From the dreaded “freshman fifteen” to TikTok “fit checks” to easy access of photoshopping and Facetune, opportunities for body comparisons are everywhere, especially for college students. But “Body image,” a 40000-level psychology class, seeks to examine this very topic.
dawn gondoli, professor of psychology, said she has been teaching this class since 2018 while conducting research in the field of body image.
“To be able to teach a subject that is intrinsically interesting to me and maps onto my research is a good thing,” gondoli said. “i like seeing students encountering new things, new ways of thinking about things and being able to communicate.”
The class, which is offered to juniors and seniors, analyzes readings on specific topics related to body image. This week, the topic centered around methods of interventions and future directions.
students also take turns
see psychology PAGE 4
By LIAM KELLY a ssociate n ews e ditori n o klahoma, s t. i sidore of s eville c atholic v irtual s chool is hard at work to welcome its first 500 students by fall of 2024 as it aims to become the first religious charter school in the nation, said Brett Farley, e xecutive d irector of the c atholic c onference of o klahoma. a s the school faces legal challenges, s t. i sidore has been aided by the n otre d ame l aw s chool r eligious l iberty c linic,
By GRACE TADAJWESKI
writer
news
w ith the future of democracy in mind, d anielle a llen presented a lecture on her recent book “Justice by m eans of d emocracy” in d eBartolo h all w ednesday night. a self-proclaimed
democracy advocate, a llen is a professor at h arvard c ollege and an author of several books. s he attributes her introduction to democracy to her politically engaged family members and community, such as her grandparents who fought for racial equality and women’s suffrage.
n ot only that, but a llen acknowledges that she learned a “core lesson” from her father and aunt who both ran for election from opposing ends of the political spectrum.
“Two things were very clear to me,” a llen said. “The first one, that for all they disagreed on the how, what they’re planning to do, they’re actually pursuing the same thing. They were both pursuing empowerment. a nd the second thing i realized was that for all that they disagree with each other, they never broke them on the glove.”
a llen explained that she has seen the u nited s tates go through the “push apart.” The country has seen an increase in income and wealth inequality, incarceration and polarization, she described.
“ yes, we love the ideals of freedom and equality, and there’s great value in those,” a llen said, “But the point of democracy is that based on those values that
see democracy PAGE 4
which has provided legal consultation and representation, according to Farley and members of the r eligious l iberty c linic.
Farley explained that the decision to found a c atholic virtual charter school was one motivated both by necessity and opportunity. o n one hand, Farley said, there exists a great need for better education in o klahoma, specifically in rural parts of the state. a ccording to u s n ews and w orld r eport, o klahoma ranks 48th in the u s . in public education.
“The problem is that most parents can’t afford private education and/or there isn’t a private school near them to attend even if they could afford it,” Farley said.
Then with the rise in virtual learning during the covid -19 pandemic virtual learning, the a rchdiocese of o klahoma c ity and the d iocese of Tulsa began to consider founding a virtual school in order to more easily reach students in remote
see charTer PAGE 3
Observer Staff Report
s outh Bend police received at least one report that a shot was fired at e ddy s treet c ommons on s unday evening, authorities said.
o fficers were dispatched to the 1200 block of n e ddy s t. around 10:40 p.m. s unday in connection with a disturbance involving 50 to 100 people, according
to the s outh Bend p olice d epartment.
p olice wrote in a Facebook post at 7:19 a.m. on m onday that juveniles created the disturbance. i n addition to the gunshot, police received 911 calls about juveniles displaying guns and heavy fighting. o ne person was struck by
see police PAGE 4
Observer Staff Report
i n a w ednesday email to the s aint m ary’s community, p resident Katie c onboy announced the hiring of l iz Baumann as the c ollege’s first full-time Title i X officer.
a ccording to the message, the p resident’s o ffice brought an external Title i X expert to campus last
fall to review s aint m ary’s sexual violence resources, education and responses. The expert recommended that the c ollege hire a full-time Title i X officer.
a n internal hire, Baumann was previously a coordinator for the Belles a gainst v iolence o ffice (B avo ) and most recently,
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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. Viewpoint 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.
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News Kathryn Muchnick
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Claire Lyons
“Irish start season strong at Folds of Honor Invitational” incorrectly stated graduate student golfer Palmer Jackson’s name.
Friday “Asteroid City” Browning Cinema
7 p.m. - 8:45 p.m. 2023 film directed by Wes Anderson. Student tickets $4.
Mary’s Birthday Party
Holy Cross Hall 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Prayer talk, cupcakes, and rosary-making.
Saturday
“What the Constitution Means to Me”
Philbin Studio Theatre
7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Tony-nominated play.
Citizen’s Climate Lobby
Madeleva Hall
8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Regional discussion of climate policy.
Sunday
Organ Concert Basilica of the Sacred Heart
8 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Performance by local organist Kevin Vaughn.
“Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” Browning Cinema 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. 2005 film.
Monday
“The Sound of Found Objects”
214 Riley Hall
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
AAHD Gallery Exhibit by Neill Prewitt.
Spotlight Exhibit 102 Hesburgh Library
9:30
Wednesday afternoon, the second iteration of the n otre d ame student senate took place. A variety of hall and campus events were publicized, including r ed Zone Awareness Week and Teach@ nd d ay. n ominations for the Judicial c ouncil e lection c ommittee were reviewed and applications for various positions of leadership within the n otre d ame community were explained.
In executive announcements, student body vice president Aidan r ezner introduced r ed Zone Awareness Week.
“The r ed Zone is a time from the start of the school
year to Thanksgiving break where the majority of sexual assaults occur on college campuses,” r ezner explained.
According to r ezner, the aim of the initiative is to bring attention to this issue and show solidarity with students and survivors alike.
“Please where red on Fridays to show support for both sexual violence survivors and also to make it known that this a horrible time and we don’t support it here at n otre d ame,” r ezner said.
Teach@ nd d ay was also stressed as a way for students to show appreciation for members of the n otre d ame faculty. The event allows students to send a note to any professor who they
out and said, ‘We’re thinking about this. What do you think?’” Garnett recounted.
believe made a difference or impact on their lives. All notes must be submitted by Friday.
The senate moved on to new business. First on the docket were nominations for Judicial c ouncil’s peer advocates, followed by nominations for Judicial c ouncil election committee.
The twelve nominees for peer advocates were unanimously approved following a short question and debate period.
d iscussion surrounding the ten election committee nominees was marginally more involved, with questions fielded by vice president of elections r yn Weiss.
“ e ach candidate has expressed an unparalleled
Isidore and described them as “the tip of the spear” in the school’s efforts to open.
enthusiasm for preserving justice and fairness in election procedure, and demonstrating a commitment to foster greater student engagement across campus,”
Weiss said.
d uring questioning, it was revealed that four of the ten candidates were first year students. n ext, qualifications for nominee Thomas Walsh was brought up for discussion.
Walsh “has held previous positions with U. s .A.
s wimming and he engaged in a lot of electoral regulations enforcement through that position,”
Weiss said, “And within that he was drafting a lot of amendments to U. s .A. s wimming guidelines and just expressed a knowledge and enthusiasm about
enforcing constitutional rules within the election committee.”
n o debate ensued after the examination and all nominees for the election commission were given unanimous consent.
c oncluding with announcements, many hall events were promoted by individual senators. They included b reen-Phillips’ upcoming h oops for h ope three-on-three basketball fundraiser for the s isters of the Immaculate h eart, Lyons c arroll h alls’ v olley for the vets beach volleyball tournament and s unday yoga on s outh Quad.
Contact Gray Nocjar at gnocjar@nd.edu
areas.
“We recognized the silver lining in the clouds, ‘ h ey, we’ve got an opportunity here to leverage technology to supply education in a way that we just never really thought about before because we didn’t have to think about it. b ut now that we have to, we recognize we can deliver c atholic education to everyone in the state,’” he explained.
In order to address the cost-prohibitive nature of private, c atholic education s t. Isidore turned to the idea of establishing a charter school that could truly make the c atholic education widely available, Farley said.
“We realized, ‘ h ey, what if we did this in the context of a charter school? We could really not just meet those needs, but we can change the game entirely,’” he said. h owever, many legal issues stand in the way of founding the school. m ost notably, the o klahoma c harter s chools Act states that charter schools cannot be “affiliated with a nonpublic sectarian school or religious institution.”
In an interview with The o bserver, n icole Garnett, the Associate d ean for e xternal e ngagement at the Law s chool and a Professor of Law, explained that, “every state that has charter schools – there’s 45 – prohibits them from being religious.”
At this point s t. Isidore reached out to the n otre d ame r eligious Liberty c linic for legal aid and for help organizing the school, Farley said.
“The dioceses in o klahoma knew about the c linic … so they reached
“I had already been writing quite a bit about religious charter schools, so it was a natural fit for us to take that work on.”
o n d ec. 1, 2022, s t. Isidore and the r eligious Liberty c linic received encouraging news when then state attorney general John m
o ’ c onnor released an opinion, declaring “based on the first Amendment and the Trinity Lutheran, e spinoza, and c arson line of decisions [referring to three s upreme
c ourt rulings that expanded ways religious schools can receive public money] ... the U. s s upreme c ourt would likely hold these restrictions unconstitutional.”
s t. Isidore was granted approval for its founding by the o klahoma s tatewide
c harter s chool b oard on June 5 by a margin of 3-2 after initially being denied 5-0 in April.
h owever, on Feb. 23, current state attorney general, Gentner d rummond, released a letter rescinding
o ’ c onnor’s opinion.
o n July 31, nine o klahoma residents and the o klahoma Parents Legislative Action
c ommittee, represented by the American c ivil Liberties Union (A c LU), Americans United for s eparation of
c hurch and s tate, e ducation
Law c enter and Freedom
From r eligion Foundation, filed a complaint alleging that the founding of s t.
Isidore as a charter school was illegal and asking for an injunction by the d istrict c ourt of o klahoma to stop the school from opening.
Farley explained that while lawyers from the r eligious Liberty c linic have not yet had to appear in court they have given “quite a bit of legal advice” to help s t.
Farley said that he expected the court to rule some time in the next year on the question of injunction and that the decision would likely be appealed by either side.
As it stands now, the school still has approval to open next year.
Farley specifically pointed to n icole Garnett and John m eiser, n otre d ame Law Professor and d irector of the r eligious Liberty c linic, as being crucial to helping the school’s legal case. “We really wouldn’t have been able to do what we’ve done without their assistance.”
In an email with The o bserver, m eiser stated that because the r eligious Liberty c linic is representing s t. Isidore “in ongoing litigation,” he could not discuss the case in detail. h owever, m eiser wrote that the r eligious Liberty c linic has “been proud to assist the dioceses of Tulsa and o klahoma c ity in their mission to bring the gift of new educational opportunity to the many families and communities across o klahoma that lack robust educational choices.”
In an interview with The o bserver, Garnett outlined the legal case that s t. Isidore and the r eligious Liberty c linic are making.
“In c arson v. m ason the s upreme court has said if the government extends public benefits of private individuals or organizations, it can’t exclude from participation, religious individuals and organizations,” Garnett explained. “ r eligious charter schools are privately operated…so to exclude religious providers would be unconstitutional religious discrimination.”
Farley also emphasized
that s t. Isidore’s case hinges on the argument that religious charter schools are protected by the free exercise clause of the first amendment. h e noted that the government and religious institutions already collaborate on a number of issues.
“ r eligious communities and governments at all levels – local, state and federal – have had very close participation and collaboration,” he said. Farley highlighted public funding that goes to c atholic hospitals and disaster relief efforts as examples.
Farley acknowledged the possibility of the case eventually reaching the U. s s upreme c ourt but cautioned that, by looking at similar cases, it could take three to five years for this to happen.
r ick Garnett, a Professor of Law and c oncurrent Professor of Political s cience at n otre d ame, and the d irector of the Law s chool’s Program on c hurch, s tate and s ociety, in an email to
The o bserver, expressed optimism that the s upreme c ourt would likely rule in s t. Isidore’s favor if it did eventually take up the case.
“It is clear, given the c ourt’s recent cases, that governments are not allowed to discriminate on the basis of religion when it comes to permitting religious schools to participate in school-choice programs,” Garnett said.
Farley said that the school remains hopeful about its mission, despite the legal battles.
“I’m optimistic that we will ultimately prevail. Whether we will prevail in time to open school 2024 is anybody’s guess,” Farley said. “If this case makes its way to the s upreme c ourt and they rule the way that they have already, I think it will be the final chapter in this grand debate over whether religious institutions can fully participate in public education.”
Contact Liam Kelly at lkelly8@nd.edu
leading the discussion and write a two-to-three-page paper weekly reflecting on the discussions.
“I like reading all their writing because every student has their own distinctive voice,” Gondoli said. “By the end of the semester, I can recognize people and their writing, and I like to have that sensibility.” Gondoli also said because Notre Dame places an emphasis on athletics, students are pushed into a mentality of perfectionism and stress.
Isabelle LeBlanc, a senior psychology major, is a student in the “Body Image” class and a former diver for the Notre Dame Swim and Dive Team. After seeing how prevalent body image issues are, especially on the Notre Dame campus and the competitive sports setting, she was inspired to take this class, she said.
“I feel like there’s a constant presence of body image concerns and just not enough discussion about it,” she said. “And so I was excited to take a class where I could kind of voice my opinions on certain body image issues and how it’s perpetuated.”
LeBlanc said she had discussions with her teammates about body image while on the swim and dive team.
“I was on a team for three years and we also have to have discussions with each other because people on the team were struggling hard with eating disorders and trying to make sure that they look good in uniform,”
LeBlanc said. “It was super common and was heartbreaking to hear.”
With the rise of technology, the class has also examined the intersection between media and body image. They have studied the ways in which existing social structures, like sexism, have continued to uphold these ideas, Gondoli said.
“I think it definitely comes down to the way that social media and commercials and films curate this image of an ideal woman and define what it means to be the feminine,” LeBlanc said. “Historically, we’ve been taught that we need to compete against other women, that this is the kind of thing we’re supposed to do.”
Gondoli said she focuses a lot on the modern world of social media in the class and in her research.
“I think it’s tough and with social media, it’s hard to get away from it,” Gondoli said. “We’re insulated a bit here too so we have less diversity in all kinds, including body diversity.”
Gondoli said she recommends students take this class because it pushes them to think about a complex topic, like body image issues, in different ways.
“Students come away with additional strategies and things that they can apply to their own life,” Gondoli said. “Young people need to be exposed to this kind of research to help move this movement forward.”
Contact Aarushi Bute at abute@nd.edu and Sakura Yamanaka at syamanak@nd.edu
a vehicle, according to the post.
Due to the size of the crowd, police could not confirm if Notre Dame students or community members were involved in the disturbance. Eddy Street Commons is one block south of campus.
Authorities said there were two other disturbances at Eddy Street Commons over Labor Day weekend in addition to the one that occurred Sunday night. All three were still under investigation as of Wednesday afternoon, police said.
The Notre Dame Police Department sent out a campus wide email Wednesday afternoon about the Labor Day weekend disturbances near campus. According to the message, Notre Dame police have been in contact with the South Bend Police Department and the “managing partners” of Eddy Street Commons and the Foundry about the disturbances.
“In addition to expanding already existing
CoNTIN
she was the director of student involvement and advocacy. For the last two years, Baumann also planned the r aise Your voice symposium, which is held each April at Saint m ary’s College.
“Her extensive knowledge of S m C, our students’ needs, and the tri-campus community will help us move quickly to advance our Title IX work on campus,” Conboy wrote about Baumann.
In the same email, the President’s o ffice announced Shannon Warfield will serve as the new BAvo coordinator.
private security and offduty police patrols, an increased police presence and numerous additional measures will be put into place,” the email read. In a second Facebook
post Wednesday afternoon, the South Bend Police Department wrote that it believes the disturbances which occurred over Labor Day weekend were outliers.
in
are supposed to help communities of human beings live better than they would otherwise be able to live.”
Allen called upon a need for change in democracy in order to better support communities across the u nited States.
“We’ve got to do the work of figuring out how to change the dynamics,” Allen said. “So instead of
in sort pulling apart an experience of ‘some are here, some are here’, our democracy is helping every generational cohort in fact move up together.”
Allen claimed that John r awls’ “A Theory of Justice” contributed to further thought on the topic of protected liberties, in that they are necessary for human thriving. A connection and feeling of empowerment are necessary between policymakers and people, Allen said.
“Those negative liberties,
Warfield brings 10 years of experience in the field of survivor advocacy,
freedom from interference, are completely entangled with the patent on those positive liberties, liberties to participate,” Allen said. “And this is where we get to the idea that justice comes by means of democracy.”
In conjunction with analysis of the Declaration of Independence, Allen believes that commitment to power sharing liberalism is needed. Through this, she said, the u nited States can restructure its
Courtsey of St Mary’s
The former BAVO Coordinator and Director of Student Involvement & Advocacy, Liz Baumann will be Saint Mary’s new Title IX Officer. Baumann previously worked at Elkhart County’s prosecuting office.
having previously worked as a victim’s advocate at the o ffice of the Elkhart
government and empower its economy.
“The core idea is that in order to achieve that, the first thing we really have to figure out is how to build those structures for universal inclusion and participation in decision making across all the different elements of our society,” Allen said.
History professor John m cGreevy explained how, “The forum’s goal this academic year is to invite reflection and dialogue among the students and
County Prosecuting Attorney, according to Conboy.
scholars across different disciplines on the rising and emerging threats to global democracy and to consider how democracy can be reinvigorated in our nation and across the world,” adding that, ““We could not have a better speaker equipped to speak with us about these issues.”
The Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government was the host for Allen’s lecture.
Contact Grace Tadajweski at gtadajwe@nd.edu
If you were to ask me what my favorite thing about The Observer is, I’d probably tell you the standard answers: the people and the satisfaction of seeing our print editions scattered across the tri-campus.
And while that’s indubitably true, I’m writing about a (notso) secret third thing: the interviews.
Normally, when you walk up to a stranger and start asking them random questions, they look at you a little funny (Like, why is this girl all up in my face?). But as soon as you say the magic words, their faces light up. It’s like you’re wrapped up in an even-more-magical invisible shroud that makes you, suddenly, incredibly interesting and much more worth their time. Suddenly, your curiosity is excusable. Suddenly, your questions will be answered.
But therein lies the rub. What kind of questions do you ask?
Serious journalists are very good at asking questions. They know exactly how to phrase a sentence to get somebody to break down or open up — especially about things they don’t want to talk about. They clarify. They are precise. They get to the heart of a problem in harrowing detail.
But as a former Scene editor and the current v iewpoint editor, I sometimes fear I might be a little too self-absorbed and concerned with my own opinion to really ask the right questions (I frequently ask “How are you?” like it’s a demand.).
Talking to people has never come naturally to me, which, unfortunately, makes this line of work very difficult. I never really know when exactly to jump into a conversation or the perfect thing to say to make a person feel better. So, when I dutifully trudge across the quad and muster up the courage to ask random strangers random questions, I want you to know it takes a considerable amount of effort and mental fortitude.
I’d like to say I’ve come a long way.
As a child, I was terribly shy. I was once strong-armed into an elementary school mock trial against my will, and even though I was only the bailiff in Three Little Pigs v. Big Bad Wolf, my hands shook the entire time I spoke: “Do you swear the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?”
Even now, I nervously pace back and forth in the hallway before class presentations. I have to psych myself up to ask a classmate for a pencil. When I am suddenly and painfully left speechless during an awkward silence on a first date, I frequently glance down at my hands to make sure they aren’t betraying me (yet again).
When I applied to Notre Dame, I wanted to be a psychologist. I took one college-level chemistry course and that changed faster than you can say “Go Irish!” but I know, at her core, 18-year-old Claire knew what she was doing. She wanted to be a psychologist because she wanted to understand the complex, undefinable matters of the human heart. She wanted to understand what moves us to do great things. I still do.
So, of course, I would end up at the newspaper.
Having the credential of “journalist” behind me somehow makes me braver. It made me approach somebody in the middle of a mosh pit during a thunderstorm to find out he’s probably the biggest Big Thief fan in the world and came all the way from Korea to Chicago to see them. It made me attend lectures that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise made the time for. It led me to talk to actors and directors about activism on campus and somehow led me to a questionable couch in Whisk’s six-man dorm.
Reporting for a story, getting an email about a Letter to the Editor or simply showing up to The Observer office allows me to break that initial, silent, deadly wall of shyness. It gives me a chance to connect with a person I wouldn’t otherwise know. I can ask “How are you?” and have somebody tell me what they really mean. During an interview, for one sweet, glorious moment, I get to know somebody better, and in turn, I help the world get to know them.
You can contact Claire Lyons at clyons3@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this Inside column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
dance, take a trip on a whim, talk to that cute girl in your discussion section. When you walk on that stage at commencement you’ll look back on it and be glad you did.
Adjusting to college life in your first year can be difficult. There are so many new people to meet, new places to memorize and new schedules to adapt to. As upperclassmen, those of us on The Observer Editorial Board have had our fair share of trial-and-error during our time in South Bend.
Maggie Eastland, Editor-in-Chief College is a time to learn how, but — perhaps more importantly — it should be a time to ask why. When you’re juggling so many different activities and passions, discernment can feel far off. Make time for it. And don’t just pose the question about your future career. Ask it about every part of your life here. The tri-campus has many opportunities for emotional, spiritual and personal formation. Don’t let those go to waste. Maybe even better than programming, talk about these deep questions with those around you.
Ryan Peters, Managing Editor
Don’t waste your time doing things just because you think they’ll look good on your resume. Most people have zero clue what they want to do with their lives when they first step foot on campus. Some leave campus not knowing what they want to do. That’s OK. Spend your time doing things you actually enjoy and find fulfillment in, regardless of your major. Don’t follow some cookie-cutter path because it’ll get you a high-paying job right out of college. The worst thing you can do is silo yourself off from discovering career opportunities you never anticipated having.
Gabrielle Beechert, Assistant Managing Editor
I know it sounds simple, but kindness goes a long way. Freshman year can be stressful and anxiety-inducing for so many reasons, and people are going to be mean. And yeah, it sucks. But not everyone has bad intentions. Maybe there was a miscommunication, or maybe someone had a bad day and they took it out on you. Sometimes people need a little grace, and everything else will work itself out. And don’t get me wrong — it’s still very important to stand up for yourself. You shouldn’t let people walk all over you. But don’t make enemies for no reason, or else you’re going to burn a lot of bridges by the time you get to senior year.
Hannah Hebda, Assistant Managing Editor
Take classes you are interested in, not just ones that are required or you think you should take. I spent so much time worrying about requirements instead of focusing on my own personal interests and discerning minors and such from those. You get more out of a class than what shows up on your transcript or in GPS. All in all, it’s OK to take electives and “fun” classes. They don’t have to count toward something on your transcript because they’ll count toward your growth as a person. And you are so much more than your GPA.
José Sánchez Córdova, Assistant Managing EditorFind your comfort zone, and then learn when to ignore it. College is all about learning who you are. You need to take the time to understand yourself, know what you like, the types of people you want to spend time with and the ones you don’t. But it is also time to push boundaries and try new things. There are very few times in life where freedom and few responsibilities converge. These four years are exactly that. Take advantage of it. Do things for the plot. Learn to
Peter Breen, Interim News Editor
Don’t walk around campus looking down at your phone or with headphones in. Take courses that don’t require you to use a computer in the classroom. Show up to class early, and talk with your professor. Buy used books. Explore as many buildings on campus as possible throughout your four years. Resist the temptation to use an electric scooter. Spend as much time as possible near the lakes and in the common spaces of your dorm. Stay in contact with your freshman year Moreau professor. Eat at Rohr’s for free. If you feel that something is, which should not be, you can be the one to change it.
Meghan Lange, Saint Mary’s News Editor
Don’t be afraid to be the first, whether that be the first to speak in class, the first to join a club or the first to explore new interests. Often we don’t want to be the first person to speak in class because we’re concerned about what our classmates will think of our opinions. The same goes for being the first of your friend group to join a club or team that’s new or doesn’t fit in with your carefully-curated college persona. While growing up, we were constantly told that we shouldn’t care what others think of us. That’s a lot easier said than done. It’s OK to be conscious of others around you, but don’t let it stop you from trying those new things that could change you for the better. It’s OK to have a voice and to have different facets to your identity. It’s even better if you use that voice and show off the things that make you interesting.
Claire Lyons, Viewpoint Editor
Get a pair of noise-canceling headphones. If you’re anything like me, the slightest noise can spell disaster for a study session. Silence in college is a serious commodity. Even though you might be hesitant to splurge on a pair, the ability to study anywhere and anytime to the sound of blissful white noise is priceless. Trust me, once you buy them, you’ll wish you had them sooner.
Andrew McGuinness, Sports Editor
Anything you can do in college — and life, for that matter — will be better if you do it with other people. Being social isn’t just about football games and bars. Some of my most cherished moments over the last few years are little ones spent playing video games with friends in my dorm or chatting with someone over Starbucks or laughing in the basement of South Dining Hall during Observer shifts as opposed to working remotely. Notre Dame’s setup with the dorm system and (in my experience) a fair share of smaller classes, fosters an environment where these moments thrive. But you still have to go make them yourself. I’m naturally a very shy person, so I understand it’s not easy for everyone. But it is possible for everyone. Trust me: It’s so worth it.
Anna Falk, Scene Editor
Taking time for self-care is of the utmost importance. We’re at Notre Dame — we’re bound to work hard and play hard. However, this can get quite taxing if you are continually overworking yourself. Recognizing when your body and your mind need a break is a useful skill you will use all throughout your adult life. Learn when to call it a night and go to bed. Take a night off every once in a while. If your friends invite you out, it’s OK to say “no” if you’re not feeling up to it. Missing out on a good time is not as important as your well-being.
The rest of this editorial is available online at ndsmcobserver.com.
This was my experimental question: If I inhibit my use of fashion as a means of self-expression, how will my social interactions change?
I only wore white T-shirts and jeans for a month. no, I did not reek, but I discovered a lot about appearances.
With every ingenious project, there is the mustard seed idea. I encountered a lot of freshmen boys last year who, without warning, showed up to class with a shaved head halfway through the school year. These contingencies had superficially different causes — a failed class, a “broken” heart, a misleading snapchat filter. A friend Andrew who had impressive long, surfer hair told me that he just wanted to see how girls would treat him without his dashing, golden locks. I did not stick around or follow up with him to hear his results, but he made me think about perceptions and how we present ourselves to others.
Until the spring of 2023, I always dressed in a way that I thought would represent my personality and interests, whether I felt like wearing a sick r adiohead shirt or a sophisticated sweater, I made choices when I got out of bed — consciously or subconsciously — that would affect how I appeared to others every day.
We all participate in this phenomenon — down to the literal faces we put on.
In my junior year of high school, I went on a month-long backpacking trip with eight classmates. For three of those days, we wandered off to individual sites with rationed food where we camped in solitude. Interestingly, when we came back, there was a brief period where we all looked a little strange. o ur facial muscles had stopped performing for a few days, so when we came together, everyone had uncanny expressions.
The hypothesis: The blandness of my appearance will filter out superficial interactions and shallow people. my impressions will be absolutely based on what I say.
I went to Target. I spent 30 dollars on white t-shirts and the experiment began.
d uring class days, nothing much happened. not much happened between classes anyway. b efore, I would get the occasional comment from a rare smashing Pumpkins fan about my band shirt or some words of appreciation for my cleverly repurposed fencing shirt.
At parties, however, I was drowning in compliments about my white t-shirts. Just kidding. The point was to go unnoticed. It’s not like I was receiving a ton of attention about my clothing before, but I knew was confident that the impression I was leaving on people was not altered by my appearance. Imagine someone walks up to you and they are just wearing a white t-shirt and jeans. What can you assume about their life or personality without hearing or speaking to them?
Probably nothing!
c onsider the opposite side of the spectrum. A person comes up to you with “emo” makeup, black dyed hair, all black clothing, save a goat head enclosed in an upside-down star of david on their shirt and you begin to assume things about their life and personality.
It does not have to be extreme either. It could be a college student wearing sperry’s, khaki shorts and a Tommy b ahama polo. maybe it’s someone wearing birkenstocks, a long floral skirt, a tie die crop top and a funny little tote.
still, while a greaser look is bland, it does not go unnoticed when you wear it for two consecutive weeks. Friends started to notice, and I did get a few odd looks of realization, which probably induced some strange déjà vu effects in class. For the nonregulars, the people I met when I went out or met with day to day, I was more intentional with my words. I knew that they would be the main source of judgment from whoever I was speaking with.
s adly, the results of my experiment were not grand. There were no crazy stories from that month, at least not related to my fashion statement. I did come to one major realization by the end of the month: breaking away from social norms can promote self-reflection.
While Andrew’s experiment was more specific to his “girl-hunt” of sorts, there likely came a time when he thought about the other aspects of his appearance — physical and social. When I stopped thinking about how my superficial self affected my interactions, I thought deeply about how my interests, experiences, humor, speech patterns and other elements of my personality played into my intangible appearance.
breaking a social norm does not need to be about a piece of clothing. It may be time to let go of the hair or deactivate your Instagram. We appear to people in many ways, and in some that we are not even aware of. It can be overwhelming and impossible to keep up with. This is not about micromanaging your appearance. (Please do not do that.) The white t-shirt is about taking a step back and letting yourself shine in an honest way.
Matt Baird, a proud native of Danville, California, is a sophomore majoring in English and Finance. He enjoys walking, listening to music and humming. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Anyone who has had the opportunity to read o rwell’s ”1984” will be familiar with the concept of doublethink — the ability to simultaneously hold two contradictory beliefs in one’s cranial bathtub.
To doublethink is to be aware of the truth and still tell carefully constructed lies. It is to be completely committed to two ideas without acknowledging the destruction of logic in the process. Political leaders throughout history have used doublethink to delude people into submission, but what one fails to consider is its social implications.
d oublethink demonstrates that humans can be contradictory. We are reasonable creatures that strive to become unreasonable, that employ rationality to find irrationality. Why? When one manipulates the truth, one controls reality and the world inevitably becomes their sandbox. Thus, idealism reigns supreme when we think about anything we care about. That is to say, we separate what is presented before our eyes from what we desire, the latter being much more pleasant even if it is not bound to anything but our imagination.
We have incorporated doublethink into matters of the heart in our daily lives for convenience’s sake. You pretend you are something you are not until you become it. b elieve you are, whilst knowing you are not, both statements are equally true in the eye of the beholder. b e it confidence, intelligence or wisdom, we manufacture doses of power architected after illusions. Who would not wish for a braver leader? A smarter student? A stronger role model?
b ut that begs the question: When these attributes are based on nothing real, are they still real? If so, how do we differentiate what’s rooted in reality from what’s not? d oublethink cares not, as long as you believe you benefit from it. d o you?
I’d make the argument that you should care. Think not of the origin, but the objective of social doublethink: to trick. now, no one can disagree with the benefits of tricking yourself into bettering yourself, but I believe there is an element that dissociates itself from the doublethinker: identity.
When someone stands for two opposites, they hold no integrity, the self is lost altogether. In praxis, it is the equivalent of a person having two completely different, mutually exclusive personalities depending on the social group they find themselves in while having both equally real to who they are. Then, who are they? The former, the latter or something in between? m aybe none at all. now, if the agent of doublethink knows not, how could the recipients? What about the members of these groups who believe in a farce? Who they believe to be their friend never existed at all. Would you call that relationship real?
That is the core of our issue, which is increasingly common as our society becomes ever interconnected, ever fantastical. For a relationship to be honest, it must be genuine, but being genuine is not convenient. b eing genuine rarely advances your social, hierarchical interests for it does not offer a greater image of who you are. To be genuine is to renounce doublethink and embrace reality for what it is. s ometimes, at the cost of your social positioning.
It has become commonplace to expect a lie before a truth. Thus, we teach kids to lie. If not expressed,
certainly implied. It is no coincidence people lie in their resumés and applications, in their Tinder profiles and Instagram bios and in their head to themselves. They know what they are saying are lies, but when one lives the lie daily, haven’t they faked it and essentially made it? h ave they not succeeded? They have finally won the game of life. They became doublethinkers.
humans are ever-changing creatures, transformation does not necessitate some sort of hypocrisy, but deceit does. The worst deceit of them all is the deceit of the self. What I propose is not to stop dreaming, but to never lose sight of the self. e xploration is imperative when experiencing growth, but we must not miss the forest for the trees. To lose sight of your identity is a violation of your human spirit by your own hand. Is it truly worth it? Why not find a way to make it without faking it? Life is complicated as is, why must you play a multifaceted zero-sum game in the midst of it too?
What I say, then, is that maybe there is no reason to lie, to deceit, to doublethink. m aybe, just maybe, you’re already enough.
Carlos A. Basurto is a sophomore at Notre Dame ready to delve into his philosophy major with the hopes of adding the burden of a Computer Science major on top of that. When not busy you can find him consuming yet another 3+ hour-long analysis video of a show he has yet to watch or masochistically completing every achievement from a variety of video games. Now with the power to channel his least insane ideas, feel free to talk about them via email at cbasurto@nd.edu (he is, tragically, very fond of speaking further about anything at all).
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
success: seeking personal freedom on the left and free-market economic growth sowing the seeds of its own destruction on the right.
a modest welfare state.
As I was packing up my books after reading in the park, an older gentleman walked over in an unbalanced way, awkwardly carrying a gray suitcase oozing with overflowing items. brown glasses surrounded the rims of his eyes, in a way that highlighted the creases of his face, which seemed like a map of every road he had traveled in his life.
The man spoke to me, “h ave a good night boss.” he paused, then, stared at my pile of books and asked, “Are you a student of religion?”
This led to a conversation spanning topics like the relationship with the creator, loving your enemies and morality. I listened to some of his life stories. h is suitcase held his life, the clothes and the home he needed so dearly. e ventually, he opened up to tell me his name. Lorenzo.
he spent time in the park to remind himself of his connection to others. In a somewhat embarrassed tone, he stated, “I feel like people don’t see me.”
The book I was reading at the time depicted and spoke to the ills of Lorenzo’s life in eloquent ways: unchecked individualism, myths of meritocracy, the destruction of local communities and two political parties that essentially form one ruling cabal, leaving working-class people behind. notre d ame political theorist Patrick d eneen’s newest book “regime c hange: Toward a Postliberal Future” spoke, in part, to Lorenzo’s story.
however, as I read, I realized the coalitions and potential alliances I might find in d eneen’s book were not aimed at healing the troubles of Lorenzo, but at marginalizing people like me. The regime change d eneen would like to see would force a singular truth ( c hristianity) on the entire population and reverse the rights gains of the past half a century.
my life straddles the line between many of the truth claims that d eneen asserts from the truth claims he detests. As a queer activist on an elite college campus, I represent the elite that d eneen writes vitriolically against. b ut as the only sibling of three to go to college, I have seen firsthand the diploma division and discontent amongst the working class that d eneen attempts to analyze. As a c atholic, I empathize with frustrations with a political system that leaves no perfect options. b ut as a queer person, I find his rhetoric disturbing. d eneen is part of a larger ecosystem of hate that has stricken queer content from schools, denied health care to thousands and spurred violent attacks against innocent citizens.
d eneen burst into academic and conservative stardom for his 2018 book “Why Liberalism
Failed.” b y liberalism, he’s not discussing the type of liberal versus conservative clash of contemporary American politics. Instead, he is discussing classical liberalism, the political philosophy that stretches back half a millennium and is “based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law.”
h is ambitious claim that liberalism was killing itself lit up the pages of magazines, papers and academic journals for the way it helped to shine a light on the populist revolts of the 2016 elections. s ome, like historian s am moyn, argued that it was c old War liberalism that failed, not liberalism broadly. o thers argued that d eneen was too liberal or too conservative or missing some other secret ingredient.
Liberalism currently faces serious challenges. In liberal democracies around the world, fertility rates are on the decline and there is a lack of social trust in the system. These issues have helped in fomenting massive populist revolts. From brexit to Trump to the resilience of m arine LePen, upheavals around the world imply a question: “What happens next?”
e xtending the argument of the previous book, d eneen claims he hopes not only to tear down the wall of liberalism but to create something new in its place. however, the “regime change” he proposes is far from a radical project. It merely seeks to substitute the liberal elite with a conservative one.
d eneen offers many recommendations: implementing national service requirements, transferring federal agencies to rust belt towns, expanding vocational schools, offering carpentry classes in universities, increasing domestic manufacturing through tariffs and subsidies and many other minor tweaks to the bureaucratic state.
In total, these recommendations are not the regime change his book promises. h is ”epic theory” shows how far removed many of these culture war debates between elites are from the lived realities of everyday Americans. he’s shifting deck chairs on the Titanic, not re-designing the ship.
more simply, it is a perversion of political individualism where the rights of corporations supersede the rights of humans. It’s a farce for the original political liberalism through which the country was founded – a belief that all people are created equal and have political freedom based on that. Arguably, it is the corrosion that has made Lorenzo feel left out of the polis.
In d eneen’s view, liberalism is a ship heading straight for an iceberg. In his book, he envisions himself building a ship strong enough to push right through the middle of the iceberg. he described liberalism as a corrosive bi-partisan philosophy, arguing that the contemporary ills of our time arise from the way liberalism cannibalizes social institutions, such as religious life and family. In d eneen’s view, liberalism has fully realized itself in the 21st century by advancing narrow metrics of
To d eneen, the elites of liberal hegemony selfreplicate through higher education, creating an aristocracy that bemoans hierarchies while actively perpetuating them. e lite formation, to him, first disassembles traditional guardrails (marriage, families, gender, sex and more) by redefining them as systems of oppression. s econd, elite formation cajoles cultural norms to force people to navigate the world without those guardrails. Third, colleges replace the guardrails they destroyed by creating enclaves of safety that are only available to those with the money or luck to go to a university.
e lite formation creates a perverse structure where those who attend elite universities learn how to form the families and the philosophies necessary to survive life while the working class is led astray by a system that tells them to abandon such ties. The elite discuss their hatred for hierarchies, yet take part in excluding the working class.
All of d eneen’s roads lead back to the family. he bemoans bad family structure among working-class whites and black families 30 years ago as the roots of so many of the issues.
“e ven if we solved the political and economic barriers,” he writes, any programs that don’t follow those of illiberal democracies like hungary and v iktor o rbán are doomed to fail.
b ut he is wrong.
Families are not being destroyed by liberal political rights like gay marriage, no-fault divorce, women in the workforce or reproductive health rights. The root of so many ills of individualism is actually neoliberal economics. neo-liberalism is a strain of liberalism that believes society’s political and economic institutions should be robustly socially liberatory and free market capitalist but is supplemented by a constitutionally limited democracy and
Families are being destroyed by neoliberal freemarket economic policies. In “d eaths of d espair and the Future of c apitalism,” Anne c ase and Angus d eaton discuss how the gulf between the less and the more has widened in marriage, religion, childrearing and community participation. While working-class men’s job prospects have fallen, so too has the supply of marriageable men “undermined by changes in the labor market” (299). Women from higher socioeconomic standing have also delayed marriage as a result of more reproductive choices, greater access to a college education and a sense they have more time to explore different options (301).
Thus, there becomes a gap between those with and without options, as “those who are better off or better educated are usually more likely to be informed about and in a position to take advantage of new opportunities and to finish up among the gainers” (303). d eneen is right that college creates guardrails that provide more structure and options. he is dead wrong that the reason for marriage decline is because of ”oppressive” disassembling systems.
Though his conclusion is deeply aligned with c atholic s ocial Teaching, his argument that the roots of the ills lay with families is a grift. statistics show the decline of family life is an accelerant for deaths of despair and rabid individualism in American life, but it is not the spark. Those advantages don’t come from a college education but from class. Women having freedoms they didn’t have a century ago isn’t to blame. neo-liberal economics coupled with pseudo-feminism around these freedoms and the brutal free market have caused the rise.
d eneen holds a martyr complex that baffles reality stating, “The ruling elite seeks to limit and even oppress or extirpate remnants of traditional belief and practice – those especially informing the worldview of the working class – while claiming that these views are those of the oppressors” (28).
This is absurd, especially considering a majority of those without a high school diploma view the legalization of same-sex marriage as a net good for the country, a majority of those with lower incomes voted for Joe biden and even a slight majority of those who attend church every week believe divorce is morally acceptable. It’s not a hegemonic elite going against the working class and traditional beliefs. The majority actually believes in the expansion of certain rights.
The rest of this column is available online at ndsmcobserver.com.
Dane Sherman is a senior at Notre Dame studying American Studies, peace studies, philosophy, and gender studies. Dane enjoys good company, good books, good food and talking about faith in public life. Outside of The Observer, Dane can be found exploring Erasmus books with friends, researching philosophy, with folks from Prism, reading NYTs op-eds from David Brooks/Ezra Klein/Michelle Goldberg or at the Purple Porch getting some food. Dane ALWAYS wants to chat and can be reached at @danesherm on twitter or lsherma2@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Dane Sherman saints Among Us
“In Deneen’s view, liberalism is a ship heading straight for an iceberg.”
“He’s shifting deck chairs on the Titanic, not re-designing the ship.”
“Arguably, it is the corrosion that has made Lorenzo feel left out of the polis.”
Alright, people, let’s start at the beginning. In 1937, Walt disney completely revolutionized the animation industry with the release of “snow White and the seven dwarfs.” no one took animation seriously as an art form, and many believed this film would fail. however, this film ended up being an artistic masterpiece and a massive box office success. We have this film to thank for the existence of every feature-length animated film produced since then. “snow White” is an indisputable masterwork of artistry, but this came at a price. As the planned release date drew nearer, the production staff had to work 10-and-a-half-hour days, six days a week, with no paid overtime.
Flash forward to 2018, and the animation industry was revolutionized again with the release of “Into the spider-verse.” The comic book-style animation of this film showcased the creative heights of computer-generated animation. It’s because of “Into the spider-verse” that we have stylized and ambitious animated films like “The mitchells vs. the machines,” “Puss In boots: The Last Wish” and “Teenage mutant ninja Turtles: mutant mayhem.”
The highly anticipated sequel “Across the spider-verse” premiered in June this summer, and its animation is even more ambitious than its predecessor. “Across the spider-verse” moves across multiple dimensions and introduces a myriad of new spider-People. each dimension and each character have their own unique art style. For instance, Gwen stacy’s dimension looks like watercolor, and the colors of her world shift with her emotions. hobie brown, aka spider-Punk, is reminiscent of a ’70s punk rock poster, and parts of his costume are animated at different frame rates, emphasizing his chaotic nature. The spot, one of the main antagonists of this film, looks unfinished with pencil lines featured in his character design. The animators put such care into every single detail of this movie, making it an absolute visual triumph. however, as with “snow White,” this art came at a price. About a hundred artists left the project due to grueling work conditions, which included working 11 hours a day, seven days a week for over a year. “snow White” and “Across the spider-verse” premiered almost a 100 years apart from each other, so why are animators today being treated the same way as back then?
Four animators who left the film came forward to vulture to talk about their experiences. According to these artists,
under the management of producer Phil Lord, they were forced to constantly overhaul almost completed scenes. Usually, edits like these would be done early on during the writing and storyboarding process, but Lord would make big decisions about scenes after they were nearly finished. Amy Pascal, the former sony Pictures entertainment chairperson, commented in response to the complaints of artists, “If the story isn’t right, you have to keep going until it is … Welcome to making a movie.”
expecting animators to constantly overhaul their scenes and work 70-hour weeks shouldn’t be the norm of the industry. These animators created something incredible and should be treated with respect. companies shouldn’t expect artists to suffer for their work. In fact, I imagine that animators would be able to flourish even more if they were able to work in less stressful conditions.
originally, “beyond the spider-verse,” the sequel to “Across the spider-verse,” was announced for march 2024, but has since been delayed due to the WGA and sAG-AFTrA strikes. I sincerely hope that animators begin fighting for their rights as well. I would gladly wait as long as it takes for the release of “beyond the spider-verse” as long as animators are treated fairly.
Contact Christine Hilario at chilario@nd.edu
ANDY OTTONE
scene Writer
“my Adventures with superman” is a refreshing take on the beloved hero, but it isn’t quite obvious why at first. We’ve had stories about superman as a young adult and we’ve seen him learn about his origins countless times. so what makes m AWs different? Is it the fact that it’s animated, or the serialized storytelling — the first season had a clearly established arc — or could it even be the fact that it diversified the traditional cast a superman ensemble holds?
The thing that makes the show unique, and what endeared me so deeply to the show, can be found in the title: “my Adventures with superman” — not Adventures with superman, not superman’s Adventures, not even just superman. The show makes its intentions clear through the title, and by the end of the first episode it was obvious the longstanding supporting cast Lois Lane and Jimmy olsen wouldn’t just be around, but rather co-leads with the hero himself. And that is to the show’s benefit.
The show develops Jimmy and Lois as much as clark Kent, though the latter does receive the lion’s share of screen time. Lois’ traditional passion for journalism is examined further and expanded to a deeper emphasis on honesty, fueling tension that comes with the classic “secret-identity” storylines that always arise with superman stories. Jimmy, similarly, is given newfound depth and characteristics that make his character far more compelling. Traditionally there has always been a distance between clark and Lois as a pair with Jimmy, but often Jimmy is portrayed as a child, or at least a few years their
junior. here, Jimmy is not only their co-worker but also clark’s college roommate placing him squarely in Lois’ and clark’s age bracket. The distance between the duo and their trusty friend is transformed into an emotional one, where Jimmy feels alone in the face of their blossoming romance. The wider supporting cast is rounded out by the rest of the workplace community the trio works in, with a standout being sports reporter steve Lombard, who takes Jimmy on (unwillingly on the latter’s end) as a protege.
It is not just the focus on these characters that makes the show special, but the complexity displayed by all the characters. Throughout the first season, each of the characters go through their own arcs allowing them to grow in complexity and feel more realistic. Jimmy olsen’s fledgling video blog from the first episodes recurs as a plot device, not as a gag but as an important aspect of plotlines and the character’s growth. Lois’ desire to know superman’s secrets is a driving force for her and clark’s tension, coming to a peak at the season’s midpoint. There are subtle storylines that are not immediately apparent, but once the season is viewed in its entirety one can appreciate the full depth of the story being told.
The show is not without its shortcomings though. A large point of criticism falls on the show’s villains. There is very little that makes the villains feel compelling, with most falling under vague categories of “military” or “petty criminal,” with the exceptions of The General, Amanda Waller and Agent Wilson. beyond the notion of similar characterization and motivation, there is something that unites all of these villains: technology. While some of superman’s most famous villains
use technology to fight, Lex Luthor being the most notable (though he does not explicitly appear in this show’s first season), most have powers rooted in their biology or magic. The show instead portrays the origins of all of the villains’ powers lying in Kryptonian technology. classic characters such as Livewire or silver banshee, villains relying on interesting and established origins, now simply have fancy masks or clothes that give them their powers. The most redeeming aspect is the possibility for change that the season finale teases, with a character’s suit appearing more biological than metallic, and a character using their abilities separately from their equipment.
Though the show isn’t perfect, it’s an enjoyable ride. superman is as enjoyable as ever, and his struggles with his powers and growing into adulthood are as relatable as ever. but it’s the elements other than superman that make this show memorable, and that is what makes the show great.
Contact Andy Ottone at aottone@nd.edu
Starring: Jack Quaid, Alice Lee, Ishmel Sahid
Favorite Episodes: “You Will Believe a Man Can Lie” “My Adventures with Mad Science”
Where to Watch: Max (The Service formerly known as HBO Max)
If you like: “Avatar: The Last AirBender” “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power”
Jimmy b uffett passed away on the first of this month, and I was sent the headline four separate times by four different people.
I’m not ashamed to say I cried. I know I wasn’t the only one. “Parrotheads” — devout fans of b uffett in the same way that “ d eadheads” obsess over the Grateful d ead — are often thought of as being baby boomers, but he’s also popular among younger generations. This isn’t the first article The o bserver has published about b uffett since his death. It’s not even the second. The question is, why? h ow has b uffett’s legacy stuck around so long? What has kept him so relevant?
For over 50 years, b uffett has stood as a monument in the music industry and in tiki bars everywhere. h e was, and remains, a beloved h awaiian-shirt-wearing icon. b uffett is often associated with a laid-back and carefree approach to life. h is music is seen as an ode to loafing, ideally listened to on a boat somewhere in the Florida Keys with a c orona in one hand and a margarita in the other. h is country-folk-beach-rock sound
invites the listener to kick back and let go for a little while, and it has become his trademark.
b ut behind the marimba and steel drums, there’s a profound sorrow to b uffett’s lyrics.
“ m argaritaville,” for example, paints a tableau of sunny laziness — and also melancholic regret. For every line about beachy relaxation, there’s another about barely hanging on. The song is about spending an afternoon on a front porch and contemplating all the things that led to that moment — and where to place the blame. The narrator never does find their lost shaker of salt, and it’s their own damn fault.
For an even stronger example, see the lyrics to “ b oat d rinks,” where a catchy hook disguises the darkness in lines like “ e verything seems to be wrong,” “I’m close to bodily harm” and “T his morning / I shot six holes in my freezer.”
b uffett wrote his songs from the perspective of someone for whom things are simply not going well, and that perspective resonates with the millions of people who have proclaimed themselves Parrotheads.
o n the other hand — and perhaps the true reason behind b uffett’s fanbase — there’s also an
enduring optimism present in his songs. m aybe things are bad now, but after a margarita and an afternoon on the beach, they might seem a little better. There’s hope on the horizon. c ome m onday, it’ll be alright.
I’ll be transparent: Jimmy b uffett’s discography has gotten me through some really rough times. There’s nothing quite like the catharsis of sobbing on your couch while “ b oat d rinks” loops for two hours straight. b uffett’s songs aren’t about giving up. They’re about holding on. Jimmy b uffett is there if you’ve ever had a case of the m ondays, if you’ve ever been stuck in a cold climate and yearned to go where it’s warm or if you’ve ever desperately needed an excuse to drink at noon. As he once put it: “If we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane.”
This is for anyone who’s ever found refuge in b uffett’s music, who’s ever entertained the thought of flying south to a beach just to get away from it all. This is for a man who continues to represent a lifestyle. This is for a legacy that will outlive any of us. Pour one out for Jimmy b uffett.
Contact Natalie Allton at nallton@nd.eduWhen you’re in the mood to watch television, you don’t want to settle for anything less than the best. but choosing the right show can be time-consuming. Whether you’re looking for a high seas action-adventure, a period drama or a queer rom-com, “o ur Flag means death” has it all!
“o ur Flag means death” first premiered in march 2022 on max. s et in the year 1717 during the Golden Age of Piracy, the show follows richboy-turned-pirate stede bonnet ( r hys darby) and his crew as he tries to navigate seafaring life. After leaving his wife and children to pursue his dream, he starts to learn just how terrible a pirate’s life can be. he meets e dward “e d” Teach (Taika Waititi) — known more commonly as blackbeard — in a neardeath experience on board an enemy ship, and the two enter an agreement to teach the other about the trappings of their lifestyles.
The cast is diverse, star-studded and gutwrenchingly hilarious. no matter how few lines they have, every actor stuns in their role. Throughout the show, the cast delivers insanely well-timed comedy, an abundance of wholesome scenes and numerous heart-wrenching
expressions and interactions that make me cry no matter how many times I’ve watched the series (five and counting).
no word can adequately illustrate the impact “o ur Flag means death” has had. In a short period of time following its release, demand for the show skyrocketed, beating every show on max — including hit teen drama “euphoria” — with ease. The show has gained a loyal cult following, with streams alone not doing justice to the raging excitement for the series. The numbers alone show just how well a piece of media can do when it has good representation.
The enthusiasm following the recent release of the first season two trailer was no different.
While the internet was in no means devoid of fan theories, the trailer revealed a few important details about the next season.
At the end of season one, Teach and bonnet had shared their feelings for one another, but lingering insecurities and a series of unfortunate events led them to be torn apart after making plans to escape from their imprisonment together. stede’s return to his wife mary allowed him to begin working through his issues, and while e d had started to heal, a “pep” talk
from first mate Izzy hands ( c on o’neill) stopped this.
The trailer shows stede on a quest to find e d and profess his true love to him. e d, on the other hand, seems to be going on a series of post-breakup rages and pillages, his face doused in dark eye makeup and his chest lined with several guns. most of the returning cast appears in the video, and we see new additions m innie driver, ruibo Qian, madeleine sami and Anapela Polataivao. no exact locations are confirmed, but vanity Fair reports the involvement of c hinese pirates and british soldiers in the action.
despite what we see in the trailer, there are a number of things we get no confirmation on. Is Lucius still somehow alive after e d pushed him over the side of stede’s ship? Why are stede and e d wearing parts of buttons’ outfit in recent pictures? Will Fred Armisen and Will Arnett reprise their roles? Will a third badminton brother miraculously appear?
All these questions and more will be answered starting oct. 5. max will release three episodes on this day, with two episodes in each week following the premiere.
Contact Anna Falk at afalk@nd.edu
happy Birthday: A change will do you good. Whether you embark on an educational pursuit, travel or an activity that exhilarates you, it will trigger new goals and hopes for a better future. getting out more and doing things that spark your imagination and excite you about life, love and happiness are favored. focus on what’s happening in your community and participate. live life your way. your numbers are 8, 12, 20, 26, 32, 34, 43.
ArIES (March 21-April 19): Pay attention to how you present yourself to the world. Make fitness, health and appeal your priorities. you will gain momentum and the type of attention that can help you get ahead. Believe in yourself, and so will those you encounter.
TAuruS (April 20-May 20): Think big, but live within your means. Don’t let temptation get the best of you. Simplify your life instead of complicating matters. find a way to use your skills to differentiate yourself from the competition. Protect your health and reputation.
gEMINI (May 21-June 20): Take the initiative to verify information before passing it along. Protect your reputation and position from anyone trying to dismantle what you have worked hard to achieve. Stick close to home and those you can trust. home improvements are favored.
CANCEr (June 21-July 22): Simplify your life. Truth matters, and sticking to what you know and feel comfortable conveying will help eliminate stress and leave you free to follow your heart and do as you please. A unique way of handling your responsibilities will help you advance.
lEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Work alone, and you’ll get more done. refuse to get involved in other people’s affairs or put yourself in a compromising position. focus on what’s important to you, and avoid discussions that make you feel uncomfortable or that can jeopardize your reputation.
vIrgO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Concentrate on facts, learning and increasing your qualifications. Set high standards and carry yourself with confidence. refuse to let someone’s emotional blackmail and jealousy stand between you and what you want to achieve. Stand tall, be confident and don’t fold under pressure.
lIBrA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Set the standard instead of living by someone else’s rules. Do what’s right for you and engage in activities that make you feel good about yourself. Trust your instincts, follow your heart and live passionately. use your energy to make a difference.
SCOrPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): learn through observation and reach out to those who positively impact you or your life. Be part of the solution to eliminate the problems standing in your way. reevaluate your life and you’ll discover what makes you happy.
SAgITTArIuS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): let others know how you feel instead of agreeing to do things that don’t appeal to you. It’s time to do things your way. Put yourself first, love passionately and use your skills how you intend to use them.
CAPrICOrN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): home is where the heart is, so making it work for you is vital. Consider what makes you happy and the changes that need to occur. Include the ones you love and you’ll get support to make your dreams come true.
AQuArIuS (Jan. 20-feb. 18): What you decide to do matters. Start doing what’s best for you. Create your happy place; it will be infectious to those around you. Put a smile on your face, a skip in your step and a robust mindset in place.
PISCES (feb. 19-March 20): Don’t share personal information or secrets. focus on the changes that will improve your life and your relationships with others. Emotional manipulation and deception are apparent. Set standards, be honest with yourself and others, and request the same in return.
Birthday Baby: you are gifted, supportive and flexible. you are complex and curious.
and their intended targets, the Tigers didn’t exactly instill fear into the Irish defensive backs.
Hurricane con TIn U ed From PAGe 14
n otre d ame’s first two games this season haven’t come against the toughest competition, to say the least. n avy and Tennessee s tate went a combined 8-15 in 2022.
The m idshipmen have a first-year head coach. The Tigers were the first F cs team to ever play the Irish. n either has had a winning season in the 2020s. It was hardly a surprise to see the Irish throttle both by a combined 98-6 margin to start 2023.
That doesn’t mean all of the good the Irish showed in those two games is meaningless, of course. Graduate student quarterback s am h artman has made nearly every throw possible, even several against great coverage.
h is receivers, a huge question mark entering the season, have made some impressive plays on the other end of those passes.
The Irish defensive line and linebackers held n avy’s tricky triple-option tactics in check. d espite the lack of high-end competition, most of the Irish roster has been at least moderately challenged so far.
And then there’s the secondary.
The Irish faced just seven passes in Week 0 against n avy. Four of them fell incomplete. o n one, a pair of n avy receivers collided with each other to prevent what should have been a fourthdown conversion.
Tennessee s tate attempted 22 throws last weekend.
b ut with all due respect to quarterbacks d eveon
b ryant and d raylen e llis
Tennessee s tate rarely threatened to strike over the top and never got into a rhythm through the air.
o nly eight of their passes were completed, unless you also count the absolute ducks that sailed into the diving hands of senior safety r amon h enderson and so directly at senior cornerback c larence Lewis that you would’ve thought he was the intended target.
c aleb Williams, the Tigers’ quarterbacks were not.
nc s tate, however, is capable of showing the Irish what their secondary truly has to offer.
The Wolfpack relied more on their ground game in Week 1, rushing for 209 yards in a 24-14 win over a U c onn team that was surprisingly decent last year.
h owever, they have a decorated A cc graduate transfer quarterback of their own in former v irginia c avalier
b rennan Armstrong.
Two years ago, Armstrong led the conference with 4,449 passing yards and finished fourth with 31 touchdowns.
h e was more solid than spectacular in his Wolfpack debut, throwing for just 155 yards. h owever, he did complete 65% of his passes and also rushed for 96 yards and two scores.
The game also began his reunion with nc s tate offensive coordinator r obert Anae, who was Armstrong’s offensive coordinator during that standout 2021 campaign.
h e served in the same role at s yracuse in 2022, with the Irish holding his o range offense to 24 points in a late
o ctober win, before Anae made another intra-conference leap to nc s tate.
Armstrong isn’t the only infusion of difference-making veteran presence to the Wolfpack offense, either. The team secured graduate transfer b radley r ozner from r ice, who is coming off a near-900-yard campaign that also included 10 touchdown grabs. nc s tate is also hoping that former four-star recruit Julian Gray can deliver a much-awaited breakout season.
It’s not that the Irish don’t have quality pieces in their secondary. s ophomore cornerback b enjamin m orrison was arguably the team’s most positive development a year ago. s ophomore cornerback Jaden m ickey had a more up-and-down freshman season but still possesses plenty of talent. Lewis and graduate student cornerback c am h art add a stabilizing presence at the position.
The Irish also got pass defense help in the transfer portal, adding a pair of safeties in r hode Island’s Antonio c arter II and o klahoma s tate’s Thomas h arper.
h enderson has emerged as a quality option at the position, as has graduate student d J b rown. The Irish don’t have an established star headlining their last line of defense like Kyle h amilton and b randon Joseph have in recent years. b ut the unit still has promise.
There are plenty of promising teams that crumble in big moments, though.
Week 1 saw talented teams like c lemson and L s U struggle to keep up in their first legitimate test of the year. That’s what s aturday represents for the n otre d ame secondary.
Passing it doesn’t guarantee they will shut down the star-studded attacks of teams like o hio s tate and U sc that await them in the coming weeks. b ut it’s the best step the Irish can take to ensure they’ll be ready when those moments arise.
Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@ nd.eduThe views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
statement released by the university prior to the game. “While we will make every effort to play our much-anticipated game with notre dame this saturday as scheduled, the safety of both teams and our patrons is our first priority.”
similar decisions were made for the duke, north carolina and Wake Forest home games that were slated for the same day.
but things took a turn for the worse on Friday. After the Irish had already arrived in raleigh, it became clear that the hurricane’s impact on the area would be far more severe than predicted. by saturday morning, all north carolina residents had been encouraged to stay indoors. meanwhile, Irish and Wolfpack players warmed up on a drenched field that had been pounded by more than six inches of rain, preparing to take part in the sloppiest game of the year.
It quickly became clear that there would be very little, if any, offense to be had by either side. every step sent huge sprays of water into the air and every tackle required a headfirst dive into what was essentially a shallow pool.
Tempestuous winds and torrential rains made it nearly impossible to get off a clean snap, much less to properly execute a string of plays and move the ball down the field.
After several fruitless possessions to open the game, the Wolfpack got on the board late in the first quarter.
nc state’s matthew dayes broke off a 23-yard run that pushed them into field goal range. Kyle bambard drilled a 38-yard line drive field goal that narrowly eclipsed the crossbar and gave the Wolfpack a 3-0 advantage.
That would prove enough to head into halftime with the lead. The scoreless second quarter featured three turnovers, including a pair of lost fumbles on consecutive plays, as both offenses proved powerless against the wet conditions.
notre dame would gain just 113 yards in the entire game as the teams combined for 10 fumbles, four of which resulted in turnovers.
“I don’t know that there was anything [we could have done to make snapping better],” thenIrish head coach brian Kelly said after the game. “The conditions were atrocious, so snapping the football was difficult, to say the least.”
A lightning delay extended the halftime break for an extra 30 minutes and an unusual Wolfpack special teams miscue set the Irish up with a golden scoring opportunity shortly
after play resumed. crouching down to catch a low snap, nc state’s punter controlled the ball with a knee on the ground. he was ruled down, giving notre dame possession at the Wolfpack 25-yard line. The Irish could not get any further but drew even on Justin Yoon’s 40yard field goal.
That tie was fittingly broken on another non-offensive play. Two minutes into the fourth quarter, a notre dame punt was blocked and returned for a touchdown, putting the Wolfpack ahead 10-3.
Attempting to force overtime, the Irish, led by Kizer and running back Josh Adams, embarked on a gritty 18-play drive that lasted nearly eight minutes. but it was not to be. The Wolfpack forced a turnover on downs in the red zone and escaped with the victory.
With hindsight being 20/20, both programs faced questions about whether the game should have been played.
“If we could have went over to the indoor facility, I think dave [doeren, Wolfpack head coach] and I both would’ve preferred that. Those calls are outside our purview,” Kelly said.
“They tell us to play the game and we’ve got to play the game. certainly, I think when you’re coaching and preparing, you want to put your kids in a position that they can obviously succeed.”
In the midst of a season where wins were difficult to come by, Kelly lamented the Irish falling to 2-4 in a game that was largely decided by special teams execution.
“both teams turned the ball over in very difficult conditions,” he said. “both teams had a hard time moving the football. both field goal kickers managed to eke one up over the uprights in sloppy conditions. And we give up a flipping blocked punt for a touchdown. That’s the difference in this one.”
notre dame would never really get their season on track. They doubled up on their 2-4 start to finish 4-8, posting a losing record for the first time since 2007. The disappointing year quickly proved to be an outlier, however. The Irish won 10 games the following season and would reach the college Football Playoff in 2018 and 2020.
As the 2023 Irish team travels to raleigh with hopes of improving to 3-0 on the season, there are no hurricanes in the forecast for saturday afternoon (though there is a chance of rain). nearly seven years later, neither program has played in another game like their 2016 matchup and that’s not likely to change anytime soon.
n otre d ame football is off to a 2-0 start for the fifth time in the last six years. They’ve accomplished this feat, though, against two teams with markedly lower season expectations.
This s aturday should be the Irish’s first true test of the campaign for multiple reasons. For one, the quality of opposition will be considerably higher. nc s tate has won eight or more games in each of the past three seasons.
Furthermore, the contest will be n otre d ame’s first true road game of the year. The n avy game in d ublin brought plenty of unique travel quirks, but the crowd was still largely pro-Irish.
In r aleigh, n otre d ame should encounter a considerably less friendly environment.
h ere are three areas the Irish need to find success in to continue their winning ways in 2023.
1. Win at the line of scrimmage
This applies to both sides of the ball. In spite of the winning result, nc s tate’s run defense did not excel in the Wolfpack’s first game of the season against U c onn.
o n the first drive last week, the h uskies ran the ball eight times as part of a 12play, 75-yard march down the field that concluded with the game’s opening score.
The Wolfpack also conceded a 71-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
The name of the game for the n otre d ame offense thus far in 2023 has been efficiency. A strong ground attack will lay the foundation for such efficiency to continue.
o n the defensive side of the line of scrimmage, n otre d ame’s pass rush will face its biggest challenge yet. n avy’s triple option attack brings unique challenges but doesn’t necessitate much in terms of creating pressure when the quarterback drops back. The Wolfpack threw the ball nearly 30 times against the h uskies.
A retooled Irish pass rush will need to create pressure in order for defensive coordinator Al Golden’s unit to stay among the nation’s best.
2. Contain Brennan
Armstrong
Going hand-in-hand with a need to put pressure on nc s tate’s quarterback is the need to have an answer for him once he evades that pressure. b rennan Armstrong is more than just a traditional pocket passer — he can hurt opposing defenses with his legs as well.
Against U c onn, Armstrong actually had more carries (19) than completed passes (17). h e made the most of those runs as well, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. h e ended the day with two scores on the ground.
linebackers to keep him from breaking off any chunk yardage gains once that happens.
3. Continue to spread out the passing attack n otre d ame won’t have a b iletnikoff Award contender in their receiver room this year.
b ut at least five receivers have caught passes in each of the Irish’s first two games. e ven though no single receiver is racking up catches at a prolific rate, almost all of them have gotten involved in some capacity over the last two weeks. This can be a major strength for n otre d ame under quarterback s am h artman.
o ne of the greatest benefits of having the veteran graduate student under center is how deliberate he is about going through his progressions. h artman doesn’t leave receivers open often.
If the Irish can keep sending out a wide array of receivers, it will make preparation for opposing secondaries that much harder. d efenses can’t cover Tobias m erriweather the same way they cover Jayden Thomas. They can’t use the same plan to contain c hris Tyree in the slot as they would Jaden Greathouse in that same role.
J.J. Post, Associate Sports
Editor:
n otre d ame’s first game against a p ower Five opponent, and one on the road at that, makes me suspect there could be some growing pains.
The Irish have had some problems in r aleigh in the past (well, mainly one problem). I suspect at some point this could be the first game n otre d ame trails.
b ut ultimately an assertive Irish ground game sets the tone for a steady n otre d ame performance. The defense concedes their first two touchdowns of the season, but keeps things mostly tidy otherwise. The offense finds a rhythm through a steady, veteran showing from h artman. h ype officially begins to build for o hio s tate as the Irish clear their first serious roadblock of the campaign. Notre Dame 30, NC State 20
Madeline Ladd, Associate Sports Editor:
The Irish can finally put aside any questions regarding competition level this weekend against nc s tate. Their biggest offensive threat is graduate transfer quarterback b rennan Armstrong, so keeping him in the pocket and forcing him to look downfield will be vital to a n otre d ame win.
an interception for a touchdown. n otre d ame 35, nc s tate 17.
Matthew Crow, Associate Sports Editor:
Through two games, n otre d ame has not yet ceded a touchdown, but that’s almost certain to change against nc s tate. The Irish defense will face adversity for the first time all season after allowing two early Wolfpack scores, but will buckle down soon after and post another strong performance. m eanwhile, the n otre d ame offense will continue its hot start to the year by eclipsing 40 points for the third consecutive game. While the outcome will never be in real question, n otre d ame fans won’t be comfortable until a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes from h artman puts the game out of reach. Notre Dame 45, NC State 24
Tom Zwiller, Senior Sports Writer:
n otre d ame’s offensive line should be a much stronger unit than U c onn’s (both figuratively and literally).
n otre d ame’s linebackers had something of a slow game (as slow as any s aturday for a linebacker ever is) last weekend after an assignment-heavy n avy contest. They’ll be tested once again against the Wolfpack.
h artman and the offense will face a very good defense, but the running back corps of e stime, p rice, p ayne and Love will be a challenge for the nc s tate front four. The Irish offensive line will need to get things going early in this game and the young receiving corps must get separation to have success. c ontributions from the Irish special teams are also necessary.
Finally, we arrive at the game I have been waiting for all summer, where we finally find out what this n otre d ame team is. n avy and Tennessee s tate were excellent warm-ups, but now the Irish face a good opponent in a hostile environment. s o far, the defense has yet to be genuinely challenged and has kept opposing offenses out of the end zone. The dual-threat quarterback Armstrong can cause some fits for the n otre d ame defense and will break that streak.
The offense has not faced much pressure either, and I look forward to seeing how the new offensive guards p at c oogan and r occo s pindler hold up.
If they can create an early push against nc s tate, the Irish will be more than happy to lean on their productive running back stable to control the tempo.
Armstrong will, either by design or chaos, get out of the pocket at least a few times against the Irish. It will fall on n otre d ame’s trio of graduate student
If all of n otre d ame’s receivers can get involved in the passing attack in some capacity, it will make h artman’s patience in reading the field that much more dangerous. m ore involved receivers mean more headaches for opposing defensive coordinators. And more headaches for opposing defensive coordinators means more open targets for h artman to find.
Contact J.J. Post at jpost2@nd.edu
I predict that h artman throws his first interception of the year but adds three touchdowns passes. e stime breaks 100 yards and b enjamin m orrison returns
h artman’s experience against nc s tate will be invaluable and should give the Irish the edge they need to win on the road. nc s tate may have been caught looking ahead by a week when they faced U c onn. This week, n otre d ame will get their best. Notre Dame 28, NC State 24 nD MEn’S SOCCER
There is something different about conference play, no matter the opponent. It is that time of year for notre d ame men’s soccer. The team begin their Acc matches s aturday night against c lemson. The Irish have started the season 3-0-1 and currently sit on a three-match win streak where they are outscoring
opponents 7-0. This streak followed a hard-fought draw against now-n o. 15 Indiana.
The strong start to the season has earned notre d ame the n o. 20 ranking. c oming off of a disappointing 3-4-1 Acc campaign that placed them second to last in the c oastal division, the Irish look poised for an improved 2023 season. While no match in the Acc is to be taken lightly, they will enter their first test with
plenty of confidence.
The notre d ame attack is led by junior forward m atthew r oou, who has been firing on all cylinders. he has notched a team-high five goals and added an assist as well. s ophomore midfielder KK b affour leads the team with two assists, scoring one goal on top of it. The real story of the season so far, however, has been the impressive Irish defense. In four
matches, the unit has only allowed a single goal. s enior goalkeeper b ryan d owd has saved eight of the nine shots he’s faced.
In contrast, c lemson’s season hasn’t had a smooth start. The Tigers opened up the season with a 2-1 loss to Uc F, followed by a disappointing 1-1 draw against U nc Wilmington. That said, they have since strung together wins against s outh
c arolina and p resbyterian. Like the Irish, they are coming off of a 3-4-1 Acc campaign, finishing third to last in the Atlantic division. Their attack is led by graduate student forward m ohamed s eye, who leads the team with four goals. h is scores have often been supplied by sophomore midfielder nathan r ichmond, who leads the
on saturday, notre dame football will face nc state on the road for just the second time in program history. Their first trip to raleigh, north carolina in 2016 saw them take part in one of the most bizarre and chaotic college football games in recent memory. The irish and Wolfpack dueled in the heart of hurricane matthew, a category 5 storm that turned the playing field into what was described as a “100-yard slip and slide”. as the teams prepare to meet again seven years later, here’s a look back at a game that no one involved will ever forget.
The lead-up
notre dame entered 2016 with high expectations. on the heels of a 10-3 season, the irish appeared capable of achieving similar success. Led by quarterback deshone Kizer, they were ranked no. 10 nationally in the preseason poll.
but things would quickly fall apart. Their season began with
a 50-47 double-overtime loss against Texas that was just the start of their close-game struggles. The irish would finish the year just 1-7 in games decided by one possession.
Following consecutive home losses to michigan state and duke, notre dame defeated syracuse to improve to 2-3. They then headed to raleigh to play the 3-1 Wolfpack, hoping to earn a much-needed win that could help turn their season around.
The hurricane
The week leading up to the game was filled with discussions about the viability of playing it as scheduled. at the time, hurricane matthew was not expected to hit the raleigh area with much force. both schools, as well as the acc, ultimately determined that the game would go on.
“We are monitoring the path and potential impact of weather in our region due to hurricane matthew,” nc state said in a
see hUrricane PAGE 12
This is a free but ticketed event. Tickets will be available for pick-up at the Ticket Office one hour prior to the event. There are no advanced reservations for this event.
p rice received the pass from a ngeli, who is his roommate.
This only increased his excitement for their touchdown play and the “group effort” it took to make it happen.
“ s teve’s my best friend … i t just happened to be him. i happened to be his first touchdown pass.” p rice said. “ i ’m going to the end zone
hCC
laughing because s teve just threw me a touchdown.”
a dditionally, having a ngeli as a roommate has been a way for both players to learn from each other. They talk through the lessons they’ve learned and their anticipation for the season outside of practice. p rice said he has watched a ngeli emerge as a team leader and gleaned lessons of his own from his friend.
h e said a ngeli takes the
helm and makes sure all members of the offense are energized in the huddle, which p rice himself appreciates. h e named graduate student quarterback s am h artman as a major force in a ngeli’s development, which in turn affects his own experience.
“ s am is a great guy. h e’s got a lot of experience. h e takes s teve under his wing and, you know, s teve being my best friend, my roommate,
i learn things from him as well,” he said.
p rice said his family came to s outh b end for the Tennessee s tate game, making his performance even more memorable.
s haring that moment with his family gave him an opportunity to look ahead to his own future at n otre d ame with them.
“ i have relatives who went to an hbcu ( h istorically b lack c olleges and
u niversities),” p rice said. “They actually came to the game and it was huge for them, seeing a program like n otre d ame get a chance to play an hbcu school. a nd i think it’s a good thing for our history of college football overall and n otre d ame, as well. i think we’re leading on to some great things in the future.”
Contact Emily DeFazio at edefazio@nd.eduof their season.
h oly c ross men’s soccer continued its non-conference schedule against the Lourdes u niversity g ray Wolves on Wednesday afternoon at home. The s aints entered the game with a 2-2 record, hoping to bounce back after a loss in their previous match and move back above .500 on the season. They faced a g ray Wolves squad who had limped through the first two games
Lourdes had yet to record a win or a goal on the year, and h oly c ross looked to keep it that way.
These hopes were quickly dashed, however.
g ray Wolves junior midfielder r olando b enitez found the back of the net in only the ninth minute of the game, quickly making the score 1-0 in Lourdes’ favor. The s aints would respond with persistent offensive pressure throughout the remainder of the first half,
tallying four corner kick opportunities and six shots. b ut their efforts were to no avail, as the half ended with just the single goal scored. m idway through the second half, the s aints found themselves in dire straits after a penalty kick was awarded to Lourdes in the 65th minute.
Looking to capitalize and take control of the match, the g ray Wolves sent junior forward m artin c oronel to the spot.
h oly c ross sophomore
goalkeeper i saias r ubio had something to say about that, however, and recorded a massive save to keep his team within a goal.
The s aints finally got on the board in the 80th minute, courtesy of junior midfielder i sa s ayeed’s first goal of the season.
The assist came from junior defender m artin von Thun, also his first of the year.
h oly c ross was able to stave off more offensive pressure from Lourdes as
the match drew to a close, thanks to two more saves by r ubio.
The s aints ultimately earned a 1-1 draw.
With the draw, h oly c ross remains level at 2-2-1 on the year, while Lourdes will continue looking for their first win at 0-2-1.
The s aints will be back in action on s aturday at 4 p.m. when they host the m arian u niversity Knights.
Contact Danny Neri at dneri@nd.edu
unexpectedly, but the crowds were treated to a rainbow that stretched from goal to goal.
c oming out of the locker room after halftime, both teams were ready for a fight. f reshman midfielder m organ r oy had the i rish’s two best scoring chances to that point in the game, but one attempt hit the crossbar and the other was blocked. The i rish lost possession after several strong corner kicks.
f ollowing an offside call against n otre d ame, m ichigan freshman g abrielle p rych scored
con T inued from page 16
con T inued from page 16 team with three assists and has pitched in a goal of his own. The Tigers will need strong performances from s eye and r ichmond if they want to crack the stout i rish defense. a fter letting in a few early on, c lemson’s defense has tightened up with two straight clean sheets. s ophomore goalkeeper Joseph a ndema has saved seven of the 10
her third goal of the season, receiving passes from Jenna Lang
and Kacey Lawrence.
d espite the i rish creating several strong opportunities to challenge m ichigan’s s parkowski, they ultimately could not come up with a response to p rych’s goal. “ e veryone else looked like they were moving in mud and she was on solid ground,” n orman said about s parkowski. “ s he was amazing.”
a fter m ichigan earned its first road win at n otre d ame since 2003, the i rish will look to change their luck before their next match on s unday at b owling g reen.
The f alcons are 2-3 on
shots he has faced.
c lemson and n otre
d ame have had some significant recent history on the soccer field. i n their past 10 matchups, the two are split 5-5 with a number of classic matches going to overtime and penalties to decide acc and ncaa tournament games. most recently, The Tigers knocked the i rish out of the acc Tournament in the first round last season and defeated them in a dramatic penalty shootout the year
the season after tough losses to m ichigan s tate, c incinnati and p ittsburgh.
s coring has been their main struggle so far, as they are averaging just 1.2 goals per game, compared to 2.0 goals per game by their opponents. n o player on the roster has scored more than one goal so far this season. o n preparing for their upcoming match, n orman was confident in his team’s ability to bounce back.
“They’re a good group,” he said. “They’re resilient. This will make us better.”.
Contact Annika Herko at aherko@nd.edu.
prior, a win that took them through to the final of the ncaa Tournament which they would go on to win.o n s aturday at 7 p.m., the i rish will take the field at a lumni s tadium seeking revenge for their recent defeats in an ever-developing acc rivalry. i f history says anything, the match is sure to be a competitive one, regardless of how the teams look on paper.
Contact Noah Cahill at ncahill2@nd.edu
With two touchdowns in two games, sophomore running back Jadarian Price has already made a name for himself in his debut season for the Irish. It was a debut long anticipated by both him and Irish fans after he arrived in s outh b end with promising potential but missed his freshman year due to an achilles injury. Yet, after just over a year of recovery, Price said he has “no limitations physically whatsoever.” h is long recovery has led to him to approach this season with a sense of gratitude.
Price’s lost season proved to be a season of gains for junior Audric e stime, who has since become the team’s undisputed lead running back. b ut Price has also become a significant part of the position group and the Irish offense as a whole in two short weeks. h e cited teammates like e stime as being instrumental
in developing his work ethic during his time on the sideline and in initial practices.
“Audric [ e stime] definitely sets the tone every week, every practice, and I’m grateful to have him as a teammate,”
Price said. “ h e’s powerful. I feel like I’ve got to go in there and match the same energy.”
While not necessarily in the limelight, Price operates as a key part of the backfield. h e ran for a 19-yard score against n avy and caught a touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback s teve Angeli against Tennessee s tate. Price said he had envisioned his success in the game against Tennessee s tate, which made the moment all the more surreal as he crossed into the end zone of n otre d ame s tadium.
“I do that, I imagine success in my head before a play,” he said. “It was pretty crazy to realize.”
As if the moment could not get any more special,
see PrIce PAGE 15
It was a disappointing night for n otre d ame women’s soccer on Thursday, as they were handed their first loss of the year by the m ichigan Wolverines. The Irish came into the game ranked n o. 11 in the country, having dropped from their preseason n o. 3 slot due to a tie with m ilwaukee in August. n otre d ame’s 1-0 defeat will likely continue their descent in the rankings.
“I actually thought that tonight was our best performance of the season. I thought we played, for long stretches, fantastic. I feel great about our team in terms of that, but sick to my stomach with the result tonight.
s occer is a sport that if you don’t get all the details right, it can punish you,”
said Irish head coach n ate n orman after the game.
The Irish truly did play their hearts out.
d uring the first half, they kept the pressure on m ichigan goalie s tephanie s parkowski, taking thirteen shots and two shots on goal.
Graduate student midfielder Kiki van Zanten led the Irish offensive effort beginning from the fourth minute of play, eventually ending the half with four shots and one shot on goal. van Zanten has struggled to finish for the Irish this season.
e ntering the game, she had the lowest shooting percentage on the team, but her consistent ability to spread the ball around the field has helped the Irish on offense.
h er fellow graduate student, forward m addie m ercado, also kept the m ichigan goalkeeper busy, posting three shots and
one shot on goal before halftime.
The Irish controlled possession for 58% of the first half and kept the ball in the attacking half of the field for 69% of that time, but still could not take an early lead on “Irish Wear Green” night at Alumni s tadium. n otre d ame had several chances to score around the 25-minute mark.
They took three shots, including one where s parkowski was out of position in the box. Unfortunately for the Irish, the m ichigan backline was there to add extra support.
While the Irish dominated possession early, the Wolverines did scrape together four shots and two shots on goal in the half. The weather was uncooperative early and late in the game. It began raining
This game will be all about the run game for both teams. nc s tate thrived on the ground against U c onn.
The Wolfpack racked up 209 yards and three touchdowns, and much of that production came from new transfer quarterback b rennan Armstrong. n otre d ame’s defense will need to keep a close eye on him all game and force Armstrong to win this game with his arm, not his legs. I think they can do that. I also expect n otre d ame’s talented stable of running backs to take advantage of an nc s tate defense that allowed 160 rushing yards against U c onn. s am h artman will exorcise his r aleigh demons from a year ago and keep the Irish momentum going strong. Notre Dame 34, NC State 20.
Andrew McGuinness, Sports Editor:
Let’s start with an obvious but much-needed qualityof-competition caveat. The Irish have beat up on two opponents they were never going to lose to, and while nc s tate wasn’t great in Week 1, it’s worth remembering that U c onn wasn’t the typical punching bag they’ve been in years past. That being said, it feels like the Irish are flying high coming into this game. If b rennan Armstrong had better weapons around him, I would be a bit more worried. e ven on the road, the Irish are clearly the superior team.
The Wolfpack will hang around, but the Irish handle their first true road contest of 2023 without too much difficulty. Notre Dame 34, NC State 17.