Print Edition for The Observer for Wednesday, March 16, 2022

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Volume 56, Issue 54 | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

Tickets run in College’s student election

Camacho-Haas

By GENEVIEVE COLEMAN Assitant Managing Editor

Juniors Angela Camacho and Josie Haas expressed their desire to uplift the Saint Mary’s community if elected student body president and vice president, respectively..

“As empower[ed] young women, we aspire to motivate and educate the Belles of Saint Mary’s, the very people who will one day make a difference in our world,” they wrote in their platform.

The pair is one of two tickets running for the Student Government Association (SGA) president and vice president in the 2022

election cycle.

Camacho is a sociology and psychology double major with minors in Spanish and film studies. She currently serves as the president of Residence Hall Association (RHA) and as SGA’s vice president of operations.

Haas is a Spanish and secondary education major with a minor in English as a second language. On campus, she is co-president of RHA’s Hall Improvements committee.

One of the pillars of the Camacho-Haas see CAMACHO PAGE 3

MAGGIE KLAERS | The Observer

Yeager-Blackburn

By MEGHAN LANGE Saint Mary’s News Editor

Juniors Hannah Yeager and Veronica Blackburn are committed to rebuilding the Saint Mary’s community and forming a transparent line of communication between administration and students who have felt left out of the conversation since the pandemic.

Yeager and Blackburn are one of two tickets up for election for student body president and vice president for the 2022-23 academic year.

Yeager, an English literature and

secondary education major, is originally from San Clemente, California. Although she is currently studying abroad in Ireland, on campus she serves as the formal copresident for the Residence Hall Association (RHA).

Blackburn, a history major with a biology minor, is from Dalzell, South Carolina. She currently serves as a co-president of fundraising for RHA. Their platform emphasizes the importance of community both on the Saint Mary’s campus and in the tri-campus see YEAGER PAGE 3

Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones speaks “Race is, and has a lways been, the oldest wedge issue in A merica,” journa list Nikole Hanna h-Jones said.

Dissecting that issue has been the goa l of her long-form New York Times project “The 1619 Project.”

Hanna h-Jones ’98 returned to Notre Dame on Tuesday evening to discuss the controversia l “1619 Project” for the Ga llivan Program in Journa lism, Ethics, and Democracy’s 2022 Red Smith Lecture.

The event a lso ser ved as the Initiative on Race and Resilience”s inaugura l

Sojourner Truth Lecture and a part of the Universit y’s Kathleen Cannon, O.P., Distinguished Lecture Series.

Mark Sanders, professor of English and A fricana Studies at Notre Dame, moderated the discussion.

Hanna h-Jones has spent her career investigating racia l inequa lit y and injustice.

She has been awarded a Pulitzer Prize, the MacA rthur Fellowship “Genius Grant,” a Peabody Award, t wo George Polk Awards and three Nationa l Maga zine Awards.

She has worked as a staff w riter for The New York Times since April 2015 and helped found the Ida B. Wells Societ y for Investigative Reporting in

early 2015.

Hanna h-Jones reca lled her inspiration to become a journa list when she rea lized that Black girls like herself were not represented in newsrooms.

“Black women reporters were unicorns,” she said. “A nd as a Black girl, I a lso understood

NEWS PAGE 4

VIEWPOINT PAGE 7

SCENE PAGE 10

M BASKETBALL PAGE 16

FENCING PAGE 16

By KATHRYN MUCHNICK News Writer

see SPEECH PAGE 5

2

TODAY

The observer | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

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RYAN VIGILANTE | The Observer

Despite the ups and downs of South Bend weather, the snow has finally melted, and it’s beginning to feel like spring. Although South Bend is getting warmer, many students returning from Florida and other warmer climates may be in for a rude awakening.

The next Five days:

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“The War in Ukraine: A Global Perspective” Hesburgh Center 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

A panel discussion.

Bolivian Music in the Quechua Language Bond Hall 334 5 p.m. - 6 p.m.

A presentation.

All are welcome.

“Molly Sweeny” DeBartolo Performing Arts Center 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

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News

Camacho Continued from page 1

platform is student suggestions.

Camacho detailed how this tenet would be fulfilled in the form of a virtual suggestion box.

“There hasn’t been an opportunity to work this year, at least, to where students can sort of give feedback and suggestions, whether it be about student government, other big boards or campus overall,” Camacho said. “The way that we envisioned it was just having a link at the bottom of our general emails from SGA where we tell students, ‘Hey, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, suggestions or whatnot, use this link and tell us,’ just so that we’re up to date with how the students feel.”

In terms of forging a relationship with the College administration, Haas noted that the ticket hopes to create a balance between respecting the decisions of administrators while remaining

Yeager Continued from page 1

community as a whole. The ticket wants to build a new transparent line of communication between the student body and the administration.

When asked how they envision the relationship between the SGA and Saint Mary’s administration, Yeager said she wanted to build the bond between the two.

“My hope [is] for the connection between the student government and the administration would be [for] there to be more of an understanding between the two,” she said.

While discussing the pandemic, Yeager noted that it had broken the previous lines of communication between students and administration.

“There was a disconnect, I think, between the two, because everyone was scared,” Yeager said. “No one knew what was happening … there was a disconnect there, so rebuilding that first, and then making that better … rebuilding that communication, because it’s really important to know, where everyone’s at 一 in particular with the students.”

Blackburn continued Yeager’s thought, describing dissatisfaction with the College administration’s decision-making last year.

“Specifically last year, it kind of felt like [the administration] didn’t tell us why it was [happening],” Blackburn said. “It was just like, ‘You have to listen. These are the rules [and] we’re not going to explain ourselves,’ and I mean we’re all adults, and we just wanted that explanation.”

Blackburn also described how students felt like the administration was not listening to their input.

“It was the not knowing their logic and their steps behind the decisions that was really frustrating to a lot of the students because they just felt like they weren’t being heard … so just being able to let the students know that their voices can still be

ndsmcobserver.com | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2022 | The Observer

3

representatives for students.

“We will always be respectful of what [the] administration finds best for our students,” Haas said.

“But we’re here to be the voice of the students to an extent and so being respectful but also not wavering in our want to be that voice.”

Camacho stated one of the problems that the pair wishes to address is the number of daily emails that students receive. “[The amount of emails that we get in a day] is an issue that I think everyone experiences and everyone complains about,” Camacho said. “So that’s where we sort of come in with that newsletter [and] that we aren’t always emailing the students, but we have one page or just one time where students are informed and we just call it a day.”

Camacho also acknowledged that she expected time to be the ticket’s biggest obstacle.

“I just think that timing is going to maybe bite us in the butt,” Camacho said. “Just because we

have a vision of so many opportunities for Belles that sometimes it feels like we may not be able to do everything all at once or we may only be able to initiate something not completely.”

Haas echoed Camacho, explaining the ticket’s thought process in creating a realistic platform.

“We tried to be as conscientious of this as we could while we were creating our platform with this in mind of ‘Okay, what’s realistic?’ but … also we may not be able to be the ones to start the initiatives that we came up with, so [there are] things that we may have to allocate to other committees,” she said.

Haas also described how many of her friends across academic disciplines have discussed needing new equipment and how she and Camacho want to begin that process for students during their term.

“Our contingency plan is at least getting that information out there,” Haas said. “This needs to

be done, whether that’s this year, next year or the year after that, because there needs to be a timeline on that. So … our plan is to get a plan.”

In terms of the platform’s proposed mentorship program for LGBTQ+ students, Haas stated the ticket wants to provide a community for students who are questioning their identity using a similar model to the College’s peer mentoring program between upperclass students and first-years.

“We currently have peer mentors on campus, so we would have a system with a similar training, where they have to go through confidentiality training,” Haas said. “Things are anonymous. You won’t be outed [or] anything like that. This is a safe space and that’s a huge thing.”

Camacho added that the program is also for students who are comfortable with their identity and want to meet other students.

“Even if someone is secure, and they know about their sexuality and they just want to learn about

others — that’s also an opportunity for them through the mentorship program,” Camacho said.

Haas emphasized the importance of the Saint Mary’s community to her.

“It’s so cool to be around all of these women that are just so incredibly talented and that just have such a wonderful role around campus,” Haas said. “I think that also has to do with being a small campus community, where we have this ability to get to know all of those around us.”

Camacho also described how Saint Mary’s had become her home over the last three years.

“I’m far away from home. I’m from Fort Worth, Texas, so that’s 16 hours away,” she said. “And I have learned to make St. Mary’s literally my second home. Being here with my friends, being here … with other people that I know — that’s what makes it home for me.”

heard,” Blackburn said. “I think it is really important.”

A specific idea the duo wants to implement is a hotline for students to be able to contact members of SGA directly, Yeager said.

“One thing we would really love to do, if given the opportunity, is [to] establish a hotline between the students and the student government,” Yeager explained”. “If [students] feel like they can tell us or communicate with us, that would be such a wonderful way to get the students [to] feel included.”

The Yeager-Blackburn ticket’s other central focus is the importance of community on Saint Mary’s campus and in the tri-campus community.

When asked to describe what Saint Mary’s means to her in one word, Blackburn said “home.”

“One [word] that really sticks with me is home … I’m a military kid, and so I’ve moved around a lot,” Blackburn said. “I don’t use

home lightly, so Saint Mary’s, when I graduate, will be the longest I’ve ever [been] at one school. Saint Mary’s is my home. Home is where the family is, and I found a great family here.”

Yeager described the sense of loyalty that she feels in the College community.

“One word I would use to describe Saint Mary’s would be loyal, or loyalty,” Yeager said. “When you’re with a Saint Mary’s girl 一 or a Smick, as we now are reclaiming that word 一 you just know you’re safe. You know you have each other’s back, whether it’s going to a football game or going out. If you run into a Saint Mary’s girl and you need help or something’s up or whatever the case may be, you better believe she’s gonna say yes [and] she’s gonna help you. That’s in the loyalty of a Belle.”

Detailing what they believe to be the most important improvements that need to be made on campus,

Yeager discussed communication and the rehabilitation of the community.

“I would say, embracing all aspects of voices on campus, because I know what I want and I know what Veronica wants … but I bet there are a ton of voices who have great ideas, but maybe don’t know how to articulate it,” Yeager said.

“Or maybe they have an idea, but they don’t know who to go to for it.”

Yeager continued by speaking about the uniqueness of the College community.

“The community at Saint Mary’s, it’s something special,” Yeager said. “I know the girls here want to make it the best that it can be … I know we all want to work together to return the community to its pre-pandemic greatness … we want to have events that we could all do together again.”

Yeager also spoke about the ticket’s desire to strengthen the connection between Saint Mary’s

and the rest of the tri-campus community.

“We also want to improve our spot in the tri-campus,” Yeager said. “We know it’s ambitious, but I think it can be done. Steps can be taken to start that improvement [and] make the student voice heard.”

Blackburn added that by working with Notre Dame and Holy Cross’s student governments, she and Yeager want to create a more inclusive tri-campus.

“We want to reach out to the other student governments at Notre Dame and Holy Cross and hopefully work with them to either host more events as a tri-campus or just work together as a tri-campus group to try to cement all of our places in the tri-campus community and make sure everyone is welcomed,” Blackburn said.

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Contact Genevieve Coleman at gcoleman01@saintmarys.edu

Contact Meghan Lange at mlange03@saintmarys.edu

4

NEWS

The observer | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

Saint Mary’s to increase tuition Observer Staff Report

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story was published online on March 9.

Saint Mary’s undergraduate tuition for the 2022-2023 academic year will increase by 4%, College vice president for strategy and finance Dana Strait announced via email Wednesday.

Tuition and fees for the 20212022 school year were $48,010 and room and board was $13,470. The costs for the 20222023 academic year will increase to $49,930 and $13,580, respectively.

Strait said the increase will be “significantly reduced” by

financial aid for students.

“The College anticipates supporting students with over $41 million in scholarships next year. We are grateful to our generous alumnae and friends who help make this significant financial assistance possible for our students,” the email read.

Strait concluded the email by acknowledging the importance of investing in education.

“It is one of the most important investments that you will ever make toward your future, and one that will have enormous payoff for years to come.

On behalf of all of us at the College, thank you for choosing Saint Mary’s.”

University mask policy revised Observer Staff Report

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story was published online on March 11.

Masking will be optional on campus for all fully vaccinated students, faculty, staff and visitors beginning Monday, interim provost Chris Maziar announced in an email Friday. The decision comes in light of positive trends on campus and locally, according to the email.

The lifting of the indoor masking requirement includes events, as masking is now optional for fully vaccinated individuals at indoor gatherings. Masking is still required indoors for unvaccinated individuals. Unvaccinated

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students, faculty and staff still must take part in weekly surveillance testing.

Faculty members and instructors may still require masking in theirowninstructionalorresearch spaces and masks are required for all who visit the University Testing Center, University Health Services and the wellness center, according to the email.

The University also requires those who test positive for COVID-19 to mask for five days following their isolation period.

The University revised their guidance on gatherings in accordance with the new masking rules. The email said the travel policy remains unchanged from Feb. 4.

College updates housing Observer Staff Report

Interclass housing w ill be available in four of Saint Mar y’s residence halls beginning next academic year, the Office of Residence Life announced in an email Monday evening.

First-years w ill no longer be restricted to liv ing in Regina Hall and McCandless Hall, as all students w ill have the choice to live in Regina Hall, McCandless Hall, Le Mans Hall and Holy Cross Hall, the email said.

Opus Hall and Annunciata Hall w ill continue to be reser ved for seniors.

The email said the goal of the policy change is to offer “more desired housing options,” such as increasing the availabilit y of singles across campus to students, and strengthen interclass relationship building. Housing selection for the class of 2023 begins this week.

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Speech Continued from page 1

how important it was that those of us who are marginalized be able to write some of the stories about our own community.”

Hannah-Jones explained how growing up, she only saw Black people in the newspaper in the crime record, though she knew that was not representative of her community.

“If we are erased from the story, if we are marginalized in the story or if the only place we appear in the story is in the crime log, then that drives how voters respond,” she said. “Narrative drives policy.”

This perceived lack of representation relates to her worries about the journalism industry at large.

“My biggest fear about journalism is that we are wholly unequipped for the danger our democracy is in right now,” HannahJones said. “Because our political reporting class comes from upper class families, tends to be white and tends to be male, they actually believe that our democracy will hold.

They don’t actually believe that our democracy has failed, despite what experts on democracy say.”

This belief trickles down to the American public.

“I don’t think most American voters understand the danger that we’re in,” she said.

Because of that, she insisted

ndsmcobserver.com | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2022 | The Observer

our democracy is still fragile.

“We believe that we are the oldest continuing democracy in America,” Hannah-Jones said.

“But we’ve only had democracy since 1965.”

The goal of her work, especially “The 1619 Project,” is to understand what that recent democratization means for America today.

“What the project at its heart tries to do is explain our country to itself,” Hannah-Jones said.

“People talk about the project as if it’s a history, but it’s not. It’s actually about America right now.

And it just uses history to help explain how we got the country that we got.”

Hannah-Jones discussed how she sees most coverage of racial inequality as superficial, covering the suffering people of color face without an explanation of its origin.

“It’s a cataloging of maladies. It’s a listing of bad numbers,” she said. “My coverage is trying to show that this sh*t is orchestrated.”

Hannah-Jones insisted that long-form investigative reporting is uniquely suited to do that.

The widespread protests following the death of George Floyd in May of 2020 inspired HannahJones to write about the history of racism in the United States.

She saw a massive hole in the demands of many protestors.

“If we’re gonna have a

reckoning, you cannot just deal with policing,” Hannah-Jones said. “You have to reckon with the forced poverty and [economic] disadvantage that impacts almost all Black people ... You have to deal with what hurts Black people the most.”

In fact, Hannah-Jones worked to reframe slavery as an economic issue in “The 1619 Project.”

“We think about slavery as just a racist system,” she said. “Slavery was an economic system. Slavery was founded to exploit human beings for labor and to argue that you can do anything to compete for profit.”

Through photographs, poetry, essays and over one thousand citations, “The 1619 Project” examines and reframes slavery’s legacy in America.

She used this historical reframing to make the case for financial reparations for modern descendants of enslaved persons.

Though Hannah-Jones recognized the highly controversial nature of reparations, she insisted that they were necessary. Despite public support for racial justice, she pointed out that most white Democrats continue to oppose reparations.

In response, Hannah-Jones questioned: “So you put the Black Lives Matter sign in your yard, but you won’t actually pay the debt to help Black people matter?”

“The 1619 Project” has faced Paid Advertisement

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KATHRYN MUCHNICK | The Observer

Professor Mark Sanders and Nikole Hannah-Jones, a 1998 alumna, met on stage Tuesday night at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.

tremendous backlash, particularly from conservatives and from historians who point out flaws in the project’s accuracy.

Despite the discomfort, HannahJones views this as motivation.

“If the work didn’t matter, if it wasn’t unsettling power, I would have failed. You don’t get into journalism to make powerful people comfortable,” she said.

She gained some of this sense of resiliency during her time as a student at Notre Dame, where she faced discrimination and isolation from her white counterparts. In 1996, she wrote a letter to the editor sharing her experience

of being called the n-word for the first time in her life on the University campus.

“What this place taught me was ... that there would never be a point where I wasn’t going to have to prove myself,” she said.

Hannah-Jones reflected on her time at Notre Dame and the motivation it helped her create.

“Race can be an amazing motivating factor in your life,” she said. “You can come into these elite institutions and you can beat people at their own game.”

Contact Kathryn Muchnick at kmuchnic@nd.edu

6

The observer | Wednesday, March 16, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

Inside Column

Stop and smell the lilacs Maggie Eastland Assistant Managing Editor

Let me introduce you to a little island between Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas. The name, once ‘Mitchimakinak’ now shortened to Mackinac, comes from the Native American word for “Great Turtle.” If you pronounce the ‘c’ in front of me, prepare to be ostracized.

You can only visit Mackinac by ferry, meaning there are no cars. Instead, the Island teems with bikes and horsedrawn carriages. Home to the world’s best fudge, epic limestone geological formations and historic Fort Mackinac, you wouldn’t believe how much life is squeezed into that little island.

Okay, enough of the travel brochure. Can you tell I love Mackinac? Trust me, I don’t use that word lightly. In fact, I think it’s extremely overused. Still, it stands. I love Mackinac Island.

For some background, I worked at the Mackinac Island Town Crier last summer, and the almost-magical place once scattered throughout my childhood became even more amazing than the island I thought I knew. Despite the rosecolored glasses of youth, Mackinac exceeded expectations in a way I didn’t expect.

While working at the newspaper, I had the opportunity to meet an array of local characters and experience the ins and outs of daily life on Mackinac. I tried to explore every corner of the place, and it proved so much bigger than I originally thought. From the sequestered apartments above Main Street shops and the slanting white steeple of Sainte Anne’s to the Grand Hotel’s swanky dancing room filled with live jazz to Fort Holmes at the highest point on the Island and everywhere in between. (Seriously, if you need Mackinac hiking, restaurant or activity recommendations, please come find me. I swear no one is paying me to say this.)

These things would not have been so memorable if not for the people who made them that way: the incredible Island

employees I befriended, the locals who described how the Island changed throughout the generations, the tourists visiting from around the world, the Jamaican seasonal workers I played soccer with each week and the seasoned business managers who made a point to learn my name.

And even though I love Mackinac now more than ever, it’s different than when I was a kid. Back then, I only saw the bright side of things.

Last summer, I witnessed a fire break out in a historic cottage, a bomb threat on the Mackinac Bridge and plenty of other horse droppings (literally and figuratively).

Most heart-wrenching, in July, the Mackinac Island Town Crier ran a brief report in the Friday paper about an Island employee who was found dead at the base of Arch Rock, a prominent tourist destination.

When I first arrived, the keyhole-shaped rock was pretty to look at, but after news of the death, it took on a more nuanced role.

When my friends and I woke at the crack of dawn to watch the sun rise through that rock during our last week together, “pretty” would have been an insult to the tension of the moment. Sadness and a hefty sense of disillusionment battled with gratitude and a resolve to do more. I still can’t quite describe it, but I definitely better understand what Ernest Hemingway meant by “the sun also rises.”

No, the Straits of Mackinac couldn’t protect my friends and me from the grimmer parts of human existence, but they did force us to appreciate the little things and appreciate each other.

Bad news struck, yes, but it only made the place more real. And I’ve never been a big fan of loving things that aren’t genuine.

On Mackinac, there were sad news articles, long days of work, rude vacationers and difficult assignments, but hey, if you bike quickly, you can still make it to West Bluff in time to watch the sunset. There was something magical about the ordinary and the simple, in spite of (or perhaps because of) the sad stories. At least for the month of June, it was actually

difficult not to stop and smell the lilacs. I’m not kidding.

They’re everywhere.

It’s hard to pin down my experience working on Mackinac to just one phrase, but if I had to pick, I think that’s what I’d say: Stop and smell the lilacs.

These are a lot of things journalists don’t cover in the newspaper. We try with feature stories and heartwarming photographs, but most of these lilac moments come and go before anyone has a chance to snap a photo or write down a quote. (The irony of writing a column on this topic is not lost on me.)

Even a ferry and a state away, I can’t stop thinking about those lilacs, those people who blossomed into friends right before my eyes and those memories I’ll cherish forever.

And here at Notre Dame, I can’t help but stop and admire the little snow ducks on the sidewalk, or the way the morning sun beams through the windows of North Dining Hall, or a friend’s smile as she waves to me from across the quad or a dried hydrangea blossom blowing across the sidewalk like tumbleweed.

No, these things don’t plaster the front page. They don’t make up for the horrors of an unjust war happening in Ukraine. They don’t compensate for the anxiety you might be dealing with. They don’t solve grief caused by the death of a loved one. But maybe life was never meant to be calculus.

The flowers are going to grow regardless. You might as well give them a sniff.

Maybe, just maybe, the little things aren’t so little after all. Maybe they even give you the hope to make the bigger dreams possible. That might be an overly optimistic hypothesis, but there’s one thing I do know for sure.

My blip of a summer on an island only eight miles around doesn’t feel very little right now, and I hope it stays that way.

You can contact Maggie at meastlan@nd.edu The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.

The second step Madeline Law Trivial Matters

Depending on what your graduating year is, last week was most likely your first real collegiate spring break.

Congratulations! We left for a week, and we came back. Take that, COVID. My column byline is “Trivial Matters.” I thought this was a nice bit of wordplay on my part, for my intention was to talk about the trivial matters in life and hopefully show that the trivial things matter in some way.

My topic this time deviates a bit because I don’t think it’s trivial, but I want to write about it anyway.

Let’s talk about balance.

Raise your hand if you’ve been feeling off-balance lately!

Yeah, me too. Senior year is staring me down and it’s the only thing standing between me and the daunting “real” world.

I’m repeatedly choosing between sleep, schoolwork and socialization without feeling truly present for any of them (in addition to finding and applying for summer internships, extracurricular activities, taking mental breaks, etc, like all my fellow college-goers).

It’s more than off-balance; it’s as if my center of gravity decided to go on a 2020 spring break (spring break, but without the return). With it went motivation, passion and energy to engage.

I have this feeling of lying lackadaisical in a nondescript field, watching storm clouds gather above me.

It sounds bleak, doesn’t it? I’ve struggled to even feel stress when I procrastinate doing my school work or searching for internships. Normally I have a physical, anxious reaction to putting off work, but that’s mostly abandoned me, too. I recognize times when I would usually feel that way, when I want to feel that (healthy amount of) stress, but I either don’t

feel anything, or I jump immediately to the paralyzing part where my thoughts are too crowded to comprehend.

Balance is an elusive concept, but I know that ping-ponging between extremes is not it.

So what is balance, and how do I regain it?

Physically, balance comes from your center of gravity. It’s something we have to develop. As babies, we learn to shift our center of gravity to roll over and sit up unaided. We use it to stand up, to walk, to run, and to jump. It makes your heart skip when you lean too far back in your chair, and it tells you to throw your arms out when walking on a tightrope.

A metaphysical center of gravity, if you will, acts similarly.

I imagine it as a mental and emotional focal point housing passion, motivation, stress, and similar things. It is also something we have to cultivate. We train ourselves to have certain priorities; we develop particular passions and motivations. When that center of gravity is mis-calibrated or lost, we may still recognize what ignites our passions or motivates us, but we lose the feeling of their weight. We lose our balance.

I say “we” in an attempt to include those who may relate to my thoughts on this. Take it all with a grain of salt, because everyone is on different paths.

I wish I could just snap my metaphysical center of gravity back into place. There are moments when I picture what that would look like, and I see myself as I used to be: using those passions and stress as fuel to actively, consistently pursue my goals. Unfortunately, those moments only come when I am entirely unable to drop what I’m doing, like in the middle of a class or when I’m trying to fall asleep.

It’s not that easy, though. Like a child learning to roll themselves over, I’m going to have to work for it. I have to learn how to sit up, stand up and take a step. I need to redevelop and recalibrate my center of gravity, and that takes practice and time.

I thought taking the first step was the hardest part, and for a while I thought the first step was survival — just hanging on until some future someday when I have the time to work on regaining my balance.

But it can only be a first step if there is a second.

That second step is harder, I think, because it involves moving forward on your own and laying down solid foundations rather than just temporarily patching things up as you go. It’s proof that the first step wasn’t a one-and-done.

I’m still figuring it out. For now, my second step is reflecting on that passion that I want to feel by talking about it and writing about it. I’m getting better at remembering what the motivation feels like and sometimes I do feel it. When that happens, I try to take the step forward and act on it by sitting down and starting that assignment, for example. I try to regain my balance.

Many times I fail to act quickly enough. What I’m learning, though, is that if I fail to act right away, that does not mean I have to wait until the next opportunity. I can decide when and where to try again. I don’t have to be passive.

Knowing that is wildly freeing, even if I forget it sometimes.

Thank you, dear reader, for bearing with me through this somewhat self-therapeutic column. I hope that if you feel any flutter of familiarity with these thoughts, you take this as a sign that you are not alone. I’m rooting for you.

Take that second step.

Madeline Law is a Saint Mary’s junior from Petoskey, Michigan. She studies English literature and communication studies with a minor in theater. If you can find her, she’ll either be adding books to scattered to-read lists or re-reading old favorites. Reach her at mlaw01@saintmarys.edu and send book suggestions.

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

The observer | Wednesday, March 16, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

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The Observer endorses Camacho-Haas As Saint Mary’s students returned from spring break, they were welcomed back to campus by this year’s Student Government Association (SGA) elections. Two tickets are running for student body president and vice president. Hannah Yeager and Veronica Blackburn focus on rebuilding the College community in their platform while Angela Camacho and Josie Haas emphasize more effective communication and programs for underrepresented students.

Early this week, The Observer Editorial Board sat down and interviewed both tickets. After evaluating both platforms, the Board unanimously endorses Camacho-Haas.

Camacho currently serves as SGA’s vice president of operations and president of the Residence Hall Association (RHA). She is a sociology and psychology double major with minors in Spanish and film studies. Haas, a Spanish and secondary education major and English as a second language minor, currently serves as co-president of RHA’s Hall Improvement committee.

Their platform puts forth many concrete ideas for improving student life on campus, including

streamlining communication through a suggestion box and collaborating with various College departments to create new programming. In addition, we believe Camacho-Haas’s combined experience in both RHA and SGA has equipped them with a strong foundation for leadership positions and an understanding of key committees across campus.

The Camacho-Haas ticket also directly mentions methods to support historically underrepresented communities in their platform, including the creation of a mentorship program for LGBTQ+ students, while Yeager-Blackburn had no specific written proposals for this area of student life.

It is clear that Camacho and Haas have set realistic expectations for what they can accomplish in their term — yet they seem determined to consider solutions that might not come into fruition in one year. “We may not see an end result at the end of our term,” they said in their interview with the Board. “We want to let the administration know what needs to be set in motion, in one way or another. [We want] to put [student issues] on their radar.”

We were impressed with Yeager and Blackburn’s dedication to the student body. The pair’s involvement in RHA, along with their ideas for a more cohesive tri-campus, demonstrates their commitment to the entire community.

While the ticket had admirable goals, such as restoring on-campus traditions lost during the pandemic and establishing strong ties with the Notre Dame and Holy Cross student governments, much of their platform relied on gathering student input — rather than advancing specific goals of their own.

Our endorsement of Camacho-Haas doesn’t come without reservations. During their interview, Camacho-Haas seemed wavering in regard to their potential relationship with the Saint Mary’s administration, in one instance admitting that they were powerless to the College’s decisions. While Camacho-Haas were willing to collaborate with the administration, they seemed resigned to the fact that they would always need their approval, as opposed to standing up for the student voice even in the face of pushback..

In addition, we believe Camacho-Haas could have provided additional clarity on how exactly they plan to communicate with students. The ticket’s plan to implement a suggestion box and regular newsletter seems like feasible avenues for interaction. However, we would have liked more details about the logistics of these plans.

Still, we are confident in Camacho-Haas’s ability to lead the Saint Mary’s student body and enact positive change in the upcoming school year.

My anti-resume Julianna Conley In My Own Words

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: LinkedIn is the best social media platform from which to Internet-investigate your latest acquaintance. You get a clear shot of their face, plainly stated majors and minors, a list of their “activities and societies,” the name of their dorm if they’re involved in hall council and even a hometown if their high school is listed. For trying to figure out why you recognize the name of your roommate’s marriage pact, it’s the best.

Unfortunately, in terms of creating a breeding ground for comparing yourself to others, though, it’s the worst.

Logging onto LinkedIn, my feed is immediately f looded with posts gushing about how excited someone is to finally announce their postgrad employment. Scrolling through my classmates’ profiles, I’m met with accomplishment after accomplishment, an endless laundry list of awards and research experiences and prestigious internships. And as exciting as it is to learn my best friend was offered the McWell job she desperately wanted, too often, this highlight reel of success doesn’t paint the full picture.

As a rule, Notre Dame students are high achievers. They’re involved; they’re driven; they’re chartered for success. To quote my sophomore year orgo lab TA who was thoroughly impressed by my group’s extraction of the aqueous layer, “Ok, beasts. I feel like everyone is high key popping off right now.” And we are! And I’m proud of us! We should celebrate! But when everyone else is celebrating, it can be easy to feel like you’re the only person left licking your wounds in the corner. And while I could offer comforting sympathies or sage wisdom, sometimes when you’re feeling your lowest, you really just want to know that someone else has been in that valley too.

A hardly comprehensive list of endeavors where I’ve come up short: 1. My freshman year, I applied to be a tour guide.

While I remain cheered by the fact that my written

application was top notch, if I do say so myself, the group interview was an unmitigated disaster.

Feeling self-conscious about peers listening to my answers, I became extremely f lustered, brought up my mother in nearly every response and unsolicitedly offered a long and winding anecdote about peeing my pants. In a twist of twists, enthusiastic sharing about accidental urination was not what the selection committee was looking for in a representative of the University. Go figure. Not only did I not get the job, I still cringe realizing a dozen strangers walk this campus with intimate knowledge of my most embarrassing college moment.

2. I confidently registered for the Holy Half Marathon in December, ran over the break and during the first few weeks of school, got overwhelmed by an overloaded schedule and submitted my refund request today.

3. I made it to the second round of a medical innovation healthcare shadowing internship but still didn’t make the cut.

4. Also freshman year, in a panic that I wasn’t involved enough, I auditioned for The Addams Family musical — but decided so last minute that I didn’t know any of the audition songs. The creative team was very kind but when the music started and I began singing the lyrics to the wrong song, I knew not to hold my breath for any leading roles.

5. I earned a 100 on my first gen chem 2 exam, felt certain I was a chemistry prodigy, didn’t study for the second exam and walked out with a 65 on exam 2.

6. I’ve applied to — and been rejected from — the Arts and Letters’ Dean’s Fellows twice.

7. When discussing why I moved off campus instead of being an RA, I always say that I wanted more freedom in my senior year and my (now) roommate and I decided staying on campus wasn’t the right choice for us. While this is true, the evening that I was planning to withdraw my application, RA decisions came out first. I was not selected.

With the exception of only my closest friends, in the case of each “failure,” I told no one. I didn’t post on social media. I didn’t share during my seminar’s beginning-of-class check in. I didn’t take out

an advertisement in The Observer. Each time I felt that I fell short of expectation, I kept it to myself, certain that I was the only person who wasn’t winning an internship or cinching a spot on the latest roster of super scholars. Even writing this column, I feel naked, exposed and certain that the whole school will think less of me because I didn’t make it past the callbacks for an a cappella group sophomore fall.

And while I’m not suggesting we suddenly talk about our shortcomings with reckless abandon — certainly, even I, a person routinely compelled to confess all to the student newspaper, have rejections I’d prefer not to publicize — I do think we need to remember that the shiny narratives we hear in the dining halls and the congratulatory stories we see on Snapchat are only one very small tip of the iceberg. Whether you’re an underclassmen feeling like you’re the only person left in your dorm who hasn’t done research or an upperclassmen stressing that you’re still unemployed, it’s easy to feel like you’re the only person coming up short.

But I guarantee you: You are not the only student who has been regretfully informed that they weren’t successful in earning a spot. You are hardly the first to drop out of a workout plan or earn a lackluster essay grade. And while I could offer the cliché that with nearly every activity on the list I was rejected from, I was led to a different opportunity that was a much better fit — and it’d be true — the bigger truth is simply that you’re going to fail. You’re going to mess up, and sometimes it won’t matter in the grand scheme of things, but sometimes it will. And it’s going to suck. But if it makes you feel any better, everyone else is messing up too. They’re just not posting about it on their LinkedIn. Julianna Conley is a senior studying sociology and pre-health studies with a minor in Journalism, Ethics and Democracy. Though she is forever loyal to Pasquerilla East B-team athletics, Julianna now lives off campus. She can be eached for comment at jconley4@nd.edu or @JuliannaLConley on Twitter.

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

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The observer | Wednesday, March 16, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

A man of the people Mikey Colgan Collegiate Crossroads

During spring break, I was lucky to be able to spend some time with my grandfather, George Dargati, or Poppy, as I call him. After some long conversations and many laughs over meals with him and some of my family, I learned many invaluable lessons that are especially applicable to the Notre Dame community.

George Dargati was born to Romanian immigrants and grew up in tenement housing in Thompson, Connecticut. He had next to no money, but he didn’t allow that to affect him. His primary love growing up was basketball and despite his small size, he excelled on the court. His high school, Tourtellotte, had a total enrollment of 95. Despite such a small pool of players, George carried his team to two state titles, leading the state in scoring in 1950 and earning the nickname, “The Jet.” He then went on to play basketball at UConn, but he joined the army during his second season.

In the army, George and his comrades were unsure if they would be sent to Korea or not. Luckily for them, they were instead moved to Germany, where George had the opportunity to play even more basketball. He competed against some of the best players in the world and ended up making All-League over Division I AllAmericans. While in the service, Dayton and Gonzaga offered him spots to play basketball for his remaining years of college eligibility. However, he opted to come home and attend Eastern Connecticut State, a small

teachers college. He still holds the single-season scoring average record and career scoring average record at the school. Soon after finishing his final season, George married his wife, my late grandmother, Betty, and began teaching in Connecticut. He has three children and seven grandchildren and has lived in the same home in Tolland to this day.

When recounting the life of my grandfather, it is easy to harp on his youth. Even in my description above, I captured only bits and pieces of his unique young life. I failed to mention that he signed a minor league baseball deal with the New York Giants or decided to never drink another drop of alcohol after tasting a disgusting, warm beer while in Amsterdam in the service. With that said, of everything that Poppy has experienced in his life, the most meaningful to him is blandly captured in the last two sentences of the paragraph above. His wife, his family and his home. This past week, he claimed, as he always does, he could not have been luckier to end up with his wife, children and grandchildren. While many would drive themselves crazy over the missed opportunities to play basketball at Dayton or Gonzaga, my grandfather sleeps peacefully at night knowing he has all the people he will ever need.

As a sophomore at the Mendoza College of Business, everyone I know seems to be going through the recruitment process. I’ve noticed myself and many others focus heavily on potential salaries and firm prestige. This hyper-focus can turn into an obsession for many. While I understand the value of a good salary and a reputable company, I think it’s important

to remind yourself of what really matters. At the end of the day, no amount of money or position will make you a genuinely happy individual. This isn’t a revolutionary idea by any means, but it’s fact that many of us forget as we dive into our futures. Messing up an interview or not getting the big job sucks. However, I’d rather do that than neglect my friends and family in the pursuit of a high-status job. Take it from my grandfather. He turned down huge opportunities to come back home and be with his family, and I don’t know anyone as happy with his life as my grandfather. In the end, I believe that your happiness will come from the people in your life and those you’ve been blessed to positively impact. My grandfather understood the importance of prioritizing people over accomplishments or prestige. Even when chatting about his playing career with me, he spends most of the time talking about his father-like coaches and the lifelong friends he met along the way. In a world full of unhappy people, I think it’s important to take note and learn when you see a secure, happy individual. In my grandfather’s case, it’s all about the people. I hope you can take this lesson from my grandfather’s life and apply it to yours.

Mikey Colgan is a sophomore from Boston, Massachusetts, studying finance and Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics (ACMS).

He is an avid college basketball fan and resides in Morrissey Hall. He can be reached at mcolgan2@nd.edu or @Mikeycolgs15 on Twitter.

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

‘Passion’-ate about Folk Choir Devin Humphreys Law, Life and the Lord

“The night is dark, and I am far from home / Direct my feet; I do not ask to see / The distant scene, one step enough for me / So lead me onward, Lord, and hear my plea.” These words, taken from Steven Warner’s interpolation of the classic St. John Henry Newman poem “Lead, Kindly Light,” were what I used to open my admissions essay to Notre Dame Law School. I explained that while I was then (and am now, to a lesser extent) uncertain as to what the “distant scene” of my legal career would look like, I knew that Notre Dame Law was the “one step enough for me.”

Steven Warner was the founder and original director of the Notre Dame Folk Choir. While his songs, like “Set Your Heart on the Higher Gifts,” “All Will Be Well,” and “Make of Our Hands a Throne” have been personal favorites of mine from the time of my conversion in seventh grade, my love of the Folk Choir began when I was an undergrad at Michigan State University (MSU) and my parish there, St. Thomas Aquinas/St. John Student Center, sang the Our Father from the Folk Choir’s own “Mass of Our Lady.” As I began learning more about the Folk Choir through my time at MSU, I only fell more in love with its mission and its repertoire (it’s possible that the Folk Choir took the #1 spot on my Spotify Wrapped for a couple of years in a row), and it became apparent that this would be an organization I would want to be involved in if I ended up doing law school at Notre Dame.

A law school admissions process and a global pandemic later, August 10, 2020, I had the great honor of receiving “the email” from J.J. Wright, our current director. My audition had been successful, and a Folkhead (yes, that’s our nickname) I would be!

Folk Choir in the time of COVID-19 was certainly a challenge, but I was so immensely grateful to have the opportunity to continue singing twice a week at our (masked and distanced) rehearsals, and we even recorded a full album (“They Tell Me of a Home”)

amidst of last year’s COVID-19 craziness! Last fall, I had the privilege of singing in the loft of the Basilica for a noon Mass (the Folk Choir’s main ministry) for the first time. I get to renew my gratitude for this opportunity, shared with my 50 closest friends, every single week. And as I’ve referenced elsewhere, it doesn’t end in the Basilica loft. Every Thursday evening, a convoy of Folkheads makes the short trip from Coleman-Morse (where we rehearse) to Dillon Hall to sing in the weekly Milkshake Mass Music Mob. But perhaps the most involved aspect of my time in the Folk Choir thus far came to a head over spring break. Last Friday night, I returned from an adventure to the cities of Buffalo, Philadelphia, New York City and Hudson with the Notre Dame Folk Choir. We were on our east coast tour, premiering our original composition of “The Passion.” In collaboration with our director, J.J. Wright, our librettist, Tristan Cooley, guitarist Franky Rousseau and bassist Ike Sturm, a multitude of students in the Folk Choir have been composing and arranging this piece since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve completed various workshops on the piece during school breaks to bring this piece to life — from staying on campus for a week after graduation last year to a fall break retreat and a January tech week. The opportunity to perform this piece to our supporters in these cities was the culmination of two years’ work.

This is the first time in its 40 years of existence that the Folk Choir has done something quite like this, and what “this” is kind of evades clear articulation. “The Passion” is not just our typical Folk Choir album; it’s a full-fledged production with narrative and staging. Our choir splits up three ways for the performance, with a group of lead roles (Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Mary the Blessed Mother, Peter, John the Evangelist, Judas, Pontius Pilate, Pilate’s wife Claudia, Mary of Bethany, Simon of Cyrene, Veronica, our narrator “Memory” and our soloist “Spirit”), our main chorus and the Apostles’ Chorus, of which I have been so blessed to be a part. The libretto for our piece is grounded in Scripture. “Memory” recites various key Gospel narrations, while other characters

reference the Psalms, other Scriptural texts and original poetic compositions from our students and collaborators. The result is a 90-minute piece of music with a 154-page score that this choir has rehearsed, in its various iterations, for the past year and a half.

I cannot emphasize enough the extent to which this piece has changed the lives of all who have had the opportunity to play a role in its coming to life.

It’s something you truly have to see or hear to understand, and on that front, I have good news: the Folk Choir will conclude its domestic tour of “The Passion” with a performance at the Basilica on April 10, which is Palm Sunday. This is truly a must-see event, and I look forward to the Folk Choir being able to share its fruits with the wider Notre Dame family to kick off Holy Week. That will be our last performance of this piece on this tour, although the Folk Choir is going on pilgrimage to the Holy Land soon after graduation, where we will record “The Passion” as our next album.

It is here, dear reader, that I leave you for these two weeks, with this final word of advice: If you’ve been on the fence about joining the Folk Choir, there’s no time like the present and you too could get “the email” in due course. Please feel free to reach out to me (check my byline) or, better yet, skip the middleman and email our director at jwright9@nd.edu for more information. May the rest of this Lent prepare us to enter into Holy Week like never before and please, do consider coming on April 10 to see for yourself what the Folk Choir was up to this Spring Break.

Devin is a member of the Notre Dame Law School’s class of 2023. Originally from Farwell, Michigan, he is a 2020 graduate of Michigan State University’s James Madison College. In his free time, he sings with the Notre Dame Folk Choir and discusses the legal developments of the day with anyone who will listen.

Inquiries into his surplus of law journal articles and note ideas can be directed to dhumphr2@nd.edu or @ DevinJHumphreys on Twitter.

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

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The observer | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

By COLIN CAPECE Senior Scene Writer

One of the qualms moviegoers always seem to have about Batman movies is that they’re so darn stuck up. We get it DC: it’s somehow always nighttime and raining in run-down Gotham City, and our favorite nocturnal hero always has to say something overzealous like “I am vengeance!” in his low, gravelly voice before he beats the snot out of some poor schmuck who hopped the subway gate.

Now don’t get it twisted: it would certainly be out of place if the caped crusader had the bad boy wit of Tony Stark or the nice guy charm of Peter Parker. But a sprinkle of reality here or there would certainly be welcomed by both hardcore and casual fans.

Enter Matt Reeve’s “The Batman,” and DC’s really got something cooking. The first iteration of this classic comic-book superhero tale since Christopher Nolan closed the book on his epochal trilogy 10 years ago brings an augmented vibe, adding new elements that are a welcome surprise, but also retaining familiar ones that make Batman who he is.

The new-look Batman starts with the portrayal of Gotham City itself. Reeves takes it a step further than even Nolan in bringing Gotham’s utterly deplorable institutional corruption into the light. I didn’t think I could witness a city descend into more lawlessness than Philadelphia after the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018, but Gotham in this movie makes the Cradle of Liberty look like a Sunday stroll in the park. The director lets the audience know from the

By ANNA FALK Scene Writer

Joywave is like your best friend’s little brother. You love your best friend, of course, but their brother is funny, a bit weird and always keeps you entertained. After you meet them, you form an inexplicably close bond similar to an actual sibling.

Somehow, you end up going to your best friend’s house just to hang with their sibling. This is how I came to love Joywave.

In early autumn of my sophomore year of high school, my family and I went to see Young the Giant in Cincinnati, Ohio while they were touring for their “Home of the Strange” album. Joywave and Cold War Kids opened, and while I had heard of the latter, I was completely unaware of the former.

During Joywave’s set, frontman Daniel Armbruster was quite literally sliding around on the stage, dancing like a madman and trying to connect to the crowd by enthusiastically waving his arms while shouting about Skyline Chili.

Most people in the crowd weren’t impressed, but the quality of the band’s music and the band’s eccentricity pushed me to listen more after the show — and I was extremely glad for it.

Joywave is a Rochester, NY-based group that has been regularly producing music since their formation in 2011. They are most well known for their collaboration with Big Data on a song called “Dangerous” as well as tracks like “Tongues,” “Blastoffff” (which was featured in a 2018 Fortnite trailer) and “It’s a Trip!”

Last month, the band released their fourth LP titled “Cleanse.” The band’s third EP, “Possession,” was released

outset that transgressions cut to the heart of the city’s power structure, and there is nothing anyone — not even Batman — can do about it. The Riddler, played by Paul Dano, is the perfect villain for this film because he’s really no villain at all. Previous Batman adversaries hoped to fold Gotham in on itself, but the city in “The Batman” has already done that.

Instead, The Riddler wants to cleanse Gotham of its fraudulent officials one by one, even if he has a dastardly way of going about it.

Robert Pattinson is the most relatable Bruce Wayne in the franchise because the audience finally gets to witness a more vulnerable side of his story. Wayne is never shown yucking it up with Gotham’s elite at galas or hosting lavish events at his manor. Instead he rides home on his motorcycle after a night of crime fighting with “Something In The Way” by Nirvana playing in the background.

Wiping the grime from his face, he looks beaten down, dejected and disillusioned. Who wouldn’t be after trying to save a city that doesn’t deserve to be saved? When he ventures out to a cop’s funeral, Wayne doesn’t smile or wave for the cameras, but instead keeps his head down hoping to just blend in with the crowd. In every sense, Wayne appears to just want to do what’s right. The combination of The Riddler’s valid intentions and Pattinson’s down-to-earth characterization make it difficult to know who to root for at times, certainly a change of pace from previous Batman films.

With a nearly three-hour-long run time, some may be wondering how to stay invested without a traditional good guy-bad guy storyline, but this movie has enough

of the traditional Batman ingredients to make the time fly by. The Riddler’s trail of clues he leaves at each crime scene was convoluted enough to keep me wondering what was coming next (although that’s not saying much from a former associate sports editor, but you get the point). There are the typical skull-cracking fight scenes and an absurdly cool car chase that give the adrenaline junkies their fix. And not to mention a pair of dazzling performances by supporting characters Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) and Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz). The last good cop in Gotham is extremely convincing as the hero’s morally upstanding sidekick, and Catwoman’s own family history pushes the protagonist to authentically question himself even more.

Adding some new wrinkles in “The Batman” without deviating too much from where it came from has served DC well. When the credits rolled, I realized I had thought long and hard while simultaneously being thoroughly entertained, exactly what a Batman movie should be.

just as the United States went into lockdown. Housebound, the band found themselves with extra time and a creative void to fill. Frontman Armbruster stated in an interview, “No one asked me to make another record. It just happened.”

Style-wise, Joywave continually keeps a familiar sound while testing their boundaries. With each new record, listeners can expect to hear what they love with modifications that maintain interest. The band blends rock and electronic elements to truly create something unique and sonically pleasing.

Joywave’s lyricism is one of the many reasons I truly enjoy them. They rarely miss the mark on their lyricism; they often provide intense imagery, heaps of extended metaphors and creatively warped words which conjure inventive ideas. When I find their lyricism lacking, it is because there’s something deeper that I can’t grasp solely from passively listening.

Their lyrics are refreshing in the day and age of social media and technology. Many of my favorite artists address modern societal and cultural issues in ways that I find more or less unsophisticated. While there will be people who enjoy this, I personally favor and praise an artist’s ability to broach and criticize these intense and ubiquitous subjects with a bit of subtlety.

“Cleanse” does just that. The record ponders the meanings and importance of ideas like consumerism, youth, cynicism, the interaction of physical and digital worlds and even mortality. It isn’t my favorite Joywave record (I don’t think anything could ever top the beauty of their debut LP “How Do You Feel Now?”), but it features some of my favorite tracks of theirs including “After Coffee,” “Have You Ever Lit A Year On Fire” and

“The Inversion.”

I got the chance to see Joywave at Metro Chicago in Chicago, IL two weeks ago. Not only did they play wonderfully, but they had amazing car wash-themed set design and costumes, great light displays and they played some of my favorites from all of their LPs. There is, however, one problem I find with the band: Why aren’t they more popular? They have something that very few popular acts have: years of experience making music, frequent releases, familiar but varied music and fantastic lyricism and instrumentation.

Maybe it’s because you could see them on the street and never know the talent they had. Maybe it’s because, as my sister said, they seem like they either did theater or were in the A.V .club (with no in-between). I can’t be sure, but they deserve more.

Contact Colin Capece at ccapece@nd.edu

“The Batman” Starring: Robert Pattinson, Paul Dano, Zoe Kravitz Director: Matt Reeves If You Like: “The Dark Knight,” “The Dark Knight Rises”

Contact Anna Falk at afalk@nd.edu

“Cleanse” Artist: Joywave Label: Cultco Music/Hollywood Records Favorite Tracks: “After Coffee,” “Have You Ever Lit A Year On Fire?”

If You Like: Bastille, Big Data, Glass Animals

EMMMA KIRNER | The Observer | WXXI News, The wrap

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The observer | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

By JP SPOONMORE Scene Writer

Now that the smoke from its season finale has finally cleared, it is time to search the rubble for why “Euphoria” has turned so suddenly into its original season’s antithesis. Once a serious look at youth and love to an absolute joke, the show doesn’t seem to realize that its second season has audiences laughing at its characters, not loving them.

Writer-director (and everything else in the credits) Sam Levinson stood at the helm of this anarchic follow-up of the hot HBO teen drama, which originally advertised itself as a ‘realistic’ portrayal of modern high schoolers and their anxieties.

Previous jokes from fans about the absurd costuming and lack of studying are nothing compared to the melodramatic adrenaline drowning this new season. Conflicts spiral from pills to heroin, and from football quarterbacks to loaded guns in the blink of an eye. Even if these sensationalized escalations might be considered understandable due to the massive popularity this show gained between seasons, what’s truly baffling is Levinson’s relationship with the cast.

Barbie Ferreira, who plays Kat, walked off set several times after creative disagreements. Her camgirl/body image arc is nowhere to be seen in recent episodes. Instead, Kat has taken to gaslighting her boyfriend just because he’s boring. In the wake of this forgettable dating drama, the character's unique journey of self-discovery in an online world becomes background noise. Why Ferreira chose to cut her scenes has yet to go public, but I suspect Levinson’s desire to sexualize every female character could be the reason.

Another high schooler, Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), is the

By JUSTIN GEORGE Scene Writer

If you’ve been following the Awards Season discourse at all, you’ve likely heard “Drive My Car” mentioned numerous times. Thus far, the film has been declared winner of the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language and of the Cannes Film Festival Prix du Scénario (Best Screenplay).

“Drive My Car” has also earned nominations for numerous Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. Needless to say, the film is a bit of a hot topic in the world of cinema.

“Drive My Car” was directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi and is based on the Haruki Murakami short story of the same name.

The movie's plot follows an actor and theater director, Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima), who is staging a production of Chekov’s “Uncle Vanya” for a theater workshop in Hiroshima.

This staging is taking place two years after the loss of Kafuku's wife, who died while he was starring in a different production of the same film. Yusuke is paired with Misake Watari (Tôko Miura), a young woman who chauffeurs him around Hiroshima. The two of them grow close over the course of the six-week production process and develop a special bond as they each navigate their grief.

The film is an exercise in Slow Cinema, a genre of filmmaking that is characterized by the use of long takes; a minimalist, observational style; and a minimal plot. That is to say, this is not a film driven by plot — rather, dialogue and character are the most powerful forces at work here.

pinnacle of high school sexualization. Half of her scenes in the first two episodes have her both topless and hopelessly addicted to the love Nate (Jacob Elordi), her best friend's exboyfriend, throws at her.

Multiple articles interviewing the actresses claim they had to talk Levinson out of doing nudity in several scenes, which makes the scenes that survive the cut all the more uncomfortable. Sweeney bears the brunt of this demand for nudity above else, Levinson having reduced her character to a sobbing mess rather than someone worth rooting for. Fortunately, Sweeney’s performance is the highlight of every scene; no matter how much I hate the character, she and Zendaya are the powerhouses of recent television.

Because of its weekly release schedule, I almost gave up on the show after every episode. Only episodes 4 and 5 really hooked me, and that was because that’s when everyone hits rock bottom.

Every plot eventually twists into the others, destroying each other in their wake. Cal’s meltdown, for instance, leads to Nate’s hopeless self-discovery. Rue’s addiction destroys not only her future, but also her sister’s and friends’ — all in just one night. When the show focuses on individual mistakes wrecking entire families, either through addiction or crime, reality shines through the sex-drama facade.

The two souls of “Euphoria” clash scene after scene, with only one of them worth watching and the other taking all the screen time. In rare moments, Zendaya’s performance earns her another chance for an Emmy, but outside of her singular episode, the other side of the show is in charge. Sex sells, and talking about addiction is a hard watch, so doubling down on the high school drama is the economic choice.

Even with gorgeous cinematography and unlimited talent in front of the camera, “trashy” is the only word I can use to describe this series. The show's conflicts are cartoonishly flat, and its gratuitous visuals feel empty. This cartoonishness, though, feels intentional. There is a market for “trashy” entertainment, and this show’s popularity proves it has struck gold.

I only liked two episodes this season, yet I know I will tune in for season 3. The “Euphoria” viewing experience may come with a weird feeling of weekly dread and with the sensation of watching a car crash, but the payoff is the next day when everyone I know talks about it.

Ultimately, “Euphoria” is a must-watch, if only because it seems like the most talked about show in the country right now. Trashing Cassie or sharing memes of Maddy is America’s new favorite pastime. Even so, I am not a fan of this show. I hate most of the subplots and Levinson’s craft, but the community from the fans trashing it is way too fun to move on.

There is no edge-of-your-seat action to be found.

The only outburst of violence in the film is never even shown. Instead, we are treated to a rumination on the grieving process, watching characters process trauma, guilt and the connection between life and art. “Drive My Car” slowly and subtly builds to its final crescendo over the course of its three-hour runtime, aided by masterfully written dialogue and characters that draw the audience in. This is an incredibly human film: the emotional connection between viewer and character feels earned and genuine, something that is all too rare in cinema today.

The cinematography in this film is a perfect match for the story that is being told. Cinematographer Hidetoshi Shinomiya favors short focal length lenses, wide shots and subtle camera movements with little overt visual flair. These elements combine to create a unique observational style that adds to the reality of the film’s world.

“Drive My Car” uses theater to accentuate the film’s plot, relying upon intertextuality with plays “Uncle Vanya” and “Waiting for Godot” to highlight Yusuke’s emotional journey. The titular car becomes a space akin to the roadside at which “Godot” takes place, where Yusuke can wrestle with questions of meaning and reflect upon existence; the protagonist runs himself ragged as he flounders in his search for meaning in his experiences within its unchanging confines.

However, it is through Yusuke's production of “Uncle Vanya” that the character finds a reason to go on. The words of the play’s final scene echo Yusuke’s sentiments in the

film’s final act as he finally realizes that the answers were in front of him all along. Yusuke uses his newfound meaning to reimagine Vanya not as a tragic character but as a hopeful one, not looking back upon his regrets but rather reflecting on past opportunities and looking hopefully toward the future. This allows Yusuke to fully give himself to the role of Vanya with brand new meaning, not only for the character but also for himself. In the end, both Vanya and Yusuke have life left to live.

“Drive My Car” is a beautifully told story of love, loss, grief and art. It is, without a doubt, one of the finest films in recent memory. Give yourself over to the story and immerse yourself in the world of the film. You’re in the hands of a master filmmaker, so hop in and enjoy the ride. I promise it’s worth your time.

Contact JP Spoonmore at jspoonmo@nd.edu

“Euphoria” Director: Sam Levinson Starring: Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi If you like: “Riverdale,” “13 Reasons Why”

Contact Justin George at jgeorge3@nd.edu

“Drive My Car” Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi Starring: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Tôko Miura If you like: “The Turin Horse,” “An Elephant Sitting Still” Streaming: HBO Max

MAKAYLA HERNANDEZ | The Observer | hbo max, flickr

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Crossword | Will Shortz

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Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Bide your time, do the groundwork and leave no room for error. Put your energy to good use, and you’ll get the acknowledgment you desire. Hard work and dedication will pay off if you spend time perfecting what’s important and honing your skills to suit your needs. Work quietly behind the scenes to ensure everything falls into place.

Your numbers are 8, 17, 21, 26, 32, 39, 43.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Dig in and do what you can to make a difference. Your input and dedication will impress someone who can help you advance. Research thoroughly before you make a physical change or commit to something until you know what’s entailed.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Say little and do a lot. Size up situations, and schedule your time to ensure you fulfill your obligations. Refuse to let emotional issues interfere with your responsibilities.

Anger and upset will make you look bad and give someone else the upper hand.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Put your heart into taking care of your duties.

Refuse to let anyone lead you astray or take advantage of your time, skills and helpful nature. A family burden is best dealt with in private. Do what’s necessary to avoid a dispute.

CANCER ( June 21-July 22): Focus on partnerships and working alongside others. Share mutual respect, and pool your resources to enrich whatever you pursue. Information you receive will change the way you help.

Address financial, medical and contractual concerns practically.

LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22): Don’t take on responsibilities that you can’t accomplish on your own. Relying on others will lead to disappointment.

Know your limitations, and make promises based on your capabilities.

Rethink your situation, and protect your assets and reputation.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Consider suggestions, and turn good ideas into something that works for you. Putting a unique spin on whatever you do or say will give you the edge and help you persuade others to provide you with a chance to do something great.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Keep expenses to a minimum. Determine what you can do without, and sell what you no longer need. Focus on personal gain, fitness and achieving peace of mind. Put a plan in place that eases stress. Don’t spend to impress others.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Tidy up issues that are holding you back.

Putting off conversations instead of addressing likes and dislikes will hinder your chance to take advantage of the things you genuinely want to do. Clear up unfinished business, and embrace new beginnings.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Concentrate on what’s doable. Listen to what others have to offer, but don’t take a risk or trust someone offering the impossible. Emotional spending and joint ventures will disrupt your plans.

Do your own thing.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Home improvements that enhance your ability to earn more, live better and follow your dreams are within reach.

Adjustments to how you use your cash, skills and experience will play a role in how much you achieve.

AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Make an honest assessment of your life and relationships, and follow a path that suits your needs. Trusting someone to look out for your interests will put you in an awkward position.

Set goals and follow through.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Slow down; don’t let temptation lead you astray. Be diligent and consider your options, the cost involved and the consequences if things don’t go as planned.

Experiment first, and you’ll find a cheaper and wiser way to reach your objective.

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Sports Authority

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Targets for NHL deadline day Andrew McGuinness Sports Writer

The NHL equivalent of Christmas — the trade deadline — is almost here. In less than a week, the landscape of the league will look completely different.

Contenders will gear up to address their weaknesses and push for the Stanley Cup. Rebuilding teams have the chance to haul in loads of picks and prospects that will help them reach the former position sooner rather than later.

For the other 28 teams stuck in the NHL’s mushy middle, they have to pick a lane and commit one way or the other.

The focus on deadline day is always about teams who are buyers, which makes sense; they’re the ones who will be immediately benefiting from the deals made between now and 3 p.m. Monday.

We’ve already seen a few fairly big trades in March, but every good team has at least one weakness to patch (or strength to supercharge). So let’s look at all 16 teams currently in a playoff spot, as sorted by points percentage (apologies to potential playoff teams like Vegas who aren’t currently in a spot), and find each at least one plausible player they should add before the trade deadline.

Colorado Avalanche: LW/C Claude Giroux (Current Team: PHI) With captain Gabriel Landeskog out, the Avs could use some help at left-wing. And adding Giroux would only further stack one of the league’s best offenses. The Flyers captain is far from a onetrick pony, too; he can play center or the wing, as well as both the power-play and penalty kill.

Carolina Hurricanes: RD Justin Braun (PHI) Carolina doesn’t need much.

So, let’s pair them with a safe, moderate-cost defensive defenseman in a high-floor, low-ceiling move. Braun’s a solid third-pair option who can maybe play in the top-four in a pinch. Nothing wrong with that.

Florida Panthers: D Mark Giordano (SEA) Hometown defender Jakob Chychrun is the better story, but Giordano’s the better fit. Florida needs someone who’s steady in their own zone and a little veteran presence can’t hurt too. Giordano has the leg up on Chychrun in both categories.

Track Continued from page 13

overall.

Yared Nuguse rounded things out for the Irish, taking home ninth in the 3000m run with a time of 8:01.53. Nuguse ran a collegiate record of 7:38.13

Tampa Bay Lightning: D Colin Miller (BUF) Adding a right-handed defenseman just before the deadline has paid off in spades for the Lightning two years running.

Why not go for three with Miller, who’s a bit pricey but can move the puck and went to the final with Vegas in 2018.

Pittsburgh Penguins: D Jakob Chychrun (ARI) There’s no reason the Penguins shouldn’t go all-in this year with Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang’s contracts up at the end of the year.

Adding Chychrun would make the Penguins undoubtedly better. But an added bonus: acquiring such a strong defender on the left side could provide incentive for Letang, who plays the right, to re-sign.

New York Rangers: C/LW J.T. Miller (VAN) It’s always nice to have a chance to reunite with your old team. The Rangers probably aren’t ready to go deep this year, but that’s OK because Miller’s signed through 2023 at a reasonable $5.25 million cap hit. He also doubles as insurance for incumbent second-line center Ryan Strome, a UFA at the season’s end.

Toronto Maple Leafs: D Ben Chiarot (MTL) Adding a goalie would also be nice, but GM Kyle Dubas is on the record saying the team has “one move left in them,” which is likely to improve their backend. Toronto needs someone who is steady in their own zone and can make life easier for their goaltenders by clearing the crease. And trading for someone on the team that knocked them out of the playoffs the year before worked so well, right?

Calgary Flames: LW/C Andrew Copp (WPG) There’s no point in messing with a blue line working as well as Calgary’s, so let’s make a play for another forward. Copp is versatile; he can play center or wing, up-and-down in the lineup. He’s taken a huge step forward offensively over the last two seasons. Adding him would make Calgary’s top-nine absolutely loaded.

Boston Bruins: C Tomáš Hertl (SJ) The Bruins need to fill the second-line center void David Krejci left when he retired from the NHL see NHL PAGE 14

in the event earlier this year, but he was unable to replicate this record setting performance at the NCAA championships asheranoutofsteamduringthefinal 100m of the race.

Is Lamar Jackson a Pro Bowl quarterback?

Thomas Zwiller Sports Writer

Lamar Jackson might be one of the most exciting QBs in the NFL. In just his second year, the young phenom won MVP, taking the league by storm with his rushing performance.

Now, Jackson is entering his fifth year in the league and is negotiating his next contract on his own. Currently, he is guaranteed to make 23 million this season, which is a very team-friendly deal.

However, today I would rather focus on something else about Lamar (though I plan to look at a possible contract for him later). Instead, I want to see if Jackson should have made the Pro Bowl. Initially, Jackson made the AFC Pro Bowl Team with Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes. Jackson would go on to be the only one of the three to opt to not play.

The first place many people end up going to is a QB’s record, which for Lamar is 7-5.

However, a good mantra to follow in life is wins are not a QB stat. Just ask Bills QB Josh Allen after he played the Chiefs in the playoffs.

Instead of wins, you could look at Jacksons’ raw stats.

Through his 12 games played, Lamar attempted 382 passes, completing 246 of them (64.4%) for 2,882 yards, 16 TDs and 13 interceptions. And while raw stats are a decently good indicator of the quality of a QBs performance, context matters.

Jim McMahon had 15 TDs and 11 INTs, but the 1985 Bears are still considered one of the most feared Super Bowl teams.

When examining a QB, my favorite statistic is the adjusted passing metric from ProFootballReference.

The stat looks at a few statistics for a QB and compares them to the performances of other QBs: A 100 is considered average, above a 100 is above average and below a 100 is below average.

For example, in 2019 (Lamar’s MVP season), Lamar had a TD%+ of 143, the best in the league. However, in 2021, Lamar had a drastically worse adjusted passing.

Jackson was below average in most of the various categories measured such as adjusted yards per attempt, adjusted net yards per attempt and completion percentage. In his INT%+, he was dramatically below average (75), and his sack%+ was equally bad (77). Although, he

did perform above average in his yards per attempt index (108) and net yards per attempt index (102).

That results in an overall adjusted passing average of 93.2, meaning that Lamar had an overall below average performance this past season. That typically should not get you in the Pro Bowl.

If only there were a list of people who could have gone in place of Lamar. Oh wait, that list does exist. Since Lamar did not play in the Pro Bowl, the NFL made replacement selections to have three QBs per team. In place of Lamar, Josh Allen and Mac Jones were selected.

First, Allen had a much better season than Lamar from a raw stats perspective: he completed 63.3% of his passes for a total of 36 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and over 4,400 yards.

Mac had a less impressive season than Allen, but still a better season than Lamar.

Mac had just over 3,800 yards, 22 TDs and 13 INTs. He had a higher completion percentage (67.6%), but also had a smaller completed air-yards per completion of 5.8 to Allen’s 6.5.

However, as I said earlier, context matters; looking at Allen’s and Macs’ adjusted passing average (APA), Allen had an average of 101 and Mac 101.556.

So while Mac and Allen were both ever so slightly above average, they still were dramatically better than Lamar’s 93.2.

And looking at my projection model (ZLO), Allen was the eighth best passer in the NFL, and Jones was the 15th. Lamar Jackson ranked 35. That stat is not working against Lamar for his lack of games; my model works on a per-game basis. If Lamar had played more games and played at roughly the same level, that would put him at a similar spot in the pure passer rankings.

However, one place that APA is lacking (as is my pure passing stat) and Lamar is certainly not lacking is rushing stats.

Despite playing only 12 games, Lamar rushed for 767 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 5.8 yards per attempt. That figure is insane, ranking Lamar 35th in my rushing projections but second among QBs (only Jalen Hurts was higher, 26th).

Josh Allen ranked 43rd with 763 yards and six touchdowns but spread across 17 games.

Mac Jones ranks 347th

with 129 rushing yards but no rushing touchdowns.

Are Lamar’s rushing stats enough to overcome his deficiency as a passer?

My answer: yes and no. That is not me coping out. I think that Lamar’s rushing ability makes him better than Mac Jones, who is a liability when not in the pocket. However, I think Josh Allen is a genuine threat outside of the pocket and that his rushing ability, while not the same as Lamar’s, is enough to cancel it out.

When combining my projection model’s pure passer and rushing stats, Lamar is overall a 154.77 (83.97 as a passer, 71.80 as a rusher).

Lamar is undoubtedly better than Mac who has a 137.73 passer, but a negative rushing value of -13.53 (124.20).

However, Allen is incredibly more valuable: He is a 180.14 passer, and as a rusher, he is valued at 59.44 points (239.58).

And remember, my projections model takes the collective stats of players, converts them to the universal measurement metric and divides them by the total games played. ZLO is NOT punishing Lamar for a lack of games played.

The answer is clear; Lamar should not have made the Pro Bowl. Instead, Josh Allen should have taken his place.

This is not to say that Lamar Jackson is a poor QB by any means. On my show, ”The Touchdown Rundown,“ I have repeatedly said that Lamar can be a better QB when he has better weapons, and I stand by that. Mark Andrews is ZLO’s highest-graded tight end. Except for Andrews, the Ravens do not have a passcatcher rated inside the top-40.

Should the Ravens bolster their interior offensive line and improve their wide receiver corps, Lamar would be able to make strides as a passer. In his career, when Lamar has 2.5+ seconds in the pocket, he has a passer rating of 106.6.

When it is less than, it drops to a rating of 94.

That would be my draft advice to the Ravens.

Take a lineman in the first round, and then try to acquire a wide receiver.

Contact Thomas Zwiller at tzwiller@hcc-nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

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ND baseball

No. 1 Irish baseball overcomes pressure to blast Valparaiso Beacons at home

By AIDAN THOMAS Sports Editor

On Tuesday afternoon, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish played their home opener at Frank Eck Stadium. And, for the first time in 21 years, the Irish entered the contest ranked No. 1 in the nation by a major poll.

Sitting atop both the Baseball America and Perfect Game polls, the Irish welcomed the Valparaiso Beacons.

“I was not going to ignore it. I told them it’s a reflection of how they played,” Irish head coach Link Jarrett said. “But it doesn’t mean anything when you walk out on the field.”

Jarrett also noted that he felt he needed to address the ranking to avoid the Irish playing with undue pressure.

And, despite the pressure of their vaunted ranking, the Irish enjoyed a stressfree midweek victory over their in-state opponent. The Irish scored a pair of runs in each of the first three innings to take early control of this one. Coupled with more outstanding pitching, the Irish cruised to a 12-1 victory over Valparaiso.

Senior right fielder Brooks

Coetzee led the Irish for a second straight nonconference game. He went 3-4, falling a triple short of the cycle.

He scored twice and drove in two runs, both of the latter on a monster home run in the third inning.

“They had been pitching me soft, so I was sitting on the offspeed pitch,” Coetzee noted.

“He gave me a curve and I put a good swing on it.”

Jarrett commented on Coetzee’s all-around talent on the diamond: “He can bunt, he can run the bases, and he might be the best right fielder I’ve ever coached.”

The Irish also received multi-hit performances from freshmen DM Jefferson and Jack Penney. Penney doubled twice, knocking in a run in the second and kickstarting a sixrun eighth inning.

The Irish started in ideal fashion, as freshman southpaw Jack Findlay retired the Beacons in order. He struck out the first two he faced with off-speed offerings. In the bottom half of the frame, the Irish pushed two runs across.

Sophomore center fielder TJ Williams walked and stole second. He scored when senior

Athletes earn accolades Sports Writer

The Irish track and field team traveled to Birmingham, Alabama, this past weekend for the 2022 NCAA Indoor National Championship. The men’s and women’s distance medley relay teams competed as well as four Irish in individual events.

Sophomore Jadin O’Brien kicked things off for the Irish, taking home fourth in the pentathlon.

O’Brien was stellar across the board in the pentathlon events, placing eighth in the 60m hurdles, 15th in the high jump, fifth in the shot put, fifth in the long jump and fourth in the 800m run. O’Brien received All-American accolades for her fourth-place finish.

Senior Dylan Jacobs also competed for the Irish in the 5000m run. Jacobs took home ninth place with a time of 13:31.43.

Jacobs was near the front of the heat for the majority of the race and finished within 15 seconds of the winner.

The men’s distance medley relay team also earned All-American recognition for their second place

and Coetzee made the Beacons pay. He launched his team-leading fifth home run, an absolute moonshot that cleared everything in left field, including the Frank Eck Stadium sign, which is well behind the 330foot marker on the left-field fence.

Coetzee’s blast made it 6-0, and the game settled down from there. Using the midweek game as an opportunity to see a bunch of arms, Jarrett rotated in six pitchers.

Findlay took the first turn through the order and fired 2.1 innings of shutout ball, allowing two hits. Senior Alex Rao cleaned up the third inning and fired a hitless fourth. Freshmen Caden Aoki and Roman Kimball were next in line and continued to fluster Valparaiso bats.

Aoki, in particular, impressed in two shutout innings. He struck out three, flashing a strong mix of pitches.

“We saw Caden do what he’s done against us in live pitching. Command of four pitches, he was good today,” Jarrett said.

Kimball issued two walks in the seventh but Valpo Paid Advertisement

ND Track and Field

By NATE MOLLER

left fielder Ryan Cole lashed a single to right field. Williams entered into the starting lineup two weekends ago and has made an immediate impact as the leadoff man.

“There’s an energy to his game that’s infectious. The guy wants to play,” Jarrett said, noting with a laugh that he sometimes has to tell Williams to stop diving to make catches in batting practice.

“The arm strength out there is elite. He adds a dimension out there that very few do.”

The Irish added another run later in the inning, as Cole scored on a sacrifice fly.

Findlay needed just five pitches in the second to induce three popouts, and the Irish then doubled their lead. This time, it was doubles from senior right fielder Brooks Coetzee and freshman second baseman Jack Penney bringing home the first tally.

Then, freshman designated hitter Jefferson sent Penney scampering home with an RBI single. The Irish completed their early-game onslaught in the third inning. Sophomore catcher Danny Neri sparked a rally with a two-out double,

finish with a time of 9:25.77. The Irish were in a distant fifth place when the baton was handed off to 2021 Olympian Yared Nuguse for the last leg of the relay. Nuguse, a graduate student was able to work his way back into the competition, kicking through the last 50m to pass third-place Wisconsin and secure second place by 0.01 seconds. Senior Sam Voelz, graduate student Max Frye and graduate student Tim Zepf ran the first three legs for the Irish.

The women’s distance medley relay team of graduate student Erin Sullivan, Jadin O’Brien, graduate student Katie Ryan and junior Olivia Markezich also competed, finishing eighth overall and receiving All-American honors. The relay team finished with a time of 11:05.60.

Graduate student Rachel Tanczos also competed in the weight throw, finishing fourth with a throw of 23.06m.

Tanczos earned All-American honors for the effort.

Maddy Denner also competed in the 5000m, running a time of 16:47.28, which earned her 16th see TRACK PAGE 12

couldn’t make strong contact, failing to generate any runs.

Ultimately, neither freshman wavered, maintaining the shutout through seven innings.

However, the Beacons did get one in the eighth. Irish junior reliever Liam Simon, making his first appearance since the season opener nearly a month ago, gave up a solo shot, cutting the Notre Dame lead to 6-1. The Irish responded, however, and eliminated all doubt regarding the outcome. Penney doubled, and Williams brought him home with a single. Senior pinch-hitter Jack Zyska then entered the game and, in just his ninth at-bat of the season, blasted his third long ball. That gave Notre Dame a 9-1 lead. Sophomore pinch-hitters Nick Juaire and Brady Gumpf ripped RBI doubles for three more runs. That extended the advantage to the final score of 12-1.

The Irish take on Louisville, on the road, in a conference series this weekend. The first game is Friday at 7 p.m.

Contact Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu

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Sports

The observer | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

ND swimming and diving

Brady, Straub, Thomas go to championships

By MADELINE LADD Sports Writer

Qualifying members of the Notre Dame Women’s Swim and Dive Team prepare to compete in the 2022 NCAA D1 Women’s Swimming Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, Wednesday to Saturday.

Senior Luciana Thomas was the only woman swimmer to qualify. She earned a spot in the 200 yard butterfly with a time of 1:55.06. The men’s competition will occur the following week, with competition happening March 23-26.

On the diving side of things, graduate student Kelly

Basketball Continued from page 16

he’ll need to be active early hitting shots for the Irish to win.

Overall, Rutgers should reveal a lot about Notre Dame’s odds are

NHL Continued from page 12

last summer. Hertl would do just that; he’s a top-notch goal-scorer with tremendous underlying numbers. Boston’s deepest runs have come when they aren’t a one-line team, and adding Hertl would make their top-six truly formidable.

St. Louis Blues: D Hampus Lindholm (ANA) The cost for Lindholm may be a bit too rich for St. Louis’ blood.

But one can dream, and adding Lindholm, even if it means subtracting from the forward core to make the cap work, might be enough to make the Blues Cup contenders. Their backend could

Straub and freshman Callie Brady punched their tickets to NCAAs after three days at the Zone C Championships.

At the championships, Straub placed third in the 1-meter with a combined score 589.55, giving her an automatic qualification.

She also placed fifth in the 3-meter, earning her another NCAA spot with a score of 635.10.

“I felt very strongly that Kelly would do what she needed to do to qualify,” head diving coach Mark Bradshaw said. “She did just that, competing very well. She’s had a wonderful career especially the last couple seasons. Now we are kind of pointing to her to

have a fantastic finish to her already tremendous Notre Dame career.”

Brady also earned an automatic qualification for NCAA’s in the 1-meter, placing ninth with a score of 556.45. She earned praise from Bradshaw regarding her performances at the Zone C Championships.

“It was a very strong performance for Callie to get her into that last qualifying spot for the one-meter,” Bradshaw said.

“Just making it out of the Zone against some pretty strong women is a tip of the hat to her and shows her hard work and strong attitude throughout the year.”

The two divers are on opposite

ends of the spectrum, with Straub at the end of her career and Brady’s just beginning.

This will be Straub’s second consecutive trip to the NCAA Championship. She competed in the 1-meter and platform events in 2021. Brady is competing in the 1-meter, earning a spot in her first collegiate season. Bradshaw said is looking forward to watching his two divers, both at different stages in life, compete in the national meet.

“I have two young women that are on different ends of the spectrum,” Bradshaw said. “I have a super senior in Kelly Straub — this is her last walkabout here.

Then I have a very enthusiastic and exciting young

freshman that’s getting some of these experiences for the first time. I think it’ll be a good week to have both those ends of the spectrum to sit back and watch.”

Brady and Straub compete in the 1-meter Thursday at McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, GA. Meanwhile, Straub’s 3-meter event will take place on Friday, March 18. Then, Notre Dame’s participation concludes with Thomas’ 200 meter butterfly swim on Saturday. The 2022 NCAA Division I women’s swimming and diving championships will be broadcasted on ESPN3.

of winning a round of 64 game if the Irish are able to advance.

The Scarlet Knights have the offensive capability to force Notre Dame to lock in defensively, something the Irish (80th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency) have struggled

to do this year. They’ll also force the Irish to figure out how to handle a physically dominant center, another matchup that has given Notre Dame’s defense headaches this year.

If Notre Dame can take down Rutgers, they’ll prove themselves

capable of stepping into a pressure game and playing their best basketball. And ability to play in the spotlight of an elimination game might be the most important characteristic the Irish can display if they want to make a run this

March.

Notre Dame men’s basketball takes on Rutgers Wednesday at 9:10pm ET. The game will be broadcasted on TruTV.

use another top-four caliber player, and Lindholm is that and then some.

Washington Capitals: G MarcAndré Fleury (CHI) I don’t know if Fleury would be willing to waive his no-move clause to go to the biggest rival of his longest tenure team, or anywhere, for that matter.

But the Capitals need a goaltender and need to maximize the beginning of the end of Alex Ovechkin’s dominant era. Fleury gives Washington the best odds of getting Ovi and friends another ring.

Los Angeles Kings: LW Jake DeBrusk (BOS) The 2015 1st round pick’s trade request is still on the table as far as we know. GM Rob Blake has

said the team wants to add some scoring but they don’t want to pay more than what they gave up (a 2nd and a 3rd) for Viktor Arvidsson last summer.

Minnesota Wild: C Max Domi (CBJ) If Ryan Hartman’s unexpected career year hits midnight sooner rather than later, it’d be nice to have another skilled option down the middle behind Joel Eriksson Ek. It’s not often that you can acquire a former 70-point player who has some snarl in their game for as cheap a price as Domi will likely command.

Nashville Predators: G Martin Jones (PHI) I’m not convinced the slumping Predators are in the

position to go all-in this year.

But an easy area to address is backup goaltending, as David Rittich has just a .894 save percentage this season.

Jones has bounced back with decent numbers in front of a horrid Philadelphia defense. Safe to say he’d do better behind Nashville’s strong defense.

Edmonton Oilers: G Semyon Varlamov (NYI) The Oilers want a goalie who has term on their contract, and Varlamov is basically the only plausible option that meets both criteria. Call this a win-win, as it allows the Islanders to formally turn over the starter’s role to Ilya Sorokin. And the Islanders need to clear up some cap

space to improve if they want to return to the playoffs next year.

Dallas Stars: LW Brandon Hagel (CHI) With veterans Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov, Dallas’ offense needs a shot in the arm to have a chance at making any sort of run this year. They also don’t have a lot of cap space, and like every team, wouldn’t mind getting younger. Hagel, a 25-year old scoring at a 52-point pace signed through 2024 at just $1.5 million, checks all the boxes.

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Contact Madeline Ladd at mladd2@nd.edu

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

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Fencing Continued from page 16

record, the only fencer without a loss on Saturday. He was followed by fellow senior Andrew Machovec who went 10-3 and won the silver. Junior Marcello Olivares went 9-4 to finish fourth in what is Notre Dame’s best weapon on the men’s side.

The final Irish medalist was senior Stephen Ewart who went 15-1 and won the gold for Notre Dame in the epee. Of the five Irish epeeists at the meet, the next best Irish finisher was junior ACC runner-up Hunter Candreva who finished fifth overall.

Notre Dame Fencing will be back in action when they host the NCAA Championships March 24 to 27 and seek to defend their titles at the Castellan Family Fencing Center.

Contact Jose Sachez Cordova at jsach24@nd.edu

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16

The observer | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

ND Men’s Basketball

Notre Dame men’s basketball prepares for First Four matchup against Rutgers in Dayton, Ohio

By J.J. Post Sports Writer

courtesy of DAVID WELKER |ACC

Irish senior guard Dane Goodwin defends against V T’s Hunter Cattoor during the third round of the New York Life ACC tournament.

Wednesday night Notre Dame men’s basketball will begin their March Madness campaign. The Irish drew Rutgers in the 11 seed play-in game on Selection Sunday, sending the team to Dayton for a First Four showdown.

The Scarlet Knights loom as an interesting matchup for the Irish.

Rutgers is a well balanced team.

They’re rock-solid and tireless defensively, anchored by Big Ten defensive player of the year Caleb McConnell. They can score both from deep (leading scorer Ron Harper Jr. shoots 39% from three) as well as down low (sophomore center Cliff Omoruyi averages almost 12 points per game).

But perhaps Rutgers’ most valuable characteristic is their experience. Between the Scarlet Knights’ starting five of Geo Baker, Ron Harper Jr., Paul Mulcahey, Caleb McConnell, and Cliff Omoruyi, there’s 16 seasons of starting

experience in some capacity. Three of those five are seniors, and the junior Mulcahey has been a consistent member of head coach Steve Pikiell’s rotation since 2019.

Though the Scarlet Knights have only just one tournament appearance in Pikiell’s tenure, the core of their team has played together for three years now. They have a certain chemistry that enhances their game.

To get past Rutgers and advance to the round of 64 against Alabama, Notre Dame will have to answer a few major questions. The first is how the Irish will contain Cliff Omoruyi. Paul Atkinson has quietly had an excellent season as the Irish’s starting center and go-to post presence, but he hasn’t had to square off with many players as outright physically dominant as Omoruyi. The 6’11 sophomore from Benin City, Nigeria likes to power his way into the post with pure strength and athletic ability, often finishing off his rim attacks with aggressive dunks. Atkinson

has excelled at playing with finesse this season, but will face perhaps his toughest task yet locking down Omoruyi.

Another key for the Irish will be figuring out how to get Dane Goodwin involved. Goodwin has been one of Notre Dame’s top scoring threats this season- except for games the Irish lose. In seven of Notre Dame’s ten defeats, Goodwin has posted scoring numbers below his season average. Most notably, this includes each of the team’s last five losses.

Conversely, in games where the junior guard outscores his season average, the Irish are 16-3. Notre Dame’s offense, currently ranked 28th by Barttorvik.com in adjusted efficiency, excels in spreading the points around. Five Irish players average more than nine points per game, but none average more than 15. But Goodwin especially helps force opponents to respect Notre Dame’s spacing from distance, and see BASKETBALL PAGE 14

ND Fencing

Irish Fencing dominates NCAA Regionals ahead of upcoming championships

By JOSE SANCHEZ CORDOVA Sports Writer

Fencing competed in the NCAA Midwest Regional in Columbus, Ohio, last Saturday, their final outing before they host the NCAA Championships starting March 24. Notre Dame came away with wins in five of the six weapons, and an additional six medals as they continued their excellent form from the ACC Championships.

The Irish entered the weekend as heavy favorites against a field that included many of their regular-season rivals.

Northwestern and hosts Ohio State offered the biggest test for the defending national champions. Despite this, in seven matches against the Wildcats and Buckeyes during the regular season, Notre Dame’s team went a combined 6-1 with the only loss coming against Northwestern back in January.

The Irish lived up to expectations as 11 of their 19 fencers left Columbus with a medal.

Women’s epee was an especially dominant weapon, with all three Irish fencers placing on the podium. The trio was led by freshman Kaylin Sin Yan Hsieh,

who went 14-1 to finish ahead of teammates senior Miriam Grady and sophomore Amanda Pirkowski, who each won 13 bouts to earn the silver and bronze medals, respectively.

Women’s saber also saw a dominant performance from sophomore Atara Greenbaum, who went 15-1 en route to winning the gold medal for the Irish. Fellow sabers freshman Jadeyn Williams and senior Kara Linder finished just off the podium in fourth and fifth, respectively. Women’s foil was the only weapon where the Irish failed to win gold, but freshman Nicole Pustilnik claimed the silver and freshman Rebeca Candescu the bronze.

On the men’s side, Notre Dame won all three weapons, locking out the top two in saber and foil.

In the saber, senior Jared Smith kept the momentum from his ACC Championship win, going 11-1 to claim the gold. His only loss came against his teammate, sophomore Luke Linder who went 10-2 and won the silver.

The foil saw senior Nick Itkin win the gold with a perfect 13-0 HANNAH HUELSKAMP | The Observer

see FENCING PAGE 14

Zoe Barnette fences for the Irish at the Decicco Duals, a successful meet foreshadowing the strong team going into NCAA championships this year at Notre Dame’s Castellan Family Fencing Center after regionals.