Print Edition for The Observer for Monday, March 15, 2021

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Volume 55, Issue 48 | Monday, March 15, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Hanson-Salgado ticket wins race Incoming SMC student body president, vice president to take office May 22 Observer Staff Report

Juniors Eleanor Hanson and Adriana Salgado w ill ser ve as Saint Mar y’s Student Government Association (SGA) president and v ice president for the 2021-2022 term, according to an email from Student Activ ities Friday morning.

In an Instagram post, SGA congratulated Hanson and Salgado and noted their term would begin at the end of May after training and assembling their cabinet.

“Congratulations to our new student body presidentelect and v ice presidentelect Eleanor Hanson and

Adriana Salgado,” the post said. “They w ill spend the rest of this spring learning, training and building their team and their first official day in office is May 22.”

Hanson and Salgado w ill make it a priorit y to find out what studnets would like to see done during their term.

“We decided we were going to come from an approach where we wanted all voices integrated, so we do have an idea of what to do at Saint Mar y’s, but we do want to get a feel for the women at Saint Mar y’s want to see on campus,” Hanson said.

Observer Staff Report

Photo courtesy of Eleanor Hanson and Adriana Salgado

Hanson (left) and Salgado were elected as Saint Mary’s SGA president and vice president, respectively, for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Africa Week to celebrate African culture, history

News Writer

Between the 2016 election and the events at the Capitol on Jan. 6, the United States has faced growing concerns over foreign manipulation of elections.

Suzanne Spaulding, a senior advisor in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said this involvement is a tool in the “Kremlin playbook,” a ploy to damage a Photo courtesy of Trevor Lwere

The African Students Association of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s (ASA) usually celebrates Africa Night, which is held in person. However, due to COVID-19 policies, ASA will host a week of events this year.

News Writer

Though COVID-19 has put a dent on travel, from March 1520 the Notre Dame community will have the opportunity to experience African culture through food, art exhibitions, music, dance and dramatic performances.

Every year, the African Student Association of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s (ASA) brings “a touch of home” to South Bend through the club’s flagship event, Africa Night.

However, ASA president,

NEWS PAGE 4

junior Trevor Lwere, said the club is aiming to cater to a broader audience through a week filled with different activities.

(Editor’s note: Trevor Lwere is a columnist for The Observer.)

“We thought that a week gives us a great opportunity to do several things. Number one, to have more aspects of African culture shared,” Lwere said. “Also, with a different series of events you get to share that with more people, and so a single night couldn’t capture that.”

SCENE PAGE 5

The week will start off with a station at Duncan Student Center where ASA members will be giving out African candy and finger food and “little gifts,” like jewelry and fabric pocket squares, ASA secretary sophomore Aisha Tunkara said.

On March 16, a Global Cafe will showcase visual pieces portraying the themes of power, faith, community and resistance from United States-based African artists at LaFortune Student see ASA PAGE 4

VIEWPOINT PAGE 7

Notre Dame will award the 2021 Laetare medal to Carla Harris — business leader, gospel singer, speaker and author — at the commencement ceremony May 23, a press release announced Sunday.

Harris currently serves as the vice chairman of wealth management and senior client see MEDAL PAGE 3

Speaker discusses disinformation

By MAGGIE KLAERS

By MARIA LUISA PAUL

ND awards Laetare medal

nation’s trust in its democratic institutions.

Spaulding is also the director of the Defending Democratic Institutions project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C. She spoke about disinformation and democracy as a part of the Ten Years Hence speaker series sponsored by the O’Brien-Smith see LECTURE PAGE 3

Lecturer explores implicit bias

By EMMA HAMILTON News Writer

Dr. Dolly Chugh discussed the dangers of implicit bias in a lecture Friday as a guest speaker for “Building an Anti-Racist Vocabulary,” hosted by the Klau Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Chugh is an associate professor of management and organizations at New York University’s Stern School of Business, and her research focuses on implicit bias.

ND M SOCCER PAGE 12

She authored the self-help book, “The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias.”

In her lecture, Chugh mainly focused on racial bias, which she said is the most dominant form of implicit bias. Chugh highlighted the importance of targeting personal implicit biases to fight systemic racism.

Implicit bias, Chugh said, is making associations between see BIAS PAGE 3

ND HOCKEY PAGE 12

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The observer | Monday, March 15, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

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Geese swim around Saint Mary’s Lake on Sunday afternoon after the first week of sustained warm weather on campus. Although temperatures were higher for a few days, cold weather is expected to return later this week, with a high possibility of snow Monday.

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Bias Continued from page 1

people, ideas and objects without realizing it.

“Most of our minds’ work takes place outside of our awareness,” Chugh said.

To explain what she meant, Chugh asked moderator, and Klau Center associate director, Dory Mitros Durham what she immediately thought when she heard the word “peanut butter.” Durham responded with “jelly” right away.

Chugh said that implicit biases, which develop as early as five years

Lecture Continued from page 1

Leadership Program.

“Russia is not inventing these narratives, they are taking existing division lines of division in our country, existing skepticism about the justice system and amplifying and exploiting it and making it appear to be a system that is irrevocably broken,” Spaulding said.

Despite the increased awareness of these intrusions during elections, Spaulding said this is not a threat isolated to the election cycle.

“It’s a 365-day-a-year threat,” Spaulding said.

With hacks, propaganda and specific online campaigns, Spaulding said Russia works under the radar to influence Americans’ confidence in U.S. democracy.

One of these targets is the legitimacy of U.S. elections. The seeds

Medal Continued from page 1

adviser at Morgan Stanley and is on Harvard University’s and Walmart Corp’s boards.

“Harris began her career at a time when very few of her colleagues were Black or women, and her trajectory has been steadily

ndsmcobserver.com | Monday, March 15, 2021| The ObserveR

3

old, come from adult influences and are what psychologist Beverly Daniel Tatum coins as “smog.”

According to Tatum, smog is the content around us that we consume with our senses.

“It’s everything we’ve ever seen, heard or observed,” Chugh said.

Chugh said that racial implicit bias is the most common form of implicit bias and she defined it as linking a person of a specific race to an idea.

Chugh said that of the 20 million people who have taken the Implicit Association Test — a commonly used psychological test that measures the associations people have

— a majority of white participants associate white people with “good” sentiments and black people with “bad” feelings.

“Overwhelmingly, the U.S. data shows implicit race bias,” she said.

Chugh said it is difficult to overcome implicit bias, but she mentioned ways in which people can recognize their biases. She encouraged viewers to look at the past 10 movies they watched, the past 10 social media accounts they followed, the past 10 books they read or the past 10 of any form of content they consumed, and identify a pattern among the content and the content creators. Are they all

female? Is all of the content written by one political party? If the content comes from one voice or a few select voices, Chugh suggested mixing it up.

She also recommended pushing boundaries and doing 10% more than before. She said it can be in any style — listening to a friend, speaking up to someone who makes an inappropriate comment or diving into history — as long as it challenges an individual’s current beliefs and exposes them to something new.

Chugh said it is the job of someone who has the “ordinary privilege” to stand up for those who do

not have it.

“Figure out a way to use where you have ordinary privilege to see, to notice things, you might not be noticing,” Chugh said.

Chugh made it clear that whatever method an individual chooses to fight their biases, it’s important to always have a growth-mindset, or something she likes to call being “good-ish.” In her eyes, being a work-in-progress is essential to making the world a better place.

“We want to activate a belief that we can get better,” she said.

of doubt are planted in the form of fake news posts and targeted social media presences, and Spaulding said these doubts end up manifesting into the display at the Capitol Jan. 6.

Spaulding said there is a social contract to respect the outcomes of elections, despite an inability to enforce them. This trust is often taken for granted, but it has been exploited by foreign powers.

“The Russian national security infrastructure which repeatedly tries to tap into as I say the protest potential of the population,” Spaulding said. “Not to bring about change, but to provoke people to take to the streets in despair, having given up hope, which is when things turn violent, and indeed that’s what we saw on Jan. 6.”

To uncover more targets of the Kremlin, Spaulding said she did an exercise in “red teaming,” the intelligence community’s version

of devil’s advocate, to get inside Putin’s mind. “[If] I wanted to undermine democracy through undermining its institutions, where would I go next? What other institution, like the elections, is so dependent upon the public’s faith and confidence in the legitimacy of the process?”

Spaulding asked.

As a lawyer, Spaulding noticed the same vulnerability in the U.S. court system.

“I quickly realized how fragile... in many ways, that is, and how it could be used to undermine public trust and confidence,” Spaulding said. “You see the hack and leak of sensitive court documents, altering data in court databases, altering decisions, altering court orders about who gets released and who doesn’t, who owes what, pays what kind of fine, etc.”

The objective of all this manipulation is simply to stir up

discontentment in the U.S. citizenry.

“Putin’s objective is to drive us into a post-truth world in which we have given up,” Spaulding said.

“We’ve been so inundated with false information with things we can’t trust that we no longer believe in the concept of truth, that we no longer at least believe in our ability to discern what’s true.”

Online, fake Russian accounts flame the fire of both extreme ends of the political spectrum.

“One of the things we’ve also seen with Russian disinformation, is that they will play on both sides. They don’t actually have an ideological dog in this fight, they just want to exacerbate the fight,” Spaulding said.

But how does a society facing attacks of misinformation combat its enemies?

Spaulding said a reinvestment into civics education is the way to

remind Americans of the values of democracy and its merits.

“It is worth fighting for. Not because it’s perfect, but because it can be changed. That is the beauty of democracy, over authoritarian and totalitarian regimes,” Spaulding said.

In her lecture, Spaulding said only 24% of eighth graders demonstrate a proficiency in civics.

Furthermore, only five cents of federal funding are spent on civics per student, compared to $54 for STEM learning.

“Between convincing us that our system is irrevocably broken and cannot be changed, and that we can never be informed, Putin will rob us of the informed and engaged citizenry, upon which democracy so desperately depends,” Spaulding said.

ascendant,” the press release said.

From 2005 to 2014, Harris was chair of the Morgan Stanley Foundation, and in 2013, President Barack Obama appointed her to chair the National Women’s Business Council, which serves the president, Congress and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Throughout the course of her

career, Harris has worked to promote women and people of color in business. She helped create Morgan Stanley’s Multicultural Innovation Lab and oversees the company’s multicultural client strategy as a whole.

Harris is also an accomplished gospel singer. She has her own band called the Rhythm Company, and she has released multiple albums

and produced and performed benefit concerts at Carnegie Hall and Apollo Theatre. Harris began singing when she was nine years old at a fourth-grade talent show.

Harris said she lives by the mantra, “never count yourself out,” and she coaches others to motivate themselves by what others say is impossible. Harris is also committed to helping others in any way she

can.

“We are blessed so that we may be a blessing to others,” Harris said in the release.

In her books “Expect to Win” and “Strategize to Win,” Harris detailed her pathway to career success.

Harris was born in Port Arthur, Texas, and grew up in Jacksonville, Fla. She graduated from Bishop Kenny High School in 1980 with honors and went on to attend Harvard University. Harris graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in economics and received a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School with second-year honors.

The Laetare Medal is an annual award given by the University to recognize an individual who has displayed remarkable service to the Catholic Church, academics and society.

University President Fr. John Jenkins praised Harris as this year’s recipient of the award.

“Throughout her exceptional career, Carla Harris has exemplified the highest ideals of American enterprise, championed the principle that opportunity should never be denied on the basis of gender or race and generously mentored countless rising leaders,” Jenkins said. “Enriched by her gifts as a singer and public speaker, her work in the competitive world of banking is firmly rooted in her commitment to service, developing the next generation of leaders and her Catholic faith.”

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NEWS

The observer | Monday, March 15, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Club builds community with LEGO bricks

By SPENCER KELLY News Writer

Editor’s note: A version of this story was published online Feb. 25.

Student organizations are often seen as communities built out of like-minded individuals and shared experiences. In some cases, they are built out of Lego bricks.

Founded four years ago by a group of friends from Stanford Hall, the Lego Club of Notre Dame has been sharing its love of Legos with the local community ever since.

“We believe that Lego bricks offer a wide range of creative, educational, and social opportunities across all demographics,” junior Matthew Herrmann, Lego Club president, said in an email.

According to Herrmann, Legos offer unique accessibility, making them a perfect tool to foster community across age and cultural

ASA Continued from page 1

Center’s Ballroom from 5-7 p.m.

On Friday, ASA members w ill be able to enjoy a clubexclusive dinner featuring African cuisine. Then, from 7 to 9 p.m. the Notre Dame communit y w ill be treated to a presentation of music, dance and theatrical performances that w ill be live streamed through ASA’s website and social media platforms.

Even though Africa Week w ill culminate w ith the club’s cultural presentation, Lwere said the events ser ve as a lead up to the inaugural Pan-African Youth Conference taking place v irtually on March 27.

‘Entertaining, and educating’

engaging

For Lwere, home is some 7,589 miles away. Despite the distance — and dramatic change in weather — from Uganda, Lwere said he was able to find a sense of home within ASA. “Our role primarily is to provide a home away from home for our members,” he said.

Though building a community with students who have roots in this continent is the club’s ultimate goal, Lwere added that the club also aims to entertain, engage and educate different groups on campus and provide a greater comprehension about what Africa is and can be through ASA’s different events.

“In bringing our events

boundaries.

“They are simple enough that children can understand how they work from a very young age,” Herrmann said.

“And all instruction booklets rely exclusively on graphic representations of the model, so there isn’t really a language barrier that prevents one from using them.”

In the past, the club hosted events ranging from casual “stress relief” build sessions, building competitions, themed building events and Lego movie watch parties.

The Lego Club also prioritizes outreach, Herrmann said, as club members have taken trips to local elementary schools to provide Legos for students who might not otherwise be able to access them.

“The only f law that I see [with Legos] is that for some, they can be relatively expensive,” Herrmann said.

“That is why our club likes taking trips to schools or hosting community events,

so children can enjoy Lego bricks regardless of their family’s financial situation.”

However, like many other student groups, the Lego Club has been largely sidelined this year due to pandemic restrictions. W hile not able to meet in person, Herrmann said the club is allowing members to check out Lego sets from the club’s collection. This allows people to access Legos while staying isolated and safe, he said.

Once restrictions are loosened, the club is hoping to hold its annual “Theme Park Build.” The event, held for the past two years in collaboration with Notre Dame’s Themed Entertainment Association, typically involves students, faculty and local kids working together to build a model theme park entirely out of Legos.

“Students from all across campus are involved with the build,” said senior Colleen O’Leary, club secretary. “They design an entire

theme park that takes up a whole room. It’s really neat.”

This year, the Theme Park Build will be limited to Notre Dame students only, she said, but still promises to be a thrilling event.

“You know it’s been a good day when you see all the structures are up at the end,” O’Leary said.

W hile Legos are primarily viewed as an outlet for fun and creativity, Herrmann also uses them as tools for his architecture work.

“Now that I am an architecture student, I find them to be useful in preliminary stages of the design process,” Herrmann said. “Sometimes I use Lego bricks to physically model and manipulate things like general massing and proportions before drafting.”

Legos have also helped O’Leary discern her career path in an unexpected way.

She initially took her love of building structures literally, entering Notre Dame as

an architecture major. But, through her experience of going to elementary schools with the Lego Club, she said she realized that Legos were really a vehicle for something greater.

“Building Legos with second and third graders — that was something that was really impactful for me because it showed me that I wanted to be a teacher,” O’Leary said.

“I remember I was in a room with 20 to 30 seven-year-olds just having a blast. That was when I knew I wanted to work with kids all the time.”

Beyond elementary school visits, O’Leary said her favorite part about the Lego Club has been the community and the ability to meet different people from across campus.

“I have always loved Legos,” O’Leary said. “But through my time here, I realized that it’s not so much the building that I was drawn to but the people.”

forth, we are hoping that we can share more of our culture, and that they can bring about a better understanding within ourselves as Black people but also with everybody else that is interested in learning all these things,” Lwere said.

In this regard, ASA event coordinator sophomore Omolola Olagbegi said Africa Week serves as an opportunity to showcase her heritage and identity “fully and unapologetically,” something she said she finds hard to do at times as a Notre Dame student.

“Because we do go to a [predominately white college], once you’re already around people with a shared heritage, or identity, you just automatically feel comfortable with them,” Olagbegi said. “W hereas, with people that are not really as familiar with your background, you feel like, ‘I’ll have to explain, or maybe I can’t really say this, because they’re not going to understand. So let me just fit into the mold of what’s already the status quo.’”

According to the most recent data by the National Center for Education Statistics, in fall 2019, 67.1% of non-international undergraduates were white and 3.6% were Black at Notre Dame. International students accounted for 6.6% of the undergraduate student body population.

Though African and Black students are a minority on campus, Lwere said diversity should not be merely understood numerically, but also qualitatively.

“To appreciate diversity, I think this is less about having more numbers, but the critical thing is if you had just two minority students who could articulate clearly their point of view and get to have a conversation,” Lwere said. “The importance of these events is an opportunity to introduce into the Notre Dame narrative, not an alternative but different viewpoints that are equally important and valid. Because, like the dominant view, they’re also based on unique historical social circumstances.”

In Olagbegi’s opinion, attending Africa Week provides a unique opportunity to engage with a different culture through food — “something that unites us all” — and fun events.

“The beauty of college is being around people from all over the world. I would say just make the most of your experience and come out to at least one of our events. Learn by coming on, and just be able to leave on knowing something that you didn’t know coming into it,” Olagbegi said.

African, there’s immense opportunity for growth on the continent, and to whom much is given, like ourselves, much is expected,” he said.

“We have to be in line with the University’s idea of an education for greater good.

We should also have a sense of duty to wherever we come from.”

This desire to “pay it forward,” Lwere said, is the driving force behind the organization of the firstever Pan-African Youth Conference, which will bring together both African and non-African students from all over the globe to discuss the continent’s condition and the role the current generation of African youth will play in the future.

The conference will include a Keynote Speech by Cameroonian political theorist and intellectual, Achilles Mbembe, and will consist of three panels on politics and governance, socioeconomic transformation and cultural evolution. Registration is currently closed, but Lwere said the group is expecting some 200 attendees.

One of conference’s theme is Pan-Africanism, or “idea that peoples of African descent have common interests and should be unified,” according to Britannica. The African diaspora is an essential factor in this movement, Tunkara said.

“First, African knowledge is spread across the world, and a lot of successful Africans are based outside of Africa,” she said. “So if we could, like find a way to integrate all of us together, I think it would

be really important and helpful. Second, just because like Africans are every where, I think it’s important to be inclusive of all that, because inclusivity like makes us stronger.”

Considering Africa’s geographic extension, immigration and magnitude of natural resources, Notre Dame professor of Africana studies and political science Dianne Pinderhughes said it was important to create spaces for conversations around these topics.

“Africa is an enormous continent. It is building new kinds of networks of communications and interactions. The extent to which they’ve had an importance in American history,” Pinderhughes said. “Then you also have the importance of Africa source of natural resources, but, think that our own assumptions about what’s happening in Africa, are limited by our lack of knowledge of the whole continent.”

Lwere said the conference would serve as the stepping stone towards setting the agenda for what should be done to improve the continent as a whole.

“Every generation must define what is feasible within their lifetimes to do as a contribution to African development,” he said. “And so we are hoping that in taking stock of what has come before us, we can also be able to establish what our contribution will be.”

‘We must pay it forward’ W hen Lwere was in the process of deciding which university to attend, he said Notre Dame’s emphasis on cultivating the mind and heart immediately captivated him. The University’s mission of serving as a force for good in the world resonated with his belief that students have a responsibility to improve their countries.

“Given the historical responsibility [we] bear being

Contact Spencer Kelly at skelly25@nd.edu

Contact Maria Luisa Paul at mpaulran@nd.edu

5

The observer | Monday, March 15, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

By RYAN ISRAEL Scene Editor

The 63rd annual Grammy Awards took place Sunday night, and if you weren’t paying attention — or just don’t care — it was easy to miss them. In a strange year for music, the Grammys didn’t have much draw. On top of that, the award show, like many other award shows, has been maligned in recent years for its lack of diversity and shadowy voting practices.

Case in point: The Weeknd’s lack of nominations. The superstar’s latest album “After Hours” and its ubiquitous hits “Blinding Lights” and “Save Your Tears” were snubbed by the Recording Academy, leading fans — and The Weeknd himself — to call for boycotts. There will most likely be a post-Grammys storyline calling for similar boycotts due to any number of outcomes.

Still, the Grammys is an exciting event, an opportunity to tune in to the spectacle. Even if we don’t agree with the winners, or even the nominees, we love when someone tries to tell us one thing is better than another.

Music is subjective; the Grammys say it’s objective. I’ll react either way.

Best Rap Song — “Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion (feat. Beyonce) This song was phenomenal on its own, just like Megan Thee Stallion was phenomenal at the Grammys on her own. But then Beyonce joined, and both “Savage” and Megan Thee Stallion’s acceptance speech got better.

By ANGELA MATHEW Scene Writer

“Minari,” produced by A24, is the story of the KoreanAmerican Yi family who moved to rural Arkansas in the ‘80s in pursuit of their American dream. The film’s plot moves slowly but makes use of stunning cinematography to tell an evocative but often neglected American story.

“Minari,” like other immigrant stories, details how difficult life can be in America. The Yi family moves to a mobile home in deserted, rural Arkansas where Jacob, the father of the family, dreams of having his own farm to grow Korean vegetables so that he and his wife, Monica, can quit their day jobs at the chicken hatchery. Monica, a pragmatist, disapproves of Jacob’s dream and worries about being able to provide for their children, especially her young son, David, who has a hole in his heart.

The tension between the spouses is palpable through Steven Yeun and Han Ye-Ri’s brilliant performances. Each subtle look of disappointment or choked-up shout conveys a deep clash between the stereotypically American ideas of individuality and risk-taking and the typically Asian values of community and being economical. The souring of the spouses’ relationship is a metaphor for the dark side of the American dream. In one conversation, Jacob muses to his wife about how when their lives in Korea were difficult, they said they would come to America to “save each other.” Later, after an argument, Monica sarcastically says,

Best Alternative Music Album — “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” by Fiona Apple

Record of the Year — “Everything I Wanted” by Billie Eilish

There was so much consensus that Fiona Apple’s “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” was a phenomenal album that it seemed for a second like the Grammys might go against the grain just for the sake of doing the wrong thing. Thankfully, they gave her the award, but notably, Apple skipped out on the Grammys this year, not because of the issues she has with the award show, but because she does not want to be on national television.

Just when it seemed like Megan Thee Stallion and Beyonce were going to take the 2021 Grammys, the voters turned to 2020’s champion Billie Eilish and decided to give her the award for what is, really, a mediocre Billie Eilish song. She has better ones — lots of them!

The Grammys put Eilish in the brutal position of having to accept an award she knew she should not have won. Eilish handled it as best she could, gushing over Megan Thee Stallion and keeping her speech short, but the Grammys really said, right at the last minute, “We’re going to give you something to be upset about.”

Best Pop Vocal Album — “Future Nostalgia” by Dua Lipa Dua Lipa proved that you can become the world’s biggest pop star even in the middle of a pandemic and still look good doing it.

Best Performance at the Grammys — Dua Lipa Best New Artist — Megan Thee Stallion Hot girl summer turned into hot girl fall, winter, spring and, eventually, hot girl quarantine. Through it all, Megan Thee Stallion has undoubtedly been “thee” best new artist. Yes, Elton John may need to hit someone, but if anyone’s going to top Phoebe, it’s Meg.

Album of the Year — “folklore” by Taylor Swift Taylor Swift’s “folklore” really was the album of the year, even if it wasn’t the loudest or the flashiest or the most popular.

Tragically, Scene’s album of the year, “Punisher” by Phoebe Bridgers, was not nominated.

“We can’t save each other, but money can.”

“Minari” explores these themes about the immigrant experience in a slice-of-life style. The tensions between the characters simmer for a long time with conflicts only escalating at the very end. The cinematography is artistic with gorgeous montages of the verdant vegetation of the farm, the blue open skies, vibrant aubergines and cucumber crops representing freedom and abundance. These montages are overlaid with orchestral music, combined with the sounds of people humming and crickets chirping, making the scenes feel whimsical, like there is a particular magic to Jacob’s agricultural dreams coming true. This is in direct contrast to the dimly lit scenes inside the Yi family’s mobile home, with its stark walls and sink that rarely has running water. The artful cinematography seems to reflect the idea that dreams come at a price.

In a time when COVID-19 has contributed to increased violence and racism against Asian-Americans, the movie feels topical despite being set in the 1980s. In the film, the Yi children face a lot of microaggressions from other kids, with one boy asking David, “Why is your face so flat?” Even more disappointing, however, is the racism that the Yi children have internalized, complaining that their grandmother is not a “real grandma” because she has a “Korea smell” and can’t bake cookies.

These issue spill into the real world as well. “Minari’s” pathos feels so authentic because it is loosely based on director Lee Isaac Chung’s childhood and because he chose

This award, given out by me, was truly a competitive one. The conditions were great for no one, but everyone made the most of the situation — even Haim, who had to perform in the middle of the “Hunger Games” cornucopia. Still, the crown goes to pop star Dua Lipa, who brought da wardrobe, da choreography and DaBaby to her eye-catching performance.

Notable runners-up include Harry Styles, who did a thing with his boa, his tattoos and his smile and Lil Baby, who brought his protest song “The Bigger Picture” to life.

Contact Ryan Israel at risrael1@nd.edu

to script this unmistakably American story mostly in Korean. “Minari” has already won the Golden Globe award for the Best Foreign Language Film and is nominated for several other awards. However, in the case of the Golden Globes, films in the Best Foreign Language category cannot be nominated for the Best Picture category. This raises questions about what we have collectively decided to accept as ”American“. A similar story about the American dream in a rural setting with an English-language script would arbitrarily have, at least in the eyes of the Golden Globes, more potential to succeed than “Minari.” In the end, the film is a testament to Asian-Americans taking the space to candidly represent their unique struggles and stories as a minority group, but it seems the world is yet to catch up.

Contact Angela Mathew at amathew3@nd.edu

“Minari” Director: Lee Isaac Chung Starring: Steven Yeun, Han Ye-Ri, Alan S. Kim Genre: Drama If you liked: “Tigertail,” “The Farewell”

MAGGIE KLAERS | The Observer

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The observer | monday, march 15, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Inside Column

A love letter to Viewpoint

The dark implications of the TikTok ‘beauty algorithm’ Renee Yaseen Renaissance

Nelisha Silva Viewpoint Editor

Not to be horribly cheesy, but Viewpoint was always my first love at The Observer.

As much as I love our other departments, in my eyes, Viewpoint was always the most interesting department. When I first became a copy editor sophomore year, I was fascinated by the hot takes we published, but I had no idea how much I’d grow to know and love this department.

To me, Viewpoint is discourse at its purest, a place where anybody can find a platform to share their ideas. From students, to professors, to alumni, anyone could submit Letters to the Editor or apply to be a columnist. We have everything from wellresearched thoughts on the future of the Republican Party to in-depth reviews of new campus locales.

Where else can you find members of our Editorial Board espousing their love for Timothée Chalamet or analyzing the dichotomy between drinking fake milk and eating real cheese? Viewpoint is a unique place where anyone in the tri-campus community can share their thoughts and find a platform for their voice, no matter who they are.

But Viewpoint is so much more than just the opinions we publish.

We’re a department of 28 students working to represent the views of the tri-campus community.

Viewpoint is the columnists themselves, coming up with unique topics every other week, researching their ideas and coming up with some of the most sophisticated takes I’ve ever read. Viewpoint is our copy editing team coming in every night to fight with our computer in the South Dining Hall basement and design print pages. Viewpoint is the Letters to the Editor in the Viewpoint inbox about every topic under the Dome. It's everything from the three sentence anonymous emails that never get published to the 1500+ word soliloquies on student government. It’s our podcasting team, amplifying students’ stories across the tri-campus community. It’s our Editorial Board, scrutinizing the tri-campus community and urging it to be the home we know it can be.

Viewpoint is more than just what anyone can read on our website; it’s the people that create, edit and publish the content, making it possible for everyone else to read hot takes during lunch and tweet about how Viewpoint really just publishes anything these days (yes, we do see all the tweets).

It’s been almost a year since I took over as Viewpoint Editor, and time has moved so fast. As I move from Viewpoint Editor to Assistant Managing Editor next week, I know I’ll always be a Viewpoint fangirl at heart. From the columnists who come up with ideas that I couldn’t even dream up, to the readers who comment on every single Viewpoint piece, to our illustrator who designs beautiful artwork for columns, Viewpoint is a massive effort of showcasing the opinions of our tri-campus community, and I couldn’t be prouder to have played a small part in amplifying voices across our campuses this past year.

To the Viewpoint department: Thank you for giving me an incredible year as your Editor; I’ve loved every minute of it. I can’t wait to see what you all do next.

Contact Nelisha at nsilva1@nd.edu The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

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

When was the last time plastic surgery was promoted to you on social media? Maybe the Instagram algorithm has determined that my nose could use some work, but for me, it was last night.

In case you weren’t in the loop with influencers and cosmetic surgery clinics, it’s likely that TikTok uses a highly sophisticated beauty algorithm that gives each face in your video a numerical ranking of attractiveness. Videos with more algorithmically attractive people in them get promoted more in the algorithm.

Because many social media algorithms are protected intellectual property, people can usually only perform experiments to determine what is likely to be promoted by an algorithm. According to this European study on Instagram’s algorithm, for example, photos in which the subject is scantily clad are promoted and viewed more in user’s feeds. But occasionally, information is leaked about what social media companies are doing behind the scenes. The Intercept reported in March 2020 that a particularly damning internal document from TikTok instructed moderators to not promote content from viewers with “ugly facial looks.” The document tells moderators that videos of people with “abnormal body shape,” “too many wrinkles,” “obvious facial scars” and “facial deformities (not limited to: eye disorders, crooked mouth disease and other disabilities” are “less attractive, not worthing to be recommended to new users.” Besides discriminating against the posts of people with disabilities and/or faces that don’t fit an algorithmically-determined standard of beauty to increase new user retention, the moderators were also instructed against promoting videos shot in “slums” or “rural fields” (though the document makes sure to note that “rural beautiful natural scenery could be exempted.”) It also mentions that videos shot in environments with “no obvious slummy character” but that have “crack[s] on the wall,” “old and disreputable decorations” or houses that are “extremely dirty and messy” are not to be promoted by moderators.

According to The Intercept, a representative from TikTok stated that the policies’ aim was “preventing bullying,” and that the policies were “no longer in place, and were already out of use when The Intercept obtained them.” It’s ironic and hard to believe that moderator instructions that blatantly discriminated against videos of disadvantaged, disabled or algorithmically “unattractive” people were ever meant to prevent bullying.

This stuff has always had a presence on social media. And I mean since the beginning: Facemash, Mark Zuckerberg’s pre-Facebook creation, was a website made so users could rank college women against each other by facial attractiveness. But the relationship between plastic surgery, distorted beauty norms and TikTok is different than anything we’ve seen before. Insider performed an experiment to see how long it took for a new TikTok user — whose profile was set to 14 years old — to see a promotional video for plastic surgery (particularly rhinoplasty) on their “For You” page. The answer? A mere eight minutes of scrolling.

But one doesn’t need to experiment to figure out that cosmetic surgeons are adjusting their marketing to the TikTok algorithm — they’ll tell you themselves. One article, aimed at plastic surgeons, gives advice for effectively marketing cosmetic surgery on TikTok to “younger audiences.”

Another article from Rival Cosmetic Surgery in

Toronto breaks down the TikTok “look” and beauty algorithm into three categories: “nose width,” “forehead inclination” and “skin smoothness and health.”

“When TikTok detects beauty,” the article says, “it is more likely to show the video to more viewers. This means it gets seen by more people and has a greater chance of earning you more followers and interactions.”

The article ends with a haunting, “If you’re considering plastic surgery or other cosmetic treatments to grow your following (or just for yourself!) schedule a consultation in Toronto with Rival Cosmetic Surgery.”

Considering plastic surgery ... to grow your following? The implication that one might undergo plastic surgery for oneself alone is thrown into the sentence like an afterthought, perhaps to shield the provider from criticism. One of the many problems with messaging like this is its disproportionate effect on how people of color, particularly women of color, see themselves. Because of the history of colonial beauty standards being imposed on non-white, non-European women, there are racially problematic implications to algorithmically promoting a thin, short, upturned nose as an “ideal” nose, for example.

My problem is not with the individual user: Research shows that even newborn babies stare for longer periods of time at attractive faces, displaying preferences for “conventionally attractive” faces at just a few hours old. But I take issue with technology prescreening the faces you see such that you are only seeing faces of a particular kind of beauty when you go online.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with cosmetic surgery. But now more than ever, it’s important to note the ways in which social media influences our inclinations toward getting cosmetic surgery.

The promotion of plastic surgery and “ideal” faces through algorithms like TikTok’s often preys on our insecurities and turns our natural human differences into so-called “imperfections.” Maybe my view is radical, but I believe beauty and trends can be thought of separately. You are not a puffyshouldered sweater or square-toed shoes: Your uniquely beautiful features, given to you by each generation of ancestors, do not go in and out of fashion with the times.

Renee Yaseen is a junior who majors in economics with minors in theology and the philosophy, politics, & economics (PPE) program. In her free time, she writes poems, hangs out with loved ones and works on her software startup. She can be reached via the chat on a shared Google Doc at 3 a.m., on Twitter @ReneeYaseen or by email at ryaseen@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

KERRY SCHNEEMAN | The Observer

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The observer | monday, march 15, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The argument against the Equality Act reveals the fallacy of ‘religious freedom’ The Equality Act​, simply put, ​amends the Civil Rights Act​and other civil rights legislation in order to protect people against discrimination on the basis of sex or gender identity. The debate over adding this stipulation to federal anti-discrimination legislation had its roots in the 1920s with the proposal of the ​Equal Rights Amendment​, which was passed by Congress in the 1970s but never officially added to the Constitution. Much has been brought to light in society since the 1970s, such as the emergence of the gay liberation movement led primarily by transgender women of color, and more recently the #MeToo movement focusing on workplace harassment.

On a surface level, the passage of this act seems long overdue and like a great step in the right direction to protect women and those in the LBGTQ community. However, I was disappointed (although not surprised) to see the backlash from the religious right. Moreover, I was most shocked as to how thinly-veiled arguments for “religious liberty” justified blatant transphobia and homophobia.

The power of religion on a sociocultural level depends upon its interpretation. Although I am not one to espouse the so-called “democratic” values of the founding fathers, one clear emphasis embedded within the Bill of Rights is ​the separation of church and state​. This is so important because certain interpretations of religion can be weaponized to commit horrible atrocities such as the genocide and enslavement of Indigenous peoples (by our “hero” Christopher Columbus, but I digress). Additionally, religion can be employed in a way to advance social justice; thus, it is all a matter of interpretation.

The beginnings of new conservatism began to emerge in the 1960s as a reaction to radical social movements. In the 1970s following Roe v. Wade, Jerry Falwell and other conservative leaders found a powerful voting bloc in white Evangelicals, which led to the creation of the ​“Moral Majority.”​Thus began perhaps one of the most important voting demographic shifts in recent history. Although the

primary voting bloc was evangelicals, the Moral Majority appealed to conservative Catholics particularly regarding new changes such as the legalization of abortion and the visibility of homosexuality. Thus, this new movement struck a real nerve in its religious justification for calls to return America to Christian values.

However, considering how certain interpretations of Christianity have been shown to be damaging, one can see the negative effects of this political unification of Church and state. For example, the Reagan administration failed to address the A ​ IDS crisis​because those affected were the most neglected by the Christian establishment: people who were gay, transgender, not white and/or drug addicts.

Looking back, one can see the flaws in the common assertion of AIDS as a punishment from God; however, this recent phenomena shows how in the moment, flawed religious arguments can have true potential for injustice.

In returning to the argument of the Equality Act, many of the appeals against it seem to be centered on the “issue” of transgenderism in the public sphere. In similar ways to how the whole LGBTQ community was painted in the ’80s, conservatives have used fear-mongering to attach negative predatory stereotypes to transgender people, who are in reality ​disproportionately at risk to be victimized. Additionally, in similar ways to how homosexuality was originally viewed as a “choice,” the reality of being transgender or gender nonconforming has been twisted by rhetoric. For example, the idea that transgender women are merely “men who identify as women” and so forth invalidates the transgender experience, often excluding actual dialogue regarding the lived experiences of this community or considering valid ​research​ that has advanced knowledge of the subject. Additionally, many of these arguments seem to miss the implications of societal constructions in relation to sex and gender on one’s own identity. Who are we to invalidate a certain experience simply because we cannot relate to it?

Additionally, as someone with a non-straight sexuality,

I am fed up with the rhetoric around homosexuality that has been shoved down my throat by certain members of the religious establishment. I distinctly remember going to a Steubenville Conference in high school and being told by speaker Jason Evert that people are only gay because they have “daddy issues” (not exactly what he said, but that was the gist). Additionally, we were advertised a book regarding a certain lesbian woman’s “transformation” to marrying a man and having a family, which praised suppression of one’s identity as the only way to live out an authentically Catholic life.

Recently, the establishment of the Catholic Church has changed its rhetoric from homosexuality being a sinful choice to it being something that is a “struggle” or cross to bear that must not be acted upon for one’s entire life. As dangerous as this narrative is to many queer youth today growing up in the Catholic Church, how could anyone suggest that the perpetuation of these ideas by the state is a good idea?

Overall, the Equality Act is a long-overdue step in the right direction to protect the rights of those with identities that are often targeted by mainstream (particularly conservative religious) society. Additionally, the religious liberty argument, when in the wrong hands, is dangerous, as extremist interpretations can be applied to people who do not have any association with said religion. Some of these arguments cross into the even more extremist territory of ​white nationalism​. This can be seen clearly in the J​ an. 6 insurrection​, which our University has truly failed to address in a meaningful way, from the presence of a ​Notre Dame flag​to assertions of “biological differences between the races” by Instagram account AmericaFirstND. If Notre Dame were to oppose the Equality Act, our University would not only fail through inaction, but confirm its support of the dangerous fallacy of religious liberty.

Anna Gazewood first-year March 10

Anarchy in production Trevor Lwere On the Other Hand

Finally, it seems like the world will prevail over the novel coronavirus. Whereas it will be a while before any sense of normalcy in our lives is restored, the rollout of the vaccination campaign in different parts of the world over the past couple of months is a hopeful sign. Yet, even in this apparently remarkable moment, COVID-19 continues on its historic mission of revealing yet again the deep-seated inequalities in our society and the creases in the prevailing social, economic and political order. One such crease, unfolding in the global vaccine production and distribution campaign, is the “anarchy in (capitalist) production” as described by Karl Marx, arguably capitalism’s most formidable foe.

Anarchy in production is essentially an argument about the allocative inefficiency of the market as a mode of economic production and distribution. Marx argued that since capitalists are primarily motivated by profit, resources are directed to where there is the highest return — not necessarily to where there is greatest human need. As a consequence, there is underproduction of essential goods needed by everyone, and where there is sufficient production, they are too expensive to be afforded by the working class itself as well as all people of modest means. In a nutshell, the market is unthinking and left to its own devices. It goes after profit and not human needs.

The ongoing global vaccination production and distribution campaign bears out this critique of capitalism by Marx, as history has done with many of his other predictions. To date, only about 350 million vaccine doses have been administered so far since the vaccine roll-out process began earlier this year, which represents less than 10% of the world’s

population. If this number is to be taken as a proxy for the number of vaccines that have actually been produced, then it is unfortunate. Indeed, it is quite telling that with all the technological advancement the world has made thus far, we are unable to produce enough vaccines for the entire world population, let alone a tenth of it. It is in fact perplexing, even painful, when one considers that in the midst of a pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than two million people in the world, resources were dedicated to space exploration and a trip to Mars and diverted from COVID-19 relief, in a country that has lost more than half a million people to the pandemic.

The market prioritizes profit, not life.

Anarchy in production is not just about inefficient allocation of resources in production. It is also about inefficient allocation of scarce resources in distribution. Thus, the anarchy in production has been exacerbated by what has come to be known as “vaccine nationalism,” whereby a few countries have literally attempted to monopolize access to the vaccine for just their citizens and left everyone else on their own. Thus, to date, a third of all vaccine doses administered in the world have been in the United States alone, which has administered more than 100 million doses but whose population represents less than five percent of the world population.

This vaccine nationalism has been enabled by, again, the reliance on the market in vaccine production and distribution. Profit-driven corporations would only produce vaccines if guaranteed handsome returns, as though their businesses would stand if COVID-19 continued to ravage the world population. But reliance on the market has also meant built-in inequity in access to the vaccines as poorer regions and countries of the world got less and later than more “advanced” countries. Thus, to date, through the COVAX facility, rich countries have subsidized the cost of vaccines for poorer countries, enabling 37 countries to receive a total

of 28 million doses so far.

Obviously, the logic of vaccine nationalism is distorted.

Protecting a small part of the world population while everyone else scrams for scarce few doses is self-defeating because in an interconnected world, the world economy cannot fully recover if a large part of the world population continues under a precarious living courtesy of COVID-19.

But such are the consequences of so anarchic a mode of production and distribution as capitalism.

So, on March 14, the 138th anniversary of Karl Marx’s death, his incisive critique of capitalism, inspired less by animosity towards his ideological foes and more by a genuine aspiration for a better human experience, retains its force and fervor. He was right in his analysis of capitalism as being characterized by anarchy in production — such that even in the face of such a ferocious disease, profit continues to take precedence over people, and the result is the inefficient allocation and misallocation of resources.

And this is not your usual market failure that can be remedied by some policy intervention. This is the glovesoff capitalism that is self-contradicting. Marx proposed a planned socialist economy as an alternative to the anarchy of capitalistic production. You don’t need to agree with him to see that he has a point and that a global plan of production, rather than the market, would have been the best approach for ensuring equitable access to the vaccine for the world’s population.

Trevor Lwere is a junior at Notre Dame majoring in economics, with a PPE minor. He hails from Kampala, Uganda and lives off campus. He is a dee-jay in his other life and can be reached at tlwere@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

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Classifieds

The observer | Monday, March 15, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Crossword | Will Shortz

Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Be ready to take action and get things done. Focus on your goals and doing the things that bring you the most joy. Take control of your life, and refuse to let what others do dictate what you can accomplish.

Success can be yours if you are willing to take what belongs to you and follow your dreams. Your numbers are 5, 13, 19, 24, 31, 36, 45.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Emotions will rise to the surface. Make kindness, compassion and mindfulness your intents, and you’ll avoid upset and anxiety caused by a misunderstanding. Show someone you love how much you care. A gesture of friendliness will bring you closer.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You’ll feel better once you have everything in order. The freedom you gain will lift your spirits and ensure that you reduce worry and stress. Don’t worry about what others do; focus on what brings you peace of mind.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Charm, a well-thought-out plan, discipline and hard work will pay off. Set your sights on something you want to pursue, and don’t stop until you reach your destination. You’ll be surprised by an opportunity that comes your way.

CANCER ( June 21-July 22): RGet past emotional anguish, and delve into what matters most to you. Personal growth, spirituality, educational pursuits and nurturing a relationship with someone you love will lead to positive changes and a better future. Make a commitment and follow through.

LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22): Take a chill pill and stop letting other people interfere with your plans. Making a change to please someone else will not help you dismiss the existing problems. Be true to yourself and honest about what you want. Stand your ground.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Less criticism and more encouragement will win favors. If you want to change, you have to go about it the right way. A partnership that offers freedom of opinion will stand a better chance than one that is dominated by one party.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Put your energy to work for you. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to get things done and to enhance your life.

Communication will lead to new ideas and plans. A meaningful relationship will get a boost if you do something energetic together.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Tidy up loose ends, then move on to more pleasurable activities. A creative outlet will encourage you to look at life differently and project a way to achieve a lifestyle that makes you feel good about yourself and your relationships with others.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Refuse to let someone misrepresent you.

Speak for yourself, and correct anyone offering misinformation about you, a friend or a family member. Your diligent approach to how you want to live and run your life will save you from someone’s meddling.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Be subtle regarding your plans and feelings.

Working alone will allow you to get more done in a shorter period without interference. Don’t present what you have to offer prematurely or under emotional duress.

AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Consider what makes you happy, and entertain ways to turn what you love to do into a moneymaking operation.

Channel your energy into home improvements that will cut your overhead and give you financial resources to hone your skills.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Put pizazz into everything you do. Share feelings, make suggestions and find out who will pitch in and help.

Surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you -- and vice versa — ­­ and success will follow.

Birthday Baby: You are enthusiastic, determined and innovative. You are energetic and impatient.

Sudoku | The Mepham Group

Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek

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Sports Authority

Predictions for the NBA season’s 2nd half Tom Zwiller Sports Writer

With the NBA All-Star game come and gone, the first half of the season is in the books, and with the second half just underway, I think it’s time to make predictions about how the season will finish.

The West The Favorites Utah Jazz: The Jazz were one of the biggest stories in the first half of the season, winning 22 of 25 like it was nothing.

They’ve slowed to 5-5 in their last 10, but I see no reason to think they can’t hold onto the No. 1 seed. If Anthony Davis doesn’t return to full strength for the Lakers, they could quickly close out the West.

1-Seed Phoenix Suns: In my column discussing the release of the NBA schedule start date, I had pegged the Suns as a playoff team, albeit a lower seed. They have beat my expectations and are looking like they could make a run at a Western Conference Championship. 3-Seed Los Angeles Lakers: I’m still high on the Lakers, and I still think of them as the team to beat. I know they are currently 4-6 in their last 10 games, but those ten are without Anthony Davis. When Lebron and AD are both on the floor, the Lakers are +15 per 100 possessions.

If AD continues to be injuryprone, the Lakers could lose in the second round. 2-Seed Los Angeles Clippers: I know the Clippers lost four of their last five heading into All-Star Weekend, with three of those losses coming to teams who were .500 or below. However, the loss to Milwaukee was a close one, as were those to the surging Celtics and Wizards.

I think the break came at the right time; they need to refocus if they don’t want to fall in the West. 4-Seed

The Contenders Portland Trailblazers: I expect to see Portland fall off a little bit in the second half of the season. It’s not because I think they are a terrible team; I just see the Nuggets and Mavericks as better teams. Yes, Portland is just two games back on the Clippers, but they only have a half a game lead on the Nuggets. 7-Seed Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets have been a hard team to get a feel for. Nikola Jokic has been incredible (31.6 PER) despite a lackluster start by Denver, but now is when I think they put it all together. 5-Seed

9

San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs are much like the Trailblazers; they have been good, but I think they will fall off in the second half.

The bench players have been outstanding, but I don’t think that’s enough. 8-Seed Dallas Mavericks: The Mavericks started the season slowly, and until recently, have been below .500. I think that they have improved their defense over the last few games, and I think they can keep winning. 6-Seed

The Hopefuls: Golden State Warriors: Without Klay Thompson, I thought that the Warriors would struggle to be competitive. While they certainly aren’t a favorite, they are very much in the mix thanks to Steph Curry having a season reminiscent of his unanimous MVP year. Play-in Team Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies sit at one game below .500, so their destiny is in their hands. They have a top-10 defense but lack the offensive firepower needed to win more games. They will likely be one of the play-in teams, just as they were last year. Play-in Team New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson has been consistently healthy this season and has shown why he was the No. 1 pick in his draft class. Zion is ranked 4th in PER in the league, and the Pelicans are 7th in Offensive Rating. The problem is defense, and I think it will cost them. First team out

The East The Favorites Philadelphia 76ers: The 76ers started hot but have since cooled, allowing the Brooklyn Nets to pull within half a game of them. I expect to see that trend continue and think the 76ers could fall as far as the No. 4 seed. 3-Seed Brooklyn Nets: This team is a historically good offensive team and they are 9-1 in their last ten despite Kevin Durant being injured. This team should secure the No. 1 seed shortly and is my pick to come out of the East. 1-Seed Milwaukee Bucks: At first glance, the Bucks don’t look nearly as dominant as they were last year, but don’t let that fool you. They are overcoming COVID-19 issues and are trying to find new defensive schemes.

I think they can challenge Brooklyn for control of the East.

2-Seed

The Contenders Boston Celtics: The Celtics have struggled despite the

amount of talent the team has. I think Kemba Walker’s injury has been the cause of the team’s troubles. When he was healthy, Boston was on a roll, and I expect them to pick back up where they left off.

4-Seed New York Knicks: I honestly didn’t see this coming at all. The Knicks are good and above .500. It’s primarily due to defense; they rank fourth in the league behind the Lakers, 76ers and Jazz.

If Derrick Rose’s acquisition helps like I think it will, the Knicks could be here to stay.

6-Seed Miami Heat: The Heat seem to have finally gotten through their COVID-19 issues and are playing good basketball.

Without Jimmy Butler, the Heat were 3-9. With him, they are a legitimate Playoff contender. 5-Seed Charlotte Hornets: Much like the Knicks, I didn’t see the Hornets being in the playoff hunt. This is due primarily to LaMelo Ball, who has played exceptional basketball for a rookie. I don’t know if I see them as a Playoff lock just yet, but the Hornets have a bright future. 8-Seed Toronto Raptors: The Raptors are yet another team who have had virus struggles, so I think being sub .500 makes sense. I think they could turn it around and should make the Playoffs.

7-Seed

The Hopefuls Chicago Bulls: The Bulls rank 16th in Offense and 21st in defense, so mediocre. If it weren’t for the play-in games, I would have them just missing the Playoffs. Play-in Team Indiana Pacers: When the Pacers sent away Victor Oladipo for Caris LeVert, I felt like it was the right move.

Oladipo had given clear indications he wouldn’t be returning to Indianapolis when his contract expired. No matter what they got back for him, the Pacers would still be worse off by making the right call, which is evident from their record.

Play-in Team Washington Wizards: When the Wizards traded away John Wall for Russell Westbrook, I thought it was merely going to be a trade to weaponize their cap. However, Bradley Beal has played out of his mind, and the Wizards have a shot. First team out Contact Tom Zwiller at tzwiller@hcc-nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Irish split road series versus UNC Observer Staff Report

After a strong showing in the 2021 Liberty Classic in Lynchburg, Va., where Notre Dame took four out of five from Liberty and Villanova, the Irish softball team looked to build off of their success as they traveled to Chapel Hill, N.C., for a four-game weekend series. Projected to finish 3rd in the ACC this year, the Irish (9-7, 3-5 ACC) looked to bounce back in conference play against the Tar Heels after a 1-3 start.

It was a slow start to the weekend as North Carolina (10-8, 6-3 ACC) won the opener by a score of 6-0. The Irish only produced six base runners and allowed three unearned runs. Senior pitcher Alexis Holloway allowed just five hits and struck out eight in 4.2 innings, but her five walks allowed much more opportunity for the Tar Heels.

Fortunately, the disappointment was short lived as the Irish were scorching hot out of the gate on Saturday afternoon, winning the first game by a score of 13-0. As a team, they amassed 17 hits, five of which came from senior centerfielder Abby Sweet while freshman first baseman Karina Gaskins and sophomore designated player Miranda Johnson also added three hits of their own. Junior and senior pitchers Payton Tidd and Morgan Ryan combined for the three-hit shutout. Tidd collected the win, moving her record in the circle to 3-4 on the year.

This success carried over

into the next game as well, where the Irish took the third game of the series by a score of 4-0. The offense came in the sixth inning in the form of two two-run home runs, one by Gaskins and one by junior pinch hitter Quinn Biggio. The star of the game was Holloway who pitched a complete game shutout, only allowing three hits and striking out six.

The Irish were looking to ride this high to their first ACC series win of the season, but they came up just short, losing the final game on Sunday by a score of 2-1. Tidd and senior preseason All-ACC pitcher Brittany Pickett of UNC were both dominant in the circle, but the Tar Heels were able to push one more run across in the bottom of the sixth inning, and the Irish were unable to answer.

A player to watch for the Irish as the year goes on is Sweet, who extended her onbase streak to an impressive total of 32 games, dating back to last season. She is now leading the ACC in batting average (.560), on-base percentage (.593), hits (28) and doubles (8).

Moving forward, the Irish look to showcase the dominant ball club that showed up on Saturday and put together a conference series win. Their next shot comes this weekend as they travel to Atlanta for a series with Georgia Tech (815, 3-11 ACC). This will be the last of their road series before they finally come home to Melissa Cook Stadium on Mar. 24.

ALLISON THORNTON | The Observer

Irish junior pitcher Payton Tidd winds up during Notre Dame’s 5-3 loss to Louisville on Mar. 24, 2019 at Melissa Cook Stadium.

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Sports

The observer | Monday, March 15, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

XC Continued from page 12

he has confidence that they will be ready to perform on Monday.

“Having all our guys be healthy, and the fact that they are all in the best shape that they have ever been, I like to think that might negate the fact that maybe we haven’t done what we would normally do going into a cross country just because of our location and access to those things,” he said.

Carlson discussed the challenging nature of the Oklahoma State Cross Country Course.

“We’ve never raced there, which poses some challenges, especially since some of the teams that we’re trying to compete with for a podium finish all have probably been there,” Carlson said. “Certainly it makes it challenging, but it’s just the circumstance that we’re in, and we really couldn’t have done much about it.”

Although the lack of hill training could be a potential worry, Carlson hopes that the hilly ten kilometer race can play into some of his team’s strengths as well.

“The national meet is 10K over hills, and I think it really plays into teams that are going to be very aerobically developed and have more strengthbased velocity in their training, which I think will help us a lot,” Carlson said. “I think that the course can play in our favor in some regards in that way.”

In addition to the weather and temperature outside, Carlson discussed how the indoor track season, which is also currently taking place, could affect the results. All of the Irish racing Monday have not participated in indoor track and solely focused on

cross country training.

“There are a lot of elements to this that don’t exist in a normal setting,” Carlson said.

“Some teams got some of their guys running indoor track, and the fitness requirements to run indoors, and the fitness requirements to run a 10K are very different.”

Carlson hopes that his team can run together in two packs at Monday’s race.

“I think the race should hopefully play out for us with [junior] Danny [Kilrea], [junior] Dylan [Jacobs], and [senior] Yared [Nuguse] trying to run as a pack together in that race. Our next pack, we’re going to try and run [freshman] Josh Methner, [sophomore] Jake Renfree, [senior] Andrew Alexander, and [graduate student] Kevin Salvano together,” Carlson said.

Carlson is excited to see some of his runners for the first time on the national stage, and he hopes his whole second pack can finish in the top-70 of the race.

“With Josh Methner and Jake Renfree, this is their first time at the national meet in cross country, and both of them look as good as they ever have, so it’s pretty exciting,” he said.

“Andrew Alexander was 67th last year at cross country nationals, which is a pretty good finish. And just the fact that I think that they can all run with him says a lot because if you can put all those guys in our second pack in the top 70 you are in a pretty good place.”

With everyone in their best shape, Carlson is confident the Irish can have a great race on Monday.

“I think if we run our ability level, I think we’ll have a really, really good day.”

Contact Nate Moller at nmoller2@nd.edu

Sports Authority

Here we go again: trying to fix the Cleveland Cavs Ellen Geyer Senior Sports Writer

I live a life of perpetual frustration.

Every time things seem to be looking up for the Cavs, they take a turn for the worse again. But hey, I guess that’s just how it goes when you’re a Cleveland sports fan.

I don’t think it’s dramatic to say that the Cavs had nothing to lose at the outset of the 2020-2021 season.

Having failed to qualify for the Orlando Bubble last year, the Cavs had a 10-month offseason — a span of time ideally for building up a young corps of players and developing better chemistry among veterans. Andre Drummond was acquired from Detroit in February 2020 in the hope of providing some perspective and experience to a directionless team. J.B. Bickerstaff replaced John Beilein as head coach. Isaac Okoro was picked up in the first round of the draft, and somehow Matthew Dellavedova made his way back to northeast Ohio. It was a revolving door of players and staff, all of whom made their way to provide some hope in a tumultuous period of rebuilding.

The Cavs haven’t had direction since LeBron left. The only relic that remains from his era is Kevin Love, who seems content returning to the NBA Finals in memory only. Don’t get me wrong, Kevin’s a great player (and an even better guy), but he’s simply not capable of putting the team on his back the way a certain 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward could.

Unfortunately, this is not a reality that Dan Gilbert or any of the front office guys in Cleveland have been able to realize yet, so Love is stuck as the face of a franchise he doesn’t seem particularly interested in playing for anymore.

With Love past his prime, the Cavs have tried to turn to Larry Nance Jr., son of former Cleveland legend Larry Nance Sr. But Nance has yet to blossom into the storyline that he’s been pigeonholed into. As a power forward

who’s been riddled with injuries, Nance is the only player left in a series of confusing 2018 trades the Cavs made in what seemed like an effort to rebuild. But with George Hill, Jordan Clarkson and Rodney Hood all gone, Nance seems less like a viable player and more like the fragmented remains of a failed experiment.

The most promising prospects the Cavs have are their young bloods, namely Colin Sexton and Darius Garland, a point guard pair that does most of the heav y lifting on the scoreboard. But neither Sexton nor Garland seem prepared to be the face of the franchise, leaving a situation that is nothing short of confusing in Cleveland.

That leaves the Cavs with a bunch of half-baked players. Love knows how to win championships, but sometimes it seems like he can hardly get himself up and down the court. Nance has a great storyline going for him, but he’s never really broken out as the star player everyone hoped he would be.

Sexton and Garland know how to play new-school ball, but they’re not ready to lead anyone besides themselves.

The Cavs are currently 14-24. They’re 13th in the Eastern Conference, 4-12 in their last 16, and some $19,000,0000 over the current 2020 NBA Salary Cap. With two more solid months of games ahead of them, Cleveland is going to have to do some serious introspection before the Mar. 25 trade deadline if they are to have any hope of a playoff appearance — or better yet, of some basketball that’s palatable. To that end, they have three big options: 1. Get rid of Andre Drummond. Drummond has been a very consistent piece of the Cavs scoring machine, a true center who can rebound like he means it. But there have been rumors of a Drummond buyout deal with Los Angeles or Brooklyn, and if there’s one thing Cleveland has learned the hard way (read J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson), it’s that they can’t keep players around who don’t want

to be there. The Lakers and the Nets have real money, and the Cavs could use the dollars to pick up a big man or two to fill the void Drummond would leave in the lane.

2. Off load Kevin Love.

Every time a trade deadline rolls around, Kevin seems to be on the chopping block. But years removed from the first rumors of a “Loveless” Cleveland, Kevin has not done much besides decline in value. Love represents an old era of Cavs basketball, and with his age and injury-prone body, sometimes it seems like he impedes growth more than he encourages it. It’d be nice if Cleveland could get rid of him while he still has some value; otherwise, he’ll continue to take up more cap space than he’s worth scoring-wise.

3. Trade Larry Nance Jr. and a sixth man or two.

Given that Nance hasn’t developed into the type of player the Cavs thought he could, it might finally be time to let him go. If Cleveland can sweeten the deal with the likes of Dylan Windler or Damyean Dotson, it might be worth their while — they could trade some frontcourt firepower for either cap space or future draft picks. Both of those things would contribute to the mission of building up a young team.

With all of that being said, I must conclude by admitting that things will not likely get better for the Cavs this year. If we’re lucky, we can expect a playoff-ready team in a season or two, but things have been confusing at best and catastrophic at worst in the aftermath of the LeBron era. But it’s only fair that they’re not doing well — after all, the Browns made the playoffs, and if there’s one thing I know, it’s that miracles can only come one at a time in Cleveland.

Contact Ellen Geyer at egeyer1@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

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FOR RENT Observer File Photo

Irish senior Yared Nuguse leads the pack at the Joe Piane Invitational on Oct. 4, 2019 at Notre Dame’s Burke Golf Course.

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She don’t know she’s that girl / That turns me on, wrecks my world / With a little smile / I bet I told her a thousand times / She don’t hear ‘em when they talk about her / Yet I hear ‘em all sayin’, “Who’s that guy / And what did he do

right?” / Yeah, when I tell her she don’t need makeup / She’s just perfect when she wakes up / She thinks I’m lyin’ / Oh but I ain’t lyin’ / she don’t know I lay beside her / Late at night and wonder why she’d / Settle for a guy like me

Sports

M Soccer Continued from page 12

the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ACC elected to continue with their fall season, but the NCA A tournament was postponed until April.

“I’ve been in college soccer for [about] 20 years now, and so it’s just weird to be playing games that count in the spring,” Riley said.

Riley said that delaying the NCA A tournament has allowed the team to develop more than in a usual year.

“You’re almost now getting an extra season because you have that pressure to win,” he said. “I thought our juniors who were juniors in the fall, really, they’re like seniors now. So they’re going to kind of get two senior years ... Hopefully we can grow as a team twice as much.”

The Irish took the lead less than seven minutes into the contest after junior forward Jack Lynn beat his defender and found senior midfielder Aiden McFadden in the penalty area. The Duke keeper made the first save, but after multiple def lections McFadden found the back of the net. Then, in the 33rd minute, the Irish sent a ball into the box which caught a Duke defender’s hand. Lynn calmly fired the subsequent penalty kick into the net.

The Irish’s top scorer, Lynn, is tied for the league lead with eight goals.

“We did exactly what we had hoped to do,” Riley said.

“We knew it was going to be a battle.”

The Irish settled in defensively in the second half, maintaining their advantage and preventing Duke from getting any dangerous

ndsmcobserver.com | Monday, March 15, 2021 | The Observer

chances. Each time Duke appeared poised to mount an attack, the Irish defense shut it down.

The Irish have five games scheduled over the next month and they are looking to make a push for the NCA A Tournament. 36 teams will qualify this year: 24 teams automatically qualifying by winning their conference and 12 at-large teams. While the Irish came up short in the fall ACC tournament, they still can secure an automatic bid by winning the coastal division.

“Whether we’re the automatic qualifier or not … I think we’ll be in a good spot with the historical strength of our conference,” Riley said.

Next up on the Irish schedule is a contest against Division III opponent Calvin College. This will be the Knights’ first contest of the campaign after postponing their fall season, but in 2019 they posted a 23-2-1 record, eventually falling in the Division III tournament semifinals.

The Irish started the spring portion of their season later than many other schools because Notre Dame’s semester began later, making it difficult to play any exhibition games.

“We just wanted another chance to play together,” Riley said. “We’ll use it as any game, we’ll play to win and hopefully be able to play well and use a lot of guys on the night.”

The match kicks off at 7 p.m. Tuesday night from Alumni Stadium and will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.

Contact Liam Coolican at lcoolica@nd.edu

Hockey Continued from page 12

Irish were going to dominate the game. After a Penn State penalty for too many men on the ice a minute and a half into the game, the Irish were able to convert on the power play. After a couple of rebounds and saves, the puck fell to senior forward Colin Theisen, who buried the puck in the back of the net 2:10 into the game to give the Irish an early 1-0 lead. Theisen was assisted by freshman forward Landon Slaggert and junior forward Alex Steeves.

It did not take the Irish long to strike again with sophomore forward Jesse Lansdell adding another one for the Irish to give Notre Dame a 2-0 advantage 2:41 into the game. Lansdell was assisted by senior defenseman Matt Hellickson and sophomore forward Max Ellis.

From that point on, though, it was all Penn State, as they put constant pressure on the Irish defense and senior goaltender Dylan St. Cyr for the remainder of the game.

Jackson discussed how the early goals affected his team.

“We might have thought it was going to be easy, and it caught up to us,” Jackson said. “Our team didn’t play anywhere near what we did in the first ten minutes.”

Jackson discussed what went well at the beginning of the game.

“We had sustained pressure in the offensive zone,” Jackson said. “We got pucks in deep and really did a good job of working the puck corner to corner and low to high and getting traffic to the goal.”

The Nittany Lions were finally able to convert one of their many opportunities late into the first period after a review determined that Penn State freshman forward Christian Sarlo’s shot had scraped the upper netting of the goal. After the goal, the Nittany Lions continued to put pressure on the Irish,

W Bball Continued from page 12

JUNYA KANEMITSU | The Observer

Irish junior forward Jack Lynn controls the ball during Notre Dame’s 4-2 win over Seattle on Sept. 6, 2019 at Alumni Stadium.

contact. She would also chip in with two assists and a rebound as the Irish led 17-15 after the first quarter.

In the second quarter, another freshman got in on the action. Doit-all forward Maddy Westbeld — named ACC Freshman of the Year after leading Notre Dame in scoring and rebounding at 15.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game and coming in second in assists and blocks — chipped in with eight points after a scoreless opening stanza. Thanks to that effort, the Irish found themselves ahead 3629 at the half.

Westbeld picked up where she left off to start the second half, scoring Notre Dame’s first four

11

but the Irish held onto their 2-1 lead at the end of the first period.

Jackson talked about what that first goal did to his team.

“After they got that first goal, the tide started changing,” Jackson said. “I think that we turned the puck over too many times against a team that transitions too well like Penn State.”

It was the Nittany Lions who dominated the second period, as they won the period 3-0 and took a 4-2 lead over the Irish. Sophomore forward Connor McMenamin of the Nittany Lions scored the first second period goal, drilling a puck by St. Cyr 3:19 into the period to tie the game up at 2 points apiece.

After killing an Irish power play, McMenamin and the Penn State offense continued to be an issue for the Irish.

After an Irish mistake on defense, McMenamin slipped another shot by St. Cyr off of a one-on-one breakaway shot to give Penn State a 3-2 lead halfway through the second period.

Things only got worse for the Irish. A few minutes later, the Irish were called for a tripping penalty and were under heav y pressure again with the Nittany Lions putting shot after shot on St. Cyr. Eventually, the Nittany Lions were able to breakthrough yet again and score their fourth consecutive goal and third of the period to take a 4-2 lead.

After killing a Penn State power play early on in the third period, the Irish were in desperate need of a goal to get back in the game, but it was the Nittany Lions who continued to generate the better chances and keep constant pressure on St. Cyr and the Irish defense. With 11:40 to go in the game, the Nittany Lions broke through again and scored off of a rebound to take a commanding 5-2 lead and put the game out of reach for the Irish.

The Irish got one goal back off of a power play with just under nine minutes to go in

the game. After sending St. Cyr to the bench to gain a two man advantage, freshman forward Ryder Rolston snuck the puck past Penn State senior goaltender Oskar Autio for his first career collegiate goal to cut the lead to 5-3.

Rolston was assisted by junior forward Jake Pivonka.

Unfortunately for the Irish, they were called for a charging penalty seconds later, killing some of the momentum from the goal. After killing the power play, the Irish emptied the net with three minutes to go, but they were not able to break through and score again. Instead, the Nittany Lions added an empty net goal with under a minute to go and secure the 6-3 victory.

With the loss, the Irish are eliminated from the Big Ten Tournament and will likely not make the NCA A Tournament. Although the Irish were going to miss the NCA A Tournament last year before the pandemic began, this year would mark the first time since 2015 that the Irish officially missed the tournament.

Jackson discussed what this loss means for his team’s chances at making the tournament.

“I think we deserve some respect for the NCA A Tournament,” Jackson said.

“Today was important to put ourselves in position, but the conference is so strong. We are one of the few teams in the country that has played 12 games against three of the top six teams in the country. Our record could be a lot better if we were playing the bottom teams from other conferences.”

With the win, Penn State moves on to the semifinals where they will take on Wisconsin at 4:30 p.m. ET on Monday afternoon. The Irish will wait until next Sunday to hear about their fate for the NCA A Tournament.

points. Junior guard Dara Mabrey and graduate student guard Destinee Walker also continued their efforts from the first half as the Irish built a 52-42 advantage with 1:33 to go in the third quarter.

However, the Tigers would go on an 8-0 run in a span of 83 seconds to make it a two-point game.

A Vaughn layup with one second left salvaged a scrap of momentum for the Irish as they took a four-point edge into the final period.

It was Vaughn and Westbeld fighting to keep Notre Dame on top in the fourth quarter. But with a 60-57 edge with under five minutes to go, the Irish gave up backto-back offensive rebounds on free throws that gave the Tigers the lead.

A three-pointer to make it

64-60 Clemson with 18 seconds left ended up being the nail in the coffin. A Westbeld and-1 made it 64-63 with 14 seconds left, but Clemson knocked down four free throws down the stretch to establish the final margin.

The bane of the Irish was the Tigers’ freshman guard Gabby Elliot, who scored a game-high 25 points on 10-22 field goals. Mabrey and Miles each scored 10 points to complement Westbeld’s 21 as the Irish dominated the points in the paint battle 40-22. However, Clemson advantages in turnovers (17-23), points off turnovers (296), second chance points (18-4) and made free throws (19-9) ultimately did Notre Dame in.

Now, the Irish leave their fate up to the selection committee as they hope to make their 25th consecutive NCAA Tournament.

Contact Nate Moller at nmoller2@nd.edu

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The observer | Monday, March 15, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

hockey | PSU 6, ND 3

ND Cross Country

Men look for success at NCAAs

By NATE MOLLER Sports Writer

The Notre Dame men’s cross country team will travel to Stillwater, Okla. to participate in the NCAA Cross Country Championships this coming Monday. In a year full of craziness due to the pandemic, the NCAA Championships were pushed back from the typical November date to this Monday.

Head coach Sean Carlson discussed how grateful he and his team are to have a championship meet.

“I think competition gives a lot of our guys a sense of purpose. It kind of keeps them going,” Carlson said. “After such a long year off and everything that we’ve had over the last year, I think it creates a sense of normalcy for things moving forward. We’re just really, really excited to be able to race now, regardless of the outcome.”

The Irish men finished in 14th place at last year’s meet, and Carlson hopes that his team can

Irish crumble after hot start in Big Ten Tourney opener

place better this year and assert themselves as one of the best cross country programs in the country.

“We want to establish our program as being hopefully a more consistent podium contending team, and just kind of keep improving our program from there,” Carlson said. “We’ve gotten to the point where we think we’re a consistent top ten team, and we’re trying to strive for that next level and be a top podium contending team.”

Carlson mentioned how the difficulties of the South Bend winter and topography have affected his team’s training.

“We weren’t maybe able to get outside on grass as much as we would have liked,” he said. “The national meet is probably one of the most challenging courses in the NCAA in terms of hills, and in South Bend, it’s pretty tough to get on any hills.”

Despite this, Carlson is thankful that his team is healthy, and see XC PAGE 10

By NATE MOLLER Sports Writer

ERIN FENNESSY | The Observer

Senior forward Colin Theisen looks to pass during a 5-2 Irish win over Wisconsin on Jan. 25, 2020 at Compton Family Ice Arena.

The Notre Dame hockey team was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament Sunday afternoon at Compton Family Ice Arena when the fourthseeded Irish lost to the fifthseeded Penn State Nittany Lions by a score of 6-3.

After the game, head coach Jeff Jackson talked about how challenging it is to beat a team multiple times. The Irish (14-13-2, 12-10-2 Big Ten) were coming off of a dominating sweep of Penn State (10-11-0, 7-11-0 Big Ten) last weekend.

“It’s just so tough to beat a team four straight times,” Jackson said. “For them this was their fifth straight game against us. It’s just challenging, especially after play ing them last weekend.”

Initially, it looked like the see HOCKEY PAGE 11

ND WOmen’s basketball | Clemson 68, ND 63

ND Men’s Soccer | ND 2, Duke 0

Notre Dame drops Duke in Tigers top Irish in ACC Tourney 3rd spring slate game

By LIAM COOLICAN

Observer Staff Report

Sports Writer

First half goals from Aiden McFadden and Jack Lynn and a dominant defensive performance throughout helped guide the Notre Dame men’s soccer team (7-5, 4-3 ACC) to a 2-0 road victory over Duke (3-8-2, 2-5 ACC) on Friday night.

“I think it’s starting to be our identity,” head coach Chad Riley said of the defense.

The Irish did not allow the Blue Devils even a single shot on target during Friday’s match.

“Any team that hopes to win in the tournament has to be outstanding defensively,” Riley said.

Since returning to play for the spring portion of the season, the Irish have allowed just one goal in three games.

Multiple conferences, including the Big Ten and Pac12, decided to move their fall season to the spring due to

Observer File Photo

see M SOCCER PAGE 11

Irish senior midfielder Aiden McFadden gets a header during Notre Dame’s 4-2 win over Seattle on Sept. 6, 2019 at Alumni Stadium.

The Notre Dame women’s basketball team will be waiting with bated breath until 7 p.m. Monday.

That’s the scheduled time for the 2021 women’s NCAA Tournament Selection Show, wherein the Irish (10-10, 8-7 ACC) will learn their postseason destiny.

The ACC’s sixth-seeded Notre Dame dropped their opening match of the conference tournament on Mar. 4 in a 68-63 decision to Clemson. It was one year to the day after the 2020 version of the Irish (shouldering a record of 13-18, 8-10 in the ACC) saw their season end with a first-round conference tournament exit against five-win Pittsburgh.

This postseason’s matchup with the Tigers was a rematch of the Irish’s most lopsided defeat of head coach Niele Ivey’s first season at the reins in South Bend.

Notre Dame was plagued by foul trouble in that Dec. 20 road trip as they fell 78-55. Coming into the rematch, Ivey acknowledged that at least one win in the conference tournament could be the difference in their resume being

tournament-worthy.

With two-and-a-half months to prepare for a rematch, Notre Dame found themselves leading the Tigers 54-50 after three quarters of play and with a solid chance of advancing to the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.

However, a problem that has plagued the Irish reared its head as they collapsed in the final period, allowing the Tigers to double them up 18-9 in the period.

The first period was a backand-forth affair, with Notre Dame getting senior forward Mikayla Vaughn involved early with an and-1 layup to go up 3-0 from the jump and another close-range layin to retake a 7-6 lead. From there, freshman point guard Olivia Miles — who was not on the roster in the previous matchup with the Tigers as she enrolled in the spring — looked to make a statement in her postseason debut.

Miles found her way to the charity stripe on three occasions in the opening stanza, converting 4-5 attempts with the lone miss coming after a basket through see W BBALL PAGE 11