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Volume 55, Issue 60 | Friday, april 16, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
Students unite in prayer University raises Take Back the Night offers prayer vigil for survivors tuition by 2% By MAGGIE EASTLAND By ALYSA GUFFEY
Associate News Editor
Notre Dame News Editor
The tri-campus community celebrated Take Back the Night Wednesday evening with a candlelight prayer vigil on South Quad. A large group of marchers — chanting and carrying posters — circled God Quad before congregating around the stage set up for the service. “No means no. Whatever we wear. Wherever we go. Survivors unite. Take back the night,” the marchers chanted and echoed before sitting down. To begin the service, interim director of the Notre Gender
Maggie Eastland | The Observer
see VIGIL PAGE 3
Students participated in Take Back the Night Wednesday evening. The annual event supports survivors of interpersonal and sexual violence.
Holy Cross to require vaccination Observer Staff Report
Holy Cross College President Fr. David Tyson announced in a Wednesday email that Holy Cross will require all students coming to campus for the fall 2021 semester to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. “Achieving herd immunity on campus will mean so much for the normalcy, vitality, and even joy of our shared common life,” Tyson said. Tyson said students with
religious or medical exemptions will be accommodated. Dean and vice president of student life Andrew Polaniecki will provide more details about the requirement at a later date, according to the email. Tyson also encouraged students to take advantage of the vaccination opportunity for Holy Cross students at Saint Mary’s Friday or at any other vaccine location before the semester ends.
Costs to attend Notre Dame are set to increase 2% for the 2021-2022 academic year, as set by the Board of Trustees earlier this semester, according to University spokesman Dennis Brown. 2% is the lowest percentage increase at the University in more than 50 years, Brown said. “The trustees and officers of the University are keenly aware of the difficulties many families have faced due to the pandemic,” Brown said. Tuition costs for the University are set to increase 1.98% for the 2021-2022 academic year, from $57,699 to $58,843, according to
data from the Office of Financial Aid website. Room and board costs will also increase by $320, or 2%, going from $15,984 to $16,304 to live on campus. After added expenses, the 20212022 total cost of attendance will be roughly $78,347. Brown said parents and guardians are notified of tuition costs and expected financial aid via student account invoicing. Brown said the University expects need-based financial aid to increase by approximately 6% for the upcoming year. The 1.98% increase is lower than in past years where a 3.7% increase was a consistent trend. In 2018, see TUITION PAGE 3
ND to ease restrictions Observer Staff Report
In a recent email to the Notre Dame community, University President Father John Jenkins announced that 90% of undergraduates and professional students have received at least the first dose of a vaccine — thus meeting the University’s previously announced vaccination goal — and that some protocols will be lifted April 21. “Among groups with the highest COVID infection rates, undergraduates and professional students, 90% have either been fully vaccinated or have received
the first dose of a two-dose series,” Jenkins said in the email. “These percentages will allow us to move ahead with relaxing some campus health protocols, as previously announced.” Despite the time needed for the vaccine to reach maximum effectiveness, Jenkins said that beginning April 21 — the last “mini-break” day of the semester — the University will allow students to visit one another in the 24-hour spaces of residence halls, raise the maximum number for informal and outdoor gatherings from 10 to 25, eliminate the mask requirement when outdoors in
groups of 25 or fewer and reinstall basketball rims and volleyball nets. Students will hear more information about the new protocols from vice president for campus safety and university operations Mike Seamon and vice president for student affairs Erin Hoffmann Harding, the email said. The email also reminded students who have just received their first dose to receive their second dose of the vaccine anto continue following those health protocols that remain unchanged see RESTRICTIONS PAGE 5
ND alum addresses Church property crisis With ownership of around 177 million acres of land, the Catholic Church is the largest non-governmental landowner in the world. But with not all clergy and parish finance councils having the proper training and resources necessary to properly utilize this property, Notre Dame alumnus David Murphy realized the Church
is missing out on opportunities all around the world to engage with its extensive property to advance the Catholic mission. Several dioceses across the country — such as Pittsburgh and Chicago — are contracting and merging parishes Murphy, now a Holy Cross seminarian, said. Murphy teamed up with the Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate (FIRE) to explore how to help struggling parishes gain the resources
they need to more effectively utilize their property. After graduating in 2014, Murphy eventually wound up in San Diego as a Navy helicopter pilot. While attending a local parish, he noticed the Church had lots of valuable, underutilized property. Murphy addressed this issue by founding Quo Vadis, a non-profit organization that places young adults in Catholic properties to help revitalize parishes and better utilize the
property. Murphy’s work at Quo Vadis led him to connect with FIRE and begin to confront the Church’s property issue. Murphy said the ability to consult with real estate experts at FIRE proved to be invaluable, especially considering he has no formal real estate background. “I would pick up the phone and have access to alums [and] people who are industry experts in this to kind of say like, ‘Hey, I’m seeing
this, why?’ And they’d be like, ‘Oh you know here’s a great answer,’” Murphy said. He referred to his role as that of a “bridge builder” — he directs owners of Church-owned property to the proper channels where they can find people who have the resources and know-how to properly engage the property. “FIRE’s role is much more of a
NEWS PAGE 4
Viewpoint PAGE 7
Scene PAGE 9
W LaX PAGE 16
Softball PAGE 16
By RYAN PETERS Associate News Editor
see PROPERTY PAGE 4
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Notre Dame students enjoy time outdoors with the recent reintroduction of the lawn furniture on both North and South Lawns. Temperatures will be mild this weekend. Outdoor gathering guidelines are set to change from a group limit of 10 to 25 on April 21.
The next Five days:
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Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
MFA candidate thesis exhibition O’Shaughnessy 10 a.m. Art exhibition from the MFA candidates
Basilica Mass Basilica of the Sacred Heart 10 a.m. and noon All are welcome to attend.
“Education’s End” Virtual 9:35 a.m. Discussion with Anthony Kronman, Yale Law School.
“Public Service Motivation” Virtual 12:30 p.m. Presentation given by James Perry.
“Pausa Caffè: Espresso e Cappuccino” Online via Zoom 9:15 a.m. Online tutorial.
Sorin’s Kick-it for Kevin McGlinn Fields 11 a.m. Fundraiser for cancer research.
Notre Dame Day virtual 6:42 p.m. Annual day of fundraising for University clubs.
Notre Dame Day pt. 2 virtual 6:42 p.m. Annual day of fundraising for University clubs.
“Exploring NonAcademic CareersConsulting” via Zoom 3 p.m. Panel Discussion.
Promoting Human Flourishing in Centeral America Zoom Webinar 1 p.m. Panel Discussion.
News
Vigil Continued from page 1
Relations Center John Johnstin said the event aimed to welcome any and all faiths. “Tonight is about solidarity of all of our different faith traditions and spiritual beliefs. [They] all have a place here tonight, and we welcome you,” Johnstin said. In his introduction of the service, Johnstin also said the purpose of the event would be to pray for guidance to help end violence. “We now gather to pray, to ask God to heal us and to inspire us with the courage to remove violence from our communities,” he said. Following Johnstin’s introduction, senior Emily Oppman from Saint Mary’s College took the stage to introduce the Saint Mary’s acapella group, BellaCapella. The group sang a song titled “Quiet” by singer-songwriter Connie K. Lim, otherwise known as MILCK. “I can’t keep quiet,” the group sang. “They may see a monster. They may run away, but I have to do this. I can’t keep quiet.” After the song, Brother Bill Zaydak of Holy Cross College led a prayer for healing and an end to violence. “Merciful God,” Zaydak prayed with the crowd, “Throughout history you have manifested your love and care for those who have suffered from violence, hatred, and oppression. We ask healing for all who have been harmed by violence and for all who love them.” Zaydak concluded the prayer by calling for God to continue to encourage the community to oppose violence and harm. “Inspire us gathered together here tonight to continue to stand against violence and to walk with those harmed,” he said. Following the prayer, Notre Dame sophomore Molly Doerfler read from the book of Isaiah. “The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard,” Doerfler read
ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, april 16, 2021 | The Observer
from chapter 58 of Isaiah. “Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer. You shall cry for help, and he will say: here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the accusing finger and malicious speech, if you lavish your food on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness, and your gloom will become like midday.” Next, Holy Cross senior and student body president William Skoch, led the intercessory prayers, asking for God’s guidance to overcome hate and violence through the Church and the leaders of society. Skoch also prayed for the many campuses across the U.S. participating in Take Back the Night. “For all campuses across the country, taking back the night, may their voices be a witness to the power of speaking against silence, and may their marching be a sign of solidarity with survivors,” Skoch said. He also prayed for healing for survivors of sexual assault, dating violence, human trafficking, stalking or any other form of violence. “May they find power in Christ’s example as a healer to bind the wounds caused by violence,” Skoch said. The service concluded with information on returning to residence halls safely, the Lord’s prayer and a moment of candlelight solidarity before attendees departed in silence. Zaydak said the candles are a symbol of hope and prayed while those in attendance held a candle. “Help us to remember that all the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of your love and the power of your healing,” Zaydak prayed. “Help us to keep lighting candles of hope, until justice prevails and violence no longer finds a place.” Contact Maggie Eastland at meastlan@nd.edu
Tuition Continued from page 1
University President Fr. John Jenkins indicated that the 3.6% increase for the 2018-2019 term was “the lowest in 50 years.” On Feb. 12, Saint Mary’s announced a 5% increase in tuition costs with a freeze on room and board expenses. The College indicated that the decision was given close consideration due to financial factors caused by the pandemic. Both decisions by the University and College to raise tuition come as other colleges in Indiana have announced tuition freezes. Butler University declared Jan. 28 that
its rates would remain the same while Purdue University has not raised tuition since the 20122013 academic year. Nationally, private universities are divided in how to approach setting tuition as a response to the pandemic. Stanford University will keep tuition flat while “modestly raising” room and board, stating the pandemic “has brought many students and families increased stress and uncertainty about their finances and their health.” The University of Southern California announced in an email March 23 that it will also increase tuition by 2% — the
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school’s lowest increase since 1967. Aware of the serious issue of rising tuition, Brown said the University is aware of the economic reality of higher education as a labor and capital intensive endeavor. “Our abiding commitment is to continue providing an unsurpassed educational experience, while at the same time doing all we can to minimize our spending and, most importantly, maximize the financial aid we provide to our students and their families,” Brown said. Contact Alysa Guffey at aguffey@nd.edu
SENATE
Senate grants emeritus status to former leaders By MEGAN FAHRNEY News Writer
The 2021-2022 student senate convened for its second meeting Thursday night in DeBartolo Hall. Three resolutions were unanimously passed at the meeting, bestowing emeritus status on 20202021 student body president senior Rachel Ingal, vice president senior Sarah Galbenski and chief of staff senior Aaron Benavides. Student body vice president junior Matthew Bisner read the resolutions aloud, each of which were followed by commentary from attendees. “Rachel served as an unwavering advocate for the student body in her role by working to amplify the voices of every member of the Notre Dame community and accompanying the student body throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” Bisner said. Student body president junior Allan Njomo commended Ingal
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on an “excellent job” in transitioning into her role as president at the beginning of the pandemic. Galbenski and Benavides were also praised following the reading of the resolutions which granted them emeritus status. Walsh senator and first-years student Ava Downey said she has loved living a few doors down from Galbenski in Walsh Hall. “Sarah has been a good friend and a good mentor,” Downey said. Chief of staff and junior Alix Basden said Benavides is kind, funny and approachable. “I have really big shoes to fill after Aaron in this role,” Basden said. “Aaron has always been someone I’ve looked up to.” Editor’s Note: Aaron Benavides is a former news writer for The Observer. Ingal, Galbenski and Benavides were in attendance at the meeting. Prior to the passage of the resolutions, nominations to the 2021-2022 Student Union Board (SUB) Executive Board were
unanimously confirmed. There was a motion to dispense of the hearing of the letters of SUB and there were no questions for any of the nominees. SUB executive director and junior Kate McLaughlin took questions pertaining to SUB from meeting attendees. A former Duncan senator, sophomore Cian James Conroy, asked McLaughlin questions about a number of SUB-related issues. He asked about the equity of the SUB member selection process and the transparency of SUB’s internal financing. Junior Matthew Hall and first-year Lily Condodina were confirmed as co-directors of programming, junior Catherine Fitzpatrick was confirmed as director of operations, first-year Ava Bidner was confirmed as director of publicity, sophomore Jing Tong was confirmed as director of art and junior Olivia Balcer was confirmed as director of finance. Following the SUB nominations, elections for the Committee on the Constitution were carried out. Six people nominated themselves to the committee and attendees voted on their confirmation. All nominees were confirmed. Also on the agenda was a presentation on writing resolutions from the student union parliamentarian, sophomore Madison Nemeth. Nemeth walked senators through the necessary steps to write successful resolutions, orders and letters to the Office of Student Affairs on behalf of the student senate. At the end of the meeting, Bisner offered a new order of business on the agenda for next week: changes to Welcome Weekend. The meeting concluded with announcements on upcoming campus-wide and hall events. Two events promoted were SUB’s last two events of AnTostal celebration week and Lewis Hall’s LHOP (Lewis House of Pancakes) event Saturday night. Contact Megan Fahrney at mfahrney@nd.edu
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NEWS
The observer | Friday, april 16, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
Property Continued from page 1
think tank,” Murphy said. “We would hand off the actual execution to the pastor with the people to do the action part of it.” To do this, Murphy developed a database with examples of possibilities of how to transform a property. He said these possibilities in the “playbook” include turning vacant or new properties into coffee shops, women’s shelters, retreat centers, young adult housing and more. ‘We’re just scratching the surface’: Student team addresses school closures Over the winter session, Murphy led two student teams from FIRE in projects addressing the Church property issues. Murphy assisted sophomore Lauren Vallace and junior Josef Weber, as the students worked together to gather data from the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) to diagnose reasons for why Catholic schools across the country are shutting down and to make recommendations about how these properties can be repurposed and more effectively used. With almost no information
about repurposing Catholic schools for public use, Vallace said Murphy gave her and Weber a lot of autonomy to decide how to go about the project. “[Murphy] said ‘This is your project. You find what you’re interested in and roll with it because we’re literally scratching the surface on all this — there’s no data out on any of it,’” Vallace said. One of the first people Vallace consulted was the pastor at her own local parish, St. Francis Xavier, because it had merged with another parish. She said her pastor put her in contact with the real estate sales manager at the Archdiocese of Chicago, which proved to be a strong starting point for Vallace. Vallace and Weber began by going through the NCEA’s list of school closures and seeing if the parishes had policies regarding who the property could be leased out to. “The majority of them literally had nothing on their website about it whatsoever, and so that’s when we really, at least me and Joseph, really realized our work is extremely necessary right now because once they hit that point [considering selling property] most of these dioceses have no idea what to do from there,” Vallace said.
Vallace said this step was complex because if the property is used for a for-profit activity, it will lose its status as property tax exempt. Additionally, she said the parishes are bound to Canon Law, and selling a Church asset requires approval from multiple levels. Vallace and Weber then conducted more interviews to assist them in creating a document with a list of examples of how to repurpose closed Catholic schools. After gathering data for their document, Vallace and Weber began sharing ideas with South Bend parish St. Adalbert’s with the goal of eventually working on-site at the parish. “I think actually being able to be on site and doing this in real time will really help us to revise [the data set] in any way we can and make it even more helpful for all,” Vallace said. Vallace added that FIRE hopes to further collaborate with the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) to help Church leaders gain the access and resources necessary to act on the data gathered by Vallace, Weber and FIRE. “We’re in such a unique position because Notre Dame is able to take on this huge leadership role and just get the ball rolling with this,“ Vallace said. “And you know we can
make really fast moves in terms of kind of addressing the issue.” Students aid struggling Chicago parishes The other FIRE student team working on Murphy’s initiative over winter break consisted of junior Hailey Maggelet and fifth-year architecture student Macartan Commers. The two students evaluated six Church properties around the Bronzeville neighborhood in Chicago. Maggelet and Commers were tasked with developing recommendations for the parishes instructing them how to utilize the properties without selling them. They also ensured the properties complied with zoning ordinances. “And that kind of drove a lot of our recommendations, just kind of looking at what aligns with the Catholic Church, what is actually a viable option and how can we make it as low cost as possible,” Maggelet said. In addition to working remotely, Maggelet said another difficulty was that the old age of some of the churches posed structural issues, which made designing new purposes for the buildings difficult. “A lot of these buildings were built in the early 1900s and so they had a lot of structural issues,” she
said. However, Maggelet said one parish, Holy Angels, had a newer campus which allowed for more opportunities. As part of their recommendation for the property, Maggelet and Commers proposed the idea of opening up a thrift or resale store and installing solar panels on the roof of the school. “We can cut the property maintenance costs and electricity bills and you can actually make some money from [the solar panels], and you don’t really have to do much for it,” Maggelet said. Other recommendations from the students included converting the convent at St. Anselm parish into affordable housing and turning the vacant school at St. Ambrose parish into a trade school. Maggelet said the project over winter break was just the “tip of the iceberg“ and she is excited for the future possibilities that this initiative presents. “I definitely see potential for our work going somewhere and having an impact with these different parishes that really face adversity and have pretty difficult monetary situations,” Maggelet said. Contact Ryan Peters at rpeters5@nd.edu
Workshop aims to guide incoming students By TRINITY REILLY News Writer
Many first-years arrive on campus feeling overwhelmed by the club fair and not sure how to start getting involved at Notre Dame. First-year Anjali Pellegrin said she felt that way when she got to Notre Dame and felt called to help future students hit the ground running. She contacted her friend Dane Sherman about ways to help incoming students, especially those interested in political involvement and activism. Editor’s Note: Dane Sherman is a former news writer at The Observer. They decided to put together the ND Activism Workshop, a virtual panel designed to connect admitted students with student leaders on campus so that prospective students can start to form an idea of what their life would look like at Notre Dame, Pellegrin said. “Being a first year, one of the most frustrating things was coming out of high school super involved, and then not having a place to put that energy into,” she said. “We hope to make that experience better for the people who come behind us, so they don’t have to go through that.” Sherman said he felt similarly when he first arrived on campus, especially because he was not sure where to find students with interests like his own, which especially center around political activism. “I was really scared coming to Notre Dame, that I wouldn’t find other people who were similarly politically engaged or active in the same ways that I wanted to be in my college experience,” he said. The two noted they knew about an event Stanford had thrown for admitted students which
showcased organizations on campus. However, Notre Dame said they did not want to participate in the workshop, so Pellegrin and Sherman decided to organize it on their own. Sherman said he was optimistic about the workshop despite Notre Dame not wanting to collaborate, because throwing it independently has allowed them to showcase what life is really like as a Notre Dame student. “It’s going to be a very real event in the sense that it’s run by current students. We want to provide that experience for people who are considering coming to Notre Dame
and give them an understanding of what it means to be a Notre Dame student,” he said. Pellegrin and Sherman said they wanted to include a variety of organizations that reflect campus life, including those that do work on campus, in South Bend and even on the national level. Some of the clubs attending include Irish for Reproductive Health, Right to Life, Sunrise South Bend and the Student Policy Network. “We decided that we wanted to be very upfront about the political diversity that exists on our campus,” Pellegrin said. “There’s a lot of these kids with a wide array of
interests, and I want to be sure that we’re catering to everyone.” At the workshop, each organization will have a few minutes to speak, with time left at the end for questions, he said. Prospective students will also get the chance to be put into breakout rooms with organizations they found particularly compelling so that they can learn more and become connected before arriving to campus. Pellegrin said they were able spread the word about the ND Activism Workshop through Instagram, especially by collaborating with the ND Class of 2025 account owners.
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She said she hopes that students who attend realize the scope of the communities there are on Notre Dame’s campus and feel encouraged to attend the university. “I hope first and foremost that the students that come can see that Dane and I are organizing this because we love our university ...” she said. “It’s possible to recognize the flaws of your university and still love it. We want to let people know that there is a place for their thought and their passions here on campus.” Contact Trinity Reilly at treilly5@nd.edu
News
ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, april 16, 2021 | The Observer
Sorin to hold ‘Kick-It for Kevin’ By ISABELLA VOLMERT Assistant Managing Editor
One $50 dollar donation funds one hour of childhood cancer research. This year’s Kick-It for Kevin kickball tournament sponsored by Sorin College has already raised enough money to fundraise over 80 hours of research. The teams, such as “We Won Beyonce, But Can We Beytwice?”, “Preston’s Prestigious Pack of Powerful Punters,” “Knott Losing” and many others, will face off this weekend during Sorin’s annual kickball tournament Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the McGlinn Fields. Kick-It for Kevin is Sorin’s signature fundraising event named after former Sorin resident Kevin Healey who died in 2009 after a long fight against cancer during his sophomore year. “Kick-It for Kevin is definitely a cherished event here in Sorin,” dorm president sophomore Victor Wicks said. After Healey’s death in April of 2009, Sorin residents decided to establish a tradition in his honor, Sorin rector Fr. Bob
Loughery said. Fr. Loughery began his time as rector in Sorin the following August. “It was an initiative of his friends who were classmates of his,” Fr. Loughery said. This year will be the twelfth annual Kick-It for Kevin kickball tournament, “Only the location has changed,” Fr. Loughery said. Every year, the event fund raises for Alex’s Lemonade Stand, a foundation that supports childhood cancer research, patients and their families. Teams are encouraged to fundraise online through the tournament’s official website. The team that fundraises the most will get a special prize — a free meal with Fr. Pete McCormick. Individuals can donate to a specific team or to the tournament as a whole. Wicks said the recommended, but not mandatory, donation amount per team is $50, which funds that one hour of cancer research. “So far we’ve had terrific results,” Wicks said on Wednesday. “We are a quarter of a way to our goal.” As of Thursday evening, the event has raised $5,497 out of
their $15,000 goal. Teams and players are not limited to the Sorin residents. “Anyone and everyone can sign up!” Wicks said. Kick-It for Kevin commissioner Carter Day said their goal this year is to have teams from across the campus participate, as in recent years, teams have mostly been composed of Sorin residents. “This year we wanted to go a lot bigger and spread it across campus and get a lot of teams from other dorms to come and play,” he said. Their goal is to have a team from each dorm, Wicks said. “We just want more fundraising for the children … More people means more fundraising which means more lives saved!” In a typical year, the tournament takes place in the fall semester. However last semester, kickball was still an unapproved sport by SAO. The team decided to move the event to the spring and have it, pun intended, kick off Secession Week. “Secession Week is the week during which Sorin celebrates its secession from the University in 1969 in protest
of the Vietnam War,” Wicks explained. “That’s when we went from Sorin Hall to Sorin College.” Other Secession Week events this year include an outdoor version of Sorin’s spring formal, a talent show and the premiere of a spin on Sorin’s traditional “Survivor” competition. Sorin residents have been filming the competition since the fall semester and have made their own show with the results. The first two episodes will premiere Thursday of Secession Week. Day said some of the best parts of the Kick-It for Kevin in the past have been sharing camaraderie with other Sorin residents will having fun in the sun. “And this year we really want to share that camaraderie beyond the dorm,” Wicks added. Wicks also said the event is a great way to enjoy time outside, all while for a good cause. “Good vibes all around,” he concluded. Contact Isabella at ivolmert@nd.edu
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Restrictions Continued from page 1
— masking indoors, carrying a mask at all times, maintaining physical distancing, hand-washing and completing the Daily Health Check. “I am tremendously proud of the way our campus has responded to this challenging year, and we have much to celebrate,” Jenkins said in the email. “At the same time, I urge you to continue to exercise caution and follow our health protocols.” Jenkins also said the University will soon announce expanded opportunities for graduating students soon and will provide an update on surveillance and exit testing protocols for students that have been fully vaccinated. Jenkins thanked Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, the Indiana Department of Health, county health officials, students who have been vaccinated and all who have worked at the oncampus vaccination site — especially volunteers — for helping reach this first goal. “In my visits to the site, I found the cooperative, generous spirit of all involved simply inspiring,” he said in the email. “I cannot thank enough those members of our community, and all those who have worked tirelessly over the past year to respond to the challenges of COVID.”
NASA recognizes ND undergraduate students By GABRIELLE PENNA News Writer
In Aug. 2020, NASA launched the Student Payload Opportunity with Citizen Science (SPOCS). The competition was open to college, university, and graduate students interested in researching topics related to bacteria resistance and sustainability, both of which are critical to further deep space exploration. Last summer, Katy Ryan, a senior majoring in biological sciences with a minor in Irish Studies, stumbled upon a tweet promoting the SPOCS competition as a way to get involved in space science research. “That’s a pretty hard field to break into, so I leapt at the chance,” she said. In the last few days of August, she began to form a team. By the second week of Sept., she had three students — Notre Dame students sophomore Gracy Ryan and senior Andrea Lebron and University of Arizona student Ryan O’Hara — ready to enter the competition with her. Not long after, Dr. Joshua Shrout, associate professor of civil engineering and biological sciences, agreed to work with them as their advisor. With a deadline of Oct. 20, the team, who named themselves the Vulcans, had less than two months to work on a 55page proposal. “Our team met every week in person and over Zoom and spent numerous hours throughout each
week working on it,” Katy Ryan said. Katy Ryan said their team was at a great disadvantage. Most other teams not only consisted of more people, but many had been aware of the competition and had been working on their projects for almost a year. “One of the funded teams had over 20 students dedicated to working on their project but was incorporated in a larger space club of thousands of students and numerous advisors on campus — including a former astronaut — who were able to pitch in,” Katy Ryan said. Even so, the team was not discouraged; they had work that needed to be done. Lebron, also a senior biological sciences major, explained the aims of their proposal; it was designed to better quantify and characterize fundamental biological changes that take place in microorganisms exposed to microgravity. The Vulcans planned to do so by examining differences in growth, mutagenic frequency (how often bacteria mutates), spectrum of mutations (types of mutations seen) in two bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAO1) and VCS1, when exposed to microgravity as compared to Earth. Additionally, their plan sought to determine and quantify how microgravity affects differences in motility — a measurement of how well the bacteria can move — and nutrient availability.
“Understanding these fundamental changes better could potentially help us create more effective treatments for diseases caused by microorganisms in space, which would better prepare astronauts for the deep-space travel required in future Artemis missions.” Katy Ryan said. Their research did not stop there. It also included extensive citizen science and educational outreach programs that aimed to engage future researchers and scientists and enable them to learn more about the ISS and bacterial resistance. Their comprehensive outreach plan aimed to closely involve the general public in their findings. Results regarding which groups were finalists was set to come out in an email in the final weeks of of the 2020 fall semester. Grace Ryan, a business analytics major and project leader in the SIBC STEM Division, recalled the day as nerve-racking. “I remember how incredibly nervous we all were the day finalists were supposed to be announced. Our anticipation only worsened as the announcement was then delayed, but then we finally received an email,” Grace Ryan said. Their team had been selected as finalists. Katy Ryan can still envision waking up to the news. “I remember falling asleep listening to NASA’s “Houston We Have a Podcast” and dreaming about space, only to be woken up to a phone call the next morning from
Andy celebrating our placement as finalists in a nation-wide NASA competition,” Katy Ryan said Grace Ryan echoed her excitement. “I still can’t explain the feeling of reading [the email]; it was a moment of pure joy in realizing that all of our hard work and dedication had ultimately created something NASA approved of and saw potential in,” Grace Ryan said. Making it to this round, their team had to present their proposal virtually to a panelist of scientists, engineers and educators in December. Although the Vulcans did not receive the $20,000 prize in funding that would allow them to send their experiment to space, making the final round was a tremendous accomplishment. Because this space-researchbased competition was unique to other programs at Notre Dame, it called on the participants to use and discover new skills. Grace Ryan specifically felt changed because of it. “This experience has given me the inspiration to push past my comfort zone and further pursue my passions for space science and exploration. It’s encouraged me to expand my involvement in STEM and ultimately look towards a future that can involve these interests,” Grace Ryan said. Lebron encourages other students to do the same — to pursue activities that do not always align
with their studies. “Follow opportunities that you just don’t think you would have done. College is the time to explore and just do crazy things, especially in the academic aspect,” Lebron said. She also encourages students to take on any and all opportunities that interest them. “I don’t think I’ll ever have a chance to do something like that ever again, just to use my science in something that I’m just very passionate about,” Lebron said. Pursuing work that is enjoyable is never wasted time, Lebron confirmed. To her, those experiences are the ones truly worthwhile. Katy Ryan echoed her thoughts, reminding students that they will never know what they are capable of achieving unless they try. Katy Ryan advised anyone pursuing a field in STEM “to try to get as much and as varied experience as you can in undergrad, and take a chance on yourself whenever possible.” Although their proposal did not make it to space, it was a mark of achievement for the Notre Dame community. As more undergraduates hear of their experiences, Katy Ryan hopes that they “use it as motivation to pursue their dreams, even if they’re as far away as the stars.” Contact Gabriella Penna at gpenna@nd.edu
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The observer | Friday, April 16, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
Inside Column
Blue Powerade and Diet Coke: The ultimate mocktail Maggie Klaers Graphics Editor
One nine-hour drive, two cars, two walkie talkies, two brothers, two cousins and me. When I was a kid, my family would visit Notre Dame all the time, and for one road trip, the five of us giggled in our separate cars as we said “Over?” and “Copy, over” at the end of every sentence until the batteries ran out. My family would drive down for football games, spend Easter mornings doing egg hunts by the lakes and I even had my first communion in the log chapel. My brothers and two of my cousins are all around the same age, and four of us are students here right now. Whenever we would visit, we would stay in the seminary on the far side of St. Joseph’s Lake — I might have been one of the only five year olds to know what a seminary is. We would split into groups of two to stay in the rooms, which in retrospect were exactly like staying in a Notre Dame dorm room (I thought having a sink in my room was the height of luxury). In the cafeteria of the seminary, I was amazed at how many different types of juices and cereal they had. Weirdly, Cracklin Oat Bran was my top pick over Lucky Charms, and I thought grapefruit juice was exotic. I felt like I was living large and was fully annoyed that I couldn’t be a priest too, because if I could, then my life would just be waking up to 10 different kinds of cereal and six different types of juice every day and running around the seminary with my cousins. The basement of the seminary is a kid’s dream: a basketball court, a movie theater and a soda machine. Just like many kids do, we would mix different concoctions of sodas and think we were culinary geniuses just like Bobby Flay. The little bartenders that we were, my brothers and I would mix blue Powerade with Diet Coke (hold your gags, bear with me). We would mix up this mocktail and pretend to smoke cigars with chunky pretzel sticks. I had forgotten completely about this little tradition until recently when I was debating if I wanted Sprite or lemonade with dinner in the dining hall. I suddenly felt inspired to take a trip down memory lane to see how horrible this blue Powerade-Diet Coke blend actually was. Trust me, I know. The drink sounds nasty. BUT I actually loved it. Now I have been grabbing it a couple of times a week when I feel like I need a little extra sprinkle of adventure in my day. When I took my first sip of our signature drink for the first time in years, the f lavor threw me back into the excitement of childhood road trips and make-believe. It tasted like childhood. The days of playing with sidewalk chalk, trying to touch the clouds on the swing set and mixing our own soda concoctions. As school continues to get busier and busier, I find myself longing for those carefree summer days when I would spend hours pretending I was a pastry chef in my sandbox bakery in my backyard and jumping on the trampoline. Tonight, when you go grab dinner, give it a try! Access your inner silly. Take a risk and take a sip: maybe you’ll enjoy it. In the stress and chaos that comes with the end of the semester, it’s so important to not get bogged down by all the responsibilities that come with being in college and to make room for some utter silliness. If you’re one of the brave, shoot me an email and let me know if it’s actually good or if I need to get my taste buds checked. Contact Maggie at mklaers@nd.edu The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Why liberal prospective students should come to Notre Dame Clark Bowden Snowflake Standpoint
It is not uncommon for me to get a wide range of feedback from students, faculty and alumni after each of my columns. Of course, I receive the most comments after some of my more controversial takes like the truly outlandish positions of thinking that women should have autonomy over their own bodies, LGTBQ+ people should be treated equally and with respect and that people should take the life-saving vaccine that will end our global pandemic. I know, crazy left-wing nut job opinions — I might as well be Karl Marx. Most of what I receive is positive with the occasional critique and possibly a few expletives, but my favorite emails come from prospective high school seniors or their families. In each instance, the student was concerned that their progressive political leanings would alienate them on campus or would interfere with their learning. These are legitimate concerns given our university’s heavy conservative reputation. The last thing I want, however, is for prospective students to miss out on Notre Dame in the fear that it is too conservative. In the same vein, Notre Dame cannot afford to miss out on the diversity and vitality of young progressive students. To progressive students considering attending Notre Dame, my message to you is this: it’s worth it. I say this for a number of reasons. It’s good to have your political beliefs challenged Notre Dame has a strong conservative population, and while some of these students or professors can make you want to belly f lop into Saint Mary’s Lake in January, the vast majority are smart and friendly people. The conversations I’ve had in the classroom, around the dinner table at Rocco’s Pizza and in the dorms at 3 a.m. have shaped and molded my feelings about politics, faith and justice. They make me not only reconsider the issue at hand, but they make me consider why I feel the way I do. My best learning in college has been when I’ve been challenged and taken outside of my political echo chamber. The political diversity of the student body at Notre Dame is not a weakness of the university — it’s a strength. Political affiliation is not everything Beyond the ability to craft and debate your views, I would highly encourage you to not pick a university based solely on the political ideologies of the student body. I have said it before and I will say it again: political affiliation should not be a litmus test for friendship. Some of my best friends at Notre Dame are conservative. They’re not my friends because they challenge my political beliefs; they’re my friends because they’re good people. They’re there for me at my lows, celebrate with me at my highs and make me an all around better person. Notre Dame is a fantastic academic institution, places a heavy emphasis on community and has great athletics with a beautiful campus. The friends I’ve made and the lessons
I’ve learned will last me a lifetime. Don’t miss out on this because you’re worried about your politics. There are plenty of liberals at Notre Dame Okay fine, if you completely ignored my last point that’s okay — I’ll get over it. Even if you do want to pick your university based on the political ideology of the student body, Notre Dame has a lot of liberals. Like, a lot. Based on my experience the vast majority of ND students would classify themselves as moderate with a few on the far right and a few more on the far left. Just this past month Notre Dame created its first ever socialist club and boasts a magazine (unaffiliated with the university) called the Irish Worker which projects far left, socialist material. Quick side note, I would highly recommend reading the Irish Worker; they have some phenomenal content. Importantly, whenever one of the strange right-wing conservative student groups on campus feels like they’re not getting enough attention and says or tweets something offensive, there is an immediate response from the progressive students to collectively dunk on them. If you’re worried that you won’t find a space to talk to other liberals or that you might be ostracized for your far left views, (at least in my experience) you won’t be. The Notre Dame student body is actually fairly progressive, we’re just trapped in a conservative institution. Notre Dame needs you This last point is the most important. Notre Dame — as a student body, a university and an institution — needs your voices. Notre Dame is nothing without its students. We need you, progressive students from around the world from a myriad of backgrounds, to keep fighting the good fight. We need you to continue to push for equal protection for all students across campus. We need you to make our community even more welcoming and inclusive to diverse students, faculty and staff. We need you to organize your voices into a coherent liberal mouthpiece that is loud enough to be heard across the country. We need you to hold Notre Dame accountable. It is vital that you lend your collective experiences to this community; each and every one of you makes us stronger. Picking a college is a daunting task. There are a million different things to consider, and you should go wherever you feel most comfortable, excited and passionate. But don’t overlook Notre Dame because of its conservative reputation. This can be a place where progressive students f lourish, it just needs voices like yours. Clark Bowden is a senior political science major. When he’s not sleeping through his alarm or reminding people that he studied abroad, he can be found in heated political debates or watching the Washington Nationals play baseball. He can be reached at cbowden@nd.edu or @BowdenClark on Twitter. The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.
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The observer | Friday, April 16, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
7
I don’t have favorites Krista Akiki Inquisitor of the Unconventional
So, there’s this question that has been on my mind for a little while now. Why do people have favorites? These past couple of weeks I have had the pleasure of meeting new people, and naturally, we have been trying to get to know each other better. Our conversations over dinner or on group chats have often involved favorites: “What is your favorite movie?” “What is your favorite sport?” “What is your favorite color?” The list goes on and on. I don’t know about you, but I honestly hate these questions. The reason is I never truly know how I am supposed to answer these questions. I am always trying to think of something off the top of my head... not necessarily to impress them, but whatever seems like the coolest thing at the time. Okay. Maybe to impress them a little bit. But even then, the concept of favorites doesn’t sit well with me. Today my favorite breakfast food could be a nicely toasted bagel with some good cream cheese spread. Ask me again in a month, and I would want to answer with something completely different — whatever I have been obsessed with recently. The key here is that I hate having to fit the things I like in neat and clearly delimited boxes. I want to be able to like and enjoy a series of things without choosing a top contender from the mix. This idea has been discussed on the forum by HighExistence (an online platform and forum to ‘wonder and question’). One response I found very interesting was the one by the user @brainofmorbius: “I think little things like this build a pattern of character. There have been studies of people with brain damage where their biggest challenge was trying to make little decisions. They wake up and don’t know what to put on. They don’t know what to eat for breakfast… They don’t know what chair to sit in… There’s a key portion of our minds where these little facts of life are stored. And it turns out that most of the decisions we make in life are based on being emotionally drawn to one thing over another. We just don’t realize we are doing this.”
So would my inability to pick favorites hint at an incomplete character? Maybe just non-conforming? Am I unconsciously making myself reject habit or routine? Or maybe I do have favorites that I have refused to explore further or acknowledge? Another user, @lawnboy, also had interesting input. “While you yourself, or anyone else for that matter, are essentially and ultimately unknowable, the human condition drives us all to try and place small, concise, comfortable labels on everyone and everything. Look out the window. Your eyes receive an unfathomable amount of information from the outside world. But your mind has a preset label for most things based on past experience. It says ‘tree’, ‘grass’, ‘car’ and that’s it, you move on without much notice. If you stopped to actually SEE each and everything in every moment of every day you would sit in utter awe and confusion at the beauty and complexity, drooling on yourself all day and you would get nothing done. It’s an evolutionary tactic that is essential to survival in the wild. But now that we’ve distanced ourselves somewhat from the wild I think its time we took a minute and just drooled on ourselves for a while. Especially in the instance of attempting to know another human being.” These two responses are actually pushing me to explore whether it is possible for me to actually call something a favorite of mine without feeling like I have to conform. This line of reasoning has actually helped me see that I do fear conformity, but at the same time it seems like my issue is also rooted in a need for acceptance. I don’t want to be boring; I don’t want to be just like anyone else. But it seems that along with that I don’t want others to see me as boring. I don’t want others to look at me and think I’m just like everyone else. So maybe I am just unconsciously afraid to pick favorites because of how people might perceive me when they are getting to know me and inevitably ask the questions I dread? This column is a little different than the ones I have written in the past. Yes, I am still writing about something quite personal that has been on my mind recently. But normally, my thoughts would also be interlaced with well researched arguments and evidence. By the end of my columns, I
normally have an answer for you and essentially for myself. But here I don’t think I do. I have been trying to answer the questions I posed as I reviewed and edited the column. The phrase *insert conclusion here* has been staring at me for the past week. And yet, this column seems to be an unfinished work. But, that’s alright, because this unfinished work is a ref lection of my unfinished growth. I still have a lot to question, plenty to understand and tons of blank spaces to fill. Thank you for your patience.
Kerry Schneeman I The Observer
Krista Lourdes Akiki is currently part of the Mendoza College of Business. Coming from Beirut, Lebanon, she always enjoys trying out new things and is an avid travel lover. She hopes to take her readers on her journey as she discovers new lifestyles and navigates new cities. She can be reached at kakiki@nd.edu or at @akikikrista on Twitter. The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Support student journalism, support our community Ever since The Observer was established in 1966, our student journalists have strived to fulfill the promise and purpose of uncovering the truth and reporting it accurately. For instance, in 2015, The Observer broke the news of Fr. Ted Hesburgh’s death to the world. And this year, our coverage of the pandemic and campus life has made national headlines. As an independent newspaper, we seek to bridge the gap between students, the administration and the community, contributing to important conversations on issues that affect us all. During a time when our physical health calls for social distancing and isolation, The Observer seeks to provide a platform through which we can continue sharing ideas and forging connections with one another. The pandemic altered our printing schedule, but despite this we’ve continued to publish articles, letters, columns and reviews five days a week, because we are committed to serving the tri-campus community by holding our schools accountable and by giving a voice to all. We continue our work because
we believe journalism can be a force for good and a space for truth to reveal itself. The headlines of today can lead to the changes of tomorrow. As student journalists, we juggle the same responsibilities of our peers while also maintaining a commitment to inform the public. Despite exams, homework and burnout, we take on additional tasks out of the love we have for our tri-campus community. We strive to shed light on the good, the bad and the ugly, because only a community with knowledge of all three can be equipped to keep growing. At The Observer, we are also always looking for ways to grow. We need our readers to help us continue serving Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross to the best of our ability. So, we ask you to continue supporting the student journalism we carry out. There isn’t just one way of doing so — support comes in different forms, and we’re grateful for all. As an independent newspaper, we also rely mostly on advertising revenue and donations to continue our work at The Observer. This year, we received a $50,000 gift from the estate of John McCoy (Notre Dame ’69) to establish the new Observer Technology Fund, which will allow the paper to invest in new computers and technology. We are incredibly grateful for this generous gift. And though we recognize
that not everyone has the means to contribute financially, as we approach ND Day on April 18-19, please consider making a donation. No matter how big or small a gift, every single contribution enables us to further our mission to inform the tri-campus. You can also support The Observer by sending us Letters to the Editor and tips, by or reaching out to us with feedback. The Viewpoint department works hard to share different opinions from students, professors and alumni. Our News department is always looking for stories we should be sharing with the community. At The Observer, we strive to be a platform where anyone and everyone’s story is heard, especially those who may otherwise not feel represented within the tri-campus community. But this scope of representation can only be achieved if you share your voice with us. Perhaps the easiest, best way to support The Observer is by reading and sharing our content. From tri-campus events and opinions on vaccination to movie reviews and sports predictions, you may discover something you had never heard or thought about in our pages. You might even be inspired to speak up, take action or pick up your pen and write to us. So give us a chance to keep serving you and the tri-campus.
The observer | friday, April 16, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
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Directions to the dome Gabriel Niforatos The Road Less Traveled
I remember my first day of class at the Universit y of Notre Dame v iv idly. I stood swaying in the bluster y wasteland at the intersection of Debart and Fitzpatrick, clutching a note card in my hand w ith information on my classes and their starting times scribbled frenziedly. I was five minutes late, and despite numerous Google searches, “O’Shag” was an Atlantis that I could not find as hard as I tried. I remember a senior spotting me at that moment, asking me where my class was and walking me up to the classroom I was meant to be in. I remember feeling the difference in time between us at that moment. Here I was, just starting my journey and lost on the first day while this senior knew ever y direction on this campus by heart. It took Odysseus 20 years to get home. He would have been back on the same day if he had been so luck y as to have that senior guide him the way I did that day. This column isn’t a soliloquy on cartography, but a recognition of the seas of time I have crossed. I had this realization when a family asked me the direction to South Dining Hall the other day. I am now the senior that led the freshman to O’Shag. And although there are still places on campus (here’s looking at you, Grace Hall) that I swear ex ist in some forgotten fold of spacetime, the moment was not wasted on me. I have one more column left to w rite as an undergraduate after this one, and I confess that this column is a bit all over the place, because I am all over the place right now. I w ish I could impart some sort of ancient w isdom from a graduating senior, but all I can offer are a bit of directions to help you find the place you’re looking for (Important disclaimer: I discover ever y semester that it is not true that one side of the building belongs to Hayes and the other to
Healey, but rather that they share it w ith a mysterious “Hurley” … if you have siblings, you w ill understand). I remember w riting a letter to Notre Dame as the final column of my freshman year, and one of the points I touched on was the changing perspective I had of the golden dome, from a challenge that beckoned me to a symbol of home. The golden dome represents something far more nuanced to me now. It is a symbol of the time I felt I had to hide the fact that I have know n hunger and homelessness. I experienced a deep disconnect at times during my freshman year, and I remember that the dining hall food was a feast to someone who has know n what it is like to go for days where the entire meal was a can of beans. It is a symbol of the memories I have made here, from meeting some of my best friends on the steps beneath the shadow of the dome to grabbing food from LaFun before we knew that we wouldn’t be coming back because of COV ID. Nowadays, I find myself looking at the golden dome for just a split second longer when I walk past it, because I know one day I won’t see its radiant gleam when the bus turns on Notre Dame Avenue. I don’t want to be so bold as to claim I have found myself, but Notre Dame has changed me in so many ways that I would not recognize that freshman who dreamed about getting lost in the minotaur’s labyrinth of DeBart classroom numbers. I have recently started to wear my class ring, and the dualit y that this experience brings is strange to me. On the one hand is pride, pride in the milestones we have crossed in getting through college during times of pandemic and racial upheaval, when it felt draining to even step outside and keep going at times. But I also feel as if my class ring is the One Ring of Tolkien fame, that I can turn inv isible when I slip it onto my finger and go about campus as if nothing has changed from my freshman year.
But ever y thing has changed. Instead of the dreaded Notre Dame introduction, seniors have a similar outroduction that involves the job search and/or plans to pursue higher education. The fact is, I am excited for the next stage of my life, but there are times when I w ish I could slip on my class ring, turn inv isible and carr y on w ith the people and memories that I have made across these past infinite four years. It’s funny. W hen you know something is ending, you suddenly become motivated as if it were the beginning. This isn’t goodbye just yet. So for now I w ill put my arm on your shoulder and show you the way to O’Shag one last time.
Kerry Schneeman I The Observer
Gabriel Niforatos is a senior majoring in political science with minors in the Hesburgh Program in Public Service and theology. He is passionate about giving a voice to the disenfranchised and writing is the muse he is persistently chasing. He can be found at gniforat@nd.edu or @g_niforatos on Twitter. The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
An open response to our conservative friend On April 14, recent graduate Sophia Sheehy published a column titled “An open letter to my liberal friends” portraying herself as a representative of BridgeND. W hile she makes a number of claims and judgments regarding the ideologies of “liberals,” one cannot help but notice a sense of irony in Sheehy’s column. She claims “public shaming has no place in our politics or culture,” while taking to a public forum to publicly shame the views of Democrats and liberally-minded individuals. Sheehy’s words, however, do more than simply invoke shame; they cause real, tangible harm. Such words have no place on our campus. Sheehy categorizes the view point of the “modern left” as “boldfaced hypocrisy ... which demands [she] look the other way and mind [her] business until it is a cause that is socially acceptable to lambast others for.” If this were the view point of the left, we would count ourselves out, too. We have no interest in joining a group that demands we look the other way on matters of injustice. But she could not be more wrong. The Preamble of the 2020 Democratic Party Platform states, “We must right the wrongs in our democracy, redress the systemic injustices that have long plagued our society, throw open the doors of opportunity for all Americans, and reinvent our institutions at home and our leadership abroad.” This is the message of the left. We are called to act, to do better and to be better. That is what the modern left asks of us. In the same sense that we
know Trump’s far-right ideolog y is not a representation of all Republicans, do not over-extend the beliefs of a few as those of the left. So, maybe this is all a misunderstanding. Perhaps Sheehy’s entire column could be chalked up to a miscommunication: an incorrect portrayal of the beliefs of the left and a well-intentioned letter opening discussion between differing political ideologies. It could have been read this way, until the final line of her piece. “You would not like the kind of cop I’d become.” This past Sunday we were all forced to reread the headline that continues to reappear: “Black man/woman shot and killed by police officer.” We repeatedly see instances of police officers using unwarranted force that targets Black people. At best, her choice of words is tone-deaf. At worst, those words are a threat. Choosing to end her column by saying that we would not like the kind of cop she would become shows blatant ignorance and cruelty in a time when our countr y is struggling to come to terms with the systematic inequalities and racial injustices we’ve all become too familiar with. It shows an incredible lack of ability to sympathize with and understand the realities of the students of color who share her former campus and live in her former dorm. Perhaps she did not intend her words to be a thinly-veiled dig at the Black Lives Matter movement and their call for police reform. Perhaps she could not have foreseen the response that such
imager y would elicit. If that is the case, then we ask she show a little BridgeND spirit. BridgeND’s mission statement expresses a commitment “to bridging the partisan divide through respectful and productive discourse.” Respectful and productive discourse requires a consideration of the realities of ever y American. It requires an understanding and commitment to discussing ways to make life better for all of us. The last thing we want is for anyone to “stand by” or “stay silent.” A true bridge extends equally to both sides. So, do not tell us that the left is “performative virtue signaling” when we call out racism in this countr y. Do not tell us it is “selective public shaming” when we refuse to allow racist, misogynistic or homophobic ideologies to be spewed in public forums. Label us the PC police, misrepresent the views of our party or write a view point belittling the views of others while claiming to represent a club that is diametrically opposed to your writing. After all, it’s not on us to tell you how to live your life. See? Maybe liberals and conser vatives do agree about some things. Jackson Oxler junior Sara Atassi junior Caroline Zlaket junior April 14
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The observer | Friday, april 16, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
By LEXI KILCOIN Scene Writer
Last week, Notre Dame Student Union Board screened, “Wonder Woman 1984.” Directed by Patty Jenkins, “Wonder Woman 1984” acts as a sequel to 2017 film, “Wonder Woman.” Diana Prince, played by Gal Gadot, is a princess of the Amazons and lives a lowkey life as a museum curator, while simultaneously missing her boo, Steve Trevor, played by Chris Pine. She is obviously very good at her job as she has lived through many historic events and can identify historic items easily. When Barbara Minerva, played by Kristen Wiig, meets Diana, they become a tag-team of supposed female empowerment. Their boss asks them to analyze a strange, citrine stone, which Diana immediately recognizes as the Dreamstone, cursed by Dolos, god of lies and capable of granting any wish at the cost of the user. The plot revolves around the Dreamstone and it obviously falls into the wrong hands, because anything with that sort of power usually does, cue the insane Maxwell Lord, played by Pedro Pascal. While there are many subplots that I could diverge into like Maxwell and his son, or Diana and Steve, I would like to draw attention to Barbara’s character and the horrific display of, dare I say, female un-empowerment. When the 2017 “Wonder Woman” film was released, many found the film exceptional, filled with female empowerment and inclusivity of women in Hollywood. It made me wonder if they saw the same movie I had
By ALEJANDRO MUJICA Scene Writer
It all started with “Mooo!”. Almost three years ago, Doja Cat first entered the mainstream culture radar as a meme, with ridiculous lyrics like “B*tch I’m a cow” and “Got milk b*tch? Got beef ? ”. Today, she could give a masterclass in rising star science. She stepped up to her fifteen minutes of fame and has yet to show any signs of coming down. After “Mooo!,” she showed serious female rapper chops with her Billboard-charting hits “Candy” and “Juicy,” but her real breakout came with grammynominated pop mega-hit “Say So,” a single off of her 2019 album “Hot Pink.” “Say So” hit #1 in the US, amassed billions of streams and Doja started steamrolling pop culture. She released “Boss B*tch” for the “Birds of Prey” movie soundtrack, repeatedly killed the TikTok game and “Hot Pink’s” “Streets” was resurrected from its 2019 grave and became a streaming hit two years after its release. This brings us to her latest single, “Kiss Me More.” In “Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat recruits R&B rising star SZA to make a sweet confection of sexy female pop. The track’s summer-y guitar riffs, disco-inf luenced percussions and gliding production are a sugar high. Doja Cat’s breathy vocals, her
watched, where a strong independent woman suddenly meets a man and willingly follows his every order, even though she’s a grade A baddie all on her own. While “Wonder Woman” 1984 showcases two strong women who have enough strength to literally throw a man, Barbara’s character is only respected once she wishes to be like Diana, “strong, sexy, cool and special” is granted via the Dreamstone. While there is no doubt the world needs more female icons that are strong and powerful, there is certainly a way to do it without sexualizing her. Gal Gadot is sexualized in many of her films, including her first appearance as Wonder Woman in “Batman vs. Superman,” so why would it be different in “Wonder Woman 1984?” It’s not. Barbara is often ignored by others in her workplace and is portrayed as “unattractive” to certain beauty standards — I mean will we ever accept the fact that glasses are attractive too? Barbara idolizes Diana because she is stereotypically the “perfect” woman who gets attention from others — specifically men — in the office, even though Barbara herself is a gemologist, geologist, lithologist and part-time cryptozoologist, which I don’t know about you, sounds like she’s pretty darn successful. Unfortunately, these micro-aggressions get the best of Barbara, and when she wishes to be like Diana, things take a turn for the worse, and we see these two strong women fighting against one another. To me, that doesn’t sound like empowerment at all, rather a competition between two women who are both successful
and gorgeous in their own way. I’ll admit that Diana does try to tell Cheetah to renounce her wish, which is the only way the curse of the Dreamstone can be lifted, because Diana knows the truth behind the stone, but it’s not enough to make me feel empowered or change Barbara’s mind. Diana can even be considered a bad friend — if you wanted to go deeper down that rabbit hole — because she could have encouraged Barbara’s abilities to begin with. But, I digress; there is much more work to be done in Hollywood if “Wonder Woman 1984” is now the standard for female inclusivity in films. And, of course, there are many opinions on “Wonder Woman” and the reputation she has among women in society, and while she is a step in the right direction as far as her strength and power, we need to see films where women stop worrying about men and have their lives revolve around them ... please.
no-bullsh*t rap delivery and SZA’s own mumbly magic give the song an eclectic feel that stays fresh even while stuck on repeat. Though similar to “Say So” in its disco-pop vixen personality, “Kiss Me More” is a standout, and a worthy lead single for the upcoming album “Planet Her.” However, despite the tight production and addictive vocals, the song itself is nothing revolutionar y, especially for an artist as sonically versatile as Doja Cat; the real impact of the song emerges in the context of Doja’s career. The song achieves the t wo pillars of the making of a modern pop superstar: collaboration prestige and debut-week power. Collaboration prestige is no better exemplified than by Justin Bieber. He is unarguably one of the 21st centur y’s most successful pop stars, and he milks collaboration prestige to the utmost. Four out of his seven Billboard #1 hits are collaborations, and over a third of his 21 billion Spotif y streams come from songs on which he is a feature. In an age where bands are no longer common in the mainstream, and promotion mostly occurs on social media, artists often rely on collaborations with other artists to switch up their sounds and conquer new fanbases. For “Kiss Me More,” Doja found SZA, who is
currently at the peak of her career after the release of top-ten hit “Good Days.” The choice is smart, and as always, where there is a collab, the buzz soon follows. Doja Cat’s newfound prestige makes these choices possible: by having SZA collaborator on “Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat shows she has reached the level of inf luence needed to work with the best of the best. And the song undoubtedly has debut-week power. It was released last Friday, and it has already hit #5 on the Top 50 – Global. It is climbing fast on radio, and charting strong on iTunes and Apple Music. Given Doja Cat’s track record w ith TikTok, it’s also only a matter of time before somebody starts a new trend w ith the song. As for YouTube, the “Kiss Me More” music v ideo shows more commitment to artistic v ision than most music artists nowadays. The fact of the matter is Taylor Sw ift, Drake and Post Malone, all immensely inf luential artists, debut at the top of the charts w ith almost ever y release. Their debut-week power is a testament to their reputation and massive fanbases, and the certification of their superstar status. With a massive first week for “Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat is one step closer to joining the superstar club.
Contact Lexi Kilcoin at lkilcoin01@saintmarys.edu
“Wonder Woman 1984” Director: Patty Jenkins Starring: Gal Gadot, Kristen Wiig, Chris Pine If you like: “Batman vs. Superman,” “Justice League,” “Wonder Woman”
Contact Alejandro Mujica at amujicav@nd.edu MAGGIE KLAERS | The Observer
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The observer | Friday, april 16, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
By COLLEEN FISCHER Scene Writer
“Everything’s Gonna Be Okay” reminds us that everything is going to be okay. Freeform may be known for its questionable family dramas, but this 30-minute sitcom dramedy is jam packed with sincerity. It lets the viewers and its characters sit with embarrassment for seconds before cutting the tension in realistic, relatable ways. On April 8, the show premiered the first two episodes of its second season and did not falter. The first season told the story of a mishmash family grieving the death of their father. Nicholas is played by show creator and writer, Josh Thomas. He takes custody of his two halfsiblings, Matilda and Genevieve, played by Kayla Cromer and Maeve Press, while pursuing a relationship with his new boyfriend, Alex, played by Adam Faison. The show screams passion project, as every scene, line and performance encapsulates care. The second season takes place in the present. I have been having a hard time with television because I want to escape COVID and not be reminded of it, but the established realism of this show and its aims make it insanely watchable and occasionally comforting. Everyone is more comfortable with their family roles, and now the writers are exploring the characters’ internal motives and interpersonal dynamics more fully. This show handles neurodivergence with a kindness that I have never seen.
By JP SPOONMORE Scene Writer
There are few documentaries as enticing and personal as “My Octopus Teacher.” Being Netflix’s contender for the Academy Awards’ Documentary Feature this year, it breaks the mold of most documentaries by jumping into the cold water without holding your hand. What begins as a simple story of friendship evolves into an incredible experience of self-discovery through the miracle of nature. It is one of Netflix’s quieter originals, never reaching the absurdity of “Behind the Curve,” or the schlock of “Tiger King,” because it instead structures the development on filmmaker Craig Foster’s own reflection of the events. Everything is told through him with his own words, framing the life of an octopus as a companionship rather than an experiment. The unknown corners of the ocean feel brighter after watching this film, even though by the end of it you know that it is just the tip of an endless iceberg. The vastness of the sea astounds me, and the reality of what one man found in just a tiny pocket of a beach being enough to change his life forever proves how mysterious nature can be. His testimony makes me want to put on a pair of flippers and dive into the waves for the rest of my life. The coast of West Africa looks like it comes from another planet as the camera soars above the rocky cliffs, before delving into the kelp forest under the crashing waves.
Originally, a lot of its attention came from them casting Cromer, an autistic actor, to play an autistic character, but it is not just the casting that makes the character realistic. It’s also the story. Matilda’s autism is never treated as an obstacle to overcome. It’s simply a part of her, and her difficulties come and go in the same way anyone else’s do. In one of the premiere episodes, it is revealed that Alex’s dad is deaf. This was revealed when his father called and he started to sign on a call with him. This nonchalance normalizes disability and the people around it as not suffering. The show engages with other forms of diversity the same way, whether it be race or sexual preference, the characters are informed by their experiences without becoming them. The writing around diversity is spectacular, but all shows should be writing characters like those that appear in “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay.” That is not why the show is good; the show is good because it’s good. There are no heartthrobs in this show. No characters informed by archetypes or stereotypes, all the characters are endearing and unique desperately trying to get through life while comforting and helping those around them. The beauty of this show is its humanity. In 20 minute episodes, Thomas is able to offer the viewer a snapshot into the lives of the characters that are funny, sad and utterly human. The camera is almost a character moving along with the characters, and offering different perspectives of them. The show takes risks shaping the story around
the creativity of the people making it. This show is as much about growing up as it is about family. The sisters in the show are trying so hard to fit in while maintaining their individuality in a way that immediately pulls on heartstrings without being cheesy or preachy. The moments in this show are nuanced, even if the characters aren’t personality wise. Television is overly saturated with tear-jerking and bingeable content, this show returns to the old form. It’s meant to be seen in small intervals, offering only a peak before you leave the characters to their privacy again. This limited viewing experience mimics human relationships. Thomas not only offers compelling and realistic stories about building relationships and growing up for the viewers to enjoy, but a brief set of friends to remind us that Everything is going to be okay.
Sharks and jellyfish swarm the screen, giving the viewer further admiration as Craig Foster casually swims alongside them. The setting that is explored is itself enough to be awestruck, and each encounter with the octopus builds upon that framework seamlessly. Unfortunately, to any Netflix user not interested in sea creatures or long shots of waves in slow motion, this film might not be for you. For a deep dive into the complexities of the natural world, the story is very straight forward. It both acts as a comfortable watch, and a brief preview into what feels like something greater, yet has no agency of going anywhere anytime soon. I often put on nature documentaries for background visuals while I do my homework, and for some reason this specific film feels like it was made for that purpose. The visuals are striking and dynamic as they are choreographed by Craig Foster’s reflective voice, to the point where it calms you into a semi-conscious trance. The pacing is strangely methodical, not really straining to catch your attention with its groundbreaking discoveries. It is as relaxed about its runtime as a film can be. Serving as a soothing watch that educates you with emotional punches, the film gives you no excuse to click on it if you don’t have any personal connection to the sea. I thoroughly enjoyed “My Octopus Teacher.” It stands apart from other nature documentaries as it puts a man’s story in the spotlight of how he sees the world, rather
than facts and objective encounters of the wild. Putting a person inside the natural world, and seeing how he can interact with it, inspired something within me to try it myself, which I think more films should do. It utilizes the same wonder as Steve Irwin and Jack Hanna by literally filming hands-on encounters of the wild. Being nominated for this year’s Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, it utilizes its form in a unique way, but I don’t expect it to win. It is the only documentary film nominated that I have heard about, but popularity rarely holds any weight in the voting process. However, if it does win, I will be pleasantly surprised for Craig Foster and his octopus friend. Hopefully, this film inspires people to find friends in the most dangerous and unknown places, because after a year of being trapped inside, we all could use a hug from a friend with eight limbs.
Contact Colleen Fischer at cfischer01@saintmarys.edu
“Everything’s Going to Be Okay” Starring: Kayla Cromer, Josh Thomas, Maeve Press Favorite Episode: “Monarch Butterflies” If you like:”Life in Pieces,” “Modern Family,” “Boy Meets World” Where to watch: Hulu
Contact JP Spoonmore at jspoonmo@nd.edu
“My Octopus Teacher” Director: Pippa Ehrlich Starring: Craig Foster Genre: Nature Documentary If You Like: “Planet Earth,” “Our Planet,” “Finding Nemo”
ELAINE PARK | The Observer
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Crossword | Will Shortz
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Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Stay focused and be receptive to possibilities. When one door closes, another will open. Learn to go with the flow, and you will find it easy to get ahead. A steady pace forward will make a lasting impression on people who can help you advance. Don’t limit what you can achieve because you don’t know how to say no. Your numbers are 8, 14, 21, 25, 33, 41, 47. ARIES (March 21-April 19): A situation will not be what it appears. Don’t jump to conclusions or lose sight of your goal because someone says or does something you don’t like. Do your own thing, and focus on success, peace of mind and happiness. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Impulse is the enemy. Plan your actions, and dedicate time to reaching your objective. Put your energy where it counts, and your income will increase. Don’t let an outsider take over when it’s in your best interest to handle matters yourself. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gather information before you make a move or spend unnecessarily. Expect someone who has ulterior motives to mislead you. Think for yourself and take action based on facts, intelligence and what you will achieve. Live life your way. CANCER (June 21-July 22): You’ll get the help you want, but before you accept, consider the payback. Don’t put yourself in a precarious position, regardless of the temptation. Someone is waiting for you to make a mistake or show weakness. Be strong, innovative and competent. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Stop laboring over what others are doing. Consider what you want and figure out a way to follow a path that satisfies your needs. Discipline will help you excel and lead to opportunities that will buy you freedom and peace of mind. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Learn from the changes you’ve experienced, then proceed with confidence. Knowing what you want will make it easier for you to put whatever stands in your way aside so that you can excel. Don’t take health, financial or legal risks. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Pay more attention to what’s going on around you. Gather and verify information that will help you decipher who and what’s best for you. A partnership that is based on equality and shared responsibilities looks promising. Romance is in the stars. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Emotions will surface if someone rejects your ideas or opinions. Step outside the confines of a situation you face and look at every angle. An innovative approach will help create a favorable condition that will turn in your favor. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Tidy up loose ends. Focus on your surroundings and do what’s necessary to make your space user-friendly. Use what you already have to initiate positive changes at home and to how you earn your living, and it will pay off. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Listen to your friends and relatives, but in the end, do what’s best for you. Taking care of your responsibilities will help put your mind at ease and deter others from interfering. Put your energy into your work and financial gains. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Refuse to let your emotions wreak havoc with your financial well-being. Unnecessary spending will not make you feel better. Use your intelligence, and put physical energy into home improvements that contribute to your ability to boost your earnings. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): An unexpected change will turn out to be what’s best for you in hindsight. Don’t get discouraged when incorporating what you enjoy and do best can be better used uniquely. Be an entrepreneur, and you will flourish. Birthday Baby: You are curious, direct and inflexible. You are helpful and disciplined. You have swagger and zeal.
Sudoku | The Mepham Group
Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek
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The observer | Friday, april 16, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
Sports Authority
Sports Authority
NBA’s future for expansion teams Olivia Schatz Sports Writer
The NBA was not always the powerhouse that it is today. Starting with only eleven teams throughout the nation, the basketball organization wasn’t necessarily national. Now, 75 years later with 30 teams, NBA commissioner Adam Silver released a statement saying that expansion was “inevitable” in the organization’s future. With the possibility of the addition of two new teams, fans began to speculate which cities would receive them. The two obvious choices are Las Vegas and Seattle, both of which are home to large stadiums and a large fan base. Not too long ago the Seattle Supersonics left for Oklahoma City and ever since, there has been a vacancy. Las Vegas hosts the Summer League every year and has a long history with the NBA. While other cities such as St. Louis and Tampa are hoping for a team of their own, industry rumors would imply that the NBA is leaning heavily on these two western cities. At the moment Silver has only discussed two expansion teams, but there are rumors of a third at play. While it is far from being confirmed, these rumors tease the idea of not only expanding teams, but expanding nations. By introducing a team to Mexico City, the NBA would be the first American athletic organization to tap into our southern neighbor. With a recently established G-League team, as well as a history of league games played in Mexico City, the capital city is not a stranger to the NBA. We already have multiple sports teams from Canada that play in American leagues, why can’t we introduce Mexican teams as well? If this rumor proves true it will certainly come with controversy. Due to our complicated relationship with Mexico, there will certainly be some push back from American fans. But this would not be the first time the NBA, or any American athletic organization for that matter, has pushed international borders. In 1946, the Toronto Huskies were one of the original eleven teams that played in the soon-to-be NBA. Now, the Toronto Raptors are a beloved and competitive team, winning the NBA title as recently as 2019. Many will have racist remarks about why the NBA should not expand southward, but I believe these pushback will be quickly drowned out by overall excitement from fans. A more practical argument against the expansion into Mexico is the distance, the concern that no players would want to move to a foreign, Spanishspeaking country and the
competition with soccer. While the first point has been brought up by many, it has almost no merit. Mexico City is not considerably farther away than any other team. Since they would be playing in the Southwest division, the farthest a conference team would travel would be three and a half hours, which is far from unheard of. To address the second argument, I point to Detroit Pistons player Mason Plumlee, who wrote a piece titled The Case for Mexico City. Here, Plumlee discusses the many positive aspects of having a team in Mexico City, including the passionate fans and large media market. In addition, Mexico City has many American food chains and stores, and the players will not go through a large culture shock. Mexico City is a vibrant modern city with plenty for the players to enjoy. Finally, with soccer being by far the most popular sport in the country, some are worried that the devout soccer fans will not convert to basketball. However, Mexican fans are passionate and proud of their country. I am positive that if they have a professional basketball team to call their own, the energy that is present in Mexican soccer games will be replicated for basketball. There was this initial fear with Canada as well. How could basketball compete when hockey was so intertwined with Canadian culture? Years later, Canadians are now avid NBA viewers and Mexican fans will be no different, given time. Mexico City, at first glance, may not seem like a perfect fit, but almost no city does. Although there will certainly be controversy with the southern expansion, pushing the border will prove beneficial for the NBA in the long run. With the establishment of a professional league in Africa, as well as the recent breakthrough into NFTs, the NBA has made it clear that they are a modern corporation, willing to push both literal and figurative borders. There’s no shortage of heroes in the NBA. From the Bird and Magic era through Michael Jordan and now with Lebron James, there have always been visionary leaders who pushed boundaries. The heroes do not just come from this organization but are shaped by it. There is no shortage of leaders in the NBA, but to keep that status one must always be pushing forward. In this case, forward may just be south. Contact Olivia Schatz at oschatz@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Ranking best Olympic moments of the century Jimmy Ward
never be forgotten.
Associate Sports Editor
Usian tion
With a much anticipated Olympics right around the corner, there is much talk about what the Games will mean for athletes in the 21st century, as well as how they will impact the larger world of politics. Instead of focusing on all the negativity the Olympics can produce or how ridiculously corrupt the IOC is, I thought I’d rank my top five Olympics moments in the past 100 years.
The eleven-time World Champion sprinter made himself a household name after dominating his competition and shattering records that only he would be able to touch again. Bolt’s character and charisma made him a star on the international stage and no one could do anything but love the competitor. Bolt’s best moment came in 100m finals when he would break a world record with ease, even taking some time to wave his arms at the crowd and pump his chest in celebration all before crossing the finishing line in a stunning 9.69 seconds. Bolt would best this record one year later in 2009 at the World Championships in Berlin when he ran a 9.58.
Kerri Strug’s vault (1996, Atlanta) The Olympics never fail to produce moments and images that can seemingly last forever. This moment is among the most recognizable clips from all the Olympic Games and rightfully so. Strug’s vault, which scored a 9.712, and her coach, Béla Károlyi carrying her off after it became apparent she had attempted the vault on a broken ankle, remains one of the most iconic images from the games and the story of perseverance in the face of adversity is a theme that is consistent throughout the Olympics.
1968 United States Track Team (Mexico City) The 1968 US Track Team produced one of the greatest images in Olympic history. Protesting systemic racism, the Olympic Project for Human Rights was threatening an Olympic boycott of all Black American athletes and several other athletes who supported the Project. Sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists during a medal ceremony is a moment that seems to transcend time. The moment can and should be analyzed on several different levels; the action got the men kicked off the team, but the images and legacy they created will
Bolt’s (2008,
dominaBeijing)
Michael Phelps domination (2004, Athens; 2008, Beijing; 2012, London; 2016, Rio de Janeiro) How could one make a list about the best of anything at the Olympics and not mention the most decorated Olympian of all time? Phelps would compete in his first Olympics in Sydney in 2000 at the age of 15 but would not become the decorated legend we know today until 2004 when he would take home six gold medals in Athens. Phelps shattered medal records in 2008 at the Beijing games, taking home eight gold medals and setting numerous world records. His dominance at Olympic games never fails to impress and he’s created a portfolio of memories at Olympic Games that has cemented his legacy in the very DNA of the games.
Miracle on Ice (1980, Lake Placid) In the middle of the Cold War, a ragtag group of college amateur athletes beat one of the most well-oiled
teams in all of sporting history: the Soviet Union men’s national ice hockey team. The USSR has a long history in the sport of hockey, having played a similar game called bandy, essentially hockey with a ball instead of a puck. After the second World War Joseph Stalin’s son, Vasily Stalin took an interest in the sport and he helped develop a team to represent the air force called VVS Moscow. He named Anatoly Tarasov the player-coach for the inaugural season in 1946-47. Tarasov would be called “the father of Russian ice hockey,” and though he can’t claim to have invented the game, his unorthodox training methods and development of playing and coaching philosophy have allowed him to pioneer the way it was played. Soviet hockey teams would come to dominate the world scene in the following years. The team the Americans faced in 1980 was stacked with talent such as Boris Mikhailov and Vladislav Tretiak, the consensus best goaltender in the world at the time, who would be pulled from the game for giving up a shot as time expired in the first period. So when the United States team beat the Soviets in the midst of protests of the December 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and subsequent threats to boycott competition in the 1980 summer Olympics at Moscow from President Jimmy Carter, the world was stunned. In their final exhibition, the Soviets beat the Americans 10-3. The Miracle on Ice is a legendary moment that defines American and Olympic history. Contact Jimmy Ward at wward@hcc-nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
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ND Track & Field | Ole Miss invitational
Track and field has record breaking weekend By NATE MOLLER Sports Writer
The Notre Dame track and field team participated in the Joe Walker Inv ite at Ole Miss this past weekend. There were solid performances all around, especially in the throws and the heptathlon. Head coach Matt Sparks explained how the success of senior thrower Rachel Tanczos last year led many graduate students to transfer to Notre Dame. “We kind of have a unique situation going on w ith our throwers group right now,” Sparks said. “A lot of it started w ith Rachel Tanczos having success at the conference level, which led to success on the national level a year ago, which led to graduate transfers being interested in our program.” One of these graduate transfers is Maura Kimmel, who set the Notre Dame school record in the discus at Ole Miss w ith a mark of 55.63 meters. Sparks discussed how getting healthy has allowed Kimmel to reach her full potential. “Maura is a graduate transfer from UPenn and had some injur y problems there that kept her from reaching her full potential,” he said. “And now she’s just been healthy and been able to practice to her full capacit y whereas prev iously she had some aches and pains where she really had to limit herself. And Coach [Adam] Beltran has done a really good job of recognizing her strengths and keeping her healthy and allow ing her to go out and do what she has probably always been capable of.” Tanczos prev iously held the school record in the discus, and Sparks expects this friendly competition
M Tennis Continued from page 16
Söderlund and junior William Woodall — places ninth in the national rankings and will be a good matchup for the Irish top doubles squad of Nefve and senior Richard Ciamarra, which ranks 37th nationally. The match between the Irish and the Cavaliers will begin at 3:30 p.m. on Friday at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. The Irish clash on Sunday with the 29th-ranked Hokies (10-7, 5-5 ACC) will give the team another opportunity to finish out the season strong and prepare for the postseason against a quality opponent.
between Kimmel and Tanczos to help both athletes going for ward. “I think they have a good competitive rivalr y [in the discus],” Sparks said. “There’s that friendly little rivalr y that’s going on w ith those two who are able to train together and compete together and push each other to national level success.” It was also a successful weekend for the Irish in the heptathlon, w ith freshman A laina Brady taking first place w ith 5,137 points. That puts Brady fourth on the alltime Irish lists. Freshman Madison Schmidt also placed fourth in the event w ith 4,791 points. Sparks discussed the difficult y of finding heptathletes like A laina Brady and freshman Jadin O’Brien because the event does not ex ist at the high school level. “A laina and Jadin had competed really well, if you go back to that indoor meet, in that newer event for them, which is kind of the unique nature of that event,” he said. “It’s not competed at the high school level at the state meets and things like that. It really takes a keen coaching eye, which Coach [Rodney] Zuyder w yk is the coach that oversees the multi events, that recognizes a kid that’s going to excel once you get them to college and start piecing together all those unique events that make up one competitive event.” Sparks is excited to see O’Brien back in action this weekend. O’Brien finished fourth in the heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships just over a month ago. “So she sat out the first half of the outdoor season w ith some aches and pains, but she’s going to compete in the multi this weekend at
The top-ranked player for the Hokies — who sit just below the Irish in the conference standings at sixth — is No. 51 graduate student Alexandre Ribeiro, but their number one doubles pair, made up of sophomore Jordan Chrysostom and freshman Ryan Fishback, places an impressive 25th in the nation. The match will begin at noon on Sunday, also at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. After finishing up this home stand the Irish will set their sights on the ACC Men’s Championships, which will take place in Rome, Georgia, beginning April 21, and the NCAA Men’s Championship, which w ill begin May 16 in Orlando, Florida.
EMMA FARNAN | The Observer
Irish senior distance runner Maddy Vanblunk strides toward the finish during the Meyo Invitational on Feb. 8, 2020, at Loftus Sports Center. Vanblunk placed 12th in the 5000 meter race as a sophomore.
Indiana State,” Sparks said. Like the throws group, Sparks is excited about the culture w ithin the heptathlete group right now. “You need to have a positive supportive culture to be successful as an entire group,” he said. “They definitely have that going now where she and Jadin feed off each other to be more successful.” Sparks mentioned the performance of graduate student Lauren Sapone in the 3000m steeplechase as another highlight of the weekend. Sapone finished third w ith a time of 10 : 07.92. “She was at Dartmouth for four years and then came here, w ith only outdoor eligibilit y, w ith an emphasis to
compete on a national level in the steeplechase,” Sparks said. “She had some injuries in the fall that had us wondering if she was going to be back to where she thought she could be when she got here. And right now she’s 13th in the countr y in that event after her performance on Friday. That performance was a breakthrough for her mentally and physically.” The postseason is quick ly approaching for the Irish, w ith the conference championships just under a month away and then the regional and national meets after that. Sparks is ver y confident in his team’s abilit y to qualif y lots of indiv iduals for the
national meets at the end of the season. “We feel confident that we’re going to take more people to the national championship than we had in a long time,” Sparks said. “The regular season is really all about building to those national meets. A nd we feel like we’ve had a great buildup for the first three or four weeks, which allowed us to take this weekend off honestly.” O’Brien w ill be the only athlete competing this weekend, but the rest of the squad w ill be back in action the follow ing weekend w ith meets at Louisv ille and Drake. Contact Nate Moller at nmoller2@nd.edu
KENDRA OSINSKI | The Observer
Irish graduate student Matt Gamble prepares to return a serve during Notre Dame’s 0-5 loss to NC State on Mar. 24, 2019, at Eck Tennis Pavilion. Gamble and teammate Grayson Broadus finished first in doubles.
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The observer | Friday, april 16, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
Baseball Continued from page 16
reached on catcher’s interference, stole second. After advancing to third on a throwing error, Zyska was driven in by a single from sophomore infielder Jack Brannigan. “I felt like our guys were ready to play,” Jarrett said. “Being able to jump on the scoreboard early is always ideal but in today’s game, that was the sense of what we wanted to do.” Sophomore right hand pitcher Liam Simon, who was starting his first game of the season, did not make it out of the second inning. After allowing an RBI single, he loaded the bases, and was pulled after he went to a 2-0 count on
the subsequent batter. Junior right hander Alex Rao replaced Simon, and walked in the Chippewas’ second run of the contest, but induced a weak groundout to limit the damage. Rao went on to pitch four scoreless innings after escaping the jam, helping to earn the win in the contest. “Rao was really good again,” Jarrett said. “Fastball command, pretty good changeup, [he got] some swings on the changeup.” The Irish tacked on another in the bottom of the second, thanks to a sacrifice f ly from senior outfielder Spencer Myers. Then, in the third, senior first baseman Niko Kavadas came around to score on a passed ball, and after the Irish loaded the bases, sophomore
infielder Kyle Hess lined a double into the right field corner to score two, but junior shortstop Zack Prajzner was cut down at home to end the inning. The Irish added one more in the fourth on a sacrifice f ly from Putz for their eighth and final run of the ballgame. Putz finished 4-4 with two RBIs. The Chippewas’ first real threat after the second inning came in the seventh. Sophomore right hander Dominic Cancellieri replaced Rao and loaded the bases with two outs. Junior left handed pitcher Will Mercer came in to relieve Cancellieri, and he struck out the first hitter he faced to prevent Central Michigan from scoring. Mercer pitched a scoreless eighth,
and freshman right hander Jackson Dennies came in to pitch the ninth. He allowed a two-run single but was able to make it through the inning and preserve the win. The Irish continue their home-stand next weekend, welcoming ACC opponent North Carolina State for a three-game series. The Wolfpack struggled to start their season, but they have since turned it around, winning each of their last five contests. “They’re an elite team in the league, they’ve been really good for a long time, and they’ve had high, high draft pick guys,” Jarrett said. “It’s going to be all you can ask for ever y inning.” The Irish are the only team in the ACC to have not lost a
conference series. After the Irish took two out of three games from No.14 Georgia Tech last weekend, they jumped into the top ten in Baseball America’s poll for the first time since April 24, 2006. Jarrett, who was hired to lead the Irish before last year’s shortened campaign, ref lected on the ranking. “We’re 35 games into me coaching these guys, and that’s a little over half of a good baseball season, so we’re still learning,” he said. “But when you see this number seven by your school, you can step back and go ‘Okay, we’ve made some real progress.’” Contact Liam Coolican at lcoolica@nd.edu
FOOTBAll
Position group breakdown: Offensive line
Photo Courtesy of ND Athletics
Former Irish running back Jafar Armstrong cuts up field during Notre Dame’s 52-0 stomping of South Florida on Sep. 19, 2020, at Notre Dame Stadium. Armstong rushed for 13 yards and one touchdown. Observer Staff Report
Notre Dame’s 2021 offensive line remains a big question mark of the team. The Irish presented a strong front during the 2020 season, w ith players like Aaron Banks, Tommy Kraemer, Liam Eichenberg and Robert Hainsey holding the line to protect quarterback Ian Book. A ll of these starters w ill not be returning for the 2021 season, despite the extra year of eligibilit y from the pandemic year. The other starting lineman, Jarrett Patterson, also remains sidelined as he continues to recover from a foot injur y that cut his 2020 season short. With this loss of experience and talent, Notre Dame w ill seek to fill at least four new starting positions, and that is before any possible reshuff ling of positions.
Therefore, the offensive line is rather open ended heading into this upcoming season, w ith a possible complete overhaul of the unit. Expect to see some uncertaint y in the first couple show ings as new players get their feet wet in their positions, especially given the interconnectedness of the linemen’s gameplay.
2021 Depth Chart Senior Jarrett Patterson, fifth-year Josh Lugg, junior Zeke Correll, fifth-year Dillan Gibbons, senior John Dirksen, senior Ma x Siegel II, junior Quinn Murphy, junior Hunter Spears, junior Andrew Kristofic, junior Quinn Carroll, sophomore Tosh Baker, sophomore Michael Carmody, sophomore Brennan Wicks, freshman Blake Fisher, freshman Caleb Johnson, freshman
Rocco Spindler
physical strength prov ided powerful blows against the rushing defense as he executed block after block to contribute to the overall strength of the line. There w ill be some adjusting needed to replace him, given that his four seasons prov ided securit y for the Irish w ith his experience.
Patterson’s injur y, going on to start in the CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl. This experience can be an asset to a relatively young line this upcoming season. Though he is battling for the center position, his spot is still relatively uncertain, especially if Patterson returns to the fray.
Robert Hainsey
Josh Lugg
Team captain Hainsey brought a level of grit to the line, making up for his somewhat lacking speed in his strength and control on the field. He prov ided explosive moments during his time of play, planting himself as a wall bet ween the defenders and the rest of the offense. His leadership and solid hits w ill be something that needs to be replaced in whoever takes over his position.
Lugg has practiced in ever y position on the line in the past, and this versatilit y w ill be a much needed aspect for the Irish. Though he took over at center after both Patterson and Correll were out, it is not likely that he w ill remain there. Even then, his experience and dexterous play w ill make him someone to look out for.
Position Grades: Aaron Banks Bank’s size alone was enough to be a valuable asset on the offensive line, standing at 6’6 and prov iding a powerful frame that defenders struggled to push past. His intimidating physicalit y paired w ith his abilit y to give formidable blocks w ill be aspects that Notre Dame w ill come to miss.
Emily DeFazio — Associate Sports Editor
Tommy Kraemer
Zeke Correll
It is hard to give a position grade for one w ith such uncertaint y heading into the season. However, new talent does not necessarily mean no talent. 2018, another season w ith a CFP show ing, started off w ith a relatively young team as well. I think that as long as the positions are relatively set w ith enough time for players to get comfortable in them, the offensive line can begin to regain and build upon the strength lost w ith talented players, both new and returning. However, too much sw itching around could cause the beginning of the season to be all the more shak y than what it already has a likelihood to be w ith a practically brand new line.
Kraemer was a four-year starter for the Irish. His
Correll center
Grade: B+
Key Departures: Liam Eichenberg A possible first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Eichenberg has been a force to be reckoned w ith at left tack le for the past three years. His consistency helped him to be regarded as a steady force that his teammates and fans alike could rely on for solid, efficient gameplay. For example, Eichenberg went both the 2019 and 2020 season w ithout allow ing a single sack. He walks away from Notre Dame w ith 38 starts under his belt, and his absence w ill surely be felt on the line in 2021.
Key Returnees: Jarrett Patterson A steady force at center, Patterson demonstrated his abilit y to execute as a starter on the line. However, his foot injur y has kept him out of play for months, and if he is able to take the field come September, he may start off a little shak y as he gets back in the sw ing of things.
stepped into the position given
sports
Softball Continued from page 16
Notre Dame only managed one run in four games against the Seminoles and were eight-run ruled in both games of the Saturday double header. The Irish bats came alive w ith 13 hits against the Broncos, however. Gumpf said Notre Dame’s offense is what can truly set the Irish apart. “And when that’s clicking really well, we’re really, really tough,” she said. “So we know that we have the abilit y to stay in any ballgame w ith our defense and our pitching. But our offense really does ever y thing that makes us shine.” At the top of the lineup, Notre Dame has statistically the most potent one-two punch in the conference in senior captains and California natives Abby Sweet and Emma Clark, who have the first and thirdhighest batting averages in the ACC among qualified players, respectively. Sweet not only paces the conference w ith her .484 average, which ranks 8th nationally, but also leads the ACC w ith 79 total bases and 12 doubles. The centerfielder is also tied for the ACC lead w ith 46 hits. Clark, who t y pically plays in right-field, is currently batting .427 and is fifth in
ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, april 16, 2021 | The Observer
the conference w ith 41 hits. Clark and Sweet combined for four hits against the Broncos, but the Irish got huge contributions further dow n the lineup as well. Senior pitcher A lex is Holloway, who only gave up one run on three hits in four innings of work against Western Michigan, also went 3-3 at the plate vs. the Broncos, including a solo home run to lead off the fourth inning that gave the Irish a 2-1 lead. Gumpf said Notre Dame relies on both Holloway and junior Pay ton Tidd to be not just great pitchers, but hitters and all-around athletes. “The way that they’ve been able to be huge forces in the middle of our lineup and also keeping us in all of our ballgames, that’s a lot to take on,” Gumpf said. “But they handle it w ith pure maturit y, and they just do a great job w ith it.” Holloway’s home run against the Broncos was her second of the year. Tidd has recorded 8 extra base hits this season, including three home runs. Senior infielder Sarah Genz, who ser ves as a captain w ith Sweet and Clark, also had a big day in just her 13th start this season for the Irish. Genz, who got the start at first base over freshman slugger Karina Gaskins, went 3-4 on the day, including a t wo-run RBI double in the fifth.
The Lakev ille, Minn., native is currently batting .195 on the year. Gumpf said that while Genz struggled at the plate early in the season, she believes the senior’s offensive production w ill be a key factor dow n the stretch for the Irish. “We really needed Sarah to step up against Western Michigan,” Gumpf said. “And she did exactly what I hoped she would do. [She] came up big for us in big situations, and we know that Sarah is capable of doing that.” Notre Dame has historically dominated Virginia and leads the all-time series against the Cavaliers 17-3. A series w in this weekend could go a long way towards propelling the Irish into the top half of the ACC standings. Notre Dame currently sits seventh in the conference after being picked to finish third in the preseason poll. Despite a losing record in ACC play, Notre Dame appears poised to make its 22nd consecutive NCA A Tournament appearance. The Irish are currently ranked 34th in the countr y in RPI, and Gumpf said she does not think her team w ill be fa zed by any extra pressure related to being on or near the bubble. “I think it’s just part of the game and part of a long season that we play,” she said. “I love that it’s [Notre
ARI DENNING | The Observer
Irish graduate student infielder Katie Marino makes a throw from base during Notre Dame’s 6-5 win over NC State on Mar. 26 at home.
Dame] softball’s legacy to be a postseason team. I love that about us; I think that it makes us really special.” First-pitch Friday is scheduled for 5 p.m.
W Lax Continued from page 16
Observer File Photo
Irish graduate student Samantha Lynch sprints down the field during Notre Dame’s 16-4 win over Louisville on Mar. 2 at Loftus Sports Center. Lynch was responsible for five points, adding four goals.
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sophomore attack Madison Ahern’s goal with 13:40 left in the first period. Courtney Weeks and Jenn Medjid both scored in the last minute of the first half for Boston College, expanding their lead to 11-5 at halftime. The lead continued to build for Boston College in the second period, as three straight Eagle goals caused the lead to balloon to 14-5. Notre Dame did not get much closer the rest of the way, and Boston College cruised to a 19-11 win despite three Notre Dame goals in the final 10 minutes of the game. Senior midfield Andie Aldave led the way for the Irish with three goals. Ahern and graduate student midfield Savannah Buchanan each recorded two scores for Notre Dame. No Notre Dame player recorded more than one assist in the contest, and sharing the ball to create more scoring chances will likely be a focus for the team going forward. The loss is the second in a row for the Irish. It is the second two-game losing streak of the season for Notre Dame, who lost two in a row back in March to Syracuse. The Irish gave top-ranked North
The entire series w ill be broadcast on ACC Net work Extra. Contact Greg McKenna at gmckenn2@nd.edu
Carolina everything they could handle last Saturday, before eventually falling 11-10 to the Tar Heels in heartbreaking fashion. UNC scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal with 7:11 remaining in the game, breaking a 10-10 stalemate. Notre Dame senior goalkeeper Bridget Deehan matched her career-high with 14 saves against UNC, but it was not enough for Notre Dame to pull out the victory. This was not the case on Thursday, as the Irish were thoroughly outplayed by Boston College from start to finish. Lucky for Notre Dame, the “Holy War” is not over just yet. The teams will play again at Boston College on Sunday, April 18 in the second game of their series. The game will face-off at 11 a.m. and can be seen on ACC Network Extra. For the Irish, a bounceback win would keep them near the top of the national rankings and give them they momentum they need ahead of their last two regular season games. Following the series against Boston College, Notre Dame will host Virginia Tech and Louisville in the last two games of the season ahead of the NCA A Championship beginning May 28.
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The observer | Friday, april 16, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
nd Men’s Tennis
ND Women’s Lacrosse | Boston college 19, Nd 11
ND to close year against top teams Observer Staff Report
The Notre Dame men’s tennis team looks to close out the regular season this weekend with a pair of home dates against the Virginia Cavaliers and Virginia Tech Hokies. Coming off a successful road swing, the 35th-ranked Irish (13-8, 6-4 ACC) begin with a tough matchup against an imposing Virginia squad on Friday and finish up the regular season against a capable Virginia Tech team on Sunday. The Cavaliers (16-2, 10-0 ACC) are ranked fifth in the country and sit atop the ACC standings, making for an extremely difficult test for an Irish group that is trending in the right direction. The Irish have won their past four matches and have generally played well at home all season (posting a 10-3 record at Eck Tennis Pavilion), but they will have to play their very best to compete with a Virginia team that has firmly established itself as one of the best in the
Notre Dame drops first game of series to Eagles
country. Led by sixth-ranked graduate student Carl Söderlund, the Cavaliers’ singles lineup is brimming with elite talent. In addition to Söderlund, two freshmen Cavaliers – Jeffrey Von Der Schulenburg and Iñaki Montes de la Torre — rank in the top 50 of the singles rankings, at 24th and 49th respectively. Junior Axel Nefve leads the Irish lineup and ranks 35th nationally for singles. Nefve has been playing his best tennis lately, not having dropped a singles match since Feb. 21 and recently defeating 20thranked Marcus McDaniel in last weekend’s win against Georgia Tech. This matchup against a top opponent in Söderlund will be a great challenge for Nefve as he looks to catch his stride before the ACC and NCA A tournaments. The Cavaliers don’t have as deep a lineup in the doubles game, but their number one team — composed of see M TENNIS PAGE 13
Observer Staff Report
ERIN FENNESSY | The Observer
Irish senior midfielder Andie Aldave prepares to defend an attack during Notre Dame’s on Feb. 26, 2020, at Arlotta Stadium.
see W LAX PAGE 15
SofTBALL
baseball | Nd 8, Central Michigan 4
Top-10 ranked Irish take down Central Michigan
Team returns to ACC competition
By LIAM COOLICAN
By GREG McKENNA
Sports Writer
Sports Writer
Play ing their first contest as a top-10 team in nearly 15 years, the 7th ranked Notre Dame baseball (166, 14-6 ACC) team jumped on Central Michigan (17-10, 9-3 M AC) early and often en route to an 8-4 v ictor y. “The game rewards you for how you go about it,” head coach Link Jarrett said after the game. “Our guys were ready to go. The intensit y of what was going on in our scouting report meeting, and pregame, and getting ready to compete...it was impressive.” The Irish bats got off to a hot start, scoring three runs in the first inning. Junior infielder Carter Putz drove home a run w ith a triple to deep right center, and then stole home when junior outfielder Jack Zyska, who had
Deanna Gumpf isn’t complaining. Notre Dame has had its last five scheduled games cancelled follow ing positive COV ID-19 tests w ithin the program last week, but the Irish head coach said her team has dealt w ith too much to let rust be an excuse when Notre Dame (1812, 9-10 ACC) hosts Virginia (13-21, 9-16 ACC) for a fourgame series this weekend at Melissa Cook Stadium. “It’s been tough,” Gumpf said. “This spring has not been easy and we’ve had a lot of challenges. So regardless of how many practices we’ve had or haven’t, we’ve got to make the most out of these opportunities and be the ver y best softball team we possibly can be.” Gumpf, who picked up her 770th w in as Irish head coach in an 8-1 w in over
see BASEBALL PAGE 14
After a nail-biting, 11-10 loss to No. 1 North Carolina, the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team travelled to Chestnut Hill, Mass. this weekend for the first in a t wo-game series against No. 5 Boston College. The first game of the series was played on Thursday evening, w ith the Eagles (10-1, 6-1 ACC) emerging v ictorious by a score of 19-11. The loss dropped the fourth-ranked Irish to 6-4 overall and 3-4 in the ACC. Boston College claimed the dominant w in w ith four goals apiece from Belle Smith and Charlotte North. Caitly nn Mossman also recorded four assists for Boston College. The Eagles scored less than 90 seconds into the game and never looked back. They had expanded their lead to 6-0 before Notre Dame finally got on the board w ith
ARI DENNING | The Observer
Irish junior pitcher Will Mercer throws a pitch during Notre Dame’s 7-4 loss to Louisville on Mar. 26 at Eck Stadium.
Western Michigan last time out, did admit this season was “hands-dow n” unlike any other during her t went y years at the helm in South Bend. “I think this has been so unusual just because you plan for the unexpected,” she said. “But at the end of the day, we’re all dealing w ith something that nobody has ever dealt w ith before.” With the v ictor y over the Broncos last Wednesday, Notre Dame extended its home w inning streak to ten games. The Irish have not lost at Melissa Cook since April 2019. The midweek v ictor y prov ided an opportunit y for Notre Dame to rebound from an Easter weekend sweep against ACC-leaders and current No. 9-ranked Florida State. The Irish entered Tallahassee on a seven-game w inning streak,but see SOFTBALL PAGE 15