Print Edition for The Observer for Wednesday, March 17, 2021

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Volume 55, Issue 49 | wednesday, march 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

University to close down Zahm House Residents protest news of dismantling

Dorm to become transitional housing next year

By ISABELLA VOLMERT and ADRIANA PEREZ

Observer Staff Report

Associate News Editor and Editor-in-Chief

After the announcement, the unrest came quick. Za hm House residents marched to the front steps of the Main Building, gathering in front of the Golden Dome. In a few minutes, a sma ll crowd of them had consolidated. Many sported Za hm merchandise.

Severa l hung the dorm’s f lag over their shoulders. One carried a megaphone. see PROTEST PAGE 4

Summer abroad dropped Observer Staff Report

Saint Mary’s will not offer study abroad programming this summer, provost and senior vice president Titilayo Ufomata announced in an email to students Monday afternoon.

Ufomata noted that concerns about the state of COVID-19 in the College’s destination countries informed the decision.

“College policy stipulates that students cannot participate in study abroad programs in countries with a U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory Level of 3 or higher,” Ufomata said. “Currently, all of our destination countries are at a Travel Advisory Level 3 ‘Reconsider Travel’.”

According to the email, students can apply for remote internships until March 20, as an alternative to an in-person study abroad experience.

“We understand that this see SUMMER PAGE 4

NEWS PAGE 2

EVAN MCKENNA | The Observer

Zahm residents congregate outside the Main Building to protest the announcement that their residence hall will be closed and become transitional housing during on-campus renovations in the fall.

Zahm House will be used as a swing hall for students in residence halls undergoing yearlong renovations, according to an email sent from the Division of Student Affairs to the Zahm community Monday evening.

Current Zahm residents can transfer to another men’s dorm or move off-campus, the message said. Students who are eligible to live on campus will receive more information from the Office of Residential Life see ZAHM PAGE 5

Skidgel-Cole win HCC election Observer Staff Report

Juniors Emilee Skidgel and Katherine Cole were elected president and vice president of Holy Cross Student Government Association Tuesday, director of student activities Richard Storey announced in an email.

Skidgel is a business major and sports management minor from southern California, and Cole is a biology major with minors see ELECTION PAGE 4

RYAN PETERS | The Observer

Emilee Skidgel (right) and Katherine Cole (left) will become the Holy Cross College student government president and vice president, following this year’s election. The pair ran against two other tickets.

College names keynote speaker Observer Staff Report

Saint Mar y′s confirmed the commencement ceremony for the class of 2021 w ill take place May 22 at noon associate director of public relations Lisa Knox said in an email to students Tuesday.

The message noted President Katie Conboy expects the event w ill take place in person as long as COVID-19 trends continue

VIEWPOINT PAGE 7

to improve.

“We see glimmers of hope in the trajector y of the pandemic on our campus,” Conboy said. “As long as signs point to continued improvement, we feel more comfortable rela x ing some of the restrictions we’ve had in place. If our communit y continues to maintain this bubble we have created, our seniors w ill be able to reap the benefits of that hard work by hav ing an in-person

SCENE PAGE 9

ceremony.”

The email also announced the commencement speaker for the class of 2021 w ill be former interim president Nancy Nek vasil. Conboy expressed her gratitude for Nekvasil’s 30 years of experience as a facult y member in Saint Mar y’s biolog y department.

“Dr. Nek vasil is a beloved facult y member, leader and friend to our students, facult y and staff,” Conboy said.

“As a professor, she was instrumental in shaping the lives of countless young women, show ing them how the sciences need Saint Mar y’s minds.”

In addition, Conboy commended Nek vasil during her leadership as interim president during the pandemic.

“Then, as interim president, she took charge of the College w ith resounding

ND M SOCCER PAGE 16

ND W LaCROSSE PAGE 16

see GRADUATION PAGE 3

2

TODAY

The observer | wednesday, march 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

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“‘Flirtin’ With Disaster’ by Molly Hatchet.”

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SAO to host St. Patrick’s Day event

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This Wednesday, the Student Activities Office (SAO) will host the Luck O’ The Irish Festival from 7 to 11 p.m. The event will consist of a variety of St. Patrick’s Day-themed activities taking place across campus.

SAO assistant director for events and services Devon Sanchez-Ossorio said he hopes the festival can serve as an opportunity for students to enjoy themselves and celebrate St. Patrick’s day as the semester nears its halfway point.

“Our hope for this is that we provide some fun programming that entertains the students,” he said.

Campus Dining is partnering with SAO to celebrate the occasion by serving Irish food. At North Dining Hall, the meals will include shepherd’s pie and Irish soda bread, and South Dining Hall will serve Irish beef stew.

For another culinary highlight

of the festival, Shamrock Shakes will be given away on DeBartolo Quad at 7 p.m. before the showing of “The Luck of the Irish.” SAO is partnering with the Student Union Board (SUB) for the presentation of the 2001 movie.

Other events include a Pom Squad performance on South Quad at 7:30 p.m. followed by a performance by the Irish Dance Club at 8:30 p.m. Two trivia events will take place with the Irish Club co-sponsoring Irish Trivia on North Quad from 8 to 10 p.m. and a game of Jeopardy! being held in Dahnke Ballroom from 9 to 11 p.m. Students may also participate in Jeopardy! virtually and must pre-register before.

At 9 p.m., North and South Dining Tents will host a shamrock “Board & Brush” event.

Sanchez-Ossorio said SAO has seen strong attendance at previous “Board & Brush” events and thinks Wednesday’s will be a fun activity for students.

“I know that the Board & Brush events are always very popular

The next Five days:

and always have a lot of people that participate in them, so I’m sure that students will be excited,” he said.

Throughout the evening, students will have the opportunity to take some St. Patrick’s Daythemed photos and participate in an inflatable ax throwing competition on North and South Quads.

Additionally, a shamrock pot of gold hunt will run from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Teams of up to four students must pre-register and will check in at Duncan Tent.

The scavenger hunt consists of clues directing students to various locations around campus.

Sanchez-Ossorio said SAO held a scavenger hunt earlier last semester that was a fun challenge for students and hopes to replicate that success Wednesday.

“It’s challenging and it’s fun … and just, it’s a good time,” he said.

The Luck O’ The Irish Festival comes as part of a series of monthly festivals hosted by SAO. Last month, they hosted

“WinterFest: Love at Frost Sight” and festivals last semester included Harvest Fest and Thankful Fest.

Sanchez-Ossorio said these festivals are an effort to provide students with fun activities on campus that are compliant with the University’s COVID-19 guidelines.

SAO holds St. Patrick’s Day programming every year, but they typically do so over the weekend closest to the holiday.

Sanchez-Ossorio said SAO had to be considerate of students’ schedules because the festival is on a Wednesday evening; however, he hopes the event will provide students with an opportunity to relax and socialize during the week.

“We just really hope that everybody gets out and enjoys themselves,” he said. “Our goal is to keep everybody safe and happy.”

Contact Ryan Peters at rpeters5@nd.edu

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Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

St. Patrick’s Day Irish Dance virtual noon - 1 p.m.

All are welcome to attend.

“Neuroscience and (Your) Behavior” virtual 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Part of a series. Please register online.

Ten Years Hence Lecture virtual 10:40 a.m. - noon Lecture by Matt Turek on falsified media.

Seminar in American Religion virtual 9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Lecture by Darren Dochuk on Christianity.

Basilica Mass Basilica of the Sacred Heart 10 a.m. and noon All are welcome to attend.

Mexico Virtual Lecture Series virtual 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Lecture on democracy and labor laws.

Gallery Tour: “Three on a Theme” virtual 12:30 p.m. - 1 p.m.

Featuring three pieces of attire.

Lecture: “Identity” virtual 12:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

Explore racial identity with guest speaker Sunny Hostin.

Food Trucks campus-wide 9 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Get some free food at Fieldhouse Mall, North Quad and South Quad.

La Misa en Espanol Basilica of the Sacred Heart 4 p.m.

Mass rooted in Hispanic tradition.

News

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, march 17, 2021 | The Observer

3

Limited gym appointments spark creativity

By CAITLIN GORMLEY News Writer

With COVID-19 restrictions limiting the number of g y m appointments available on campus coupled w ith the unpredictable w inter and spring weather forecast of South Bend, students’ workout habits have changed.

To adhere to campus protocols, RecSports created a reser vation ser v ice w ith different time blocks that help control the densit y of people in facilities. However, lower temperatures have increased the demand for an indoor space to exercise.

In response to these cha llenges, RecSports rolled out new protocols to expand facilit y access.

Beginning Feb. 22, RecSports added four

additiona l time blocks per day to both Rock ne Memoria l and the Smith Center, enabling 700 participants to utilize the Smith Center each day and 280 participants to utilize the Rock ne Memoria l each day.

RecSports also announced a no-show policy that applies to people who reser ve a spot at a RecSports facilit y but do not check-in and attend their reser vation time.

This is meant to encourage participants to cancel their facilit y reser vation in order to make it available for someone else in the Notre Dame communit y if they are unable to attend their original reser vation.

“The goal is for as many members of our Notre Dame communit y as possible to utilize our facilities while maintaining a safe

env ironment that adheres to COVID guidelines set forth by the Universit y,” assistant director of RecSports Kendra Bay ne said.

W hile these changes have helped increase facilit y access, reser v ing a g y m appointment is still a challenge for some. As a result, Notre Dame students have found other ways to stay active this semester.

Some students have taken to working out in their dorm rooms.

“Working out is a huge part of my daily life,” first-year Shannon Lyden said. “And so, when it became difficult to make a g y m appointment, I started doing Peloton workouts in my room.”

W hile the average dorm room doesn’t offer the same space and equipment of the

Theology professor Janice Poorman dies at 68 Observer Staff Report

Ja n ice Poor ma n, professor of t he pract ice in t he depa r t ment of t heolog y a nd d i rector of for mat ion a nd field education, died March 10 after a battle w ith breast cancer, the Universit y announced Sunday. She was 68.

Poorman attended Lincoln Land Communit y College and Southern Illinois Universit y and earned her junior college and bachelor’s degrees. She then received her master’s and doctoral degrees in

theolog y from Notre Dame, focusing on systematic theolog y.

Poorman worked at the Universit y for 28 years in roles ranging from associate dean of the graduate school and director of formation and field education in the master of div init y program. She also helped form the Echo Faith Formation Leadership Program, a Universit y initiative in support of the Catholic Church Timothy Matov ina, professor of theolog y and department chair,

described Poorman’s dedication to her students as “phenomenal.”

“In her ow n life she modeled that integration in exemplar y fashion, and she challenged, cajoled and inspired her colleagues and students to do the same,” Matov ina said. “Her inf luence on all she touched is lasting, but we already miss her joy ful presence, leadership and friendship.”

Poorman is sur v ived by her t wo children, Jesse and Anna; her fat her, Rober t; fou r siblings ; a nd nu merous n ieces, nephews a nd cousins.

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RecSports facilities, many students have made do w ith the current circumstances.

“I even ordered a set of dumbbells from A ma zon to keep in my room,” Lyden added. “It’s not ideal, but it works.”

Other students have looked to off-campus options for a space to exercise and have found g ym memberships at nearby fitness centers.

“I got a gym membership at Planet Fitness,” first-year student Molly Lynn said. “When I go, I borrow a friend’s car and drive about 10 minutes from campus to get there. I like being able to exercise whenever I want, so this seems like the best option for me.”

Additionally, some students are braving the cold and have decided to exercise outdoors despite low temperatures.

“I have always loved running outside, so instead of going to the gym, I’ve been throwing on an extra sweatshirt and going for a run,” first-year student Sidney Peña said. “At first, I missed going to the Smith Center as often as I used to, but now I have grown to love running around campus.”

Peña said the flexibility required to maintain a regular exercise schedule is similar to the broader flexibility demanded by this past year.

“Being a student during a pandemic has taught me that I have to be flexible,” Peña said. “And so, when it became hard to get g y m appointments, I adapted and found new ways to work out.”

Contact Caitlin Gormley at cgormley@nd.edu

Testing to stop during Easter Observer Staff Report

Surveillance test appointments scheduled during Easter weekend will be moved to either before or after that weekend, the University announced on its HERE website.

Tests regularly scheduled for Friday will be moved to the Wednesday and Thursday before Easter. Instead of testing on Friday, April 2, individuals with a last name beginning with a letter from A through M will be tested Wednesday, March 31. Those who had a Friday appointment and a last name beginning with a letter from N through Z will

be tested on Thursday, April 1.

Tests scheduled for Saturday, April 3 will be moved to Monday, April 5, and tests scheduled for Sunday, April 4 will be moved to Tuesday, April 6.

“Students are obligated to keep your surveillance testing appointment on this new day,” the website said. “You will receive a reminder the day before your appointment.”

The website also said faculty, staff and graduate students with a surveillance test scheduled for Friday, April 2 can reschedule it for another day earlier in the week.

Graduation Continued from page 1

aptitude,” she said. “Her leadership through the early days of the pandemic, when the world was caught off guard, was confident and compassionate. She made sure our students and their families were heard and cared for. I can’t think of a more meaningful person to address our seniors at commencement than Dr. N[ekvasil].”

Nekvasil will be one of three honorary degree recipients at the event, the email stated. Keith J. Egan and Sister Mary Louise Full ’65, C.S.C. will also receive honorary degrees. In addition, the President’s medal will be awarded posthumously to William Cushwa.

More information about the award recipients can be found on the College’s website.

4

NEWS

The observer | wednesday, march 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Protest Continued from page 1

This impromptu gathering occurred Monday evening after a Div ision of Student A ffairs announcement that the dorm would be indefinitely closed to its communit y and turned into transitiona l housing, or a “sw ing ha ll,” in the upcoming academic year.

Junior and Za hm resident Glenn Fiocca said Za hm residents were told Monday night that students would have one week to decide bet ween moving off-campus or transferring to another dorm for the 2021-2022 academic year. In a follow-up email Tuesday, director of residentia l life: housing operations Jonathan Retartha informed the community they would have an extra week, until March 29, to make the decision.

“The rationale for this decision is based on several years of unsuccessful intervention to alter a troubling culture,” the email to the Zahm community said.

Nonetheless, it noted: “No single issue — reputational, conduct or COVID — is the reason for this change.”

Members of Zahm House were called to join a Zoom webinar that began roughly at 7:30 p.m., and was led by vice president of student affairs Erin Hoffmann Harding, associate vice president for Residential Life Heather Rakoczy Russell and Residential Life director of training and development Nathan Elliot. The dorm’s rector, Fr. Bill Dailey, and its chaplain, Fr. Gregor y Haake, were both on the call as well.

“They gave us a webinar, no opportunity to chat with them at all,” junior Jackson Dooley, who lives in Zahm, said.

Dooley’s initial reaction was shock, he said. But, he added, “the effect of it hasn’t really set in yet.”

By 7:36 p.m., the Division of Student Affairs email had been sent to Zahm residents with the announcement. Residents of Sorin College also received emails from Residential Life and from their rector, Fr. Bob Lougher y, announcing that they would move into Za hm as Sorin undergoes renovations in the upcoming academic year.

Zahm residents rally Fiocca said many Za hm residents gathered in the residence ha ll’s chapel after the Zoom ca ll in order to ta lk to Fr. Dailey and voice their opinions and concerns. A fter that, while people milled

Summer Continued from page 1

decision is disappointing, and remain committed to prov iding our students w ith opportunities to engage w ith people and

about, some Za hm residents went to different f loors to gather people and go outside.

“It was sort of a collective decision — ever yone wanted to do something, so natura lly we went to the Main Building, to air our grievances,” junior and former Za hm resident Riley Kennedy said.

Kennedy, who now lives offcampus, headed to Za hm after listening in on the Zoom ca ll — a friend had shared the link w ith him. Fiocca was a lso one of the people who ra llied others.

“I said, ‘Put your jacket on.

We have to do something.

We have to go to the Main Building’,” Fiocca said.

A nd so they did. A group of approx imately 20 to 30 Za hm students wa lked toward the Golden Dome. Once there, the group began chanting “We are Za hm House.”

They a lso k neeled in front of the steps, and some raised their arms to form an “X,” one of the sy mbols of the dorm.

The students also incorporated other Zahm traditions into their protest, such as f ly ing the “Here come the Irish” banner, which is usually raised on football games.

Two Notre Dame Police Department (NDPD) officers stood by the steps, while a few others watched on from afar.

One protester shouted, “Regis Philbin would not stand for this !” Philbin, who died in July 2020, was a Notre Dame ‘53 graduate and Zahm alumnus.

“The Universit y has told us that Zahm makes worse of the members it accepts,” another protester told the crowd through a megaphone. “But I can say wholeheartedly, with every ounce of my soul, that this building has made me a better man, a stronger man, a man with closer brothers than I have ever experienced before.”

During Welcome Weekend, Zahm upperclassmen usually take first-years to see campus landmarks and then meet in front of the Dome, Fiocca said.

Per the tradition, they then share anecdotes of life not going their way and conclude that, through it all, Mary is still their mother.

“It’s kind of just explaining that, because you’re at Notre Dame, you’re a part of this community where — regardless of what happens — it will always be there for you,” Fiocca explained.

So, the Zahm residents began chanting that reminder,

cultures around the globe,” she said. “As an alternative to traditional study abroad programs, we have partnered w ith the CAPA Global Education Net work to offer ‘Remote Global Internships’ for Summer 2021.”

to themselves and each other: “She is still your mother.”

Onlookers, others react to the news By 8:30 p.m., hundreds of students had gathered to look over the Zahm crowd.

Members of Sorin Hall also stood by — some in support of Zahm residents, as they told The Observer.

Sorin resident and first-year Gabe Pennington said he had mixed feelings about moving into Zahm next year.

“We love our Sorin, but we are hoping we can preserve our culture, unlike Zahm,” Pennington said.

Some residents of Fisher Hall gathered by the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue, oars raised in solidarity. One such student was sophomore Danny Brennan, who expressed confusion about the University’s decision.

“The University has … to look out for what’s best for the community, but we don’t think the total dissolution of a dorm is the way to do it,” Brennan said. “I come from a hall that loves its community and its togetherness. So, to see that being broken up, without too many answers or that much of an explanation, is a little bit troubling.”

Junior J. J. Dyke told The Observer later in the night he was “glad they finally did it.”

Dyke transferred out of Zahm after his first year at Notre Dame.

“The culture in Zahm is not exactly in line with Notre Dame’s values as a whole,” he said. “There are great people in Zahm — there are definitely great people in Zahm. But the culture tends away from that.”

Dyke reflected on this culture — only vaguely referenced in the email as “troubling” — as one “that revolves almost exclusively around beer and women.”

“There aren’t a lot of social opportunities that aren’t related to alcohol and the larger Zahm culture,” he added. “…

So, rather than being alone, people tend to accept the culture at some point.”

Mobilization across campus After some time in front of the Main Building, the Zahm residents called for onlookers to join them in a change of location. Many ultimately followed — either to curiously observe or show their support — as the group of protesters marched down Main Quad to South Quad, walking on concrete pathways and shuffling

Election Continued from page 1

in sports management and public health from Portland, Oregon.

The two ran on the platform, “Community-Vision-

through frost-covered grass.

As the crowd moved through campus, several NDPD officers flanked the group and followed from behind.

“Tonight was more about a spontaneous protest where we just wanted to gather as many people as possible,” Dooley said, distinguishing between the protester’s walk and Zahm’s Welcome Weekend tradition. “And us walking around campus, going past dorms, going to the library, was more just trying to gather people rather than what Welcome Weekend is like.”

The crowd then made its way back to the Main Building, where some students climbed the steps. No one entered the building.

Afterwards, the Zahm House students led the crowd toward Hesburgh Library, rallying a crowd that overflowed into the reflecting pool — which has no water in it during the winter months.

The crowd continued to chant, led mostly by the words of megaphone-wielding Fiocca.

Many at the front were unmasked, and others crossed their arms over their heads again to form an “X.” “[The University is] effectively evicting not only the juniors who are going to be leaving anyway and the seniors who are leaving us, but the freshmen and sophomores that are all in community, who love Zahm and love the people they have met and cultivated relationships with this year,” Fiocca said.

The group dissolved at around 9 p.m., after singing the Alma Mater under the watchful eyes of Hesburgh Library’s Touchdown Jesus.

Zahm residents reflect on the news Some Zahm residents, like junior Michael McCarthy, were hopeful for the future of the Zahm brotherhood.

“I see the Zahm community outlasting this,” McCarthy said in a text message. “Our traditions are decades-long and our alumni have already been reaching out.”

Others, like junior Brian O’Donnell, urged solidarity from the wider campus community.

“It’s easy to hate on Zahm, just because we’re kind of a scapegoat,” he said. “But for everyone else, I would just say: Imagine this happened to you.

If they just came to your dorm, unannounced, out of the blue, and told you that they were shutting it down. How would you feel?”

Collaboration.” Skidgel said their first priority would be to improve community on campus by bringing together all Holy Cross students, especially gateway students and commuters.

Juniors Lauren Compton, Stephen Hineline and

Some also expressed concern for their residential community and their uncertain futures, like junior Kieran Emmons.

“Considering people have already signed leases for houses and apartments months ago,” he said, “... they really should have told us about this at least months ago, and should have given us some sort of warning.”

Kennedy also expressed concern about the effects of this decision on the mental health of Zahm residents.

“A lot of other people in the dorm have leaned on each other through this extremely tough time here at Notre Dame,” he said. “And that community is the most important thing to me ... to a lot of people here at this university, especially the freshmen who weren’t able to branch out.”

Many Zahm residents will have to deal with deciding where to live next year in the next week or so, Kennedy pointed out.

“That’s just a level of uncertainty that no one needs right now,” Kennedy added.

What comes next Before the Alma Mater rang out through Library Lawn, Fiocca called on those gathered to wear red on Wednesday — Zahm’s official color — to show support for their residence hall and against its closure.

“Tomorrow, if you wear red around this campus, I will assume it is in support [of us],” he said.

In many ways, the future is uncertain for many members of Zahm House. But in other ways, they also seem to be sure of the steps they are taking in the next few days.

According to Kennedy, Zahm’s hall council president is working on a petition and alumni are being contacted to put pressure on the administration. And for Friday, Fiocca said, Zahm residents already have a demonstration planned.

“There’s not a single person that I’ve seen in this hallway that doesn’t have their head in their hands to try to figure out another way to do more,” Fiocca said. “... This is something so unprecedented that we’re trying to struggle with, but we’re also trying to bear the weight for the others, a little bit.”

Contact Isabella Volmert at ivolmert@nd.edu and Adriana Perez at aperez8@nd.edu

Jacqueline Lopez will serve as senior senators, and sophomores Nayeli Belmares, Stephen McNulty and Matteus Webb will serve as junior senators. First-years Nathan Cavazos, Jonathan DeMarco and Julian Garcilazo were elected sophomore senators.

News

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, march 17, 2021 | The Observer

5

Howard Park offers opportunities to de-stress

By MARIA LUISA PAUL News Writer

Hailing from Birmingham, Michigan, senior Jenna Wade has ice skated ever since she was a toddler. As a college student, she is a member of the Notre Dame Figure Skating Club’s intercollegiate team.

A n experienced skater, Wade found a way to inject her passion for ice skating into a fun outing w ith friends at Howard Park, South Bend’s oldest park located near dow ntow n, at 219 S. St. Louis Blvd.

While visiting the park’s popular ice rink, which features an ice trail with varying levels of terrain and a ground-breaking stretch of skating over a bridge, Wade said she attempted to teach tricks to her friends — with varying degrees of success.

Besides learning how to do spins and spirals, Wade said the group discovered a way to cope with the mental health challenges and stress brought by a pandemic-ridden semester.

“I feel like it was like nice to get off campus to do something,” Wade said. “I personally really love skating because it makes me focus on other things besides COVID and school and stuff, because you have to focus on what you’re doing while skating.”

Boasting 122 years of history, Howard Park was revamped in 2019 and now features an ice trail and a pond, a playground, a concession stand, an interactive series of water fountains, an event lawn for concerts, a community building and a newlyopened restaurant facility.

Its $18 million renovation was funded through tax increment financing (TIF) bonds, park bonds and private donations. The project was part of a $50 million investment into the city’s park system, or the “single largest investment into parks in the history of South Bend,” according to Jonathan Jones, the director of recreational experiences at the City of South Bend Venues, Parks and Art. Since being renovated, the park has become a popular attraction. Jones said that last year alone, there were an estimated

Zahm Continued from page 1

this evening.

“You may select up to two preferred halls, subject to availabilit y and not including Sorin,” the email stated.

“You can also apply w ith up to three Zahm residents who w ill join you in your new hall. You w ill participate in room picks through your new hall’s lotter y.”

In addition, Zahm residents can elect to live off campus while still earning credit for the residency requirement.

Armed with her newlygained ice skating skills and rented hockey skates, senior Tatiana Pernetti joined an impromptu race between a staff member and skating aficionado at Howard Park’s ice rink last Thursday. Some might call it FOMO — the fear of missing out — or an overestimation of her skills, but the Miami native said she was ready to take on her contenders.

Once the trio turned the corner, Pernetti said her two opponents dashed forward, leaving her behind. At that point, she decided to drop out, tumbling down while at it, but not before being complimented on her efforts by another stranger.

Despite losing, Pernetti said her ego remained unscarred — she proudly showed off two big purple bruises on her knees as “battle wounds.” The Notre Dame senior might not have emerged victorious, but she said she gained something greater than a trophy: a renewed sense of community.

“This guy came after I fell and picked me up. And he was like, ‘But what you were doing before you fell was really cool,’” she said. “I felt like we were building community.”

Pernetti said she had decided to visit Howard Park with a group of friends as a way to burst the “Notre Dame bubble,” or students’ tendency to refrain from venturing away from campus.

“Every single time that I go out with my friends we always

complain about how we never do things in South Bend, and it’s so nice every time we actually do,” she said.

The senior said there are plenty of misconceptions about South Bend, one of them being that it is a “doomed town” with limited activities. However, such notions were dispelled with her trip to Howard Park.

“At the end of the day, there are young people that live in South Bend, and they’re trying to have fun things to do during this pandemic,” Pernetti said. “There were just as many South Bend residents as there were Notre Dame students. I think this really builds a sense of community between Notre Dame students and South Bend citizens, and Notre Dame students should be a part of that because Notre Dame is such a big part of South Bend.”

Although the park attracts plenty of young people and students, Jones said Howard Park has become a melting pot of different ages and socioeconomic backgrounds.

“I think it’s been a huge asset to our community,” he said.

“If you come down there on any given day, it’s just such a diverse crowd that is hanging out there.

It really has become a great kind of unifying location for people of all ages, races, economic levels.”

Due to it possessing a centralized location within the city, Jones added that one of the goals behind the park’s renovation was to turn it into a community “connecting point.”

“We were very intentional about wanting to create a space that would attract people from all age ranges,” he said. “We wanted to make sure that it was equitable, and that everyone felt included in that sense. So we’ve tried to do that through design, programming and pricing of activities and amenities.”

With that objective in mind, the park offers a plethora of recreational opportunities from ice skating and playgrounds to live music and fitness classes.

Guests are also able to enjoy snacks and hot chocolate from the South Bend Chocolate Company Cafe Express, as well as wine and dine at Howard

The message also said there are a variet y of reasons Zahm is being dismantled, including a lack of adherence to COV ID testing protocols in the dorm, incidents of vandalism and concerns about the dorm’s culture and conduct despite several years of inter vention by the Universit y. However, the message claims there is no one reason why the decision was made.

“No single issue — reputational, conduct or COV ID — is the reason for this change,” the email said. “We also recognize not all residents have perpetuated this culture.

Yet taken all together, we no longer believe Zahm is equipped to welcome new students in a manner that we can offer and is owed to ever y student.“ The email said that the Universit y had prev iously tried several different methods to remedy this culture, including assigning experienced rectors to Zahm and banning the hall from participating in RecSports.

Universit y officials expressed disappointment that the choice had to be made but recalled successful student transitions to new residence halls after the closure

300,000 visitors. He said one of Howard Park’s most popular features is the ice skating rink, which brought in 30,000 skaters during the 2020 winter season, but will now be closed until November 2021.

For Wade, Howard Park represents an opportunity to venture outside the confines of Notre Dame’s campus.

“It’s a great way for the community to extend — it’s a great place,” she said. “It’s kind of a far walk from campus, but it’s like, close enough that students should definitely go more.”

Bursting the ‘Notre Dame bubble’

MARIA LUISA PAUL | The Observer

Since being renovated in 2019, Howard Park, located near downtown, has attracted people of all age groups and socioeconomic levels.

Park Public House.

Though the park already offers a wide range of activities, Jones said Howard Park’s staff is open to listening to insight and ideas about “fun, relevant and interesting” programming from the community.

“I can sit in my office and try to think of what those things are, but the more people that I have in my ear, giving insight, giving suggestions, offering their own expertise to kind of make some things happen — we’re open to that,” Jones said. “So, if there’s anybody on campus that wants to help be a part of creating cool things in our community, we’re down to work with you.”

A ‘magical’ experience Like Pernetti, senior Liara Ortiz was seeking opportunities to venture outside of Notre Dame and participate in COVID-safe activities. Ortiz said Howard Park was on her bucket list.

“I’ve been wanting to explore South Bend more in my last semester as a student,” Ortiz said.

During a chilly Sunday afternoon, Ortiz found a “getaway” within Howard Park as she ice skated with friends and drank hot chocolate by the fire pits.

She said the park’s environment seemed to come out of a fairytale book.

“The ice rink was really nice.

It is like a trail, and the trees are covered in Christmas lights,” she said. “It felt magical.”

Jones said the park’s “Instagram-worthy” aesthetics were an intentional goal behind the renovation. During

of Grace, Flanner and Holy Cross Halls in the past.

“Closing a hall communit y is never our preference, but our experience indicates students have been able to thrive in their new homes,” the message said.

Residents of Sorin College w ill live in the Zahm building during the upcoming academic year while they undergo hall renovations, according to a separate email from director of residential life in charge of housing operations Jonathan Retartha.

According to Retartha, the renovation w ill fulfill the original architectural

planning meetings, the committee gauged “cool factors” and had a Pinterest board from different places. The group even toured Chicago’s Maggie Daley rink and locations in Valparaiso, Indiana, for inspiration.

The end result was the creation of “a pretty cool vibe,” Jones said, that is not only captivating visitors into the park itself but also positively impacting neighboring businesses.

“An economic study saw that some of the surrounding businesses were even quoted as saying that they saw an uptick in business about 15% or so,” Jones said.

Surrounding the park at E. Jefferson Boulevard, visitors can enjoy a variety of food options for different occasions. The View Tavern offers classic burgers and craft beer “with a neighborhood vibe.” At The General Deli and Cafe, patrons can enjoy a cup of locally-brewed coffee along a selection of sandwiches, soups and salads. Hammer and Quill, a local bar, provides unique cocktails and different small plates.

After first visiting Howard Park, Pernetti said she went to both The General Deli and Cafe and Hammer and Quill, noting that their environment seemed “out from New York City.”

“The bathroom floor was made of pennies and there were paintings,” she said. “It was really cute and different. I wouldn’t expect something like that in South Bend.”

Contact Maria Luisa Paul at mpaulran@nd.edu

plans of creating a threestor y western addition while maintaining the character of the hall and giv ing students comparable space to other newer men’s halls.

“The additional space w ill be used to create greater equit y in communit y building rooms like kitchens, social lounges, reading rooms and study spaces, ensuring Sorin offers comparable spaces to newer halls, such as Dunne and Baumer,” he said.

Sorin students w ill be able to select rooms in Zahm next month through the room picks process.

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The observer | wednesday, march 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

God made girls

Inside Column

Thank you, Fr. Kevin Grove Colin Capece Associate Sports Editor

I still have the note you sent me from September 2019 hanging on the wall next to my desk. I’m actually looking at it right now as I type this column, continuing to find inspiration in your words.

I really didn’t think too many people were going to read that first Inside Column I wrote as a sophomore.

Much like this one, it was hastily done the day before it was due and probably didn’t reflect the most thoughtful piece I could have turned in. I was also just an associate sports editor at the time who thought he was well out of his league trying to write for Viewpoint. To be honest, I didn’t even know how much longer I was going to stay with The Observer. Sure, I liked to write, but the arrogant and naive kid that I was at the time didn’t think it was worth the time or the effort to keep going.

When I got your note telling me how much you enjoyed my column, it was the spark I needed to keep going. Here you were on sabbatical in another country, taking the time to read a lackluster column I finished at 2 a.m. and write me a note of congratulations. Sometimes as a writer, it’s easy to just go through the motions and type away in order to meet a deadline, not realizing that someone might just find something in your work to latch onto.

Your note made me realize that my thoughts did matter to someone, and I had concrete evidence to show for it.

There are so many other examples of your kindness that I have witnessed during my time living in Dunne Hall. Things like stopping to chat with residents about their weeks before mass, leaving your door open at night to invite conversation, or expressing confidence in underclassmen to lead important, philosophical discussions on Tuesday nights all display that you care deeply about everyone you encounter. I think it’s evident at this point that I am not a columnist by trade, but I always try to speak from the heart. I know for a fact that you’re going to see this column because you go out of your way to tell me how much you enjoy reading the paper we produce every day. I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to Fr. Kevin Grove for all that you have done to support me and our residence hall community.

Over my past few years as a Notre Dame student, I have come to realize that college students often face a great deal of uncertainty. It’s a point in life where, to an even greater extent than in the past, we start figuring things out on our own and ask many important questions along the way. I think it’s also safe to say that this whole global pandemic thing has exacerbated this sense of uncertainty for many. For me at least, this uncertainty has often led to a lack of confidence and self-worth, and there have been plenty of times throughout my college years where I have felt lost. The most important thing one can have in times like these is a person like Fr. Kevin, who, no matter the circumstances, will be there to provide positive reassurance. I encourage anyone reading this to go out and find that person, whether it be a parent, rector, roommate, sibling, priest-in-residence or professor. They will provide you with the strength to keep going when you feel like you can’t or don’t want to anymore. Use me as an example. Without the support of Fr. Kevin, I wouldn’t be writing this column today.

You can contact Colin at ccapece@nd.edu The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Ashton Weber Living Relig-ish

Last month, my TikTok page started to fill up with videos set to RaeLynn’s 2014 hit song “God Made Girls.” The song, which I loved in my early teens but hadn’t heard in years, brought a long-repressed memory with it.

It was my freshman year of high school and the principal asked my friends and me to prepare some sort of entertainment for the Mother’s Day brunch.

We had been in “model training” for the past year because we were going to be in a Pure Fashion show in the spring. We thought it would be the perfect opportunity to practice our modeling skills, so we decided to entertain our moms with a mini “modest fashion” show. At the time, there were 15 people in our high school, so we were all allowed to go to prom. As freshmen, this was an incredibly exciting privilege, so it was imperative that our prom dresses be included in the show. We paired ourselves off with the boys and strutted down the makeshift runway in our auditorium as “God Made Girls” blasted through the speakers.

The song — which features lyrics like “Somebody’s gotta wear a pretty skirt, somebody’s gotta be the one to flirt, somebody’s gotta wanna hold his hand, so God made girls” — felt emblematic of the womanhood that we were taught. What is a woman if not beautiful, approachable and entirely dedicated to the happiness of men?

We had no way of knowing. In eighth grade at our K-12 school, the girls-only religion class was all about modesty. We watched a video about the evils of the bikini and a few videos from a former model who became a chastity speaker. We answered questions like “If Jenna wears a short skirt and Brad goes too far with her, whose fault is it?” and talked about why Brad and Jenna were both in sin but how Jenna could’ve done a better job of not tempting Brad. Our teacher frequently told us that, as women, it was our job to be “pursued.” We could be flirtatious in an innocent way, but we should maintain a proper level of “mystery” in the relationship. The pursuit was not to be completed until we had secured wedding rings on our fingers. Until then, we should fix our eyes on Jesus and allow ourselves to be “held by him.”

In contrast, I’ve been told the boys spent a lot of time talking about football.

My experience is part of a phenomenon called “purity culture” which is very common among the religious right in the U.S. In my Catholic school, we used resources like the Chastity Project to learn an extreme form of abstinence. We were to avoid all forms of sexual contact, from passionate kissing to PIV intercourse, until marriage. We often listened to chastity speakers, adults who had “gone too far” in their teen years and became so overwhelmed by the guilt that they dedicated their lives to preventing teens from making the same “mistakes.”

The Chastity Project’s website is filled with the toxic rhetoric that we were spoon-fed. It consists of the personal reflections of Jason Evert, a 46-year-old queerphobic Catholic man who is a full-time chastity educator. Throughout the site, Evert claims that men are inherently more interested in sex than women, so women should do everything in their power to lead men away from sin. Evert advises young women, “The best approach is to make your intentions for purity clear, and make sure that your words, your actions, and your outfits convey the same message.

Also consider this: Lots of guys will date a flirt, but

who wants to marry one? ... A girl is much more attractive if she does not flutter around trying to get attention.”

The obsession with female modesty was overwhelming. As I mentioned earlier, I was part of a program called Pure Fashion, which re-emphasized the Chastity Project’s ideology about women. It seems that the program has since been discontinued because its website is no longer on the internet but fear not... I found it on the internet archives. At Pure Fashion, we learned that the way we dress dictates the amount of respect we deserve and we were given a set of fashion rules to follow if we wanted to dress in a “God-honoring” way. Then, we put on a fashion show for our families and other young girls in the community and tried to “set a good example” of how to dress modestly.

At the time, I didn’t realize how harmful the practices of purity culture were, but they worked in such a way that faith became intensely entwined with sexuality. It wasn’t until this year, when I saw an Instagram post from one of my former classmates, that I realized what purity culture did: It encouraged us to pivot our sexual desires and impulses towards religion, to the point where many of us began to sexualize God. I know that sounds bizarre, but stick with me for a minute... The post I’m referring to had language about being “held by Jesus” and “touched by him” and “filled by his love.” One slide of the post included a picture of Flynn Rider from “Tangled” doing his iconic “smolder” into Rapunzel’s eyes. In the caption section, the person who posted it noted that this is the way Jesus looks at us because he is so madly in love with and obsessed with us.

I showed the post to my friends, my girlfriend and my sister and I asked if they thought it was weirdly romantic. They all responded with shocked yeses.

I then started to think about the kinds of retreats I went on — as part of the Pure Fashion program and also as part of the high school theology curriculum — and I reflected on the way that we, as women, were taught to be. In “falling in love” with Jesus, we were supposed to become infatuated with his word (which religious leadership controlled our access to) and to accept his teachings (their teachings) as infallible.

In denying that teenage girls are sexual beings who have important questions about their bodies, their relationships and lives, and instead teaching us that men are the only ones who have sexual agency, these programs were grooming us to be dutiful wives and mothers, the kind of women who would someday send our daughters to a modest fashion show. As I’ve written before, many parts of Catholic doctrine are about control, but this special emphasis on controlling women’s bodies and minds creates shame, which (in my experience) does more to hinder a relationship with God than it helps to foster one.

Instead of focusing on how men can benefit from the way God made girls, let’s re-center the conversation on women’s experiences of the cisheteropatriarchal world and embrace the way God made girls.

Ashton Weber is a junior with lots of opinions. She is majoring in gender studies and economics with a minor in sociology. Ashton can often be found with her nose in a book, but if you want to chat about intersectional feminism, baking blueberry scones, growing ZZ plants or anything else, she’d love to hear from you. Reach Ashton at aweber22@nd.edu or @awebz01 on Twitter.

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

Do you want to get involved with Viewpoint?

Email viewpoint@ndsmcobserver.com for more information!

7

The observer | wednesday, march 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Let’s talk about H.R. 1 Rachel Stockford BridgeND

In a recent opinion piece, Mike Pence wrote that “after a year in which our nation has endured a global pandemic, economic hardship and a contentious election, now is not the time to further inflame passion and division.

It’s time for our nation’s leaders to help heal America.”

No, he did not write this in response to the insurrection at the Capitol in January. Pence said this in response to a recently introduced bill, H.R.1, that would expand voting rights and accessibility for all Americans.

How did we get to this point that expanding access to voting is polarized?

The answer to this question is not one that can be answered by the claims of fraud from Donald Trump and his team this past election cycle. He is not the first politician to make unfounded claims of voter fraud, nor will he be the last. In fact, claims of voter fraud to disenfranchise voters have been around since the 19th century when women gained the right to vote, and again during the Jim Crow era when 85% of a Louisiana city’s African American voters were purged from the voting list.

The problem with making widespread claims of voter fraud is that it works.

Injecting a fundamental distrust into our political system by spreading the idea that your vote is not safe and will be manipulated has led to states, mostly Republican governed, to attempt to seriously restrict voting access.

For example, a bill in Georgia was recently introduced to prohibit voting on Sundays, a day that many Black voters go to the polls together after church. There was also a bill

introduced in Georgia to repeal no-excuse absentee voting. Additionally, Wisconsin Republicans proposed a bill that would make it illegal for staff at assisted living facilities to remind their residents to vote.

The solution to these problems is H.R.1, a recent bill introduced in the House that would expand voting rights and protect against disenfranchisement.

This bill includes measures such as enacting automatic voter registration in every state as well as same day voter registration for both early voting and those going to the polls on election day. The bill also requires states to create independent redistricting committees made up of a bipartisan committee of individuals who aren’t lawmakers, similar to a proposal passed in Michigan in 2018. As someone from one of the most gerrymandered districts in Michigan, this point of the bill is especially important to me.

H.R.1 also addresses issues like campaign finance reform and ethics standards for elected officials and Supreme Court Justices. While this bill has a strong chance of failing in the Senate, it is important that the barriers people face to voting are addressed at a national level.

While the bill faces many criticisms from Republicans, including from Kevin McCarthy who claims the bill is “not designed to protect your vote. It’s designed to put a thumb on the scale of every election in America and keep the swamp swampy,” there is one argument against the bill in particular that needs to be addressed.

In the same op-ed as mentioned above, Mike Pence claims that “election reform is a national imperative, but under our Constitution, election reform must be undertaken at the state level.” I’m not here to argue against the

Constitution; in fact, I do believe that in terms of administering elections, individual state mandates are the most effective way to ensure a smooth election. However, these national reforms are required when states are using the claims of Trump and Pence from the 2020 election to further disenfranchise (especially minority) voters.

At this point in time, when blatant voter suppression is happening right before our eyes, I do not think it is a stretch to say that any election reform measure, whether passed at the state or national level, is a step too far. To ensure that in 2022, and 2024, and for the next 100 years that all elections can be done efficiently and with confidence that anyone who wants to vote has the ability to, national reforms like H.R.1 are absolutely necessary.

Voter fraud is not a widespread problem, but voter suppression is. A bill like H.R.1 is needed to ensure that this problem is minimized before the 2022 midterms. Voting is not (should not) be a partisan issue; through expanding the right to vote, we are expanding our democratic principles.

Rachel Stockford is a sophomore living in Welsh Family Hall. She is the Director of Operations for BridgeND, a non-partisan political education and discussion group committed to bridging the partisan divide through honest, respectful and productive discourse. If you’re interested in discussing accessibility to voting alongside many other political topics, BridgeND meets weekly on Mondays at 5:30 p.m. You can contact the club at bridgend@nd.edu on Twitter @bridge_ND. The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

In from the margins of history In a collection of poems called “Outside History,” the late great Irish poet Eavan Boland explored how women are distorted and simplified in ways that keep them in the margins of many historical narratives.

As a scholar of literature and feminist theory, I have engaged with Boland’s work for more than 30 years.

Recently, though, I have come to a new appreciation of her words as I reflect on my first nine months as President of Saint Mary’s College.

I am a graduate of Notre Dame, and I worked for 26 years at Stonehill College, another Holy Cross institution. Yet I now realize how little I knew about the women who founded and animated Saint Mary’s: the Sisters of the Holy Cross. I had no real understanding of the scope of their impact locally, nationally and globally. For me, and for so many others, the sisters had, through amnesia or erasure, fallen … outside history. The auspicious convergence last week of Women’s History Month, Catholic Sisters Week and International Women’s Day should inspire the tricampus community to consider the facts, details and stories that would place our Sisters inside a fitting public narrative.

Our common founder, Blessed Basil Moreau, had a vision of how a Congregation dedicated to education and foreign missions might expand the work of the Church. As part of his ambitious plan, he imagined orders of priests, brothers and sisters working together within the values of Holy Cross to make a difference in what was, in the 1840s, a largely French and Catholic Indiana. Traveling from Le Mans in France, four Sisters arrived in South Bend in 1843 to be part of that mission. I have learned much from Fr. Thomas Blantz’s new history of Notre Dame, including that the sisters lived in the attic of the Log Chapel for their first two years, and they took care of many domestic matters that ensured the smooth running of the fledgling University. Then they established their novitiate in Bertrand, Michigan and continued to travel, by foot and by carriage, the five miles to campus to support the growing University.

Today, Notre Dame’s “Founder’s Plaque” stands just

outside the Log Chapel, and it quotes from a letter written by Fr. Sorin to Fr. Moreau. Some of Sorin’s lines are imprinted on the hearts of Notre Dame graduates, such as: “This college will be one of the most powerful means of doing good in this country.” But Sorin’s explicit mention of the sisters (and the brothers) is not included on the plaque. Thus, this conspicuous public monument essentially erases Sorin’s earnest declaration that “once the Sisters come — whose presence is so much desired here — they must be prepared, not merely for domestic work, but also for teaching; and perhaps, too, for the establishment of an academy.”

The sisters came.

And while they ministered at Notre Dame for more than a century, they also expanded their own mission in many ways — always evolving to meet the needs of the times. They did open an academy near their novitiate in Bertrand and then moved it to the current site of Saint Mary’s College in 1855. The success of the academy and the early growth of the order were largely attributable to Mother Angela Gillespie, a brilliant woman who shepherded multiple new ventures for the growing community of sisters. Under her leadership, 80 Holy Cross sisters served as nurses in the Civil War, and they were the first nurses to serve the U.S. Navy on the hospital ship Red Rover. Mother Angela became the inaugural Superior General of the U.S. Congregation of Holy Cross Sisters, and during her time in office established 35 schools across the country. When I moved to South Bend for graduate school in 1980, I lived on West Angela Boulevard. I learned only last week that the street is named for Mother Angela Gillespie! Why is this fact shrouded in obscurity?

Other iconic sites at and around Notre Dame also have hidden connections to the sisters. For example, the statue of the Virgin Mary atop the Golden Dome was a gift to the University in 1880 … given by the Sisters of the Holy Cross and the students and alumnae of Saint Mary’s. The story appears on the Notre Dame website, but I wonder how many students and alums from either side of the road fully appreciate that piece of history.

Once upon a time, everyone knew the sisters’ central role in our shared community. Indeed, when the Vatican recognized the Sisters of the Holy Cross as an independent congregation in 1890, the Holy See included recommendations to consolidate two novitiates (one at Saint Mary’s, the other at Notre Dame) and to close the sisters’ ministry at Notre Dame. While visiting the Vatican in 1894, Fr. Corby, the Provincial Superior of the Priests and Brothers, understood just how devastating this would be. Writing back to Notre Dame, he worried: “Without the Sisters, we cannot run N.D., and from all I can learn here, it depends on St. Mary’s. No Bishop or even Cardinal can help us unless St. Mary’s is willing to hold the place at N.D.” We know that Fr. Corby visited the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes on that European trip, and that he made a supplication to the Blessed Virgin, promising that if his favor was granted, he would build a grotto at Notre Dame in her honor. Historical evidence suggests that his prayer likely involved the sisters’ ministry at Notre Dame being allowed to continue. He received a cable on May 1,1895 informing him that the sisters could stay. Shortly after that, construction on the Grotto began. When I heard one of our Sisters say recently that “the grotto at Notre Dame is our grotto too,” I began to understand how literal this is.

Last week, María Fernanda Espinosa, President of the UN General Assembly, warned of a “serious regression” in the global political power of women. She spoke of women who “were made invisible, erased from history,” even though they were “protagonists in the destinies of entire nations; of culture and political thinking; science and innovation; and the most significant social changes.” Our own Sisters of the Holy Cross, active locally and on four continents, are a version of those unseen women. Now is the time to bring them in from the margins to the center of our rich tricampus history.

Katie Conboy president, Saint Mary’s College Mar. 16

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The observer | wednesday, march 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Meat? Idk her: A tier list fritter, all atop a base of basmati rice? Spectacular.

Ella Wisniewski

A Tier

Consider This

Since mid-February, I’ve been doing two things at least every day: abstaining from meat and watching “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” (the first of these being a Lenten promise, the second of these being out of an intrinsic, near-compulsive love for Guy Fieri). As a function of these two things, I’ve been thinking very deeply about the food I’ve been eating lately. While I don’t possess the extensive knowledge of the mayor of Flavortown, I’ve done my best to provide you with a ranking of the pescatarian options that this campus has to offer.

S Tier Smashburger fish sandwich: The first time I ordered this, I was skeptical. One needs to have seen but one grilled chicken sandwich from Smash to know that their non-burger options can be a bit suspect. But I took the gamble, and oh my god. The crispiness of the fried fish, the tang of the tartar sauce, the softness of the bun — absolutely stellar. Just crunchy and moist enough. Add some fries and a Coke Zero and you’re golden.

SDH Indian food: Usually the dining hall food is good. Sometimes it’s pretty good. Fewer times it’s great. It’s a very rare and special moment when the DH knocks something out of the park, and that’s how I’ve been feeling about the dining hall Indian food.

The other night I had the vegetable pakora with khatte meethe baingan and I think I transcended to another plane of existence. The subtle tartness of the curry with the crunchy outside and soft veggie inside of the

Star Ginger spicy Thai pho with tofu and veggie broth: This is one of those meals that has so much to appreciate. Few events reach the zenith of anticipatory delight that is checking the “Everything, please!” box on the Grubhub pre-order screen. The broth isn’t just the vehicle for the bean sprouts, tofu and slices of jalapeño, it’s the star of the show. And I swear, something about the pho spoons enhances the experience.

Modern Market blueberry pesto sandwich: A paragon of lunchtime innovation. The creamy freshness of the mozzarella combined with the bright notes of blueberry makes for a sandwich like no other. To quote a dear friend, “Whoever looked at a caprese sandwich and thought ‘let’s add some blueberry jam to that’ thereby creating the blueberry pesto sandwich should be running the country.”

with cheese and a red sauce. Ever-present and reliable. The hard, stale crunch of the crust is mitigated only by a satisfactory dunk in the soup. After that, it goes down smooth.

DH Malibu garden veggie burger: The texture is best described as a hodgepodge, and it benefits from copious amounts of ketchup. Like the grilled cheese, it’s best eaten quickly, and without much thought.

F Tier

C, D and E Tier

Subway Veggie Delight sandwich with guacamole: This isn’t something I’ve tried, but a fellow Lenten pescatarian has described the experience of eating such a sandwich to me in excruciating detail.

He spoke of the guacamole’s “goopy,” gag-inducing consistency that “inhabited every single particle of the sandwich.” Thus, even for the sake of journalistic integrity, I could not bring myself to sample this dish, and will hope that his commentary will suffice for the purposes of this column. A side note of partial redemption: it would be remiss if I did mention that my meatless informant considers the Veggie Delight without guacamole to be a solid C-tier vegetarian meal.

A container of loose tofu and wet edamame: Strangely wet, undoubtedly disappointing, straddling the line between meal and punishment. The bottom of the barrel. A meal not served but brought upon oneself.

DH General Tso’s cauliflower: General-ly good.

A day with this in the dining hall is better than a day without it. The sauce and breading intermingle to improve upon an ultimately unremarkable vegetable. (I hold that cauliflower is only as good as its preparation.)

DH grilled cheese and tomato soup: It’s a square

Ella Wisniewski is a junior studying English and Economics. She tries her best not to take herself too seriously. You can reach her at ewisnie2@nd.edu or @ellawisn on Twitter.

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

B Tier Einstein’s bagel: Sometimes simplicity is key, and I would brave the 11 a.m. Sunday Einstein’s line again and again for this delightfully simple meal. A toasted cinnamon raisin bagel with strawberry cream cheese and an iced coffee? That’s heaven. An everything bagel with cheddar cheese and a fried egg plus a strawberry-banana smoothie? Heaven times two.

Coping with a conservative campus Eva Analitis On Second Thought

A TA of mine once joked during our discussion section, “I forgot. This is Notre Dame — you’re all conservatives and don’t care about people.” While the class all laughed along in good humor at what was obviously not a serious comment, there was an air of truth to this statement — an implicit acknowledgment that our campus climate is indeed more conservative than most. When the data analytics website Niche ranked the 50 most conservative colleges in American in 2020, institutions such as Brigham Young University–Idaho, Cedarville University and Liberty University topped the list, while Notre Dame was nowhere to be found. Still, there seems to be a conservative feel to campus, one that cannot necessarily be quantified or ranked.

A friend recently lamented the socially conservative atmosphere she has observed on campus, complaining about the stigma around using dating apps and how she and other students feel the need to hide their tattoos despite tattoos being fairly common among our generation.

The conservative character of our school is not simply limited to culture; it also translates to policies and politics.

As one of the most recent examples, in a letter to the editor, a student voiced opposition to the Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. Although another student wrote a response to that letter, “Say yes to the Equality Act,” the original letter demonstrates that social conservatism runs strong at our Catholic University.

The conservative-progressive divide at Notre Dame has been especially acute over the past several months — throughout the confirmation of Professor Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court and the transition from the Trump presidency to the Biden one. As our nation has come to a political reckoning, so has our University. Pieces such as “Fighting for every inch of existence” highlight the struggle for inclusion and full participation in the Notre Dame community that LGBTQ+ students face and remind

us of the urgent need for concrete protections for our LGBTQ+ peers rather than the wishy-washy statements of the past.

All of this can be quite frustrating to progressive students at Notre Dame and to members of marginalized groups. Clearly, Notre Dame is no UC Berkeley. If you came to college in hopes of basking in a progressive paradise, I’m sure by now you’ve noticed that this isn’t quite the place.

If you are upset by Notre Dame’s relative conservativeness compared to other elite universities, however, don’t be so quick to trade in South Bend for the Bay Area, or to wish you could. I challenge you to view going to a school such as Notre Dame not as a nuisance or obstacle, but as an opportunity. If you feel Notre Dame is not the place you would like it to be, don’t give up on it. Make it better. Make it what it should be. This is part of the power we all possess. In fact, it is the duty we have — to make campus more welcoming for those around us and those who will come after us.

The political divisions at Notre Dame, which are more substantial than those at predominantly progressive schools, can actually help us prepare to engage with our national politics. While more progressive universities might offer a temporary refuge from talks of small government, rugged individualism, traditional marriage and the March for Life, when four years are up, a politically conflicted nation awaits. Broader America and the world as a whole are not all progress, goodness and inclusion — a fact you do not need me to point out. Even though Joe Biden emerged victorious comfortably in this past election, securing 81,283,098 votes, 74,222,958 Americans voted for Donald Trump. The election of 2012 tells a similar story: Republican Mitt Romney received 60,933,504 votes to President Obama’s 65,915,785. While both of these elections were clear Democratic victories, the tens of millions of votes the Republican candidates received indicate that support for both major political parties runs strong in America. According to Pew Research Center, “Overall, 34% of registered voters identify as independents, 33% as Democrats and 29% as Republicans.” This political climate is more in line with what we see at Notre Dame as opposed to somewhere such as UC Berkeley. So, in a way, we can

view our University as a microcosm for America and use it as a practice ground to fight for a better nation.

Pursuing justice in our lives will require active involvement and effort to right the wrongs around us. It has no definitive start date — say, graduation. It begins when we decide that we care. Many of the social and political clashes on the Notre Dame campus reflect those in which our country is embroiled on a larger scale. Just as our campus grapples with issues of racial justice, LGBTQ+ protections and women’s rights, so does our country. Our duty to take a stance on these issues on campus parallels our civic responsibilities of holding accountable people in power and demanding policy that is responsive to people’s needs. The conservative-progressive struggle is not simply a four-year phenomenon into which we have gotten ourselves stuck by choosing to attend a school that is not purely progressive, but rather, an enduring feature of our nation that will remain a part of our lives long after we have secured our diplomas.

It might seem more comfortable to avoid or escape Notre Dame’s conservative culture, but if we do, the problems will remain — left to be dealt with by others. Let’s embrace this opportunity as a head start to a lifelong journey of activism and engagement. The fact that we notice injustices and exclusion on campus does not mean that we shouldn’t be here — that it’s time to transfer or that we made the wrong decision to attend a Catholic university in the Midwest. Exactly the opposite: It means we belong here to see that these problems are fixed and progress is made. When the going gets tough, don’t get discouraged — and don’t go to California, as much as I personally would love to. Stay right here and make this a place of which you are proud.

Eva Analitis is a junior in Lyons Hall majoring in political science and pre-health. Even though she often can’t make up her own mind, that won’t stop her from trying to change yours. She can be reached at eanaliti@nd.edu or @evaanalitis on Twitter.

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

The observer | wednesday, march 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

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JACKIE JUNCO | The Observer

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The observer | wednesday, march 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

By COLLEEN FISCHER Scene Writer

Some side character from some movie I watched at some point in high school once said something along the lines of: “When there are two bands, there’s a scene, and when there’s a scene, there’s something to write about.” The first official issue of Rolling Stone featured stories about the Grateful Dead, Donovan and the Byrds; like all of these musicians, the magazine had an appreciation for Bob Dylan, even taking their name from one of his most famous songs (“Like a Rolling Stone”) in the hope that the song’s characterization of youth culture would be reflected within its own pages. So, what happened? Why is Rolling Stone’s content now mostly consumed on a website that somehow still manages to be over-saturated with ads despite having a two article paywall?

The truth is this: The magazine itself may have “grown up,” but the criteria with which they evaluate music has left an aura of judgment and insincerity around their interpretation of new music.

Rolling Stone magazine never set out to write about the big stuff (the “capital M” Music, so to speak). Its editors, I think, just wanted to write about the music and people they loved.

But then “the scene” blew up, and so did they. Now, Rolling Stone has been reaching out but failing to connect with young readers for decades. Their refusal to embrace punk music leaves them oblivious when it comes to understanding the many modern trends that have been influenced by the genre.

Sure, the magazine has made strides towards more inclusive writing, hiring female and writers of color to report and reflect on the music they love and care about. Even so, the legacy of the 1970s hangs like a cloud over more recent reviews, as staff members continue both to pine for the return of a new, rejuvenated rock music and to hold artists to decadesold standards.

Comparatively speaking, NPR connects much more readily with young people. The radio station’s Tiny Desk concert series strips artists of their frills, fostering the kind of authenticity for which young people are desperate. Their staffers

By JAMES SPOONMORE Scene Writer

Some of the fondest memories of my youth are my friends’ birthday parties. They were always big sleepovers with 20 kids running around in the basement playing tag or football — that is, until everything changed. From 2009 on, every time a friend invited me to their birthday party, it was to go see James Cameron’s “Avatar” in 3D. I must have watched it in theaters four times before I realized I had no idea what happened in the actual film. After leaving the theater, I could never remember anything but the space jellyfish. Back then, I was too young to really appreciate how big the film was (or how much my parents had to pay for tickets every time we went).

Last Friday, “Avatar” was re-released in China — 12 years after its initial release — so that the film could reclaim its title as the highest-grossing film of all time. “Avatar” now looks and feels a bit like an old relic, bringing back the memories of bulky 3D glasses and endless popcorn, but I cannot for the life of me remember what made this film so special. Although the way it continues to break records is impressive, I have some questions: Namely, what is the point? Why “Avatar?”

Why now?

write solid reviews, taking artists for who they are and holding their work to standards specific to their genres and music scenes.

On the other hand, Rolling Stone is a major reason that music from the 1970s is so renowned. The magazine once represented a counter-culture, making it big and living the dream.

It took risks that no other magazine was willing to in the 70s because it was empowered by the youth of its writers and its readers.

Take a look at this pair of case studies which, when taken together, illustrate the way in which Rolling Stone simultaneously succeeds and fails at staying relevant. Within a year two, writers wrote features on Shawn Mendes and Harry Styles, two of the nation’s biggest male stars at the time.

Although both headlines referencing rom-coms, the two pieces could not have been more different. Rob Sheffield’s feature on Styles flew off the rack and into the hands of his fans; I only came across Patrick Boyle’s feature on Mendes years later, after someone mentioned its existence during a conversation similar to the one we are having now. And I do not think that this disparity in recognition is because Styles is more popular.

Sheffield is Rolling Stone’s greatest weapon in gaining young readers. His love of mixtapes comes off as quirky and fun instead of pretentious because his joy of music is genuine. His novels, which include one titled “Love is a Mixtape,” are compelling and youthful. They are doubtlessly featured on many 19 to 20-year-olds’ bookshelves (including mine, my roommate’s and my sister’s). Sheffield’s reviews and commentary always contain undercurrents of joy, optimism and love of music. He consistently looks toward music’s future (instead of its past), embracing change — and pop artists — instead of condemning either.

Boyle’s feature seems to lack this optimism. Mendes, his subject, is insanely vulnerable during his interview, and Boyle responds by criticizing him for it, depicting his youthfulness as a fatal flaw. By doing this, he indirectly criticized an entire generation of people who not only identify with him and his music, but share his age (and, perhaps, his naivety).

Styles and his music fit the 1970s scene better — and, sure, his

music is just better than Mendes’ — but at the time of the features, they were comparable. Styles had only just broken out of One Direction. The writers’ depictions of drug use display the double standard. While Styles invokes 1970s artists by using shrooms for inspiration, Mendes is criticized for smoking weed to help with his anxiety. Yes, different writers hold artists to different standards; this disparity, though, smacks of a pointed effort to rip into Mendes for something characteristic of being young in these times.

Writers and musicians exist in a symbiotic relationship.

They are meant to be co-dependent. As social media use increases, artists may seem to need journalists less, but pieces about arriving scenes are essential to understanding motives and perspectives. Styles is deserving of every compliment and accolade he’s received, but I believe that Sheffield’s willingness to bring genuine friendship and curiosity to writing his feature is why he was taken seriously so quickly and seen as a legitimate and substantial artist. More artists should be given that kindness.

Rolling Stone can connect to younger readers simply by embracing more pieces like Sheffield’s offerings (which are exemplary), but if the editorial board wants to continue serving members of an aging scene, they may have to be wiling to let the magazine die with the people it was meant to serve, and start embracing new publications that can take its place.

Penske Media Co. could expand Rolling Stone to include tangential publications. The failure of Rolling Stone to reach young people has to lead to the creation of hundreds of “zines” serving their individual scenes. Music today has a less harsh anti-consumeristic message than punk did, and Rolling Stone could reach out and work with some of these “zines,” lending its expertise, connections and experiences to a new generation of writers looking to write about the music and the people they love. Readers can do the same thing by simply supporting their local “zines” and music scenes. (When it is safe go to a house show.)

The competition for the highest-grossing film of all time seems pointless when the top two contenders, “Avatar” and “Avengers: Endgame,” are both owned by Disney. This race to the highest number is artificial and arbitrary. There is no point having either of the two films at the top, apart from perpetuating some largely fabricated story of an underdog returning to reclaim its throne.

Most audience members have had a more recent experience of “Avengers: Endgame,” as well having felt more deeply the emotion and nostalgia that accompanied the 10-year build up to the film. But on the other hand, most theaterready audiences might have recently seen it and still remember going to the theater to watch it. The only favorable aspect of “Avatar” is its status as the highest-grossing film of all time; without this distinction, the name “Avatar” would have slipped into obscurity with the rest of the early 2000s big-action films — and Disney cannot afford that, with the film’s sequels nearing the end of their production.

Honestly, “Avatar”’s largely forgettable, high-action nature might work perfectly to entice people to go to theater. It is popular, epic, unique, action-packed and old enough for audiences to not remember what happens. Announcing a re-release of what used to be the biggest film of all time back on the big screen to a mass of people starving for entertainment is a

gold mine ready to be collected. “Avatar” is the perfect film for this situation, not because it is emotional or nostalgic, but precisely because it is forgettable and has the story behind its name. It is epic because we paid it to be epic.

So, choosing “Avatar” does make sense for an incentive to go to the theaters, but why China? And why now? Why does Disney care about saving Chinese theaters more than domestic theaters? The only reason I can see is that Disney wants to revive the “theater-going economy,” so to speak, as soon as possible, and China is ready to have more mass gatherings than the United States. Maybe they were simply testing the waters to see what profits could be gained. Maybe they were gearing up to return to standard production. Either way, it looks like China might remain the center of Disney’s attention, with big screen releases in the near future. As long as we still pay $30 for premiere access on Disney+, Disney can afford to keep domestic theaters in the back of the production train.

By the time the “Avatar” sequels are finished, China will be anticipating their release. And if the pandemic truly ends this year, we will be anticipating the sequels’ release along with them.

Contact Colleen Fischer at cfischer01@saintmarys.edu

Contact James Spoonmore at jspoonmo@nd.edu CLAIRE REID | The Observer

DAILY

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, march 17, 2021 | The Observer

Crossword | will shortz

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Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Share your thoughts and feelings with someone you trust, and you’ll find it easier to shape your plans to fit the lifestyle you want to live. A positive approach to life, love and happiness will encourage others to pitch in and help you reach your goals. Mark each milestone you accomplish with a reward, and it will give you the incentive to surpass your expectations. Your numbers are 4, 10, 23, 28, 36, 41, 47.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Keep marching forward, and don’t stop until you reach your destination. Progress takes discipline, fortitude and courage, but the result will be worth the blood, sweat and tears it takes to make your dreams come true.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Emotions will confuse you if you let them take over.

Be realistic, and you’ll avoid getting caught in a no-win situation. Be willing to compromise, and you will simplify your life and find the happiness and satisfaction you desire.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Sort through information, go over details carefully, look for discrepancies and make adjustments. Keep your guard up when dealing with people who talk big, expect a lot and offer little. Work alone whenever possible, and you’ll avoid interference.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Pay attention to detail, but don’t lose sight of your deadline. Working quickly and finishing on time is as important as the effort you put into anything you pursue. Leave time for personal pleasures, and it will make what you accomplish sweeter.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The changes taking place will strike an emotional chord.

Learn from the experience, and you will find new opportunities to fill any void you are feeling. Put your energy into self-improvement and a realistic plan, not revenge or indulgent behavior.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): It’s up to you to bring about change. Don’t wait for someone to push you in a direction that benefits them more than you. Take control and embrace what you feel passionate about, and you will meet people who share your concerns.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Research, educate and delve into something that makes you feel passionate. Emotional spending and joint ventures will not turn out as planned. You’ll be misled by someone who lacks integrity and wants to take advantage of you emotionally or financially.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Don’t fold under pressure. When in doubt, take a pass.

Gravitate toward the things you know are possible, what you enjoy doing and the people who share your interests and have something to contribute to your longterm plans.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Listen, but don’t participate in something you don’t want to pursue. Problems at home will surface if tempers take over and distance you from someone you love. Keep the peace, but don’t lower your standards or do something you’ll regret.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Someone who opposes the changes you are initiating will question you. Don’t get into an argument over something that isn’t going to matter as you move forward. Follow your heart, and be responsible for your future and happiness..

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Let your intuition lead the way, and you’ll find a way to use your skills and knowledge to your advantage. Reinventing the way you market yourself will make a difference when you are job hunting or looking to make new connections.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Incorporate something you enjoy doing into your daily routine. Educational pursuits that help you head in the direction that offers higher income potential are favored. Refuse to let a setback or what someone does consume you. Choose productivity over emotional anger.

Birthday Baby: You are caring, intense and emotional. You are impatient and trendy.

Sudoku | The Mepham Group

Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek

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Sports Authority

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Biggest surprises of 2021 NHL year Andrew McGuinness Sports Writer

The most unique season in the NHL’s 103-year history is about at its halfway point. Most teams are nearing the 50% mark of the pandemic-induced shortened season, giving us a good perception of their future.

There’s still plenty of time for some teams to change their fate, but we have a pretty good feel of what direction each of the 31 teams is heading in.

As always, there are a handful of teams that do about as well (or as poorly) as most expect.

However, there are always a few teams that either defy expectations or are deflated by them.

With about half of the 56-game season complete, it’s safe to pick out a few teams that meet those categories.

Florida Panthers (2021: 19-5-4, 2019-20: Lost in qualifier round) Just making the playoffs seemed like an ambitious but perhaps reachable goal at the start of the year. Yet right now Florida is first in the entire league right now and has been one of the most consistent teams all season. Newcomers Patric Hornqvist, Carter Verhaeghe and others have made significant contributions.

The core of Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad look as dominant as ever. If their $10 million goalie Sergei Bobrovsky can just find his A-game, the Panthers could be a favorite snap the NHL’s longest series winless drought.

Securing the No. 1 seed in the top-heavy Central Division will be difficult, but it’s a major priority moving forward.

Vancouver Canucks (2021: 14-16-2, 2019-20: Lost in round two) The Canucks were a pleasant surprise in the 2020 playoffs, coming within one victory of being just the second Canadian team to reach the conference finals since 2015. Most people expected the Canucks to take a step back after losing a lot of their depth in the offseason. Yet they’ve been terrible in a North Division where the last playoff spot or two should be up for the taking. General manager Jim Benning is likely on the hot seat as a result.

Winnipeg Jets (2021: 17-92, 2019-20: Lost in qualifier round) The Jets aren’t a dramatically different team on paper than they were last year (other than the massive Patrik LainePierre-Luc Dubois swap, which

hasn’t had massive implications yet). A quick look under the hood shows that; after all, the Jets are still outshot and out-chanced heavily at five-onfive most nights. But thanks to reigning Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck, they’re making it work. If GM Kevin Cheveldayoff adds a blue-liner at the deadline, Winnipeg could cement themselves as Toronto’s biggest threat to come out of the North Division.

Dallas Stars (2021: 9-9-6, 2019-20: Lost in Stanley Cup Finals) It’s tough to evaluate a team like the Stars, who have undergone two significant stoppages to their season; one to a COVID-19 outbreak, and another due to the massive winter storm that struck Texas. That being said, the Stars haven’t been able to find the offensive magic that lifted them to a surprise Finals run in the bubble.

The incoming return of stars Ben Bishop and Tyler Seguin could save them, though.

Chicago Blackhawks (2021: 14-11-5, 2019-20: Lost in round one) Much like Winnipeg, great goaltending has lifted the Hawks into the playoff picture despite a weak defense. No one saw 25-year old rookie Kevin Lankinen turning into one of the league’s hottest goalies, but that’s exactly what happened.

Don’t ignore a potential MVP year from Patrick Kane, though; only Oilers stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have more points than his 42.

Buffalo Sabres (2021: 6-18-4, 2019-20: Missed playoffs) Most people didn’t think the Sabres would make the playoffs in the tough East Division this year. But at least they didn’t figure to be an outright trainwreck. Whoops. Jeff Skinner and Taylor Hall combine to make $17 million yet have combined three goals. Skinner has been benched three times by second-year coach Ralph Krueger, and superstar captain Jack Eichel and solid goaltender Linus Ullmark are both out with long-term injuries. Buffalo is all but a lock to tie the longest playoff drought in NHL history at 10 straight seasons. A 12game losing streak that’s still intact is a pretty devastating nail in the coffin.

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Thoughts on Patriots re-signing Cam Newton Mannion McGinley Sports Writer

So, the Patriots signed Cam Newton … again.

Remember when that sentence was exciting? I believe my exact emotions were hesitation at first and then ultimately relief and excitement.

And then the 2020 season happened. It was great to see Brady (who had been my team’s quarterback for my entire life — literally) win another Super Bowl. But, it definitely stung to watch — or really, not watch — the Patriots sit this one out.

Now, just under six months out from the start of next season, developments are unfolding for the Patriots left and right that have elicited new reactions from Pats fans everywhere, present company included.

Friday, Mar. 12 — Patriots re-sign Cam Newton.

Reaction: Immediate defeat.

Better yet, that clip of Julian Edelman where he just rips his helmet off of his head, that was me.

This was the first bit of big news to come out of Foxboro. My instant reaction went something along the lines of “We can kiss this friggin’ season goodbye,” as warned by Massachusetts TikToker Dalton DeLima.

I mean, he probably isn’t wrong, at least not based on last season’s performance.

For the first time, excluding the 2019 season where he got injured, Newton had more interceptions than touchdowns, at 10 and eight, respectively. He threw the fewest completions he ever has at 242, again excluding 2019.

He had an average year on the rushing front as well, at least by his personal standard with 592 yards on 137 carries.

Where he came in above average was in fumbles. Newton had six fumbles on the season on top of all the interceptions, most of which came during important possessions in dire games.

Friday left a lot of room for fear for what could happen next season and utter embarrassment.

Later on Friday, Mar. 12 — Cam Newton, rethought.

Reaction: Conditional trust.

Some of the hope I had for Cam Newton last year disappeared so quickly simply because he had such a young receiving team that had most recently been working with the greatest quarterback of all time and even then, they had problems.

It’s also important to note that it was clear Newton didn’t trust those receivers very well.

They did not get enough time to work with him before the season started, and he, like Brady had, faltered because of that.

Still, he saw a 65.8 completion percentage, which just means he tried less to get shots off for that 242 number, not that they weren’t making it to their receivers.

Now that the growing pains are gone and hopefully, he is more comfortable in his New England signal-caller roll, the season could be much different.

It became evident on Sunday that the Patriots had also outlined a conditional trust in Cam as ESPN writer Mike Reiss broke down his contract. It looks like a back-up contract but positions him as most likely the starter.

That is, unless they pull someone from the draft or convince someone else to get on board through free agency or a trade.

Newton will receive $5.1 million just for being on the roster and healthy, another $6.6 million just for starting all season.

None of these things scream the Patriots have complete trust in Newton which also makes me hopeful for the potential of the draft.

Monday, Mar. 15 — Patriots sign Jonnu Smith, then Hunter Henry Reaction: Relief.

While he’s no Gronk, it is nice to have a tight end back. The position has been one of the biggest weak spots on the New England offense. Smith has been on the Titans since his arrival to the NFL as a third-round draft pick in 2017. He has now joined the Pats for the next four years for $50 million with $31.25 million guaranteed.

His four years of experience will be welcomed especially as we wait to see what shakes out in the rest of the roster. It would be nice for N’Keal Harry and the

younger guys to have someone to look up to.

Since free agency began (and before it) – Patriots restock entire defense Reaction: So much hope (and maybe a little more faith in the Newton decision).

Even before Newton was resigned, the defense has been in the works. Cornerback Justin Bethel and defensive tackle Carl Davis both signed on to return like Newton and were followed by a whole slew of new teammates.

Adding defensive tackle Henry Anderson, defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr., defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, will scare off run-based offenses. As will adding linebacker Matthew Judon who has also has great pass-rushing ability. He and off-the-line ’backer Dont’a Hightower will be a force as two of the hardest-hitting linebackers in the league.

Safety Jalen Mills, at 26, will be a young addition to the highly skilled safeties roster that already includes Super Bowl champions Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung.

With the defense in full swing, this season will — hopefully — prevent any moments like the end of the Seahawks game. If the Pats are on track to win, they should be able to pull it off with McCourty and Company. Then, new additions will fall into that nicely.

Originally, re-signing Cam Newton was scary. There was genuine disappointment that I would have to watch another losing-record season. But, as the Buccaneers have found, no matter who the quarterback is, weapons around him are always necessary. If Cam can step up to his weapons and make good use of them, great. If he can’t, hopefully, the Pats already know that and will make a call in the next few weeks as to who should place ahead of them. But that’s another column for another day.

Contact Mannion McGinley at mmcginl@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

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nd women’s swimming & DivinG

Irish prepare for NCAA Championship meet

By SEAN KELLEY Sports Writer

Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published online Mar. 16.

The Notre Dame women’s swimming and diving team will travel this week to compete at the NCAA Championship.

After a fifth-place finish at the ACC Championships, coach Mike Litzinger’s team will be looking to build on its success.

Only swimmers who qualified for the NCAA Championship remain on the team, a much smaller group than when the season started. When asked about the smaller size of his team, Litzinger highlighted the benefits.

M Soccer Continued from page 16

lot of credit for the way they handled it.”

The Irish are yet to concede a goal in regulation during the spring season. The only goal against the Irish in 2021 came in the 95th minute of a 1-0 overtime loss to Virginia.

Tuesday night was Calvin’s first game since a 4-0 loss to Tufts in the semifinals of the Division III NCA A Tournament in December 2019. After having their fall season postponed due to COVID-19, the Knights were picked to collect their 14th Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association title this spring in the conference’s Coaches Poll.

Calvin was unafraid to put the high press on the Irish early, playing the majority of the first ten minutes in the home side’s half before Notre Dame used their penalty area prowess to go into the ascendancy.

Irish sophomore center back Mohammad Abualnadi had a good header to the bottom right corner saved by Calvin goalkeeper Daniel Wunder at full extension in the 13th minute. The Knights were not able to fully clear, and Abualnadi’s center back partner, junior Philip Quinton, saw his header denied by the crossbar and cleared for a corner a few seconds later.

Two corner kicks later, however, the pressure finally paid off, as the two picks in the 2021 Major League Soccer SuperDraft combined for the evening’s only goal after almost a quarter hour.

Portland Timbers second-round pick Dawson McCartney, a senior transfer from Dartmouth, whipped in a dangerous cross that was met by senior midfielder

“We’re just dialing in on our specialty right now, so it actually makes the workouts a little less cumbersome but more intensive,” Litzinger said.

He also noted that his athletes are able to focus solely on their respective strokes, saying that “the swimmers who qualified in the breaststroke get to work on that specialty only.”

The smaller team has allowed for more focus overall, raising the intensity to a championship level.

As the team is getting closer to the competition itself, Litzinger pointed out that “we’re just all lucky that we’re being able to compete. I think the attitude is: Let’s take advantage of our opportunity because we’re more fortunate than some other

Aiden McFadden. McFadden, a third-round selection by Atlanta United FC, found himself a pocket of space in the six-yard box before dispatching the free header into Wunder’s bottom-left corner.

McFadden scored Notre Dame’s opening goal for a second consecutive game Tuesday after scoring against Duke in the sixth minute Saturday. McFadden, who leads the Irish with four assists in 2020-2021, also made a vital sliding challenge to end a three-versus-three Calvin counterattack late in the second half.

Riley lauded McFadden’s constant motor and leadership as one of the team’s captains.

“I never take it for granted that he puts in a lot of work every time he goes out there to compete,” Riley said.

Tuesday marked the first start in an Irish uniform for McCartney, who won Iv y League Rookie of the Year in 2017 during Riley’s last year in charge of the Big Green before he succeeded the legendary Bobby Clark in South Bend.

“I think he’s someone that gives us a great presence on the left wing,” Riley said of McCartney. “He’s someone that brings a lot of energy and a lot of ability to get good service in on the wide area.”

Despite conceding eight corners, Calvin held firm and pressed hard for an equalizer in the final 15 minutes of the first half. Notre Dame freshman goalkeeper Bryan Dowd marked his debut for the Irish with a diving save to deny a header by junior Knights forward Sam Twigg, who recorded 15 goals and 15 assists in 2019.

The Irish were on the front foot after the break, but Calvin had the first big opportunity of the second half

teams out there.”

The team is also ready to drop some incredible times and take full advantage of each race and dive. Litzinger emphasized his excitement.

“There are not many other teams out there that have two swimmers qualified in the 1650 Free in [junior] Sammie Eyolfson and [junior] Madeline LaPorte, but even more outstanding is we have three 200 Butterfly swimmers,” Litzinger said. “I don’t think there is another team out there that has three women that have straight-up qualified in that event is their primary event, so that’s really pretty special.”

Looking ahead to this weekend, Litzinger discussed how the climate is going to be

different on the pool deck.

During a normal year, athletes are allowed to attend all of the sessions to cheer on their teammates, but with the pandemic, only the athletes participating in the session can be on the deck. This plays into Litzinger’s theme for this weekend.

“I think the theme for us is going to be take care of your own business, and stay within your lane so to speak,” he said.

“Control the things that you have control over, and take your shot when you have it.”

Litzinger made clear that “we’re just going to have a lot of fun together, enjoy the opportunity that we have and hopefully come back with a few all-Americans.”

For Litzinger’s team, being

able to compete at this meet is exciting, as it was canceled last year. Litzinger spoke to the current scene in swimming.

“I think there’s a couple of different camps,” he said.

“Some kids are super excited to go. Some kids and coaches are wondering what’s it really going to be like, and then, I think there’s a third group out there who are just happy we got this far.”

The Notre Dame women’s swimming and diving team will be competing at the NCAA Championship Wednesday through Saturday at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Contact Sean Kelley at skelley5@nd.edu

JUNYA KANEMITSU | The Observer

Former Irish midfielder Jack Casey tries to evade a defender during Notre Dame’s 4-2 win against Seattle during the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament on Sept. 6, 2019, at Alumni Stadium.

when Twigg was fouled just outside the area. Knights junior midfielder Mason Smith tried to surprise Dowd on the ensuing free kick by seeking out the far corner, but TopDrawerSoccer’s thirdranked keeper in the class of 2020 made another impressive diving stop.

Just after the hour mark, the Irish almost had a second goal through junior forward Jack Lynn. The St. Louis, Missouri, native leads the Irish with eight goals in 2020-2021, but his glancing header off a delicate cross from freshman left back Paddy Burns only rattled the crossbar.

Wunder also denied the Irish with just under 20

minutes to go. A great move by junior midfielder Ben Giacobello on the byline allowed him to cut the ball back for freshman midfielder Matthew Radivojsa, whose strike from just outside the area would have found the top corner if not for a fingertip save by Wunder to his right.

Tuesday’s matchup was the final non-conference game in Notre Dame’s spring campaign. Imminent showdowns against Wake Forest and North Carolina this and next Saturday, respectively, loom large as the Irish aim to earn an at-large bid to April’s NCA A Tournament, which was postponed during the fall.

Riley admitted a second

goal would have allowed his side to rotate a bit more and said the biggest negative of the unusual 2020-2021 season has been the lack of a typical “developmental” spring campaign.

“I’m just so proud of the group through this entire pandemic,” he said. “They’ve just been focused on competing and training. And a lot of them without the reward of playing in any games.”

Kickoff Saturday at Alumni Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be available to stream on ACC Network Extra.

Contact Greg McKenna at gmckenn2@nd.edu

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Sports

The observer | wednesday, march 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Baseball Continued from page 16

overall record by a game in the ACC. The Irish rose to No. 17 in the Division I baseball poll, and No. 15 in Baseball America’s rankings.

This weekend marked the fourth consecutive road series that Notre Dame has won, dating back to last year’s truncated season. And this one was a satisfying sweep, as the inconsistent Irish bats broke out in a big way, blasting seven home runs in three games against a strong Virginia pitching staff.

The big offensive output was a welcome sight for Notre Dame head coach Link Jarrett, who noted the immediate jump into conference play as a definite obstacle in getting their bats warmed up.

“MLB guys play 20-25 games in spring training and see a lot of pitches before the season,” Jarrett said. “We haven’t played any midweek games, and we’ve jumped straight into ACC play.”

Indeed, Notre Dame lost its only pre-ACC non-conference weekend due to some COVID problems, forcing the team to play its first nine games of the year on the road against conference foes. That led to some inconsistent offensive efforts, but in three wins over the Cavaliers, the Irish posted scoring outputs of 10, 12 and eight runs.

“We saw some elite starting pitchers this past weekend,” Jarrett said. “We’re still striking out way too much, but when you get some home runs, some extra-base hits, you can score runs and offset that a little.”

That was certainly the case in game one, as Notre Dame teed

off against Virginia’s ace, senior Andrew Abbott, knocking him out of the game after 102 pitches and just four-and-onethird innings. Notre Dame got their first runs in the third inning, when a two-out strikeout hit the dirt and allowed junior designated hitter Carter Putz to reach first. Senior second baseman Jared Miller took three balls in the ensuing at-bat, got the green light and blasted an absolute bomb to left field for the 2-0 lead.

However, Notre Dame quickly found itself facing a deficit, as giving up four runs in the third.

The Irish did not have normal Friday starter Tommy Sheehan available due to injury. Jarrett said that he wouldn’t rule Sheehan out for the season, but it’s possible he’s out for the season, as there’s no current timetable on his return. That left the Irish with a bullpen game to navigate, and after junior Will Mercer navigated two scoreless innings, he got banged up in the third, and Notre Dame left the inning trailing 4-2. A double steal sparked an Irish comeback, however, as a sacrifice fly, followed by an RBI single from the No. 9 hitter, sophomore third baseman Jack Brannigan, tied the score. Brannigan, who came around to score to give the Irish the lead for good, finished the weekend with seven hits, all singles, good for four RBI. “Very rarely do you have all nine guys keyed in at the same time. So whether your 1-2-3, or you’re 7-8-9, the goal is to do what you do, and to do it at a high level,” Jarrett said of the production from Brannigan as well as up and down his lineup.

Notre Dame would cling to a 6-5 lead into the eighth inning,

as Joe Sheridan was lights out in relief for the Irish, shutting down the Virginia bats after entering in the fifth. In the eighth, Notre Dame put away the game, courtesy of a three-run blast from junior right fielder Brooks Coetzee.

The Irish would win 10-5, as Sheridan closed things out to put a stamp on a beautiful five-inning performance in relief. The UCF transfer has been been dominant so far out of the bullpen, with eight shutout innings on the season, allowing just three hits and striking out eight, seven of which came in Friday’s effort.

The series-opening win set the tone for Notre Dame, who did not trail for the rest of the series. The Irish faced another starter with electric stuff in Griff McGarry, but again, Notre Dame battled and drove up his pitch count, eventually jumping on McGarry for three runs between the third and fourth innings. McGarry threw 82 pitches and left after threeand-two-thirds frames of work.

Putz and Miller knocked in runs in the third inning with a sacrifice fly and RBI groundout, and Brannigan added to the lead in the fourth with a runscoring single.

Notre Dame sent its one true starting pitcher to the mound in graduate student transfer John Bertrand, and once again, the veteran hurler delivered a gem. Outside of allowing three runs in the fourth, Bertrand was nearly untouchable, as he gave up just five hits and needed just 89 pitches to produce seven innings of three-run ball, which was plenty enough for the Irish offense. Bertrand has tossed 14 innings and allowed four runs in his past two

ALLISON THORNTON | The Observer

Irish graduate student first baseman Daniel Jung waits for the pitch during a 3-l loss to Florida State on Mar. 24, 2019, at Eck Stadium. The Irish have won all three ACC series.

starts, after getting roughed up in a short outing against Wake Forest.

“He’s had great fastball command, and he keeps guys offbalance” Jarrett said. “With his change-up, he gets weak contact, and we just need to play great defense behind him.”

The Irish did that, as they didn’t make an error — they have just three in their first nine games — and immediately backed up Bertrand’s one shaky inning with a five-run fifth. The middle of the order again did damage for the Irish, as Miller drilled an RBI double, sandwiched by hits from Putz and senior first baseman Niko Kavadas. After an error and an RBI groundout gifted the Irish two more runs, Coetzee torched an offering from Kyle Whitten, notching his second home run of the series, and Notre Dame led 8-3.

Bertrand needed little more help, as he fired four perfect innings during his outing, and Alex Rao closed out the game with two innings in relief.

Brannigan notched two more RBI in the game as part of a four-hit effort that led Notre Dame to the 12-4 win.

The storylines remained much the same for Notre Dame in the series finale. Again the Irish raced out to a hot start, this time courtesy of Kavadas’s big bat, as the first baseman sent his fifth home run of the season into orbit for an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. Sophomore right-hander Dominic Cancelleri gritted through two innings, leaving the bases loaded in the inning, but he departed in the third as the Cavaliers brought home two runs. Junior southpaw Aidan Tyrell entered and escaped the

inning with no further damage. He kept Virginia at bay until the fifth, by which point his offense had given him some more breathing room. Kavadas nearly had a second three-run bomb, but he settled for a long sacrifice fly to the warning track to bring home one run, and Coetzee slapped a single through the right side for a 5-2 Notre Dame lead.

Virginia got a run back in the fifth, but that was all they would get. Sophomore Tanner Kohlpepp locked down the result with four-and-two-thirds innings of shutout relief, and the Irish tacked on single runs in the final three innings to secure the 8-3 win and the series sweep.

Offensively, it continued to be a team effort for Notre Dame, who saw a lot of production from the meat of its order; Putz, Miller, Kavadas and senior catcher David LaManna occupied the 2-5 spots in the order and hit .426 on the weekend, with 14 RBI, while Coetzee was 6-13 out of the 7-hole, with a pair of home runs, and Brannigan was 7-11 at the bottom of the lineup. As a team, Notre Dame hit .365 and scored 30 runs against a Virginia team that had given up 38 runs in its first 12 games and held opponents to three or less runs on nine occasions.

On the mound, Notre Dame held the Cavaliers to a .204 batting average, posting a 3.00 ERA for the weekend. The Irish will be back in action, and back at home for the first time since 2019, against the Duke Blue Devils (6-6, 3-3 in ACC Play) on Friday at 4 p.m.

Contact Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu

ALLISON THORNTON | The Observer

Former Irish right-handed pitcher Andrew Belcik follows through on a pitch during Notre Dame’s 3-1 defeat against Florida State at Eck Stadium on Mar. 24, 2019.

sports

W Lax Continued from page 16

score to be 18-14.

Coming into their second matchup Sunday, the Irish started off with a burst of energy. Deehan performed seven saves in the first half, setting herself up for her career-high 14 saves of the day.

Ahern and graduate student attack Samantha Lynch each scored two goals, with sophomore attack Jackie Wolak, senior attack Maddie Howe and graduate student midfielder Erin McBride also finding the net. The Irish led 7-4 at the half after a series of turnovers and stops allowed the Irish to keep Syracuse from scoring for 13 minutes of play. This is the first time the Orange have trailed all season.

However, Syracuse

Football Continued from page 16

Sept. 11 barring lingering knee issues.

Out of the backfield, rising redshirt senior Bryant Koback has been dicing MAC defenses for three seasons after transferring to Toledo following a one-year stay at Kentucky as a true freshman. He has over 2,600 career rushing yards and 30 touchdowns on the ground, and he became a legitimate pass-catching threat by tripling his career receptions last season to bring him to 36 for 320 yards and four scores.

Rising senior Isaiah Winstead and redshirt senior

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, march 17, 2021 | The Observer

responded with full force, scoring the first six goals of the second half to put themselves ahead 10-7. This started a back-and-forth in scoring between the two teams. Putting the Irish back into the game, Howe and freshman midfielder Kelly Denes scored to make it a one-point competition. The Orange then came back with the next four goals, extending their lead to 14-9.

Even with scoring three out of the four final goals of the game, the Irish were not able to recapture the lead, allowing Syracuse to take it 15-12.

Coming off of this losing streak, the Irish look ahead to their Friday non-conference game at home against Liberty University, where they will seek to regain their stride.

The matchup begins at 5 p.m. and will be on ACC Network Extra.

Bryce Mitchell were the most productive wide receivers for the Rockets last year. They ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively, in receiving yards at 429 and 306, with Winstead also leading the team with 25 receptions while Mitchell led in touchdowns with four and did his damage on just 13 catches.

Three other players recorded at least 200 receiving yards for Toledo last year.

On the other side of the ball, the Rockets were relatively stout. They posted the thirdbest 3rd down conversion percentage defense in the FBS, were near the middle of the pack in passing yards allowed per game, and 25th in rushing yards allowed per game

15

Observer File Photo

Irish senior midfielder Diana Kelly runs with the ball during a Feb. 24, 2019 game against Kent State that Notre Dame won 27-0. Kelly has appeared in all four games and caused three turnovers so far this season.

— albeit in just six games against only MAC opponents.

Senior outside linebacker Dyontae Johnson managed to stuff the stat sheet with 47 tackles in those six games, while the entirety of the defense combined for 28 pass breakups and four interceptions. They also forced and recovered five fumbles.

Way-too-early predictions Hayden Adams — Sports Editor Things are bound to change for Notre Dame in 2021 — a reshuffled offensive line and several new starters at wide receiver and throughout the defense. But defense isn’t the

issue here. It’s the offense, and specifically what the offense will look like two games into the year and just six days after the season opener. I’m not concerned with Toledo (he said, knocking on wood) because while I do worry this is the year Notre Dame finally drops a game against an unranked opponent, I doubt it will come from a MAC team (all due respect to MACtion).

This is a matchup to continue working out kinks and identifying who the key contributors are, while Marcus Freeman ideally continues to impress in his first season on the Irish sideline.

Final: Notre Dame 52, Toledo 13

Charlotte Edmonds — Senior Sports Writer

Photo Courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics

Irish sophomore tight end Michael Mayer leaps to try to break a tackle during the 27-13 win over Duke on Sept. 12 at Notre Dame Stadium. He is the leading returning receiver for the Irish, with 450 yards in 2020.

I have no idea what the logistics of this upcoming football season will look like. If this past year has taught me anything, it’s that nothing is set in stone. That said, I am certain of one thing — Notre Dame will win their home opener against Toledo. All season long, I criticized the Playoff Committee’s leniency toward Ohio State on the grounds that they couldn’t evaluate a team based on six games. Yet here I am saying Toledo’s six-game 2020 schedule causes me no concern as a Notre Dame fan (and nearly washed-up alum).

That’s not to say this will be a routing. The Rockets won four games by an average of 17.5 points last season, along with two razor-thin losses. While it remains to be seen whether starting quarterback Eli Peters will return for his final year of eligibility, Toledo has a solid backup option in rising junior Carter Bradley, who stepped in the final two games of the season after Peters suffered a knee injury. Meanwhile, the big question mark for the Irish heading into this season is who will be taking the snap — Jack Coan? Drew Pyne? Tyler Buchner? But despite all the

answers Toledo has that Notre Dame doesn’t, the power of Kyren Williams, Chris Tyree and Michael Mayer give any of those three quarterbacks numerous options. Add in the experience and size of the Notre Dame defense and they come keep the home-game win streak alive.

Final: Notre Dame 38, Toledo 10

Ellen Geyer — Senior Sports Writer Given the games I’ve seen Notre Dame play against midlevel Ohio teams in the past, I think the Irish will be able to win this one pretty handily. It will certainly be a new-look offense: With Ian Book’s departure, Wisconsin transfer Jack Coan is predicted to be the starter, but a game like this would be a great way for the Irish to try a few different faces at shotgun. Regardless of who the play-caller is, Notre Dame is more than capable of putting this one away with ease. I’m hoping for a dominant first half that will give the scrubs some second-half minutes. Is it too much to ask for a shutout?

Final: Notre Dame 45, Toledo 0

Mannion McGinley — Sports Writer Nothing is guaranteed in the second game of the season, especially when you don’t yet know who your leading signal-caller will be. That being said, this will be the first home game of the season for the Irish. Because of the fire the defense runs on at home, this game may be closer than it should ultimately be to start, but the defense will come through in the end. On principle, the Irish will not break the home win streak to a team outside of the Power 5, so long as the talent on the offense can pull off what’s expected of them.

Final: Notre Dame 35, Toledo 14

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The observer | wednesday, march 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

nd women’s lacrosse | nd 18, ’cuse 14; nd 15, ’cuse 12

nd baseball | nd 10, virginia 5; nd 12, virginia 4; nd 8, virginia 3

No. 4 Irish drop 2 Notre Dame sweeps to No. 2 Orange Virginia for 3rd series win Observer Staff Report

The Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team fell to Syracuse in two consecutive away games over the weekend.

This leaves the No. 2 ranked Orange (5-0, 3-0 ACC) undefeated in their season, while the No. 4 Irish (2-2, 0-2 ACC) gained their first losses.

Thursday’s match saw the Irish behind from the start, with Syracuse leading the score the entire game. The Orange racked up the first four goals of the competition as freshman attacker Emma Ward, junior midfielder Sierra Cockerille and junior attacker Megan Carney scored against Notre Dame senior goaltender Bridget Deehan. They proceeded to gain six more points during the half.

The Irish netted six goals themselves, with sophomore midfielder Kasey Choma getting a hat trick under her belt in the first half. Sophomore attacker Madison Ahern also scored three points within the first 30 minutes of play,

while graduate midfielder Savannah Buchanan caused three out of five Syracuse turnovers. However, it was still not enough to take the lead, and Syracuse was up 10-6 after the first half of gameplay.

Syracuse started the second half with the same momentum, scoring five consecutive goals from five different players without the Irish gaining a point, putting the Orange ahead 15-6. Despite the extending lead, the Irish turned it around and answered with a five-goal run of their own; this time, junior midfielder Madison Mote was the one to score a hat trick all unassisted, while Choma and Ahern also gained points for the team. During this streak, the Irish kept Syracuse from scoring for nearly 18 minutes of play.

Both the Irish and the Orange were able to net three more goals before the end of the contest, causing the final see W LAX PAGE 15

By AIDAN THOMAS Sports Writer

Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published online Mar. 16.

ALEXIS HERNANDEZ | The Observer

Former Irish infielder Jake Singer sizes up a pitch during Notre Dame’s 5-2 win over Virginia on Apr. 5, 2019, at Eck Stadium.

ND begins home slate with win against D-III Calvin

By GREG McKENNA

Previewing Toledo matchup Observer Staff Report

Sports Writer

see M SOCCER PAGE 13

see BASEBALL PAGE 14

FOOTBALL

nd men’s soccer | nd 1, calvin 0

It wasn’t always comfortable, but Notre Dame recorded their third clean sheet in four spring games Tuesday night as the Irish (8-5, 4-3 ACC) downed Division III Calvin University (0-1, 0-0 MIA A) 1-0 in Notre Dame’s spring home opener at Alumni Stadium.

Notre Dame head coach Chad Riley said he was aware the scoreline did not look overly impressive by itself.

“But to be honest with you, I know their coach, I know their program and we knew it would be a tough game,” he said. “And especially if you don’t get that second goal — I think we were close a number of times to kind of getting it, and I think you get a little bit more comfortable [after that].

But those are always tricky games in the sport of soccer.

And I think I give our guys a

Notre Dame baseball was picked to finish last in the ACC’s Atlantic Division and 13th out of the 14 teams in the conference.

But somebody clearly forgot to tell the Irish.

After another impressive weekend, this one resulting in a sweep of No. 21 Virginia, Notre Dame (7-2, 7-2 ACC) wrapped up a nine-game road trip to start their season. The Fighting Irish have not played a game at home. They’re one of just two teams to have not taken the field at their home stadium in the ACC this season, and they’re the only squad in the conference to have not lost a conference series. Their 7-2 record is good for a 1.5 game lead in the Atlantic Division over Louisville, and the best

Opponent: Toledo Date: Sept. 11 Location: Notre Stadium Kickoff: TBD

Dame

History of the matchup Notre Dame and Toledo have never squared off on the gridiron. Toledo is set to join conference rivals Miami (OH), Akron, Western Michigan and Ball State as just the fifth team from the MAC to ever face Notre Dame in football. No MAC team has ever defeated the Irish, with the closest margin of victory coming in 2018’s 24-16 win over the Cardinals.

2020 performance and 2021 outlook

ALLISON THORNTON | The Observer

Irish senior midfielder Aiden McFadden controls the ball during Notre Dame’s 1-0 win against Denver on Sept. 8, 2019, at home.

The Rockets posted a 4-2 record in a six-game, conferenceonly schedule last season. Both losses were by three points, dropping a 41-38 decision to Western Michigan and a 27-24 margin to eventual conference

champion Ball State. They did not advance to a postseason bowl game.

Toledo was driven by their passing attack in 2020. They posted the ninth-most passing yards per contest in the FBS last season at 325.8.

Redshirt senior quarterback Eli Peters threw for 1,106 yards and nine touchdowns against two interceptions in four games of action, exiting the three-point Ball State loss with a knee injury. While his backup, redshirt sophomore Carter Bradley, ceded about seven percentage points in completing passes, he still managed to reach marks of 849 passing yards and nine touchdowns to five interceptions in four appearances. It is unclear if Peters will take advantage of the NCAA’s blanket waiver for 2020 college athletes and return for a sixth season with the Rockets, but if so, he is likely to be starting against the Irish on see FOOTBALL PAGE 15