The independent newspaper serving Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and holy cross
Volume 54, Issue 77 | thursday, february 6, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com
Candidates discuss diversity Prospective student body leaders engage in debate about campus inclusion By CLAIRE RAFFORD Associate News Editor
Diversity Council hosted its fourth-annual student government election debate on Wednesday evening in DeBartolo Hall. The debate asked the candidates to address issues of diversity and inclusion on Notre Dame’s campus. The candidates running for student body president and vice president this year are junior Noble Patidar and freshman Connor Patrick, junior Connor Whittle and sophomore Jack Rotolo; junior Zachary Mercugliano and freshman Gavriella Lund, freshmen Henry Bates and Thomas
CLAIRE RAFFORD | The Observer
Five of the six pairs of candidates running for student government participated in a debate led by the Diversity Council on Wednesday.
SMC student in first all-female drum major line By MAEVE FILBIN Saint Mary’s News Editor
After three years playing clarinet in the Notre Dame Marching Band, Saint Mary’s junior Jill Ann Buettner recently earned herself a historically significant leadership position as part of the very first all-female drum major team in the band’s history. The appointment of these three female students falls on the 50th anniversary of the year women were first granted admission into the marching band, making their positions decidedly poignant. “I honestly still haven’t totally processed everything,” Buettner said. “Since freshman year, I wondered what it would be like to be a drum major. I did it in high school for two years, and that’s when I really fell in love with marching even more, just the technicality of it — how precision-based it is, how detailed it is. ... It’s a different way to feel music.”
The historical significance The Notre Dame Marching Band first allowed women to participate in 1970, when then-band director Robert O’Brien extended an invitation to Saint Mary’s students, two
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Henry, juniors Michael Dugan and Ricardo Pozas Garza and juniors Rachel Ingal and Sarah Galbenski. The Bates-Henry ticket was not present at the debate. (Editor’s note: Dugan is a former systems administrator and news writer for The Observer) Senior and Diversity Council chair Tiffany Rojas moderated the debate and asked the candidates how they plan to create diversity in participation in organizations like student senate. Galbenski said that in addition to promoting multicultural events in administration, she
years before the University became coeducational in 1972. “The first women in band were from Saint Mary’s, so having that anniversary this year is really special for me,” Buettner said. “Especially seeing that link between our communities — that’s something that you don’t see anywhere else.” Though the installment of this all-female drum major line is significant in that it fulfills the coeducational vision that University President Emeritus Fr. Theodore Hesburgh put forth more than 50 years ago, assistant band director Sam Sanchez said, the three students were selected simply because they deserved the job. “No one should try to infer that these three women were chosen because it is the 50th anniversary,” Sanchez said in an email. “These are the best people for the job, and they have earned it through their dedication, conduct, hard work and exceptional ability.” In her own research, Buettner said she has only discovered one other Saint Mary’s student to have served as a drum major for see BAND PAGE 4
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see DEBATE PAGE 3
Student election tickets start Observer Staff Report
Campaigns for the student body government elections began Tuesday after six tickets received the 700 signatures required to enter the race. The following tickets were announced for president and vice president, respectively: junior Noble Patidar and freshman see ELECTION PAGE 4
Keenan Hall gears up for annual comedy revue By LEXI MARTIN News Writer
For all Notre Dame students, the start of the spring semester brings new class schedules and more homework assignments. But for the men of Keenan Hall, it also brings the whirlwind of putting together what their website dubs “the most popular dorm event at Notre Dame” — the Keenan Revue. This year’s theme is “Horton Hears a Revue.” “We put up a list in Keenan for
theme ideas,” said senior Timothy Hsueh, director of the Keenan Revue. “We had some pretty crazy ones, but we generally get like seven or eight that we seriously consider.” Keenan residents are encouraged to think about and write up skits over winter break and tryouts are held the first week of the spring semester. With so many potential skits this year, the first round of tryouts took up almost an entire day. “We went 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. this year of just skit, after skit, after skit, after skit,” Hsueh said.
Brett Katalinic, a senior, is the producer of the Revue. Both Hsueh and Katalinic were selected by their rector to be in charge of putting together their dorm’s signature event. But it takes a lot more than two people to make the show possible, as shown by the 25 staff members working with them. This includes positions such as head writers, video coordinator, dance choreographers and music directors. “Our head writers write a ton of see REVUE PAGE 3
Pop-up sushi bar visits Saint Mary’s dining hall By MIA MARROQUIN News Writer
The dining services team hosted a pop-up sushi bar at lunch Jan. 30 as part of an ongoing effort to roll out alternative meal options at the Noble Family Dining Hall. As defined by General Manager Jim Risacher, mystery pop-ups are surprise events that are included in meal plans. Anyone
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who wants to participate is welcome to join. A warning is posted on Instagram 24 hours before the event to allow students to put the mystery occasion on their radars and draw them into the dining hall. The actual events are revealed on Instagram and Facebook on the day of the occasion to create suspense and build anticipation. The sushi bar was preceded by
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a smoothie pop-up which took place during breakfast on Jan. 23. “It was probably the most popular [event] we’ve done to date,” executive chef Jason Mullet said. “I would say it is the event that we’ve got the best turnout and feedback on.” Mullet explained these events are meant to “shake up” the monotony of dining hall options. see SUSHI PAGE 4
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TODAY
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“‘Adore You’ by Harry Styles.”
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“‘American Country Love Song’ by Jake Owen.”
“‘Someone You Loved’ by Lewis Capaldi.”
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Lecture on Neoliberalism LaFortune Ballroom noon - 1:30 p.m. Open to the public, free lunch will be provided.
Code Café 246 Hesburgh Library 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. All levels of experience welcome for community coding.
Saturday Snite Sketches Snite Museum of Art 2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Conversations on art followed by sketching.
Women’s Lacrosse versus Marquette Loftus Sports Center noon The Irish take on the Golden Eagles.
Discussion on Gender Equity in Business Stayer Center Commons C 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. Featuring Joe Holt.
Lecture and Artist Demonstration Snite Museum of Art 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Hosted by the Liu Institute.
Dance Company Performance DeBartolo Performing Arts Center 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Honoring Paul Taylor.
John Ruskin Birthday Lecture John J. Reilly Center 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. Lecture given by Clive Wilmer.
Women’s Basketball versus Pittsburgh Purcell Pavilion 4 p.m. The Irish take on the Panthers.
Lecture: “The Business of Being an Artist” 215 Riley Hall of Art 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. All are welcome.
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ND alumnae share career advice By ADRIANA PEREZ News Writer
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The Center for Career Development held a panel with University alumnae Wednesday evening in an event primarily directed to female students interested in business. Five Chicago-based women shared their career experiences and advice with attendees. Katherine Berry Templin ’89, senior vice president of Northern Trust, led the panel. The panelists included Emily Kalish ’14, administrative business partner at Google; Melissa Krumdick ’16, of Belvedere Trading; Kaley Cohen ’17, sponsorship services coordinator at Intersport; and Kelly Cornelis ’96, chief operating officer at LaSalle Capital. The panel was an effort to reach out to current undergraduates, Templin said. The alumnae wanted to tell students that even if they do not know what to do or what career path to follow, “it’s all going to be OK.” The event started with Templin asking fellow panelists how and why they chose their majors in college. Cohen started in Mendoza but said she did not enjoy her classes. Upon asking for advice, her brothers and her father all said they wished they had been in Arts and Letters to develop better communication and writing skills. So she changed to American Studies. “Something I really liked about my major
was that I could kind of tweak every class to write all my papers about the sports industry,” she said. Cornelis began as an English major but “about halfway through Notre Dame ... kind of started panicking.” She switched to finance her junior year, despite the vast amount of work she had to catch up on. “It was a great decision for me, because it was a whole new world,” Cornelis said. “But I do think having the Arts and Letters underpinning is very important to what I do today.” At Notre Dame, Kalish pursued a BBA in marketing and minors in sustainability and the Glynn Family Honors Program. Before that, however, she said she “took a tour de majors at Notre Dame,” trying her luck at engineering, pre-med, business and English. She realized everything felt right when she was in her marketing class one day and she realized she wanted to do homework. The panelists also shared how they got started in their career fields. “All I can say from learning about things and networking is you just have to get in there and try it,” Kalish said. “That is, kind of, the key to success.” Cornelis agreed with Kalish on the importance of networking on landing her first private equity job. After graduation and an unpaid summer
internship in Boston, Templin came back to South Bend. She slept on her resident assistant’s couch for three months while she worked at a public relations firm. Afterwards, she became a temp at Northern Trust, where her boss was a Notre Dame alum. Since then, she has worked for the company for almost 30 years. “It just goes to show you that sometimes your career path is not going exactly where you think it’s going to go,” Templin said. Kalish advised students to try to do something after sophomore year. If it is not an internship, working back home or at summer camps is enough, she said. “Doing something is going to always better than doing nothing,” Kalish said. “Just keep that ball rolling and you’ll be golden.” Templin encouraged students to apply for jobs in business even if they thought their liberal arts background prevented them from doing so. Clara Saint-Denis, a sophomore majoring in political science and minoring in business economics, said she was brought to the panel by a friend but found it to be inspirational. “It’s making me rethink my life,” SaintDenis said. Contact Adriana Perez at aperez8@nd.edu
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student SENATE
Senate requests ID info, debates club funds By ISABELLA VOLMERT News Writer
Wednesday’s weekly Senate meeting started with a unified resolve to request information on the ID Card access policy and ended with postponing an ongoing debate over club and student union funds. The senate first passed a resolution which formally requests the Division of Student Affairs to release and share any and all unclassified statistics, studies, and/or documentation from the process by which the Division of Student Affairs analyzed, deliberated and implemented the new ID Card Access Policy. “We’ve actually delayed this a couple of months now,” sophomore and Alumni senator Jack Rotolo said. “We wanted to make sure we took all of the routes we could before passing this resolution.” Last fall, while in discussion with the Division of Student Affairs, associate vice president for residential life Heather Rakoczy Russell said she “would not be able to share the benchmarking and National Best Practices” sources used in consideration for the newly instated policy.
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plans to work on allocating funding to create a multicultural center at Notre Dame. “This is something a lot of our peer institutions have,“ she said. ”It’s really a place where people of diverse backgrounds to come together and celebrate what makes them, them. And so we really want to start that dialogue.” Dugan said his ticket would focus on providing increased club funding to multicultural groups. “We plan to increase club funding by $95,000,” he said. “We want to promote organic, you know, grassroots creation of these events and initiatives and facilitate them at a higher level and bring it to the whole campus community.” Patidar said the PatidarPatrick ticket would focus on
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skits, and they help everyone edit their skits, add some jokes and adjust for appropriateness,” Hsueh said. Hsueh said the head writers also do a good job of casting outside of their friend groups, including freshman in Keenan. Others are encouraged to hang out in the back during tryouts in case any skit writers need actors. “My freshman year, that’s actually how I got involved” Hsueh said. “I was hanging out in the basement and they were like, ‘Timmy, come back.’” While the Keenan Revue is a free,
“We’re asking for the documents directly,” Rotolo said. “This will go to Student Affairs Office where it will go to Heather Rakoczy Russell.” Parliamentarian Thomas Davis said the Student Affairs Office doesn’t have to honor the request, but he hopes it will. “We want to be very respectful. We are only asking for information that would be considered public,” Rotolo said in regards to obtaining only non-confidential information. The resolution was passed as well as another resolution concerning the postponement of the student body president and vice president election in the wake of senior Annrose Jerry’s death. The resolution suspends subsections of the constitution regarding the dates for run-off election and re-run-off election debates, and grants the Judicial Council the temporary power to delegate their own dates in light of the election’s overall postponement. The Senate then moved into what became a heated debate over the allocation of funding allowed between the Club Coordination Council (CCC) and other Student Union organizations.
As it stands, the Student Body Constitution allows a minimum of 40% of funds to be distributed to clubs and organizations under the CCC, and the remaining 59% of funds from the Financial Management Board (FMB) go to Student Union organizations. The resolution which was debated would change these numbers to a minimum of 46% of funds to be designated for distribution through the CCC and 53% to be available for distribution to remaining Student Union organizations. Initial questioning was directed at CCC president and senior Jordan Isner. “I think the end goal is when we get to a point where clubs and student union (organizations) feel like it’s a balanced amount of funding,” Isner said. Several senators asked if it would possible to ask clubs to fundraise more. “They fundraise a lot ... clubs fundraise almost a million dollars each year,” Isner said in response. “Clubs spend a lot of time fundraising, which isn’t the point of a club.” Senators also asked if it would be possible to obtain more money from the FMB, to which Isner said the method had been attempted
by the CCC for three years with no success. When the floor was opened to debate, off-campus senator and senior Quentin Colo made a pitch in favor of the resolution. He listed many examples of clubs, such as the Global Medical Brigade, She’s the First and College Mentors for Kids. “There’s 20 plus religious clubs, 10 political clubs, 30 plus cultural clubs,” Colo said. “Clubs are really important — 7,800 students are in clubs and I think there’s a really good case for why clubs should be getting more money.” Junior class council president Sam Cannova had a different take. Cannova presented his case by saying Student Union organizations serve 8,000 students, delivering $54 per student per year on average. He then said that the CCC supports less than half of all clubs. “Even if every student were in a club, and half of these were funded by the CCC, the amount per student is at minimum $93,” Cannova said. Cannova continued with a breakdown of funds between the CCC and Student Union organizations. “What I’m getting at here is how
is the money getting back to the students?” Cannova said. “It seems the Student Union is doing it far more efficiently and using every dollar as well as they can.” Isner responded by saying Cannova’s statistics were misinformed and made without discussion with him or the CCC. Cannova claimed the CCC was not completely transparent with its funding information. “... The CCC has closed-door meetings because we can’t give away club financials, but I’m really trying to be as transparent as possible,” Isner said. Isner continued arguing for the passing of the resolution. “Clubs are never happy with the allocation,” he said. “In a good compromise, both sides should walk away a little bit dissatisfied. In the compromise of allocations, clubs are walking away crying. ... Student Union branches aren’t crying when they get their allocations.” After nearly an hour of debate, the senate moved to postpone the debate and voting on the resolution to next week’s meeting.
implementing diversity training for students involved in leadership positions on campus. “It should be for student union leaders,” Patidar said. “It should be for … all Welcome Weekend ambassadors and … it should be for anybody else at a high-up position, in my opinion. Hall staff — make the RAs train with diversity.” Whittle said their campaign believes that diversity starts in the dorm communities and that his ticket is advocating for greater diversity among Resident Assistants and hall staff. “When students first come to campus, they really self-select into their own groups,” he said. “And if they feel like they are represented by hall leadership, they’re probably more likely to engage in leadership down the road in hall government, in student senate. And so we’re calling for residential life to really up their recruiting strategy.”
Mercugliano said that should he be elected, his team would work to personally attend as many multicultural events as possible. Rojas asked the candidates a question about the 2020 debate elections how their campaign plans to improve political discourse on campus and welcome opposing views. Ingal said she would partner with BridgeND to host events to improve dissenting political discourse on campus leading up to the elections. “Before we really get into the height of the election, amplifying and elevating these types of programs and working with these clubs and people of all political ideologies and backgrounds just so we can mitigate any tensions that might arise,” Ingal said. In addition to partnering with BridgeND, Whittle said the Whittle-Rotolo ticket would
implement an event called Share Your Story Week, where video booths would be placed across campus to help students share their unique life experiences. “It’s a great way for students to record themselves and then these videos [will] be shared with the student body so that we have a greater understanding of what makes each of us here unique,” he said. Patidar said that partnering with Converge — an initiative that pairs students with differing political beliefs together to have a conversation over a meal or coffee — is one of the best ways to facilitate discourse on campus. Dugan said that working with clubs to facilitate discussions about important issues facing people, especially during elections years, is a priority for the Dugan-Pozas Garza ticket. “What student government
can do is raise issues of human dignity, raise issues of human rights, because at a fundamental level, what our government is going to be doing something that is supposed to be good for all of us,” he said. “These are things that I think student government can really do well, but you can’t do it alone. We have to work with the clubs.” Mercugliano said the most important tenet of creating a conversation about politics on campus is committing to civil discourse and putting people first. “I mean, the very fact of us all sitting here means we’re committed to the idea of civil discourse on all fronts,” he said. “And so that means you have to make sure, each and every one of us here at Notre Dame, to look out for the people. Every single one of us does that.”
ticketed event, residents of Keenan stand in the back during each show and request donations for Dismas House, a halfway house for people recently released from incarceration. The Dismas House aims to “bring about mutual reconciliation between former offenders and society through the development of a supportive community,” according to the Dismas House of Indiana’s website. “Once a week a group of Keenan guys will go over and make dinner with them and sit down and eat it,” Hsueh said. Approaching its 44th production, the Keenan Revue is still getting better and better. From the skits, to the music — under the direction of
Felix Rabito and Zach Pearson — and the dancing — led by Daniel Shaw and Donald Welsh — Hsueh couldn’t pick a favorite part of the show. “The quality of our skits is really high this year,” Hsueh said. “We had a lot of good skits that we had to cut just for time. I think we could have put on a whole second show if we wanted to.” Quality skits are not the only things that will be in abundance at the Revue this year. There will also be an unprecedented amount of dancers, aka “strippers” — 82 to be exact. “It’s not something that the average guy in Keenan has a lot of exposure to, so I really enjoy that I get to introduce this art form,” said
junior Daniel Shaw, one of the head dancers. Becoming a dancer for the Keenan Revue does not require any auditions, but that doesn’t mean that the dancers don’t try to look their best every night. “A lot of people do planks before the show starts to get their abs looking tight,” said Shaw. Tickets for the Revue went on sale Wednesday, Jan. 22. Many students aim to get tickets to the Thursday show under the impression that some of the more inappropriate jokes will make it into the first show and then get censored out of the other nights. “Not true,” Hsueh said. “That rumor we’ve been trying to shut down
for years.” Hseuh cited multiple reasons he believes people will enjoy attending the Revue. “I think you’ll be laughing for two hours,” Hsueh said. “And the girls are going to love the dancers.” Shaw said people should attend “to see their friends take their clothes off.” He added that it also provides interesting commentary on current issues occurring on campus. “It‘s a great way to just come in and laugh at ourselves and just have a good time,” Shaw said. The Keenan Revue will run Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Contact Isabella Volmert at ivolmert@nd.edu
Contact Claire Rafford at crafford@nd.edu
Contact Lexi Martin at amarti56@nd.edu
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Band Continued from page 1
the Notre Dame Band: Linda Lawson, who at the time went by Linda Battista. Lawson is famous for not only having been the first Saint Mar y’s student drum major, but also for being the ver y first woman to fill the role. Lawson became drum major in the spring of 1980, 10 years after women were allowed to join the band. “I had played in the concert band the semester before, and they were having auditions for drum major,” Lawson said. Lawson played the bassoon, which she said “has no place in a marching band.” So when the drum position opened up, she was immediately attracted to an opportunity to participate in another capacity. However, she worried her lack of experience might become an obstacle. At the audition, Lawson was asked to conduct Tchaikovsk y’s “1812 Overture” w ith cannons, a piece she had become familiar with from years of performing it in concert band and other orchestras. “I was familiar with the music, I listened to the music, the nuances, and I’ve always loved to conduct music,” Lawson said. “So when I tried out, it
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“We aren’t ta k ing away any thing w ith these pop-up events,” Mullet said. “Students w ill still see a ll the same formats out there but w ith the addition of something at no extra charge.” These events are meant to be something nicer than what is t y pica lly available for students both at home and on campus, Risacher said. “It’s important to host these k inds of events because in a ll colleges or any k ind of restaurant where you’re feeding the same lot of people ... it gets monotonous,” he said. “I mean, I can’t change the scener y. [The dining ha ll] has the same wa lls, the same lighting, the station’s set the same that can ma ke it look a
Election Continued from page 1
Connor Patrick; junior Connor W hittle and sophomore Jack Rotolo; junior Zachar y Mercugliano and freshman Gav riella Lund; freshmen Henr y Bates and Thomas Henr y; juniors Michael Dugan and Ricardo Pozas Garza; and juniors Rachel Ingal and Sarah Galbenski. (Editor’s note: Dugan is a former systems administrator and news w riter for The
was ver y comfortable for me and it was just a lot of fun. I thought it was a once-in-alifetime opportunity.” After the audition, Robert O’Brien, the same director who first made the band coed, offered Lawson the position. Lawson is now a chief nursing officer for a group of hospitals in El Paso, Texas, but said she hopes to travel north to South Bend and watch the three new drum majors in action. “Now that I know that they’re going to have an allfemale drum major line, I’m definitely going to have to go out again this year,” she said. “I’m so proud. I had no idea. I’m so proud and so excited for them.”
On the march towards leadership W hen she first joined the marching band as a freshman, Buettner was draw n towards the opportunity to find a community of friends while still continuing her love for music in all its forms. “Music has always been important to me,” she said. “If I’m not playing it, just like listening to it, and so I wanted to continue it somehow … and I had heard stories of people joining marching band. I did it in high school for three years, and I loved ever y second of it.
little bit different. Even the most lu xurious place in the world, you get tired eventua lly. So you have to create some excitement in your dining facilit y to get the ladies to come dow n and see what’s new today.” These occasions w ill not be limited to just the dining ha ll; there w ill be pop-up events in 1944 Grill and Murphy’s Cafe as well. The dining team plans to continue using socia l media to promote pop-up events at these and other campus dining options. Students are encouraged to follow dining ser v ices on Instagram to stay in the loop on a ll things dining and be the first to learn about new events. “This is to ma ke the ladies k ind of follow us on socia l media and look at what’s going to pop up,” Risacher said. “These
Obser ver) The diversit y council w ill host the first debate Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in DeBartolo Hall 141. Judicial council w ill host another debate Monday in Midfield Commons in Duncan Student Center at 9 p.m., according to its website. The first round of ballots w ill be cast Tuesday. If no ticket receives a majorit y vote, a runoff debate bet ween the top two tickets w ill be held Feb. 12 at 9 p.m. in Midfield Commons, w ith a runoff election held Feb. 13.
I’m one of those weirdos who loves marching. Not just playing an instrument — I love marching.” The day she discovered she’d been officially invited to join the band after days of auditioning, Buettner was so shocked she didn’t recognize her ow n last name on the call sheet. “I went over [to the list] to see it myself, and I forgot my name because I saw it on the list and I didn’t think it would be there,” she said. “I remember looking at the list and thinking, ‘I wonder how different my life is going to be because of this, because I decided to go for it.’ I had no idea.” Performing w ith the marching band, concert band and pep bands at Notre Dame has created countless opportunities for Buettner, including travel. Since joining the band, Buettner has visited places as close as Michigan and Florida, and as far as Ireland and Peru. “It’s taken me some places, it really has,” Buettner said. “Any time I get to travel w ith the band, I’m super, super lucky to be able to do that.” Having fallen in love w ith the marching band over the years, Buettner started looking for ways to involve herself more deeply. Last semester,
she became a social co-chair and took on responsibilities that include the orchestrating of the traditions that make the Notre Dame Marching Band so distinct. “They’re little random traditions that we kind of create for ourselves,” she said. “Some of them were like our Saint Mar y’s traditions.” As a freshman member of the band, Buettner looked up to a senior Saint Mar y’s student who mentored her and the other first-year clarinets from the College. This student taught them how to maneuver participating in the band as a Saint Mar y’s student, particularly how to traverse between the two campuses and juggle a packed schedule. Sanchez said he recognizes the extra effort that the 380 Saint Mar y’s students currently involved in the band dedicate themselves to fulfilling. “Saint Mar y’s band students show a great level of care and dedication to the band,” Sanchez said in an email. “It takes more effort for a [Saint Mar y’s] student to make the trek over to Notre Dame for daily rehearsals. They have to plan transportation and meals while balancing this with their academic course work.” Buettner spends a fair amount of time on her bike, traveling back and forth down
the Avenue and St. Mar y’s Road. “I’m excited to help people in a new way in the band,” Buettner said. “Not just with playing [an instrument], but really with marching, leading and being there for ever ybody to come to for questions or for help. Band has given me so much, and I feel like this is going to be the best way that I can give back.” The band has played an essential role in her college experience, Buettner said, and has given her a community of lifelong friends. “Once you’re in one band … you want ever yone to give 100% . You want to give 100% because of ever ybody else who is around,” she said. “I love being a part of it. And I love being at Saint Mar y’s and I love going to school here and having this opportunity to be in a marching band.” The past three years with both the band and Saint Mar y’s have created a dual identity that Buettner has embraced. “I’m just really honored to be a part of the band, and also to be a Belle because I love being here,” she said. “To be a Belle in band is pretty freaking cool.”
are the things where they can get things at discounted prices, request some excitement, things of that nature.”
A nother pop-up event, a hard scoop ice cream bar, w ill occur during dinner on Thursday evening in the Noble
Family Dining Ha ll.
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Contact Maeve Filbin at mfilbin01@saintmarys.edu
Contact Mia Marroquin at mmarroquin01@saintmarys.edu
5
The observer | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com
FLASHES IN THE PAN:
THE KEENAN REVUE By Mike Donovan Scene Editor
Editor’s Note: This is the fifth part in a series featuring local artists from the tri-campus community.
“Music and comedy … and music … and comedy.” Also “musical comedy,” and maybe even “wizards.” All these and more are to be found at this year’s production of Notre Dame’s quintessential sketch comedy experience, The Keenan Revue, head writer Grayson Maker told me Tuesday afternoon. Despite the Revue’s evident popularity (see: the ungodly line outside LaFun on ticket distribution day), few have seen the madness behind its two hours of music and comedy and music and comedy and musical comedy and wizards. Content on the Revue’s scale doesn’t just materialize on opening night (well, maybe the wizards do). It’s the culmination of several months’ sustained effort — writing, testing, sucking, scrapping, writing more, testing more, sucking more, scrapping again, writing again, testing again and, finally, laughing. “Skit writing is open to the entire dorm,” Maker said. While most writers “do their own thing,” Maker and his colleagues offer “skit-writing workshops” starting in November. “We pretend like we know how to write them to teach other people,” he said. “On the first Sunday back from [winter] break, we have a sign-up sheet. [Writers] come down — they can bring their friends” — to present skits to the Revue staff. “This year we did about 70 skits.” “We rate them on funniness and appropriateness,” Maker explained, “and call back about half of them for skit tryouts two.” For the second round, the Revue staff brings in outside viewers — “student gov and stuff” — to “make sure [the sketches] are actually things we would want to put in front of people.” During the tryout process, hilarity and vulgarity rarely overlap. “If the central joke of the skit is something that makes you feel deeply uncomfortable, no one’s going to laugh anyway,” Maker said before sharing his standard response sewer level skit humor: “Let’s try it again some other time. And by that I mean don’t ever bring it down again.” Though after the second round of cuts the Revue technically has a finalized roster, accepted skits still face scrutiny. “Individual jokes,” Maker admitted, “are tougher. We try to keep it in the clear, but it’s comedy and you do have to push the boundaries. “Last night we were watching one [of the accepted skits] and there was a joke and we just went, ‘Oh no! That’s not what we meant there!’” Maker said. “I worked on the rewrite this morning. We’ll pretty much do that up until Thursday.
“If you write a skit, and it gets in, you get to cast the skit,” Maker explained. “For the head writers, we choose a mix of people we had in mind” alongside talented underclassmen flagged during the tryout process. “For the nine-head writer skits, people will pitch them, get accepted and cast all their friends.” In the latter case, there are circumstances in which “somebody from the friend group isn’t really into it and everyone else is,” souring a skit that could be “really funny.” But, according to Maker, when it comes to amateur comedy, these lapses in quality are unavoidable. Sometimes a skit excels in tryouts but falls flat in front of the general audience. Maker recalled one such instance from his freshman year. The skit, called Christmas Mass Networking, “came out of skit tryouts as the top-ranked skit,” Maker remembered. “We loved it.” The concept focused on “a business freshman, who went home over break and used Christmas Mass to network as hard as he could. “The problem was, as we found out later, everyone who rated the skit was a business major, and we thought it was hilarious. But when we brought it in front of other people, they did not get it.” The skit bombed all three nights. “I still love it though. I never want to forget it,” Maker assured me. Most of the time, though, what works in tryouts works on stage. Maker pointed to his personal favorite, “Administration” from the 2018 production, as an example of a thoroughly successful skit. “I played Mike Seamon, who is the vice president of campus safety, and I basically was just as paranoid of a person as can be. … It was a compilation of all the emails I had ever gotten from Mike Seamon — probably my favorite character I’ve ever played,” he said. Maker also dispelled rumors that Thursday night’s performance might, in some way, be edgier. “[Censorship] used to be a thing because there used to not be any vetting, but that was years ago,” he clarified. “[The writers] used to go out and write two shows, one for Thursday and one for Friday and Saturday because they knew SAO would see all the skits and go ‘No no no no no no.” Since then, “for at least eight years,” Maker continued, “we invited different student groups to flag stuff and keep it more appropriate. And it’s so much better to have the same show three nights in a row.
Rejected skits don’t completely disappear.
“What’s crazy to me,” he further mused, “is how much the Revue has changed. It wasn’t until 2010 that the Revue came to Notre Dame. It was at Saint Mary’s. We got kicked out. I’ve watched old Revues, and they are very cringe-worthy, which was a combination of changing times, and, well, I don’t think there was the same goal of quality that there is now. There’s been a string of … head writers who I think have done a great job in setting the bar a lot higher.”
“We’re planning rejected skit night,” Maker said, referencing an unofficial idea to showcase “mostly ones we thought were funny […] but didn’t get a hint of a laugh.” Skits that seem funny on the page may flounder under the weight of poor performance. The Revue staff leaves it up to the writers to cast performers worthy of their writing.
See the high bar for yourself at 7 p.m. Thursday night, Friday and Saturday in the Stepan Center. Music and comedy and music and comedy and musical comedy guaranteed, wizards a definite maybe.
“By the time we get to Thursday, it is what it is. But I think we’re pretty good about it. We’ve only ever had, in my four years, one joke kicked back. Somebody stepped in and was like, ‘You shouldn’t say that.’”
Reach Mike Donovan at mdonov10@nd.edu
CRISTINA INTERIANO | The Observer
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The observer | thursday, february 6, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com
Inside Column
The things we miss
Why are you so whiny about your own school? Ben Testani Off Campus, On Topic
Claire Rafford Associate News Editor
When I first arrived in South Bend as a freshman almost three years ago, it couldn’t have felt less like home to me. Growing up in sunny Phoenix with three younger siblings, two dogs and a constant cacophony of noise, I felt disoriented amid the permacloud of South Bend and increased independence and solitude that college inevitably brings. But after several months, I felt more and more at home in college. Sunday morning bagels with my family were replaced by waffles in the dining hall, hiking supplanted by runs around the lakes and movie nights with my family became movie nights with my college friends. After two years, I felt confident Notre Dame was where I was meant to be. So when I left Phoenix after a summer at home in August to study abroad in London for a semester, I was thrilled — but nervous. What if city life proved to be overwhelming? Did I really want to essentially start college all over again? Am I really okay with missing football season, despite all the time I spent convincing myself it wasn’t a big deal? But I shouldn’t have worried. Football season was well worth missing to explore Europe and learn about new cultures. Studying abroad was the experience of a lifetime, and as stereotypical as it sounds (roast me, Keenan Revue) I do feel changed now — and not just because before I went to London, I actually had money in my savings account. Over the course of my fall semester, I traveled to several new countries, made new friends and learned some extremely important lessons about booking travel accommodations. London became as beloved and familiar to me as South Bend and Phoenix had become. But now that I am back on campus — as good as it is to see all my friends — I feel an odd sense of sadness, because it feels like I left a part of myself behind in London, just like I felt freshman year when all I wanted was to go home to Phoenix. The things I miss aren’t exactly what I expected, though. Rather than longing to travel to new places on the weekends, I miss the feeling of powerful solitude of riding the Tube alone, of eating chocolate croissants from Pret between classes and laughing with my flatmates in our narrow kitchen and table with not enough seats, now that I’m not in London anymore. When I’m away from home, I miss Arizona sunsets, my favorite Mexican restaurant, watching “The Bachelor” with my friends from high school and playing with my dogs. When I’m not in South Bend, I miss Sunday morning brunch in North Dining Hall with my friends, being able to go to the Grotto to find quiet after a chaotic day and eating fruit snacks and drinking hot apple cider at 2 a.m. in The Observer office. It’s the little things we miss most — not the big or most monumental ones. I think that’s just part of growing up — experiencing new places, choosing a new home and finding new tiny, daily joys to love about each one. Someday, I hope I can return to London. Whether it’s next year or decades from now, as I step onto its rain-soaked streets, I will feel at home again. Contact Claire at crafford@nd.edu The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Perhaps the most common response I get to my columns is “Why did you even come here if you have so many complaints about Notre Dame?” Nothing about this reaction surprises me. Notre Dame, more than many universities, attracts people like legacy students and lifelong fans of the football program. People who grew up going to Notre Dame football games in the fall, rooting for the basketball teams in the winter and attending their cousin’s graduation in the stadium in the spring. They bought into Notre Dame almost from birth. What might surprise any frequent readers of my criticisms of the administration or the costs of being a student here is that I too am a lifelong fan of this university. In fourth grade, my dad graciously agreed to paint my bedroom blue and gold. He found Notre Dame wallpaper trim to line the tops of the walls, put a green stripe in the center, and added “Play Like A Champion Today” in gold stenciling above my mirror. The room has since been painted over, as my sister took it over, but the stenciling and trim survive in my family’s basement. I ripped the Brady Quinn poster out of a Sports Illustrated for Kids issue in 2006 and it adorned my bedroom walls until I went off to college. I may have been the only kid in New York not to display the Derek Jeter side of the poster in favor of Quinn. Freshman year of high school, when the Fighting Irish made the BCS title game against Alabama, I wore an entire Notre Dame outfit to school, including a beanie. I refused to take off the hat or allow my dad to turn off the game until it was completely over, desperately clinging to hopes of a comeback while Brent Musburger rambled on and on about the girlfriend of the Alabama quarterback. Whenever my high school’s student section had a neon-themed game, I showed up in a highlighter green Jack Cooley jersey, complete with the shorts, that Adidas designed for the men’s basketball team’s March Madness run one year. The closest I ever came to crying over sports was when Jerian Grant’s last second three hit the rim against Kentucky in the Elite 8 in 2015. No one in my family went to school here. I had never set foot on campus until I was accepted the spring of senior year. And yet, there was something irresistible about the University. On that Brady Quinn poster, I remember one of the facts about him was that he was enrolled in our “prestigious Mendoza College of Business.” As a sports-obsessed little kid who was made fun of in elementary school for being a nerd, reading that I could go to a place where it was not only normal, but encouraged, to be smart as well as good at other things was inspiring. Eight-year-old Ben decided on that day his goal was to go to Notre Dame and play football. As I reached high school and found my football talents peaking on special teams rather than in the end zone, I doubled-down on academics and extracurriculars. I was fortunate enough to be accepted and never gave any other college serious thought
when it came time to send in a deposit. When you come to Notre Dame from a non-Notre Dame family, there are a lot of things you do not know before you start class in August. I had no idea what the dorm system meant. All I thought about as I waited for my assignment was that I did not want to be put in Carroll because it is so far away. I had to google the meaning of parietals when I noticed them on Alumni Hall’s website in July before freshman year and then struggled over fall and Christmas break to explain them to my high school friends. In my mind, SYR meant the Syracuse airport, not a dance. South Dining Hall looked a lot like Hogwarts. Hall of the Year still, to this day, feels like something from J.K. Rowling’s Twitter. I have used the same “a fraternity, but not really” metaphor to explain how dorm life works here to friends dozens of times. Same with “rectors are basically resident directors but cooler.” Consulting was a verb, not a career path, to me until I met students in Mendoza. ACE was a suit of cards, not a viable option for post-grad plans. There were plenty of fun firsts as well. It took all of two days for me to buy into the idea that my hall is better than every other hall. Painting my chest and waiting outside the stadium for four hours for the Michigan State game was seen as normal. The South Quad snowball fight at the end of every fall semester was a great surprise. Interhall sports filled the void us unathletic types immediately felt when we walked off the field from our last game of high school sports. Walking around an airport with Notre Dame gear guarantees me at least one enthusiastic “Go Irish!” no matter where in the world I find myself. But the biggest fun surprise was how impressed everyone seemed when I told them I went to Notre Dame. Those reactions, from friends or complete strangers, taught me the biggest thing I did not know about Notre Dame before I enrolled: This university means something to a lot of people, and now that I am forever a part of Notre Dame, it is my job to represent it in the best way possible. And sometimes the best way to show you love something is to work to make it better. So yes, I love Notre Dame. I also think tuition is far too high. Parietals are outdated and sexist. The admissions department needs to work harder to enroll more minority students. On-campus housing is far too expensive, the dorms are unequal and a housing mandate is unfair to many students. But this is my university and I am proud to go here, so I want to work to make it better. Right now, the only way I know how is to write about the issues I recognize and try to draw attention to them. In the future, hopefully I will be able to do more. But I will always Love Thee Notre Dame. Ben Testani is a senior studying international economics, Arabic and Spanish. He comes to Notre Dame via Central New York and while currently residing off campus, will always be a proud Alumni Dawg. He welcomes feedback at btestani@nd.edu or @BenTestani on Twitter. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
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The observer | thursday, february 6, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com
7
How I became a new urbanist and why you should too G. Matthew Molinsky Okay, Domer
During a six-week stint abroad in Rome, I fell in love with the European city. I lived in a two-bedroom apartment on the second floor of a seven-story apartment building in the neighborhood of Garbatella. Every day, I made the 15-minute commute by metro to the Notre Dame Global Gateway, located a few blocks from the Colosseum. For breakfast I would pop my head into a local cafe, Angelo’s Bar. “Un cornetto y un cappuccino, per favore,” possibly the only Italian I learned. For lunch I would either buy some meat and cheese from the grocery store on the block or treat myself to one of the many sandwich shops within a quarter-mile radius. When class was finished and our homework had been completed, my classmates and I would go out exploring the city. The streets of Rome (and those of most older cities) serve as connectors between dozens of different piazzas, or public pedestrian squares usually surrounded by buildings. Walking through the twisting and turning Roman streets was like hopping from pond to pond, each piazza a little ecosystem of its own. There are massive squares, such as Piazza Navona, filled with great fountains, shops, restaurants, street performers and tourists. There were also intimate squares, such as Campo de’ Fiori, hosting markets by day and offering gathering spaces at night. It was incredible to sit outside in the Italian summer night amongst friends, by a fountain hundreds of years old, with a beer purchased from one of the many bars that lined the perimeter of the square. When I got back to the states, I looked to recreate this lifestyle and soon considered it impossible. In my first summer after Rome, I worked in an office park in the suburbs of Cincinnati. I spent an hour and a half every day sitting
in car traffic. The closest place to get lunch that wasn’t fast food was a 10-minute drive. And every day I had the choice of eating at my desk or sitting at an outdoor table that was 50 yards away from the highway. When I went out with friends, we had the choice of using a designated driver or paying for a $25 Uber to the bar of our choice. The next summer I worked in New York City. I had hopes that it would emulate the lively community I experienced in Rome. And New York did resemble Rome more closely. New York had all the amenities I had thought I needed: a commute by reliable public transportation; access to dining, shopping and entertainment within walking distance; and a dense population. However, New York was still missing something: the piazza, the public square. Some nights in New York I opted out of taking the subway or bus and instead chose to walk to my destination, as I did many times in Rome. But instead of hopping in and out of small communities, each inviting me to join in their fun, I always ended up walking down the same street for an hour, passing CVS after Starbucks after CVS after Starbucks. With no gathering spaces, there was no place for a local community to sit amongst one another and to celebrate who they were. I was in a city filled with over 8 million people, and it felt like a ghost down. Back at Notre Dame, I learned that I wasn’t the only one that felt this way. I joined Students for New Urbanism (SNU), a subset of the national organization Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU). The goal of SNU is to promote the idea “that the physical environment has direct impact on our chances for healthy prosperous lives and believe that well-designed cities, towns, neighborhoods and public places help create community: healthy places for people and businesses to thrive and prosper.” Some of CNU’s key issues are promoting mixed-use development, transitoriented development, traditional neighborhood design,
integrating design standards into affordable housing and designing complete and beautiful streets. I think the term “New Urbanism” is a misnomer. To me it seems that New Urbanism is actually a return to the urban planning principles of the past, before the invention of the car. My hope is that the topic of new urbanism will enter discussions outside of the architecture and urban planning worlds. It will take a shared effort led by community members to make new urbanism a reality. A crucial but achievable first step to implementing these types of walkable, locally driven communities are abandoning inappropriate zoning laws. Dated building codes have designated vast amounts of land where it is illegal to build anything other than single family housing. Many of these codes were passed in the age of white flight, when people were hell-bent on getting out of the city, and in coordination with the racist practice of “red-lining.” Through lectures presented by both professors and students, SNU has given me the opportunity to learn about what goes into a healthy community, something I think all people should be informed on. After all, neighborhoods are populated by more than just architects and urban planners. Thankfully, people are starting to take action Minneapolis just banned single-family zoning. After nearly a century of moving apart, history will show that this was the time Americans started to come back together. Matthew Molinsky is the 3-Talley RA in Alumni Hall, from Cincinnati. He majors in civil engineering with an itty-bitty minor in theology. Writing this column is the last in his long list of shortly lived passions. He can be reached at gmolinsk@nd.edu and @coltonjorge on Twitter. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Letter to the editor
Setting the record straight on school choice In a recent Viewpoint piece about Catholic schools and public policy, columnists Jackie O’Brien and Mary Szromba argue a case against school choice that is full of legal errors and misunderstandings. They deal with a First Amendment school choice case, Espinoza v. Montana, which is currently before the Supreme Court. In responding to arguments made for tax credits that would expand low-income families’ educational choices, these columnists make at least five significant mistakes, including citing Supreme Court cases backwards. 1) First, they cite Locke v. Davey in their argument against religious school choice. Unfortunately, they miss the point of that Supreme Court case entirely. They note that “the Court upheld … a scholarship program, which excluded from eligibility those students who intend to pursue a degree in devotional theology.” But then they wrongly infer that “Locke precedent dictates that excluding religious ‘institutions’ from a publicly funded scholarship is not a violation of free exercise.” Locke’s narrow ruling addressed only the degree type, not the institution in question. Even the state did not contend the scholarship student’s right to attend the religious institution. 2) The authors also cite Widmar v. Vincent, a case about Christian prayer groups in public universities, but get this one completely backwards as well. “As Justice White wrote in Widmar v. Vincent,” they recount, “‘the interest of the state in avoiding an Establishment clause violation may be a compelling one justifying an abridgment of free speech otherwise protected by the First Amendment.’” These columnists get three things wrong in one sentence. One, when Justice White wrote his Widmar opinion, he was writing in dissent – and as the lone dissenter. That position, which the authors invoke, was rejected 8 to 1 by the rest of the Court. He was not writing the majority or handing down settled law, as they suggest. Two, this quotation is actually from Justice White in a different First Amendment case, Lamb’s
Chapel v. Center Moriches, where Justice White raises this idea only hypothetically, before dismissing it. Three, Widmar and Lamb’s Chapel were actually decided 8-1 and 9-0, respectively, in favor of the religious groups and against the discriminatory state school actor, not the other way around as these columnists seem to think. 3) The authors believe that “scholarship funds undoubtedly encompass a promotion of religious education,” and assert that “forcing a state to even partially fund a religious school unconstitutionally promotes adherence to that religion.” This is wrong on several counts. Most school choice programs, whether through vouchers, tax credits or Education Savings Accounts, provide money directly to individuals, often parents and families, and not to the schools. The family then chooses how to spend their funds. The authors also miss that no one is forcing states to offer these programs. States choose to offer them to increase parental choice and let families rather than the government decide what school might be the child’s best fit. Should public benefits be offered, however, the First Amendment and Supreme Court precedent dictate that the state cannot discriminate on the basis of religion. 4) The authors argue that legitimate Establishment fears that are “likely what led Montana to draft an Establishment clause for its state constitution.” Montana, like many other states, actually adopted this antiquated provision over a century ago as its “Blaine Amendment.” Senator James Blaine, riding a wave of 19th century antiCatholic bigotry, promoted restrictions that aimed to punish “sectarian” (mostly meaning Catholic) schools to preserve the Protestant monopoly on “public” school curriculum, which included the King James Bible. 5) On a more philosophical note, these authors posit that “the First Amendment establishes two conflicting constitutional principles: freedom of exercise and freedom from religious establishment.” This assumption
badly misunderstands how these clauses were written and structured. Our Founders prohibited an established religion for the express purpose of promoting freedom of exercise, exercise freed from governmental constraints. The two are complementary, not opposed. The Constitution is an internally coherent document, and it is unfaithful interpretation to try reading it in opposition to itself. Additionally, the authors display a shallow misunderstanding of early American schools. (Public and private were not the crucial distinctions back then.) When what were ostensibly public schools emerged, they were run by Protestants who sang hymns, prayed and taught the King James Bible in school. The authors also place false hope in the Lemon Test as the authoritative tool the Supreme Court uses, when its legacy is complicated and disputed – “excessive entanglement” doesn’t turn out to be an easily judicially enforceable limit. And by claiming the “onus is on religious schools to become competitive with public schools,” they undercut their own argument. If they were less competitive, why would parents be calling for vouchers and scholarships to attend private religious schools? Citing case law backwards coupled with misunderstanding how school choice works does not make a very convincing argument. I respect the intentions and earnest efforts of the authors’ Viewpoint piece, but they essentially recycle old arguments from the 1970s, which the Supreme Court has already answered. In reality, many private schools, especially religious and Catholic schools, offer a way out and up for low-income students and their families. If a state chooses to make public benefits available to all, it cannot discriminate against any on the basis of religion. John Paul Ferguson senior Feb. 2
8
Classifieds
The observer | thursday, february 6, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com
Horoscope | Eugenia Last
Crossword | Scott ATKINSON
Happy Birthday: The decisions you face this year will change your relationship with others as well as the path you take. Reserving your energy for what’s most important will ensure that you are successful in your pursuits. The less you rely on others for assistance, the easier it will be to reach your set destination. Follow your creative dreams. Your numbers are 4, 12, 23, 28, 32, 36, 41. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Refuse to let a family disagreement damage your relationship with someone you love. Be willing to take half the blame and move on to more enjoyable pastimes. Keep the peace, and you will gain respect. Make your space more comfortable and convenient. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Get together with someone from your past. Valuable information will change your life. Travel, educational pursuits and reunions are favored. A change you want to make will be approved. Speak up and share your plans, and you’ll receive encouragement. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Question your direction, and consider your options. Put a long-term plan in place, and you will begin a journey that will lead to self-satisfaction. Don’t feel the necessity to take care of someone’s personal affairs. Don’t take on more stress. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Take it easy. Look at the humor in whatever situation comes your way. Personal improvements, self-awareness and being true to yourself are encouraged. Change may not be your choice, but it will lead to a brighter future. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Look at your options, and consider where to put your energy. An opportunity to make extra cash will unfold if you invest in something familiar to you. Using your home as a workplace will be to your advantage. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): An unexpected change will take you by surprise. Don’t hesitate to become a participant. Love is in the stars. Plan something special, and it will have an impact on your relationship and your future. Romance and commitment are favored. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Take your time, think matters through and make decisions based on facts. Do your own thing, and give others the same freedom you want. Taking an unusual approach to whatever you do will provide you with the push you need to achieve your goal. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You’ll be on the move. Traveling and dealing with people from different backgrounds will lead you to new possibilities. Enjoy the change of pace, and embrace the unexpected. Let your intellect lead the way. Romance will bring you close to someone special. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Go over personal papers. Changes should be considered, especially regarding domestic, financial or health matters. You can gain ground, but it will require you to take care of issues first. Refuse to let emotional situations interfere with making a stellar decision. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Question your personal life. If someone you love is not living up to his or her promises, you may want to have a heart-toheart talk. A meeting can change the way you move forward. Listen carefully, and refrain from making demands. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Keep the pace quick, be precise and head in a direction that shows promise; you will double your productivity. The more you do, the better you will feel and the higher the rewards. Your versatility will lead to the success you desire. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Give yourself a chance to flourish. Romance will encourage you to pay more attention to the way you present who you are, what you do and how you look to the world. Travel, entertainment and creativity are favored. Birthday Baby: You are articulate, intelligent and serious-minded. You are creative and productive.
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Sports Authority
An open letter to Kobe and Gigi Hayden Adams Associate Sports Editor
No words will suffice to encapsulate what you meant, but I’ll give it a shot. And as I shoot, like every kid from my generation, I’m saying: “Kobe”. Kobe, you never knew who I was; you never even knew that I existed. And that’s not your fault. But I wanted you to know me. I wanted to be like you in so many ways. I wanted to be 6’6” like you. I wanted to be as good as you. More than anything though, I wanted your work ethic. And yet, I fell short. In my defense, though, pretty much everyone did compared to you. Only Michael Jordan was even close to your work ethic, and you probably beat him there. Heck, you might’ve had a greater legacy than Jordan if injuries hadn’t caught up with you, but I guess that’s what happens when you wake up at 3 a.m. every morning to get up shots long before your teammates rub the sleep from their eyes. You were a relatively spoiled child with a professional athlete father who played in Italy, but you didn’t let that hold you back, as ridiculous as that statement may sound. You took what you were given and cultivated it. You had a dream and you protected it and saw it to fruition. You didn’t go to college, but you strove for greatness in everything you did, regardless. You were reading TIME magazine on team trips as a teenager. You called up businessmen to learn how to be a good one yourself. You asked J.K. Rowling to teach you how to write. You won an Oscar for crying out loud. Was there anything you couldn’t do? You helped give Phil Jackson his third three-peat with Shaq, then carried two more teams with Pau Gasol as the second-best player to championships. You surpassed Jordan for third all-time on the scoring list. Even so, you only won the scoring title twice. That’s an embodiment of consistency and longevity surpassed only by Kareem, Malone and now Lebron. You scored 81 points in a regular season game and 60 in the final game of your career. You hold the record for career game winners, had a couple of poster dunks, and won five NBA championships. But scoring wasn’t all you could do. You were a nine-time First Team All-Defense and three-time Second Team All-Defense selection. You won the slam dunk competition as a rookie with a between-the-legs slam. You were an 18-time All-Star and four-time All-Star Game MVP. You only won one regular season MVP, but you deserved more in my opinion. Oh, and don’t forget the two
Olympic gold medals. As part of the 2008 “Redeem team,” you put the entire weight of the United States’ Olympic hopes on your shoulders, and you took us to the promised land. You asked Jordan for advice on your fadeaway in the middle of a game. You slapped Steph Curry on the butt after he hit a three despite you hounding him, because real recognizes real. And, according to Lou Williams, you threw away all your Lakers teammates’ brand shoes because they were losing so bad they didn’t deserve to wear them. You made a big mistake, one that I’m not well educated on, but a mistake nonetheless. None of us knew who you really were behind closed doors, but then again, we don’t really know that about anybody, even our own family members. You weren’t who, but what, I strove to be, and I think you would understand the difference. As I said, your work ethic was legendary, one I envied. You would beat your teammates to the gym even when they tried to get there at 3 a.m., even when you broke your hand and were shooting left-handed in your pajamas. And when teammate J.R. Rider trash-talked you, you settled it like men with a one-on-one scrimmage after practice. And then you owned him like a child as other teammates were waving white towels and praying for you to stop the beatdown. And I have to say, just writing “your work ethic ‘was’ legendary” hurt more than anything else I’ve written in the past tense. That’s just how legendary it was. And now, I have to say, it’s tragic that you died, but even more tragic that your daughter Gigi did as well. You were young, but you’d already done more than most in their entire lives. Gigi had it all in front of her, and you heralded her as your second coming. Gigi, I wish you would have made strides for the women’s game like your dad was doing. I wish we could have seen what you would become. Kobe and Gigi, no words suffice for what you meant to those who knew you best and those you never knew, like me. Shine down on those following in your footsteps. And, speaking for the generation that yelled “Kobe,” whether we were throwing a ball through a hoop or some paper into the recycling bin, know that you meant more than you ever realized. R.I.P Big and Little Mambas. Contact Hayden Adams at hadams3@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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sophomore Dylan Jacobs. Both Nuguse and Jacobs w ill be making their season debut on the track this weekend in the 3,000-meter race. Sparks has high expectations for what his top runners can accomplish this weekend. “They w ill be running hopefully for a national qualif y ing mark,” Sparks said. On the women’s side, Sparks mentioned t wo athletes to watch are graduate student Rachel DaDamio and sophomore Maddy Denner. DaDamio did not have eligibilit y during the cross countr y season, but has looked ver y strong so far this year. DaDamio won the 3,000-meter event at the Notre Dame Inv itational recently and w ill be
competing in the mile this weekend, which Sparks says is t y pically her best event. Denner, who w ill be racing the 3,000-meter race this weekend, was the ACC Cross Countr y Freshman of the Year. She is no stranger to the track, either. Denner enrolled early last spring and finished 19th overall last year in the 10,000 meter at the NCA A Outdoor Championships. Facing stiff competition this weekend is v ital for some of the top athletes on the team. Sparks mentioned he is excited for sophomore pole vaulter Colton Crum and junior thrower Rachel Tanczos to receive some stellar competition. Tanczos shattered her ow n record in the weight throw last weekend at Michigan, and this weekend’s meet should prove to give her a challenge. Crum, who is one of the top young collegiate pole vaulters, also
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figures to receive plent y of competition. “I am really excited to have all these institutions on campus,” Sparks said. “We w ill have close to 1,000 athletes competing, so it’s nice to host schools.” A lthough Sparks is excited to host these top competitors, he mentioned it is often tough to organize an event administratively and have his ow n athletes competing at the same time. “We are tr y ing to get championship-quality competition, but obv iously we want our kids to compete at a high level along w ith ever yone else at the venue,” he said. The Meyo Inv itational w ill be a t wo-day event hosted at Loftus Sports Center. Events on Friday w ill begin at 4 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m. Contact Nate Moller at nmoller2@nd.edu
anna mason | The Observer
Irish senior Madysen Hunter competes in a hurdling race during the Meyo Inviational at Meyo Field at Loftus Sports Center on Feb. 2, 2019. The 2020 Meyo Invitational will be held Friday and Saturday.
hannah hueslkamp | The Observer
Irish freshman Olivia Fabry prepares to pole vault during the Blue-Gold Invitational on Dec. 6 at Loftus Sports Center. The Irish look to showcase more freshman talent at the invitational this weekend. The Observer accepts classifieds every business day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Notre Dame office, 024 South Dining Hall. Deadline for next-day classifieds is 3 p.m. All classifieds must be prepaid. The charge is 5 cents per character per day, including all spaces. The Observer reserves the right to edit all classifieds for content without issuing refunds.
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The observer | thursday, february 6, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com
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kendra osinski | The Observer
Irish senior Guillermo Cabrera returns a shot during Notre Dame’s 5-0 loss to North Carolina State at Eck Tennis Pavilion on March 24.
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able to close out a game in the second half. With 5: 09 left in the third quarter, the Irish began a 17-4 scoring run and were able to hang on in the fourth quarter. If the Irish are going to string together some w ins as the season progresses, they are going to have to play similarly to the way they did in the second half during Sunday’s game. Another key for the Irish mov ing for ward w ill be the play of junior center Mikayla Vaughn, who has certainly prov ided the Irish w ith a midseason spark. Since returning from a right knee injur y on Dec. 29, Vaughn has been the most efficient scorer in the ACC, shooting 61.6% from the field in conference play. She has scored in double figures five times since her return, including a careerhigh 20-point performance on Sunday. Vaughn has also played exceptionally on the road, recording double-digit first half points four times while away from Purcell Pav ilion. Vaughn has prov ided a young team w ith strong leadership, especially in light of injuries to key contributors sophomore guard Abby Prohaska and freshman guard Anaya Peoples. One constant for the Irish this season has been the dependable scoring prov ided
by freshman for ward Sam Brunelle. The Ruckersv ille, Virginia, native and former McDonald’s A ll-American leads all ACC freshman in scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game. Brunelle has stepped up her game since fellow freshman Peoples was lost for the year w ith a torn labrum sustained Jan. 12 against North Carolina State. Brunelle has led the Irish in scoring since that game, averaging 17.2 points per game while scoring double figures in four of five contests. W hile Brunelle’s post game has consistently made her a scoring threat in the paint, she struggled from beyond the arc in the first 14 games, shooting just 19% . However, Brunelle has had a hot hand from dow ntow n since the calendar turned, shooting 35% since Jan. 5. Brunelle is averaging 2.5 made threes over the last eight games, which ranks fifth in the ACC during that time. The Irish seem to be playing Wake Forest at the right time, as the Demon Deacons have lost back-to-back games heading into Thursday’s contest. The Irish are 7-0 all time against the Demon Deacons and are 3-0 in Winston Salem. Notre Dame and Wake Forest w ill tip-off at 7 p.m. Thursday. The game w ill be live-broadcasted on ACC Network Extra.
All-ACC Third Team last season, Ciamarra will have the chance to prove that he is among the elite of men’s collegiate tennis, but it will be difficult to live up to the large amount of preseason hype surrounding him. Ciamarra currently holds a 3-2 record in singles competition and could use another win to create a rhythm as the season progresses. Sophomore A xel Nefve enters the year with the ability to compete with any player in the country. He has gone 3-2 in singles play and is coming off a standout freshman season, in which he was named to the All-ACC Second team and won the Dick Vitale Clay Court Invitational.
Freshman Conner Fu has started to break into the MatchDay lineup and recently earned his first spring season singles victory against Florida Atlantic. If Fu continues to elevate his game, he could follow in Nefve’s example and become the freshman breakout star of 2020. Boston College (1-2) is looking for a return to form after being trounced by Virginia 1-6. Because they went 0-13 in ACC play last season, the Eagles will be highly motivated to record the school’s first conference win since 2018. Junior Derek Austin is a very skilled player and could prove to be a difficult opponent for Ciamarra on court one. Last season, Austin collected a few important upsets over highly ranked opponents before becoming
the first BC player since 2012 to be named on an All-ACC team. Friday’s match will be played at 12 p.m. Notre Dame will then travel to Urbana, Illinois to challenge a talented Fighting Illini team. Illinois’ season has not gone according to plan, as they have managed to only win a single match due to a difficult strength of schedule. However, with the support of their home crowd, the Illini will be tough to beat. The next chance for fans to support the Irish is on Feb. 22, when the Buckeyes travel to South Bend. Ohio State is 6-0 on the season and has only dropped one point in dual matches. This contest could be the most exciting of the year, as both teams have very serious postseason aspirations.
allison thornton | The Observer
Irish graduate student guard Marta Sniezek drives the ball to the net during Notre Dame’s 105-94 loss to DePaul on Dec. 11. The Irish return to action Thursday against Wake Forest in Winston Salem at 7 p.m.
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Email Connor Mulvena at cmulvena@nd.edu allison thornton | The Observer
Irish graduate student guard Destinee Walker looks to shoot the ball during Notre Dame’s 105-94 loss to DePaul at Purcell Pavilion on Dec. 11. The Irish are now 8-14 on the season overall and 3-7 in the ACC.
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and not quite as ready and confident. Rex just stirs the drink and he really helps T.J. [Gibbs] ... Gibbs is play ing as good as anybody, especially after a really hard year last year. I am so proud of him.” Additionally, Brey gave praise to sophomore guard Prentiss Hubb. “We usually figure it out, and Prentiss has total control,” Brey said. “I text him ever y now and then, ‘You’re my Mahomes.’ He has total control of this thing and he is our Mahomes. He has been really good.” Brey also attribute some of the team’s recent success to this year’s captains. “I give our captains a lot of credit,” Brey said. “Gibbs, Mooney and Pf lueger have set a great tone, they obv iously know the clock is ticking on their careers and I think that they have played well w ith those other guys. Februar y has got to be our month. That’s all that’s left. That’s what they have said.” Brey echoed this by explaining how at times he is not the one making calls or game time decisions. “It’s their team,” Brey said. “I am on the train too.” Another big piece for the Irish on Wednesday night was senior Juwan Durham. The transfer from Connecticut scored 11 points against the Panthers and has show n promise, adjusting to
ndsmcobserver.com | thursday, february 6, 2020 | The Observer
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Notre Dame’s recent, small st yle of play. “I was ver y proud of Juwan tonight,” Brey said. ”We’ve been going away from him and dow nshifting and having prett y good success. I thought that he really responded and gave us good stuff. You just never know who is going to be in the lineup to do it.” Looking ahead, the Irish are preparing to face a tough road stretch against four fierce ACC opponents. “We know how to play,” Brey said. “The one thing that I have been tr y ing to remind myself is don’t over-coach us offensively. We did what we needed to do here and now we’ll deal w ith this road thing. The road thing needs to be looked at as an opportunit y, not, ‘Oh my god, look at what’s coming.’ It is the toughest stretch that we have ever probably played in the histor y of our program, but it is an opportunit y. Especially after we did here to get back to five and six. We need a little rest and then we’ll deal w ith Clemson and Virginia.” The Irish are set to play against Clemson on Feb. 9 and Virginia two days later. The next three weeks w ill help define whether the squad w ill reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017. Anthony reo | The Observer
Contact Inigo Yturralde at iyturral@nd.edu
Irish senior guard T.J. Gibbs looks to pass the ball during Notre Dame’s 80-72 victory over Pittsburgh on Wednesday at Purcell Pavilion. The Irish are now 14-8 on the season overall and 5-6 in the ACC.
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Irish senior forward John Mooney participates in the tipoff during Notre Dame’s 80-72 victory over Pittsburgh on Wednesday at home.
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The observer | thursday, february 6, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com
nd men’s basketball | Notre dame 80, Pittsburgh 72
ND wins second game in a row By INIGO YTURRALDE Sports Writer
The Fighting Irish (14-8, 5-6 ACC) won their second consecutive game Wednesday night, defeating the visiting Pittsburgh Panthers (14-9, 5-7 ACC) 80-72. This was an important win as the Irish race to finish the season with the best possible record. Competing in one of the toughest conferences in the country, every win counts in order to bolster the team’s NCA A tournament chances. After the game, head coach Mike Brey had positive things to say about his team and their performance. “A good night. Their defense bothered us early,” Brey said. “They’re quick and they get out in passing lanes. I thought that we adjusted and were really poised and were confident that eventually they couldn’t stay with us, offensively. Great win and
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Irish look for consecutive wins against Wake Forest
a great home stand. It kind of keeps us within shouting distance.” After this game, Notre Dame is seventh in the ACC and only a few games away from the likes of Virginia and Syracuse, who currently sit at four and five respectively. If the Irish continue to win consistently, this team could be the one that puts the program back into contention for an ACC title. Against the Panthers, Notre Dame was dominant on offense — especially in the first half, outscoring the visitors 42-33. W hen asked about the offensive effort shown by the squad, Brey answered that the team has progressed dramatically from last season. “I think that there have always been spurts, even last year in practice with this group,” Brey said. “Those sophomores were freshmen
allison thornton | The Observer
Notre Dame (8-14, 3-7 ACC) will look for consecutive victories for just the third time this season when they travel to Winston Salem, North Carolina on Thursday to take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (12-10, 5-6 ACC). The match comes after the team’s third conference win of the season, which came on Sunday in a gritty 59-51 performance against Georgia Tech in Atlanta. W hile this young Notre Dame team has certainly been overmatched at times, the Irish have failed to close out multiple games where they had the lead in the fourth quarter. Turnovers and defensive breakdowns in critical moments of games sunk the Irish earlier this season. Against Georgia Tech, however, the Irish were finally
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Irish sophomore guard Katlyn Gilbert dribbles the ball during Notre Dame’s 105-94 loss to DePaul on Dec. 11 at Purcell Pavilion.
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Observer Sports Staff
track & field
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Season to debut at Men’s squad looks to respond at Boston College Meyo Invitational Observer Sports Staff
After a close loss against Indiana in Bloomington, the Irish will travel to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts to face Boston College on Friday. This match serves as an opportunity for Notre Dame (2-3) to earn both their first victory in ACC competition and their first true road win of the spring season. The Irish have struggled against ranked opponents, losing to both Kentucky and Arizona last month. With upcoming clashes against No. 13 Illinois and No. 6 Ohio State on the horizon, Notre Dame needs to establish momentum against the Eagles in order to perform well against the two Big 10 powerhouses. Notre Dame has a very talented roster and could definitely cause some trouble for the top ACC programs. The Irish are led by junior Richard Ciamarra. After being named to the see M TENNIS PAGE 10
By NATE MOLLER Sports Writer
kendra osinski | The Observer
Irish senior Matt Gamble returns a shot during Notre Dame’s 5-0 loss to North Carolina State on March 24 at home.
The track and field programs are back in action this Friday and Saturday at the Meyo Invitational, which will be hosted at Notre Dame’s Loftus Sports Center. The meet will feature nine teams and will allow the Irish to face off against some Big Ten regional foes that they don’t typically see as a member of the ACC. “In a lot of ways it’s a very regionally competitive meet,” head coach Matt Sparks said. “Conferences now are spread out all over the country, and we are entrenched in Big Ten country, but we are not in the Big Ten. It will be neat for us to compete against Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue, Iowa, Ohio State, and Minnesota.” Sparks acknowledged that regional rivalries are often much more important than conference rivalries because of the impact on recruiting. “Our conference is
truly just a conference rivalry,” Sparks said. “We’re not competing for recruits as much [with ACC teams] as we will with Big Ten teams because geographically we are not in the same neighborhood. It will be a really good regional competition with the best schools in the Midwest on our campus at the same time on the same day.” One of the highlights of the meet will likely be the Irish’s strong distance program. Both teams had very successful cross country seasons, with the men’s team finishing eighth and the women’s team finishing 15th at the NCA A Cross Country Championships. Both sides will likely be challenged by other top distance programs that will be in attendance, such as Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue and Indiana being. The men’s side will be led by junior Yared Nuguse and see TRACK & FIELD PAGE 9