Print Edition for The Observer for Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Athletic director speaks
Pete Bevacqua discusses career path and goals for athletics
By ZACK POHLMAN Staff Writer
On Monday, Notre Dame
Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua ’93 spoke to law students about his unique career journey and goals as athletic director. Students had the opportunity to ask questions about how the University will respond to the evolving world of college athletics.
Bevacqua, who took over for longtime athletic director Jack Swarbrick in March, said his first year leading Fighting Irish athletics has been smooth. His
tenure begins at a critical juncture for college sports.
“I think we are in the midst of [big changes] now with NIL, the House settlement and with college athletics drifting more and more to a professional model, particularly in football and men’s and women’s basketball,” Bevacqua said.
Bevacqua referenced the upcoming settlement that allows universities to directly compensate student-athletes up to a cap amount, anticipated to be around $20 million. He noted that while most of
that figure will go to football, all 26 of Notre Dame’s sports programs will see benefits.
“Ninety-five percent of the revenue that comes into the Notre Dame athletic department is due to football,” Bevacqua said. “Now, we also have one of the two or three best women‘s basketball programs in the country. So we want to continue investing in all of our sports.”
Bevacqua’s background includes a law degree from
see DIRECTOR PAGE 3
Notre Dame Press hosts anniversary book festival
By HENRY JAGODZINSKI Staff Writer
The University of Notre Dame Press is currently hosting its annual “Book Festival and Dirty Book Sale” in the Hesburgh Library’s main concourse. The event, which began Tuesday and continues Wednesday, is taking place concurrently with a celebration of the 75th anniversary of Notre Dame Press.
Notre Dame Press is the largest Catholic university press in the world and publishes in a range of academic fields considered to be among the University’s strengths, including theology, philosophy, political science, American history, medieval studies and Latin American studies.
Founded in 1949 during the presidency of Fr. John Cavanaugh, C.S.C., the press initially focused on publishing Catholic textbooks. It has grown since then to a full-time staff of thirteen, along with over a dozen student interns each year. In 2023-2024, the press published 45 books and sold
63,085 copies. Its offices are located in Flanner Hall.
Michelle Sybert is the assistant director of the press and outlined the major ambitions of the press for the next 75 years.
“We want to be the preeminent university press for our three biggest areas of strength: religion, philosophy and political science,” Sybert stated. “If you’re publishing in those areas, and you have an incredible book that’s going to be shaping the field, we should be the first place you think of.”
The book festival is a recurring fundraiser for the press. According to Sybert, the event has been dubbed “the dirty book sale” for decades.
“When I started here, I had initially thought, ‘This is too wild. We have to change the name,’” Sybert said. Now though, she’s changed her mind, mentioning the attachment students have to the event and their anticipation for it each fall.
Sybert said the name came from the fact that,
see BOOKS PAGE 4
ND professors discuss election
By GRACE TADAJWESKI Associate News Editor
As the dust begins to settle over a week after election day, political science professors at Notre Dame have taken time to analyze the results and predict what to expect in a second Donald Trump administration.
Political science professor
Michael Desch specializes in international relations and directs the Notre Dame International Security Center. He followed the polls prior to the election.
“I went to bed relatively early on election night because I thought it would be a few days before we had any inkling of what was going to happen,” Desch said. “I woke up and found out that the race had been basically called at 3 a.m., so I was surprised.”
Political science professor Michael Coppedge specializes in comparative politics and methodology and is a principal investigator for the Varieties of Democracy project. After the election, Coppedge reported feeling relieved there were not systematic procedure violations to have prompted violence, “because I think that would have been very bad for us.”
“I was feeling kind of fearful that there would be violence during the election, especially if Trump lost,” Coppedge said.
“I wasn’t too worried that it was actually going to be an unfair election, but I thought that there might be violence, and that would be worrisome, like a replay of Jan. 6 or something worse.”
Coppedge argued many voters made their decisions “on the basis of poor information,” and said he feels both unsure what can be done about this matter.
“If there’s a problem for democracy in this election, it wasn’t the conduct of the election itself,” Coppedge said. “I think there were some things about the environment in which the election took place that were … problematic, especially the information environment that we’re living in right now, in which there is a lot of fake news flowing around, a lot of misperceptions and bad
information flowing around that has convinced too many people.”
Delving beyond the election’s winner, Desch acknowledged how the voting outcomes of various demographics which forged Trump’s victory did not align with predictions.
“The ‘blue wall’ states, you know, completely went red. The number of Latinos and even African Americans that supported President Trump was much higher than anybody had expected,” Desch said. “There was a lot of prediction that the women’s vote would be really important because of abortion. That didn’t really turn out to be the case, so … almost everything we thought was going to shape the election didn’t.”
Political science professor Dianne Pinderhughes specializes in American politics and holds a position as a Notre Dame Faculty Fellow. Pinderhughes expected Kamala Harris to win.
“I was surprised at the success of the Trump candidacy, but the numbers are looking different,” Pinderhughes said. “Things are settling in ways … that weren’t clear early on. Earlier [some were] saying, you know, ‘this is a realignment.’ It’s not a realignment.”
While Pinderhughes recognized Trump’s “substantial” electoral college vote win, she also called upon the popular vote as evidence there is not a “significant distance” between Harris and Trump. Trump secured 50.2% of the popular vote while Harris secured 48.2%, according to the Associated Press.
“Democrats have been winning seats, and the numbers are going to be a little this, a little of that. So the current speaker is going to find it very challenging to be a dominant speaker,” Pinderhughes said.
While the election did not yield a win for the Democrats, Pinderhughes stated the election results were not the “complete success” for Republicans which results initially suggested. Pinderhughes referenced a Democratic shift as reasoning why a smaller proportion of
HENRY JAGODZINSKI | The Observer
Books will be available for purchase in the entrance of Hesburgh Library to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Notre Dame Press.
The Observer regards itself as a professional publication and strives for the highest standards of journalism at all times. We do, however, recognize that we will make mistakes. If we have made a mistake, please contact us at editor@ndsmcobserver.com so we can correct our error.
Abi Fletcher freshman McCandless Hall
“Magic Tree House.”
Celeste Mannel junior McGlinn Hall
“Selection Series.”
Karla Salgado sophomore Walsh Hall
“Harry Potter.”
Daniel Cuesta sophomore Dunne Hall
“The Tortoise and the Hare.”
Jacob Wilde sophomore O’Neill Hall
“Goodnight Moon.”
Justin Cannata sophomore Dillon Hall
“The Berenstain Bears.”
Supporters cheer on a boxer during the Baraka Bouts quarterfinals on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024 in Dahnke Ballroom. Fans brought signs, pom-poms and customized t-shirts to show their support for the students competing in the women’s boxing tournament.
Want your event included here? Email news@ndsmcobserver.com
Wednesday
Workshop: ‘Responsible AI’
Carey Auditorium
3 pm - 4:30 pm Workshop on AI ethical concerns.
Bell’s Brewery Euchre Tournament
Legends Pub
5:30 pm - 7 pm
Teams of two can play and win prizes.
Thursday
EuroCup Team Trivia 1030 Jenkins Nanovic
Halls
6 pm - 8 pm
Trivia contest on European culture.
Film: ‘American Animals’ DPAC
6:30 pm - 8 pm
Genre-bending movie about art heist.
Friday
‘Election 2024: What Just Happened?’ Hesburgh Center Auditorium 12:30 pm - 2 pm Panel discussion.
Concert: Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra Leighton Concert Hall 8 pm - 9:30 pm Works by Beethoven, Brahms and Elgar.
Saturday
‘Explaining the Miracles with St. Thomas Aquinas’ Geddes Hall 10:30 am - 11:30 am Therese Cory on saint.
Football vs. Virginia ND Stadium 3:30 pm
Notre Dame takes on the University of Virginia.
Sunday
Volleyball vs. Duke Purcell Pavilion 1pm Notre Dame faces off against Duke University.
Concert: Symphonic Winds and Band Leighton Concert Hall 3pm - 4pm Overtures, marches, and traditional works.
MARIELLA TADDONIO | The Observer
An Evening with
Phylicia Rashad
Join us for an evening with Tony-award winning actor Phylicia Rashad as she discusses her extensive acting career in films, TV, and Broadway. Film and television credits include: The Beekeeper, Jingle Jangle, Pixar’s Soul, Black Box, A Fall From Grace, Creed, Creed II, Creed III, For Colored Girls; This is Us (three Emmy nominations), Diarra From Detroit, Little America, The Crossover, The Good Fight, David Makes Man, and Empire
Monday, November 25
7:30 p.m.
Moreau Center for the Arts
O’Laughlin Auditorium
Tickets for this event can be purchased through the QR code or online at saintmarys.edu/events.
Members of the tri-campus community are invited to attend at no charge, but must reserve a ticket.
Director
Georgetown and experience as a corporate lawyer at Davis Polk. He said that his previous roles prepared him for his current leadership position.
“I ran the US Open for about six years, and then I oversaw the business side of the USGA for 11 years and loved every second of it,” Bevacqua said.
Before returning to his alma mater, Bevacqua was the chairman of NBC Sports. NBC is the official broadcast partner of Notre Dame Athletics, and the television rights deal was just renegotiated last year.
“I took over at NBC Sports, and again, loved it,” Bevacqua said. “This is just as the world was pivoting from a broadcast-cable approach to broadcast-streaming and realizing the power of sports on television to bring an audience together.”
Notre Dame’s unique position in college sports, Bevacqua noted, sets it apart from both academic peers and athletic competitors.
“We could have unbelievable students and beat Harvard and lose 100-nothing to Alabama, or we could flip the switch and say, ‘Hey, we’re not going to care about academic
standards, we’re not going to care about kids, we’re just going to become a football factory and beat Alabama,’” Bevacqua said.
Bevacqua’s vision is to avoid both extremes and make Notre Dame the best of both worlds.
“We’re not going to compromise,” he said.
He highlighted the commitment to provide resources for both athletic and academic success.
“We’re going to give you every resource imaginable to succeed athletically — the best coaches, best facilities, an unbelievable schedule, sports science, nutrition, data analytics,” Bevacqua said. “But we’re going to do the same thing academically, and we’re going to give you every resource to meet here with a Notre Dame degree.”
Bevacqua stressed that his role is to support each student holistically, adding a personal touch to his leadership.
“Whether your fourth career ends at 18, 21 or 35, it’s going to end,” Bevacqua said. “And then that Notre Dame degree is going to serve you for the rest of your life.”
“I have three kids at home, but when I come to work, I have 700,” he joked.
Contact Zack Pohlman at zpohlma2@nd.edu
Democrats supported Harris in 2024 compared to 2020 and why strong blue areas became red.
“I think a lot of what … explains these changes is people’s ambivalence about having a woman as a president, and that seems to cross all races, ethnicities, parties, Democratic voters, strongly Latino voters, but also Black voters as well,” Pinderhughes said. “Black males in particular expressed ambivalence about having a woman as president, even though she’s a woman of color, they weren’t prepared to be strong supporters of her.”
Pinderhughes noted the gap between Black men and Black women has been evident in prior elections while emphasizing Harris needed the votes she lost to Black men, on account of lower voter turnout.
“Harris as a candidate, as a female candidate, didn’t win as many votes as she might have if she’d been a man,” Pinderhughes said. “She’s not a man, and … she’s not been aggressive about talking about gender, except for in the context of abortion issues, reproductive freedom. Those are important gender issues, but … I don’t think she’s done a strong feminist argument in the way that some women would probably choose to.”
Pinderhughes cited Hillary Clinton as an example of a woman who took a stronger feminist approach, and she also referenced the fact that many other countries have had women leaders while the U.S. has not.
According to Pinderhughes, Trump allows men to maintain a “sense of power and masculinity.”
“Young men are feeling ambivalent about their status and about their economic wellbeing, and Trump gives them a sense of, ‘oh, we’ll be okay,’” Pinderhughes said. “‘We won’t
be subordinated by this woman president.’”
Rather than pointing to gender, Desch attributed Trump’s win to his ability to target independent and undecided voters who are unhappy with the country’s direction. Desch does not attribute Trump’s win to those who are “ideologically committed” to the “MAGA agenda.”
“The way I make sense of it in my mind is there’s a deep reservoir of unhappiness with how the country’s going, and already in 2016, I think Trump had sort of intuited that,” Desch said. “I think it, you know, goes back to Obama’s election in 2008 … There was a lot of enthusiasm that he was going to be the change candidate. And really, by the end of his second term, you know, he was pretty much an establishment Democrat.”
In the same way, Desch referred to Joe Biden’s 2020 win as a backlash to the “end of the Trump administration and COVID years.”
“People are just unhappy, and they’re looking for change,” Desch said. “So there’s certainly some people, I think that you know, you could identify as being ideologically Trumpist, but I think there are also a lot of people who were just unhappy for one reason or another, and the Democrats just missed that. And I think a lot of Republicans did too, but Trump, already in 2016, had sort of intuited that.”
Coppedge felt Harris’s loss was not dependent on her as a candidate or her campaign, despite her only having 107 days to campaign. Coppedge instead attributed her loss to a failure of both the Democratic and Republican parties to address the problem of economic strategy over the past several decades.
According to Coppedge, both parties have pursued globalization and free trade, without taxing and redistributing the gains from that trade, so “everyone benefits.” Coppedge stated
dad, although I have to limit myself,” she said jokingly.
the United States, along with European countries, has failed at this redistribution, causing people to be left behind and feel angry.
“Given that long time neglect of a large portion of the population, I think it’s understandable why a lot of people would feel very angry at Democrats, and out of frustration, would vote for Trump,” Coppedge said.
Looking at the Republican Party today compared to the past, Coppedge believes Trump has reoriented it towards isolationism, high tariffs protectionism and lower commitment to cooperation with Democrats, NATO and European allies. He also acknowledged the demographics of the party have shifted, and the party now claims to be a “working class party.”
Coppedge however thinks the Trump administration will impose policies “bad for their base” such as high tariffs that increase inflation. Coppedge continued in stating there are foreign policy consequences as well.
“I expect that we will not be giving as nearly as much support to Ukraine and its war with Russia as we have been in the past,” Coppedge said. “That would lead to Russia absorbing at least the territory that it’s conquered in Ukraine, and maybe more, and it may have its appetite whetted to go after other countries, like the Baltic states, Georgia and some of the places in Europe.”
More dramatically, Desch believes Trump will attempt to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
“I think he’ll do his best to end the war in Ukraine, and that will be bad news for President Zelensky and Ukrainian nationalists,” Desch said. “I think in terms of the Middle East … there’s sort of an upward spiral of … how pro-Israel and how anti-Iran and … its proxies, we can become.”
Next focusing on what he termed the “big issue,” Desch
referred to Trump as a “China hawk” and “geo-economist.”
According to Desch, United States-China relations devolve fall into a trade war, something the United States has not “experienced in a long time.”
“The Cold War with the Soviet Union was waged by two sides that were economically autarkic,” Desch said. “China and the United States really joined at the hip economically. And so how that will play out, and you know, how it will affect the geopolitical dynamic is going to be the big question in the coming years.”
Moving to Latin America, Coppedge said he believes U.S. policy will move toward a heavy focus on opposition to Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. Coppedge believes this issue will be important to many of the Latino voters that supported the Republican Party and Trump this election.
“I’m also concerned about massive deportations, and that also affects Latin America,” Coppedge said. “It’s just hard to imagine going back to something like the internment of Japanese during World War II, creating big internment camps to house people who are about to be deported. It just makes me very sad. I prefer to think of our country as a country of immigrants that welcomes everybody.”
Taking a more global view, Pinderhughes reasoned there have been incumbent losses in France, Japan and Germany, along with the United States, on account of inflation.
“The conservatism is that people are unhappy with the economy, and so they kick out the incumbents,” Pinderhughes said. “And the question is, what is that actually a sign of? Is it a sign of ideological change, or is it a sign of discomfort with the current environment, economic environment?”
In light of possible shifts in higher education, Desch
acknowledged a lesser confidence in academia in the U.S. than there once was. According to Desch, the commitment to academic freedom and ability to “push the boundaries” is under pressure and a challenge for the “university world.”
“Higher education has the sort of reputation, you know, for being ultra-liberal, and if incoming President Trump decides to, you know, sort of take revenge or air his grievances, you know, [it] could be a hot time in the old town tonight for those of us in the academy,” Desch said. “On the other hand, the markets tend to like Republicans, including Trump, so maybe endowments will do very well.”
Desch spoke of his worry that universities may seem too “at variance with public opinion.” With a bigger gap between public and university opinion, Desch believes there will be a bigger problem.
“If people think … we’re all tenured radicals, you know, then … there are going to be instances where that’s going to come back to bite us, certainly at state schools, where, you know, state legislature provides a big chunk of the money that they run on, but I think even at private universities,” Desch said.
Coppedge noted the onset of the Trump administration could affect Biden’s prior policies, highlighting loan forgiveness.
“I think it will mean further limitation of … diversity, equity and inclusion efforts on college campuses and admissions and then aid and things like that,” Coppedge said. “I think it would mean an end or reduction to student loan forgiveness for a while, and I think it probably will mean some cutback in federal funding for public education at U.S. universities.” tly correlated to the success of the local community.”
Contact Grace Tadajweski at gtadajwe@nd.edu
originally, the books on sale came from the basement of the press and would often be dusty or somewhat damaged. Now, while not particularly dusty, the books on sale may come with slight defects.
“They might literally be the proof that came off the printer, and maybe we found there’s a typo or the ink didn’t print it quite right on that first run,” Sybert explained.
The event is particularly popular among those looking for Christmas gifts.
Caroline Arnall, a secondyear chemistry PhD student was at the festival on Tuesday morning.
“I was going to look for books for Christmas presents, particularly for my brother-in-law, maybe my
She mentioned that she doesn’t patronize Hesburgh Library, where the sale is located, as often as she would like to.
“This is my compromise now. I don’t have to worry about turning books back in,” she said.
Neil Chase, a preventive conservation specialist for Hesburgh Libraries, was also looking for gifts.
“My kids go to a Catholic school in town, and I’m looking for books that relate to art and Catholicism,” he said. He picked up a copy of “The Vatican Observatory and the Arts.”
“I think it’s great that [Notre Dame Press] does this every year, it just reminds me of how broad the Notre Dame publishing offerings are,” Chase continued.
Shoppers are invited to
fill a tote bag with books for $55, or purchase books individually at prices between $7 and $10. Sybert said the sale is also popular among students looking to build their personal collections.
Leo Grabowski, a theology PhD student, is one such example.
“It’s helpful to have a library of reference works,” he said. “I’m interested in patristic, historical theology and I found a couple of interesting collections.”
Last year was a recordsetting year for the book festival, though press staff declined to share the total amount of funding raised.
“It’s a great way to increase access to our books,” Sybert said. “We’re raising money for the press, but we’re also providing a service to the community as well.”
Contact Henry Jagodzinski at hjagodzi@nd.edu
ND alum picked to head CIA
Observer Staff Report
In a statement Tuesday afternoon, President-elect Donald Trump announced he would nominate Notre Dame alumnus John Ratcliffe to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Ratcliffe received his bachelor of arts degree in government and international studies from the University in 1987. He currently serves as cochair for the Center for American Security at the America First Policy Institute. He previously served in the cabinet as director of national intelligence during the last
year of the first Trump administration and represented Texas’ 4th district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2015 to 2020.
In a statement, Trump offered his praise for Ratcliffe.
“I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation’s highest Intelligence positions,” Trump wrote.
Ratcliffe must be confirmed by the Senate in order to assume his position. Republicans are projected to hold 53 Senate seats compared to Democrats’ 47, beginning in January.
America, dry turkey and Thanksgiving
Jonah Tran Amate et Odite Deo
Like America, most people hate Thanksgiving. I am a supporter of Thanksgiving, so this article will serve as a defense of the American holiday. I will begin by addressing the various reasons why people may not like Thanksgiving.
Your family makes dry, unseasoned turkey. It is a real shame that some people’s negative characterization of Thanksgiving is actually just a condemnation of the food they eat. Admittedly, turkey is a difficult meat to work with; it requires copious amounts of butter and spices and gravy to make it palatable. Or if you are cool, your dad, uncle or grandfather has a turkey deep fryer. In this case, you will either have a succulent, delicious turkey or a house fire, no in between. With regard to turkey, I do not really understand what is stopping you from buying and liberally applying some Tony Chachere’s cajun seasoning and butter to the meat. Moreover, there are thousands of turkey recipes online, but year after year, your family butchers the turkey, literally.
You just aren’t in the “thankful” mood. This one is quite ridiculous. Thanksgiving has all the prerequisites to make you thankful: pumpkin pie, alcohol, football and your crazed aunt. If you feel like you are not in the “thankful” mood at Thanksgiving, then it means you have not eaten enough pie, drank enough alcohol, watched enough football or laughed enough at your aunt. Simple. Life could be worse.
You could be reincarnated as the ugly cousin of the chicken and live a miserable existence stuck in an iron prison, only to get slaughtered and subsequently overcooked at somebody’s house in rural Indiana. You dislike colonialism. Okay, fair point. But I would argue that the history behind Thanksgiving has been so saturated over the years. Most Americans don’t even know who the Pilgrims were. All we know, now, is Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, Black Friday sales and break from work/school. This is not to say that we have not forgotten America’s history of colonialism, but a majority of people celebrating the holiday have no ties or connection to the people who settled here in the 1600s. It is ridiculous that I, a son of two Vietnamese immigrants, have to atone for the sins of some John Smith hundreds of years ago. Moreover, celebrating Thanksgiving is completely optional. If it does not vibe well with you, no one is begging you to celebrate it. Simple.
Notre Dame does not give us ample time to celebrate it. This is the most reasonable argument against Thanksgiving for Notre Dame students. Thanksgiving break is admittedly very short, which makes traveling back home impractical or impossible for many. The timing is inopportune, yes. I wonder why Notre Dame gives us more time for a hoedown in Nashville during fall break than to spend time with family and friends at Thanksgiving. Moreover, in the spring semester, we have more time to “spend time in warmer weather” in Fort Lauderdale during spring break than celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ during Easter break. Odd.
“Civic discourse” with your Republican uncle. I understand why this could dampen your Thanksgiving celebration. You are in for a treat this Thanksgiving — I can’t really help you.
Overall, I believe that all Americans should enjoy Thanksgiving or at least try to enjoy it. It is a break, though brief, from the hustle and bustle of life to reconnect with family and friends. It is a time of reflection on the blessings you have in your life, and no matter how pessimistic or ungrateful you are, you have so many blessings to appreciate, whether you like it or not.
Never in the course of my article did I say that Thanksgiving was a “perfect” holiday. If anything, it is an exceptional one. It is exceptional both in theory and in practice, and this is the case because it happens in America, an exceptional nation. In no other place will you find people gobbling down pounds of turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie with such zeal. In no other place will you find a holiday that has competing themes of obsessive consumerism and kinship. In no other place will you find a nation founded on and constantly striving for human liberty and opportunity for all peoples. Though imperfect, Thanksgiving and America are ideals that I am very much thankful for.
Jonah Tran is a junior at Notre Dame studying finance and classics. He prides himself on sarcasm and never surrendering. You can file complaints to Jonah by email at jtran5@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
I’m addicted to energy drinks
already forming a long and tumultuous relationship with energy drinks.
And I’m not the only one.
Last week was for me, as I’m sure it was for most of you, one of the toughest weeks of the semester. Juggling a normal stressful college week along with election results had me feeling a lot of pressure; luckily, I had my favorite stress-coping strategy by my side.
For me, and for many of my fellows students, the solution is caffeine. According to one 2023 study, nearly half of college students report using an energy drink within their most recent semester. Some students keep their caffeine use casual; for some of us, it’s an addiction.
For my fellow students in an abusive relationship with our energy drinks, caffeine is the fix for everything and no amount is enough. Early morning? Grab a Red Bull. Big paper due? Try Alani Nu (rhyme intended). Students carry Celsius to their classes, Monster on tailgate weekend and Reign (the best option they sell at Huddle Mart, FYI) just to walk around campus.
Students who use energy drinks infrequently, or not at all, might wonder how we got here. While I can’t speak for every student, of course, I can share my own troubled history; I began as a young preteen,
Like many middle school girls, my love for caffeinated carbonation began initially with the Starbucks strawberry açaí lemonade refresher. A young thirteen year old, armed with two legs and endless hours in walking distance of a Starbucks, I excitedly dipped my toes into the world of caffeine. A refresher made me feel powerful, on top of the world.
As I went through high school, however, my Starbucks habit grew unsustainable. I craved my caffeine and sugar fix more and more often, but lacked the funds to continue my newfound obsession.
The solution? For me, energy drinks. Energy drinks became more and more prevalent, with cute brands like Alani Nu blowing up online and Panera’s “Free Sip Club” giving me access to the jet fuel, heart-attack-in-a-cup that was their strawberry mint charged lemonade (RIP). Once I began working my first job, alongside my school responsibilities, I was completely lost to the world that was caffeine.
While it is true that most students don’t use energy drinks to the extent that I do (my body can withstand more than most healthy individuals’), it’s also true that many students have at least a drink every day, will have multiple when they need to pull all-nighters for school or work and use energy drinks in other
sometimes inadvisable ways.
So why can’t we give up our beloved cans of artificial flavor? Energy drinks appeal to students for so many reasons: they taste sweet and fruity (for those of us who aren’t yet accustomed to the offensive flavor of coffee), they’re often low-calorie, they’re far cheaper than other readily-available beverages and they’re usually marketed as healthy and workoutboosting. Many students, and energy-drink users in general, don’t always know what they’re actually getting; brands like Celsius have even faced lawsuits for “misleading labels.”
I am the last person who would tell you not to drink energy drinks. Barring a major health incident, I don’t think I’ll ever give up my Juicy Peach Alani. However, I do encourage all my fellow students to regularly evaluate, like I have many times, their energy drink habits. If you are drinking 600 mgs of caffeine a day via three XL Panera strawberry mint charged lemonades, know that I’ve been there. From one addict to another, it might be time read some labels, do some research and maybe even lay off for a couple weeks.
Sophia Anderson is a sophomore transfer at Notre Dame studying political science and planning to go to law school. You can contact her at sander38@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this inside column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Sophia Anderson Transfer Tales
Kamala trumped
Declan Burke American DOMEland
On Oct. 30, I wrote an article discussing predictions and outcomes for the 2024 election. One of those outcomes was that Donald Trump would be elected president, but I believed it was extremely unlikely he would gain both House and Senate control. One week after the election, it appears that Trump could have complete control over Congress and the government. But how did this happen, and what does it mean for Americans over Trump’s presidential term?
Elections are won and lost based on complex and interconnected factors. Still, in this election, Trump’s victory can be generalized to his success in seven key states: Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Wisconsin and, of course, Pennsylvania. Trump managed to beat out Kamala Harris in every one of these swing states, ultimately winning the presidency. I believe that common sense allows for the conclusion that Donald Trump is no one’s first choice for President of the United States. After all, he is a felon, and his last presidency ended in the chaos of the Jan. 6 insurrection. Therefore, Trump’s election to the White House indicates that Americans are willing to overlook these issues in the hope that he will bring change to the nation. This fact, coupled with Joe Biden’s late decision to withdraw from the presidential race and Kamala’s inability to separate herself from the Biden administration, led to Trump’s election.
I mentioned that Trump was elected to bring change to the nation, which seems to be Trump’s plan. In his first 100 days in office, Trump has
claimed that he will focus on a few significant issues: ending the Russo-Ukrainian War, closing the Mexican-American border and beginning mass deportations, enacting executive orders reclassifying government employees and starting to undo the Biden administration’s climate initiatives. Trump has claimed that he would be able to end the war between Russia and Ukraine within 24 hours, so this would be a significant starting point for his presidency, likely by decreasing American support for the defense of Ukraine. Trump has also claimed that he will close the Mexican-American border and begin a large-scale mass deportation of illegal immigrants. However, this claim will likely be challenging to enact. The deportation of that many people would require a substantial amount of manpower and state cooperation, which is not that feasible. Still, it is likely to see the closing of the border and the start of deportations throughout the country.
Trump also plans to lower the guard rails of the American political system by reclassifying several federal employees into at-will employees, which would give Trump the direct ability to remove them from their positions and replace them with his supporters. This would give Trump even more control over enacting his policies. Trump already has the Supreme Court in favor, and if he gains congressional control, his policies could be implemented much more quickly. Trump also plans to pull out of the Paris Climate Accords and will begin to increase American drilling, further impacting the already dire state of climate change.
Another critical issue that could come up during the Trump presidency is the issue of abortion. Trump’s last presidential term saw the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which had significant implications
in turning abortion laws back to the states. Trump has publicly said that he would veto a national abortion ban if it came to his desk. Still, there could be other ways to enact broadscale restrictions and access to abortion services nationwide. One avenue to achieve nationwide abortion restriction could be in the enacting of the Comstock Act of 1873. The act was made void by passing Roe v. Wade but never fully repealed. This means that since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the law has been in effect but not enforced. If the Comstock Act were to be interpreted literally and enforced, it could prevent the transport of contraceptives, abortion pills, drugs, medical instruments or any other abortion-related materials by mail. This would effectively make abortion impossible even in the states where it remains unrestricted, impacting millions of women by giving the government unwarranted control over their bodies.
Ultimately, Trump’s reelection to the White House will have incredibly large implications for millions of Americans and people worldwide. However, Trump’s election also encapsulates the inherent nature of the American political system, the fact that people can choose to change the nation how they best see fit. That view and conception of what the Nation looks like may look different from one person to the next, but it is essential to remember that it comes from the central hope of seeing America prosper and retain its place on the world stage.
Declan is a surviving biochemistry major at the University of Notre Dame. He is usually trying to figure out how to work the printer. Contact at dburke7@nd.edu. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Forget your perfect offering
I would have missed out on a fond memory of all my high school friends gathered together in one place.
“I honestly don’t think anyone will notice.” The words left my mouth before I could stop them — as if my mom, trying to cover the gaping hole in our living room wall, would believe me.
It was the morning of my fifteenth birthday. Realistically, my plans to celebrate with friends later that night hinged on my mom’s willingness to host people in our living room, which itself depended on the success of the cover-up job that needed to happen first. Months prior, my dad had gotten the idea to “motivate” him and my mom to finally redoing the living room mantle and fireplace. His solution had been to completely knock out the old fireplace, which he undertook one weekend while my mom and I were away for a swim meet.
The result? Instead of forcing a swift remodel like expected, we lived with a gaping hole in our wall for months and my dad received a “what were you thinking” look from the rest of us every time the subject was broached.
We had people over anyway. My friends noticed the missing fireplace, but it was laughed off as a well-intentioned dad blunder and the conversation quickly moved on. I don’t even remember what our living room looked like that night, only the people that came and the fun we had.
I came across a quote the other day that reminded me of that night. It is from Leonard Cohen’s song, “Anthem.”
“Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in”
Forget your perfect offering. Sure, the state of our living room at the time may not have fit my mom’s definition of a “perfect offering.” Yet, had we let optics get in the way of inviting people over,
I did not share my mom’s distress at the time, but with age, I have come to better understand where she was coming from. It wasn’t the lack of a fireplace that prompted her fretting, exactly, but the idea that others could perceive a “weakness” in the pristine, put-together home environment she strove to emulate. Although I do not own a home to host people in, it seems like life demands “perfect offerings” from me in other forms — getting perfect test grades, curating the perfect Instagram feed, following the perfect workout routine, landing the perfect internship. Anything less can seem like a failure of self, a result of my own weaknesses and faults.
Cohen rejects that idea, and rightfully so. I think about the times I struggled to get up to work out in the morning, the times I built the perfect course schedule just for all the classes to fill up before my registration time, or the times I rehearsed a presentation only to go off-script during the real thing. In all those cases, how often did it end up being okay? The answer is: every time. The workout was done, the classes taken, the presentation given. It might not have been perfect, but it was good.
Striving for perfection only to be severely humbled by reality is a natural part of growing up. My friend’s dad was painfully honest when he told her that “the point of college is to break you so that you’re okay with life being messy.” He means “messy” in the sense that things will rarely go as planned, and that is okay. The best way to make God laugh is to tell him your plans — what matters is that you accept life for what it is, rather than what you wish it could be. This does not mean that lofty goals are pointless, or suggest that you lower your standards by any means. It just guards us against an unrealistic notion of “perfect”
getting in the way of good.
But Cohen goes further to say that our “messiness” also produces hidden blessings. Weakness becomes strength and fault becomes virtue. Forgetting your rehearsed answers results in a much more natural, meaningful conversation during a job interview. A wrong turn during your day trip leads you to discover an amazing hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Your meeting running behind allows for your team to slow down and bond instead. Focusing on what is wrong can blind you to all the things that also go, unexpectedly, so right.
Although easier said than done, I wonder what other aspects of my life I can accept the “cracks” in my plans and recognize how they “let the light in,” instead. My worst fear is looking back on life wishing I had invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or that I had jumped in the pool instead of worrying about getting my hair wet. There is no use in postponing happiness, delaying progress or missing out on memories because you’re caught up in some unattainable idea of “perfect.”
There’s a possibility that my family will host Thanksgiving this year. Our living room’s fireplacesized hole has been filled since I was fifteen, but I welcome the fact that there will likely be other things needing “covering up” before people come over. If we intentionally focus on the whole point of gathering – being together – we may find that it really isn’t that hard, after all. There’s always a lot of light to let in.
Allison Elshoff is a junior studying business analytics with minors in the Hesburgh Program of Public Service and impact consulting. Originally from Valencia, California and currently living in Badin Hall, you can find her unsubscribing from email lists or hammocking by the lakes.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Allison Elshoff Asking for a Friend
By PETER MIKULSKI Scene Editor
“No, this was he, Messala, But Cassius is no more. O setting sun,
As in thy red rays thou dost sink to night,
So in his red blood Cassius’ day is set.
The sun of Rome is set. Our day is gone; Clouds, dews, and dangers come; our deeds are done.”
The Trump campaign — and then the four years of his presidency — spawned a brood of “Julius Caesar” productions which heavy-handedly casted the play’s Antony and Caesar as Republican-coded demagogues and its Brutus and Cassius as valorant “#Resist” liberals. I dreaded these productions, because it flattens a genius work of drama and poetry into a political fable — the dramatic equivalent of a “Just So” story.
When the Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Co. (NSR) — Notre Dame’s premier, and only, student Shakespeare group — announced that their main fall production would be a suffragette-themed “Julius Caesar,” I was nervous. It isn’t that I don’t like ballsy Shakespeare adaptations. Ian McKellen’s Nazi-themed “Richard III” is great, and I love Baz Luhrmann’s notorious “Romeo + Juliet.” Orson Welles’s voodoo take on “Macbeth” sits well with me too. They all add a lot of color to the text of each of their respective plays. My fear was just that NSR’s suffragette “Julius Caesar” would be an awkward, forced redux of the Trump productions repackaged for the era of Kamala Harris’s Democratic Party rather than Hillary Clinton’s.
Fortunately for me and everyone who goes to see NSR’s
production — playing at Washington Hall’s Lab Theatre from Wednesday, Nov. 13 through Friday, Nov. 15 as well as Sunday, Nov. 17 — director Ryan Palmer doesn’t cheapen “Julius Caesar” with his suffragette staging. Rather, he succeeds in highlighting what’s already interesting about Shakespeare’s script.
At first, the amendations Palmer had to make to the script are a little jarring — e.g., “Mend me, thou saucy fellow” is swapped with “Mend me, thou saucy lass.” Eventually, though, you don’t notice them.
The most striking switch, of course, is “Julia Caesar” for “Julius Caesar.” I was expecting Julia to be played either as a Kamala type in the name of “staying current” (which would have risked turning the tragedy into a farce) or as a Margaret Thatcher character (because that would be a convenient way to reconcile the female casting with the role’s bold writing).
As Julia, actress Alyssa Miulli falls for neither of these traps. Surprisingly and wisely, she strikes a tone somewhat reminiscent of the one Amy Poehler used to use for Leslie Knope’s more serious scenes in “Parks and Recreation.” The performance is low-key and suits her well, helping her role — which marks the most blatant departure from Shakespeare’s vision of the play — feel like something natural rather than like an imposition.
The real stars of the show, though, are Brutus and Cassius; they do have several times more lines than the titular character, after all. Actor Will Barrett’s Brutus is explicitly brooding and temperamental. Actress Caroline Long’s Cassius, however, is suspiciously poised and has a feigned politeness about her. While Brutus’s frequent outbursts are impressive feats of acting, whenever Cassius’s mask starts to slip and she begins to raise her voice, it’s genuinely terrifying.
Actor Andrew Arcidiacono nails the infamous “Friends, Romans, countrymen” oration as Antony. Whereas Brutus delivers his lines the way a politician would — sometimes even slipping into the iconic Obama cadence — Antony speaks to the crowd as a friend to a dear friend.
Brutus, Cassius and Antony — who dominate the play — all feel ambiguously wicked; there aren’t really any heroes to root for, just villains of varying levels of audience
appeal. My personal favorite was Cassius, who has a great voice — a unique mix of a little low and a little quiet — and a knack for striking a balance between natural and poetic delivery. The refusal to bend “Julius Caesar” into a play which names clear good guys and obvious bad guys saves it from the pitfalls of those Trump era productions I couldn’t stand.
A lot of the performances from the supporting cast serve to add to this gloomy, mixed-up atmosphere. Actress Mary Adams is good as Portia, the long-suffering wife of Brutus. Actress Madison Denchfield is Brutus’s naive servant, and her innocent demeanor makes the emotional turmoil her character undergoes in the final act all the more tragic. Actress Francie Surdyke’s brief appearance as Titinius, a close friend of Cassius, was remarkably heartfelt and an unexpected highlight of the show.
Furthermore, the group of conspirators are a colorful cast of characters in themselves. Actor Jacob Rush’s Decius Brutus is convincingly suave and manipulative. In the assassination scene, actor Ayden Kowalski’s genuinely hopeful and enthusiastic Cinna provides a nice foil to the scheming Cassius’s reaction.
Actor Tommy Liddy’s choice to give the conspirator Casca an Italian-American accent straight out of “The Sopranos” was inspired — and a reminder that, even when performing a tragedy, humor is one of NSR’s strong suits. (Still, he was able to get serious when his lines demanded it.) The production’s sometimes campy, sometimes harrowing dance sequences choreographed by Cecilia Swartz and actor Andy Ottone’s portrayal of the tragicomic death of Cinna the Poet were two other examples of NSR’s knack for dark humor.
Overall, however, NSR played “Julius Caesar” a lot straighter than they did “Richard III” last semester, which really leaned into the breakneck switches between gags and murders. While in general I prefer this sort of NSR production — their way of performing the tragedies with a good sense of humor and the comedies with lots of attention to detail — I can’t complain about the more serious NSR on display in this “Julius Caesar.”
Contact Peter Mikulski at pmikulsk@nd.edu
GRAY NOCJAR | The Observer Octavia, played by Meaghan Northrup who also plays the Soothsayer, brandishes her “sword” — i.e., her gun. TREY PAINE | The Observer
GRAY NOCJAR | The Observer
Spoiler alert: Caesar dies. Brutus, played by Will Barrett, dances with the ghost of Caesar, played by Alyssa Miulli.
GRAY NOCJAR | The Observer Cassius, played by Caroline Long, stabs herself as her friend Titinius, played by Francie Surdyke, looks on.
BARAKA BOUTS
Recapping Monday’s 13 quarterfinal bouts
By TYLER REIDY Sports Editor
On Monday evening, the 22nd annual Baraka Bouts began with the quarterfinal round at Duncan Student Center’s Dahnke Ballroom. Here’s how each of the 13 bouts played out.
Aracely “Chelas” Gonzalez def. Ava “My Stomach Hurts” Goldsmith
The night’s showcase bout opened with a quick tempo supplied by Goldsmith, a firstyear student from Cavanaugh Hall and Bellemore, New York. Gonzalez, an off-campus junior from Waukegan, Ill., would settle into the fight, playing the role of aggressor into the second round. The two came out swinging big in the final round, but a series of late connections gave Gonzalez the upper hand. Despite the best efforts of Goldsmith’s boisterous cheering section, Gonzalez prevailed by split decision.
This bout began much more tentatively than the first, as the two fighters sized one another up early. Diaz, a fifth-year student from Breen-Phillips Hall and Houston, Texas, gained the edge in the second round, chasing Fuerbacher around the ring with relentless jabs. The New Jerseyan junior from Welsh Family Hall would pull some momentum back in round three but couldn’t do enough to slow down Diaz, who won by unanimous decision.
FOOTBALL
Hope “The Wonder” Wanken def. Sara “Partial Credit” Werner
Hailing from St. Louis and Pasquerilla West Hall, Werner began this battle of juniors with high energy, dipping her shoulders in search of punching angles. Wanken withstood her fast start, the Minnesotan from Lewis Hall landing more and more swings as the fight wore on. As Werner searched for a response, Wanken kept hitting en route to a victory by unanimous decision.
Tavin “3-Alarm” Martin def. Megan “Big Red” Gallagher
This Hoosier State bout pitted Goshen’s Gallagher, a senior from Johnson Family Hall, against Evansville’s Martin, a senior out of Lyons Hall. Playing for state pride, the two fighters began physically, going to the ropes several times in the first round. At one point, Martin sent Gallagher down to the deck, surprising the crowd. Wailing away at her opponent in tight quarters during rounds two and three, Martin earned a victory by unanimous decision.
Neither fighter took the upper hand early in bout number five. The contest’s physicality increased in round two, with the official on several occasions halting the fight due to shoulder-high grabs. Ultimately, the older and taller Cucala, a senior from Spain, would get the better of her sophomore foe and prevail by unanimous decision.
Lilly “The Lineback” Nadler def. Chevelle “Barbenheimer” Boomershine
First-year Massachusetts native Nadler, a Flaherty Hall resident, made quite the first impression in the sixth bout. Crouching low and driving hard, she sent her graduate student opponent to the floor midway through round one. Nadler would keep on the attack, landing a pair of hefty rights late in round two. The Ohioan Boomershine rallied well early in round three, but Nadler held on and won by split decision.
Emma “The Enforcer” Hazel def. Lauren “Half-Pint” Hubert
A Farley Hall senior from Nebraska, Hubert opened bout number seven with a series of frantic swing. Hazel, a Pasquerilla West junior from nearby Granger, fender her off well and began to take control as Hubert ran out of gas. Landing a few key shots late in the bout, Hazel prevailed by split decision.
Samantha “Smitty” Smith def. Erin “Oh Oh Oh” Reilly
These two East Coast opponents fought with massive cheering sections behind their respective sides of the rings. While Smith, a Ryan Hall junior from New Jersey, found some success on right hooks, Reilly got going in the second round with a steady dose of left jabs. However, the Virginian senior from Walsh Hall couldn’t hold off Smith, who claimed a victory by unanimous decision.
Caroline “Ba Ba Ba” Flannery def. Maisie “I Don’t Have One Yet” Jenuwine
Both fighters approached this contest with a conservative start, Flannery representing Ryan Hall and Chappaqua, New York, as a senior and Jenuwine showing out for South Bend and Cavanaugh Hall as a sophomore. Eventually, Flannery forced her way through Jenuwine’s solid defense, connecting on a few crucial rights in the final 15 seconds. As her supporters belted out Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” Flannery wrapped up the contest with a victory by unanimous decision.
Katherine “Bend It Like” Beckman def. Lily “Lil’ Knockout” Mesler
The 10th contest of the night went off ferociously, as the more experienced and significantly taller Beckman put Mesler on the defensive early. The senior from Howard Hall and Minnesota continued to attack the first year from Walsh Hall and Pennsylvania, forcing a count midway through the second round. Beckman forced another count early in round three and continued punching downhill on her way to a victory by unanimous decision.
Rae “Racecar” Smolen def. Emma “Bad Intentions”
Speyrer
Smolen, a first-year from Maryland and Welsh Family Hall, and Speyrer, a senior from Texas and Cavanaugh Hall, prioritized defense early on as their supporters cancelled out one another’s raucous chants. The bout opened
up in the second round as Smolen dealt sporadic body blows to open up lanes for high hits. That trend would continue into the final round, Smolen in full command of the contest’s direction. She would go on to win by unanimous decision.
As roars of “Let’s go, Katie!” and “Let’s go, Maddie!” clashed behind the ropes, Sullivan and Orchard pounded away with calculated cuts throughout the first two rounds. Although Sullivan took the upper hand in round one, the Virginia sophomore from Johnson Family Hall hit her hard in the second. At one point, Sullivan required a 10-second respite in the blue corner, but the Saginaw native kept battling into the final round, earning victory by split decision.
Lindsey “The Beater” Weeter def. Siena “Asian Persuasion” Hua
Though a bit out of control to start (she needed a count due to a stumble), Weeter tracked Hua all around the ring in the night’s final contest, a battle of sophomores. The Virginian from Flaherty Hall gave Hua, her Chinese adversary, few chances to strike back, hitting after the second round’s final bell. Hua would offer some pushback to start round three, but Weeter held her off to secure a victory by split decision.
Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu
Stock up, stock down: Virginia week
By NOAH CAHILL Associate Sports Editor
Notre Dame’s Saturday night matchup against Florida State was set to be the marquee matchup of the Irish home slate heading into the 2024 season. While that proved to be far from the case, the Seminoles since falling apart and bringing a 1-8 matchup to the contest, Notre Dame put on a show for the nearly sold-out home crowd in a resounding, 52-3 victory. Extending their win streak to seven straight games, the Irish now improve to 8-1 on the season and are primed for a spot in the College Football Playoff should they win their final three games. Here are some of the team’s active strengths and weaknesses heading into their final home game in Week 12 against Virginia.
Stock up: the dominant defense
Coming into a matchup with a Seminole offense ranked second-worst in the nation with an average of 14.4 points per game, anyone could have predicted what
happened on Saturday. However, it takes nothing away from how well this Irish defense under Al Golden continues to play. After holding Florida State to a field goal all game, Notre Dame now ranks third in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 11.11 points per game. Beyond the scoreboard, it was how they sucked the life out of the Seminoles that spoke to their strength as a unit. Quarterback Brock Glenn finished the game 5 of 18 for 51 passing yards without a touchdown pass and two interceptions. Florida State managed 208 yards of total offense and converted only three of 17 third downs. As a team, the Irish totaled an incredible eight sacks with defensive tackle Rylie Mills contributing three of them. After a slow start out the gate, the graduate student has five sacks in his last five games and has set the tone from the front alongside fellow graduate student Howard Cross III on the defensive interior.
Stock up: the performance of Mitchell Evans
After a season as Notre Dame’s number one offensive option was
cut short by an ACL tear, it’s safe to say that Mitchell Evans has not been at his absolute best this season. He was nonetheless named one of the eight Mackey Award semifinalists and has shown flashes as he’s worked back to full health. His performance against Florida State, however, looked like the closest thing to vintage Mitchell Evans we’ve seen all season. The senior tight end only caught two balls for 21 yards, but one of his receptions showcased his one-on-one prowess as a red-zone target, hauling in a fade from senior quarterback
WANTED
Riley Leonard in the corner of the end zone. He also had an outstanding catch overturned, which despite not counting for anything, reminded us how he can overpower defenders in the secondary. While doubts remain as to whether or not this Irish passing attack can be a real threat in the postseason, Evans can silence many of them if he continues a return to form.
Stock up: the wide receiver corps
Head coach Marcus Freeman highlighted the optimism he had
for the team’s wide receiver depth at the beginning of the season. He and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock expected a committee of contributors without the need for a traditional alpha to emerge. While graduate transfer Beaux Collins has come closest to that title, hauling in a team-high 29 receptions for 374 yards, seven others have reached double-digit receptions on the season. Against a weak Florida State secondary, the full arsenal of Irish pass-catchers
time; utilize the added discipline you receive from Saturn this year to help you reach your target. Your numbers are 5, 13, 23, 27, 35, 44, 49.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Use your intelligence to outmaneuver anyone trying to exploit you. Don’t be naïve or give anyone the power to make choices for you. Scour all avenues for opportunities and create what you deem best. Get a second opinion if you don’t like a diagnosis or plan someone offers.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Put your energy where it counts. Make comfort and convenience your goal. Set high standards and goals and research to discover the most efficient and affordable way to move forward with your plans. Change begins with you; promote your best offer and clarify what you want in return.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Take care of business yourself. If you depend on others, you will be disappointed in the results. Use your intelligence, knowledge, and resources to help navigate your way forward. Go through the proper channels to forgo delays. A trip, meeting, or conference will encourage positive change.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Let your mind wander, but keep your money and possessions safe. Emotional spending is apparent if you buy into someone else’s dreams or succumb to a manipulative sales pitch. Back up, be more introspective, and consider how your skills, attributes, and talents can benefit you.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Do it yourself. Relying on others to do things for you will lead to regret and faulty results. Keep your thoughts to yourself when dealing with business matters or associates. Pressure tactics will backfire, leaving you in the lurch. Keep life simple and stick to the truth.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Communication is necessary to ensure things get done correctly. You are overdue for a change, but first, you must take care of loose ends. Once you have all your ducks in a row, reward yourself with a pick-me-up that makes you feel good about your appearance and accomplishments.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Dealing with people from different backgrounds will require open-mindedness. Offer alternatives, but be willing to meet halfway if that’s what it will take to get things done. Stick to the truth and verify the information you receive before you pass it along. An innuendo someone makes will be misleading.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Initiate change. Reset your schedule to ensure you have time to alter your preferences to suit your needs. Stay on top of money matters. Be sure to ask for a written estimate before you sign a contract. Research can help prevent making a costly mistake. Trust your intuition.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Make a motion to do something that requires one of your talents and intelligence or offers the opportunity to explore new possibilities and outlets. Let your passion rise and help you deliver your deepest desires directly to the source you require to make your dreams come true.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Keep your emotions hidden from those trying to find your weak link. Put your energy into achieving your goals and fend off interference by keeping a low profile and making every move count. Strategy, discipline, and hard work will pay off. Do what you do best.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A creative outlet will spark your imagination and encourage you to turn something you love doing into a moneymaking operation. Jumpstart your energy with excitement and enthusiasm; it will help build the momentum and support you need to reach your goal. A joint venture looks promising.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Refuse to let someone else’s uncertainty slow you down. Don’t hesitate to do your best and implement change that stimulates personal growth or self-improvement. Use your imagination and creative talent to outmaneuver anyone competitive. A financial gain or contract looks promising. Romance is on the rise. Birthday Baby: You are disciplined, innovative, and forthright. You are enthusiastic and dependable.
was on display. Sophomore Jaden Greathouse led the way with five catches for 66 yards and has shown marked improvement in recent weeks, starting to fulfill high preseason expectations. Outside of Greathouse, four other Irish wide receivers caught passes, as did four Irish running backs, including season firsts for junior Justin Fisher and graduate student Jake Tafelski late in the second half.
BARAKA BOUTS
The coaching staff will continue to be encouraged by Leonard’s trust in spreading the love to multiple targets.
Stock up: the development of Jadarian Price
While clear second fiddle to sophomore star Jeremiyah Love in the Irish backfield, junior running back Jadarian Price has provided an explosive boost to the rushing attack all season. In 61 carries, the junior has tallied 443 yards and four touchdowns on the ground,
averaging an efficient 7.3 yards per carry. However, he has had struggles between the tackles, often looking to bounce it outside rather than make reads behind the blocks. Against the Seminoles and in recent weeks, however, he has been far more decisive as a runner, a fact encapsulated by his 65-yard touchdown burst that capped off a 95-yard game. If he continues to develop his vision, the one-two punch with Love becomes an even more lethal weapon for the Irish offense.
Stock down: the health of Howard Cross Preseason All-American selection Howard Cross III is arguably the most valuable player on this entire defense. Alongside Mills, Cross leads this elite unit from the front. Responsible for stonewalling opposing rushing attacks while being one of the greatest sources of quarterback pressure on the defensive line, Cross does everything for this Notre Dame defense. Seeing him on the ground writhing in pain with a left ankle injury
in the middle of the first half was not a welcome sight for Irish fans. Thankfully, while he is ruled out for the Virginia game, Freeman is confident he will be available to return the following week in an important matchup against No. 16 Army. However, in a game with otherwise very few negatives to take from, further injury concerns of any kind for an already beat-up Irish team fall under that category.
Contact Noah Cahill at ncahill2@nd.edu
Senior captains speak on community of bouts
By BEN HICKS Sports Writer
Dating back to 1997, Notre Dame’s largest all-female club, Baraka Bouts, has connected hundreds of students for nearly three months of sisterhood, service and sparring. The unforgettable and uniquely Notre Dame experience has utilized boxing to assist the fundraising efforts of the Congregation of Holy Cross to ensure that children in Kyembogo and Jinja, Uganda have access to quality education. While this November marks the end of their “blood, sweat and tears” with their Baraka Bouts teammates, first-time senior captains Lauren Barnes, Katherine Beckman, Lauren Buetow, Luisa Capobianco, and Kim Nguyen are proud of the work they have accomplished inside and outside of the ring over the previous four years.
All five captains had no boxing experience before they joined Baraka Bouts, which over the last 22 years has grown into the largest women’s boxing club worldwide. While each of the captains hold specified responsibilities that help the club operate, they all help coordinate eight two-hour practices five each week. In these practices, the captains, along with the help of volunteer boxing coaches from the South Bend area, train the underclassmen in a cardio regimen and boxing techniques before undergoing practice spars.
Lauren Barnes is a neuroscience major, minoring in compassionate care in medicine on the pre-med track. Barnes is originally from Long Island, N.Y., and has lived in Johnson Family Hall on campus. While she is also involved in research and Dublin study abroad, Barnes said she became hooked on Baraka Bouts while touring campus with a friend as a senior in high school.
“I initially thought there was no way I was going to do this. It was way out of my comfort zone. But when I got to campus I was looking for a way to stay active and I also liked the community service aspect, so I decided to give one workout a try. I became hooked immediately,” said Barnes in an interview with The Observer.
While she stated that it can be challenging to get in the ring every day, she claims that her experience with Baraka Bouts has
enriched her personal growth, and that the challenges are justified by being able to mentor the new boxers. Barnes serves as the wellness captain, which involves her coordinating “Wellness Wednesdays” for the club member’s mental and physical wellbeing, along with organizing the daily spar sheets.
Convinced to join the club by neighbor and current club vice president Olivia Mancuso, Katherine Beckman serves as the apparel captain, organizing all equipment and gear for the club’s 200+ members. The Minnesota native is majoring in biochemistry with a concentration in neuroscience, and has lived in Howard Hall. Outside of boxing, Beckman is involved in research, and also commits her time to volunteer with Mending Minds, a campus organization that provides services and companionship to promote healthy aging for individuals in six local South Bend nursing homes.
“As a freshman I thought there was no way I had time for it, but I was super active in the summer before my sophomore year, but I didn’t have any goal in mind,” Beckman said. “So I joined Baraka Bouts and it was rewarding to be active, while having motivation and something to work
towards.”
Beckman also recalled the positive encouragement of the club.
“It’s a really good community. Everyone has your back, win or lose. You get out of the ring and all the captains and your friends are there and they said, ‘Wow, Katherine. You did that — you’re a dawg,’” she said.
A political science and psychology double major from Milwaukee, Wis., Lauren Buetow serves as the social media captain, responsible for all messaging and promotion for Baraka Bouts. Buetow is also involved on campus with Iron Sharpens Iron, BridgeND and as an intern for YoungLife. She has lived in Flaherty Hall, where as a sophomore, she became involved with Baraka Bouts through a Hall Council event.
“It was pitched at hall council and it sounded like something I’d be good at,” Buetow said. “I really missed having a team sport environment because I had that my whole life before Notre Dame. I was able to bring the community and athletic aspects back into my life through Baraka Bouts.”
Fundraising captain Luisa Capobianco is from Easton, Pa., majoring in finance with minors in real estate and Italian. Capobianco has lived in Welsh
Family Hall and is also involved with Student International Business Council and the women’s club soccer team. Having joined Baraka Bouts in the midst of tough times during her sophomore fall, Capobianco has risen to assume the large responsibility of overseeing all fundraising efforts of the club.
“I went through a difficult time and decided to pour all my time and energy into boxing. It became very empowering and I’ve made some great friends,” Capobianco said.
She discovered boxing by attending the Bengal Bouts tournament as a freshman. ”I’m very competitive, so once I put my mind to it I knew I was going to do it,” she said.
Kim Nguyen is a science business major from the greater Atlanta area who has lived in Walsh Hall. Outside of Baraka Bouts, Nguyen operates her own blog, in which she does food reviews and character studies. As with Buetow, Nguyen became involved with boxing through her dorm, as she said that Walsh has had a large posse of a boxing community since she has been at Notre Dame. Nguyen serves as the practice captain, allowing her to run many of the club’s workouts, one of her favorite aspects
SPEAKER: Angela Moloney
of her involvement with Baraka Bouts.
“When I was a freshman, one of my friends encouraged me to give it a try. There was a group of five in my dorm who would walk over and that’s how I started to enjoy morning practices. I have loved building that community, and now all of us captains are good friends, which is my highlight of the club,” Nguyen said.
The 22nd annual Baraka Bouts will continue with the semifinals next Monday, Nov. 18, The tournament will conclude on Thursday, Nov. 21. Both upcoming rounds will kick off at 7:00 PM inside the Dahnke Ballroom atop Duncan Student Center.
Baraka Bouts is currently about two-thirds of their way towards reaching their $75,000 fundraising goal for 2024.
“Just $67 can pay the annual room and board for one Ugandan student,” Beckman said.
If you are interested in helping Baraka Bouts efforts to construct new facilities, dormitories, and labs at St. Joseph’s Hill Secondary School and Lakeview Secondary School, please visit this link: https://giveto.nd.edu/ baraka-bouts-2024.
Contact Ben Hicks at bhicks2@nd.edu
Junior captains discuss tournament preparation
By CLAIRE WATSON Sports Writer
While the rest of the tricampus is trying to keep up with the ever changing news concerning the recent presidential election, the three junior captains in the Baraka Bouts women’s boxing club are getting sunderway with the 22nd annual Baraka Bouts tournament.
Notre Dame has over 500 recognized clubs including this one. That begs the question, how did the captains of this year find out about it?
South Bend native junior captain Emma Hazel, who is a double major in political science and Spanish supplemental with a minor in theology recalled, “I stumbled upon the Instagram account (@barakabouts) the summer before my freshman year and immediately knew I had to be a part of this club. As someone who was an athlete throughout high school, this club offered me an opportunity to continue to be a part of a team in college”
All the way from Brooklyn Heights, New Jersey, junior
political science major and Italian minor captain Tess Kesler joins the team to help lead the way. Kesler found out a different way.
“I actually first found out about it from my [resident assistant], who was a captain for the club, and I thought she was the coolest person ever and she only had super great things to say about it, so she convinced me and a couple other girls in my dorm to go to the first practice, and I was pretty hooked from then on.”
As all three are captains, the club also recognizes them as having even more specific roles. These roles tie into the captain’s life in a way that can better the club.
“My role specifically is [that] I am the missions captain of the club. And our club, though it is a women’s boxing club, it has a huge fundraising center and we each and every year have a fundraising goal, and all of the money for that goes towards the Lakeview and St. Joseph’s Hill Schools in Uganda,” Hazel described.
“My job as the missions captain is every Monday we have a ‘Missions Monday’ during
practice, and either myself or a guest — a priest or someone who has studied at one of these schools — will tell all of the boxers about the missions.”
A computer engineering major and minor in engineering corporate, Layann Wardeh takes a different approach as the practice captain.
“Every captain has a role in the club, and my role specifically is a practice captain and doing the weekly duties or making the plans for the week,” she said. “Me and one of the other practice captains — her name is Kim — Kim and I plan eight practices every week, and so we are planning to work out for six of them, and we’re also planning the technique for each of the day. And we also work with Coach Nate [Walker] on what specific technique we want to do that specific day.”
While the bouts often get down to the nitty gritty, it is always important to do it in style.
“My role this year was apparel. So that was pretty much over the summer, designing all of the merch for the team”
Kesler commented.
While the audience sees all of the fights and the outcomes of the work put in throughout the entire season, the captains know the amount of stress that the tournament can cause, especially being new to the scene.
“I think that the junior captains like to be a lot more available in practice to help with anything… helping the girls outside of practice or grabbing a meal. Especially being an on-campus junior captain, being able to grab meals with boxers and having that meal plan and being in their dorms especially is a huge advantage,” Hazel said.
“Besides my role as the practice captain, we kind of work with [the] girls, holding mitts for them or helping them with movement or bags — stuff like that” Wardeh added.
The final and arguably most important aspect leading up to the big tournament that will be taking place over the next few weeks is the factor of staying focused when entering the ring. Hazel takes a different approach than others.
“In a nutshell, I just take
into consideration that the night of the tournament is a very noisy environment, and I try ahead of time to try to find ways to center myself in loud places — ways to be fully present and completely focused on the task at hand. So I have an unorthodox method where I try to avoid listening to much music leading up to it.”
Kesler goes a different route and focuses on more of the psychological aspect of the anticipations.
“I do the same exact warmup that we do at practice everyday and just try to get in the same mindset, and then also just being confident in my own abilities because a lot of the time people can doubt themselves in the ring, but you really just have to fall back on the practice that you’ve done throughout the season. I think that’s the main thing, just being confident in what I am doing.”
With this, the captains are prepared for the semifinals set for Monday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m.
Contact Claire Watson at cwatson01@saintmarys.edu
2024 Dean’s Speaker Series Presents:
FELIPE FERNÁNDEZARMESTO
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. • Fri., Nov. 15 Jordan
Lecture is free and open to the public.
The Dean’s Speaker Series is sponsored by the Burns Family endowment.
ND MEN’S BASKETBALL
Irish outduel Buffalo with 86-77 win, start 2-0
By BEN HICKS Sports Writer
Notre Dame men’s basketball was back in action at Purcell Pavilion on Monday night, as they welcomed the Buffalo Bulls to South Bend for an early-season non-conference matchup of undefeateds.
Buffalo, out of the MidAmerican Conference, entered Monday’s contest at 2-0, following an impressive last-second road victory at Old Dominion and a close home triumph over D-III Fredonia. Guided by second-year head coach George Halcovage III, the Bulls are led by Canadian transfer Tyson Dunn, who nearly averaged a triple double through the opening two games of the season.
Head coach Micah Shrewsberry’s group faced high expectations entering his second year at the helm in 2024-25, with over 85% of scoring from last year’s 13-20 team returning. The hallmark of any Shrewsberry team, defense, has been evident in the Irish’s opener against Stonehill, and their charity exhibition against Purdue Fort Wayne, as they held both opponents to 60 points or fewer.
A point of emphasis for the Irish over the offseason was offensive pace, and the Irish have scored 91 and 89 points against the Mastodons and Skyhawks, respectively, after averaging just 67 a year ago.
Again wearing the home white Under Armour jerseys,
the Irish took the early advantage thanks in large part to the energetic play on both ends of the floor from junior forward Tae Davis. Davis tallied the first eight Irish points of the game, along with collecting a rebound and a steal all before the first media timeout. Four consecutive stops on the defensive end, including two forced turnovers, led to transition buckets for junior forward Kebba Njie and sophomore guard Markus Burton.
Speaking to the media postgame, Davis said, “My approach was keying in on the gameplan and just hooping. Nothing changed with my mindset, I was just trying to play basketball the right way.”
Aside from a vicious onehanded slam from senior guard J.R. Konieczny, the Irish offense would go cold over the next five minutes, and a 9-0 Buffalo run prompted Micah Shrewsberry to burn a timeout with Buffalo holding a 21-20 edge.
Buffalo took a 37-30 advantage into the final two minutes of the first frame, before the Irish went on an 8-0 run led by the two local products. Konieczny, the South Bend St. Joseph High School grad canned a triple, followed by Burton, the former Mishawaka Penn High School star, converted on a tough layup. The run was punctuated when Burton found Konieczny inside for a tough and-one finish through contact. Burton and Konieczny, along with Davis, led the Irish at the half with 8
points apiece.
“I gotta find a way to get him out there. He’s efficient, and as Clark Kellogg would say, he’s got some ‘spurt-ability.’ He’s been a big key for us,” Coach Shrewsberry said of Konieczny’s play.
Despite the run, it was Buffalo sophomore guard Ryan Sabol, first cousin of Notre Dame starting quarterback Riley Leonard, who stole the show in the first half, as the last of his four threes gave the Bulls the 40-38 lead heading into the intermission. Latvian freshman forward Frederiks Meinarts also connected on both of his threepoint attempts in the opening frame. After Wednesday’s threepoint barrage, the Irish entered the locker room shooting just 2-12 from beyond the arc.
The Irish came out firing on all cylinders to begin the second half. The lone Buffalo field goal in the first seven minutes of the half was bookended by 7-0 and 17-0 Irish runs. Sophomore guard Braeden Shrewsberry scored 11 early points, including two treys, complemented by five from Burton, courtesy of a smooth and-one triple. Burton also found Njie for a dunk, giving the guard his seventh assist of the game.
“We had some defensive lapses to start the half, and when you’re playing a great team at their place, that’s how you get beat,” Halcovage said after the game.
“Early in the year, you’ve got to be a group that shows some
resolve and toughness. We didn’t play our best, and last year, we would have lost this game,” Shrewsberry attested.
After the Irish stretched the lead to 20, Dunn finally stopped the bleeding for Buffalo, before three consecutive three-point makes from freshman forward Ben Michaels pulled the Bulls back within 11 at the under-12 media timeout.
A nearly four-minute field goal drought for Notre Dame saw the lead narrow to 7, before Burton was able to finish at the tin on back-to-back offensive trips, upping his scoring total to 17.
Led by Davis down the stretch, the Irish were able to hold off the Bulls for the 86-77 win, moving them to 2-0 on the young season. While the defense is a cause of concern for Shrewsberry, this is the first time Notre Dame has scored 80 points in back-to-back games during his tenure.
Davis set a new career high with 27 points on 7-13 shooting from the field, while frontcourt mate Kebba Njie was in double figures once again with 12 points. Shrewsberry and Burton led the Irish backcourt, as they both followed up 18-point performances in the opener by scoring 19 points apiece. Despite Burton’s inefficient 8-21 mark from the field, the preseason all-ACC first team selection nearly recorded the first Irish triple double since Chris Thomas in 2001, by adding 9 rebounds and 8 assists to
his scoresheet. Both totals are career highs for Burton.
“I struggled a little, but it was fun finding my teammates and getting them open shots. It’s just instincts and playing basketball,” Burton said.
The Irish defense was able to contain Sabol in the second half, as he finished with 18 points to lead Buffalo. Michaels finished with 14 while sophomore guard Bryson Wilson collected a quiet 15 point, 13 rebound double-double. The crowning achievement of the night for Shrewsberry’s defense was holding Dunn to just 9 points on 4/17 shooting, along with forcing 7 turnovers. Despite his offensive output, Shrewsberry was impressed with how Davis led the charge to stop Dunn. “Tae wanted that challenge, and he slowed down a great player,” Shrewsberry stated.
“You celebrate wins, no matter who you play. I told George, you’re not the 12th-placed team in the MAC [as picked in the preseason], so we learned some valuable lessons in this one. Winning is always better than losing,” Shrewsberry concluded.
The Irish will return to action on Saturday, when they hit the road for the first time to do battle with the Georgetown Hoyas in the nation’s capital. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. and can be seen nationally on NBC.
Contact Ben Hicks at bhicks2@nd.edu
Irish to host James Madison in game three
By CLAIRE WATSON Sports Writer
After the Notre Dame women’s basketball team finished its last game with a big, 102-58 win over Purdue on Sunday, the Irish now prepare to face off against the James Madison University Dukes for the first time since 1988. While both teams have won all of their games so far, the two teams have only met twice historically. In the 1985-1986 season where the Dukes took a close, 53-51 win and in the 1988-1989 season where the Dukes took a second 65-49 win over the Irish. Notre Dame has finished with over 100 points in each of its games so far.
Starting with their exhibition game against the Davenport Panthers, the Irish took a 10141 win. At the end of the game, multiple Irish basketball players
hit double digits in the game.
Sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo led for the Irish as she finished with 31 points, nine assists and four blocks, graduate guard Olivia Miles finished her first game with 15 points, nine assists and two steals and graduate forward Liatu King finished with a high total of 27 points.
In the first non-exhibition game of the season, the Irish faced off against the Mercyhurst Lakers for the first time ever and took a 105-61 win.
Five players heavily contributed to this success, King finishing with a total of 24 points, Miles with 20, Hidalgo with 19, freshman forward Kate Koval with 18 and sophomore guard Cassandre Prosper with 17. This was also a momentous occasion for Miles as finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists earned her the fourth triple-double, making
her the first player in ACC history to achieve this in three different basketball seasons.
The most recent game that the Irish played was against the Purdue Boilermakers, where they took the 102-58 win.
Hidalgo led on the court for the Irish in this game as she finished with a total of 28 points. Three others joined her in double digits, King finishing the night with 18, Miles with 17 and senior guard Sonia Citron rounding out the night with 14 points. King led the team on defense as she posted 15 rebounds, and Koval also set a personal record as she finished the night with 10 rebounds.
The James Madison University Dukes have a similar schedule, as they are also 3-0 on the season so far. But the Dukes, seemingly unlike the Irish, haven taken their wins on a lower scoring scale.
The first game that the team played was against Kent State, where the Dukes took a close, 67-56 win. Graduate guard Ro Scott led on the court for the Dukes as she finished with a total of 19 points, redshirt senior guard Jamia Hazell finished with 15 points, senior forward Ashanti Barnes added 13 points and sophomore guard Zakiya Stephenson finished with five points.
The second game was a big win from James Madison, as it finished with an 85-54 win over Loyola Maryland. Barnes, redshirt senior center Kseniia Kozlova and redshirt junior guard Peyton McDaniel all posted 16 points for the Dukes throughout the game, freshman guard and forward Angela Williams put up 14 points for the Dukes and Hazell added 11 points. Defensively, Kozlova
added on 10 rebounds, Williams added on six and Barnes added on five for the Dukes.
The third game was also a close game for James Madison as the final score was 57-51 against East Carolina. McDaniel set a season high in this game as she finished with 17 points to lead the team, redshirt senior forward Annalicia Goodman finished with 11 points, Kozlova finished the game with a total of 10 points and Scott finished the game with eight points. On defense, McDaniel led with a season best of 14 rebounds followed by Kozlova, who finished with eight rebounds.
The Irish will face off against the Dukes at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 13 in Purcell Pavilion.
