidence that Freeman isn’t the same

person or coach that he was when he took the job from brian Kelly. A momenet when he switched from hotshot defensive coordinator to being tasked with maintaining the stability the Irish rediscovered in the 2010s. but it also isn’t enough on its own to get the Irish to where they want to be — even if that isn’t their focus right now.

“If there’s a better way to do it, and somebody can it explain it to me in a way that makes sense and I understand it and I agree with it — let’s do it,” Freeman said. “It’s a part of growth. sometimes that’s what prevents people from growing. I need to be able to grow. I don’t have every answer... I was able to adapt (last season) and adjust myself as a leader. I just wanna do what’s best for the players.”

What’s best may vary for different players and in different situations. Freeman may no longer be a new face in south bend, but there are a lot of

Those subtle developments could turn a good unit into a great one during a notre d ame season that kicks off against navy on s aturday. It will be a special game for b ertrand – he expects upwards of 20 friends and family members currently living in Ireland to be in attendance.

“m y family’s excited, our family and friends in Ireland are excited,” b ertrand said. “The energy there is just going to be unreal.”

When asked about the identity of this Irish defense, Golden was hesitant to put a label on it. he preferred to defer to his players, who were more than happy to oblige.

“We’re going to be a defense that is hard-hitting, physical, wreaking havoc,” Kiser said. “but at the same time, [we’re] going to bring consistancy and execution that hasn’t been seen in a while.”

notre dame’s linebacker trio is back for an encore season and they’re not the same players they were last year. They’re ready to prove it.

Contact Matthew Crow at mcrow@nd.edu

them at the forefront of the 117th season of Irish football.

Graduate student quarterback sam hartman is the obvious one. but from redshirts to true freshmen to graduate transfers and even to the coaching staff, Freeman noted monday that the Irish will be counting on a lot of new faces in 2023.

That type of development may have been intimidating a year ago when Freeman was still learning the ropes. but it’s clear that Freeman’s “challenge everything” mentality is making inroads in all areas of the program. It’s not just a way to make a daunting schedule that includes three preseason top-10 opponents (ohio state, Usc, clemson) seem like a positive. It’s taking advantage of every possible opportunity to maximize notre dame’s chances of success.

That may show up in finding a role for sophomore Jaylen sneed in an experienced, talented linebacker group. “We will find ways to get him on

the field because he makes us better when he’s on the field,” Freeman said.

It may show up in giving space for new offensive coordinator Gerad Parker to develop, rather than over-managing.

“I’ve been really pleased with the growth of him as a leader of a staff, him as a leader of the offense,” Freeman said. “his players truly buy into who he is as a leader. That’s to me the reflection of a great leader.”

It may simply mean creating an “environment of leadership,” a phrase Freeman used to describe the culture of the roster.

even with a new staff and plenty of new faces, the Irish aren’t short on leaders. Freeman noted that 10 players received at least 10 votes to be named a team captain and that even a fresh staff isn’t backing down from making their presence felt in the right way.

Nd seeks diversity post affirmative action

Vice president for enrollment discusses Notre Dame’s admissions plan after Supreme Court ruling

By LIAM KELLY a ssociate news editor

The s upreme c ourt’s June ruling striking down the use of affirmative action in college admissions will make it harder for n otre d ame to enroll a racially diverse class, professors say. i n the wake of the decision, the admissions department is trying to find legal methods to build a racially diverse class.

n otre d ame has employed race-conscious admissions since at least the 1980s, according to the foreword of “ b lack d omers,” a book about racial integration at the u niversity. n otre d ame, however,

has never considered race as a standalone factor, according to current and previous admissions leaders.

o ver the past 25 years, the percentage of international students and students of color has more than doubled, increasing from 16% to 42%. a lthough the court’s ruling will make efforts to enroll a more diverse class harder, n otre d ame admissions plans to leverage options left available by the court to enroll racially diverse classes, vice president for undergraduate enrollment m icki Kidder said.

see affirmaTive PagE 5

smc sustainable farm boasts record harvest

By KATELYN WALDSCHMIDT a ssociate news edior

for the third year in a row, the saint mary’s sustainable farm will be offering fresh produce to the community throughout the fall semester.

director of the sustainable farm christopher cobb said that the idea for creating the farm arose after pope francis released the environmental encyclical, “laudato si’.”

“we began having conversations about things that the college could do to be more sustainable ... and the idea arose that we might start a sustainable farm. step by step, we put the farm into place,” cobb said.

matthew insley, farm manager, expanded on the sustainability mission of the farm, saying “the practices that we use are things that we can continue to use over time without depleting

see farm PagE 3

Notre Dame has employed a race-concious admissions since at least the 1980s. However, the University has never considered race as a standalone factor, according to current and previous admissions leaders.

Fires spread throughout Hawaiian island Maui

By REDMOND BERNHOLD news writer

m aui’s catastrophic wildfires have left many residents homeless, missing or dead. w ith at least 114 people dead in l ahaina and over 850 people still

missing, residents are caring for each other to preserve their generational connection to m aui.

a lex v ento, a junior from l ower Kula, grew up on several islands but has spent most of his

life in m aui.

v ento said the wildfire source started upcountry but embers moved because of h urricane d ora and started more fires.

h e said his family was

see fires PagE 2

University continues legacy admissions

By LIAM KELLY a ssociate news editor

as legacy admissions programs at elite universities face heightened scrutiny in the wake of the supreme court’s ruling striking down affirmative action in college admissions, notre dame reaffirmed the practice will continue to play a role in admissions.

micki Kidder, vice president for undergraduate enrollment, explained in an interview with The observer that legacy admissions

are still important to notre dame going forward.

“notre dame alumni are deeply devoted to this place,” Kidder said. “i would argue it’s actually legendary within higher education, possibly unmatched within higher education … This dedication is something we greatly value and we don’t want to ignore it.” according to statista, 36% of notre dame alumni made a contribution to the school in 2019, the last year for which data is available. only the alumni of two

other elite research universities — dartmouth college and princeton university — had a higher percentage of alumni who made a donation to their alma mater that same year.

even with this commitment to its alumni, however, Kidder stressed that the university never aims to give an unfair advantage to unqualified legacy applicants. she also said the legacy status of an applicant does not wholly

see legacy PagE 3

SOFIA CRIMIVAROLI | The Observer

KATELYN WALDSCHMIDT | The Observer

The chickens at the sustaniable farm ‘recycle’ by eating the food waste that is collected in the dining hall after each meal of the day.

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Companies offer student discounts

By KELSEY QUINT New Writer Editor

With classes back in session, Notre Dame students are not alone in their search for savings. As Uber rides and DoorDash orders drain wallets, full-time college students often struggle to save summer job funds. But there are many student discounts and promotions left untapped, often because students simply don’t know about them.

Student discounts have become a marketing tool utilized by a variety of industries. Not only does more affordable pricing help attract a new segment of customers, but student discounts also help businesses build brand loyalty and display a commitment to supporting education.

Music streaming platform Spotify, for example, offers Spotify Premium Student. The program includes a three-month free trial of Spotify Premium as well as Hulu (with ads).

Following this trial, students can continue their access to both platforms for a cost of $5.99 per month, compared to the typical pricing of $10.99

fires

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

one of the first families to evacuate the area, safely fleeing at 4 a.m.

Kali Spalding, a sophomore from Makawao, described the direct impact of the fires on her friends and family.

“A lot of friends completely lost everything they had,” she said.

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per month for Spotify Premium and $7.99 per month for a Hulu subscription. This offer is scheduled to end Sept. 12.

Saving on streaming does not end there.

Students can get Peacock Premium for a price of $1.99 per month for 12 months. Apple Music targets students with a $5.99 monthly price (for up to 48 months), compared to the typical individual price of $10.99. Paramount Plus offers 25% off on student subscriptions.

However, streaming services are not the only businesses that recognize student purchasing power. Many Notre Dame students, just like other college students across the country, rely on quick shipping. Whether buying groceries to save up flex points, or scrambling for last-minute gameday essentials, students cling to the convenience of megaretailers Amazon, Target and Walmart. These big names also offer student discounting.

On Amazon, students can get a six-month free trial of the Prime student membership, followed by a discounted price of $69 per year — about half of

packing what they could in limited time, and went to Dela Cruz’s aunt’s house in Wailuku. Dela Cruz spent some time volunteering after the fires ravaged the community.

the standard $139 annual membership. Prime student memberships also include a one-month free trial of Grubhub+ Student, which offers $0 in delivery fees for participating restaurants.

Walmart mirrored this Amazon strategy, offering their own student Walmart+ membership at a price of $6.47 per month — or $49 per year, half of the standard $98 yearly fee. Target took a slightly different approach, offering one 20% off storewide discount for students with Target Circle, but this discount ends Saturday.

For those looking to plan their spring breaks early, they may be happy to hear that student discounting always applies to the travel industry. Until Dec. 31, United Airlines is offering a 5% discount for anyone between the ages of 18 and 23 that books through their United App. Likewise, the website StudentUniverse has founded their entire business structure on procuring the cheapest flights, hotels and cars for students looking to travel during their college experience.

If streaming, quick

family.”

shipping and travel are not on the to-do list, there is still hope for saving. The website and app, UNiDAYS, serves as a sort of one-stopsavings platform for all things beauty, food and drink, fashion, fitness and technology. Students can explore the website by creating an account and verifying their enrollment with their “.edu” email address. After this initial verification, the app includes promotional offerings for many retailers, including American Eagle/ Aerie, Adidas, Under Armour, Dell, Expedia, Levi’s and many more. Back in South Bend, students can continue exploring the various discount offerings.

Cinemark’s South Bend theater offers student pricing every weekday, simply for presenting a student ID at the box office. On campus, Notre Dame has made a premium Calm App subscription — typically $69.99 per year — available to students that follow the online steps and sign-up with their NetID email.

Contact Kelsey Quint at kquint@nd.edu

Her grandmother’s house, located in an agriculturally rich area, is facing a severe water advisory. Spalding said the house has “no water to drink and no water to shower” and noted that boiling water intensifies the pollutant. The issue persists despite water transportation efforts.

Spalding’s mother works at King Kekaulike High School, which could not welcome students back until Tuesday.

Junior Anjeleigh Dela Cruz, a resident from Kihei, estimated that the fire came about 100 yards from her community. Her family evacuated,

“I was working with the Red Cross but it was under the county. And… seeing all of that [tragedy], it’s very sobering,” Dela Cruz said about her volunteering experience.

Dela Cruz’s grandparents lost their home in the flames.

“My grandma and my grandpa, their house is completely gone. They lost everything. They have nothing but basically the clothes on their back and whatever documents they could grab,” she said.

Despite the tragedy, residents from other islands and Maui are supporting those most affected.

“There are people who don’t know where their families are,” Spalding said. She said that for Hawaiians, especially Maui residents, “everyone is

Spalding also said the robust culture in Lahaina will not change. The words “malama” (to care for, protect and preserve) and “kokua” (altruistic help) are values everpresent in Hawaii, she said.

Vento said it is also a “wound to tourism,” but that the people of Maui are “resistant” in restoring Lahaina and nearby land back to its state of prosperity.

“A whole community and area and lifestyle is just completely gone,” Dela Cruz said.

“So many childhood memories for my mom and me” were lost in the fire, she added, including the charred Lahaina banyan tree.

Dela Cruz mentioned the hope she encountered while volunteering at another shelter.

“We had people flying in from other islands … and it was a constant line of people dropping off toilet paper, baby food, water and any necessities,” she said.

Dela Cruz said she hopes that the rebuilding of Lahaina and other parts of Maui will “keep moving forward, while honoring the past and respecting what has happened.”

Spalding offered advice to those with friends and family affected by the fires.

“In the midst of heartbreak, make sure you are loving and caring for those around you,” she said.

In response to the wildfires, Mikey Nguyen ‘20 started a fundraising campaign to aid in replacing his family’s personal belongings, homes and cars. Their community ties are meaningful to both Lahaina residents and tourists with his mother working in the restaurant industry and his father as a taxi driver. The campaign notes that his family have been “proud members of the Lahaina community for over 35 years.”

Contact Redmond Bernhold at rbernho2@nd.edu

determine if that applicant is to be admitted.

“I believe our responsibility is to give every applicant, both legacy and non-legacy, careful and fair consideration to ensure that we are striking this balance of recognizing and appreciating the dedication of alumni children, yet never placing an unfair advantage to those individuals,” she said.

b ut upon the overturning of affirmative action in college admissions, many have criticized legacy admissions for giving a leg up to privileged applicants.

“It is certainly true that legacy admits tend to be more wealthy and more white than the typical applicant pool,” said n otre d ame associate law professor Jennifer m ason m cAward during a virtual panel on affirmative action hosted by the Klau Institute for c ivil and h uman r ights on July 7.

r ecently, three civil rights groups filed a lawsuit against h arvard University, alleging the university’s legacy admissions program disproportionately benefits white students. The U. s d epartment of e ducation launched an official investigation following the suit.

While institutions such as Wesleyan University and the University of m innesota join the ranks of schools such as Johns h opkins University and Amherst c ollege in not considering an applicant’s legacy status, legacy admissions continues to play an important role at n otre d ame — more so than at its peer institutions.

d on b ishop, the former vice president for undergraduate enrollment, estimated in an April 2022 interview with The o bserver that between 19% and 25% of each class consists of children of alumni. At Yale, 14% of the class of 2025 consisted of legacy admits, and roughly 15% of the student body

in need can select their fresh produce for no cost.

at h arvard are children of alumni.

Admitted alumni students at n otre d ame often yield at a rate of about 75%, while other admits yield at a rate around 50%, b ishop said.

A recent study conducted by researchers from h arvard and b rown also determined that students whose family income is in the 99.9 percentile of earners nationwide are 2.4 times more likely to attend n otre d ame than students from the middle class (defined as those in 70 to 80 percentile range of earners) with the same test scores.

h owever, b ishop noted the average alumni child at n otre d ame has “exactly the same median GPA as the entire class.”

e ven with increased scrutiny legacy admissions is facing, some professors expressed doubt about the feasibility of eliminating the practice.

“

e liminating legacy admissions is going to be hard at many selective universities, given often who is on trustee boards and

things like that,” said Anna h askins, associate professor of sociology and associate director of the Initiative on r ace and r esilience, during the July 7 panel.

“ b ut I think there are ways in which n otre d ame itself can really counteract or counterbalance some of the existing preferential treatment policies that were not eliminated in this s upreme c ourt ruling.”

Fr. r obert d owd, vice president and assistant provost, also speaking during the July 7 panel, affirmed his support for the University to ”continue efforts to … admit low-income and first-generation students” to increase diversity. d owd said he spoke as an individual and not on behalf of the University.

Kidder described the University as “deeply committed” to increasing the number of low-income students on campus.

s he also pointed to several University initiatives to recruit and admit underprivileged students, such as the c risto r ey

n etwork and the Alliance for c atholic e ducation network.

First generation and lowincome students will make up almost 21% of the incoming first-year class — exceeding the number of legacy students enrolled, Kidder said.

“We’ve worked really hard to create pathways for the students from all backgrounds and will remain committed to that,” she said.

Kidder also reaffirmed the University was committed to meeting 100% of students’ demonstrated need.

“That commitment to enrolling these students coupled with our financial aid commitments to meet the full demonstrated need of every student regardless of income and household family income … will continue to drive an increasing number of low-income students on campus,” Kidder said. “It’s something that we are fiercely committed to.”

Contact Liam Kelly at lkelly8@nd.edu

the resources, but actually adding to it.”

This year marks the farm’s third growing season, but its first full-scale harvest.

Abbie Kawalec, a junior and care for creation coordinator, says that a large part of the growth is thanks to Insley, who students often refer to as Farmer matt.

“What has gone into that [growth] is a lot of dedication from Farmer matt, who started working last year. he has completely revolutionized the farm,” Kawalec said.

Kawalec also helps coordinate volunteer work on the farm, located just past the soccer field at the college.

“I’d say the way we were really able to change was getting passionate volunteers,” she added.

The work continues nearly every season — harvesting in the fall, preparing for winter and planting and seeding in the spring.

students work and the farm and at the sustainable farm market, a donation-based market that sets up on the saint mary’s campus every Friday.

“The food is there for those who come to take what they need, what they’re looking for,” cobb said. “Then if people want to make a donation to support the farm’s work, they can. And we’ve been getting a lot of generous donations each week.”

before the market at the college, the harvest becomes part of a food pantry that carrie badertscher, ecumenical chaplain at saint mary’s, operates out of her home. Families and those

“We are seeking to ensure that the first thing that food from the farm does is go to people who need it,” cobb said. “And then the college is the second destination for the food because we want to give back to the community that’s supporting us.”

At the market, students can find a wide variety of crops that have all been grown at the farm. right now, summer squash, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce mix, kale, collard greens, garlic, green beans and more are in season, cobb said. The farm also offers fresh herbs, flowers and eggs.

Insley referred to the chickens as “our best ambassadors and key to engagement on campus.”

The chickens are part of the sustainable farm and the Food Waste Fighters, another part of the center for Faith, Action and mission. Kawalec said that the Food Waste Fighters collect food waste from the dining hall to feed the chickens, and the chickens feed on grass from the farm to clear the land.

“[The chickens are] a perfect example of the way that regenerative farming can change the world,” Insley said. “They’re recycling machines in action.” The chickens ‘recycle’ by eating the food waste that is collected in the dining hall.

“We take basically all your food waste,” Insley said. “We don’t want your plastic — the chickens don’t eat plastic — but they eat just about everything else. You can even put your napkins in.”

Insley said that this is a great way for students to help out that doesn’t involve any effort.

“Use the green bins. If it’s on your plate at the end, put it in the bins. The chickens pick it clean and honestly it’s been saving us thirteen dollars a day, that’s really awesome,” he said. beyond the crops and chickens, the farm is also being used to grow flowers and a dye garden, a collaboration with the art department to create natural pigments. several leaves, roots and seeds are used for the sustainable textiles class.

cobb predicts students and community members will continue to see the farm and market in action throughout the semester. harvest will continue through the end of october, and farm leaders hope to plant late fall crops in future years.

Contact

KATELYN WALDSCHMIDT | The Observer

The farm grows a variety of crops for the South Bend and Saint Mary’s communities. “The food is there for those who come to take what they need, what they’re looking for,” farm director Christopher Cobb said.

a dditionally, she noted the University looks beyond race when considering applicants.

“a pplicants may express the impact of their racial identity on their lived experiences, but n otre d ame will not consider race as a standalone factor,” Kidder wrote in an email statement.

Before the ruling: Notre d ame’s racial demographic trends r acial and ethnic diversity at n otre d ame has grown substantially since 1997, according to the earliest available common data set. m ore than 40% of the incoming class of 2027 consists of students of color and international students. The percentage of h ispanic students on campus has increased from about 7% of the undergraduate student body in 1997 to 13% in 2022. i n 1990, international students made up just 2.1% of the student body. That number jumped to 3% in 2010 and then 6.8% in 2022. m eanwhile, 85% of the 1997-98 freshman class were white students from the U. s . i n 2022, that proportion dropped to 58%.

While the overall

percentage of students of color and international students has increased, some minority groups on campus have seen their representation on campus stagnate or even decline in the last decade. a sian students in 1997 accounted for 3.9% of undergraduates.

i n 2010, this number rose to 6.1% before falling to 5.7% in 2022.

i n 1997, b lack students made up 3.4% of the undergraduate community. b lack student enrollment fell to 3.2% in 2010 and has increased slightly to 3.9% as of 2022. The University’s population of students who identify solely as b lack falls in the bottom quartile of the a ssociation of a merican Universities private institutions, according to the b oard of Trustees’ 2021 r eport on d iversity, e quity and i nclusion.

(Note: the common data set and Notre Dame admissions have categorized those who identify as two or more races or unknown separately since 2010. Students who identify as two or more races but are Hispanic are counted only as Hispanic. These numbers are available in the common data sets.)

While enrollment for racial and ethnic minority students has increased

over the last two decades, the percentage of minority students who said they were satisfied with the climate for minorities on campus decreased from 61% in 2010 to 53% in 2020, according to the senior survey.

Notre d ame’s evolving diversity policy

b efore the s upreme c ourt’s ruling, n otre d ame publicly supported affirmative action.

i n a ugust 2022, n otre d ame conveyed their support for affirmative action by joining an amicus brief with 56 other c atholic colleges and universities supporting the admissions programs of h arvard University and the University of n orth c arolina.

r ecently, the University doubled down on its research to increase racial and ethnic diversity on campus. i n a ugust 2020, University President Fr. Jenkins and the University b oard of Trustees commissioned a “ r eport on d iversity, e quity and i nclusion” following the death of George Floyd. The report, published in June 2021, committed the University to having a “visible presence of b lack, h ispanic/Latino, a sian and n ative a merican members of this community in every aspect of University life.”

n ow, the ruling threatens to stall or even reverse what progress has been made in increasing ethnic diversity at n otre d ame, associate law professor Jennifer m ason m c a ward said during a panel on affirmative action.

“We know from the experience of states that have banned affirmative action by their own state law — c alifornia and m ichigan for example … it leads to severely plummeting numbers of underrepresented minorities on elite college campuses,” m c a ward said. “ i would think that n otre d ame would be no different given that track record.”

i n the wake of the ruling, Jenkins issued a statement on social media platforms reaffirming n otre d ame’s commitment to diversity.

“ c atholic mission compels us to build a class reflecting the diversity of experiences and gifts of the human family,” Jenkins said. “We will study the s upreme c ourt’s decision and consider the implications for our admissions process as we strive to fulfill our distinctive mission.”

a fter the ruling: i ncreasing diversity through essay prompts and high school visits a lthough the ruling prohibits the use of affirmative action, it does leave the door open for the use of other admissions methods to increase diversity.

Kidder mentioned essay prompts and visits to high schools as two key ways in which n otre d ame will try to create racial diverse classes. e ssay prompts will invite students to talk about their background while the University will seek to build relationships with high schools with racially diverse student bodies.

i n his majority opinion, c hief Justice John r oberts affirmed “nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration or otherwise.”

e ach year, n otre d ame introduces new essay questions for its writing supplement. o n a ug.

1, n otre d ame revealed this year’s prompts, one of which asks prospective students to consider “what is distinctive about your personal experiences and development (e.g., family support,

culture, disability, personal background, community, etc.)?”

This new question, which Kidder said was influenced by the s upreme c ourt’s ruling, aims to give prospective students the opportunity to discuss how their racial identities have impacted their lived experiences. Kidder added, however, that asking applicants about their unique personal experiences has always been a priority for n otre d ame.

“We have consistently posed questions that invite applicants to share enthusiasm for the n otre d ame mission, lived experiences [and] commitment to serving as leaders of strong moral character,” Kidder said. “ i wouldn’t actually say it’s a wholesale shift.”

Whatever steps universities take going forward, however, r oberts’ opinion warns that “universities may not simply establish through application essays or other means the regime we hold unlawful today.”

Kidder made clear any continued efforts to increase diversity, essay questions or otherwise, would be within the bounds of the law. s he said the University looks for specific qualities in students and does not consider race as a standalone factor.

“The qualities that we look for in that comprehensive review … are going to be students who celebrate authentic commitment to other human beings, they have a commitment to celebrating a diverse presence of the n otre d ame family, committed to building community and being good citizens,” Kidder said. “The essays give us an opportunity to really celebrate those qualities.”

The University is also focused on building relationships with “high schools serving diverse populations of prospective students,” Kidder said.

n otre d ame currently works with Quest b ridge, the n icholas a cademic c enter in o range c ounty, c alifornia and c ollege h orizons, a program that helps n ative a merican students access higher education.

“The outreach and the building of trusting relationships on the front end is really important to us as we build a robust pipeline of very talented, very other-centered, very diverse, very mission-oriented applicants,” Kidder said.

Paid a dverT isemen T

Food delivery robots signal the end of the Great American college e xperience

campus of people to meet and things to try.

A 1972 Woman: Welcome from Notre Dame Right to Life

d uring football weekends this season, alumni and visitors will notice sixwheeled white robots roaming around campus. These food delivery robots, launched in February, deliver to students, faculty and staff from six campus eateries for a fee.

b ut these automated machines do more than just deliver food around campus. They signal the beginning of the end of the Great American c ollege e xperience.

The Great American c ollege e xperience is (mostly) not some “Animal house”-esque pipe dream. It’s about getting dropped off in an unfamiliar place and then meeting new people and trying new things until you actually start to get your life in order.

The decline of the Great American c ollege e xperience is not unique to notre d ame. notre d ame may actually hold on the tightest. We still have dorms with no air conditioning, strong efforts to foster community and tradition and a liberal arts education.

b ut apparently, notre d ame thought it worthwhile to adopt delivery robots. b ecause it’s so difficult to walk 2-10 minutes to pick up a meal. If you’re somehow so busy that you don’t have time to nourish yourself, you could probably use some fresh air.

notre d ame, along with campuses across the country, is modernizing. o ld dorms undergo renovation, new dorms that resemble hotels more than dorms are built and state-of-the-art off-campus housing replaces the rickety houses of old.

These progressions are inevitable. At some point, people object to paying an exorbitant amount of money to live in glorified storage closets. d evelopers aren’t going to want to sink money into dumpy housing units. b ut the American c ollege e xperience can be Great because it forces us to prioritize. nothing humbles a snot-nosed 18-year-old overachiever quite like moving into a trashy dorm. You shouldn’t want to spend long periods of time there. There’s a whole

b y the same token, seniors do not need — or deserve — luxurious off-campus housing. Living off campus should teach you to officially learn how to clean up after yourself — once the coat of beer on the floor becomes unbearable. It should not be about acclimating yourself to potentially the nicest house you ever live in.

nor should we encourage students to have food delivered. We’re part of a community. step outside and at least look at it. s ay hi to someone. And don’t tell me that you’re “busy.” notre d ame students have survived for 181 years without food delivery.

notre d ame is a different type of university. It’s even a different type of c atholic university. The campus community and alumni network here is special. b ut our school is prone to the same faults that plague all of higher education. notre d ame spends money so it can raise more money. A lot of this money goes to great things: grants, financial aid, research, you name it. b ut when it comes to amenities, it might be worth it to step back. Just ask what the end game is.

This is not to say updating and building new dorms is wrong. heck, the new ones still have communal bathrooms.

b ut as notre d ame continues to expand and pump money into projects all over campus, we need to make sure there’s a clear vision. Like many colleges, alumni overwhelmingly look back fondly on their time at notre d ame. Why? b ecause of how nice the classrooms and dorms were? Probably not.

s o while food delivery robots aren’t the end of the world, they set a bad example. Adopting technology that encourages students to silo themselves off in their dorms runs contrary to what makes notre d ame great.

For now, I’ll try to restrain myself from going “o ffice s pace” on the robots and smashing them with a baseball bat.

Contact Ryan Peters at rpeters5@ nd.edu.

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

Last semester, the women of n otre d ame were surprised with a ball cap celebrating 50 years of women at the University. They were an immediate success. Women — and a few lucky men — filled campus with the message of 1972: that women are valued and celebrated members of the n otre d ame family.

h owever, during the 1972 school year, women were not the only buzz on campus. The abortion debate was on everyone’s mind. Pages of The o bserver were filled with debates on contraception and abortion, trying to navigate n otre d ame’s place in the brave new world. From this conversation, the nation’s first pro-life club was born: Irish Fighting for Life.

For this reason, 1972 is a special number for r ight to Life. h owever, its symbolism goes further than merely our founding year. 1972 is a prolife symbol because it was the last year our country had some semblance of a culture of life before the r oe v. Wade decision. A 1972 woman is a r oe-free woman.

The timely appearance of these celebratory hats was nothing short of providential. As the women of n otre d ame ventured together once again into a r oe-free world, we were gifted with this symbol of solidarity. We propose 1972 as a beacon of hope for n otre d ame women — that we embrace with confidence this new world where children need not be our enemies and our beautiful, life-giving bodies not be misunderstood as handicaps to our equality.

We are here. We are free. And we are at a life-affirming, pro-woman University that will not allow the creation of new life to stunt the dreams

of any of its students. n otre d ame vows that any pregnant student will receive the full support of the University, accommodations for coursework and housing, free pregnancy tests, physician appointments and counseling at the Family r esource c enter both during and after the pregnancy. o ur s outh b end community pledges its full support through the multitude of resources found on hermichiana.org. All 500-plus members of n otre d ame r ight to Life promise to spiritually, emotionally and physically support any pregnant student in need. This is what building a culture of life looks like.

For students interested in getting involved with pro-life efforts on campus, visit our website righttolife.nd.edu where you can join our email list, access our events, meet our team and find out what we’re all about. In the first month of the semester, we will host a talk by law professor o c arter s nead, a debate over the death penalty and the annual Life Fest and club retreat. We’d love to see you there!

h ere’s to 1972: the dawn of a new horizon for n otre d ame women and one we welcome with open arms. m ay we live this year in solidarity with one another and with the unborn as we fight every day for a more just and peaceful society where all life is valued from conception to natural death.

o ur Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the unborn, pray for us!

Kylie Gallegos President of n otre d ame r ight to Life Aug.

Ryan Peters managing editor

Opinions on Interhall Tackle Football

H-Train ‘20: Why interhall football is gone Synan ‘66: Proud to play

Wednesday, Jun. 14, I received about half a dozen texts from notre dame friends asking me how I felt about the recent decision to stop interhall tackle football. I was captain of Alumni hall’s dawg Football team for two years and while it was a surprisingly difficult job that amounted to nothing on the surface (except the extra jersey I took with me after graduation), I consider it one of the most important endeavors I’ve ever undertaken.

I played football at my little high school in dallas and while football wasn’t the kind of religion it was further west in the state, it was still a big deal. despite what our teachers and administrators vehemently insisted, in the fall, football was simply more important than anything else. Football was important not just because we liked scoring points and hitting each other, but because of the friendships formed in locker rooms and hardened during tough wins and even tougher losses.

during my freshman year, I was itching to try out for dawg Football and was proud to be among the very few freshmen who earned a spot. I made some of my best friends on the team. most of them were juniors who instantly made me feel at home. They let me know that I would always be able to find friends, a team and a family wherever I sought one out. however, football is not for the faint of heart. even guys eager to show up on the first day of the season can quickly realize that campus provides all kinds of other opportunities in the fall. It was difficult to raise and maintain a team through a full season. my senior year we struggled to fill the roster, dreading if we were going to be asked to combine with another dorm.

In 2016, there was an o’neill team that had only 13 players to start one game and it was well known just how easy they were to beat. In 2020, many teams started with only 18 or 19 guys. Practices were difficult. A playercoach can spend as much time as he wants on fundamentals, but within a couple of weeks, it becomes evident that the only strategy that can take a team to playoffs after a three-game season is building a small playbook around your best guys. details fall through the cracks. Technique becomes harder to police. If you’re lucky, someone may tear a shoulder during practice. If you’re unlucky, guys go through concussion protocol or leave games in an ambulance. You inevitably ask yourself if a recurring ankle sprain or lifelong back pain is worth a couple of sundays in october.

Upon hearing the news, my initial reaction was pure annoyance and anger: Yet another poor decision to save a buck or prevent a lawsuit. however, I took my time to read all of Fr. Gerry’s letter explaining the decision and suddenly, I didn’t have anywhere to go with my outrage.

It was the same outrage that

enlivened me as a student in Alumni, that same annoyed edge stemming from limited independence that made me want to prove myself in everything I did. even now, I have that Alumni spirit in me. Part of me wants to ask the University what they think they’re doing. how they could dare take away this longstanding tradition that influences some to attend our Lady’s University?

I don’t think anyone had more fun playing interhall football than I did, though I know many who likely tied me for that honor. I hate to think that anyone might be denied the same joy, especially those who have already had a taste of games or were enticed by promises from admissions tours or older brothers or black and white pictures of their grandpa in leather pads. It was the time of my life, spending hot days practicing on mcGlinn fields, joking around with friends in the huddle, drawing up schemes to stop the morrissey run game and that weirdly important pride when you win against a tough opponent (even if it’s just some guys from your philosophy class).

but I also remember practices where it became hard to correct some kids’ tackling form. Practices where the patience of a 21-year-old student with exams and job applications and social obligations were pitted against the safety of 18-year-olds who had never played the sport before. Practices where the difference between getting a tackle for loss and giving up a touchdown was some other kid’s health — but not mine.

I think there was more the University could have done, but ultimately, any solution would have relied first and foremost on the strong participation and desire of the students. With the number of interested students dwindling — and many of them touching a football helmet for the first time — I don’t envy the position student Affairs was put in. I can’t say that I fully agree or if I would have made the same call, but I can say that I understand.

Interhall tackle football may be a thing of the past, but it may not. Traditions on campus have this funny way of dying and reappearing throughout the years. There will come a day on campus when a sizable contingent of students, inspired by stories of the tradition and brotherhood of past domers, will come around asking for interhall tackle football to be restored.

I may not have the answer today as to how to keep the activity fun, safe and competitive, but the class of 2024 – and all the ones after them – are smarter, stronger and more determined than I ever was.

I ask only this of the University: hear them out.

Adam “H-Train”

Hellinghausen

class of 2020

my dream had come true. I was playing football at notre dame.

There I was, on the hollowed grounds, strapping on the historic helmets with the blue cross over the top. There I was, wearing the white number four on the green jersey.

how did this dream come to be? Is it possible that this was related to the prayers of my maternal grandmother? In the 1930s and the 1940s, in the age of radio, my grandma would sit by her radio and finger her rosary beads while listening to the notre dame football game broadcast on the mutual radio network. Was she praying for the success of her team or was she praying that her grandson might someday play football at notre dame?

Playing football at notre dame was the culmination of a career that began at saint nicholas elementary school. The new assistant pastor decided to organize a football team when I was in eighth grade. he scheduled a few games, organized us and obtained the basic elements of uniforms. We were to provide our own shoes, our own socks and (if we could) our own helmets. We were given shoulder pads, football pants and a jersey. Against saint Ladislaus, an away game, I had forgotten to pack away my sneakers. so when I arrived, all I had was my brand-new saddle oxfords. This was really the first pair of “teenager” shoes that I was allowed. Unfortunately, the contest, played in the saddle oxfords, permanently affected the white markings on those beautiful shoes.

In high school football, I was a twoyear Letterman. We were ineligible to play varsity as freshmen, but towards the end of my sophomore season, I became a starting linebacker. At 133 pounds, I was one of the lightweights on the field, but I was also “all we had.” Throughout the course of that year, we had lost at least 10 players to seasonending injuries; playing at a small school with a football turnout that often prevented us from practicing 11-on-11 scrimmages, I was pressed into duty.

In my junior season (150 pounds) and in my senior season (165 pounds) I started at left guard and linebacker. As a linebacker, I was usually assigned to the outside, enabling me to sometimes pass interceptor and score two touchdowns

in my career. As a small guard, my capacity for straight-on blocking was obviously limited. but as a fast-moving pulling guard, my momentum for blocking was sufficient.

Towards the end of my senior season, the local newspaper published an All-star team for the region. There was a First Team, a second Team and honorable mention. The All-star teams were according to school classification. In my school classification, I was designated honorable mention at offensive guard and at defensive linebacker.

With these credentials, I might have been destined to play football at notre dame.

Perhaps, I earned my place on that list. There is no question that, as a defensive player, my name was called out frequently by the public address announcer when identifying who made the tackle on a given play. but, if we were to judiciously investigate these All-star Team honorable mention accolades, we might discover that they were put together by the newspaper’s only sportswriter, probably to meet a publishing deadline. It wasn’t a voting system engaging all of the local coaches. It wasn’t a public poll of input from fans. It was simply one guy sitting at his typewriter making up a list.

I was accepted at notre dame, but not on a football scholarship. I had no scholarship offers. I was still a 165-pound guard and linebacker. but there I was, strapping on the gold leather helmet with the blue cross. The same helmet was worn by John Lattner in his cover picture on Time magazine. Paul horning had worn this helmet also, featured in numerous magazine articles, during his heisman Trophy year.

dormitory football at notre dame is a long tradition. most of the dorms field a team. The players are given hand-medown uniforms from the varsity football team of decades earlier.

my leather helmet was a varsity issue 20 years ago. my hand-me-down green jersey was number 4.

I was a wide receiver for Alumni hall. I was playing football at notre dame! Joe Synan class of 1966 Jun. 22

Interhall tackle football members dogpile at a game on LaBar Practice Fields in 2016.

By NATALIE ALLTON scene Writer

In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, we were afraid some things would never return.

There was perhaps no industry more in peril than that of the cinema. At-home streaming services proved films could do well without a theatrical release, and for a while it looked like movie theaters would become a relic of the past. Why shell out for expensive tickets and popcorn to watch a movie in a room full of strangers when you could kick back at home and watch the same movie? Are movie theaters really so special?

The past few months have answered with a resounding “yes.” The summer of 2023 brought a storm of theatrical releases, from franchise installments like “Indiana Jones and the dial of destiny,” “Insidious: The red door” and the seventh “mission Impossible” to standalone films like “Talk to me” and “Asteroid city.” And then, of course, there’s barbenheimer.

You can’t go online without hearing about “barbenheimer,” born of the simultaneous release of christopher nolan’s historical biopic “oppenheimer” and Greta Gerwig’s bubblegum

fantasy comedy “barbie” on July 21. Instead of pitting the films against each other, the Internet turned the two into a double feature, with extensive discussion of how to map out the day in order to get the most from each film.

barbenheimer is more than a meme. It’s a cultural event. It’s a social unifier. People are dressing up and making a day of it. It’s not uncommon to see a group of people in a public space dressed in shades of pink and know they’re going to the movies. And this is not an isolated incident — it’s a result of a larger sociocultural trend of prioritizing theatrical releases.

I watched six films in theaters this summer and still missed out on major ones like “Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3” and “spider-man: Across the spiderverse.” That doesn’t include the films that I saw before the start of summer (like when I notoriously saw “Puss in boots” three times in theaters earlier this year) or since returning to campus. many of the shows were sold out, and the ones that weren’t were still packed — even for smaller or less-hyped movies like “The Last voyage of the demeter,” or films I saw weeks after their release, like “The super mario bros. movie.”

even before the pandemic, it was rare to go to a theater to see a film, but something about the pandemic changed the way we think about cinemas. Going to the movies is an event. The films I saw this summer were made better by the audience gasping at the scares in “Insidious” or audibly adoring ryan Gosling in “barbie.” There’s a difference between watching a movie on a laptop and watching it on the big screen, and audiences have proven time and time again that they’re not only willing to pay for that difference but they’re also willing to dress in suit jackets and pink heels to make that difference memorable.

The ongoing WGA and sAG-AFTr A strikes mean that this cinematic boom is likely to stall out next summer, but that doesn’t mean the enthusiasm will die out. There’s a pulsing and lasting demand for theatrical releases, which is both an asset to those on strike and a marker of film’s resilience through the pandemic.

Yes, tickets are overpriced. Yes, $15 for a small popcorn is ridiculous. Yes, you’re always going to forget to pee before the movie starts. We continue to go to the cinema regardless. nicole Kidman is right: We come to this place for magic.

Contact Natalie Allton at nallton@nd.edu

By CECE SWARTZ scene Writer

“barbie,” directed by Greta Gerwig, somehow manages to do it all in its two-hour runtime. It’s a lighthearted reimagining of dolls come to life yet a beautiful exploration of what it means to be a woman in the modern world. It’s a scathing satire of patriarchy and an examination of the meaning and depth of identity as part of the human experience. This is a movie that starts shallow, pink and plastic but evolves into something with surprising critical and philosophical depth. I did not expect to examine the meaning of life in a barbie movie, but I am here for it.

We follow barbie as she lives her perfect, pink life in barbie Land, where all the barbies live in harmony in their dreamhouses and do everything from winning nobel prizes to being doctors, lawyers, the president and supreme court justices. They are accompanied by their Kens who exist in roles like “beach.” In this perfect, plastic world, feet are always arched, and every day is the best day.

everything is perfect — until it’s not, and stereotypical barbie (margot robbie) must go to the real world to fix it. her Ken (ryan Gosling) follows her and along the way discovers patriarchy, which he brings back to barbie Land to the delight of the other Kens.

The way in which barbie Land descends into patriarchy delivers a cutting critique of the sexist systems that mirror our own world. The Kens turn the barbies from presidents and supreme court Justices to beer girls, groupies and something to play guitar at. It’s ridiculous, yes, but it represents how current power structures subjugate and objectify women. When the Kens band together and the barbies don’t fight back, they take all the power until the barbies cannot fight back, brainwashing them into helplessness and giving the Kens an open path to change the barbie Land into Kendom officially. however, the barbies do fight back. America Ferrera delivers a powerful monologue about what it means to be a woman in the modern world, waking the barbies up from the brainwashing of patriarchy. she puts into words what the Kens try to institutionalize, and in vocalizing the contradictory expectations of womanhood under patriarchy, she steals it of its power. by giving the power back to the barbies, she enables them to work together to stop patriarchy in its tracks and restore barbie Land. The metaphor is very on the nose, but that is part of the beauty of it. In being so literal about barbie saving barbie Land from patriarchy, the movie reduces the power structure that has subjugated women for forever into something that can be voted away, suggesting that if the barbies can do it, so too can real women, because it is

as shallow, ridiculous and contradictory as the movie suggests.

on the flip side, for the Kens, the movie offers a glimpse into how patriarchy also damages those it is supposed to benefit. They resort to it as a result of an identity crisis born of beach Ken wanting more attention from his barbie than he gets. Patriarchy, however, does not fix this. It merely turns the barbies into objects for the Kens amusement. It does not address the root of the problem — the hole left by their own lack of independence, identity and self-confidence. They learn that must come from them. Ken is “Kenough” without barbie, and he is not entitled to barbie’s attention. They are both independent, individual people, and that is oK. barbie, too, goes through a transformation where she learns to feel. In the beginning, barbie Land was “perfect.” In reality, it was shallow, and this shallowness created the flaws that let patriarchy in. In her journey to save barbie Land, she learns that true beauty comes from complexity, from the contradictions and imperfections of humanity. The movie starts by suggesting that barbie (in her unachievable imperfection) is all women and ends with unachievably perfect barbie choosing to become human because our imperfections are our perfections, and that is a beautiful thing.

Contact Cece Swartz at cswartz@nd.edu

By AYDEN KOWALSKI scene Writer

In many aspects, christopher nolan’s “oppenheimer” is superlative. The gorgeous cinematography with its blues, golds and cutting blacks, the beautiful renderings of oppenheimer’s atomic imaginings, and the perfect production design make the film a rare marvel by themselves. The acting isn’t marked with eruptions of passions, but rather with a dissolution of the performers into these characters — with cillian murphy, robert downey Jr. and Alden ehrenreich’s performances at the head of a fearsome pack. The nonlinear storytelling maintains momentum through the film’s three-hour runtime, which feels earned because of the depth of its inquiry.

The presentation and performance of the film is superb. cinematographer hoyte van hoytema and nolan have continued their vision from prior collaborations “dunkirk” and “Tenet,” and this palette and mood remains enchanting. nolan’s sound mixing demons have also been exorcised for the most part here, though the dialogue would have benefitted from a little more volume, which is a compliment in the sense that what these characters say matters.

The story demands so much attention that Ludwig Göransson’s score often goes unnoticed, but in the two scenes when it is most impactful — a trip to europe with oppenheimer and the evocative countdown to the Trinity test — it is great. The film builds an incredibly convincing

world, and the dream is maintained by a truly stellar cast. cillian murphy conveys the nigh-unbearable weight that always seems to rest upon oppenheimer, fully embodying the character in a truly complete performance. ehrenreich, as a bureaucrat whose true colors emerge as he learns unexpected information, has great magnetism, as well as some of the film’s most fulfilling moments. downey Jr.’s electrifying presence meets a wonderful portrayal of Lewis strauss, and as his character unfolds, he hits every emotional note and intention spot-on. his performance is likely to garner him a best supporting actor nomination.

As wide as the film’s survey of its subject’s life is, no details feel superfluous. The film feels dedicated to and succeeds in providing an accurate portrait of a messy and paradoxical man. There is nothing in nolan’s screenplay that necessarily obstructs our connection with oppenheimer; perhaps some audience members will find him moving for most of the runtime. either way, when the film focuses on his unjust persecution and his great paranoia, he is certainly moving. There are moments when he is overcome with nuclear fear and, as he remains still and thinks, the background behind him shakes. As the noise grows and the shaking continues, it is easy to identify with this panic, and in these moments, the audience can start to feel his burden.

The ending of this story, in which oppenheimer faces unmerited attacks from the government, is deeply

sympathetic and emblematic of how many people feel now in a nation similarly afraid of mere ideas. While his persecution becomes the focus, strauss’ arc also kicks into high gear, and nolan interweaves these two stories to push the tension even higher. It is an urgent example and exposé of society’s greatest faults, and for this segment of the story alone, “oppenheimer” is worth watching.

There is always excellence orbiting the titular core of “oppenheimer.” When the subject cannot shine, sometimes the rest of the film compensates. but when the audience connects with him, then the depth of nolan’s tragedy and analysis of the human struggle reveals itself. While nolan uses the source biography’s title for oppenheimer, “American Prometheus,” as a guiding image for the film, oppenheimer at his most compelling is a distorted American Atlas, bearing a world he himself must help create. When the audience feels that weight, the film is truly enlightening and inspiring.

Contact Ayden Kowalski at akowals2@nd.edu

“Oppenheimer”

By AUDREY WILD scene Writer

summer means music festivals. being close to chicago for most of the year, many notre dame students immediately think of Lollapalooza, but not everyone has the chance to make it. If you’re in the south and looking for a festival that doesn’t conflict with the internship you worked so hard to get, then hangout Fest has you covered.

In 2010, The hangout — a restaurant in sandy Gulf shores, Alabama — hosted their inaugural music festival right on the boardwalk. since then, the festival has made an annual return to the beach front on the second to last weekend of may. This year, headliners included the red hot chili Peppers, sZA, calvin harris, Paramore, Lil nas X, Flume, skrillex and The Kid Laroi along with almost 60 other artists and bands. With a broad range of genres, there’s something for everyone on the six different stages. If you’re a real live music junkie, you can spend the whole day bouncing around the festival to see as many artists as possible.

nothing compares to being directly on the sand, which two of the stages — as well as the two club houses — are set up on. After months of miserable m idwest spring weather, the beach is the perfect escape. The venue is the perfect spot to begin summer vacation, and getting a tan is much more fun with three days of nonstop concerts.

While the festival is open to all ages, festivalgoers are mostly young, college-aged adults. so many of the attendants were kind and excited to chat with one another, making each other feel at home in the crowds. The festival catered to young people in its partnerships with brands such as sheIn, coca-cola and monster energy. For attendees 21 or older with proof of age, several sponsors had free alcoholic drink tastings. If free drinks aren’t your style, there were plenty of other opportunities to take full advantage of amenities from the generous sponsors. The monster beach club and malibu beach house located right against the beach access hosted artists and dance parties throughout the festival. And if you’re looking for more

ways to get moving, there was a free disco rollerskating rink. If you were the lucky owner of a v IP wrist band, you could take advantage of the swimming pools set up in range of the main stage.

With all of the fun that a festival brings, there are always safety risks. hangout did a great job of anticipating and handling safety incidents. It’s not hard to imagine that under the hot sun dehydration is one of the largest causes of attendant injury. Free water refilling stations were located around the festival as well as reminders to stay hydrated and keep sunscreen generously applied. In the event that someone was injured, multiple medical tents were set up and prepared to help.

With the all the incredible artists hangout Fest has brought together in the past, I’m excited for the 2024 lineup. The festival has achieved its goal for creating a fun festival for people to come together and hangout with great live music and events.

Contact Audrey Wild at awild2@nd.edu

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon

Director: Christopher Nolan

Happy Birthday: Stop thinking about what you didn’t do and think about what you can do now. life is about purpose, and being good, efficient and helpful. Stop the criticism and empower yourself to make a positive difference instead of inciting the faults of others. Be positive and let your popularity grow. your love of life will manifest into something that makes you proud. your numbers are 2, 10, 23, 25, 34, 37, 46.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): look at the big picture and rethink your next move. you have plenty of opportunities, so don’t limit what or how you initiate change. Spend time with someone you love who encourages you to chase your dreams, hopes and wishes.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): you may desire a physical change, but don’t start before you are mentally and physically ready. An emotional matter will hold you back if you can’t make up your mind. go through every detail and put everything in place before pushing forward.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Branch out, listen to what others say and revamp your plans to suit trends. A positive change will improve the way you use your space. Put your brawn behind your brain and turn an idea into reality.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Take charge of money matters before you end up in debt or buy something you don’t need or want. Too much of anything will be your demise. Discipline will help you overcome the barriers between you and a healthy lifestyle.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Take your relationship with others seriously and strive for equality. Discuss decisions before moving forward. Explore the outcomes until you are sure you understand the consequences of your decisions. Commit to what you want, not what others want you to accept.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Speak, but don’t shout. look past what makes you annoyed and refuse to allow anger to consume you. focus on what you can achieve, and put your physical attributes into reaching your destination of choice. Celebrate your accomplishments.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Preparation and organization will be the path to free will, living in the moment and happiness. Make plans with someone you love and discuss your intentions and long-term goals. romance and good health are favored, and doing what’s appropriate will pay off.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Address anything that leaves you perplexed. gather information and determine what’s applicable and what isn’t before you make a move. have the discipline to say no or to take a different path if it suits your lifestyle and long-term plans.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Consider a leadership position. Do what you do best, and don’t make excuses. Take a physical stance and live up to your promises. give your all in order to avoid criticism. A friendly demeanor will ward off negativity and interference.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Consider your objective, and eliminate waste before expanding. get back to bare necessities, and you’ll know exactly how to build your future. Be insightful, take your time and leave no room for error. your success depends on precision and accuracy.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Take charge and don’t stop moving things around until you feel at home. how you see yourself and your relationships with others will determine what you can accomplish. Don’t disregard what others can contribute. Work with people who share your sentiments.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): your mind will be working overtime. Before you make a change, reach out to anyone your decisions will affect. kindness and consideration will help you win the popular vote when life decisions are at the forefront. reinforce your concern explicitly.

Birthday Baby: you are energetic, responsive and persistent. you are curious and goal-oriented.

m iller: Fb Award odds

Jake Miller senior sports Writer

over the past few weeks, several notre dame football players have been placed on official watchlists for the major college football awards that are given out prior to the start of bowl season. From the preseason watchlists, the fields of candidates will be updated to form mid-season watchlists, which will eventually be used to create a lists of semi-finalists and finalists. The status of what makes a player eligible for a watchlist is slightly unclear and extremely subjective. some of the watchlists don’t consider incoming freshmen, which obviously detracts from the value of even having one.

nevertheless, the recognition that notre dame received entering this season is substantially higher than last year and should be a cause for general, high-level optimism among the Irish fanbase. I took a look at each of the awards, the field, and the representatives from notre dame, concluding each summary by offering my honest thoughts on that player’s chance to bring the trophy back to south bend.

Joe Alt, Lombardi Award:

The Lombardi award is given to the best lineman on either side of the ball, including linebackers and tight ends. Alt is one of the best offensive linemen in college football. he has started 21 consecutive games for the Irish, and last year, he helped notre dame to one of its best running seasons of the past decade. Alt’s competition is stiff, though, and an offensive lineman hasn’t received the award in nearly 30 years. Probably not the year for Alt. odds of winning: 25:1

Benjamin morrison, chuck Bednarick Award:

Given to the best defensive player in the nation, the reception of the bednarick award varies from defensive ends to safeties. While morrison had an impressive first year in 2022, many other players had better campaigns, such as usc safety calen bullock, who had five interceptions last season. he returns in 2023. my vote’s with bullock. odds: 100:1

Joe Alt and Sam hartman, walter camp Award: voted on by head coaches and sports information directors, and similar to the heisman, the Walter camp Award is given to the best player in college football. In other words, this really is caleb Williams’ award to lose. odds: 100:1

Sam hartman, maxwell Award:

This is also given to the best player in college football — although here, strangely, the voters are a mix of sportswriters, sportscasters and head coaches. Again, Williams has the edge. odds: 100:1

Jd Bertrand and marist Liufau, Butkus Award:

Presented to the top collegiate linebacker. The competition for this award is intense, particularly in the sec, but bertrand will have his chance to shine. coming off of a year where he posted 82 tackles — 8.5 for loss — the dependable bertrand will lead the Irish defense in what most assume is his final season with the program. bertrand also had an excellent 2021, with over 100 tackles. bertrand’s sack numbers are low, however, and he has yet to record an interception for the Irish, something voters will take note of. I’m not quite as high on Liufau, who still needs to break through for the Irish and cement himself as an every-down player. Liufau missed all of 2021, so there’s an injury concern as well. odds: 25:1 for bertrand; 250:1 for Liufau

Benjamin morrison, Jim thorpe Award:

Given to the nation’s best defensive back, the Thorpe award bounces between cornerbacks and safeties. Alabama’s KoolAid mcKinstry has the edge in my book, with the aforementioned bullock in contention as well. At the same time, if morrison keeps up his production from 2022, particularly in the Irish’s primetime games, he has a fair chance. odds: 30:1

Audric estime, doak walker Award:

Awarded to the top running back in college football, the Walker Award can often be stolen by a dark horse. Audric estime is very much noT a dark horse. The junior back will almost surely see another 1,000 yard season, but that won’t be enough for him to be a finalist. estimé will be lining up behind a talented line and will likely be featured in many of the rPo packages that hartman ran during his time at Wake Forest. however, given notre dame’s backfield depth, it’s fair to assume that estimé won’t have to do everything himself. I think we’ll see another strong year from the native new Yorker, but not one that statistically lies among the best in the game. odds: 50:1

Sam hartman, davey o’Brien Award: best quarterback in college football. The hype around hartman

Irish enter 2023 looking to build on quarterfinal run

By J.J. POST Associate sports editor

o n the heels of an nc AA Tournament quarterfinal appearance, n otre d ame women’s soccer enters 2023 with high expectations.

The Irish do lose a glut of talent in the center third of the pitch, including dynamic midfielder Korbin Albert. Albert, a finalist for last season’s m ac h ermann Trophy, departed over the offseason to pursue professional opportunities with Paris s aint-Germain after an outstanding sophomore campaign. Albert directly contributed to over half the goals n otre d ame scored against opposition ranked in the top 10 in 2022.

Also no longer with the squad are former starting wingbacks b rianna m artinez (drafted into the n W s L) and Kati d ruzina (transferred to d uke), both of whom played a key role in the Irish’s 3-5-2 system. n otre d ame will also need to mitigate the departures of speedy forward o livia Wingate, selected in the first round of the n W s L d raft by the n orth c arolina c ourage, as well as veteran goalkeeper m ackenzie Wood (now with the c hicago r ed s tars).

A stout backline remains unscathed for the Irish to build upon, though. c enterbacks Waniya h udson, e va Gaetino and Leah Klenke all return for their graduate, senior and sophomore campaigns, respectively.

Through the team’s first two games, that backline has been a strength. n otre d ame conceded twice

con

conditions, should they come, will mean any and all h artman downfield strikes could be paramount to setting the tone early. Freeman and Parker would muc rather flex their deep running back room — a “five-headed monster,” in the words of running backs coach d eland m c c ullough — from a position of strength early on.

Contact J.J. Post at jpost2@nd.edu

against m ilwaukee, but the pair of goals represented the only two shots the Panthers had on target on the day. The Irish defense followed that performance up by shutting out b all s tate.

In terms of replacing the goalscoring production of Wingate and Albert, answers this fall have been more uneven. n otre d ame generated plenty of shots in their first two matches, but struggled to put them on target. All five goals have come from different scorers.

The return of sophomore midfielder Laney m atriano to the fold should provide a boost for the team’s chance creation efforts. m atriano missed the first two matches of the season due to injury, but she is expected to return to action soon.

The continued growth of the Irish’s freshman class will also likely play a role in the search for offensive output. r ookie midfielder m organ r oy got on the scoresheet against m ilwaukee. h er fellow freshman, forward m eg m rowicki, followed suit days later against b all s tate.

h ead coach n ate n orman has displayed an early trust in r oy, m rowicki, midfielder c hayse Ying, defender c lare Logan and forward c harlie c odd not often seen in freshmen.

Graduate student midfielder Kiki van Zanten and graduate student forward m addie m ercado are two more names that will be relevant in the goal quest.

b oth veterans have played a major role in n otre d ame’s continued evolution under

n orman, and each were significant parts of the team’s first two matches. b etween m ercado’s 10-goal campaign in 2022 and van Zanten’s Jamaican national team callup at the World c up over the summer, there’s plenty of evidence that the pairing will get up and firing in due time.

d ue time has a due date, though. The Irish open A cc play on s ept. 15 and will face a gauntlet of the nation’s best. n otre d ame came close to sharing the conference crown for the first time in the n orman era last year. A final day draw against d uke resigned the Irish to third place, however.

Among the foes notre d ame will need to vanquish to again challenge for the Acc title and another no. 1 seed are a who’s who of perennial women’s soccer powerhouses. The Irish will hit the road to face 2022 c ollege c up participants Florida s tate and north c arolina. o ther tests away from s outh b end will include an ascendent Pitt squad and alwaysdangerous d uke.

All told, seven of the 10 Acc teams the Irish will play qualified for the nc AA Tournament last season. A replication of last year’s 7-2-1 conference record is a lofty bar. b ut if notre d ame can even come near that bar, especially when it comes to their record against teams like Florida s tate and d uke, it will be an important sign that the standard established by norman in 2022 is here to stay.

Contact

Butler

con T inued from Page 16 everyone why they are the i rish. Why they were ranked n o. 3 in the preseason poll. Why they made their deepest postseason run in a decade last year. a nd, most importantly, why they’re capable of achieving more success in 2023. i nstead of letting b utler’s bend-don’tbreak defense or the sweltering sun get to them, the i rish dug in. i t was at that minute the i rish equalized the game. Three minutes later, they had the lead. Three minutes after that, they had breathing room. a nd 28 minutes later, there they were, celebrating a 4-1 victory over the b ulldogs that felt so convincing by the end it was hard to recall the i rish ever trailing.

but they had — and that made the victory even sweeter. a fter a devastating last-minute equalizer from long, long distance in their season opener against milwaukee that could stagger even the strongest of squads, notre dame responded exactly how you would expect a championship-caliber team to. The irish took care of business last sunday with a dominant 3-0 win over ball state. a nd though Thursday presented

ample opportunities for them to be phased, notre dame stayed composed and emerged victorious.

it wasn’t just the early secondhalf deficit that stood in the irish’s way, though. neither side let the extreme heat slow them down, with the game quickly being defined by its physicality. The teams combined for 25 fouls, with butler racking up a whopping four yellow cards. it turned the game into a bit of a slog, as opposed to the rapid pace the irish prefer to play with. Though notre dame still handily won the possession battle, they struggled to turn their time on attack into quality chances. butler’s breakthrough goal early in the second half could have been the turning point. instead, it was a wake-up call.

irish head coach nate norman noted after the game that his team needed to regain their focus and make an effort to “speed the game up.” he called notre dame’s play over the next few minutes a “great, great response.”

The irish reconjured the chaos that helped lead them to victory against ball state. graduate student midfielder Kristina Lynch scored her first goal in nearly two years after missing all of 2022 due to injury, ripping a low shot off the hands of bulldogs keeper emma martin for her first tally as a member of the irish. notre

dame took the lead in a similar fashion. senior defender eva gaetino practically swatted a loose ball right out of martin’s hands and punched it into the net.

The whirlwind sequence concluded when graduate student midfielder Kiki van Zanten ripped a penalty kick inside the left post to put notre dame in the driver’s seat. freshman forward meg mrowicki capped off the onslaught with a crafty move in tight for her second goal of the season. falling behind is never optimal, but other than that, things largely went well for the irish.

“We wanted to be able to be the team that kind of controls the tempo and keeps the ball,” norman said. ”a nd i do think as the game wore on, they got more tired, and we were the team that had the energy. so i think that’s really a lot of what happened the last 30 minutes as well. a nd that’s what we’re hoping to happen.”

There’s no such thing as a perfect game. The irish certainly weren’t perfect against butler. but things largely went to plan, and as the irish have proven over the last few seasons — and did again on Thursday — that plan is a hard one to beat.

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu

con T inued from Page 12

confuses me a bit. he’s a solid player and put up a historic amount of yards during his time at Wake forest. a t the same time, he had an abysmal end to 2022, fumbled the ball seven times and relied on a r P o -heavy offense. c aleb Williams, m ichael Penix Jr. and Jordan Travis are all higher on my list. o dds: 30:1

Zeke Correll, r imington t rophy: Top center in college football. very few people, including myself, understand exactly what makes a good center. h owever, i do know that the winner of this award is often simply the center that is highest on nf L draft boards. a t this time, c orrell isn’t high up on those. o dds: 250:1

Chris t yree, Paul Hornung a ward: f or the most versatile player in college football. Tyree is most definitely versatile. This year, he’s expected to see significant action in the passing game as well. Tyree returns kicks for the i rish, though

- not punts. The h ornung winner will likely go to someone who does both. a dditionally, Tyree’s kick return average and long dramatically decreased in 2022 (vs. 2021) to 16.9 yards and 33 yards, respectively. s tats like that need an uptick for consideration here.

o dds: 65:1

s pencer s hrader, Lou g roza a ward:

b est kicker in college football. s hrader, a transfer from usf, did not put up particularly amazing field goal numbers at usf, going 20-for-25 over the last two years with a career long of 52. The increased pressure that comes with playing for the i rish does not leave me hopeful here, although i wish s hrader the best. s hrader walked on to usf after pursuing a professional career in soccer.

o dds: 200:1

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story online, ndsmcobserver. com

Contact Jake Miller at jmille89@nd.edu

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

Paid a dverT isemen T

Keys to an irish victory against navy

By J.J. POST

a ssociate sports editor

This saturday, notre dame will open the 2023 college football season with an international clash against navy in dublin, ireland. The contest is set to be a notable one for many reasons. it’s sam hartman’s first game in blue and Gold. a continuation of one of notre dame football’s most time-honored traditions.

it’s also a game rich with narratives, and one marcus Freeman will need a win in to start his second campaign off on the right foot. here are the four most important factors for the irish as they look to extend their winning streak against the midshipmen.

1. be ready for the triple option

i mean, duh. This is a “keys to the navy game” article. if you were expecting anything not triple optionrelated to be the lede, i’m not sure what to tell you. The navy offense should have some new wrinkles to make things interesting in 2023. it’s a new regime in a nnapolis, and new head coach brian newberry hired former Kennesaw state offensive coordinator Grant chestnut to lead his inaugural offense. chestnut comes from Paul Johnson’s triple option coaching tree, so the core elements of navy’s scheme won’t change. however, some fresh ideas (and the fact that navy will likely be splitting snaps between two quarterbacks) should make this an intriguing contest for notre dame’s defense to prepare for.

Preparation should be an advantage for the irish defense, though. Playing navy during week zero means that notre dame has had all offseason to get ready for the midshipmen’s unique attack. That extended preparation time is a far cry from what they had in advance of last year’s navy game, which the irish entered in the wake of a physical — if thrilling — win over clemson. The last time notre dame began the season with navy? a 50-10 rout to open the 2012 campaign.

2. Control the tempo marcus Freeman stressed efficiency in his pregame press conference, which is no surprise given the nature of 2022’s navy contest. Last year’s trip to a nnapolis was a tale of two halves for

the irish. notre dame went into halftime up 35-13. They then ceded 19 unanswered points in the second half to turn a blowout into a threepoint victory.

The difference between the first and second halves? a mong other elements, how well the irish controlled the ball on offense. notre dame had six drives in each half. in the first, three of those drives eclipsed four minutes of game clock. in the second, just one drive reached even the three-minute mark.

it’s no secret that the triple option grinds down defenses. The irish have a deep stable of defensive line options and an experienced linebacker core. but they’ll need time to rest between possessions for optimal performance on that side of the ball. it will be up to notre dame’s offense to provide them that rest.

3. find the right balance on offense

The irish offense travels to dublin with some interesting questions for new coordinator Gerad Parker to answer. notre dame’s deepest offensive unit will likely be running back, but navy’s defense has often thrived against the run under newberry, who was previously the midshipmen’s defensive coordinator. The irish would love to open up the game through their new star under center, sam hartman, but he’s yet to have established any in-game experience with his largely

untested receiving core. For all of hartman’s accolades, some growing pains are all but guaranteed. of course, a winning effort against navy likely wouldn’t require exemplary performances from both notre dame’s ground and air games. Last year’s second half is plenty indication of that. but if Parker is able to figure out how to best balance hartman’s prowess at stretching the field and a running back room capable of grinding teams down, it would provide a roadmap to a nearcertain victory.

4. Mitigate the weather at the time of this writing, saturday’s forecast in d ublin calls for rain throughout the day. showers in the morning, and a steady, if light, drizzle in the afternoon. notre dame has had some mixed run-ins with adverse conditions in recent memory. Last year’s pounding of boston college in the driving snow was iconic. 2016’s “hurricane” game against north carolina state was … less so. a little rain shouldn’t have the effect on the i rish that it did on that fateful afternoon in r aleigh. b ut it could very well force n otre d ame into a gritty ground-and-pound effort against an opponent more than willing to engage in such a battle. i nclement

see navY PagE 12

quarterback Tommy rees out, the debuting everett Golson went 12for-18 with 144 passing yards. The irish did not punt until the late stages of the third quarter after a seven-for-seven start on thirddown conversions.

san diego, California

The third-ranked irish met the midshipmen at sdccU stadium during their undefeated 2018 regular season. Their late-october meeting marked the rivalry’s first and only trek west of the mississippi r iver. despite a lost fumble on the first play from scrimmage, the irish defense denied navy, putting a dominant effort in motion.

in the end, notre dame doubled up navy 44-22 after opening up a 27-0 lead by halftime. The irish offense, led by quarterback ian book’s 330 yards and two scores on 27-for-33 passing, enjoyed a complete performance. running back dexter Williams toted the rock for 142 yards and a careerhigh three touchdowns.

Orlando and Jacksonville, florida

heading from sunny socal to the sunshine state, notre dame and navy have linked up twice in Florida. Like dublin, the two previous meetings were separated by 16 years. midway through navy’s one-win 2000 season, the irish leveled the midshipmen 4514 at the Florida citrus bowl in orlando.

running back Julius Jones, who averaged nearly 150 rushing yards in three career games against navy, cranked out 105 in the 31-point victory. defensive back Tony driver starred on the defensive side of the ball, returning a pair of first-quarter fumbles for touchdowns.

however, the midshipmen would capitalize on notre dame’s 2016 struggles in Jacksonville. To this day, navy has defeated the

irish once since 2010, doing so by just one point at everbank Field. The early-november clash featured six lead changes and at least 10 total points in all four quarters.

Though navy quarterback Will Worth ran away from the i rish with 175 yards and two of his 25 rushing touchdowns on the season, notre dame remained within four points late in the contest. Ultimately, fourthdown aggression and execution decided the outcome. on a fourth-and-four at the navy 14yard line, the i rish kicked a field goal to move within one point. a lready severed by the triple option, the notre dame defense would need to make a stand. it nearly did, but the m idshipmen converted a pair of fourth downs — one through the air — to ice the game.

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b elieve it or not, c leveland has hosted the third-most notre d ame-navy games (11), but none since 1978. a hotspot early in the rivalry’s history, c leveland municipal s tadium staged the only tie in series history, a 6-6 deadlock in 1945.

The i rish won six consecutive games in e ast r utherford, n ew Jersey before the m idshipmen snatched a third victory in four years in 2010. a mong Philadelphia’s nine games is n otre d ame’s 40-0 dismantling of n avy in a ra Parseghian’s 1964 debut season. s oon-to-be h eisman winner John huarte knocked off future Pro Football h all of Fame inductee r oger s taubach in that game.

notre d ame has taken each of two meetings at Fed e x Field in Landover, m aryland, including a 49-39 barnburner in 2014. Though c hicago has seen the i rish battle different opponents more recently, it did host notre d ame-navy in 1928.

Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu

Paid a dverT isemen T

Irish men’s soccer kick off season with 1-1 draw against no. 2 Indiana

the game.

By J.J. POST

Associate sports editor

notre d ame men’s soccer opened up the season with a tie on Thursday night, drawing Indiana 1-1 in s outh b end.

It was senior captain Paddy b urns who opened the scoring for the Irish, a 24th-minute header off a free kick from sophomore midfielder KK b affour.

The lead would prove to be short lived, however. Just minutes later, Indiana leveled things up, as their freshman forward c ollins o duro beat senior goalkeeper b ryan d owd at his near post with a clinical finish.

After each team landed their first punches, the game proved a little more tense. b oth teams would have chances throughout the remainder of the first half and in the second half, but neither could land the decisive blow. Indiana accumulated more of said chances — they outshot n otre d ame 17-9 in

b ut it was the Irish who left with a sour taste in their mouths after they notched the final chance of the match.

A flurry of last-ditch forays into Indiana’s box tested the nerves of the h oosier contingent at Alumni s tadium, but Indiana goalkeeper JT h arms kept his goalmouth clear.

The strong effort sets the Irish up for what figures to be a slightly easier stretch of matches moving forward.

A draw with one of the nation’s top teams secured, n otre d ame will stay at home for their next three out-ofconference tests. They will tangle with IUPUI, n orthern Illinois and d etroit m ercy over the next two weeks.

After the game, Irish head coach c had r iley said he was pleased with his team’s showing:

“I think Indiana’s a good team, and we knew it would be a good game,” r iley said.

“ e specially with the conditions tonight. I was really

The history of Irish-navy

By TYLER REIDY

Associate sports e ditor

on saturday, notre dame and navy will meet on the gridiron for the 96th time. While the near-century-old rivalry is best known for its longevity, tradition and respect, its presence around the country and beyond is often overlooked. The series has visited 11 different cities, including d ublin, Ireland where it returns this weekend. Leaving the familiarity of south bend and baltimore behind, let’s tour notre dame-navy’s most unique battlegrounds.

dublin, ireland

The Irish have enjoyed tremendous success in two meetings with navy in d ublin, scoring a combined 104 points. notre dame trampled the m idshipmen 54-27 at c roke Park in 1996. The result served as a resounding bounce back after the Irish dropped a stunning overtime home game to Air Force. It also marked

notre dame’s 33rd consecutive defeat of navy, marking the longest win streak against an annual opponent in college football history.

With over 300 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground, the Irish quelled navy’s 5-1 start. notre dame tailback Autry denson captured the headlines, responding to a performance-based benching with 123 rushing yards and a pair of scores.

more recently, the Irish opened their perfect 2012 regular season with a 50-10 sinking of the m idshipmen. In front of 48,820 fans at Aviva stadium, notre dame overcame several key player suspensions to secure one of the series’ most lopsided victories in recent memory.

running backs Theo r iddick and George Atkinson III minimized 1000-yard rusher c ierre Wood’s absence by accumulating 206 yards and four touchdowns. And with 2011 starting

proud of our mentality tonight, I thought we showed a lot of toughness. A lot of commitment. Any time you push and are maybe the stronger team in the second half, I think that shows a lot about your group.”

r iley also discussed the value in playing a team of Indiana’s quality — currently ranked n o. 2 in the nation — in n otre d ame’s first match of the season:

“I think it’s one of the reasons we like doing [the yearly match],” said r iley. “Any team is going to pose a challenge, but I think Indiana has been the standard for a long time in college soccer. We want to be in that argument with them. s o it’s great to open up the year with them and see where we are.”

n otre d ame men’s soccer will be back in action on s unday at 7 p.m., hosting IUPUI at Alumni s tadium.

Contact J.J. Post at jpost2@nd.edu

Six-minute scoring burst propels Irish to win

By ANDREW McGUINNESS s ports e ditor

At the 56-minute mark Thursday night, it was fair to be concerned about the n otre d ame women’s soccer team. After generating 57 shots across their first two contests, the Irish had been held to three in the opening half against b utler. b ulldogs freshman sensation n orah Jacomen had just turned a rare Irish turnover into her third goal in two games. To that point, it was the only goal of the match. With a matchup against n o. 10 Arkansas looming on s unday, an Irish team that rode a 7-0 start to the cusp of the c ollege c up a year ago was suddenly staring down the barrel of emerging from a season-opening four-game homestand with just one victory.

At the 57-minute mark, the Irish reminded

SOFIA CRIMIVAROLI | The Observer

A horde of Irish attackers crash the net during the Irish’s match against no. 2 Indiana on Aug. 24. The game ended in a 1-1 tie.

triple option struggles. A deep stable of running backs continually pounds n avy’s front seven into submission, with at least three backs earning firsthalf carries. e ventually, a deep strike from h artman breaks the game open for good. While n avy fights until the end, n otre d ame keeps last year’s backdoor charge by the m idshipmen a thing of the past. In a reversal of flow from last year’s game, the Irish break things open after halftime and Freeman and c o. notch a comfortable — if not blowout — win in the 2023 opener. n otre d ame 38, n avy 20. madeline l add, a ssociate s ports Editor:

The Irish return to d ublin for their third matchup against n avy in The Pale, and I predict a decisive victory. This will be h artman’s n otre d ame debut, and he will certainly come to impress. The Irish will have to take shots deep down the field in order to see success against a very stout n avy run defense that ranked n o. 3 in the nation last year in opposing rushing yards per game and returns nine starters. After leaving training camp with several questions still unanswered, the wide receiver room will establish themselves as the threats expected to make big plays this season.

navy’s new head coach brian newberry is looking to throw the ball more this season, a change to the triple option scheme navy has relied upon in the past. Al Golden’s squad will have to be prepared for this new wrinkle. h artman and the offensive line will be able to read and react better to the navy blitzes that plagued the Irish last year in b altimore. notre d ame will control navy, though the m idshipmen will be able to sneak in a touchdown and field goal before the game’s end. I predict that h artman will throw for three touchdowns, with the Irish running it in for one and adding a field goal to make the final score notre d ame 31, navy 10.

m atthew c row, a ssociate s ports

Editor:

Last season’s n avy game saw the Irish jump out to a comfortable first half lead before escaping with a narrow 35-32 victory.

m ost surprising from that matchup was how effectively the m idshipmen were able to stifle n otre

d ame’s rushing attack. The one player they had no answer for was running back Audric e stime, who ran for 49 yards on just eight carries and caught a 30-yard touchdown pass. I expect a huge day for the junior as he starts to establish himself as one of the nation’s top backs.

o n the other side of the ball, much has been made about the Irish having an entire offseason to prepare for navy’s unorthodox offense, rather than just a single week. n otre d ame’s front seven should handle the rushing barrage better than they did last year when navy ran for 255 yards. b ut the triple option is difficult to contain for a full 60 minutes. The m idshipmen are likely to rattle off a couple of long drives at some point on s aturday. navy will find the end zone once, but the Irish should win this one handily. e stime will pick up at least 120 rushing yards, and h artman will enjoy an efficient outing as he starts to figure out who among an inexperienced wide receiver group will become his go-to targets. n otre d ame 34, navy 13.

t om Zwiller, s ports

Writer:

n avy is always a tricky opponent because of their unique play style, so n otre d ame facing them now as opposed to midseason is ideal. The increased preparation time should prevent any second-half snafus (like 19 unanswered secondhalf points, for example).

o ffensively, I expect n otre d ame to look quite good. m uch has been made of the wide receivers struggling to break out in practice, and those concerns are valid. In the live reps I have seen, the Irish secondary has proven it can be a strength for the team to lean on. h owever, I expect n otre d ame’s pass game to be solid. n avy does not have the same secondary as n otre d ame, and h artman should be able to have the caliber of game that d rew Pyne did last year (at a minimum).

d efensively, while the line might have some struggles, this could also be a game where some rotation-level players can start to separate themselves from the rest of the group. I do believe navy will be able to move the ball well in the first half. no amount of practice can simulate how the real thing looks and feels. That being said, I would be shocked if navy can play as well as they did last year. n otre d ame 38, n avy 14.

sánchez: Irish need to make a statement vs. navy

By JOSE SANCHEZ CORDOVA Assisstant managing editor

college football is back.

And who opens the new season but the notre dame Fighting Irish, straight from dublin, Ireland. It’s a huge stage, with everyone watching the first game of the 2023 season. notre dame needs to capitalize.

With a tough schedule this year, it is essential that the Irish look the part of a contender right away. It’s probably too early to start thinking about the college Football Playoff, but putting together a dominant display in their season opener is good for the eye test. They can’t afford to struggle through a close navy game, let alone suffer losses similar to marshall and stanford a year ago.

Last season against navy, notre dame went up big in the first half and then fell asleep at the wheel, preventing an onside kick in the final minutes to barely hold on for a 3532 win over the midshipmen. This year, head coach marcus Freeman has talked about being angry about the team’s effort in the near collapse. They need to show up for four quarters this year.

That is obviously easier said than done. navy is always a tricky squad with their option offense, and new head coach brian newberry might even mix a few passes in there. Last year, navy outgained notre dame, racking up 363 yards of total offense, including 255 yards on the ground. Fullback daba Fofana averaged 8.9 yards per carry in last year’s game and he returns as the midshipmen’s top rushing threat.

notre dame’s new-look defensive line will be counted on to step up to the task. After losing major contributors from last year, the defensive

freeman

con TInued From PAGe 2

“our coaching staff did a great of promoting leadership, helping to build leadership. All of our seniors spoke to the team about some of the lessons they’ve learned over their time here,” Freeman said.

Freeman’s growth is already showing dividends. Through internal overview and looking outside, Freeman said the team dramatically reduced its injury rate across the board this fall compared to last. And he’s not just learning from his own mistakes but from those

line will need to show us what they’ve got against navy.

Graduate transfer Javontae Jean-baptiste has a chance to make an early impression after coming from perennial power ohio state. senior rylie mills is in line to take a step forward and become a big disruptor inside. navy provides a perfect opportunity for him to start the year on the right foot.

navy’s focus on the ground game also means that notre dame’s strong secondary will have a minimized impact on the game. even so, the Irish have had several months to prepare a defensive gameplan, and I expect them to rise to the occasion.

on the offensive side, this game is our first chance to see graduate transfer sam hartman under center, but it’s also Gerad Parker’s first game as offensive coordinator. navy is an unorthodox team, but saturday’s game will still be a glimpse into what we can expect from this offense.

Last year, the running backs led the way for a notre dame offense that featured an underwhelming passing attack that mostly boiled down to now-departed m ichael mayer’s brilliance. They will likely bring that run-first identity back, but hartman’s arrival signals the potential for a more explosive aerial attack.

A year ago, navy’s defensive line gave notre dame fits, keeping the running game well in check. This game will immediately put hartman in the spotlight. he arrives with a ton of experience and was already voted a team captain, signifying the faith his teammates place in his leadership. The questions come from the players he’s passing the ball to.

outside of junior Jayden Thomas, there’s nothing but question marks in the

of others as well. The last time notre dame went to Ireland in 2012, they returned the night of the game and came out sluggish against a middling Purdue team the following weekend. This time, the Irish will stay the night and fly home sunday before prepping for their home opener against Tennessee state, a somewhat similar trap game to last september’s loss against marshall.

The beginning of Freeman’s tenure seems both so far away but still so near. There may not be as much national hype around him as there was some 700 days ago

receiving corps. senior chris Tyree is a converted running back who will be starting in the slot this year. he has shown great speed and good hands out of the backfield, but it will still be an adjustment in a new role. sophomore Tobias merriweather was a high-level recruit, but he has exactly one career reception at notre dame. In fairness, it was a long touchdown reception against stanford, so hopefully it’s a sign of good things to come.

At tight end, there is a massive mayer-sized hole to fill. senior Kevin bauman was slated to start, but he tore his AcL for the second season in a row, leaving him out for the season. Junior mitchell evans comes into the first team instead, but he is inexperienced. Last season he was used mostly as a surprise rushing weapon and has five career receptions for 60 yards.

The navy game is a chance for the Irish offense to find themselves. I hate looking past opponents, but opening with matchups against navy and Tennessee state provides opportunities for notre dame to see what works and what doesn’t. It is a chance for hartman to get situated and find his favorite targets on the outside. The Irish can build an identity before they start taking on Acc teams.

It’s tempting to look past navy, but rivalry games always serve up something unexpected. Freeman and notre dame can’t afford to do that for even a second. They need to go out and put together a complete performance against the midshipmen. They need a comfortable win from start to finish in a game where they dominate and take care of business to start the season.

Contact José Sá nchez Córdova at jsanch24@nd.edu

when he burst into the locker to thunderous applause and a borderline mosh pit of Irish players. but that doesn’t mean confidence in the team’s leader is dwindling from anyone in south bend — including himself.

“Time flies, man,” Freeman said. “It’s a great reminder to enjoy this opportunity for all of us.”

Fans are ready for another season of notre dame football. Freeman has the tools and, now, the experience to lead it.

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu

staff PrediCtions

observer sports staff predicts navy vs. notre dame

By Observer Sports Staff

José sánchez Córdova, assistant Managing editor:

This game is a long way from home and I think the travel and jet lag will be a factor. I expect both teams to look somewhat sluggish in the first half. b oth these teams want their run game to lead the offense, so I think the clock will run a lot and this game will fly by. It’ll be close at the half, but graduate student quarterback s am h artman and the offense will click into gear and pull away after the break. I think the Irish will want to show off their new weapons with a deep pass attempt or three.

o n the defensive side, n otre d ame has had a few months to prepare for the always-tricky option

CoaChing feature

offense. I think they will rise to the occasion and limit n avy’s rushing attack. I think they hold n avy under 200 total yards and cruise to a comfortable season-opening win on Irish soil. n otre d ame 31, n avy 7.

andrew Mcguinness, sports editor:

While it’s certainly nice to have seven months to prepare for n avy as opposed to seven days, the m idshipmen will test two of the Irish’s biggest question marks right out of the gate. d efensive line is by far n otre d ame’s most revamped position group (other than quarterback), and the triple option will come at them full throttle. Last year, n avy also largely shut down n otre d ame’s

rushing attack, as the Irish averaged a mere 1.9 yards per carry. s o expect the vaunted h artman and the n otre d ame receiving corps to play a key role in the outcome.

These two developments could lead to a bit of a shaky start, the type that led to self-destruction against m arshall and s tanford last season. b ut this is a different n otre d ame team and a different m arcus Freeman leading them. The Irish, up a single score at halftime, go ahead by double digits early in the second half and keep n avy at arm’s reach the rest of the way. n otre d ame 35, n avy 21.

emily defazio, associate sports editor:

The Fighting Irish taking the stage in Ireland is sure

to create a crazed energy that the team should be able to capitalize on, and with h artman being lauded as the kind of “chosen one” this team needs, that energy could skyrocket to unprecedented heights among the tens of thousands of people flocking to the city.

What the Irish have developed on the offensive front will be critical the first time on its feet. I’m expecting a more well-oiled machine than we’ve seen in the past and am especially excited to see senior c hris Tyree at wide receiver. h owever, while optimism has certainly been frequent on campus, so has the utterance of one word: m arshall. That is where my hope draws its line. b ut I expect the Irish to prove

that s ept. 10, 2022, was just an outlier and come away with a defining win. n otre d ame 28, n avy 14.

J.J. Post, associate sports editor:

This game has the potential to have more bumps than people are giving it credit for. A combination of an always-scrappy n avy squad, rain in the forecast and some early hiccups from an unproven receiving core might make the start a little sluggish. b ut patience will prove a virtue for Irish fans, and n otre d ame will slowly but surely take control over the course of the first half.

An Irish defense with extra time to prepare faces fewer of the traditional

see Predictions Page 3

crash course on assistant coaching staff changes for notre dame football

By MADELINE LADD Associate sports editor

n otre d ame football had plenty of upheaval in 2022 when longtime head coach

b rian Kelly skipped town to L s U. d efensive coordinator m arcus Freeman was in turn hired as head coach and kept nearly the entire staff intact.

h owever, the 2023 offseason was a different story as several assistants left the team for various reasons. Freeman acted quickly to find replacements for the Irish, as preparation time for the new season quickly approached. h ere’s a recap of those changes and profiles of the new faces on the sideline for the Irish.

o ffensive Coordinator:

g erad Parker replaces

t ommy r ees

b ack in February, former offensive coordinator Tommy r ees left for the same role at Alabama, followed shortly thereafter by former quarterback Tyler b uchner. Tight ends coach Gerad Parker was

promoted to offensive coordinator, a role he will fill while continuing to work with the tight ends. Parker worked with Freeman for four years at Purdue and was interim head coach for the final six games of the 2016 season. h e was also the offensive coordinator at West v irginia in 2020 and 2021. In an address to the media shortly after his appointment, Parker said he wants to be “very o -line driven” this season, focusing on scoring while empowering his players to grow. “It’s our job to know what their skills are and make them better,” Parker said. “We are gonna do what our players do best, and find ways to enhance.”

Quarterbacks Coach: g ino g uidugli enters the scene

Another interesting move was the addition of quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli to the staff.

Quarterback development has been an issue for the past several seasons for n otre d ame and the

hiring of Guidugli will allow Parker to focus on the offensive scheme. Guidugli will devote his energy to developing sophomore s teve Angeli and freshman Kenny m inchey while also guiding graduate student transfer s am h artman during games. Guidugli had success in this role at c incinnati, where he developed quarterback d esmond r idder (who led the b earcats to a victory over the Irish in 2021), now an n FL starter with the Atlanta Falcons.

o ffensive Line Coach: Joe r udolph replaces harry h iestand

Just over a week after the r ees announcement, former offensive line coach h arry h iestand retired from coaching. d uring his seven seasons at notre d ame, h iestand turned around a struggling Irish offensive line and built up its depth. Joe r udolph will replace h iestand, joining the Irish from v irginia Tech, where he served as offensive line coach and run

game coordinator. Prior to Tech, r udolph developed dominant offensive lines at Wisconsin from 2015-2021 and oversaw three successful seasons at Pitt from 20122014. As an 18-year coaching veteran, r udolph has the potential to further develop notre d ame’s offensive line and make a significant impact in recruiting.

s pecial teams Coach: Marty Biagi replaces Brian Mason r apid changes continued, as special teams coach and punt block guru brian m ason left for the n FL, landing in the same role with the Indianapolis c olts. m arty biagi arrives from o le m iss as m ason’s replacement. biagi has twice been named a finalist for s pecial Teams c oordinator of the Year by Footballscoop.com. he is no stranger to s outh b end, as he spent one year as a special teams analyst for the Irish in 2016. biagi’s specialty has been developing the kicking game. h is kickers have had an 83.8% success rate on field goals

over his career.

s trength Coach: f red hale replaces Matt Balis

In addition, m att b alis suddenly resigned as strength and conditioning coach just one day before the start of fall camp. b alis played a large role in notre d ame’s turnaround following its 4-8 2016 season. Assistant Fred h ale was appointed interim strength coach in b alis’ place.

While all of this turnover may be viewed as concerning, it appears that Freeman is putting his own stamp on the staff as it makes the final transition from the brian Kelly era. o nly cornerbacks coach m ike m ickens and safeties coach c hris o’Leary remain from the pre-Freeman times. These new faces on the sideline will look to bring Freeman’s vision to fruition as they gear up for this s aturday’s matchup against navy and look to make a playoff run this season.

Contact Madeline Ladd at mladd2@nd.edu