Print Edition for The Observer for Monday, September 4, 2023

Local home market remains competitive

South Bend buyers are eager to purchase homes despite mortgage rates hitting 20-year record high

By MAGGIE EASTLAND editor-in-chief

m ortgage rates have hit a 20-year record high, but buyers are still eager to purchase homes in s outh b end, i ndiana.

“ p eople want to buy a house even though the interest rates are up right now,” said Jan l azzara, a real estate agent who has worked in s t. Joseph c ounty for more than two decades. “a s long as we’re not overpriced, we’re seeing multiple offers.” a lthough mortgage rates are slowing the home market across the country, buyers still face competition in s outh b end due to limited

inventory.

The s outh b endm ishawaka area placed ninth for best emerging housing markets, according to the wall s treet Journal and r ealtor.com. The summer ratings indicate areas with appreciating home prices, a strong local economy and attractive lifestyle amenities.

m any cities which placed in the top of the rankings were affordable m idwestern cities. s outh b end is no exception. a ccording to r ealtor.com, the median housing price in s outh b end was about $188,000 in July

see housing PAGE 4

City official speaks at Geddes Professors discuss Biden’s SAVE student loan plan

By AYNSLEE DELLACCA news writer

over the summer, hundreds of thousands of students from all over the country, including notre dame, saint mary’s and holy cross, applied for and now carry the burden of student loans. This annual rite of passage seems traditional at this point, ending with graduating and repaying student loans for decades afterwards.

however, the biden administration hopes to put an end to the phenomenon of overwhelming college debt for those most in need and who want a college degree.

“The biden administration has prioritized the student loan problem as part of their administration’s strategy. and when i say problem, that is to say around students accruing enormous amounts of debt, especially when

that debt doesn’t necessarily lead to a college degree,” notre dame economics professor Kristen collett-schmitt said.

The saving on a valuable education (save) plan, created by the biden administration, restructures the foundation of repaying student loans in order to make them more affordable and forgivable.

see save PAGE 3

HUST returns following pandemic hiatus

By ETHAN CHIANG news writer

a t noon Friday, n otre d ame and s outh b end community members gathered in the g eddes h all coffee house for the first installment of a discussion series hosted by the c enter for s ocial c oncerns, “ s igns of the Times.”

The new homelessness coordinator for s outh b end,

c arl h etler, spoke on this years’s theme, “ p overty and p ower,” in his talk which was titled “ c are, c onnect, c onstruct.”

b ill p urcell, senior associate director for operations at the c enter for s ocial c oncerns, introduced h etler.

“ h e has served many churches for the past 13

see geddes PAGE 4

By SALLY BRADSHAW news writer

o ne group of s aint m ary’s students have answered s hakespeare’s question, “To be or not to be?” with a resounding “yes.”

The h umanistic s tudies ( hus T) c lub is back after struggling to find its footing since the pandemic.

a ccording to humanistic studies professor l aura w illiamson, the club has “waxed and waned” based on engagement and interest from the students. w illiams attributed the club’s recent revival wholly to student efforts.

Junior and hus T president Julia c olleran first heard from a professor about the club, which she

said immediately piqued her curiosity.

c olleran said she asked her professor if there were any leadership positions available in hus T c lub.

“[ i was told] if i was into it, then i could just take it and run with it,” c olleran said.

see husT PAGE 4

Ethan Chiang | The Observer

South Bend homelessness coordinator Carl Hetler kicked off a discussion series, “Signs of the Times,” in Geddes Hall coffee house Friday.

Maggie Eastland | The Observer

In South Bend-Misawaka, housing inventory decreased about 5% between August 2022 and August 2023, compared with an 8% decrease nationwide. Buyers are still facing competition, despite mortgage rates.

Advertising (574) 631-6900 advertising@ndsmcobserver.com

Editor-in-Chief (574) 631-4542 meastlan@nd.edu

Managing Editor (574) 631-4542 rpeters5@nd.edu

Assistant Managing Editors (574) 631-4541 gbeecher@nd.edu, hhebda@nd.edu, jsanch24@nd.edu

Business Office (574) 631-5313

Notre Dame News Desk (574) 631-5323 news@ndsmcobserver.com

Saint Mary’s News Desk (574) 631-5323 smcnews@ndsmcobserver.com

Viewpoint Desk (574) 631-5303 viewpoint@ndsmcobserver.om

Sports Desk (574) 631-4543 sports@ndsmcobserver.com

Scene Desk (574) 631-4540 scene@ndsmcobserver.com

Photo Desk (574) 631-8767 photo@ndsmcobserver.com

Systems & Web Administrators webmaster@ndsmcobserver.com

Policies

The observer is the independent, daily newspaper published in print and online by the students of the University of notre dame du Lac, saint mary’s college and holy cross college. editorial content, including advertisements, is not governed by policies of the administration of any institution. The observer reserves the right to refuse advertisements based on content.

The news is reported as accurately and objectively as possible. Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the majority of the editor-in-chief, managing editor, Assistant managing editors and department editors. commentaries, letters and columns present the views of the authors and not necessarily those of The observer. v iewpoint space is available to all readers. The free expression of all opinions through letters is encouraged. Letters to the editor must be signed and must include contact information.

Questions regarding Observer policies should be directed to Editor-in-Chief Maggie Eastland.

Post office Information The observer (UsPs 599 2-4000) is published monday through Friday except during exam and vacation periods. A subscription to The observer is $130 for one academic year; $75 for one semester.

Monday

Café Français

notre dame marks Labor day with work, rest

By JENNA ABU-LUGHOD news Writer

Labor day is celebrated annually on the first monday of september, and many employees across the country are givcross the country right now.

Labor day is celebrated annually on the first monday of september and many workers across the country are given the day off. at notre dame, while administrative offices are closed, classes remain in session.

“The University is obligated to conduct a specific number of academic instruction days during the academic year,” University spokesperson susan ryan wrote in an email. “based on other days that the University does not hold classes, such as Good Friday, easter monday, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, fall and spring breaks … it is necessary to have

classes on Labor day while administrative offices are closed.”

in addition to having classes on Labor day, many student employees will be working as well.

sophomore athena iglesia, a student worker for modern market and the Lyons hall mail room, said student employees should have the option to take Labor day off.

“Labor day celebrates the contributions of labor to the economy and the achievements of the U.s a reward for this would be the day off,” iglesia said. “at the same time, some people may need the hours to support themselves and their family, which is why i think working on Labor day should be optional.”

The higgins Labor Program within the center for social concerns focuses on research, education and community engagement around labor issues. hLP director daniel Graff said it is important for employees to

have Labor day off.

“i’m glad that this is a day off for most staff, because Labor day is a special holiday recognizing the importance of workers to our nation’s economy,” he wrote in an email. “it is a day we should all pause and reflect upon how to honor those who work for others in terms of pay, respect and opportunities for advancement.”

some notre dame employees don’t have Labor day off. instead, the University makes an effort to support its employees through various programs and initiatives like ndWorks and the hLP, according to ryan. ndWorks is one of the University’s sources for communicating campus news, information and events to faculty and staff. ndWorks also manages an email digest called “TheWeek@nd,” which highlights various things happening around campus and is delivered

through email every sunday evening. There is both a faculty and student version of the digest.

“ndWorks is one of the communication channels for the office of internal communications, which provides campus information and news to faculty and staff members,” ryan wrote. “The internal communications team also uses campus-wide email, a print publication (ndWorks Quarterly) and a monthly podcast (ndWorks Podcast) to share news and stories by and for employees of the University.”

Graff also pointed to prominent hLP initiatives like the Just Wage initiative, the Labor café and the summer Labor Fellows Program, all of which aim to target different economic questions regarding labor issues. The first Labor café of the new school year is this Friday at 5 p.m. in Geddes hall’s mcneill

Library. The event is titled “hot Labor summer” and will discuss the organizing and striking happening across the country right now.

in 2021, the higgins Labor Program launched the Just Wage Framework, which aims to help people determine whether a particular wage is fair. The tool is available on the higgins Labor Program’s website, and can be used by anyone.

“The Just Wage Framework is an online resource and tool that invites stakeholders of all kinds (workers, students, employers, unions, policymakers … ) to ponder the question, ‘What makes any given wage just or unjust?’” Graff wrote.

The higgins Labor Program and its events are available to all University staff members and students.

Contact Jenna Abu-Lughod at jabulugh@nd.edu

according to the U.s department of education, the biden administration launched this income-driven repayment application tool on aug. 22 and has forgiven more than $116 billion for more than 3.4 million borrowers since.

instead of calculating payments based on the loan balance, the save plan establishes a monthly repayment plan based on the borrower’s income level and family size. it also cancels out any accrued interest from a borrower’s loan balance, making the payment of interest no longer a requirement.

individuals applying for the save plan qualify for its benefits if their income level falls below $125,000, and below $250,000 for couples filing jointly. additionally,

borrowers who possess loans over 20 to 25 years old have the opportunity to find them completely forgiven, and those who borrowed less than $12,000 can be forgiven sooner than their original repayment plan.

“it will cut payments to zero for borrowers making roughly $15 an hour, save all other borrowers at least $1,000 a year compared to other income-driven repayment plans, and stop runaway interest that leaves folks owing more than their initial loan,” education department under secretary James Kvaal said.

The save plan aims to help those who have either already graduated college or dropped out at some point and still have student loan debt.

“There are some opportunities for savings in this program once they go into repayment … especially if you’re in a profession where

you’re starting out at a very low income and you have a high amount of student debt. That’s where this can help you manage and live and not have all your loan repayments going through all the income that you’re bringing in,” said michael riemke, senior associate director for the office of Financial aid.

riemke said that while there are advantages to the plan, students should talk with their loan servicer to see which repayment plan is best.

all current and graduated students can apply for or find more information about the save repayment program at the education department’s student aid website. While the biden administration welcomes all borrowers to apply, it plans to target those who demonstrate needing great financial aid or struggling to make their current payments. This push to help the most “needy” in the U.s. could

bring more overall equity and positive impacts to the economic market.

“it’s difficult to predict the full impact because there are so many moving parts that go into (the save plan),” saint mary’s economics professor abrar Fitwi said. “but the impact of this, of how many people it has encouraged to go into school, to help avoid dropouts or how many families it could be helping, relieving the burden from the student will have a great impact.”

Like any new political policy or issue, opposing sides have emerged which do or do not support the repayment plan. supporters of the repayment plan view the redistribution of borrower’s money as an opportunity to increase the nation’s economic spending.

Those who raise questions or concerns about the save plan see possible issues that may hurt the economy, or, simply, seem unfair

to previous generations.

“as much as there is joy and relief to some borrowers, maybe there is some concern to others,” Fitwi said. “… the economic issue is that another plan may increase the cost of education, the tuition fee. it might also increase inflation, which means huge costs. it could be up to $300 billion in costs. another issue is the fairness issue … especially those of us who have paid for college already, or have dropped out early.”

additionally, others still view this repayment plan as more of a short fix rather than a more permanent solution to the possible root cause — the rising cost of college tuition.

“overall from 1980 to 2020, research shows college tuition and fees have risen by 170%, and there are so many variables for this, including inflation, especially in recent years,” Fitwi said. “… this plan doesn’t address the root cause, and the root cause is the rising of college expenses, the rising cost of education. There might be a need for another policy that addresses the rising cost of education in general.”

overall, this policy can still be considered a small step in the right direction towards more affordable higher education in the United states, a hugely debated political issue for the past 30 years.

“This is lowering the barrier to education, making it more accessible,” collet-schmitt said. “it could motivate students to take on loans where previously they might not have been willing to do that because of the cost.”

collet-schmitt views education as more than just a college degree, and if students wish to pursue higher education, they should have the opportunity to do so.

“if my children ever said to me, ‘i don’t want to go to college because it’s too expensive,’ that would break my heart because i feel like that should not be the reason why you don’t go,” collet-schmitt said.

years,” Purcell said. “c arl’s responsibilities started in July as s outh b end’s homeless coordinator to support the city’s contribution to the growth of a strategic plan to address homelessness here.”

hetler started by reflecting on the theological relationship between poverty and power.

“Think about the way that Jesus emptied himself with a lot of that power, some of those divine attributes, and he made himself a servant to come down and serve us,” he said.

Then hetler explained that the three alliterative words in the title of his talk parallel the work he seeks to carry out for s outh b end.

“We let [the unhoused]

HUST

con TInued From PAge 1

A humanistic studies major, c olleran said she was initially drawn to humanistic studies because it’s the major for the “chronically undecided.”

The humanistic studies department is “a cross between history, literature, culture, philosophy, art history, religion … kind of all the humanities bunched together,” c olleran said.

The holistic approach to learning, c olleran explained, distinguishes humanistic studies from any single department under the umbrella because all the different types of class are taken in tandem.

The school week for

Housing

con TInued From PAge 1

2023, compared with a national median housing price of more than $400,000 this year, as reported by the u s c ensus b ureau.

“g enerally speaking, I expect home prices in s outh b end to be lower than most of the country,” said John s tiver, a n otre d ame finance professor who teaches macroeconomics.

After a 11-year incline, housing prices in the u s began falling on an yearover-year basis this April. In s outh b end- m ishawaka, prices are still increasing, though not as quickly as in 2022. b etween the second quarter of 2023 and the second quarter of 2022, the s outh b end- m ishawaka alltransactions housing price index increased 9.2%, the slowest year-over-year increase since the beginning of 2021, according to data from the u s . Federal h ousing Finance Agency and the s t.

know that the city cares about them,” hetler said. “not only is it the relational and emotional connection to people, but connecting them with the resources that are available in our city, whether it’s food, clothing [or] shelter.”

hetler addressed the “construct” aspect of the talk’s title, explaining that s outh b end is working on building more shelters. In particular, the city has plans for a new intake center which organizations like o ur Lady of the road and motels4 now have assisted with.

The city’s funding for projects to address homelessness was initially matched by st. Joseph c ounty, but hetler said the county has stopped that 50% match to all city’s funds since november.

Later this month s outh b end hopes to reveal a site they are looking to purchase

humanistic studies students is a combination of culturefocused classes three days a week and literature classes two days a week, according to c olleran. “ s o while you’re learning about certain times and the culture of a time in history, you’re also reading texts from that time period and you get to learn that in conversation with each other,” she said.

c olleran said that aside from its founding by s r. m adeleva Wolff, the c ollege’s third president, the humanistic studies department is “really special” at s aint m ary’s because of the close bond she has formed between students and faculty.

“You form relationships that really do help

Louis Federal r eserve.

“It looks like the rate of change of prices is going down,” s tiver said about s outh b end- m ishawaka.

The average s outh b end home value at the end of July was 4.6% higher than the same time last year, according to a Zillow report. The majority of homes in s outh b end were sold for equal to or more than asking price in August, according to a r ocket h omes report.

“It’s been wonderful, one of my busiest years yet,” Lazarra said about the market. “The problem that we’re having is that there’s not a lot of inventory.”

Across the nation, housing inventory is down about 8%, according to data from the s t. Louis Federal r eserve. In the s outh b end- m ishawaka area, housing inventory decreased about 5% between August 2022 and August 2023.

d ue to record-high mortgage rates, many existing homeowners don’t want to put their homes on the

and zone for this low-barrier shelter, hetler said.

“That would be built for the environment to get people off the streets — [those] who aren’t ready for the sober living that hope m inistries or c enter for the homeless requires for people to be in their shelters,” he said. “The hope down the line would be to build, with s outh b end heritage, a permanent supportive housing site, so people can transition out of the intake center when they’re ready.”

e ven after people get off the streets, the lack of lowincome and affordable housing poses a major problem as well, according to hetler.

“There are people ready to move into private rentals, but there’s no one willing or able to rent to them something they can afford,” hetler said.

hetler said s outh b end

with the academic side of things,” c olleran said.

“When you have this closeknit cohort, it’s really easy to reach out and have conversations about what we’re learning and how to apply it to our lives as students and just as people in general.”

n ow that the hus T c lub is renewed for the first time since the pandemic,

c olleran and hus T c lub members are hoping to hold two events per month.

o ne event each month will focus on creating relationships and the second event will involve “getting off campus and experiencing cultural experiences either at n otre d ame or somewhere else in s outh b end,” c olleran said.

c olleran added that the off-campus event each

market and give up low interest rates.

“People are afraid to list because they have a low interest rate,” Lazzara said.

b ut the high interest rates aren’t strangling buyer demand.

o n a home she listed last week, Lazzarra received three overbid offers in less than a couple days. Another one of her listings received 27 offers.

s he said a large portion of demand is from firsttime home buyers looking for homes in the $150,000 to $300,000 price range. m any are moving to s t. Joseph c ounty for jobs at n otre d ame and the local hospitals.

According to data from the u s c ensus b ureau, the population of s outh b end and s t. Joseph c ounty remained relatively unchanged between April 2020 and July 2022.

e ven though the local population is not increasing and the costs of borrowing are high, limited inventory is keeping prices high. For

lacks around 3,000 affordable housing units. he added that every week in st. Joseph c ounty there are 60 evictions processed.

Issues such as zoning ordinances for single-family homes and drug addiction are challenges that unhoused communities face, hetler said.

“o ne thing that we’re starting to do is more tiny homes and duplexes,” hetler said, citing recent developments in the near northwest neighborhood.

To assist those suffering from substance abuse, hetler said that while s outh b end no longer has a detox facility, there is support at recovery cafes around the city.

As the conversation wrapped up, hetler provided participants with a map of downtown s outh b end which contained several community

month is important to the hus T club because the major aims to take the things learned in the classroom and apply them to the outside world.

Williamson said the hus T club is “entirely” student run.

“We let students find films they want to see, we let them come up with movie nights that they want to do and we’re able to help out so that they can have those extracurricular activities,” Williamson said.

o ne such upcoming activity devised by the students of hus T c lub is a renaissance meme night. Another hus T c lub affiliated event will be a public humanities lecture s ept. 21.

According to Williamson,

those who are moving, finding a home near s outh b end is difficult.

Tim Travis, chief executive for a local medical foundation, closed on a home in g ranger, Indiana in m arch 2023. Travis, his wife and three sons moved from Louisville, Kentucky because of a job promotion that came with a significant moving package.

“I couldn’t have moved up here and benefited from it for less than $100,000 probably,” Travis said.

Although Travis traded a 3% mortgage rate for a rate of about 5%, he said the promotion justified the higher mortgage payments.

s till, “it would make a huge difference in my mortgage payment if rates came down,” he said. “I’d like to put those couple hundred dollars towards something else.”

Last spring, Travis had a hard time finding homes for sale, especially in his desired school districts. Travis moved to Indiana in

organizations that assist lowincome and unhoused residents, encouraging everyone to get involved with agencies they are interested in.

medb Kennedy, a junior exchange student from Ireland, said she attended this discussion because she was interested in learning more about poverty in s outh b end and how to give back to the community.

“The talk was so educational, and it highlighted some of the key issues and ways [the city] is going to help,” she said.

The next discussion in this monthly series will be held noon o ct. 6. s outh b end mayor James mueller, the m ayor of s outh will speak on “sustainability for the Future.”

Contact Ethan Chiang at echiang@nd.edu

the community of humanistic studies expands past current students of the major or minor.

“We have benefited tremendously from the generosity of s aint m ary’s and specifically humanistic studies alumni, and what that means is that we have funding to support the kind of intellectual activities and artistic activities that our students want to do that some clubs might not have the opportunity to do,” Williamson said.

Williamson underscored one message to the student of the hus T c lub.

“You dream it up and we’ll try to make it work,” Williamson said.

Contact at Sally Bradshaw at sbradshaw01@saintmarys.edu

n ovember 2022 before his family joined up with him. h e spent months looking for the right home.

“I was on it two to three days a week. It was like a second job, looking for housing,” he said. “It’s like going into a department store to look for clothes, and there’s no clothes.”

When he finally found a 5-bedroom, 5,400 square foot home in a school district his family liked, he quickly put in a competitive offer just under $600,000.

Travis got the house. h e also gained a deeper understanding of limited housing inventory in s t. Joseph c ounty.

“The interesting thing about it all is that the housing supply has gone down because people can’t move,” Travis said. “I wouldn’t want to be looking right now,” he said a few months after his m arch 2023 closing.

v iewpoint editor

sixteen-year-old Isabel “belly” conklin has been taking some serious losses.

her grades are slipping. she is no longer the captain of her high school volleyball team. her best friend Jeremiah isn’t speaking to her. her boyfriend conrad dumped her at prom. Worst of all, her mom’s best friend susannah — a woman she considers to be like her own mother — has tragically died of cancer and belly accidentally made a scene at the funeral.

season two of Amazon Prime video’s popular teenage romantic drama T v series “The summer I Turned Pretty” starts with baggage — and lots of it. so, when my cousins convinced me to watch it, without seeing the first season or reading the books it was based on, I had apparently missed a lot.

To catch you up to speed: belly and her family have been vacationing at susannah’s house at cousins beach for her entire life. she’s grown up with susannah’s sons, conrad and Jeremiah. she’s been in love with brooding older brother conrad since she was ten. she’s been best friends with happy-go-lucky younger brother Jeremiah for even longer. After she hits puberty and (get this) turns pretty, both brothers are suddenly romantically interested in her. belly, only sixteen and shocked by all the attention, doesn’t know what to do with herself. You can imagine the rest.

This season, after learning that susannah’s beloved beach house is up for sale, belly decides to band

‘THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY’ SEASON TWO: BRINGING BAGGAGE TO COUSINS BEACH

together with conrad and Jeremiah to save the summer and all the memories of the summers that came before. In the process, hopefully, she will earn their forgiveness and bury all the baggage from this difficult year.

“The summer I Turned Pretty” is not a masterpiece by any means.

none of the main characters are super likable, given they are bratty teenagers. They are not only incredibly blind to the privilege of their problems but treat them like life-or-death situations. seriously, conrad, it totally sucks that your dad won’t let you use your trust fund to buy your mom’s summer house, but you drive a range rover and go to brown. Like, count your blessings, son.

The acting is stilted and forced. Lola Tung (belly), christopher briney (conrad) and Gavin casalegno (Jeremiah) give the audience nothing: underwhelming performances, forcing melodramatic tears and anger. conrad sings at his mother’s funeral — and breaks down — in episode 3 “Love sick” and it’s laughably bad, not emotional.

some of the show is a flat-out complete waste of time, especially episode 4 “Love Game,” which is just footage of the cast playing boardwalk games. skip!

even the soundtrack’s stacked playlist which includes Tyler, the creator, blink-182, The strokes, Phoebe bridgers, Fleetwood mac and more, isn’t enough to save it from periodically jarring and thoughtless needledrops throughout the series.

despite the underwhelming performances, the obnoxious wardrobe exclusively from American eagle and

Urban outfitters, the overuse (sorry!) of Taylor swift in the soundtrack and the unnecessarily manufactured drama in the plot, I ate this show up.

“The summer I Turned Pretty” was a phenomenon over the summer because, at the heart of it, is a teenage girl — a teenage girl who cries to olivia rodrigo in the car (who hasn’t?), who sleeps with a silly stuffed polar bear, who doesn’t yet know how to navigate life with grace, who just wants to hang out at the boardwalk with her favorite people in the whole wide world and suddenly can’t anymore.

belly is a just teenage girl grappling with what it means to grow up. she’s haunted by her mistakes. but even with all of this baggage, she finds out that the people who love her are still determined to stay in her life. And maybe it doesn’t really feel like forgiveness, but it does feel a bit like redemption.

Contact Claire Lyons at clyons3@nd.edu

“The Summer I Turned Pretty” season

2

Starring: Lola Tung, Christopher Briney and Gavin Cacsalegno

Best Episode: “Love Affair”

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video

If you like: “The Kissing Booth”

BARBIE LAND FOLLOWS YOU HOME IN ‘BARBIE: THE ALBUM’

By CLAIRE MCKENNA scene Writer

“barbie” is breaking all sorts of box office records, and the movie was such a hit that you could not go anywhere this summer without hearing about it. “barbie” was in Tv commercials, “barbie” was in stores, “barbie” was online and “barbie” was on the radio. songs off the fantastic soundtrack for the movie — “barbie: The Album” — became major hits this summer. The album was not just amazing because of the quality of its songs; it was amazing because of how it perfectly it accompanied the movie. Typically, movie soundtracks fall into two main categories: soundtracks for people to listen to outside of the theater and soundtracks made strictly for the movie. For example, the soundtrack of “oppenheimer” firmly fits into the latter category. It is only instrumental songs, and while this is perfect for the movie, it does not do much for people who do not listen to instrumental music regularly. For the first category, the soundtrack for “black Panther” is a good example. many of the songs in that album did not find their way into the movie itself, but they were amazing songs for everyday listening.

“barbie: The Album” stands out because it belongs to both these categories. some songs in the album seamlessly flow into the events of the movie, but they are also completely able to stand on their own outside of the theater. Think of “Pink,” the Lizzo song which plays during the introduction to barbie Land. In the movie, the song’s narration helps the viewer understand when things start to go awry for barbie. outside of the movie, though, it holds up on its own merit.

no review of the soundtrack would be complete without mentioning “I’m Just Ken” either. The song provides a perfect view into the initial seeds of understanding on Ken’s part that being himself is “Kenough.” It is also simply a banger — a great addition to the movie and to this soundtrack.

other songs from the soundtrack featured in the movie do not specifically interact with the events of the film itself, but they provide the perfect background music to enhance those events. did anyone not tear up when “What Was I made For?” played? The events of the film were sentimental enough, but billie eilish’s crooning voice amped up that sentimentality to spectacular heights.

The songs on the album not included in the film still

perfectly encapsulate its vibes. “man I Am” by sam smith dives into the perspective of Ken, and smith’s transitions from grungy sing-speak to powerful belts make for an infectious ear worm. other songs make perfectly apt allusions to barbie, such as the reference to stereotypical barbie’s blonde hair in “hey blondie” by dominic Fike.

“barbie: The Album” is a celebration of all things barbie. It honors the biggest movie of the year so far and the beloved doll of so many people’s youth. “barbie” was (alongside oppenheimer) the movie of the summer. If you could not get enough of the movie during its 114-minute runtime, then there was no better way to bring all things barbie home than turning on “barbie: The Album” and jamming along.

Contact Claire McKenna at cmckenn4@nd.edu

“Barbie: The Album”

Label: Atlantic Records

Favorite Tracks: “Speed Drive” by Charli XCX and “I’m Just Ken” by Ryan Gosling

CLAIRE LYONS

I found my ‘home Under the dome’ and I hope you do too

Peter Breen Interim notre dame news editor

I was a skeptic well before I came to n otre d ame.

I wanted to believe the University marketers who said I’d find a “ h ome Under the d ome” here, but I simultaneously braced myself for the chance of that never happening.

I wouldn’t find my “ h ome Under the d ome” until the very end of my sophomore year. It was well worth the wait.

o n April 3, 2022, I walked into The o bserver office in the basement of s outh d ining h all carrying a cup of s tarbucks from LaFun and wearing boots, cuffed khakis and a multicolored, corduroy jacket.

Though I look forward to the opening of the r aclin- m urphy art museum, The o bserver office is the only University museum I’ll ever need to visit. With all due respect to the Grotto and b asilica, the basement of s outh d ining h all is the most sacred spot on campus.

At my first news meeting, I received a paper copy of the week’s story “budget.” The editors

introduced themselves, and then I had a brief chance to do the same. n ext, it was time to volunteer for a story. I kept my hand down and my mouth shut.

b ut like anyone who has just recognized something beautiful or holy, I lingered.

I wanted to peruse every newspaper and soak up every photo tacked upon the walls. I wanted to open up every drawer of every desk and cabinet. m ost of all, I wanted to meet the people behind every sticky note, candy wrapper and slash of red pen.

When the meeting ended and everyone else stood up and left, I remained frozen in my seat. An editor kindly approached me and talked to me one-on-one. m y life has never been the same.

I emerged from the basement of s outh d ining h all on that day 18 months ago with a story assignment, and I have until this m ay to keep coming back for more.

A writer once told me that people join their student newspaper for three reasons. The first reason people join their campus paper is they want to pursue a career in journalism.

h owever, some individuals join a student

newspaper with no intentions of ever being a full-time journalist. These people fall into the second category. Professionally, they might want to become doctors, bankers or engineers. The second type of students work for The o bserver because they know it’ll teach them communications skills which will be valuable in any profession.

The writer said the third reason students join the newspaper is to make friends.

When I left The o bserver office on April 3, 2022, I felt so optimistic. I knew I could come back the next s unday and sign up for another assignment.

I also knew I could come back the next week and those same news editors were going to be there. I realized that on each s unday for the rest of my time as a n otre d ame student, I could come to The o bserver and have the opportunity to build relationships with my classmates.

This reality was and still is comforting to me.

You can contact Peter Breen at pbreen2@nd.edu.

The views of this Inside column are not necessarily those of The Observer.

An apology regarding ‘The red Zone is certain. safety after parietals is not.’

Friday morning our editorial board published “The r ed Zone is certain. s afety after parietals is not.” The premise of this editorial was incorrect. o ur team failed to thoroughly vet our claims. We apologize for this failure. Although our editors did not initially find the s afety after Parietals policy on the du Lac website, it is available within the online handbook.

The o bserver may be a student newspaper, but we hold ourselves to professional standards. The mistake we made regarding the editorial is unacceptable, and we will do everything in our power to ensure we never again make such a mistake.

b efore publishing our editorial, we failed to let the University respond in full to our argument. We wrote that s afety after Parietals policies — which prevent students from receiving conduct violations when leaving an unsafe situation in a dorm of the opposite sex after parietals — appear to exist at the

University, but are not officially codified in University policy.

“And even though student government has publicized s afety after Parietals policies, the rules aren’t part of du Lac,” we wrote.

The policy is codified in University policy. A “ s afety after Parietals” policy can be found on page eight of the “Procedures for resolving concerns of discriminatory harassment, sexual harrassment and other sex-based misconduct” page of the o ffice of Institutional e quity’s website, which is linked on the s tudent s tandards of c onduct page.

“ s tudents who feel unsafe in a residence hall after parietals should leave the hall, regardless of the time, without concern for a parietals violation. A student will not be found responsible for a violation of the University’s undergraduate residence hall visitation (parietals) policy if the violation is related to an incident of s exual h arassment, d iscriminatory h arassment, or o ther

s ex- b ased m isconduct,” the official policy reads.

We recognize that our error could lead to students falsely believing they can get cited by the o ffice of c ommunity s tandards ( ocs ) for leaving an unsafe situation after parietals. We would like to correct the record and state that official University policy states that students will not get an ocs violation for parietals if they leave an unsafe situation after the allotted hours. The intent of the article was to encourage sexual assault reporting, not the opposite.

o ur mistake was a grave one. We recognize its severity. We will continue to work diligently — as we always have — to regain your trust, and to tell the stories that shape our campus. As an independent student newspaper, The o bserver has always had the platform to hold accountable the University we value so much. We failed to live up to the responsibility that comes with that platform.

Irish display depth, score 49 straight in home-opener win

By TYLER REIDY Associate s ports e ditor

After a long weekend overseas in d ublin, n otre d ame football felt right at home s aturday afternoon. In their 2023 n otre d ame s tadium opener, the Irish scored eight touchdowns and held Tennessee s tate to just 12 first downs, cruising to a 56-3 victory.

“You have to enjoy these moments,” head coach m arcus Freeman said. “They’re hard, and we only get 12 games and opportunities.”

Graduate quarterback s am h artman continued his masterful start, spearheading an Irish offense that racked up 557 total yards. r eaching 10 different targets, h artman threw for 194 yards and two scores at a 14-for-17 clip in his s outh b end debut.

“It was surreal,” h artman said. “This experience, this process has been so cool. We’ve got a lot of ball left to play and a lot of memories still to make, but [this is] a great one to start with.”

When h artman wasn’t dealing, n otre d ame ran all over the Tigers. Paced by junior running back Audric e stime’s 116 yards, Irish ballcarriers amassed 221 yards at a rate of 6.7 per carry. Four different running backs found the end zone.

And for the second consecutive week, n otre d ame held its opponent outside the end zone for a

full 60 minutes. Forcing two turnovers, the Irish limited the Tigers to 156 yards of total offense.

“It was great going back to normal football,” junior defensive lineman Jason o nye joked. “That’s our expectation, our standard as a defense. We want to make sure we’re dominant — no matter who we face.”

Though the score suggests otherwise, the going wasn’t easy out of the gate for n otre d ame. e stime’s first three rushes produced just four yards, creating a pair of third-down situations. b ut h artman converted both — once on the ground and again through the air.

n otre d ame’s methodical march would finally reach paydirt on a 36yard outside handoff to freshman running back Jeremiyah Love. r unning behind his right tackle, Love tiptoed down the sideline and darted to the end zone for his first collegiate touchdown.

Tennessee s tate would answer back, driving for 55 yards on 15 plays. b ut the Tigers’ field goal, a 38-yarder, would mark the end of their scoring output.

“I thought after that first series, [the defense] was able to really just settle down and stop making careless mistakes,” Freeman recalled. “I would say, ‘ d on’t beat n otre d ame.’ And there were a couple of times in

that series, we were beating n otre d ame.”

An untimely turnover on the following kickoff nearly gave Tennessee s tate the lead. Zachery d rake executed a heavy hit on graduate returner d evyn Ford, forcing the football out inside the 15-yard line. Tennessee s tate recovered but failed to reach the end zone.

With a chance to make immediate amends for the fumble, n otre d ame’s special teams unit delivered. o n the Tigers’ 29-yard field goal attempt, Jason o nye surged up the middle, deflecting the kick.

“

b efore the snap, me and r ylie [ m ills] were like, ‘Let’s blow up this guard,’” o nye described. “ m e and him got low, got through the guard’s chest and then I just put my hand up. And luckily, it hit.”

Just like that, Tennessee s tate’s golden opportunity had disappeared, and momentum had swung firmly back to the home sideline by the end of the first quarter.

Working for the first time in over seven minutes, the Irish offense caught fire. e stime jumpstarted the drive with a 50-yard carry up the middle, the longest run of his career. h artman then showcased his own wheels, finishing a five-yard touchdown run with a flip over the goal line. After the score, h artman gestured to the student section to celebrate.

“I’ve been doing that one for a while,” h artman said. “It’s kind of a m an in the Arena, ‘Are you not entertained?’ type of deal.”

Up 14-3, n otre d ame stole the pigskin right back. Two plays into the Tennesse s tate drive, quarterback d eveon b ryant dialed up a deep ball. b ut senior safety r amon h enderson sped into its path, laying out for an interception at the Irish 43-yard line.

n otre d ame’s first defensive turnover of the

season would yield points. And the score required a mere four plays. o n the third, h artman zipped a pass to junior wideout Jayden Thomas over the middle for 27 yards. o ne play later, the gunslinger found senior wide receiver c hris Tyree for six on a 24-yard corner route.

“That’s part of this offense and our team,” h artman said. “You can dish [the ball] to anybody, and at any moment they’re gonna make explosive plays.”

A disruptive pass rush then made for another Tennessee s tate three-and-out, allowing n otre d ame to grow its 18-point lead. h alfway through the drive, which concluded on an e stime five-yard touchdown plunge, the h artman-Thomas connection flashed again for 23 yards.

n eeding any type of positive development before halftime, Tennessee s tate returned the fourth Irish kickoff 12 yards past midfield. A fourth-down conversion and targeting foul against graduate safety Antonio c arter II pushed the Tigers into a goal-to-go spot.

b ut the Irish defense — in conjunction with the crowd — held firm. Two false starts and a sack forced the Tigers to unsuccessfully attempt a field goal. And as he did at the end of the first half against n avy, m arcus Freeman kept time on the clock, using a pair of timeouts before the missed kick.

“I was really calculating when we were gonna use those timeouts,” Freeman said. “It’s crucial to have those situations. We do them in practice, but to have it live — I was so proud of the way they executed.”

That execution required going 80 yards in 53 seconds, and h artman was up to the task. d uring his six-forsix drive, he found junior tight end m itchell e vans three times in a row, adding a 24-yard

delivery to freshman wideout Jaden Greathouse. At the four-yard line, h artman found tight end h olden s taes for the sophomore’s first career score.

Leaving 15 seconds in the half, n otre d ame never needed to use its one remaining timeout.

s ophomore quarterback s teve Angeli took the reins for the second half. o f the sophomore’s 130 passing yards, 40 came from a score by sophomore running back Jadarian Price, his roommate. To create the score, Angeli escaped the pocket left and checked down to the running back. Price then used his speed and a clean juke move to earn Angeli his first collegiate touchdown pass.

“ s teve [Angeli] is my best friend. I happened to be his first touchdown pass,” Price said. “It doesn’t get any better than that.”

Two Tennessee s tate plays later, n otre d ame was in the end zone again. s enior cornerback c larence Lewis made the house call, taking his interception back 33 yards down the left sideline.

“We just happened to be in a good coverage for the spread out pass. h e pretty much threw it to me right after that,” Lewis said. “I love those types of plays because we’re just feeding off another after that.”

s ophomore running back Gi’ b ran Payne would add another, cashing in on a 42-yard dump-off from Angeli. s oon after, freshman quarterback Kenny m inchey would take his first collegiate snaps. And as afternoon turned to evening, n otre d ame accomplished what it couldn’t a year ago: a successful home opener.

“It’s a personal challenge for us. It’s about n otre d ame football reaching its full potential on s aturday.”

n ext s aturday 2-0 Irish travel to r aleigh, n orth c arolina, for a battle with nc s tate at noon. The Wolfpack represents n otre d ame’s first Power Five foe of 2023.

Contact Tyler Reidy at

name

happy birthday: look at the possibilities and see what piques your imagination and stimulates your mind. refuse to let negativity set in and discourage your dreams, hopes and wishes. be true to yourself, and you’ll gain ground and the confidence to reach for the stars. opportunity is apparent. be positive and enjoy the ride. your numbers are 8, 15, 23, 29, 31, 38, 42.

ArIes (march 21-April 19): revamp your routine to satisfy your needs. Take better care of your physical and mental health; you’ll boost confidence and ease stress. make a point to show enthusiasm for your pursuit, and you’ll gain support from someone you admire. romance is favored.

TAurus (April 20-may 20): choose the most inviting path. social events will impact how you think and the changes you make. don’t let emotions run wild, causing a fallout with someone you love. A physical outlet will ease stress and keep you out of trouble.

gemInI (may 21-June 20): refuse to take part in gossip or reveal secrets someone shares with you. The information you receive will have variables that are not available to you. choose self-improvement and gratification, not dismantling someone’s reputation or position. Personal growth and romance are favored.

cAncer (June 21-July 22): observe what others are doing before you align yourself with someone who doesn’t share your objective. Put the changes you want in place and enjoy what you accomplish. don’t hold back; let your ideas flourish and your uniqueness shine through, and you’ll create interest.

leo (July 23-Aug. 22): digest what’s happening before you respond. overreacting will make matters worse and can have costly consequences. Plan to do something exhilarating to clear your head and distance yourself from friction. concentrate on personal perfection, excellent health, peace and love, and you’ll gain perspective.

vIrgo (Aug. 23-sept. 22): gather information that contributes to your aspirations, then begin your adventure. heading down a path that excites you will rejuvenate and give you hope for a better future. Attend events conducive to fact-finding and networking. The connections you make will pay off.

lIbrA (sept. 23-oct. 22): say no to energy hogs. There is a price to pay to give in to someone to avoid controversy. distance yourself from demanding requests and put your energy into something that offers hope and joy. make romance and beauty your objectives.

scorPIo (oct. 23-nov. 21): The changes you implement will pave a positive path. own your place in the world by designating your attributes to what makes you content with life, love and overall happiness. be the master of your universe.

sAgITTArIus (nov. 22-dec. 21): Take care of your health and reputation. refuse to let anyone redirect your energy into something based on hearsay. do your homework and abort questionable plans. Apply more time and effort into honing your skills, gathering information and spending time with someone you love.

cAPrIcorn (dec. 22-Jan. 19): you’re sitting on a gold mine of knowledge, skills and experience. know your worth and focus on positive results. less criticism and more action will lead to your success. Walk away from wasting time arguing and toward your goal. be true to yourself.

AQuArIus (Jan. 20-feb. 18): consider your options and consider who you want to include in your next transformation. refuse to let anyone rain on your parade or lure you into something costly emotionally, physically or financially. recognize what’s best for you and follow through.

PIsces (feb. 19-march 20): A plan, coupled with a steady pace, will add to your stability and bring you closer to the lifestyle you long for. refuse to jeopardize your health, financial well-being or relationship with someone over petty issues. Tolerance and patience are favored.

birthday baby: you are precise, outgoing and helpful. you are orderly and responsive.

Hartman

little bit, so it was fun.”

h is second signature moment followed as the first-half clock dwindled inside the final minute. a s the i rish defense progressed toward a redzone stop, head coach m arcus f reeman used a pair of timeouts. That allowed h artman 53 seconds to put points on the board after the Tigers missed their field goal at the n otre d ame 20-yard line.

“ i wanted to get the ball in s am h artman’s hands to run our offense in that two-minute situation because i ’ve seen it over and over – him go out and execute,” f reeman said. “a nd so i have the utmost confidence that, if we have probably at least 20 to 30 seconds on the clock before half, i ’m gonna call time.”

s ure enough, f reeman’s confidence paid off. a s was the case a week earlier in d ublin, h artman ran with the timeout-induced opportunity all the way to the end zone. o nly this time, he was borderline perfect. c ompleting all six passing attempts on the drive, h artman engineered a touchdown in 38 seconds, bolstering the already impressive trust between himself and his head coach.

“ i think we have a great relationship. i t’s been very humbling to play for him and be a part of his team,” h artman said of f reeman. “ i t’s something i cherish and value a lot. a nd [ i ] appreciate his mentorship and his ability to do what he does in the spotlight he has and handle everything that’s thrown at him.”

With n otre d ame ahead 35-3 at halftime, h artman headed off the field for the day. o ften, it’s what he does outside game action that makes him so valuable to his teammates. d efensive lineman Jason o nye enjoys how h artman goes the extra mile to encourage his defense. r unning back

Jadarian Price, roommate of sophomore quarterback s teve a ngeli, recognizes a ngeli’s immense growth as a leader under h artman’s auspices. i n his postgame press conference, the veteran couldn’t help but smile as he discussed a ngeli and freshman quarterback Kenny m inchey, who closed out s aturday’s 56-3 win.

“ i think this experience, this process for me has been so cool,” h artman

said. “a nd obviously we’ve got a lot of ball left to play and a lot of moments and memories still to make, but [this was] a great one to start with.”

While h artman’s introduction to n otre d ame football couldn’t have gone much better, it represents only a small fraction of his season checklist. n ext up: a trip to r aleigh, where the i rish will face their first Power f ive opponent of 2023 – nc s tate. h artman faced the Wolfpack in each of his final three seasons at Wake f orest.

“We understand the challenge at hand, especially on the road,” h artman said.

“ i t’s a very hostile environment. Their fans are going to bring it. They’re not going to like us.”

a mong his many lessons learned from year one on the job, f reeman understands that n otre d ame will get every team’s best shot. i n the case of 2023, that goes beyond just o hio s tate, usc and c lemson. m ore often than not, h artman and his offense will play with imperfections. s ome will prove more costly than others. b ut f reeman feels he has the ideal gunslinger to overcome every bump in the road.

“The thing about s am is the ability for him to come over to me and say ‘ i ’m good’, [if] he made maybe an error or two,” f reeman said.

“That experience is so important. h e’s a heck of a football player, but [he has] the ability to handle the elements. h e is a very experienced player and i ’m sure glad we have him.”

Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu

Sánchez Córdova: Irish have raised their ceiling

i don’t care if it’s “just” navy and Tennessee state. notre dame football has already changed its 2023 outlook.

Last year, the i rish started ranked no. 5 in the a P poll. from there, notre dame played a competitive game against no. 2 ohio state before a collapse against marshall left head coach marcus freeman with an 0-2 start to his tumultuous debut season. it got better from there with a dominant home win over no. 4 c lemson and a thrilling gator bowl victory, marking high points in 2022.

notre dame debuted at no. 13 in the 2023 a P Poll, signaling a slight improvement from their no. 18 finish at the end of last season. it was a reasonable assumption, with the addition of graduate transfer quarterback sam hartman, that they would improve. but the departure of record-breaking tight end m ichael mayer and several impact players on the defensive line left questions. Three games against preseason a P Top 10 opponents meant expectations had to be kept relatively tempered.

a fter two games, i am ready to raise those expectations.

Yes, i know they played navy and an fcs school

in these first two games. but the high level of the performances notre dame put together signals significant progress from a year ago. i believe some of those preseason questions have already been answered.

it all starts with graduate student quarterback sam hartman. Through two games, he has been all freeman could’ve possibly dreamed of. hartman has led the team admirably and has quickly become a star in a way no i rish quarterback has since brady Quinn. a nd he’s been even better on the field.

Through two games, hartman has completed 82.5% of his passes and totaled 459 total yards with seven touchdowns and zero turnovers. he has the same number of incompletions as he does touchdowns. of the 12 drives he’s led this season, 11 have ended in touchdowns. With numbers like those, it’s not hard for i rish fans to start dreaming big. even so, during the postgame press conference, freeman shook his head at the suggestion that hartman has been perfect. is it possible hartman can still find another gear? a nother big question entering the year was the i rish receiving corps. a fter two games, there’s reason to believe those questions were unjustified. The depth has shined early, with 16

different players catching a pass in the opening two games.

Junior Jayden Thomas has become the number-one receiver many expected after a solid season a year ago. True freshman Jaden greathouse had a memorable debut in i reland and followed it up with a solid performance against Tsu senior c hris Tyree has adapted well to his new role and junior tight end m itchell evans made a few important catches during an impressive two-minute drill at the end of the first half against Tsu

This is all without mentioning the offensive line and running back room. both of these units have lived up to their preseason billing as foundational strengths for the i rish offense. a nd the defense has been outstanding through two games, limiting navy and Tsu to a combined six points.

This team has already shown that it will compete this season. The i rish have taken care of two potential trap games, passing with flying colors. g oing to a hostile environment in raleigh next weekend will show us even more, but notre dame has already raised its ceiling far beyond what most could’ve expected.

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

Paid a dverTisemen T

Contact José Sánchez Córdova at jsanch24@ nd.edu

José Sánchez Córdova a ssistant managing editor

red-hot roou strikes again in 1-0 Irish win

By TYLER REIDY Associate s ports e ditor

In a Friday match marked by physicality and missed opportunities, the notre dame men’s soccer team edged northern Illinois. despite registering 26 shots, their most against a division I opponent in four years, the Irish tallied just one 14th minute goal from junior forward matthew roou that proved to be enough.

“You can go in those games, you can miss some chances and then you get frustrated and your performance drops off quite a bit. but I think our team did a good job of keeping a positive mentality,” Irish head coach chad riley said. “I think we had to grind it out to close out the game. We had moments to get a few goals, but we didn’t and I’m proud of the way they stuck together.” success at home, a hallmark of notre dame’s 2021 college cup run, went missing early on last season. but the Irish have

ND vOllEYBAll

capitalized on a rare six-game homestand in 2023, drawing with second-ranked Indiana and earning consecutive clean sheets.

“When people come to play us at Alumni stadium, it’s our fortress - it’s our home,” roou said. “so we can’t let them come in here and beat us.”

The Irish opened the match quietly, producing just one shot through a dozen minutes. but as the 15-minute mark approached, notre dame’s flaming forward delivered again.

As two players went to ground on a tie-up in the box, senior defender Paddy burns cleaned up the loose ball. Upon arriving, the captain subtly flicked a cross just inside the penalty spot for roou. Fresh off a hat trick sunday, roou swung his left foot, striking the airborne ball with confidence. The volley twisted inside the left post for the junior’s fourth goal of the young season.

“I think [our attack] starts with

the defense. We were just locked on and everyone was defending behind the ball, and [we] got a lot of transition moments to counter them,” roou said. “The offense was just flowing, everyone was working together and clicking well - everything but the finishing.”

Indeed, notre dame wouldn’t add on during the game’s remaining 76 minutes. huskies

keeper Jakub rojek baffled the Irish, recording a career-high ten saves. Yet it was senior goalkeeper bryan dowd (one save) who picked up his second career blanking of nIU.

In the 21st minute, a misplay between rojek and his center back left the net open for junior forward eno nto. but nto, shooting from a difficult angle, caught the right post. Ten minutes later, senior forward daniel russo followed an nto shot with a miss just above the bar. A similar fate befell russo on a volley in the 56th minute.

Played toward goal by

Irish record another split at Catholic Challenge

By ANDREW McGUINNESS

s ports e ditor

n otre d ame volleyball’s mission this season is all about progress.

A 10-18 record in s alima

r ockwell’s first season as head coach last fall certainly wasn’t ideal. b ut like most teams with a first-year head coach, last year was about more than just record. It was about preparing the program to take steps forward his fall.

o f course, progress can be measured in many different ways. For the second straight weekend, n otre d ame went 1-1. The Irish beat v illanova on Friday before falling to s anta c lara the next day, with both games being played on v illanova’s home court as part of the c atholic c hallenge. h owever, after losing more sets (five) than they won (four) in the season-opening Under Armour challenge against Wichita s tate and Texas Tech, the Irish swept the Wildcats and hung tight with an undefeated b roncos squad.

n otre d ame’s 3-0 against v illanova was the team’s first sweep since o ct. 7, 2022, against s yracuse. The Irish notched just two such victories all of last season. r ockwell saw her club’s impressive resiliency from

the opening weekend carried over to Friday. After falling into a 7-0 deficit right out of the gates, the Irish recorded seven of the next eight points to spur a 25-10 finish to the set for the Irish. s enior libero h attie m onson notched consecutive aces to put n otre d ame ahead 1413. The slim lead, n otre d ame’s first of the set, would hold up the rest of the way.

In fact, the Irish would only trail four more times the rest of the match and never by more than a single point. The Irish received contributions from up and down their roster in the second set, ending it on an 11-5 run after v illanova claimed a brief 1514 lead. m ore stellar play by m onson and a set-point kill by freshman outside hitter Ava Lange sealed the set.

The Wildcats hung tough with n otre d ame early in the third set. The teams were tied on four separate occasions within the first 18 points, which were split evenly 9-9. An 8-3 Irish outburst put n otre d ame in the driver’s seat. o nce again, Lange recorded the knockout blow, sealing n otre d ame’s second win of the season. o verall, the Irish out-blocked v illanova

and committed just

sophomore midfielder KK baffour in the 81st minute, roou nearly captured a brace. but his low strike slithered just wide of the left post. In the game’s waning moments, rojek made his finest save, redirecting a pointblank drive from nto. he and baffour paced the Irish with six shots, followed by roou’s five.

The huskies’ best chance to equalize came off an 86th-minute corner kick. After a partial notre dame clearance, Amo mashigo smashed the left post from just inside the 18. northern Illinois registered eight shots on the night with five coming after halftime.

“You want to close out close games well. At the end of the day, in college soccer, anybody can kick a ball from halfway into the box,” riley said. “You get corners, you get things like that, so you’re gonna have to defend well.”

Amongst the many opportunities were a dozen yellow cards - nine going against the huskies. Late in the second half, nIU’s

Jakub drazek was booked twice in 22 seconds, earning a shockingly sudden red card.

“You just want to keep the guys cool and keep their heads,” riley said. “We talked about it before the game, we want to finish with 11 players. We did and they didn’t.”

now 2-0-1 through three matches, the Irish will host detroit mercy on Tuesday. chad riley’s side will have one final chance to sharpen its form before opening Acc play against clemson on saturday.

“The important thing is how you grow from each game, even if you get a positive result,” riley stated. “You want to put the results as part of that, but you really want to grow as much as you can in september.”

notre dame’s clash with the Titans is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Alumni stadium. It will air on Acc network extra.

Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu

10 attack errors to the Wildcats’ 17. Junior outside hitter s ydney Palazzolo led the Irish with 12 kills. Another transfer, graduate student setter n icole d rewnick, paced n otre d ame with 30 assists.

The Irish got off to a strong start in their second game of the weekend on s aturday. n otre d ame won two of the first three sets against then 4-0 s anta c lara, holding the b roncos to just 18 points in the third set. b ut the Irish let an 18-16 lead in set four slip away, dropping the final two points on errors by Palazzolo (service) and Lange (block). s anta c lara went on two early runs of three or more points early in the decisive fifth set. The b roncos kept n otre d ame at arm’s reach for the majority of the set, taking four of the last five points to win 15-9.

The Irish return home for the first time in 2023 this weekend as they take on Illinois and o klahoma.

The Irish host the Illini on Friday, s ept. 7, at 7 p.m. and the s ooners on s unday, s ept. 9, at 2 p.m. b oth games take place at Purcell Pavilion and are on A cc n etwork e xtra.

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu

Irish senior libero Hattie Monson bumps the volleyball during a 3-2 Notre Dame win over Milwaukee at Purcell Pavilion on Aug. 28, 2022.

Hartman of gold: Irish quarterback dazzles in home debut

By TYLER REIDY Associate s ports e ditor

e ight months ago, quarterback s am

h artman announced his move to n otre d ame after five years at Wake Forest. s ince then, the graduate student has pictured the scenes of his first game weekend in s outh b end. s till, at no point did h artman’s experience s aturday come into realistic view.

“ o h, it was surreal. I mean, from the get-go,” h artman recalled. “ d oing mass, coming out – a lot of the guys were saying this is one of the bigger crowds they’ve seen just on the [player] walk. And for me, it’s all big.”

Though the humble h artman will never admit it, he was a major catalyst for the added excitement that permeated campus. From the moment Irish fans first laid eyes on the signalcaller in blue and gold, the vast majority was sold. And as the 2023 season approached, h artman’s presence galvanized the n otre d ame fanbase like few others have in recent memory.

the Irish? Two weeks in, he sure has. Following a fourtouchdown effort against n avy, h artman turned in three total scores in the first half s aturday against Tennessee s tate. h e has as many touchdowns (seven) as incompletions with zero interceptions.

Unafraid to distribute the football, h artman hit 10 different targets in just 30 minutes against T s U. “That’s part of this offense and really our team,” h artman described. “There’s not one guy that’s got to carry the load. You can dish it to anybody and at any moment they’re going to make explosive plays.”

In his 208-yard home opener, the 24-year-old put on a show. As n otre d ame looked to expand a 7-3 lead in the second quarter, h artman fired up the crowd of 77,622 with a five-yard touchdown run. h e ended the play by frontflipping over a defender and the goal line, rising to his feet and blowing a kiss to the Irish student section.

Irish graduate student Sam Hartman fires a pass in Notre Dame’s 56-3 win over Tennessee State at Notre Dame Stadium on Sept. 4. Hartman has thrown for six touchdowns in his first two games with the Irish.

ND wOMEN’S SOccER

b ut the question remained: would h artman live up to the high expectations of quarterbacking

“[It was] a little me-guy move, so I’m a little disappointed in it, but sometimes it just comes out,” h artman chuckled. “You know, you gotta get out there and move around a

notre dame staves off late m ichigan state push to close out 2-1 victory

By J.J. POST

notre dame women’s soccer picked up its third win of 2023 on sunday, dispatching michigan state 2-1 in east Lansing.

The Irish started off the match strong, striking in just the 10th minute. senior forward ellie ospeck found the back of the net, finishing off a pinpoint cross from sophomore midfielder Leah Klenke.

ospeck would get on the scoresheet once again in the second half, this time creating a goal instead of scoring. her well-weighted pass in transition found the foot of graduate

student forward maddie mercado, who finished off the move to double notre dame’s lead.

The goal and assist continued a strong run of form for ospeck, who now has five points in her last two matches. It’s an especially notable stat given the senior had just one point in notre dame’s first three games. After the game, Irish head coach nate norman applauded ospeck’s season-opening play.

“Throughout this whole season she’s created chances,” norman said. “I think she’s been able to calm herself and relax the last couple games. I think she could have had at least two

today, which was great to see… she’s got so much pace, so much willingness to run. she’ll continue to get in the box [and] get those chances. It’s good to see her getting in a rhythm here.” michigan state did make a late push, firing off four of its eight shots in the contest’s final 20 minutes. The spartans did eventually bring themselves within one, courtesy of a late Jordyn Wickes header. but the Irish eventually staved off one final barrage, heading back to south bend victors. between sunday’s contest against the spartans and last week’s home tangle with Arkansas, notre dame has now

finished back-to-back matchups against teams that advanced in last season’s ncAA tournament. both squads figure to be players in the national tournament once again in 2023. norman remarked that playing difficult out-of-conference opponents is crucial as the Irish prepare for a tough Acc slate of matches.

“I think our conference is just such a gauntlet. You have to have these battles to help you learn about yourself,” said norman. “What are the things you can be great at, what are the things you need to grow in? All these games are doing that for us, and every game we’ve gotten a little bit better.”

The Irish will now head back to south bend for the first of two final games on their nonconference slate. notre dame will host a michigan side (2-1-2) that has plenty of quality - the Wolverines won the big Ten as recently as 2021 - but has struggled for consistent results this fall. michigan has played its best soccer as of late though, entering Thursday on a two-match winning streak.

The match is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Alumni stadium and will be broadcast on the Acc network.

chancelor gordon | The observer

HARTMAN fEATuRE

Associate sports editor