Print Edition for The Observer for Wednesday, September 6, 2023

LaFortune’s grand opening announced

Building managers praise LaFortune makeover for open floor plan, community kitchen

By ETHAN CHIANG news writer

o ver the past year, the l aFortune s tudent c enter has undergone significant renovations and remodeling — an endeavor that some students say has revitalized the space.

The remodeled space on the second floor will now be the home of the c enter for d iversity, e quity, and i nclusion ( dei ).

s ummer b asak, a junior who works as a building manager in l aFortune, said the center’s grand opening will occur in late s eptember, but a date has yet to be confirmed. i t will serve as a hub

smc welcomes new history professor

By MOIRA QUINN and SAMANTHA GERBERT news writers

This school year, s aint mary’s welcomed several new professors to campus. o ne of these new educators is garret mcdonald, a history professor teaching courses in both world history and world civilization.

mcdonald was a graduate student and teaching fellow at Fordham university before coming to s aint mary’s.

“i finished my ph d and then taught for several years in new york c ity. i got offered the visiting assistant professorship here at s aint mary’s and i couldn’t say no,” mcdonald said.

p rior to living in new york c ity, mcdonald attended two other universities. he attended a ngelo state university in Texas before pursuing his master’s degree at Texas Tech.

“The story is i’ve spent most of my life in school,” mcdonald said.

he said coming to an allwomen’s school presents a new challenge, albeit an

exciting one.

“ w hen i taught at Fordham and when i was a teaching assistant at Texas Tech, those are both fairly large co-ed universities,” he said. “g etting used to teaching at an all-girls school is a different dynamic, but it’s a welcoming one.”

h istory is something mcdonald has always enjoyed, and he credits his late grandfather for inspiring him to teach the subject at a professional level. h is grandfather collected c ivil war memorabilia. mcdonald at one point owned a cavalry saber and would spend time at an old a merican west and west Texas fort.

“he would be there for a c hristmas event every year where he would reenact what life was like on the frontier in a merica. a s i got older i was like ‘ well, i want to know about history,’ but he wouldn’t talk about it at all,” he said.

mcdonald said studying history was a way to connect with his grandfather.

“he wouldn’t talk about

see smc PAGE 4

for m ulticultural s tudent p rograms and s ervices, the o ffice of s tudent e nrichment and the g ender r elations c enter.

a s part of the renovations, these three offices have been revamped in an effort to make them more inviting for students and visitors, b asak said. “They’re making the offices nicer, so that instead of being cramped in old, broken furniture, you’re sitting on comfortable furniture.”

b asak said the offices have gained more notoriety as a result of the move.

“These are important

Jenkins delivers annual address to faculty

By LIAM KELLY and BEAU STELLER

a ssociate news editor and news writer

d uring his annual address to the faculty Tuesday, university president Fr. John Jenkins highlighted the recently released “ n otre d ame 2033: s trategic Framework” and celebrated n otre d ame’s recent acceptance into the a ssociation of a merican universities

( aau ). Jenkins described the day he received a call from b arbara s nyder, president of the aau, describing n otre d ame’s acceptance into the organization as “among the most memorable days” in his 19 years as president of the university.

“The aau invitation is a recognition by the world’s most distinguished association of research universities

of the progress n otre d ame has made in recent decades,” Jenkins said. Jenkins specifically highlighted the improvement in n otre d ame’s research programs as one of the main drivers of the u niversity’s progress.

“o ver the past 15 years, n otre d ame’s trajectory in key measures is among the most steeply positive of all see address PAGE 5

Ethan Chiang | The Observer

Students recline on new furniture and get schoolwork done while enjoying the recently opened lounge, which replaced the old ballroom on the second floor of the newly renovated LaFortune Student Center.

Beau Steller | The Observer

University provost John McGreevy talks with AAU President Barbara Snyder and former Duke provost Peter Lange about Notre Dame’s 2033 Strategic Framework at the Leighton Concert Hall on Tuesday.

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Wednesday

Justice by Means of Democracy

DeBartolo Hall 101

4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

By Harvard Pofessor Danielle Allen.

Church Properties

Initiative Kickoff LaFortune 102

6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Join Fitzgerald Institute for Pizza.

Thursday

The Moving Image Plays Itself

Browning Cinema

7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

An Archival Roadshow of 1946-1986.

“Building a Culture of Life”

Carey Auditorium

7 p.m.

Lecture by Professor Carter Sneed.

Friday

The 2023 Conway Lectures

Eck Visitors Center 10 p.m. to 11 a.m.

Women in the Eastern Roman Empire.

Labor Cafè: “Hot Labor Summer” Geddes Hall 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Provided by Center for Social Cocerns.

Saturday

Theater Show by Heidi Schreck

Philbin Studio Theater

7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

“What the Constitution Means to Me.”

Film: “Asteroid City” (2023) Browning Cinema

Sunday

Organ Concert Basilica of the Sacred Heart 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Program performed by Kevin Vaugn.

“Wallace & Gormit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” (2005) Browning Cinema

Chancelor Gordon | The Observer

The University of Notre Dame’s

nd receives $216 million in research funding

Observer Staff Report

i n the 2023 fiscal year, n otre d ame received nearly $216 million in new research award funding. This year marks the third consecutive year that the University has surpassed the $200 million mark, according to a Tuesday press release.

While the University’s research funding does not stack up to dozens of schools that spend more than $1 billion annually, it has gained traction recently, joining the a merican a ssociation of Universities ( aa U) in June.

This year set a record for the number of separate

awards, receiving a total of 824. The majority of new funding, $120 million dollars, came from federal agencies. The n ational s cience Foundation contributed nearly $43 million, making it the largest single sponsor. a nother $38 million came from private foundations and $24 million from industry partners.

“

c redit ultimately belongs to the dedicated n otre d ame faculty members and students who received the awards and are committed to using every dollar to have the greatest possible impact,” Jeffrey r hoads, a professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering said in the release.

The n ational s cience Foundation will fund the c enter for c omputer a ssisted s ynthesis with $4 million per year for five years. The money will support n otre d ame as it leads 21 researchers at 14 universities to use machine learning to predict chemical reactions. The n ational s cience Foundation also awarded $1.5 million to the d epartment of a erospace and m echanical e ngineering to better understand how blood vessels form, an area of study that could lead to improvements in implantable organs and tissues.

From Lilly e ndowment i nc., an i ndianapolisbased philanthropic

foundation supporting the causes of religion, education and community development, $8 million was awarded to the d epartment of Theology within the c ollege of a rts and Letters. The funds will support h aciendo c aminos, a new partnership of 18 c atholic graduate schools of theology that seek to identify and form Latino and Latina c atholics in the U. s ., creating more opportunities for h ispanic students to enroll in graduate programs in theology.

n early $5 million, from the b ill & m elinda Gates Foundation, went to the Lucy Family i nstitute for d ata and s ociety. The award will

red Zone awareness Week begins

By PETER MCKENNA news Writer

o n monday at noon, the e xecutive c abinet of student Government held its first red Zone awareness Week event outside d eb artolo hall. members of the cabinet gathered to hand out resources about sexual assault spread awareness about the “red Zone” — the time between the start of the academic year and Thanksgiving break when more than 50% of college sexual assaults have occurred, according the c abinet. c abinet members explained that the sharp change of environment that students encounter as they arrive on campus, the new influx of students

and widespread access to alcohol all contribute to this peculiarly hazardous time period.

a ccording to the 2020 University climate survey, roughly 3% of notre dame undergraduates have experienced non-consensual sex while at notre dame. many students never report instances of rape and sexual assault, so the actual proportion may be higher.

“We want it to be zero,” a idan rezner, student body vice president said.

The e xecutive c abinet created the initiative to raise awareness of past trends and offer practical guidance, Lena d ougherty, a junior and director of Gender relations: Title X i and Women’s i nitiatives

explained.

“This is a very vulnerable time for many people. a lot of people are going to be needing resources that we don’t know if they would have gotten otherwise,” she said. rezner affirmed the role of his administration in preventing incidents of sexual assault.

“o ur goal as an administration is to ensure that every student feels safe on this campus, and we are here to spread the University’s resources. a lso, we are here to give them tips about preventative measures that they might be able to take themselves to limit the damage. but ultimately, we want sexual assaults never to happen. We are working to move in that direction,”

rezner stated. a s a part of “red Zone awareness Week” the e xecutive c abinet is also giving out “shatter the red Zone” pledges to residence halls to help show support for sexual violence survivors and prevention. This Friday, they are holding a “red out,” in which students will wear red to support sexual assault prevention. The c abinet hopes that by emphasizing the labeling of the red zone, staff, professors and students alike will become more aware of the heightened risk of sexual assault at this time of year and then work to prevent it.

Contact Peter McKenna at pmckenn2@nd.edu

help develop data-based agricultural solutions aimed to reduce global hunger.

The Kroc i nstitute for i nternational Peace s tudies received $600,000 from h umanity United for an initiative monitoring the c olombian 2016 peace accord.

The s chool of a rchitecture received $225,000 as part of a larger production grant from the U. s d epartment of e nergy to support development of wood siding that can sequester carbon and reduce emissions.

The b usiness h onors Program received $80,000 from the Lynde and h arry b radley Foundation.

Paid a dverTisemen T

Italian professor Tiziana serafini dies at 62

By PETER BREEN Interim notre dame news editor

Italian professor Tiziana s erafini, a voice for those caught up in the Italian refugee crises who was known to teach yoga classes in her native tongue to her students for extra credit, died in r ome from cancer Aug. 20. s he was 62.

s erafini spent most of her time in the classroom since coming to n otre d ame in the fall of 2016 instructing courses for students just beginning to learn the Italian language.

“Freshman year I had her as my first Italian professor ever,” Adele b onomi, a senior, recalled. “I had never taken it before. It was online. s he was the one who made me super passionate about Italian.”

s erafini helped b onomi restart the Italian c lub after a period of inactivity during the pandemic. The pair planned events including a cooking class, karaoke night, pizza party fundraiser and guest lecture about studying abroad in r ome. b onomi worked closely with s erafini as Italian c lub president until heading off to r ome for her semester abroad in the spring

of 2023.

“ s he was super funny and very full of life,” b onomi said. “ s he was always down to crack a joke or just have a good time, but then she also just had like a lot of lightness around her.”

Fifth year b rennan Kelly took one of s erafini’s courses as a sophomore to prepare for his junior year abroad in r ome with the architecture program. A fluent s panish speaker, Kelly said learning Italian was very difficult for him because to do so he needed to simultaneously unlearn s panish.

“ s he really took care into getting our backgrounds — what we knew, what we didn’t and what we wanted to learn,” Kelly said. “ s he applied that to everything we did, and that was extremely helpful for learning the Italian language and made me respect her as a professor much more.”

Junior Gabe b iondo was involved with s erafini’s efforts to teach the Italian language to African refugees on their way to Italy. According to the International r escue c ommittee, Italy receives more refugees and asylum seekers each year than any other e uropean country.

In the summer of 2022 and spring of 2023, s erafini taught an experimental course, “Learning b eyond the c lassroom,” on refugee issues and foreign language pedagogy. b iondo, who was s erafini’s teaching assistant for the course this spring, said n otre d ame students had the opportunity to virtually communicate with African refugees in their camp in connection with the courses.

“ s he was just very dedicated to just helping people,” b iondo said. “ s he really wanted to help people and that is why she organized this course to help teach Italian to refugees, and she was so passionate about it — about being there for other people.”

As her teaching assistant, b iondo said he would meet with s erafini multiple times per week.

“ s he always asked about my family,” b iondo said. “ b efore we do any work, she would always care about you, making sure that everything is o K.”

d epartment of r omance Languages and Literatures chair Alison r ice, a French professor, said she often served on committees with s erafini and would

student Union hosts freshman showcase

By ZACH TAYLOR news Writer

e ager for early participation from n otre d ame’s newest class, leading members from branches of the s tudent Union hosted an hour-long showcase Tuesday, with the intent of outlining different ways for first years to get involved with campus governance.

s tudent b ody President d aniel Jung expressed his excitement about the event and its promising attendance.

“It’s always inspirational to see so many first years really care deeply about the n otre d ame c ommunity, so much so that in only their third week they want to help and build this community,” Jung stated.

The other presenters mirrored Jung’s enthusiasm, with leaders from each section of the s tudent Union giving speeches about the virtues of their respective branches.

From the freshman perspective, the door to participation seemed to be opened much wider than most were

expecting.

“I was kind of caught off guard going in seeing how many different branches there were, it can be a little bit overwhelming,” Lindsey Lark, a freshman from

m cGlinn h all, commented.

“ b ut they definitely did a really good job of explaining everything.”

Presentations were heard from representatives of the

c lass c ouncils, s tudent Government, s tudent Union

b oard, c lub c oordination

c ouncil and Judicial

c ouncil. m any branches were excited to reveal the specific first year programs they offer such as the First Undergraduate e xperience

In Leadership (FU e L) from n otre d ame s tudent Government and First Look into Programming (FLIP) from the s tudent Union

b oard.

d espite the breadth of information presented, many freshmen left more optimistic about their odds of having an opportunity to contribute.

Lark ended her night on the hopeful note that “everyone has a chance to get

typically see her at larger department events. In 2020, when she became chair of the r omance languages department, r ice said she began to meet regularly with s erafini.

“The very last time I saw her was in early m ay, and we met in h agerty c afe in the student center,” r ice said. “ s he hadn’t had anything to eat, and I had already had lunch. s he had this wonderful avocado toast, and I had no idea they even made avocado toast.”

r ice said s erafini ate half of the avocado toast and then insisted she eat the other half.

“I obliged, even though I had already eaten and wasn’t hungry, but it was so good,” r ice said. “And I think that’s kind of her personality, too. s he would want to share nice things. s he was very solicitous and caring about those who were around her.”

A native of r ome, s erafini earned her doctorate in Italian literature from the University of c alifornia, Los Angeles. Prior to joining n otre d ame, she was Italian Language Program director at the University of Wisconsin- m adison. s erafini previously taught

Italian at Los Angeles c ity c ollege, s anta m onica c ollege, the University of s outhern c alifornia and the University of c alifornia, Los Angeles. c olleagues and students gathered in m alloy h all c hapel on Friday afternoon for a memorial service to honor s erafini. Friends shared words of remembrance after joining together in prayer and song. s erafini is survived by two children, Ariel and d amien.

Contact Peter Breen at pbreen2@nd.edu

mcdonald also has a variety of specializations within the field of history.

involved.”

Presenters characterized these applied positions as great ways for students to get started on their political careers at n otre d ame. Anyone who displayed interest in a branch of the s tudent Union was highly encouraged to find more information online. e very branch has its own webpage.

After half an hour of questions and conversations after the showcase, freshmen returned to their dorms, many looking forward to the various options they had been introduced to that evening. o n his walk back to d uncan h all, freshman m att Wich was confident about how the session had gone.

“I’m extremely excited to be involved for the next four years. I’m sure everyone in the auditorium took that away, because there is so much to do and there are so many opportunities for students,” he said.

Contact Zach Taylor at ztaylor3@nd.edu

his experiences in vietnam or his experiences in Iran. I knew the only way to get to know my grandfather was to study history, and I also just from the very beginning had a passion for teaching people,” mcdonald said.

similar to many college students, mcdonald had a difficult time deciding what to major in, as he originally wanted to take a completely different path.

“by the time I was in college, I actually started as a mechanical engineering major,” he said.

he quickly changed course and hasn’t regretted it since, he said.

“That was one of the worst decisions of my life. I moved to history and I’ve never looked back. I think history is a wonderful way to get to know people’s past, present and future,” he explained.

mcdonald has high hopes for his future at saint mary’s.

“I hope to get enough students, or at least for this semester get enough students interested in actually taking my classes next semester,” he said. “I’d really like this to turn into a long-term position. It’s a wonderful community. It’s a wonderful department with a lot of freedom.”

“my primary [focus] is modern russian and eurasian history and modern europe,” he said.

he is also a historian of science, technology and medicine and legal history.

mcdonald’s favorite class to teach is World history II, a class focusing on history dating from 1500 to more current historical events.

“It is just a lot of fun because students may have a better idea of who elvis Presley was than they do have of hammurabi,” mcdonald said.

A look at global history benefits students in a variety of ways, he said.

“They’re constantly learning something new because it’s world history and not just American or european history. At the same time they can relate to it because by the time we get to the 20th century, it’s so recent,” he said.

At the root of every class, mcdonald tries to make sure he and his students have a good time.

“I try to have fun in all of my classes,” he said. “education should be fun. If not, why are any of us here? That’s the way I think of it.”

Contact Moira Quinn at mquinn02@saintmarys.edu and Samantha Gerbert at sgerbert01@saintmarys.edu

Courtesy of Allison Rice

Tiziana Serafini joined the Notre Dame faculty in the fall of 2016.

‘ r 1’ research universities,” he noted.

While Jenkins praised the progress that n otre d ame has made in recent years, he cautioned the University against becoming complacent in its quest for research excellence.

“We are proud of that record, but we cannot be complacent,” Jenkins said. “An institution recognized for the steep upward line tracking its research will look far less impressive if that line plateaus or declines. We must sustain and even enhance the work of recent years.”

In order to achieve this growth, Jenkins pointed to the recently released s trategic Framework that includes three themes to guide University policy for the next 10 years.

Jenkins said that the University will “strengthen foundations” by “identifying vital areas where we are already strong and might become preeminent,” investigate “the meaning for n otre d ame of a multicultural, multilingual c atholic c hurch” and place a “renewed emphasis on science and engineering to serve a world in need.”

Jenkins emphasized that n otre d ame’s identity as a c atholic university will remain central to the University and

intertwined with its focus on research.

“ n otre d ame’s distinctive mission and special contribution is to bring faith into dialogue with inquiries across the disciplines in order to engage the great questions and challenges of our time,” Jenkins said. “ n otre d ame will continue that tradition effectively, only if its research is truly superb, and it fosters a dialogue between faith and reason appropriate for our time.”

Jenkins also thanked the faculty for their work to lift up the University.

“o ur celebration of n otre d ame’s membership in the AAU is above all a celebration of you and your accomplishments,” Jenkins declared.

After Jenkins delivered his speech, n otre d ame Provost John m cGreevy moderated a conversation with b arbara s nyder and Peter Lange, former provost of d uke University.

Faculty members anonymously submitted questions beforehand.

s nyder initiated the discussion by highlighting a significant challenge facing higher education institutions: the erosion of trust in knowledge, wisdom and expertise in society.

s he followed this by stating that the AAU’s tangential mission lies in the “education of policymakers, members of c ongress and also members of the public” saying that “higher

now-defunct LaFortune

Ω education has become seen too much as a private good.”

s nyder also highlighted the opportunities that arise from n otre d ame’s c atholic mission.

“I do think that, given the power of c atholicism globally, and especially in the parts of the world developing now, our opportunities for providing solutions to research are tremendous, almost limitless, and the need is so great,” she said.

After the panelists were then asked to share their honest reactions to n otre d ame’s strategic framework, both Lange and s nyder expressed their support for it, with Lange describing it as “very good.” s pecifically, they praised the University’s courage in making difficult choices when it comes to allocating resources, which they explained wcan often be challenging given the importance of various departments within the institution.

When asked by m cGreevy about what a model diversity, equity and inclusion program might look like, s nyder pointed to generous financial aid and a diverse faculty as important factors.

Lange, on the other hand, focused on the recent s upreme c ourt ruling that struck down affirmative action, arguing that schools will need to push the limits of the ruling in order to maintain diversity.

students to eat and study.

“From my point of view, our commitment to diversity means pushing those boundaries, even taking the risk that someone may get sued. You may have to defend yourself. You’ll defend yourself within the bounds that you felt the law was, but if you don’t take those risks, we’re going to have a serious backslide in the diversity of our student bodies,” Lange said.

Like Jenkins, Lange also warned the University against complacency.

“You’ve got way more money than you used to have, you’re in the AAU now, you’re feeling great and you’ve got a strategic plan. You’re either going to push it or you’re going to say, ‘Wow, we’re doing great,’” Lange

said. “If you just sit on where you are and bask in the incredible accomplishments you’ve had, you’re actually going to go backwards.”

s nyder, too, emphasized the importance of the current moment for n otre d ame.

“I think you are at an inflection point, having just come into the AAU, having accomplished a lot,” s nyder said. “Inflection points come along very rarely. You have one in front of you right now, and I hope that everyone in this room and everyone who’s not in this room, sees that as both the biggest risk — not seizing it — and the greatest opportunity for n otre d ame.”

Contact Liam Kelly at lkelly8@nd.edu and Beau

centers, and not a lot of people knew they existed here or made use of it. It’s great to see the amount of attention that has [now] been brought to these organizations,” b asak said. Two new rooms, called h istory m akers and c hampions of d iversity, have also been added, she said.

In addition to the new c enter for de I, the

b allroom on the second floor has been replaced by a lounge, allowing students to study and socialize there.

“People are using the second floor now. There wasn’t a seating space [before]. It was dim, there were offices, and people didn’t really spend time up there,” b asak said.

s ophomore m aggie Zhao said that they have also added a community kitchen on the second floor, allowing

As a whole, the space has become brighter and more open, especially with the skylight, b asak said.

“They’ve taken out the entire old building vibe, with the small corridors and dim lighting, and opened it up. For the first time in years, you can actually look out from the center of the building and look outside,” she said.

Zhao also noted the improvements in the lighting.

“The lights were dim, and it was not the best condition for studying. I have been enjoying this renovation,” she said.

The first floor has also seen its share of changes. Zhao said that the welcome desk used to be hidden away, and students rarely asked questions because they didn’t know where it was. With the new location in front of the west entrance, “We’re now able to direct questions to the center of the room,” she said.

b asak noted that the previous information desk will become “ s ta nd.”

“It will be what you expect a newspaper stand to be like, but it will sell stamps, The s hirt, and things like that. The cake shop is going to be up here instead of downstairs,” she said.

These new changes have surprised returning students, according to Zhao. “ e specially during the first week of school, they were all shocked. They just stood there, and they were like ‘Wow, what has happened to LaFortune?’” she said.

Courtesy of Barbara Johnson and Notre Dame

University President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. delivered his annual address to the faculty on Tuesdau night in the Leighton Concert Hall.

Ethan Chiang | The Observer

A look at the LaFortune Student Center’s recently introduced spaces for the new Center of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) on the second floor, to go along with other new concepts for rooms open to students.

Slowing down in Margaritaville

I grew up the child of “Parrot h eads.” For those of you who are unaware “Parrot heads” are diehard Jimmy b uffett fans. They are the equivalent of “ s wifties” to Taylor s wift.

d riving home from school or really driving anywhere in my dad’s green Ford e xplorer we only had two options, either listen to the purple cd with green spots that played songs from the singing purple dinosaur or the silver cd that played songs about a place called m argaritaville that was “Paradise.” e ven at 4-years-old, I knew b uffett was better than b arnie.

I had memorized the words to songs like “c heeseburger in Paradise” and “It’s Five o ’clock s omewhere” before I even walked into first grade. s inging about “tall and strong hurricanes” before I even understood what I was asking for. It was also the only time I was allowed to swear.

When you ask other girls my age what their first concert was, oftentimes they’ll say something like Taylor s wift or even o ne d irection. I used to be embarrassed about what my first concert was, but now I answer “Jimmy b uffett” proudly.

m y sister and I were lucky enough that my parents wanted to share their love of music and Jimmy b uffett with us. most parents would have just got a babysitter so they could go to a concert and have fun but not ours, they wanted us there.

They wanted this to be our first concert experience. And in the early 2000s at what used to be called Toyota Park in c hicago, two toddlers joined their parents and their friends to watch the original Parrot head play songs about relaxing and having a good time on the beach.

It is definitely one of my core memories. d ancing to “ s weet home c hicago” and “ volcano” at the top of the bowl of the stadium. o n s aturday morning I woke up to a text in my family group chat from my dad that said, “Jimmy b uffett just died.”

I’m not going to stretch the truth and tell you that this will alter my life and that we are all sitting vigil for him. Well, my dad might be, but it’s definitely the end of an era.

In truth I forgot about my m argaritaville roots. In high school I stopped driving around with my dad and started listening to my own music while driving my own car. I didn’t remember how much of an impact Jimmy b uffett had on my young life until I was at dinner with my friends on s aturday night. As we were leaving the stadium we were singing “It’s 5 o ’clock s omewhere” and I remembered all of the words. Later at dinner, I told them the story of my first concert and the many stories of vacations spent in Key West when I was younger. It’s sad that it took his death to remind me of his impact and music.

To me b uffett’s overall message was to slow down and enjoy the little things like good people, beautiful beaches and good drinks. I’m glad that my parents tried to instill the idea of slowing down to look around and enjoy life in me from a young age.

I think that’s a message we should all remember, especially here at college when it feels like we’re constantly moving and working toward the next thing. d espite the sadness of his passing, that is what I am choosing to take out of his death.

Contact Meghan at mlange03@saintmarys.edu.

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

The eternal sunshine of margaritaville

feel happy.

Two days before I left home for my drive back to n otre d ame this fall, my sister and I visited n ew York c ity for the day.

The city was crowded with people speaking different languages while they rushed past beautiful, towering buildings, men selling roasted chestnuts and people dressed as d isney characters smoking cigarettes with m ickey and m innie heads resting on their hips.

I was one of those people, rushing past the many sights of the city, eager to arrive at my destination. That is until I saw it. In the chaos of Times s quare, there was a gorgeous, shining haven that promised to have not just good music, but more importantly good company: Jimmy b uffet’s m argaritaville r estaurant.

m y sister and I debated our restaurant choice. s hould we spend our one night in n Y c at a restaurant we could only visit in n ew York or a chain restaurant that offered fake beaches, undeniably wonderful music and all of the sunshine of Key West in n Y c ?

Well in moments like that, I, like Alan Jackson, often wonder, “What Would Jimmy b uffet d o?”

Jimmy b uffet would go to m argaritaville. m y sister and I followed suit.

It was the right choice. As an avid m argaritaville and Jimmy b uffet fan, I may be biased, but making a shark fin with my hands on my head and singing to Jimmy b uffet’s “Fins” in a m anhattan skyscraper is an experience I am grateful for.

While I listened to 92.5, Philly’s country station, in the back of my mom’s s uburban throughout my childhood, many songs about the country, trucks and beer played on a loop. Amidst those songs came somebody different, somebody unlike no other, somebody singing instead about the beach, boats and beer.

I would not consider myself to approve of excessive loafing around or smoking cigars and would definitely disapprove of drinking at a bar all day, but b uffet’s aura of optimism and damn good melodies made me

When my family and I drive to the Jersey s hore, one hit always gets the whole car singing — “ m argaritaville.” The song acts like a portal through which we drive to transform from the work and school world of home to the seemingly more carefree, slow-moving world of the shore.

Admittedly, I do not love Jimmy

b uffet for his intricate lyrics or symbolic music videos, but rather for the feeling of his music, music that allows me to celebrate the positivity and optimism intrinsic within his lifestyle of beach living, music that allows me to shimmy like a fish with strangers in n ew York c ity. In July of this summer, my mom and I walked down to our neighborhood park and watched a Jimmy b uffet tribute band imitate his swaying voice and Key West style. People danced and sang and basked in a general air of merriment.

b uffet’s merriment and optimism were certainly not his only skills. The singer’s musical talent and business savvy are to be admired. h owever, if b uffet’s skills were music and business, I’d say his gift was joy.

All of this is not to say Jimmy b uffet, or m argaritaville, were perfect but rather that b uffet had a skill for cultivating and sharing positivity through music and experience. c alling Jimmy b uffet a cheerful force is certainly no hot take, which is a testament to its truth.

b uffet’s music doesn’t just make me feel like sitting in a parking lot in s outh b end listening to “ m argaritaville” is just as good as sitting on the beach in Key West, but convinces me it is, in fact, just as good.

I am thankful for the eternal sunshine of m argaritaville.

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

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

Meghan Lange smc news editor

Erin Drumm drummer’s circle

The U.S. can still be saved

of executing their only assignment — providing leadership. They have proven unable to help their constituents on whose support they have been high for a while. It is clearly a leadership deficit.

The recent spate of mass shootings and wanton violence in the United states has resurrected a famous pronouncement from the martinican thinker Aimé césaire. In his essay “discourse on colonialism” (1950) césaire says:

A civilization that proves incapable of solving the problems it creates is a decadent civilization. A civilization that chooses to close its eyes to its most crucial problems is a stricken civilization. A civilization that uses its principles for trickery and deceit is a dying civilization.

The lip service that follows every mass shooting in the U.s., particularly from those with the power to effect change, is sickening. every unfortunate episode normally gives the president the opportunity for a photo op with the aggrieved as the unapologetic gun lobby points out once again that it is not the gun, but the individual in question. The tweets, videos and news in the three presidencies I have actively observed bear a scary semblance.

needless to say, the U.s. is currently grappling with a political class that is beholden to monopoly capital. most of the country’s major sociopolitical challenges stem from this premise. The mass shootings, failure in global leadership on the ecological crisis and deepening income inequality are all indicative of where the allegiances of the nation’s ruling class lie. Those who might see allusions to a ruling class in America as far-fetched need not look further than a study by political scientists martin Gilens and benjamin Page on the influence of the country’s plutocrats. The political class has subordinated the aspirations of the country to corporate interests and forced their narrow and self-serving imagination of the country upon the masses. Politicians have proven incapable

When preaching liberal democracy to the world, the U.s. normally touts the value of a strong state with capable institutions and the sanctity of the constitution. on the most pressing issues, however, the country has witnessed the inability of the nation’s leadership to act decisively. The highest decision-making bodies in the land suffer from paralysis even in enacting seemingly obvious reforms. America leads the world by a distance in military spending. With such a huge defense budget, it is shocking that 30% of the population owns over 400 million guns. much as the right to bear arms is as old as America itself, simple dialectics would inform the fact that slave-owning colonial America in 1776 is not America today. The justifications for large-scale gun ownership over 200 years ago cannot be unquestioningly applied today – not after the damage that has been witnessed. A sane civilization should be able to discern that an 18-year-old with their identity crises and a 25-year-old with their midlife crises cannot be trusted with an automatic weapon, let alone a civilian with an existential crisis. A weapon capable of wiping out people like its Grand Theft Auto (recall buffalo) should not fall into these hands. The insistence of the citizenry on bearing arms as a safeguard against an erring state is justified if the past leadership of people like donald Trump is anything to go by. This is the gist of the matter — a failure in leadership and the loss of trust in the state and its capability to represent the very interest of the wananchi (east African english for “the public”). but America has a track record of thought and innovation. There is a pervasive narrative that its founding fathers dared to think and imagine. The process of the country’s putrefaction can thus be reversed. There’s hope if a generation — one that will commit

itself to diagnosing the country’s challenges and making a break with the current policy of businessas-usual — will emerge and assume its place in history. Americans have long stood on the sidelines and watched revolutions — successful and unsuccessful alike in the rest of the world. now their civilization is at stake. A generation is being called upon to be conscious actors in this story. This generation must discover its mission and fulfill it, this time not in relative opacity since the tasks are clear. Young Americans have been comfortable for too long. They have been hoodwinked into believing they have a country to inherit, but the country is stricken.

It is high time they join young cadres worldwide in seriously thinking about social change. Like doctors preparing for a complex operation, they have to go back to basics. This generation needs to be ready to oppose constitution worship and make a break with laws that do not favor the perpetration of life and humanity. no more drowning in obscurantist history. America, the most reactionary of countries, must produce a breed of revolutionaries. These make themselves. not by slavishly toeing the line of education systems looking to churn out more pedestrian reformists and supporters of the status quo, not by attending classes every day at notre dame and hoping to get a job to reinforce the same systems. The vanguard will emerge — it must emerge because there is work to be done. There is a civilization to rescue. The U.s. can still be saved.

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

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

sketches of a place

every time I discovered a new favorite spot, it only left me wondering how many of these places were out there. how much uncharted territory was left to discover?

You can identify a senior who studied abroad very quickly because they will bring it up within the first five minutes of any conversation upon returning. I am no different. =

spending the spring semester in London reignited a passion for travel that had been dormant for the past few years. during my time in england, I had the opportunity to explore the different towns within the U.K., but I also visited friends in other countries on the weekends.

however, as I concluded my stay, I found myself with a longer list of things I wanted to see than when I initially started. I lamented that I didn’t taste curry on brick Lane, explore battersea Park in the warmer months or revisit the victoria and Albert museum.

even though I believe I acquainted myself with London to the best of my ability, I felt that the longer I got to know the place, the more I realized I didn’t know much about London. It’s as if the dunning-Kruger effect took hold, and I overestimated my initial knowledge of the place.

When you first arrive in a city, it is typical to rely upon “must visit” lists curated by friends and strangers through blog posts who are self-described “wanderlust.” While these are helpful guides, I’ve found that my favorite parts of London were the ones I accidentally unearthed.

Quaint courts on Fleet street, underrated squares in bloomsbury and an antiquarian bookshop on charing cross road were some of my favorites that I discovered while walking in my daily life.

These spots were treasured places of mine that I showed friends and family as they came to visit. but

I verbalized these remarks to my mom, to which she responded by describing visiting a place for the first time as an initial sketch of a piece of artwork. no matter how much we see of a place during our initial interaction, a city will appear to us like a sketch. It isn’t until we revisit a place that we can fill in a more complete picture.

Perhaps the things we observe upon our first visit are conditional upon time-sensitive settings or are jaded by recent experiences. Frequent exposure and maturity may help to grapple with the “essence” of a place.

I took a class during the spring semester called “Unreal city,” whose goal was to explore the psychogeography of London. one of our assignments revolved around an exercise exhibited by Georges Perec’s “An Attempt at e xhausting a Place in Paris.” The French writer took three days to observe local Parisians, cataloging the mundane instead of merely the monuments or listable attributes of the city.

For example, even by a popular plaza, he describes the people who take to the promenade, such as, “a blind man coming from rue des canettes passes by in front of the café; he’s a young man, with a rather confident way of walking.”

I rather admired this approach to getting to know a city. In my psychogeographical quest, I spent three days observing people in borough market. I witnessed familial disputes, first dates and british students taking a break from classes. observing the changes in vendors and the varying patterns of the week helped me grow familiar with the circadian rhythm of this agora in London.

every additional day I spent observing, I felt like I

was slowly shading a more complete picture of the city. I noted in my class assignment that I doubted that “three days of observation or ‘exhausting a place’ can reveal the nature of that place or its people. Perhaps it’s best to leave it on the note of wanting to return.”

When I think of my time in London, I can’t help but consider the past three years at notre dame. As I enter my senior year, I am eager to get a complete picture of the place I have made my second home.

I wonder if living off campus for the first time will help me notice little things on campus that are special to me. maybe the brevity of time will make me savor the present moment.

T.s eliot says in “The Waste Land,” from which the class “Unreal city” borrows its title, “April is the cruellest month.” And as I think about my upcoming last spring on campus, I realize its bittersweet nature: the world begetting future life and scenic growth, and my friends’ and I’s chapters at notre dame concluding, “mixing memory and desire.”

I spent my study abroad looking at art galleries and chefs d’œuvre, only to await my unfinished sketch back on campus. one day I hope to gain a fuller picture of London, but for now, I’m making the most of the landscape I have in front of me.

Elizabeth Prater is a senior at Notre Dame double majoring in Marketing and the Program of Liberal Studies. She is interested in the cultural implications of analyzing classics and literature under a contemporary lens. When she isn’t writing, she loves playing the violin, hiking in the Pacific Northwest and offering unsolicited book recommendations. Elizabeth always appreciates hearing from readers, so feel free to reach out to eprater@nd.edu or @elizabethlianap on Twitter.

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

Elizabeth Prater spark nd

Olemo Gordon Brian

To the vanguard

Escaping porn’s prison

I first watched porn when I was 15 years old.

As a young teen, I thought “addiction” was a word reserved for drug users and alcoholics. I didn’t know that a collared-shirt c atholic school kid could be so controlled by the things he saw on his cracked iPhone 6 screen.

As a soccer player, I heard a lot of locker room conversations. I knew porn was the norm among guys my age. e veryone in the world seemed to use it (91.5% of men and 60.2% of women). And even though it felt wrong, I did too.

m onths after I started, I began to research and understand the consequences of porn use. I learned about how it hurts people in the industry and how it was changing my brain. It was making me selfish. The girls in my life were becoming objects to me. This habit had taken the reins of what used to be a very free, happy life.

As time passed, I didn’t feel like myself anymore. I wanted to stop.

b ut I couldn’t.

Porn is a unique beast to fight. With other addictions, you can at least trash the drug. With porn, it’s much harder to separate yourself from the temptation. Your drug remains in your pocket all day, begging you to lean into just one moment of weakness.

d espite the challenge in front of me, I convinced myself that I was strong enough to defeat it. d ay after day, I fought the addiction with detailed goals and gritted teeth.

o ne year of fighting passed. Then two years. Then three. And after almost a thousand days of strenuous effort, I still couldn’t break free from porn.

That sort of failure causes a gut-wrenching, humiliating feeling. Those nights I spent many hours contemplating the idea of completely giving up. Why was I treading water if I knew I was going to drown?

b ut there was one thing stronger than my nagging shame: my desire to love. I had this clear, detailed image in my mind of the man that I wanted to be.

I wanted to be free. I wanted to be someone who is willing to sacrifice for the people he cares about. o ne who would give up everything — all success, all reputation, all power — before using others to their detriment. s o, I kept pushing.

I decided to join a video support group that I found online. I walked out to my car in the driveway for some privacy, plugged in my headphones and logged onto the Zoom call with my camera off. I wasn’t expecting much.

h owever, what I saw changed my life.

I was the only one in the meeting younger than 25. I watched in horror as over ten grown men, many of whom were married, took turns speaking about their never-ending battles with pornography. o ne even mentioned that this escalating addiction led him to seek an affair, irreparably damaging his relationship with his wife.

b ut that wasn’t the most painful part for me.

Toward the end of the meeting, the biggest, roughest-looking man in the group unmuted himself and began to speak. h e was also in a car, his seatbelt crossed over his chest as he looked out the window into the darkness outside. After speaking for just a minute, he began sobbing loudly, his bitter tears running down his face into his thick brown beard. h e had been trying to quit far longer than me, and he had never succeeded.

All of the other guys stared blankly into their cameras as he wept. n o one could think of the words to ease that sort of pain. What could they say that he hadn’t heard before?

Through this man, I saw my future self. If I continued with this path, I would be him. c ompletely trapped, unable to give my wife the undivided love that I’d always planned to give her.

I promised myself that day that I would never be that man.

The way I saw it, I had two options:

Keep doing what I was doing. Fight alone, lie to myself about the future, keep failing and become that man from the Zoom call.

h umble up and get the help that I needed. Take the embarrassment and eventually be free. d o what it takes.

I chose the second.

n o matter the cost, no matter the embarrassment, I would not be that man. I would never be that man.

This time around, I didn’t want to seem strong.

I wanted to be strong. h istory showed me that I wasn’t going to do that on my own.

s o, I got serious. I reached out to a friend and asked for daily check-ins. I told my brother to

keep me accountable. I even talked to my parents about what I was facing.

e xposing myself like this was one of the hardest things that I’ve ever done. It was terrifying, but necessary. If I would have kept fighting alone, it surely would have been a different story. I would have been perceived as stronger by others, but underneath the mask, I still would have been weak.

Porn used to be the dictator of my life. n ow, I’m 144 days clean. m y life isn’t governed by the sporadic ups and downs of addiction. Through God’s grace, I’ve found freedom. When I look into my wife’s eyes at the altar, I’ll now know that my promise to her is true.

That’s worth a little embarrassment.

If you’re hooked on porn, you probably don’t deserve all of the blame for how it started. If you’re like most people, you were young and naive the first time you saw it.

The beginning of the story was not your choice, but the end of the story is.

Using porn might feel shameful, but seeking accountability should not. Asking for help is not weak, it’s heroic. It’s being brave enough to put your pride on the line in order to save the victims of the industry and the people you love most.

s o, if there’s one takeaway from my story, it’s the power of asking for help. The truth is that it’s not unusual to be battling this. And it shouldn’t be unusual to call in backup.

A year ago, a friend and I had the idea of starting accountability small groups here on nd ’s campus. We currently have the capacity to support 10 groups of 4, and we are looking to expand that. Fill out this interest form or email me directly at joshua.haskell.44@gmail.com if you are interested in finding accountability or leading a group of your own. I’m also happy to meet up to chat.

To wrap up this story, I ask two things of you: Genuinely decide who you want to be and if porn fits into that definition.

If it doesn’t, sign up for a small group. d on’t lie to yourself. If the solo mission has not been working, do what it takes and bury this pain forever.

Josh Haskell c lass of 2024 Aug. 26

By PETER MIKULSKI scene Writer

Last Thursday, the browning cinema at the debartolo Performing Arts center screened “Il decameron” by director Pier Paolo Pasolini. The movie adapts nine of the 100 short stories in the original “decameron,” a collection of tales by medieval Italian writer Giovanni boccaccio.

When discussing medieval art with sex jokes and poop gags, the critic is obliged to wheel out “the words.” Forgive me the cliches, but Pasolini’s “Il decameron” really is bawdy and ribald, raucous and racy, irreverent and cantankerous.

It’s two hours of scheming criminals, lecherous nuns and star-crossed lovers, but to keep the film from becoming a mere compilation of hijinks — a sort of lewd medieval Looney Tunes — Pasolini works in plenty of moments of touching writing, acting and direction. between one tale about a homosexual murder and another about two lusty teenagers, for example, Pasolini interjects with “Giotto’s Pupil”: a break from the rapid fire, thousand-mile-per-hour plotlines for an episode inside the mind of an artist. The viewer is treated to massive, intricate shots of medieval paintings reenacted under Pasolini’s meticulous direction.

Pasolini switches from melodramatic scenes to contemplative moments like this before the movie becomes grating, but he also knows when to switch back from contemplation to melodrama before the movie becomes boring. This is Pasolini’s masterpiece. If you’re curious about his filmography, start here.

If people have heard about Pasolini, though, it’s almost never because of “Il decameron.” It’s almost always because of “salo, or the 120 days of sodom” — Pasolini’s adaptation of a novel marquis de sade (whose name gives us the word “sadism”) set in the last days of fascist Italy.

In “salo,” four men kidnap and torture nine boys and nine girls with the help of a team of soldiers and prostitutes. The film depicts every horror you can imagine and is frequently banned. It’s notorious.

In “Il decameron,” the sex jokes and potty humor are handled lightheartedly. The woman sitting in front of me in the theater even felt comfortable enough to bring her toddler. In “salo,” however, Pasolini presents sexuality and scatology in a deeply disquieting way.

The film is typically explained as a work about the evils and excesses of fascism and how they are unequivocally bad, but this ignores what’s actually on screen. The “evil and excessive” crimes are beautifully framed and shot; Pasolini works hard to make them attractive to the viewer. neither are the criminals portrayed as “unequivocally

bad” — we’re charmed, whether we like it or not, by their sardonic senses of humor.

This is the real horror of “salo”: the way Pasolini devilishly lures us into the sin on screen. We come away knowing not just that fascism is evil but how and why so many were tricked into becoming a part of that evil.

Yet this isn’t the reason most people watch “salo.” I first saw it because I overheard my brother and his friends whispering in horror about “literally the most evil movie ever,” and I’m no chicken, so I hunted it down and watched it when I was way too young. This is how a lot of people first find Pasolini — because of the urban legend that surrounds “salo,” because of the myth of the grossest movie ever. It’s one way in, but very few people watch “salo” and think, “I should see what else this guy made!”

“Il decameron” was the second installment of a series at the browning called “beyond the classics: early 70s Italian cinema,” and it was a great pick. First and foremost, it’s a good movie, but if you want to dig deeper, it’s also Pasolini at the peak of his optimism about sexuality. “salo” then becomes the mirror image of “Il decameron,” and it starts to make a little more sense as part of a bigger picture. Pasolini is making an argument about the dual nature of sex as a source of both beauty and horror.

Contact Peter Mikulski at pmikulski@nd.edu

By ALLISON SRP scene Writer

“stick season (We’ll All be here Forever)” is the extended version of noah Kahan’s album “stick season” and was released on June 9. While the original album closes with Kahan in a place of tension between the past and the present, these new songs feature him delving back into the past until the extended version of the original closing track, “The view between villages,” brings us back to that place of not moving forward yet, but being ready to.

“Your needs, my needs” is the first new song. It starts as a simple acoustic track about the impact that someone had on him — so much impact that he finds himself “naming the stars in the sky after [them].” As the song progresses, though, he begins to express resentment about how fully this person shaped his life — with their needs overpowering his own.

“dial drunk” is the most popular of the new songs and now has a version featuring Post malone on a rewritten second verse. here, Kahan’s resentment shifts inward. he sings a litany of his missteps, centered around a drunk phone call that goes unanswered. At the end of the song, he restates “I’ll die for you.” he may not like what he did, but it doesn’t seem that this person will be less important to him anytime soon.

Paul revere is known for his journey to warn others about impending danger, but in the song “Paul revere,” Kahan’s journey is for himself as he dreams about leaving the small town that he can no longer stand. As much as this town and its inhabitants frustrate Kahan, by the end of the song he finds himself too tied to knowing and being known by it that he can’t leave.

“no complaints” discusses a common fear of your problems not being bad enough to warrant your reaction to them. he describes heart-wrenching struggles and his efforts to overcome them, ending the list every time with “Who am I to complain?” This song offers a glimpse of hope, but the journey it describes is one that’s still in progress.

“call Your mom” is arguably the most heartbreaking of the new songs, which is no small feat. he sings about trying to convince someone to “stay with [him]” in every way he can. In the bridge, he begs them to somehow find enough meaning to stay in the world, whatever that might be from.

“You’re Gonna Go Far” seems to invite comparison to “new Perspective” from the original album. In the latter, Kahan sings about resentment both toward someone who left their hometown and toward that hometown itself. The newer track addresses the same loss, but with grief and pride instead of resentment. The lyrics point to acceptance of the fact that

these two people are now living irrevocably different lives, but also that there will always be connection and love between them. “call Your mom” may be sadder in theme, but this song is the one that had me near tears.

The album closes with an extended edition of its original closing track. At the end, he adds the voices of people speaking about life in a small town — the same thing he spends the album singing about. These voices are more optimistic toward it than Kahan’s tends to be, but it offers an important sense of balance. he doesn’t hate this place; after all, he wrote a 21-song tribute to it. The new verse at the end returns to the note that the original album ended on: returning home and reminiscing on the past.

Contact Allison Srp at asrp@nd.edu

“Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever”

Favorite songs: “Dial Drunk,” “Call Your Mom,” “You’re Gonna Go Far”

Similar artists: Mumford & Sons, Lizzy McAlpine, The Lumineers

happy Birthday: you’ll gain ground if you learn as you go. A chance to make a long overdue change will help restructure how you live and allocate your time. Balancing your life to ensure you divide work and playtime equally will give you a positive attitude that will carry through into meaningful relationships. Creative thinking will help you find options that offer peace of mind and a brighter future. your numbers are 5, 12, 21, 25, 36, 44, 47.

ArIES (March 21-April 19): Do something to lift your spirits. get those endorphins working; you’ll accomplish something spectacular. Personal improvements, physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle change will point you in the right direction. Share your thoughts and plans with someone you want by your side.

TAuruS (April 20-May 20): Networking, researching and communicating are to your benefit. Don’t ignore an unexpected opportunity. your timing is good, but don’t miss out on a chance to explore something interesting by hesitating. Be ready to take advantage of whatever comes your way.

gEMINI (May 21-June 20): Don’t share secrets. get your plans ready before displaying your agenda. Jealousy will cause criticism, not honest input. Put your energy where it will do the most for you instead of wasting your time doing something for someone who doesn’t appreciate you.

CANCEr (June 21-July 22): Don’t let anything stop you. look at what you can do. use your intelligence and creativity to develop alternatives that will help you explore your options and map out a plan of attack. look to those you can count on to contribute.

lEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Be cautious when someone asks for something. Question what’s entailed and consider the impact it can have on your responsibilities. Take a tally of what’s physically possible and offer suggestions rather than committing to something that can cause stress. Protect yourself.

vIrgO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Take a mental picture of how you see your life unfolding and turn it into a reality. Talk is cheap, but actions show you mean business. refuse to let someone’s negativity get to you. use your imagination to reach your goal.

lIBrA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Pay attention to where your money goes. Don’t feel pressured to invest, donate or pay for others. Concentrate on your well-being and revamp your exercise routine to usher in stellar health. Put effort into making your living space functional.

SCOrPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): you can make a difference using your knowledge and skills to help others. Partner with someone who can offer something of value in return. your patience, insight and discipline will result in respect from people who can help you advance.

SAgITTArIuS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Move forward cautiously. Not everyone is on your side. listen, assess what’s real and refuse to let anyone lure you down a rabbit hole. Think positively, but don’t let others decide your fate. Do what’s best for you.

CAPrICOrN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Share your thoughts, shed light on situations and adjust to trends. go with the flow and make your life easy. keep your money and possessions in a safe place, and you’ll have nothing to worry about. Don’t get angry; change, adjust and proceed.

AQuArIuS (Jan. 20-feb. 18): revisit your choices and put your energy where it will help you the most. Say no to persuasive people encouraging you to behave poorly or get involved in something that doesn’t appeal to you. Make personal growth and a healthy lifestyle your priorities.

PISCES (feb. 19-March 20): you’ll gain momentum if you set your sights on something that interests you. Consider your skills and qualifications and how to apply what you enjoy doing most to careers that offer opportunities to hone your attributes. Don’t settle for less; shoot for the stars.

Birthday Baby: you are open-minded, enthusiastic and kind. you are dedicated and wise.

m iller: clemson still a threat

Jake Miller senior sports Writer

At n orthwestern University, students in the m edill s chool of Journalism receive an F if they make a grammatical, factual, spelling or citational mistake on an assignment. o ne tiny mistake can wipe away the beauty of whatever else is on the page.

If college football teams played by the same rules, c lemson would have received the “ m edill F” on m onday night.

In a Labor d ay battle against d uke, c lemson had three fumbles, two of which came inside their own 10-yard line. r obert Gunn III, c lemson’s kicker, had two field goals blocked, including one from 23 yards. Two of d uke’s touchdowns came after receiving a short field from a turnover. And while not perfect, c ade Klubnik’s performance was short of terrible. Klubnik threw one interception, a tipped ball that should have been caught by running back Will s hipley.

c lemson’s performance was full of typos, misspellings and head-in-hands moments. e ntering the fourth quarter, even after fumbling twice, es P n Analytics gave the Tigers a 60% chance to win. o bviously, the typos continued to pile up, but c lemson has a talented roster and a promising coaching staff.

s tarting with the roster, d uke’s pressure reached kicker r obert Gunn III before he began his kicking motion. Gunn’s performance was fine, but kicking formations will likely change this week at practice to give him better protection. While far from perfect, Klubnik still threw for 209 yards, 114 of which were produced by s hipley. In the running game, c lemson averaged 5.3 yards per carry on 40 attempts — enough to cause serious damage against any team in the F bs

s o far, much of the blame for c lemson’s loss has fallen on new offensive coordinator Garrett r iley. r iley joined c lemson this offseason after successful runs at sm U and T c U. m onday’s offensive design was fairly

conservative, looking very similar to schemes Klubnik ran in 2022. r iley has never worked with a running back on the level of s hipley. Last year, r iley ran a version a version of the “air raid” offense common in the b ig 12. Finding a balance between the passing and running games will take time to develop, but as a former running backs coach, r iley has the knowledge and creativity to better integrate s hipley into his plan while allowing the passing game to explode.

In just a few weeks, after dates with o hio s tate and U sc , n otre d ame will head to d eath valley — one of the loudest and most intimidating environments in the world of sports. c lemson will have time to clean up its typos. s hipley may be able to feast against an unproven n otre d ame defensive line. While not stellar on m onday, c lemson’s secondary has the potential to be one of the best units in the country. c lemson will likely have to play a dangerous Florida s tate team twice this season, including in the A cc c hampionship. Two losses almost surely remove c lemson from c ollege Football Playoff contention. r egardless of where the Tigers are at when they host the Fighting Irish, they’ll be playing with a chip on their shoulder, knowing the matchup is a must-win game.

The Irish have a tough schedule ahead of them. For much of the offseason, fans spoke of the “three tough games” in the schedule, referring to o hio s tate, U sc and c lemson. c lemson may fall out of the three toughest of those games, but regardless of where c lemson lands on the list of opponents, it’s not one to diminish or feel good about. The Irish need every win they can get; they can’t get distracted by typos.

Underneath the wrapping paper, c lemson has the heart of a tiger. If the Irish get distracted, c lemson will bite.

Contact Jake Miller at jmille89@nd.edu

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

Week 2 football grades: offense shines again

By CARL ALEXANDER s ports Writer

o ne of the biggest emphases of any football team to begin a season is building continuity, and the Irish offensive unit has done just that in their first two games. c hanging signal callers can be a difficult task, as demonstrated by o hio s tate and c lemson’s shaky performances this past weekend. h owever, new signal caller s am h artman has been nothing short of sharp in his first two performances — and the offense has followed his lead.

s ome will say that the Irish did what they were supposed to do given that their first two opponents consisted of an underwhelming n avy team and a clearly outmatched F cs school. h owever, hanging 42 points against n avy and an impressive 56 points against the Tennessee s tate Tigers this past weekend, Irish fans have a lot to be excited about for this offensive unit moving forward.

Quarterbacks

Tennesee s tate ended their 2022 season with a not-so-great 4-7 record. h owever, their defense was definitely one of their strong suits last year allowing about 24.73 points per game. This put Tennessee s tate n o. 36 in the F cs out of 130 teams, proving to be a relatively good defense in their league. They were also able to hold a Jackson s tate team with now-standout c olorado quarterback s hedeur s anders and do-it-all receiver and cornerback Travis h unter to an impressive 16 points.

That still did not stop graduate transfer quarterback s am h artman from doing whatever he wanted. In one half of play, h artman dialed up a stellar 14-for-17, 197-yard and two-touchdown performance before he was pulled due to a large 35-3 halftime lead.

Irish fans already had a good idea of what h artman

could do with his arm, but this past weekend they also got a glimpse of what h artman can do with his legs after his leaping rushing ouchdown in the second quarter.

h artman also had a nice 24-yard touchdown pass to add to his already impressive passing display during the first two games of his n otre d ame career. h artman continued to show off his veteran poise by making an effort to spread the ball around and make the right reads. h e has done nothing but live up to his billing as the top transfer quarterback in n otre d ame’s first two campaigns, and it seems like the Irish have finally overcome their recent quarterback woes.

As a result of h artman’s dominant first-half display, Irish fans were able to get a longer look at sophomore quarterback s teve Angeli. s imilarly to h artman, Angeli dialed up two touchdowns through the air. o ne play from Angeli that stuck out was when he escaped the pressure from the Tigers and got the ball out to sophomore running back Jadarian Price, who then took it back for six. After an impressive first half from h artman and a phenomenal second half from Angeli, you couldn’t have asked for a better showing from the Irish quarterback room.

Weekly Grade: A+; s eason Grade: A+

Running Backs

After an impressive showing in d ublin, expectations for the running back group were high coming into s aturday’s game against the Tigers. Junior running back Audric e stime was able to build on that momentum with another impressive performance this past weekend. h e rushed for 116 yards on only 13 carries and rushed for a touchdown as well.

h ighlighted by his electric 50-yard run at the beginning of the second quarter, e stime showed once again why he’s one of

the leaders of this team. h e plays with reckless abandon and is always a load to bring down. e stime also finished the game with zero fumbles after being benched in d ublin for an early fumble.

h opefully, e stime can build on his two stellar campaigns so far, and continue to be the leader that the Irish need him to be.

o utside of e stime, the running back group showed great flashes as well. Freshman running back Jeremiyah Love had an electrifying touchdown run to give the Irish their first points of the game. s ophomore backs Gi’ b ran Payne and Jadarian Price were responsible for both of Angeli’s touchdown passes. This game showed that the Irish running back group can beat their opponent both in the passing game and on the ground.

Weekly Grade: A; s eason Grade: A

Wide Receivers

The wide receiver group was also able to start where they left off last game. Junior receiver Jayden Thomas has started to separate himself as the clear leader of the receiver group with another impressive display of his big play ability. The play that stuck out the most was when he was able to extend a short pass into a large 27-yard gain after making a couple of defenders miss. h ighly touted freshman receiver Jaden Greathouse was also able to tally up a couple of nice catches. Former running back c hris Tyree made his presence known in the slot with a spectacular 24-yard touchdown grab.

Freshman r ico Flores Jr. was another bright spot with a solid two-catch, 31-yard performance. h owever, once again, anticipated breakout player Tobias m erriweather was disappointing with an underwhelming tworeception and five-yard performance. o verall, the

see oFFense PAGE 14

Defense

con Tinued From PaGe 16

collegiate tackles as part of a low-stress day all around for n otre d ame in the linebacker department.

Weekly Grade: a ; s eason Grade: a /a -

Secondary

n otre d ame’s best defensive unit on the day, the i rish secondary was lights out throughout the contest. Tennessee s tate attempted 22 total passes, and completed just eight, totaling all of 67 yards on the day.

a mong those failed passing attempts were a pair of n otre d ame interceptions: a diving effort in the first half by r amon h enderson, and Lewis’ aforementioned pick-six in the second. m arcus Freeman and defensive coordinator a l Golden rotated heavily throughout the second half, and n otre d ame will enter a matchup with nc s tate quarterback

CRoSS CouNTRY

b rennan a rmstrong on a high.

The only knock was a ntonio c arter’s targeting penalty late in the first half, though even that didn’t matter much with the i rish playing a much younger unit in the second half.

Weekly Grade: a ; s eason Grade: b

Special Teams

o ther than d evyn Ford’s potentially-targeting-induced kickoff return fumble, special teams were a positive for the i rish on s aturday. Graduate student kicker s pencer s hrader has remained automatic on extra points, far from a given in college. Jason o nye rose up to block a kick in the first quarter, stopping any Tiger momentum that had been building. b ryce m cFerson got to punt for the first time in his collegiate career as well, averaging 43 yards a boot.

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

Belles

con Tinued From PaGe 16

were clean 3-0 sweeps of Pitt.-Greensburg and c apital, something they did just once last season. h ead coach d enise van d e Walle will look to lead the b elles to double-digit victories this season, a feat the team achieved in five straight seasons under her watch from 2015-2019. The b elles are back in action this weekend three times during the ncac - miaa c rossover. Their home opener is on s ept. 19, at 7 p.m. against m anchester.

Golf

The b elles are scheduled to compete seven times this fall, including in four miaa Jamboree events. s aint m ary’s placed first twice and second twice out of nine teams in the competitions. The b elles will have a veteran-heavy squad

this season, with six of the seven members returning from 2023.

Freshman c olleen h and, a native of r oyal o ak, m ichigan, is the lone new addition. Junior Katelyn Tokarz and sophomore Julia Lizak figure to lead the way once again. h ead coach

Jordan Koehler relied heavily on both last season, as the pair competed in every tournament round last season.

Tokarz earned a s econd Team a ll- miaa nod for her strong campaign.

Led by sophomore a manda m elling’s career-low 77 in the second round, the b elles finished 10th in the Lynn s chweizer i nvitational. They’ll head to the a lbion, i ndiana, for the first miaa Jamboree of the fall on s ept. 14.

Cross Country

h ead coach Jackie

b auters is set to begin her 16th season leading the b elles cross country team.

s he is the longest-tenured head coach at s aint

m ary’s and one of the longest-tenured coaches across the entire tri-campus community. s he was thrilled with what she saw at the end of last season, as numerous b elles had personal records in the miaa c hampionship and set a strong foundation to carry into 2023.

The team’s first race reflected that promise. Led by senior a manda Tracy’s 5K personal record, three b elles placed inside the top 30, including a pair of freshmen in s avannah Paulson and Jordan s iminski. The o livet c omet o pen was the first of four regularseason meets for the team before the miaa c hampionships on o ct. 28. The b elles’ next competition is the Gil d odds i nvitational in Warrenville, i ndiana, on s ept. 16.

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu

Irish, Belles kick off cross country season

By MATTHEW CROW

a

ssociate s ports e ditor

a fter a long summer of training and several weeks of on-campus practice, n otre d ame and s aint m ary’s cross country both got their seasons underway this weekend. The i rish women’s and men’s teams made the short trek southwest for the Winrow valparaiso o pen on Friday. The b elles competed in

c harlotte, m ichigan, at the o livet c omet o pen on the same day.

i rish claim individual titles at valparaiso o n Friday afternoon, n otre d ame competed in its annual season-opening event at valparaiso.

The i rish brought a squad comprised mostly of underclassmen for the semi-competitive meet. The primary goal of the weekend was to find race

experience for the team’s talented young runners.

“The meet this weekend is an official, countable meet, but it’s almost a bit of an exhibitiontype of display for some of the younger [runners] to put a uniform on for the first time in cross country,” i rish director of track and field and cross country m att s parks said before the meet.

Given that opportunity,

those less-experienced runners found great success, as the i rish brought home the individual title in both races.

The women were led by freshman Grace s chager, who took first place in her first n otre d ame race, winning with a time of 17:04 in the 5k. The i rish freshmen continued to impress, as Gretchen Farley and a rianne o lson finished

just behind s chager in second and third.

s ophomore c aroline Lehman and junior m olly Grant completed n otre d ame’s sweep of the top five. Graduate student c laire s ievern (7th) and junior Paige Grant (9th) made it seven i rish runners in the top 10 overall.

The i rish women cruised to a team victory, even with several of their top finishers competing as “unattached” and not contributing to team scores. They finished with 36 points, ahead of Purdue’s 45 and Western m ichigan’s 68.

The men’s race played out similarly, with a group of several i rish runners near the front of the pack. n otre d ame sophomore Gabe h inrichs, who was redshirted as a freshman and is now competing in cross country for the first time, earned the individual victory. h inrichs was the lone runner to break 18 minutes on the 6k course. h is time of 17:59 pushed him just past i rish freshman Kevin s anchez and sophomore John s chuler. The two took second and fourth in the race, respectively.

a string of Goshen and Purdue runners filled out the remainder of the top

History of the matchup: ND vs. NC State

By RYAN MURPHY s ports Writer

n otre d ame’s long and illustrious football history may reach from coast to coast, but it does not have deep roots in r aleigh, n orth c arolina. The Fighting Irish and n orth c arolina s tate Wolfpack have only met three times in their respective histories, and n otre d ame fans likely remember two of those games for all the wrong reasons.

2003 Gator Bowl: Wolfpack 28, Irish 6

Let’s take a trip back in time to the fall of 2002: “ h arry Potter and the c hamber of s ecrets” is the most recent international box office hit, a 16 year-old kid named Lionel m essi just made his professional debut for F c b arcelona and optimism is high in s outh b end, Indiana, for the start of the Tyrone Willingham era of n otre d ame football.

After a 5-6 2001 season ended the b ob d avie’s tenure, the Irish opened the 2002 season ranked n o. 21 in the country. They won their first game, then their second. In their third game, they upset n o. 7 m ichigan 25-23 at home. After a dramatic, late-game 60yard touchdown reception

offense

receiver room had another successful day.

Weekly Grade: A-; s eason

Grade: A-

Tight Ends

r eplacing a talent like m ichael m ayer is always going to be a tough task, and the tight end group definitely did not come out as sharp as they would have liked against n avy. h owever, they were much better against the Tigers this past weekend. Junior m itchell e vans had a solid fourcatch, 61-yard performance. h is biggest highlight was his phenomenal three-catch drive during the Irish two-minute drill that led to a touchdown as the first half was winding down. s ophomore h olden s taes also made his presence known with the first touchdown catch of his college career. The group blocked well up front, contributing to a

by Arnaz b attle gave the Irish a fourth consecutive win to open the year, fans were drawing conclusions.

“ re TU rn T o GL or Y: no T re dA me ,” touted the cover of the following week’s s ports Illustrated. Following headlines read, “What a difference a coach makes,” and declared Willingham “the savior of s outh b end.”

And amidst the hype, the Irish kept winning. They rose as high as n o. 4 in the polls and boasted an undefeated 8-0 record heading into an early- n ovember home matchup with unranked b oston c ollege. b ut a 14-7 loss to the e agles, followed by a 44-13 demolition two weeks later at rival U sc , dropped the Irish to n o. 11 and into the Gator b owl against the n o. 17 Wolfpack.

Led by quarterback Phillip r ivers, nc s tate was in the midst of their best season in program history. The Wolfpack won their first nine games, but had lost three of their final four. They were determined for a feel-good victory to end their record-setting season. o n their way to it, the Wolfpack exposed Willingham’s once-hyped Irish. r ivers threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns, and nc s tate put up 21 second quarter points en route

nice bounce back from their underwhelming performance against n avy.

Weekly Grade: A; s eason Grade: b

offensive line

For the second straight game, the offensive line allowed zero sacks, keeping the school’s illustrious reputation for developing linemen alive. They opened holes for e stime and the running back crew to run through. The two junior guards, r occo s pindler and Pat c oogan, looked sharp once again. c enter Zeke c orrell still looked good as well despite his injury scare prior to the d ublin game. o verall, you couldn’t be more pleased with what the offensive line has displayed so far this season.

Weekly Grade: A+; s eason Grade: A+

to a convincing 28-6 victory. s o began another volatile chapter in n otre d ame’s history: Willingham would only last two more seasons as head coach of the Irish, finishing 11-12 in his final 23 games at n otre d ame.

Raleigh, 2016: Wolfpack 10, Irish 3

o nly three words are necessary to encapsulate this contest: the hurricane game. Played during the driving wind and rain of h urricane m atthew, nc s tate’s 10-3 victory is a particularly sour memory that stands out from a disappointing 4-8 season. Players waited through a 30-minute lightning delay at halftime, and there was a period when the game itself was in doubt.

b ut the game was played. And for a chaos loving college football fan, it was a must-watch. Large swaths of the grass playing surface at c arter-Finley s tadium were submerged in puddles due to the poor conditions. The teams combined for five turnovers, 10 fumbles, and only a field goal apiece after three quarters of play. The game was a classic, and in the most horrible way imaginable.

The ending fit the bill, too. After another failed drive, n otre d ame set up

to punt from their own 24yard line. With 12:43 remaining in the game, both teams were yet to score a touchdown. The snap was good, and Irish punter Tyler n ewsome got the kick off well enough — but the Wolfpack blocked it. nc s tate’s d exter Wright scooped up the ball and trotted into the end zone for the game’s only touchdown.

Things did not get much better for n otre d ame after the gut-punch in r aleigh. The Irish won just two of their last six games to finish the worst season of the b rian Kelly era at n otre d ame.

South Bend, 2017: Irish 35, Wolfpack 14

This may be remembered as the most normal game of the three, and it still had its twists. r anked n o. 14 and n o. 9, respectively, the Wolfpack and Irish both came into the game 6-1. nc s tate had handily beaten unranked Pitt the week prior, while n otre d ame had upset n o. 11 U sc at home with a 49-14 beatdown. nc s tate boasted the nation’s 6th best rushing defense, while the Irish were 12th in the nation in scoring defense. n otre d ame was a far cry from last season’s miserable “hurricane game” loss and 4-8 season. All signs pointed toward a close, low-scoring game.

Those signs were wrong. nc s tate got on the board early, blocking a n otre d ame punt for a touchdown less than five minutes into the game. The start was uncannily similar to the way the last game between the two sides ended. The Irish were not intimidated by the unhappy resemblance, though. r ather, n otre d ame took control. The game quickly turned into an Irish romp, especially on the ground — an area that was supposed to be nc s tate’s calling card. s tar running back Josh Adams rushed for 202 yards on 27 carries and a score, all part of 318 total yards on the ground for n otre d ame. Quarterback b randon Wimbush threw for two touchdowns, and Julian Love intercepted nc s tate’s r yan Finley and returned it for a score.

It was n otre d ame’s 6th straight win by 20 or more points, and set the Irish up as a c ollege Football Playoff contender. n otre d ame ranked n o. 3 in the year’s first c FP rankings, which came out after the victory. Losses to m iami and s tanford on the road squashed those dreams later in 2017, but the Irish would make their c ollege Football Playoff debut the following season.

Contact Ryan Murphy at rmurph22@nd.edu

Contact Carl Alexander at calexan2@nd.edu

The Student Media Poll is a college athletics top-25 voted on by student journalists, including Observer Sports Editor Andrew McGuinness, Associate Sports Editor J.J. Post and Senior Sports Writer Tom Zwiller.

10 before n otre d ame junior Luke s childmeyer and sophomore s am r ich finished just one second apart in 12th and 13th. s ophomore Julian Kingery placed 30th to round out the Irish men.

d espite three of the top four finishers coming from n otre d ame, the Irish were edged out by Purdue. The b oilermakers used a balanced effort to put five runners in the top 15, finishing with a score of 45. The Irish were nine points

back with 54. For n otre d ame, Friday’s meet highlighted the impressive depth of both teams and the strength of their most recent recruiting classes. A mostly untested group found success against a competitive field and should improve as the season goes on.

The preseason n o. 4 Irish women and n o. 8 Irish men will be back in action on s ept. 15 to host the n ational c atholic Invite, the team’s first home meet of the season.

b elles post standout performances across the board

h aving closed out the 2022 season with strong showings at the m IAA c hampionship and the nc AA Great Lakes r egional, s aint m ary’s picked up right where they left off during Friday’s o livet c omet o pen. The b elles placed five runners in the top 32 with a team effort that featured impressive races from freshmen and big improvements from veterans.

b elles senior Amanda Tracy led the charge. s he placed fourth overall with a 19:10 5K time that represented a huge 70-second

personal record. A pair of s aint m ary’s freshmen were among the team’s top finishers in their first college race, as s avannah Paulson placed 20th and Jordan s iminski crossed the line shortly after in 26th. The freshmen bookended junior s usanna b ernovich, who took 24th with a 42-second personal best.

s enior h aley Greene (32nd), sophomore Isabelle Auch (37th) and senior s arah h arman (45th) were all in the top 50 overall to close out s aint m ary’s top seven. s ophomore m ary

Weber took 51st while improving on her previous record time by 24 seconds. Freshman e llie York placed 56th in her college debut.

The event was not teamscored. b ut the b elles performed well against a field featuring several conference opponents that they will be competing against throughout the season. s aint m ary’s will be back on the road on s ept. 16 for the Gil d odds Invitational in Warrenville, Illinois.

Contact Matthew Crow at mcrow@nd.edu

saints fall to huntington after tough second half

By DANNY NERI

s enior s ports Writer

After winning back-toback games and searching for a third straight win, things seemed to be going swimmingly yet again for the h oly c ross men’s soccer team early in their match against h untington u niversity on s aturday. In the seventh minute, s aints’ forward Kevin v idana gave his team a 1-0 lead after scoring his

first goal of the season, assisted by Gabe n yenka.

This goal would account for the majority of the firsthalf action, however, as both sides only managed one shot on goal each for the remainder of the first 45 minutes, and the s aints took the one-goal lead into the half.

The action would pick up not long after play resumed, as h untington equalized on a goal from m anuel d ias in the 48th minute off of

an assist from d ilesh Patel. Following a flurry of offensive chances on the other end of the pitch by h oly c ross, h untington would regain control and find the back of the net again in the 60th minute, courtesy of a strike by s am d olobaipu and an assist from m anuel d ias.

d espite being down, the s aints maintained control of the game as they continued to create offensive chances, including a shot

on goal and a shot off the crossbar in the 64th minute. The s aints’ continued perseverance finally paid off in the 73rd minute when v idana secured a brace with his second goal of the match thanks to an assist from v ictor s ellu, bringing the score back to level at 2-2.

After briefly recapturing the momentum, the s aints would find themselves on their heels yet again when, in the 79th minute, d ilesh

Patel put h untington back on top, and for good this time. u nable to capitalize on two more shots on goal as well as two corner kick opportunities, the s aints eventually conceded another goal in the 90th minute, allowing h untington to secure the win, 4-2, despite an impressive offensive night from v idana.

Contact Danny Neri at dneri@nd.edu

Irish extend win streak against detroit mercy

By J.J. POST Associate sports editor

notre dame men’s soccer picked up their third consecutive win Tuesday, topping detroit mercy 1-0 at Alumni stadium.

Junior forward matthew roou’s first-half goal — his fifth in three matches — held for the full 90 minutes. but it wasn’t for a lack of challenge from detroit mercy.

entering the contest on the back of a 6-0 thrashing from marquette, the Titans didn’t back down from the 20thranked Irish. Playing a high line that notre dame couldn’t seem to figure out, detroit mercy forced six offside calls.

After the match, head coach chad r iley gave credit to the Titans, saying their winless record wasn’t indicative of their ability.

“some of the games they’ve lost they’ve out-possessed [their opposition],” r iley said. “They’ve had equal shots. Their marquette game was 2-0 until the 85th minute. We knew they had some quality, so [their play] didn’t surprise us.”

In the end though, senior goalkeeper bryan dowd and

the Irish backline held firm on the defensive side, helping notre dame notch their seventh consecutive half without conceding a goal. despite a late surge of offense, detroit mercy ended the match with just one shot on target.

dowd said the hustle and effort from Irish players has played a big role in the teams’ early defensive success.

“so thankful for my backline and how hard they’ve worked this year,” dowd said. “The team as a whole, getting back, blocking a cross on the endline with ten seconds left … kind of a good testament to everyone wanting to work, wanting to defend. super thankful for them, they make my job super easy.”

notre dame’s strong backline will face a tough test this weekend, though, as a highly touted clemson side arrives in south bend. The Tigers were picked by many as a preseason favorite in the Acc and all but certainly will savor the chance to start off conference play on the right foot. They’ll enter on strong form as well, having won their last two matches by a combined 8-0 scoreline.

r iley, though, is pleased with

where his team stands heading into the contest. stressing a one-game-at-a-time approach, the former Irish standout emphasized taking something from every game his team plays in the season’s early stages.

“I think winning takes winning habits,” r iley said. “And the guys are doing a good job of having those habits. now we’ll learn from it and try to grow for a game on saturday.”

The clemson match is the second-to-last game notre dame plays in a six-match season-opening homestand. Thus far the Irish have impressed at Alumni, earning a draw against a highly ranked Indiana side and winning out otherwise.

but all of those wins have come against non-conference opposition. A victory against clemson will allow the Irish to start strong on a potential Acc title push.

notre dame men’s soccer will be back in action at Alumni stadium against clemson this saturday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the match will be broadcasted on the Acc network. Contact

SOFIA CRIMIvAROLI | The Observer Irish junior forward Matthew Roou sizes up an attacking player in Notre Dame’s 1-1 tie with #2 Indiana at Alumni Stadium on Aug. 24.

holY cRoSS MEN’S SoccER

Week 2 Notre Dame football grades: Defense and special teams earn high marks

By J.J. POST Associate s ports e ditor

n otre d ame continued to dominate on both sides of the ball in its return to s outh b end on s aturday. d efensive coordinator Al Golden’s unit improved off its strong showing against n avy in d ublin. h ere’s a deep dive into what the n otre d ame defense and special teams showed us in the home opener.

Defensive Line

Though n otre d ame’s defensive front registered just one sack on the day, it was far from a poor outing for n otre d ame’s most unproven defensive unit. Limiting any opponent, even an F cs one, to just 2.5 yards per carry is always a good start. b oth of Tennessee s tate’s interceptions were aided by the n otre d ame pass rush getting a hand up in quarterback d eveon b ryant’s face.

crucial role against nc s tate. s ophomore Joshua b urnham enjoyed an impressive second half with the second unit, looking to assert himself as the unquestioned n o. 2 at the vyper spot. It was b urnham who had the pressure leading to senior cornerback c larence Lewis’ pick-six. s enior Jordan b otelho, the n o. 1 option at the vyper spot, also picked up his first sack of the season in the rout.

Weekly Grade: A-; s eason Grade: A-

Linebackers

It was a generally slow day for n otre d ame’s linebacker unit, as six different players found the final stat sheet in a largely rotationbased effort. Assigned the difficult task of stopping n avy’s unique and multifaceted triple option attack in d ublin, the Irish linebackers enjoyed a much more traditional test this week.

The unit passed this test without much issue. Graduate student J d b ertrand had five tackles, including one of four Irish tackles for loss on the day. Freshman Jaiden Ausberry and Preston Zinter each earned their first chancelor gordon | The observer Irish graduate student cornerback Cam Hart watches as a teammate makes a tackle during Notre Dame’s 56-3 win over Tennessee State on Sept. 2. The Irish have not allowed a touchdown in two games in 2023.

SAiNT MARY ’S fALL SPoRTS

s tatistically, no one member of the Irish defensive line flashed in a major way, though graduate student nose tackle h oward c ross led the team in tackles with six. With junior Gabriel r ubio still sidelined due to injury, c ross figures to be set for an even more

belles gear up for another fall sports season

By ANDREW McGUINNESS s ports e ditor

The fall semester is back in full swing, and with it, so is another year of s aint m ary’s athletics. Four b elles teams will be in action this fall, including the s aint m ary’s golf team, which will finish its season in the spring. As the b elles begin ramping up their seasons, here’s what you need to know about each team in action this semester.

Soccer

Last season was a trying transition year for the b elles on the pitch. The 2022 team featured a roster

on which more players were new to the program than returning thanks to a combination of freshmen, walk-ons and transfers. c ombine that with a first-year head coach in Farkhod Kurbonov, and the deck was stacked against s aint m ary’s from the start. As a result, the b elles went a disappointing 0-13-3, finishing last in the cc Ac . The team competed hard, however, with just four of their losses coming by more than two goals.

In order to find more success in Kurbonov’s second season, s aint m ary’s will need to find more offense. The b elles scored just eight times last season,

scoring two goals in a game only twice. The team does have three of their five goal scorers from last season returning, as well as junior goalkeeper r iley Lindsey. Lindsey kept the b elles in almost every game last season, recording a .753 save percentage and stopping as many as 20 shots in one contest.

h er presence and increased continuity should give the b elles a better shot at finding the win column with consistency in 2023. s t. m ary’s is 0-1 after dropping its season-opener 2-0 to c entral (Iowa). Their next match and home opener takes

place Wednesday against IU sb at 7 p.m.

Volleyball s aint m ary’s is looking to replicate its strong start to last season and erase everything that came after it. The b elles began 2022 3-1, only to lose 13 straight and finish 5-19. The team will have a big hole to fill, as s econd Team All- m IAA outside hitter c olleen m c c arthy will not return in 2023. m c c arthy was third in the conference with 105 kills and was among the best b elles in several categories last fall.

n early 50% of the 13-person roster is made up of newcomers, including a

trio of freshmen. h owever, there are some impact players among the returners. s ophomore setter m ia s hields, junior outside hitter c ali Allen and sophomore outside hitter Grace b raselton all reached the 100-kill mark a season ago. s ix members of last year’s team who appeared in at least 18 games are back for 2023. Junior libero b ethany d e s ilvestro and junior setter s hani r ussell should make an impact as transfers.

Through four matches this fall, the b elles are 2-2. b oth of s aint m ary’s wins