Print Edition for The Observer for Wednesday, December 7, 2022

payne-m illerJarmon

By LIAM KELLY news writer

holy cross college student body president dion paynemiller and vice president oscar Jarmon focused their efforts in the first semester on making student government more responsive to students and instituting policy to bring the community together.

payne-miller emphasized that one of his biggest priorities was making student government more efficient and respon sive to the students.

“a lot of what i’ve done this semester has been very struc ture based, in terms of the structure of [student government association (sga)], how things run and how proposals are processed,” payne-miller said, adding that proposals intro duced by senators are now processed faster than before.

The programming board has also become more effective this semester, payne-miller argued.

“our programming board, so our social concerns and entertainment committees, they’ve done a wonderful job at putting together community events on campus,” he said.

l eestitt

By BELLA LAUFENBERG a ssociate news e ditor

n otre d ame student government leaders p atrick l ee, s ofie s titt, n icole b aumann and their directors took office on a pril 1, 2022. n ow, at the end of the second semester in their roles, The o bserver spoke to the executive cabinet to get an update on their plans and progress.

l ee and s titt, the student body president and vice president, respectively, said one surprising outcome of their work is how close the executive cabinet has become.

“[ o ne indicator] of great success to me is just the relationships that we have with our direc tors and between the directors,” l ee said. “ we have a very strong sense of group identity now, we’re all very close. That, to me, has been an un expected blessing this semester.”

s titt, agreeing, said their cabinet is a “com plete joy” to work with.

camachohaas

By LIAM PRICE a ssociate news e ditor

i n the 2022 student body elections, s aint m ary’s student body president a ngela m artinez c amacho campaigned with vice president Josie h aas on a seven-pronged platform. That plat form included goals to promote inclusivity and diversity, continue community-building in the tri-campus and improve overall student health.

m artinez c amacho said she felt that despite challenges, she thinks their administration has done a good job at pursuing their platform and upholding the s tudent g overnment a ssociation ( sga ) c onstitution.

“ i n my humble opinion, i think we’ve done very well with the semester,” she said. “ i think we’ve completed quite a few things from our platform, and other policies and procedures of our constitution. s o, i feel good about us and our team.”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY maggie klaers

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Wednesday

Christmas Cookies and Faith Celebration

Reignbeaux Lounge

8:15 p.m. - 9:15 p.m. Spirituality discussion with cookie decorating.

Cup-o-Joe Open Mic Night: Christmas Edition Ave Brew 9 p.m. Live café show.

Thursday

Book Launch

Hesburgh Center 4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m. Celebrating Karen Graubart’s new monograph.

Cocoa, Carols and Crafting Holy Cross Hall 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Snacks and tree decorating, as well.

Friday

Intercultural Development Day DeBartolo Hall 113 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. On the themes of conflict and context.

Coffee Cart and Cookies Ave Brew 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Take a study break during the reading day.

Saturday

Christmas at Notre Dame Concert Leighton Concert Hall 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. By ND Symphony and Glee Club.

Bellacappella Fall Concert Carroll Auditorium 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. Upbeat live music with SMC a cappella.

Sunday

Christmas Star Presentation

Jordan Hall of Science 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. Who were the wise men?

Self-Care Study Break

Reignbeaux Lounge 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. Make yourself a selfcare bag.

RYAN VIGILANTE | The Observer

Notre Dame Victory March.

Gabriela De Leon senior Walsh Hall “Christmas.”

Lindsay Roney sophomore Walsh Hall “Fourth of July.”

Jem Taylor junior Pasquerilla East Hall “Christmas.”

Nancy Norton first-year Lewis Hall “Christmas.”

Katherine Holtz junior Pasquerilla East Hall “Halloween.”

Patrice Serianni sophomore Ryan Hall “Christmas.”

basilica bell takes long journey to 100-ft tower

By MAGGIE EASTLAND Assistant managing e ditor

behind a stained glass window, a narrow wooden staircase inside the walls of the basilica winds up to 23 bells that send chimes echoing across campus every 15 minutes.

The largest bell, named in honor of st. Anthony, weighs eight tons and stands seven feet tall. In 1867, the bell arrived in south bend via train, traversing the erie canal and the Atlantic ocean along its journey. The bell was made by bollee and sons in Le mans, France — the same city that produced the basilica’s stained glass windows.

Third chime’s the charm: St. Anthony’s rocky beginnings

Just as the st. Anthony bell was completing its journey, a tax payer protested to prevent the University from bringing the bell across the wooden train bridge to cross st. Joseph river. The bell sat idle in south bend for a year until the University constructed a raft

to float all eight tons across the river.

much like the University’s famous Golden dome, which rose from the ashes of a smaller main building, the st. Anthony bell boasts an origin story of perseverance.

The previous two bourdons, the largest and lowest-toned bells in the carillon, weighed in at around 3,000 pounds. The first fell down during a windstorm, along with its bell tower. The second bell also fell and cracked. The one that hangs in the basilica today is the third bourdon to ring on campus.

When the second bell cracked, Fr. edward sorin and Fr. Patrick dillon, the second University president, launched a bold cam paign to purchase a bell far larger than the previous ones, about four times heavier than the Liberty bell in Philadelphia.

“That’s how they got it paid for. They said, ‘We’re going to bring in the biggest bell in all of north America, and you get your name on it if you donate.’ so that’s how they got people excited about it.”

Katie Pelster, basilica tour coordi nator, said.

donors’ names remain en graved on the bell today, along with the year it was made and the castor, bollee and sons. Those who climb the staircase to tour the belltower leave a similar mark inside the carillon room, writing their names and class years on its wood beams in black sharpie.

From grounded to towering

When the st. Anthony bell first arrived on campus, the bell tower was not yet complete, so they placed it in a wooden belfry outside.

“Whenever they were ringing it, they had this goal that they would make the bell hit the sides of the barn that it was in, and that’s what they considered a good ring,” Pelster said.

When rung to these standards, the chime could be heard for a roughly 27-mile radius, reach ing elkhart and niles. Today, the sound stops sooner due to a dif ference in ringing method and modern traffic.

After finally arriving on cam pus, st. Anthony’s journey was not yet complete. The bell had travelled thousands of miles west, but one direction remained un conquered — up.

The University had to hoist the bell up a bell tower that is more than 100 feet tall without the aid of modern construction equip ment. only horses, pulleys and hours of human labor were used to lift it.

“It is a wonder that it made its way all the way from France to here. It is just massive. It is big and heavy,” current University sacris tan John Zack said.

Still ringing

While st. Anthony’s ring might not travel miles anymore, the pounding still has impressive volume, especially for those who have been in the tower when it rings.

“You can feel it in your chest. You hear the wind-up of the ham mer, and then all of a sudden — boom,” Zack recalled when st. Anthony rang during his very first

tour of the belltower.

The basilica’s largest bell isn’t rung everyday, but those on campus can hear its tone during special feast days or after a notre dame home football victory.

The bells used to be rung with long wooden trestles, but since the 1960s they have been auto mated. now, Zack has the ability to control them digitally from the first-floor sacristy. some can still be rung with a carillon instru ment halfway up the bell tower staircase. The keys, which look like those of an organ, connect to metal wires that mechanically tug clappers inside corresponding bells.

each day, the quarter hour bell rings once at quarter-after, twice at half-after, thrice at quarter-to and four times before the hour strike, which also marks the num ber of the hour. The Alma mater plays each day at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. The Angelus series rings at noon and 6 p.m.

Contact Maggie Eastland at meastlan@nd.edu

college professor retires with christmas cheer

By KATELYN WALDSCHMIDT news Writer

marc belanger has been an inte gral part of the saint mary’s college faculty for 28 years. Along with be ing the chair of the global studies department and teaching multiple political science classes, he has also assisted with the study of the U.s. Institutes (sUsI) program and model United nations (mUn). At the end of this academic year, belanger will enter retirement.

belanger came to saint mary’s looking for ways to broaden its hori zons, he said.

“I think my priority from early on has been things related to trying to diversify the curriculum and make this a more welcoming place for stu dents of color,” belanger noted.

belanger reflected on the culture of saint mary’s and if it was some thing he wanted his own child to be a part of.

“my son is adopted from Guatemala, and while he would ob viously never come to saint mary’s,

SMC

Jarmon highlighted the Fall Fest week as one of student govern ment’s biggest accomplishments.

Fall Fest consisted of a week of daily events in the beginning of october, including the holy cross hoedown dance and an open mic night.

“monday to Friday, we had events and all those events had a really good turnout,” Jarmon said.

both Payne-miller and Jarmon noticed that the student body has been much more engaged this semester.

“our students this year are very vocal,” Payne-miller affirmed. “And

I remember telling people early on if he was a girl, I wasn’t sure if the college would be the most welcom ing place,” he said. “The culture has changed for there to be a lot of different ways to be a saint mary’s woman.”

however, belanger said since since starting as faculty in 1995, he believes progress has been made to include students of more races and identities.

“When I first came here, the per centage of underrepresented groups was very low, below five percent,” he said. “It has gone up a great deal over the years and with that, the culture of the college has changed.”

belanger, along with many other faculty and students, has worked over the years to help saint mary’s on its journey to becoming more di verse and inclusive. he has worked with the student diversity board as well as in the global and intercul tural studies programs to hear what students wanted to learn.

some such classes included Latin American Politics and Introduction

that goes from our senate leaders, all the way to just the general campus community.”

Jarmon added that students have been eager to share their thoughts.

“during our sGA office hours people come in and talk about ideas,” he said. “They’ve been a re ally good help to us and the sGA.”

Agreeing with Jarmon, Paynemiller emphasized how important the involvement is to the campus.

“We’re a small campus. And so having those relationships, I think are really important to us,” Paynemiller stated.

The second semester is slated to be a busy one at holy cross, the student body President and vicePresident noted.

to cultural studies, where students learn about privilege, identity and racism, belanger explained.

“I taught it to introduce issues that my students had either never really thought about before or, if it was a part of their life, they perhaps didn’t have any concepts, categories, lan guage to talk about it with other kids,” he said.

This past saturday, a group of students got together to thank him for all he has done and send him toward retirement with christmas cheer. organized by sophomore Liliana Lomeli, a small group of smc students visited belanger’s house to sing christmas carols.

Lomeli said she was inspired by belanger when she first came to saint mary’s as an intended global studies major.

“Just taking his classes and seeing his passion not only for saint mary’s students but the global community [inspired me],” she explained.

sophomore Ana baca also partic ipated in caroling. she said she loved

“The next semester is the busiest semester because we have spring formal and then our new president inauguration,” Jarmon said.

Payne-miller introduced a num ber of policy ideas this semester that he hopes to get through next semes ter. one important issue for student government is the printing system at holy cross.

“We have a certain amount of money that we get to use on print ing for each semester,” Payne-miller said. “What we’re advocating for is to get whatever money that’s left on the account to get that to roll over to the next semester.”

Trying to get more spices in the dining hall is also a priority for the student Government Association.

the idea of giving back to belanger.

“he’s such a great professor. he really cares for students and does so much for the saint mary’s commu nity,” she said.

baca explained that the group sang christmas carols such as “deck the halls,” “silent night” and more.

“It was an in the moment thing, we decided on the songs like 30 minutes before we arrived,” she said. “I’m not the best singer, but it was fun.”

baca said she remembers having belanger as a professor for the first time.

“he just wants to get to know you. I remember I asked a question, and you could tell he really just cared about his students,” she said.

mackenzie bledsoe is a senior po litical science major who also par ticipated in caroling on saturday. she was happy to celebrate “one of her favorite advisors” in this way. bledsoe has taken several classes with belanger.

“he always encourages us to

one of the biggest possible policy proposals for next semester is the changing over parietal hours at holy cross college.

“We’re trying to get parietals moved back on weekends,” Paynemiller stated, pointing out, “At notre dame and saint mary’s, it’s 2 a.m. and at holy cross, it’s 1 a.m. […] students want to be able to spend more time with friends and develop relationships.”

Payne-miller noted that the only reason that parietals are at a differ ent time at holy cross is because of a policy instituted during the covId-19 pandemic that is still in place.

concluding his remarks, Paynemiller re-emphasized the role that

learn more and travel the world,” he said.

bledsoe was advised by belagner as part of model Un last fall. one of her favorite memories from the trip was him guiding her to the bean.

“It was my first time in chicago and I didn’t know where to go. Then he walked me to the bean, because that’s where I was trying to get, too. I really appreciated that” she explained.

When belanger leaves at the end of the school year, students said the college will lose a community member who changed many lives.

As Lomeli phrases it, “I’m glad to call him professor, but he has also been a great mentor in my life.”

belanger said he wishes his stu dents nothing but the best in the future.

“You have no idea how smart you are, how capable you are,” he said. “You are capable of things beyond your imagination.”

Contact Katelyn Waldschmidt at kwaldschmidt01@saintmarys.edu

he wants the community to play in his policy making.

“I want the government to be a student government-led organiza tion,” Payne-miller said.

Review: Payne-Miller and Jarmon’s emphasis on student involvement in student government is an inspired idea and should promote a stronger community as well as more popular student events. However, the student government should focus on putting together more events and passing more tangible policy as opposed to only a focus on structural reforms. The planned docket for next semester promises to accomplish this goal.

Contact Liam Kelly at lkelly8@nd.edu

biotechnd launches science majors into industry

By PETER BREEN news Writer

When junior biology student m aeve m urdock, b iotech nd founder and president, transferred to n otre d ame in the fall of 2021, she found a gaping hole in the University’s ca reer development planning for undergraduates in the sciences.

While n otre d ame advis es sending science majors to medical school or post graduate research, at Xavier University, where m urdock studied her first year of college, and n orthwestern University, where m urdock spent summer 2022 as a re search intern, she said there is a much greater awareness of the job possibilities in the $2.9 trillion U. s . biotech industry.

“ n otre d ame really, really pushes sciences for pre-med, and they don’t really tell you about any other options. If I say I’m a bio major, peo ple [assume I’m] pre-med, because people don’t even know what the other options would be here,” m urdock said. “ n otre d ame is behind that they didn’t have a bio tech club. This is a big thing that’s been going on the last 20 years.”

m urdock founded the b iotech c lub of n otre d ame ( b iotech nd ), alongside vice president Jack m eyer, to

alleviate this discrepancy and to educate and inform n otre d ame science under grads of career opportuni ties in biotech.

The club defines biotech as “the integration of natu ral sciences and engineer ing in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells and molecules for products and services in industry.” The three main sectors of biotechnology are agricultural, biomedical and environmental.

m urdock added that any one with an interest in biotech can join the club, whether they’re looking for more of a “hands-on sci ence” or business role.

“ s ome [opportunities in biotech] are more financerelated or marketing and sales-related, but there’s also many where you’re ap plying your science back ground in a business way,” m urdock said. “At the end of the day, these are all compa nies that need to be making money. It’s not just people from a science background, you can learn on the spot.”

Although the group is technically not a s tudent Activities o ffice ( s A o )approved club until next semester, b iotech nd held their first-ever meeting, “Introduction to b iotech,” on n ov. 29 in d uncan 512.

m urdock said it was a long time coming.

“ s tarting a club at n otre d ame was a really tedious, bureaucratic process that takes an entire semester, and [ s A o ] turns down prob ably two-thirds of the clubs that try,” she said. “You need to have a whole team and all these prospective members. You have to write a 10-page club constitution, make an event list for your first year and for future years, make a budget for your first year and for future years, have an of ficer list and have a mentor.”

m urdock admitted that the lack of s A o approval is “frustrating.” The club has yet to receive access to crucial perks includ ing a bank account, a real email address and easy ac cess reserving event space on campus. In the interim, b iotech nd hasn’t wasted any time, counting on cre ative solutions like part nering with the c enter for c areer d evelopment to get the ball rolling.

“We have a joke that we’re the prospective biotech club of n otre d ame,” m urdock said. “ c hris Washko is the [representative] at the c areer c enter working with b iotech. h e has a lot of con tacts and he’ll be working with us closely. h e was super excited for us to do the first meeting, and he reserved that big room for us, which was great.”

o ne of the club’s goals is

to facilitate networking be tween undergrads in differ ent colleges with alumni and industry representatives in the biotech field. b iotech nd already has plans for a net working trip to c hicago in 2023.

m urdock dispelled the myth that biotech only ex ists in places like s ilicon valley.

“We went to the dean of the c ollege of s cience to request money for a career trip to c hicago next fall. We’ll do a day trip where we visit three biotech compa nies, and students can net work and see what it would be like to work there,” she said. “There’s a ton going on in c hicago now. We have too many good options to choose from.”

n otre d ame junior e mily c hudy, a neuroscience ma jor, joined the b iotech nd leadership this fall as secre tary. s he has enjoyed getting to know her fellow officers and feeling more involved.

“Up until this year, I worked on leadership for a different club. We had one big event a year, but other than that I felt like we weren’t really doing that much,” c hudy said. “[ b iotech nd ] feels more hands-on. We get along well as a team, which is pretty awesome … The little things like that make a difference.”

c hudy started off as

pre-med but decided that she’d rather not go to grad school immediately after n otre d ame, hoping to work for a few years before earn ing another degree.

“I’m still a little burnt out from studying to be com pletely honest,” she said. “As a s T em major not want ing to go to graduate school, [ n otre d ame] doesn’t give you any options and they don’t really give you any resources. If you look at the neuroscience newsletter, it’s all about, ‘ h ere are these post-grad opportunities for research,’ or it’s like, ‘ h ow can we help you for grad school?’”

Through her b iotech nd leadership position, c hudy will educate underclassmen about biotech industry posi tions open to students such as investor relations, fund raising and equity research. c hudy interned as a bio tech equity researcher last summer.

“ m any people hate equity research because it’s researching about gas and oil, but I was working for a group that specifically focused on central nervous system drugs,” she said. “I’m interested in the busi ness side because that’s a little bit more of a social role.”

Contact Peter Breen at pbreen2@nd.edu

c hief of staff b aumann, who works closely with the cabinet, explained that this semester contained more action steps rather than planning.

“Last year in the spring was a lot of the dreaming phase and planning,” she said. “[This semester,] not only have we been able to see a lot of execution of those plans that we thought about back in m arch of last year, but we’ve also been able to form really good relationships with peo ple in administration.”

Lee compared the cabinet’s movement toward carrying out long-thought plans as putting “rubber to the road” and is confident they will reach 100% completion of the goals outlined in their prog ress tracker. c urrently, 46% of goals have been met, with around 50% of the group’s term now in the rearview mirror.

“A lot of the hardest work in student government is the work that’s behind the scenes: the research, the report writ ing, the initial meetings that are sometimes uncomfort able on some of the biggest

initiatives,” Lee said. “Those are out of the way, and we’re ready to reap the rewards of the really hard work that we’ve done this semester.”

s titt explained that many goals are right on the preci pice of being completed, noting that “Walk the Walk Week” will occur in the first week of the spring 2023 se mester. This year’s program ming will focus on the theme, “e ducation, c elebration and Participation” and will fea ture a service project, mul tiple panels and a dinner celebration.

The leaders highlighted a few of their cabinet members for exceptional work through out the semester: Anna d ray, Lane o bringer and c ollete d oyle.

d ray, the director of University Policy, has been developing the nd s afe App with police chief Keri Kei s hibata, leading the transi tion to mobile identification (I d ) cards and organizing efforts to upgrade residence hall exercise facilities.

In the aftermath of a series of various allegations sur rounding Title IX earlier this semester, director of gender relations – Title IX and wom en’s initiatives o bringer led with “strength and grace” to

come up with practical and supportive solutions, Lee said.

“’I’ve never seen anything like it,” Lee emphasized. “ s he’s so reliable. s he’s so passionate and is always ready, even when she’s feeling stressed, to help others.”

Lee also heralded the lead ership of sophomore director of communications d oyle, saying, “The communication efforts of our group will be radically changed, and that is in part due to her organi zational capabilities and just unending source of effort.”

When asked about the chal lenges faced by the student body this semester, such as two student deaths and wide spread discussion regarding Title IX, Lee drew a compari son from the University to the broader community.

“notre d ame is emblematic of the world in a lot of ways, and the struggles that we’re seeing in our society related to Title IX and issues of gen der relations as well as a men tal health crisis among young people — that’s nationwide, and we have to learn how to cope with those,” Lee said. “I would just say, in those mo ments of deeper sadness, I’m even more immensely grate ful that we are together in a

community.”

In terms of challenges with in the office, s titt noted that they chose their cabinet be cause the students would not give up after the first “no.”

“[ o ur directors are] go ing to continually advocate for students and advocate for our campus community. s o I would say there have been challenges as we work through a pretty ambitious list of initiatives, but I have been so impressed and in awe of the way that our directors respond,” s titt explained.

Looking ahead, the three leaders pointed to many ini tiatives that will take effect next semester, including a collaboration to improve University health s ervice communications, a visit from b ishop r obert b arron, a pro gram to bring free menstrual products to all campus rest rooms called c ode r ed, Taste of s outh b end, vocation Fair and many more.

Lee, s titt and b aumann all re-emphasized how honored they are to serve the student body.

“We are a broken record ev ery time, but it’s just an ab solute privilege and a joy for us to serve the student body. If there’s anything we can do, for anybody on campus or in

the tri-campus community, please don’t hesitate to reach out,” s titt said.

s he also noted the overall excitement the cabinet has for the end of their terms and for some rest over the break.

“I am honestly, really ex cited to enter this next semes ter. We’ve got this spectacular team, and we’ve got a lot of momentum behind us,” s titt said. “b ut it’s important for us to remember that our direc tors and everybody in student government is a student first.”

Review: The Lee-Stitt ad ministration has been clear and straightforward sur rounding their platform and plans for the year; however, the cabinet is not forthcom ing with barriers and issues they have faced while attempt ing to accomplish their goals. The administration is mak ing definite strides but has not yet reached full transpar ency. Additionally, the lead ers responded soundly to Title IX allegations raised by al leged victims with both prac tical and supportive solutions to ease students’ pain and gather suggestions for policy updates to bring to University administrators.

Contact Bella Laufenberg at ilaufenb@nd.edu

ukranian exchange students discuss semester

By KATIE MUCHNICK news Writer

In August, 10 students embarked on a long jour ney taking them from the e astern e urope to the mid dle of Indiana.

o lha d roniak, a junior from Ivano-Frankivsk, a town about two hours away from Lviv, recalled being very excited about arriving at n otre d ame, but very ex hausted by the travel.

“ b ecause of the war, we don’t have flights, and the sky is closed,” d roniak ex plained. The group took a 10-hour bus ride into Poland, then flew from Poland to Germany, Germany to c hicago and finally c hicago to s outh b end.

This semester, the u niversity of n otre d ame hosted 10 exchange students from u krainian c atholic u niversity ( ucu ), which is located in Lviv in Western u kraine. n otre d ame and ucu have an almost 20year old partnership, and u niversity President Fr. John Jenkins announced the ad dition of the exchange pro gram last m ay.

d roniak, like other under graduate exchange students, lives in a dorm on campus. d roniak lives with s ofiia Kyba, a senior exchange student from Lviv, in h oward h all. Kyba and d roniak said they love h oward and the dorm community on campus.

SMC

con TI nued F rom PAGe 1

For their goals of promoting diversity and in clusion, h aas said student government has been work ing with the s exuality and Gender e quity club to both expand the club by includ ing a representative at h oly c ross c ollege and pro vide a “partnership-bud dy” program by offering mentorship for the LG b TQ+ community on campus.

“ e specially as a c atholic institution, we want to make sure that our queer c atholics feel safe and accepted on campus,” h aas said.

Also part of the diver sity and inclusivity goal, m artinez c amacho said their administration rolled out a list of off-campus re sources for non- c atholic students to practice their faith through their mission committee.

To improve student health on campus, the leaders described work ing to roll out classes that promote physical wellbeing as well as making resources for victims of

“Although h oward is one of the oldest dorms on cam pus, as far as I know, I’ve found it very cozy. I like that it’s not so big, so it’s easier to get to know people,” Kyba said.

o lena Tsyhankova, also senior from Lviv, lives in Lewis h all. b ecause of a combination of the pandemic and the war, Tsyhankova said that this is her first “normal” semester at university.

“I never lived in a dorm before, and now I have five roommates,” Tsyhankova said. “ b ut also because of those roommates, the expe rience is awesome. We are all friends now.”

Though they are all differ ent majors, the undergradu ate u krainian students are taking classes at n otre d ame suited to their academic interests. Tsyhankova, for example, is a cultural stud ies major at ucu, and she focuses on art and religious studies. s he is currently pre paring for finals for class es like Asian s pirituality and d rawing. Tsyhankova is also involved in Archery and o uting c lub and con ducting research on the new religious movement in the u s

Kyba is studying b usiness Analytics at ucu and taking classes related to both fi nance and computer science at n otre d ame. h er most notable memory from the semester, though, was

sexual assault more available to students. h aas mentioned that they recently rolled out a “mini-website with links of Title IX and related sexual violence resources on campus.”

Additionally, m artinez c amacho said their admin istration plans to collaborate with the s tudent d iversity b oard, b lack s tudents Association and other organizations through their campus inclusivity committee in the spring semester.

Along with the three goals mentioned above, their plat form had goals to improve campus sustainability, make themselves available to the student body with adequate “student reach-out,” host giveaway events and im prove classroom instrumen tation at the c ollege.

The leaders said that their administration has made progress for each of these goals, with the exception of the classroom instrumenta tion policy.

Through the sustainability committee, h aas said they have worked to reduce food waste in the dining halls. In increasing student reachout, she mentioned that

the first football game.

“I knew that everyone was looking forward to football games . . . and I was like: ‘Why are you so excited?’ b ut when the first game hap pened, that was unforget table,” Kyba explained.

d roniak said that the se mester has flown by, as she has stayed busy with her political science courses and meeting n otre d ame students.

“I’m very happy that now I’m in this community of good people. I feel that when I communicate with American students and professors, I gain a lot of positive energy from that,” d roniak said.

h owever, even though they have all enjoyed their time at n otre d ame, the war in u kraine looms over their head.

“ h ome doesn’t really feel like home . . . s ince [Feb. 24], it’s just been weird to be home,” Tsyhankova said.

o n Feb. 24, the day r ussia launched its attack on u kraine, Tsyhankova tried to escape u kraine on foot with her mother, brother and dog. They got caught in a stampede after a group of students tried to push on the border gate and a frenzy ensued. Tsyhankova said that she knows some peo ple died in the stampede, although her family escaped and started walking back to their home.

“From 3 p.m. to 4 a.m.,

the newly added suggestion box on student government emails has been productive.

Additionally, their admin istration has hosted multiple giveaways for s aint m ary’s students, including a recent giveaway of 46,556 hats.

“Those were a hit. People love them” h aas said of the hats.

m artinez c amacho said the obstacles to meeting the needs expressed by students of better instrumentation in their classes have risen from the student government’s limited abilities to influence the funding of the c ollege’s academic departments.

“As student government, we can’t necessarily help out with the funding, whereas we thought we could, be cause that’s just a whole different institutional pro cess which we just can’t touch or be part of,” she explained.

r egardless, h aas said their administration did not fully abandon the issue, and instead has resorted to “act ing as the voice of students” alongside professors who are already expressing a need to improve instrumentation for classes.

o utside of their platform

we were walking in one di rection, and from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m., we were walking in another direction [un til] some men picked us up and brought us to the bus station,” Tsyhankova said. h er family then spent four months with her god mother in s pain, and then Tsyhankova attended sum mer school in c roatia. s he returned to u kraine for a month before leaving for n otre d ame.

“I wake up every day being really scared that something happened to my family, so that’s the scariest part because you don’t know when or under what con ditions you will see them again,” Tsyhankova said.

Kyba said the hardest part of moving away from u kraine during the war is not having information on what’s happening. s he re called a time in o ctober when she woke up at 5 a.m. to a bunch of texts from her friends asking each other if they were alright.

“That was a massive at tack, and I couldn’t reach my family because the connec tion was bad. And I was just sitting near my room and trying to call my parents to find out whether they are okay,” Kyba said.

d roniak noted that due to the war, many young adults had to grow up fast.

“War makes all u kranians adults very soon. c hildren

goals, the two have worked to continue “sticking to our constitution,” m artinez c amacho said. “Josie and I felt that it sort of wasn’t al ways being followed with past presidencies. s ticking to all of it through our com mittees, that was also a main goal of ours.”

h aas and c amacho also expressed gratification to both the student govern ment committees and the s aint m ary’s c ollege admin istration for helping with their goals of improving stu dent life on campus.

“It’s so fulfilling to see all of the leaders that we have on campus,” h aas said, “To be on the receiving end of people wanting more, want ing to see s aint m ary’s be great, I think it’s exciting to see that.”

m artinez c amacho said taking on the role of student body president has indeed been a difficult job with a lot of responsibility, but she felt that she and h aas were fit for the challenge.

“It has been everything: frustrating, overwhelm ing, exciting, fulfilling,” she said. “ b eing a student means prioritizing academics, and then being a leader means

and young people have to be very responsible for their families, and they have to be proactive citizens.” d roniak said and expressed how she has appreciated the oppor tunity to just be a student at n otre d ame.

The u krainian s ociety of n otre d ame hosted a panel discussion in s eptember where five ucu students spoke about their experi ences in u kraine. d roniak and Kyba both spoke and were touched by how many people were curious about their lives.

“I was surprised that peo ple were really interested in us, and I just realized, an other time, that people here care about that,” Kyba said.

d roniak also urged n otre d ame students to continue caring about the war, even as the invasion enters its ninth month.

“[ d on’t] be indifferent to problems that are outside your country,” she added.

d roniak emphasized how thankful she was for the op portunity and her intentions heading back home.

“We all are grateful to the administration of n otre d ame that they gave us this opportunity, and we will use this knowledge to the best of our abilities to rebuild u kraine af ter the war,” d roniak said.

Katie Muchnick at kmuchnic@nd.edu

prioritizing all of this. It becomes a lot at one mo ment, but I think that it’s di verse skills and through our experience that we’re able to just manage it all.”

Review: Martinez Camacho and Haas have led a proac tive student government ad ministration thus far into their terms as president and vice president. They take their roles seriously and have stuck to the platform that they ran for office on as much as they could, despite a few institutional limitations in SGA. Heading into the spring semester, with their terms c oming to a close, the lead ers still have work to do. Martinez Camacho and Haas must not let up on plans to collaborate with student di versity groups on campus nor should they let go of ideas to provide classes sup porting physical well-being for students. Their platform features mostly achievable goals on improving campus sustainability, inclusion and the like, and it is up to them whether or not these goals are achieved.

Contact

South Bend is the greatest city in the world

notre dame news e ditor

Whenever n otre d ame students talk about s outh b end, there is al ways at least a hint of condescension. n o one ever says “ s outh b end” with the same sincerity as “ c hicago” or “ d allas.” There is always a touch of irony or a slight smirk accompanied with it. m aybe it’s because so many of us are from the shadows of huge cities like n ew York and c hicago. m aybe we’re just too ungrateful to recog nize an amazing city that’s right in front of us.

If I’ve learned one thing in my two and a half years at n otre d ame, it’s this: s outh b end is the greatest city in the world. n ow, some people may have metrics and stats to try to disprove this. Great, I don’t care. I’m not here from the s outh b end P r department. There’s a charm about s outh b end. It’s not a big city, but it’s not small. It’s s outh b end. It’s just right.

Take, for example, s tudebaker. In case you don’t know, one of the world’s foremost automotive manufacturers used to be located in s outh b end. s ure, s tudebaker is dead now. b ut it had its heyday back in the early 20th century.

Would it be cool if Ford or General m otors was headquartered in s outh b end? I guess. b ut that’s not s outh b end. s tudebaker is historic, yet a niche. It’s something we can get excited to insert into conversa tions when no one really cares. s tudebaker is s outh b end. It’s just right s outh b end is obviously not a big enough market for a professional sports team. s ure, it has n otre d ame sports, but n otre d ame football is too big-time to capture the down-to-earth feel of s outh b end. s o, what does capture s outh b end? The s outh b end c ubs.

In 2022, the c ubs won their second league title in three seasons. n ow, I know no one from n ew York or Philadelphia cares about this. b ut, you know who does care? s outh b end.

In 2019, nearly 320,000 people attended Four Winds Field over the course of the season, according to the s outh b end Tribune. In 2015, the c ubs were named minor league baseball’s “ m ost c omplete Franchise.” It’s not the Los Angeles r ams winning a s uper b owl. b ut we don’t need that. We’ve got the c ubs. And they’re just right. s outh b end may not have the s tatue of Liberty or the s pace n eedle. Who cares? We have a statue at Leighton Plaza of former n otre d ame president Fr. Ted h esburgh with m artin Luther King, Jr. Is it a statue of a picture that s outh b end beats to death and overuses? Absolutely. b ut it’s something we’re proud of. It’s just right.

While we’re on the topic of national landmarks, s outh b end also has the s t. Joseph r iver. This river has it all. It’s got love locks like Paris, river lights and rapids that you can raft on. n o, it’s not c olorado. And if you can’t guess by now, I don’t care. Whitewater rafting in the s t. Joe r iver is a ridiculous thing to tell your friends. They won’t get it, but they don’t need to. It’s a s outh b end’s thing. It’s just right.

o ne more example. I promise it’s the last one. In honor of the m orris Performing Arts c enter’s 100th anniversary, let’s highlight a band that is the epitome of s outh b end. You may have never heard of Umphrey’s m cGee, but I guarantee you have a stoner uncle who has.

Umphrey’s m cGee is a jam band straight out of s outh b end. n o, they’re not m ichael Jackson. s outh b end isn’t big-time like Gary. b ut they’re almost Phish. In 2004, r olling s tone declared Umphrey’s m cGee the “odds-on favorites in the next-Phish sweepstakes.” In 2006, they appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” with h uey Lewis. In 2014, they sold out r ed r ocks Amphitheatre.

o f course, Umphrey’s m cGee is not the Grateful d ead. b ut they’re not your average hometown band. They’re s outh b end. They’re just right.

As I prepare for a semester abroad, it’s hit me how much I’m going to miss s outh b end. s outh b end has its faults, just like every city. b ut for every fault, there’s a bright spot that is uniquely and outrageously s outh b end. m aybe it’s being deemed the best city for under-30 yearolds to get rich. m aybe it’s the mosaic under a bridge by the s t. Joe r iver right near the sign warning of sewage in the water. s outh b end isn’t perfect. It might even be weird. b ut who cares? It’s s outh b end, the greatest city in the world.

You can contact Ryan at rpeters5@nd.edu. The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not neces sarily those of The Observer.

It has now been over a month since the midterm debate, and I regret to inform you that left ists on campus still have not quite recovered.

Just this week, another opinion piece (if a glorified r eddit rant can be categorized as such) appeared in The o bserver making laughably insane claims about my debate rhetoric and about the r epublican platform in general. b efore that, there was the infamous letter to the editor published by the n otre d ame c ollege d emocrats that un successfully attempted to smear my reputation on campus. I wanted to take this opportunity to personally respond to both of these unhinged diatribes and set the record straight about the true motivation behind these baseless attacks.

The first article, published by the c ollege d emocrats, accused me of “racist,” “anti-semitic” and “trans phobic” rhetoric — doing so while providing no quotes or even a single timestamp of any of the aforemen tioned transgressions (one wonders why). When pressed directly by me in-person for evidence, the c ollege d emocrats, apparently being fully serious, claimed that my concern about record rates of fatherlessness amounted to a “racist dogwhistle” and opposition to sterilizing chil dren construed “transphobia.” r egarding the claim of “anti-sem itism,” they falsely accused me of equating “Judaism’s position on abortion to Aztec child sacrifice” during a discussion on the Dobbs decision. This claim was made de spite the fact that, verbatim, I said that I “did not know about Judaism,” and “was not making any kind of claim about Judaism,” before ex plaining that a hypothetical reli gious exemption to abortion laws would be invalid due to the limita tions of moral relativism, which is a position supported by the s upreme c ourt’s decision in Employment Division v. Smith

Likewise, the most recent v iewpoint piece (which somehow manages to be even more unhinged than the first), oscillates between blatant lies, such as claiming that I said “immigrants are inherently violent,” and legitimately deranged rhetoric, including allegations that r epublicans (who the author refers to as “vexed vermin”) “actively seek to advocate for the death of [the author] or [his] friends for the crime of being born.” These allegations do not genuinely merit a serious response, but the parallels between

the two articles did beg the ques tion of why the campus left has cho sen to respond to this debate in the most psychotic way imaginable.

And the answer to that question is one word: fear. It is an overbearing trepidation felt by leftists here and across the nation toward a chang ing r epublican Party that is finally willing to stand up to their cultural agenda. For generations, the smallgovernment dogma that dominated the American right meant that pro gressives never had to answer for their radical distortions of sexual ethics, national identity and even basic ontological concepts like gender. b ut those days are over. Witnessing firsthand the damage cultural liberalism has inflicted on American society, the r epublican Party is growing more reactionary. It’s becoming more open to using the state to promote civic virtue and in many cases, such as through the Dobbs decision, it is winning. This, the d emocrats cannot handle.

When I directly confronted the left’s evil, unconscionable steril ization of children, destruction of national borders and erosion of sex ual morality, they short-circuited. They were unable to even fathom, let alone process, the prospect of genuine resistance to their cultural sacraments. The c ollege d emocrats alluded to this when they attacked me for not speaking “on a wide range of legitimate policy posi tions enumerated in the r epublican n ational c ommittee’s official plat form.” What this comment really meant is that they want r epublicans to continue to spew right-liberal platitudes about individualism or capital gains taxes while they im pose their morally depraved world view on the rest of society, and that any real opposition will not be tol erated. And this is the real reason the d emocrats did what they did. b ut make no mistake: neither I nor the n otre d ame c ollege r epublicans will be intimidated, and we will certainly not retreat from fighting this cultural battle. The stakes for the survival of our nation — and the health of our core institutions — are simply too high. The left can write as many hit pieces as they want and smear me with however many buzzwords they please; I apologize for nothing, and for me, America will always be worth it.

I was the republican debater at the midterm debate. here’s what really happened.

Ryan Peters

leTTer To THe edITor

Who is part of our family?

The University of n otre d ame has always been my dream school. I chose to attend this univer sity over others because as soon as I set foot on campus, it felt like home.

n otre d ame encourages us to do soul-search ing and become who we want to be. In this, I finally came out and accepted myself for who I was.

b eing on a campus that constantly preaches about community and inclusivity, I thought I would be accepted and loved regardless of my sexuality. This was not the case. I was met with hostile words and actions from my roommate and others.

m y roommate called me homophobic slurs on numerous occasions, all for hanging a b i Pride flag under my bed. I intentionally avoided dis cussing my romantic or personal life with said roommate, but that did not stop them.

I met with my rector about this, and I was told they could facilitate a conversation between my roommate and I, but there was nothing else they could do because they told me I was not protect ed in the nondiscrimination policy.

I tried to have conversations with my room mate to set boundaries but was only met with more slurs and intensifying actions. I met with my rector, again, as the hate speech I was sub jected to in my own room was only worsening.

m any people were being allowed to move to singles out of cov I d -19 concerns with their roommate, but, I was denied and was forced to be subjected to hateful speech and behavior in my own room because it “wasn’t an issue [they] could address.”

The University did nothing, my speak-up sub missions were never addressed and I was forced to continue living in close quarters with some one who repeatedly told me I was a living sin. A place I was supposed to call home enabled and empowered a student to target and harass me.

I never felt as alone or hated as I did then. I lost all trust in the University. As things continued to decline in my dorm community, I fled to the homes of my friends and peers since I was no longer safe in my own room because of a hateful roommate enabled by the University’s policies. b ecause of simple wording in the non-discrim ination notice, several groups on campus are subjected to the same hate and pain depicted here, and the University continues to turn a blind eye. There is a clear plea to change this policy amongst our n otre d ame community and in other stories like the one above, but even in the University’s own data collection.

{Editor’s note: This testimony was submitted by an anonymous student in the class of 2024.}

The University of n otre d ame recently re leased the results of its biannual Inclusive c ampus c limate s urvey. This survey asked nu merous questions about a student’s experience at n otre d ame and their belonging here.

In this survey, we saw a concerning trend that we are failing our family. We are intentionally

leaving behind students of different religions and our LG b TQ+ student population.

When it came to religious identity, 24% of athe ists and 17% of other religions said they did not feel a sense of belonging, as opposed to only five percent of c atholics on campus.

Failing in our commitment to each other, reli gious minorities describe the welcome they feel as though they’re always visiting. That this is not truly their home.

In 2022, the b oard of Trustees released their d iversity, e quity, and Inclusion report. They stated, “we believe our over-arching aspiration is to act to ensure that ever Y member of the n otre d ame community feels not merely “welcome” here, but rather that this is truly their home.”

This concerning trend only continues as the survey asked questions on belonging. The results show that LG b TQ+ men and women reported a sense of belonging at n otre d ame at a lower percentage than their straight counterparts. Furthermore, transgender students reported a significantly lower sense of belonging on cam pus compared to cisgender students.

22% of LG b Q men and 20% of LG b Q women felt as though they did not have a sense of belong ing at n otre d ame as opposed to about 8% of straight men and women.

49% of transgender and nonbinary students stated they did not feel a sense of belonging, as opposed to only nine percent of cisgender students.

Why don’t we take the steps that students are calling for in the Inclusive c ampus s urvey qualitative reports to make those changes? It’s a question of values, but student leaders across campus have chosen which of these values they will support.

o n s eptember 6, Pablo o ropeza began gar nering signatures for a petition to request the modification of the University of n otre d ame’s n ondiscrimination clause.

At this time, the notice states, “The University of n otre d ame does not discriminate on the ba sis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, disability, veteran status, genetic information or age in the administration of any of its education al programs, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and other schooladministered programs, or in employment.”

This notice of nondiscrimination clearly leaves out three crucial people groups that exist within our n otre d ame community - sexual orienta tion, gender identity, and religious minorities. m arginalized students are saying they don’t feel like they belong, and then we actively affirm those assumptions, even worse we perpetuate policies that actively exclude those same groups.

In 2012, Father Jenkins stated, “At n otre d ame, we do not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.”

If n otre d ames does not discriminate, then why are we afraid to hold ourselves to that standard?

e very single school in the top 50, and 85% of our holy cross peers include s exual o rientation, Gender Identity and r eligious affiliation in their non-discrimination clauses.

It’s not some unique c atholic issue, because our c atholic peers hold themselves to this stan dard, it’s a n otre d ame issue.

We exist as part of a larger n otre d ame story. A story that exists in the very fibers of our being - a legacy of poor, Irish, c atholic immigrants who weren’t welcome anywhere else. s tudents beat ing up the Ku Klux Klan in the streets of s outh b end. c ontesting the war in v ietnam. In our very mission, we state “the aim is to create a sense of human solidarity and concern for the common good that will bear fruit as learning becomes service to justice.”

r ight now, we do a disservice to that legacy and to our mission by not enshrining protections that include every student.

That is why the Irish 4 Inclusion coalition was created. s tudents from across the cam pus and from all different backgrounds have come together to ask the administration of the University of n otre d ame to alter our nondis crimination clause to include every student as part of our family.

We cannot be a home for all if we continue to allow hatred to be spewed without consequence.

n otre d ame stands at a crossroads - do we pick a c atholicism of moral leadership of ensur ing that every student feels as though it is their home? o r do we travel by erecting obstacles, ignoring our polls, hurting everyone along the way as we hold so tightly onto a narrative of faith built on keeping the marginalized away?

In 2016, Father Jenkins stated, “We are all n otre d ame or none of us are.” If that’s true, then let’s enshrine the rights of every individual to be part of this community.

With all of this, we call upon the University of n otre d ame to immediately amend its notice of non-discrimination to include sexual orienta tion, gender identity, and religious affiliation. s o that this invocation of family isn’t just a ve neer polish for admissions videos, but is a lived reality for the existence of every person on this campus.

Pablo Oropeza , Irish for Inclusion co-director, co-Author

Kate Schnitker, Irish for Inclusion co-director of social media

Megan Gallagher, Irish for Inclusion co-director of social media

Matthew Ruff, Irish for Inclusion director of outreach

Michael Donelan, Irish for Inclusion director of research

Sierra Stinson, Irish for Inclusion member dec. 2 Editor’s

Stop researching and go

I get body slammed on my face. Then next thing I know, I have been twisted into a human pretzel. my arm is being pulled one way then the other and I am hanging on for dear life until even tually all hope is lost. I tap. Take a deep breath. Then get right back to it. This has been what my Tuesday and Thursday nights have consisted of for the last month since starting at south bend’s r ibeiro Jiu-Jitsu. I have been humbled in ways I could have never imagined and have also been tapped out in more ways than I can keep count. even with all that struggle and zero success, and by the way, I mean zero success, I am thrilled I en tered the cruel, ego-crushing world that is jiu-jitsu.

For the last year and a half, I’ve wanted to start jiu-jitsu. Guys like Jocko Willink, Joe rogan and Lex Fridman have been preaching the profound impact it has had on their lives on their podcasts for years and I was convinced it would be a great idea for me to try it out. Jiu- jitsu helps you learn to defend yourself while avoiding serious head injuries, thanks to its practice of no striking. To me, that was a no brainer. everyone should learn to defend themselves for their own sake and those around them. In addition, it would be a great way for me to get active a couple times a week outside of weightlifting. even with this logic sitting in my brain for a while, I managed to push off my start date with ridiculous excuses. First, it was having no car, even though Uber was an obvious solution. Then, it was not wanting to start for a couple of months and have nowhere in the summer to train. Then, I thought I should focus on weightlifting even though I had plenty of time to do both. Finally, in late october, I decided enough was enough and called up r ibeiro to get started. over the last month, I have learned a lot, but I wish I had a year and a half of experience instead of just a month. even with that regret in mind, I am just happy that I started. I have learned plenty in just a month’s time and am excited to see where I can go in the future as I continue training. While most of my learn ing has come from getting chucked around the mat and getting tied into a human bow, I’m glad I know my current limitations and knowledge of fighting than be living in ignorance of what a trained mixed martial artist is capable of.

now that I have started jiu-jitsu, I have come to realize how wasteful it is to not try new activities that I’m interested in. As with anything new in life, I was reluctant to jump in and get started. I researched the pros and cons a million times and found just about any excuse to leave it until later. While I would still advise doing some quick research on anything new you’re adding into your life, this game of researching until you can be absolutely convinced it’s right, is a complete wash. At the end of the day, you can’t ever be fully convinced of something until it’s put into practice. Unless you’re planning on trying something that can cause severe damage to you on day one, then you might as well just give it a shot and see what it’s like. Let me put it this way. I could be the one tying noobs into pretzels by now, but instead I am the noob dancing around the mat and tapping out 20 times a class. And believe me, I would much rather be in the other guy’s shoes every once in a while.

With that said, I urge anyone reading this to try out something you’ve been putting off, whatever it may be. Join a club, read the book, take the elective, hit the weights. Assuming it’s not some thing obviously detrimental to yourself or those around you, I don’t care what it is, but give it a go. It may not pan out, but stick ing with the same stuff limits growth and leaves you in the same spot you started in. Those with the highest expertise in any field are constantly adding skills to their repertoire in order to stay at the top. Whether it is Jayson Tatum adding a floater to score more efficiently at the rim or Patrick mahomes mixing in a flip pass when the entire defensive line is closing in on him, these small additions to your own capabilities can make you a more complete athlete, artist, person or whatever it may be. so try it out. Pick something you have wanted to do and just go for it. Think about it like this. If my new experience involves get ting arm barred and triangle choked and I am enjoying it, most other activities should be fine, or less painful at the very least.

Mikey Colgan is a sophomore from Boston majoring in finance and ACMS. He can be reached at mcolgan2@nd.edu. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

motivational phrases for finals

to always work with courage, cunning and smarts at the helm.

Throughout the years, my voracious appetite for politics and history has led me to come across a wide array of slogans, phrases and soundbites that for one reason or another have stuck with me due to their significance, effectiveness or messaging. To me, they are comforting phrases that provide me with motivation, inspiration and hope to finish off whatever task is at hand. In my mind, if they were good enough to be spoon fed to the masses, they should be able to do the trick and motivate me. As finals week quickly approaches, I hope these help in one way or another.

1. ¡Hasta la victoria siempre! - This phrase, belonging to renowned Argentine marxist revolutionary c he Guevara, translates to “Until v ictory Always!” It was included as part of the sign-off to a private letter sent to Fidel castro upon Guevara’s departure from cuba in the mid 1960s, and is easily one of the most identifiable phrases used today by the Latin American left. Although I do not sympathize with either of these men, nor endorse their beliefs in the slight est, I find this particular phrase a source of con tinual inspiration to keep on working towards the emerging victorious over whatever challenge that lies ahead. A victory against what, you may ask? That’s the magic of the phrase: its sheer universality. It could be a victory against a messy dorm room, the dining hall’s dinner rush, a treacherous job hunt, the search for an sY r date or a grueling Investment Theory exam.

2. No hay victoria sin lucha! , or “There is no victory without struggle,” belongs to former first lady of Argentina eva Peron. evita, as she is af fectionately called, is widely remembered for being a tireless activist on behalf of the interests of the Argentine working class. This phrase, ex tracted from a letter exhorting Argentine women to fight for their right to vote, reminds you that in order to overcome any challenge one must first put in the necessary effort to make it possible.

3. Paciencia, prudencia, perseverancia , or “Patience, Prudence, Perseverance,” has been written on my dorm room’s whiteboard since I began college. I learnt the phrase from my grandfather, who wields an impressive knowl edge of spanish phraseology. This phrase is an invitation on how one should live their life, em bracing these three virtues to avoid being caught off guard while always having what it takes to forge the path ahead.

4. Que no me retenga el pasado, y no me ator mente el futuro or “may the past not retain me, and the future fail to torment me” is another of my grandfather’s phrases that has stuck with me to this day. I see it as a call to live in the present and avoid holding on to grudges of the past or clouding one’s mind with concerns about the future. After all, it is the present that gives us the opportunity to figure things out.

5. “now is the time for guts and guile” is one of e lizabeth Taylor’s most famous sayings. It serves as a good reminder that one should make strides

6. “Live, then, and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and never forget, that until the day God will deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is contained in these two words, ‘Wait and hope.’” comes from my favorite book “The count of monte cristo.” It is similar in essence to number four, but draws special significance to me because it encapsulates the wonderful story found within the pages of one of dumas’ masterpieces beautifully.

7. No se me raje mi compa comes from a song written during the days of the nicaraguan revolution, a clamor for perseverance, commit ment and conviction. Although hard to translate, it best does so as “don’t Give Up, my brother,” and is yet another good phrase to instill the need to carry on. It also has been on my whiteboard since I started college back in the fall of 2019.

8. Obras … no palabras or “deeds, not Words,” was a slogan used by the nicaraguan govern ment between 1997 and 2002. It was used to highlight the government’s campaign to de velop the country’s infrastructure and rebuild after hurricane m itch swept through in 1998. It promotes the value of getting things done over vague promises that amount to nothing. It is a good call to transform one’s ideas into tan gible, meaningful activities.

9. Soy responsable del timon, pero no de la tor menta , or “I am responsible for the helm, not for the storm” is one of mexican President Jose Lopez Portillo’s most memorable phrases, in the final year of his presidency as mexico’s economy teetered on the edge of collapse. I have relied on this phrase for several years, and even included it as part of my graduation speech back in high school. despite belonging to one of mexico’s most controversial presidents, when put in a vacuum, it becomes a call of reassurance. After all, we are only responsible for the things under our control, and must do our best to weather the storms around us with our resources alone.

10. “When the curtain falls it is time to get off the stage and that is what I propose to do” was said by british Prime m inister John major after having led the conservative Party to its most devastating loss in over a century. even in the throes of such stinging defeat, major acknowl edged his fate with dignity and grace. I really like this phrase because it is an invitation to know when it is time to move on to new endeavors, and to not hyper-fixate on adverse outcomes.

Although this column is quite unconventional for me, dear reader, I hope you find in it a shred of inspiration as finals roll around. best of luck to everybody!

Pablo Lacayo is a senior at Notre Dame, ma joring in finance while minoring in Chinese. He enjoys discussing current affairs, giving out bowl plates at the dining hall, walking around the lakes and karaoke. You can reach him at placayo@nd.edu.

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

Mikey Colgan day at a Time

Pablo Lacayo reliable r amblings

Happy Birthday: Evaluate your current situation and consider what you can do to stabilize your life. Establish boundaries, and make your voice heard regarding your terms and what you are capable of and willing to do this year. Make your positive, energetic nature carry you from start to finish, and you will have an impact on those who work by your side. your numbers are 5, 12, 24, 29, 33, 41, 48.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): you’ll be a sponge for information, so take note of what others have to offer and use the information in a unique way that will make you stand out and receive praise for your contributions. Trust your intelligence and judgment.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): you can lend a helping hand, but not at the expense of putting off your responsibilities. refuse to let anyone guilt you into something you don’t have time to do or shouldn’t. Don’t let others control your every move.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Negotiate on your behalf. you know what you want better than anyone, so speak up and make your voice heard. A partnership requires structure to ensure that balance and equality are maintained. Make contracts and money your priorities. romance is encouraged.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): The tasks you agree to will change how you approach helping others. Don’t take on more than you can handle. Be resourceful and search for ways to slash your overhead with a budget, discipline and strategy.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Take the high road, and look out for those who can’t fend for themselves. you’ll feel good and develop a friendship you can count on for your good deed. A unique experience will open your mind to a host of possibilities.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Don’t wait for someone else to make the first move. Change begins with you, and being proactive will show your ability to get things done. Spend less time complaining or criticizing and more time doing something worthwhile. Walk away from temptation.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): go directly to the source and ask questions. A business trip, meeting or lecture will reveal the truth. Creative accounting will help you end the year in an excellent financial position. Spend only what’s necessary and within your budget.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): gather information that will help you with your finances. Tips that show you how to reduce debt or talks that help establish who pays what with those you share expenses with will encourage better days ahead and peace of mind.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Back away from people pushing you to take on too much or indulge in something that is costly or might hurt your reputation. use your power of persuasion to get help and clear up matters making your life difficult.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Search for an easy way to make your home more efficient and your overhead less expensive. If you do the work yourself, you’ll save money and learn new skills that will benefit you. Avoid secret dealings that can hurt your reputation.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Consider what you can do, what you want to do and what’s mandatory, then proceed. Carry on, regardless of whether others agree with you. ramp up your enthusiasm and energy, and you’ll dazzle anyone who questions how you choose to do things.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):your persuasive charm and colorful way of describing what you want from others will capture attention and encourage others to pitch in and help. Be sure to offer incentives to the promises you make. Stick to the truth to avoid backlash.

Birthday Baby: you are demonstrative, original and generous. you are stubborn and proactive.

Jumble | DAvID hOyT AND JEff kNurEk

sudoku | ThE MEPhAM grOuP

Predicting World Cup quarterfinals

Jose Sanchez Cordova sports Writer

We are well past the halfway mark of the World cup, and the field of 32 has been narrowed down to the final eight. This is the abso lute cream of the crop. some giants have fallen already — I’m looking at you belgium, Germany and spain — and some teams have over-per formed (shoutout morocco). With that being said, here’s how I see the World cup quarterfinals playing out.

Croatia vs. Brazil: Friday, Dec. 9 at 10 a.m. ESt on FoX

This matchup pits croatia, the 2018 World cup finalists, against the pre-tournament favorites and five-time champions, brazil. When you look at it like that, it seems like a fairly even matchup. digging deep er, maybe not so much.

brazil are phenomenal and have looked every bit the favorites to win this tournament. so much so that their scintillating first half in a 4-1 victory over south Korea had a fellow observer sports writer texting me, “That honestly might be the best half of footy I’ve ever watched.” They are young, fast, exciting and endlessly creative. neymar Jr. sits deeper than he has in the past, playing the creative no. 10 role behind the electric attack ing trio of richarlison, vinicius Jr. and raphinha. They score a lot, play beautiful football and defend well (only two goals allowed in four games).

on the other side, croatia have gotten older since 2018 and lost some key players, even if their talisman in the middle, ballon d’or winner and real madrid midfielder Luka modri, remains. regardless, at 37 years old, modri’s age is starting to show, and he was even subbed off in extra time dur ing his team’s win over Japan in the round of 16.

I am also concerned about croatia’s lack of goals. In four games they’ve scored just five times, with four of those coming in a 4-1 win over a weak canadian side. They played two goalless draws in the group stage and needed a heroic penalty shootout from goalkeeper dominik Livakovi to beat Japan in the first knockout game.

Prediction: brazil 2 – 0 croatia

Netherlands vs. Argentina: Friday, Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. ESt on FoX

This game is fascinating. netherlands have played better than I expected coming in, and Argentina bounced back from a shocking 2-1 loss to saudi Arabia to reach the quarterfinals.

The oranje have been led by 23-year-old forward cody Gakpo, who scored three goals in the group stage and brought some thrust to an otherwise

unimpressive dutch performance in the group stages. regardless, netherlands remain unbeaten at the World cup and seemed to find another gear against the United states in the previous round.

In particular, left back denzel dumfries had a game for the ages against the United states, tallying two assists and a goal in the 3-1 victory.

however, likely their most important player ahead of the Argentina match is captain and central defender virgil van dijk. The Liverpool man will be under increased scrutiny because of the player he’s tasked with stopping: Lionel messi.

The diminutive Argentinian is, in my humble opinion, the fin est footballer in the history of the sport, and this is his World cup swan song. It’s also the first World cup since the passing of the leg endary diego maradona, who led Argentina to their second — and last — World cup triumph in 1986. This all gives Argentina some se rious “team of destiny” vibes, but still, the games need to be played and won on the field.

nothing showed this more than their group stage opener.

La Albiceleste entered the tour nament on a 36-game unbeaten run, having not lost a game since 2019. They were clear favorites to run the table and win the tour nament. Instead, they conceded twice in five minutes and lost to saudi Arabia, who snapped their unbeaten streak.

despite this, they bounced back with some strong showings against mexico and Poland to top their group and progress to the knockout stages. The game with Australia was maybe a little closer than expected and they missed some crucial chances, but with messi looking like he’s back at the peak of his powers, Argentina is not to be underestimated.

Prediction: Argentina 3 – 1 netherlands

Morocco vs. portugal: Saturday, Dec. 10 at 10 a.m. ESt on FoX

This game has very interesting storylines on both sides. morocco were not supposed to be here, but after topping a group with fel low quarterfinalists croatia and world no. 2 belgium, then beat ing european power spain in the knockouts, they certainly look the part.

Then you have Portugal; the Iberian side looked solid in the group and then looked incred ible in their round of 16 game against switzerland after bench ing cristiano ronaldo, the player widely considered the greatest in their nation’s history.

on the moroccan side, you have two exceptional players

Ten quotations that defined the Irish season

Aidan Thomas sports e ditor

“i think we learned that we have a good football team, but we have to learn how to finish.” - Marcus Freeman

Freeman said this after notre dame’s season-opening 21-10 loss to no. 2 ohio state. At the time, it felt like the general con sensus surrounding the Irish. notre dame fell a couple of spots in the polls after the defeat, but after leading the buckeyes late into the third quarter, the com petitive loss felt every bit like two elite teams battling it out. defensively, the Irish wavered late but otherwise held down one of the best offenses in the coun try. however, Freeman did fall to 0-2 as a head coach, marking the second game that he lost after holding a halftime lead.

“you really can’t just sulk in these losses. i mean, we’re 0-2, yes, and it’s horrible, it’s horrible, but we’re just go ing to prepare for the next team.” - Michael Mayer

The junior tight end and cap tain of the Fighting Irish stood in front of media after the most shocking loss of his collegiate ca reer and the past few seasons of notre dame football. The Irish had just lost to marshall, 26-21, falling to 0-2 in the process. With national championship hopes dashed, notre dame needed to find something else to play for. “It’s horrible” summed up the feelings of the fanbase. With an elite recruiting class waiting in the wings and a promising head coach that was struggling on the field, the Irish program’s health felt like it depended on turning the season around.

“My mindset has never changed since the moment i got here … i will always be prepared and as ready as possible for any point that i need to help the team.”Drew

pyne

At the tail end of that marshall loss, sophomore quarterback Tyler buchner went down with an injury that kept him out the rest of the season. Junior quar terback drew Pyne entered and couldn’t lead the comeback, but from there on out, he was the starting quarterback. While the numbers weren’t gaudy, Pyne gritted his way through the sea son, winning eight of ten games as the starting quarterback for the Irish. now in the transfer por tal, Pyne lived up to what he said prior to the Week 3 clash with

cal. he stayed ready and largely kept his team in a position to win games, turning an 0-2 notre dame squad into a team that was playing for a new Year’s six bowl in the season finale.

“there was a conversa tion between me and God …there was some, ‘Lord, what is going on?’” - Marcus Freeman

Freeman’s first win was not a smooth ride. The Irish beat cal, 24-17, but on the last drive of the game, the Irish forced multiple turnovers that were ultimately overturned. A fumble return for a touchdown was brought back due to the quarterback being down, giving cal a final chance. Their hail mary for the win bounced around before be ing batted down in the end zone. After the crazy finish, a relieved Freeman recounted his ‘conver sation’ with God as he attempted to secure his first win as a head coach. despite the chaotic finish, the Freeman era had officially gotten off the starting blocks with its first win.

but the result was never in doubt. notre dame trounced UnLv, 4421. Freeman was very honest af ter the game in reflecting on the mood of the team that week. he noted the importance of display ing some of that urgency in this game. While the actual result wasn’t particularly noteworthy, it did keep the season from going completely off the rails.

“you look at every game that we have won, i think we rushed the ball 40 plus times. that’s been our backbone. We knew this de fensive line was special, but we couldn’t shy away from our strength.” - Marcus Freeman

- Marcus Freeman

This quote came after the north carolina game, from Freeman about mayer. It really could have come after any con test, but mayer posted one of his several elite performances against the Tar heels. he caught seven passes for 88 yards and a touchdown, leading the Irish of fense to 45 points after they had combined for just 55 in the first three weeks. The Irish’s suc cess in the passing game be came nearly synonymous with mayer’s performance. he ended the season as the all-time leader in career receptions, yards and touchdowns by an Irish tight end.

These next two quotes are both about the identity that notre dame began to form un der Freeman. Also, it reflected something of a refreshing change with the Irish in big games. They had an identity and they stuck to it with success in a big moment. It would have been easy to as sume they couldn’t run on no. 4 clemson’s highly-ranked rush defense. but notre dame pound ed the rock anyways and shoved their identity down the Tigers’ throats. In previous iterations of Irish football in big games, it felt like they were incapable — or unwilling —to do this. Under Freeman, they weren’t afraid to match strength against strength and came out on top.

“Call duo until you can’t speak.” - tommy rees

After a three-game surge that had the Irish creeping back to ward the Top 25, notre dame came crashing down to earth in a 16-14 loss to stanford. After seem ingly pushing the right buttons and getting the program back on track, Freeman was faced with a whole bunch of questions. The Irish came out with more ur gency the following week, finally performing well as a big favorite. It wasn’t a perfect performance,

The notre dame offense fre quently utilizes a run scheme called ‘duo’. Playing off the pre vious quote, it was the perfect example of notre dame leaning into their strengths and domi nating a quality opponent. notre dame was pretty much the only team to out-physical clemson and a lethal and well-coached run game and offensive line helped the cause. so, as rees pre pared to leave his box to come celebrate with the team, he told tight ends coach Gerad Parker “if I don’t make it down in time, call duo until you can’t speak.” hard to argue the logic after his two running backs, sophomores Audric estime and Logan diggs, ran for 218 yards in the game.

“We did

ur gency or execution in the second [half]” - Marcus

Freeman

After a dominant first half against navy, the Irish slipped back into their second-half form

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The

“you’re a fool if you can’t find a way to get the ball in his hands”

“We know it was a tough week for all of us. Anybody that’s a part of this Notre Dame family or Notre Dame Nation and this foot ball team, it was a tough week” - Marcus Freeman

not have the

leading the team: right back achraf hakimi and winger hakim Ziyech. hakimi was a great storyline in the last round, as the 24-year-old madrid-born defender scored the winning Panenka penalty to eliminate spain. hakimi is also part of a stingy moroccan defense that has only allowed one goal in four games and just held spain scoreless for 120 minutes and penalties. They will need more of that to overcome Portugal’s offen sive prowess and become the first african nation to reach a World cup semifinal.

Portugal are similar to the netherlands in that they topped their group somewhat unim pressively. Their opening 3-2 win against Ghana benefited from a suspect penalty decision, and then they lost to south Korea in the final game. They took care of any doubts, though, as they blew switzerland out of the water, beating them 6-1 in their opening knockout round game. The most remarkable thing about that victo ry was the hat trick from Gonçalo ramos, the man tapped by man ager Fernando santos to replace the benched ronaldo. it’s hard to know if santos will bench ronaldo again, but ramos’ hat trick — and the dominant 6-1 result —certain ly suggests that he should.

Prediction: Portugal 3 – 1 morocco

England vs. France: Saturday, Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. EST on FOX

in my opinion, this is the most exciting of the four quarterfinals. it’s a World cup final-caliber matchup, and i believe the win ner should be considered a fa vorite entering the semifinals. both teams cruised through their groups and then comfortably han dled business in the first knockout round, where France dominated Poland 3-1 and england won 3-0 over african champions senegal. These are two absolutely stacked

and in-form teams going up against each other.

France are the reigning world champions and they have the tour nament and possibly the world’s best player: 23-year-old forward Kylian mbappé. The PsG star has scored five times and assisted two more goals in the first four games of the World cup. France have suf fered injuries to several key players (n’Golo Kanté, Paul Pogba, Karim benzema and Presnel Kimpembe) and somehow look just as domi nant as anyone could’ve expected. They seem poised to become the first nation to repeat at the World cup since brazil did so in 1958 and 1962.

on the other side is england. much of their strength comes from their depth; eight different players have scored for the Three Lions and that only includes 1 goal from their captain and striker, harry Kane, who won the Golden boot with six goals at the previous World cup in russia.

The star of england’s side so far has been midfielder Jude bellingham, whose brilliance doesn’t show up on the stat sheet like mbappé’s. regardless, the 19-year-old wonder kid has been the undroppable lynchpin in england’s midfield, even when playing alongside champions League and Premier League winners who are many years his senior.

bellingham has excelled in the attacking third just as much as the defensive one, and his com posure on the ball is astonishing for such a young player. england’s chances rely as much on him con trolling the middle of the field as they do on their ability to contain –— or at least, somewhat limit — mbappé’s impact for France.

Prediction: France 3 – 2 england aeT (after extra time)

Contact Jose Sanchez Cordova at jsanch24@nd.edu.

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

from earlier in the season. The irish nearly coughed up a 35-13 halftime advantage, giving up 19 unanswered points. it felt like a trend all season for notre dame. against ohio state, they gave up a 10-7 advan tage at the break. a seemingly comfortable bY u win turned stressful due to a stagnant offense. up 24-7 in the third quarter against syracuse, the irish stalled and gave up ten unanswered points, needing to intercept the orange on a potential game-tying drive be fore pulling away. u ltimately, Freeman’s team felt a little lackadaisical when it came to intensity in the second half and the navy game encapsu lated that struggle.

Year one of the Freeman era may not have gone exactly ac cording to plan, but after an 8-4 season, the irish’s goals re main the same. This Freeman quote came after the irish im proved to 8-3 on senior day against boston college. When he was hired, Freeman talked about an ‘unwavering stan dard’ and that standard re mains in place. it was a bumpy road in year one, but Freeman made sure to honor the seniors that turned the season around and remind everyone that the hunt for a national champi onship in the coming years is still very much alive in south bend.

Contact Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu.

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

Paid a dverT isemen T

defensive player of the year and defensive mv P of the ncaa Final Four in 1995. That year, markgraf and the irish won the ncaa women’s soccer championship. upon graduation, markgraf made the dean’s List and was ac cepted to northwestern Law school in chicago and northeastern Law school in boston. she deferred in order to continue her soccer career, playing club from 2001-2010. a year after college, markgraf won the World cup in Pasadena with the usW nT. she played with the team from 1998 to 2010, starting in all three of her World cup appearances. additionally, markgraf switched from right to left back in her senior year with notre dame. That versatility, she said, made her a greater asset for the usW nT, as they could place her anywhere on the back line. markgraf also played for the usW nT in three olympics. The stars and stripes took home the silver medal in 2000 and the gold in 2004 and 2008. now, in addition to her role with u s soccer, markgraf serves as president of the monogram club, notre dame’s student-athlete alumni community. she has been a member of the monogram club board since 2009 and began a two-year term as president in april of 2022.

already in the michigan sports hall of Fame since 2018, markgraf’s national soccer hall of Fame induc tion will be on may 6, 2023. The induction will take place in Frisco, Texas.

Contact Mannion McGinley at mmcginl3@nd.edu

participating fully in practice since that game, he will likely be more comfortable and assertive offensively on Wednesday. notre dame head coach mike brey spoke after the syracuse game about how hammond will bene fit from additional practice time, as well as his potential to boost a thin irish rotation by contrib uting off the bench along with freshman forward ven-a llen Lubin.

“For me, it was kind of new ter ritory because, ‘Wow, i have two subs always,’” brey said. “he and ven off the bench are fabulous. We have a chance to get him in shape now with some practice reps.”

The emergence of Lubin over the last several games has been a crucial development for the irish. The freshman has scored in double figures in three of their last four games and brings strong post play to a notre dame of fense that does most of its work on the perimeter. against an un dersized boston university team, the irish will look to Lubin and senior forward nate Laszewski to carry a heavy load offensively. Laszewski, notre dame’s lead ing scorer, was quiet against syracuse, scoring just two points on 1-6 shooting. however, he still managed to impact the game in other ways and will look to get back on track offensively while providing the same effort and in tensity that he had on saturday.

“it was a rough game,” brey said about Laszewski. “i felt for him because he just couldn’t find it, yet the guy always defends and he’s rebounding and he’s putting his chest on dudes and trying to help us win.”

notre dame shot 8-18 on threepointers in the first half against syracuse and just 3-15 in the second, which highlighted a sig nificant difference in shot qual ity. in the game’s early stages, the irish frequently got the ball into the paint and found kick-out op portunities for open shooters. in the second half, syracuse made it difficult for notre dame to uti lize the high post, and the irish often passed the ball around the perimeter until having to force a contested shot in the final sec onds of the shot clock.

Finding ways for players like Laszewski, Lubin and Goodwin to get post touches will open things up for notre dame’s elite perimeter shooters and pro vide chances to get to the free throw line. it will be difficult for the irish to win games while at tempting just five free throws like they did against syracuse, and they will look to be more ag gressive on Wednesday.

notre dame has already shown the ability to respond to a tough loss and will have the opportunity to do so again on Wednesday.

The irish will host boston university at Purcell Pavilion at 7:00 p.m. esT on accn X.

Contact Matthew Crow at mcrow@nd.edu

“What these seniors did for this program will be the reason why we do win a national champion ship in the near future”Marcus Freeman

Unconventially ranking the World Cup Captains

Olivia Schatz Associate sports e ditor

o ver the course of the past 2 years, there have been countless breakdowns and predictions for the 2022 world cup. s o, approximate ly two weeks ago, my sister and I decided to get what the people really want: a ranking of the Fifa World c up’s m en’s s occer c aptains. We created a google form with pictures of every world captain and asked people to rank them from 1-10. We also gathered everyone’s age (on average, 27), as well as if they wanted to add any comments on the form. While I did collect data on every captain, I will only be creating a bracket for the final eight.

n ow, before I go into the final predictions, I need to set some things straight: there are clear biases in my data. o ne friend submitted the form ranking every world cup captain a “1” except for Tyler Adams, who he ranked a ten. h e then resubmit ted the form, with the same rankings, this time with the comment “A dA ms so n I ce , h A d T o TAK e T he s U rve Y TWI ce .”

When this was created my sister, who put the form to gether, did not know how this data would be used. Thus, there are not always the most equally representative pho tos from one team to another, and this definitely had some effect on our data. Also, our top-ranked captain s imon Kjaer was ranked a whop ping 7.97, while the worstranked captain, Uruguay’s d iego Godín came in at 2.60. While that is a big gap, the 10th-ranked player to the 22nd-ranked player are only separated by 0.83, mean ing that there are some very close matchups in the greater picture.

s o, with that in mind, if we were to look at the attractive ness of the Fifa world cup Final eight, here’s who would win!

Croatia vs. Brazil: Friday, Dec. 9, 10 a.m. EST on FOX

c roatian captain Luka modric against b razil’s Thiago s ilva is a tough first match. modric has some key components that give him an edge; specifically his blond flowing hair that he has to pin back for games. modric is on the smaller side but uses that to his advantage through the brackets. While m odric was ranked in the top half, he ul timately fell in the middle of

the pack at 15. however, we have seen underdogs come on top in these tournaments.

however, modric is up against a heavy hitter in Thiago s ilva. s ilva comes in at 5-foot-11 and 174 pounds. he is large, with a strong square jawline compared to modric’s thinner profile. Also, s ilva is a favorite, coming in at fifth in the total pre-tournament rankings.

Ultimately, s ilva wins this matchup with 6.70 to m odric’s 5.30.

Netherlands vs. Argentina: Friday, Dec. 9, 2 p.m. EST on FOX

The netherlands is repre sented by defender v irgil van d ijk. s tanding at 6-foot-5, van d ijk is on the larger side of this tournament. he is typi cally seen with his hair pulled into a slick bun with a strong jawline. however, van d ijk is going up against a tourna ment favorite, Lionel messi. Although messi’s attractive ness might not be his calling card, his memorability (espe cially with an American audi ence) definitely pulled some weight.

b ut, his name was not enough, and the netherlands will pull ahead with a slight advantage of 5.04 over the eighth worst Argentina’s 5.00.

Morocco vs. Portugal: Saturday, Dec. 10, 10 a.m. EST on FOX

Portugal, again, has a big name to help them in this tournament in c hristiano r onaldo. r onaldo is not only known for being one of the best soccer players of all time, he is also an inter national heartthrob. b ut, as we have seen in this tourna ment, a name is not always enough to pull you ahead.

r onaldo is going against r omain s aïss. The 32-yearold has quickly become a favorite in the tournament, assisting m orocco in becom ing the first African team to win a penalty shootout and make it to the final eight. b ut, we retrieved this data before m orocco’s victory, and sadly he does not get this edge against r onaldo.

r onaldo ranked seventh heading into the tourna ment, he takes the win with a 6.39 to s aïss’ 5.14.

England vs. France: Saturday, Dec. 10, 2 p.m. EST on FOX

Probably one of the most anticipated matchups of the world cup: h arry Kane against h ugo Lloris. Kane has some recognition within

American soccer fandom, although not comparable to m essi and r onaldo. It is also interesting to see how his be ing b ritish will affect the fi nal results.

Kane has spiked blonde hair and striking blue eyes, but ultimately he still looks b ritish (if you catch my drift). Lloris has a dark set of hair and a dark beard to cover his face. b ut, Lloris looks drasti cally different from photo to photo, and that might have had an effect on his rating had respondents known him beforehand or not.

The tenth-ranked e nglishman at 5.87 wins against the Frenchman at 4.99.

The Remainder of the Bracket

now knowing how each round of eight plays out, we will look toward the rest of the tournament.

The netherlands will then face the b rits, followed by a highly contested b razil vs. Portugal match.

The d utch in van d ijk will not be able to surpass the tenth place Kane, and e ngland will move on to the finals. o n the other side of the bracket, seventh-ranked Portugal rep resented by r onaldo will lose to fifth-ranked s ilva of b razil.

Finally, my bracket predicts s ilva taking b razil all the way, dominating Kane and the rest of the b rits in the final.

Not the best (but not the worst) metric

While I had a lot of fun col lecting and sorting through this data, it is clear that this is not the best way to create a world cup bracket. o ut of my top ten six did not make it past the group stage ( n o. 1 s imon Kjaer of d enmark, 7.97, n o. 3 e hsan h ajsafi of Iran, 7.74, n o. 4 d usan Tadic of s erbia 6.8, n o. 6 e nner valencia of e cuador, 6.53, n o. 8 e den h azard of b elgium, 6.26 and n o. 9 Atiba h utchinson of c anada 6.19). And, n o. 2 Tyler Adams (7.74) only took his team to the round of sixteen.

h owever, even with all of this, the remaining three of the top 10 are representing their teams as they fight to bring a trophy home to their country. s o … maybe it isn’t the worst way.

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.

Saints win tricampus face-off

By LUCIA AGUZZI sports Writer

This season’s tri-campus face-off saw the saint mary’s and holy cross women’s bas ketball teams play head to head on Tuesday evening. A friend ly match between the two schools (who normally play in different divisions and confer ences), the game started last year in the 2021-2022 season to create a sense of community at home. This year’s game proved to be just that, with a crowd of family, friends, students and community members at the game.

The first half of the game was a great watch, with both teams keeping the other on their toes, especially in the first quar ter. In the first half, the saint mary’s belles struggled to keep up with the holy cross saints, but they kept the point gap fairly controlled. by the end of the first 20 minutes, the score was 45-31, with holy cross in the lead.

The game took a turning point after halftime, how ever, as the saints seemed to gain their footing on the of fensive side and the belles struggled with their defense and their shooting accuracy. by the end of the third quar ter, saint mary’s was down 82-45 and it was not looking great for them toward the last ten minutes. Ultimately, the holy cross women’s offense was too strong for the belles, who conceded the match in a final score of 106-57, making the game holy cross’ highestscoring match of the season so far.

Postgame, both coaches were open to talking about their teams’ dynamics. holy cross head coach Tom robbins was pleased with the outcome

of the game, not only because of hia team’s high score, but because they successfully ad dressed what he considers the team’s weakness this season, their defense.

“We’ve been giving up too many points, we lost our last game 90-87, so we’ve been scoring a lot of points, but we’ve been giving up a lot of points,” robbins said on the match. “We wanted to keep the opponent under 60, which was 15 points a quarter, and I thought we showed some im provement in that today that we need to continue moving forward.”

on the other hand, he rec ognized his players’ hard work and achievements on the offense.

“our strength has been our guard play, we only had 11 turnovers today. We get big scoring out of our guards, like [sophomore guard] Jordyn smith and [senior guard] Jayda miller. our guard play has been a huge strength for us all season.”

saint mary’s head coach melissa makielski was not as pleased with the outcome, but appreciated her team’s close ness as their greatest strength.

“I’d say our team camarade rie is probably our strongest point right now,” she said. “As far as what’s bettering right now, it’s hard to say anything after that game.”

As for what she tells her play ers in tough moments, she said she tries to remind them “just why they play, and the fact that basketball can teach them so many different things in life. There’s good times and bad times, and it’s how you respond to the bad times that will truly help you.”

Ryan vigilante |

Saints sophomore guard Jordyn Smith drives to the basket against the Belles. Smith contributed 23 points to the Saints’ 106-57 victory.

b oth teams seemed to be facing opposite years, with s aints made up of mainly un derclassmen and b elles led by a great number of upperclass men this season. r obbins says he is excited for what is coming for the program.

“The future is really, really bright, especially because there [are] a lot of teams that have fifth -ear players be cause of an extra cov I d year that makes us particularly young compared to those teams. b ut as soon as those teams start cycling those out, we are gonna be the last old team left while all these other teams are rebuilding.”

m akielski is just as optimis tic for the future and the im pact that the upperclassmen are having on the younger

players.

“I think [an older team] means good things for us, because our upperclassmen are committed to the pro gram and committed to see it get better, and they’ve laid the foundation for that in the offseason stuff that the kids have done,” m akielski said.

“They’ve created a great cul ture that the kids want to be a part of, and that’s something that’s going to last even after they graduate.”

As for the campus rivalry between both teams in this type of game, there seems to be a shared enjoyment of the challenge — as well as com munity — made by the game.

“Last year was the first year that we got this match up going as a regular sea son matchup, and that’s what I envisioned was a tricampus matchup,” r obbins. said “They’re playing up in

m ichigan, we’re playing in Illinois and we hadn’t played each other that much except for scrimmages. I think it’s great for the community for us to play each other, and also it’s a nice timing for us, for the end of the semester, since it’s a short road trip while get ting ready for finals and all of that.”

c oach m akielski said her favorite part of playing holy c ross is the familiarity.

“e ven though it’s different divisions playing each other, it’s nice to have something other than conference play to look forward to and to chal lenge yourself with a rivalry like that,” she said.

In true tri-campus fashion, the night ended with both teams circling up and holding hands in prayer on the court after the final buzzer.

Contact Lucia Aguzzi at

— a skill set that has her rocketing up W nb A draft boards.

After the game, junior forward m addy Westbeld, who had 17 points of her own in the win, said m iles’ ability to attack defenses has created opportunities for the rest of the team to thrive.

“ s he’s unstoppable at dribbling,” Westbeld said. “ n obody can guard her. And especially when she’s that aggressive coming out of the gate, people are all crashing into the paint and it opens up everybody else. It opens up the rest of the floor when she’s that aggressive.”

While the most diffi cult part of n otre d ame’s

non-conference slate has now past (the Irish have dates with just Lafayette, m errimack c ollege and Western m ichigan stand ing between them and A cc play), n otre d ame will need m iles to be at her best come n ew Year’s as the team gears up for a potential conference title charge.

r eturning four starters from a team that finished third in the conference, the Irish have a real shot to bring home their first conference championship since 2019. b ut if n otre d ame does add another year to their conference ti tle banner in Purcell come m arch, it will almost cer tainly be m iles leading the way.

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

Guiliano, Janton post Olympic trial cuts at U.S. Open

By MADDIE LADD Associate sports e ditor

It was a monumental weekend for the Irish in g reensboro, n orth c arolina, at the 2022 Toyota u s o pen. A select group of nine n otre d ame athletes had the opportunity to com pete against swimmers from across the u nited s tates and countries such as b razil and Ireland. s ophomore c hris g uiliano and fresh man Tommy Janton shined in the pool, each earning o lympic trials cuts, shat tering school records and establishing new personal bests. n otre d ame Peterson f amily head coach c hris Lindauer highlighted the ex posure this meet brought to the swimmers.

“Whether they swim fast or have so-so swims, at the end of the day the experi ence brings so much value to growth,” Lindauer said. “This was our first oppor tunity to get o lympic trial cuts. The qualification win dow just opened up, so this was the first meet of the year anyone could get the cut.”

g uiliano and Janton both wasted no time seizing

that opportunity and did not succumb to the slump of midseason swimming. g uiliano’s 100 freestyle per formance of 49.17 punched him an early ticket to Lucas o il s tadium for the 2024 o lympic trials (cut time 49.99) and broke the Irish’s school record for the event.

“The fun starts now. 49.17 — that’s elite air. You’re starting to get up there with the best of the best, so it’s about how you look for ways to continue to climb,” Lindauer said. “ c hris g uiliano, he is an athlete that ‘gets it’ at the highest level. h e understands the big picture, like what it re ally takes to be elite.”

g uiliano felt confident go ing in about making the team due to his past experience.

“ c oming down to this meet, I was certainly ex pecting to qualify for trials,” g uiliano said. “ m aking it two years ago in 2021, I knew it was definitely a goal that was attainable. To get it by that much and drop as much time as I did was great. To look at the board and see the team on the side going nuts was great.”

g uiliano also competed

in the 50 freestyle (22.46) where he broke the school record and punched another ticket to the trials (cut time 22.79). h e added a personal best in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:50.78. h e de scribed being “ecstatic” for the rest of the season.

“ g oing best times in all three of my events this week end definitely sparked some confidence to close 2022,” g uiliano said.

Janton, part of the n o. 10 freshman recruiting class nationally, qualified for the o lympic trials in both backstroke events. A 54.96 100 backstroke shattered the previous school record of 56.87 and earned Janton third place on the podium. h is 200 backstroke (2:01.40) placed him second, just a hair off of winning the gold. Janton broke the school re cord in this event as well.

“Tommy Janton, he’s very youthful and learn ing what it takes to be big time,” Lindauer said. “Like c hris, he’s set himself up in a good spot to catapult him self into the future and see where he lands. c ertainly, to come away from the meet with two o lympic trial cuts

and two school records was impressive with his age and how much more he has left to learn.”

g uiliano was excited for his teammate and the suc cess he’s had so early in his college career.

“It’s awesome,” g uiliano said. “ s eeing a freshman come in and do big things like that is great and it’s great for the program. It mo tivates everyone else. s eeing him on the podium was just great to see.”

Also at the o pen, fresh men s amuel s ierra and Tate b acon posted impressive 200 butterfly swims. They finished sixth and seventh in the event’s b f inal with times of 2:07.38 and 2:09.25, respectively.

Looking ahead, the Irish will continue to train in tensely in preparation for championship season. With a firmer grip on team iden tity and a different intensity than they had in August, Lindauer believes that the team is ready for the latter half of the season.

“We have a better pulse of where the team is now and how we can coach them better,” Lindauer said.

“We’ve had to adapt to them and learn what works for this team. e very team I’ve coached is different, even if it’s a lot of the same crew. A semester under our belt to make some adjustments with our training and re spond to them academi cally in different ways helps up make a bigger impact in their day-to-day lives. We’re back to the grind, progress ing accordingly.”

After spending extra time in s outh b end and then go ing home for the holiday sea son, the Irish will head down to training camp in n aples, f lorida, for two weeks of their winter break. Immediately after, they will fly to Annapolis, m aryland, to take on n avy and Princeton in a tri–meet on Jan. 13.

“We’re excited to see where we’re at coming off of our training and how we need to adjust things accordingly af ter training camp and the re sults of n avy,” Lindauer said. “We will continue to make those adjustments as we see fit and approach champion ship season.”

Contact Maddie Ladd at mladd2@nd.edu

Olivia Miles rises to occasion against No. 3 UConn with 21-point game

By J.J. POST sports Writer

The list of reasons why n otre d ame women’s bas ketball’s s unday showdown against U c onn meant more than your average nonconference game is far from short.

Perhaps the biggest fac tor in upping the drama was the n o. 3 ranking next to the h uskies’ name. Perhaps it was the historic rivalry between the two programs, even if you took that number away. o r perhaps it was just the need to respond after a heartbreaking buzzer beater put an end to the Irish’s un beaten start to the season on Thursday.

n o matter the reason, in front of a sold out matinee crowd on s unday, n otre d ame needed a standout performance from their star ... And they got one.

From her first drive at the U c onn basket, it was clear sophomore guard o livia m iles was in the mood to torment the h uskies all

ND MEN’S BASKETBALL

afternoon. As the Irish of fense slowly worked its way into gear in the first quar ter, it was m iles who led the charge. The sophomore had 13 of n otre d ame’s first 18 points, as well as an as sist on graduate guard d ara m abrey’s three point effort with 20 seconds left.

After that first quarter, the rest of the Irish offense worked its way into the game to give m iles some aid, but the sophomore didn’t slow down. With 21 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block, it’s dif ficult to find a spot on the stats sheet that m iles didn’t lead or come close to leading the Irish.

Unsurprisingly, after the game Irish head coach n iele Ivey was bursting with praise for her point guard.

“[ s he has] an elite skill set,” Ivey said. “ n ot only is she a scoring-first point guard, she’s a pass-first point guard that can score. I think her vision is elite, es pecially in the open court. I think she is one of the

most dynamic guards in our game. s he is always playing for her teammates and that’s what I love about her. s he plays for them, she’ll run through a wall for me, she’s extremely coachable. I think the skies are the limit for her. s he’s just scratching the surface.”

The dynamic, on-ball el ement to m iles’ game has made her one of the most electrifying players in the sport over the course of her short time in s outh b end. d isplaying an impressive ability to generate offensive surges from just about any where on the court, m iles is a nightmare to guard. s he’s able to attack the rim and finish over taller interi or defenders with one of her trademark extension fin ishes. s he can create space with ease from the midrange and deep and pick her spot with a jump shot. There are few guards in women’s col lege basketball who have as well-rounded of a skill set

Markgraf enters Hall of Fame

By MANNION McGINLEY Assistant managing editor

A high school title, an ncAA division I championship, concAcAF titles, two olympic golds and one World cup win. Kate markgraf has earned a title at every level of her soccer career. now, as the first head of Women’s soccer and general manager of the U.s. Women’s national Team (UsWnT), markgraf will add national soccer hall of Fame inductee to her already stellar resume.

markgraf appeared at half time on the esPn broadcast of the ncAA Women’s college cup final. There, former UsWnT teammate Julie Foudy — who was commentating the match — told her the news. “I’m overwhelmed,” markgraf said. “There are so many more women that should be in this. And so I hope that the laws and the rules change. I’m very proud of this, but this is for everybody else that came before me, for all of the players that built this.”

markgraf rounds out the 1999 World cup starters inducted into the hall of Fame. As a member of the class of 2023, markgraf joins former UsWnT coach Jill ellis and World cup winner Lauren cheney holiday. markgraf was elected on the veteran ballot for the hall of Fame.

In addition to her national soccer induction, markgraf was awarded the ncAA silver Anniversary Award this week. six former ncAA athletes receive the award on the 25th anniver sary of the end of their colle giate careers. basketball players Allison Feaster and surgeon marsha harris, nFL quarterback Peyton manning, Texas kicker Phil dawson and Usc swimmer Lenny Krayzelburg join markgraf as this year’s recipients.

In her time with the Irish, markgraf (née sobrero) was a three-time nscAA All-American and a three-time All-big east selection. specific to her posi tion, she won the 1997 big east

Irish prepare for matchup against Boston University

By MATTHEW CROW sports Writer

Following their first loss of the season at the hands of st. bonaventure, notre dame men’s basketball responded by de feating no. 20 michigan state by nearly 20 points. After nar rowly falling against syracuse on saturday, 62-61, the Irish will hope to bounce back in a similar way as they host boston University on Wednesday night. For most of saturday’s game, it appeared that notre dame (6-2, 0-1 Acc) would enter this week on a two-game winning streak. The Irish offense picked up where it left off after the win against michigan state and post ed one of its best halves of shoot ing all season in the first period. Graduate student guards dane Goodwin and cormac ryan each made three three-pointers in the first half alone. however, notre dame’s inability to stop syracuse in the paint allowed the orange to weather the Irish’s perimeter shooting storm and

stay in the game. When the Irish offense was slowed to a halt by syracuse’s second-half defensive adjustments, the orange were able to escape with a one-point victory.

moving forward, interior de fense will likely be a point of emphasis for notre dame, espe cially against a team like boston University (5-4, 2-2 Patriot) who does not play with much size, but gets strong rebounding pro duction from its guards. The Terriers began the season 4-1 but followed their strong start with three consecutive losses. After bouncing back in a com prehensive road victory against merrimack on Friday, they will look to carry momentum into south bend. Their strength lies on the defensive end, where they have allowed on average just 65 points per game this season. notre dame, who has executed well on offense, will need a per formance similar to that of the first half against syracuse rath er than the second, which saw them struggle to find the hoop.

offensively, the Terriers scored over 90 points in back-to-back blowout victories early in the season but have since come back down to earth. They have not scored more than 70 points in any of their last five games. breaking 70 points, which notre dame has done on a relatively consistent basis this season, will likely be enough to propel them to a victory. The Terriers have been one of the least efficient three-point shooting teams in the nation at just 31%, which will allow the Irish to put extra atten tion on protecting the paint. notre dame entered the game against syracuse with their ros ter finally at full strength after graduate student guard marcus hammond’s return from injury. hammond finished the game with six points and three assists and converted a three-point play in the game’s final minute that would have been the gamewinner if not for syracuse’s score on the ensuing possession. After

Sofia CrimiVaroli | The observer

Irish sophomore guard Olivia Miles goes up for a layup against Northern Illinois on Nov. 7. The Irish had a dominant 88-48 win.

MARKGRAF FEATURE