Print Edition for The Observer for Wednesday, February 14, 2024

BENGAL BOUTS

IRISH INSIDER

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTINA SAYUT | PHOTOS BY EMMA HAIGH

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THE OBSERVER | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM

VICE PRESIDENT FEATURE

Finding synergy: Rucki translates ROTC experience into the ring

By MADELINE LADD Associate Sports Editor

“This is something you can’t do on any other college campus in the country on this level.”

For senior Bengal Bouts vice president Rob Rucki, Bengal Bouts has been a constant source of pride during his time at Notre Dame.

Arriving as a freshman during the infamous 2020 school year posed many social challenges on the closed campus. Despite his residence in Carroll Hall and participation in Naval ROTC (NROTC) Marine Corps, Rucki hoped to involve himself in something more athletically focused. When Rucki found Bengal Bouts, he was immediately hooked.

“Pretty much as soon as I heard there was boxing I was just like ‘that is awesome’,” Rucki said. “I would argue that’s almost every male’s reaction on campus. This is something you can’t do on any

other college campus in the country on this level. It’s incredible. It really became an obsession and it had me in a chokehold before I was even at practice.”

Joining a tight-knight group during the COVID era provided a getaway for Rucki amidst a chaotic world. Despite a tournament cancellation that year, Rucki gained experience and built a passion for boxing that he would continue to carry throughout his time on Bengal Bouts.

“I could come here, hang out with a great group of dudes, get a killer workout in and learn a skill that has honestly changed my life physically, mentally, all of the above,” Rucki said.

Rucki entered the ring sophomore year, experiencing his first tournament and the various emotions associated with the Bouts.

“The feeling of stepping into the ring is incomparable, it’s incredible,” Ruck said. “It’s the scariest

thing I’ve ever done in my life I think. It’s an adrenaline rush and it’s overcoming a fear that is really visceral.”

After not making it to the finals in 2022, Rucki set his sights on reaching Purcell Pavilion junior year. He was also chosen as a captain, increasing his involvement with the club. After a difficult battle in the final round, Rucki was eventually chosen as vice president at the end of his junior year, taking on a role where he specifically concentrates on the marketing side of the program.

“Just very grateful for the opportunity to step up even more so as VP,” Rucki said. “Me and Nick have put everything we have into fostering a culture of excellence, awesome camaraderie, incredible boxing and ultimately super strong fundraising.”

Fundraising is a core aspect of Bengal Bouts. Club members raise money for the Holy Cross Missions

in Bangladesh. Currently, the team is trying to raise $275,000 and is well on their way to shattering these fundraising goals.

“Ultimately there is a lot of service built into this very lonesome and personal sport that is boxing,” Rucki said. “At the same time, you are using that as a tool to do some real good in the world. That’s something I didn’t really expect coming in and it’s probably one of my favorite parts now.”

In addition to the fundraising aspect, there are many day-to-day operations Rucki wrangles, such as juggling an email list of over 1,000 people, preparing for the tournament and creating posters and marketing materials. When he finds himself caught up in the breadth of responsibilities necessary to make the tournament happen, Rucki reminds himself of the Bengal Bouts mission and the boxers who are invested.

“At the end of every practice we

bring it in, we choose a boxer and he goes ‘1, 2, 3, sakti’ and we all say ‘sāhasa’,” Rucki said. “Sakti means strength and sāhasa means courage. It’s kind of our Bengali motto.

It’s just a really cool moment at the end of practice after working so hard. It’s really the people that make the program so special.”

Rucki also takes an active role in running workouts and preparing the boxers to be fit for the tournament. Rucki’s involvement in NROTC Marine Corps has been directly helpful in developing the grit necessary while also having the confidence and presence to lead in the ring. Rucki holds physical therapy/fitness leadership positions within ROTC that have strengthened these skills. His participation in elite military programs has also increased his confidence.

“I had the opportunity to go to Officer Candidate School this see VP PAGE 3

JUNIOR CAPTAINS FEATURE

Junior captains lead historic fundraising

By JOHN BAILEY Sports Writer

After competing all weekend in the Queen City Tune Up in Rock Hill, South Carolina, with the Notre Dame Ultimate Frisbee Club, junior Bengal Bouts captain Michael Rauch groggily stretches his left arm to silence the 8:30 a.m. alarm emanating from his phone resting on the bedside nightstand. With a deep breath, he channels his focus and motivation to leap out from under the covers and prepare for a full slate of mechanical engineering courses, club meetings and athletics practices.

As has become tradition, Rauch celebrates making it through the last class of the day with a 2 p.m. pit stop at the North Dining Hall Grab and Go. A ham and havarti cheese sandwich with beef jerky and a blue Powerade sports freezer bar has become his snack of choice, helping him load up on protein and replenish electrolytes.

Two hours later, Rauch enters the Joyce Center and descends a flight of stairs into the Pit, Notre Dame’s boxing practice gym and the home of the historic Bengal Bouts. Soon, over 70 student boxers will fill the space with sounds of sharp exhalation after each jab, muffled thuds of gloves striking pads and the rapidfire snap of jump ropes smacking against the padded floor.

All four walls of the boxing practice gym capture the essence of the sport. Upon entering, all eyes are immediately drawn straight ahead to the three rows of black boxing gloves lining the entirety of the back wall. Each boxer is drawn to

one particular pair of gloves, much like a wizard is drawn to their wand in “Harry Potter.”

After checking in with president Nicholas Buhay and completing administrative duties that come with being a captain, Rauch strides toward the wall of mirrors on the left side of the gym to coach shadowboxing. Rauch said he believes this personal training helps him connect with his boxers and motivate them to push past exhaustion during drills.

“I’ve learned the power of a name from jobs in the past, that learning a name is one of the greatest things you can do as a leader,” Rauch said.

“I spent the first couple of weeks just trying to learn names and be like, ‘Hey, Caleb, let’s keep going, you’re putting in the work,’ or ‘Great work, John, keep pushing.’”

Once on a first-name basis with a boxer, Rauch said they feel more comfortable asking for advice or a sparring session.

Exhilarated by any opportunity to step foot in the ring, junior captain Matthew Turzai can often be found leading sparring sessions in the makeshift ring off to the gym’s right. “[When sparring,] I’ll typically do like four rounds of a minute and 30 seconds because that’s realistic tournament speed,” Turzai said.

“It’s three rounds in a bout, but I like to do the four rounds to push myself. If I push myself through four rounds in practice, I can do three rounds in the tournament.”

As the apparel captain and selfproclaimed desk jockey, Turzai’s other responsibilities include designing the official Bengal Bouts

merchandise and scheduling daily sparring sessions “It’s been really cool seeing people wear boxing merch on campus,” he said. “Goodness knows my mom has more than her fair share.”

In addition to his work with Bengal Bouts, Turzai, a computer science major, acts as Keenan Hall vice president and serves in the Navy ROTC, with plans to join the Navy as a commissioned officer specializing in submarines or nuclear surface warfare after graduation.

To stay on top of his responsibilities, he turns to his trusty Excel spreadsheets and connections made through Bengal Bouts.

“There’s a group of six or seven of my close friends from ROTC, Keenan, computer science and boxing and we have each other’s back to work on stuff together, so that’s fun,” Turzai said.

Though they have given so much time and effort to the club, Rauch and Turzai agree that the personal development and sense of community they developed from boxing far outweighs their personal sacrifices. Now, they seek to help others benefit from the club as much as they have.

“One of the coolest things about Bengal Bouts is it takes an individualistic sport and it makes it a community,” Rauch said. “In the ring, it’s only you. We could lose focus on the community and the greater mission that we have, but we retain that sense of community.”

Turzai said he appreciates the opportunity to give back to the club, as his older teammates have in the past.

“Bengal Bouts have helped me learn the importance of dedication and sacrifice,” Turzai said. “If you’re not giving it your all, you’re going to find yourself coming up short from where you want to be from a fulfillment perspective...It’s been really cool this year to see things come full circle. As a freshman, I had dudes in boxing I looked up to who encouraged me to keep coming back and get better. Now, I get to corner for guys and spar with them to help them succeed. I always feel so happy and this sense of accomplishment to see their growth and give back to them the way the older guys did with me.”

Beyond each individual fighter’s goal of finding glory in the ring come tournament time, they share a greater, collective goal of raising money to support Holy Cross missions in Bangladesh.

“Not only are the guys competing to win the tournament, but we’re also competing together for a common goal to raise as much money as possible,” Turzai said.

Rauch, who spent eight weeks on a mission trip with the Congregation of Holy Cross in Bangladesh, said he shares Turzai’s dedication to supporting the Holy Cross in providing education and health care to the people of Bangladesh.

“It was really incredible to see the work we’re doing in Bangladesh,” Rauch said. “The moment that stood out most to me came while visiting this drug rehabilitation center that the Holy Cross Brothers run. That was a mission I hadn’t really heard of before, but knowing that Holy Cross, their big mission

is education, but it’s not just education. They’re truly about educating the heart and the mind, caring for people both in their hearts and their minds, and being able to see the physical manifestation of that was incredible.”

When it comes to fundraising, the third junior captain, Creed Leathers, boasts an incredible track record.

As a former Fisher senator, vice president of the Fisher Poetry Society and chapel band triangle player, Leathers is a man of many talents. Although he was interested in pursuing boxing in high school, he could not find a gym to join in his hometown of Gretna, Nebraska. With the abundance of opportunities available at Notre Dame, Leathers had no issue finding clubs that catered to his greatest passions.

“Coming to Notre Dame, I wanted to find a club with some type of philanthropy aspect because we have so many different ways to get involved and give back to different communities,” Leathers said.

“Bengal Bouts kills two birds with one stone combining philanthropy with my love for athletics. I get to learn how to box as well as give back to the Holy Cross missions in Bangladesh, which is something that really meant a lot for me.”

Leathers committed himself fully to the fundraising effort his freshman year, collecting over $2,000 in donations. Despite being one of the highest contributors during his first year with the club and receiving immense praise from see JUNIORS PAGE 8

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Fr. Jenkins calls for permanent ceasefire

Kay appeals Rover decision

University president presses for end to violence in Gaza Observer Staff Report

In a statement on Saturday, University President Fr. John Jenkins called for “an end to the violence and death in Gaza, particularly children and innocent civilians.” Jenkins wrote about ref lecting after his recent audience with Pope Francis “on our call to respect the dignity of every person” and how he “continued to read of the conf lict and destruction in Gaza and its expansion throughout the Middle

East.”

In his call for a “an immediate, permanent ceasefire combined with the release of all hostages on both sides,” Jenkins also endorsed a two-state solution and called on all parties to engage in conversation, saying that Notre Dame is “committed to assisting and supporting any dialogue that genuinely seeks peace.”

Jenkins said he condemns “the heinous killings, kidnappings and assaults on

Israeli civilians on October 7 and all expressions of antisemitism that have emerged since.”

This follows Jenkin’s initial statement in October, which discussed the relocation of students from Notre Dame’s study abroad program at Tantur and condemned the “killing of non-combatants.”

Jenkins had also joined the Universities United Against Terrorism, a coalition of over 100 institutions that condemned Hamas.

Saint Mary’s students celebrate Mardi Gras

NATALIE SMITH | The Observer

Junior Angelina Wright stands at a Mardi Gras display on Tuesday in the Saint Mary’s student center.

The student diversity board held the event to share the holiday’s historical background and traditions.

By NATALIE SMITH News Writer

Purple, green and yellow beaded necklaces covered a table in the Saint Mary’s student center on Tuesday. The tabling event, organized by junior Angelina Wright, was to showcase Mardi Gras, which is French for “Fat Tuesday.” The holiday marks the final day before Ash Wednesday, which signifies the start of the liturgical season of Lent. The season commemorates

NEWS PAGE 4

the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert.

“During the weekend, there are different parades and then Fat Tuesday is just one special day that everyone celebrates. It’s a day of harder partying and then a gathering with your friends and family to eat. It was recognized by Louisiana in the 1700s,” Wright said.

Wright, who is originally from Louisiana, organized the tabling not only for students to learn more about the holiday but also for

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students who celebrate it to still be able to. Wright said the event was a way for her to bring the holiday and its culture to the College, discussing the event’s history. She explained how it’s celebrated in Louisiana.

“They do different types of parades, carnivals and balls,” Wright said.

Wright was handing out different items that represented Mardi Gras and displayed signs to tell people see MARDI GRAS PAGE 4

SCENE PAGE 7

PETER BREEN | The Observer

Judge Steven David dismissed Keough School and sociology professor Tamara Kay’s defamation case against the Irish Rover on Jan. 8th.

Observer Staff Report

Notre Dame sociolog y and global affairs professor Tamara Kay is contesting a trial court judge’s decision to throw out her defamation lawsuit against the Irish Rover.

According to court documents, on Feb. 7 attorneys for Kay asked the Indiana Court of Appeals to rev iew St. Joseph Superior Court Senior Judge Steven Dav id’s dismissal of the lawsuit under Indiana’s Anti-SL APP Law. In May, Kay filed a complaint alleging that the newspaper defamed her in t wo articles about her abortion-rights advocacy.

Dav id ruled in favor of a motion to dismiss from the

Irish Rover on Jan. 8.

“The Court concludes that Dr. Kay does not present any ev idence that shows that the Irish Rover had any doubts about the truth of their statements in the articles before they were published,” Dav id w rote. “By failing to present such ev idence, the Court concludes that Dr. Kay’s defamation claim fails as a matter of law.”

The most recent filing comes after the Rover sought $178,000 in legal fees earlier this month under Indiana’s anti-SL APP legislation.

Their filing reveals that the Rover’s lead counsel, James Bopp Jr., is billed at a rate of $ 630.

Kay and her attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kroc event covers Kashmir affairs

By AYNSLEE DELLACCA News Writer

Notre Dame hosted Lafayette College assistant professor and author Hafsa Kanjwal on Tuesday afternoon to for a lecture and Q&A session regarding her newly released book, “Colonizing Kashmir: State-Building under Indian

HCC BASKETBALL PAGE 11

Occupation.” Sponsored by the Initiative on Race and Resilience at Notre Dame and the Liu Institute’s South Asia group, Kanjwal spoke to a room full of students, professors and community members at the Hesburgh Center.

An expert on South Asian see KASHMIR PAGE 3

ND BASKETBALL PAGE 12

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JACK QUKA | The Observer

Hundreds of students lined up Monday in Dahnke Ballroom to buy tickets for the Keenan Revue. The event, Keenan Hall’s popular annual comedic performance, will take place from Feb. 21 - 23 at the Stepan Center. Tickets for Thursday sold out in 15 minutes.

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Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Irish President Mary McAleese Lecture Hesburgh Center 6 p.m. - 7:15 p.m.

Talk on democracy and Catholicism.

World Music and Dance Fest LaBar Recital Hall 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Global dance presentation.

Saint Mary’s Tennis Saint Mary’s Tennis Courts 6 p.m.

The Belles host Goshen College.

Notre Dame Men’s Tennis Eck Tennis Pavilion noon The Irish match up against Illinois.

Notre Dame Women’s Lacrosse 1 p.m.

Loftus Sports Center Game against Butler University.

Holy Cross Men’s Basketball Pfeil Center 7:30 p.m.

The Saints play Olivet Nazarene University.

Notre Dame Women’s Basketball Joyce Center 6 p.m.

The Irish play No. 6 NC State.

Notre Dame Hockey Compton Family Ice Arena 7:30 p.m.

The Irish take on Minnesota.

Dance Theatre of Harlem DeBartolo Performing Arts Center 2:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Ballet performance.

Film: “Son Rise” DeBartolo Performing Arts Center 7 p.m.

Film on women’s rights in India.

NEWS

Kashmir CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

history, Kanjwal has spoken about her research to several news outlets including the BBC and The Washington Post.

Kanjwal focuses on the political, economic and social tensions and consequences of India’s occupation of Kashmir in the 1950s and 1960s in her book, focusing on Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad’s policies as Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir between 1953 and 1964.

“There remains an attachment in scholarship, especially in South Asia, to seeing colonialism as emerging only from the west to the Global South and situating our present moment as a decolonial one. This approach fails to account for power dynamics within the global South, such as that between India and Kashmir, as well as the ways in which postcolonial nation states can also be colonial,” Kanjwal said.

Background For a brief background, the region in which Kashmir is located has been disputed between Pakistan and India since India’s independence from Britain in 1947. The first of several Indo-Pakistani wars

NDSMCOBSERVER.COM | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 | THE OBSERVER

took place because of disputed claims over Kashmir. A line of control was drawn by the United Nations in 1949, and the region was told to vote on whether Pakistan or India would occupy their region. This plebiscite never happened.

According to Kanjwal, India implemented Article 370 into their national constitution, which temporarily allowed Kashmir to have its own constitution and law-making body. By this point in 1949, India’s only concerns with Kashmir were handling communications, defense and foreign affairs — to give the illusion of national autonomy.

However, Kashmir’s first Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah was soon overthrown by India’s government and replaced by Bakshi in 1953 and tasked with promoting assimilation with India and repressing popular political aspirations to merge with Pakistan. Under Bakshi’s rule, Kashmir’s government strived for assimilation with the Indian Union, “undermining Kashmir’s autonomy,” according to Kanjwal.

policy and client regime used to create an illusion of dependency and choice of assimilation for the Kashmiri people.

“The dominant narrative about this period, both to a certain extent in popular memory but also in scholarship is that things were normal during this time…But I argue that it is precisely through the ruse of stakeholding that India colonized Kashmir. The decade Bakshi was in power consolidated Pakistan and India’s occupations by relying on those very same discourses and practices of development, secularism, integration, mobilization and democracy,” Kanjwal said.

Through various examples and perspectives of interviewed Kashmiris, Kanjwal continued to explain the subtle and propagandizing methods used by India’s government to create a “malleable” group of “subjects.” Her points made during the lecture derived from her extensive studies during this period of time in Kashmir derived from her book, where each were better explored in their respective chapter.

Colonizing Kashmir This set the stage for what Kanjal discusses in her book: propaganda, strategic political

Reactions Manaal Buchh, a sophomore, is the daughter of two PAID ADVERTISEMENT

Kashmiris. She attended the lecture and appreciated that a spotlight was put on Kashmir.

“There’s not very many Kashmiris in America, and so this exposure had me giddy for a while,” Buchh said. “I’ve just never seen any talk on Kashmir at any university. It’s really rare to see anything like this.”

Buchh viewed the lecture as an opportunity to understand the Kashmir occupation from an intellectual lens and compare it with the personal experiences of her parents and grandparents.

“I think sometimes when you look at things from an intellectual perspective, it’s really difficult to understand how recently all of this is happening…I’m constantly surrounded by reminders that this isn’t something that’s an abstract concept. It’s something that’s very much real and alive today. And it’s something that’s still impacting my family here and in Kashmir,” Buchh said. “...I guess from a daughter’s point of view. I feel it’s very much a duty (for me) to record everything and absorb everything as humanly possible so that it’s not slipping through the cracks.”

Sophomore Fatima

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Attia attended the lecture with Buchh and had first learned of Kashmir from her.

Attia believed the lecture was an important way for the campus to become more aware of the current state of Kashmir and what’s led to this point.

To Attia, the biggest takeaway was “how unaware most individuals, me included, are about the situations in Kashmir. The fact that this is a reality for them, and you cannot fully appreciate a culture and recognize the beautiful parts of it without considering the pain and difficulty that comes with it.”

She added that authoritarianism makes political expression difficult.

“It was insightful and obviously alarming just how hard it is to get the people of Kashmir to even speak about what is happening because of the danger that exists within it,” she said. “That was something I was unaware of, and I think awareness is a big part of it, because how will this already relatively un-talked about topic continue to gain and rise in information and education if no one is willing to speak?”

Contact Aynslee Dellacca at adellaca01@saintmarys.edu

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Saint Mary’s hosts ‘Bridgerton’ period party

By KATELYN WALDSCHMIDT Associate News Editor

Late Monday afternoon, Rice Commons was decorated with reds and pinks. While some might think it was for the upcoming Valentine’s Day, these decorations were actually for the Student Government Association’s ‘Bridgerton’ Time Period Party.

The social concerns committee of the SGA hosted this party as a time to bring attention and normalize talking more about periods. Co-chair for the social concerns committee, Katie Hunter, spoke more about what the event entailed and what they hoped students took away from the event.

“We thought it was really really important to highlight

supporting women, normalizing stuff that’s a normal body function, and we felt that it was really important for our student body to be appreciated and be able to realize that they are normal and they are accepted,” she said.

Hunter explained how the party theme was similar to a tea party with tea, hot chocolate and red and pink candy. The party also featured tote bag giveways, prizes for “period bingo” and free period products, Hunter said.

Additionally at today’s event, students had the opportunity to write postcards to Congress regarding the period tax, also known as the tampon tax.

“That’s something that effects women worldwide. Tampons are not a luxury, they’re a necessity,” Hunter said. “The fact that they’re taxed as a luxury product

is a little bit crazy so we’re writing letters to Congress hoping to try to change that.”

The Period party also featured a local small business called Monthlies, a period product subscription service started by tricampus students.

Katie Cole, a Holy Cross College alumna and co-owner, discussed the business and how it related to the concept of the period party.

“It’s a personalized period product box that you can get delivered to your door for free.

Basically, it allows you to mix and match name brand products because we know that they can be really hard to get on campus sometimes,” she said.

Cole further explained the motivation behind the company and the lack of accesible products in the tri-campus.

“We started this because we found students like ourselves, I graduated from Holy Cross, it was really hard to get products. Holy Cross only had two products, the Huddle at Notre Dame only has two products and no real store in walking distance if you need something last minute or to stock up,” Cole said. ”We want something that can be delivered right to your dorm.

We have some tri-campus subscribers and others in different states that we ship out,” she said.

Attendee Olivia McCormack said she came to the event after seeing the advertising all over campus.

“I missed it last year and it looked really fun. I think there will be so many things I learn from bingo and the decorations are so cute,” McCormack said.

Professors discuss carbon capture

By ROSE ANDROWICH News Writer

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued class VI permits to Indiana’s Wabash Carbon Services on Jan. 24 for the state’s first two wells that will store carbon dioxide underground.

The technology is part of the capture and sequestration program that proposes to reduce the effects of greenhouse gas emissions and slow the effects of climate change.

Mark McCready, a professor of engineering and senior associate dean for research and faculty affairs, explained how current industrial processes, many of which include burning fossil fuels, result in carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere.

“There are many processes that at the end of the day [produce] carbon dioxide,” McCready said.

“Whether it’s combustion processes or various chemical processes, you end up with carbon dioxide. And so nowadays, mostly we just send that to the air.”

McCready also pointed out significant contributors to carbon dioxide emissions aside from transportation.

“Besides emissions from trucks, cars and other kinds of transportation vehicles, heavy industry produces lots of carbon dioxide,“ McCready said. “And really big ones, of course, are power plants, where you burn coal or natural gas or produce very large quantities of carbon dioxide.”

Emily Grubert, an associate professor of sustainable energy policy in the Keough School of Global Affairs, said she briefly took on a role at the Department of Energy as an academic. In that role, she became involved with the conversation surrounding carbon sequestration and the 45Q tax credit. The 45Q tax credit was first introduced in 2008 by the Internal Revenue Service to incentivize companies to geologically store carbon dioxide, rather than release it into the atmosphere.

“I was pretty involved in a lot of the carbon sequestration conversation in that role,” Grubert said.

“And since I’ve left things like the 45Q tax credit in particular have started to become a lot more obviously relevant. In Indiana the EPA approved a class six carbon sequestration ... and there’s a whole bunch of projects that are potentially going forward.”

Grubert said many conversations regarding carbon sequestration revolve around where the carbon dioxide is being sourced from, and that in most cases carbon dioxide from different sources is stored in similar ways.

“I think one of the things that often gets confused in a lot of these conversations is what carbon you’re actually talking about because it looks pretty similar across a bunch of different sources,” Grubert said.

“So the way that you would sequester carbon dioxide that you’re taking directly out of the atmosphere, which you could theoretically think about as negative emissions under certain circumstances, that infrastructure that you’re using to store it is the same as if you’re taking carbon dioxide off of a coal plant that you might have shut down otherwise.”

Effectiveness of the capture and sequestration technology Emissions from industry processes make up about 30 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions, according to the EPA. Grubert said the current system of tax credits makes her nervous because if a large percent of emissions come from these large industry complexes, it could incentivize plants that otherwise would have shut down to stay open.

“I think one of the ones that I get really kind of nervous about given the way that the tax credits are set up is if you basically have a coal plant that would otherwise have shut down and been replaced with something cleaner,” Grubert said.

“But now you’re incentivizing it to store carbon dioxide underground,

it’s going to run much longer. Which means it’s going to be [producing] carbon dioxide that wouldn’t have existed otherwise.”

“If you didn’t have this incentive to put the carbon dioxide underground, you wouldn’t have made the carbon dioxide in the first place,” Grubert continued.

Grubert explained that the capture and sequestration method is a mitigation strategy. By taking carbon dioxide off of an industrial process or power plant, capturing that carbon dioxide and putting it underground, “it’s basically preventing new emissions from going into the atmosphere.”

McCready explained that the carbon sequestration program aims to inject up to 1.67 million tons of carbon dioxide into the wells per year, which would offset the emissions of about 400,000 cars.

“It’s like taking 400,00 cars off the road,” he said. “Indiana has 2.5 million cars. So it would be a substantial reduction relative to the emissions of Indiana motor vehicles.”

However, McCready said the reduction of emissions analysis is missing the consideration of how much front energy is being used to sequester the carbon dioxide and store it in the underground wells.

“The thing that’s missing in that analysis is it took them more energy to do this,” McCready said. “We always seem to come out at about 30 percent more energy. So if you didn’t sequester the carbon dioxide at all, you would have saved 30 percent of that front-end energy.”

Criticisms of sequestration

carbon

Critics of the carbon sequestration project claim that the process has not been tested enough.

Yamil Colón, an assistant professor of engineering, addressed the criticism that the technology has not gone through enough testing to prove that it is a viable solution for carbon dioxide emissions.

“I think that the criticism is valid, but I also don’t necessarily know

Hunter said that this was their goal, to have everyone come out of this experience having learned more.

“I hope they come out with body positivity, feeling good about themselves and give you a little more education,” she said.

Hunter also made note of the Aunt Flow products available on Saint Mary’s campus now.

“If you can’t afford period products or if you just run out, all buildings on campus have Aunt Flow products that are completely free for students,” Hunter said.

In the near future, Hunter said the social concerns committee will continue to put on events including Denim Day and Love Your Body Week.

Contact Katelyn Waldschmidt at kwaldschmidt01@saintmarys.edu

Mardi Gras CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

how to get around it ... only time will tell whether or not some of the concerns that they have will come to pass or not.”

Another criticism of the carbon sequestration program is that it promotes a continued reliance on fossil fuels. McCready addressed this and said that the criticism doesn’t consider how we continue to require nuclear energy and fossil fuels, and that alternative, renewable forms of energy, like wind and solar, can only go so far.

McCready used National Grid, a network that tracks the electric power transmission in Great Britain, to research the main sources of energy used. He explained how there were days when 40% of the energy came from wind and solar.

He also said that most power continues to come from fossil fuels and other sources, like nuclear power. Wind and solar power are good in theory because they are renewable, but until there is a way to store this power and make it more accessible, its usage is limited.

“We need nuclear, we need fossil fuels,” McCready said. He believes that if people want to make the transition from fossil fuels to “green” sources that don’t produce carbon emissions go faster, the only way is to build nuclear power plants.

Grubert proposed another solution to transitioning away from fossil fuels. She explained how switching to wind and solar power is an important method for decarbonization.

Grubert added that another important method to reduce carbon dioxide emissions is using less energy to achieve the same service or outcome. She said that there are many different routes to achieve this, but that “carbon capture and sequestration is probably a pretty minor one.”

about the holiday and the student diversity board, which hosted the tabling.

“They had beads and you could also get beignets. You could also scan a QR code and they would give you the general information about the history of Mardi Gras,” said sophomore Clara Beatty.

Wright explained that the different items and foods that were being handed out are important aspects of the traditions for Mardi Gras.

“The purple, green and gold are staples for Mardi Gras. It’s been those colors for a while, there’s not any historical background for it.

They use them because they are vibrant colors. For the beignets, it was an easier thing to do.

It’s just a donut with powdered sugar on top and it’s a staple in Louisiana. It’s a staple in New Orleans,” she said.

Most students who attended the tabling event understood the basics of what Mardi Gras is but didn’t have in-depth knowledge of why it is celebrated, Wright said.

“I knew it was Mardi Gras because I study French, so that’s kind of part of the French culture. The girls seemed like they were having a good time so I decided to stop by,” Beatty said.

The student diversity board wanted to put a specific emphasis on the historical background of the holiday and the traditions that go into it, Wright said.

“I feel like it’s good to have this and be aware of the celebration of it. It’s a lot of everybody’s culture as well, it was formed in Rome during the 1500s and then it was part of the French tradition,” she said. “It was then brought here to the United States, mainly in the south, in Louisiana and Alabama. I feel like it should be celebrated everywhere because it’s a part of the United States history and their culture.”

Contact Rose Androwich at randrowich01@saintmarys.edu

Contact Natalie Smith at nsmith03@saintmarys.edu

THE OBSERVER | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM

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Shifting the social media blame Cade Czarnecki BridgeND

Blaming social media for modern partisanship has become a reflexive habit. From old and young, opinions about social media use as it pertains to the political conversation are predominantly negative — and rightly so.

Social media provides a veil of anonymity and a feeling of disconnection for users. As a result, hateful language and personal attacks abound in the political conversations that occur on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, etc. But this is not novel information. In fact, per Pew Research, 64% of Americans agree that social media has a “mostly negative” effect on modern political discourse.

Yet, my proposition is, whether they know it or not, that 64% of Americans are actually more irked by the way social media is used as a news source than they are by the behavior of end users on the platform.

While it seems that the most polarized and shrill voices dominate the political conversation online, I believe that this is actually a secondary cause — rather than the primary — of the negative American sentiment towards politics and social media. Rather, the utilization of social media by news media platforms and news aggregators is actually the primary issue. The arguments and political hatred spewed by average users — which are often the target of those critiquing the relationship of social media and politics — directly result from the way modern political news is produced and consumed via social media.

I encourage you to think about precisely where hateful political conversations occur on social media. To me, it seems that most take place in the comments or threads associated with a primary political post made by a news media outlet account or news aggregator. The conversation among sub-posters and commenters is often devoid of evidence and emotionally charged. I am proposing that the true offender in this situation is actually the original poster — the account belonging to a news outlet — not those arguing in the comments.

From 2020 through 2023, the amount of Americans who claimed they “sometimes” or “often” consumed

news through social media consistently sat between 48% and 53%, according to Pew Research. This suggests that roughly half of modern Americans are entering the political conversation with news that was originally posted to a public social media site.

An examination of the way in which news is posted to social media is thus necessary. A study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Human Behaviour last year concluded that negative words utilized in social media headlines increased engagement whereas positive words decreased engagement.

Specially, each negative word contained in a news headline increased the end user click rate by about 2.3%.

It follows then that news media outlets are incentivized to frame news in a negative manner. But this too likely seems obvious to the reader as this seemingly is the case in all modern news, regardless of the medium.

The difference here is that social media constrains the content of the post. X has a 280-character limit.

Instagram allows, at most, 10 images using its carousel feature. Facebook and TikTok have more liberal allowances but posts generally are around 40-80 characters and 40 seconds, respectively.

Combining these two factors, original news posters and news aggregators alike are most likely to make a relatively concise post (think non-detailed, lacking facts) that employs several negative words if they are trying to drive engagement — the inferred end goal of a news outlet’s presence on social media.

This fact sets the tone of the proceeding conversation. As was previously mentioned, that conversation is often found in the sub-posts related to the original news-providing image or text. As a result, end users are consuming a concise headline filled with negative language and then immediately taking to the comments to join the political conversation. These users are effectively primed with negativity and equipped with minimal facts upon entry into the dialogue surrounding the issue at hand. It is no wonder that they are then highly likely to argue and spew bitter partisan views.

While social media users who choose to enter the political conversation are certainly culpable for the comments that they make online, I believe that

their comments represent a secondary cause of the shrill and hateful political conversation that takes place in the digital world. Too often do news sources themselves — and the platforms they post on — escape blame for the behavior of those they influence.

Constraints placed on media length and negativity for the sake of engagement reveal themselves as the key factors that are more chiefly responsible for setting the stage for a negative conversation among social media users than the users themselves.

It would be irresponsible on my part, though, to suggest that those spewing hatred and vitriol in political conversations on social media and further polarizing our country should remain blameless. Let me be clear: you are responsible for what you post online.

My point is not to remove blame from end users but to reshape the narrative and tone of the conversation surrounding social media and politics. In my eyes, to solve the nasty political climate on social media, one must first solve the way in which news media outlets utilize social media. This starts with manipulating incentives such that negativity is not a virtue for news posters as well as potentially granting a character count waiver to accredited news outlets on social media (or even mandating a minimum post length to encourage more detailed, fact-based news stories).

Regardless, when one blames social media for bitter partisanship in the future, they are certainly right to blame the end users. Yet, they should also blame the news outlets and social media platforms themselves as much as, if not more than, the users.

Editor’s Note: Cade Czarnecki is a researcher for From the Archives.

Cade Czarnecki is a second-year student living in Fisher Hall studying political science and economics. He currently serves as director of publications for BridgeND. BridgeND is a multi-partisan political club committed to bridging the partisan divide through respectful and productive discourse. It meets bi-weekly on Mondays at 7 p.m. in Duncan Student Center to learn about and discuss current political issues. You can contact BridgeND at bridgend@nd.edu.

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

Navigating singleness at Notre Dame Lara Novaes Victor Diary of an International Student

Today, Valentine’s Day, is probably one of the hardest days to be single, especially on a campus like ours, where everyone seems to be either in an amazing relationship or almost there. All the couples walking around hand in hand, holding gifts and posting about how much they love each other become inescapable reminders of our singleness, which often leads to the question, “am I the only one who has nothing going on in my love life?” And I, as a fellow single with no prospects whatsoever of a relationship, am here to tell you that you are not the only one, and, as cliche as it sounds, it’s okay. In fact, that’s something I learned firsthand last year.

It all started when I decided to invite the boy I had a major crush on to a formal. Little did I know, it would turn out to be one of the worst nights of my time at Notre Dame. Not a single thing went right that night. He acted as if he came completely alone to the formal, f lirted with several other girls and the only time he talked to me was to ask if he should walk up to another girl he met elsewhere. I had never felt that ugly and unseen my entire life, and it was all made worse when Valentine’s Day arrived a week after to remind me of my singleness

and heartbreak.

Amidst all of that, one of my professors, who had heard bits and pieces of the story, prompted me to write one of our creative essays on that disastrous formal and how much it made me hate Valentine’s Day. At first, I was extremely hesitant about it, but as soon as I started writing and pouring my heart onto the pages, I could feel some sort of weight getting off my shoulders and made me fully process all the feelings I had head-on.

When it was time to get my professor’s feedback on the essay, I was surprised by a story of her own.

She recounted her own experience of dating someone during her college years who wasn’t right for her and didn’t treat her well, all because she feared being the “only one alone.” She then challenged me to spend at least the rest of that semester single.

No dates, no crushes, no distractions, just focused on what college could be and bring without even thinking about any of that.

At first, I was a little skeptical of her advice, I couldn’t help but wonder how staying single for the rest of the semester could improve my life. It seemed counterintuitive, especially considering how everyone around me seemed to have found their happilyever-after relationship which, according to them, was the best thing that had happened to them.

Yet, I decided to take on the challenge and let go

of the pressure of finding the love I didn’t have. It was a chance to appreciate all the love I already had in my life. The late-night trips to Five Guys with friends, the post-milkshake mass conversations, the training trips and the sing-along episodes of “Glee” with my roommates were all moments that I, as a glass-half-full kind of person, didn’t give that much thought to.

Now, a whole year after the incident, I see singleness and Valentine’s Day in a new light. It’s not that much about feeling alone or that I am in any way incapable of finding romance, but rather of appreciating the part of my life I am at and the relationships I have.

So to all my fellow singles out there, I urge you to embrace your singleness. Take this time to focus on creating memories and building meaningful connections. You’re not alone and the right person will come along when the time is right.

Lara is a member of the class of 2026 from Taubaté, Brazil with majors in economics and Chinese. When she is not complaining about the weather, you can find her studying in a random room of O’Shaughnessy with her friends or spending all her flex points in Garbanzo. You can contact Lara by email at lvictor@nd.edu.

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

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THE OBSERVER | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM

INSIDE COLUMN

In defense of Valentine’s Day Gabrielle Beechert Assistant Managing Editor

If you’ve been keeping up with what we’ve published over the past week, I’m sure you’ve already seen your fair share of Valentine’s Day content. From Joy Agwu’s love letter to single people and Kate Capser’s “Falling in love for dummies” column, to a From the Archives piece that looked at the history of Valentine’s Day at Notre Dame, we’ve kept our pages pretty saturated with our thoughts, feelings and facts about Valentine’s Day. So if you’re sick of reading about Valentine’s Day, I wish I could say I’m sorry, but I’m not. Because, to be honest, I absolutely love Valentine’s Day. It’s one of my favorite holidays.

Whenever I tell people this, I’m typically met with a decent amount of jeering and booing. And if I’m not met with someone telling me that it’s an overrated holiday or someone telling me that February is the absolute worst month of the year, it’s always some comment along the lines of “of course you would like Valentine’s Day.” I don’t think the people who have said this to me do so with the intention of being mean, but even if they do, I wouldn’t even get mad. At my core, I’m not a hater. I just love love.

My love for Valentine’s Day doesn’t come from a romantic place. It’s not like I wake up on Feb. 14 every year with the expectation that I’m going to be on the receiving end of some grand romantic gesture. I’ve never even been on a Valentine’s Day date before. But even as someone who considers herself to be a hopeless romantic, I don’t really care.

I have single friends who joke about how awful it is walking around campus on Feb. 14, looking at our classmate’s whose significant others have gotten them flowers. But, I’ve also had people who have been in relationships on Valentine’s Day complain about how burdensome the holiday is because it creates an awful pressure to impress a romantic partner. And then, there’s always the people who argue that Valentine’s Day has turned into a consumerist trap that monetizes love.

And to be honest, these are valid critiques. Valentine’s Day stresses a lot of people out, and I think this holds especially true at Notre Dame where dating and marriage culture has such a strong hold on the student body (ring by spring, anyone?). I won’t lie, it sucks. But, I think Valentine’s Day has so much potential.

Rather than lamenting the pressures of being in or out of a relationship, it can just be a day to celebrate the people you love and share that feeling with people who might not always have people in their corner.

Each year, I wake up on Valentine’s Day and do the same thing.

I get out of bed, put on some pink (my favorite color!) and put a bag of Hershey Kisses in my backpack. When I get to my classes or see my friends, I do the same thing all day: I ask them if they want a Hershey Kiss. It may sound silly, but I absolutely love doing this. I love seeing how people will light up a little before accepting the offer. It’s such a small gesture, but it makes me happy to see someone’s smile just because I offered them a Hershey kiss.

Because of my arguably unpopular stance on Valentine’s Day, I frequently find myself in a position where I have to defend myself and the holiday. I was talking about Valentine’s Day last month, and I mentioned that I think it serves as an opportunity to tell the people in your life that you love them. The response I got was “you can do that any day of the year.” And while I agree that is true, that doesn’t mean people do it. Why not use the day dedicated to love to do so?

I don’t expect this column to be anything revolutionary. I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I can solve the issue of Valentine’s Day materialism, nor do I expect people to let go of their deep rooted beliefs about the holiday. But, I will say this: even with all the negativity surrounding Valentine’s Day and the pressures it entails, I just think it shows that deep down, we all just want to be loved, and there is something so beautifully human about that. So you don’t have to walk around on Feb. 14 dressed in pink carrying candy around in your backpack. But tell your roommates you love them. Tell your mom you love her. Tell someone you love them. I promise it’s worth it.

You can contact Gabrielle at gbeecher@nd.edu.

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

We can celebrate love without Valentine’s Day Maggie Eastland Editor-in-Chief

On Feb. 14, we celebrate love. We honor it with frilly pink and red hearts, chocolates and flowers.

How cute.

If you want to commemorate love this way, I’m happy for you. But if there’s something about Valentine’s Day that doesn’t sit right with you, rest assured that you’re not alone. There might be good reason for such apparent grumpiness.

At least one Observer author agrees that obligatory gifts and girly traditions are a weak representation of the most powerful force in the universe.

Let me underscore that if you like some of these silly rituals, go crazy. But if you find them a bit odd or unsettling, it might be because Valentine’s Day is a commercialized holiday that fails to live up to the immense sorrow and joy of love. Despite its fanfare, Valentine’s Day often implies a limp and uninspiring definition of love.

The pink or red heart is a shining example of this phenomenon. The symbolic heart is a far cry from the thing it claims to represent.

Have you ever taken a moment to think about your own beating heart? Or pictured the same life-giving organ inside someone else? There’s something gruesome about it — all those vessels and blood so red it can’t be captured in a paint swatch. This miraculous thing at the left-center of our chest pumps blood to our extremities. It beats whether we ask it to or not. It speeds up and slows down to the tune of our striving, our fear and our desire.

It’s no wonder that when trying to describe love’s source, we choose something as horrific and beautiful as the human heart. Yet when we represent this heart for Valentine’s Day, we strip it of anything harsh or powerful and turn it into a less offensive, more agreeable symbol.

Your favorite profiteering candy company presses them out in pastel-colored sugar and stamps them with edible ink messages. The cheery result hides anatomical grossness. Such silly conversation hearts are a distant distraction from the real beating heart — one that’s there every day of the year and not just on one arbitrary day in February.

While there’s nothing wrong with enjoying some heart-shaped pasta and candies if you’d like, something is lost when love means nothing more.

To me, there is something borderline offensive about how Valentine’s Day seems to suggest that “love” is a contrived little game of gifts and luxuries, marketed largely to women. Stated or not, women face a pressure to receive something on Valentine’s Day. We’ve been deceived by this holiday into thinking red roses are a measure of love. The whole affair seems to say: If no one concots a grand but perfectly understated gesture for you, you don’t know love. That is a lie. Love is not only for the girls, and it is poorly measured by Valentine’s Day. Even those who have never had a romantic interest, already know and give love.

My anti-Valentine’s Day take is not new. Many have voiced the idea that the holiday is merely a scheme contrived by the greeting card and chocolate companies. Those arguments are fine, but they miss the point. Valentine’s Day is not too extravagant, but rather, too weak for love.

To understand this misgiving, love must be defined.

What is the definition of love implied by Valentine’s Day? Love is a happy-go-lucky feeling, the headrush of romance all dressed up with red wine, red lipstick and red bows on expensive gifts.

I believe this is a terrible definition for love.

The strength of love flows from its unmerited and unexpected qualities. Love is a force that moves in each of us and calls us to actions that will the good of another for no conditional reason.

You might not agree with my definition, but the question is worth asking. What is love? Do the festivities of Valentine’s Day live up to your definition?

In my opinion, the expressions of affection on Valentine’s Day mean less because they are expected. There is something contrived, or at the very least trivial, about it. Is love trivial? Are the obligations and expectations of Valentine’s Day on par with the kind of love humans desire?

Maybe it’s just me, but I’d rather receive one wilted dandelion from my younger cousin on a random afternoon in July than a bouquet of roses every year on Feb. 14. An automated subscription service could do the latter.

The celebration of Valentine’s Day can cheapen the love we experience in countless moments throughout our lives. The holiday seems to suggest that we can express this miraculous force only one day of the year. Choose any other time to write a kind letter or share a treat, and it is branded as strange.

But what about all the times you have experienced love unexpectedly or been given a gift without obligation — freely, not because of some calendar holiday. Love shocks us with its goodness. We learn more about love in those milliseconds than could be understood by an infinite number of Valentine’s Days.

This kind of love is not the reciprocal romance propagated by the celebration of Valentine’s Day. It is not “I love you because you love me, and you love me because I love you.” It is more like a promise, an oath to give every heartbeat to another — not only when it is convenient and expected but particularly when it is inconvenient, unexpected and even undeserved.

Sacrificial love — agape — can no doubt be expressed through romantic love. But the very premise of Valentine’s Day is an expectation of affection. Expectations are not always a bad thing, but they are a poor measure for love. Thus, Valentine’s Day should have no claim over the word. Many who have never had a romantic relationship, know much about the most powerful kind of love. After all, it’s in our blood.

I believe there is a sacrificial love that says: I will love you no matter what you do. If you stumble, if you hurt me, if you write a disagreeable column — I love you still. There’s nothing you can do to run from it. You can’t pin down agape to a square on the calendar or a heart-shaped pizza.

We’ve glimpsed this kind of love — from friends, siblings, parents or mentors. Maybe you’ve even felt it for someone dear to your heart.

Valentine’s Day can feel like a disservice to that kind of unconditional love we know. If our heart beat only one day of the year, indeed, we would die.

Perhaps there is some hope for my fellow Valentine’s Day scrooges. There is something a bit silly and discordant about those decked-out grocery store aisles and restaurant specials promoted in the name of love.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day however you’d like, but don’t forget the reality of love. It looks a lot more like a human heart than a candy one.

You can contact Maggie at meastland@nd.edu.

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

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THE OBSERVER | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM

By ANDY OTTONE Scene Writer

As a genre, horror movies can be gimmicky, schlocky and cheap — all reasons why I love them. But the gimmicks are my favorite part. Every holiday under the sun has a horror movie. “Black Christmas” has been remade multiple times, “Leprechaun” is not only an insane movie, but the reason Jennifer Aniston is famous. There’s also the “ThanksKilling” franchise, but the less said about that the better. Even President’s Day has representation in films like “The Tripper” and “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.” But President’s Day, with all due respect, is a second-tier February holiday. Horror films have definitely embraced the big day itself, Valentine’s Day. But did they do this well?

The most notable Valentine’s horror movie is “My Bloody Valentine,” released in 1981 and remade as “My Bloody Valentine 3D” in 2009. Now, based on the title, one might assume it’s a slasher-style film, where a killer pulls off elaborate, Valentine’s-themed murders. That is what I assumed when I started the film. Instead, it is a confusing film about condemned mine shafts, cannibal miners and the ethics of small-town capitalism. Valentine’s Day is purely incidental to the film, as the mine shaft in the film collapses on February 14th, and the killer gets

By ANNA FALK Scene Editor

The music industry has never been kind to women, but it especially despises young women who either cannot live up to particular standards or appear to be “too good.” Everything critical I’ve seen on the internet about The Last Dinner Party (TLDP) has fallen under the latter category. Accusations of being industry plants have swarmed the group since their first appearance in the public eye — and I expect them to all but fade away as they continue their rise to stardom. Fans of the band are aware of these comments, but many don’t care — they’re just that good.

Abigail Morris (lead vocals), Lizzie Mayland (vocals, guitar, flute) and Georgia Davies (bass, vocals) met in London before starting university in 2020. The trio would frequent gigs at a pub in Brixton called The Windmill which featured artists like Black Midi and HMLTD, inspiring the group to think about starting something of their own. Emily Roberts (lead guitar, mandolin, flute, vocals) and Aurora Nishevci (keyboard, organ, piano, synthesizer, vocals) joined later to round out the group, eventually developing the name “The Last Dinner Party,” which “was inspired by the idea of a huge debauched dinner party where people came together to celebrate with a hedonistic banquet” — a concept which the band

particularly angry about that specific day. Change the date and the film loses its gimmick (plus a bit at the end where the killer shouts the film’s title at one of their victims). As far as Valentine’s-themed horror films, it’s not great. But, I cannot say I’ve seen a better film about a mine worker going crazy on Valentine’s Day. Also, Jensen Ackles from “Supernatural” is in the remake, so that’s worth something.

In the 1990’s, the “Scream” franchise revived the slasher sub-genre of horror, and re-emphasized the genre’s roots in the “whodunnit” storytelling technique that was first seen in the original “Friday the 13th” film.

“Valentine,” released in 2001, is a direct result that franchise’s success. This film, like many horror classics before it, is about the perils of bullying. Opening on a scene set thirteen years before the rest of the film, we see a bunch of middle schoolers bully a lonely boy at a Valentine’s Day dance. Thirteen years later, the people who attended that dance start being murdered by a killer in a cupid mask. Like all good mysteries, this film has plenty of twists and red herrings, but unlike those aforementioned good mysteries, they are pretty transparent if not extremely confusing. The mystery’s solution is quite clear and obvious even from the start, but the movie doesn’t quite want you to think that, even up to the very end. However, the film was well received at

the time, with three Teen Choice Award nominations.

Before you say that isn’t worth anything, how many Teen Choice Award nominations do you have?

These are films about Valentine’s Day, but what is Valentine’s Day about? Love, and there are plenty of horror films where love plays a factor. The funniest choice for this tangent is “Bride of Chucky,” so I’m talking about “Bride of Chucky.” The fourth film in the “Child’s Play” or “Chucky” film franchise, and the first to feature the character’s name in the title, the movie introduces the killer doll’s love interest, Tiffany Valentine. See, I tied it back together! Played by Jennifer Tilly, Tiffany and Chucky have great chemistry, made more impressive by the stunning animatronics work and puppetry employed on set. “Bride of Chucky” is a rom-com disguised as a horror movie, once you get past the horror movie blood and guts. If you are really adamant about watching a Valentine’s Day horror movie, this is my best recommendation.

Horror movies will always be based on holidays. That’s just a fact of the industry. But, in the future, if we’re going to make them based on Valentine’s Day, maybe we can aim to make them just a little bit better. Until then, we have “Bride of Chucky,” “My Bloody Valentine” and “Valentine” to keep us company.

succeeds in depicting through their music.

“Prelude to Ecstasy,” released on Feb. 2, is TLDP’s debut LP. While the pop-rock album is only 12 tracks with a run time of just over 41 minutes, each song is a sonic masterpiece chock of astute extended metaphors for toxic relationships, melodious orchestral pieces and references to history and classical mythology. “Nothing Matters” — the first single — was released in April 2023 with “Sinner,” “My Lady of Mercy,” “On Your Side” and “Caesar on a TV Screen” following over the next several months.

I began listening to the band when “Nothing Matters” and “Sinner” were the only songs to the band’s name, and I vividly recall my distress at learning this fact. Each new song had me hooked, though the release of five singles had me worried about the cohesion and novelty of the full album upon its release. Luckily, my hesitations were misplaced, as the new tracks and structuring of the LP allowed me to see everything with a fresh perspective, and I’ve continued to fall in love with TLDP’s work.

Lyrically, they touch on everything from femininity and masculinity (“Caesar on a TV Screen”, “The Feminine Urge”) to losing one’s native tongue (“Gjuha”). They also incorporate a variety of classical and electric instruments to concoct each song with a masterful precision. One of my favorite tracks at the moment is “Burn Alive” (though it changes every day). “Burn Alive” compares a toxic relationship to the sensation of burning and embracing the

flames of passion despite the harm it causes — “There is candle wax melting in my veins / So I keep myself standing in your flames / Burn, burn me alive.” There is incisive language about dealing with the complex feelings of this relationship (“Let me make my grief a commodity”) and knowing its injurious nature while also not wanting it to end (“Do what I can to survive”).

The genius of the songwriting and the incredible accompanying instrumentation are not the only ways in which TLDP is making a name for themselves, as they seem to understand and perfect the dying art of the music video. Are there ultra-complex storylines in these videos? No. Is there incredible cinematography, costuming, aesthetics and an overall appreciation for this mixed media product? Absolutely. The “Caesar on a TV Screen” video is evidence enough.

I truly could sit and write pages upon pages about my excitement for TLDP and how I believe they’re the next big thing. With only one album under their belt, they’ve already won two awards — Rising Star (Brit Awards) and the Sound of 2024 (BBC Sound of … ) — and supported major artists Florence + the Machine and Hozier in recent tours. No matter what is said about the band’s status as “industry plants,” nothing will stop them from continuing to put out great music.

Contact Andy Ottone at aottone@nd.edu

Contact Anna Falk at afalk@nd.edu TREY PAINE, MARIA TOBIAS | The Observer

8

SPORTS

THE OBSERVER | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM

ND TENNIS

Irish men go 2-1, women fall to Wisconsin

By ANDREW McGUINNESS Sports Editor

The Notre Dame men’s and women’s tennis teams continued their non-conference schedules over the weekend. The women had one match, joining the hockey team in Madison, Wisconsin, to take on the No. 25 Badgers. Meanwhile, the men first traveled to face Michigan on Friday, then returned home to take on Auburn and Toledo on Saturday.

Things didn’t get off to a stellar start for the Irish, as the Wolverines handed Notre Dame its third

straight loss and biggest of the spring. The doubles team of sophomore Evan Lee and freshman Chase Thompson did get a w in but the Irish were unable to secure the doubles point. Junior Yu Zhang helped the Irish avoid the shutout w ith a 1-6, 7-6, 1-0 (5) w in in the No. 6 slot.

However, Michigan had already secured the overall v ictor y by the time Zhang’s match concluded. Despite this, the Irish bounced back in a big way on their home court on Saturday. The combinations of sophomore Sebastian Dominko and senior Jean-Marc Malkowski

and juniors Brian Bilsey and Nil Giraldez, respectively, won their matches 6-3 to give the Irish the doubles point over Auburn.

After singles play initially produced a 1-1 stalemate, the Irish took the last four matches to finish. Malkowski, Giraldez, Zhang and Dominko all brought home v ictories, w ith Zhang and Malkowski needing just 2 sets to help lead the Irish to a 5-1 v ictor y.

Shortly thereafter, the Irish started their match w ith the Rockets and picked

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see TENNIS PAGE 10

ND TRACK AND FIELD

Irish compete at Badger Windy City, David Hemery Valentine invitationals

By Observer Sports Staff

The Notre Dame track and field team was split between two competitions over the weekend. The Irish sent four men to the David Hemery Valentine Invitational, hosted by Boston University, to compete in the 5000m. The rest of the team took a shorter trip to Madison, Wisconsin, for the Badger Windy City Invitational.

Four of the 125 members to compete in the 5000m in Boston, Massachusetts, represented the Irish. Of them, graduate student

Vincent Mauri did the best, coming in 25th place with a time of 13:35.36. Sophomore Ethan Coleman came in just four spots and 3.45 seconds behind Mauri.

Senior Carter Solomon cracked the top 50, finishing in 13:50.70.

Graduate student Tyler Berg rounded out the Irish field, crossing the finish line in 13:59.10.

Mauri, Coleman and Solomon’s times are among the top 20 in the ACC this season.

The Irish captured a pair of individual championships at Wisconsin’s Badger Windy

City Invitational. Junior Sonia Chisholm set a PR and beat the field in the mile with a time of 4:42.91. Sophomore Daelen Ackley nearly made it a sweep of the mile for the Irish, finishing just behind Indiana’s Camden Marshall in second place.

Ackley’s 3:58:02 time was also a PR. Junior Sophie Novak was the other Irish member to win an event, taking the top spot in the women’s 3000m with a 9:02.35 mark. Chisholm, senior Erin Strzelecki and graduate student

Juniors CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

upperclassmen leaders, Leathers said he felt somewhat disappointed with his fundraising total.

“I had a lot of fun my freshman year, but I felt like I left a lot on the table,” Leathers said.

“I didn’t know if I could ever win the whole tournament, but I was pretty confident that I could be the number one fundraiser.”

Leathers wasted no time making his goal reality, raising over $9,300 as a sophomore, leading all club members. He attributes his success to personable phone calls to friends and family that explain the importance of the Holy Cross missions.

“My biggest tip for the young guys is just picking up the phone and calling that

EMMA HAIGH

Matthew Turzai is one of three junior captains. Turzai lives in Keenan Hall and studies computer science and he is originally from Pittsburgh.

Andrea Markezich placed second, fifth and sixth, respectively. All four set PRs with their performance.

Nine others for Notre Dame set PRs throughout the weekend.

Freshman Brody Hartley and sophomore John Schuler both did so in the mile, finishing in 4:05.84 and 4:06.72, respectively. Senior Madison Schmidt set her best mark in the high jump at 1.74 meters, finishing fourth.

Sophomore Reese Sanders ran an 8.85 in qualifying for the 60 meter hurdles, then set another

PR in the 400 meter dash (57.50).

Graduate student Michelle Quinn’s PR of 24.36 earned her fourth place in the 200 meter dash. Finishing behind Chisholm in the mile run with PRs were junior Molly Grant and freshman Bella Guillamondegui. Rounding out the run of PRs were freshman Gretchen Farley in the mile invite (4:40.93) and sophomore Caroline Lehman (16:41.70).

The Irish conclude their regular season back in South Bend on Feb. 17 as they host the Alex Wilson Invitational.

aren’t strangers,” Leathers said. “They really appreciate a phone call, much more than a text or email. Cut out five minutes of your day and have that conversation explain the importance of what you’re doing and they’ll feel proud of you.”

Though spending the spring semester in Ireland, Leathers still raised $3,750 during the fall semester. Unsurprwisingly, he works most closely with the fundraising team, devising a new strategy to maximize donations by obtaining corporate sponsorships and splitting fighters into pods based on their dorm, tapping into their competitive spirit.

“Right now, we’ve raised over $180,000 and I think the friendly competition with the pods has helped with that,” Leathers said. “At this time last year, we had $140,000, and that ended up being our highest total ever,

so we’re $40,000 ahead and on-pace for a record-breaking season.”

Despite being on the precipice of consecutive donation records, Leathers said he knows the organization can still take their fundraising efforts to another level next year when he returns to Notre Dame.

“My two goals as a senior would be to win the tournament and to beat whatever record we set in fundraising this year,” Leathers said. “Like I said, it’s somewhat of a competition, and the senior captains always want to beat the guys from the last year. For the last three or four years, we’ve just been setting record after record, and I don’t want to break that tradition.”

Contact John Bailey at jbailey9@nd.edu

The Observer accepts classifieds every business day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Notre Dame office, 024 South Dining Hall. Deadline for next-day classifieds is 3 p.m. All classifieds must be prepaid. The charge is 5 cents per character per day, including all spaces. The Observer reserves the right to edit all classifieds for content without issuing refunds.

DAILY

NDSMCOBSERVER.COM | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 | THE OBSERVER

CROSSWORD | WILL SHORTZ

9

HOROSCOPE | EUGENIA LAST Happy Birthday: Assess your life and plan to incorporate more of what makes you happy and content while eliminating or restructuring what’s standing in your way. Small but consequential moves will go under the radar, alleviating interference and giving you time to cement what you want in place before anyone’s the wiser. Forward-thinking and remaining low-key will carry you to the finish line. Your numbers are 8, 13, 26, 39, 34, 41, 45.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Don’t let what others do bother you. Gravitate toward those you have something in common with and let the magic happen. Participation will lead to new and exciting connections or bring you closer to someone who makes you feel good about yourself and comfortable around them.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Evaluate situations before revealing your true feelings. You may not like what you see or hear, but it will prevent you from making a grave mistake.

Don’t let disappointment discourage you from participating in an event. Love and happiness are within reach.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Only share what’s necessary. Offering too much information or time will wear you down and jeopardize what you want to achieve. Use intelligence and energy to mastermind your way to victory instead of helping someone outmaneuver you. Expect to be misled; don’t believe everything you hear.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Revisit your dreams and be realistic, and you’ll devise a plan and budget that works. Refuse to let anyone talk you into something you don’t need or can’t afford. Information and preparation are your ticket to success. Spend time with someone you love.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Take a moment to think matters through. If you take on too much or promise the impossible, you’ll fall short and jeopardize your position, reputation, or relationship. Maintain dignity, be a good listener, and compromise where possible, and in the end, the results will favor you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Scope the possibilities and costs involved and maximize what you have. Don’t be afraid to show your feelings or to find out where you stand with someone you love. Take your time, refrain from overreacting, and learn from the experience.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Open discussions will be difficult, but resolve issues dragging you down for too long. Say what’s on your mind, and the response you get will be valid.

Offer compromise. Personal criticism will lead to personal gain and self-improvement.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Think twice before you say or do something that will cause a stir. Concentrate on yourself and how you can improve physically, emotionally, and financially instead of trying to change others. Engage in an event or activity and expand your interests and friendships. Romance is favored.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Affiliate with your people who are experiencing similar situations and can share applicable information, and you’ll form a bond and find workable solutions. Use your money wisely. Unnecessary purchases will lead to debt and depression. A personal issue will escalate if not resolved quickly.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Focus on home and the changes that make life easier.

Transparency will help you deal with complaints before they can dismantle your plans.

Don’t act out of spite or engage in emotional blackmail. If you want to get things done, negotiate, keep the peace, and counter negativity.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A reunion will lead to an open window of opportunity. Don’t let emotions get in the way. Consider what’s being offered or available to you and how it will affect your life, and proceed confidently. Take a dominant position, ask questions, and act accordingly.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Update investments, documents, and how you manage your money and personal affairs. Surround yourself with people who can tap into your ingenuity and bring out the best in you. Forward-thinking and using your skills to your advantage will pay off. Romance is favored.

Birthday Baby: You are generous, emotional, and proactive. You are persuasive and secretive.

SUDOKU | THE MEPHAM GROUP

JUMBLE | DAVID HOYT AND JEFF KNUREK

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SPORTS

THE OBSERVER | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM

Tennis CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

up where they left off. The Dominko-Malkowski and Lee-Thompson duos came through to give Notre Dame the doubles point once again. The Irish made quick work of Toledo in singles play, w ith Thompson, Zhang and Malkowski sweeping through the competition for a 4-0 w in.

After a full week off, the women’s team came out slow

in Wisconsin. The Irish lost both doubles matches and were trailing in the third when the Badgers clinched the doubles point. Senior Julia Andreach (6-2, 6-2) and junior Nibi Ghosh (64, 6-4) won singles matches in the No. 2 and No. 6 slots, respectively. However, the Badgers took the other four singles showdow ns to secure a 5-2 w in that stopped Notre Dame’s w inning streak at three.

The women’s team w ill now

start a five-game homestand that w ill carr y them into ACC play. It begins Friday at 3:30 p.m. against DePaul, w ith a Sunday doubleheader against Butler (11: 00 a.m.) and UIC (3: 00 p.m.). The men are t wo games into a stretch of nine straight at home. Next up are matches w ith Illinois State (12: 00 p.m.) and Chicago State (5: 00 p.m.) on Saturday.

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu

HCC BB CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

Nazarene (17-7, 11-5 CCAC) and fifth-place Saint Xav ier (14-10, 9-7 CCAC). The Saints then go on a road trip to close the season, facing last-place Trinit y Christian (5-19, 0-17 CCAC) and tenth-place Governors State (6-18, 4-12 CCAC).

Though it is far from likely, Holy Cross does have a hy pothetical path to the playoffs. The Saints would need to w in out

while seeing Calumet lose their four remaining games, while St. Francis and Governors State would need to lose three of their last four.

The Saints w ill look to keep their season alive on Wednesday when they play host to Olivet Nazarene.

The Saints last played Olivet in Januar y and lost 77-63. They’ll look to avenge that loss at 7:30 p.m.

Contact Thomas Zwiller at tzwiller@hcc-nd.edu

WRITE SPORTS. Email Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu

SOFIA CRIMIVAROLI | The Observer

Notre Dame men’s tennis is 5-3 to start the 2024 season. The Irish won their first three matchups of the season, lost three straight and now have won two in a row after victories over Auburn and Toledo at home.

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11

HCC BASKETBALL

Holy Cross basketball splits games with Judson as postseason nears

By THOMAS ZWILLER Senior Sports Writer

The Holy Cross College women’s basketball team stayed hot this weekend as the team defeated the Judson Universit y Eagles, 81-56. The Saints, w inners of five straight games, are now 13-11 and 10-6 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

The Saints’ first points came off sophomore guard Kayliana Hammel’s free throw when she was fouled less than a minute into the game. She made both, giving the Saints a quick 2-0 lead. Judson responded, but the Saints never looked back after junior for ward Grace Adams made a jump shot put Holy Cross up 4-2.

Hammel earned the first of her six steals as the Saints led 5-2, resulting in a three-point make from junior guard Jordy n Smith.

Moments later, Hammel forced another steal that led to t wo more Smith points v ia a lay up, giv ing the Saints a 10-2 lead and putting them firmly in control of the game.

Jordy n Smith led the Saints w ith 20 points as she went 7-13 from the f loor in 32 minutes. She also contributed 4 assists (tied w ith senior

ND BB CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

candidate in her first season and is one of the biggest reasons for Notre Dame’s success.

She hasn’t done it alone, however. Junior guard Sonia Citron has had a great season averaging 16.4 points per game and senior forward Maddy Westbeld is nearly averaging a doubledouble w ith 13.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Both w ill also need big contributions on Thursday. The pivotal ACC matchup starts in Purcell Pav ilion at 6 p.m. w ith ACC Net work prov iding the broadcast.

Men’s basketball Hav ing just snapped a seven-game losing streak against Virginia Tech on Saturday night, the Irish Men’s basketball team w ill look to build some lateseason momentum as they face Georgia Tech at home on Wednesday night. The Yellow Jackets, on the other hand, w ill look to snap a three-game losing skid and avenge an overtime loss in their prev ious

guard Lauren Morris for the team high) and 4 steals.

Turnovers were a key part of the Saints’ w in. Holy Cross committed just 8 turnovers while forcing 27 out of Judson. The result was a 31-point difference in points off turnovers, as the Saints scored 38 off Judson’s many mistakes.

That early lead was all the Saints needed to take control of the game, as they outscored Judson by 15 in the first quarter and went into the second half w ith a 12-point lead. The third quarter was a high-scoring affair as the t wo teams combined for 50 points, but the Saints grew their lead by 6 points before w inning the game 81-56.

The w in ties the Saints for fifth in the CCAC w ith Indiana Northwest. Both teams are currently six games back of first-place Indiana South Bend (24-0, 16-0 CCAC). With just four games remaining in the regular season, the Saints are in a solid position to make the CCAC postseason playoff, w ith a t wo-game lead on seventh place Olivet Nazarene (11-13, 8-8 CCAC) and a fourgame lead on eighth place St. Ambrose (6-15, 6-10 CCAC).

The Saints still have a

chance to host a CCAC playoff game, though they would likely need to w in out and see the Roosevelt Lakers (1410, 12-4) lose t wo of their next four games, including a loss to IUSB by more than 35 points.

The Saints w ill look to extend their w inning streak when they host Olivet Nazarene this Wednesday at McKenna Arena. The t wo teams played earlier this season, w ith the Saints losing 11371. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. EST. W hile the women’s basketball team has won five straight games in CCAC play, the men’s team has entered another losing streak in what has turned into a disappointing season. Their latest loss was to Judson Universit y this Saturday, as the Saints lost 70-65 in a game that saw three lead changes and six ties. The loss drops them to 8-16 overall, w ith a dismal 3-13 record in conference play.

The Saints started w ith four straight three-pointers as junior guard Justin O’Neal and sophomore guard Phil Robles II hit t wo three-point attempts. Judson was able to keep pace w ith Holy Cross, stay ing w ithin striking

matchup this season.

Despite a disappointing 3-10 conference record, Georgia Tech has pulled off marquee w ins against No. 7 North Carolina and No. 9 Duke this season, showing the potential for a high ceiling in any game. Much of their success falls on the shoulders of Miles Kelly, who leads the team in scoring at 14.8 points per game. He had a big night against the Irish earlier this year, scoring 25 points on efficient shooting splits to go w ith 7 rebounds and 3 assists. He w ill match up w ith Notre Dame’s lead guard Markus Burton, who also leads his team in scoring w ith 16.2 points per game.

Both teams play w ithout a true center, making the matchup on the glass, particularly bet ween 6-foot-9 Baye Ndongo for Georgia Tech and 6-foot-9 Tae Dav is for Notre Dame, one to watch.

Ndongo leads his team in rebounds at 8 per game while Dav is contributes 5.1 per contest w ith help from 6-foot-7 for ward J.R. Konieczny, who averages 5.4.

Sophomore for ward Kebba Njie also averages 5.7 boards and stands at

6-foot-10. Controlling the glass w ill be important in a matchup bet ween t wo teams who have struggled to rebound the ball this season, the Irish and Yellow Jackets ranking 139th and 72nd in the countr y in that categor y, respectively.

In a generally disappointing season on paper, head coach Micah Shrewsberr y has w illed this team to some good w ins and strong performances, the last Georgia Tech game being one of them. Despite not being handed a great deck of cards talent-w ise, Shrewsberr y has gotten a lot out of this group and w ill want them to finish the season strong.

Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Louisv ille sit in a three-way tie at the bottom of the conference, so this game w ill be key in determining seeding for the ACC tournament, each team’s final hope of extending their season. The contest in Purcell Pav ilion w ill begin at 7 p.m. w ith the ACC Net work prov iding the broadcast.

Contact Noah Cahill at ncahill2@nd.edu

distance for much of the first half.

O’Neal logged 35 minutes, scoring 16 points and adding 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

Robles II also played 35 minutes and scored 20 points, shooting 6-of-8 from 3-point range. The three other starters — junior guard Nash Hostetler, sophomore guard AJ Roseman, and freshman for ward Desmond Dav ie — scored 14, 9 and 4 points, respectively. The Holy Cross bench scored just 2 points.

The Saints seemed to begin to pull away as Roseman made a three-point shot to put them up 39-31, but in the first half’s final t wo minutes, Judson made it a 39-37 game. The t wo teams spent much of the second half exchanging baskets as Judson tied the game only to see the Saints reclaim a t wo-point lead.

With 11: 07 to go, the Saints sparked a quick 9-2 run over a three-minute period. But Judson continued to stay in the game by scoring points in the paint. With 1:20 left, the Eagles tied the game at 64 and then took a 66-64 lead off a Dav ie turnover. In the final 80 seconds, the Saints were outscored by the Eagles 8-1, and Judson closed out their senior night

w ith a 70-65 w in.

Part of the Saints’ struggle was rebounding. Judson outrebounded the Saints 36-18, including 10 offensive rebounds that led to secondchance points. Judson had 14 second chance points, while Holy Cross had just five.

The loss results in Holy Cross remaining a game behind Governors State and three games behind Calumet, who currently possess the eighth and final CCAC playoff spot.

The Saints have just four games remaining in the regular season -- t wo at home and t wo on the road. Their remaining home games are against fourth-place Olivet Nazarene (17-7, 11-5 CCAC) and fifth-place Saint Xav ier (14-10, 9-7 CCAC). The Saints then go on a road trip to close the season, facing lastplace Trinit y Christian (5-19, 0-17 CCAC) and tenth-place Governors State (6-18, 4-12 CCAC).

Though it is far from likely, Holy Cross does have a hy pothetical path to the playoffs. The Saints would need to w in out while seeing Calumet lose their four remaining games, while St. Francis and Governors State see HCC BB PAGE 10

GRAY NOCJAR | The Observer

Irish freshman forward Carey Booth elevates to the basket in Notre Dame’s 74-66 win over Virginia Tech at Purcell Pavilion on Feb. 10.

12

THE OBSERVER | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM

ND WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Irish start season 2-0, prepare to face defending champs No. 1 Northwestern

By J.J. POST Associate Sports Editor

Notre Dame women’s lacrosse swept their opening weekend of action w ith a dominant pair of w ins over Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan.

The usual suspects shined for the Irish offense in the t wo matches, which Notre Dame captured by an aggregate score of 43-9. Among the Irish leaders in goals from the contests were graduate student attacker Jackie Wolak (7), graduate student midfielder Kasey Choma (6), senior midfielder Mar y Kelly Dohert y (5) and graduate student attacker Madison

A hern (5) — all of whom made up the top four for Notre Dame in goals scored in 2023.

As the returners made their expected mark, some of the Irish’s key offseason additions shined as well.

Graduate student attacker Arden Tierney looked the part of a seamless fit in Notre Dame’s attack. Tierney tallied a pair of goals, but more notably posted more assists than any other Irish player on the weekend w ith 6. She also racked up 10 draw controls, splitting draw specialist duties w ith senior Kelly Denes.

Graduate student defender Oliv ia Dooley also slotted in nicely w ith the

Irish defense, though her and her fellow defenders weren’t tested much in either game.

The lobsided v ictories allowed Notre Dame the chance to rotate heav ily throughout the weekend. 26 players took the field at the Loftus Sports Center over the course of Friday and Sunday, including a number of freshmen making their Irish debuts. Among the rookies to turn heads on the statsheet were midfielder Angie Conley (2 goals and 2 assists) and freshman midfielder Kathr y n Morrissey (2 goals).

Notre Dame w ill now look ahead to a pivotal showdow n w ith the nation’s top

ranked team, Northwestern.

The Wildcats are the defending national champions, and presently hold a 1-0 record w ith a w in over No. 5 Sy racuse. The “Lakeshow,” as Northwestern’s output has been dubbed, features reigning Tewaaraton Award w inner Izzy Scane. Scane tallied a whopping 99 goals and 35 assists last season and opened her season w ith a hat-trick as well as an assist on Saturday against the Orange. Notably, in Scane’s last game against Notre Dame, the graduate student scored 10 goals.

The Irish square off against Northwestern on a near-yearly basis, but have won just one game

since 2016, a thrilling 1715 v ictor y over the then third-ranked Wildcats. It was one of three ranked w ins in a 7-0 start to Notre Dame’s 2020 campaign that would be left unfinished follow ing the season’s suspension by the COV ID-19 pandemic. The Irish were ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time of the season was suspended, then ultimately cancelled.

Notre Dame women’s lacrosse w ill be back in action on Friday at the Loftus Sports Center. The game is set to start at 7:30 pm and w ill be broadcast on ESPN+.

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

ND BASKETBALL

Irish basketball to host back-to-back nights of pivotal ACC matchups

By NOAH CAHILL Sports Writer

As basketball season enters the stretch run, the Irish men’s and women’s basketball welcome ACC opposition to Purcell Pav ilion this week.

Women’s basketball Coming off of a thrilling double overtime v ictor y on the road against Florida State, the Irish women’s basketball team sets their sights on No. 6 NC State for what should be a marquee home matchup. The Wolfpack are fresh off an 8347 demolition of Pittsburgh which took them to 21-3 on the season and 9-3 in ACC conference play. They sit at No. 6 in the rankings and have proven all season that they belong in the elite tier of teams. But all three of their losses have come in ACC play, placing them third in the conference w ith Notre Dame lurking just one game behind. This matchup has massive implications for seeding in the ACC tournament, now looming less than a month away.

NC State is led by A ziaha James, who is leading the team w ith 15.4 points per game. That said, the

Wolfpack spread the love on offense, w ith Saniya Rivers, Madison Hayes and Mimi Collins averaging double-digits in points per game. River Baldw in and Zoe Brooks are close behind at 9.9 and 9.4 per game, respectively. This lineup gets on the glass as well.

Among those players, only James is under 6-foot and the team ranks ninth in the countr y in rebounds per game.

Freshman sensation Hannah Hidalgo has been the stor y of Notre Dame’s season. She came up big again w ith 27 points in the double-overtime v ictor y over the Seminoles and w ill need another brilliant performance to take dow n this Wolfpack team. On the season, Hidalgo is averaging just over 25 points per game and has scored under 20 in only t wo games this season. She does it w ith good efficiency as well, putting up 48%/37%/80% splits on high shooting volume, all while adding 5.6 assists, 5.1 steals and an impressive 6.2 rebounds per game despite standing at 5-foot-6. Hidalgo is a legitimate Wooden Award see ND BB PAGE 11

INDIA DOERR | The Observer

Notre Dame junior guard Sonia Citron dribbles the ball up the court during a 79-65 loss to Syracuse at Purcell Pavilion on Jan. 25. Citron is the second-leading scorer for Notre Dame, who is 18-5 this season.

INSIDER

President CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

I won the 160-pound bracket last year.”

But there’s plenty to Bengal Bouts beyond the seriousness of its mission and competition. There are plenty of friendly and light-hearted aspects to the club as well. Each boxer has their own nickname announced as they step into the ring, with Buhay’s being as creative as they get: Nick.

“I couldn’t really think of a nickname and I just thought I thought it was funny just to kind of have like an anti-joke as a nickname,” he said.

On a more serious note, the camaraderie almost everyone in the club speaks about is real.

“One misconception is when people see two guys in the ring, a lot of people rather than seeing it as boxing, they see it as a fight. At least from my perspective, when I’m sparring, I’ll be sparring my best friend. A lot of my best friends I’ve made from sparring,” Buhay said.

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NDSMCOBSERVER.COM | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 | THE OBSERVER

“Everybody, when they get in the ring, they’re working on boxing.

You know, they’re not trying to beat anybody up or get anger out in the ring. No, you’re trying to perfect the sport of boxing ... I feel like the ring is almost like a catalyst for friendship, at least in my experience. I’ve made a lot of great friends in the ring.”

As an individual, Buhay has high hopes for his last competition. He’d love to go out on top and win another title. But that isn’t his primary goal.

“I would say I’m less so focused on winning another jacket. More so just being the best boxer I can be. You know, I still have bad habits that I’m trying to perfect. So I’m trying to be the best boxer I can be.

Honestly, really just looking forward to the bracket that I’m gonna be in. There are a lot of captains and really good veteran boxers that are around my weight ... I’m excited to compete with my friends.”

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu

Seniors CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

“Last year, I left it all out there,” he said. “I had no idea who won”.

While disappointed in his loss, he was confident in his work, propelling him for another hard year of training in order to continue to compete for a title this year.

Niko Tarasenko Niko Tarasenko, a computer science major from Long Island, New York, heard about Bengal Bouts before arriving at Notre Dame. In fact, it was one of the main reasons that he applied.

Driven by the camaraderie and a desire to engage in boxing or martial arts, Tarasenko was drawn to the club’s unique community. The aura held up.

Tarasenko described the guys involved as “really just the best group of people.”

Tarasenko loves boxing, but his main focus in the club has been mentoring younger athletes.

“I call them kids,” he says, “because they’re like my kids. I want to change kids’ lives.”

Tarasenko said that when he initially joined the club, he lacked confidence, and senior leaders helped him develop confidence both inside and outside the ring. Next year, Tarasenko will join the U.S. Marine Corps as an officer after participating in Naval/Marine ROTC on campus. He envisions serving as a platoon leader. He stated that he believes his experience leading a group of guys through Bengal Bouts is a great step in developing the skills to

lead a larger group.

Jack Lannon From River Forest, Illinois, Jack Lannon is eager to step into the ring this year. A finance major, Jack was unaware of the club before coming to Notre Dame, but friends from Knott Hall (his former dorm) thought it would be a place he’d love.

“Some guys I knew just really thought it would be a great place for me,” he said. “And I’m glad they pointed me in this direction because I never looked back.”

Lannon has been involved in Bengal Bouts since his freshman year, and although he had to deal with the COVID restrictions in 2021, he said that he was grateful for some of the unique experiences.

“During that year, there was a lot more talking and focusing on personal development which was very helpful,” Lannon said.

As Lannon heads into the finance world in Chicago, he looks to stay close to the club, and he already is looking forward to coming back to campus next year to watch his mentees battle.

Nolan Lyon Nolan Lyon, a business analytics and economics student from Cincinnati, joined Bengal Bouts in his sophomore year, initially drawn just out of curiosity. Now in his senior year, Lyon emphasizes the importance of different leadership styles within the club.

His commitment extends to setting the tone with actions, putting in the work six days a week, and leading by example.

He emphasized being consistently present, saying that a lot of his impact has come from being accessible to younger boxers before and after practice. Beyond the win-loss dynamic, Lyon sees Bengal Bouts as an opportunity to showcase his hard work and put on a display of resilience under the bright lights of Purcell Pavilion.

When asked how the final round environment in Purcell compares to the first couple of rounds in Dahnke, Lyon stated that “the lights are literally and figuratively brighter.”

Yet regardless of the venue, Lyon emphasized that his goals go far beyond winning.

“It’s more than just win or lose. It’s about putting on a great display of work,” Lyon said.

The action ahead As these leaders prepare for the tournament, their stories serve as a powerful testament to the club’s impact on one’s personal and physical growth.

They are assisted in their duties

by Mike Guyette and Marcello Nanni, who also serves as senior captains.

Under the bright lights of Purcell Pavilion, Bengal Bouts emerges as a beacon of purpose, service and everlasting fraternity.

This year’s Bengal Bouts begin with the quarterfinals on Thursday, February 15th at 7:00 p.m. in Duncan Student Center.

Tickets can be purchased from any boxer or on the Bengal Bouts website.

Contact Jake Miller at jmille89@nd.edu

EMMA HAIGH

Rob Rucki is the vice president of Bengal Bouts. Rucki, a senior who is from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, is majoring in management consulting.

VP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

summer in the Marine Corps which is a really huge milestone for my ROTC program,” Rucki said. “It was six weeks of getting beat up, just really mentally taxing and it was a leadership development course.

Having come back from that this summer really set my foundation for coming to the club and being able to have that presence.”

Immediately following graduation in May, Rucki will be commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Marine Corps for a four-year service commitment. He aspires to be a pilot and will be working toward that goal during this time.

“My future is more or less laid out for me and again it has a lot of synergy with what I’m doing in this

program,” Rucki said. I know the skills and leadership lessons I’m learning here in The Pit can translate to the next decade in my life of being a Marine and flying cool stuff.”

In the meantime, Rucki is gearing up for what he hopes will be “the coolest tournament in the last 94 years.” When asked what people can do to support, Rucki emphasized the importance of showing up to the bouts.

“Come out to the bouts if you can, if you can’t, tune in online,” Rucki said. “We want to see a turnout on the 24th of February at Purcell Pavillion. It’s going to be an electric night with a lot of guys giving it their all in the ring.”

Contact Madeline Ladd at mladd2@nd.edu

EMMA HAIGH

Niko Tarasenko is one of seven senior captains for Bengal Bouts. Tarasenko is a computer science major from Long Island and a former resident of Alumni Hall. The tournament begins on Thursday.

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THE OBSERVER | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM

PRESIDENT FEATURE

Bengal Bouts president Buhay reflects on club’s community, mission after four years

By ANDREW McGUINNESS Sports Editor

Nicholas Buhay’s sophomore year was a big one for his involvement in Bengal Bouts. For starters, it was his first chance to actually compete in the tournament after COVID-19 limited the club to training and practice spars in 2020-21.

But that was also the year when he was approached about being a captain in the club. Despite having known about Bengal Bouts since he was in high school, stepping into a leadership position in Notre Dame’s largest student club wasn’t something he’d thought about doing.

“That was mainly because I really love the sport. And not only do I love the sport of boxing, I love the community of Bengal Bouts. So I was at every practice, I sparred as much as I can get and, you know, after every spar and at every practice I was just trying to make friends,” Buhay said.

It may seem weird to highlight friendship when discussing a boxing club. But community is one of the main selling points that inspires hundreds of students to sign up for the 94-year-old club that draws electric crowds to Dahnke Ballroom and Purcell Pavilion to see students compete in the ring. Boxing may seem like a violent sport, and that’s partially because it is. But technique and the art of being a good boxer are core tenets of the rigorous training regimen.

“We teach from the ground up every year as far as technique is concerned,” Buhay said. “So you know, first week we’re just covering stance and basic movements.

So, you know, I’d say it’s probably the most boring week, but it’s also the most important because that’s setting the groundwork everything you do as a boxer. Every every year we start from the ground up, start from the basics and then advance.

Most of it is just it’s just building off knowledge that all the captains have gained from previous years.”

As president, Buhay has his hands in numerous aspects of the club. And there’s a lot more than just stepping into the ring that goes into Bengal Bouts. The most important is the club’s fundraising efforts. At the roots of Bengal Bouts is the goal of raising money for the Holy Cross missions in Bangladesh. Boxers are required to raise a certain amount of funds to be eligible for the tournament. And there are numerous ways Buhay and others go about helping those new to the mission understand the impact they have.

“We had two guys from our program be able to go to Bangladesh last summer and see the impact we’re making there,” Buhay said.

“So I think having those two guys be able to talk about the missions in Bangladesh as well as Father Tom who went to Bangladesh this past January. He came in last week to talk. I think having guys to tell stories about the Holy Cross missions there and the impact we’re having is just a big motivator for

every boxer in the club.”

According to the club’s website, they have already raised over $180,000 before the start of the competition, about 65% of their $275,000 goal. Over 40 boxers have raised at least $1,000 on their own.

Everything from ticket sales to advertisements to individual donations helps the club raise funds.

Nearly 100 students are scheduled to compete in this year’s tournament. Like in years past, the first two rounds take place in Dahnke Ballroom, with the finals moving to Purcell Pavilion. Having the opportunity to compete in front of friends and family is one all the boxers cherish, and Buhay has made his first two tournaments count.

“I competed sophomore year in the tournament and it went well.

I ended up losing a split decision in the semi finals to the guy who would eventually win the whole bracket. Ultimately, I think that was really good motivation for me.

I think what I took away from that loss was that as in good shape as I was, as athletic as I was, it taught me that I really needed to refocus on technique,” Buhay said. “Just going back to the basics. Coming in to the tournament again last year, I really just focused on basic things like perfecting my jab, perfecting my sense of range and really just working boxing technique.

And then last year, I was fortunate enough to see that work pay off and see PRESIDENT PAGE 3

EMMA HAIGH

Nicholas Buhay is the president of Bengal Bouts. Buhay is a sciencebusiness major and a former resident of Zahm Hall and Dunne Hall.

SENIOR CAPTAINS FEATURE

Bengal Bouts senior captains speak to transformative power of the club

By JAKE MILLER Senior Sports Writer

A storied tradition at the heart of Notre Dame’s campus, Bengal Bouts is back. The program traces its roots back to 1920 when it was established by legendary football coach Knute Rockne as an offseason conditioning regimen for his players. However, it wasn’t until 1931 that Bengal Bouts discovered its true purpose — serving the minority Catholic community in Bangladesh. Today, the club strives to “strong bodies fight, that weak bodies may be nourished,” echoing its commitment to supporting the Congregation of Holy Cross missions in Bangladesh.

With a fundraising goal of $275,000, the Bengal Bouts, led by senior captains, embody resilience and dedication to their mission. As a large student organization, the club utilizes the experiences of adult coaches, but primarily, the boxers rely on the seasoned experience of senior captains, all students at Notre Dame. The Observer caught up with a handful of the captains who spoke to their experience with the program.

Andrew Cassidy Andrew Cassidy, a finance and philosophy major hailing from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, steps into his first year as a captain. His

journey began in his sophomore year, navigating the challenges of virtual workouts. Now living offcampus, the former Keenan resident kept hearing about the club from guys around the dorm.

Cassidy found a desire to learn something new and embraced the ring, fighting in tournaments and setting his sights on taking home a championship this year.

He’s been close in his last two, losing in the semifinals his first tournament and then the finals last year.

Beyond the physical aspects, he attests to the discipline and composure boxing instills, a trait he carries into all facets of life.

“You’ll hear from the guys that

nothing really phases them,” said Cassidy. “[The program] teaches you a kind of composure necessary for success in the ring. You can’t help but carry that over into real life.”

Cassidy said that as he heads into the banking world, he hopes to include elements of boxing in his workout plan.

Damien Sylva Joining Cassidy is Damien Sylva, a finance and ACMS major from Morristown, New Jersey.

Sylva’s connection to Bengal Bouts began before Notre Dame, with alumni of his high school sharing great accounts of the club. Starting his sophomore

year, Sylva immediately fell in love with the sport, dedicating himself to regular practices.

Despite lacking official boxing experience, his love of UFC gave him a sense of what he might expect.

Sylva’s goal is clear: to triumph in the finals, a pursuit that extends beyond the ring, providing stress relief in his demanding schedule. He called Bengal Bouts his “main thing at Notre Dame.”

Sylva expressed a love of the serenity Bengal Bouts brings, something he hopes to take with him after graduation as he enters the investment banking world. see SENIORS PAGE 3