Print Edition for The Observer for Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Annual Report shows $1.4 billion in lost value

Endowment falls in 2022 Show Some Skin shares stories

By EMMA VALES

writer

news

a fter a record-breaking year, n otre d ame’s endowment returned -6.9%, dropping to $18.9 billion this fiscal year, according to the 2022 a nnual r eport. The u niversity also reported a decrease in investment return during a staff town hall last fall.

The u niversity has company for this fiscal year’s negative fiscal return, with many universities experiencing drops in their

By GABBY BEECHERT news writer

s tudent club s how

s ome s kin staged their annual performance in h esburgh l ibrary’s c arey a uditorium last week, from m arch 2 to 4, to share anonymous narratives of students from the tri-campus community.

The theme of this year’s performance was “ p ush.

b ack.” b oth executive producer a nna l ee and executive director m adilynn

o ’ h ara cited multiple reasons for choosing

this theme. l ee said the theme wants to challenge our acceptance of returning to “the previous normal” after the pandemic, and o ’ h ara said it was also inspired by reflecting on the hopefulness expressed in last year’s theme of “emerge.”

“a fter everything has settled down, people just want things to be calm,” l ee said. “ p ushback is remembering we’re not okay with social injustice on n otre d ame’s campus, but also in

LaFortune parlor serves campus, local community Panel discusses Catholic feminism

By KATIE DOBELHOFF news writer

Zak e mmons, the owner and operating barber of u niversity h air s tylists, has been cutting hair for 25 years, but his business has been serving the n otre d ame community for almost double that.

u niversity h air s tylists, currently located in the basement of l a f ortune s tudent c enter, has offered haircuts to students and faculty for 45 years.

e mmons’ father Jeff started u niversity h air s tylists in his late 20s.

b efore then, n otre d ame ran its own barbershop when the u niversity was an all-boys school, catering primarily towards the large ro T c population on campus during the ‘40s and ‘50s. The e mmons family acquired the business in 1978, expanding it into a salon that offers cuts, coloring, styling and waxing.

The e mmons were not originally in the business of owning a salon on a college campus.

“ m y dad was cutting hair in s outh b end, and he happened to cut the hair of a couple guys who worked in the administration. a nd they said, ‘Jeff, we’re looking to hire. w e don’t want a barbershop anymore, and we don’t want to run it. you should throw your hat in the ring,’” e mmons told The o bserver.

The business originally operated in b adin h all with a couple of chairs and one barber, moving to l a f ortune in 1987.

Zak e mmons describes the business as being

“backwards from a lot of places in so many ways.”

f or instance, they receive many more male clients than female clients at about a 70-30 ratio, atypical for a beauty salon.

“ i think guys probably find it hard to stretch to go home [for] a haircut,”

e mmons said. s taff and graduate students are easily half of e mmons’ clientele, if not more, with the other half being mainly undergraduates.

m any of these customers

By KATELYN WALDSCHMIDT a ssociate news editor

Tuesday night, as part of the e x l ibris a uthor series, s aint m ary’s community members gathered in c arroll a uditorium and on Zoom to watch a panel presented by editors and contributors of “ u nruly c atholic f eminists: p rose, p oetry, and the f uture of the f aith.”

The panel was moderated by d aniel h oran, director of the c enter for s pirituality. h oran opened the event

by introducing the three speakers: l eigh e icke, Jeana d el r osso and l izzie w iley. e icke, one of the three coauthors, spoke first, discussing how the book is part of a larger series.

“Jeana, a na [ k othe] and i met in graduate school at the u niversity of m aryland. a na and i started talking about putting together a collection of critical essays addressing women in faith, c atholicism and feminism,” she said.

see feminisT PAGE 3

Alozo King Ballet performs at ND

By CAROLINE COLLINS news writer

The a lonzo k ing l ines b allet will bring its newest performance “ d eep r iver” to life on stage this w ednesday and Thursday evening. The performance is part of the p resenting s eries at d e b artolo p erforming a rts

c enter ( dpac ).

The piece was commissioned for the s an f rancisco-based company’s 40th anniversary and is a collaboration between director-choreographer a lonzo k ing, g rammy a ward-winning vocalist l isa f isher and m ac a rthur

see balleT PAGE 4

University of Notre Dame 2022 Annual Report

A pie chart from the annual report summarizes how the endowment was paid out for University operations in the 2022 fiscal year.

Courtesy of Zak Emmons

Since 1978, the Emmons family has been cutting hair at Notre Dame in various locations on campus, currently in LaFortune.

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endowments amid rockier market conditions. o ver the June 30, 2021 to June 30, 2022 period, the s &P 500 Index, an economic bellwether that tracks the 500 largest public companies, returned -13.4%, suggesting that n otre d ame’s -6.9% return actually beat the overall market for the fiscal period.

The endowment year-end market value on June 30, 2022 totaled $18.9 billion, excluding assets held on behalf of religious affiliates, a significant decline from the 2021 endowment yearend market value totaling $20.3 billion. c ompared to a record 53.2% overall return in 2021 — the secondhighest one-year return in University history — n otre d ame’s endowment swung to a negative return.

“ d espite the -6.9 percent overall return for 2022, performance for the fiscal year and over longer durations remains strong relative to [long and short term] benchmarks,” the report stated.

“The n otre d ame e ndowment remains our single largest revenue stream,” s hannon c ullinan, University executive vice president, wrote in the report.

In the m essage from the President at the start of the report, Fr. John Jenkins wrote that one of the most notable developments of the year was the election of John m cGreevy by the University’s b oard of

Trustees as provost. The combination of m cGreevy’s “scholarly achievements, his commitment to academic excellence across the University, his understanding of c atholic higher education and support for n otre d ame’s mission, and his embrace of [the University’s] aspirations regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion make him an ideal leader for n otre d ame at this moment in our history,” Jenkins said in the report.

The largest portion — 43% — of the endowment payout is dedicated to scholarships and fellowships. Approximately $183 million is ultimately allocated to this cause. The decision to dedicate this large portion of the endowment to scholarships and fellowships is “critical to maintaining needblind admissions and the University’s commitment to meet full undergraduate financial need,” the report states.

c ontributions and philanthropic support to the University this year were just as strong, if not stronger, than previous years.

c ontributions receivable for the 2022 fiscal year totaled $550,462, an increase from 2021’s contributions receivable at $515,474.

d ue to recent strength in undergraduate and graduate enrollment, revenue from net tuition and fees has modestly grown. h owever, because of this enrollment increase, the revenue was slightly offset due to a larger distribution of scholarships

and fellowships. The pandemic was not a large issue in this year’s annual report. b rian Kirzeder, manager of University financial reporting, said that the University is no longer making up for costs from the pandemic, and “if you look

“The c atholic c hurch and Unruly Women Writers: c ritical e ssays” is the first book the academics put together that engages with these topics. It includes essays from the medieval period through the early 21st century.

“The essays covered varied perspectives on both canonical and lesser-known c atholic women writers, all focusing on unruliness in what is commonly thought of as a restrictive site of writing for women: c atholicism,” e icke said. “In all of these essays, rather than simply oppressing or containing women, c atholicism drove or inspired these writers to challenge literary, social, political or religious hierarchies.”

The second collection of the series is titled “Unruly c atholic Women Writers: c reative r esponses to c atholicism.”

“ e ven though our goal had been scholarly articles

in our first collection, we’d received so many creative submissions that we decided to pursue a second collection,” e icke said.

The third collection took on yet another role.

“When we began to think about the third book in our c atholic Women Writers series, we knew what stories we wanted. We wanted to tell the sisters’ stories, and we knew those stories were out there,” e icke said. “We also knew exactly what and whom we were referring to when we were thinking of unruly nuns.”

e icke talked about how they reached out to nuns for their third collection “Unruly c atholic n uns: s isters’ s tories,” and were met with some hesitancy.

“ o ne told us she wasn’t unruly enough to be in our volume. o thers demurred, saying they had nothing to write,” e icke recalled.

n evertheless, the editors collected enough stories from “unruly nuns” and made their third collection.

The introduction of the

book sets the scene for the context of its various works.

“ d espite our love for the c atholic culture, many of us cannot forgive the church’s continual and persistent failure of so many of its constituents, particularly women,” d el r osso read aloud. “ m any of our writers address issues of social justice, which both domestically and internationally have become even more applicable within feminism and r oman c atholicism.”

d el r osso then read part of the introduction that spoke to the impact of feminism on the various writings.

“Inspired by feminist theology and feminism more generally, our writers also present Jesus as female [and] God as m other, redefining gender and gendered language.”

Wiley’s presentation included the reading of an original poem published in the volume, titled “ s he Will r ise.”

After reading, Wiley discussed how she wrote the poem during her undergraduate years.

at the current fiscal year, it’s largely unaffected by the pandemic, whereas fiscal years 2020 and 2021 were heavily impacted.”

Jenkins also said in the report that we have begun to “draw upon the important lessons of the last two

“I confused my professor several times with both my heavily c atholic and religious themes throughout my poetry, as well as my love poem about my lesbian relationship,” she said.

Wiley then went on to discuss the religious imagery and themes, starting with a disclaimer that she is no longer a practicing c atholic.

“The refrain of my poem perhaps challenges the primacy of Jesus’ resurrection with a simple pronoun: she. With a promise that it will be she that will rise,” she said. “In my initial draft of my poem, I specifically remember my poetry professor fighting me with ‘ n ot because you have risen her?’ he said ‘ s houldn’t it be raised her?’ b ut I wanted to keep the clunky risen to kind of flip the r isen c hrist trope upside down.”

Wiley continued to talk about how the girl in the poem is retaking herself, not needing the help of a man, not even c hrist.

“The entire poem is really an effort to reclaim the woman’s body from a

years,” maintaining a strategy designed to generate long-term financial success through market volatility and major shifts like the cov I d pandemic.

Contact Emma Vales at evales@nd.edu

church that has abused it in a myriad of ways over the course of centuries,” she said. “In a church that has denied her agency to use her body how she wishes. The real triumph is that she rises anyway.”

The panel ended with a question and answer session, started by h oran asking more about certain pieces from the collection and the process of selection for a volume.

m embers of the audience also asked questions pertaining to what the panel felt was the best way for students to advocate for causes on campus, especially for issues that may be considered “unruly” by the c atholic c hurch. The panel encouraged speaking up and making sure your voice is heard.

“There are people listening,” d el r osso assured.

“Keep fighting the good fight and stay if it’s the right place for you. And if it’s not, that’s okay too,” Wiley said.

University of Notre Dame 2022 Annual Report

The above chart shows revenues by source over the past four years. The endowment continues to compose the majority of operating revenues, followed by net tuition and fees, which slightly increased this year.

University of Notre Dame 2022 Annual Report

This chart from the report shows the endowment’s value over the past two decades. Despite an overall positive trajectory, the graph depicts a small decrease during the 2022 fiscal year which ended in June.

Baumer Hall hosts second chess invitational

By PETER BREEN news Writer

d ozens of students gathered in b aumer h all’s first-floor lounge s aturday afternoon for hours of strategy, tactics and companionship during the second annual chess tournament of n otre d ame’s newest men’s residential hall.

o n account of the contest’s s wiss-style matchmaking process — a non-eliminating tourney format — players could come and go for as long as they pleased.

The tournament charged no entry fee, although participants were encouraged to make a five-dollar donation to o ur Lady of the r oad, a homeless service center in s outh b end.

The event’s organizer, b aumer h all junior John h ealy, established the invitational last year when the n otre d ame c hess c lub had ceased to exist.

“

m y freshman year during [the pandemic] we had a chess club,” h ealy said. “The president then was a senior, and the vice president was a sophomore. The leadership of the club passed on to the vice president, but he made a last-minute decision to go to s ilicon v alley for a semester, and I guess he didn’t renew the club or something so the chess club shut down.”

With no centralized opportunities to play chess on campus, the idea to host a tourney came to h ealey one night when he had trouble falling asleep.

“I was like, ‘ h ey, it’d be nice to have a campus wide chess tournament. There’s no chess club,

Ballet

Fellow composer Jason m oran.

d PA c associate director of Programming and e ngagement s ean m artin said the performance is set to music that is a reinterpretation of African American spirituals.

The modern ballet company has been guided by King since 1982. According to the d PA c website, King is considered a visionary choreographer and his artistic style incorporates principles rooted in the e ast-West continuum while adhering to the classical

so why not?’” h ealy said.

Last year’s doubleelimination tournament proved enticing to campus chess enthusiasts and the b aumer h all community alike.

“The people who showed up really loved it,” h ealy said. “ b aumer h all really loved the tournament. The hall staff seemed to be really happy about the fact that we were doing this event for the whole campus.”

s ince the n otre d ame c hess c lub’s comeback this year, h ealy felt a little hesitant about putting on a campus wide chess contest for the second time.

“I thought maybe I shouldn’t do the tournament because it’s kind of their territory, like they’re the chess club,” h ealy said.

b ut the b aumer h all leadership was emphatic about the event’s return, and when h ealy pitched the idea to the chess club, they also were on board.

h ealy immediately knew — following the success of last year’s invitational — that he needed to track down a stash of chess boards and clocks — more than the 10 or so in the n otre d ame c hess c lub’s possession.

Fortunately, the faculty advisor of the University’s chess club also runs the chess club at a local c atholic school.

o nce ample chess sets were secured, a small amount of rearranging of b aumer h all’s well-furnished, first-floor common area would have the event’s physical arena more than sufficiently set.

The most glaring shortfall of last year’s tournament, h ealy noted, was that many

form of ballet.

m artin described King’s choreography as “the science and beauty of movement and space.”

“ h e has this idea of e astern philosophy and Western philosophy meeting and dance being language made into movement,” m artin continued.

The concept of movement in space and time is reflected in the company’s style of dance, m artin said.

m artin said that in contemporary ballet, like in contemporary art, sometimes the storyline isn’t as clear as it may be in “storybook” ballets like “ c inderella” or “ s wan Lake.” Traditional

competitors — who were so excited about the opportunity given the lack of chess club events — desired to get more games in after being knocked out of the double elimination bracket.

Therefore, this time around h ealy imposed the s wiss system. A computer program — not a predetermined bracket — would dictate the tournament — matching winners with winners and losers with losers in a series of 20-minute rounds.

“The nice thing is that people, if they want to stay and play the whole time they can, but if they want to come for one game and leave, they can also do that,” h ealy said. “Towns and cities across the United s tates will have local chess clubs. If you went to any tournament run by any of those clubs, they’d be using

ballets typically follow a definite progression of events, but “ d eep r iver” tells the story of the toned bodies of the dancers and their movements.

“[The ballet] isn’t going to be a literal type of story,” m artin said. “[The story] is appreciating the movement in the form and technique and the dedication it takes.”

The abstract nature of the performance allows people to interpret the piece differently, m artin said. People will likely take away different meanings from the performance and subsequent viewings will reveal new perspectives about the piece.

a s wiss system.”

Under the arrangement everyone gets to play the same number of matches, and a winner is crowned based on winloss record.

s itting through lectures each day, h ealy has long observed the popularity of the classic game among n otre d ame students.

“There are a lot of people who play chess,” h ealy said. “You see it all the time. If you’re sitting in the back of a classroom and people have their laptops open, you usually see one or two people playing chess. Allegedly, [sophomore quarterback] Tyler b uchner plays in one of his classes.”

The greatest appeal of the board game, h ealy added, is the intellectual challenge.

“It’s way more of a skill game than outsiders to chess realize, and

“We feel strongly that art has a way of reaching humans and understanding and truth and beauty in a way that language just can’t,” m artin said.

In addition to the two 65-minute performances, dancers from the company will be involved with community outreach events while they are in s outh b end. The company is teaching a master class for students at c lay h igh s chool and at two local dance studios.

b y visiting local schools and dance studios, the company hopes to inspire young dancers and serve as a role model for dancers interested in

it’s something that you can cultivate,” h ealy said. “There is some correlation between quantitative intelligence and being able to play chess, but practice is huge.”

In holding the tournament, h ealy wished to contribute a touch of good to both n otre d ame and the greater s outh b end community.

“I really liked the model of optional donations I’ve seen at other events around campus, so we’re just giving an opportunity for people to optionally donate to o ur Lady of the r oad, which is a homeless service center in s outh b end [where] I’ve done service there in the past,” h ealy said.

Liam Price contributed to the reporting of this article.

Contact Peter Breen at pbreen2@nd.edu

pursuing a professional dance career.

m artin said the outreach component is important because the goal of these events is not only to bring great art to campus and the n otre d ame community, but also to engage the community beyond the performance.

There are only a few tickets remaining for the performances Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in d ecio Theater. The tickets are $10 for n otre d ame students and can be purchased on the d PA c website.

Contact Caroline Collins at ccolli23@nd.edu

Peter Breen | The Observer

Notre Dame’s newest men’s residence hall hosted the second annual Baumer Hall Chess Invitational on Saturday. Junior John Healy started the tournament when the Notre Dame Chess Club shut down in 2021.

general.”

o ’ h ara echoed the sentiment.

“We crafted this idea of pushback which is to say, yes, we have relief, and we’re entering into this new world,” o ’ h ara said. “ b ut how much has the world changed, and how much has the world stayed the same? What are we pushing back against? What do we as a community need to do or need to push back against to actually make this change actually happen?”

This year, about 60 to 70 monologues were

Stylists

are regulars who routinely come back to the salon.

“ i ’d say 95% of what i do are people that i ’ve done for either the last three or four years here,” e mmons said. “ i ’ve literally given people their first haircut, and then they’ve ended up like coming to school here.” h e

submitted, o ’ h ara said.

The number of stories varies year-to-year depending on how much students feel they can relate to the theme, and if they have stories they want to tell, she said.

When selecting stories, the leadership team goes through the different monologues, Lee said. They consider a number of criteria in their selections. They want to ensure there is a diverse collection of stories, appropriate actors to fit the monologues and well-written stories that fit the theme, o ’ h ara said.

b efore the pandemic, Lee said s how s ome s kin used to be a prominent

said he and the other hairstylists get to know their customers after years of cutting their hair.

University h air s tylists now has six hair stylists, including e mmons. They have a very low turnover ratio of employees, differentiating them from many other hair salons.

a lmost everyone employed by the salon has worked there for at least 10 years, some even longer than

part of campus. a ll three nights of the performance would sell out within minutes, she said. i n coming back from the pandemic, she said, the show is not as popular, but members of the production are looking to keep powering through and reviving the show.

o ’ h ara said Thursday’s show was about half-full with 150 to 200 seats in c arey a uditorium filled, and s aturday’s show was about two-thirds full. f riday’s show was canceled due to the snow.

The show exists for the purpose of promoting diversity and inclusion, as well as creating an inclusive space for students

e mmons himself.

“ i t’s kind of cheesy and corny, but they’ve become like family,” he said.

c ustomers affirm the family-oriented aspect of University h air s tylists. Kimberly m ilewski has gotten her hair done at the salon ever since she started working at n otre d ame over 25 years ago. While she was at first attracted to the salon’s convenience, coming during

regardless of sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, gender identity or disability, Lee said. With all this in mind, she said it is important to remember these stories all belong to members of the tri-campus community.

“ i think n otre d ame can be homogenous, and it is really easy to get lost in that homogeneity because it’s what you see on a daily basis,” Lee said. “You don’t know exactly what everyone is going through or where they come from, and i think sometimes the brightest voices get drowned in that.”

These stories also provide a medium for

her lunch break, she continues to return even after retirement.

“ e verybody’s so friendly. They’re always very helpful and will get you in right away,” m ilewski said.

e mmons says the favorite part of his job is how everyone feels good about themselves after.

“ e very day, like every 20 minutes, people come in and they’re like, ‘ o h my God, i feel so much better.

students to find moments of solidarity and understand they are not alone in their emotions, even if the monologues deal with a non-traditional n otre d ame experience, o ’ h ara said.

“We really want to show that everybody on this campus has felt lonely, sad and hopeful,” o ’ h ara said. “ e ven if you can’t relate to the exact story that’s being told, you’re not alone in any way you felt, and there’s somebody else who has experienced the exact same thing that you’re going through.

o h, that looks so great,’” he said.

e mmons loves knowing he can make someone’s day after they enter his salon, even though cutting hair doesn’t take very long. h e compares it to a senior thesis, only he gets to see the light at the end of the tunnel every half an hour, then do it all over again.

Contact Katie Dobelhoff at kdobelho@nd.edu

Contact Gabby Beechert at gbeecher@nd.edu

he will come again

Andrew Sveda church and state

“Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4 esv ). The hope and anticipation of Jesus’ s econd c oming, the judgment, and the resurrection are central to the c hristian faith and life. Indeed, this eager expectation is the chief part of the “helmet of the hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:8). It should not surprise us, then, that s atan should seek to foment doubts and anxieties about these promises and truths.

The verse quoted is an example of such an attempt to deny Jesus’ return. It’s an objection we have all undoubtedly heard or felt. b ut it should, first of all, comfort us to remember that such scoffings are neither new nor surprising but were foretold long ago (2 Peter 3:2-4). They may make us feel uneasy, but God is not surprised by them. This reminds us that God is in control, that h e has appointed and “fixed” the very day and hour of the e nd (Acts 17:31) and that h e knows how people will react and what they will be saying in the intervening period. e verything is going according to plan, just as h e said—ironically even the fact that scoffers will mock that it is not. b ut what of the argument itself? It is quite faulty because the underlying assumption (“since nothing has changed, nothing will ever change”) is terribly wrong. As one preacher put it, one could say using the same logic, “I’ll never die. I never have.” h istory, too, has repeatedly shown us that we have no clue what will happen to us even in the coming days or hours. h ow many of us, for example, would have scoffed if we told ourselves even days before the cov I d lockdown what we know now? The fact that you can’t imagine the s econd c oming doesn’t change its truth any more than the fact that your previous inability to imagine what living in a pandemic would be like meant that covid would never be a problem. This calls for humility. s hall we—who do not know if we will even live the rest of this very hour—dispute with and scoff at the Author of history?

b ut how does Peter address the objection? h e first points to the Flood, which refutes the scoffers’ claim of a changeless creation and provides a precedent for the coming destruction (cf. 2 Peter 2:3-10). The time between the c reation and the Flood likewise mirrors the way “the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (3:7). The world need not see some massive change before the e nd takes place. Just as the means for the Flood was within creation itself, and set up by God “long ago” (3:5), so, too, are the means of the coming destruction prepared and ready, waiting for God’s command (3:7). God, “declaring the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10), has already set the pieces in position. Thus, just as in “the days of n oah” ( m atthew 24:37), people will be doing ordinary things— “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” — “until”

the very end ( m atthew 24:38), and the Lord will come like a thief in the night ( m atthew 24:43-44). n ot only, then, is the scoffers’ grounding for their argument (a changeless creation) disproven by the Flood, but, while the b ible gives us signs of and information about the e nd Times (e.g., m atthew 24:3-35, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12, the b ook of r evelation), we also should not expect, as the scoffers assume we should, to know the day or hour until it has come ( m atthew 24:36,42,44). The last days, while quite unique and calamitous, will also be quite ordinary. It could even be today.

Peter provides a second response in the following verses, reminding his readers that God’s view of time and the perspective of eternity is quite different than our own. We often take this to mean that God is apathetic or uncaring, but the delay (in our eyes) instead flows from the mercy of God: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God waits because h e is currently working to spread the gospel, to call people to repent and believe in c hrist, and to gather all h is elect. h e delays so that h e will save people. r ather than a reason to scoff at God, this should drive one to thank God for h is forbearing mercy and to repent and believe the gospel at once, for h e will not delay h is wrath forever. Understanding God’s active plan in all of history to save “a people for his own possession” (1 Peter 2:9), we can begin to wait for h im—though always saying, “ c ome, Lord Jesus” ( r evelation 22:20)—with gratefulness and praise for what h e is doing and accomplishing even now.

There are, of course, plenty of other things to say about Jesus’ s econd

c oming and the reasons we know it will come to pass, such as c hrist’s resurrection, which ensures our own (1 c orinthians 15:20), our union with c hrist ( c olossians 3:3-4, John 14:3), and the s pirit’s indwelling, which “is the guarantee of our [believer’s] inheritance until we acquire possession of it” ( e phesians 1:14). All of these things give the c hristian hope and remind us that no matter how mundane this world may seem, c hrist indeed is “coming soon” ( r evelation 22:20). This truth rips open the ceiling and breaks down the door of our lives when we struggle to see God and to see h im in our lives. It calls to mind h is sovereign plan, h is active and supernatural working today, and what h e will do in but a little while. It should drive us to praise God and to more “eagerly [wait] for” ( h ebrews 9:28), long for and “[love] h is appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). “ o ur Lord, come!” (1 c orinthians 16:22).

Andrew Sveda is a senior at Notre Dame from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, majoring in political science and theology. In his free time, he enjoys writing (obviously), reading and playing the piano. He can be reached at asveda@nd.edu or @ SvedaAndrew on Twitter.

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

March of the Titans

Kate Casper outsider Instincts

I’m in the A ce building, and I promise I’m the least productive person here (besides the guy who’s been napping for the past hour next to a box of Girl s cout c ookies). I’m surfing through my high school newspaper archives, reminiscing about those simpler times at my alma mater, T. c . Williams h igh s chool. And, while a part of me really wanted to go to the hockey game tonight because I love hockey (boys), I’ve decided there’s no place I’d rather be than here.

h ere I am, wearing my pinnacle college outfit in my college body, running on five hours of college sleep from a chaotic college weekend and I’m reflecting on my high school self.

And of course, I’m feeling that all-too-familiar pang of emotion as I read through articles I wrote when I was 15, 16 and 17—those years before I had my driver’s license or first glass of wine or first kiss, those years before I knew I’d end up here, in the A ce building on a m arch day with the stress of my Italian midterm oral presentation and marketing analysis essay looming over my head (I haven’t started either).

h ere I am, feeling something like nostalgia and dissociation all at once, as I confront, for the first time in a long time, the profound space between who I am now and who I was in high school, the world I’m creating here and the world I created back home, on the cusp of adulthood.

h as it really been two years since I graduated? And three years since cov I d -19 hit on some random Friday in m arch?

h ow long has it been since I put on my Titan tennis uniform and played number three doubles versus the West Potomac Wolverines? h ow long has it been since I took one of those extended bathroom breaks during m s. Z’s class to wander the halls and chat with friends? h ow long has it been since I packed into our sweaty gymnasium for homecoming dances and basketball games and pep rallies?

h ow long has it been since I spent every business day inside that massive building on King s treet, walking the halls alongside kids who couldn’t afford school lunches and kids who drove bm Ws?

These were events that shaped me, moments that would forever color my coming-of-age story, and yet I’ve never felt farther from them than I do now. And a part of me really misses it.

o f course, I don’t miss the hallway fights and cliquey social groups—I miss the beautiful, trivial aspects like senior night festivities and poster-making or the April Fool’s edition of the school newspaper (where I’d reveal intimate details about my nonexistent love life).

b ut, above all, I miss the people—the beautiful diversity, the dozens of different languages floating from classrooms in our International Academy and the pockets of different cultures and backgrounds reflected on our sports teams and in our student sections.

In short, I miss being a Titan.

It’s funny—the way people here talk about n otre d ame being a rite of passage is how I talk about T. c . Instead of wearing a green n otre d ame bib, I wore a “Future Titan” T-shirt. Instead of going to collegiate football

t itans

games, I took trips to the T. c . planetarium with my elementary school class. Instead of watching “ r udy,” I watched “ r emember the Titans.”

n ow that I’m a few years removed from my high school experience, I realize what folks in my town meant when they referred to my alma mater, one of the largest and most diverse public schools in v irginia, as “Yale or jail.” I’ve seen it first-hand: m y former classmates who now go to elite schools and live in cool cities and my former classmates who struggle, commit crimes and die.

I often think about 3 members of the T. c . class of 2021 who have passed. I think about their friends and family and teachers. I think about how one day they were really accessible people you could call or text or bring up in conversation or go visit—and the next day, they were gone.

b ut I looked to the members of the T. c . class of 2020 who dealt with the loss of one of their classmates just two months after graduation. I looked to them and saw that in their pain was a fierce resilience, and in that pain, we become Titans again, unified by loss and (more than that) a lot of love.

These days, whenever I’m home for breaks, I plan my runs as school gets out. I wear my old T. c . sweatshirts or my new n otre d ame gear, and I run past my high school, watching the sea of thousands of students flow into the street and the parking circle and the bus stops and bus bays. And I tell myself, “This run is for the Titans. This run is for the student journalists and the athletes and the theater kids and everyone in between.”

And today, in the A ce b uilding, this article is for Luis m ejia h ernandez. h e was a member of the Alexandria c ity h igh s chool class of 2022. h e was killed during a fight in front of the m c d onald’s in b radlee s hopping c enter at the end of last school year. h e would have graduated last June. Luis, someone in n otre d ame, Indiana is thinking of you.

Kate Casper (aka, Casper, Underdog or Jasmine) is from Northern Virginia, currently residing in Breen-Phillips Hall. She strives to be the best waste of your time. You can contact her at kcasper@nd.edu. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

QuotE of tHE DAY

“It’s very important that we relearn the art of resting and relaxing. not only does it help prevent the onset of many illnesses that develop through chronic tension and worrying; it allows us to clear our minds, focus, and find creative solutions to problems.”

Thich Nhat Hanh Vietnamese monastic

sister sally sherman

retribution.

All I could see was the white popcorn ceiling and a bright fluorescent light in the corner of the screen. We were on FaceTime and although I couldn’t really see her face during this call, she wasn’t caked in her normal gorgeous smile and glowing personality. Pain seeped through the screen and shame lined every word out of her mouth.

s ummer brings me back to the beginning of cov I d in a lot of ways: distant from those we love, unable to provide the hugs we so deeply yearn for and scattered throughout different time zones — which can make it even harder when the people we care so dearly about are so ferociously hurting.

m y friend had unprotected sex with a guy. s he had to take the morning-after pill. e ven worse than the scary run-in with trying to handle the slip-up was the shame and baggage she carried in the weeks since.

s he’s someone I look up to a lot; kind, loving, warm, smart and driven. s he’s what any parent would dream of their child being and anyone would be overjoyed to share the gift of friendship with her.

I’m not here to have my own doctrinal battle with the c atholic c hurch’s stances on sex and abortion, though we have many disagreements. I think a more interesting question is how we respond to situations like my friend’s.

A lot of c hristians use their c hristianity like a teacher running between folks with a moral measuring stick: telling others how far from the ceilings of c hrist they are and how close to the floor and eternal damnation they are.

m any c hristians weaponize and attack others, arming parents and families with poisonous words that load a bazooka of shame, hurt and sadness to break apart people in an attempt to “save them.”

When I tell most people I’m c atholic, they seem to do an algebraic equation because they don’t understand my deep reverence for the faith. I’m queer, I hand out condoms like o prah hands out cars and my political beliefs are far more progressive than the c hurch as a whole. s alvation and the c hurch, to me, are about a way of existing in the world. m y late great aunt s ister s ally s herman embodies what I think the c hurch at its best is.

s ister s ally s herman was a s ister of m ercy for 64 years. s he is just about the holiest woman I’ve ever met. s ister s ally spent her life jumping into the thick mud of suffering with those on the margins of society. Going to the south side of c hicago to work on racial justice and anti-poverty work in the ‘80s. A fierce advocate against militarism in the early 2000s. And, during the 2010s, a prolific advocate for the radiating love of c hrist.

s he discussed her discernment of the faith as going back to the roots, “outreach to people who were poor, people who were disadvantaged.” h er faith was action. h er spirituality was meaning-making.

In her reading of the b ible, Jesus only really asked two questions that determined his actions. o ne, who is power oppressing? And two, who is religion missing? Then, he went with those people, walked with them, ate with them and fought for justice with them. s he saw Jesus as a healer, a reconciler, someone who ran around with hugs and food, not yardsticks and

In the early 2000s the battles over gay marriage were a political and religious bloodbath and still are today. Priests were being exiled, excommunicated and barred for so much as helping out with a gay wedding — not even presiding.

When my gay dads came to my great aunt to ask if she could officiate their ceremony she responded, “ n o question, yes.” Knowing the political climate within the c hurch, my dad pushed further, asking “Are you sure with all the priests currently being excommunicated for it?”

“The c hurch doesn’t let me officiate ‘real’ marriages, so I’d like for them to come after me for performing a ‘sham’ one,” she huffed.

s he represents the c hurch at its best — built on a foundation of love, meeting people where they’re at and fearlessly defending them in the face of oppression.

m y family is a typical midwestern one, savagely dedicated to demolishing each other in card games. s ister s ally was no different. All her mercy, compassion and holiness left when she sat down at the card table for a game of e uchre. In one game of hearts when I was 10, she gave me the queen of spades five separate times.

s he knew that love involved some toughness at times but was unlike those within the c hurch who would argue that toughness should define the majority of our ministry in running between people with our moral yardsticks.

Jesus and my great aunt were tough about justice and righteousness, but they always started with the people. Providing the ministry the person is calling out for and then dealing with the weighty moral questions. e ven if they disagreed vehemently with the actions or behaviors.

m y favorite stories in the b ible are when Jesus is eating, talking, walking and working with sinners. m inistry was not the art of being in community with those who were holier than the ceilings, but communing with those on the floor. As Jesus says in m ark 2:17, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

It was always about meeting people in their humanity and then dealing with matters of spiritual matters beyond. s ister s ally taught me to meet people, not pass judgment or assume a moral framework for them. We can guide others based on our ideals, but we shouldn’t push those on other people or turn away a person from help when they are calling out for it.

When I think of my friend I know what s ister s ally would have done — sat on the phone and figured out how to help her. n o judgment. n o holding back. r ushing into the fires with no regard for anything but being there for my friend. It’s what defined her life and it’s what should define the c hurch.

Dane Sherman is a junior at Notre Dame studying American Studies, peace studies, philosophy, and gender studies. Dane enjoys good company, good books, good food and talking about faith in public life. Outside of The Observer, Dane can be found exploring Erasmus books with friends, researching philosophy, with folks from Prism, reading NYTs op-eds from David Brooks/Ezra Klein/Michelle Goldberg or at the Purple Porch getting some food. Dane ALWAYS wants to chat and can be reached at @danesherm on twitter or lsherma2@nd.edu.

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

Dane Sherman saints Among Us

Turning political apathy into empathy

Ashlyn Poppe bridgend

I have been asked on numerous occasions about the political makeup of n otre d ame’s campus. Typically, my response is something along the lines of: “We have very passionate advocates at both ends of the spectrum, but many people fall somewhere in the middle.”

There are two main reasons for this. o n the one hand, some students simply do not care about political issues. o n the other, students often feel as though it is not worth the persistence, frustration and exhaustion that inevitably comes with addressing political discord. We should recognize, however, that there is an important distinction between genuine political apathy and the choice to avoid political conversations that require extensive time and energy to initiate and navigate successfully.

When n otre d ame students voice their preference to avoid talking about politics, I cannot blame them. The United s tates political landscape has reached an inflection point. m ore tension, hatred and turmoil exists in our political system now than ever before. r ight now, we must decide whether we have what it takes to heal our democratic system and more importantly, to learn how to talk to each other.

I am often told that our generation is the country’s only hope. First, let me say that I am sure that this experience is not unique to me. As a collective group of current and soon-to-be twenty-somethings, we often feel the weight of safeguarding a twohundred-and-something-year-old system on our shoulders. It is therefore easy to fall into the mindset that our individual efforts are trivial. It is a fair question: What can you do to change our country’s trajectory?

I am here to tell you that at this inflection point, healing and progress are possible, but only with your help. When we reject political conversations simply because they are difficult, we fail the future generations of American citizens who will have to work ten times harder to preserve what will be left of our democracy. The time is now and the implications are severe.

n ow, let me offer you hope.

At n otre d ame, we often brag about the University’s strong and unique sense of community. We emphasize our diversity of backgrounds and opinions, talents and interests and ambitions and successes. h owever, the n otre d ame community is not immune to political polarization. m any of us have witnessed firsthand the tangible and harmful effects of political division on campus.

To uphold the incredible community on which we pride ourselves, we must address these issues which threaten to undermine our mission and values as a whole.

At n otre d ame, we are fortunate enough to have our own chapter of b ridgeU s A, an organization committed to bridging the political divide one conversation at a time. We believe in the power of conversation. s pecifically, we believe that productive and respectful multi-partisan discourse is essential to healing our democracy and training young people to do what our politicians cannot. r espect is a prerequisite. b ridge nd

provides a forum for discussion for all people.

Although it can be hard to see, hear or feel our impact, change happens every time b ridge nd hosts a meeting. c hange happens every time students of different backgrounds and political beliefs come together to discuss the most critical and sometimes the most controversial problems facing our country. Personally, b ridge nd equips me with the necessary tools to create a more welcoming United s tates, while generating enthusiasm and optimism to brave the tumultuous landscape that is American politics. To all of our members, thank you for showing up! With the weight of American democracy on our shoulders, it can sometimes feel impossible to make a difference. h owever, I can assure you that when we come together with a common purpose, the result is always progress. After all, we are the next generation of policymakers, leaders and change makers. To turn political apathy into empathy, we must give each other a reason to care. I care because I see and respect the passion of my peers who demonstrate the necessary courage and perseverance to talk politics on our college campus.

o ur Lady’s campus is the ideal place to have these discussions. o ur student population possesses a vast array of political opinions. As I mentioned earlier, there is immense passion, motivation and enthusiasm across the political spectrum at the University. We must channel this energy into change. As a student body, we must tolerate each other enough to listen and respect each other enough to discuss.

You will never be asked to change your values and beliefs at b ridge nd. r ather, you will be asked to share them with others and listen when others share theirs with you. You will be challenged to enter conversations with individuals with whom you fundamentally disagree. We cannot promise that this experience will change your life and immediately result in multi-partisan collaboration. We can promise that you will leave each meeting feeling a little bit more fulfilled, a little bit more inspired and a little bit more involved in the preservation of American democracy.

If you are interested in being a part of the change, I encourage you to attend a meeting. If you are already a b ridge nd member, I encourage you to speak your mind, suggest topics for discussion and keep showing up because that makes all the difference.

Ashlyn Poppe is a second-year student living in Pasquerilla West Hall studying global affairs and political science. She currently serves as the Vice President for BridgeND. BridgeND is a multi-partisan political club committed to bridging the partisan divide through respectful and productive discourse. It meets bi-weekly on Mondays at 7 p.m. in Duncan Student Center Meeting Room 1, South W106 to learn about and discuss current political issues. The club can be reached www @bridge_ND.

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

Is eye contact overrated?

Jack Griffiths neurodivergence

All right, I’m looking into his eyes. Good. Now he knows I’m paying attention … Wait, it’s been 10 seconds. What if he thinks I’m staring at him? Maybe I should just look at something else for a split second so I don’t stare. Good! There’s a tree over there. Let’s look at the tree. Hold on, my glasses are also a bit smudgy. I would wipe them, but I don’t have a cloth with me. Gosh, my eyes feel a bit dry too. Better rub them soon. Shoot! I need to re-establish eye contact ASAP. There we go, eyes are aligned, once again. Ready to re-engage in this conversation.

Wait, what was he talking about again?

As an autist, I personally believe that direct eye contact is overrated. sure, I agree that you generally shouldn’t look away from your friend as you chat about classes in between bites of gnocchi and sweet potato. but as a kid, I heard so many people tell me that looking people directly in the eyes was the key to being a good conversationalist, as if eye contact was a panacea to prevent any awkward moments. something that would successfully hide my insecurities about not being as good at social interactions as the other people around me.

Well, for a while, I tried it. I resisted the urge to move my eyes around whatsoever. during every conversation — with my family members, with my friends, with my teachers, with anyone people introduced me to — I would lock in my eyes. nothing would distract me from scanning and downloading the seeing orbs of everyone I encountered. nothing would stop me from finally being able to have conversations in the “correct” way.

but this didn’t necessarily make conversations easier. In fact, it often made them more uncomfortable and exhausting. When focusing on a person’s eyes, I wouldn’t pay as much attention to what they were saying. It led to several moments where I had to ask people to repeat what they said, even though my unflinching eye contact gave the illusion that I was paying close attention to them. As I grew older, it became evident that focusing on having unflinching eye contact was not the solution I needed to more easily communicate with my neurotypical peers.

Instead, I came to a new conclusion. having awkwardness in conversations is just as inevitable as having a stuffed nose in south bend during the winter months. People make jokes that sounded funnier in their heads than when spoken aloud. People struggle to bring up new points to break anxious, silent lulls in a discussion. And yes, people often find it challenging to figure out exactly what to do with their eyes at any given moment.

While many autistic people — including myself — might relate to these experiences more closely, even neurotypical people can encounter the same struggles. despite our best efforts, none of us are immune to occasional mistakes. but in a way, this understanding comforts me. I know that conversations are inherently imperfect, so I should just try my best and see what works best for me and for those I talk with. In return, I hope that those I talk to have the grace to be patient with me. Instead of fighting the awkwardness, we should embrace it. both me and my peers can more openly and deeply learn about each other’s experiences and aspirations if we shelve away any of our anxieties about being the world’s greatest conversationalists. While perfectionism leads to constant worries and unrealistic social expectations, vulnerability allows us to see each other as we are.

so the next time you chat with a friend, don’t panic when the conversation goes silent for a bit. don’t feel the need to grind your teeth to dust just because you made a movie reference that nobody understood. And finally, don’t worry about maintaining direct eye contact at all times. If I’m talking to you and my eyes don’t always line up with yours, please know that it’s not because I’m not trying to escape the conversation or because I don’t care about what you’re saying. It’s simply because I’m participating in the conversation as myself — and I’m not perfect, and that’s perfectly fine.

Jack Griffiths is a senior at Notre Dame majoring in English with a supplementary major in global affairs. His areas of interest include neurodivergence, migration and the intersections between faith and public policy. When he’s not writing, you can find him singing with the Liturgical Choir, walking around the lakes or playing Super Smash Bros with folks in his dorm. He can be reached at jgriff22@nd.edu.

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

By GABRIEL ZARAZUA scene Writer

d epression is a difficult topic to discuss. There are different levels to it. What may seem severe depression to one person may be just general sadness to another. h owever, with all of us being in college, I feel we have all had those waves of sadness at one point in our lives. Where we want to be optimistic, outgoing and the life of the party, but we lack the reasoning to do so. Which sucks, I mean, who wants to be sad all the time? It’s not something one can simply control, and when not handled correctly, will slowly consume you. This is what Trey Parker and m att s tone portray in s eason 15, episodes seven to eight of “ s outh Park.”

“ s outh Park,” portraying depression? That sounds like a recipe for disaster and backlash as soon as the episode airs. s urprisingly enough, the creators do a good job of displaying depression in one of the main characters, s tan m arsh. s tan has just celebrated his tenth birthday and realizes how much older he has gotten. s uddenly, everything around him is just not the same.

e verything lacks what gave him joy. m usic sucks, food tastes awful and it annoys s tan to the point of anger, whicch eventually leads him to complain and lash out at those around him. h e gets this negative view of the world and doesn’t know how to change it. It doesn’t get any better when his parents divorce in the series, and he has to deal with the fallout at the age of ten. h e shuts himself out. e verything around him is just white noise. You can tell that it has gotten far worse from just seeing the world in a negative way. h e just doesn’t see the point of anything. h e may get out of bed and go to school, but you can see… he’s just not there mentally anymore.

What makes this more heartbreaking is that no one seems to be meeting s tan halfway. Yes, it is not fair that he is suddenly lashing out at his loved ones and being rude all the time, but those who care for him don’t want to talk about it, instead giving him advice with an air of toxic positivity (or else no one will want to be around him). What is the point of faking happiness instead of talking about how you truly feel? The deepest line in the whole episode is when s tan tells his school

counselor: “When all the things that made you laugh, just make you sick. h ow do you go on when nothing makes you happy?”

While there is a lot more to the story in these two episodes I will skip ahead just a bit. s tan eventually gets manipulated to drink alcohol to feel better, and while they use this bit for some laughs, they also show how he is truly acting in a drunken state. While later on in the end he learns his lesson, the show takes one last dark twist, when s tan comes to terms with moving forward, his parents remarrying and going back to the toxic home that devoured him. h e relapses. In the very last scene, his friends come over to take him to the movies, but before he leaves, he opens his drawer, takes out his alcohol bottle and takes a shot. It is never brought up again in the show, but the viewers have known since 2011, that s tan is still depressed, never got help and still drinks to this day.

While mainstream shows try to glorify depression, s outh Park portrays the most realistic approach in a raw and heartbreaking way.

Contact Gabriel at gzarazua@nd.edu

By ROSE ANDROWICH scene Writer

“ r omeo and Juliet” has spawned a variety of cultural responses to the act of literature. The inspiration derived from “ r omeo and Juliet” takes note of how s hakespeare wrote the play. The principal source for the plot was a narrative poem by the e nglish poet Arthur b rooke. b rooke’s poem is based on a French translation of a tale written by the Italian m atteo b andello. From Taylor s wift’s “Love s tory” to “Gnomeo and Juliet” and “Letters to Juliet,” to name a few, the play is a part of popular culture due to the numerous retellings and adaptations.

The “Actors From the London s tage” have their unique approach to s hakespeare and to how they act out their plays. They used the five actor approach which is inspired by how plays were performed in s hakespeare’s time. r oles were often played by multiple actors, and the approach was effective for “ r omeo and Juliet.”

The actors showed a commitment to mastering multiple parts. h illary m aclean played the role of Juliet’s nurse and Paris exceptionally well. The contrast between the two roles proved to be fascinating to see unfold. The approach was done with humor which furthered the enjoyment of the play. Jonathan o ldfield who played Friar Lawrence, Lady c apulet, Tybalt, Peter and

m ontague leaned into humor heavily in his portrayal The character of Peter, the c apulet’s servant, proved to be one of the funniest characters. o ldfield leaned into the defining props for Peter and used them to make a statement. The work of the actors made the 5 actor approach highly effective.

A highlight of the performance was Grace Andrew’s stunning delivery of Juliet’s monologue:

“Tis but thy name that is my enemy:

Thou art thyself, though not a m ontague.

What’s m ontague? It is nor hand nor foot

n or arm nor face nor any other part

b elonging to a man. o be some other name.

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose…”

Andrew’s delivery of the monologue showed the commitment of the actors to collaborate with s hakespeare. Andrew is one example of the understanding the actors possess of s hakespeare’s character. r omeo (Thomas Wingfield) approached r omeo’s character as a love-sick teen of sorts. Portraying r omeo in this way sends a powerful message; it uses the play as a cautionary tale rather than a standard for relationships.

Juliet is similarly depicted to r omeo, particularly in the scene where she questions her nurse about r omeo.

The quality of these scenes was a contrast to other scenes that were a missed opportunity. The scenes could have been acted out or taken in a different approach. An example of this is the miscommunication between r omeo and Juliet. The play by some is characterized by the circumstances that led to the tragedy. It’s a matter of miscommunication and r omeo not receiving a message from Juliet. The approach the actors took served well but the miscommunication could have been leaned into more. Additionally, the rivalry proved to be somewhat confusing when examining the different roles. s ome choices made in the casting could have led to some confusion during the quarrel scenes. The approach to the fight scenes was very creative though. They used red scarves as weapons but also as roses that lined the stage. s omething else that was enjoyable to see was Juliet’s limited costume changes throughout the play. When she married r omeo she was wearing a veil and when she was set to marry Paris she wore a white lace skirt. I love the choice to add costumes of sorts for Juliet. The production showcased a deep understanding and appreciation of s hakespeare’s play.

Contact Rose at randrowich01@saintmarys.edu

By GENEVIEVE COLEMAN Assistant managing editor

As many of my friends know, I have successfully made student teaching my entire personality. e ven though I am perpetually exhausted from what I do, my experience being in the classroom every day has been amazing.

Growing up, I learned what it meant to be an educator from watching my mom be an amazing kindergarten teacher. n ow, creator, executive producer, writer and star Quinta b runson has shown the world a glimpse into the lives of hard-working public school teachers in “Abbott e lementary.” Inspired by the life of her own mother, b runson highlights the many joys and struggles of being a teacher, cracking smiles and warming hearts the whole way.

From the first trailer I saw of the show back in 2021, I knew I had fallen in love with Abbott, even if it never entered into the mainstream. To this day, I have never been disappointed — or more wrong about how people would take the show. “Abbott” immediately received rave reviews and continues to sweep every award show.

The plot follows Pittsburgh elementary school teachers Janine Teagues ( b runson), Gregory e ddie (Tyler James Williams), m elissa s chemmenti (Lisa Ann Walter), b arbara h oward ( s heryl Lee r alph), Jacob h ill ( c hris Perfetti), their principal Ava c oleman (Janelle James) and the school

custodian m r. Johnson (William s tanford d avis). e ach week, this ensemble cast returns to school, taking on issues in education while caring for their students. Filmed in a mockumentary style, “Abbott” gives an honest assessment of being a new teacher, teaching underserved students and being a young professional.

“Abbott” is incredibly successful at all its relationship building between characters. m elissa and b arbara have a teacher-friend relationship I envy and only hope to achieve by the time I’m a veteran teacher. o n the flip side, Janine, Gregory and Jacob navigate the politics of being young teachers, relying on each other and their older mentors to successfully teach their students. Principal c oleman adds another layer of chaos by being an underqualified and unprofessional, yet truly caring supervisor. m r. Johnson fills any hole by appearing at the best moments and being an excellent member of the school’s supporting staff.

While the writing of the show is hilarious and the cast has the best chemistry I’ve seen in years, there are so many touching moments for viewers to enjoy. o ne that immediately comes to mind is when m elissa sits down with a student struggling with reading and tells her own story as a young student who couldn’t keep up as a reader. Walter encouraging this student to persevere through her challenges brings me to tears every time I watch the episode.

In season two, viewers become aware of charter

schools attempting to take control of the neighborhood, including Abbott itself. b runson and her team of writers deftly addresses the issues charter schools create, especially the immediate impact if Abbott was converted into one. Unafraid to highlight topics not well understood outside the educational community, “Abbott” subtly informs the viewer of problems in real-world teaching.

“Abbott e lementary” has become my comfort show and makes me feel seen as a young educator. It is the only show I know of that gives a realistic depiction of teaching in a public school and building quality relationships with students. The cast is brilliant at portraying real-life teachers and issues in the educational community. c arrying forward in its second season with a huge following and popular fan pages to match, I’m confident “Abbott” will be the show that lifts me up when I’m making my own way in education.

Contact Gen at gcoleman01@saintmarys.edu

“Abbott Elementary”

Favorite episodes: “Teacher Conference,” “Juice,” “Reada-thon”

If you like: “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation”

Where to watch: Hulu

By MANNION McGINLEY

Assistant managing editor

“ b luebird d ays” are days where the sky couldn’t be bluer, couldn’t be any more cloudless and the sun couldn’t be brighter. It’s a phrase most often recognized by skiers but has broadened to be used generally by people who enjoy being outside. These bluebird days usually come after a night of hard rain or, according to the skiing definition, a night of powdery snowfall.

For Jordan d avis, “ b luebird d ays” have come to mean as much about emotional clarity as they do about physical freedom. From love to loss and life in between, there isn’t one mood that encompasses the album. Instead, the 17-track LP makes a case for accepting and embracing whatever comes when it shows up — much like a bluebird day in a grey winter. Track one, “ d amn Good Time,” is a spirited, fast-paced song that brings you to the weekend. o nce there, you can crack a beer with d avis and take a breath. If you’re so inclined, you can “go from taking it easy to partyin’ hard,” but the track stays relaxed the whole way through, forcing no more than you’re ready to take on as you enter the introspective world d avis created.

The project is nothing if not reflective. e very song deals with such small moments, but d avis unpacks them like they last for days.

The emotional availability of the album continues with “ m oney Isn’t r eal.” Again, the Louisiana native sets up a calm track that helps you remember what matters in life. d avis highlights the importance of embracing the little things again towards the end of the album, talking to his late grandfather from the “Fishing s pot” they went to together.

The clarity resurfaces in “ n ext Thing You Know,” the third single off the album. “ b uy d irt” and “What m y World s pins Around” rocketed d avis to n o. 1 on b illboard’s c ountry Airplay, and for good reason. “ n ext Thing You Know” did the same while telling the story of a couple who found love and let it take the reins. The song has no chorus, but d avis has the chance to follow life after “next thing you know,” so the song jumps through milestones as fast as we feel we experience them.

d avis turns inward on some of the tracks as well. “ s unday s aints” is a thoughtful piece of work that finds d avis grappling with his humanity in light of his faith. The country singer sits

deliberating throughout the song with a b ible in one hand and a bottle in the other. “ s hort Fuse” also lets d avis look inward at his most stubborn emotion — anger. h e reflects on his history, including his parentless childhood in the title track. There, “ b luebird d ays” end and are just fleeting bright spots in a world full of messy weather.

d avis also unpacks the highlights and difficulties in love and this is where his vocals shine even brighter. The ode to his love, “What m y World s pins Around,” and its much sexier counterpart “ n o Time s oon,” let him vocally explore with ease.

The breakup songs seem to center around exes that can’t shake each other, and they more deeply lend themselves to d avis’s vocal prowess. d avis and d anielle b radbery put on two stunning vocal performances in a breathtaking ballad about these exes, titled “ m idnight c risis.” The same characters resurface in “You’ve Got m y n umber.” h ere, d avis plays the double meaning: s he knows him too well to let him go, and because of that, she also quite literally has his number.

Read the remainder of the story at ndsmcobserver.com

happy Birthday: Zigzag your way to victory. Be prepared to act, make changes and do things your way. your fate rides on your ability to reach your target on time. you’ll have to spread yourself thin to accommodate what’s going on in your personal and professional life. Don’t mix business with pleasure or neglect one for the other. Balance and completion are the keys to your success. your numbers are 7, 13, 24, 29, 32, 37, 44.

ArIES (March 21-April 19): Slow down, figure out the best way to maintain what you have worked so hard to achieve and don’t let anyone come between you and your goal. having tunnel vision and targeting your skills to get things done on time will pay off.

TAuruS (April 20-May 20): use your experience and know-how to gain insight into bringing about positive change for yourself, someone you love or a cause that concerns you. Call on people who are charitable and have the aptitude required to help.

gEMINI (May 21-June 20): Distance yourself from anyone trying to persuade you. Put your money, time and effort into personal gain, self-improvement, and being and doing the best you can. keep any changes you make a secret until you are ready to present.

CANCEr (June 21-July 22): Take the initiative to rearrange your space to suit your needs. having a designated area to explore possibilities will lead to a window of opportunity. A joint venture will tempt you, but first, do your due diligence and consider working alone.

lEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Don’t let what others do confuse you or make you feel that you must follow their lead. romantic opportunities are apparent but may interfere with prior obligations. rethink your situation and legal concerns before taking a risk that can jeopardize your reputation or position.

vIrgO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Ignoring situations you must address will worsen matters. Step up, say what’s on your mind and implement whatever change is necessary to avoid discord and promote the things you enjoy doing most. Pick up information and skills that offer personal growth.

lIBrA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): get into the swing of things and look for opportunities to expand your circle of friends. Taking a day trip, visiting a friend or relative, or learning something that will contribute to your physical well-being or encourage professional gain is within reach.

SCOrPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Put your best foot forward and show everyone what you offer. Don’t give in to someone trying to monopolize your time or spend your money. Say no to bad behavior and poor influences. Concentrate on what brings you joy.

SAgITTArIuS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Stick close to home and the people you love. refuse to let an outsider influence your beliefs or tempt you with something that may not be valid. Trust and invest in yourself, not someone trying to talk you out of your cash. CAPrICOrN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): find an outlet for your energy, talent and skills, and you’ll find happiness and bring in additional cash. A domestic change will lower your overhead, add to your comfort and ease stress. Curb costly habits; keep your money in your pocket.

AQuArIuS (Jan. 20-feb. 18): Adjust to your surroundings and situations and prepare to make concessions that will help others feel at ease regarding prospects. Don’t give up on love or someone you no longer see. reach out, reconnect and discuss your intentions and feelings.

PISCES (feb. 19-March 20): Nothing appears stable, but that can work in your favor if you sidestep controversy and work behind the scenes to get things done on time. Showing confidence will result in support and hands-on help. A partnership will undergo scrutiny.

Birthday Baby: you are adventuresome, innovative and charitable. you are imaginative and social.

The return of Jordan Spieth

might crush on pop stars or actors. but I can’t be like other girls, right?

Golf, for as long as I can remember, was one of my dad’s favorite pastimes. he loved to watch golf, play golf, drink with his friends while playing golf, buy clubs for golf — you get it (I have already reached the point at which golf seems like it’s not a real word). so, as would follow from his obsession, a large part of my childhood was my father teaching me to golf. If I’m being honest with you, I have never really been athletic, though not for lack of effort. but I have a natural talent for golf for some reason. my family seems to think that it stems from my “natural gracefulness” due to being in ballet all my life. They used to joke that even though I was never the best, I was always the “most graceful” in every event I tried (cue me thinking that the goal of running hurdles was just to not knock down the hurdles).

but because golf was such a huge part of my dad’s life, I stuck with it. I took golf lessons every summer, was on the girls’ golf club in middle school, played on the boys’ team in high school, competed in a youth league where you had to walk 18 holes every match (never again will I walk playing golf), worked at my town’s golf course for three summers and taught local kids ages 5-16. Thinking back now, golf wound up being a pretty big part of my life.

As a young adult, golf was one of the few (if not only) things my dad and I had in common. spending time together on weekends watching tournaments was a large chunk of the time I would get to spend with him. so, I paid attention. Turns out, I actually really liked to watch golf. It was not as fast-paced as some other sports like football or basketball (which I still love to watch). nor was it as statisticsbased as baseball (I did not need any more math in my life).

so, I’ve set the stage. Young adult bella forced (not really) to watch golf as a way to get closer to her father. now, enter Jordan spieth. What to say about a man who needs no introduction. e xcept, probably, his introduction.

spieth is a professional golfer from the University of Texas and dallas native, who entered his prime right around when I was in my early teens. I think you can see where I’m going with this. but yes, I can finally admit I had a huge crush on him. normal teenage girls

even though I was giving off strong “pick me” vibes (please have mercy, I’m being very vulnerable here), it was not without reason! I’ll start off with his greatest hits.

spieth was the Fed e x cup champion in 2015 (which means he was the best golfer in the entire world basically). he has won 13 tournaments, including the masters Tournament, U.s. open and the open championships. he is one of only 12 golfers ever to win three out of the four major championships and has 83 top-10 finishes. he has also been a part of four ryder cup championship teams and has four Presidents cup appearances. Additionally, spieth qualified for the 2016 olympics in r io but chose not to go.

but the biggest reason I’ve always been a spieth fan is his heart. he is a down-to-earth player who never appears to be bragging or overly prideful (unlike some other golfers, *cough* brooks Koepka *cough*) and places great importance on his family. he has a younger sister who is special needs. And because of that experience caring for her, he used his earnings on the tour to start The Jordan spieth Family Foundation. The organization, which began as a way to support children with special needs, also helps military families, junior golf programs and pediatric cancer patients. even though I always view him as a winner, spieth has had a bit of a rocky few years. however, he still is winning tournaments and consistently makes an appearance at the top of the leaderboards. r ight now, he is 71 out of 226 in the Fed e x cup rankings. That’s not bad, but not where you really want to be.

he is showing glimpses of his former glory more recently. spieth had an early lead in January’s sony open, finished in a four-way tie for sixth place at the Waste management Phoenix open and finished in a four-way tie for fourth place last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

no matter what happens, I have confidence that he will make a comeback. maybe it will be this year. maybe it will be in 10 years. but I know spieth will return to the top in time.

NCAA MBB Power-6 conference tournament

With the start the women’s basketball conference tournaments last weekend, m arch m adness entered full swing. Prior to spring break, it’s time for my Annual e xtremely Accurate d efinitely Won’t b e Wrong m arch m adness Predictions (trademark pending). Let’s start with a look at the Power-6 conference tournament brackets, where teams seek conference glory, higher seeds or even nc AA Tournament bids, depending on their bubble status.

ACC t ournament

I’m picking only a couple of very ‘minor’ upsets in the early going. In the prequarterfinals, I have the ninth seed, Wake Forest, advancing past syracuse. however, beyond that, it’ll be a lot of chalk, ending seasons for many teams that needed significant tournament runs to challenge the bubble.

my lone quarterfinal upset belongs to n c state, who will secure their spot in the round of 64 by toppling third-seeded c lemson. m iami, v irginia and d uke hold serve as the higher seeds and advance to the semifinals. From there, v irginia will handle the Wolfpack and advance to the Acc c hampionship. They’ll meet m iami, the Acc ’s top seed, in the championship after the hurricanes edge out a d uke team that’s peaking at the right time. The c avaliers, a top-10 team for portions of the season, will return to form in time to claim the Acc c hampionship.

my pick: v irginia over m iami

o ther s emifinalists: nc state, d uke

Big 12 t ournament

The big 12 features a whole bunch of nc AA Tournamentcaliber teams, and it should be a very entertaining week. That being said, while I anticipate a lot of interesting games, I’m not picking much in the way of upsets.

I believe Kansas is the best team, albeit narrowly, in the conference, and that’ll make itself apparent over

three tournament victories. my biggest “upset” is Kansas state narrowly edging out Texas in the semifinals. The Wildcats have been one of my preferred underdog teams all year to make a run in march, and I think they’ll set up an entertaining instate big 12 championship clash.

my pick: Kansas over Kansas state

o ther s emifinalists: Texas, baylor

Big t en

When northwestern played rutgers to end the regular season, the Wildcats secured the second seed with a win. With a loss, they would have fallen to the ninth seed. That epitomizes the parity on display in the big Ten Tournament this week. I think we’ll see some chalk in the preliminary rounds, pushing the best teams forward into the quarterfinals. There, I’ve got some upsets (based on seed) sharpied in on my bracket. That starts with seventhseeded Illinois pushing forward into the semifinals over northwestern, and sixth-seeded maryland triumphing over Indiana in the quarterfinals. Purdue and m ichigan state hold, serve and move into the semifinals over m ichigan and Iowa, respectively.

In the semifinals, maryland beats Illinois to get to the championship round, and Purdue cruises past m ichigan state. Indiana is Purdue’s true kryptonite in the conference, and with the hoosiers gone, the boilermakers triumph in the championship game.

my pick: Purdue over maryland

o ther s emifinalists: m ichigan state, Illinois

Big East

The big e ast features some very bad Power-6 teams, and as such, I see most of the top seeds cruising into the semifinals. The Uc onnProvidence quarterfinal is an interesting game, but I think the huskies advance, putting all top four seeds into the semis. From there, I’ll take Uc onn to advance over top-seeded marquette. The huskies have won nine of 11 games, with the two losses

by a combined six points. They’re very dangerous and will advance to the championship to meet secondseeded Xavier. The huskies, who sat second in the AP Poll earlier this season, will beat the musketeers in the championship.

my pick: Uc onn over Xavier

o ther s emifinalists: marquette, c reighton p ac 12

This is going to be my most boring pick. I haven’t filled out my march madness bracket yet (obviously), but Uc LA is definitely in the camp of my favorite national title picks. Arizona is the only other team I see being close to Final Four quality. As such I see those two meeting in the championship with not too much craziness happening in the middle. Give me straight chalk in the semifinals and championship, and I’ll let a mediocre conference with one or two elite teams prove me wrong.

my pick: Uc LA over Arizona

o ther s emifinalists: Usc , o regon

SEC I don’t think Alabama has the ability to go all the way in march. however, I think they’ll be dangerous in the sec Tournament and take home a conference title before faltering in the nc AA Tournament. I’ll take some small upsets in the early going, including 10th-seeded Arkansas making it to the quarterfinals.

however, ultimately the c rimson Tide will topple fifth-seeded Tennessee in the semifinals, and they will then avenge a regular season loss to Texas A& m in the sec c hampionship. Kentucky is the other semifinalist, drawing a vanderbilt team that is far worse than their sixth seed in the quarterfinals.

my pick: Alabama over Texas A& m

o ther s emifinalists: Kentucky, Tennessee

Contact Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu

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

Contact Bella Laufenberg

at ilaufenb@nd.edu

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

Bella Laufenberg notre dame news editor

Aidan Thomas sports editor

nc AA Women’s basketball Tournament primer: Upsets, dark horses and title picks

By AIDAN THOMAS sports editor

The nc AA Women’s b asketball Tournament is generally less prone to upsets than the men’s tournament. b ut as the depth and talent in the field increase the parity of the event, upsets are beginning to happen with more frequency. Just last year, four teams sitting on the 11 and 12-seed lines won their opening game.

Two 10-seeds made the s weet 16, and 10th-seeded c reighton crashed the e lite e ight party. s o which upsets seem feasible as the tournament nears? Which top seeds are the most fallible? While not every bid is secured yet, let’s look at an early primer for the nc AA Women’s b asketball Tournament.

Any madness at 14, 15 or 16?

In the history of the tournament, there has been one upset by a 14th, 15th or 16th-seed. That was 16thseeded h arvard back in 1998. m eanwhile, 33 of such upsets have occurred in the men’s tournament. Is this the year the streak breaks?

In all likelihood, probably not. b ut there are a couple of teams that could make it interesting.

v irginia Tech, fresh off winning the A cc , secures a n o. 1 seed in most projections. That recent ascent, in my mind, makes them the weakest n o. 1 seed, as the other teams sitting atop projections have been top-five teams basically all season.

c urrent bracketology has the h okies matched up with Jackson s tate, a 20-8 squad on a 14-game heater. That’s at least the beginning ingredients of a potential upset.

e lsewhere, Utah and U c onn have been in my personal top six teams in the country for the better part of two months. They won’t be upset in the first round. Iowa is receiving top-seed consideration, and c aitlin c lark is arguably the best player in the country. They should easily survive any firstround madness. m aryland is the most questionable potential two-seed. I’ve got them closer to a four-seed in my own bracketology, or maybe the last three-seed. A poor matchup could have the Terrapins sweating in their opener. vermont is a solid squad to keep an eye on out of the America e ast and could be a good challenger if they pull this matchup,

as current bracketology projects.

Along the three-seed projections, we have d uke, L s U, o hio s tate and n otre d ame. h aving not filled out my bracket just yet, L s U is definitely a Final Four contender at this point, and I don’t see them losing too early. The other three present interesting cases at the very least. I’ve got d uke firmly on the two-seed line in my own bracketology, so I think they’re better than this projection and will survive.

n otre d ame is dealing with a lot of injuries, so I think a poor matchup could make them a target. o hio s tate is the weakest three-seed in this scenario, so keep an early exit for the b uckeyes on the table. Gardner-Webb and Iona are two intriguing teams currently sitting on the 14th-seed line that I could see causing early chaos.

t rue dark horses (11-13 Seed)

Looking at teams sitting in that mid-tier upset range, I’ll give you my three favorite dark horses to make noise with an upset (or maybe even two)?

Cleveland State

c leveland s tate beat 27-4 Green b ay 73-61 in the h orizon League championship to win their 30th game of the season and secure an automatic bid. It’ll be tough to beat a four-seed in the first round, and they rank 36th in my book. d oing the math, I think they should be closer to a n o. 9 or 10 seed. That’s enough to put them among my favorite dark horses.

UN l V

If the currently projected matchups hold, I likely wouldn’t blink before taking U n Lv over fifth-seeded o klahoma. The r ebels are 30-2 and haven’t lost in nearly three months. I’ll take that when looking at a potential 12-over-five upset.

U n Lv is likely to be underseeded, and I like their odds of escaping the first round.

Middle t ennessee

This team is probably my favorite dark horse. s o much so that I’m barely considering sixth-seeded matchups. r ather, I’m already looking at potential three seeds they could beat to reach the s weet 16. I have been extremely high on the b lue r aiders for a while, and I would absolutely hate to draw this

team on opening weekend. They’re ranked heading into the postseason, and all four of their losses have come by five points or less. They will be tough out.

My Sweet 16

h ere’s a quick look at my s weet 16. This combination of teams may not be exactly possible in the true bracket, but here’s what I have based on current bracketology.

Greenville 1

Top-seeded s outh c arolina will advance with ease. I don’t anticipate them breaking a sweat through two rounds. Fifth-seeded c olorado will pull the minor upset of fourth-seeded U nc c hapel h ill. e leventhseeded Florida Gulf c oast nearly made my dark horse category, and right now, with o hio s tate as the three-seed in their region, they have the most favorable road to the s weet 16. I like second-seeded Utah’s chances of surviving, too.

Greenville 2

For the sake of chaos, make this my chaos region.

Top-seeded Indiana survives a small challenge versus o le m iss in the r ound of 32. 12th-seeded U n Lv pulls back-to-back upsets over o klahoma and then U c LA

to progress into the s weet 16. 11th-seeded c olumbia is one of two teams out of the Ivy League I really like, and the team takes advantage of a very injured n otre d ame squad in the second round. s eventh-seeded s outh Florida is a s weet 16 caliber squad, and they shock U c onn in the r ound of 32.

Seattle 3

I think this region has a lot of potential crazy upsets, but some of the midrange seeds don’t have enough firepower to make a run. m iddle Tennessee, my favorite dark horse, unfortunately matches up with the most lethal three-seed in L s U, and doesn’t pull off the upset.

e lsewhere, top-seeded v irginia Tech avoids any r ound of 64 nightmares and rolls into the s weet 16. Fourth-seeded v illanova and second-seeded m aryland round out the chalk picks advancing past the opening weekend.

Seattle 4

Top-seeded s tanford will have no issues in their first two games. Their opponent in the s weet 16 will be a surprise, however.

Green b ay and s outh d akota s tate will both win as the 13th and 12th seeds,

respectively. I’ll pick n o. 13 seed Green b ay to squeak on into the s weet 16. Thirdseeded d uke will survive Princeton in the r ound of 32, and second-seeded Iowa holds serve on home court as well.

Final Four

At long last, here’s my ultimate Final Four and championship picks. s outh c arolina advances out of their bracket without too many issues. Indiana manages to survive their upset-laden region and reach the semifinals. Thirdseeded L s U triumphs over v irginia Tech to reach the Final Four.

In the last region, give me third-seeded d uke in a hotly-contested battle over s tanford. s outh c arolina will beat the upstart b lue d evils, heading back to the national title game. I’m really excited by the possibility of L s U-Indiana in the semifinals, but give me the Tigers to set up the All- sec championship.

The Gamecocks have been my top team all year, and at this point, I can’t change the pick. s outh c arolina over L s U in the national championship.

Contact Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu

MAry VOTAVA | The Observer

Irish sophomore Olivia Miles passing the basketball during Notre Dame’s 74-60 win over UConn on Dec. 4, 2022 at Purcell Pavilion. Both teams are projected to be top three seeds in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

competition. That’s just her being a more confident person.”

In the dmr , graduate student transfer Katie Thronson will lead the relay off with the 1200m leg.

s he will be followed by junior e ve b alseiro running the 400m.

b alseiro will then hand the baton off to sixth-year graduate student Katie r yan to run the 800m leg.

Finally, m arkezich will anchor the 1600m leg of the relay.

s parks is excited to see this veteran group compete. h e believes m arkezich could be the difference as the relay’s anchor.

“I challenge anybody to have a more veteran group at the national meet,” s parks said. “The veteran of national championships for us is o livia m arkezich. s he had a great cross-country season for us. s he will do a great job of finishing off for us there.”

The relay is n o. 8 seed, but there is not much of a gap between most of the teams in the race.

m arkezich will finish the mile on fresh legs as well, which should be a huge boost for the Irish.

“In this event, it really comes down to who decided to save their mile leg for that relay,” s parks said.

The elevation in Albuquerque is roughly a mile above sea level, and s parks believes this could impact distance races across the board in the meet.

“In the distance races, it affects everybody a little bit differently,” s parks said. “We don’t want to overload people and put them in a lot of different events because they might not recover as quickly. We aren’t going to overdo it with anybody by having them do too many events.”

In the 3000m race, s parks expects m arkezich to be towards the front, although she will have run the mile leg of the dmr the day before.

“ s he can be in the top five,” s parks said. “ s he will be coming off the double because she will have raced the day before, and she will be racing some girls who aren’t racing anything but the 3000.”

o n the men’s side, junior m ichael s hoaf and sophomore c arter s olomon will get their first indoor nationals experience.

“There are a couple of guys that snuck in on the backend that will be firsttime competitors for each of them at the national meet,” s parks said.

“ m ichael s hoaf has been

to the outdoor national meet, but it’s his first time indoor.

And for c arter s olomon, it will be his first time on the track in a championship.

It will be a new experience for both those guys, and they’re both young. They have a couple of years to go at the national meet as well.”

s parks is excited for s olomon to get a chance to race a national meet on the track and learn from the experience.

“

c arter has a couple of years to go, and he’s never been there.

It will be a new experience for him. h e was one of the last guys to make it in his event, so it could be a steep learning curve for him,” s parks said.

s olomon raced very well in last fall’s championship cross-country races, and s parks believes that s olomon is in a great place right now ahead of his first track national meet.

“The exciting thing for him is he has always raced really well at championship time for us.

h e won the conference title for us in cross country and ran really well at the national meet. h e is really trending in the right direction the last couple of weeks,” s parks said.

“ c arter is in a really good place right now fitness wise and he’s really confident. We expect to see him fare really well.”

This national meet is a full-circle moment for the team. The 2020 indoor championships were supposed to be held in Albuquerque. The 2020 Irish team had already traveled to the meet before the meet was canceled suddenly because of the rapid onset of the cov I d -19 pandemic.

Former Irish thrower r achel Tanczos was seeded first in the weight throw that year, and the men’s dmr team was one of the favorites to win that event.

Although none of the athletes that made the trip in 2020 are competing this weekend, s parks hopes that the athletes competing this year can compete for those athletes that didn’t get a chance to compete in 2020.

“The men’s [ dmr ] team was one of the favorites going into [the 2020 meet], so we would like to go into [the women’s dmr ] and perform well for those athletes that didn’t get a chance to,” s parks said.

“We would like to go back there and finish what never was able to get started last time.”

Contact Nate Moller at nmoller2@nd.edu

con TInued From pAge 16

s aturday and with firstyear guard JJ s tarling remaining sidelined with a knee injury, there were worries that n otre d ame could come out flat in g reensboro. The game’s opening minutes did nothing to assuage those fears, as v irginia Tech jumped out to a quick 7-0 advantage. 12 early points courtesy of graduate student guards m arcus h ammond and c ormac r yan kept the Irish in the game.

b ut they were still struggling to find consistent offense. When the h okies scored nine straight points to take a double-digit advantage, they seemed poised to grab control of the game.

b ut n otre d ame understood a loss would end the college careers of their six graduate students, including all five of Tuesday’s starters. s o, the Irish continued to fight.

g raduate student guard d ane g oodwin and h ammond connected on back-to-back three-pointers. When junior forward m att Zona drilled a third consecutive three — just his fourth of the season — to trim the v irginia Tech lead to 26-23, it felt like the momentum was on n otre d ame’s side.

They would carry that energy through the rest of the first half.

The Irish closed the frame on an 18-7 run to end the half down just one.

Following a relatively low-scoring first half, both teams came out of the gates firing in the second. h ammond led all players with 14 points before halftime and did not slow down.

h e gave n otre d ame a 34-33 advantage with a mid-range jumper on the first possession of the half. A few minutes later, he knocked down another

con TInued From pAge 15

vigorously shadowboxing and bouncing around the ring, in the same style as Frazier, Ali’s former opponent.

The crowd in the Joyce c enter reacted with thunderous cheering and applause.

“ o h, so that’s your question?’” Ali asked, as Fussman continued the story. “And he waved me into the ring, and I saw something I thought I’d never see again — m uhammad Ali start to dance.”

b ut the stupor didn’t

three-pointer. b ut v irginia Tech seemingly had an answer for every Irish bucket.

m uch of their production came from forward g rant

b asile, a graduate transfer from Wright s tate whom

n otre d ame had sought to add to their roster in the offseason.

When the teams met earlier in the year, b asile tied his season-high with 33 points in a narrow h okies win.

h e was just as impactful Tuesday, leading his team with 20 points and making several critical plays down the stretch.

The margin remained within one possession for the first 12 minutes of the second half. The lead changed hands several times, but neither side could get enough stops to gain an edge. With the Irish leading 52-51 and just over seven minutes remaining, Zona sank his third threepointer of the night. The shot sent the n otre d ame bench into a frenzy and gave the Irish their largest lead of the night.

After b asile answered with a dunk, r yan hit another three-pointer for n otre d ame, stretching the lead to five. s oon after, r yan scored again, boosting his point tally to 18 and giving the Irish a 60-56 advantage entering the final media timeout.

Late-game woes have been the story for n otre d ame all season. In what proved to be their final chance to flip the script and pull out a narrow win, they remained unable to get over the hump. The final three minutes of the game belonged to the h okies.

The two teams traded baskets before v irginia Tech’s r odney r ice buried a clutch three-pointer to make the score 62-61 in n otre d ame’s favor. After an Irish turnover, the h okies scored in transition. b rey quickly called timeout, with the Irish down one about a minute after

last. Fussman said Ali soon crossed his feet, stumbled and fell. b efore Fussman could help him up, “he’s flipped on his back, and he’s doing stomach crunches.”

“I see what’s in the well. You don’t have to do it anymore,’” Fussman told Ali.

“‘It feels good,’ [Ali said],” Fussman remembered. “ I thought I’d pushed him as far as I possibly could, but he had more to give.”

Later that night, Ali showed Fussman a sheet of paper.

h e “points to a line in the center. It says: g od will not place a burden on a man’s shoulders knowing that he can’t carry it,” Fussman

leading by four.

A pair of free throws from graduate student guard Trey Wertz would put the Irish back in front.

b ut three unanswered v irginia Tech points gave them a 66-64 advantage with 30 seconds remaining. s eeking a game-tying basket, r yan found a lane to the rim but could not finish, forcing n otre d ame to foul. v irginia Tech’s s ean p edulla, one of the A cc ’s best free throw marksmen, gave the Irish hope by going just one of two from the line and keeping the score within one possession. b ut graduate student forward n ate Laszewski’s last-second three-point attempt was off the mark, sealing another heartbreaking defeat for the Irish.

With n otre d ame’s loss comes not almost certainly only the end of the season, but the end of an era. In addition to b rey stepping down after a programrecord 483 wins over the course of 23 seasons, the Irish roster will look completely different next year. The program will lose six graduate students, including five of the seven players who entered the game Tuesday.

Their final season in blue and gold has not gone as planned.

h owever, many of these players formed n otre d ame’s backbone for the last several years and came within minutes of reaching the s weet s ixteen last season.

For now, n otre d ame will face the disappointment of dropping another game they very easily could have won.

They will say goodbye to their departing players and legendary coach.

And then they will turn their attention to an eventful offseason that will set the tone for the program’s future.

Contact Matthew Crow at mcrow@nd.edu

said. To cap off the night, Ali served Fussman a bowl of ice cream.

“I was able to, for a moment, bring out the best in the person who had inspired me over the years, just as everybody who’s stepped in this ring tonight is going to be great,” Fussman said.

h e said the boxers in the ring s aturday night would meet many challenges and achieve great things.

“[For] many people, we don’t even know what’s coming, but it’s going to be fantastic,” he concluded.

Contact Maggie Eastland at meastlan@nd.edu

Journalist who spent a week with Muhammad Ali speaks at Bengal Bouts finals

By MAGGIE EASTLAND editor-in-chief

Journalist and author c al Fussman spent a week with m uhammad Ali to write a front-page story for e squire m agazine in 2003. b y the week’s end, Fussman had no idea what to write about his childhood hero, who at that point was limited by age and the onset of Parkinson’s disease.

That’s when Fussman stepped into the boxing gym with Ali.

The two soon stood gloved up — toe-to-toe and eyeto-eye. A few moments later, Fussman watched the heavyweight champion dance around the ring once more.

“I thought I’d pushed him as far as I possibly could, but he had more to give,” Fussman said.

Illuminated by a spotlight and controlling the Joyce c enter ring with his words, Fussman highlighted Ali’s resiliency in his speech between bouts of the b engal b outs tournament finals. h e championed Ali’s mindset and said n otre d ame boxers display their own laudable ability to overcome obstacles.

Fussman tells full-circle story of Bengal champion Shawn Newburg

“I’ve been to a lot of boxing events, seen world champions and for the last 50 years, I have never seen anything like this,” Fussman said of the s aturday night final bouts. “It doesn’t stop here, because everything in this club keeps going forward.”

Fussman then told a story about s am Fuller and s hawn n ewburg, b engal b outs boxing teammates in 2002. Fuller, a novice and underdog, followed n ewburg’s coaching to win his bout over Jon Pribaz by split decision. According to The o bserver, “Fuller was knocked down, but rallied to win against Alumni’s Jon Pribaz” in a surprising comeback.

A few years later, as Fuller was applying for medical school, he met the father of his opponent, who just so happened to be the chief of surgery interviewing Fuller for a surgical residency spot at h arvard.

“‘Tell me something about n otre d ame,’” Fussman narrated in the voice of Pribaz’s father, the interviewer and chief of surgery.

According to Fussman’s story, Fuller responded:

“‘ o ne of my best moments at n otre d ame was beating your son in b engal b outs.’”

Fussman then explained that n ewburg tragically passed away in a car accident in 2006. h e is buried in n otre d ame’s c edar Grove c emetery, his headstone engraved with a boxing glove. n ewburg was a boxing captain in 2002 and 2003 for his junior and senior years. h e also wrote for The o bserver, primarily as a s cene film critic. h e became a three-time b engal b outs champion in 2003.

“It’s unique,” n ewburg told The o bserver in 2003. “We get in great shape, we make real friends and we can make a life-saving difference for people who need it halfway around the world.”

n ewburg’s legacy lives on through a scholarship.

Jack “The Ghost” Phillips, the current b engal b outs president, is the recipient of that scholarship. This year, Phillips advanced to the semifinals, losing to Patrick “P s weet” s weet by split decision.

Though Phillips had only fought in one bout prior to this year due to study abroad, cov I d cancellation and food poisoning, Fussman said boxing will stick with him forever.

“What plays out in Jack’s life over the next decade is going to be tremendous,” Fussman said.

“I know how special this all is and how special Jack is because he changed my life by inviting me here to tell my m uhammad Ali story to all of you here in a boxing ring.”

Fussman relates time he met Muhammad Ali to ND boxing

The chance to write a feature on Ali arrived with the 70th anniversary of e squire m agazine. s ince Ali had been on the cover more than anyone else in those decades, e squire editors wanted Fussman to write an update, especially after the world watched him battle through shaking limbs to light the o lympic Torch for the 1996 o lympics.

“We want to put him on the cover and we want you to write a cover story. I’m thinking ‘ o h man, this is my childhood hero. I can almost not speak,’” Fussman recalled.

The first few encounters for the story were difficult.

“I say to him, ‘c hamp, champ, I want to find out

all the wisdom you’ve accumulated in your life,’ but he doesn’t seem to be paying attention,” Fussman recalled. “ h is right hand is jangling from his elbows down to his fingertips. n ow both of his hands.”

e ven in his later days, Ali displayed a lightheartedness.

“I said, ‘c hamp, champ, are you okay?’” Fussman recalled. “ s lowly, his head comes up and he looks me in the eye and he says, ‘ s cared you, huh?’”

Fussman became acquainted with Ali through days filled with wheelchair transport, labored breathing, reclining cushion chairs, spontaneous naps and Parkinson’s medication that dyed the boxer’s tongue orange. Although Ali could barely speak, he was still performing magic tricks for visitors. The week created a conundrum for Fussman,

who was still unsure what to write.

“I’m thinking, ‘ h ow am I going to explain this in a magazine story?’” Fussman said.

Ali’s wife was the one who suggested Fussman and Ali visit the gym. When he stepped inside, Fussman said he noticed the gym looked barely used, without even a hint of sweat in the air. Photos of Ali’s iconic fights framed the space, many of them featuring another famed boxer, “ s mokin’ Joe” Frazier.

Fussman said the photos reminded him of how Frazier stood uncontested for three years when Ali could not fight due to a court case involving his stance as a conscientious objector to the v ietnam War. Ali eventually won his case in the s upreme c ourt and jumped back into the ring against Frazier — with a little rust

on his punches.

“ o nly Ali is a little older, and he wasn’t as fast as he was, and he started to get hit,” Fussman said. The tide began to turn, however, when Ali’s corner started screaming, “‘The world needs the champ! Go in the well once more!’”

“Always, Ali would reach inside himself and find what he needed to raise himself to the next level,” Fussman said.

s taring at those photos, Fussman knew his question: “What is still in the well?” s till unsure how to ask, Fussman gloved up and helped Ali glove up, too.

“ n ow I’m standing there, looking at m uhammad Ali with boxing gloves on,” Fussman remembered. m imicking the same show he gave Ali, Fussman began

Courtesy of JACK PHILLIPS

Bengal Bouts finals boxers spent time with guest speaker Cal Fussman after finishing their matches in Purcell Pavilion. The 93rd annual Bengal Bouts boxing tournament occured between Feb. 16 and March 4.

see FUssmAn PAgE 14

Irish fall in first round of ACC Tournament to Virginia Tech

By MATTHEW CROW sports Writer

It was always a long shot that n otre d ame men’s basketball would go on a miracle run to win five games in five days and claim the A cc championship. b ut for much of their first-round matchup with v irginia Tech on Tuesday night, it looked like the Irish might extend their season and the tenure of head coach m ike b rey for at least one more game.

That was ultimately not meant to be. A late run guided the h okies to a 6764 victory and a berth in the second round of the A cc Tournament.

The Irish conclude their season with an 11-21 record while remaining winless away from home.

After suffering a 23-point loss against c lemson on

Irish set to compete in Albuquerque for national meet

By NATE MOLLER sports Writer

s everal members of the Irish track and field team will head to Albuquerque, n ew m exico, this weekend to compete at the nc AA Indoor Track and Field c hampionships.

o n the women’s side, sophomore Jadin o ’ b rien will compete in the pentathlon, junior o livia m arkezich will compete in the 3000m run, and the distance medley relay team will compete.

h ead coach m att s parks hopes the women can finish top-15 in the country, and he expects an all-around performance.

“If we could score 15-20 points, that would place us really well as a team,” s parks said. “I really expect all three of them to score.”

o ’ b rien is the n o. 1 seed in the multi-event, an event the Irish have never had a champion in.

“We have never had a national champion in that event,” s parks said. “It’s

going to be exciting to see what she can do.

s he has a couple of years to go in that event as well. o bviously it would be nice to win one when you are younger, but she has a couple of years to go if it doesn’t go well.”

o ’ b rien made an instant impact for the Irish in her freshman year, but s parks credited o ’ b rien for continuing to improve and become more confident over the last couple of years.

“The fitness has always been there.

The thing Jadin has improved in the last 12 months is her confidence and her resilience to struggles,” s parks said.

“Part of being a multievent athlete is you are not always going to P r and be at your best in every event.

s he has started to recognize that.

s he is a perfectionist, but she has realized that a oneoff event does not ruin the

MAX PETROVSKY | The Observer

Irish graduate student Cormac Ryan drives to the basket during Notre Dame’s 88-81 win over No. 25 University of Pittsburgh on Wednesday, March 1 at Purcell Pavilion. The game was head coach Mike Brey’s final home game with the Irish. Ryan’s 20 points were tied for a game-high.

ND tRACk AND fiElD

MAX PETROVSKY | The Observer

Irish senior sprinter Shae Douglas passes the baton to Irish sophomore sprinter, jumper and hurdler Jadin O’Brien during the 4x400 meter relay at the Loftus Center, competing in the Meyo Invitational on Feb. 4.