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Volume 51, Issue 64 | wednesday, december 7, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com
University denies NDSP records requests Notre Dame claims police department not subject to Indiana public access law By MARGARET HYNDS Editor-in-Chief
Notre Dame Security Police (NDSP) has the same powers that a public police force does. Within its jurisdiction, NDSP officers can carry weapons, investigate crimes and make arrests that can lead to criminal charges. But when somebody gets arrested by the South Bend Police Department (SBPD), files a complaint with the agency or is the victim of a crime to which it responds, that information becomes a public record under Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act (APRA). For NDSP, it’s a little more complicated. The distinction between a police force like SBPD and one like NDSP hinges on the legal
distinction between private and public agencies. Under APRA, “public agencies” — like local police departments — are required to release certain records by law. However, private university police departments like NDSP have long been considered private agencies under state law, and therefore not subject to APRA. The legal status of NDSP has been the subject of intense legal scrutiny in the past two years. ESPN filed a lawsuit against the University in January 2015, after Notre Dame refused to release incident reports related to student athletes on two separate occasions. Last month, the Indiana Supreme Court overturned a lower court decision, ruling in favor of Notre Dame that NDSP is not a
public agency under the law. While the ESPN case made its way through the legal system last year, the Indiana State Legislature passed HB 1022, which would have required private university police departments to disclose records only in situations where someone was arrested or incarcerated, shielding them specifically from the rest of APRA. It was vetoed by then-Governor Mike Pence in March. The state legislature, which passed HB 1022 with overwhelming support, will have the opportunity to override the veto when the new legislative session begins in January. But, just one day after the final ruling in the ESPN lawsuit, the South Bend Tribune reported see RECORDS PAGE 2
Snite to debut three new exhibitions this spring By COURTNEY BECKER News Writer
One of the advantages of having a top university museum on Notre Dame’s campus is the exposure to a wide range of artwork. Each semester, the Snite Museum of Art features new exhibitions for community members and visitors to explore. Snite Museum public affairs representative Gina Costa said two of the three new exhibitions scheduled for the spring semester will focus on sculptures. “We’re going to have … one that’s a ceramics show,” Costa said. “It’ll feature work by the ceramics department here at Notre Dame that were fired in an anagama kiln. … That deals with sort of contemporary issues in the discourse on ceramics. And then we’re also doing a continuum show of sculpture.” The exhibition Costa is most excited for the Notre Dame community to see, though, is a photography exhibition from Jan. 15 to March 5. “For the spring semester we’ve got … a photography show on
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pictorialism,” she said. “It’s going to be a beautiful show of images drawn from the Snite’s permanent collection. … These are just beautiful photographs that I think everyone will really enjoy [and] be moved by. I can see the campus just adoring this.” Although the Snite Museum has a sizable collection of photographs, Costa said it is not able to display many for long periods of time, making this exhibition a fleeting opportunity for visitors to the museum. “The Snite has an amazing photography collection,” she said. “We have over 10,000 photographs. Unfortunately … we can’t put them out all the time. Photographs are ephemeral so we can only put them out for a maximum six weeks at a time. Then they have to rest for three years. So we have all these beautiful photographs, and if we had more space we could just get more of them out.” The Snite is able to open varying kinds of photograph exhibits regularly because of the sheer size of its photograph
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collection, Costa said. “It’s a very different kind of exhibition in terms of content,” she said. “We just closed the Paulette Tavormina show that featured contemporary photographs, but based on Dutch 17th century still lives that all had layered meanings. The pictorialism show talks about a different time and place, but the images are as reflective and as indicative of time and what a photographs communicates or what seeing — what looking — means.” Costa said these events, as well as the artwork itself, contribute to the overall environment of one’s experience at the museum. “A museum experience is so integral to everybody’s growth and to their educational and just emotional growth,” she said. “A museum is a place where you can go to reflect, to have quiet time, to grow yourself. Looking at art helps you think about larger issues, about yourself, about your society, about the see SNITE PAGE 3
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LINDSEY MEYERS | The Observer
ND ranked fourth in study abroad report Notre Dame was ranked fourth among doctorategranting universities for undergraduate participation in study abroad programs by the Institute for International Education (IIE), according to a University press release. IIE publishes an Open Doors report each year, which provides information on key facts and trends about students studying abroad around the world — both in the U.S. and foreign countries. According to the most recent ranking, which looked at the 2014-2015 academic school year, 64.2 percent of Notre Dame students studied abroad. According to the report, 1,302 Notre Dame students studied abroad last year and 2,028 received undergraduate degrees. The report considers students taking courses abroad and those participating in noncredit educational experiences
— such as volunteering and service learning — in the count, according to the IIE website. Pepperdine University, American University and the University of Denver were ranked ahead of Notre Dame this year. Last year, the University ranked 10th. The Notre Dame International office manages more than 50 semester-long study abroad programs in 26 different countries, according to the University press release. “More important than the numbers is what this data represent: That more than six in 10 students are studying abroad at some point in their undergraduate career at Notre Dame,” Michael Pippenger, vice president and associate provost for internationalization, said in the release. “Study abroad experiences contribute to students becoming global citizens, enhancing their intellectual work and enriching our community when they return to campus.”
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Observer Staff Report
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What’s the best Christmas gift you’ve ever received?
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“Socks.”
“Taylor Swift concert tickets.”
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“My acceptance letter to Notre Dame.”
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The next Five days: Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
A Food Truck Christmas Fieldhouse Mall 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. Enjoy free food and decorate a tree.
Last Day of Classes campus wide all day Last class day of the fall semester at Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s.
Study at the Snite Museum Snite Museum of Art 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Coffee and snacks available in the atrium.
What and When Was the Christmas Star? Jordan Hall of Science 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. An astrophysics perspective.
Mass at the Basilica Basilica of the Sacred Heart 11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. With music from the Notre Dame Folk Choir.
ND Women’s Basketball vs. UConn Purcell Pavillion 7 p.m. The No. 2 Irish take on the No. 1 Huskies.
Feast of the Immaculate Conception Basilica of the Sacred Heart 5:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.
President’s Christmas Reception Main Building 2 p.m. - 4:30 p.m All faculty and staff welcome to celebrate.
Hockey vs. Boston College Compton Family Ice Arena 7:05 p.m. ND takes on the Eagles.
Vespers Basilica of the Sacred Heart 7:15 p.m. - 8:15 p.m. The celebration of evening prayer.
Records Continued from page 1
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another law — HB 1019 — was passed last year that contained language such that it inadvertently changed the state’s definition of a “public agency” to specifically include university police departments. Effective July 1 of this year, the law changed the term’s definition, which now reads in the Indiana State Code as the following: “Public agency”, except as provided in section 2.1 of this chapter, means the following: ... (11) A private university police department. The term does not include the governing board of a private university or any other department, division, board, entity, or office of a private university.” On Nov. 18, The Observer submitted records requests for three case files to NDSP. Capt. Rick Miller said NDSP could not fulfill the request and recommended the requests be directed to the University’s Office of General Counsel. The Observer submitted the records requests to General Counsel, and agreed to a meeting to discuss the matter with Brian Guarraci, assistant general counsel, whose primary areas of practice include “litigation and risk management, student affairs, campus safety and security, the Clery Act and advising University
departments on statutory, regulatory and policy matters,” according to the Office of General Counsel’s website. Within the 24 hours required for a response under state law, University spokesperson Dennis Brown denied all three records requests. “The University of Notre Dame, including its Notre Dame Security Police Department, is not a public agency of the government and thus is not subject to requests for public records under Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act (APRA),” Brown said in an email. Two days later, Brown informed The Observer in an email that its meeting with the Office of General Counsel had been cancelled: “because we have nothing to add beyond the response I sent to you on Saturday, there is no need for a meeting.” When asked why the University considers NDSP not a public agency given the definition of public agency in the 2016 version of the Indiana Code, Brown said the change was erroneous and that a correction to the law had already been drafted. “ … Regarding the technical printing error in the last legislative session, language from HB 1022 regarding private universities was erroneously included in a conference committee report for HB 1019 (concerning public access to police recordings), and in contravention of the legislative drafting rules for the Indiana General Assembly,” Brown said.
“This resulted in two conflicting versions of Ind. Code 5-14-3-2. As is common after legislative sessions when technical corrections are identified by Indiana’s Legislative Services Agency (“LSA”), this technical error has been identified by LSA as one of several technical errors requiring correction through a Technical Corrections Bill. In September 2016, the Technical Corrections Bill prepared by LSA specifically correcting this erroneous inclusion was approved for forwarding to the Legislature by a 12-0 vote of the Indiana Code Revision Commission ... “ … The Technical Corrections Bill will proceed to the General Assembly after it reconvenes in January 2017. Once enacted, the corrections will be retroactive as of July 1, 2016.” Until the corrections bill passes, however, it seems that NDSP is subject to APRA as a public agency under state law. Because the University has chosen to deny records requests, organizations and individuals seeking records would have few options for recourse except to sue for access before the state legislature passes the corrections bill. The Observer has no plans to sue for access. News Editor Katie Galioto contributed to this report. Contact Margaret Hynds at mhynds@nd.edu
News
Snite Continued from page 1
time you live in.” Depending on the subject,
ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, december 7, 2016 | The Observer
Costa said, an exhibition can also prompt discussion about and reflection on current events. “We just closed an exhibition that dealt with social injustice,” she said. “So the larger issues
and themes of the world are really addressed in a museum. … A museum is just a really special kind of institution or place in a community. And communities that don’t have public museums
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that are free, like ours, really are at a loss. So South Bend is really lucky; Notre Dame is really lucky.” Costa said the Snite Museum tries to feature some of these
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types of exhibitions when possible. “We do try to address current themes,” she said. “ … Artists and cultural institutions don’t live in vacuums. They’re responding to the artistic, philosophical, social, political ambiance of the time and all the issues. So we do try to be sensitive to those in our exhibition schedule.” In the end, Costa said, the Museum’s main goal is responding to student needs on campus, prompting a study event for finals week. “We’re doing study days … this Friday,” she said. “We’re just setting up tables with lots of coffee and cookies and food and outlets so you can find a quiet place to study amidst works of art that inspire. We really want to let the students know we think about them and really try to do outreach to them.” Costa urged students to visit the Snite Museum for study days, in addition to coming to see the new exhibitions this spring. “It’s your museum, so take advantage of it,” she said. “Everything we do is with the students and the Notre Dame community in mind.” Contact Courtney Becker at cbecker3@nd.edu
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Inside Column
The fascination with parodies Benjamin Padanilam Associate Sports Editor
Move over, Spinal Tap. Step aside, The Rutles. Bow down, “Weird Al” Yankovic. There’s a new parody group rocking the nation — or at least the basement of South Dining Hall — and it doesn’t want any “tidings of bias and lies” to let you think otherwise. The Super PAC — a clever abbreviation for Punk Ass Catholics, which is the most punk or Catholic this risible trio gets — have changed the game, mixing instrumentals they probably violated copyright laws using with atonal vocals to create songs of a quality that has never been heard before. Looking for rap parodies that drop lines like “I love hard classes, that’s my AP problem,” rhymes “now” with “cash cow” in a song about the Fed and displays other instances of lyrical genius by songwriter Marek Mazurek? Yearning for Christmas songs that bring you back to the political climate of 2013 from the perspective of angsty high school seniors? Then look no further than the two-album set of “It’s a Rap” and “A Politically Correct Christmas.” Perhaps the best song amongst the two albums is “Shake If Off (Fiscal Responsibility),” which has an impressive 565 plays on SoundCloud — which means 20 people have listened to it a few times and Rachel O’Grady has the other 500-plus plays. Between the catchy lyrics and the random insertion of autotune, you will be powerless to, much like Mazurek, have anything but “Keynes on my mind.” Another timeless classic for those of you who just haven’t been able to get enough of the recent election and hearkens back to the primaries is “Hark the Herald Democrats Sing.” Once again, Mazurek’s pure lyrical genius shows with unforgettable lines like, “She will cut out all the pork and carry the state of New York,” in an ode to Hillary Clinton that might have given her the extra push she needed to win this year had she featured the hit more prominently in her campaign. The Super PAC isn’t afraid to take its fair share of shots, either. Despite eventually finding himself as a member of the media and pursuing a journalism minor, Mazurek isn’t afraid to go after the very liberal rags he now holds dearest. In “Political Spells (Jingle Bells),” he and his collaborators are critical of those pundits and viewers who only want to see things from their side and consider the other side to be, as they so eloquently put it, “turds.” He takes it one step further in “God Rest Ye Merry Media,” as he warns his 33 listeners thus far against the “tidings of bias and lies” in mainstream media. The group also shows its diversity and range of skills, as it proves itself capable of creating an entire song using auto-tune with “Political Correctness,” while also getting introspective with its hit song about not being able to remember the very songs it parodies, “I Don’t Know That Song.” And for those seniors whose graduation is quickly approaching, “Cap and Gown” might just give you everything you need to get through that emotional time in your life. Ultimately, you just can’t sleep on The Super PAC and its musical mastery. Those who have for the last four years have truly missed out. But it’s not too late to give these innovative songs the credit and plays they deserve. 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.
“It’s a Rap” and “A Politically Correct Christmas” The Super PAC Label: None (For Good Reason) Recommended Tracks: “Shake If Off (Fiscal Responsibility), “Hark the Herald Democrats Sing,” “AP Problems” If you hate: Music
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Make Notre Dame a sanctuary campus On Nov. 16, Notre Dame students participated in a walkout as part of the nationwide sanctuary campus movement. The purpose of this walkout was to exhibit solidarity and call on our president to publicly acknowledge Notre Dame as a sanctuary campus in support of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students. As a sanctuary campus, Notre Dame would deny Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection physical access to the University and would refuse to voluntarily share information about students with these government entities. The South Bend Tribune posted a video of the walkout on its Facebook page that invoked some negative responses. Some of the comments left on the video revealed a lack of awareness regarding the issue at hand and immigration law in general. Some commenters were under the impression that Notre Dame students were protesting President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, rather than a specific promise he has made in his 10-part immigration proposal. Specifically, Trump has promised to revoke DACA once he takes office. Comments such as, “What an embarrassment for this University. We didn’t act this childish when Obama took office. Put your big panties on and get over it!” and, “Idiots, they are acting like the spoiled brats they are. Not a good example! It’s also not going to change a presidential outcome,” reduce a human rights issue to an issue of mere political preference. Participants were not protesting Trump’s victory, but rather were asking the University to support its DACA students with the larger hope that nationwide participation may impact Trump’s stance on the issue. Other comments demonstrated misconceptions regarding the fundamental basics of DACA itself. DACA protects those who came to the U.S. as children and have since become valuable members of their communities. To be eligible, recipients must have arrived in the U.S. before the age of 16, be under the age of 31, lived in the country continuously for at least five years, be enrolled in or graduated high school or college and have no criminal convictions. This program does not provide amnesty. It merely provides recipients with security against
removal and the ability to work lawfully for two years, with the possibility of renewal. These are people who were brought to the U.S. through no fault of their own; people of good moral character who are pursing an education and better life in this country. One person commented, “The presidentelect’s stand is simple. If you are illegal AND a criminal, you’re gone. What’s wrong with sending the murderers, rapists, child and spouse abusers, etc. back?” Another writes, “He wants to send back illegal immigrants who have committed crimes. Why wouldn’t they want that? Everything is so upside down in America.” While these comments regarding the president-elect’s stance are true, they are completely irrelevant to DACA since all recipients must be of good moral character. If the belief is that illegal immigration itself makes a person a criminal, then the question becomes whether a minor child who was brought to the U.S. by his or her parents is morally blameworthy for that act. Protesting the revoking of DACA is not synonymous with supporting all illegal immigration. It is showing empathy for a small sector of the undocumented population who are deserving of compassion. Many commentators told students to “stop protesting” and “get back to class.” For DACA recipients who are unsure of their futures, going back to class is much easier said than done. If DACA is revoked, students who are currently enrolled in high school or college may find that they wasted their time and money on a degree that they will never have the chance to complete. If deported, it is likely that their credits will be nontransferable. Many of these students were not even aware that they were undocumented until later in life. If that is not a reason to protest, what is? Finally, it does not matter where you stand on the issue of immigration as long as you take the time to educate yourself first. Immigration is so much more than a political issue. Those who participated in the walkout are not all “libtards.” We merely chose to show compassion to those who deserve it, regardless of citizenship status. Jamie Kang second year Law student Dec. 5
The observer | wednesday, december 7, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com
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An open letter to Fr. Jenkins Eddie Damstra Dinner Table Talks
Dear Fr. Jenkins, I am very concerned by recent remarks you made insinuating that you might not invite Presidentelect Donald Trump to speak at the Commencement ceremony in May. As many people know, Dwight Eisenhower was the first president to speak at Notre Dame’s Commencement, and, with the exception of Bill Clinton, every president since Jimmy Carter has. It has become an established tradition at Notre Dame to offer the newly elected president a chance to speak to the graduating class. A decision to not invite Donald Trump to speak at Commencement would tarnish Notre Dame’s legitimacy as a bastion of intellectual discourse and contradict its long-lasting commitment to honoring the value of democracy and respecting elected leaders. You said that you are “conscious that that day is for graduates and their parents” and that you “don’t want to make the focus something else.” However, I believe this is a dishonest justification for not inviting Donald Trump. If we are being entirely realistic, not inviting Donald Trump will also cause significant controversy and redirect attention from graduates and their families. Controversy did not stop
you from rightly inviting President Barack Obama to speak at the 2009 Commencement ceremony. Notre Dame is not an institution that allows tradition and ideals to succumb to controversy or public perception. Rather, Notre Dame stands in the face of controversy to champion what it believes to be right. I did not vote for Donald Trump. I did not support Donald Trump. I even wrote several articles in The Observer criticizing Donald Trump. However, I nevertheless believe Donald Trump should speak at Commencement in May. Inviting Trump to speak is not a blanket declaration of tolerance for the offensive remarks he made during his campaign. Just as inviting President Barack Obama was not a condoning of his positions on abortion, inviting Trump is not declaring agreement with all of the policies he has proposed or statements he has made. Rather, inviting Trump is embracing the virtue of open expression and holding high respect for the Executive Office of the President. I criticized the decision last year to award Vice President Joe Biden the Laetare Medal, an award intended to honor an individual who displays outstanding service to the Church, because the vice president’s position on abortion and voting record in Congress directly contradicts Church doctrine. However, I was not against Joe Biden speaking at
Notre Dame. Similarly, I do not have qualms about President Obama speaking at Commencement in 2009. I think welcoming elected public officials to speak is beneficial to the academic environment on a campus. In fact, I believe fostering discussion and encouraging intellectual debate should be the essential cornerstone of an institution of higher learning. What individual could be more cultivating of these aims than the president? I write this letter with complete respect for you and an acknowledgement of the difficult decision you and the University have to make. I simply ask you to strongly consider the ramifications of not inviting Donald Trump. In a time where much of the nation is divided, not inviting Donald Trump to speak would only add to the tone of disunity plaguing our country. With all this said, as a student of this University, I respectfully ask you to offer Donald Trump an invitation to be the speaker at Commencement in May. Eddie is a sophomore from Orland Park, Illinois. He is majoring in economics and political science and is 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.
Reading social media like literature Courtney Phelan English Major in the Real World
Students today are reading more than ever before. While they are not necessarily curling up with “War and Peace” in front of a roaring fireplace every night, they are reading. It’s just that what we’re reading isn’t what we’re used to. According to a 2015 Common Sense Media report, teenagers and young adults spend about six to nine hours using mobile devices and social media. Nine hours sounds like a heck of a lot, and many people are concerned about these numbers. However, these numbers are not as bad as they look. First, it’s important to remember that the six to nine hours are not completed consecutively, in some kind of Twitterexclusive Thunderdome with no way out. Social media checks are spread throughout the day, with larger chunks usually happening at lunch breaks or at night. Second, teens spent about four to six hours a day watching TV in the 1990s, and screen time slowly rose with the proliferation of the home computer. Teens and screens did not suddenly meet in 2010. I, for one, watched a lot of TV as a child and teenager, and my brain did indeed develop into something other than gelatinous mush. (Source: You are currently reading some professional writing of mine.) And lastly, social media is not a complete cesspool devoid of thinking. The Common Sense Media report stated that on average, teens spend 39% of screen time “passively consuming,” media, meaning reading, watching and listening. Another 25 percent of time is spent on communication, including social media and video-chatting, and 3 percent is content creation, including writing, coding and making digital art or music. Reading? Listening? Communicating? Coding?
Making art? Aren’t these the things we encourage our students to do inside and outside of school? Social media and online texts present information differently than how traditional, physical literature does, but they still present us information. Social media sites, like Facebook and Instagram, show us a blend of words, images and video shared by people we know or like. Whether you realize it or not, your brain works to make connections between text and image, link multiple posts from the same source and identify motivation and bias. The things posted and shared on social media come from varied, unknown sources, and work should be put into evaluating these sources. Now, more than ever, we have to work to find origins of posts, primary sources or evidence, and look for bias. Questions from middle- or high-school English classes can be applied to social media posts as well: Who is the speaker? Who is the intended audience? Is this original, copied or inspired by something else? What is the speaker’s intention? Does this present any underlying or unconscious motivations? Reflecting on the speaker/Facebooker’s intention and any unconscious motivations is one of my favorite things to do. If someone posts an image of Marilyn Monroe with cursive script reading, “Well-behaved women rarely make history,” their intention was to likely spread that message to others compare themselves to the famous, interesting women of history. But unconsciously, they just revealed that they don’t know how to check for sources, because Marilyn Monroe did not ever say that. There’s also a strong chance that they have made some questionable decisions and believe they need to justify those decisions to themselves and others. A whole social media account of justifications and assertions of one’s happiness like this can raise some big questions. For example, imagine an Instagram feed of a woman. Nearly every picture she posts is of her and her
boyfriend. Few to no pictures of other friends, family, flowers or heavily edited plates of food. And each picture is accompanied by a long, heartfelt caption about how she’s found the one, her sense of peace with him or quotes about the nature of love and happiness. Only pictures of the two of them, captioned with ridiculous amounts of love. Now, I want you to imagine how happy the that relationship really is. Do you think they’re truly, truly that happy and in love? Or do you know that the hyper-positive social media posts are a front for serious problems in the relationship? Congratulations, you just analyzed that and came up with an inference. Your inference — that they are actually unhappy or in trouble — is likely based on previous behavior patterns like this one and comparing their social media presence to their real-life presence, which is likely not that perfect. Analysis, inferences, picking up on patterns or cultural patterns and checking for sources are some of things students work on with literature, and they’re things students are doing all the time. Now, I’m not saying that reading novels and writing essays can be replaced by scrolling through Twitter and crafting funny Snapchat stories. But I do think that the everyday uses of these skills and sheer amount of communication on social media is worthy of note. So close out of this article, go back to surfing Facebook, and see what happens if you look at a couple posts like they’re required reading for English class. Happy scrolling. 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.
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The observer | wednesday, december 7, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com
Crossword | Will Shortz
Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Take your time and do things right the first time. Don’t be influenced by emotional manipulation or bullies who try to pressure you into following a path that doesn’t suit you. Show discipline and a tenacity to stick to your plans and do what’s best for you. Enact change on your terms and you will reach your goals. Your numbers are 4, 18, 23, 28, 33, 41, 47. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Speak the truth and keep your emotions tucked away. Don’t share your beliefs or personal information with those looking for a way to make you feel bad. Stay focused in your thoughts and moderate in your actions. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Identify the individuals and organizations that you believe you can assist. Don’t give up when you have so much to offer. Speak your mind and help those less fortunate than you. Romance is encouraged. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Be careful who you trust or what you believe. If someone is pressuring you to take on more responsibility, keep an open mind but make sure you don’t overlook your own personal projects. It’s crunch time; make sure to stay focused. CANCER ( June 21-July 22): Let life unfold naturally. Reach out and share your story. Speaking with emotion and examining what you’ve learned from past experience will help others as well as give your reputation a boost. Proper health care and good nutrition is encouraged. LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22): Step up your strategy a notch and show everyone what you are capable of doing. Commit to your plan and strive to reach your goals. Success is based on what you do, not what you say you will do. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Problems at home or within important partnerships can be expected if you give in to pressure or demands made by others. Use your intelligence and make your position perfectly clear. Keep the peace using diplomacy, but stick to your guns. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Consider the big picture, but refrain from signing up for more than you can handle. Physical activity will help you get in shape and give you the energy and enthusiasm to follow your dreams. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Interact, engage in meetings and discuss plans to improve your surroundings. Refuse to let the actions of others deter you from doing what’s best for you. Romance is highlighted, keep your eyes open. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Look at your options and consider any consequences before you make a move. Don’t be fooled by what others say or do. Gather facts and take action based on your own findings. Ulterior motives and emotional manipulation will be apparent. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Draw on your emotions and use your insight and intuition to help figure out what your next move should be. Let past experience guide you now and you won’t waste time on people or situations that aren’t worth your while. AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Take action, make things happen and secure your position. A firm and established plan will help you reach your goal. Integrate whatever change is necessary and you will have no regrets. Push hard and excel. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Emotions will develop due to unexpected situations. Expect to be put on the spot by someone looking for a handout. Use your intelligence along with diplomacy to make suggestions that will discourage others from leaning on you. Birthday Baby: You are creative, imaginative and unique. You are goaloriented and driven.
Just Add Water | Eric Carlson & John Roddy
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Draw comics. Email Margaret at mhynds@nd.edu
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ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, december 7, 2016 | The Observer
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Sports Authority
Four teams is enough for CFP Marek Mazurek Sports Editor
I’m no marketing major, but if Hallmark wanted to make some money, they should start a line of cards targeted at grieving Penn State fans. The front would read, “Sometimes you do all you can, but it’s not enough,” and you would open it to find the default message reads, “Sorry about you not making it into the College Football Playoff.” Now, I could write a column arguing for Penn State’s inclusion in the four best teams in the country. But I could also write one for Michigan, Western Michigan and even Oklahoma. The point is: this is the first year the College Football Playoff (CFP) committee dealt with some real drama in selecting the four playoff teams. The first year of the CFP’s existence, TCU got the short end of the stick, but No. 4 seed Ohio State bailed the committee out by winning the championship. And the second year was clear cut. But here we are in Year Three, and already we’re hearing voices saying the playoff should be expanded to eight teams. It shouldn’t. “But it’ll work out so well,” they say. “Just put in the five Power Five conference winners, the top-ranked Group of Five team and then you get two wild card slots.” That sounds like a lovely system, but it’s more watered down than a kiddie pool. People can argue that Penn State or Western Michigan deserve a spot in the playoff ’till the cows come home, and that is precisely why the CFP shouldn’t — and won’t — be expanded to eight teams. With eight teams, there’s less debate, less stakes. Even if two teams are fighting for a spot, it’ll be for the No. 8 and No. 9 slots, not the No. 4 and No. 5. This year, that would be the debate between Wisconsin and Colorado. Yawn. Unlike any other system in American sports, college football — and basketball
— decides its postseason participants based on subjective evaluation, and that’s why fans love it. Not only do you get to see the battle between Ohio State and Michigan on the field, you see their fans battle to sway the committee. If you expand the CFP, you take away one of the biggest advantages college football has over the NFL. Another thing college has over the NFL? The fact that every game actually matters. As we speak, the Dallas Cowboys have clinched a spot in the NFL playoffs, and the Patriots, Raiders and Seahawks will clinch soon, essentially making their final regular season games pointless. In fact, NFL teams often rest star players to avoid the risk of injury in such meaningless games. Yet in the NCAA, every game matters. Every. Single. One. For some teams, even the “cupcake” matchups hold significance, because beating Montana State 50-10 and beating Montana State 28-21 could hypothetically be the difference in the eyes of the committee for a team like Boise State. If the playoff is expanded, the simple truth would be that not every game matters. Alabama could have lost to Chattanooga, and they still would have made it in. Iowa’s last-second field goal against Michigan would be a ho-hum moment. The Game was phenomenal this year, but would it have had the same instantclassic status if both Ohio State and Michigan knew they’d make the CFP anyway? As it stands, the CFP is about finding the best of the best, and it should be kept that way. Don’t dilute the postseason in the name of fairness. Keep the debate and make every game matter. Besides, how many more games of Alabama blowing people out do we really need to see? Contact Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Continued from page 12
It usually takes the athletes a good week and a half to get their bearings [and] get their feet underneath them again, and so usually that second meet back from the break is a pretty good meet. And then from there on, you keep rolling week by week through the indoor season. It’s all about tr ying to get the athletes to do something to maintain that fitness level while they’re
gone.” The first meet the Irish will compete in after break is the Illini Classic on Jan. 14 at the University of Illinois-Armor y — marking the first time Notre Dame has participated in the Illini Classic. The Irish then return home to host the Notre Dame Invitational the following Saturday at Loftus Sports Center. Turner said he expects the team will naturally perform better at the Notre Dame Invitational than the Illini Classic. “That’s exactly what
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I expect,” Turner said. “Again, ever y time there’s a competition, I want my athletes going for the win and going all out, but we’re going to be a little f lat [at the Illini Classic], and so will the competition. Most coaches in that first meet back from the break are not expecting fireworks or big qualif ying marks — if it happens, that’s great, but we’re not expecting that to happen too much.” Contact Joe Everett at jeveret4@nd.edu
CHRIS COLLINS | The Observer
Irish junior Hunter Holton attempts to clear the bar during the Blue & Gold Invitational on Friday at Loftus Sports Complex. The Irish picked up 12 wins at their first indoor event of the season.
nhl | devils 3, canucks 2
Markstrom’s struggles continue in loss to Devils Associated Press
NEWARK, N.J. — Taylor Hall scored a goal, set up a go-ahead tally by Kyle Palmieri and delivered a crushing check that knocked Vancouver defenseman Philip Larsen out of the game to lift the New Jersey Devils over the Canucks 3-2 on Tuesday night. Defenseman Ben Lovejoy also scored and Cory Schneider made 22 saves as New Jersey remained the NHL’s only team not to lose at home in regulation. This is the first time the Devils have gone 10 home games without losing in regulation — they began 8-0-1 in 1987-88. This was also their first win in regulation in the last 11 games. Daniel Sedin scored a secondperiod power-play goal with the Canucks on a two-man advantage, and he set up his brother, Henrik, early in the third period when Vancouver closed the deficit to a goal.
The hard-hitting game featured a couple notable checks. Late in the first period, Canucks center Michael Chaput shoved Travis Zajac in the corner. The Devils center seemed to lose his balance and hit the end boards face first, creating a big cut that left a pool of blood on the ice. No penalty was called. Devils defenseman John Moore went after Chaput and Vancouver ended up with a two-man advantage when New Jersey coach John Hynes complained to referee Dan O’Rourke. Sedin tied it at 1 during the power play. Hall then caused a stir when he caught Larsen with his head down behind the net and hit him with a shoulder check under the chin at 5:35. The Danish defenseman fell immediately on his back and did not move. Larsen was taken off on a stretcher. The Canucks said he was alert, coherent and had full
movement while leaving the ice. He was taken to a hospital for observation. A little less than two minutes later, with the Devils on a power play, Hall sent a cross-ice pass to Palmieri, who beat Jacob Markstrom for a 2-1 lead at 7:08. Lovejoy stretched the lead to 3-1 about four minutes later with his first goal as a Devil. Zajac, who returned to the ice with a full face shield, had the primary assist.
Notes Lovejoy’s goal ended a 30-game drought dating to last season when he was with the Penguins. ... After missing eight games with a knee injury, Hall has two goals and three assists in three games back. ... Daniel Sedin has goals in two straight after going six games without one. ... Schneider is 3-1-2 against his former team. ... Markstrom is 1-5 against New Jersey.
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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays/ We’ve been waiting all year for this night/And the snow is glistening on the trees outside/And
all the stockings are hung by the fire side/Waiting for Santa to arrive/And all the love will show/ ‘Cause everybody knows/ It’s Christmastime and/All the kids will see/The gifts under the tree
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The observer | wednesday, december 7, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com
W Bball Continued from page 12
But regardless of where both teams stand in the AP rankings, the Irish recognize Wednesday night’s game will draw a lot of attention. In fact, the change may have only added to the attention from outsiders, despite its nature as a top-two showdown remaining unchanged. “There’s a lot of people in the country that will be watching this game with a lot of interest,” McGraw said. “There’s no pressure on us because they’ve got the streak. … They’re No. 1 now, so the pressure’s on them. It’s a little bit like it’s been in the past, where it’s just gonna be a great game between two good teams.” “This game is really fun because it’s a one-versus-two matchup, and a lot of people are looking forward to it,” Mabrey said. “It would be great to come out with a win just because of the rivalry.” Many people perceived UConn as a more vulnerable team entering this season without former superstar Breanna Stewart, who was the first three-time AP Player of the Year and four-time Final Four Most Outstanding Player for the first graduating class to win four national championships in NCAA history. However, the Huskies have continued to roll thus far, coming off a week
M Bball Continued from page 12
half alone and would easily pick up his sixth consecutive doubledouble in the next half. As a team, Notre Dame made 7-of-22 3-point shots in the period, while Fort Wayne shot just 1-of-10 from beyond the arc and 9-of-28 from the field overall. The Irish have yet to trail going into halftime this year. “I really liked the way we defended in the first half to not give them any confidence that they could get one in here tonight.” Brey said. “I thought our defense was fabulous against gifted offensive guys, especially on the perimeter.” Notre Dame’s high-water mark was a 27-point lead on the heels of a Farrell layup with 13 minutes left
with wins over two top-15 teams to bring their current winning streak to 82 straight games. Two 19 point-per-game scorers lead the Huskies this year — sophomore guard/forward Katie Lou Samuelson and sophomore forward Napheesa Collier — and the Huskies have outscored opponents by an average of just over 24 points per game. “Well, they don’t have a great player. They don’t have that one player like Stewart that can really just take over the entire game,” McGraw said when evaluating the new-look Huskies. “I think they have a lot of balance — probably more balance than they’ve ever had. You have to guard everybody. There’s not a weak link on the floor. So it’s a very different team.” “They’re just really athletic, and they compete just like the rest of their teammates do,” senior forward Kristina Nelson said of the Huskies’ bigs in particular. “They’re good — they’re allaround good. They’re able to step out around the perimeter a little bit more than what we’ve faced so far, but we just have to be ready for anything.” On the other side, the Irish are coming off their most dominant win of the season — a 60-point blowout of Valparaiso — and have outscored opponents by an average of nearly 32 points per game thus far. While the Irish have only allowed 54 points per game
defensively — a mark within the nation’s best 30 teams — McGraw believes a sharper defensive performance will be necessary for her team to take down UConn. “Defensively, I think we’ve got to be better than we’ve been,” McGraw said. “We’ve got to be able to guard them. We’ve got to be able to execute our offense. It always comes down to making shots with UConn — they’re a very good defensive team, and they can score, so you got to be able to score in order to keep up.” But most of all, McGraw believes it’s important to remember it is only December when the two rivals square off Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at Purcell Pavilion. While she wants to see her team emerge victorious, she is just as focused on seeing how her team handles its first true test of the year. “A lot of it is about [seeing where we are at right now],” McGraw said. “We need to see where we are. We haven’t really played a great game. … We haven’t really come out and played 40 minutes of a great game, and we’re still learning. We’re still working on a lot of things. … We’ve got a lot of really good positives, but we still have some work to do. “We haven’t really been tested yet, so this will be a great test for us.” Contact Ben Padanilam at bpadanil@nd.edu
Irish senior forward Kristina Nelson surveys the court during Notre Dame’s 71-60 win over Washington on Nov. 20 at Purcell Pavilion.
to play. The Mastodons cut into the lead a little bit around the midway mark of the half, but two consecutive 3-pointers from Pflueger and two fast-break layups saw the Irish up 68-48 with 10 minutes remaining. Mastodons senior guard Mo Evans was the reason Fort Wayne kept the game close. Evans had only four points in the first half, but was not to be denied in the second, scoring 21 points after the break. The Mastodons picked up their shooting in the second period as well, managing a 54-percent mark from behind the arc. Pflueger said he felt the Irish got a little complacent in the second half to allow Fort Wayne back in. “They’re a great offensive team,” Pflueger said. “I think it was just our defense fell apart. We got a little bit lackadaisical, and [Evans] is
a great player. And he’s crafty and quick, and he made a few jump shots.” Fort Wayne did manage to reduce the Irish lead to 13 points with five minutes remaining and then to 11 at the 3:37 mark. After a rare missed free throw from Beachem and a floater from Mastodons sophomore guard Charles Ruise Jr., Fort Wayne cut the lead to just nine. The Irish players huddled up at the ensuing timeout, and Brey said he knew his team would be fine based on the confidence he saw in the conference. “There’s no panic. There’s discussion,” Brey said. “The tone is, ‘We’re fine. We’re going to be fine.’ I certainly reiterated that. I’m not doing backflips. ‘Let’s try to do this a little better. Let’s change a matchup, let’s be smart offensively.’ It’s mature.”
However, the Mastodons would not upset the Irish as they upset the Hoosiers a few weeks ago. Farrell hit two free throws to put the Irish back up 11. Then Mastodons head coach Jon Coffman was called for a technical and Farrell drained two more free throws to effectively seal the game for Notre Dame. Colson finished the night with 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Beachem and Vasturia chipped in 14 and 21 points, respectively. Vasturia has reached
ALLISON CULVER | The Observer
double-figure points in nine of his last 10 games. After two straight wins by at least 15 points, No. 23 Notre Dame’s next matchup will be a bit more challenging. On Saturday, Notre Dame heads to Newark, New Jersey, to take on the defending champs, No. 1 Villanova. Tipoff is set for noon at the Prudential Center. Contact Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@nd.edu
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ANN CURTIS | The Observer
Irish sophomore guard Rex Pflueger attempts to guard the Fort Wayne ball-handler during Notre Dame’s 87-72 win over the Mastadons on Tuesday at Purcell Pavilion. Pflueger hit three 3-point shots Tuesday.
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The observer | wednesday, december 7, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com
men’s basketball | nd 87, fort wayne 72
Irish off to best start ever under Brey with win By MAREK MAZUREK Sports Editor
No. 23 Notre Dame extended its season-opening win streak to nine games Tuesday night after dispatching Fort Wayne, 87-72, at Purcell Pavilion. Irish head coach Mike Brey has led two consecutive Irish squads to the Elite Eight, but this is the best start the Irish (9-0) have had during his 17-year tenure. Before the game, Brey called the Mastodons (7-3) “maybe the best team” the Irish have faced so far this year. Fort Wayne defeated then-No. 3 Indiana in overtime on Nov. 22 and was enjoying a six-game winning streak before taking on the Irish. However, the Mastodons only looked capable of knocking off the Irish at the end of Tuesday night’s contest: Notre Dame led Fort Wayne by as much 27 points in the second half, but the Mastodons clawed their way back to face just a nine-point deficit with three minutes remaining in the game. The Irish captured the momentum from the very beginning of the game, as they jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the game’s first five
minutes. Junior forward Bonzie Colson opened the scoring with a 3-pointer and grabbed three rebounds on the defensive glass. Missed 3’s from senior captains forward V.J. Beachem and guard Steve Vasturia prevented the Irish from jumping out to an even larger advantage. “That’s something that Coach Brey talks about: good starts,” Colson said. “It starts with me, Steve, V.J., [junior guard] Matt [Farrell] and the whole starting five. [We] make sure we get stops on defense, and running that really gets us in an offensive rhythm.” However, the Mastodons helped the Irish out, shooting just 25 percent in the game’s opening eight minutes. The slow start from Fort Wayne, coupled with a 3-point basket from sophomore guard Rex Pflueger and 11 points from Colson, gave the Irish a 24-12 cushion after ten minutes of basketball. Notre Dame closed out the first half on slam dunk from freshman forward John Mooney, which allowed them to take a 41-23 lead into the locker room. Colson had 13 points and nine rebounds in the see M BBALL PAGE 10
ANN CURTIS | The Observer
Irish junior forward Bonzie Colson dunks the ball during Notre Dame’s 87-72 win over Fort Wayne on Tuesday at Purcell Pavilion. Colson was named last week’s ACC Player of the Week.
nd women’s basketball
track & field
Top-two Irish and Huskies ND looks forward to meet in rivalry matchup to Illini Classic By BEN PADANILAM
By JOE EVERETT
Associate Sports Editor
Sports Writer
The top two teams in the country will be squaring off Wednesday night when UConn and Notre Dame meet on the court at Purcell Pavilion. The Irish (8-0) and Huskies (70) being the top-ranked teams and splitting the 33 first-place votes entering Wednesday comes as no surprise. However, where each team stands on that list carries a little twist this week: the No. 2-ranked Irish — who had held the top spot since the season started — were the first team to fall from the No. 1 spot in the AP poll without losing since 2005 when the Huskies jumped them Monday. “I don’t really care,” Irish head coach Muffet McGraw said of the drop in the rankings. “It might [provide extra motivation for the players], but I don’t think they really care about it as much either.” “I think that we had the chip to begin with,” sophomore guard Marina Mabrey said. “ … It really doesn’t matter, we’re going to play the same.”
After ringing in the indoor track season w ith a 12-w in performance at the Blue & Gold Inv itational last Friday, Notre Dame now enters its six-week hiatus over w inter break before resuming competition on Jan. 14 at the Illini Classic. For head coach A lan Turner and the rest of the Irish coaching staff, the layoff presents numerous challenges — such as loss of momentum, focus and fitness. Turner said he recognizes almost ever y school is facing the same problem, but he still wants his team to make the ver y best of the situation that they’re in so as not to fall behind. “It’s unusual for most sports that you would start a season off and then all of a sudden, you take a six-week break,” Turner said. “But we’re not the only ones that are in this boat. Going into [the break], we’re going to stay focused this week before finals week and get as
see W BBALL PAGE 10
ALLISON CULVER | The Observer
Irish sophomore guard Marina Mabrey dribbles across the court during Notre Dame’s 71-60 win over Washington on Nov. 20.
much done as we can in this period. A lot of schools w ill take two or three weeks off and then bring their studentathletes back earlier to train, and we’ll do the same thing — we’ll have [the team] back on Jan. 8.” With athletes traveling home for Christmas and enjoying the holiday season, Turner said he expects the team to be a little rust y when it comes back to school, but he still maintains the allimportant aspect of tr ying to stay as fit and focused as possible over w inter break. “It’s imperative — not only for us but for ever y school in the countr y — to tr y to maintain the fitness level and our sharpness that we’ve gathered throughout the fall and not to lose too much during the break,” Turner said. “W hat usually happens — not just in our case but for ever yone — is that at the first meet back from the break, the performances usually aren’t as good as they were in that December meet. see TRACK PAGE 9