Print Edition of The Observer for Wednesday, September 9, 2020

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Volume 55, Issue 9 | wednesday, september 9, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Notre Dame students share Q&I stories Mid-to-late August experiences in University sponsored quarantine, isolation units varied by person

By MARIA LEONTARAS Editor-in-Chief

Editor’s Note: This was featured in Katie Couric’s newsletter, Wake-Up Call.

Missed meals. Lack of checkins. Unclear departure dates.

This is what early quarantine and isolation looked like for some students at Notre Dame.

The University held nine overarching quarantine and isolation spaces with 1,000 beds, but as of Wednesday, there are eight locations with 925 spaces for students, spokesperson Dennis Brown said in an email. The available quantity fluctuates based on availability at Notre Dame’s secured sites.

The Observer spoke with

students who were in Universitysponsored quarantine or isolation in mid-to-late August. While their experiences differed, all students said they wished for clearer communication from the University.

Junior Kathleen Meyer quarantined at a hotel near campus for eight days.

Meyer ate dinner with friends Aug. 16 and 17 outdoors without following physical distancing protocols. One friend tested positive for COVID-19 Aug. 18, as did a few others in the group. Meyer was one of the few to test negative following the shared meals.

She was originally directed to resume life as normal, being sure see Q&I PAGE 4

ELLIS RIOJAS | The Observer

CRLOA Parents Duncan Hall to host are 2nd-annual ND 110 climb policy extended charged

By RYAN PETERS News Writer

Observer Staff Report

Two Notre Dame parents were charged with disorderly conduct Friday, following a fight at Brothers Bar & Grill in February, the South Bend Tribune reported Tuesday.

A “younger patron” was asked to leave the premises after using “inappropriate language” to employees. When a Brothers staff member tried to remove the customer from the bar, one of the parents pushed the employee. When the employee pushed back, the parent punched the staff member and a fight broke out.

Police removed the first parent from the premises. The second parent charged attempted to prevent officers from escorting the first parent into the police car.

“The second parent also was ‘physically involved’ with a Brothers employee who told him he wasn’t welcome back inside the bar, with police ultimately having to tackle the parent, according to charging documents,” the report said.

NEWS PAGE 3

Duncan Hall will host its signature charity event, ND 110, from 5 to 8 p.m. in Notre Dame Stadium Wednesday.

Founded by juniors Conor Milligan and Patrick Creaven, ND 110 is a 110-story stair climb in which participants raise money for Heart 9/11, a disaster relief organization founded by first responders in New York.

The 110-story climb matches that of first responders during 9/11.

Milligan and Creaven established the charity event last year as an effort to honor emergency responders. Both of them have connections to New York and the events that unfolded on 9/11 — especially Milligan, whose family knew a police officer, Ramon Suarez, who died in the rescue efforts.

“Something I’ve always done

on 9/11 is go [climb] 110 flights of stairs,” Milligan said. “And so we said … we can make this a fundraising activity for the hall because there’s a void in that front.”

Last year, ND 110 raised over $2,000 with roughly 100 students and 20 local firefighters participating in the climb.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions the event is open to see CLIMB PAGE 3

StaND Against Hate Week promotes inclusivity

By LAYTON HALL News Writer

At a time when many people are addressing intolerance and discrimination within their own communities, the Gender Relations Center (GRC) is hosting its annual StaND Against Hate Week, which focuses on educating students on what it means to be an active ally fighting hate

VIEWPOINT PAGE 8

both on and off-campus.

The annual event — which normally takes place in early November — was moved up because the GRC wanted students to engage with the week’s message earlier in the school year, Deborah Bineza, program coordinator for identity intersectionality and inclusion in the GRC, said.

Bineza said strong calls for racial equality over the

SCENE PAGE 9

course of the summer by the Black Lives Matter movement influenced the decision to move StaND Against Hate Week up to earlier in the year.

“We’ve always been committed to intersectionality specifically and combating discrimination of all kinds, whether that’s racial, gender based or based on sexualit y.” see GRC PAGE 3

FOOTBALL PAGE 16

Observer Staff Report

The Office of Undergraduate Studies announced an extension for students to elect to take a COVID-related leave of absence (CRLOA) in a Tuesday email.

The email said students may declare a CRLOA through Nov. 12, the last day of classes for the fall semester. Courses will be removed from a student’s transcript if they take the option prior to Oct. 9. After Oct 9., all courses will receive withdrawals (W’s) on their official transcript.

Students who elect to take the leave of absence are required to have a health clearance before returning to the University in the spring.

According to the email, students who take a leave of absence must be in contact with the Registrar to register for spring 2021.

On-campus housing in the spring is not guaranteed for current on-campus students who chose a CRLOA. Transfer credit will only be rewarded if the credit is deemed necessary for sequential courses.

ND CROSS COUNTRY PAGE 16

2

TODAY

The observer | wednesday, september 9, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Question of the Day: ndsmcobserver.com

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What is the best meal you can cook?

P.O. Box 779, Notre Dame, IN 46556 024 South Dining Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556

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junior O’Neill Hall

junior Pangborn Hall

“Pesto pasta.”

“Mediterranean chicken salad.”

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junior McGlinn Hall

sophomore Fischer Hall

“Steak fajitas.”

“Lasagna.”

(574) 631-6900 ads@ndsmcobserver.com

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Nhat Nguyen

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sophomore Pangborn Hall

rector Duncan Hall

“Grilled cheese or eggs.”

“Prime rib.”

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Students dine outside of the Saint Mary’s Student Center. The Noble Family Dining Hall, the main eatery at the College, only offers takeout to its patrons. To accomodate this change, Saint Mary’s placed tables with umbrellas around campus for the community.

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3

McGraw launches national food drive project

By MAGGIE EASTLAND News Writer

After coaching the Irish for 33 seasons, winning two National Championships and earning her place in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, former Notre Dame women’s basketball head coach Muffet McGraw is setting her sights on a new opponent — hunger.

In partnership with the Alumni Association, Bread of Life Food Drive and Holtz’s Heroes, McGraw is launching Meals with Muffet, a nationwide food drive geared toward alumni, clubs, families and members of the Notre Dame community.

Throughout September, which is National Hunger Awareness Month, Meals with Muffet aims to collect over 100,000 pounds of food. Thanks to the support of the Notre Dame community, McGraw is well on her way to achieving that goal with 52,000 pounds of food and $27,000 already donated.

Meals with Muffet encourages any member of the Notre Dame community to set up a food drive to benefit a local food bank.

Participants simply coordinate with a local food bank, spread the word about the food drive and log the donation through the Meals with Muffet website.

Everyone who participates and submits a donation will have a chance to win a signed basketball from Coach McGraw or a signed football from a member of Holtz’s Heroes.

This nationwide effort began with a simple idea –– safely helping those in need during the

Climb Continued from page 1

only Notre Dame students this year; however, the organizers — Creaven, Milligan and junior Sean Andersen — are expecting close to 200 sign-ups.

“We want to essentially double our benchmarks we set last year, so we want at least 200 participants and $4,000 in donations, and as of [Monday evening], we were [at] over 180 sign-ups,” Creaven said.

GRC Continued from page 1

Bineza said. “I think this year, it’s even more important to have this conversation.”

Intersectionality refers to the idea that all parts of an individual’s identity are interconnected and can each affect the day-to-day experience of the individual.

By working to educate the student body on the different types of discrimination that can take place, the GRC’s goal is to create a more welcoming and loving community for individuals of

pandemic. McGraw frequently volunteered at the food bank over the summer or during coaching breaks, so starting her own food drive seemed like a natural step amidst the pandemic.

As more people lost their jobs due to the pandemic, food security took on a new level of importance for McGraw. Like many others in the community, she searched for a way to help others through these uncertain times.

“My first thought was school kids. What about their lunches?”

McGraw said. “They’re not in school, how are they going to get their lunches?”

This simple question became the starting point for McGraw’s efforts, and she began driving around collecting food for local food banks, setting a personal goal to collect 20,000 pounds of food.

“I thought, here’s something I can do,” McGraw said. “I just started stuffing mailboxes and picking neighborhoods and having food drives.”

Supporters in the community would place their food donations near their mailboxes and wave from the front door as McGraw collected food items to deliver to local food banks. Donning her mask and gloves, McGraw ensured safe and contactless pickup.

As the coronavirus continued to spread, McGraw began to think beyond her local community.

After talking with Dolly Duffy, executive director in the Alumni Association, McGraw wanted to find a way to encourage the various clubs associated with Notre Dame to host their own food

drives.

Inspired by her personal commitment to helping others while in retirement, the Alumni Association partnered with McGraw to take the food drive to the national level through Meals with Muffet. By leveraging their vast alumni network and teaming up with Holtz’s Heroes and Bread of Life Food Drive, the Alumni Association helped McGraw spread the word and encourage participation across the country.

According to Dan Allen, associate director of spirituality and service at the Alumni Association, the circumstances of the pandemic have intensified the need for food security.

“Hunger is a constant issue in our country and world, but the challenges related to the

pandemic have made the need more acute,” Allen said in an email. “Things such as unexpected deaths or prolonged illnesses, job losses and reduction and uncertainty about the future have made the need for food assistance increase substantially.”

McGraw emphasized similar concerns about the need for food.

“We probably all know somebody who just got furloughed …

They’re not getting paychecks, and they’re living in your community, and you don’t even know it,” McGraw said.

Increasing awareness about hunger in local communities is another one of McGraw’s goals through this initiative. McGraw said it can be hard to get started or hard to know what steps to take, but Meals with Muffet makes

fighting hunger simple.

“This is so easy,” McGraw said. “All you have to do is get something going in your own neighborhood.”

The threat of the coronavirus adds another layer of challenge to helping the community, but Meals with Muffet provides people with an opportunity to help others even in today’s unique circumstances.

“We are trying to highlight the opportunities that this is presenting. We would likely not have thought to do this if it were not for the pandemic,” Allen said.

“Instead of lamenting the challenges, we want to encourage one another to reach out in service.”

The restrictions placed on the climb by the pandemic forced the three Highlanders to adapt and be much more flexible throughout the planning process.

“There’s definitely a lot more hurdles,” Anderson said. “First of all, you have to keep everything socially distant and safe and follow all of the University’s guidelines. And then on top of that [we had] to keep an open line of communication because things change so quickly: Everything had to get switched to online, and we

have to control the flow through the entire stadium.”

In order to comply with University guidelines, groups will be limited to 10 participants and will start every three minutes.

Participants from outside the Notre Dame campus will be able to participate in a virtual climb to help the fundraising efforts. ND 110 facemasks and t-shirts will be for sale, with all proceeds going to Heart 9/11.

Milligan said ND 110 is the first student group to ever rent out

the Stadium for student use, and because of this, they needed to look to the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs, which plans Storm the Stadium, for guidance.

“Working with the stadium team was something new for everyone involved,” Milligan said.

“Their event was similar, but also … we needed a playbook to go off of.”

Students are asked to arrive 10 minutes before their registration time and ensure they are complying with all of the University’s

health guidelines.

Milligan said him and the other organizers are excited to be able to finally get ND 110 underway after months of planning.

“I hope to just be able to donate as much money as we can to [Heart 9/11],” Milligan said. “We wouldn’t be working on it if we didn’t think it was one of the best places you could put your money or your time.”

all backgrounds and identities.

Senior and program assistant at the GRC Odalis Gonzalez explained how intersectionality affects students at Notre Dame.

“Our gender intersects with our race, with our culture, with our religion, with our socioeconomic status, and that impacts how we experience Notre Dame and how we come to express ourselves,” Gonzalez said.

The week’s events are aimed at providing an education on inclusivity to all of the Notre Dame community and include panels on gender and race and active allyship, a pledge signing social and an introduction to mindfulness.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the logistics of these events, the message of inclusivity has stayed the same.

“Even though you think it doesn’t impact you, it does in one way or another,” Gonzalez said. “Whether it’s to you directly, to your friend, to your family members — you never know what anyone is going through, and they don’t know what you’re going through. So if you want people to understand you, you have to be able to understand other people.”

While StaND Against Hate Week is hosted by the GRC, the Center is not alone in this effort of inclusion. StaND Against

Hate Week is sponsored by Student Government, the Diversity Council, PrismND and several other student clubs and organizations trying to amplify the message of inclusion, love and community.

Gonzalez called on Notre Dame students to take this week as an opportunity to learn about the experiences of their fellow students.

“I think now is the time to learn, to explore, to put yourself out there — because if it’s not you. then who?” Gonzalez said.

Courtesy of Muffet McGraw

Former women’s basketball coach Muffet McGraw is welcomed at a house to pick up food as a part of her “Meals with Muffet” initiative. She hopes to increase awareness about hunger in local communities.

Contact Layton Hall at lhall8@nd.edu

Contact Maggie Eastland at meastland@nd.edu

Contact Ryan Peters at rpeters5@nd.edu

Support student journalism.

Donate to The Observer.

Visit our site.

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The observer | wednesday, september 9, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Q&I

separately from their fourth roommate. They were told to bring everything they’d need “for the foreseeable future,” anywhere from four to 14 days, Eppich said.

The three of them did not get tested prior to entering quarantine –– they were separated Aug. 16 in case their fourth roommate tested positive and they would, in turn, be close contacts.

For their first few days in quarantine, the University was not aware that there were three people in the residence. The group was told they would be in a four-bedroom apartment. Instead, they were placed in a two-bedroom apartment.

Cheng got the couch.

Eppich received frequent calls checking on his well-being, and he frequently reminded the University he was there with his roommates, too.

“They only knew I was here,” Eppich said while in quarantine.

“They were only going to bring one thing of food. They were only checking in on me.”

After not being contacted by a contact tracer Aug. 17, Agron and Cheng called UHS to check their status — and to make sure they received meals.

“They said, ‘You guys aren’t even in the queue yet to get a contact tracer,’” Agron said while in the Fischer Graduate Residences.

“They still didn’t even know we were here.”

After the call, the roommates all began receiving food until the morning they left. That day, they only got food for one.

On Aug. 19, they heard their fourth roommate tested negative for COVID-19. Eppich called his contact tracer and let her know.

After confirming that, yes, there were two other people quarantining with him, Eppich received the instructions that they were approved to go back to campus. A car would pick them up any time between about 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. They were back at about 2 p.m.

Their roommate with symptoms walked back to Keenan from his separate quarantine location.

The quad was welcomed back to Keenan with a special sign congratulating them on beating COVID-19.

Continued from page 1

to follow the University’s health and safety guidelines. Then, she was told she needed to go into quarantine.

Though she was fine with following the University’s protocol, Meyer said the miscommunication was a discouraging start to her time in the hotel.

“I was just frustrated because I wish there was more consistent communication on all ends,” she said.

Quarantine was lonely and monotonous for Meyer, she said, except when her neighbor blasted music she could hear through the thin hotel walls.

“I can hear everything that’s going on in that person’s room,” she said while in quarantine. “I’m pretty sure they had people over last night, which really made me frustrated because we’re in isolation. What’s the point?”

After four days of quarantine and not hearing from the University, Meyer called the Care and Concern Team, a branch of the University’s COVID-19 Response Unit, to see what the next steps would be. She was scheduled for a four-day test the following day, Aug. 24.

Meyer received her negative result Aug. 27 around 11:30 p.m. and was scheduled for another test the next day.

She packed her bag, made her way to the stadium, tested negative again and returned to her room in Johnson Family Hall by 4 p.m. Aug. 28.

Seeing friends again was Meyer’s post-quarantine highlight.

“Seeing all of them for the first time when I got out was really fun.

No hugging, obviously, we did the little elbow thing,” she said. “To get an opportunity to be with people again after being away was really, really nice.”

The COVID-19 Response Unit includes the Contact Tracing Team, Care and Concern Team, Housing Team, Release Team and the testing site staff, as well as the Wellness Center and University Health Services (UHS).

While each team has separate responsibilities, Brown said they meet and communicate frequently to ensure each member of each team is aware of what the others do. Some staffers are trained for the other teams, too.

Juniors Josh Agron, Mark Cheng and Sam Eppich quarantined at the Fischer Graduate Residences for four days.

The group lives in a quad in Keenan Hall consisting of two doubles connected by a common room. On Aug. 15, Eppich’s roommate ran a high fever. His roommate called UHS immediately and quarantined in his room as he waited for a response. He heard back from UHS the next day, went to get tested and was directed to quarantine.

Agron, Cheng and Eppich were then instructed to arrive at the Notre Dame Stadium testing site in 30 minutes to quarantine

As of Tuesday, approximately 75 students are in Notre Dame quarantine and isolation units and about 90 off-campus students are in quarantine or isolation at their own residences.

The University offers its quarantine and isolation space to offcampus students, Brown said, but they are able to decide where they’d like to stay.

Following the Aug. 17 spike in positive COVID-19 cases, approximately 450 students were in quarantine or isolation.

One off-campus junior isolated for three days in University sponsored housing.

She started feeling tired Aug. 14 and knew something wasn’t right.

The next day, she woke up feeling worse. The junior took her temperature only to find that she had a fever.

It was a Saturday. She called UHS. The phone kept ringing.

After leaving many voicemails, she finally got a call back to hear that her information was given to a nurse, and she would get another call later that day. She never did.

On Aug. 16, she woke up with a fever again. Later that day, she got a call from UHS and was advised to get a rapid test off-campus since the University did not provide them. As she was about to leave for her off-campus appointment, a doctor from Saint Liam’s gave her a call.

The junior was told she needed to be tested immediately and she was going to be quarantined and isolated off campus no matter the results of her test. She said she was scheduled for a test off-campus, and the doctor told her to head to the University’s testing site to get a rapid test.

Her rapid test had a positive result, so the junior was moved to a holding area for students who were waiting to be transported to isolation. She received a room key, some papers and a “goodie bag,” as she called it.

“This is my favorite,” she said.

“It was just a bag of water and salt packets.”

The junior had no idea where she was going. Even when she arrived at her new residence around 2:30 p.m., she wasn’t sure where she was. She didn’t get dinner until 8:30 p.m.

The next day, Aug. 17, she did not get food or water until she sent an email around 2 p.m. She got chips, an apple, an orange and a box of lettuce. They forgot dinner again.

On Aug. 18, she received a breakfast box with a bag of snacks and water meant to last for a few days.

She did not receive dinner.

The junior, agitated by the lack of care and attention, sent an email to the COVID Response Unit at 10:32 p.m. saying if her off-campus roommate were to test positive for COVID-19 and she continued to be left off of the meal list, she would be spending the remainder of her isolation period in her off-campus home.

She received a response the morning of Aug. 19, saying they “will work to have meals delivered to [her] right away.”

At 2:51 p.m. the same day, she emailed the Response Unit in the same thread, saying her roommate tested positive for COVID-19 and she would be returning to their apartment.

“Hopefully this space can be cleaned and used for an on-campus resident in need of quarantine space,” she said in the email to the Response Unit.

“Was it allowed? Probably not,” she told The Observer in a followup email, “but I told the contact tracers on the phone a couple days later, and they essentially said, ‘Oh, OK.’ I heard now they have monitors to keep people from leaving. But in my defense, they literally were not bringing me food or water.”

The junior did not have to get tested again before returning to campus life.

She walked home.

“We have acknowledged that there were missteps at the beginning and, to address these issues,

NEWS we brought in additional personnel to assist with properly meeting the needs of our students in Q&I,” Brown said on behalf of the University.

“In addition to the students who encountered difficulties, others found the University’s response to be excellent — at least given the circumstances.”

Senior Emma Shea isolated at the Morris Inn for 11 days.

Her brother helped her move into her off-campus apartment and stayed for the first week of classes. He left and tested positive for COVID-19.

Shea called the University Aug. 15 and had a test scheduled for Aug. 17 due to her already-developing COVID-19 symptoms.

Feeling worse, Shea called again and was moved to isolation Aug. 16, the night before her official test.

Arriving at Notre Dame Stadium, Shea received a folder with isolation information and was directed to the Morris Inn with special instructions.

“They’re like, ‘Go to the Morris Inn, ask for John at the front and don’t mention quarantine or isolation because we don’t want people to freak out,’” Shea said. “I feel like I’m on this secret mission to go find John at the Morris Inn and tell him a lie? Tell him why I’m there? I don’t know.”

She arrived at the on-campus hotel, told the front desk workers she was there to see John, was greeted by name and taken to a room upstairs. Shea called her contact tracer and was told she’d get another call the next day.

It didn’t come for four days.

Life in isolation was quiet — until it wasn’t. For three days in a row, the fire alarm went off at the Inn. The first day was Aug. 17. Shea said she and other students in isolation filed out of the hotel the first time.

“It’s a bunch of single college kids with masks on all sitting in their pajamas outside,” she said.

“There’s no way they don’t know that we all are the infected ones.

We’re all sitting outside; I’m trying to be far away from anyone. People are walking by on the sidewalk, and I’m just moving, trying to stay back. It was so strange.”

On Aug. 20, Shea received her first call from a contact tracer since Aug. 16. She was told the University would be checking in on her daily. So far, they had not.

Shea said she was the sickest from Aug. 16 to Aug. 20, so the lack of contact was “unfortunate,” but the staff she did talk with “could not have been nicer.”

This was the only time she was contacted throughout isolation.

Shea was told Aug. 20 that she would be able to leave the hotel Aug. 25. She called the University on Aug. 24 to be sure she would be able to leave the next day. The senior was then told she could not leave until Aug. 26.

On the morning of her new release day, Shea called to start the process off before her classes began. She was transferred or called back eight or nine times before she spoke with someone, only to find out she wasn’t in the system to be released.

Eventually, Shea spoke with a

nurse at UHS who said her information was put into the system incorrectly. Someone switched the date she was put in isolation with the date she tested positive for COVID-19. Shea was transferred to a call with the release team shortly after.

“And they were like, ‘Oh, well, actually looks like you should have gotten out from isolation yesterday,’” she said.

Shea answered three questions prior to being cleared for release: Do you have a fever? A cough? Can you taste?

No, no, no. Then she was good to go.

Shea returned to her apartment Aug. 26 and attended her online classes for the day.

The Care and Concern Team focuses on contacting students in quarantine and isolation daily.

The team employs over 20 fulltime staff members and hundreds of volunteers who work on the weekends, Brown said.

Students now receive a direct number to the Care and Concern Team to call with any questions or concerns.

Brown said the University acknowledges it “stumbled at the start,” but the past few weeks have been promising given the decrease in new COVID-19 case numbers.

“But there is a long way to go –– more than 70 days until the end of the semester. We really need everyone –– students, faculty and staff –– to remain diligent,” he said. “That is especially so this coming weekend with the first football game. It would be easy to relax and ease up on masking, physical distancing and other safe practices. Our sincere hope is that everyone will stick with what has been working.”

Shea published a Letter to the Editor thanking her professors for being kind and understanding during her time in isolation.

Later, one of her professors said he never knew how sick she was.

Professors, he said, are supposed to receive daily updates from the University on how their students in quarantine and isolation are doing.

Shea, having only heard from a contact tracer once, never had her information sent to this professor.

She found the handling of her situation frustrating.

“I just hope that kids who end up getting [COVID-19] later this semester won’t go through something where they’re sitting in a room for 10 or 12 days and no one has contacted them,” she said in a follow-up interview.

Students are given a folder of information when they are sent to quarantine or isolation.

“Here your health and well-being are important to us,” one reads, with information on quarantine and isolation, what to expect, some guidelines and common feelings on being separated from others. “We are here to assist you.”

Contact Maria Leontaras at mleontaras01@saintmarys.edu

News

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, september 9, 2020 | The Observer

5

Community shares opinions on Library Lawn

By JOHN SALEM News Writer

Librar y Law n is the newest renovation to Notre Dame’s campus, as the grassy area bet ween Hesburgh Librar y and Notre Dame Stadium— also know n as Librar y Quad — has been transformed into a hangout space for all students to enjoy.

The quad is dotted w ith Adirondack chairs, fire pits and umbrellas, allow ing students to utilize the law n, no matter the weather.

“I love the v ibe here,” senior A lessandro Preda said about the law n. “It’s ver y rela x ing and mellow which makes it a great place to hang out.”

Another highlight of the setup is the large black stage, which ser ves a number of purposes from concerts to live contests. The final section of Librar y Law n — the area between the stage and the hangout area — is called ‘The Green’ and is meant to be a place for students to play recreational games such as cornhole and spikeball.

The Librar y Law n made its debut last weekend and the Student Activ ities Office (SAO) put together a number of events to draw in students to the renovated quad.

These events ranged from sunset yoga to free frozen

JOHN SALEM | The Observer

Located between Notre Dame Stadium and Hesburgh Library sits the new Library Lawn. The area includes chairs, umbrellas and a performance stage for students to use. “I love the vibe here,” one student said.

yogurt and culminated in a fireworks display Saturday night.

The motivation behind the creation of the law n are rather simple.

“Ever yone at the Universit y was interested in the students hav ing more opportunities for safe, outdoor fun on campus,” Nick Johnson, executive director of ND Innovates, said.

Johnson also said the law n was a collaborative effort between SAO and Universit y Enterprises and Events, a div ision of the Office of the Executive Vice president,

which is in charge of organizing and executing events on campus year-round. The t wo groups were inspired by similar renovations done in major metropolitan areas around the countr y in order to draw more people dow ntow n.

“The Librar y Law n project not only makes better use of a beautiful green space framed by iconic buildings, but it’s a perfect location for students to rela x,” Jennifer McGuire, athletic director at the Universit y Enterprises and Events div ision, said.

McGuire said student

feedback has been “overwhelmingly positive” as the Notre Dame residents seem to enjoy the new hangout area quite a bit.

“My favorite part of the law n has gotta be the fire pits, because s’mores !” sophomore Karina Duff y said.

Perhaps the most w idely appreciated aspect of the Librar y Law n is how many different purposes it ser ves.

“I really enjoy the fact that, w ith the comfortable chairs and open spaces, the law n is a great place to rela x w ith friends and get some work

done,” sophomore Hannah Wahle said.

In addition, students enjoy hav ing the room to spread out and enjoy the nice weather.

“I love the law n,” sophomore Katie Nolan said. “I live in Flahert y and don’t really have access to many open spaces like this.”

Librar y Law n isn’t the only renovation that SAO and Universit y Enterprises and Events have planned.

“Plans are afoot to similarly outfit additional space adjacent to the Hesburgh Librar y,” McGuire said.

The aforementioned space w ill ser ve a similar purpose as the current law n ,but more so w ill be a quiet area geared towards study ing and work space. Both this new space and the current law n are expected to stay open until the end of October, depending on the weather.

A lthough Librar y Law n has been met w ith much praise, it seems like there are still some aspects to be worked out dow n the line.

“I w ish the Wi-Fi was better out here,” Preda said.

The law n is currently open until midnight Sunday through Thursday and until 2 a.m on Fridays and Saturdays.

Contact John Salem at jsalem2@nd.edu

Single ticketholders allowed to sit with groups

By COLIN CAPECE News Writer

A version of this story was published online Sept. 8.

Notre Dame students who were going to be forced to sit by themselves at football games this fall learned Thursday that they will no longer have to be alone. A petition to change the seating policy including more than 300 student signatures was sent to the administration last week, eliciting a rapid response from the Murnane Family Ticket Office.

The petition began circulating through the student body Monday night after student football tickets went on sale earlier in the evening.

The Aug. 31 email from the ticket office stated that students would be seated by room assignments, with a maximum of four tickets per residence group. Students are expected to stay at their assigned seat the email said.

The petition expressed concerns about students living in single residence rooms and students whose roommates are not purchasing football tickets, who would be left to sit alone in Notre Dame Stadium during the games. The petition called for single-occupancy students to have the option of

choosing additional students to sit with during football games.

Many students were forced into single living spaces this fall for reasons out of their control, the petition stated, including students with medical needs who required special accommodations in the wake of COVID-19 and students whose original fall roommates moved off-campus.

The petition was first sent to the Notre Dame administration and then forwarded to the ticket office.

On Thursday, the ticket office sent a response email to students who did not have the opportunity to purchase tickets with roommates.

The email stated that these students would have the opportunity to sit with up to three other singleoccupancy peers of the same residence hall.

The petition was started by senior Ashley Panousis, a resident assistant in Ryan Hall.

“When I saw the current policy and talked about it with other students living in single rooms, we were all very concerned,” Panousis said. “Football games are one of my favorite experiences at Notre Dame, and I didn’t want myself and other seniors to be isolated for our last games as students.”

College football Saturdays normally bring energy and excitement

to Notre Dame, with large groups of students joining together to cheer on the Irish in Notre Dame Stadium. With the number of students that can sit together now restricted, watching games with friends will be more difficult for students. However, Panousis is glad that the ticket office quickly devised a solution for single-occupancy students ahead of Saturday’s home opener.

“I am definitely satisfied with the response to the issue we raised,” she said. “I personally have friends in other dorms that I would love to sit with, but I understand why students would need to sort by residence hall. [The Ticket Office] has allowed every student to sit near people they know without increasing risk. I am grateful they listened and enacted a policy with single rooms is mind.”

Senior Dunne Hall resident assistant Steven Cascio, also appreciated the cause of the petition.

“When I saw the petition going around, it gave me a lot of hope for those of us living in single rooms that we would get to enjoy Notre Dame football with our friends one last time,” he said. “I wasn’t going to buy tickets initially with everything that’s going on, but I’ve definitely become more optimistic about the situation after this

Observer File Photo

Notre Dame Stadium seats will be filled at 20% capacity for the 2020 football season. Students can sit with their households or dormmates.

decision.”

With social distancing and mask wearing in effect, the game will certainly look and feel different in Notre Dame Stadium.

Only students and some faculty and staff will be allowed in the stands, making the in-game experience a far cry from the normally packed house of 80,000. Cascio however, wants to make the most of this strange 2020 season.

“I will definitely miss the crowd and the traditions like touchdown pushups, but I’m just going to try and enjoy the games as much as I can,” he said. “It might not be a perfect season, but I am glad that the students will at least have the opportunity to be together in the stands.”

Contact Colin Capece at ccapece@nd.edu

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The observer | Wednesday, steptember 9, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

What would Jesus do?

Inside Column

Where is home when you can’t go back?

Maria Luisa Paul News Writer

Commonly known as “the Rainbow,” a mosaic of millions of red, blue, yellow and black tiles adorn the floor and walls of Simon Bolivar International Airport. The merging blocks of colors crafted by the renowned artist Carlos Cruz Diez are the only thing left in Venezuela with any structure or sense.

Walking through those tiles is an experience reminiscent of Dorothy Gale’s. During the first steps down the mosaic’s optical illusion, you can almost listen to her sing her ode to the weather phenomenon. You remember the devastation, desperation and grief you’re leaving behind and can only visualize reaching a place “where troubles melt like lemon drops.”

However, at the very end, where chromatic vibrancy turns into cinderblock, you desire nothing else but Dorothy’s dazzling red slippers — not for their beauty, but for their ability to conjure a spell to ground you to the land you’re about to abandon.

It is only at the end of the Rainbow that you discover the meaning of the phrase, “There’s no place like home.”

Like thousands of other people, I walked down those very blocks in January of this year. At the time, I thought it would be temporary, that I would return during the summer. However, when the pandemic ran rampant across the nation and Venezuela closed its borders, I realized that, even if I wanted to, I would not return for a long time.

It seems absurd to want to go back to a crisisstricken land that millions have already fled from.

Yet, Venezuela is and will always be my home. It’s the place where I grew up, where I first discovered the world, where my family remains. Despite its current chaos, it’s the place where my heart is.

Being unable to return to the place you call home is like being plucked from the ground where you deepened your roots. It evokes an uncanniness and uneasiness that is hard to put into words. It’s the deep longing and nostalgia that carried over Dorothy’s journey from the Land of Oz to Kansas.

Unlike Dorothy, tapping my shoes cannot counter the pain of circumstance. This realization haunted me throughout the pandemic and it occasionally still does. However, I’ve learned to cope with it thanks to a phrase my parents told me: “Home is us five.”

The truth is that home is not merely physical — it’s also a state of mind. My country is tarnished and will continue to decay under the current dictatorship, but my home is constant and never changing.

Even if I’m 2,178 miles away from my Caribbean paradise, my home manifests itself whenever I FaceTime family members. It’s present in the care packages filled with Venezuelan food that my parents send me. It’s demonstrated in the unconditional support I have received from my friends and professors. It showcased itself in Minnesota, when a loving and caring family took me in when classes turned virtual.

Though I’m risking sounding like a cliché doormat, home is truly where the heart is. My home is not the building that housed me, but the unconditional love from the people within it, and that’s where I can always turn to even when I can’t physically go back home.

You can contact Maria at mpaulran@nd.edu The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Ashton Weber Living Relig-ish

Growing up as an attendee of Catholic school and Sunday mass, I became quite familiar with Bible stories, especially the narration of episodes in Jesus’ life that are found in the New Testament. Of these recorded episodes in Jesus’ life, one has always been especially confusing to me: the story of the rich young man.

Here’s the gist: Jesus is out doing his thing — preaching and teaching — when someone approaches him and asks a big question. “Teacher, what must I do to gain eternal life?” Jesus starts to list the Ten Commandments, and they respond by explaining that they already do a perfect job of following those.

So, what could be missing?

The problem, Jesus explains, is their wealth.

“It will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven,” he tells them. “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to [the] poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

When I first heard and understood what Jesus was saying in this story, I was probably six or seven years old. The language Jesus used was not vague. He said to get rid of everything. I may have been young, but my family’s socioeconomic status allowed me to live more than comfortably, and I knew at a very basic level that selling everything I had would not be desirable. Everything would include my favorite outfit, all the toys I just got for Christmas and every birthday present I had received or would ever receive. So, yeah, the idea was ... not appealing.

It was lucky for me, then, that our priests and catechists told us not to take the story literally. In our community of upper middle class families, we were not called to offer radical mutual aid and live wholly for our community, but instead to use the story as a metaphor. It was often accompanied by a call for donations to the parish and a reminder that it’s possible to live with wealth and still follow this teaching, so long as you tithe.

Imagine my relief! I could keep my presents and enjoy my privileges and I wouldn’t be following Jesus any less than someone who gave everything away.

I could live happily and participate in capitalist America without any repercussions. Yay! I’m sure you can imagine where this is heading, but as I’ve grown older and come to understand the way power and wealth have influenced the Catholic church and its leaders, I’ve begun to make sense of the real reasons why we never took Jesus’ words at face value. They were radical. To follow them would have been a rejection of everything earthly, and it would have been uncomfortable. Our families would have had to live with financial insecurity, which would mean fewer donations for the Church. They would have no longer been able to afford real gold chalices and fancy priestly garments.

Bummer.

In realizing the modern Church’s erasure of Jesus’ true teachings as a way of placating conservative Catholics with wealth, I’ve been thinking about the

other things I was taught about Jesus and how contradictory they are with this radical Jesus of the New Testament.

Could it be possible that following Jesus in the closest possible way might involve taking his words literally? Could it be possible that living in his footsteps might involve a radical approach to modern politics?

I think yes. Following Jesus means living out his values in whatever time one finds themself. He was enraged by religious leaders who got wrapped up in money and power. He found those who were disenfranchised by religion and the state and welcomed them into his promise of salvation. He sided with the working people over the powerful. His message was so radically progressive that he was crucified.

To live like Jesus is not to be A.D. 33 radical. It is not to live on a pedestal and flaunt one’s Christian values in others’ faces while ignoring their calls for support. It is to look at the moment we live in and ask: Who is disenfranchised by religion now? Who is being ignored by the state now? Who can I support in a way that is so radically progressive, I feel like I am being crucified too?

Last week, I was reading an Notre Dame Football Instagram post that declared “Black Lives Matter.”

The comments section is full of messages questioning how Notre Dame could support a “Marxist group,” declaring that “ND is no longer Catholic if it supports [Black Lives Matter].” One of my incredible peers has explained how their content was exceptionally painful to read as a Black member of the Notre Dame family, and I recommend everyone read her piece to understand how our community engages in disenfranchisement.

I would also like to call our community to think more about what these comments mean.

What does it mean for something to be a “Marxist group?” Does this not mean a form of political participation where all members achieve radical equity and non-hierarchical empowerment? Does this not mean rejecting personal wealth and earthly possessions in favor of community support? Might this be in line with Jesus’ calls that we explored earlier?

How is it not Catholic to support an organization that declares consistently and proudly that Black Lives Matter? Isn’t a declaration of solidarity with those who are consistently left behind by the state and underrepresented in the Church exactly what a Catholic who strives to live like Jesus should make?

As we move forward with our school year, I invite the Notre Dame family to join me in rethinking our image of Jesus and taking his words at face value.

Allow your imitation of him to radicalize you — then go do what Jesus would do.

Ashton Weber is a junior with lots of opinions. She is an econ major with a minor in sociology and she can often be found with her nose in a book. If you want to chat about intersectional feminism, baking blueberry scones, growing ZZ plants or anything else, she’d love to hear from you. Reach Ashton at aweber22@nd.edu or @awebz01 on Twitter.

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

Submit a Letter to the Editor: viewpoint@ndsmcobserver.com

The observer | Wednesday, september 9, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

7

The pandemic should not be political Rachel Stockford BridgeND

Since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Washington State on Jan. 21, the virus has become less of a global health issue and more of a topic for political debate. Variations in policies of whether to keep businesses and offices open differed across state lines, the effectiveness of masks was and continues to be challenged and debates about the severity of the virus as a whole has been a conversation encouraged throughout the past half year. No matter what your opinion is about the pandemic, there are two facts we have to acknowledge: people have died from this disease, and both the constituents of the United States and elected officials have turned a global pandemic into an issue that can be debated upon instead of putting all their efforts into helping the people of this country and others around the world.

To show exactly just how different the reaction from our government today has been from previous outbreaks of viruses, I ventured back to the Obama administration and how the US was able to handle the Ebola virus. Granted, this situation is much different, as Ebola was not easily transmitted through the air like COVID-19 and thus less contagious. However, there was a much more unified and organized effort at the national level on how to not only help citizens of the United States, but how

to help other parts of the world who were much more impacted from this virus. Obama sent troops to Africa to help the disease and set up treatment centers in those countries most impacted. He acted as a unifying voice, saying, “We have to work together at every level –– federal, state, and local.”

This is a stark contrast to the response from Trump, as he claimed on Feb. 28 that the Coronavirus was “The Democrats’ new hoax,” and threatening to withhold aid from states like Michigan in the height of the pandemic over disagreements about mail-in voting. From the beginning, as Trump dumped efforts on states to control the pandemic on their own. I can’t help but wonder how different the past six months would have been if our president had been providing us with facts and information and aiding states in their reopening processes, instead of shouting false claims about hydroxychloroquine and failing to recognize the severity of the virus until it was much too late.

It has been evident that Trump’s false claims about aspects of the pandemic have caused polarization and political divide in a time that the U.S. should be working together the most. For instance, according to a Gallup poll, only 24% of Republicans claim they always wear a mask when outside the home, compared to 61% of Democrats and 41% of Independents. These numbers are astonishing, considering that it is a recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control that masks should be

worn to limit the spread of the virus. This divide for party differences is at least in part a result of Trump’s failure to wear a mask in public until July, claiming until then: “Wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators ... I just don’t see it.”

Although it is true that aspects of the political world tend to be heightened during an election season, it is dangerous to see just how much inf luence politics have over things that should not be controversial. This is a result of growing political polarization and how quickly party alignment can impact the livelihood of our nation.

As much as I love to talk about politics, this pandemic should not be political. This is a reminder to you and to myself that as the general election draws closer, our elected officials still need to be held accountable for the actions their words promote. As much as all of us are ready for life to return to normal, our wants do not eradicate the coronavirus and the continued politicization of the pandemic will only hurt us in the long run.

Rachel Stockford is the director of operations for BridgeND, a non-partisan political education and discussion group that seeks to bridge the political divide and raise the standard for political discourse at Notre Dame. You can contact the club at bridgend@nd.edu or learn more at bit.ly/bridgendsignup.

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

God and country Andrew Sveda Church and State

In his column “The role of religion in government,” Blake Ziegler asks whether religious belief can be accepted under the constitution as justification for passing a law, a question he leans towards the negative. To truly tackle this question, however, we must also confront it on a broader, more philosophical level, asking not just “Is this allowed?” but also “Should it be allowed?”

Let’s take a step back for a moment. Why shouldn’t we allow our religious beliefs to have a say in making our laws? We may be tempted to say something about the separation of church and state, but the real problem, it seems, is that the idea of imposing one’s religious beliefs or religiously-based morals (our focus here) upon others sounds repulsive.

It’s easy to bristle at such a suggestion until you realize just how silly it would be to opposite it.

Think about it: The statement “We shouldn’t impose our morality on others,” is itself an attempt to impose your morality on the listener! Such a belief self-destructs amidst its own relativist claims. The fact of the matter is that any substantive law on anything (not just particular issues like abortion) inherently rests on some set of moral principles since all law demands that someone “should” or has an “obligation” to do something. To never “impose” our morals would be to never have any truly meaningful or binding laws.

So if imposing one’s morality is not the problem, then what is? At this point, I can imagine one suggesting that religiously-inspired morals are different because they are not widely agreed upon. But again, the claim is self-defeating — the sentence “We shouldn’t use moral beliefs or systems of beliefs that are controversial to justify laws,” is itself a moral belief (and based on a belief system) that is also controversial and not universally accepted.

But beyond that, why is it that we accept beliefs in egalitarianism and humanism as an acceptable justification for laws, but not religious beliefs? What about commitments to the “good” of free markets

or, conversely, socialism? What about moral beliefs that democracy and the advancement of science are good and will make a better world? These could all be up for debate, yet these beliefs are accepted as legitimate justification and can be used (as they should be) to demand the advancement of what is right and just.

If we are to still object to using religious beliefs as justification and motivation yet allow other philosophical worldviews to do just this, then we must either admit that this is a rather arbitrary exclusion or consider the possibility an “a priori” prejudice towards belief in God as somehow “irrational” or “narrow-minded.”

This analysis, of course, doesn’t answer the question from a constitutional perspective. Maybe the constitution singled out religious motivations for whatever reason. Yet history has shown that America has been a lot more comfortable with religion’s role in government than we may tend to believe. During Jefferson’s presidency, for example, the federal government held Sunday Protestant (and later Catholic) worship services in the House of Representatives (this continued for over half a century) and even promised funds to build a Catholic church in 1803. But beyond that, the Constitution itself, interestingly, makes special accommodations for Sundays in Article 1, Section 7, a nod that clearly gives preference to Christian practice.

While the intended role of religion in the U.S. government is certainly up for debate, this emphasis on and support of not just religion in general but specifically Christianity suggests that the “America is a Christian nation” theory might not be so quickly brushed aside.

Maybe this hypothesis is right, maybe it’s not, but what I find extremely perplexing is just how far some religious conservatives will go in insisting on the affirmative. As a conservative myself, I know this firsthand. There is a heightened passion and desperation in proving “the Christian founding” that can only be adequately characterized as religious fervor.

Indeed, in some circles, political views surrounding the culture wars have seemingly become more central to their Christian identity than actually sharing

and defending the faith itself. It disturbs me that many are much more concerned about who is on the Supreme Court or allowing prayer in schools than one’s (and others’) eternal destiny and relationship with the one they are praying to.

Politics, if treated as an ultimate end, will always make everything else subordinate to it, even our faith if we are not extremely careful. In centering their Christian identity inherently on the political, many have traded genuine Christianity for some mutated, nation-centered civic religion, and in doing so, they have effectively placed their citizenship in America over their citizenship in the Kingdom of God. More often than not, it seems like phrases like “God and country” and “God bless America” are more political statements veiled in religious language than anything else. To call this a tragedy is not an exaggeration but an understatement.

To be sure, many Christians (including many religious conservatives) do not fall into this category, and it would certainly be rather intellectually lazy to ignore Christianity as a possibility because people have misused or failed to follow it. Still, we must admit that the political has often trumped the cardinal concerns of the faith, and far too often Christianity has been diluted to a set of political beliefs rather than a faith that shapes and transforms one’s entire life and understanding of the world around them, including the political. But each of us must decide once and for all which one comes first in our lives: God or country.

Elijah’s cry to the Israelites rings true today: “How long will you waver between two opinions?” (1 Kings 18:21). We cannot have it both ways. It must be one or the other. “No one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). Which will it be? Are we christian Conservatives or conservative Christians?

Andrew Sveda is a sophomore at Notre Dame from Pittsburgh majoring in political science. 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 authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.

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The observer | wednesday, september 9, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

What does your mask say about you?

Ella Wisniewski Consider This

These days, no outfit is complete without a mask.

In the nearly seven months that the novel coronavirus has been officially declared a pandemic, there’s been a ton of development in the world of mask fashion. From durability to style to color to design, there are endless possibilities when it comes to keeping yourself and others safe. But did you know that how you choose to mask up actually says a lot about you?

Disposable blue mask: You used to run cross country in high school but now you just like to run around the lakes to get a little exercise. You make fun of people with motorized scooters but you secretly want one of your own.

Green HERE mask: You haven’t done laundry in almost two weeks and you woke up about 15 minutes ago. You just ordered Starbucks and there are 127 people ahead of you in line.

Shamrock HERE mask: You don’t care about matching today, and that’s alright. It’s almost time for your daily walk to the Huddle. You don’t need anything, you just want to go somewhere.

ND-issued circle patterned mask: You’re feeling a little fancy today. Go you.

ND-issued green mask: You spend just a little too much time on Twitter. You keep meaning to watch Breaking Bad but you haven’t gotten around to it yet.

Mask from Amazon: You’re a pretty regular person. Don’t forget to do your econ problem set and meet Katie at NDH! Mask from Etsy: You love plants and you have really nice handwriting. The most important debate in your life is “Pride and Prejudice” (1995) vs “Pride and Prejudice” (2005).

A mediocre homemade mask: You got really into doing crafts during quarantine. If someone compliments you on it, you immediately say that you made it. You tell everyone your favorite TV show is “The Great British Bake Off,” but it’s actually “Vanderpump Rules.”

A really nice homemade mask: You learned how to sew when you were a kid but you’re kinda over it now. You prefer entering the Meeting ID over clicking the Zoom link and nothing annoys you more than soggy dining hall boxes.

Bandana: You want to be a cowboy. Yeehaw.

Neck gaiter: You’re a finance major (history minor) who played lacrosse in high school. One of your greatest joys in life is playing Spikeball on South Quad with your boys.

Mask purchased from Modern Market: What compelled you to do this?

Mask with a quirky saying on it: You have a “Coexist” bumper sticker on your Honda CRV. Mask with a sports logo on it: You wore glasses for most of elementary school but switched over to contacts in the eighth grade. You’re also feeling conflicted about Lou Holtz. Go team!

KERRY SCHNEEMAN | The Observer

Mask with ties instead of elastic: You like to take your time with things. You wish there were a Trader Joe’s in the South Bend/Mishawaka area, but you’ll settle for Whole Foods.

No mask: You prefer endangering the lives of others over having a minor inconvenience.

Ella Wisniewski is a junior studying English and economics. She tries her best not to take herself too seriously. You can reach her at ewisnie2@nd.edu or @ellawisn on Twitter.

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

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

In response to student strikes As a graduate of Notre Dame, it is good to see students who are passionate about bringing injustices to the forefront, and I agree that the community should engage in dialogue when change is needed. However, student efforts aimed at GEO Group are unfortunately based on misinformation at best and intentional dishonesty at worst.

I have worked for GEO for 20 years, and each day we strive to treat those entrusted to our care with compassion, dignity and respect, no exceptions.

It is why we consistently meet the high standards set forth by our government partners and independent accreditation entities.

Our reentr y and rehabilitation programming across the countr y has proven successful in supporting those being released from prison with the tools and support needed to succeed in the community and avoid reoffending – – and thus returning – – to prison. Thus, it is wholly inaccurate to accuse our company of seeking to fill beds, while we are in fact, doing quite the opposite, as we invest in the success and empowerment of those entrusted to our care.

The GEO Continuum of Care (CoC) Program is an enhanced, evidence-based offender

rehabilitation program that has proven to reduce recidivism by combining in-custody programming (academic and vocational training, substance abuse treatment, and faith and character-based strategies) followed by post–release support services (transitional housing, clothing, food, transportation and job placement assistance).

Participants opting into CoC at our Blackwater River Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility in Florida, for example, experienced a 40% reduction in recidivism in 2018. At our two correctional facilities in Indiana, we awarded more than 250 GEDs, more than 1,000 vocational certifications in 2019 and offenders completed more than 1,700 individual behavioral courses, such as Life Skills and Thinking for a Change.

At our Rivers Correctional Institution, 100% of our Washington D.C. offender population is currently enrolled in one-on-one case management offered by GEO, and of the participants released in 2018, only 2% returned to federal custody within a year.

We have been a trusted service provider to the federal government for over three decades, under

Democratic and Republican administrations, and during this time, our dedicated employees have provided culturally-responsive, humane residential care at all of our facilities.

To be clear, we have never played a role in setting immigration or criminal justice policy, nor have we ever advocated for or against enforcement or sentencing policies. At our immigration facilities, we have 24/7 medical services, modern recreation amenities, nutritionist-approved meals responsive to a diverse range of dietar y needs and access to legal counsel.

I welcome the Notre Dame community to reach out to learn about what we do and do not do as a government service provider, and to learn about our facilities, our staff and the vocational, educational and supportive services we offer to those in our care.

Brian Evans Senior Vice President and CFO for The GEO Group, Inc. class of ‘90 Sept. 4

Follow us on Twitter: @ObserverViewpnt

9

The observer | wednesday, september 9, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

By CHARLIE KENNEY Scene Writer

Sprawled on white towel against rough California fescue grass, naked except for a pair of frilled underwear with the red-orange logo of 7-Eleven in its center. Smiling through squinted eyes and blocking the sun’s glare with an upraised hand, Phoebe Bridgers stares back at the camera completely, voluntarily, exposed.

The photoshoot and adjoining interview, which took place for the now “journalism-focused” magazine Playboy during a quarantined west coast June, is representative of Bridgers as an artist. Physically, lyrically and socially, the 26-year old star of the indie rock scene near constantly shows a disregard for opinions — at least those of others.

Bridgers’ Twitter and Instagram accounts, currently active under the pseudonyms “Traitor Joe” and “Fake Nudes” respectively, are blatantly, almost purposefully, unconcerned. A casual drag back of the mouse lands on an errant tweet that reads in lowercase typescript, “remember when we all just let neil young say milk blood in a song.” A photograph posted on Instagram of equal eccentricity features Phoebe in fishnet tights while a FaceTime guest’s image rests in the corner, captioned “outtake of me camming for davis and nick cave and my dead dog.”

As evident in her Playboy spread and earlier, full-frontal shoot for Rolling Stone, Bridgers appears indifferent to popular opinion and notions of presentability. Social media only seems to take that attitude and put it into words.

Posts pass through the hands of no editor but herself and seem bothered only with those who enjoy them.

Music, although not as ostensibly, is where Bridgers truly reveals herself. Posing nude for a widely circulated magazine is one kind of exposure, an unfiltered, apathetic social media presence another. But lyrics and music reveal parts of a person that photographs and 280 characters always fail to.

By DESSI GOMEZ Scene Writer

Two weekends ago, I watched a total of four animated movies in a four-day span. These films were, “Frozen 2,” “Inside Out,” “Ratatouille” and “Big Hero 6,” respectively. I have come to realize that I prefer animated films to those with real actors or based on real-life like documentaries. I’d like to think it is because I’m still a child at heart, but I have found in my 21+ years of movie-watching and film-going, animated films are much more likely to evoke an emotional response in me. The most common emotion are tears.

I have dedicated this piece to the exploration of why animated movies consistently elicit more emotion in comparison to those occasional watery eyes from films with real-life human actors and actresses.

First, please humor my ex-English major brain when I mention the phrase, “suspension of disbelief.” I have come to know that I automatically do this in almost every film, and, since animated stories

Bridgers’ sophomore effort “Punisher” is a house full of single-paned windows, its interior effortlessly visible to any passerby.

Released this past June via Dead Oceans, the album feels like a shouted whisper. Bridgers’ voice ethereal, the lyrics both distant and tangible, “Punisher” is a heard maturity from “Stranger in the Alps” of three years prior. Each track still possesses a familiar sound and lyrically never think too highly of themselves. Yet, from beginning to end, each sounds and feels markedly more developed than those of her previous album.

Opened with the sole instrumental track “DVD Menu,” the record effortlessly flows into a first half led by the two pre-released singles featured: “Garden Song” and “Kyoto.”

The former, a reflection on Bridgers’ life in Los Angeles, sounds almost as if it were recorded then played over itself. Radio static and an unerring bass melody hang in the background, while she sings in hushed tones, “I’m at the movies, I don’t remember what I’m seeing / The screen turns into a tidal wave.” The track plays and feels like a soundtrack to a dream — something one can listen to but enjoy without any needed attention.

“Kyoto” follows as the record’s most radio-friendly track.

Steady, percussive drumming and a cacophony of horns accompany a memorable chorus. A love song to Japan and touring, the lyrics “Got bored at the temple / Looked around at the 7-Eleven / The band took the speed train / Went to the arcade” feel notably relaxed in theme and sound compared to the rest of the album, regardless of what message Bridgers might be trying to convey.

“Halloween” and the eponymous “Punisher” prop up the album’s center, building a gradual heap of sound that crescendos at the sixth track of “Chinese Satellite.”

“Punisher” particularly stands out, giving a body to the album’s title and acting as a powerful meditation on depression and fandom. In an interview with Stereogum, Bridgers describes a “punisher” as “this archetype fan

who’s a little too enthusiastic” and just “another person telling her [an artist] how inspiring she is.” The track touches on the role Phoebe used to occupy and the life she lived before, relative, fame. “What if I told you / I feel like I know you? / But we never met,” unmistakably fixes itself as a line that a ‘punisher’ would utter, but does so without limiting itself to such.

Closing with a muffled gunshot, two of the album’s strongest songs, “Graceland Too” and “I Know The End,” bring the stylus of the record player to a halt.

“Graceland Too,” as one might expect, has a visibly folkier tune to it than its predecessors. An acoustic guitar, maybe a banjo and Bridgers’ Boygenius bandmates Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus harmonize about togetherness and Nashville. In the Stereogum interview, Phoebe says, “I love a setting for a song. It’s just I have a hard time visualizing things. I think in weird grey clouds. In songs, I try to put someone somewhere.” If not in words, then in melody and noise “Graceland Too” depicts Nashville.

Opening with a breath and ending with (literally) a scream, “I Know The End” might be about a country on fire, a pandemic or a foreseen death — the lyrics certainly seem to suggest that kind of prescience from Bridgers. But, Phoebe penned the lyrics to the album long before an invisible enemy trapped us all indoors and protests became the only way to inhabit a crowd. The song is about a journey down a country highway, littered with firebrand billboards that read “I Know The End” and being conscious of where its stopping point will be.

Maybe the fact that “I Know The End” suggests a false interpretation is evocative of Bridgers as a whole. A lot of the seemingly artistic things she does –– nude photoshoots, inflammatory tweets –– appear to have deeper meaning, but only really take place because she wants them to, because she enjoys them.

have no limit to what can happen, I think my ability to suspend disbelief soars at the idea of what could potentially occur. With all of the crazy explosions, inventions, creatures and phenomena aside, many animated movies I have seen recently always do an excellent job of reeling the imagination back into focus on a lesson or concept that can be applied to real life. This usually the part which makes me cry.

A theme I have noticed that is likely to move me to tears nine times out of ten are relationships — mostly family dynamics — but also friendships, romantic relationships and bonds that have developed over the course of the film. Parent-child ties and sibling bonds that are seen in family relationships and even pet or animal-human bonds get me the most! As a college student far from home, I think it makes sense that mother-daughter or father-son and vice versa relationships bring out homesickness and nostalgia for me. The road bumps that these characters face throughout the films, which make for a powerful reunion in the end, really bring me to reflect on my relationship with both of my parents.

The climax, or the point where the audience learns the moral lesson and the crucial point of the story, is where I am most vulnerable. Due to the several other hard, sad, crazy moments which have led up to this point, puts even more pressure on the outcome and how it will fit into the rest of the story.

The element of simplicity is a beautiful part of animated movies. One could argue that movies with “real” people are simpler plot-wise because they lack all the special effects and imaginative worlds which animated films tend to take place in, but animated movies aim to keep the viewer captivated throughout in order to deliver a key message in the end to tie the whole thing together. In “real people” films, the layers of actors, their facial expressions and plot points may not flow in succession providing barriers to the childlike sensibility with which we approach in animated films.

I hope you all are finding time to watch some fun, fulfilling and heartwarming movies this semester.

Contact Charlie Kenney at ckenney4@nd.edu

Contact Dessi Gomez at dgomez5@nd.edu ELLIS RIOJAS | The Observer

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The observer | wednesday, september 9, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

By PATRICK McMONAGLE Scene Writer

Many of Netflix’s offerings this year include idiosyncratic characters, distant settings and altered realities. “Wildlife” possesses none of those features. Its elements exist in family dynamics today, focusing attention on familial struggles of duty, love and autonomy. Though released in 2018, the film feels perfectly suited to the uncertainty and destruction of this year. For those who can tolerate watching a family collapse, “Wildlife” offers a lesson in weathering crises of self, family and nature.

Paul Dano’s directorial debut follows the marriage of Jeannette and Jerry Brinson (Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal) from the perspective of their teenage son Joe (Ed Oxenbould). Though golf pro Jerry has moved his family multiple times to find work, his latest firing leaves him aimless with a wounded pride. All members of the Brinson family struggle to preserve their dignity as they try to survive 1960 in Montana, a place with few jobs.

With her husband unwilling to accept an entry-level job to make ends meet, Jeannette leaves the home to provide for her family. Joe also takes a job as a photographer’s assistant to help his parents, but his grades and friendships suffer. Both characters make sacrifices that undermine Jerry’s sense of vision and control, further isolating each member of the Brinson household. Then, Jerry’s executive decision to fight the wildfires — which are consuming a distant part of their new state — sends each member of the family into a state of turmoil and restructuring.

Jerry departs on his journey of self-discovery, though his

By AIDAN O’MALLEY Scene Writer

How do you solve a problem like Charlie Kaufman?

Perhaps “problem” is the wrong word. Puzzle? Riddle?

Rabbit hole? The Oscar-winning screenwriter of “Being John Malkovich” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” — more recently the director of “Synecdoche, New York” and “Anomalisa” — is one of my favorite filmmakers, but he doesn’t make it easy. Kaufman’s new film, “I’m Thinking of Ending Things,” is no exception. The only thing harder than wrapping your head around a Charlie Kaufman film is foolishly attempting to write about one.

It’s vanity, really. What insight can I possibly offer into a movie as dense as this?

“I’m Thinking of Ending Things” is a transient tapestry of love and death, shifting in and out of reality, travelling forwards and backwards in time. It’s a black box of ideas that reverberate off the walls, echo in your ears and latch to the back of your brain. It’s challenging, funny, boring, intimate, expansive, poignant and obtuse, all at once. I’m not sure if I liked it, but I’m dying to watch it again.

The film is about a Young Woman (Irish actress Jessie Buckley), credited as such. Is her name Lucy or Louisa?

Is she wearing an orange shirt, or is it purple? Is she a physicist, a painter, a poet, what? Identity blurs in “I’m Thinking of Ending Things,” where the only thing she’s sure of is her title. She — the Young Woman — has been seeing Jake (Jesse Plemons) for six or seven weeks, she

spiritual connection to Jeannette likely ended before the film even begins. Jeannette is a mother determined to support her son and herself; this drive quickly leads her to begin a relationship with a wealthy businessman (Bill Camp) who more than supplements the meager wages Jerry earns as a firefighter. Though the affair lacks love on both sides, loneliness and money push Jeannette to this older man, often in the presence of her son.

Oxenbould has the face and emotional acuity of someone much older than he is, and he brings prodigious talent to this portrayal. Rather than lash out at his mother or the man she’s seeing, Joe tries to protect her while silently bearing the pain of his father’s replacement in their lives. Joe’s strong connection to his mother and his awareness of his family’s circumstances bind him to his mother as she attempts to build a new life. This inescapable torment is echoed in an expansive landscape obscured by smoke and crowded interior scenes.

The claustrophobic circumstances give each character little choice but to develop an extreme empathy for one another, to the point that they even adopt each other’s roles.

What begins as a borderline Oedipal dynamic between mother and son develops into a reversal of who cares for whom, as Joe must drive his mother home and cook meals.

Joe remains determined to repair the damaged bonds between his family members, while both his parents return to adolescent uncertainty and dependence as they renegotiate their futures.

Dano rearranges the family in triads to visualize each upset in family dynamics. Even the man who seduces Jeannette eventually adopts the role Joe originally played

when he attempts to make peace between an almost spousal Jeannette and Joe during a dinnertime conflict. As unsettling as these realist body swaps seem, they never reach the point of absurdity because of the acute awareness each character has for others’ challenges and motivations. This time of flux is untenable, but each person recovers their wisdom when faced with the consequences of their childish actions. While past happiness may be unsalvageable, each person finds a path forward that reconciles individual desires with family obligations.

60 years have passed since the Brinsons separated, and 30 since Richard Ford published the novel on which this movie is based. However, the personal and communal issues raised by this story ring truer than ever. California’s wildfires provide direct parallels to the movie’s historical context, but the movie echoes social responses to the ongoing pandemic.

Jerry dismisses the invisible threat that radio and television broadcasts proclaim, and later Jeannette warns Jerry that he and the other men will not be able to control it and stay safe. Jerry is one of many aimless men in this world, and likely other families are experiencing these same arbitrations of household and gender power.

The restricted options the Brinsons have to make ends meet trap them in a home of conflict with no sign of escape in sight. Issues such as these are recognized and experienced by people around the country. This movie does not invite escape from these oppressive realities; rather, it demonstrates the necessity of seeking to understand others in times of disaster, both inside and outside the home.

can’t remember. It’s going nowhere. “I’m thinking of ending things,” she repeats in melancholic voice-over, but not before she’s stuck on a wintery road trip to meet his parents.

Jake is your run-of-the-mill Charlie Kaufman protagonist: erudite but insecure, longing but awkward. In the role, Plemons channels the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman, star of “Synecdoche.” But Jessie Buckley is our hero, Kaufman’s first female protagonist and, in some ways, a response to a common complaint about his leads.

Jake is insufferable — a well-read guy who needs you to know it — but Buckley is the opposite. She’s just as smart but completely unpretentious, and she shines in a role that demands she be everything and nothing at once.

Much of the film takes place inside of Jake’s claustrophobic car, where the two talk about movies, poetry, musical theatre and more. When they finally arrive at Jake’s childhood home — a ranch in the middle of nowhere, Oklahoma — things start to get weird. Charlie Kaufman weird.

Jake’s parents (Toni Collette and David Thewlis) seem straight out of an A24 horror film. Collette’s presence in particular encourages comparisons to “Hereditary,” but I would sooner liken the film to “Mother!” And just like Jennifer Lawrence, Buckley slowly loses herself inside the house.

“We’re stationary, and time passes through us,” she murmurs. And she’s right: one moment Jake’s parents are young, the next they’re old and before long, both of

them are dead. All the while, Kaufman cuts to a seemingly separate story about an aging high school janitor.

Charlie, what are you doing?

There’s a lot to love in “I’m Thinking of Ending Things.”

The film is shot in Academy ratio by cinematographer Łukasz Żal; the score by Jay Wadley is stirring; the editing by Robert Franzen is designed to discomfort; and the production and costume design are exquisite. There’s also a lot to chew on: themes of time, aging, identity and self.

But has Kaufman burrowed too far? The pacing veers wildly, a consequence of the script (an adaptation of Iain Reid’s 2016 novel) diving deep into philosophical waters without so much as a life preserver. The dialogue is stilted — it’s the kind of movie where every character sounds like a pontificating screenwriter. And days later, I’m still not sure what he was trying to say. Themes without a thesis, if you will.

And yet, I can’t shake this film off of me. “You can’t fake a thought,” Buckley says, and to the extent that this movie has lodged itself squarely in the back of my mind, she’s not wrong. I’m not going to rate it; I’m not sure how I could. I’m struggling to contain it in 600 words.

Even after I approach something close to an understanding of this film, it will still probably rank toward the bottom of Kaufman’s filmography. But even messy Charlie Kaufman makes me mesmerized.

Contact Patrick McMonagle at pmcmonag@nd.edu

Contact Aidan O’Malley at aomalle2@nd.edu MAGGIE KLAERS | The Observer

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ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, september 9, 2020 | The Observer

Crossword | will shortz

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Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Push for change. Embrace the future with optimism, and refuse to let the past hold you back. Focus on the present and how you can parlay what you have done so far with your life into something bold and beautiful. Reaching for the stars will be rewarding and inspire you to explore options that encourage personal growth and enlightenment. Your numbers are 4, 16, 22, 28, 33, 39, 41.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Work toward a goal. Avoid friction with colleagues or anyone who can ruin your day or reputation. Strive to be your best mentally, physically and emotionally, and you will ward off interference and complaints. Romance is in the stars.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Don’t overdo it or take on too much. Keep working toward your goal until you are happy with the results you get. Don’t take risks that can hurt your relationship with someone you love or that can lead to injury or poor health.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Speak from the heart, say what’s on your mind and do your best to resolve pending problems affecting your personal life. Address family matters, be willing to do your part and offer suggestions that help keep the peace.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Reach out to someone who needs your help.

Be a good listener and a loyal friend, and you will gain respect, trust and admiration from someone who will be beneficial to you when you need help or reassurance. A partnership looks promising.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Charm and diplomacy will be necessary to sidestep an emotional scene. Refuse to get into a debate with someone unpredictable.

Keep the peace, get your facts straight and avoid letting anyone talk you into something you don’t want to do.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Expand your interests, pick up new skills and keep up with technology. Being able to use what’s available to you will get you ready to move forward with your long-term plans. Be open to suggestions.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Take care of personal matters. Start a new diet or health routine that will help build strength and encourage you to look and feel your best. Spending time with someone you love will help bring you closer.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): People and activities that are informative and spark your imagination will draw your attention. Sign up for online conferences and classes to avoid taking unnecessary health risks. Doing what’s right and best for everyone should be your priority.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Someone will give you the wrong impression or lead you to believe something that isn’t true. Before you get involved in someone else’s plans, do your research. Focus on making changes that will improve your financial situation and health.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Make your place inviting, comfortable and convenient for you and your loved ones. The changes will encourage those you live with to do more to pitch in and help with the chores and responsibilities without fussing or complaining.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Take time to rejuvenate and pamper yourself.

The break will be the pick-me-up you need to tackle some of the pursuits you have on your to-do list. Romance should be a priority, and making plans with someone you love is favored.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Be careful how much information you share online or by phone. Keep your personal information a secret, as well as your plans. Listen to what others have to say, and absorb the information thoroughly before you comment or get involved.

Birthday Baby: You are compassionate, understanding and dedicated. You are determined and assertive.

Sudoku | The Mepham Group

Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek

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Sports Authority

Sports Authority

Uncertainties of 2020 CFB season Nate Moller Sports Writer

Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published online Sept. 8.

In a Sports Authority I wrote a couple of weeks ago, I predicted that college football would not happen in 2020. At the time it seemed reasonable, considering the Big Ten and Pac-12 had recently cancelled their season.

COVID-19 was spreading rampantly around Notre Dame and other college campuses, and even professional sports were struggling to prevent outbreaks among teams.

Despite all of this, it appears that the ACC, Big 12, and SEC are all set to start their season in just a few short days. It’s still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that I will be sitting in Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday cheering for the Irish.

If you would have told me that three weeks ago, I would have said there was no chance of that happening. While it does look like there will be at least a start to the season, I expect there to be some road bumps between the season’s start and the crowning of a national champion in January.

Unlike the professional sports that have already resumed play, college football does not have a single commissioner. Instead, each conference within college football has their own commissioner. This could make the season very interesting because different conferences might have different regulations if an outbreak were to occur. Let’s say there is a big outbreak in the SEC. Will the Big 12 and ACC continue to play like nothing is going? My guess would be that they would because there are no cross conference games, but this could cause problems down the road if certain conferences require additional weeks to complete all of their games.

Another huge issue with college football and college athletics in general is that the players are likely to be exposed to COVID-19 on a fairly regular basis, and it is impossible for them to avoid this exposure completely. Some schools in the South right now have had a large proportion of their student

body test positive, and it is very likely that some of these students interact both in class and socially with the football players on a day-to-day basis.

The NBA and NHL can easily create a bubble around their athletes; this is not possible with college football because the athletes need to go to class as well. In theory, college football athletes might even be more at risk to contract the virus than MLB players (who aren’t in a bubble) because of the amount of “outsiders” that the student players have to interact with everyday.

It’s inevitable that players are going to test positive, and that is going to disrupt the sesaon to some extent. What is a team supposed to do if their quarterback tests positive? Or what happens when 40 of your players are in quarantine? That happened to Tennessee this past week, and they had to cancel a scrimmage because of it.

These disruptions that could occur throughout the season are going to make the college football landscape very bizarre this year. More than ever, teams are going to need to rely on their depth if players are out due to the virus. It will also be interesting to see if more players get injured than a typical season because of a lack of spring practice and a shorter summer practice for some teams.

Another question I have is what happens when it is time for bowl seasons? Are we just going to pair up the best teams in the country regardless of geographical location and hope for the best? I would hope that there would be some type of bubble for bowl games to ensure that there aren’t major outbreaks right before the game.

The college football season will be anything but normal, but at the end of the day, I am going to embrace the 2020 season for all of its craziness regardless. While there definitely won’t be the same type of energy on game day as usual, the 2020 season figures to be just as memorable as any other year.

Contact Nate Moller at nmoller2@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Follow us on Twitter. @ObserverSports

Previewing Round 3 of Stanley Cup Playoffs Andrew McGuinness Sports Writer

Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published online Sept. 7.

Twenty-four teams divided by six weeks equals just four clubs remaining in the competition for the ultimate prize.

Four more saw their Stanley Cup dreams come to an end in the second round, a two-week span full of almost-blown 3-1 series leads and heroic goaltending. With so few teams left, the Toronto bubble is rendered obsolete and the remainder of the playoffs will take place in Edmonton. The final four should be as interesting as ever, featuring two teams that haven’t been here in decades and two that did in 2018.

Someone will have to prevail to earn the right to represent their conference on hockey’s biggest stage. Who’s it gonna be?

Eastern Conference Final: No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning (43-21-6) vs.

No. 7 New York Islanders (35-23-10) The road here: Tampa Bay has been consistently great since returning. Their 2-1-0 record in the round-robin earned them the second seed in the East. It took five overtimes to win their first game of the playoffs, but they’ve been riding ever high since. They beat the team that knocked them out last year (Columbus) and President’s Trophy-winning Boston in five.

Meanwhile, the Islanders had to earn their way into the playoffs, but did so with little resistance, handling the Panthers 3-1 in the qualifier. They shut down the Capitals, their head coach’s former team, with a convincing five-game series win. Like Tampa, they also took a 3-1 series lead in Round 2, but bad puck luck in consecutive overtime games took them to a Game 7, where they convincingly thrashed the No. 1 seed Flyers 4-0.

Tampa Bay wins because: They’re the best team left standing. Tampa Bay has been all around the Cup in the last half-decade, reaching the Finals in 2015 and Conference Finals in 2016 and 2018, but always coming up just short. This year feels different, in part based on how well they’ve been playing, but also because of how they’ve been playing. The Lightning aren’t just relying on speed and skill like years past –– they’re a physical, well-rounded team built for the playoffs. No one can match Tampa’s mix of star

power and depth on paper.

New York wins because: If there’s anyone that can stop star power, it’s the Islanders.

New York plays one of the best defensive games in the sport with an unbreakable defensive structure which is being supplemented by a white-hot offense that shows no signs of slowing down. There isn’t a true superstar outside of 2018 rookie of the year Mat Barzal, but the Islanders’ incredible chemistry and discipline makes up for that. They thrive on opponents’ mistakes, and if the Bolts try to get flashy for even a second, the Islanders’ deadly counter-attack will be ready to pounce.

Players to watch TB: Brayden Point. With Tampa’s captain and first-line center Steven Stamkos out for the first two rounds and this series with an injury, Point has stepped up. Already an elite player, Point added clutchness to his resume with two overtime winners in Round 1 and eight points in five Round 2 games.

NYI: Jordan Eberle was all over the ice against the Flyers, yet somehow finished the series without a goal (though he did register six assists). He’s due for a breakthrough sooner rather than later.

The Pick: The Islanders deserve a ton of credit for getting here, but after playing four overtime periods against Philadelphia in Round 2 (including a double OT loss in Game 6), I think this is where their Cinderella run comes to an end. Lightning in five.

Western Conference Final: No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights (39-24-8) vs. No. 3 Dallas Stars (37-24-8) The road here: Both teams finished top four in the West during the regular season, bypassing to the round-robin.

Vegas came out of the gates on fire, sweeping the best of the West to claim the top seed.

Chicago offered little resistance in Round 1 as the Knights prevailed in five. It looked like they were on their way to a similar result against the Canucks in Round 2, but rookie goalie Thatcher Demko’s 98 straight saves nearly did them in. Vegas lost Games 5 and 6 despite dominating play before breaking through just before the clock struck midnight in Game 7.

On the other hand, it took the Stars a while to get going, finishing the round robin 1-2-0 and looking uninspiring. They fell behind No. 8 Calgary 2-1 in the first round and nearly lost Game 4, tying it in the final 20 seconds of the third before

winning in overtime. Since then, the Stars have been a machine. One of the weakest offensive teams in the regular season has suddenly become a scoring juggernaut; only the Islanders, Oilers and Avalanche –– the team Dallas beat in Round 2 –– have scored more goals per game in the bubble.

Vegas wins because: Fortune favors the bold, and the Golden Knights have consistently upgraded since a surprise run to the 2018 Finals in their inaugural season. Since then, the Golden Knights have added 30goal scorer Max Pacioretty, 2019 Selke (best defensive forward award) finalist Mark Stone and 2019 Vezina (best goalie award) finalist Robin Lehner, among others. The Golden Knights have absolutely dominated lately, outshooting Vancouver 273-169 in Round 2.

Dallas wins because: They can win in a variety of ways.

The Stars finished top four in the West this season because of their amazing defense and outstanding goaltending, which had the second-best save percentage in the league. However, with starter Ben Bishop unfit to play, it’s been their offense stepping up. The Stars have scored four-plus goals in 61.5% of their playoff games; they did so in just 29% of their regular-season contests.

Players to watch VGK: Mark Stone isn’t just the best player on the Knights, he’s one of the best players in the league. An elite two-way forward capable of stripping the puck from anyone and taking it the other way for a goal, the Stars will have a tough time keeping Stone (15 points in 15 playoff games) in check.

DAL: Joel Kiviranta had just two points in his first thirteen career games. In his fourteenth, Game 7 against Colorado, he scored three goals, including the OT winner. The undrafted forward is the latest hero to emerge out of nowhere in the playoffs –– the question is, can he keep it up?

The Pick: Between nearly choking against the Canucks and a goalie controversy stirred up by social media, something feels off with the Knights. I always thought if Dallas could get past the Avs in Round 2, there would be no way I wouldn’t pick them in the WCF. Even against Vegas, that holds true. Stars in six.

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

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Irish graduate student defensive lineman and captain Ade Ogundeji celebrates a fumble returned for a touchdown during Notre Dame’s 35-20 win against Virginia on Sept. 28 at Notre Dame Stadium.

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I don’t want to know your name ‘Cause you don’t look the same The way you did before OK you think you got a pretty face But the rest of you is out of place You looked all right before Fox on the run You screamed and everybody comes a-running Take a run and hide yourself away Fox on the run F-foxy, foxy on the run and hideaway You-you talk about just every band

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But the names you drop are second hand I’ve heard it all before I don’t want to know your name ‘Cause you don’t look the same The way you did before Fox on the run You scream and everybody comes a running Take a run and hide yourself away Fox is on the run F-foxy Fox on the run And hide away

game against North Carolina as a sophomore in 2017 after Wimbush was injured and led the Irish to a win.

Following his replacement of Wimbush in 2018, Book led Notre Dame to an 8-0 record the remainder of the regular season — with Wimbush starting senior night against Florida State after Book was injured the prior week against Northwestern — and a berth in the College Football Playoff, where the Irish fell 30-3 to Clemson. For his career he is 20-3 as a starter and has passed for 6,123 yards and 57 touchdowns and rushed for 1,054 yards and four scores.

Hainsey has been a mainstay on the offensive line since his freshman campaign in 2017, playing alongside Irish AllAmericans Mike McGlinchey and Quentin Nelson on a Joe Moore Award-winning unit. He has played in 34 career games with 20 starts. He did not allow a sack in over 400 snaps last season before a season-ending injury in the eighth game of the year against Virginia Tech.

In spite of the injury, he still earned the team’s Offensive Lineman of the Year Award.

Crawford is the most experienced player on the Notre Dame roster in terms of years on campus. His first season was in 2015, although he did not see action as the result of a torn ACL. In 2016 he was witness to what became a disastrous 4-8 season. He did run a blocked PAT attempt back for a gametying two-point conversion to force overtime in the season opener at Texas, but after two games once more saw his

13

season end prematurely, this time as the result of an Achilles injury.

Crawford played in all but one game in 2017, but saw a promising 2018 campaign end before it began as he tore his ACL again in August. He made his return in 2019 and played in 11 games, missing only two despite dislocating his elbow against Virginia, and has come back for a sixth season with the Irish on a medical waiver.

After serving most of his career as part of Notre Dame’s nickel package, he will make the move to strong safety this season.

Hayes returns as a graduate student following a seasonending injury just four games into the season that allowed him to take advantage of the NCAA’s newly implemented four-game redshirt rule. For his career he has recorded 78 tackles, 42 unassisted, 14.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, four fumble recoveries and six sacks.

Hayes took a very prominent leadership role with the Irish this summer when the team returned to campus after the spring semester moved online. Following the death of George Floyd and the ensuing protests over racial injustice and police brutality, Hayes and head coach Brian Kelly led the team in a march through South Bend, and Hayes later spoke along with the team in honor of Juneteenth.

Ogundeji experienced a breakout season as a senior.

He forced fumbles against Louisville, Boston College and Stanford. He recorded a touchdown on a fumble recovery against Virginia and finished the season with 34 tackles, 7.0 for loss and 4.5 sacks.

allison thornton | The Observer

Irish graduate student quarterback Ian Book keeps the ball during the 35-20 Notre Dame home victory against Virginia on Sept. 28.

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The observer | wednesday, september 9, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Kelly Continued from page 16

the opportunity to play this Saturday at Notre Dame stadium against a really, really well-coached and sound fundamentally football team in Duke, led by Coach Cutcliffe, who I have a great deal of respect for as a person, as a man and certainly as an established head football coach. “ During his opening remarks, Kelly highly praised Duke’s defense. Specifically, Kelly pointed out the team’s defensive backfield and their corners.

Moreover, the Blue Devils’ pass-rushing combination also received positive remarks from the Notre Dame head coach. Kelly also acknowledged how the bar was set high given Duke’s preparation.

“We’re gonna play a team that, first and foremost, we know that they’ve handled this pandemic extremely well, because they’re so similar in terms of the kind of players they have at Duke,” Kelly said.

“Disciplined, organized, committed with a purpose to being great student-athletes. We understand that and so our preparation needed to be at that level as well.”

Kelly then discussed Duke’s offense, remarking on the depth and skill of the players.

“I think they possess some great depth with Jackson and Durant in particular,” Kelly said. “These are really good backs with escape ability, the ability to make big plays.

I think the guy that concerns us certainly is PhilyawJohnson and his speed on the perimeter. In the slot, Gray is

outstanding and one of the leading receivers.”

Duke aside, the Irish have been preparing for their commencement as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) both on and off the field.

Kelly acknowledged that the formation and the identity of the 2020 football team is different given the events of the past year.

“I think you always want to have a sense of who you are heading into the opener,” Kelly said. “I think we’re evolving later than we have in years past because of the distractions, but I think I’ve got a pretty good sense and feel for who we are. Strong leadership.”

Additionally, Kelly also expressed confidence in his players — both returning and new.

“This is going to be a long year, one that’s going to involve a lot of players actively involved in what we’re doing,” Kelly said. “I think we’re going to see a group that has a lot of experience coming back, but you’re going to see some young players be part of this as well.”

Kelly also expressed contentment about the burgeoning athleticism, speed and physicality of the defensive and offensive lines. However, Kelly made sure to maintain the stance that the games still have to be played.

“When you look at the basic tenets of your football team — the ability to run the football, to have a veteran quarterback back, certainly from a defensive structure, one where your system is in place — you feel like you have the ability to stop the run, and then on the perimeter, I think we’re better than we were last year in a

Observer File Photo

Irish senior kicker Jonathan Doerer winds up for a kickoff during Notre Dame’s 45-14 loss against Michigan in Ann Arbor on Oct. 26.

sense that we have the safety and the corner position has evolved,” Kelly said. “So, coming into the season, when your special team now is returning, you feel really good about where you are, but you got to go play the games.”

In terms of the defensive line, Kelly made a point of exhibiting a rotation of players — especially when it comes to the linebacker position.

“I think you’re going to see, certainly at the Buck position, you’re going to see multiple players playing at that position,” Kelly said. “I think Drew has established himself at the Mike, but Bo Bauer has had his best camp, bar none.

You’re going to see him on the field and we feel very comfortable putting him there.

I think there were times last year where Bo we felt like there were some holes in his game. I think he’s tightened up to the point where we feel like Bo has to go out there and play the whole game, we feel really good about where Bo is –– very, very good football player. The depth of the linebacker position, we feel really, really good.

We’ve got two guys on the scout team right now that I’ll tell you what, are really, really good football players in Jack Kiser and JD Bertrand. We have a hard time blocking those guys.

That’s a really good problem to have when we have that kind of depth on our football team at the linebacker position.”

Kelly also mentioned Kyren Williams as the lead back to start the season and the skill of four other running backs: Chris Tyree, Jahmir Smith, Jafar Armstrong and C’Bo Flemister.

“Chris Tyree has got great vision, patience and sees the hole extremely well,” Kelly said. “I think we’ve all known that Jahmir has that ability to play with physicality. We like the ability of Jafar Armstrong with his size, to come in there and be physical. C’Bo Flemister has really had a nice camp for us. He’s low to the ground, keeps his legs moving, very difficult to get down.

Another really good football player for us that has done really good things. So, when you talk about Jahmir and you talk about Tyree and C’Bo and Jafar, that’s five backs. I don’t know that I’ve ever been blessed to have that kind of depth at the position.”

Kelly also touched on the need for versatility at the strong safety position –– one in which Shaun Crawford recently earned. Moreover, the head coach mentioned how the team was better with Crawford playing that position.

“The safety position, and I think we have a really good model to look at, is about instincts, it’s about toughness, it’s about versatility and we just need to look back to last year with Alohi Gilman,” Kelly said. “The size of Alohi Gilman and the size of Shaun

Observer File Photo

Irish senior tight end Brock Wright sprints down the sideline during Notre Dame’s 52-0 win over Bowling Green on Oct. 5 at home.

Crawford, you could still play that position at a high level if you’ve got great instincts, if you’ve got toughness, if you’ve ball skills and Shaun’s got all those things. He’s been extremely productive for us at that position, he won that position over.”

As he did last Tuesday in a similar press conference, Kelly also discussed sophomore safety Kyle Hamilton. Having completed a breakout freshman season, Kelly seeks to expand Hamilton’s role on the team.

“I think he’s accepted more responsibility both on and off the field, as well as at his position,” Kelly said. “In our subpackages, Kyle Hamilton is not going to be just a center fielder. It’s safe to say that in year two, you can start to do many more things. You’ll see him do things that we asked Alohi Gilman to do for us last year.

If you felt like Alohi was put in positions that accounted for versatility, you can expect that’s what you’ll see from Kyle Hamilton.”

Besides the faith that Kelly has in the physical fitness and aptitude of his team, he also expressed confidence in the physical health of the Irish amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Once again, our preparation has been about our discipline off the field. As we go into our mental Monday meeting, we have no players that are in quarantine and we have no players that are in isolation — so, we have a full roster,” Kelly said. “We tested again today.

We had over 215 negative tests again with an antigen test.

We’ll test again Wednesday and Friday. I feel really good about the discipline of our football team, and as I said, we’re excited about playing some football on Saturday.”

Kelly also assured that the team is following all safety and health protocols.

“In meetings, we are socially distanced and we wear masks, so there won’t be any contact tracing occurring during any of our meetings,” Kelly said.

“Contact tracing for us is probably not going to happen in any of our meetings. Twice, we were addressed in that being a potential situation, but because of our six-feet separation in terms of our social distancing and wearing masks, we were disqualified from having to go through that. I applaud our coaches for their discipline and our players for that.”

In addition to expressing the desire of the team to win a national championship, Kelly also noted that the Irish seek the ACC Championship now that they are officially in the conference.

“It’s never been a goal, but it’s an established goal now to win a championship and an ACC Championship,” Kelly said. “Our mission is to win a national championship and graduate all of our players. To be able to talk in terms of winning a championship and now an ACC championship and, if you win that, you keep your mission alive for a national championship.”

Contact Madelyn Stout at mstout2@nd.edu

sports

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, september 9, 2020 | The Observer

15

Roundtable

Fantasy football 2020: Picks and passes Sam Ouhaj, Andrew McGuinness, Jamison Cook and Elizabeth Gasiorowski Sports Writers

The NFL Season begins this Thursday with the Chiefs against the Texans. In a world that we have seen decimated

by COVID-19, football and other sports leagues are seen as a glimpse of happiness in these unprecedented times.

The return of sports also leads to the return of Fantasy Sports!

Drafts are occurring across the globe right now as the season is set to begin.

Many already know who they want to draft and how they want to set their team.

However, if you are new to fantasy or you need advice on who to select in the later rounds, we at The Observer are here to give you a player to watch and a player to avoid this week in your draft, as we begin the newly implemented Observer Fantasy Corner.

Sam Ouhaj Player to Watch: Diontae Johnson, WR, Steelers Diontae Johnson came alive during the 2019-2020 NFL season after JuJu Smith-Schuster went down early on. The former Toledo Rocket put up a solid 680 yards and five touchdowns on 59 receptions for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ during his rookie season. JuJu has yet to play a full 16-game season for the Steelers, and with Johnson being named WR2 this season during training camp, he is a great late-round pickup. Ben Roethlisberger also returns from injury, which is a huge advantage for the Johnson hype train. We saw it when

Antonio Brown was with the Steelers. The WR2, who in that case was JuJu Smith-Schuster, put up similar numbers to that of a WR1. Granted SmithSchuster is not in the same caliber as Brown, a comparison of Dionate Johnson to SmithSchuster is not far-fetched.

Johnson has the potential to be a fantasy WR2 at his peak, but even if he does not reach that, Johnson is a solid flex player every week.

Player to Avoid: A.J. Green, WR, Bengals Yes, I was one of the believers in A.J. Green last season before and after his injury. My decision to trade a hefty package, which included fantasy sleeper Michael Gallup, last season for Green blew up in my face. A.J. Green never returned to the field after an ankle injury during training camp last season, and I am not confident that Green will stay healthy once again this season. There have been reports of Green already dealing with injuries, but at the same time, there have been conflicting reports that Green looks great in training camp. I believe there is too much of a gamble with Green, and I am not confident enough to make him my WR2 on my fantasy team or even my flex option.

Andrew McGuinness Player to Watch: WR Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Sometimes we over-evaluate what changing circumstances might do to a player’s fortunes, and I think that’s what’s happening with Stefon Diggs right now. You don’t trade four draft picks, including a firstrounder, for someone who isn’t one of the best players at their

position, especially one as important as receiver. However, Diggs’ average draft position is just 60.7 (per FantasyData), putting him as the 26th-highest picked receiver in the NFL. Yes, going from Kirk Cousins to Josh Allen is a bit of a downgrade. But Buffalo’s outstanding defense means more time on the field for the offense, and Allen should take at least a small step forward. Diggs won’t have to worry about battling with Adam Thielen and Kyle Rudolph as a top target, either — he’s the clear No.1 receiving option for an emerging Bills team. There are plenty of riskier and more unproven options going before Diggs; don’t let that trend continue in your league.

Player to Avoid: TE Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Look, I get the desire to make this pick. Gronk is a household name even for non-football fans and is just a few years removed from being one of the best tight ends in the game.

Add in that he’s reuniting with Tom Brady on a Bucs squad that is being picked as a “dark horse” playoff contender by so many they’re not really a dark horse. Here’s the problem: Rob Gronkowski is 31, meaning he is already past his prime. His last season was 2019, and his numbers fell off hard to the tune of 22 fewer receptions and more than 50% fewer touchdowns that he had in 2018. And it’s not like Brady (43) is coming off a stellar year either. These two are almost certainly being massively overrated right now. Gronk isn’t the worst option as a very late round backup tight end or flex option, but considering where

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he’s going in most drafts, you’re better off finding someone who, you know, played last year.

Jamison Cook Player to watch: D.K. Metcalf, WR, Seahawks After an impressive rookie campaign, Metcalf returns to the Seahawks as a clear first or second option. The six-foot, four-inch second year receiver out of Ole Miss played all 16 games last season, racking up 58 receptions, 900 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.

Metcalf’s only real competition for targets is Tyler Lockett.

Opposing defenses may focus more on shutting down Lockett, giving Metcalf favorable one-on-one matchups.

This, paired with his freak athleticism, puts Metcalf in position for a breakout year.

The Seahawks’ recent signing of Josh Gordon may concern some fantasy owners, but with Gordon still not reinstated by the league, this is not really a concern. Even if Gordon does make his way back onto the field at some point this season, Metcalf should not lose too many targets from QB Russell Wilson, who is known for spreading the ball around.

Player to avoid: Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers Unlike Metcalf, Allen’s outlook is trending in the downward direction. Allen will probably be catching passes from both Tyrod Taylor and Justin Herbert this year, as the Chargers begin a rebuild following Philip Rivers’ departure for Indianapolis. Taylor completed a whopping four passes for 33 yards last season, while Herbert was a member of the

Oregon Ducks. Neither figure to be legitimate QB1 options this season, and this will reflect poorly on Allen’s output as a pass catcher.

Allen has been an elite WR in previous years, catching 149 passes for 1,199 yards and six touchdowns a year ago.

However, Philip Rivers is no longer in Los Angeles, so one should expect a significant decrease in production. Allen recently signed a four-year deal with the Chargers, so fantasy owners should hope that Herbert emerges as a competent NFL QB, otherwise Allen will be a fantasy disappointment for years to come.

Elizabeth Gasiorowski Player to Watch: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs Rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire out of reigning national champion LSU has big potential to be an elite fantasy player. EdwardsHelaire finished his career for the Tigers with 2,123 rushing yards in only one season as a starter, was named to the 2019 All-SEC First Team and was named a 2019 LSU Football MVP out of a stacked national championship team.

Drafted as the last pick in the first round by the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs, Edwards-Helaire is poised to have an explosive season under the direction of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes.

Player to Avoid: QB Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Veteran Patr — excuse me, Buccaneers, QB Tom Brady will definitely be a player to watch, and one to avoid in fantasy this season. Since migrating south to Tampa Bay, Brady has racked up quite the following of big-name targets like Rob Gronkowski and Leonard Fournette. But the 43-year-old doesn’t have much of a running game and is coming off of a less than stellar 24-TD season with New England last year, his lowest since a torn ACL took him out of 2008. Okay, I’ll admit to still being a little bit mad (fine, very mad) that Brady had essentially given up on New England before the season was through, but I’m betting that the greatest quarterback of all time won’t be quite as great without Bill Belichick behind him.

Contact Sam Ouhaj at souhaj@nd.edu, Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu, Jamison Cook at jcook22@nd.edu and Elizabeth Gasiorowski at egasioro@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.

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The observer | wednesday, september 9, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

FOOTBALL

Irish prepare for opener against Blue Devils Kelly discusses health, safety, defensive packages

Book, Hainsey, Crawford, Hayes, Ogundeji captains

By MADELYN STOUT

Observer Staff Report

Sports Writer

Notre Dame football head coach Brian Kelly took questions from the press and discussed the upcoming season opener against Duke University via Zoom on Monday. Kelly touched on the Blue Devils’ defense, how COVID-19 has affected this season and his thoughts on this year’s team.

“This is my 30th year having opening game week press conferences, my 11th at Notre Dame,” Kelly said. “The excitement is certainly still there.

The anticipation of playing an opener is still one that gets you certainly excited.

There are some differences certainly about this opener, and the challenges of getting to this point, but we are here and certainly excited about see KELLY PAGE 14

Observer File Photo

Irish graduate student quarterback Ian Book scrambles and looks to pass during Notre Dame’s 66-14 win over New Mexico on Sept. 14 at Notre Dame Stadium. Book was named a captain for a second year.

In a Twitter post Tuesday afternoon, Notre Dame announced its captains for the 2020 football season. Graduate student quarterback Ian Book, senior offensive tackle Robert Hainsey, graduate student cornerback/safety Shaun Crawford and graduate student defensive ends Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji will bear a “C” on their uniforms in the upcoming year. Book and Hainsey both served as captains last season, along with safeties Aloha Gilman and Jalen Elliot, defensive ends Khalid Kareem and Julian Okwara and slot receiver Chris Finke.

Book has led the Irish as the first-string signal-caller since taking over duties from Brandon Wimbush in the fourth game of Notre Dame’s 2018 season. He started one see CAPTAINS PAGE 13

Football

nd cross country

Men ranked No. 1 in ACC, women’s squad No. 3

Genmark Heath to grad transfer

Observer Staff Report

Observer Staff Report

The Atlantic Coast Conference released its preseason coaches poll rankings on Tuesday for men’s and women’s cross country. The Notre Dame men, who secured the school’s first conference title in 2018 are ranked No. 1, while the women are ranked No. 3 behind NC State and Florida State.

The men are coming off of a second-place ACC Championship finish last season which was followed by an eighth-place performance at the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championship. Trailing them closely in the rankings are the Syracuse Orange. The Orange have been running through the ACC since joining in 2013, securing gold in the six of the last seven men’s ACC Cross Country Championships.

The men are returning the majority of their squad including graduate student Kevin Salvano, seniors Yared Nuguse, Andrew Alexander and Brian Griffith and juniors Dylan

On Monday, Notre Dame senior linebacker Jordan Genmark Heath announced via Twitter that he will no longer be a member of the Notre Dame football team. Genmark Heath intends to graduate in November and then enter into the transfer portal and play elsewhere for the 2021 football season as a graduate transfer.

Genmark Heath arrived from San Diego, Calif. in the 2017 recruiting class as a three-star safety per 247Sports.com. During his three-year tenure with the Irish, Genmark Heath saw action in 39 games. He had 11 tackles as a freshman, 16 tackles as a sophomore sophomore,and 10 tackles and a sack as a junior.

In his Twitter announcement, Genmark Heath shared a message of thanks to the coaching staff, his teammates and the University.

“I want to start off by saying thank you to Coach Kelly, Coach Lea, Coach Balis, our support staff and the University of Notre Dame for this life-changing opportunity to play football and pursue a degree at one of the most prestigious

Grace aubry | The Observer

A group of Irish cross country runners compete in the 2019 National Catholic Invitational on Sept. 20 at Burke Golf Course.

Jacobs and Danny Kilrea.

Nuguse, Kilrea, Alexander and Salvano all competed when Notre Dame won the conference championship in 2018.

The women come in ranked third, the same position they finished in the ACC Cross Country Championships last season. They are also returning several key contributors

including juniors Maddy Denner, Elena Denner, Anna Fischer and Jacqueline Gaughan.

ACC teams will compete over the next seven weeks.

They will conclude with the 2020 ACC Cross Country Championships on Friday, Oct. 30, in Cary, N.C. at WakeMed Soccer Park.

universities in the world,” Genmark Heath said. “Words can’t describe how much Notre Dame, and the people that I have met here mean to me. I’m forever grateful.”

Genmark Heath’s announcement came the same day that Notre Dame released its depth chart for the upcoming season opener against Duke this Saturday.

He was presumed to be a favorite for the starting buck linebacker spot left open by the graduation of Asmar Bilal, and defensive coordinator Clark Lea praised him for his development over an abbreviated offseason. However, junior Shayne Simon and sophomore Marist Liufau received the nod as starter and backup, respectively, leaving Genmark Heath with little opportunity for playing time.

The NCAA granted all players an extra year of eligibility following this season due to the impact of COVID-19, meaning Genmark Heath could have returned for a fifth year with the Irish despite never redshirting. By sitting out this season he will be immediately eligible to play for a new team next season, and will have two years of eligibility remaining there.