Print Edition of The Observer for Tuesday, February 7, 2017

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Volume 51, Issue 81 | tuesday, february 7, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

Mass addresses immigrants, refugees Fr. Daniel Groody preaches message of acceptance and peace in light of recent executive order

By EMILY McCONVILLE News Writer

At a Mass for immigrants and refugees at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Monday night, associate professor of theolog y Fr. Daniel Groody said the United States’ and Catholics’ attitude towards immigrants and refugees is of utmost importance.

“W hat is at stake now is not just our politics, but our ver y salvation,” he said.

The Mass was sponsored by Campus Ministr y, the Office of the President and Student Government.

Universit y president Fr. John Jenkins presided, and student government leaders and Notre Dame Right to Life president

A ly Cox read prayers and scripture, respectively.

The Mass came little more than a week after President Donald Trump issued an executive order banning the issuance of v isas to nationals of seven Muslimmajorit y countries for 90 days and stopping the admission of refugees for 120 days, in order to rev iew the countr y’s immigration vetting process.

The order, which a federal judge temporarily stayed over the weekend allow ing some v isa holders to enter the countr y, sparked protests around the world and in South Bend. It also created see MASS PAGE 4

KATELYN VALLEY | The Observer

The Notre Dame community celebrates Mass in honor of immigrants and refugees on Monday night at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. The service emphasized justice and humanitarian concern.

Film festival showcases international cinema

By JORDAN COCKRUM News Writer

Cinema from all over the world came to Saint Mary’s on Monday at its annual World Cinema Festival.

The Center for Women’s Intercultural Leadership (CWIL) puts on the festival, which screens an international film each night of the festival’s run. The World Cinema Festival continues through Thursday.

“It’s just another one of our initiatives for internationalization on campus, bringing the world to Saint Mary’s and to the community,” Mana Derakhshani, director of CWIL, said. “We have people from the South Bend community who come.”

CWIL hosts the festival because it furthers their mission, Julie Storme, World Cinema Festival organizer and associate director of CWIL, said.

“That’s what CWIL is

NEWS PAGE 3

about,” Storme said. “It’s about intercultural women’s leadership, so it’s verymuch in the spirit of our office.”

The process for selecting the four films involves taking into account several factors of both the production and subject matter of the film, Storme said.

“We try to look for fairly recent films by women directors and/or a film focused on an issue of particular interest to women,” she said. “We don’t always find four films that fit into the category because we also try to distribute them in different regions around the world, and we try to vary them each year.”

In selecting Monday’s film, “Nora’s Will”, Storme said she decided she wanted to include a Mexican film because the festival had never featured one before.

“I was committed to getting a Mexican film this year,” Storme said.

SCENE PAGE 5

“Nora’s Will” is not only a Mexican film, but also touches on themes that are not traditionally thought of, Storme said.

“It’s just a great film by a woman director,” Storme said. “It also is focused on a Jewish family in Mexico, and most people do not think about Jewish traditions in Mexico so that seemed like a good way to expand people’s horizons.”

Tuesday’s film, “Hannah Arendt,” was chosen because the director, Margarethe Von Trotta, has visited Saint Mary’s in the past, Storme said. “[Trotta] was here last year, so we thought it would be appropriate to show one of her films,” Storme said.

“It’s a very powerful film, about both a very important woman thinker.”

The films to be screened on Wednesday and Thursday see FILMS PAGE 4

VIEWPOINT PAGE 7

Students study in Silicon Valley

Photo courtesy of Luke Duane

Computer science and computer engineering students take a break from studying and interning to tour CBS Interactive in California.

By MEGAN VALLEY Associate News Editor

A few weeks ago, the first ever group of 10 computer science and computer engineering students traveled to California to begin their semester studying in Silicon Valley.

The program has been in the works since Notre Dame California interim director Patrick Flynn was on sabbatical

ND W basketball PAGE 12

last school year.

“Things went quiet in the early spring semester of 2016 because [former Notre Dame California director Greg] Crawford was starting to transition to Miami University, but when I was asked to step in as the interim director for Notre Dame California, this idea was revived and I was encouraged to pursue it,” he said. “Since see PROGRAM PAGE 3

Men’s basketball PAGE 12

2

TODAY

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“Bagel Bites.”

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EMMET FARNAN | The Observer

Junior Alex Altobelli showcases a Notre Dame Rocket Team sub-scale rocket to local children and their families at the South Bend Public Library’s annual “Science Alive” event. The event is meant to encourage interest in STEM subjects in local children.

The next Five days:

Want your event included here?

Email news@ndsmcobserver.com

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Men’s Basketball vs.

Wake Forest Purcell Pavilion 7 p.m.

The Irish take on the Demon Deacons.

Lecture: “Concentrating Solar Energy” DeBartolo Hall 313 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.

An ND Energy Series.

Lecture: “Seasonal Poverty and Seasonal Migration” Hesburgh Center for International Studies 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Lecture: “Innovative Energy Generation” Mendoza College of Business 10:40 a.m. - 12:10 p.m.

Open to public.

Total Body Conditioning Rolf’s Sports Recreation Center 11 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

Space is limited.

Discussion: “The Half-life of Freedom: Race and Justice in America” Jordan Auditorium 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Memes and Masculinity LaFortune Student Center 5 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Food provided.

Film: “Once Upon a Time There Lived a Simple Woman” DeBartolo Performing Arts Center 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Performance: Bach’s Lunch DeBartolo Performing Arts Center 12:10 p.m. - 1:10 p.m.

Men’s Basketball vs.

Florida State Purcell Pavilion 6 p.m.

The Irish take on the Seminoles.

Free but ticketed.

News

ndsmcobserver.com | tuesday, february 7, 2017 | The Observer

3

Professor analyzes post-communist transition

By MARIE FAZIO News Writer

“President Putin’s goals are very simple: to ‘Make Russia Great Again.’”

George Liber, professor in the department of history at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said this in his lecture Monday night called “Back to the Future: Soviet Collapse, the Long Post-Communist Transition and Putin’s Interventions in Ukraine, 2004-2014.” This talk, sponsored by the Nanovic Institute for European Studies, was centered on Ukraine’s post-Soviet Union history and President Putin’s interventionist role. Liber most recently authored “Total Wars and the Making of Modern Ukraine.”

Liber spoke of the history in post soviet Ukraine in the past 25 years following the collapse of the Soviet system in 1991 and the emergence

Program Continued from page 1

that time, it’s been a matter of setting things up and getting it into place and identifying students to come out here and then making things go when they started arriving earlier in the semester.”

Students involved in the program split their time between three classes — all offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays — and an internship.

Junior computer science major Luke Duane is working 20 hours a week as a data scientist with OpsPanda, a sales-resource planning startup that reached out to him.

“Currently, I’m getting used to the company and how they do stuff and the code and what not, and they’re going to do that for a few weeks — then I’ll get

of 15 independent republics.

Liber said upon its independence Ukraine had a plethora of problems, including deep internal divisions, flawed political design and major corruption which prevented the new “demokratura” — a blend of democracy and dictatorship — from running smoothly. A lack of economic reform in Ukraine had economic costs, such as a major decrease of GDP and a hyperinflation rate of over 10,000 percent, Liber said.

Liber warned against reading too much into the information, stating that Russian speakers in Ukraine are not always Putin supporters.

“These statistics are even more complex — there are other issues involved, not just ethnic or language differences in Ukraine,” he said. “Ukraine is essentially a country in which a population is co-mingled. The Russian population in Ukraine and the Ukrainian

population in Ukraine are not that different.”

In a struggle to maintain a solid political regime and therefore defaulting to a pluralist system of sorts, Ukrainian politicians often struggle with resistance becoming corrupt, Liber said.

“These demokratura have democratic trappings — they have constitutions, they have parliaments, they have elections and guarantees of freedom of speech and assembly. In practice, however, according to Asherson, they are manipulated to maintain the privileges of the post communist elite. The authorities in Russia, as well as in Ukraine, discretely falsify elections as well as use violence against some political challengers … the important thing is to keep your mob in power by persuading your people and the outside world that the political process at least roughly reflects the popular will,” Liber said.

This style of corrupt governance ultimately caused two major crises in Ukraine, he said. Liber recounted the events following President Viktor Yanukovych’s rigged election, Yanokovych’s refusal to sign an EU trade agreement due to President Putin’s opposal to it, and his false imprisonment of Yulia Tymoshenko, a political opponent.

Each of these events culminated in public demonstrations, some of which turned violent.

“This was the worst political violence in the history of Ukraine since the independence,” Liber said.

Liber said that the violence that happened in Ukraine was a result of the peoples’ attempts to find a common future. He said Westernizers, moderate reformists and “Soviet-ophiles” all see Ukraine heading in different directions. Nonetheless, he said, Putin’s interventions have not swayed the

deep-rooted desire for growth and change in the Ukraine.

“Despite everything that Putin did, Ukraine did sign this EU association agreement,” Liber said.

“Most citizens after 1914 aspired to move closer to Europe than ever before. The hybrid war that Russia conducted in Eastern Ukraine since 2014 only served in the post-Soviet consolidation of the Ukrainian identity, introducing new perceptions of what it means to be Ukrainian. Not that one defines oneself as Ukrainian by ethnic or linguistic realms, but rather one defines oneself as Ukrainian by means of civic standards.”

Although Liber said historians probably shouldn’t make predictions, he said he believes that the conflict in the Ukraine will exist for a very long time.

assigned to a project that I’ll be working with another intern so we’ll be working on that for the rest of the semester,” he said.

Initially, the classes are being held at Menlo College in Atherton, Calif., but construction on the “physical home of Notre Dame California” in downtown Palo Alto recently wrapped up and classes will move there soon, Flynn said.

“We’re not going to be able to hold courses until [Feb. 21] because the internet connection hasn’t been activated,” he said.

“It will be activated in the next week or so. Once that happens and we get the networking installed, then the courses will migrate from Menlo, where they’re being held in pretty much a traditional lecture hall with a projector to the Palo Alto facility, which has a very nice teaching space as well as small meeting rooms.”

The facility will be the hub for Notre Dame California for the next three years, per an agreement with the owner of the building, AT&T. “At the end of that time, there will be a decision about to continue using that space or to move to a new space,” Flynn said. “That’s going to depend on growth, not only of the Silicon Valley Semester program, but the other things that are underway at Notre Dame California.”

Of the courses being offered to students in the Silicon Valley Semester, only one — taught by Flynn — is being taught on site.

The others are through the online platform offered through the Office of Digital Learning or through two-way live video streaming, Flynn said.

“I think a recipe for growth for [Notre Dame California] is going to involve those things, but we’re also going to have to

identify some local teaching talent, possibly through some of the other local schools to see if they’re interested in sharing courses and work out a mix of course offerings,” he said. “It’s a fact that the cost of living out here is rather high, so I think our ability to bring people out here to teach is fairly limited, so we’ll have to see what we can do in collaboration with other schools and that’s something we’ll be paying more attention to that as we build up other programs to take advantage of the facility and the space while we’re out here.”

Looking forward, Flynn said he hopes to expand the study programs being offered by Notre Dame California.

“We’re looking at an undergraduate study program for Arts and Letters in Los Angeles — you could even imagine similar experiences in San Diego and in

Orange County,” he said. “All of those have been discussed as part of the growth plan for Notre Dame California.

“We certainly want all majors to have opportunities out here — we don’t want to limit offerings just to STEM majors,” Flynn said.

In addition to classes and internships, Flynn said he has helped organize a host of “outside activities” for the students, one being weekly dinners with Notre Dame alums.

“What we do is we meet at an area restaurant, we bring in one of the alumni, and they have the chance during the meal and after the meal to talk about their experiences in California, what Notre Dame was like when they were there,” he said. “Certainly, there’s a tech orientation to many of the people, but they’re not exclusively technologists. We have people who are more on the venture capitalist side and some other friends of Notre Dame as well.”

Duane said the dinners have been a great way to connect back to the University while he’s studying in California.

“It’s something I didn’t really realize until I got out here — I had always heard about the Notre Dame network and how deep it is and how many people are out there, willing to help Notre Dame alums,” he said. “I always believed it, but I didn’t really meet it face-to-face until I entered this program. “ … It’s really cool to meet these people that went to the same school and have found so much success and they’re so well intertwined with the area. They’re very adamant about us reaching out for anything we need. It’s kind of a realization of the abstract Notre Dame network I’ve always heard about that I didn’t actually realize, but it’s kind of come alive and it’s been great to meet those people.”

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Conatact Marie Fazio at mfazio@nd.edu

Contact Megan Valley at mvalley@nd.edu

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Mass Continued from page 1

uncertainty for the approximately 30 students from the seven countries at Notre Dame as to whether they would be able to return home and come back, or get a job in this country.

In his homily, Groody, who is also the director of Immigration Initiatives at the Institute of Latino Studies and has written and edited several books about immigration, directly addressed the executive order, focusing primarily on its effect on refugees. He recalled Pope Francis’ pastoral visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa, where many refugees arrive in unsafe boats, in 2013.

Groody said the Mass reflected Francis’ compassion for refugees.

“We care about issues of national security, the future of our country,” Groody said.

“We care about human insecurity and justice and peace around the world. At the same time, we are troubled by the decisions of our political leaders, decisions being made to build walls and close doors. But our readings remind us that as we build walls around our identities, we build walls around our hearts and keep God out as well.”

Groody compared the United States’ intake of Syrian refugees to that of Jordan and Germany, who have resettled 1 million each; Lebanon, which has resettled 2 million, and Turkey, which has resettled 3 million. The U.S. has resettled 18,000.

“Now our leaders say even this is too much, that this must change to keep us safe, to protect our homes, to ‘Make America Great Again.’

On the surface this is appealing, seductive rhetoric, for who would not want to be safe and secure and prosperous?” he said. “But … closing our doors not only deprives a stranger in need, it diminishes who we are personally and collectively.”

Groody said attending to the needs of people both within and outside U.S. borders is a key part of Catholic Social Teaching.

“Even if a country has a political right to control its borders, it also has a moral responsibility to be in the world and to do good for the world,” he said.

Groody, quoting French diplomat and writer Alexis de Tocqueville, said part of what makes America great is its goodness.

“Let me say this even more strongly,” he said. “The current executive order is not just about migrants and refugees, but the core values of our country and the shaping of the soul of our nation and presently betrays the

foundational principles of our forefathers.”

“Immigration is not our central problem,” he added.

“Immigration is rather a symptom of deeper problems, like war, poverty, human rights violations, religious intolerance. Underneath these is what Pope Francis calls the ‘globalization of indifference’ — the feeling that, ‘The migrant and refugee crisis is not my problem. It’s not my concern,’ and in this case it’s not America’s responsibility.”

Groody quoted Pope Francis’ 2013 sermon at Lampedusa at length, in which the Pope asked forgiveness for the world’s indifference to the migrant crisis.

“In so many ways Francis reminds us that when we become so used to the suffering of others we lose to the ability to lament, we’ve lost something of our own humanity,” he said. “We’re not here to talk about politics but to proclaim

and to live the Gospel, even and especially when there are ramifications relating to the political discord of our society.”

Groody invoked Jesus Christ as both an example of an immigrant and as a model of compassion.

“So we do so not just out of humanitarian concern, but response to the God who first showed us and came to our world as a migrant from Nazareth.”

At Pope Francis’ Mass in Lampedusa in 2013, a spe cial chalice was used whicwas made from driftwood from a recent shipwreck that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of migrants. One of the chalices used for communion wine at the Notre Dame mass was also made of driftwood from Lampedusa, as well as mesquite wood from the American Southwest, another site of mass migration.

Those attending the

Mass were also encouraged to touch a piece of a boat placed in the center aisle of

Films Continued from page 1

the Basilica, process to the Grotto after the Mass for further prayer and then attend an information session and short film about Syrian refugees at LaFortune Student Center.

are “Desert Flower” and “Wolf Totem,” respectively. “[Students should go] to learn how life is different in other places, to learn about what the world thinks about things and issues that they might not know about,” Storme said. “Also at a women’s college, to appreciate the contribution that women have made to cinema in the world.”

Storme said the World Cinema Festival allows for a widening of cultural knowledge.

“We live in a world where we come in increasing contact with one another, [and] I feel it is our responsibility to know about the world,” Storme said.

Contact Emily McConville at emcconv@nd.edu

Contact Jordan Cockrum at jcockrum01@saintmarys.edu

“Even if a country has a political right to control its borders, it also has a moral responsibility to be in the world and to do good for the world.”

Fr. Daniel Groody professor of theology

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The observer | tuesday, february 7, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

By ADRIAN MARK LORE Scene Writer

While hosting the 40th season finale of “Saturday Night Live,” Louis C.K. joked in his opening monologue that, as a result of “mild racism” he developed as a child in the ’70s, he would be mildly amused to learn that a pizza place was run by four African-American women. Unless, he said, it were some type of novelty venue — “like that’s the whole point of the place.”

A similar prejudice plagues the music industry, but its expression is often more than mild. Still today, bands made up exclusively of women are treated like novelty side-shows, even after these same groups have lobbied ferociously against the use of “girl band” — a term laden with sexist connotations. They are treated, in C.K.’s selfaware language, as though their female identity is “the whole point” of their musical career.

Among the bands that emerged from the feminist punk movement rooted in Olympia, Washington, SleaterKinney became not only the most successful, but the most committed to subverting this gendered nomenclature.

The group was the brainchild of Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker, two of the riot grrrl movement’s loudest voices; yet only through rejection of the “girl band” label that had once seemed empowering, they saw, could their music become as transcendent as they aspired.

As band-member Carrie Brownstein lucidly pointed out in her 2015 memoir, “Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl,” the entire riot grrrl movement of the early ’90s was naively predicated on femininity. Though the movement’s goal

By ERIN McAULIFFE Scene Editor

Scene is constantly on the lookout for what to watch so we can provide our readers a compass to navigate the constantly saturated flow of entertainment.

The Super Bowl is something everyone watches, even if just for the commercials and Lady Gaga’s drones. This year many commercials targeted a “watching” audience to watch more. Here’s a guide to help you decide what’s hot and what’s not from the Super Bowl ads.

What To Watch: That girl from T-Mobile dance some more (take note, Missy Elliot) T-Mobile had quite a few spots in Sunday’s primetime programming, but any one featuring Justin Bieber is bound to spark conversation. In the #UnlimitedMoves spot “the Biebs” was upstaged and out-sassed by a young female hiphop dancer. Her moves give the Abby Lee Dance Company a run for their money.

“The Handmaid’s Tale” The red capes. The cult premise. Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss). This adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s fiction novel looks eerie but visually appealing — and addicting. Hulu seems to be promising premium content, a welcome

was to challenge sexism both in the music industry and in society at large, the very allusion to womanhood in the movement’s name only drew greater attention to gender, underscoring biases rather than subverting them. It was a modern minstrelsy for radical feminism.

Given their political irreverence and unique voice — not to mention raw talent — it is no coincidence that SleaterKinney has become one of America’s finest and most prominent rock outfits in recent decades. The band remained massively influential even after a decade of hiatus following the 2005 record “The Woods.” With the release of “No Cities to Love” upon the group’s reunion in 2015, its members had issued an unnecessary reminder of their musical prowess and emotional power — nobody had forgotten.

Similarly, the trio’s latest record — and first live album — is a certified victory lap. “Live in Paris” is a visceral replay of late-career highlights performed at their bombastic best, and the record leaves nothing to be desired in that regard. With the inclusion of the anti-capitalist opener “Price Tag,” the consumerist indictment of “Entertain” and even the career-defining classic “Dig Me Out,” SleaterKinney demonstrates its ability to remain both empathetically approachable and politically fearsome.

In other important aspects, however, “Live in Paris” nearly misses the mark. For a band so aesthetically fixated on rawness and force, the live record feels surprisingly like a studio album, with a level of polish unusual for a live affair — especially for Sleater-Kinney. The inclusion of many post-hiatus hits most likely contributes to this sense, given that “No Cities to Love” is arguably the band’s most

carefully engineered release.

Even the performance itself, while as powerful as the tracks performed, is also quite “by the book.” The businesslike way the group takes to the stage and blazes through the set-list with minimal audience engagement diminishes the impact of the experience — even for the remote listener — given that Sleater-Kinney’s music is so rooted in pathos. Raucous cheers between tracks feel almost like canned laughter as a result. While none of these three women speak French, one is left to wonder why, then, the band would decide upon this performance as the most representative and powerful of its post-hiatus shows.

Fortunately, the songs alone carry the group’s timeless force, and it is hard to feel dissatisfied overall. SleaterKinney’s music is so high-energy that even a tame performance blows the audience away, and on “Live in Paris” they demonstrate no differently.

addition to a platform that seems lost between the Netflix and online cable provider models.

The 84 Lumber ad — in full Fox Broadcasting Company made 84 Lumber amend their Super Bowl spot to remove an image of President Trump’s proposed wall. But it’s 2017 and YouTube exists: When word got out, visitors crashed 84Lumber.com trying to see the ad in full. The full ad (available on YouTube) shows a wooden door carved into the wall, followed by the message “The will to succeed is always welcome here.”

“Genius” National Geographic played on Lady Gaga’s halftime show to draw audiences into Einstein’s rendition of “Bad Romance.” Combine that with an intriguingly vague, intense montage and the show has my attention.

Melissa McCarthy’s SNL bit — again In a Kia spot, McCarthy attempted to save the whales, the trees, the ice caps and more in what was lauded as a “Hero’s Journey.” With her Sean Spicer skit on SNL the night before, Sunday’s commercial was well timed — people had been referring to her cross-gender casting’s brilliant results as “heroic” all day. Plus, the commercial added some of the best humor of the night.

Kristen Schaal in a “50 Shades of Gray” spoof In a sensual ad that made Corinne’s antics on “The Bachelor” seem PG, Kristen Schaal teased a “50 Shades of

Gray” spoof for T-Mobile featuring Verizon’s data overage fees as sadomasochistic punishments. The “blockbuster” was more enticing than “Pirates of The Caribbean 89,” “Scarlett Johansson in Yeezy Season 3” and whatever else the Super Bowl’s action film spots were showcasing.

Reminiscent of her character on “Flight of the Conchords,” Schaal’s feature was more memorable than Bieber’s for the brand.

“Stranger Things 2” At first I thought it was an Eggo ad gone awry, but then: the font. Guess I have until Halloween to finally work up enough courage to watch the first season.

Contact Adrian Mark Lore at lore.1@nd.edu

“Live in Paris” Sleater-Kinney Label: Sub Pop Tracks: “What’s Mine Is Yours (Live),” “Price Tag (Live)” If you like: Savages, Yo La Tengo, Tacocat

What Not To Watch: “Real Awful Moms / World of Tanks” Quite honestly, I did want to watch this fake reality show (see “Dance Moms” and “The Bachelor” references above), but then a tank rolled into the scene and the voice of BopIt (not a verified fact, but seems legitimate) yelled “Tanks Rule!”

An ad for the Nintendo Switch Two words: Imagine Dragons.

Daytona Day Two words: Daytona Day. Contact Erin McAuliffe at emcaulif@nd.edu LINDSEY MEYERS | The Observer

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The observer | tuesday, february 7, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

Inside Column

Poetic justice John Darr Scene Writer

“Certain types of institutional recognition (people writing articles about you, winning awards, etc.) don’t necessarily even lead to that many people seeing your work. … I decided I’d rather seek a bigger living audience over prestige or institutional respect.” – Steve Roggenbuck, internet poet Notre Dame’s only copies of “AGNI” volumes 80-85 have been sitting on my dorm bookshelf for the last three months. AGNI is one of the world’s most respected literary journals; its memorable title, intriguing cover design and forward-thinking work make it the sort of book which sells itself from a display shelf.

Apparently, nobody wants to read them.

As a periodical, I need to renew AGNI constantly and yet not once has a copy been recalled for someone else’s use.

The same goes for the latest volume of the “Pushcart Prizes,” a collection of the best work from small English literary journals around the world. Though it hardly comes as a surprise that very little of the public reads poetry, it’s a bit shocking that even when narrowing down the population to an academically elite institution, the readership is close to nonexistent. I’m not kidding myself either. I barely read poetry even though I’m writing poetry from my thesis. It’s clear to me that even if I ‘make it’ in the world of poetry by selling verses to toptier journals, very, very few people will read my work.

Even so, poetry survives. In some areas, it’s actually thriving. Hip-hop has long been a stronghold for poetry in the mainstream. Yet even more hopeful than Kendrick Lamar reigning on the billboard charts are the handful of artists who are taking social media by storm.

The afore-quoted Steve Roggenbuck has racked up over 200,000 views his joyful video-poem “make something beautiful before you are dead.” Patricia Lockwood’s timely poem “Rape Joke” went viral as its text circulated the internet. Rupi Kaur’s powerful, short poems created a whirlwind on Instagram that eventually lead to a collection titled “Milk and Honey,” which spent 25 consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

Is poetry destined to make a comeback through the web? It’s certainly possible.

Most poetry on the page is fading away unread on one bookshelf or another.

Steve Roggenbuck’s populist statement on the state of academic poetry publication rings truer every day. People around the world still want to discover poetry.

We just have to start publishing it in places where they will actually look.

Contact John Darr at jdarr@nd.edu The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

My parents are not coming to Junior Parents Weekend In theory, Junior Parents Weekend (JPW) is a wonderful opportunity to showcase and celebrate the accomplishments of Notre Dame juniors. However, I cannot help but consider the event with some hesitancy because of an underlying sense that my family’s financial situation draws a vast contrast from the majority of those who attend the university.

Statistics from the Office of Financial Aid seem to reinforce this feeling; 10.6 percent of enrolled students in the class of 2020 come from families with yearly incomes less than $60,000. A few components of JPW seem to highlight some of the disconnect which lowincome students may experience at Notre Dame.

As my parents looked at the informational page about JPW online, they noticed certain buzzwords such as “gala” and “luncheon.” These are not experiences to which my family is accustomed. A couple hours after reading the information, my mom searched YouTube in the hope of discovering what a “gala” entails. Though I laughed at her action, I realized that I myself have also never attended a gala.

In addition, when reading up on the “recommended” attire for certain JPW events, the mention of khakis caught me by surprise. Though it may seem like an overreaction, I became slightly anxious at the thought of buying an article of clothing that I have not owned for over 10 years.

Coming from a household in which money is often tight, many of the purchases I make are unnecessarily cognizant of the fact that I should save money whenever possible. Extending beyond the khakis, I started to feel anxiety at the idea of my parents spending a large sum on car rentals, hotels, f lights and even attire for an entire weekend. For my parents, JPW would not be a mini-vacation, but rather a large financial sacrifice.

It seemed that through the participation in such stately events, fancy attire and a “cocktail-party atmosphere,” my parents and I would feel completely out of place. We could not help but perceive JPW as a weekend in which certain economic and social circles thrive. Not the circles of the working class, but rather those of the upper echelons, which make up the majority of the student body.

To reiterate, there is nothing wrong with coming together as a Notre Dame community to enjoy the company of one another. In fact, the strength of community is a value that Notre Dame students and

alumni claim to uphold. Like in any society or organization, however, there is always the potential for alienation. Though unintentional, the implementation of such specific dress codes at JPW is a subtlety insensitive gesture toward those of lower socioeconomic status.

Because my parents do not have consistent interaction in social circles of the upper class, they will feel out of their element at JPW gatherings. If they were to come, my parents would not have the luxury of talking to others about their master’s (or bachelor’s) degrees, or the most recent vacation they went on, or the spacious hotel at which they are staying for JPW. Though it would be foolish to think these are the only topics which will be discussed at JPW events, I am certain that there would be inevitable conversations that would make my parents and I aware of the fact that we are outliers at a school which is highly attended by the upper class.

I do realize that Notre Dame will never be a place in which those of low socioeconomic status make up a significant portion of the student population. This idea is unfeasible because those who are able to pay full tuition are a vital component of the university’s ability to continue operation at its current pace.

However, the presence of economically disadvantaged students at Notre Dame should facilitate one of the most important functions of a university: the opportunity for students to interact with and learn from other young people from a variety of different backgrounds and beliefs.

In line with this thinking, I would urge the university to continue to make socioeconomic diversity a priority. A small way to make JPW more inclusive toward low-income families could be a revision of the dress code to a more broad recommendation of ‘formal attire’ for certain events. Such vagueness will reduce the anxiety of having to buy specific attire. The less alienated a group feels at Notre Dame, the more open they will be to participate on campus and engage in conversation about issues such as these.

Though my parents and I are not participating in JPW for a variety of reasons, we are nevertheless very grateful to be a part of the Notre Dame family.

Patrick Rodgers junior Feb. 5

Join the conversation.

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

The observer | tuesday, february 7, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

7

Rare diseases matter, too Sarah Cate Baker Science is Golden

“God gives his hardest battles to his strongest soldiers.”

This quote was one of many displayed last Saturday at Notre Dame’s annual Rare Disease Day. The two-day conference was hosted by Notre Dame’s Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases and was meant to raise awareness and increase understanding of particular rare diseases.

It’s an important mission. Rare diseases are defined in the U.S. as conditions that affect fewer than 200,000 people, but in total about 30 million Americans suffer from one of them — that’s 10 percent of the population. Fifty percent of sufferers are children, and of those 30 percent won’t live to see their fifth birthday.

Part of the problem is that these rare diseases are often genetic in nature, making them harder to treat — you can’t vaccinate against your own DNA. But the biggest issues holding rare disease treatments back are often financial in nature, not scientific.

It’s no surprise that not all diseases receive the same amount of research money. Psoriasis, a skin condition that causes scaly rashes, receives about one one-hundreth of the amount of NIH funding allocated to HIV/AIDS. That’s a statistic most people are okay with, as most people would consider HIV/AIDS to be a more “serious” disease.

And it’s true that HIV/AIDS is life-threatening while psoriasis is not. But 125 million people worldwide are living with psoriasis, while 37 million are living with HIV/AIDS. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease, and studying it could shed light the 100 or so other identified autoimmune diseases; HIV/AIDS is a retro-virus, one of only three such pathogens known to cause disease. There are dozens of independent foundations dedicated to raising awareness

and funds for HIV/AIDS; there are less than 10 such foundations for the care of psoriasis.

Even with all that mind, it’s probably still appropriate that HIV/AIDS gets much more funding than psoriasis, if only because AIDS is deadly and psoriasis is uncomfortable. But this example highlights an important topic in healthcare policy: How do you decide which diseases get money, and which ones get swept under the carpet?

The issue is complicated: Policy makers have to take into account the number of people affected, the severity of the symptoms, the costs of treatments and potential of the research. They have to ask questions like, ‘What’s more serious — a disease that causes life-long disability, or one that causes premature death? Is it more important to fund disease research that’s close to a cure, or still stuck in the beginning stages? A disease that brings 1,000 people pain, or a disease that kills five?’

Federal funding agencies are required to answer these questions. They have a limited amount of money, and they have to find ways to distribute it equitably — or at least to try. Perhaps not surprisingly, rare diseases are more likely to get the shorter end of the financial stick.

Rare diseases receive less federal funding, and also less public attention — everyone knows about breast cancer, but how many have heard of neurofibromatosis? Less public attention translates to less public demand, and again, lower funding priorities. It also translates to fewer dedicated treatment centers, support foundations and public resources. Even if a successful treatment is developed, pharmaceutical companies are less willing to produce it — rare diseases have fewer patients, and it’s more cost-effective to produce drugs that are marketable to more people.

For pharmaceuticals, fewer sick people means fewer paying customers. Currently, there are less than 4,000 FDA approved drugs for the 7,000 identified rare diseases.

The obstacles facing rare disease research are large, but

the situation is far from hopeless. The NIH might have its hands tied as far as who gets what percentage of its money, but the federal government has a huge bank account — the one one-hundredth fraction that goes to psoriasis is still over $10 million per year. And the public can help. Charitable foundations can raise startling amounts of money to fund research and development — like the EveryLife Foundation, which recently raised $60,000 to support scientists training as genetic disease specialists. Donations from every day people make up the bulk of these foundations’ proceeds. Remember the ALS ice bucket challenge? Its advocacy resulted in over $115 million in donations to fund research into the rare disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and thanks to that money researchers have identified what may be the most important gene involved in the disease.

Advocacy helps. Events like the one last weekend raise awareness, which is the first step to raising funds — or the demand for them. Rare diseases may only affect 10 percent of Americans, but all of us can help by listening to their stories, understanding their problems and supporting the research that may save their lives.

God may give his hardest battles to his strongest soldiers. But fighting rare diseases doesn’t have to be one of them.

Sarah Cate Baker is in her third year at ND, double majoring in biology and English. When she’s not in the lab pouring over viruses under a microscope, you can usually find her shooting caffeine in the Hesburgh basement, while she desperately tries to write papers and make deadlines. If you would like to question her sanity or her science, feel free to email her at sbaker6@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

U.S. tax supremacy Neil Joseph Moderately Opinionated

Throughout the world, there are a variety of tax bases that are used to collect revenue for governments. Many countries use both a personal income tax, others use a consumption tax and some (like the United States) use a combination of both. There are positives and negatives to all options, and governments have to decide which is best given the effects on each tax base. The United States’ current hybrid system is the best option for a tax base because of its characteristics: It allows the tax system to avoid regressivity and promote progressivity if it would like, while also encouraging certain types of saving and investment.

First, the current system of taxation in the United States allows the government to avoid burdening the poor more than the rich. If the United States switched to a pure consumption tax, there would be a heavier burden on the poor. The poor consume a larger portion of their income (in some cases, close to all of their income) than the rich do. Because of this, a much larger percentage of their income in each year would be subject to taxation than the rich. Although this does encourage saving, some families just cannot afford to save — and a pure consumption tax would likely have a larger effect on them. With the hybrid system we have today, there is no problem with regressivity — the government can tax different levels of income at different rates. They are able to (and do) alleviate the burden on poorer families by considering what all people consume in the context

of what they make. Due to this, the government is able to choose to not burden families who can barely take care of themselves. This is an important feature, as it essentially puts dollars back in a family’s pocket that would’ve been given up in taxes under a consumption tax.

In light of the aforementioned problem with the consumption tax, one must consider why the personal income tax is not the simplest alternative. It does allow for progressivity and prevent regressivity.

So why is the hybrid system better? The personal income tax, unlike the hybrid system we have today, taxes all income equally. As a result, the taxes that are imposed on things such as dividends, interest and capital gains lowers the benefit of savings compared to consumption in the present. The personal income tax also lowers the incentive individuals have to invest (by taking the tax before individuals invest), thus creating less interest. This discourages saving and raises the value of consumption in the present. With the hybrid system, however, the federal government can choose to reduce the penalty of certain types of saving. Things like IRAs, which are beneficial to an investor’s futures, can be exempt from taxes — which reduces the penalty for consumption in the future. The hybrid system also allows certain investments to be given preferential treatment, such as capital gains. Although in a consumption tax no saving is taxed, the personal income tax would be far too harsh on taxing before-saving income — in turn, dis-incentivizing saving.

The hybrid system we have today is most effective because it takes the best of the consumption and personal income tax and combines them into one policy. The consumption tax is good because it encourages saving:

The hybrid will incentivize and encourage select investment. The personal income tax is also beneficial because it is not as regressive as the consumption tax and is able to be progressive; the hybrid system does this also. It doesn’t go as far as either plan, however, which may be a good thing. The hybrid system allows the government to choose what sort of saving and investment it should encourage. For example, in today’s system, the saving that is encouraged is picked by what the government exempts from taxation. At any time, the government could change the tax code to incentivize different saving, depending on what economic analysis indicates is best.

This allows the government to be especially flexible.

Furthermore, although the hybrid system may ask for more financial information than the other tax systems, that information can also be useful. Some of the different tax credits and deductions are targeted at certain groups of people who really need help. This allows the government to pinpoint where individuals are spending their money and give aid where needed. The hybrid system encourages saving, is not regressive and allows for government flexibility, making it the best option for a tax system.

Neil Joseph is a senior from Columbus, Ohio, majoring in political science and economics. He hopes that you don’t use these articles against him when he’s running for school board one day. He welcomes all compliments at njoseph2@nd.edu, and sometimes responds to those who criticize him.

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

Follow us on Twitter. @ObserverViewpnt

8

daily

The observer | tuesday, february 7, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

Crossword | Will Shortz

Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Follow through with your ideas, plans and your dreams. Turn something you love to do into a bigger part of your life. Invest more time in yourself and the people you enjoy being with. Take the initiative to get involved in making your home and family life better. Making positive changes is up to you, so get moving. Your numbers are 3, 10, 21, 27, 30, 42, 46.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Put more energy into your relationships. Make an effort to compromise and play fair. Good things will happen if you are helpful and encourage others in their efforts. Plan your actions and budget your time carefully. Romance is featured.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Enjoying what you do will make it easier to do a good job. Use a little ingenuity and approach your responsibilities in a unique and interesting way and you will come up with ideas that will make you more marketable.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Take the high road and don’t be influenced by what others do. Live within your means and take what you do seriously. Live life with integrity and treat other people with kindness and compassion.

CANCER ( June 21-July 22): Don’t stress out when you should be concentrating on the people and projects that bring you joy. Don’t be afraid to do things differently or to say “no” to the demands being put on you by others.

LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22): It’s up to you to bring about changes. Selfimprovement projects, educational pursuits and partnerships are all favored. Get involved in networking groups and you will discover opportunities you didn’t know existed. Travel, adventure and serious relationships will transform your life.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Don’t lose out just because someone is putting unreasonable demands on your time. Take care of what needs to be done quickly and move on to projects, events or activities that will ensure that your interests are met.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Expand your mind. Delve into the unknown or sign up for a retreat. Knowledge will be enlightening and give you a better perspective when it comes to dealing with children, family and affairs of the heart. Travel and education are encouraged.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Look for unusual ways to improve your surroundings without being excessive or going into debt. It’s important to maintain financial stability if you want to avoid adding more stress to your life. Hard work will bring the most satisfying improvements.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Take every opportunity you can to gain ground and get your way. Your charm and winning attitude will be difficult for others to resist. Drum up support and make your way to the finish line.

Romance is favored.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Bide your time. Don’t limit what you can do or take on assignments that deter you from reaching your goals. Set priorities and map out your course of action to ensure that you will not fall short.

AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18): It’s full steam ahead. Don’t look back or sideways, just keep moving forward until you reach your destination and are satisfied with the results you are getting. Take control of your life and do what’s best for you.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You’ll have to control your emotions and let your creative mind take over if you want to get past the barriers that stand in your way. A unique approach will impress someone who will recommend you for future projects.

Birthday Baby: You are outgoing, creative and goal-oriented. You are charismatic and compassionate.

Just add water | Eric carlson & John roddy

Sudoku | The Mepham Group

Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek

Draw comics.

Email Margaret at mhynds@nd.edu

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sports

ndsmcobserver.com | tuesday, february 7, 2017 | The Observer

Sports Authority

11 9

nBA | Pacers 93, Thunder 90

Patriots’ win adds Pacers rally after halftime, to conspiracy add to winning streak R.J. Stempack Sports Writer

This column was going to have a simple premise: “Thank goodness the NFL is finally over so everyone can start focusing on the NBA like they should have been doing three months ago.”

But then Tom Brady did Tom Brady things, except to a greater level than anyone could have imagined.

I have to be honest — Super Bowl LI earned my attention.

Not because it was the greatest sporting event I had ever seen, and not even because I had never seen anything like it. Actually, the opposite: the Patriots blew me away because they made the Super Bowl eerily similar to the previous two professional championship games.

Stick with me, and you will be amazed.

Falcons gave up a 31-0 run to close the game, collapsing from a 99.5 percent peak win probability against the Patriots, and solidifying Tommy Brady as the best quarterback of all time.

Do you see it yet? No? Alright, let’s move on to case number two.

On a warm evening in Cleveland, Ohio, on the second of November, the Chicago Cubs completed a three-game comeback in the World Series to clinch the first title for the team since 1908.

One could say that the Indians blew a 3-1 lead.

Case number three: Oakland, California, at Oracle Arena on a Sunday in the middle of June.

Kyrie Iriving hit the shot after LeBron James made the block.

The details are unimportant, but the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead that evening.

Let me recap this for you.

The Falcons gave up a 31-0 run.

The Cubs came back after being down 3-1.

The Warriors blew a 3-1 lead.

This is where I would put in a couple of those wide-eyed emojis if I could.

Instead, it is time to yell incoherently that there is, in fact, a conspiracy going on here. But what does it mean, and who is behind it?

Somebody, somewhere wants

to send a clear message, that those who are in the lead are not as safe as they used to be. It could be Roger Goodell or Adam Silver, the commissioners of the NFL and NBA. A lot of people seem to dislike and distrust Goodell, so my bet is on him. I have no idea who the commissioner of the MLB is, so he probably is a fine dude and I’ll cross him off the list.

I like Silver. He has done a good job preventing work stoppages and promoting league-wide changes to prevent fan-unfriendly things like tanking. But how would Goodell control leagues that are not his own without help from other commissioners?

Maybe the government is involved. There was that election for a high-ranking position this past year where some guy who was thought to be a clear underdog ended up winning in a huge landslide.

We will never know.

Conspiracy talk aside, the one thing that is clear is that sports have been exciting and fun this year, for fans of all types. Talks of super teams and lack of parity have been drowned out by cheering and sobs of unpredictable winners and unlikely losers.

Sports bring people joy because they serve as a door to a simplified world, where random chance is magnified. This year has demonstrated that this remains true, even at the highest level.

The better team can lose, the underdog can overcome terrible unfavorable odds and for a brief moment, both fanbases can suspend reality and become a part of the moment, the moment where the unlikely becomes the truth.

Let us cherish this year of upsets, because the next few years are bound to disappoint in comparison to the craziness of this year. But if you ever need to feel the excitement of the Super Bowl again, look no further than the NBA, where amazing happens on national television at least three times a week.

Contact R.J. Stempack at rstempak@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Follow us on Twitter. @ObserverSports

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — Paul George had 21 points and eight rebounds, Jeff Teague scored 17 points and the Indiana Pacers rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 93-90 on Monday night.

Indiana has won seven straight games — its longest winning streak in almost two years.

Russell Westbrook led Oklahoma City with 27 points, a season-high 18 rebounds and nine assists, falling just short of his 26th triple-double this season.

The Thunder struggled mightily in the second half, giving away a 52-41 halftime lead by midway through the third quarter. The Pacers then went on a 12-4 run to take a 79-72 advantage early in the fourth and never trailed again.

Indiana led 91-82 with 4:48 to go, but the Thunder scored

eight straight points and had a chance to take the lead with 1:39 to play until Westbrook missed a layup and Steven Adams missed a tip.

George answered with an 18-footer, and Oklahoma City didn’t score again.

Westbrook missed two 3-pointers in the final 7.6 seconds that could have forced overtime.

It was that kind of night for Westbrook, who went 10 of 27 from the field and 4 of 10 on 3s.

Indiana, which shot 30.4 percent from the field in the first half, shot 46.3 percent in the second half.

... The Thunder shot 46.7 percent in the first half and 30.2 percent in the second.

Pacers: They have won four straight home games. ... Indiana moved within one win of extending the NBA’s longest active streak of consecutive winning seasons at home to 28. ... The Pacers are 14-4 since Jan. 1. ... Myles Turner had 10 points and four blocks, his 13th game this season with at least four blocks. ... Glenn Robinson III had 14 points off the bench. ... Al Jefferson’s three-game streak of scoring in double digits came to an end.

Up next Tip-ins Thunder: They are 3-6 on the second night of back-to-backs this season. ... Oklahoma City was swept by the Pacers for the first time since 2008-09. ...

Adams had 15 points and nine rebounds and Andre Roberson had 11 points and 11 rebounds. ... Jerami Grant had five blocks.

Thunder: Will host the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night before Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors come to town Saturday.

Pacers: Will wait to see if LeBron James suits up for the division-leading Cavs on Wednesday night.

nfl

Super Bowl ads balance light humor and politics Associated Press

NEW YORK — Messages about America, inclusiveness — and, yes, even “four years of awful hair” — kept bubbling up in Super Bowl 51 ads from Airbnb, the NFL and a line of personal care products. But there was still plenty of escapism and light humor for those who weren’t into the politics.

As the New England Patriots edged out the Atlantic Falcons on the field in Houston, Airbnb touted inclusiveness with an ad showing faces of different ethnicities and the copy: “We all belong. The world is more beautiful the more you accept.”

Coca-Cola aired a previously run ad during the pregame show in which people sing “America the Beautiful” in different languages. And Budweiser ran a 60-second spot chronicling cofounder Adolphus Busch’s migration from Germany to St. Louis in 1857, prompting some critics to start a boycott campaign on Twitter.

Even a hair care brand dipped into politics: The “It’s a 10” hair brand indirectly referenced President Donald Trump’s

famously unruly do in its Super Bowl spot.

It’s tough to be a Super Bowl advertiser, period. But this year, a divisive political climate has roiled the nation since Trump took office in January, making it even tougher for advertisers.

Advertisers who paid $5 million for 30 seconds had to walk the line with ads that appealed to everyone and didn’t offend.

Some were more successful than others.

“Anxiety and politics just loom over this game, so anybody who gives us the blessed relief of entertaining with a real Super Bowl commercial wins,” said Mark DiMassimo, CEO of the ad agency DiMassimo Goldstein.

Several ads aimed for just that.

Tide, for instance, offered a humorous ad showing announcer Terry Bradshaw trying frantically to remedy a stain while his antics go “viral” online, with the help of New England Patriot Rob Gronkowski and actor Jeffrey Tambor.

Walking the political line “Brands used to worry about whether their ad could be interpreted as right or wrong,” said

Kelly O’Keefe, a marketing professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. “Now they have to worry about whether it will be interpreted as right or left.”

Plenty of ads walked that line.

An NFL spot conveyed what all advertisers hope the Super Bowl becomes: a place where Americans can come together.

“Inside these lines, we may have our differences, but recognize there’s more that unites us,” Forest Whitaker intoned in a voiceover as workers prepped a football field and gridiron scenes played.

“The Super Bowl is shaping up as a counterpoint to the divisiveness in the United States,” said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University.

Airbnb’s ad was one of the more overtly political, showing a variety of different faces with the tagline “We accept.”

Some thought the ad was a hit. “Kudos to them for making a strong statement,” said O’Keefe.

But others, such as Villanova University marketing professor Charles Taylor, thought it didn’t have a clear enough link to the brand and risked coming off as a “purely political statement.”

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Sports

The observer | tuesday, february 7, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

FENCING

swimming AND diving

Irish impress before ACCs Observer Sports Staff

At the Elite Northwestern Duals over the weekend, the No. 3 Irish women went 10-1 and the No. 4 Irish men went 7-4 overall after two days of competition at Castellan Family Fencing Center.

The women finished with a 5-1 record on Saturday behind key performances from sophomore foilist Elyssa Kleiner, who posted an 11-1 record for Notre Dame on the day — including key wins over Princeton, Penn State and Temple — and sophomore epeeist and ACC Women’s Fencer of the Week Amanda Sirico, who posted a 10-2 record.

The men, meanwhile, lost to the four ranked teams they faced Saturday for a 2-4 record. Senior foilist Kristjan Archer had the best record of the Notre Dame men, going 6-2 on the day.

During Sunday’s competitions both teams hit their full stride, each going undefeated with matching 5-0 records. Sunday’s wins put the Irish women at 33-4 on the season, defending their No. 3 ranking with victories against Stanford,

UC-San Diego and eighth-ranked Northwestern. The Irish men’s squad recovered from tough losses on Saturday to defeat No. 8 Stanford, 17-10, North Carolina, 23-4, and UCSan Diego, 18-9.

Kleiner outpaced her remarkable performance the day before with a 9-0 record Sunday, winning 3-0 against Northwestern. In sabre, junior Claudia Kulmacz also went undefeated on the day with five wins and no losses. Junior foilist Erin Dietsche’s 7-2 record Sunday also included her 100th career win.

On the men’s side in sabre, junior Jonah Shainberg finished with a 12-1 record, which included a 3-0 win over Stanford to lead the team.

On the epee squad, sophomore Dylan French led the Irish with a 7-1 record, while fellow sophomore Darius Zacharakis went 5-0, including a 2-0 win versus Stanford.

In foil, junior Virgile Collineau led with a 6-0 record.

The meet ended the team’s regular season and gave them momentum heading into their next competition, the ACC championships, at the end of February.

Want to write sports?

Contact Marek at mmazurek@nd.edu

Men, women cruise in road win over Ball State Observer Sports Staff

Notre Dame continued to excel in the pool Saturday by swiftly defeating Ball State in the Downstate Dual at Lewellen Aquatic Center in Muncie, Indiana.

The Irish men defeated the Cardinals by a score of 148.582.5, while the women’s team won 129-108.

The meet marked back-toback record-setting performances for both male and female Irish swimmers, starting with the Shamrock Invitational a week before.

The women’s 200 medley relay team of senior Catherine Mulquin, sophomore Meaghan

M Tennis Continued from page 12

practice and hopefully grow that to an even higher level before next weekend.”

When asked which players on his team stood out with their performance, Sachire singled out Broadus and Small.

“Grayson [Broadus] has been a normal starter for us, but he played both singles and doubles matches for us so he played four

M Bball Continued from page 12

EMMET FARNAN | The Observer

Irish junior point guard Matt Farrell surveys the court during Notre Dame’s 84-74 loss to Duke on Jan. 30 at Purcell Pavilion.

ability. They can really score the ball.

“We have to see if we can slow that down a little bit, but then again, I think our focus has got to be — you know we’re going to have to score to beat them. So, how can I help get our offense get more efficient closer to 40 minutes than 30?”

Against No. 8 North Carolina on Sunday, Notre Dame (17-7, 6-5 ACC) struggled defensively, allowing about 50 percent from the field while giving up 17 offensive rebounds. During their current four-game skid, the Irish have been outrebounded, 157-102.

Brey has acknowledged Notre Dame’s struggles on the glass, but also recognizes that the team’s smaller lineup gives the Irish the best chance offensively.

“We were really efficient with our smaller group,” Brey said.

“We got beat up on the boards, but that’s the best rebounding team in the country, and we still kind of had a shot. We’re going to absorb some put-backs when we play small, but when we get to that, that is our most efficient offensive group, and I think it’s something we’re going to have to continue to look at.”

Wake Forest averages 81.6 points per game, tied for 29th in the country and fourth in

O’Donnell, sophomore Nikki Smith and freshman Katie Smith broke the pool record by more than a second with a time of 1:43.02.

The men’s power four, consisting of freshman Jack Montresi, senior Trent Jackson, junior Justin Plaschka and sophomore Daniel Speers took care of business by swimming at a time of 1:31.07. The previous record was at 1:33.65.

The pool record for the 100 back, 50.78 seconds set in 2000, was doubly broken, with Notre Dame sophomore Matt Grauslys clocking in at 50.12 and senior Kevin Bradley came just behind him at 50.32.

It was a successful day for

Irish men’s divers as junior Peter Myers won both the 1-meter and 3-meter events with scores of 283.35 and 314.55. Freshman Cristian Herrera earned second place behind Myers with scores of 248.55 and 280.80.

Eleven other Irish swimmers took first place in their events ranging from the women’s 1000 freestyle to the men’s 100 fly.

The Irish women will next head down to Atlanta, Georgia, for the ACC Championships, beginning on Monday, Feb. 13, while the men will compete in Columbus, Ohio, for the Ohio State Winter Invitational on Feb. 11-12.

matches on Saturday, three of which were in the No. 1 spot,” Sachire said. “It was the first time he’s ever had that experience and it’s a challenge when you’re playing the other team’s best player or doubles pair every match, and I thought he handled it very well.

“I also liked Jonathan Small’s performance. He’s a guy that hasn’t gotten in the matches yet. He’s been our No. 7 guy all season, but he played in four matches as well. For a freshman

who hasn’t been a regular starter to come out and not only succeed and win, but to perform as well as he did, I thought was really awesome. I thought those guys in particular had great days, but as a team we performed very well.”

The Irish next take to the court when they welcome Boston College to Eck Tennis Pavilion on Saturday at noon.

the ACC, so the Irish, who average about three points less, will be faced with the challenge of matching up offensively while controlling the deficit on the glass. To make things more difficult, the Irish had just one day to prepare for Wake Forest. “[Monday] is very much a mental day,” Brey said. “It’s the first time we play Wake, so we’ve got to get our guys familiar with them. We gotta stretch out and shoot a little bit and just make sure we’ve got our energy by 7 p.m. [Tuesday] night. It’s much more mental than physical, and our guys have handled this kind of prep pretty good. This is a little bit like the day between Miami and Virginia Tech where we couldn’t even get into the gym that day. I thought our guys handled the mental preparation really well.”

Notre Dame has won the last three matchups against Wake Forest, but on Monday Brey repeated what he’s said all season long: There isn’t one ACC team Notre Dame can take lightly.

When comparing it to the 2011 Big East conference that sent 11 teams to the NCAA tournament, Brey said this year’s ACC is much stronger.

“When you have a Pittsburgh team who — I can’t believe they’re 1-9 — who I think is just one hell of a basketball team, they go in and beat Maryland on the road, who can win the

Big Ten championship by 15, 20,” Brey said. “It’s deep and good all the way to the bottom. There were some teams, I believe, in that year we got 11 bids that maybe some of them don’t even win a game [in the Big East]. … We’re in a tough stretch, but we have six league wins right now, you know, I’m not complaining. If we can scratch out some more, we can get in this dang NCAA tournament, but I think [the ACC is] getting 10 bids.”

Despite the recent struggles, Brey is confident that Notre Dame will find a way to halt the losing streak and get back toward the top of the conference as the regular season comes to a close.

“I’ve said this in December and November, and I’ve said this when we were 5-0, and I’m going to say it when we’ve lost a bunch here and we’re taking our medicine — I love our group,” Brey said. “I love our fight. I love our toughness. We keep slinging, and we keep trying. I think we’ll get rewarded with it. We just gotta hang on in there and understand the league that we’re in, but there’s a great toughness about them, and at the end of the day, that’ll be the thing that gets us over the hump.”

Notre Dame will tip off against Wake Forest at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Purcell Pavilion.

Contact Michael Ivey at mivey@hcc-nd.edu

Contact Manny De Jesus at mdejesus@nd.edu

Sports

ndsmcobserver.com | tuesday, february 7, 2017 | The Observer

11

KATHLEEN DONAHUE | The Observer

Irish sophomore guard Arike Ogunbowale shoots a floater over the Louisville defense during Notre Dame’s 85-66 win on Feb. 6 at Purcell Pavilion. Ogunbowale led the Irish offense with 22 points, and was one of five players in double digits. The win over Louisville was Notre Dame’s first over a ranked team since the Irish beat No. 14 Duke, 62-58, on Jan. 26.

W Bball Continued from page 12

stretched their lead to 22.

“I mean, 50 points at halftime, that’s pretty good,” McGraw said, laughing. “I’d like to see us do that every night.”

The Irish lead stayed stable in the second half as the numbers in various players’ stats columns continued to grow. Turner and freshman guard Jackie Young were both on double-double watch for much of the second half.

Turner finished the game with 11 points and nine rebounds,

while Young tallied 16 points and seven rebounds.

“I thought that was the best game [Young has] had all year,” McGraw said. “ … I mean, she had six rebounds at halftime. She was really attacking the glass. She looked really confident driving the ball. I’m just really pleased with her game. I think she’s really coming along. I’ve been waiting for this game and I think she has, too. And I think it’s gonna really fuel her confidence.”

Young credited Irish associate coach Beth Cunningham’s pre-game pep talk with Young as a major factor in the

self-assurance she felt as she stepped on the court.

“Just, going into the game Coach Cunningham was talking to me, just trying to motivate me and just tell me that I really can score the ball,” Young said. “I just have to have confidence and not pass up open shots.”

Irish senior guard Lindsay Allen further solidified her Notre Dame legacy as she scored 15 points and picked up eight assists to move into second place on the Notre Dame all-time assists list, passing 2013 graduate and Irish icon Skylar Diggins. McGraw said Allen’s leadership and ability

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to see the big picture on every play have propelled the Irish to where they are today. “[Allen] is so important to our team. She is the unquestioned leader,” McGraw said. “I’m glad she was able to make some shots tonight.

She had opportunity, she took advantage of it. But, way to distribute. I mean, she’s got the amazing vision, she’s so strong with the ball, she can drive it, she can do so many things with it. I think she’s gonna be a great WNBA player.”

Turner noted the second half against the Cardinals made the game feel like one of

the best of the year, as Notre Dame was able to string together two solids halves of basketball to finish the victory.

“It was really exciting,” Turner said. “Before the game we always talk about how we’re gonna go out and execute, and I feel like this is the first game we’ve put two halves together. Like, the first half in previous games, we kind of got complacent, but I feel like this game, we played the full 40 minutes and didn’t let down.”

Another statistic of note for the Irish was their lack of turnovers, only turning the ball over three times in the game to tie the school record, including no turnovers in the first half.

“I was so thrilled with the [lack of ] turnovers,” McGraw said. “Three ties our school record, no turnovers at halftime. I thought there was a mistake on the stat sheet when I saw that. That was just a really, really well-played game.”

Despite the team’s dominance throughout the game, McGraw said she feels there is room for improvement going forward, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

“We’ve gotta look at some trapping in the zone,” McGraw said. “We’re gonna look at another zone and maybe work on the presses a little bit.”

The Irish will have the rest of the week to recharge before they take on Georgia Tech at Purcell Pavilion on Sunday.

Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Contact Elizabeth Greason at egreason@nd.edu

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The observer | tuesday, february 7, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com

nd women’s basketball | ND 85, LOuisVille 66

Balanced attack leads Irish in big home win

By ELIZABETH GREASON Sports Writer

Something clicked for the Irish on Monday night.

No. 7 Notre Dame (22-3, 10-1 ACC) took down ACC rival Louisville, 85-66, after turning on the heat offensively in what Irish head coach Muffet McGraw said was a stellar second quarter.

After a slow start in which the No. 12 Cardinals (20-6, 7-4 ACC) jumped out to a fourpoint lead, sophomore guard Arike Ogunbowale took control of the Irish offense and maintained it for the rest of the game. Ogunbowale scored Notre Dame’s first six points to keep within reach of the Cardinals and then paced the Irish overall with 22 points.

Back-to-back buckets halfway through the first quarter from junior forward Kathryn Westbeld put the Irish ahead for the first time and the lead did not switch again. McGraw noted that Westbeld’s play is especially impressive considering she has not practiced since the Irish beat North

Carolina on Jan. 22 due to an ankle injury. “[Westbeld] is really playing well,” McGraw said. “I mean, 7-of-8 from the field. That’s amazing. Four assists — I mean she just really facilitates things for us at the high post and she can make that shot, so it makes us really hard to guard when she’s in the game. … She’s probably the one player on the team that’s capable of doing that. We’re gonna look at that, bringing her off the bench.”

The Irish entered the second quarter with a 19-14 lead and went on to put on a clinic.

McGraw said she considered her team’s play in the second quarter to be some of its best so far this season.

“I thought [junior forward Brianna Turner] had some phenomenal tip-ins,” McGraw said. “We rebounded, we scored, we shot the ball well; we did everything we needed to do in that quarter.”

The Irish put up 31 points in the next ten minutes and see W BBALL PAGE 11

KATHLEEN DONAHUE | The Observer

Irish senior guard Lindsay Allen drives past a Cardinal defender during Notre Dame’s 85-66 win over Louisville on Feb. 6 at Purcell Pavilion. Allen finished with 15 points, a season-high, and eight assists.

Men’s basketball

MEN’S TENNIS

Irish sweep ND aims to end losing streak with ACC showdown weekend matches

By MANNY DE JESUS

By MICHAEL IVEY

Sports Writer

Sports Writer

Coming off its fourth loss in a row, Notre Dame will try to recover from their drop to seventh in the ACC against Wake Forest on Tuesday at Purcell Pavilion.

Despite sitting at 10th place in the ACC, the Demon Deacons (14-9, 5-6 ACC) are coming off consecutive league wins against Boston College and Georgia Tech.

Leading the charge for Wake Forest is sophomore forward John Collins, who has scored 20plus points in six straight games.

Junior guard Mitchell Wilbekin had a career night against the Yellow Jackets on Saturday, scoring an ACC career-high 16 points while hauling in a career-high five rebounds and recording another career-high five assists.

“They can really score,” Irish head coach Mike Brey said about Wake Forest. “This is a really explosive offensive team.

Collins inside has made himself a heck of an NBA prospect. He’s hard to deal with, but then you have shooting on the perimeter.

You’ve got guys with shot-making

EMMET FARNAN | The Observer

see M BBALL PAGE 10

Irish freshman guard T.J. Gibbs shoots a wide-open jumper during Notre Dame’s 84-74 loss to Duke on Jan. 30 at Purcell Pavilion.

Notre Dame enjoyed a successful weekend, sweeping Monmouth and William & Mary in back-to-back matches Saturday.

The Irish claimed all the singles and doubles play in both matches. Among the Irish players who emerged victorious against each opponent were sophomore Grayson Broadus, freshman Matt Gamble, freshman Johnathan Small and freshman Guillermo Cabrera. Junior Brendon Kempin, sophomore Daniel Rayl, sophomore Alex Lebedev and senior Josh Hagar also recorded singles wins.

In the doubles competition, the No. 1 pair of Broadus/ Kempin won both of their matches while Small won two matches as part of the No. 3 pair, playing with Cabrera against Monmouth and Hagar against William & Mary.

Irish head coach Ryan Sachire said he was pleased with his team’s performance and was also happy with the performance of his reserve players.

“I was happy with Saturday

for sure,” Sachire said. “I think we played a couple of guys that hadn’t played yet in the matches.

We were able to play our bench a little more and everyone played very well. Our starters came out with a really good mindset and kind of led the way as far as their approach to their game and playing with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. It’s tough for the guys who haven’t played because this was their first match of the season, but I though they played very well. I thought it was a great day and we can build on it moving forward.”

Sachire reiterated his desire for his team to improve in their serving game.

“We’re playing the game very well once the points get started,” Sachire said. “I think our success is going to be dependent on how we start points and if we serve effectively and return our opponents serve effectively. If we do, we’re going to be pretty darn good because once the points get going, we’re as good as most teams. We’re going to continue to emphasize the serve and return of serve this week in see M TENNIS PAGE 10