Print Edition of The Observer for Wednesday, August 31, 2016

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Volume 51, Issue 8 | Wednesday, august 31, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com

Ginsburg to speak on campus Supreme Court Justice will visit Purcell Pavillion on Sept. 12 Observer Staff Report

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is set to visit Notre Dame on Sept. 12, the University announced Tuesday.

According the press release, one of the main events will be “A Conversation with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” which will take place 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the

Joyce Center.

Ginsburg has served on the U.S. Supreme Court since her appointment by President Bill Clinton on Aug. 10, 1993, according to the release. Prior to assuming her seat on the Supreme Court, Ginsburg served as general counsel to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) from 1973 to 1980 subsequently served as the organization’s

national board of directors from 1974 to 1980.

The conversation will be moderated by United States Circuit Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and 1975 law school alumnus, Hon. Ann C. Williams, according to the release. Additionally, Williams also currently serves on the University’s Board of Trustees.

The event is sponsored by the Office of the President, Notre Dame Law School and the Institute for Latino Studies, and is free but ticketed and open to the public and doors open one hour before the event, according to the release. Tickets are available on www.nd.edu/ginsburg and in person or via phone through the Murnane Family Ticket Office at Purcell Pavilion.

even just a split second … is a really great way to connect with people because it opens the door to future dialogue,” Zurovchak said. “It’s kind of just a great way that’s already built in to the start of the year to grab people’s attention whether you’re a freshman or an upperclassman.”

Some groups that are less immediately recognizable for first-year students took a more aggressive approach to attracting students. Senior Amanda Bartolini, executive producer for the Pasquerilla East Musical Company (PEMCo) said she tried to take advantage of any sign of interest from passing students. see ACTIVITIES PAGE 3

see HEARING PAGE 3

By COURTNEY BECKER News Writer

NEWS PAGE 3

MICHAEL YU | The Observer

Members of GreeND recruit students at Tuesday’s Activities Night in the Joyce Center. Nearly 350 organizations had tables at the event, which was meant to help new students get involved on campus.

do it on your phone,” Markley said. “Our main goal tonight is to try to get as many people to that first meeting as possible, so we can really introduce the club. Because it’s kind of hard to teach people what the club’s about in a 10-second interaction at a crowded Activities Fair.”

James said SAO came up with new ways to attract students to the event and encourage them to explore the different floors of the JACC to talk to as many groups as possible.

“One of the things that I changed is we ordered fro-yo this year,” she said. “With the construction going on around campus and some of the things that are going on, there wasn’t a total guarantee of some of

SCENE PAGE 5

the spaces we were going to have and how people were going to enter. And so [I was] just doing the best that I could to make sure that all of the floors and all the places people could go were fun and attractive for them to go to.”

Group leaders also took steps to catch students’ eyes. Senior Mason Zurovchak, president of PrismND, said the organization’s table was decorated with rainbow attire in order to best take advantage of the opportunity to attract a large number of students in a short amount of time.

“I think for any organization or club on campus, a night like Activities Night where you can get heavy foot traffic and just get the attention of people for

VIEWPOINT PAGE 6

Observer Staff Report

Three of the five Notre Dame football players arrested on Aug. 19 — senior Max Redfield, sophomore Te’von Coney and freshman Kevin Stepherson — appeared in court Tuesday morning for their preliminary hearings.

All three entered pleas of not guilty on the charge of possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor. Redfield also entered a not guilty plea on the Class A misdemeanor charge of possession of a handgun without a license.

The other two players, sophomores Dexter Williams and Ashton White, filed motions to waive their initial hearing and proceed directly to pre-trial conferences.

According to court documents, Coney was also found with a counterfeit Illinois driver’s license, though he was not charged for synthetic identity deception. Additionally, 12 tablets of prescription drugs were found in White’s possession, though he was not charged with possession of a prescription drug.

According to the account provided in the probable cause affidavit, a “significant amount of green plant material” was found loose in the front area of the vehicle, on the center console and both of the front seats. The same green plant material, which later tested positive for the presence of marijuana, was also found in two clear plastic bags on the rear floorboard of the car.

A 9mm handgun, loaded with 13 rounds of ammunition, was also found in the backseat of the car, according to the affidavit.

When questioned by the officer at the scene, all five men said the handgun was not theirs, though they did acknowledge they were in possession of marijuana. Irish

Activities fair showcases clubs On Tuesday night, every academic, niche, athletic or service group students can get involved with at Notre Dame gathered in the Joyce Center Fieldhouse for Activities Night to attract new members for the 2016-2017 school year.

Mia James, program coordinator in the Student Activities Office (SAO), said all but three or four of the 350 tables available for groups were filled, and SAO had put in plenty of effort over the summer and the beginning of the school year to prepare group leaders for the night.

“Logistically it just takes a lot of organization and time, and really focused time to make sure you’re not disseminating any information that’s incorrect. Because if the one thing that they read is the wrong thing, then that’s a problem,” James said. “All of the information needs to be really focused and correct so that they can be successful when they get here.”

Certain groups came up with tricks to combat the confusion having thousands of students in one building creates. Junior Will Markley, co-president of the Entrepreneurship Society, brought QR codes as an alternative for students waiting in line to type their information into a computer.

“If you have a QR scanner on your phone, you can put it over that, and it will take you to the survey on your phone.

That way if there’s a line for the computer, you can just

Players attend court hearing

FOOTBALL PAGE 12

CROSS COUNtRY PAGE 12

2

TODAY

The observer | WeDNESDAY, august 31, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com

Question of the Day: ndsmcobserver.com

Have a question you want answered?

Email photo@ndsmcobserver.com

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

P.O. Box 779, Notre Dame, IN 46556 024 South Dining Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556 Editor-in-Chief Margaret Hynds Managing Editor Business Manager Kayla Mullen Emily Reckmeyer

Asst. Managing Editor: Alex Carson Asst. Managing Editor: Zach Klonsinski Asst. Managing Editor: Clare Kossler

News Editor: Katie Galioto Viewpoint Editor: Claire Radler Sports Editor: Marek Mazurek Scene Editor: Erin McAuliffe Saint Mary’s Editor: Nicole Caratas Photo Editor: Caitlyn Jordan Graphics Editor: Susan Zhu Multimedia Editor: Wei Cao Online Editor: Jimmy Kemper Advertising Manager: Olivia Treister Ad Design Manager: Carlos Celis

Aly Sonnen

Emily Nour

junior Walsh Hall

junior Walsh Hall

“Goldfish.”

“Sushi.”

Annie Duffey

Laura Dillon

junior Howard Hall

junior Lewis Hall

“Goat cheese.”

“Any type of cheese.”

Braden Matthews

Matt Ferriero

sophomore Zahm House

sophomore Zahm House

“Q-Dogs”

“Fish sticks.”

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Today’s Staff News

Sports

Katie Galioto Lucas Masin-Moyer Aidan Lewis

Marek Mazurek Ben Padanilam R.J. Stempak

Graphics

Scene

Lindsey Meyers

Jimmy Kemper

Photo

Viewpoint

Chris Collins

Mary Freeman

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MICHAEL YU | The Observer

A student dressed as Star Wars villain Kylo Ren represents the Science Fiction and Fantasy Club at Student Activities Night in the Joyce Center on Tuesday. Notre Dame clubs and organizations set up stands throughout the facility to recruit new students.

The next Five days:

Want your event included here?

Email news@ndsmcobserver.com

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

“Eye in the Sky” DeBartolo Performing Arts Center 8 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Part of the Campaign Concerns Film Series.

Yoga in the Galleries Snite Museum of Art 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Relax and recharge through Artful Yoga in the Snite.

ND Volleyball vs.

Coastal Carolina Purcell Pavilion 7 p.m.

The Irish take on the Chanticleers.

ND Men’s Golf Kickoff Challenge Warren Golf Course Clubhouse all day Open to the public.

Rejoice! Mass Sacred Heart Parish Center 4 p.m.

Mass rooted in African American tradition.

Lecture: Dark Energy Nieuwland Hall of Science 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Pondering questions of dark energy.

Student Standups and the Humor Artists Legends 9 p.m.

Comedy shows.

ND Women’s Soccer vs. Illinois State Alumni Stadium 7 p.m.

The Irish take on the Redbirds.

ND Volleyball vs.

Purdue Purcell Pavilion 7 p.m.

The Irish take on the Boilermakers.

ND Women’s Soccer vs. Missouri Alumni Stadium 5 p.m.

The Irish take on the Tigers.

News

ndsmcobserver.com | Wednesday, august 31, 2016 | The Observer

3

SMC professor analyzes finance in Malaysia

By MARTHA REILLY Associate Saint Mary’s Editor

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has a recorded 200 rainy days each year, but Saint Mary’s anthropology professor Laura Elder’s experience in the capital city last fall was far from gloomy.

Elder spent six months observing the major roles Malaysian women play in Islamic finance, an industry in which all transactions must uphold the tenants of Sharia law.

Malaysia distinguishes itself from other nations because it provides women with opportunities to hold positions in the financial sector, Elder said.

“If you’re looking at Wall Street, if you’re looking at ...

London, it remains a very difficult endeavor to operate in those places as a woman,” Elder said. “I got quite interested in thinking about ‘Well, what’s going on with Islamic finance, and why are there so many women and what’s

Hearing Continued from page 1

head coach Brian Kelly addressed the topic at Tuesday’s press conference, saying he is aware of who owns the handgun found in the car.

“I didn’t know at that time,” Kelly said. “Yeah, we ended up

happening?’”

According to Elder, many Malaysian women work on the regulatory side, where they make rules about what aspects of banking comply with or violate Sharia law.

“Malaysia is really quite different because women are taking such a significant role,” Elder said. “In conventional finance, women have been trying for a really long time to get into the game and to have some rule-making power, but it’s really quite difficult.”

Elder said she conducted interviews with people who work in a wide range of fields, as well as attended training sessions with Malaysian citizens studying to work in the financial realm. These research strategies showed her the varying reactions Malaysians have to women’s high levels of involvement in Islamic finance, she said.

“As with most things, it depends on who you talk to,” Elder said. “Among the

finding out.”

While Redfield was dismissed from the team after the arrest, Kelly said he did not ever consider suspending the other four players found in possession of marijuana.

“The other four guys, we’re talking about possession of marijuana and me dealing with that situation. … I’ve never suspended a player for a game for a first defense Paid Advertisement

regulators, I would say there’s huge support just like in the U.S. context. You find a lot of women on the regulatory side and a lot of support on the part of the government for supporting women in the industry.”

Elder said she encountered some opposition to women’s unprecedented participation in Islamic finance.

“There is a lot of pushback about that,” Elder said. “It’s an ongoing conversation in that country in terms of both how Islamic finance should be organized and also what role women should have in the industry. It remains up for grabs and is very controversial.”

Elder said she spoke with Malaysian people about what would be the most effective way to organize a just financial system.

“The main takeaway from my research is actually how to improve processes and aspects of our social justice in Malaysia itself,” Elder said.

“How could the industry at

in this instance,” Kelly said.

Several of the player’s lawyers at Tuesday’s arraignment filed discovery motions to see the video recording of the traffic stop.

Redfield and Stepherson are due back in court Oct. 19 and Coney is due back Oct. 13 for their respective pre-trial conferences.

Court dates for Williams and White have not yet been set.

large support women, and also why would it be useful for the industry at large to support women?”

Perhaps other nations could adopt some of the ways Malaysia gives women agency in the financial realm, according to Elder.

“My expectation was that there would be some things happening in Malaysia that would be potentially a model or some ideas that could be replicated in the U.S.,” Elder said. “For example, there are some very simple things that happen in terms of support for child care and support for leave that happen in the Malaysian context which might be useful for the financial sector in the U.S. to think about.”

Elder said she hopes Saint Mary’s students understand the value of learning about new lifestyles and staying informed of the realities in other parts of the world.

“In the U.S., we think about

Islam a lot, but we don’t get necessarily the full spectrum, the full picture,” Elder said.

“We get little tiny slices, and sometimes it’s hard to put those into a coherent picture of what’s going on around the world.”

Elder said one way students can gain global perspectives is to apply for a Fulbright Scholarship, which would enable them to travel to a different country and learn other cultures and ways of thinking, as she did during her research.

“We think about a lot of these issues just in the U.S. context, and if we actually think comparatively and think a little bit more globally, I think we’ll be better at whatever it is we’re trying to do,” Elder said. “Confronting these issues in other contexts and climates really helps us to figure things out for ourselves here as well.”

Activities

walking around exploring.”

Sophomore Sabrina Barthelmes said she was happy to have the opportunity to go to Activities Night as a returning student to explore even more opportunities she heard about after the event last year.

“There were a couple of clubs that I wanted to re-sign up for and then one or two that I’ve heard about from friends so I thought they’d be cool to sign up for this year,” Barthelmes said. “I’m really glad it’s not just for [first-year students] because there were definitely some clubs that I’d heard good things about from friends last year that I wanted to get involved with this year.”

James said Activities Night is not only one of SAO’s most successful events, but also shows off the Notre Dame students’ spirit of involvement. “ ... it’s a true showing of how involved Notre Dame students are, both as upperclassmen who are staffing the tables and how interested our first year students are to be here,” she said. “We have hundreds and hundreds of tables and thousands of students who come to participate and I just think it’s a really valuable and true show ing of what the Notre Dame student body is like.”

Continued from page 1

“We’re a musical theater group so we’re kind of a niche group, not everybody is going to be interested, but if their eye lingers for a second on the words ‘musical theater’ we’re going to try to talk to them and get them interested,” Bartolini said. “We’re telling them about our club and our future events … [and] just trying to be a friendly presence.”

Freshman Elizabeth Smith appreciated students having the initiative and passion to recruit her to various groups.

“It’s kind of overwhelming, but I like that everyone’s here and you see how passionate people are about the clubs they’re in,” Smith said.

“Everyone’s like, ‘Come join this club, it’ll be fun just to join.’ … Some of them are like, ‘Hey, have you ever played Frisbee? That’s okay, you don’t have to, come join.’”

Freshman Darrell Adams said he enjoyed being able to explore the JACC without the pressure of having to reach out to certain clubs on his own.

“It takes the pressure off of me to have to reach out to people because they’re reaching out to me, so it makes things a lot easier on my part,” Adams said. “Really I’m just kind of

Contact Martha Reilly at mreilly01@saintmarys.edu

Contact Courtney Becker at cbecker3@nd.edu

Follow us on Twitter. @NDSMCObserver

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The observer | WEDNESday, august 31, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com

By DAKOTA CONNEL-LEDWON Scene Writer

Canadian indie pop duo Tegan and Sara have been working to craft the soft alternative soundtrack to every girl’s teenage drama and subsequent nostalgia since the performers were fifteen years old. But from the moment the identical twins picked up a guitar and started a band without a drummer or bass player, their music carried with it a unique sound and catchy, clever lyrics that resonated with an even larger audience.

Although relatively unknown outside of the indie scene for years, the pair rose to popularity with progressively glossier albums, a Grammy win and the performance of the theme song “Everything is Awesome” for “The Lego Movie,” produced in collaboration with The Lonely Island.

Tegan and Sara’s newest album, “Love You to Death,” is the logical next step in their evolution — a nonstop jam session filled with angsty yet largely bouncy electro-pop tunes that range from ballads to upbeat hits.

The album offers no surprises, but its predictability is by no means disappointing.

“Love You to Death,” released June 2016, continues in the same vein as the pair’s 2013 “Heartthrob,” replete with electronic, synth-driven songs and supremely relatable lyrics. If anything, the new release is smoother,

By JOSHUA BATISTA Scene Writer

Alas, after four years of hiding, singer-songwriter Frank Ocean finally dropped the highly anticipated “Blonde.”

The album was released independently by Ocean roughly 24 hours after his visual project “Endless,” a much more abstract and loose piece of work relative to “Blonde.”

Following the incredible success of Ocean’s “Channel Orange,” fans had a lot to expect from “Blonde” in terms of its production and collaborators. However, they shouldn’t get too excited. With more than 45 A-list artists being officially credited for their work on “Blonde,” one would expect the production to blossom into symphonies of textures and compositions. However, “Blonde” delivers the opposite — Ocean stripped down his sound to the bare bones with drums being used in four of the 17 tracks.

At the start of the album, Ocean throws his audience a curveball. Mellow, ambient vibes underly his use of a very high-pitched “chipmunk” version of his voice. This voice carries on for nearly the entirety of the track and is something that we’re not really used to getting from Ocean. He makes vague suggestions to drug use and love throughout the track with lyrics like “Acid on me like the rain / Weed crumbles into glitter” and “He don’t care for me / But he cares for me / And that’s good enough.” These themes become common tropes throughout the album, continuing into tracks such as “Be Yourself” and “Solo.”

In “Be Yourself,” there seems to be a voicemail left by his

with the songs more controlled than the 2013 release.

The only thing not to love about “Love You to Death” is that the tracks tend to blend together. Tegan and Sara’s mellow voices offer gentle crooning and authoritative sass (sometimes at the same time), but never venture into belting or anything other than very measured emotion. While it makes for a cohesive listening experience, the album’s continuity may come off as sameness to some listeners.

A few tracks do break out of the mold, though, whether through excellent lyrics or interesting beats.

“Boyfriend,” the lead single released in April, speaks to the frustration and confusion inherent in a will-theywon’t-they relationship in which one person doesn’t seem to know what she wants. The song is one of two on the album to speak to same-sex relationships — Tegan and Sara are both out, but their songs tend to avoid using specific pronouns. “Dying to Know” is an anthem for anyone still hung up on an ex while “100x” offers an interesting look into the feelings behind what happens when you simply can’t stay with your beau: “You were someone I loved/Then you were no one at all” laments the bridge.

The album also offers a visual experience: Tegan and Sara plan to release a music video for each song in the coming months. The videos that have already been released include a stunning black and white presentation

of “White Knuckles,” featuring Tegan and Sara mourning in a forest and an animated video created by “Bojack Horseman” production designer and producer Lisa Hanawalt accompanying “Hang on to the Night.”

Taken as a whole, “Love You to Death” is an easy listening experience tailor-made for missing a significant other — or trying to get over one. While the duo’s initial edgy, unique sound may have softened under the pressures of contemporary pop music, “Love You to Death” remains intrinsically Tegan and Sara, and therefore worth many listens.

mother that made it into the track list in which she tells him to stay away from drugs and to be himself. In the following track, “Solo,” Frank Ocean talks about his drug use saying: “Gone off tabs of that acid […] My eyes like them red lights.”

The track “Ivy” brings in a Beach Boys vibe and is relatively “poppy” compared to the rest of the album.

Surprisingly, The Beatles were credited for production on the similar sounding track “White Ferrari.” The album is guitar driven, and the tone wavers between joyful and melancholic. The dreamy, reverberating guitar on “Skyline To” guides the listener into a state of ecstasy, especially when the theremin comes in. In “Pretty Sweet,” an overdriven guitar guides the track into a mellow punk state combining bass and drums. Echoing Frank’s conflicted tone throughout the album, the listener is left in a state of limbo.

“Blonde” keeps you on your toes as you attempt to follow Ocean’s stream of consciousness. The production on “Blonde” is simple, but it evolves subtly in most of its tracks. “Nights” goes from a melancholic pop song into a Bryson Tiller “TRAPSOUL”-esque track.

It’s hard to account for the contributions that 46 artists made to the album, but the credits are clear in “Solo (Reprise).” Andre 3000 comes in with an amazing feature in the 90-second song. Starting with an aggressive piano progression, the track evolves into a “Yeezus”-esque 808 breakdown.

The other track where we hear another tangible voice

is “Pink+White.” This track is the closest “Blonde” gets to “Channel Orange.” The indie rock-inspired track spends its duration evolving: Frank sings over a smooth guitar and piano progression as Beyoncé eases her way into the instrumental with a slow crescendo that blossoms with a swell of violins and various other orchestral instruments.

As a musical album, Frank Ocean’s “Blonde” will not shock an audience. It is much more of a soundtrack than it is an album. It takes time to grow on its listener. As a piece of art — as a performance, this is arguably the best 2016 has to offer. Ocean manages to take the listener somewhere he or she has never been before — a place that only Frank Ocean and his enigmatic poetry combined with simple, yet intricate instrumentals can take you.

Contact Dakota Connel-Ledwon at dconnel5@nd.edu

“Love You to Death” Tegan and Sara Label: Vapor Records Track: “Dying to Know,” “100X,” “BWU” If you like: The Chainsmokers, CHVRCHES, Foster the People

Contact Joshua Batista at jbatista@nd.edu

“Blonde” Frank Ocean Label: Boys Don’t Cry Track: “Nights,” “Solo,” “Pink+White” If you like: FKA Twigs, JMSN, Blood ORange

LINDSEY MEYERS | The Observer

6

The observer | wednesday, august 31, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com

Inside Column

What is the purpose of education?

Benjamin Padanilam Associate Sports Editor

Recently in one of my classes, this was a question that came up tangentially to the topic we were discussing.

We had just read a lecture that discussed education and a worldview as divided into “Two Cultures”: one defined by scientific intellectuals and another defined by literary intellectuals.

And as another academic term gets underway — and a new crop of first years navigate all the opportunities available to them while upperclassmen simultaneously plan for life after Notre Dame — that question rings as loudly as ever.

During that discussion, we realized that the more knowledge we have accumulated as a society, the more specialized education has become over time. The question thus became whether that specialization is a positive or negative for education.

As this was a discussion in a Program of Liberal Studies (PLS) class, it should come as no surprise that many felt a broader education was more beneficial for the individual.

Such an education offers a basic understanding of various fields of study that enables the individual to communicate with those fields.

But there are just as many students on campus who seemingly have the rest of their lives figured out — or, at least, know exactly what they want to study and what career they want to pursue. They fairly question the point of them having to take classes for university requirements that they, quite frankly, couldn’t care less about and, consequently, get nothing out of.

“If I know what I want to do, why am I not allowed to focus on just those classes that will get me where I want to go?” one of my roommates said last year.

Which brings us back to that overarching question: What is the purpose of education?

Is there even a right answer to that question?

Far too often, education is seen as just another step in the process towards the future. Too many students think that what you do outside of class defines your college experience, but everything you do in the classroom is just another rung on the ladder towards success that needs to be climbed. And regardless of whether you study the “practical” or the “abstract,” your education has to be justified either by what job it will lead to or what skills it will help you develop.

But why should the purpose of education be restricted to just that?

Your experiences inside the classroom are just as formative for your life as those outside of it are. They will shape the way you think about the world and your place in it.

That’s true regardless of whether you study chemistry, accounting, architecture or PLS. Your education won’t just define your college experience.

It will play a major role in defining the rest of your life.

So why would waste your time studying something you don’t love?

Don’t pick a major simply because it’s the major everyone that goes into the field you want to enter studies. Pick it because you love walking into those classes each and every day. Pick it because you get to surround yourself with people who have entirely different experiences but share your passion for that topic.

Pick it because you wouldn’t have it any other way.

After all, that might just be the true purpose of an education: forming you into the person you want to be, regardless of who that person is.

Contact Benjamin Padanilam at bpadanil@nd.edu The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Genetic engineering: a consumer good?

Matthew Williams Guest Columnist

In the 1950s, John von Neumann developed the first programmable computer at Princeton. It was larger than the room you are sitting in and less powerful than the laptop or cellphone you are reading this on. When asked how many computers the United States would need, he answered 18.

Three years ago, Elon Musk said in an interview with Khan Academy that if you’d asked people in 1963 what 2013 would look like, “They would have expected a base on the moon … and maybe even a base on Mars offering space hotels. If you told them, ‘Well, actually, there’ll be this device in your pocket … smaller than a deck of cards … that has access to all the world’s information … and you can talk to anyone on planet Earth,’ they would have said, ‘BS, there’s no way that’s going to be true.’”

My intention for these anecdotes is to portray the previous implausibility of domesticating the computing industry. What was originally intended to be used exclusively by research universities and governments has now become a consumer good.

What’s more, the increasing trajectory towards openness and simplicity has turned everyone with some spare time into a potential programmer. This viewpoint is about the next techno-scientific domestication coming soon to a dorm room near you.

This summer, TIME ran an article on genetic engineering and a revolutionary technique for modifying DNA called CRISPR-Cas9. Genetic engineering, or biohacking, is the process of altering the DNA of a living cell. It is the biological equivalent of reprogramming a computer and changing the way it functions. CRISPR is a new procedure which makes it extremely easy to do this.

Think of CRISPR as a set of molecular scissors which can be programmed to cut a specific gene out of the genome. This allows scientists to determine the gene’s function in that cell and test what would happen if it were replaced by a different gene. What makes CRISPR so special is how simple it is to use.

Today, anybody with $130 and some spare time can order a basic CRISPR kit and attempt to alter the genome of a model species from the comfort of their home. Pair that with the wealth of free knowledge and data available on the internet and this means that we now have billions of potential garage-scientists looking for new ways to cure cancer, treat diabetes, alter eye color and so much more.

This is huge, because CRISPR is doing to genetic engineering what easy-to-use Apple computers and open-sourced code did to the computer industry.

When Wired Magazine asked Bill Gates about it, he said that if he were young today, he “would be hacking biology, creating artificial life with DNA synthesis.” So what does this mean for the future of biology, and how will that affect you?

For starters, researchers have spent the last 30 years collecting information about specific genes and their functions, but until recently, we had

limited methods of actually confirming what genes were responsible for what. This means that the scientific community has been sitting on a pile of raw gold with no efficient method of refining it down.

Now, with CRISPR, we can accurately determine a gene’s function in a fraction of the time it used to take. This gives scientists a way to do something with all the genetic information they have been cataloging, and according to Thomas Barnes, the chief scientific officer at biotech firm Intellia, “the moment CRISPR was introduced, everyone immediately knew what to do.”

Already, CRISPR has been used to produce impressive results in many medical fields, including correcting the genetic defect responsible for Duchenne muscular dystrophy in mice (the first step to fixing it in humans) and generating organs in pigs that are compatible for transplant into human bodies. It has also allowed for genetic exploration that was never before possible, like discovering a way to build “hulk-like” muscles in dogs, goats, rabbits, and monkeys, which Chinese researchers have reported doing.

Scientists at London’s Francis Crick Institute will soon begin by far the most important application of CRISPR. They plan on using it to remove and edit key development genes from unfertilized human embryos to determine how human beings are made. This is a major key we have been missing in solving many of the mysteries central to biology, like how mutations in specific development genes can cause the dramatically different anatomies of earth’s animals.

So, ready or not, the field of genetic engineering is rapidly becoming domesticated, just like computers and phones were not so long ago. I encourage you to think about this will mean. As an aspiring scientist myself, I am fully in support of research which would unlock new chapters of our evolutionary history. At the same time, I cannot help but feel that at some point on this path we may arrive at a line, which, once crossed, will forever change the nature of life.

Life is a good and we are constantly moving to support that good in new and controversial ways, but as we embark towards this next frontier, we must ask ourselves what it means to potentially complicate or even eliminate aspects of life itself in this pursuit. If given the freedom someday to redesign yourself; to change your phenotypic eye color or understand which genes would one day kill you; or to design the perfect child you always imagined, how far would you take it?

Matt is a junior studying evolutionary anthropology.

He seeks to understand how humans have naturally come to exist, to contrive “why” we do in the context of our own consciousness, and to imagine the most sustainable way for humankind to coexist with all of the biodiversity on earth. Please feel free to reach out to him at mwilli41@nd.edu with any questions or comments about this column or his afro.

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

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The observer | wednesday, august 31, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com

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How to write an email like a grown-up Courtney Phelan Practical English Major

Every student in all three campuses is currently working toward some type of professional career or post-graduate “thing.” As much as we might want to live in the undergrad bubble, communicating solely through varied grunting noises and Snap Stories, someday you’ll have communicate professionally with someone. And that professional someone uses email.

Sending an email sounds pretty simple, right? It could be, but I’ve found that most people in our generation absolutely suck at it.

My lovely mother is a college professor, similar to all of your professors. And each semester, she is bombarded with envoys of unprofessional communication. Each poorly-written email confuses and depresses her to the point where she has to complain to me for hours to rid her brain of the muck it endures every time she opens her inbox. I, too, have been on the receiving end of terrible emails, because for some reason, I am occasionally put into positions where I am regarded as the “professional.” No one should have to apply collegiate-level literary analysis skills to determine what question someone is asking about tutoring hours. People forget to capitalize words or spell things so poorly that I can’t make it out. People explain a very complicated situation and don’t add anything that explains why it’s relevant.

People give paragraph-long, graphic descriptions of illnesses. People suck at writing emails.

With all that being said, here is an English writing

major’s advice on how to effectively communicate via email with professionals, like professors, advisors, recruiters or other grown-ups.

The first, and surprisingly difficult, part of writing an email is the greeting. Standard letter-writing etiquette states that letters, including electronic letters, should begin with “Dear [name].” Using the standard “dear” will work for any email you’re sending. Personally, it sounds so unlike me to say, so I opt for “Hi, [name].” Both, and a few other greetings such as “hello,” are totally acceptable. The most important part about the salutation is that you get their title right. If they are a professor or doctor, call them that and their last name. Never refer to a professor or other professional by their first name unless explicitly told that you can.

Most emails I’ve written to professionals are about a problem, like illness or sincere confusion about something. Start off with a paragraph that explains the background or event that caused you to need to email them. Examples of this include, “While working on our first essay, I came across a source from the author of another text that was not on the recommended list …” or “You might have noticed that I was not in class yesterday. This is because I was sick.”

You do not have to provide every single detail of your life leading up to sending this email. For any problem you are describing, keep it as simple as possible. This is especially important if you are explaining that you were sick. While it might seem tempting to explain every graphic detail of your illness to make it seem more believable, believe me: It’s really not. All you have to do is state that you were very sick and should not have been around other people.

Your second paragraph should be the question that resulted from your predicament detailed in the first paragraph, such as, “Can I use this other source? How exactly should I integrate it into this project?” A common question, especially for problems like missing class is, “What do we do now?”

However, the simple phrase “What do we do now?” sounds rather stupid and puts the emphasis on your professor is doing something rather than yourself.

You are asking for this person’s advice about what you need to be doing now. A better way to state this is to ask, “How do you recommend I proceed from here?”

Once you’ve asked your question, wrap up the email. You don’t want to write a novel and whomever you’re writing to doesn’t want to read a novel. State any availability you have for a meeting or phone call, which, if you have a big enough problem to email them, you should absolutely try to schedule.

End it with a closing and your name. I will always be faithful to “Sincerely.” Go back and check your grammar and word-choice. Ensure that you’ve put in a subject, and that the subject is short but informative. “Question about [problem you had]” will work most of the time.

Hit send. You just wrote an email like a grown-up.

Courtney Phelan is studying English writing, secondary education, and French. She wants to be an English teacher, so that she can get paid to correct people’s grammar. She is in her final year at Saint Mary’s College. Contact her at cphela01@saintmarys.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

On Colin Kaepernick and America Eddie Damstra Dinner Table Talks

Last Friday night, Colin Kaepernick quickly transformed from a subpar backup quarterback into one of America’s most polarizing figures.

Kaepernick, as many already know, chose to sit down during the playing of the national anthem prior to Friday’s game versus the Green Bay Packers. After the game, Kaepernick said, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a f lag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” Additionally, he accused police officers of “getting paid leave and getting away with murder.” Quite unsurprisingly, this caused great controversy.

At first, I did not think Kaepernick’s display deserved prolonged discussion, let alone an article in The Observer. However, as I observed the efforts of many in the media to defend Kaepernick’s decision and considered the harmful impact such a display could have, I concluded that it was certainly appropriate to devote time and effort to call into question his actions.

It is important to affirm that Colin Kaepernick has the absolute right to sit down during the national anthem. I, in no way, intend to assert he

should be unable to express his beliefs, no matter how unfounded they are. It is ironic, however, that Kaepernick is choosing to disrespect America by utilizing the rights that the nation guarantees him.

He is, essentially, clinging onto the core ideals of the very nation he claims to be condemning. In doing so, Kaepernick is being not only counterintuitive but hypocritical. Still, it is his right to be so.

With that said, the First Amendment does not entitle one to say or act without fear of criticism.

In fact, when displays as thoughtless and disrespectful as Kaepernick’s are made, criticism is not only appropriate, it is necessary. Unfortunately, many people have failed in this regard. Many of those who have criticized Kaepernick have done so clumsily. People have asserted that Kaepernick’s argument is invalid because of his biracial heritage or the fact that his adoptive parents are white.

Numerous people have also emphasized his wealth when criticizing the display. These people have it all wrong. Kaepernick’s race, parents, or wealth do not disqualify his argument; rather, his blanket generalizations and unsupported accusations do.

There is no question racism still exists in America. We, as a nation, continue to struggle in eradicating such an evil. Additionally, it is undeniably true that police brutality is an issue the nation is currently grappling with. However, to move

from recognizing such realities to accusing an entire nation and government of systematically oppressing a particular group of people is absolutely ludicrous. In stating that America, collectively as a nation, oppresses people of color, Kaepernick relies on spouting incendiary rhetoric, instead of providing appropriate evidence, Colin Kaepernick deliberately disrespected the United States and he did so in conjunction with unsubstantiated indictments of law enforcement and America as a whole. For that, he should be scrutinized in the public eye. We are setting a very dangerous precedent if we allow reckless demonstrations such as Kaepernick’s to go unchallenged.

America is not a f lawless nation, but it also not a land of oppression. We should all feel compelled to stand during the national anthem, not as a proclamation of American perfection but out of a dual sense of gratitude and readiness to make positive change.

Eddie is a sophomore from Orland Park, Illinois.

He is majoring in economics and political science and considering pursuing law school after his time as an undergraduate at the University of Notre Dame. He can be reached at edamstra@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

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DAILY

The observer | wednesday, august 31, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com

Crossword | Will Shortz

Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Refuse to be consumed with complications you cannot change.

Go with the flow and focus on what is possible. Reach beyond your inner circle and explore what and who can help you reach your life goals. A change in direction or how you handle legal, medical or financial matters will give you the insight required to be successful. Your numbers are 5, 13, 24, 28, 37, 43, 49.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Responding responsibly and taking control of situations as they arise will help you resolve issues swiftly and counter any criticism from peers. Be cautious when dealing with institutions. Protect your possessions and your reputation.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Reopen doors that have been closed for some time.

Reuniting with old friends and colleagues will help you gain perspective on a situation you face. Your insights will help you recognize incorrect information and financial loss.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Bring about positive changes that will encourage you to better organize your time. Picking up information and mastering something you enjoy doing will open up new options. A physical improvement will boost your confidence and your popularity.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Handle your own affairs to ensure the safety of your cash, belongings and reputation. Don’t let criticism stop you from doing things your way. You’ll gain respect and recognition for your intelligence and insight.

It’s OK to show off.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The feeling and passion you put into the projects you take on today will make a huge difference to the outcome. Speak from the heart and participate in bringing about positive change. Donate your time and skills, not your cash.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Put in time organizing and taking care of domestic matters. Fixing something that will make your life more convenient will also help you avoid criticism. Don’t overreact or indulge in senseless arguments that will lead to a stalemate.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Favors will be granted and changes can be put into place. The more progressive and persistent you are, the better. Don’t give in to someone who pressures you unless you are happy with what you are getting in return. Put your own needs first.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Be aware of emotional matters that can cloud your vision or cause a problem with one of your peers. Patience and understanding will help you avoid such problems if you express compassion for others. Look for new ways to make progress.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sharing personal information will not work in your favor. Misinterpretation could result, leaving you in a no-win situation.

Listen, observe and be secretive to maintain your status quo. Work on selfimprovement and personal growth.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): An unexpected deal will come out of nowhere.

Check your sources carefully and read the fine print. Don’t feel the need to make a snap judgment. An idea will result from the encounter and evolve into an exciting new project.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Bring about the changes that will make you happy.

An emotional partnership will flourish if you work together to build greater comfort and convenience at home. Do the grunt work and reap the rewards.

Love is on the rise.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Live and learn. The response you receive from your peers will encourage you to follow the path that you find most interesting. A relationship will face changes that will determine its purpose and longevity.

Birthday Baby: You are practical, confident and intellectual. You are productive and reactionary.

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sports

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, august 31, 2016 | The Observer

MLB | Orioles 5, bLUe jays 3

Sports Authority

Winning is now ‘so Cleveland’ Alex Carson Assistant Managing Editor

“That’s so Cleveland.”

As nearly 21 years of my life passed, I got pretty familiar with the line.

You’ve gotta understand how I grew up. When I was 83 days old, my dad pulled me out of my crib at around 11 p.m. to sit me in front of a television screen.

Why? After hitting Randy Johnson for four runs, including three in the eighth, the Cleveland Indians were set to win the pennant for the first time in 41 years. It was something my dad had never seen — and something he probably never thought he would again. So I had to watch it. Because who the hell know if I’d die without seeing another one myself?

It’s not like I remember the 1995 and 1997 Indians teams, or the soul-crushing ways in which they lost their two World Series appearances — by dropping three one-run games in ’95 and, you know, by surrendering an 11th-inning, Game 7 walk-off single in ’97 — but you can’t say I wasn’t born straight into one of the more emblematic periods in Cleveland sports history.

Side note: Can we talk about how underrated the ’95 Indians are? They won 100 games in a 144-game season. So incredibly good.

Of course, 1995 was also when Art Modell, who will forever be the most hated hated man in Cleveland, moved the Browns to Baltimore. Since, the Ravens have won the Super Bowl twice, and head coach Bill Bellichick has won four. The “new” Browns have had winning records … twice.

Cleveland sports misery predates me, though. By a good margin. On the diamond, the Curse of Rocky Colavito, the Indians’ star and fan favorite traded in 1960, launched decades of irrelevance for the Indians. When it came to the hardwood, I grew up watching Michael Jordan’s 1989 “The Shot” — one of the defining moments of his career — to beat the Cavs in the deciding Game 5 of that year’s first round.

And of course, there’s the Browns. As always. From “Red Right 88” to John Elway’s “The Drive” and Earnest Byner’s “The Fumble,” the talent of the 1980s Browns teams never once reached a Super Bowl, let alone winning one.

If my dad’s struggles as a Cleveland sports fan — especially with a brother who’s a Pittsburgh fan — were any indication, there wasn’t to be

9

much happiness for me, either.

I saw that with my own eyes as a 27-month old in ’95 and ’97, and by the time I started figuring things out, 2007 offered my greatest glimpse yet into Cleveland sports fandom.

The Cavaliers, led by generational talent LeBron James, made the NBA Finals. But got swept, 4-0, by the Spurs.

The Indians, genuinely the favorite team of my childhood, beat the Yankees in the ALDS — in the series that featured the “Bug Game” — and led the Red Sox 3-1 in the 2007 ALCS, one win away from a World Series.

But the Tribe blew that series, only to see Boston sweep the Rockies for the World Series.

And then there were the Browns, who went 10-6 that year; they were actually good!

But they missed the playoffs.

Because, you know, Cleveland.

And then-Colts head coach Tony Dungy sitting his starters in the season finale against Tennessee.

I will never forgive him for that.

From there, I watched the Indians completely fall apart when ownership wouldn’t pay C.C. Sabathia or Cliff Lee, LeBron leave for Miami to win two titles and the Browns return to being, well, the Browns.

So when LeBron went to the line June 19 in Game 7, with the Cavs up 3 and 10 seconds left, it started flashing through my mind: He was down hurt, so whoever’d have to shoot from the bench would miss both, the Warriors would go down to the other end and Steph Curry would hit an and-1 3-pointer.

The Cavs would find a way to lose, not in overtime, but in regulation.

Because that would have been “so Cleveland.”

But instead, as I watched, standing in front of the TV with my dad, LeBron hit one of those free throws — because he couldn’t settle the nerves enough by hitting both — and the Cavs hung on.

Winning titles? Between UFC champ Stipe Miocic and the Cavs, it’s the new thing that’s “so Cleveland.”

The Indians are really good this year. They’re going to win the World Series. It’ll be a move that’s “so Cleveland.”

And for the Browns?

Well, I don’t think we can really help them.

But just having to say “that’s so Browns?”

That I can live with.

Contact Alex Carson at acarson1@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Orioles defeat Blue Jays behind Wieters’ homerun Associated Press

BALTIMORE — Matt Wieters hit a go-ahead, two-run homer off Jason Grilli in the eighth inning to lead the Baltimore Orioles to a 5-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.

The Orioles pulled within three games of the first-place Blue Jays, who had a fourgame winning streak snapped.

After losing the opener 5-1, the Orioles will look to gain more ground in the series finale Wednesday.

Michael Saunders drilled a two-run shot off Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez that tied the game 3-3 in the seventh.

In the eighth, Jonathan Schoop walked and Wieters homered off Grilli (4-2), his 12th of the season.

Brad Brach (8-2) picked up the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Zach Britton got his league-leading 39th save.

Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ fell short of tying Boston’s Rick Porcello for the

major league lead with 18 wins.

Happ allowed three runs and six hits with three strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings.

Manny Machado hit his 34th homer of the season and 100th of his career for Baltimore.

Steve Pearce went deep for the 13th time this season.

Baltimore’s Pedro Alvarez, who got a rare start against a left-hander, managed two hits against Happ and is 6 for 12 in his career against him.

Jimenez started in place of the injured Chris Tillman and allowed three runs and nine hits with three strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings.

The Blue Jays took a 1-0 lead in the second on a two-out, RBI single by Kevin Pillar. Jimenez then retired the next eight batters before allowing another single to Pillar in the fifth.

Pearce tied the game 1-1 with a homer in the bottom half of that inning. Two batters later, Machado drove Happ’s 0-1 pitch over the wall in center field for a two-run homer that gave Baltimore the lead.

Orioles: RHP Logan Ondrusek and OF Julio Borbon were outrighted to Double-A Bowie. Both players were designated for assignment over the weekend and cleared waivers.

Orioles: CF Adam Jones performed drills but was held out of the lineup for the fourth consecutive game with a left hamstring strain. ... Tillman (right shoulder bursitis) could potentially throw off a mound this weekend. However, the original target dates of Sept.

9 or 10 for his next start appear unlikely, manager Buck Showalter said.

Blue Jays: Aaron Sanchez (122, 2.99 ERA) will be recalled from Class-A Dunedin to make the start. He spent the past 10 days in the minors to limit his innings. Sanchez has gone 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA in three starts against Baltimore this season.

Orioles: Yovani Gallardo (46, 5.59 ERA) has lost his past three decisions. In his last outing against the Yankees, he lasted just 1 1/3 innings, allowing eight runs and six hits.

MLB | Indians 5, twins 4

Lindor’s double leads Indians to win over Twins Associated Press

CLEVELAND — Francisco Lindor drove in the go-ahead run in the fifth inning and the Cleveland Indians survived another poor start by Josh Tomlin to beat Minnesota 5-4 on Tuesday, extending the Twins’ losing streak to 12 games.

Lindor’s double off Alex Wimmers (0-1) snapped a 4-4 tie and helped the Indians maintain their lead over second-place Detroit in the AL Central.

Rajai Davis hit a three-run homer and Jason Kipnis added a solo shot for Cleveland, which trailed 4-1 in the second after the Twins knocked around Tomlin. Dan Otero (41) pitched 2 2/3 hitless innings, Bryan Shaw worked out of a jam in the seventh and Andrew Miller got five outs for his third save since joining Cleveland.

Minnesota’s current slide is

the third longest in club history. The Twins lost 13 straight in 1961 and a team-record 14 consecutive games in 1982.

Brian Dozier homered for the Twins, winless since Aug. 17.

As the playoff race heats up, the Indians found some outfield depth, agreeing on a trade to acquire Coco Crisp from Oakland. A person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press the sides are only awaiting approval from Major League Baseball. The 36-year-old Crisp began his career with Cleveland in 2002.

Cleveland’s offense has been in a funk, but it awakened in time to offset the shortest outing of Tomlin’s career. The right-hander was tagged for four runs and seven hits in just 1 2/3 innings.

With runners at first and second in the fifth, Lindor barely missed hitting a three-run homer when his shot caromed

high off the wall in left-center.

Davis scored easily from second, but Kipnis was thrown out at the plate by shortstop Eduardo Escobar, who made a perfect relay.

The Indians had two runners thrown out at third and one at home.

Down 4-1, the Indians, who had scored one run or fewer in seven of the past eight games, tied it on Davis’ three-run shot in the second off Andrew Albers. Abraham Almonte doubled and Chris Gimenez walked before David connected on his 12th homer, a shot to left that bailed out Tomlin.

It was another troubling performance for Tomlin, who is 0-5 with an 11.47 ERA in his last six starts and could soon find himself out of Cleveland’s rotation. He started the season 7-0, but has been plagued by home runs, giving up 10 in his last six outings.

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10

Sports

The observer | wednesday, august 31, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com

XC Continued from page 12

the chance to step into a collegiate meet without being overly competitive.

“And then the Joe Piane Invitational will be the most competitive meet in the country that weekend with 12 of the top25 teams in the country competing on both sides. So it’s neat to have that level of competition on our course early in the year.”

Graduate student Sydni Meuiner echoed Sparks’ sentiments and said the Crusader Open is an opportunity for the more inexperienced runners to get their pre-race routines set.

“Every time that you can lace up your spikes and be on the starting line, it’s definitely good experience,” Meuiner said.

“Whether it’s figuring out your pregame meal or what your optimal pre-race routine is or running in a pack and running together — which is really what you’re going to see on Friday — it’s all going to add up in the end, and it’s going to give you something to learn from, good or bad.”

On the men’s side, Timothy Ball and All-American Michael Clevenger led last year’s team, but both have graduated, and Sparks said this year’s team will look to a strong freshmen class for depth, in addition to the leadership of seniors Chris Marco and Jacob Dumford.

“We’ve got three freshmen in Kevin Salvano, Sean Kurdy and Ryan Schweizer that we think

can step up and really contribute,” Sparks said. “It’s going to be a much different look, whereas Mike Clevenger was an All-American last year [and] graduated and he was a great team leader for us the last couple years, but we feel we’ve got a couple leaders in Dumford and Marco to carry that leadership weight and weight up front as far as the competitive side. I feel those guys can fill that void that [Ball] and [Clevenger] left.”

The women’s squad also must replace All-American and national champion Molly Seidel, who led the team to a top-10 team finish at last year’s NCAA championships. And though Seidel is gone, Sparks said he will look to sophomores Anna Rohrer, Rachel DaDamio and Annie Heffernan to step up and fifth-year seniors Sydni Meunier and Danielle Aragon to lead the team.

“We’ve got Anna [Rohrer], who was sixth in the country last year, and then Rachel DaDamio is another sophomore that’s been running really well for us and Annie Heffernan,” he said.

“So we’ve got a good sophomore group who aren’t quite ready to step into the leadership roles, but we’ve been blessed to hold onto a couple of our fifth-year seniors that are sticking around for another cross country season.”

The meet will begin Friday at 5 p.m. with the women’s race and then continue with the men’s event immediately after.

Contact Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@nd.edu

Meunier Continued from page 12

high school and my first couple years at Notre Dame, and then I saw the confidence of my coaches and my teammates in me grow and [they began] looking to me for advice or just verbally telling me, ‘Oh, we think you’re really a good leader.’”

And as she grew older, Meunier credited her coaches, teammates and parents in particular with giving her the courage she needed to step into the role of a leader.

“I feel like it’s been my coaches all along the way,” Meunier said. “Coaches before [Irish associate head] Coach [Matthew] Sparks and also Coach Sparks, as well, [encouraged me]. Also, my parents have been some of the people that have definitely been there, always and always encouraging me, and my teammates, as well.”

Now, as she gets set to lead the 2016 iteration of the Notre Dame squad, Meunier said she is happy to have the help of fellow graduate student Danielle Aragon.

“It’s great to have both of us back,” Meunier said. “I think it’s really special because she’s not only a teammate, she’s my best friend and my roommate for the last three years. It’s really fun to see how far we’ve both come because I’ve seen a lot of growth in her as well,

which is really exciting. She has some virtues and attributes that are stronger than what mine are, and I have some that are stronger than hers in other areas. So I think that that plays off each other really well and accumulates into something special.”

Meunier’s journey to a leadership role was not without adversity. Last season, Meunier did not compete due to an injury, but she decided to fulfill her final year of eligibility because of her love of the sport.

“I’ve always loved running,” she said. “Running has been an outlet for me, as well as a way to see how far I can push myself and test my limits. It’s always been something that I wanted to see how fast I could go. I had a really great season to end my junior year and then had an injury that pretty much took me out all of the past year.

“I definitely knew that I wanted to see what I could do, so I wanted to definitely come back and be another year stronger.”

And now, entering her final season with the Irish, Meunier said she has taken a different perspective on competing — one that focuses on the here and now and treats every day as a blessing.

“I feel like [the injury] is just something that has made me feel really, really blessed and really lucky to be here and has given me a new Paid Advertisement

Observer File Photo

Irish graduate student runner Sydni Meunier competes in the National Catholic Championships at Notre Dame on Sept. 19, 2014.

perspective that, ‘Whatever happens, happens,’ [and] I’m going to work as hard as I can, and I’m going to have a great time while I do it with some of my best friends,” Meunier said. “It definitely makes me really excited and gives me that extra little adrenaline, thinking, ‘Wow, this is going to my last time putting on the Notre Dame uniform.’”

With her and Aragon at the tiller, Meunier said she expects 2016 to be fortuitous year for the Irish because of the close bond the team has formed.

“We have a really great core group ... We’re running together everyday, we’re training together everyday.”

Meunier said. “We’re in similar spots aerobically in our training, and we all had a really good learning experience together last year. Now the girls that were freshmen last year, they have that experience of racing at nationals and competing at that level, so that’s going to add to their confidence level for this year that they didn’t have last year. ...We don’t only hang out together at practice.

“We do things outside of practice, and that’s such a crucial part that you can’t take for granted that I think is going to show on the cross country field and the track this year.”

Contact Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@nd.edu

Sports

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, august 31, 2016 | The Observer

Football

Please recycle The Observer.

Continued from page 12

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teams going into the game, Kelly said other aspects of the team — like the running game — will be a deciding factor in the contest.

“Both teams are going to be playing ... a couple of quarterbacks,” Kelly said. “I think a lot of attention, a lot of eyes, a lot of national media and local media will be wanting to focus on that.

But sometimes when you focus on the quarterbacks, you forget there are a lot of other things going on out there and there’s a lot of talented players on both sides that will have to step up and make plays.

“I think both running games are going to have to be very, very instrumental in this game.

They’ve got two big, physical running backs in Foreman and Warren, and we think we’ve got great depth at the running back position as well. Adams comes off a great year. You know, certainly we feel with our offensive line, getting Folston back, that’s going to be a big piece for us.”

Status still unknown for arrested players Kevin Stepherson, Dexter Williams, Te’Von Coney and Ashton White are all listed on Notre Dame’s depth chart and Kelly said Tuesday that if it were up to him, all four would be able to play at Texas.

“As it stands right now, they’re on the depth chart because they’re available to play as we speak and on Saturday,” Kelly said. “If they’re cleared to play as of Saturday, then we’d play them.

“The University will work their process, and we’ll continue to move forward ... there’s no deadline, per se. But we kind of work as if they’re going to play, and if something changes, the University will let us know.”

Kelly said he felt there were “great lines of communication” between the Office of Community Standards and the Athletic Department.

Kelly also said he did not consider suspending the four players charged with possession of marijuana since it was the first offense for all four and said the drug testing policy for the team is meant to be both educational and punitive. He also mentioned all four players would be subject to random drug testing moving forward.

“We have a very rigorous drug testing policy,” Kelly said. “Our

11

drug testing policy along with the NCAA drug policy — I’ve been at four schools, and I believe our policy is as stringent.

When I say ‘stringent,’ I mean we are on top of it on a day-today basis. But we’re also — it’s not just punitive. It’s education.

And if the education part is not working, then the punitive part comes in. But I think we’ve done a great job with our drug testing policy.

“As we continue to monitor these guys, they are in a program as such and will be put on a program that they will not know when tests occur.””

Sebastian gets starting nod at safety Following Max Redfield’s dismissal from the team, sixth-year transfer student Avery Sebastian will get the start at free safety over freshman Devin Studstill.

Kelly said Sebastian has been a solid performer all camp and that Studstill has been bothered by a hamstring injury which has limited his reps in practice.

“Devin was a little behind with the hamstring as well,” Kelly said. “ ... But certainly you want to put veterans on the field, if you can. I think if Devin was clearly ahead of Sebastian, we’d have Devin on the field over Sebastian. But Sebastian’s had a good camp.

He’s been really rock solid. “ ... You want to try to keep as many veterans in that starting role as possible and let those younger guys work their way into the lineup. But more than anything else, Devin put himself a little behind with the injury. He didn’t put himself behind, but the injury caused him to be a little bit behind. But he’s made up a lot of ground in a very short period.”

Also of note, the depth chart lists junior Andrew Trumbetti as the starter at left defensive end with freshman Daelin Hayes and junior Jay Hayes as backups.

Daelin Hayes is returning from a soldier injury which kept him sideliner for most of his senior season in high school and Kelly said he is simply looking for the freshman to find the flow of the game in his first start at the collegiate level.

“Daelin hasn’t played a lot of football over the last year and a half,” Kelly said. “ ... We’re not asking him to change the complexion of the game, but just to get into the flow of the game.”

Contact Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@nd.edu

CHRIS COLLINS | The Observer

Irish senior quarterback Malik Zaire stiff arms a defender during Notre Dame’s 38-3 victory over Texas on Sept. 5.

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The observer | wednesday, august 31, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com

FOOTBALL

Kelly talks Texas, status of arrested players No decision on starter at quarterback, Avery Sebastian named starter at safety

By MAREK MAZUREK Sports Editor

With Notre Dame’s season opener against Texas approaching fast, Irish head coach Brian Kelly may not know who he will start at quarterback. “[I] haven’t figured that out yet,” Kelly said in regards to who would get the first offensive snaps. “I mean, they’re both doing the same things that we’ve been asking them to do, and that may be something that we discuss in the locker room. It’s not really an issue for us right now.

It’s not something that we’ve contemplated.”

But Kelly does know defeating the Longhorns will not be as easy as it was a year ago and praised the strides Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong has made during his tenure with the program. “[Texas is] a team that we know well, having played them last year,” Kelly said. “[I] watched a lot of film in the off-season and [I was] seeing a football team that came up with two really big wins last year against nationally ranked teams in Oklahoma

and Baylor. ... Coach Strong has developed a lot of talent, has recruited extremely well. So we know that it’s a talented football team that’s playing at home.”

Texas will be looking to add No. 10 Notre Dame to its list of upset victories, and Kelly said a big key to the game will be how his young team handles the adversity of playing on the road in the first game of the season. “[Texas] is going to be honoring their 2006 National Championship team,” Kelly said.

“So [there are] a lot of things that they’ll feed off of. And what they can’t feed off of is a Notre Dame football team that gives them any excitement in a sense that we go down there and turn the football over, give them big plays. So it’s very important that our football team gets off to a good start against Texas. “... Certainly there will be some adversity, and how we charge through that and manage it will say a lot about this football team moving forward.”

And while who plays at quarterback is an unknown for both see FOOTBALL PAGE 11

CHRIS COLLINS | The Observer

Irish senior running back Tarean Folston receives a handoff during Notre Dame’s 38-3 victory over Texas on Sept. 5 at Notre Dame Stadium. Folston is returning from a torn ACL suffered in last year’s contest.

Cross Country

New season begins with new leadership Irish to start season at Crusader Open

Meunier enters fifth year, becomes leader for team

By MAREK MAZUREK

By MAREK MAZUREK

Sports Editor

Sports Editor

Notre Dame opens its 2016 season Friday with a trip to Valparaiso, Indiana, to compete in the Crusader Open.

Last year, the Irish placed second to Purdue in both the men’s and the women’s team events in the meet, but Irish associate head coach Matthew Sparks said results are the most important part of the Crusader Open and added that the Irish will look to use this meet to prepare for more intense meets in the future.

“Each meet throughout the season builds upon itself,” Sparks said. “So the Valparaiso meet next week is very small, and we almost look at it as an exhibition type of event. The National Catholic is a huge meet, with close to 50 teams competing — but a lot of Division II and Division III schools — so it gives a lot of the unproven kids

In most cases, when a team loses the best athlete in the country, they can expect a worse season the next year. Yet, the Irish women’s squad is still poised to find success in 2016. The reason?

The leadership of graduate student Sydni Meunier.

Leadership comes naturally for the Melvin, Illinois, native.

Meunier was a volleyball and cross country standout in high school, as well as valedictorian of her class, and she said leadership is something she has grown into organically.

“I am someone who has definitely come into being confident in myself as I’ve gotten older,” Meunier said. “I’ve always led by example ... I’ve done the work I thought I needed to be doing and listen to the coaches, and I’ve seen that naturally, people would follow me. That was through

see XC PAGE 10

Observer File Photo

Irish graduate student runner Sydni Meunier begins her 5k race during the National Catholic Championships at Notre Dame on Sept. 19 during the 2014 season. Meunier finished 7th overall in 2015.

see MEUNIER PAGE 10