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Volume 56, Issue 43 | Friday, FEBRUARY 4, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Lee-Stitt ticket wins 2022 election Patrick Lee and Sofie Stitt defeated the Stinston-Sherman ticket after earning 54.61% of votes By BELLA LAUFENBERG Staff Writer
Patrick Lee and Sofie Stitt have been elected Notre Dame student body president and vice president, respectively, for the 2022-2023 term, earning 54.61% of the valid votes. Voting took place Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Election results were released Wednesday at 11 p.m. in an email to the student body from the Notre Dame judicial council. Lee and Stitt will begin their term as student body leaders on April 1. The judicial council reported that Lee-Stitt won with a vote of 2656 over 2208 votes for the Stinson-Sherman ticket. There were 239 abstentions. The
voter turnout was 57.82% — the highest turnout of the past five years. Lee said he wanted to thank the student body for the support they’ve been shown over the course of the campaign. “Thank you for believing in us. We want to give a huge thank you to everybody who worked on the campaign,” Lee said. Stitt echoed Lee’s sentiment, thanking their team for “keeping them together.” Lee and Stitt, both current hall presidents for Stanford and Pasquerilla West Halls, respectively, ran on a platform of bringing the power back to
Courtesy of Joe Hunt
see ELECTION PAGE 3
Junior Patrick Lee and sophomore Sofie Stitt were elected student body president and vice president Wednesday. The 2022 election had the highest voter turnout in five years, according to the judicial council.
Rezoning plans upset neighbors
University rolls back COVID-19 protocols Observer Staff Report
The University campus will return to many protocols effective during the 2021 fall semester — including changes on masking, gatherings and travel — after consulting with public health experts, the University wrote in an email Thursday evening. All protocols will go into effect Friday at 5 p.m. Masks will not be required
Courtesy of Area Plan Commission
The University is attempting to rezone four vacant lots around Palmer Street to add parking. The proposal soon goes to the county council. By RYAN PETERS Associate News Editor
The University’s plans to rezone four vacant lots on the eastern part of campus between the Library and Bulla lots have sparked pushback from a family whose relatives have owned property on Palmer Street for almost a century. Current plans to eventually build a multidisciplinary research building adjacent to McCourtney Hall will result in the loss of parking in
NEWS PAGE 3
Library Lot. As a result of this expected reduction in parking, the University is proposing to rezone some of its land around Palmer Street — a dead-end road west of Bulla Lot — for University use in order to add parking areas, University spokesperson Dennis Brown said in an email. The University cleared out the land on its lots around Palmer Street in November to prepare for the rezoning. see PARKING PAGE 5
VIEWPOINT PAGE 7
indoors on campus except in public areas where visitors are commonly present, instructional spaces where professors require masks and for all individuals who are not vaccinated or boosted. A full list of campus buildings requiring masks can be found online. The email stated that members of the campus community are expected to carry a mask with them at all times. Gatherings for members of
the campus community can now include food and beverages. Visitors are still required to wear masks in most cases. The University’s updated travel policy is similar to that of last fall. All University-sponsored travel must be approved in advance by an administrator, including for University-sponsored group travel. see COVID-19 PAGE 4
Incoming Editor-in-Chief names supporting staff Observer Staff Report
Juniors Aidan O’Malley, Mannion McGinley and Genevieve Coleman and sophomore Maggie Eastland will help oversee The Observer’s Editorial Board next term, incoming Editorin-Chief Alysa Guffey announced Thursday. O’Malley will become the Managing Editor,
SCENE PAGE 9
while McGinley, Coleman and Eastland will serve as Assistant Managing Editors. The four students will begin their new roles March 13. O’Malley is a junior majoring in film, television and theatre with a concentration in film at Notre Dame. He is also pursuing minors in Journalism, Ethics and Democracy and digital marketing. He currently serves
M BASKETBALL PAGE 16
as the Scene Editor and has written for the department since his first year, reporting on student and professional film festivals and reviewing a wide array of music, movies and television. He has also served as a news writer covering campus events and lectures. Although he hails from Wheaton, Illinois, he calls see STAFF PAGE 4
TRACK AND FIELD PAGE 16
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TODAY
The observer | Friday, FEBRUARY 4, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Question of the Day: ndsmcobserver.com
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Who is your favorite movie villain?
P.O. Box 779, Notre Dame, IN 46556 024 South Dining Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556
Abbey Fink
Mia Gornik
sophomore Johnson Family Hall
sophomore Johnson Family Hall
“The Joker.”
“Cruella De Vil.”
Anne Sweeney
Natalie Selover
sophomore Johnson Family Hall
junior Johnson Family Hall
“Captain Hook.”
“Scar.”
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Audrey Christiansen
Regan Grimmer
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first year Johnson Family Hall
first year Johnson Family Hall
“Darth Vader.”
“Maleficent.”
Editor-in-Chief Adriana Perez Managing Editor Evan McKenna Asst. Managing Editor: Isabella Volmert Asst. Managing Editor: Colin Capece Asst. Managing Editor: Nelisha Silva Notre Dame News Editor: Saint Mary’s News Editor: Viewpoint Editor: Sports Editor: Scene Editor: Photo Editor: Graphics Editor: Social Media Editor: Advertising Manager: Ad Design Manager: Systems Administrator: Talent & Inclusion Manager:
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webmaster@ndsmcobserver.com Policies The Observer is the independent, daily newspaper published in print and online by the students of the University of Notre Dame du Lac, Saint Mary’s College and Holy Cross College. Editorial content, including advertisements, is not governed by policies of the administration of any institution. The Observer reserves the right to refuse advertisements based on content. The news is reported as accurately and objectively as possible. Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the majority of the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Assistant Managing Editors and department editors. Commentaries, letters and columns present the views of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer. Viewpoint space is available to all readers. The free expression of all opinions through letters is encouraged. Letters to the Editor must be signed and must include contact information. Questions regarding Observer policies should be directed to Editor-in-Chief Adriana Perez. Post Office Information The Observer (USPS 599 2-4000) is published Monday through Friday except during exam and vacation periods. A subscription to The Observer is $130 for one academic year; $75 for one semester. The Observer is published at: 024 South Dining Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556-0779 Periodical postage paid at Notre Dame and additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address corrections to: The Observer P.O. Box 779 024 South Dining hall Notre Dame, IN 46556-077
Today’s Staff News
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Ryan Peters Liam Price Megan Fahrney
Grace Kurzweil
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Photo
Scene
Ari Denning | The Observer
A snow fort stands on South Quad Wednesday evening, the first snow day in years. Notre Dame students enjoyed snow day shenanigans, such as having snowball fights, playing snow football, sledding and building forts to celebrate their time off from class.
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Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Signs of the Times Series: “Education” Geddes Hall Noon - 1 p.m. Gather for discussion.
Opening Reception: “Who Do We Say We Are?”: Irish Art 1922 Snite Museum of Art 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. Enjoy a new exhibition.
Basilica Mass Basilica of the Sacred Heart 10 a.m. & noon Masks required. All are welcome.
Hesburgh Lecture in Ethics and Public Policy Virtual 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. 28th annual lecture.
The Laura Shannon Prize Award and Lecture Virtual Noon - 1:30 p.m. With Peter Gatrell.
English Conversation Table Lafortune Student Center Room 202 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. Practice English.
WAND Magic Show Lafortune Student Center 7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Come watch the magic club perform.
Misa en Español Basilica of the Sacred Heart 3:30 p.m. Masks required. All are welcome.
Knott Hall Mass Knott Hall Chapel 9 p.m. Masks required. All are welcome to attend.
Climbing Wall Clinic Duncan Student Center 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Free belay clinic, student ID required.
News
ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, FEBRUARY 4, 2022 | The Observer
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Women take liturgical leadership positions By MEGAN FAHRNEY News Writer
From coordinating liturgies to administering the Eucharist to preaching at the end of mass, women in residence hall masses across campus are serving in liturgical leadership positions. Last semester, Jenny Wiertel, an assistant rector in Pasquerilla West Hall and second-year Master of Divinity student, began taking preaching courses as a part of her degree. This sparked Wiertel to first start preaching — offering reflections on the readings — at the end of Pasquerilla West’s masses. She plans to continue preaching about once a month. Wiertel said she finds that preaching fills her with humility and gratitude. “It’s very humbling to preach,” Wiertel said. “I’m very grateful that my community trusts me to
facilitate a deeper encounter with the Word [of God].” Wiertel has received a lot of positive reactions to her reflections from her residents, she said. She added that they have told her that she has helped them see how the readings relate to their lives. Julia King, an assistant rector in Ryan Hall and second-year Master of Divinity student, also preaches at the end of mass. King said she felt confirmed in her vocation the first time she preached. “I was able to speak into the lives of my residents as a young woman in a similar state of life,” she said. Some of King’s residents even went to hear her preach in her class because they were excited to hear her reflections on the Word of God, she added. Mary Catherine Hilkert, a Notre Dame professor of systematic theology, said there is abundant
evidence of women’s gifts for preaching in the Scriptures. Women such as Mary Magdalene, Catherine of Siena and Hildegard of Bingen all took on preacher-like roles in Scripture. Because Wiertel and King are both assistant rectors for spiritual life in their respective halls, they are tasked with coordinating liturgies for their dorm masses. Coordinating liturgy consists of training lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, sacristans and music ministers, as well as ensuring that all roles are filled for each mass. “I really see my role as an AR (assistant rector) as supporting and empowering the residents to take on leadership roles for themselves,” Wiertel said. In 2016, Pope Francis launched the Study Commission on the Women’s Diaconate. The commission studies the theology and history of female deacons.
“This is a live question, the question of women in the diaconate in our church, and so I’m excited to see where the spirit leaves us with that,” Wiertel said. University spokesperson Dennis Brown said the University will be attentive to the commission’s findings. “We look forward to whatever action the Pope may take after the Commission concludes its work,” Brown said in an email. The Sixteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, commonly called the “synod on synodality,” is planned to take place in October 2023. Synodality is commonly understood as a process in which various members and leaders of the Church come together to discern particular issues. The Vatican released a preparatory handbook for the 2023 synod, which suggests discussion of how
women and young people are listened to in the Church. King said Pope Francis, alongside the bishops, seek to listen to the faithful at the upcoming synod. “Together, we can discern the ways in which the Holy Spirit is moving in the Church, and I think this includes discerning leadership roles where women can use their gifts to carry out the Church’s mission,” King said. Wiertel said she feels her calling is to empower women to lead in spiritual life. “I hope we can continue to invite women into leadership roles,” she said. “I think they go unnoticed a lot of times, so I hope we can just continue to recognize and appreciate what women are doing.” Contact Megan Fahrney at mfahrney@nd.edu
Office of Student Involvement rebrands, grows By CRYSTAL RAMIREZ Associate News Editor
Saint Mary’s Office of Student Involvement has announced its name change to the Office of Student Involvement and Advocacy (OSIA). With the rebranding also came a new director, expanding the office’s focus and allowing for more collaboration with campus clubs, offices and organizations. Belles Against Violence Office (BAVO) coordinator Liz Coulston was appointed the new director of OSIA earlier this semester, taking over for the previous director while also expanding the office’s mission and capability to facilitate programming on
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students, primarily through a proposed reintroduction of the Student Life Council (SLC). Lee and Stitt both emphasized their thankfulness for being able to further serve the Notre Dame student body. “This place is our home, and these people are our family,” Stitt said. “We are so blessed and honored to be able to serve them for another year.” Lee and Stitt will now start the process of selecting their cabinet, along with other necessary preparations for their term. “The next steps would be learning as much as possible about the current operations of student government, so that we can best shape our path forward to accomplish every goal that we set out,” Lee said. Contact Bella Laufenberg at ilaufenb@nd.edu
a wide range of issues. In an email, Coulston discussed the process of combining her experience with advocacy through BAVO and increasing engagement with students through offices such as OSIA. “As we began brainstorming ways to move BAVO out of [the Health and Counseling Center] and into a more central, open location to better support our students, Student Involvement seemed like a natural fit,” Coulston said. “It then grew into a vision to evolve the Office to include more programming and educational opportunities for students based on a variety of topics and needs.” W hen asked about the
decision-making process, Coulston noted that it began with a brainstorming process between vice president of student affairs Gloria Jenkins, associate dean of students Shay Schneider and herself. “We had previously discussed potential growth opportunities for BAVO in order to support more students,” Coulston said. “As the conversation continued, we started to bring in other key players including the [vice president] for strateg y & finance [Dana Strait] and [College] President Katie Conboy. This change was being developed for about three months.” Coulston also noted her
excitement in taking up this new role and her hopes for the future. “I am really eager to create programming and educational opportunities to meet the needs of our students. I’m also looking forward to supporting students in a new way,” she wrote in the email. “My passion for supporting survivors and advocating for violence prevention will persist, but I look forward to advocating for additional causes and initiatives.” Schneider echoed the words of Coulston, saying she is excited to see how programming and event planning will look now that the office has a new focus on advocacy.
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“I’m excited to see how we can shape and grow this office. As it now is a direct report to me as the associate dean of students, I have a lot of opportunities to collaborate, develop and grow with the office and staff,” Schneider said. “We have seen a surge in support needs and specific opportunities to help our community advocate for ourselves and each other, and are looking forward to more chances to work with campus partners to develop workshops, training and programs that will help aid in the growth and support of that need.” Contact Crystal Ramirez at cramirez01@saintmarys.edu
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NEWS
The observer | Friday, FEBRUARY 4, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
ROTC holds Flyin’ Irish Invitational By DAGNY BRAND News Writer
Notre Dame’s Air Force ROTC will hold the 36th annual Flyin’ Irish Invitational basketball tournament this weekend from Friday through Sunday. The tournament welcomes 48 men’s and women’s ROTC basketball teams from across the nation to campus to play in the Joyce Center. Since it began in 1985, the Flyin’ Irish Invitational has grown to be the largest cadet-run event in the U.S. “It started as an event for future officers of the military to just have fun and play basketball,” junior Sarah Wells, who serves as a PA section lead, said. “We even had it last year, virtually, because it means so much.” Cadet and junior Josephine Ciaravino is the main coordinator of the tournament this year.
Ciaravino said she is excited for the event to return to its normal in-person format. The tournament is open to the public. With schools from all across the country participating, Ciaravino said the tournament is a great opportunity to not only compete and have fun but also meet a lot of ROTC students. “[It is] a great way to have fun and have a competitive camaraderie with people at different schools who are going through very similar situations as you are. Most of us will probably serve together in the air force or other branches as well,” Wells explained. “It’s a great way to meet people and network.” While the event is run by the Notre Dame Air Force ROTC, all ROTC branches are represented in the teams. The tournament finale is a championship bracket with
games held in the Purcell Pavilion. Marquette University and Virginia Tech are the reigning men’s and women’s champions, respectively. Juniors Jake Franklin and Elena Herberg, who are the captains of the men’s and women’s Notre Dame teams this year, said both Notre Dame teams are excited to pursue a championship this year. “I think I speak for the team when I say we are all really excited,” Herberg said. Herberg placed third in the tournament during her first year and said she is ecstatic to return for her junior year to try to lead her team to victory. With a lot of new talent, Herberg thinks her team is position to make a deep run in the tournament. “We have a lot of new players, and I think our positive energy is contagious,” she said. The tournament is a destination
marked on all the schools’ calendars long in advance, Wells said. “I didn’t realize how much the other teams looked forward to the tournament in the week leading up to it,” she said. The teams involve take the opportunity to earn bragging rights over the other ROTC programs very seriously, Wells said. A sergeant from an opposing team once called her trying to scope out the competition to better prepare his team. Ciaravino said this year’s tournament is surrounded by lots of energy and excitement from all the teams involved as it returns to its normal in-person format. “It’s going to be really awesome, and we’re really excited to welcome all the teams in person this year,” she said. Contact Dagny Brand at dbrand@nd.edu
COVID-19 Continued from page 1
The email was signed by interim provost Christine Maziar, executive vice president Shannon Cullinan and vice president for student affairs Fr. Gerard Olinger. In it, they thanked the community for its “ongoing generosity and commitment” to safety and reported a positivity rate of 8.6% last week — a decrease from the 21% positivity rate the week prior. “We ask you to continue to mask and follow health protocols whenever you are uncertain about the vaccination status of those around you, whether on campus or in the local community where approximately 56 percent of residents are fully vaccinated, and to seek medical attention promptly if you experience COVID-19 symptoms,” the email said.
Annual report shows large endowment return By MAGGIE EASTLAND Associate News Editor
Notre Dame published its fiscal 2021 annual report, including updates on the University endowment, Jan. 26. The annual report was audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers in November 2021 and released after an internal proof. The report documented a 53.2% endowment return, the second largest in University history, as well as shifts in revenue and expenses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the academic calendar, the University’s fiscal year ends in June. The fiscal 2021 report covers the period from June 30, 2020 to June 30, 2021. As of June 30, 2021, the endowment was worth $20.3 billion, and endowment returns were the primary driver of the $7 billion increase in overall net assets in fiscal 2021. Despite a volatile year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, University spokesperson Dennis Brown said the pandemic did not affect the longterm investment strategy.
Staff Continued from page 1
Sorin College his on-campus home and is currently studying abroad at Trinit y College in Dublin, Ireland. “To work for The Obser ver is to love The Obser ver,” O’Malley said. “It is filled w ith hardworking, compassionate student journalists from across our tri-campus, and its legacy is as much its people as its stories. I hope as Managing Editor I can do right by both.” McGinley, a junior at Notre
“Even as we continue to adjust in uncertain times, Notre Dame is well positioned— thanks to sound fiscal decisionmaking over many years—to advance its distinctive mission and have an ever greater impact as we seek to be a force for good for a world deeply in need,” University President Fr. John Jenkins wrote in the report. Even though the University’s $20.3 billion endowment exceeds the wealth of the nation of Guinea or Malawi, much of the money is subject to donor restrictions and only a small portion is paid out each year. Since the University has more than $500,000 in endowment per student, net investment income is also subject to a 1.4% excise tax, amounting to just under $100 million in fiscal 2021. The University distributed $459 million from the endowment pool in fiscal 2021, representing only a minor increase since the 2020 payout. Twothirds of that payout carries a donor restriction that limits the money for use in a specific program.
For this reason, “tuition revenue remains a critical source of flexible operating revenue,” the annual report states. According to the report, financial aid is the primary beneficiary of endowment payout. “Financial aid is the single largest beneficiary of the endowment; 42 percent of our operating endowment spending was directed to student aid in the fiscal year 2021,” executive vice president Shannon Cullinan wrote in the report. The report said the endowment payout is “critical to maintaining need-blind admissions and the commitment to meet full undergraduate financial needs.” Brown said University scholarships and fellowships awarded totaled $357 million in fiscal 2021, a 6% increase from the previous year. The amount contributed to financial aid is “anticipated to grow in a similar fashion in fiscal 2022,” he wrote in a statement to the Observer. Within the endowment pool, investments are divided up between public equities, private equity and multi-strategy
investments. All three divisions of the endowment outperformed their benchmarks in fiscal year 2021. Private equity, which includes venture capital investments in start-up companies not traded on the public market, gained a larger lead as the largest allocation of endowment. “The role of private equity, including venture capital, is to drive long-term capital appreciation and generate returns in excess of public markets,” Brown wrote. According to the Wall Street Journal, venture capital played a large role in recent endowment growth at many universities. At Notre Dame, private equity comprises 45.9% of the endowment pool compared to 38.1% in fiscal 2020, a significant increase given the higher risk of private equity and venture capital investments. In total, fiscal 2021 endowment returns were second only to fiscal 2000 returns during the peak of the dot-com bubble when the University realized a 57.9% return. The online speculation bubble subsequently
burst, and the University returned -7.6% in fiscal 2001 and -8.9% in fiscal 2002, Brown confirmed in a statement. Many business news outlets compare the optimistic market returns of 2020 and the first few months of 2021 to the dot-com bubble. When asked whether the University was concerned about the prospect of another bubble, Brown said the University maintains a longterm investing outlook. In addition to investment and endowment pool updates, the annual report also detailed changes in revenue and expenses due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The University decreased its general administrative costs to offset the added costs of the pandemic response and forgone revenue in the absence of full scale sports games and events. To cut expenses, the University enacted policies to limit non-essential spending and limited travel to cut back on costs.
Dame, hails from New Cit y, New York and resides in Pasquerilla West Hall. She is an American Studies and sociolog y major minoring in Journalism, Ethics and Democracy, and she currently ser ves The Obser ver as the Sports Editor. McGinley has worked for the Notre Dame Sports department since her first weekend on campus and has most frequently covered football, soccer and softball. “The first group I wanted to be a part of when I stepped on this campus was The Obser ver,” McGinley said.
“Since I arrived, I have been blow n away by the qualit y of reporting our tri-campus communit y has done. I am so excited to maintain the hard work and dedication I have always know n at The Obser ver.” Coleman, a Saint Mar y’s junior from South Bend, Indiana, is majoring in English literature, English w riting and secondar y education w ith a minor in theatre. She currently ser ves as the Saint Mar y’s News Editor. Coleman has been a member of the News department since her first year and
has prev iously ser ved as an Associate News Editor. “Over the last t wo years, I have been able to find a home in The Obser ver,” Coleman said. “I’m so excited to have the opportunit y to lead the talented student journalists of our tri-campus and ensure that ever yone working at the paper can find their communit y w ith us.” Eastland, a sophomore at Notre Dame from Grand Rapids, Michigan, currently works as an Associate News Editor for The Obser ver and is majoring in Finance w ith a minor in Journalism, Ethics,
and Democracy. A resident of Pasquerilla West Hall, Eastland has contributed to the News department since her first year. She has covered a variet y of news stories, taking an interest in business and economics news stories. “Truthful information is the world’s most valuable resource,” Eastland said. “I admire The Obser ver for prov iding accurate, colorful coverage w ith a student audience in mind, and I am grateful and excited to be part of that purpose as Assistant Managing Editor.”
Contact Maggie Eastland at meastlan@nd.edu
News
Parking Continued from page 1
The proposed rezoning is expected to include a total of 141 parking spaces, according to the agenda from the Jan. 18 St. Joseph County Area Plan Commission meeting. At the meeting, the commission voted 8-1 in favor of rezoning the lots for University use before the proposal will be reviewed by the county council for final consideration. Robert and Teresa Smith and Adeline Marozsan, Teresa’s 92-year-old aunt, all own properties on Palmer Street. The Marozsan family has owned the land since 1924, Robert Smith said. “We’ve owned these residential properties for 100 years,” Robert Smith said during the Area Plan Commission meeting. “Since Knute Rockne led the Four Horsemen, since
ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, FEBRUARY 4, 2022 | The Observer
before Notre Dame Stadium.” The Marozsan family has not only witnessed the construction of Notre Dame Stadium, but has also seen the University expand eastward around Palmer Street. The Smiths allege that the parking lots will create a public nuisance and diminish the value of their homes. Marozsan, who used to work at the University and has lived on Palmer Street for over 50 years, walks her dog down the street every day to pick up her mail at the end of the road. Robert Smith, who graduated from Notre Dame with two degrees, claims putting a parking lot with an entry on Palmer Street will damage the value of the properties on Palmer Street and pose a safety hazard — not only to Marozsan, but also to everyone else who lives on Palmer Street.
“That will mean traffic on our street all the time,” Robert Smith said. “And it’s not equipped … There are no sidewalks, no gutters, no drainage, no lights. It’s really dark here.” Brown said the University has stated in many contexts that safety is its top priority in constructing the proposed lots. The staff report from the Area Plan Commission meeting states that the University plans to plant two rows of evergreens as a “landscape buffer” between the proposed lots and residential homes. Robert Smith questions the need for parking lots around Palmer Street, alleging that he counted over 600 empty spaces in two lots on the east side of campus one weekday at 10 a.m. The Smiths have expressed disappointment in how the University has gone about its plans to rezone its lots for
University use. “For 100 years, my family on Palmer has provided Notre Dame with nothing but love and support,” Teresa Smith said in front of the commission. “It breaks my heart to say it, but our contributions count for nothing today.” Robert Smith critiqued the recommendation from the Area Plan Commission, which states the Palmer Street neighborhood has been gradually transitioning to University uses over time. “The report says the area has been ‘transitioning’ to University use,” Smith said in his speech to the commission. “It should read: ‘Notre Dame wants to own the neighborhood, and they need your help.’ They’ve been trying to get rid of us for years. Addie [Marozsan] once asked a Holy Cross priest, ‘Can’t they leave us alone till we die?’”
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Brown said the University plans to do nothing with the five properties on Palmer it does not own, though it has made recent purchase offers to the owners. “Wehave communicated our plans regularly with Palmer Street residents — and, in Mr. Smith’s case, owners — including our plan to provide attractive landscaping in the area,” Brown said in an email. Although Robert Smith is concerned about the success of his zoning appeal, he said he hopes the University and county council understand that his family does not want to pack up and leave Palmer Street. “We don’t want to leave,” Robert Smith said. “It’s our little place on Notre Dame’s campus.” Contact Ryan Peters at rpeters5@nd.edu
Foreign Language Week showcases cultures By SIOBHAN LOUGHNEY Talent and Inclusion Manager
“The Aesthetics of Indian Dress,” “Mariachi Extravaganza” and “Samulnori: Traditional Percussion” are just a few of the more than 50 events scheduled for Notre Dame’s Foreign Language Week, taking place Feb. 21-25. Collaborating with all of the University’s foreign language departments, the Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures (CSLC) is sponsoring this week of cultural immersion through a wide array of activities. Whether you would prefer to attend an Italian ballet or learn how to play Korean ddakji, there is something for everyone. Recently, the CSLC has initiated efforts to promote the study of foreign languages University-wide through the implementation of the Globally Engaged Citizens Program, a certificate earned by completing three components: engaging in immersive experiences such as research or studying abroad, crafting a digital portfolio of cultural coursework and attending cross-disciplinary events. One element of their engagement plan comes from in-person events, such as participating in National Foreign Languages Week, which is recognized across the U.S. This year, it begins on March 6, just as spring break starts across the tri-campus. Rather than missing the chance to provide students with a week of cultural exploration, the CSLC crafted Notre Dame’s own Foreign Language Week in February. “The guiding principles of the Foreign Language Week were collaboration, inclusion and a student-directed approach. So what that means is all of us who are still in the process of
organizing collaborate with each other,” the CLSC’s program manager for language initiatives Eva Hoeckner said. A network of departments is contributing to the impressive schedule of events. Each foreign language department works with its faculty to create events for its respective culture — such as a macaron workshop sponsored by the department of romance languages and literature — and coordinates the events with Hoeckner and the rest of the CSLC. The week is centered around a culture fair, taking place Feb. 23 from noon to 8 p.m. in the LaFortune Ballroom. The culture fair will present an opportunity for direct engagement with foreign cultures, thanks to the work of Notre Dame’s Fulbright Foreign Language
Teaching Assistants (FLTAs). CSLC assistant director Mary Davis leads the Fulbright Scholars and said she hopes students take advantage of the knowledge shared by the FLTAs, whom she called experts of their own cultures. “ They are all going to be participating in coordinating events with Eva’s wonderful direction during Foreign Language Week to almost serve as a conduit to their home culture, kind of bringing some of that internationalization to the campus at Notre Dame,” Davis said. The FLTAs’ involvement contributes to the studentdirected approach of FLW, as Hoeckner noted the unique position of FLTAs as both students and faculty at the same time. These Fulbright Scholars teach
language courses while taking graduate-level courses and will be sharing their wealth of knowledge and diverse cultures with the tri-campus community through their events at the culture fair. Excitement is growing as the week draws closer, and members of the CSLC are eager to see students not only learn from but have fun with all of the language departments and the FLTAs. Instructional designer and technologist for the CSLC Maureen Hogan has been working on publicity and social media on the Instagram account @cslcnd. She spoke enthusiastically about the growing responses she has already seen across CSLC and language department events. Regardless of prior language experience, Foreign Language
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Week is a chance for students to explore the multitude of cultures present on campus. Students already enrolled in some language or cultural courses may even be able to earn participation credits by attending the week’s events. However, Hogan said one of her goals is to get students outside of the College of Arts and Letters more involved with studying language and culture as well. “So many students that I have met want to go global,” Hogan said. “They want to travel. They want to work abroad. They want to be in international policy and economics. And it’s really important, in my opinion, that they study language.” Contact Siobhan Loughney at sloughne@nd.edu
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The observer | Friday, February 4, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Not to name names
Inside Column
A redesign of NFL team names Olivia Schatz Sports Writer
It most definitely is a stereotype, but I always rank my teams based on their mascots. The NFL is home to 32 different teams across the country. For a multibillion-dollar industry, there are simply too many franchises with terrible team names and mascots and I am sick of the same 10 animals being reused, especially when there are so many options out there. I have weeded out my top five mascots that never were to replace some of the worst named franchises in NFL history. 5: The Texans become the Mutts. Who doesn’t love a good pound dog? Known for being rough around the edges but ultimately lovable, mutts are a perfect mascot that has never been. I was originally tempted to put “the Golden Retrievers” but that doesn’t have the same ring to it. The Texans are arguably the worst team name in the NFL; It lacks both creativity and spunk. Not only are the Mutts a perfect team name, but it can bring attention to the growing number of strays in Texas each year. Picture this, every game, a local shelter fronts a few pups to have the spotlight. I promise you: After a few television appearances, adoptions will go through the roof. 4: The Packers become the Foxes. I was shocked to hear that the Foxes were not already a team mascot. Foxes are sly and clever, the perfect combination for a stealthy team. What are the Packers anyways? They are in desperate need of remodeling. I am sure I am going to get some flack with this one as any fan of Green Bay I have met would kill for their franchise, but I honestly do not care. The Foxes are better than the Packers by a mile. 3: The Raiders become the Dragons. I know that the Raiders have a devout fan base, but you cannot be the team of Las Vegas and have such a mundane name. The Dragons fit the city much better. With high school teams, it is typical to make the dragon’s color red. I believe there is no need to transition the colors, and the Las Vegas Dragons can remain a sleek black and silver. 2: The Jets become the Coyotes. Despite living in New York my entire life, it was only when I was sitting down writing this article that I realized coyotes live in the state. The Coyotes are most definitely a better team name than the Jets. Not only that, but as of the moment, the Jets do not have a mascot. The Jets have not made the playoffs since 2010. Any football analyst will tell you that is due to their terrible franchise name. With a change in mascot, I guarantee the New York Coyotes will take it all the way. Honorable Mentions The Bengals become the Long Island Bagels. The Chiefs become any other mascot that’s not cultural appropriation. The Chargers become the Venom. 1: The Oklahoma Oxen Oklahoma is in need of a football team. When I picture Oxen I think of two words: big and stubborn. Just like an offensive line. Oxen led the pioneers out on the Oregon Trail. It is our time to properly recognize the work the oxen have done in American history. I argue that we commemorate this by giving them their very own football franchise. Plus, the Oklahoma Oxen just sounds too perfect to not include. You can contact Olivia at oschatz@nd.edu The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
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Eva Analitis Below the Surface
I’ve never been a fan of name-dropping. The idea that certain names should command automatic clout just doesn’t sit right with me. And if you need to rely on such a name to defend your own position or make your point, perhaps it’s not a very strong point to begin with. I often find people referencing celebrities whose names I’ve heard of, but I don’t even know what they do. “Actor” is usually the safest answer. Still, though, of what genre and in what movies or shows — who knows? Just through the power of their names, however, they hold some sort of lofty status of which I feel I should be in awe. Philosophy and history classrooms are the perfect environments for name-dropping to run rampant, as we use “Big Names” to help us map out history and document different schools of philosophical thought. Take John Locke, for example, a household name in the U.S. Every good American knows that his philosophy helped contribute to our nation’s founding. Even if we don’t know what exactly he said or thought, we know it’s considered important. I’ve had to read excerpts from his Second Treatise of Government in at least three college courses, so renowned are his contributions to American history and philosophy. He makes some quite reasonable and powerful claims about human nature, the origins of government and the right to revolt against a tyrannical government. In my most recent round of reading his work, however, I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at some of his less publicized claims. For example, he argues in Section 11 of Chapter 2 “that every man, in the state of nature, has the power to kill a murderer.” As I sat in class listening to the lecture covering Locke’s life and philosophical contributions, my defiant side wondered, “Who exactly decided that we have to listen to John Locke and take his word as gospel? What about Mr. Locke is so special anyway?” Before I go any further and throw philosophy professors into a frenzy, let me clarify that I have no particular quarrel with John Locke. I nod along in agreement with most of his work, and he had some truly fascinating ideas that sowed the seeds of the American Revolution and that defended liberty in general. He’s merely my target here for the sake of example, as someone we revere in American political thought to such an extent that we take his work almost to be factual and indisputable, rather than merely a man’s opinion. Of all the “Big Names” in history for which we do this, however, Locke is one of the least problematic. Much more worthy of controversy are names such as Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Hamilton. We have been taught to revere these giants of American history as champions of liberty, righteous opponents of tyranny and the creators of one of the most durable systems of government in the modern world. But as each of us has grown up and learned more than the superficial facts of America’s Founding, our illusions have been shattered about our Founders’ love of liberty: We learned that most of them owned enslaved people and that they drafted a Constitution that not only failed to abolish the institution of slavery but even had measures supporting its survival (See Article I, Section 9 and Article IV, Section 2 of The Constitution). Furthermore, they were all white, relatively wealthy men who established the government system that still governs us today, a racially and socioeconomically diverse population, about half of which is female. All of these things have made us question the authority and influence that the “Big Names” of America’s Founding should have. Just how as we grew older, “Because I said so,” became an inadequate explanation from our parents, so too did, “Because Jefferson and Madison said so,” become insufficient support for America’s system of government. Perhaps the greatest irony of all is that Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the document that
held “these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” owned over 600 enslaved people throughout his life. Why should we listen to anything that someone like Jefferson had to say? Not because he was Jefferson. Not because he was an esteemed statesman. But rather because the content of the Declaration of Independence and the truths it professes, we judge by our own reason today to indeed be true. Because even if his words were empty to him, they are full of meaning for us. Because all men — and women — are, indeed, created equal; Jefferson just didn’t act like it. Though we should detest the lifestyle and character of many of the Founders and the exclusionary manner in which our government was established, we shouldn’t be so quick to throw out the whole Founding. The principles themselves, of valuing life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are inherently and indisputably good (though we might disagree what exactly they mean and allow). For the most part, the problem isn’t the ideals on which the Founders claimed to base our government, but rather their failure to actually abide by them. The same logic allows us to reject founding ideals and institutions with which we disagree. Venerating today only those that we can rationally judge to be good and shrewd lets us escape from the grip of founding principles and institutions that we don’t think are rational and just. We don’t have to continue to allow Supreme Court seats to be lifetime, unelected positions just because the Founders thought they should be, if we decide it’s not practical. (Though how exactly we could go about addressing this situation is a complicated issue, and I’m well aware of the difficulty of changing the Constitution.) We don’t have to keep our government the same as it was in 1789 because of some sort of reverence for Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton and Washington, and when we think things are silly or impractical, we can call for their overhaul. In other words, we don’t have to take the Constitution and other founding documents to be indisputable goods simply because now-famous Founders drafted them. American ideals and institutions introduced in the 18th century hold validity today only insofar as we consider them to be rational and desirable per se. Therefore, in defense of the American structure of government and our nation’s governing principles, we are called not to name names (pointing to Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton and Washington, for example), but to uphold the institutions and values we still find to be rational and good — and to abandon those we don’t. Thomas Paine provides us a good example here, as noted in Yuval Levin’s book “The Great Debate,” by refraining from quoting “familiar and learned authorities” in order to make his points and instead relying on reason to convince his audience (p. 153). Paine famously said, “I scarcely ever quote; the reason is, I always think” (I do hope he’d forgive me for quoting him here). He suggests that laws and principles do not obtain their validity because of their historical background — when or by whom they were established — but rather by our current use of reason to judge their merit. This is the filter through which we should respect the American Founding. We don’t have to drop the Constitution or Declaration (and many parts are so good that we shouldn’t), but the name-dropping of philosophers and Founders should stop. A former resident of Lyons Hall, Eva Analitis is a senior majoring in political science and pre-health. Even though she often can’t make up her own mind, that won’t stop her from trying to change yours. She can be reached at eanaliti@nd.edu or @evaanalitis on Twitter. The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.
The observer | Friday, February 4, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
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Letters to the Editor
More than a statistic Editor’s note: This Letter includes discussions of sexual abuse and violence. A list of sexual assault reporting options and on-campus resources can be found on the Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross websites. Additionally, per our Viewpoint policy, The Observer does not typically accept anonymous submissions. An exception was made in this case, owing to the importance of the Letter’s content to the campus conversation surrounding sexual assault. Dear Notre Dame communit y, In August, I came to South Bend for the first time. Notre Dame was never supposed to be in the cards. I went to a ver y conser vative, homophobic high school, so when I looked for a college, I looked for one that did not even smell of scandal. Somehow, however, I ended up at Notre Dame. After a semester of opening transfer application after application, I decided to stay here. That decision wasn’t made w ithout reservations. In fact, the first semester of my college experience remains some of the worst months of my life. I hope in sharing this letter, the student body, and universit y administration begin to think about the consequences of the culture that is normalized here. One thing that did attract me to Notre Dame, despite my sexualit y, was its Catholic heritage. Notre Dame does claim to uphold the Catholic principles of human dignit y and respect, but
those claims are just that: a facade. Ever y student here knows what a “diso” is, an underground “bonding” experience each dorm has, assimilating freshmen into dorm life. Regardless of the homophobic microaggressions and heteronormativ it y frat culture dorms embrace, my “diso” experience resulted in one thing: sexual assault. A senior in my all-male dorm v iolated those principles of dignit y Notre Dame hopes to instill. He drugged me, took me back to my dorm, stripped me of my clothes and of my dignit y and attempted to rape me. This senior, popular in my dorm, is involved in ever y dorm event, so it wasn’t just walking the halls when I had to see him; it was our SY R, our dorm games, our section comps — all events that most Notre Dame students identif y as defining moments of college. These moments do define my college experience, just not in the way they should. Instead of celebrating diversit y and pray ing for inclusion, I was excluded. Ever y day I enter my dorm, I enter hell. I enter into a world I thought died fift y years ago, but a world laced w ith homophobia remains active in the small pocket that is Notre Dame. But it’s not just the dorms that disregard the Catholic principles of respect. The administration is actively involved in silencing the voices of the LGBTQ+ communit y. The realit y of same-sex dorms inherently places burdens on our communit y. We are taught to conform to antiquated standards of masculinit y and femininit y. We are
forced to interact w ith a heteronormative culture ever y day we step into class or join a club. I understand how, as an outsider, it may seem I’m sensitive. But I’m not. I’ve been told the only reason I succeed in a club is because I’m gay, or I’m silenced in class for attempting to shed light on academic LGBTQ+ issues. I’ve been told by a Holy Cross priest that gay people are called to “celibate lifest yles.” I’ve been introduced to friends’ families as the “gay best friend.” I’ve read horrible reactions in the Irish Rover to universit y attempts at inclusiv it y. I am operating in a Catholic space that throws away respect and dignit y for the sake of “hating the sin, lov ing the sinner.” I am so much more than a statistic, but here I am a statistic. I’m a statistic that the universit y uses to brag about diversit y, while they let me become a statistic to hate and assault. This letter doesn’t even begin to address the lack of care for v ictims and those struggling w ith mental health. But I hope this letter encourages our communit y to think about how to include the diversit y of all of God’s creation and disseminate God’s love to all. I pray for a better second semester, and I pray for all of the high school seniors who are joining our communit y, that they can feel respected and loved in the world’s greatest Catholic universit y. Yours in Notre Dame, A Member of the Class of 2025 Feb. 1
A tale of two basketball games It’s been an exciting week for Fighting Irish basketball. After a few dow n seasons, Notre Dame welcomed a highly ranked conference opponent to Purcell Pav ilion w ith an opportunit y for a marquee w in to put the program firmly back on the national map. The crowd was electric before tip-off and maintained that energ y throughout a back-and-forth affair. At the end of a thrilling game in which the Irish showed remarkable grit and determination, Notre Dame pulled off the upset. The home crowd erupted in celebration, w ith the rest of the ACC put on notice — the Irish are back. If my conversations w ith fellow students earlier this week were any thing to go by, you might be surprised by that paragraph. You might be thinking, didn’t we lose to Duke? Unfortunately, yes, the men’s basketball team came up short on Monday night. But on Tuesday, our #20 Fighting Irish women’s basketball team handed #3 NC State their first loss in ACC play for the biggest w in of Niele Ivey’s tenure as head coach so far. With such a huge w in in a major sport, you’d expect the student body to be bouncing w ith excitement. But that wasn’t the case. A lmost no one I ta lked to k new about the NC State game, while seemingly ever yone knew about the Duke game. W hile there was a clear home court advantage for Notre Dame on Tuesday night, I couldn’t help but wonder why more students weren’t at the game. The night before, a sold-out student section packed into Purcell to watch an unranked, but surging, team tr y for a longshot upset. Surely, the follow ing night, a top 20 matchup w ith similar conference stakes would generate
even more interest. Instead, at the NC State game, our small (but loud and proud) student section couldn’t have numbered more than a few dozen. It would be hard for any t wo-day span to paint a clearer picture of how Notre Dame, students and athletics administrators alike, approaches each basketball program. The men’s team gets the lion’s share of attention, despite the women’s team frequently play ing in bigger games. For men’s games, nearly a quarter of the arena is reser ved for student tickets, and demand is so high that the Universit y has to implement a lotter y system. For women’s games, there’s barely a student section at all, and often the band is the only student representation at the game. W hereas for men’s games, students get regular emails reminding them to sign-up for the ticket lotter y, most women’s games don’t come w ith a similar reminder or appeal for student attendance. To me, this seems like a bit of a chickenor-the-egg situation — is there no organized student section for women’s basketball because of less student demand, or is there less student demand because there is no organized student section? W hatever the answer, it’s clear that this can, and should, change. Notre Dame has made nine Final Fours, seven national title games and won it all t w ice — a level of success that most programs, men’s or women’s, can only dream of. The Irish regularly produce pro athletes — current W NBA stars like Sk ylar Diggins-Smith and Jewell Loyd played in Purcell Pav ilion. W hat teams like Clemson and Ohio State have been over the last decade in college football, Notre Dame has been in women’s
basketball. This top 5 program deser ves a top 5 home env ironment, and a large, engaged student section should be right at the heart of that env ironment. Frank ly, though, that track record of success is besides the point. The women’s basketball team shouldn’t need to go on a historic, decade-long run to get support from their fellow students. They are athletes, just like the men’s team, just like the football team. There’s no reason not to show them the same level of support. To be clear, I’m not say ing that we shouldn’t show up to support the men’s team. Men’s basketball games are a ton of fun, and I know the team and coaches on the men’s side appreciate the student support. But why can’t we bring that energ y and passion to women’s games? W hy don’t women’s basketball games have ever y ounce the buy-in and support from the student body and administration that men’s games do? Women’s games are fun, energetic, and exciting. If I had to rank the top athletic events I’ve attended as a Notre Dame student, three of the top five would be women’s basketball games. Watching the women’s program has been one of the highlights of my time at Notre Dame. I want my fellow students to experience that same energ y and make those same incredible memories. As Irish basketball alum and Phoenix Suns head coach Mont y Williams likes to say, “I’m not calling you out, I’m calling you up.” Let’s do better, Notre Dame. It’s way past time we give women athletes their due. Elijah Grammer Masters of Nonprofit Administration ’22 Feb. 3
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The observer | Friday, February 4, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
They simply wanted to pray Blake Ziegler News wih Zig
“The Praying Jew” by French artist Marc Chagall depicts what one would expect: a devout Jew, w rapped in his prayer shawl, praying as he worships G-d. W hen I saw the painting, I was draw n to the awed expression on the man’s face, as if he could feel G-d’s presence. I felt a connection to the painting, the same one I feel to my ancestors and other Jews when I participate in our traditions. The wonders of prayer. That beautiful experience of prayer is exactly what congregants of Beth Israel Synagogue in Colley ville, Texas, intended to partake in more than three weeks ago. Instead, they were met w ith hostility as they were taken hostage. Over the course of 11 hours, we watched the latest episode of Jews’ persecution unfold. Thankfully, the four hostages escaped the situation unharmed. Despite this gracious ending, the fact must be recognized that nearly ever y aspect of this tragedy, from the attacker’s motivation to the public’s reaction, is marked by the bitter taste of antisemitism. I wasn’t sure whether to publish this in The Obser ver, but the lack of attention to this event in our ow n community convinced me it was necessar y. Personally, I can count on one hand the number of people affiliated w ith Notre Dame who reached out to me about the hostage situation (to those people, I am thankful). A similar stor y can be said for other Jews on campus. Greater attention needs to be paid towards minority faiths on this campus, especially during times of crisis. As I’ve w ritten and said before, the University has an obligation to its nonCatholic students. If we want religious life to be fruitful for ever yone at Notre Dame, regardless of faith, active steps towards inclusion are necessar y. Part of the second-annual Antisemitism Awareness Week this semester w ill address these issues. I hope ever yone participates in those discussions. Malik Faisal A kram, the attacker at Beth Israel Synagogue, was motivated by antisemitism. He sought to free Aafia Siddiqui, who is currently ser ving a life sentence for attempted
terrorism at a federal prison located near Beth Israel Synagogue. He demanded to speak with Rabbi Angela Buchdahl from New York’s Central Synagogue, believing that she could free Siddiqui. Rather than siege a government building or speak with a federal official, A kram specifically chose a synagogue as his venue and a rabbi as his mechanism. A kram’s actions are a manifestation of the classic antisemitic trope that Jews control the world and can inf luence the highest levels of government and society. He even admits this himself, saying “I’m coming to you because I know President Biden will do things for the Jews.” Such beliefs are common among antisemites and demonstrate how these dangerous views lead to violence. The public must recognize this reality and commit to fighting it. Moreover, news coverage of the event displays a lack of seriousness devoted to the situation. Initial reports utilized rhetoric that diminished the severity of the crisis, such as stating hostages are “apparently” being taken or denying the attack was motivated by antisemitism. Other outlets ignored the event altogether, excluding it from front-page coverage. These circumstances suggest either that news outlets lack enough comprehension of antisemitism to adequately cover it or willfully distort their coverage. Either option comes at the expense of Jews, who suffer from the antisemitism perpetuated by such coverage, and the public, who receives an inaccurate lesson on antisemitism and may inadvertently participate in it. The media must do better. The government’s response was also lack luster. As the FBI’s suggestion that A kram was not specifically targeting Jews indicates, the lack of attention to the Jewish community by government officials was clear. Governor Greg Abbott’s initial response didn’t mention Jews as targets of the attack or that it took place at a synagogue. The government, at both the state and federal levels, must demonstrate its commitment to the Jewish community. W hile I’m grateful for the FBI’s investigation and President Biden’s statement, the initial response was inadequate. The government must recognize Jews when they’re immediately in danger and work with the Jewish community to combat antisemitism in the future. Rather than peacefully participating in the
sacred act of prayer, the Beth Israel congregants were subjected to violence and hatred the Jewish community knows too well. As a Jew sits in the temple and prays, there is always the worr y of another assault. Throughout histor y, from secret worship ser vices while in ex ile to security forces guarding synagogue doors, Jews are accustomed to their religious practices being under attack. Such circumstances are abhorrent. The entrance to the synagogue should be met with joy and reverence, not fear and dread. W hile I’m thankful to law enforcement for ensuring I can practice my religion safely, the fact this has become a norm saddens me. Especially in a nation like the United States that lauds itself for guaranteeing religious liberty to all citizens, its culture and institutions shouldn’t produce situations that require the police to open my synagogue’s door. I desperately want to pray to G-d and worship Him alongside my community, like the man in Chagall’s painting, without worr y of whether my synagogue will be the next one featured on the news. Yet, the failings of our government and society enable the persistent cesspool of antisemitism to fester and perpetuate these dangers. I pray for the day that my people can worship freely without fear of danger. I yearn to proclaim my Jewish identity and not be met with scorn or bigotr y. I hope for a world that firmly stands against antisemitism, rather than letting it simmer in the shadows. I aim for this world for all people, regardless of faith (or no faith). Yet, until that day comes, I remain steadfast in my commitment to my Jewish identity. I’ll continue to be grateful to those who protect my community and those who advocate for it. I’ll proudly and publicly combat antisemitism, and I invite others to do the same, as this hatred will never end until there’s a united front against it. Blake Ziegler is a junior at Notre Dame from New Orleans, Louisiana, with double majors in political science and philosophy. He enjoys writing about politics, Judaism and the occasional philosophical rant. For inquiries, he can be reached at bziegler@nd.edu or followed at @NewsWithZig on Twitter if you want to see more of his opinions. The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.
The observer | Friday, FEBRUARY 4, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
By REYNA LIM Scene Writer
Television revivals are tricky. Streaming services have allowed us to revisit old favorites in new, high-definition productions, but a well-executed revival is rare to come by. Two of my comfort shows faced rude awakenings with recent revivals. The new “Gossip Girl” soiled the show’s name with subpar acting and plotlines. “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” single-handedly destroyed the character of Rory, my adolescent role model. (But I digress.) In December, “Sex and the City” made a return to HBO Max through the reboot “And Just Like That...” nearly two decades after the show ended. The original series embodied the spirit of Manhattan and its self-proclaimed “fabulous, single women.” It was iconic, trailblazing and definitive of the early 2000s cultural turning point. Carrie Bradshaw walked so Serena van der Woodsen from “Gossip Girl” could run, or rather strut, along the same blocks of the Upper East Side. While my first encounter with the show was in high school, years after the show’s wrap, Carrie’s world had struck me as timelessly enviable. It was studded with stunning outfits, dating adventures and a loyal friend group. If these three aspects were the heart and soul of the original series, the revival simply flatlines. I will concede and say the show’s dedication to fashion is alive and well. My favorites from the revival included Carrie’s light blue Norma Kamali bodycon dress and purple sequin Fendi Baguette bag, Miranda’s red Likely jumpsuit and the consistently
By CECE SWARTZ Scene Writer
After finishing, “I, Tonya,” I had to sit in silence and stare at the wall for a minute or two to process what I had just watched. I did not know how to feel or what to do with the emotional rollercoaster the movie put me through. To put it bluntly, the movie is weird — a good weird. “I, Tonya,” starring Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan and Allison Janney follows the life and career of Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding, focusing on her involvement with an attack against Nancy Kerrigan before the 1994 winter Olympics in Norway. Over the course of the film, the audience follows Tonya from abusive relationship to abusive relationship, watches as she struggles to fit into the skating world’s nearly-unachievable model of femininity and roots for her as she chases Olympic dreams against striking odds. Along the way, the movie becomes part tragic character study, part over-dramatized ice skating (or dancing, or gymnastics, or any other generic female-centered aesthetic sport here) film, part underdog sports movie and part botched heist flick. Filmed in a mockumentary style with actors giving contradictory interviews that take us through the narrative, the movie has an ironic self-awareness that sees characters breaking the fourth wall to pause the action and sarcastically comment on traumatic onscreen
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impressive shoe collection ranging from Manolo Blahniks to unfortunate (yet forgivable) Birkenstocks. “And Just Like That…” tests the waters of mature and vulnerable romances. Miranda’s passionate-love-turnedplatonic-companionship with Steve is unstable and sexless. Charlotte struggles to balance her pursuits of social status with her communication with Harry. Most surprising though was Big’s death. Hastily and sloppily, the show’s most significant and controversial male character was eliminated from the picture, pushing Carrie back into single life. It is unfathomable why producers decided to kill their darlings after six seasons and two movies of Carrie and Big’s whirlwind romance. Let us discuss another ludicrous loss. The revival does not include Samantha, reducing the friend group to a trio. She’s not dead though, she just “moved to London.” Through my excessive use of TikTok and guilty commitment to Hollywood drama, it is my understanding that Samantha’s actress Kim Cattrall had struggled with personal differences with producers and co-actors. A revival without Samantha is unsurprisingly disappointing and sass-deprived. I question whether a revival without the fourth member of the girls’ brunch group was worth it. The plot doesn’t do the London excuse justice, painting Samantha as a friend who doesn’t text back or show up to Big’s funeral. Her fiercely loyal and protective older-sister persona is completely compromised. What the show lacks in allegiance to familiar faces, it attempts to make up for in poorly-done 2021-appropriate “wokeness.” Miranda horrifies her classmates and law
professor by spewing a chain of microaggressions in one of her first scenes. The no-nonsense lawyer suddenly presents herself as a clueless “Karen” who seems to learn about the Black Lives Matter movement through misinformed Facebook posts. Carrie is starred in an over-exaggerated and painfully obnoxious podcast that focuses on social awareness and sexual exploration in an inorganic way. Regardless, some of the show’s efforts are realistic in the way they portray Manhattan’s Gen-X navigating the new Internet era. Charlotte and Harry’s gradual adaptation to their child’s newfound non-binary identity and Carrie’s efforts to remember her coworker’s pronouns are endearing — similar to how a mother might use “Instagram” as a verb. In short, the best thing to come out of this revival may be the accurate casting of a grown-up, ever-ginger Brady or Carrie’s seemingly infinite purse collection. And just like that … another revival lets us down.
events. Scenes sometimes play through twice to account for different viewpoints. In doing so, it almost becomes a parody of itself. It pairs portrayals of extreme abuse and violence with dry, cutting remarks from the people involved. Margot Robbie does a stellar job at playing a sympathetic but never weak Tonya. She carries the movie over most of its emotional range. Her performance of Tonya made me laugh when I shouldn’t have, want to cry, bite my nails in anxiety for her and cheer when she triumphed. Even her odd accent that had hints of Robbie’s Harley Quinn contributed to establishing a Tonya that did not fit with her ice-skating compatriots. Sebastian Stan portrayed Tonya Harding’s abusive boyfriend, husband and ex, Jeff, and did an excellent job of acting crazy, desperate, manipulative and generally making me hate his character. His mustache? Creepy. His actions? Despicable. Good job, Sebastian Stan. He, however, cannot play a fifteen-year-old boy. It just doesn’t work. Production should’ve casted someone else as young Jeff. I also have to comment on skating costumes. The movie took pains to accurately reproduce the costumes that Tonya Harding wore to when she competed. The costuming work was masterfully done. They served as a central narrative and scene setting device that contributed to making the film seem like a documentary. I always have a deep appreciation for all things sparkly and
historically accurate. They dazzled me, a moment that contrasted with the rest of the movie’s tone. All in all, the movie is a fittingly complex portrayal of a complex woman. Harding faced the challenges of prejudice and scandal while competing at the highest level of one of America’s most scrutinizing sports. Behind the scenes, she had to face a whole host of devastating problems in her personal life. It explores her story in a manner that is hilarious, horrifying, heartbreaking and all-together human. “I, Tonya” will leave you with a newfound appreciation for a woman who has become notorious in U.S. Olympic figure-skating history. The movie will also have you thinking: “What did I just watch?” Revel in the confusion and the strange because “I, Tonya” is well worth the watch.
Contact Reyna Lim at slim6@nd.edu
“And Just Like That...” Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis Favorite episode: “Diwali” If you liked: “Sex and the City” Where to watch: HBOMax
Contact Cece Swartz at cswartz@nd.edu
“I, Tonya” Starring: Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney Director(s): Craig Gillespie If you liked: “Black Swan,” “Whiplash” Where to watch: HBOMax
CLAIRE REID | The Observer | Image sources: the new york times, Unsplash, the everymom, emoji.co.uk, wikipedia
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The observer | Friday, FEBRUARY 4, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
By NIA SYLVA Scene Writer
A single person who is unlucky in love but desperate to find their “person” faces the New York dating scene with the help of some zany friends, one of whom might be a potential love interest. Does that remind you of a certain show? If you thought of “How I Met Your Mother,” you’re not far off. “How I Met Your Father,” a Hulu reboot starring Hilary Duff as Sophie — who is telling her son the story of how she met his father — shares a nearly identical premise with its predecessor. Sophie tells her story over video chat (duh, it’s the future), and the dating she’s doing involves more time on “the apps” and fewer random bar pickups. Unlike Ted, she reveals that she has met her child’s father by the end of episode one. The mystery here isn’t when she has met the father, but which man he actually is. The show’s supporting characters also differ from the members of the original gang. As of now, they’re pretty much just amalgamations of tropes from other shows mixed with quirks that older millennials probably thought seemed funny in the writer’s room. A person with generational wealth who gets cut off from his parents and has to start over in the big city? Really? Apart from recycled tropes and traits, though, the writing just feels ti red, especially in the first couple of episodes. With a few exceptions, the jokes tend to fall flat, and the actors fail
By CHRISTINE HILARIO Scene Writer
This week, I forced myself and my friends to suffer through the first season of a complete waste of time. Hype House is a reality TV show that follows some of the highest-paid Tiktok creators as they navigate the internet and personal relationships in a ridiculously huge mansion. I believe the purpose of this show was to humanize the people we’ve put on a digital pedestal. In some ways, it does make them feel more real. Through interviews, we learn more about the members’ backstories and personal struggles. While it’s often hard to watch, “Hype House” is successful in promoting discussion about how internet influencers are expanding their social influence and platform. What makes reality TV so successful is its ridiculousness. The audience has to laugh through the episodes. Unlike the popular reality series “Selling Sunset” or “Too Hot To Handle,” this show isn’t even ironically funny. Maybe it’s because “Hype House” hits too close to home. “Hype House” feels too real. These kids are internet tastemakers and are getting paid an insane amount of money to do so. Maybe this show can’t be funny because “Hype House” is too depressing. The show lacks the escapism that audiences search for in reality TV. We don’t watch “The Bachelor” to feel seen or watch a slice of life. We’re watching a highly reconstructed version of reality that
to sell cheesy attempts at seeming modern or “up with the times.” A few such references work, but most of them — talk of Invisalign, the use of the phrase “crisp AF” by a 30-yearold — are sure to make “HIMYF” feel totally outdated pretty much immediately. It seems as if the show has yet to decide whether it wants to mock modern tropes or to impress audiences with the fact that they know about them in the first place. There are times when the show forgoes a chance to be totally predictable and chooses to be slightly less so. For instance, when Josh Peck’s character Drew foregoes a chance to admit he is just as much a “mess” as Sophie in favor of simply reassuring her that maturity isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. This would be a good sign for the show, except for the fact that I couldn’t stop thinking about what the writers of “HIMYM” would have done instead. Off the top of my head? They would have come up with a Venn diagram system to measure whether there was enough overlap in a couple’s varying levels of matu rity in order for them to stay together. This system would have been presented by one of the characters (probably Barney) and used as a framing device for the episode, adding an interesting visual element and an extra layer of storytelling and analysis. This kind of narrative flourish was par for the course on “How I Met Your Mother,” which was full of those kinds of fun storytelling techniques. While most shows don’t make use of quite so
much unconventional narration, I expect a bit more from one that shares a theme song and a name with its predecessor. The truth of the matter is this — if “HIMYF” is going to stick with its current format of narration, then it will have to rely on good writing and charming performances from members of an ensemble cast with real chemistry. Granted, only four episodes of the show have been released so far. There may be hope that the characters will develop from bundles of millennial stereotypes into realistic people, that interesting dynamics will begin to appear between members of the group and that the writers will lighten up on the references to modern lingo and cultural quirks — or, at least, figure out how to use them. If these improvements never come to fruition, though, HIMYF will remain what it is now — an astoundingly mediocre, sometimes cringeworthy remake of a show that revolutionized sitcom storytelling.
takes us away from our own realities. If I had to pick a favorite thing about this show, it would be the revamped school bus the housemates get interviewed in. The set design captures their age and playful dispositions. The bus is a nod to van-life — a free-spirited subculture — that reflects the house’s Los Angeles location. If I was forced to pick a favorite housemate, it would be Thomas and Mia’s golden retriever, Leo. He’s the single housemate who has yet to be canceled. (Go Leo!) One of the most painful moments to watch was Lil Huddy’s house tour. Vinny Hacker accurately describes it as looking like a “Cheesecake Factory” with a row of pinball machines in the foyer. This speaks volumes about how much money these young influencers have and how irresponsibly they spend it. Despite my deep hatred for Lil Huddy’s decor, I do feel like I understand him better. He’s been burned by the internet after his very public relationship with Charlie D’Amelio, which ended d ue to the pair constantly being under the spotlight. Having his whole life on display has to be incredibly scary. He comes off as a more quiet and private person after the experience, seeming introspective whenever Charlie is mentioned. Another painful moment is watching house member Alex Warren gaslight his girlfriend on hidden cameras in their shared kitchen. Alex is frequently compared to Youtuber David Dobrik. His content is the same:
following his friends around with a camera, surprising them with some horrific animal or making them drive cars into each other. Alex is a danger junkie. He spends thousands of dollars on each video, trying to create an even more shocking situation than his last post. He’s a great example of the anxiety that comes with content creation. Warren discusses his stress about decreasing views and followers. This anxiety is not unfounded. If Alex isn’t relevant, his income will likely suffer. While I don’t think I could stomach a second season, there are some redeeming qualities to “Hype House.” I think it would make a great case study on the nuances of human interaction in the internet age. If you’re looking for mindless TV that’s relevant to kids today, this show is perfect. Everyone is college-aged, on the internet, and navigating growing up.
Contact Nia Sylva at asylva@nd.edu
“How I Met Your Father” Starring: Hilary Duff, Christopher Lowell, Francia Raisa Favorite episode: “The Fixer” If you liked: “How I Met Your Mother,” “Friends Where to watch: Hulu
Contact Christine Hilario at chilario@nd.edu
“The Legend of Vox Machina” Starring: Matthew Mercer, Marisha Ray, Ashley Johnson Favorite episode: “The Feast of Realms” If you liked: “Critical Role,” Dungeons & Dragons Where to watch: Amazon Prime
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CLAIRE KIRNER | The Observer | Image sources: National World, The Gamer, Screen Rant
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ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, FEBRUARY 4, 2022 | The Observer
Crossword | Will Shortz
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Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Keep things in perspective, chill out and simplify your life. Take on what’s necessary, and concentrate on what’s important. Tunnel vision will help you set a pattern that leads to success. Aim for steady progress, and deny anyone the chance to confuse or tempt you to deviate from your chosen path. Put self-improvement, romance and a positive lifestyle first. Your numbers are 6, 17, 21, 25, 33, 39, 46. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Knowing what you want is half the battle. Draw from people you know you can rely on for positive input and solid facts. Don’t disregard the past; learn from your mistakes, and choose the path that offers peace of mind. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Step into the spotlight. Regardless of how nervous you are or what discouragement you receive from jealous bystanders, you are ready to perform. Pick yourself up and do what you do best, and the rest will be history. Believe in yourself. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You’ll face opposition if you are too open about what you plan to do next. Focus on how best to proceed, pay attention to detail, follow through with confidence and use your ability to reach your goal with or without help. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Pick up the pieces, put them together and make headway. Look at the possibilities, and use your persuasiveness to encourage others to see things your way. Paint a broad picture and color it with positivity and the promise of prosperity. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Don’t feel you need to jump if someone tells you to or asks for something. Take your time and decide what’s best for you. Pay more attention to your finances, and don’t take on expenditures that will stress your savings. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A last-minute change will play in your favor. Don’t hesitate to jump at a chance to do something new and exciting or network or socialize with someone you find informative and well-connected. A partnership looks promising. Romance is encouraged. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Don’t make a fuss or get in the way. Concentrate on something you want to accomplish, and designate your time to selfimprovement, learning, and fixing or completing whatever you’ve left undone or broken. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Dig in to doing something that brings you joy. Spend more time at home clearing space for something you want to pursue or incorporate into your daily routine. Put on your thinking cap, and invite someone over who has something worth contributing. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Dangle what you have in front of someone trying to beat you at your own game. Whether it’s romance, a personal vendetta or a business deal, take charge and turn the tables on anyone who tries to manipulate you. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You’ve got your finger on the pulse, and there is no need to slow down. Embrace change, and own what takes place. Being bold and in charge will force others to value what you have to offer and respect your shrewdness. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Take a leadership position to control the outcome. Distance yourself from those who keep changing their minds. Clarity, structure and discipline will carry you to the finish line. Don’t let go of your dreams, hopes and wishes. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Expansion will tempt you. Consider what’s involved and act accordingly. You can choose unorthodox methods if you intend to oversee every step of the way. Taking control and following through is the forerunner to success. Look, see and do. Birthday Baby: You are indomitable, charitable and secretive. You are specific and progressive.
Sudoku | The Mepham Group
Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek
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The observer | Friday, FEBRUARY 4, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
SPORTS AUTHORITY
HOCKEY COLUMN
NHL contenders in playoffs Andrew McGuinness Sports Writer
The NHL All-Star break always provides a nice opportunity to reflect not only on the hockey we’ve seen so far, but also the hockey we’re likely to see moving forward. Every team except the New York Islanders has already completed at least half of their season, giving us a pretty good idea of who will be playing into May. But not all playoff teams are created equal, and not just in terms of seeding. Among the teams likely to reach this year’s tournament, a few are bona fide Cup contenders. Some of the teams that make it will just be happy to get playoff experience in for their young players. Then there are these four teams. All are comfortably in a playoff spot by points percentage, but what our expectations should be in May is anyone’s guess — including mine, as we’re about to explore. New York Rangers Why they’re contenders There was a legitimate path to the young Rangers potentially earning a wild card berth in October. Instead, they’ve burst through the glass ceiling and are on pace to tie their secondbest regular-season record ever. You need star power to win in the playoffs, and they have that in spades: from Artemi Panarin and (Rocket Richard frontrunner!) Chris Kreider at wing to Mika Zibanejad at center, Adam Fox on the back end and Vezina frontrunner Igor Shesterkin in net. Why they’re not They’re not actually all that great at 5-on-5. In fact, they’re pretty bad, with a 45.1% expected goals rate, which would be the third worst of any playoff team since the 2007-08 season. Referees tend to swallow their whistles a lot more in the playoffs, enhancing that issue and shrinking the advantage the Rangers’ outstanding special teams provide. The verdict The Rangers really have the makings of something special here. But with their 5-on-5 play in the dumps and young players like Alexis Lafrenière and Kaapo Kakko still not living up to their hype, this is probably going to be the typical “learning experience” year for them. Boston Bruins Why they’re contenders Most of the core contributors from their 2019 Final run are still here, and they’ll likely be bulking up at the deadline with Patrice Bergeron’s contract about to end. Despite all of their stars upfront, this is a Bruins team
built on their defense; Boston is first in the league in expected goals against per 60 minutes (2.53) and known for their typical strong special teams. Why they’re not If the saying “If you have two goaltenders, you really don’t have any” holds true, what does that mean for a Bruins team with three legitimate starting options? Tuukka Rask hasn’t looked great since coming back, but some rust is understandable and he does have the best playoff save percentage of any active goaltender. Linus Ullmark has been inconsistent but has shown flashes. And Jeremy Swayman was playing just as well before he was sent down to the AHL to make room for Rask. The verdict In truth, the Bruins have only flown under the radar because they had way fewer games played than most other teams for the first few months. With the extra motivation of going deep in potentially Bergeron’s last year in Boston, I wouldn’t want to draw them in a best-of-seven. Nashville Predators Why they’re contenders Only the Avalanche, Penguins and Lightning have better records than the Predators over the last two months. Matt Duchene, Ryan Johansen and Mikael Granlund have all turned in impressive bounce-back years, making the Predators incredibly deep down the middle. And yet none of them have more points than Roman Josi, who is turning in another Norriscaliber if not underrated season. Why they’re not Not only is Juuse Saros carrying a lot of the load here, he’s also playing a lot, which runs the risk of burnout. After all, no goaltender who’s led the league in starts (which Saros currently is) has even made the third round of the playoffs in the cap era. They also haven’t replaced Ryan Ellis’ presence in their top four or committed to their most dynamic forward, pending UFA Filip Forsberg. The verdict It feels like Nashville has more caught lightning in a bottle than found a formula for long-term success. The cap will probably come off sooner rather than later, but getting to see their raucous fanbase back in the playoffs is always a welcome sight. Calgary Flames Why they’re contenders Coaches making their second stint in a market usually don’t fair well, but that hasn’t been the case for Darryl Sutter. He’s got the Flames playing excellent defense (top in PK% and shots
Irish head for another sweep against Penn State Thomas Zwiller Sports Writer
This weekend Notre Dame gets ready to face off Penn State at home in Compton Family Ice Arena. The #13 Fighting Irish, coming off a series split against #8 Minnesota are currently 12-6-6-2 overall, and 5-5-5-1 in B10 play good enough for fourth. Their opponent, Penn State is coming off a split against #9 Ohio State. The Nittany Lions, currently unranked, has an overall record of 13-12-1-1, and are ranked 5th in conference play with a record of 4-11-2-1. This matchup is of particular interest for the Fighting Irish faithful, as under the current B10 Hockey Tournament rules this would be the opening round for Notre Dame. (The first round of the playoffs takes place at the home site of the higher seed and is a best two out of three.) Playoff Preview According to PlayoffStatus. com the probability of Notre Dame hosting the opening round of the playoffs is likely, with Notre Dame being given an 85% chance of hosting. Now their specific opponent is a little less clear. Presently, Penn State has a 31% chance of facing off against the Fighting Irish. State’s next likeliest
opponent is currently the Golden Gophers at 30%. There is a solid chance that Penn could find themselves on the road against the Buckeyes (22%) but after that, the probabilities become rather low. Notre Dame meanwhile has the aforementioned 31% chance of hosting Penn State. Just about 5% less likely than Penn State are the Wisconsin Badgers, they currently sit at 26%. To play at ND, Wisconsin would need to move up in the B10 standings, presently they sit behind PSU in 6th, but are only a point behind. The two teams do not play again in the regular season, so for Wisconsin to move up, Penn State would need to go on a bit of a losing streak (something ND can contribute to, hopefully). Michigan State (who currently sits in 7th of 7) has a better chance to play Notre Dame in the opening round than Wisconsin (28%). For that to happen, the Spartans would need to move up a few spots in the standings. That is not a daunting task by any means, they trail Penn State by three points and play to close their regular season. Of course, there is a 15% chance that ND does not even host in the opening round, which would make this all for not. Hopefully, that doesn’t happen, but nothing is impossible.
Tale of the Tape PSU But worrying about the future doesn’t change it, so let’s focus on the present: Penn State. On Friday, puck drop is at 7:30 pm, with the Saturday matchup starting at 6:00 pm. In their last five, Penn State is 2-2-1-0, with two wins coming against the Badgers, a loss to Michigan, and a series split against the Buckeyes (the Nittany Lions win came in a shootout). PSU is currently unrankedand has not received any votes that would help make them so-, but they are certainly making a case to be ranked, at least according to CollegeHockeyNews. com’s Pairwise ratings which has them as the 23rd best team in the country. ND Notre Dame is 1-22-0 in their last five, after spiting series with both Minnesota and Ohio State (they got an OT win in both series) and the domination of rival Boston College 8-2. Unlike their foe, Notre Dame is 13th, falling from eleventh after their series against Minnesota. According to CHN ND does currently sit at 12th, a spot ahead of North Dakota and just behind Minnesota. Faceoffs see HOCKEY PAGE 13
Write Sports. Email Mannion McGinley at mmcginl3@nd.edu
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ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, FEBRUARY 4, 2022 | The Observer
M Bball
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broken at 20 after being held scoreless against Duke, got back on track with 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting Wednesday. The Irish had a doubledigit lead with less than four minutes to go, but Miami made a late push and cut the Irish lead to four twice in the final 30 seconds. The Irish struggled to deal with the press, as they often have over the last two seasons, but Cormac Ryan held his nerve and hit two big free throws with just over 23 seconds to go. With the win, Notre Dame moved back into a tie for second place in the ACC, this time with Miami and North Carolina. The Irish will stay out on the road and take on NC State on Saturday, which will be their fourth game in seven days. Notre Dame has won 12 of their last 14 games. One of those victories was a 73-65 home win over the Wolfpack. Tipoff Saturday at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina is scheduled for 3 p.m. The game will air on the ACC Network.
In faceoff %, ND should have the slight upper hand, they rank 11th in with an FW% of .529, whereas PSU is currently 18th with a % of .512. Slight. I could see the faceoff split being something like 2723, giving ND the advantage since they are the home team. Powerplay The biggest disparity between the two teams lies in their penalty kill %. Presently, ND has the best kill in the nation with a kill rate of .929 (only one of three teams to be above 90%). Penn State has arguably one of the worst kills in the country, ranking 51st with a % of .747. Expect this to be something that ND can exploit during the series. Penn State ranks 26th in penalty minutes per game (11.46). Notre Dame doesn’t have a great power-play attack, ranking 24th with a conversion rate of .198, but with potentially six chances (per game!) I would at least expect ND to be able to score a PPG per game. Not a small thing. On the flip side, ND already does an incredible job of killing off penalties (1st)
when they do take a penalty. ND is slightly better than PSU at avoiding the sin bin, they average 10.77 minutes per game, or (roughly) 5 penalties per game. I am not worried about Penn State converting a power-play goal against ND. With a rate of .194 against the ND defense, I could see PSU getting at most one in the series. The last time these two teams played ND was able to complete the road sweep of the Nittany Lions, winning 4-2 and then 5-4 in OT. And honestly, I would be expecting a similar result this time from ND. I trust NDs scoring defense (9th) more than I do PSU’s (40th), and ND (10th) has a slightly better scoring offense than PSU (13th). Prediction I fully expect Notre Dame to light the lamp against the Lions, to get the sweep, and to make a push for third in the B10. Do I expect Minnesota to lose to Michigan State? Not particularly, but as I said earlier, anything’s possible. Final Prediction: Game 1: Notre Dame 4 PSU 2 Game 2L Notre Dame 3 PSU 2 Contact Thomas Ziller at tzwiller@hcc-nd.edu Paid Advertisement
Swimming Continued from page 13
Liam Smith for the men in a 1:37.37. Christman got her second victory of the day in the women’s 100 back in a time of 55.00. Cason Wilburn won it for the men in a 48.39. Sarah Nicholls (1:02.89) and Josh Bottelberghe (52.61) were both victorious in the 100 breaststroke, helping to keep the momentum going. Allison Kopac won the Women’s 200 Butterfly in a 2:03.59, making it her first win of the meet. Smith got his second win of the day, clocking in at 1:50.50 in the Men’s 200 Butterfly. Megan Deuel (23.77) claimed the 50 Freestyle for the women, with Luke Uttley picking up a win for the men in both the 50 Freestyle (20.43) and 100 Freestyle (44.47). Peyton D’Emanuele won the Women’s 100 Free in a 51.27 – also her first win of the meet. Deuel was back at it again, this time winning the 200 Backstroke in a 1:59.38.
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Nicholas Chase followed, contributing another victory for the men in a 1:49.82. Meaghan Lyons won the Women’s 200 Breastroke, clocking in at 2:18.24. The Irish did not claim victory in the Men’s 200 Breaststroke. Moving on to distance, Sydney Whiting (5:05.60) and Liam Smith (4:26.36) picked up wins for both Women’s and Men’s 500 Freestyle. Rhianna Hensler won the Women’s 100 Butterfly in a 55.46, and Bottelberghe with a 48.39 to win for the men and round out his day. Sydney Whitters (2:03.67) and Wilburn (1:49.73) captured the 200 IM. The quartets of Christman, Feehery, Quinn Scannell, and D’Emanuele (3:29.37) for the women, and Uttley, Alec DeLong, Guiliano, and Andrew Guziec (3:01.08) for the men, claimed wins in the 400 Medley Relay. Ellie Jew (4:29.36) and Tyler Christianson (3:48.01) finished off the meet with wins in the 400 IM.
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Sports
The observer | Friday, FEBRUARY 4, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Track & Field
Track and field squad set for Meyo Invitational By NATE MOLLER Sports Writer
The Irish track and field team will return home this weekend to compete at the Meyo Invitational at the Loftus Sports Center. The Irish will see plenty of talent this weekend across the board. The visiting teams should include Louisville, Indiana, Miami (FL), Iowa, Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan, Minnesota and Rutgers. With the recent snowstorm, travel could be an issue for some of the teams that have to fly and drive long distances. Still, head coach Matt Sparks is hopeful that all of these teams can make it to Notre Dame safely. After COVID-19 prevented the Irish from hosting the Meyo Invitational last year, Sparks is excited to welcome back these teams to this meet. “I’m excited to welcome them back again. It’s been two years since we’ve had a meet of this size, so we’re so excited to get going again,” Sparks said. “I know the kids love competing at home. It’s kind of a peace of mind that you know what you are getting into when you run on
the same track at practice every day,” Sparks said. Sparks also discussed how enjoyable it is to be able to show other teams across the country the great facilities that Notre Dame has to offer. “It’s fun to show the rest of the track and field world what we have to offer and put on a good show for them from an administrative perspective,” Sparks said. “You want your kids to perform well and you want to be one step ahead of your guests that are competing, obviously. But you want them to have a good experience as well.” Graduate student thrower Rachel Tanczos has been great this season, winning nearly all of her events, and Sparks is hopeful that she will continue to improve this weekend. “She really hasn’t put together her big throw yet for the year to get her to that next level of national competition,” Sparks said. “I know she’s working on some things technically that will hopefully allow her to do that. I am looking forward to seeing her have a big throw in the weight throw this week.” There will be some distance runners in the
5000m and 3000m races that are looking to run fast times this weekend. “The men’s 5000m has some guys that are trying to run fast,” Sparks said. “In the women’s 3000m, [junior] Olivia Markezich was an All-American for us in cross country, and she is trying to run a fast 3k.” Graduate student Yared Nuguse will be taking this week off for racing before racing the next two weekends. Sparks is also looking forward to watching the women’s heptathlon. “[Freshman] Jadin O’Brien is competing. We are putting that on Friday afternoon, and she was an NCAA qualifier in that event last year,” Sparks said. Sparks feels that the training is building up well for this team as the postseason begins to approach. “[The training has] been really well across the board from all the different groups,” Sparks said. “It’s great to come out of the gate with big, strong performances. But then the challenge of being really elite in early January is that you have to hold it for two more months. We felt like we had a good start to the season but not a great start.” Sparks believes that his team will continue
MAX PETROSKY | The Observer
Maddie King competes in the mile race during the Notre Dame Invitational in Loftus before the upcoming home Meyo Invitational.
to grow and improve ahead of the postseason. “We are at a good place to start the year and have left ourselves some room to continue to grow in fitness and technical aspects,” Sparks said. Events for the Meyo Invitational start
Friday at 11:30 a.m. and run until 8:30 p.m. On Saturday, events resume at 10 a.m. and run until 4:05 p.m. Track events after 2 p.m. can be viewed on ACC Network Extra. Contact Nate Moller at nmoller2@nd.edu
men’s Basketball
Irish to play fourth game against NC State By GREG McKENNA Sports Writer
MAX PETROSKY | The Observer
Notre Dame graduate student forward Paul Atkinson, Jr. dunks on Virginia’s Kadin Shedrick during the game between Notre Dame and Virginia Saturday. The Irish defeated the Cavaliers at home, 69-65.
Notre Dame will play its fourth game in seven days Saturday afternoon as the Irish look to close out a twogame road swing at NC State. After a disappointing 5743 home loss to No. 9 Duke Monday, the Irish rebounded with a 68-64 win at Miami to knock the Hurricanes off the top of the ACC standings. Forward Paul Atkinson, Jr. led the Irish with 23 points and 11 rebounds in Coral Gables, five of which came on the offensive glass. The grad transfer from Yale has averaged 17 points and 9.7 rebounds over the last three games and went 11-for-16 from the field Wednesday. The Irish (15-7, 8-3 ACC), who now sit in a tie for second in the ACC standings with North Carolina and Miami, are also looking for their second win over NC State (10-13, 3-9 ACC) in 11 days. Notre Dame beat the Wolfpack 73-65 at home last Wednesday behind a Nate Laszewski double-double.
The senior forward led the Irish with 18 points and 11 rebounds, which included a personal 8-0 run that erased a five-point deficit in the second half. Senior Dane Goodwin and freshman Blake Wesley also posted 17 and 15-point nights in the previous matchup vs. the Wolfpack, respectively. The two guards had better nights against the Hurricanes after Notre Dame’s two leading scorers were held to a combined 3-of22 from the field by the Blue Devils Monday. Goodwin, who lost his streak of 20 consecutive double-digit scoring games after being held scoreless by Duke, had 14 points versus the Hurricanes. Wesley struggled from the field again Wednesday, scoring just five points and going 0-for-7 from 3, but the South Bend native and three-time ACC Freshman of the Week led the Irish with seven assists. Senior guard Prentiss Hubb, who leads the see NC STATE PAGE 15
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ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, FEBRUARY 4, 2022 | The Observer
NC State
Throwing
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conference with a 5.6 assist/ turnover ratio in league play, had 15 points against the Hurricanes. The Preseason Second Team All-ACC selection hit three key 3-pointers at the beginning of the second half to help the Irish build a lead they would not relinquish. Notre Dame also has two of the most efficient 3-point shooters in the country in Goodwin (second, .490 3PT%) and Laszewski (11th, .444). NC State are on a three game losing streak, including a 89-82 loss to Syracuse Wednesday. The Wolfpack sit second from bottom in the ACC Standings. Sophomore guard Dereon Seabron leads NC State in scoring with 18.2 points per game. The Wolfpack average 75.3 ppg and have three players scoring over 14 ppg, but their opponents have managed 75.5 ppg against them this season. NC State opponents have also shot 46.4% from the field and 37.3% from 3 this season. Notre Dame is 12-0 when the Irish shoot better than their opponent. Notre Dame is also 5-1 in its last six road games. Tip-off Saturday at the PNC Arena is scheduled for 3 p.m., and the game will air on the ACC Network.
former walk-on, has had a remarkable career, especially given how it started. Competing in her fifth season w ith the Irish, it’s also just Tanczos’ seventh overall as thrower. She didn’t start competing as a thrower until her junior year in high school. Her spot on the track team came to ex ist partially due to good timing and a strong senior season. “I was coming to Notre Dame months before I actually got a spot on the track team. I’ve always wanted to come to Notre Dame,” Tanczos said. “I was accepted in December, but it wasn’t until a few months later that I started putting up the kind of numbers in the discus that enabled me to reach out and see if there was a spot on the team. That was never really the plan. It just kind of happened.” However, Tanczos’ accomplishments don’t need a “for a walk-on” qualifier to describe them. Her career has been nothing short of remarkable, and she’s got bigger aspirations heading dow n the stretch of her final collegiate season. For two straight seasons, Tanczos has been a national contender for the weight throw national championship. She entered the 2020 event as the top seed, but it was canceled due to the COV ID outbreak. In 2021, Tanczos led the event heading into the final round of throws. Louisville’s Makenli Forrest bested her by a mere two centimeters on her final effort, knocking Tanczos dow n to second place. “Two times, I’ve gotten pretty close. It’d be pretty nice to get there this year,” Tanczos said. Meanwhile, Shoaf has less collegiate experience, but he’s already etched his name into the Irish record books, and he’s looking for more this spring. Last year, Shoaf broke the Notre Dame shot put record w ith a launch of 18.91 meters that qualified him for the NCA A Championships. “Leading into that, I was stuck around the 58feet range. I had a few big throws in practice, so I knew I could do it. Once I finally did that, I was so excited,” Shoaf recalled. “Once I made it to the national meet, that was more exciting than breaking the school record. It was a unique experience. My dad was
Contact Greg McKenna at gmckenn2@nd.edu
NHL Continued from page 12
against per game, first with nine shutouts). Oh, and they’ve also got one of the best first lines in hockey, led by a career year for Johnny Gaudreau, with Andrew Mangiapane’s 40-goal pace leading the depth. Why they’re not Like Nashville, they lost a key defender in the offseason (captain Mark Giordano) and haven’t replaced him; you have to wonder if Calgary can be consistently dominant defensively with such an unassuming group on paper. Mangiapane’s 19.8% shooting percentage is due for regression. And whatever happened to Sean Monahan? He’s scoring at just a 36-point pace. The verdict Sutter’s teams are always better than the sum of their parts, and these Flames are no exception. With Gaudreau set to hit free agency, I’d expect general manager Brad Treliving to make a big move or two at the deadline and try to lift the Flames past the second round for the first time since 2004. Contact at
Andrew McGuinness amcguinn@nd.edu
there, and we got to go out and celebrate.” Indeed, it was a breakthrough effort for Shoaf. Even his first throw of the day traveled under 59 feet, which would have left him shy of NCA A Tournament qualification. However, on his second, Shoaf cleared the 62-feet marker, earning him a ninthplace finish in the event. That was enough to earn NCA A qualification and the Notre Dame record. This year, Shoaf has more program records on his mind. “I wanted to beat the school indoor record and I’m about two centimeters off that. And then I want to place top 3 at the ACC (Championship) and make it to indoor nationals.” Shoaf’s seasonhigh in the shot put is 18.54 meters — the Notre Dame indoor record is 18.56, set by Greg Cortina back in 1972. Shoaf’s next chance to set the record w ill come at home, as the Irish are set to compete in the Meyo Classic this weekend. Despite ver y technically being on different teams (men’s and women’s), Tanczos described the throwers as a “squad” regardless of who they competed for. Tanczos also commented on what she’s seen from Shoaf over his first two seasons. “He’s one of the more freakish athletes I’ve ever seen,” she said. “The numbers he can put up in the weight room for being one of the smaller throwers out there is unreal. He’s one of my good friends on the team.” Crediting coaches, teammates amidst success This year, the accomplishments and firstplace finishes have been rolling in for Tanczos and Shoaf. In the week ly Obser ver Sports Athlete of the Week started this semester, Shoaf has earned Men’s Athlete of the Week once and received two nominations. Tanczos has been the honorable mention on the women’s side tw ice, being nominated in all three weeks. That comes w ith what’s been a strong spring for both competitors. Shoaf was a double-w inner in the shot put and weight toss at the Simmons-Har vey and Notre Dame Invitationals. Tanczos dominated the weight throw at both events and claimed second in the shot-put. Both are quick to credit teammates and coaches for their success. Amidst other shoutouts,
Shoaf commented on his relationship w ith senior John Stefan. “He’s a great throwing partner,” Shoaf said. “We’ve both throw n sixty feet, so it’s good to come to practice and have someone pushing you.” The sophomore also noted the program and culture w ithin the throwing squad built by throws coach Adam Beltran, as well as his relationship w ith Tanczos. “The throwers that Coach Beltran recruits and brings here are good people,” he said. “[Rachel] is unbelievable. Her form is amazing and she throws really far. She’s really good w ith giving me advice and w ith positive support.” Tanczos’ relationship w ith Beltran is a special one, given that he was largely responsible for giving the former walk-on a shot on the team. “As a walk-on, when I got here as a freshman, it was almost in a tr y-out capacity,” she said. “I can credit my whole collegiate career to him in the sense that he took that chance on me. I only began throwing my junior year of high school, so he had ver y limited data to make that decision on. With weight and hammer, I didn’t start those until I got to Notre Dame. He’s taught me ever ything I know about that. A ll the improvements I’ve made I can attribute to him — he sees the potential in me before I see it myself.” W hile Tanczos is focused on the indoor season right now, undoubtedly Irish fans have not seen the best of her until they see her compete in the hammer throw again this spring. Last June, Tanczos demolished her personal best w ith a throw of 66.59 meters to finish 13th at the Olympic Trials. That success bleeds into her success in the weight toss during the indoor season. Looking ahead after Lenny Lyles Last weekend, the Irish competed in the Lenny Lyles Invitational, and it provided some good experiences for both athletes. For the first time all year, Shoaf saw serious competition in the shot put, and he finished in third place. “That meet, I probably got a little too excited. I have to make sure when I go to big meets like that, I have to stay w ithin my power,” Shoaf said. “Stick to my form and make sure I hit a big throw. It gave me good experience throw ing against
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guys that are also throw ing 60 feet.” Shoaf has lofty goals ahead of him, and the Meyo Classic presents an excellent tune-up opportunity. A bev y of solid Big Ten competition awaits the sophomore, as well as some ACC opponents in Louisville and Miami. Meanwhile, Tanczos had season-best performances in both her events. The grad student described her season as ‘challenging’ despite the victories, as her numbers have not challenged her personal bests prior to the season. However, in shot put, Tanczos notched her first w in of the spring season w ith a throw of 15.91 meters, which was not only her second-best throw ever, but a facility record at the Trager Center in Louisv ille. For Tanczos, it was her best throw since a 16.02-meter effort in the final meet before the pandemic in 2020. In the weigh throw, Tanczos delivered a 21.66 meter hurl that was good for second place. W hile still well off her personal-best of 23.31 meters, it was a season-high effort that showed some nice progression for the Pennsylvania native. “I was thrilled w ith shotput. That was my secondbest throw ever — I set my PR at the last meet we had before COV ID. It’s cool to be getting back to those numbers,” Tanczos said of her effort at Lenny Lyles. “From a numbers perspective, it’s still not great in weight toss. But it’s really cool to look at my form and be able to throw it that far, when the throw kind of looks that bad. I can see how much more is there is in the tank.” No doubt, Tanczos is one of, if not the, biggest critic of herself as the results continue to pour in. However, her goals are bigger than performing at regular season meets. Tanczos has three regular season meets left to build towards peak postseason performance, which starts w ith the penultimate home meet of her indoor career. “It’s such a special environment in there. I remember walking into Loftus for our first home meet of the season and feeling surprisingly emotional,” Tanczos said of her fifth and final season w ith the Irish. “Just how glad I was to still be here, to get one more bonus year.” Contact Aidan Thomas at athoma28 @nd.edu
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The observer | Friday, FEBRUARY 4, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
ND SWIMMING
Notre Dame swimming finishes strong in final dual meet against UIC Observer Sports Staff
ARIANNA DENNING | The Observer
Irish men’s and women’s teams competed at Rolfs Saturday, where they dominated the freestyle, butterfly and medley relay events as they look ahead to their championship season with wins under their belts.
TRACK AND FIELD
see SWIMMING PAGE 13
ND MEN’S BASKETBALL
Tanczos and Shoaf break multiple records By AIDAN THOMAS
Irish rebound from Duke loss Observer Sports Staff
Spor ts Writer
Even casual followers of the Notre Dame Track and Field program may have noticed two names appearing near or at the top of their event results w ith consistency throughout the spring season. Rachel Tanczos and Michael Shoaf. The pair have different specialties. Tanczos dominates in the weight throw during the indoor season and hammer throw in the outdoor. Shoaf has already broken Notre Dame records in the shot put. Both are continuing their success in the 2022 indoor season. Breaking Notre records Tanczos,
In a sweeping victory over UIC at Rolfs this past Saturday, the Irish completed their final dual meet of the season. Both the men’s and women’s teams had a strong showing against the Flames, with the women winning 15 out of the 16 events and the men coming away with wins in 13 out of 16 events. The final scores were 204-86 for the women and 173-96 for the men. Madelyn Christman, Zachary Smith, and Luke Uttley were top performers this weekend, as they became familiar with the podium with three event wins each. There were several podium sweeps that afternoon from both the men and the women, leaving the Irish with a
fulfilling victory as they prepare for their championship season. To recap, the Irish kicked off competition Saturday with a win in the Women’s 200 Medley Relay with Jess Geriane, Reese Lugbill, Madison Feehery, and Madelyn Christman finishing with a 1:42.00. The men did the same, with Bryce Ortanes, Parker Macy, Max Myers, and Chris Guiliano finishing first in a 1:29.90. Victory continued as the Irish swept the first three spots in the Women’s 1000 Freestyle, with Sophia Karras finishing with a 10:07.93. Josh Brown claimed a victory for the men in 9:22.33. Mary Cate Pruitt emerged victorious for the women in the 200 Freestyle with a time of 1:50.54, with
Dame a
see THROWING PAGE 15
MAX PETROSKY | The Observer
Graduate student thrower Rachel Tanczos competes in the weight throw and shot put and is breaking records this indoor season.
Notre Dame rebounded from a disappointing home loss to No. 9 Duke by beating Miami 68-64 on Wednesday night in Coral Gables, Florida. They knocked the Hurricanes off the top of the ACC standings. Duke held the Irish to just 43 points on 27.9% shooting from the field and 16.7% from beyond the arc Monday. Notre Dame shot just over 23% from 3 against the Hurricanes at the Watsco Center but improved to 46% shooting from the field. Forward Paul Atkinson Jr. led the Irish with 23 points and 11 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive glass. After posting 28 points and 18 rebounds in Notre Dame’s last two games, the grad transfer from Yale went 11-for-16 from the field Wednesday. Miami sophomore guard Isaiah Wong led the Hurricanes with 18 points. Miami shot 32%
from 3 but only 43.3% from the field. Notre Dame carried a 30-28 lead into halftime and then created some breathing room with a pair of 10-0 runs in the first 10 minutes of the second half. The Irish made 10 of their first 16 shots after halftime, which included three 3-pointers from senior guard Prentiss Hubb. The Upper Marlboro, Maryland native finished with 15 points and six assists. Three-time ACC Freshman of the Week Blake Wesley continued to struggle with his shot Wednesday. After being held to six points with 3 of 15 shooting against the Blue Devils, Wesley went 0-for-7 from 3 and had just five points. However, the South Bend native led Notre Dame with seven assists. Senior guard Dane Goodwin, who had his streak of double-digit scoring games
see M BBALL PAGE 13