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Volume 56, Issue 55 | Friday, march 18, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Panelists discuss Ukraine- New museum set Russia war, refugee crisis for fall 2023 By GABBY BEECHERT News Writer
A panel of Notre Dame affiliates touched on themes of resilience, responsibility and restraint while discussing global implications of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the Hesburgh Center for International Studies Wednesday afternoon. The panelists covered topics including the current situation in Ukraine, the threat of nuclear war, the refugee crisis and Ukrainian nationalism. The full extent of the conflict, however, cannot be understood
without knowledge of Ukraine’s history, theology doctoral candidate and Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic priest Fr. Andrij Hlabse explained. “Ukrainians are an ancient European people trying to stand up with a free democratic society after being bowed down by Communism,” Hlabse said. “This is still the playing out of that standing back up and trying to establish a free and healthy civil society and democratic political society.” Marianna Kozintseva, a visiting faculty member from the Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial
Economics at Singapore Management University, echoed that the resilience of the Ukrainian people is crucial for the future national identity of Ukraine. The country is one with citizens who practice different religions and speak different languages. The unification after the invasion, Kozintseva said, creates a sense of Ukrainian nationalism. Unification and resistance against Putin is important, especially in the context of see CRISIS PAGE 3
Shades of Ebony creates Women’s Month events By EMMA DUFFY News Writer
Women’s History Month is seeing some changes on the Notre Dame campus this year. A club on campus, Shades of Ebony, was founded in 2002 as an outlet for all women, especially women of color, to come together in a safe space.
Each year, the club has put on a Women’s Week to commemorate powerful women. However, this year, the events of Women’s Week have evolved into Women’s Month. This month will be filled with a plethora of events. There are some essential events that occur annually, stretching from the Cifemme Talent show to
EMMA DUFFY | The Observer
Shades of Ebony vice president Cassidy Ferrell interviewed Nikole Hannah-Jones about her experiences at Notre Dame.
NEWS PAGE 3
VIEWPOINT PAGE 7
volunteering in the South Bend community to a formal dinner between students and faculty with catered food. This year, Shades of Ebony will be taking a retreat to a local high school to give a lesson to the female students. “The overall theme of it is motivation and self confidence and just self love, themes along those lines,” Shades of Ebony president Zakiya George said. “After talking to a lot of the faculty of the high school, they mentioned that these were issues that the girls struggled with.” Along with these yearly festivities, the club has been also putting on some new events. One of which is a panel of successful women of color speaking about their experiences. Another is ‘merch madness’ where people will be able to buy Shades of Ebony merchandise. There was also be a fireside chat with Nikole Hannah-Jones. Nikole Hannah-Jones is a well-known alumni of Notre Dame who has made her success as a staff writer for The New York Times and as the founder of “The 1619 Project.” see EBONY PAGE 4
SCENE PAGE 9
By MEGAN FAHRNEY News Writer
Since April 2021, passersby w ill have noticed the construction of a new building on the northwest corner of the Charles B. Hayes Family Sculpture Park. This structure, called the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, w ill soon be home to Notre Dame’s expansive art collection. The new museum w ill be constructed in t wo phases. The first phase of construction is anticipated to
be completed in November 2023 and there is not yet an anticipated completion date for phase t wo. The museum w ill be 70,000 square feet after t he first phase and 132,000 square feet after the second phase. The current Snite Museum of Artis 72,000 square feet. Joseph Becherer, director and curator of sculpture at the Snite Museum of Art, said once phase one is complete, the University’s art see MUSEUM PAGE 5
SMC announces symposium Observer Staff Report
In a n ema i l to students Wednesday, t he President’s Committee on Sex ua l Violence a nnounced t he schedu le of its inaug ura l Ra ise Your Voice Sy mposium. The ema i l described t he sy mposium, which w i l l r un f rom Apri l 6-13, as “one
week w it h ma ny events, including g uest spea kers, pa nels on t he latest resea rch on sex ua l v iolence, power f u l art a nd more.” The f irst event, “Sta r t by Believ ing Day” on Apri l 6, “prov ides educat ion on responding to disclosures by sur v ivors see SYMPOSIUM PAGE 5
ND establishes advisory groups Observer Staff Report
Universit y President Fr. John Jenkins announced the creation of seven new theme adv isor y committees and the Universit y’s core goals for the next decade in an email Thursday. Each of the committees corresponds w ith a theme identified by facult y as a priorit y for the coming years through the Moment to See,
W Lacrosse PAGE 16
Courage to Act initiative. The committees, created as part of the strategic planning process the Universit y takes part in each decade, w ill evaluate current Universit y efforts around each theme and develop recommendations so the Universit y can make a significant i mpact in that area over the next decade, Jenkins see ADVISORY PAGE 4
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The observer | Friday, march 18, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
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Multiple deer spotted grazing in the evening at Saint Mary’s College. As the weather has been improving, deer sightings on campus have increased. Students and wildlife alike hang out on the campus green spaces with current milder temperatures.
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Friday
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Monday
Tuesday
“Molly Sweeney” DeBartolo Performing Arts Center 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Presented by the Irish Theatre of Chicago.
Vizualizing Matthew 25 Snite Museum of Art 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Register to join the conversation.
Basilica Mass Basilica of Sacred Heart 10 a.m. & noon All are welcome to attend.
“Ethics Education for Engineers” virtual 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. Register to join the conversation.
Panel: Civil Resistance in Ukraine virtual 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. Register to attend.
Notre Dame Glee Club Concert Leighton Concert Hall 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. Lenten polyphony, folk and spirituals.
LGAND Spring Party Library Lawn 9 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. Event open to ND/ SMC/HCC students only.
Pi Day 5k McCourtney Hall 3:14 p.m. - 5 p.m. Proceeds go to the Boys and Girls Club. Register to run.
Festivals in India Bond Hall 334 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. Learn about the diversity of Indian festivals.
“The Middle Ages at the Movies” Browning Cinema 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Event is free but tickets required.
News
ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, march 18, 2022 | The Observer
3
Magazine builds community, supports artists By MIA MORAN News Writer
Spare Magazine is a new art maga zine on campus in the process of publishing their first issue in April. Spare first started as an idea in the room of sophomore and current Editor-in-Chief Geo Tabet. He expressed to Spare Maga zine’s now creative director and first-year Anita Feng his desire for students to have more platforms to showcase their art. Tabet, who had just declared his minor in Studio Art at the time, understood that communit y engagement is a critical element to the artistic process. Thus, Tabet said he had concerns in Notre Dame’s lack of opportunities for student artists to gain engagement for their works w ithout rely ing on the arts programs. “We want to create a communit y where artists engage and interact,” Tabet said. Tabet also compared his upbringing in Lebanon to the political correctness of our campus and American culture. “We can’t say that, we don’t talk about this, we can talk about that,” Tabet said, encapsulating his v iew of America. On the other hand, Tabet said he felt that places abroad were open to hav ing more personal conversations. He
Crisis Continued from page 1
Russia’s role in the Sy rian civ il war. Histor y and peace studies professor Asher Kaufman explained that the Russian government is using similar tactics on Ukraine, as those used by the Sy rian government during the civ il war. Supported by Russia, the Sy rian government targeted civ ilians, hospitals and infrastructure and used propaganda to scare citizens. Any opposition to the Sy rian government ultimately fell to these tactics. Kaufman said he believes the opposition failed because there were pre-ex isting div isions between opposition forces and the Sy rian population. Kauffman seconded the div isions that Kozintseva mentioned. He said although there are religious and linguistic div isions among Ukrainians, opposition to the Russian government remains strong. “In terms of differences between Russia w ithin
for the maga zine and his approach to organizing shoots.
said he wanted a platform to Notre Dame that encouraged those conversations through the vehicle of art. “Spare, as an idea, is to enable conversation w ithout boundaries and w ithout sensors through the use of art,” Tabet said. Visual productions director of Spare Magazine and senior Ian Baker stated Tabet’s ideas were what made him excited to join the team. Specifically, Baker said he appreciated how Spare is encouraging people to not censor themselves, despite the env ironment that they are in. Accordingly, the upcoming issue aims to address conf lict and showcase people’s lives of different backgrounds. Tabet said the issue w ill further explore how those differences in people can either conf lict or complement and develop w ithin relationships and is intended to be looked at as a whole body of work rather than indiv idual pieces. The magazine’s name came about as the reoccurrence of the word “spare” caught Tabet’s eyes while drafting the mission statement. The word is now ref lected in the maga zine’s tagline: “Spare us the glamour, the glitter, the looks, and give us authenticit y.” In response to Spare, some students have questioned its relation and difference to
Strike Maga zine Notre Dame on social media. Strike Maga zine is a nationw ide student-run fashion and culture publication that can be found at many universities. Tabet, who worked formally at Strike Maga zine ND, had discussed w ith one of Strike ND’s executives before launching Spare. He said they both agreed that a singular maga zine cannot ser ve justice to the diverse creative communities on campus. “There are so many different communities and variations of art,” Tabet said. Strike ND encouraged the launch of Spare according to Tabet, as it is Strike ND’s mission to foster creative communities. Furthermore, Strike ND showed support for Spare by notif y ing their staff that they w ill not tolerate ill-comments being made about Spare. Tabet added that both maga zines help each other out when needed. Tabet himself is helping out Strike ND w ith a project this Saturday. Despite the support from Strike ND, Tabet and Baker shared the difficulties in launching Spare. Tabet elaborated that it was difficult to get artists’ ideas across desirably, while also managing business. Baker similarly encountered difficulties in creating and capturing art. He had to quick ly change the format
“Creating art is not always going to look uniform — it’s not always going to look the same,” Baker said. In particular, Baker found that micromanaging harmed the creative process, while an extended timeline allowed for more authenticit y. “[It was important] to give people grace to do the things that they want to do and to create in the space they want to,” Baker said. For Spare, allow ing for an authentic expression of art also meant including medium beyond what would fit w ithin a magazine. Specifically, Spare’s Instagram account allows artists to display v ideo or music as forms of art v ia artist spotlights. “Art is not just draw ings,” Baker said. “Art is photography and v ideography, and music and dance, and expression.” To emphasize that Spare was more than a magazine, the directors of Spare hosted a House Concert back in Februar y. The guests principally consisted of staff members in order for them to get to know each other better. The House Concert intentionally combined different forms of art by including musicians, graphic artists and v isual artists to the
Sy ria and Ukraine is that what we see is a ver y strong Ukrainian national cohesiveness,” Kaufman said. Ukraine mirrors Sy ria in other ways, such as w ith the refugee crisis. The Sy rian refugee crisis is the largest of the last 20 years, executive director and associate teaching professor at the Kroc Institute for International Erin Corcoran explained. More than 6.6 million Sy rians have f led their homes since 2011. The current f lood of Ukrainians to neighboring countries is similar to this crisis and has even been characterized as “the biggest exodus of refugees from Europe since World War II,” according to Corcoran. As of March 3, the European Council unanimously agreed to apply the European Union (EU) temporar y protection directive to indiv iduals coming from Ukraine. Corcoran called it “the best contemporar y model of responsibilit y sharing.” The directive, which is
being used for the first time, grants immediate and temporar y protection to people coming from non-EU countries. It’s designed to circumvent asylum procedures and processes —prov iding immediate assistance for those f leeing v iolent conf lict. It should be noted, however, that the response of western nations to the invasion has been criticized. Critics believe that the West has portrayed Ukrainians as more deser v ing of international aid because of a subconscious bias against non-white refugees, Corcoran explained. W hile these are valid criticisms, Corcoran noted, the model of shared responsibilit y has had a positive outcome. “I would argue that the EU’s recent decision to appoint a temporar y protective direction is a model for how nation states can effectively engage in responsibilit y sharing and eliminate procedural hurdles that often retraumatize those who have f led,” Corcoran said. “It recognizes the inherent dignit y of all
persons and that those who are f leeing v iolence and safet y are worthy of immediate protection.” This idea of international cooperation is essential in other considerations of the invasion, specifically w ith nuclear weapons. Dav id Cortright, director of the Global Policy Initiative and special adv isor for policy studies, said Putin has reintroduced nuclear weapons into geopolitics. Putin’s disrespect of Ukraine’s sovereignt y has led to important policy implications, Cortright said. The United States and North Atlantic Treat y Organization (NATO) should continue their militar y restraint, but need to express more support for Ukrainian civ il resistance, and there also needs to be a diplomatic offering to tr y to end the war, he said. For example, If Putin w ithdraws from Ukraine, the sanctions can be removed, Cortright suggested. The final implication is an ex istential one, Cortright
scene. “Spare is a communit y where artists can come together and share what they’re working on and what they’re passionate about,” Baker stated. The seven deadly sins was the theme of the House Concert. The unique theme allowed people to creatively show their artistic expressions through makeup and outfits. Overall, Baker said he hopes that the Notre Dame communit y w ill v iew Spare as a space where people can express themselves freely and lean into their passions through their art. Tabet said he hopes that Spare w ill allow for more people to be praised for their work that goes unseen. But even more importantly, he said he is aiming for the strengthening of the communit y through increased conversations. “I just want people to gain exposure, gain experience, gain knowledge and interactions w ith other people,” Tabet said. “And start to love one another more.” Currently, Spare’s department staff are set, but the maga zine is open to models, art and w riting submissions. The submission form can be found in their Instagram bio. Contact Mia Moran at mmoran23@nd.edu
emphasized, the world is on the verge of a nuclear nightmare. “Once this war is over, we need a serious reckoning w ith the role of nuclear weapons, civ il rights and a return to the now largely abandoned, global agenda of reducing nuclear dangers and striv ing toward their eventual elimination as Catholic Social Teaching urges, and as President Reagan and the first President Bush pursued 30 years ago,” Cortright said. These themes of resilience, responsibilit y and restraint, Hlabse noted, are reminders that the Ukrainians are fighting for more than themselves. “I think simply the fact that we’re hav ing this kind of panel, and they’re such substantive contributions indicates that perhaps the Ukrainian intuition that they’re fighting for more than just themselves and their ow n ex istence … rings prett y true,” Hlabse said. Contact Gabby Beechert at gbeecher@nd.edu
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NEWS
The observer | Friday, march 18, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Advisory Continued from page 1
w rote. According to the email, the seven themes for the committees are Opportunities for E xcel lence/Dist inct ion in Key Research and Scholarship Areas; Sustainabilit y and Integral Development; Povert y and Equit y; Health/Well-being; Globa l/Internationa l; Diversit y, Equit y and Inclusion; and A Catholic Universit y in Ser v ice to the Church and the World. Jenkins w rote the Universit y w ill soon extend inv itations to facult y, staff and administrators to ser ve on the committees. The current goal is to complete the work of the theme adv isor y committees by the end of the calendar year. As part of the planning process, Jenkins highlighted the four central goals that w ill guide the Universit y for the next decade. The first goal is to “Ensure that our Catholic character informs all our
endeavors,” Jenkins w rote. The second goal is to “Offer an unsurpassed undergraduate education that nurtures t he formation of mind, body, and spirit,” and the third goal is to “Prov ide superb graduate and professional programs that ex hibit disciplinar y excellence, foster interdisciplinar y connections, and engage the world’s most pressing problems, while attending to the holistic development of the student.” The fourth and final goal is to “Advance human understanding through scholarship and research that seeks to heal, unif y, and enlighten.” Jenkins added that postbaccalaureate education w ill be a separate goal for the Universit y, unlike the prev ious strategic planning process. The theme adv isor y committees are intended to complement other plans in place throughout colleges, schools, div isions and units at the Universit y. “A Universit y-w ide perspective, we believe, w ill enable us to see opportunities that would
not be apparent w ithin a single college or div ision,” Jenkins w rote. Jenkins w rote that the Universit y is in a “strong position” because of the prev ious strategic plan, “A Legacy Expanded.” He highlighted accomplishments from the plan, including a 54% increase in total research expenditures bet ween fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2021 and an increase in the number of undergraduate students of color and international students at Notre Dame from 27% of the student body to 33.5% since 2012. Jenkins said he hopes the advisory committees will help the University more fully realize its core goals over the next decade. “W hile a ny pla n completed at a pa r t icu la r t ime w ill not adequately account for t he ma ny una nt icipated cont ingencies of a later t ime, t he process of formu lat ing goa ls, sett ing priorit ies, a nd prepa ring for oppor tunit ies a nd possible cha llenges w ill enable us to ma ke sound decisions a nd act in t he f uture,” Jen k ins w rote. Paid Advertisement
Ebony Continued from page 1
This chat was organized by v ice president of Shades of Ebony Cassidy Ferrell after running into Hannah-Jones at Martha’s Vineyard. George explained that the fire-side chat was intended to be an informal discussion to highlight her journey. “The fireside chat w ith her and Shades [of Ebony] is more focused on her experiences as a Black woman at Notre Dame and beyond,” George said. “How she feels like Notre Dame has sculpted her, prepared her or maybe even inhibited her.” Each of these events are unique in their ow n ways, but despite their differences, each event is put on in celebration of Women’s Histor y Month, George explained. “Each event has its ow n indiv idual theme and kind of mission or goal. But collectively they all have a central goal, which is prett y closely aligned to our mission of just inspiring, empowering, unif y ing women on campus or people on campus, but in the name of women[‘s] empowerment overall,” George said. Shades of Ebony has noticed
that these events normally seem to draw in a singular type of demographic. George said it is a goal of theirs to address and correct this problem, hoping to draw in a larger population of students than they have normally seen. “We want as many people exposed as possible. It’s great to get a whole lot of women exposed but we were already aware of these disparities,” George said. “Don’t shy away from attending or being involved because you don’t feel like you fit that target audience”. These events are being put on in order to benefit the Notre Dame communit y and help educate people about things they may not know. For this to work, Shades of Ebony is calling on the students to attend. The club feels as though there are practical experiences for students to gain by show ing up, according to George. “Students w ill gain from getting involved and I think the main thing students have to gain from attending events in the name of celebration of women is exposure to a lot of powerful women.” Contact Emma Duffy at eduffy5@nd.edu
News
Museum Continued from page 1
collection will be moved from the Snite Museum of Art to the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art. As phase two takes place, the Snite Museum of Art will serve predominantly as a location for research and storage. Once phase two is complete, the functioning of the museum will be completely moved to the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, and the Snite Museum of Art will be available for other uses, Becherer said. “It’s amazing real estate, right here at the center of campus, right across from the stadium,” Becherer said. “I think that the possibilities are pretty much endless for what will happen to [the Snite].” The size of the university’s art collection has outgrown the space available at the Snite Museum of Art, Becherer explained. Additionally, the new museum will serve as a welcoming entry point to campus. “Having us in the sculpture park at the entrance to campus fulfills not just part of our spatial needs, but also our community needs,” Becherer said. The University hired the firm Robert A. M. Stern Architects (R AMSA) to design the new museum. Gina Costa, marketing and public relations program manager at the Snite Museum of Art, said there are works of art that have not been put on viewfor decades because of the limited space in the Snite Museum of Art. “Our new museum gives us the opportunity to show this amazing collection of over 30,000 works,” Costa said. Costa said she believes the Snite Museum of Art is old, cramped and does not offer the desired teaching spaces and she intends for the interior design of the new museum will be open and airy, with less closed-off rooms. “The arts are so important to the educational experience, [so] we’re so excited to give you a great art museum,” Costa said. Ernestine Raclin along with her daughter and son-in-law Carmen and Chris Murphy donated $66 million in 2017 for the construction of the new museum. Raclin is a trustee emeritus of Notre Dame and longtime supporter of the University. Chris Murphy, who graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1968, is chair, president and chief executive officer of 1st
ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, march 18, 2022 | The Observer
Source Corp. Carmi Murphy currently sits on thePresident’s Circle of Saint Mary’s College and has served on the Snite Museum Advisory Council since 2007. The new building was scheduled to begin construction in spring 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Becherer said he is excited for the new museum to welcome student visits from across academic disciplines and to serve as a connection to the community. “It’s a great opportunity to celebrate one of the crown jewels of Notre Dame, not just for campus, not just for this region, but really for the nation,” Becherer said. Contact Megan Fahrney at mfahrney@nd.edu
Symposium Continued from page 1
a nd encourages our communit y to pledge to ‘sta r t by believ ing,’” t he ema il sa id. “Sex ua l Violence in Fict ion,” which w ill feature aut hor a nd Sa int Ma r y’s a lumna Ja net Kelley, a nd “Resea rch Advocacy a nd Act iv ism on Sex ua l Violence” w ill bot h be held April 8, t he ema il a nnounced. “W hat Were You Wea ring,” a v isual art insta llat ion sha ring “stories of sur v ivors f rom t he Sa int Ma r y’s ca mpus communit y w it h t he goa l to disr upt t he v ict imbla ming my t h t hat sex ua l assau lt ca n be att ributed to what someone was wea ring,”
w ill be open f rom April 1118, t he ema i l sa id. The ema i l a nnounced t hat Apri l 11 w i l l a lso feature specia l g uest Cha nel Mi l ler, t he aut hor of t he memoir “K now My Na me”. In conjunct ion w it h t his event, t he ema i l sa id, t here w ill be a n ex hibit a nd resource fa ir featuring representat ives f rom t he t rica mpus a nd Sout h Bend communit y. The a nnua l “Ta ke Back t he Night” w i l l conclude t he sy mposium Apri l 13. “The event w i l l beg in at Sa int Ma r y’s w it h a brief ceremony before wa l k ing across t he col lege ca mpus to t he Universit y of Not re Da me for a Sur v ivor Spea k Out,” t he ema i l sa id.
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Inside Column
On becoming my whole self Genevieve Coleman Assistant Managing Editor
Last year, I was checking in with one of my advisors about how close I was to completing my English literature major. Looking through my graduation requirements, my advisor saw I would finish my English and education majors in time for me to student teach full-time next spring — and even have extra room to play with in my schedule. And of course, being the nosy person I am, I asked if I could add a creative writing major to my workload. During my summer advising before I arrived at Saint Mary’s, I was told I would have to choose between the College’s English literature and creative writing majors if I also wanted to pursue a degree in education and graduate with both in four years. With my foot barely in the door, I made the tough decision to look more “professional“ to future principals and major in English literature. Disclaimer: This is not to say that I’m disappointed in little first-year Genevieve.
Through studying English literature, I have taken so many amazing classes that have shown me how to be a more socially conscious reader, well-aware writer and deeply critical thinker. Without the professors who believed in my writing, the support of my fellow English majors and the love of my friends, I would not be one of The Observer’s assistant managing editors today. But I’ve been wanting more for a while. I’ve been wanting to find the creative voice I once had in high school — that was loud enough for my senior superlative to be “most likely to publish a novel.” I’ve been wanting to have an excuse to write poetry in addition to literary theory essays. I’ve been wanting room to be my whole self — and living through a pandemic has taught me I deserve that. So when I asked my advisor if I could realistically add on creative writing as a (triple) major, I will never forget the care she took in consulting with the English department to make that happen for me. Currently with my three creative writing and two literature courses, in addition to my education class, I’m deeply entrenched in literature and creative writing. Somehow,
despite the variety in my classes, all of my writing workshops happen to be on the same schedule, so many of my weeks are spent turning in submissions and reading other writers’ work. A second disclaimer: While I wouldn’t say this gives me a lot of extra time, outside of the paper and my friends, at least I know I’m not taking my time for granted. I am acutely aware my time at Saint Mary’s is drawing near. I have had many existential crises about entering the real world in just over a year. Time is fleeting and the days stop for no one, not even me. But now I can recognize the moments where time slows for me: working late nights at The Observer, or writing poetry, or discussing a book in class or interacting with my students. All of these things I devote myself to make up for those waning years. So I’m off, on the way to becoming my whole self — and I’m glad you’re along for the ride. You can contact Genevieve at gcoleman01@saintmarys.edu The view expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
For girls that get it: Selkie puff dress, pandemic-era labor exits and power in fashion Renee Yaseen Didn’t Know That
Sel k ie’s “Hol iday Pa r t y ! ” ca mpa ig n depicts beaut i f u l models i n pu f f y, spa rk ly d resses a nd tower i ng boot s pa r t y i ng i n a cor porate of f ice. One ha s si l k y st ra ig ht, dol l-l i ke ha i r fa l l i ng to her ca lves, h ig h l ig hted w it h leng t hs of br ig ht red t i nsel a nd t ied of f w it h ha i r t ies mea nt to look l i ke Ch r ist ma s or na ments. T he ga rga nt ua n heels g ive t he models Ba rbie-l i ke proport ions. T he d resses, l i ke t he match i ng boots, a re t r i m med w it h wh ite f u r, or covered i n spa rk les, ci nched below t he bust w it h super pu f f y sk i r t s a nd sleeves ( hence t he na me, “pu f f ” d ress). T he women spa rk le. T he of f ice a lso spa rk les, but it is a mess ! Pi les of r ipped g l it ter a nd t i nsel l it ter t he f loor, bot t les of cha mpag ne rol l onto t he phones, stay i ng of f t hei r hook s. Yet t here’s somet h i ng odd, odder t ha n t he boots or t he ex ag gerated d ress propor t ions : T here a re no men i n t h is of f ice. T he ca mpa ig n wa s st r i k i ng i n t he wa ke of 2021’s d ispropor t ionate ex it of A mer ica n women f rom t he work force due to t he COV ID-19 pa ndem ic. It reads l i ke a n i nside joke bet ween moder n A mer ica n women, who lef t t he work place i n d ispropor t ionate nu mbers. T he “bor i ng of f ice spa rk led up” perhaps is a nod to ma ny of t he women who sta r ted t hei r ow n busi nesses, pu rsued a r t ist ic pa ssions or nont rad it iona l pat hs or ret i red f rom work du r i ng t he pa ndem ic. W it h “a sl ig ht sense of hu mor” a s t hey put it — i.e., not too much — t h is ca mpa ig n com ments on t he relat ionsh ip bet ween fem i n i n it y a nd t he work place, bet ween work a nd leisu re, autonomy a nd employ ment, messy spa rk ly fabr ics a nd pred ictable of f ice upholster y. But when it comes to a r t, cu lt u re a nd fa sh ion, it seems l i ke we’re a lways a sk i ng, “Is it fem in ist or not? ” (For a l ist of “is it fem i n ist” cont roversies to G oog le see : Sha kespea re’s Ta m i ng of t he Sh rew, 1001 Nig hts, L ega l ly Blonde, Pr ide a nd Prejud ice, revea l i ng clot h i ng, modest clot h i ng, t he “body posit iv it y ” movement, sayi ng t he word “g i rlboss,” etcetera). Sel k ie’s ex pressions of fem i n i n it y a re
cont roversia l. Heck, t he pu f f d ress it sel f is cont roversia l. Read t h is i nterest i ng a r t icle i n Gla mou r to hea r f rom proponent s of t he a rg ument t hat Sel k ie’s bra nd isn’t a s empower i ng of women a s t hey i ntend (or cla i m) to be. But a n a rg u ment sta nds to be made t hat a n or ig i na l a nd wel l-resea rched a r t icu lat ion of women’s power is bei ng ref lected i n t hese gow ns. I t h i n k t hei r v i ra l it y is due to t hei r novel repu r posi ng of some h istor ica l sy mbols of power f u l d ressi ng : big ness a nd hu mor. T he f i rst element is big ness. T he Sel k ie d ress is huge ! P u f f y sleeves, pu f f y sk i r t, layers a nd layers of orga n za. Big clot hes convey stat us, power a nd wea lt h. Br ides a nd roya ls (or roya l br ides… t h i n k Pr i ncess Dia na) wea r long t ra i ns a nd enor mous sk i r t s, a s i f to say, “Wa l k a rou nd me, or wa it for me to pa ss, I’m i mpor ta nt enoug h to ta ke up lot s of space.” Related to big ness is “cor pu lence,” ma k i ng t he body look la rger w it h clot h i ng. T he Sel k ie pu f f d ress ci nches at t he bust — not at a t i ny wa ist — a nd t hen pu f fs out l i ke a cloud. In her com menta r y on t he Newa rk Museu m of A r t’s ex h ibit, “Power Dressi ng : Men’s Fa sh ion a nd Prest ige i n A f r ica,” Pau let te You ng notes t he “aest het ic of big ness” i n t he h istor ica l d ress of h ig h-stat us West A f r ica n men. She w r ites, “a mpleness of body i nd icates a sense of wel l-bei ng ; accord i ng ly, t he sheer si ze a nd v isua l g ra ndeu r of t he robes a l low r u lers to ref lect wea lt h, power, a nd a d ist i nct ive persona l it y.” Fa sh ion aut hor L isa Hi x d iscusses ot her cor pu lent clot h i ng revolut ions t h roug hout h istor y, such a s cocoon coat s a nd t he “sack d resses” of fa sh ion houses l i ke Givenchy a nd Ba lenciaga i n t he 1950s. She ment ions Vog ue pra ised t hese ga rment s, w r it i ng about sack d resses : “No gent lema n is ever goi ng to pu z z le h is bra i n over t he for m of a g i rl i n a Bi k i n i bat h i ng su it.” T hat l i ne rem i nds me of a l i ne f rom a n i nterv iew w it h K i mberley Gordon for t he Gla mou r maga z i ne a r t icle. Gordon is t he creat ive m i nd beh i nd Sel k ie. “Men hate t he d ress,” she sa id. But Gordon redempt ively plays up t h is a ng le : “W hen you wea r t hem, you’l l be t he center of a ny room.
A nd for t hat rea son, t hey ’re k i nd of more power f u l t ha n t hey a re sex y.” T he idea of big clot h i ng bei ng (1) hated by men a nd (2) myster ious, leav i ng t he body ’s for m u n k now n is rem i n iscent of a not her “pu f f y ” a nd cont roversia l d ress : t he g ua rda i nfa nte. Popu la r i n Spa i n i n t he yea rs bet ween 1630 a nd 1670, it had a n enor mous, bel lshaped, st r uct u red sk i r t a nd t ig ht bod ice. T he d ress gets its na me f rom its a l leged use to concea l women’s preg na ncies conceived out of wed lock. L i ke t he Sel k ie d ress, it wa s r id icu led a nd d isputed a s a sy mbol of fem i n i ne empower ment. Eit her way, t he g ua rda i n fa nte wa s ba n ned i n 1639 i n Spa i n (for a l l women except prost it utes, i ncidenta l ly); but when t he k i ng’s ow n w i fe a nd daug hters sta r ted wea r i ng t he fa sh ion (oops), women bega n embraci ng t he g ua rda i n fa ntes, brea k i ng t he law i n t hei r g ia nt sk i r ts, “promenad[i ng ] pa st t he ja i l upon wh ich g ua rda i n fa ntes once had hu ng.” T he second element is hu mor a nd r id icu lousness. T hese d resses a re… f u n ny. T he a r t ist ic concept of Sel k ie’s Pet it Tr ia non col lect ion, i n wh ich moder n women wa l k a rou nd w it h g ia nt br ig ht pi n k powdered w igs, r u f f les on r u f f les on r u f f les, pa i nted faces a nd bows ever y where, ex presses t he humor of excess. It pokes f u n at fa sh ion itsel f, at d ressi ng up. It g ives a sel f-awa re nod to Ma r y A ntoi net televel out-of -touch-ness, just for a laug h. R id icu lous fa sh ion says : I’m so secu re i n who I a m, I cou ld wea r a ny t h i ng a nd look good. In my jea ns a nd sweatsh i r t, I t h i n k no mat ter how you feel about Sel k ie, we ca n ag ree t hat it’s a l l about con f idence. Renee Yaseen is a senior Economics major with minors in Theology and PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics). In her free time, she writes poems, hangs out with loved ones and ponders the view from her undisclosed study spot in [redacted] Hall. Please send all comments, diatribes and warm fuzzies to ryaseen@nd.edu. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
The observer | Friday, March 18, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
The myth of the noble lie T he COV ID-19 pa ndem ic ha s accelerated t he idea t hat t he med ia a nd pol it ica l leaders have t he abi l it y, i f not t he responsibi l it y, to tel l t he publ ic “noble l ies” to save us f rom ou rselves. On Wed nesday, Feb. 9, science jou r na l ist for T he New York Ti mes, Apoor va Ma ndav i l l i, ca me to Not re Da me to spea k about her exper ience a s a hea lt h repor ter du r i ng a g loba l pa ndem ic. W hen t he f loor wa s opened to quest ions, one aud ience member a sked, “How do you ba la nce a hea lt hy u ncer ta i nt y w it h science wh i le promot i ng publ ic hea lt h mea su res t hat work? ” T h is quest ion, perhaps more i nt r ig u i ng t ha n a ny a nswer t hat Ma ndav i l l i cou ld have g iven, poi nts to a f u nda menta l m isu ndersta nd i ng of t he role t hat jou r na l ists play i n t he publ ic sphere : it i nt roduces t he idea t hat t he med ia ha s t he mora l i mperat ive to push a na r rat ive at t he ex pense of com mu n icat i ng t r ut h. T he quest ion a ssu mes t hat t he job of a jou r na l ist, ed itor ia l or not, is to move t he publ ic towa rd a pa r t icu la r cou rse of act ion a s much a s it is t he d issem i nat ion of i n for mat ion. It i mpl ies t hat t he w it h hold i ng of facts to cont rol t he body pol it ic is just a s essent ia l to t he role of a jou r na l ist a s is t he t ra nsm ission of accu rate news. T h is, of cou rse, is a fau lt y a ssu mpt ion. T he repor ter occupies a ver y n iche, a nd ver y i mpor ta nt, posit ion i n societ y. T he idea t hat a person w it h a mbit ions to become t he nex t Bob Woodwa rd a nd a deg ree f rom N Y U is sudden ly endowed w it h t he i mpet us to decide t he best i nterest of t he publ ic is absolutely senseless. W hen t he press sees itsel f a s t hat ent it y wh ich d i rect s publ ic opi n ion towa rd its ow n cont r ived idea of t he good, it d isr upts t he democrat ic process a nd cea ses to ser ve t he gover ned. Of cou rse, jou r na l ists must choose wh ich fact s a nd f ig u res to use i n a n a r t icle, a nd ed itors must choose wh ich stor ies to publ ish. However, t he quest ion posed by t h is aud ience member sug gests not a n ed itor ia l choice, but a mora l one. T here is a d ist i nct ion to be
d raw n bet ween cut t i ng i n for mat ion for leng t h a nd act ively om it t i ng whole pa r t s of a stor y because it does not f it i nto t he med ia’s v ision for you r f ut u re — somet h i ng t hat t h is aud ience member took for g ra nted a s pa r t a nd pa rcel of t he jou r na l ist’s job descr ipt ion. Freedom necessitates choice, a s it rest s on t he capacit y to choose t he good. It is qu ite i mpossible for eit her t he i nd iv idua l or societ y a s a whole to choose t he good i f t he t r ut h is h idden f rom t hem. A l ready, t he Un ited States su ffers f rom a percept ion t hat t he major it y is t he a rbiter of mora l it y. In “Democrac y i n A mer ica,” A lex is de Tocquev i l le deta i ls t he fou ndat ions a nd t he consequences of t h is ph i losophy, “T he mora l dom i n ion of t he major it y is ba sed i n pa r t on t he idea t hat t here is more en l ig htenment a nd w isdom i n ma ny men combi ned t ha n i n one ma n a lone ... T he consequences of t h is state of a f fa i rs a re ha r m f u l a nd da ngerous for t he f ut u re.” T he press, who t h i n k t hat t hey represent t he major it y, bel ieve t hemselves to have t he mora l dut y to cr ush opposit ion a nd stop t he m i norit y f rom bei ng hea rd, censor i ng a ny news t hat doesn’t f it i nto t hei r v ision of t he world. In add it ion to t he obv ious a f f ront to f reedom a nd clea r mora l concer n, t here is a cer ta i n level of persona l of fense to be ta ken at t h is aut hor ita ria n post u re. Accept i ng “noble l ies” because we have been told t hat to do ot her w ise is da ngerous for societ y. We dei f y people l i ke Dr. A nt hony Fauci, who, by h is ow n ad m ission, ha s l ied to t he publ ic about t he ef f icac y of ma sk s, vacci nes a nd i m mu n it y t i me a nd aga i n because he bel ieves t hat, were t he A mer ica n publ ic g iven t he t r ut h on t he pa ndem ic, we m ig ht not be a s compl ia nt. On Ma rch 8, 2020, Fauci stated t hat ma sk s were not necessa r y, say i ng, “T here’s no rea son to be wa l k i ng a rou nd w it h a ma sk.” However, less t ha n a mont h later, t he CDC cha nged t hei r g u idel i nes. W hen Fauci wa s quest ioned on t h is new development, he d id not cla i m t hat t here wa s new data emerg i ng or t hat t he v i r us wa s
bet ter u nderstood, rat her, he ad m it ted t hat he l ied to t he A mer ica n people u nt i l t hat l ie wa s no longer conven ient. T here is not h i ng noble about t h is l ie. It is demea n i ng, it is presu mpt uous a nd it is da ngerous. T he blata nt d isrega rd for t r ut h cont i nued i nto t he d iscussion of herd i m mu n it y. Fauci a nd v i ra l ex per ts a l i ke f i rst cited a 60 % to 70 % est i mate to reach herd i mmu n it y, but t hat f ig u re soon cha nged to 75% , a nd t hen 80 % , a nd t hen 85% . W hen quest ioned on t h is st ra nge i ncrementa l cl i mb, Fauci adm it ted t hat he once aga i n l ied to t he publ ic, ma k i ng nu mbers up i n a t w isted at tempt at ma n ipu lat ion. “W hen pol ls sa id on ly about ha l f of a l l A mer ica ns wou ld ta ke a vacci ne, I wa s say i ng herd i m mu n it y wou ld ta ke 70 to 75 percent. T hen, when newer su r veys sa id 60 percent or more wou ld ta ke it, I t houg ht, ‘I ca n nudge t h is up a bit,’ so I went to 80, 85 ... We rea l ly don’t k now what t he rea l nu mber is.” No mat ter how a n x iet y-i nduci ng t he prospect of get t i ng COV ID ha s been, t he way i n wh ich A mer ica ha s d isrega rded t h is bra zen a f f ront to t he idea ls of f reedom a nd t r ut h shou ld be ex ponent ia l ly more so. Consider i ng a l l t he con f usion over t he role t hat jou r na l ists ta ke i n t he publ ic sphere, Ma ndav i l l i’s response to t hat aud ience member wa s rat her per fect. She a nswered, “My job is not to come up w it h measu res ... My job is to f i nd where t he t r ut h l ies bet ween t he ex t remes ... I t h i n k it’s a lso my job to say, ‘By t he way, what you r leader is tel l i ng you is not qu ite t r ue.’” Here, Ma ndav i l l i shows t hat she u ndersta nds t he scope of her ta sk a s a jou r na l ist. It is not t hat news is supposed to be a d r y recitat ion of facts devoid of a ny sense of t he good, but t hat t he tendenc y to aba ndon a ny act ua l repor t i ng to push a na r rat ive is cou nter product ive a nd a g ross v iolat ion of a l l t hat jou r na l ism is supposed to be.
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Eli zabet h Ha le Holy Cross Col lege Sophomore Ma r. 16
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The observer | Friday, March 18, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Writing – my journey Mary Ellen Woods MEWsings
There is a certain conceit in w riting about w riting, but t he act of w riting is a conceit of its ow n, so why not indulge myself ? That is, if you, dear readers, w ill continue to humor me. As my loya l readers w ill k now, I am on campus as a fellow in t he Inspired Leadership Initiative (ILI). It is a yearlong program of study and ref lection. I am hav ing t he most wonderf ul time in t he classroom w it h students and facult y and participating in t he many socia l, at hletic and cultura l activ ities available on campus. A centra l element of our program is to teach a class in our Designing an Inspired Life course. My professor, Steve Reifenberg, has been encouraging me to teach about w riting. This reg ular column in The Obser ver has been a source of joy and ref lection to me — far beyond what I anticipated when I submitted my application last summer. Steve suggested t hat I entit le it: “Writing as a journey of Discover y.” A nd, t hat is has been. Years ago, when f irst at Notre Dame as an undergraduate, a friend, t hen t he Editor-in-Chief of t he Obser ver asked if I would occasiona lly do a news stor y for her. I agreed. Litt le did I k now t hat she was likely short-staf fed and would put me to work on t he necessar y but inconsequentia l piece. A rev iew of The Obser ver archives f inds f ive stories from t hat era. In one t hat ran on April 2, 1979 — likely published in a specia l edition of The Absurder — I even name-checked myself. Ta lk about conceit. I did have one stor y published on t he front page, t hough below t he fold. My corporate career was not designed to hone
my w riting sk ills, t hough I a lways tried to be clear and crisp in memos and emails. The quarterly 600-word column I submit to t he Notre Dame Maga zine for our class notes hardly developed my w riting chops, t hough it has brought me close to ever y corner of our class. Rat her, I elected to w rite for The Obser ver t his year w it h a few goa ls in mind: I hoped to hone my craft, to rea lize t he clarit y of mind t hat comes from creating a 700-800 word piece. I wanted to explore a range of ideas, even creating a spreadsheet to out line one semester’s wort h of topics, and t hen anot her semester. I k now t hat in t his fashion, I have ta ken a different pat h t han t hat of my fellow View point columnists, but it is my pat h and it has been a rewarding one. In fact, far more rewarding t hat I ever expected. As Prof. Reifenberg suggested, w riting has been a journey of discover y. A nd a discover y of t hings bot h anticipated and unexpected. I frequent ly begin w riting w it h one pat h in mind, one approach to a topic. I f ind t hat I discover a new angle a long t he way or a new dimension I hadn’t anticipated. I rea lize t hat what I choose not to w rite about is as important of a decision as t hat which ma kes t he f ina l cut. That editing is a critica l form of self-ref lection. In fact, I began preparing for t his column by rev iew ing t he spring course offerings at Notre Dame. Did you k now t hat Notre Dame is offering 459 classes dedicated to w riting? Presumably quite a number are duplicates of courses cross-listed in a number of departments. My favorite is actua lly offered by my facult y adv isor, Prof. Jeff Spea ks. One can enroll in PHIL 98696, Shut Up and Write — a communit y designed to help philosophy doctora l students w rite t heir dissertations. A n admirable goa l, but
not mine. My w riting for The Obser ver has been a journey of discover y. Each column’s topic I elect to w rite about is a conscious choice. I must have somet hing to say and feel t hat it is more important t han ot her ideas I might consider. I must select t he best words I have to use and some w ill be lef t behind. I w ill please some, hopef ully prompting t hem to t hink and earn t he space I occupy in t he paper, especia lly in t he print edition. I might even trouble a few — hopef ully to a good cause. I have had t he opportunit y to remember t wo fa llen friends. May I have done justice to t heir memories. A nd, I must admit, I have enjoyed t he responses I have gotten. It’s not seeing my name in print so much, but t he unsolicited reactions and ack nowledgement. I am seen and read. People have made a choice w it h t heir time. I have earned t heir consideration. I even reconnected w it h a friend of 40 years ago. As t he semester and my time in ILI nears an end, a llow me t he f ina l conceit: Thank you to t he editors at The Obser ver, my fellow columnists and reporters and my readers. This journey has been one of discover y and you have g uided my pat h, informed my w riting and cha llenged me to be better. I could not be more gratef ul. I do have t wo more columns, so t here’s t hat. Mary Ellen Woods is a graduate of the Notre Dame class of 1980. She has returned to campus as a Fellow in the Inspired Leadership Initiative (ILI). As an undergraduate, she lived in Breen-Phillips and now lives off campus. Her columns appear every other Thursday. A longtime resident of Chicago, she can be reached at mewoods80@nd.edu or @MEWsmuses on Twitter. The view expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Colors and festivities A s colors a nd fest iv it ies rema i n a l i ke i n a l l cu lt u ra l for mat s, today, Ma rch 18 is bei ng celebrated a s t he fest iva l of ‘Hol i’ i n t he Ind ia n subcont i nent fa r across i n Sout h A sia. Bei ng one of t he most popu la r fest iva ls i n Ind ia, Hol i, a long w it h Diwa l i, is one of t he t wo cu lt u ra l ly sy mbol ic celebrat ions t hat may be rega rded a s bei ng popu la r worldw ide. Hol i, a fest iva l of spr i ng, is ma rked by a t rad it ion of play i ng w it h d r y a nd l iqu id colors, pa i nt i ng each ot her i n v ibra nt hues on t h is day. A t y pica l Hol i celebrat ion is ma rked by colors a nd food t hat ex tend across a w ide ra nge. A s t he cu lt u ra l a spect is i n herent ly weaved i nto
t he customs t hat su r rou nd fest iva ls, it is on ly t he ‘colors’ t hat t ra nscend to t he g loba l rea l m. W h i le t he Not re Da me ca mpus rema i ns i nclusive of a l l cu lt u ra l d i mensions, it is a n u ndersta nd i ng of com mon t rad it iona l fest iv it ies t hat may ser ve to st reng t hen t he i ntercu lt u ra l t ies. T hus a s we celebrate t he Sa i nt Pat r ick’s Day t h roug h t he color g reen, let us ex tend t he color hor i zon to cou nt less by get t i ng toget her on more of such fest ive celebrat ions. A nd a s cu lt u ra l i nteract ions rema i n i nexhaust ibly d iverse, I, a s t he Hi nd i Fu lbr ig ht L a ng uage Teach i ng A ssista nt at t he Center for t he St udy of L a ng uages a nd Cu lt u res at Not re
Da me, i nv ite you to joi n us for a presentat ion a nd d iscussion on ‘Fest iva ls i n Ind ia’ on Monday, Ma rch 21 at Bond Ha l l 334 at 6 : 00 pm. A s we a l l have ou r u n ique ex per iences w it h celebrat ions a nd fest iva ls, t h is is a n i nv itat ion to get toget her a nd sha re ou r cu lt u ra l percept ions w it h some Ind ia n cu lt u ra l i nsig hts a nd ta stes !
Amrita Sharma Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures March 17
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The observer | Friday, march 18, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
By CECE SWARTZ Scene Writer
The Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company (NSR) delivered a stunning, intense and thought-provoking performance of “Measure for Measure.” The play, one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known works, is often considered one of the bard’s oddball plays because it does not fit into his usual genres of tragedy, history or comedy. The work covers tragic themes of sexual assault, abuse of power, manipulation, miscarriage of justice and religion. At the same time, however, there are many lighthearted moments of bawdy jokes and punny wordplay, creating constant tonal shifts that the company carefully managed. NSR transitioned smoothly from humor to tragedy and back again. Mistress Overdone (Isabel Olesinski) pulling cigarette after cigarette out of her clothing and Pompey (Claire Early) pondering about prunes offered lighthearted, truly funny moments to the play. In contrast, Isabella (Cate Cappelmann) struggling between her religious convictions and her brother’s life and Angelo (Harrison Larkins) slowly descending into sin and temptation handled the darker themes of the work with true dramatic dexterity and acting worthy of any one of Shakespeare’s tragedies. Cappelmann had literal tears running down her face in her captivating portrayal of a steadfast-yet-torn Isabella who remained firm in her commitment to her faith while struggling with questions of life, death and
By RACHEL HARTMANN Scene Writer
When I first saw teasers for the new Pixar movie “Turning Red” directed by Domee Shi, I was super excited. Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved Pixar movies. They hold a special place in my heart because they tell magical and memorable stories. In “Turning Red,” 13-year-old Meilin “Mei” Lee (Rosalie Chiang) hits puberty — a time we all reach, but seldom in the way she does. When her “red peony blooms,” (as her mother puts it) Mei turns into a giant red panda. Terrified of what she has become, Mei hides away as her mother (Sandra Oh) offers her sanitary pads and painkillers. Mei tries to control her transformations, but with constant bursts of emotions, she loses control. Mei then finds out that the panda is a gift to her family ancestor that has been passed down through the women of her family. Mei is a Chinese-Canadian schoolgirl, but she does not have out-of-this world dreams like some Disney heroines. She has desires and dreams that any young girl would have. Mei loves math, has a bubbly personality, hangs out with a great group of friends and loves her parents. She is confident in who she is and is not afraid to show it. Even without the panda chaos that ensues, “Turning Red” is a fun, humorous and cute film. When the panda does come, her parents are accepting and do
forgiveness. On the other hand, a running joke involving the Duke (Dominic Keene), Clark Kent glasses and a poor nearsighted Friar (Isaac Biese) created moments where I was laughing out loud. (Mind you, this was just after watching Isabella pour her heart out.) I have to give another mention to Olesinski, Early, Noah Sim as Elbow and Emily Hannon as Escalus — all actors in the prunes scene. It was fantastic. I must also give a shoutout to Keene for playing a manipulative, despicable Duke that I hated by the end. He portrayed the character as a puppet master that enjoyed playing with the other characters’ emotions, a unique and fitting interpretation for the character. Larkins also made me hate Angelo, just slightly less than the Duke. At least Angelo felt guilty for his actions. To accompany these tonal shifts, the characters singing “Lord Have Mercy” — as one would at mass — carried through the entire play, closing and opening scenes. Its utterances came in every tone from exasperation to desperation. It provided a grounding transition point for a complex work that otherwise runs the risk of becoming unwieldy. The cast, however, had no problems navigating the work and instead gave a rich performance with incredible depth. In bringing the work to life, NSR found success with the costumes. The play was set in the 1980s, and the costumes for the more comedic characters reveled in the questionable fashion choices of the decade. They could not have looked better. While the more tragic characters had simpler costumes, they were full of
meaning. Angelo’s costumes became increasingly red as he gave in to his temptations and guilt was a particularly noteworthy touch, reflecting the character’s interiority in the costuming. The staging was also masterfully done. Two scenes involving Angelo and Isabella are perfect examples. When they first met and she pleaded for her brother’s life, she circled him out of agitation. In their next encounter, when he made demands of her, they switched, and he circled her like a predator. The play was replete with this precise attention to detail. To put it bluntly, the play was impressive. NSR succeeded in tackling a beast of a narrative that is complex in plot, theme and tone. Nothing about “Measure by Measure” is easy or simple, and the company found the right balance for just about everything, making its many components fit together seamlessly. I was blown away by the collective talent of the production.
not stress as much as she does. She finds out that under the next blood moon, she can lock away the panda. The movie subverts conventional plotlines: Mei learns how to control her panda very quickly, instead of struggling with it throughout the movie. Now, all she has to worry about is getting her friends to their favorite boy-band’s concert. This is the first Disney movie to openly talk about periods. It does a great job of showing how periods are a natural thing that women go through and that they are just a part of life. It also discusses the importance of growing up and how nothing stays the same forever — that we all will change overtime and how we should accept our changes. The friendship in the film of Mei with Miriam, Priya and Abby is beautiful, fun and important. This friendship allows for Mei to control her panda and for Mei to accept her changes, while her mother cannot at first. I love friendships like this because it is unconditional and loving. The film does an amazing job to show the importance of friendship and family. The representation in the film as well is vital to children as it portrays characters from different backgrounds such as Mei with her Chinese culture, in addition to diabetes representation and so much more. Representation is important so that children can see themselves in characters and see their stories told. Representation helps break down stereotypes and
allows for children to see themselves on screen in a positive way. Also, “Turning Red” is the first Pixar film with an all-woman leadership team. I truly loved this film. It reminded me of growing up into an awkward teenage girl, the love that comes from friends and family and why we should all accept ourselves, red fur and all. This film is important, beautiful and magical. Everyone should see it! I am disappointed that the film was not released in theaters and missed the timing to be Oscar nominated for best animated feature because I definitely believe it deserves to be seen by a wide audience and deserves to be nominated for that award. Still, it is currently available on Disney Plus and you should check it out.
Contact Cece Swartz at cswartz@nd.edu
“Measure for Measure” Produced by: Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company Director: Alex Ford Starring: Dominic Keene, Cate Chappelmann If you like: “Taming of the Shrew”
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Contact Rachel Hartmann at rhartma4@nd.edu
“Turning Red” Starring: Sandra Oh, Rosalie Chiang, Hyein Park Director: Domee Shi Where to watch: Disney Plus If you like: “Toy Story,” “Monster’s Inc.,” “Nemo,” Wish Dragon”
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MAGGIE KLAERS | The Observer | Image sources: courtesy of the not-so-royal shakespeare company, disney plus
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The observer | Friday, march 18, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
By ABIGAIL KEANEY Scene Writer
Do you remember the sweet, sweet summer of 2017? When I look back on those days, they seem to be defined by the gentle voice of Alexander O’Connor, better known as Rex Orange County, singing his breakthrough hits “Best Friend,” “Television/So Far So Good” and “Loving Is Easy.” These singles were upbeat yet relaxed, optimistic but not idealistic. A couple of years later came “Pony,” an album I believe to be one of the greatest ever made. Case in point — the album’s lead single, “10/10,” has been my number one song on Spotify three years in a row. Overkill? Maybe, but I really like the song. So, you can imagine my excitement when O’Connor announced the release of his fourth studio album “WHO CARES?” in March. “WHO CARES?” is a solid album. It’s sonically cohesive, it has meaningful lyrics and it’s classically Rex Orange County. Clocking in at a mere 11 songs, it’s not a hugely expansive body of work, but we still have time to get deep into O’Connor’s psyche. The album is largely an exploration into issues of insecurity and self-doubt as they relate to his new relationship, but it’s somewhat of a departure from the total pessimism of “Pony” and feels more like a return to his older work. Tracks like “Amazing” and “One in a Million” are reminiscent of 2017’s “Best Friend,” retaining the slow, sleepy veneer of O’Connor’s
By REYNA LIM Scene Writer
On the first day of spring break, I sprained my ankle. After weeks of midterms and papers, my reward was a bulky cast strapped over my right foot. I had been looking forward to my return to Manhattan, my spiritual safe haven. Yet I was immobile — ranting and lamenting on overdramatic FaceTime calls to anyone who would pick up. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I had an excuse to catch up on sleep and order in from the city’s countless delivery options, a lovely change from South Dining Hall. My real qualms began on Wednesday when mindless scrolling through Instagram led to a discovery of last-minute tickets for an Aminé concert the following night. He was making a two-day stop in Manhattan on the “Best Tour Ever.” The price was reasonable and the venue was only a few minutes away, but my ankle was still throbbing. The doctor had advised against active use for two weeks, but oh, how I loved his music. My qualms were short-lived, as I immediately purchased the tickets. With my friend in tow, I hobbled my way — cast and all — to Terminal 5, greeted by an eager crowd lined up around the block despite how early we got there.
trademark style, this time accompanied by honest, relatable lyrics about love. This optimism is compounded in the album’s opening track, “Keep It Up,” a catchy, upbeat song about resilience in the face of self-doubt. It initially feels like O’Connor has done something akin to Lorde’s “Solar Power” — he has worked some stuff out and is feeling hopeful. It’s refreshing to hear a steadier, faster pace return to O’Connor’s music on songs like “The Shade,” and as he sings “It’s enough, it’s enough, keep it up and go on” in “Keep It Up” you’d be easily fooled into thinking this will be an album of self-compassion with some gooey love songs thrown in. Alas, if you add “WHO CARES?” to your playlist hoping for a feel-good album, you’ll quickly be disappointed. The album’s arc is a somewhat depressing one, following a similar structure to “Pony.” Beginning with an optimistic, honest opening track before spiraling deeper into precarious self-doubt, O’Connor’s mental health once again takes center stage. By the time we reach the album’s eponymous and final track, it’s not a surprise to hear him lament “All the things I used to dream about / Got too far from reach / Now I don’t know what’s happened to me,” though it’s still a little heartbreaking. In that sense, “WHO CARES?” is very much a continuation of Rex Orange County’s existing body of work. If the album has a low point, it might be “If You Want It.” The song feels overproduced and repetitive, lacking the
heart of other tracks. It’s at this point, six songs in, that you start to wonder whether the whole album will sound the same. Don’t get me wrong, I like mellow bedroom pop as much as the next person, but you have to admit that “WHO CARES?” is a lot of the same thing in one sitting, and it often lacks the gut-wrenching lyricism we know O’Connor is capable of. That being said, “WHO CARES?” is still worth a listen. If you’ve liked Rex Orange County’s music in the past, you’ll probably find a song or two that you’ll enjoy, and though the album is a little depressing, it never fully descends into hopelessness. In fact, as “WHO CARES?” comes to a close, O’Connor’s anxieties begin to subside, and it seems like things might be turning around. For his sake, I hope it stays that way.
“Shirts for only 30 bucks. For you, I might just make it 10,” said a man who approached me with what were clearly knockoff merchandise t-shirts (later featured on Aminé’s Instagram story). The fake merch was an indication to me that this would be a good concert. The anticipation of the venue was rising and bustling with energy. Aminé had three opening acts, and I must confess, while AJ Tracey, Cochise and 454 amped up the crowd, I became increasingly impatient to see the rapper I had come for. Then, nearly 90 minutes later, he took the stage. Aminé’s energy was wild. The man bounced around his set — a recreation of his hometown Portland, complete with a 10-feet statue of his dog — for hours on end. He delivered impeccable live performances while making sure every single person in the venue was enjoying themself. “You’re beautiful,” he would exclaim between numbers, to which the crowd replied, “I know!” The attentively-curated setlist treated us with fan favorites from his albums “Good For You” and “OnePointFive,” as well as tracks from his mixtape “TwoPointFive” which was released in November of last year. When performing one of my favorites, “Shine,” Aminé prompted everyone to turn on their phone lights. It was a stunning experience, comparable to the bright lights of the very city we were in. His inarguably largest hits, “Caroline,”
“Spice Girl” and “Reel It In,” finished off the setlist. Unfortunately, my ankle situation meant that as soon as he called out for the crowd to “open up,” I shuffled to the sidelines as I knew what was coming. I watched as spirited fans immersed themselves in one of the liveliest mosh pits I had ever seen, and Aminé even came down to the floor during his encore performance to partake in the crowd’s energy. Aminé’s performance was riveting, and his engagement with the audience had everyone yelling along to the lyrics. By the end of it, my voice was nearly as sore as my ankle. Miraculously, I’m feeling perfectly fine now. I give full credit to my transcendent revitalization at the “Best Tour Ever.” After all, there is no cure like a spontaneous concert and reciting the “Caroline” chorus at the top of your lungs.
Contact Abigail Keaney at akeaney@nd.edu
“WHO CARES?” Artist: Rex Orange County Label: Sony Favorite tracks: “Keep It Up,” “The Shade,” “7AM” If you like: Mac DeMarco, Declan McKenna, Wallows
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Contact Reyna Lim at slim6@nd.edu
“Best Tour Ever” Artist: Aminé Location: Terminal 5 in Manhattan, NY Date: March 10, 2022 Favorite performance: “Reel It In”
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CLAIRE KIRNER | The Observer | Image sources: Far out magazine, unsplash.com, besttourevertour.com, pinterest
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Crossword | Will Shortz
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Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Forge ahead with enthusiasm. Be bold, say what’s on your mind and make the changes that will enrich your life. Consider what makes you happy, and practice what you preach. Living life your way will direct you to contentment and give you a new lease on life. Be original, and explore interests with the notion to utilize what you discover to reach your goals. Your numbers are 6, 17, 23, 26, 32, 37, 44. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Take advantage of the changes going on around you. Be observant and stretch your imagination, and you’ll find a way to get things done and join forces with like-minded people who are eager to contribute. Advocate for what you want. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Think matters through, and you’ll come up with a plan that will help you make the most of your attributes and take advantage of promotions, rebates and opportunities that will help you save and accomplish what you set out to do. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Take the initiative to pursue your goal. Don’t waste your time bickering over things you have no control over. Be true to yourself and what you want, and refuse to let anyone interfere with your plans. Personal growth is your path to fulfillment. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Improve your surroundings. Whether at work or home, functionality will make a difference in how things turn out. Be methodical, and make changes that ensure you can produce optimum results. Don’t let what others do deplete your energy. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Instability will wear you down. Stay focused on finances and medical and legal matters that are pending, not what others think or do. Leave no room for error or situations that allow someone else to take care of responsibilities. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Draw on your intelligence and what you know to be true. Base the changes you make on facts and what you can afford. A partnership will enhance your life if you lay down ground rules to ensure equality prevails. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Put everything in place before you promote and present what you have to offer. Getting along with your peers and those in influential positions will help you gain ground. Personal improvement is favored, and romance will bring you closer to someone special. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Don’t let a last-minute change of plans throw you off guard. Listen to what someone offers, and decline if you feel you can do better elsewhere. Be the one who drives your life forward instead of letting someone else pull you along. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Take a pass if someone is pushy or manipulative. Show discipline, and put your energy where it will do you some good. Refuse to let anyone make you feel guilty or that you owe something you don’t. Focus on your happiness. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Pay attention to investments, your health, and how you earn and spend your money. Put more into your surroundings to ensure you get the most out of the space you call home. An increase in cash looks promising. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Pay close attention to the people around you. Be empathetic to the needs of those you love or work alongside. A happy, positive person is beneficial and will help you excel. Distance yourself from those who cost you financially or emotionally. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Keep things in perspective. Follow the dots to see where each scenario leads. Be aware of the consequences so you can limit mistakes. Focus on what’s necessary to save yourself the trouble of backtracking. Share what’s essential, not your secrets. Birthday Baby: You are sympathetic, an advocate and a thinker. You are outspoken and protective.
Sudoku | The Mepham Group
Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek
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The observer | Friday, march 18, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Sports Authority
Premier League rankings and predictions Michael Pilger Sports Writer
With nine matches remaining in the Premier League season, the final standings are slowly coming together. Today, I’ll take a look at where each team will finish, as well as how they will fare next season.
20. Norwich City - 19 points The painful cycle for Norwich City continues, as they are repeatedly relegated from the Premier League, then promoted the next season, then relegated again. As the team with the least goals scored this season, Norwich will have to make some drastic changes at the top of their lineup during the offseason.
19. Leeds United - 28 points Painfully bad defense and blowout losses will mean the end of Leeds’ stay in the top flight. Despite having three more wins and two more ties than Norwich, my prediction gives Leeds a goal differential only six greater than their counterpart. 6-2, 5-1, 6-0, and 5-0 losses all coming this season are certainly big factors.
18. Watford - 29 points (-52 Goal Differential) The third and final relegation spot will be decided by merely two goals, according to my predictions. Watford play four top 10 teams in their last five matches, and they will need to emerge with ties or wins in at least two of them if they want a chance at staying in the top flight.
keeping them out of relegation is the fact that the teams below them are playing worse. The road ahead only gets more difficult, and manager Frank Lampard will have to make magic happen in order to keep their 68-year tenure in the Premier League alive.
13th is certainly not where one would like to finish the season, it is an improvement from 2020, and this team will only get better. The trio of Welbeck, Trossard, and Maupay at the top will be a force to be reckoned with next season.
16. Burnley - 33 points
12. Southampton - 41 points
Burnley currently sit 19th, with a measly three wins all season. So why do I have them finishing the season so strong? Two reasons: Firstly, manager Sean Dyche has done a tremendous job keeping this largely nameless team alive, and he will continue to do so. Secondly, their strength of schedule is the easiest in the league for the remaining games.
This team is extremely similar to Brighton, regarding its future and current standing in the Premier League. Just like Brighton, Southampton has made a minor improvement in their standing and has young, underrated players like James Ward-Prowse that will be difference makers for years to come.
15. Brentford - 35 points
11. Leicester City - 49 points
The only way to describe Brentford this season is that they are the best of the worst. They may not pose a challenge to any big teams, but they have the firepower up top, as well as a sufficiently mediocre defense that puts points on the table. The acquisition of striker Ivan Toney in 2020 from Peterborough is one major reason why they have found success in the Premier League.
This season was one to forget for Leicester City, as their hopes of qualifying for European football two years in a row faded early in the season. Interestingly, their issues this year come on both sides of the ball, as offensive efficiency waned and defensive power lacked.
14. Newcastle - 37 points Newcastle fans, consider yourselves lucky. Had it not been for Yasir Al-Rumayyan, your team would likely be in dead last. The “oil money” that signed Trippier, Guimaraes, and Wood have brought new hope and fire to the squad.
17. Everton - 29 points (-50 Goal Differential)
13. Brighton Hove & Albion 40 points
Everton has lost four consecutive games, losing 1-0, 5-0, 1-0, and 2-0. Frankly, the only thing
There is a significant jump from the bottom seven teams and the next five in the table. While
W Bball
And if Notre Dame can bring up the tempo, they’re more likely to force Massachusetts into a high-scoring affair. That would not suit the Minutewomen’s strong defensive style well. Ultimately, the biggest key to Irish success on Saturday will be making sure the team doesn’t look ahead of Massachusetts. Four-seed and regional hosts Oklahoma loom as a major test for this young Notre Dame team — should they beat Massachusetts. But the Irish will need to handle business in the first round to get a shot at the Sooners. If Notre Dame maintains their focus and plays sharp, they’ll get that shot. Notre Dame women’s basketball will take on Massachusetts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night in Norman, Oklahoma. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN2.
Continued from page 16
that makes her a danger driving to the lane when guarded one on one. If Miles can get to the hoop and draw contact, it will be an effective way of forcing Massachusetts to be more conservative on defense as the fouls rack up and it will get Miles to the foul line for easy points. Graduate student forward Maya Dodson will likely also play a major role in head coach Niele Ivey’s game plan. Dodson has been the Irish’s biggest threat on the boards all season, as she leads the team in both total rebounds and rebounds per game with 229 and 7.6, respectively. The Irish will likely count on her to control the glass against the Minutewomen’s strong rebounding. If Dodson can be a force in the paint on both the offensive and defensive end, the Irish will be able to dictate the tempo of the game.
Contact J.J. Post at jpost2@nd.edu
10. Crystal Palace - 50 points Crystal Palace belongs exactly in 10th place, as they are the most mediocre team in the Premier League. They will put up a tough game against the top in the league, and scrape by the bottom of the table with 1-0 or 2-1 wins. The one-two punch of Gallagher and Zaha has been extremely effective this season.
9. Aston Villa - 52 points The midseason acquisition of Philippe Coutinho was a piece that completed the puzzle for Aston Villa. As one of the most complete teams in the premier league, this team can make a big
Yale Continued from page 16
Despite a disappointing record to start the season, the Irish have competed in every game, which is very encouraging for the team going forward. “It’s not lost on us that we have competed in every single game. We understand how close we were and that every play matters. So now we are absolutely seeing that. In our game on Sunday [against Jacksonville], we saw that really come out,” Halfpenny said. “We had this realization that everything we’ve been doing has been for the next game, has been for improvement, has been for growth, has been for ourselves to showcase what we can do.” The team will fly down to Naples on Friday evening and have Saturday to practice and
jump up the table.
matches.
8. West Ham - 60 points
4. Arsenal - 79 points
West Ham is an exceptionally difficult team to predict, given that they rarely win or lose by more than one goal. The team puts on an exceptional performance against a top team and then loses to a terrible one. The team is carried by its midfield of Rice, Benrahma and Lanzini for the most part and can become a top-four team if they played with more consistency.
Arsenal’s slow but steady climb back into the top four can only be accredited to head coach Mikel Arteta and the turnaround up top. Games like the one against Wolverhampton, in which they maintained a 1-0 lead for 40 minutes despite being a man down, are examples of the defensive resilience they possess.
7. Manchester United - 62 points (+7 Goal Differential) Despite the hype, it is not surprising that the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo did not immediately make United contenders to win the league. This season has shown just how important defensive unity and managers are to Manchester United.
6. Wolverhampton 62 points (+11 Goal Differential) After an extremely eventful offseason and team rebuild following their promotion in 2017, the Wolves have seen the best case scenario emerge this season. Manager Bruno Lage has done a tremendous job with the defense, and the signing of keeper Jose Sa from Olympiacos is one of the best this year.
5. Tottenham - 64 points The Spurs currently sit in eighth place, and I have them finishing fifth, headed to the Europa League. Why? Because I have faith in both Kane and Son, as well as new manager Conte to turn this season around and capitalize on their remaining weak schedule. They play only two top eight teams in their final nine
get acclimated to the Florida conditions, which figure to be around 80 degrees. Halfpenny stressed that the trip is first and foremost a business trip, but she is looking forward to her players having the chance to spend time with their families after the game on Sunday. “The families are a big piece of what we do, supporting our players and having an incredible impact on our team,” Halfpenny said. “They’re our first line of support for everything working here.” Halfpenny acknowledged that the Irish will have a challenging matchup against a methodical, well-coached Yale team. “They’re very well-coached. They’re methodical in their game plan. In terms of what they have done really well, they have a very strong draw and drawer with a height advantage. We
3. Chelsea - 85 points I might as well write the same descriptions for these three teams at the top of the table, which are completely untouchable. Two of Chelsea’s three losses came against Manchester City, both of which were 1-0 losses.
2. Liverpool - 92 points Liverpool has the most explosive offense in the Premier League by far this year with Salah and Mane up top, and only increase that domination by having arguably the best defender in the world at center back. The fact that this team is not winning a Premier League title this year is incredible.
1. Manchester City - 95 points The only team that seems to be able to compete with this absolutely stacked roster is Tottenham, given that they have defeated City both times this year. Barring any late-year blunders, Manchester City is a lock for the title and may even break a goal differential of +70. Contact Michael Pilger at mpilger2@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
also know that they have had that success and that they work really well together in their sets,” Halfpenny said. Yale has a lot of firepower on offense, which will be a stiff challenge for the Irish. “Their strengths definitely sit on the draw on offense and looking to push the fast break. They have some very talented players. Their big three are Olivia Markert, Olivia Penoyer, and Fallon Vaughn. They all have a lot of touches, leading their team in shots, and they are very balanced,” Halfpenny said. “We will have to be focused and ready to be relentless in our one-onone matchups and win our oneon-one matchups all over the field. Sunday’s game will start at 12 p.m. EST. Contact Nate Moller at nmoller2@nd.edu
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Alabama Continued from page 16
get our legs under us by Friday afternoon.” Sure enough, the Irish got on a plane shortly after their game ended on Wednesday night (more accurately, Thursday morning). “Sleep is for the weak,” Brey joked on the plane in a Snapchat video posted shortly before takeoff. The team is now in San Diego and preparing for a game that tips off at 4:15 EST, so 1:15 local time (PST) for the Irish.
Sizing up Bama Alabama is a lethal offensive team, ranking top-15 in KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency. It’s hard to find a more inconsistent team than the Crimson Tide, however. They boast victories against No. 1 Gonzaga, No. 15 Houston, and No. 4 Baylor. Besides that, however, the Tide’s resume features losses to Iona, Memphis, Davidson, and Georgia. They enter the NCAA Tournament on a three-game losing streak. In
ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, march 18, 2022 | The Observer
the SEC Tournament, Alabama entered as the sixth seed and lost their preliminary round game to eleventh seed Vanderbilt. Guard Keon Ellis is one of Alabama’s X-Factors. He gets it done on all levels in the offensive game. He’s third on the Crimson Tide with 12.0 points per game. He also leads the squad with 6.0 rebounds per contest. Defensively, he notches nearly two steals per game, with 62 on the season. The next best Alabama player has 29 steals. Not far behind with 26 steals Alabama’s leading scorer Jaden Shackleford, who averages 16.7 points per game. He and Ellis are tied for the team lead in shooting percentage beyond the arc, both making 35.6% of their efforts from range. Jahvon Quinerly rounds out Alabama’s trio of top scorers. He averages 14.3 points per contest. For the Irish, it’s about honing in on these three players and making someone else on the Crimson Tide win this game. Alabama is not extremely deep in
high-level scorers, and the Irish must shut down the top options.
And I thought they delivered,” Brey commented.
Notre Dame Keys To Victory
Let Cormac Cook
Notre Dame has a few different make-or-break areas that could decide this game.
Ryan has long felt like a defensive stalwart who occasionally made a shot. But, more frequently, he’s becoming a reliable offensive contributor. Ryan was all over the court on Wednesday night. Firstly, there were his 16 points, all of which seemed to come at pivotal moments. He played lockdown defense on Rutger’s final possession of regulation, forcing a contested jumper. Additionally, in the first overtime, he collected a steal off of an inbounds pass and laid it in to push the Irish back in front and avoid a must-foul situation. He’s a leader at all times for the Irish, and the offense flows when he’s an additional shot-making threat on the court.
Get Laszewski Hot Senior forward Nate Laszewski poured in 18 points against Rutgers. Laszewski also strokes the three-ball very well for a forward, shooting from deep at a 46.2% clip. When his shot is going, Laszewski can be a total mismatch. And when he draws more defensive attention, that opens lanes for other seniors to make shots. Senior guards Cormac Ryan, Dane Goodwin, Prentiss Hubb, and Trey Wertz can all drill their open looks and create space. A strong effort from Laszewski opens up a lot of lanes for the offense. “I’m really proud of him. He has really grown and on this stage, this was a new stage for these seniors, Nate, Dane (Goodwin), and Prentiss (Hubb).
Keep It Cool
probably going to hit some demoralizing shots. They may go on a run or two. But against such an outstanding offense and playing on short rest, Notre Dame must remain locked in. Mike Brey isn’t too worried about this, noting “we’ve grown a lot in the mental toughness area.” Having such a senior-laden squad helps with that, as the Irish have displayed a knack for closing out games. They are now 3-0 in overtime contests this season. This team rarely got blown out this season, and they’ll need to keep that calm and collected attitude against an Alabama team that’s capable of scoring—and fast. For Mike Brey, it’s about capitalizing on the momentum generated in the First Four and carrying that to San Diego for their Round of 64 battle. Brey said as much to the team themselves: “My quote was ‘let’s use Dayton as a springboard.‘”
Alabama has an elite offense. They rarely get shut down and, much like Rutgers, they’re
Contact Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu
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Baseball Continued from page 16
The Cardinals certainly have enough to give the Irish a handful this weekend. They’ve already knocked off No. 15 TCU and their 13-4 record is fourth-best in a strong ACC Coastal Division. If there’s anyone who can challenge Notre Dame’s outstanding pitching staff, it’s the Cardinals. Louisville is second in the ACC with 175 runs scored and leads the conference with 81 extra base hits. Louisville’s Ben Metzinger leads the way with nine home runs, which gives him a top-3 in the ACC. But this is a Cardinals team with outstanding depth at the plate; all nine of Louisville’s starters have a slugging percentage over .500, including five over .600. The Cardinals can both get on base at a high level and drive the ball — a daunting combination for any opponent. Louisville does have a couple of strong starters in Tate Kuehner and Riley Phillips, but pitching isn’t their strength. Only Boston College has allowed more earned runs than Louisville’s 84. Their 22 unearned runs allowed are also the most in the conference, as only N.C. State has a worse fielding percentage than the Cardinals. That bodes well for an Irish offense that loves to take the extra base and put pressure on opposing defenses. The numbers may not be there yet for Notre Dame at the plate, but the Irish certainly don’t lack confidence. Their seven doubledigit scoring games show they have plenty of potential. The Irish and Louisville take the diamond beginning on Friday night at 7 p.m. They’ll face off again on Saturday and Sunday with a pair of 1 p.m. starts, all at Louisville’s Cardinal Stadium. Friday’s game is broadcasted on the ACC Network; Saturday and Sunday’s games are on ACC Network Extra. Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu
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The observer | Friday, march 18, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Women’s Basketball
Men’s basketball
Irish ready for March Madness opener By J.J. Post Sports Writer
On Saturday night, Notre Dame women’s basketball will start their March Madness journey with a matchup against the University of Massachusetts. The Minutewomen enter as champions of the Atlantic 10 conference, and winners of five straight games. The seed difference between the two teams indicates that the opening round game shouldn’t be much of a contest. But Massachusetts has what it takes to give the Irish a strong fight in their opening game. Massachusetts’s greatest strength as a team lies in its defensive prowess. The Minutewomen run an engaged man-to-man defensive scheme. Their defense seeks to force the opposition to score on the first look by limiting chances on the offensive glass. Massachusetts is top twenty-five in the country in rebound rate and total rebounds overall. They play mistake-free and aggressive ball on defense. Look for the
ND preps to face Crimson Tide on short rest
Minutewomen to try to force Notre Dame to give the ball up on sloppy turnovers. One concern the Minutewomen might face against the Irish, however, is depth. Massachusetts tends to roll with a six-woman rotation, with four players often eclipsing the 35 minutes played per game mark. So if Notre Dame can get the Minutewomen into foul trouble, or run their starting lineup tired, Massachusetts won’t have much in the way of tested replacements to bring in and finish out the game. Expect Notre Dame to try to exploit this lack of depth and man-to-man defense by isolating Olivia Miles early. The freshman point guard has caught national attention for her skills as a creator and strong assist numbers. But her scoring ability has become underrated as more and more people focus on her passing skills. Miles leads the Irish with 13.7 points per game and possesses an excellent first step on the dribble see W BBALL PAGE 12
By AIDAN THOMAS Sports Editor
Notre Dame versus Alabama. It’s not a postseason battle that has favored the Irish in recent years in a certain popular sport. But now the two schools meet on the hardwood rather than the gridiron. All that’s at stake is a berth in the round of 32 and the opportunity to keep dancing in March.
Quick Turnaround
RYAN VIGILANTE | The Observer
Irish senior forward Nate Laszewski takes a layup in ND’s First Four double-overtime win against Rutgers on Wednesday, 89-87.
ND relies on teamwork to earn victory over Yale Sports Writer
The Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team (3-5, 1-2 ACC) will return to action this Sunday when they face Yale (4-1, 1-0 Ivy League) in Naples, Florida. Head coach Christine Halfpenny was pleased with how her team played in last week’s 20-5 win against Jacksonville. “I’m really excited about the growth I have seen so far,” Halfpenny said. “A lot of facets of our games are working together and we talked about being able to do that for four 15 minute periods. Keeping our foot on the gas pedal has been exactly what we were able to do. From the continuity between winning the draw and turning those possessions into scores, that was a huge piece of what we were able to do.” Halfpenny has been impressed with her team’s awareness on the fast break “It’s important that we are all on the same page and that we are
see ALABAMA PAGE 15
baseball
women’s lacrosse
By NATE MOLLER
For the Irish, it’s like blinking and playing again. Their First Four battle with Rutgers started around 9:30 and bled past midnight. The Irish needed a huge defensive stop at the end of regulation, a game-tying layup at the end of the first overtime, and a game-winning bucket with 1.4 seconds left in double overtime to triumph over the Scarlet Knights. “If there’s a better game in the NCAA Tournament, I gotta see it,” Irish head coach Mike Brey said. “That was an unbelievable college basketball game...We’ll
communicating to one another,” she said. “When we get into ourselves, it’s being organized and communicating to one another so that we can attack the cage collectively,” Halfpenny said. “I am really excited to build off of that against a really strong Yale team that is off to a hot start.” The Irish have had some frustrating losses this year, with four of their five losses being by two goals or less. Halfpenny believes that her team has learned from these losses and improved significantly because of the close losses. “The cliche goes that wins are wins and losses are learns,” Halfpenny said. “They’re only learns if you actually improve from them, and we really feel as though our team has got our wins and our learns. Our learns have translated into outstanding focus and on field leadership in our team with a determination to make adjustments and really focus on the growths areas of our game.”
Halfpenny feels that her team has stressed these growth areas and learned a lot by playing difficult opponents. “Whether it was tightening up how we were coming off picks and screens, or if it was tightening our spacing, or tightening up our transition game,” Halfpenny said. “Whatever that was, playing at a high level and strong schedule both in and out of conference we feel has put us in a position where we really are battle tested. We understand how to respond to a multitude of situations now.” Halfpenny has been blown away with the approach her team has brought with them this season. “The season is a journey, and it’s been a journey of growth for this year’s team. I’ve been so impressed with the way they’ve approached that and how they’ve had a mindset of growth and a mindset of pride in their game,” Halfpenny said. see YALE PAGE 12
Irish step into ACC gauntlet By ANDREW McGUINNESS Associate Sports Editor
You couldn’t draw up a better start for the Notre Dame baseball team (12-1, 2-0 ACC) if you tried. OK, maybe you could’ve drawn up one that erased their only blemish, a 5-4 loss to Delaware in their third game against a different opponent in as many days. But other than that, the Irish haven’t been just perfect; they’ve dominated almost every game they’ve played in. So far, the Irish have mostly played a variety of non-conference opponents. They aced their first conference test, sweeping a rain-shortened two-game series at then-No. 17 N.C. State, outscoring the Wolfpack 19-8. After their first home game of the season yielded another convincing win, a 12-1 final over Valparaiso, the Irish are back on the road to face the Louisville Cardinals (13-4, 0-0 ACC). The strength of Notre Dame’s outstanding start has been its pitching and defense. The Delaware loss marks the only occasion the Irish
have allowed more than four runs in a single game; in eight of those games, they’ve allowed two runs or fewer, including one shutout. Only one Notre Dame pitcher who has appeared in three games or more has an ERA over 2.50. All four of Notre Dame’s pitchers with starts have ERAs under two, allowing the offense to settle into games with ease. Leading the way on the mound are graduate student left-hander John Michael Bertrand and senior left-hander Aidan Tyrell, who are a combined 7-0 with 45 strikeouts to just eight walks. Graduate student right-hander Ryan McLinskey has also been great out of the bullpen, tallying two saves without allowing a run in 10 innings pitched. The unit will undoubtedly be tested as the season progresses, but the early returns are incredibly strong. It helps when you have as stout a defense behind you as the Irish pitching staff does, as Notre Dame leads the ACC with a .994 fielding percentage. see BASEBALL PAGE 15