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Volume 51, Issue 86 | tuesday, february 14, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
Students to box in 87th Bengal Bouts Boxers gear up for preliminary rounds of tournament that raises funds for missions in Bangladesh By LUCAS MASIN-MOYER News Writer
In the coldest of South Bend winters, long past the close of football season, a similarly time-honored Notre Dame tradition and sporting event takes place — Bengal Bouts. These boxing matches, which raise funds for Holy Cross missions in Bangladesh, will begin with preliminary round fights Tuesday night in the Joyce Center. The bouts, which came into being as an outgrowth of football coach Knute Rockne’s desire to organize boxing matches at the University, began to raise funds for the people of Bangladesh in 1931 under the direction of coach Dominic “Nappy” Napolitano. For many fighters, including junior Joey Quinones, a 2017 captain who was able to visit Bangladesh this summer through an International
Summer Service Learning Project (ISSLP), this mission is one of the driving forces behind why they fight. “I’d say the most rewarding part [of fighting is] getting able to see all the people that we were able to impact through these donations,” Quinones said. “There’s one parish, towards the north part of Bangladesh, right on the Indian border ... half of the funds that were used to build it [came from Bengal Bouts]. A parish with a church, a boys and girls hostel, and school were made possible because of Bengal Bouts and its interaction with Holy Cross missions.” Quinones’s previous experience in fighting helped to motivate him to participate in the Bouts and help the cause which the fights support. “I had some ... martial arts see BOXING PAGE 3
University president’s mother dies at 88 Observer Staff Report
Helen Jenkins, mother of Universit y President Fr. John Jenkins, died Monday morning after sustaining severe head injuries in an accident Friday, according to a Universit y press release. She was 88. Jenkins w ill be the celebrant for his mother’s funeral Mass, which is set to take place in his hometow n of Omaha, Nebraska on Wednesday, according to the release. “My mother has always show n a supernatural talent for making 12 people all feel important and loved to the same degree at the same time,” Jenkins said of
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his mother at his 2005 inauguration. “If ever I display any of that talent in the future, as I hope I do, you can be sure it did not originate w ith me.” At his inauguration, Jenkins told a stor y about his mother v isiting the Grand Canyon, according to the release. “I remember the day we all v isited the Grand Canyon, and then drove to a park for lunch,” Jenkins said. “Mom was handing out the sandw iches when a look of horror came across her face. She had one sandw ich too many. She was no mathematician, but she knew that if she had one see JENKINS PAGE 3
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ZACHARY LLORENS | The Observer
Two boxers guard themselves as they go head-to-head in last year’s Bengal Bouts tournament. This year’s fights will kick off Tuesday night, and tickets can be purchased from participating boxers or at the event.
ND students reflect on pressures of dating culture By MARIE FAZIO News Writer
finding a soul mate.
Julia Murray and Lukas O’Donnell
W hether it’s buying chocolates or giving f lowers, people around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day by taking part in any one of its many traditions. At Notre Dame, the typical Valentine’s Day traditions supplement a long list of others that stereotypically characterize the campus dating experience, such as making eye contact at Domerfest, walking around the lakes holding hands, kissing under the Lyons arch and receiving a “ring before spring.” Boasting a number of students who owe their existence to the fact that their parents met at the University, Notre Dame stands apart from other schools in terms of the pressure for dating and
Julia Murray strayed from tradition by receiving a ring in the spring of her junior year instead of her senior one. Murray and O’Donnell met on their first day in their first class of freshman year, but didn’t begin dating until they were sophomores. Due to “superstition,” O’Donnell said he refused to hold her hand around the lakes until after they were engaged. In classic Notre Dame fashion, he proposed by the lakes. The newly engaged couple followed the proposal with lighting a candle at the Grotto and a kiss under Lyon’s arch in a marathon of Notre Dame traditions. As one of the first couples
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of the class of 2017 to be engaged, Murray and O’Donnell became well-known around campus, and continue to receive lots of opinions and unsolicited advice. “The more negative reactions I got were from my professors, but it was positive overall from the student body,” Murray said. From her unique perspective, Murray said she views the dating culture of Notre Dame as a culture of extremes. “I feel like you’re either looking for someone to date and get married to, or you’re stuck in the hook-up culture … there doesn’t seem to be a culture of casual dating. “There are people who I’m not friends with who think it’s absolutely insane that see DATING PAGE 3
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