Print Edition of The Observer for Wednesday, May 2, 2018

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Volume 52, Issue 125 | wednesday, May 2, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

College students explore strains of cost Saint Mary’s community reflects on struggles of keeping up with rising tuition, fees

By Jordan Cockrum and Gina Twardosz Saint Mary’s Editor and News Writer

Editor’s note: This is the final part in a series exploring the experiences of low socioeconomic students at Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s.

The financial burden of a private school education is something students often spend many hours thinking about, and the students at Saint Mary’s are no different.

Therese Pingel said she eagerly began her first year at Saint Mary’s in the fall of 2016, ready to take advantage of all the opportunities the College afforded. However, she soon came to realize how expensive it is to be a Belle.

“I liked the idea of the Saint Mary’s community,” she said.

“I loved the idea of a womenfocused education, so that was the main draw for Saint Mary’s.

But I think I just started to feel like the amount of money that I was paying and the sacrifices my family was making didn’t balance out. I didn’t really feel like I was getting this deeper sense of fulfillment out of the Saint Mary’s experience.”

Pingel, who transferred to Indiana University South Bend (IUSB) in 2017, said she initially did not realize how much of a financial investment Saint Mary’s was until the bills began piling up and she had to take out a $5,000 loan just to support herself at the College.

“Growing up in South Bend, a lot of people aren’t really aware of how expensive Saint Mary’s is because the idea is that Saint Mary’s is the poor

woman’s Notre Dame,” she said. “People don’t really think about Saint Mary’s as a financial investment like they do Notre Dame.”

Saint Mary’s Associate Dean of Advising Susan Vanek said the College works hard to find solutions for students who are financially struggling to finish their degree.

“At the College and in Academic Affairs, we are aware and sensitive to the needs of students who face financial challenges and do what we can to find solutions to help students finish their degree at Saint Mary’s,” she said.

Madison Sparks, a Saint Mary’s sophomore, said she will also be transferring to IUSB next year because the tuition is rising so exponentially that she and her family can

Committee makes licensing proposals

By MEGAN VALLEY and KELLI SMITH Senior News Writer and Associate News Editor

The Worker Participation Committee (WPC) presented its new recommendations regarding the manufacturing of Notre Dame licensed products in other countries during

a panel discussion in Geddes Hall on Tuesday.

The presentation was primarily conducted

by University Executive Vice President John Affleck-Graves and doctoral student in moral theology Craig Iffland. Both panelists outlined five points summarizing the WPC’s recommendations.

hardly keep up.

“My stepdad works at Notre Dame, so we get their tuition remission, and that’s the only way I can afford to be here, actually, because they’re covering all of my tuition,” she said.

“And they, [associate dean for advising Susan] Vanek especially, told me that it was impossible for me to finish my degree before that money ran out because I only have three semesters left.”

Vanek said Academic Affairs “has no control over and cannot change policies” for students in tuition remission programs, which grant monetary assistance based on eligibility factors outside of financial need.

“If a student says that she only has three semesters of tuition remission remaining and

if her major requirements are sequenced such that she cannot finish within three semesters, I have to be honest with her so she has time to make an informed decision and, when possible, I suggest other majors she could finish within the time limitation of her tuition remission,” Vanek said.

Saint Mary’s offers an encouraging amount of aid to students for their freshman year, Pingel said, but that money soon begins to disappear as the years wear on.

“Saint Mary’s kind of has this reputation going that they’ll give you money your freshman year, then they’ll pull the rug right out from under you and all of a sudden you don’t have as much money as see COST PAGE 3

Veterans adjust to university life

“The core issue that the committee grappled with was the concept of can the University be a force for good on the inner factories in causing change at the worker level and influence and bring broader leverage to that by having others with us in the see WPC PAGE 3 Photo courtesy of Charlotte Pekoske

Contraception advocacy group petitions Jenkins

By TOM NAATZ Associate News Editor

Irish 4 Reproductive Health (I4RH), an on-campus group at Notre Dame advocating for accessibility to all forms of FDA-approved contraception, submitted a petition Monday to University President Fr. John Jenkins asking for clarification on several points related to

scene PAGE 5

recent University policy changes regarding contraception.

Sophomore Anne Jarrett, a member of I4RH, said in an email the petition was created with the hope of addressing ambiguous portions of the University’s policies.

The petition calls for an end to the ambiguity concerning the several changes to the University’s policy on health

VIEWPOINT PAGE 6

care which relates to birth control, IVF and contraception,” she said. “We believe students deserve to know exactly what the health insurance policy they pay for will cover in advance, instead of being kept in the dark.”

The petition itself asked for clarity on five points — the see PETITION PAGE 4

VIEWPOINT PAGE 7

The ND MBA Military Veterans Club, pictured, helps veterans transition smoothly into business school and ensure their success.

By NATALIE WEBER News Editor

Senior Timothy Hopkins always knew he wanted to join the military. This wasn’t his only childhood dream, however — he had also wanted to attend Notre Dame. Yet, coming out of high school, he said this goal was out of reach.

“For me personally, in high school, I was going to summer school,” he said. “Notre Dame was always a dream of mine but it was never something I could have materialized. Academics weren’t a

baseball PAGE 12

priority.”

Instead, Hopkins said he planned to enlist in the military and used this as an excuse to ignore his studies. From 2010 to 2014, he served in the Army and was assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment. During this time, he deployed to Afghanistan a total of four times.

“Our primary mission was we targeted high-value targets, so everything was a kill or capture and it was a night raid, so we would actually sleep all day and then see VETERANS PAGE 4

boxing PAGE 12

2

TODAY

The observer | wednesday, May 2, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Question of the Day: ndsmcobserver.com

Have a question you want answered?

Email photo@ndsmcobserver.com

What are you going to remeber about your last day of class in college?

P.O. Box 779, Notre Dame, IN 46556 024 South Dining Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556

Erin Bradford

Laura Syers

senior off campus

senior off campus

“Going to Salsa’s.”

“Hanging out with my roommate.”

Clara MacFarlane

Rebecca Fritz

senior off campus

senior off campus

“Making intersectional feminist shirts.”

“Cooking crab cakes with Old Bay.”

(574) 631-4542 cbecker3@nd.edu

Kim Kosman

Ronni Sardina

Managing Editor

senior off campus

senior off campus

“Baking cookies.”

“Riding my bike for fun and not to do work.”

Editor-in-Chief Courtney Becker Managing Editor Tobias Hoonhout

Asst. Managing Editor: Elizabeth Greason Asst. Managing Editor: Lucas Masin-Moyer Asst. Managing Editor: Claire Radler

News Editor: Natalie Weber Viewpoint Edi-tor: Mary Freeman Sports Editor: Ben Padanilam Scene Editor: Nora McGreevy Saint Mary’s Editor: Jordan Cockrum Photo Editor: Ann Curtis Graphics Editor: Dom DeMoe Advertising Manager: Molly McCarthy Advertising Manager: Alexandra Pucillo Ad Design Manager: Madison Riehle

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Today’s Staff News

Sports

Kelli Smith Mariah Rush Colleen Fischer

Ben Padanilam Megan Valley Mary Bernard

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ROSIE LoVOI | The Observer

On Monday, Notre Dame art students met in front of Riley Hall of Art and Design to host their annual pottery sale. The sale featured a number of handmade pieces that were created in art classes throughout the school year, including bowls, pots and vases.

The next Five days:

Want your event included here?

Email news@ndsmcobserver.com

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Exhibit: “Defend Your Online Privacy” Hesburgh Library 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Part of Choose Privacy week.

Film: “BPM - Beats Per Minute” (2017) DeBartolo Performing Arts Center 7 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Tickets are free.

Undergraduate Library Research Award Ceremony Hesburgh Library 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Winners receive cash.

Men’s Lacrosse vs.

Army (USMA) Arlotta Stadium 1 p.m.

Final regular-season game.

Marian Procession and May Crowning Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.

Reception to follow.

Spring Concert: Collegium Musicum Reyes Organ and Choral Hall 7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Open to the public.

Study Days at the Snite Museum Snite Museum of Art all day Find a study space during reading days.

MFA Thesis reading Eck Auditorium 7 p.m.

Reading of fiction and poetry from graduating students.

Conference: Protein Folding, Assembly and Molecular Motions McKenna Hall All day.

Concert: Fluers de Lys Reyes Organ and Choral Hall 5 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Baroque music.

News

Cost Continued from page 1

you thought you did,” she said.

Sophomore Sophia McDevitt said she felt the College misled her into believing that merit scholarships would reflect the rising rates of tuition.

“They don’t tell you that merit scholarships don’t increase with tuition when tuition increases,” she said. “And they don’t tell you that if you get a merit scholarship for a certain GPA you got in high school, if you do better in college, it doesn’t go up.”

Although Pingel did not want to leave Saint Mary’s, she said the administration was not helpful in finding her viable economic solutions.

“I didn’t experience a ton of proactive behavior from the administration as I was to trying to figure out how to balance these things,” she said.

“When I was trying to figure out if I could make Saint Mary’s work financially, it was a long discernment process. I spent a lot of time talking to someone from the administrative office, and she warned me, because I was trying to think if it would be doable if I moved off campus, that financial aid will often readjust if you are not living on campus.

So what do I do here? You’re putting me in a position where I’m trying to fit for my education and you’re not giving me anything.”

In light of these complaints, Vanek said Academic Affairs has a variety of solutions and accommodations it tries to offer to applicable students.

“Because we are a small college, we are able to work closely with each student to try and meet her individual needs,”

WPC Continued from page 1

process,” Affleck-Graves said.

The first recommendation, Affleck-Graves said, was to establish a standing committee to monitor the University’s progress.

“I think that there’s a really strong feeling of the committee that this should be a standing committee,” he said.

“Several other universities, like Michigan and Wisconsin, and others have standing committees, so the recommendation is that we should have a standing committee and that we should make progress on the recommendations that follow.”

The second point called for the standing committee to broaden the range of human rights issues it reviews.

“While worker participation [is] extremely important ... things like child labor, the environment, health and safety. ... These are also extremely important issues for people working in these factories,” Affleck-Graves said.

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, May 2, 2018 | The Observer

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she said. “One example of this personal attention is our allowing students with financial need to take courses at other less expensive colleges during the summer or later to finish their degree requirements. We also work closely with faculty members to ask for special accommodations for a student who could benefit from some flexibility.”

Despite these programs, Sparks said she has similar feelings about the administration’s indifference to her financial circumstances.

“A major deciding factor for me was that Saint Mary’s didn’t sell it,” she said. “I felt like they weren’t really willing to try to put together a plan, even if it meant taking classes at IUSB over the summer and transferring them in.”

Campus Ministry director Regina Wilson said that in the past she witnessed the College provide assistance to students with financial need.

“The College has access to help students, has access to funds to help students when we know that there’s need and the College has done that many times in my years here,” she said.

One such fund is the Student Emergency Fund, a small fund that helps students with a personal emergency not related to paying their bills. The fund has been managed by vice president of student affairs Karen Johnson since she came to Saint Mary’s in 2006.

“Once I get all the information, I am in contact with the vice president for enrollment management to ensure that there really is a need,” Johnson said in an email. “ ... This fund is not to supplement financial aid. It is to help with costs that are unexpected. For instance,

a plane ticket to get home in an emergency, a book that wasn’t on the initial list, a fee for a test.”

Though Johnson said she encourages students to reach out if they are in need of assistance, there are still limits to what assistance the College can provide.

“The vice president for mission, the vice president for enrollment management, the director of residence life and the director of multicultural services and I work together as a team when we find out about a student in need,” Johnson said. “There are, however, limitations to what we can do and how much financial aid we can offer.”

An additional resource introduced this past school year is a scholarship for Senior Week tickets. Senior Katherine Ryan, Student Government Association (SGA) treasurer, said SGA decided to give ten seniors the opportunity to attend Senior Week for free. The chosen students were selected by the Office of Multicultural Services and Financial Aid to keep interested students anonymous, Ryan said.

“Just having [Senior Week] is going to be such a fun memory to have leading up to graduation,” she said. “I would hate to know that a student didn’t get to have that. I feel like if money were to hinder someone it would be extremely unfortunate, and so by offering this I think it gives every student the chance to have that last sense of bonding with the Saint Mary’s community.”

Pingel said she still keeps in touch with the Belles she met during her year at Saint Mary’s, and, during a recent trip to campus, she got her first full experience of the new

Angela Athletic Facility.

“I’ve been on campus a couple times this year but this is the first time that I’ve seen the new Angela [Athletic Facility] building,” she said. “It’s my understanding that that building was funded entirely by alumnae donations, so that makes me think, ‘Where is the rest of the money going? Where is the tuition being distributed?’”

Pingel said she feels the College could benefit from becoming more transparent about its finances.

“Show me what you’re doing with all the tuition money,” she said. “I don’t see the development of Saint Mary’s happening. I don’t see the development of new programs coming up. I don’t see the transparency that I think Saint Mary’s women deserve.”

As for the future, Pingel said she doubts any sort of higher education will become more affordable.

“I actually have a lot of people in my life who are Saint Mary’s alumnae who have graduated 10 years ago or more [and] who are still paying off their loans,” Pingel said. “And that’s normal — I would say most people experience that.

But at the same time, tuition was a lot cheaper then, so what is it going to be like as costs keep inflating?”

In spite of the cost of a college education, the demographics of higher education are changing. Justice Studies professor Andrew Pierce said higher education has seen a recent influx of those of a low socioeconomic status, who are now considered the new majority.

“I do know that the demographics in higher education are changing, and we’re seeing more students from

low-income families, first-generation students, older working students and students of color on university and college campuses,” he said. “Some scholars of higher education have begun referring to these students together as ‘new majority’ students.”

Vanek said the Saint Mary’s administration is aware of the challenges faced by lowincome students and the administration is committed to assisting those students.

“We value all our students, but we are especially committed to helping our students who face serious financial challenges,” she said.

Wilson said she is hopeful for the future and feels that everyone in the campus community should do their part in allowing Belles to thrive.

“Whether we reach all the students who actually have need, we’re trying to get better,” she said. “A lot of reaching out is not only responding to [a student’s] physical needs or their financial needs, but just as a person in this community. Feeling welcomed and feeling that you’re a part of the community. When you are struggling with [financial problems], you can feel outside of it. You see a lot of students enjoying things, going out, doing things, and you can’t do that maybe because you don’t have the financial resources. It affects your ability to feel like part of the community. You know, the College isn’t just administrators. It’s also the students.”

“[We are recommending] the assessment should be broadened to cover those areas as well, and we did highlight the human rights as required by the licensing code of conduct.”

The third and fourth recommendations focused on assessment and audit processes, depending on whether or not the country recognizes freedom of association by law.

“In countries that recognize the freedom of association, by law, every licensee will be required to participate in the Sumerra assessment process to evaluate the organization’s current corporate responsibility program,” AffleckGraves said. “So this came about because what we found was it’s very time-consuming and expensive to do these audits.

According to the summary of recommendations released by the WPC, “Sumerra will also conduct an audit of all overseas factories where licensed products are manufactured,” and the proposed standing committee will provide ongoing oversight.

For countries that do not recognize freedom of association by law, the standing committee may consider a limited exemption to manufacture in those countries after the factory completes both the Sumerra assessment and a more in-depth audit by Verité, according to the release.

“The Verité instrument we feel is a very good instrument, it is long, it is complex and it requires an on-site campus visit by Verité, and Verité do not have the capacity to do more than a few factories for us a year,” Affleck-Graves said.

“And so there’s this other organization, Sumerra — they do work with many of the major companies and they do routine assessments.”

Countries with freedom of association by law, AffleckGraves said, would undergo an audit and, based off the WPC’s determinations, may or may not need to undergo Verité depending on the standing committee think there’s reason for a more in-depth view of the potential factory. For countries without freedom of association, Verité would be a

requirement.

“The idea right now is that the licensee, if they wanted to apply for an exemption, they would be required to complete everything that every other factory is saying you should complete,” AffleckGraves said. “Which is one, the pre-survey by Sumerra, two, the Sumerra audit, three, Verité.”

The final recommendation suggested the University work with other organizations to advance “respect for workers’ rights, other human rights and promote corporate responsibility,” the release said.

Iffland said part of building partnerships was planning a consortium with other universities.

“I think the basic idea here is to try to build stronger partnerships with other universities in thinking through how universities can put together their licensees, influence and improve worker conditions, wages, workers rights, at the factory level,” Iffland said.

“So, what this is going to look like is not totally foreseeable

within the recommendation. I would say that one thing we’d like to do over the next year is have some sort of consortium with other universities as well as Sumerra, to have some sort of broad discussion about corporate responsibility, universities, corporate licensees [and] what they can do to improve working conditions.”

Affleck-Graves said he believes as Notre Dame gains more influence with major manufacturers around the world and within countries through a larger presence, it is easier to bring better working practices to multiple countries and the larger industry. ”I think there is a strong feeling that Notre Dame can be a force for good in the world,” Affleck-Graves said. “And so the question is — where do you do the most good? There are workers in every country, and I would hate to abandon one country just because we favor another country.”

Contact Jordan Cockrum at jcockrum@saintmarys.edu and Gina Twardosz at gtwardosz01@saintmarys.edu

Contact Megan Valley at mvalley@nd.edu and Kelli Smith at ksmith67@nd.edu

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NEWS

The observer | wednesday, May 2, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Veterans Continued from page 1

we’d wake up as the sun was going down,” he said. “We would get our information if we were going out that night on a mission and our missions would generally last maybe three to five hours, and we were getting back to base as the sun was coming up.”

Going into the military, Hopkins said he gained a new perspective on life.

“I was a child mentally, physically — I was just a kid and I left [the Army] just with life experience,” he said. “And it wasn’t necessarily like on day one when I got on the bus I was a different person. It was a gradual thing that happened where I just kind of matured. I took ownership of myself and my actions.”

After serving in the Army for four years, Hopkins attended Colorado State University for two semesters and the University of South Carolina for another. Then, in 2016, he fulfilled a childhood dream — he transferred to Notre Dame.

“I was thrilled,” he said. “It definitely didn’t hit me for awhile. … There were so many people that helped me along the way [and] it was such a group effort.”

For student veterans such as Hopkins, one of the University’s biggest draws is its resources for veterans.

“Even if you are struggling with something, then people at this school are going above-and-beyond and out of their way to make sure you succeed,” Hopkins said. “I think a lot of veterans, at the same time, are very prideful and they’re stubborn to a point where they

don’t want to ask for help and I’m kind of like that, but at times you’re going to need help and you need to be smart enough to realize when it’s appropriate to ask for it.”

The University established the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs in November to increase support for military-connected students. In addition, according to an article from the Office of Public Affairs and Communications, the G.I. Bill grants veterans approximately $25,000 towards tuition and roughly the same amount for housing. Notre Dame also provides $16,000 to veterans through the Yellow Ribbon Program, an amount matched by the Veterans Administration.

Notre Dame boasts a strong veteran network, Charlotte Pekoske, a first year MBA student who served in the Coast Guard for eight years, said. As president of Notre Dame’s MBA Veterans club, Pekoske said the organization played a key role in facilitating her transition to Notre Dame.

“They make it a huge point to help show veterans what we can bring to the table here, just as much as what the University can provide us,” she said. “And I think finding the right business school ... you have to find a mutual fit [by asking] what can you bring to the table, and in return, what can we get from this situation, from this school? I think because of the welcoming environment, the transition was really smooth for me.”

William Wilkins, a first year MBA student who served in the Army for 21 years, also said the MBA Veterans club helped draw him to Notre Dame. He serves as the organization’s vice president.

“I feel like [the club] was one of the reasons Notre Dame stood out,

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Photo courtesy of Charlotte Pekoske

Flags stand in front of Hesburgh Library honoring veterans. Notre Dame boasts a large veteran network and established the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs in November to support military students.

too, because [through] the program here I had gotten to know some of the guys in the program and really like the family atmosphere and the guys looked out for each other,” he said. “It was a factor in my decision to apply and not apply other places.”

Corey Waldrep, a first year MBA student who served in the Marines for four years, said he has seen an overall increase in resources for veterans, beyond Notre Dame, since he left the military in 2011.

Many of his friends lacked support when transitioning out of the military, Waldrep said.

“They just felt isolated or something, so some of my friends ended up killing themselves because they didn’t have anything and then some of my other friends, they just don’t do anything or they don’t have that drive anymore,” he said.

“And I don’t know if it’s specifically for when we all got out, but maybe that could’ve helped. But now,

there’s so much stuff available to people separating.”

Beyond its support for veterans, Waldrep said he was drawn to Notre Dame because of the school’s ethics. After leaving the military, Waldrep did contract work for the government in an environment often lacking these values.

“I wanted to come to Notre Dame just based on the ethical aspect of it,” he said. “A lot of times [in] the capacity I was working for the government, I saw a lot of corruption or abuse of power, so that was my big thing — moving forward I wanted the ethical foundation making decisions at the high level.”

Similarly, Hopkins said he was attracted to Notre Dame because of its values, many of which he said reflected those of the military. “[Notre Dame faculty] have such high standards,” he said. “They expect discipline out of you. There’s a commitment to excellence here.

They expect you to do everything

to the best of your ability. They push you. They make you uncomfortable just so you can grow in certain ways and these are all things you see in the military.”

These values are also reflected in the University’s commitment to service, Hopkins said.

“I think what’s kind of unique about Notre Dame is just the selfless qualities,” he said. “I volunteered to go into the military, people on this campus are volunteering and instead of going to summer vacation on the beach, they’re going on ISSLPs or something like that.

“And there’s so many opportunities here, it’s like being a man and woman for others, the selfless service and volunteer. And then there’s such an expectation here to hold yourself to a higher moral standard that I think a lot of institutions ignore.”

Petition

that’s best for their needs and what they can afford.”

Becca Fritz, a senior and IR4H member, said in an email the group’s focus is to advocate for “comprehensive and accessible reproductive healthcare” for the campus community.

“Our work centers around promoting discussion about this issue, calling attention to the University’s irresponsible handling of the insurance policy change and making condoms and dental dams accessible to people who need them,” Fritz said.

IR4H is “an independent group of Notre Dame students,” Jarrett explained. She said the group is not seeking an association with the Student Activities Office, but it has been in contact with administrators.

Bermingham said these administrators include dean of the graduate school, Laura Carlson, and Ann Firth, Jenkins’ chief of staff. Some of the group’s other advocacy activities have included two condom distributions and letters to The Observer.

Sophomore Sam Kennedy, another member of the group, said in an email he thinks the group’s mission has generally been received positively on campus.

“Many of my male friends in my dorm were enthusiastically in support of my work with the condom distribution,” he said.

“They loved that someone was finally stepping up to address the issue of sexual health on this campus, and were ready and willing to take on some of the burden of safe sex and reproductive health through the use of condoms. We definitely brightened a lot of people’s days with the condom distribution. There were certainly a few disgruntled passers-by, but the overwhelming majority of people were delighted, thankful and overall positive in their reactions to seeing us. For me, the happiness we brought to people that day was one of the best things about the event.”

Bermingham said 139 individuals, mainly current students and alumni, signed the petition itself. The administration has not responded to the petition yet, Jarrett said, but the group hopes to use the community’s response to the petition to “demand one.” In the text of the petition, I4RH requested a response from the administration by Friday, May 4.

Continued from page 1

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first of which asked the cost of contraception and how much of that cost is covered by insurance. The second point addressed discrepancies in the policies between undergraduate students and graduate students. The third focused on which specific birth control methods are affected by the policy changes, and the fourth was related to the removal of “emergency contraception.”

The fifth and last point concerned the freedom of conscience for those who use birth control.

Kate Bermingham, a graduate student and member of I4RH, said in an email that the group is frustrated with the new policies related to contraception.

“We’ve been pretty disappointed at how the changes have been handled and we are tired of the lack of clear information being provided by the University about what will and will not be covered,” she said.

“I4RH’s position is that we need access to all FDA-approved methods of birth control. We think no student or employee should ever have to choose between the birth control method

Contact Natalie Weber at nweber@nd.edu

Contact Tom Naatz at tnaatz@nd.edu

The observer | wednesday, may 2, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

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CLAIRE KOPISCHKE | The Observer

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The observer | Wednesday, May 2, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Inside Column

How Yelp helped burst my ND bubble Teagan Dillon Scene Writer

“Last summer, while living in New York City, I posted my first Yelp review ever. A slightly satirical and exaggerated review, I graciously gave Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer five stars.

Fifty-eight reviews, 56 check-ins and 236 friends later, what started out as a joke quickly turned into an obsession that only continued when I returned to South Bend last August.

In January, I was finally invited to join the cream of the crop: the Yelp Elite Squad of Mishawaka.

Being Yelp Elite has many perks. From invitations to restaurant openings, increased credibility that pushes my reviews to the top and, perhaps the most coveted, the beautiful “Elite ‘18” badge that is emblazoned on each of my reviews, it’s truly an honor to be Yelp Elite.

But aside from these perks, being Yelp Elite has really immersed me in the South Bend community in ways I’ve never experienced.

Last February, I was invited to join the Mishawaka squad at Chicory Cafe for a Mardi Gras-themed murder mystery party.

Free food, entertainment and a chance to finally meet my fellow Yelp Eliters in person? Yes, please.

I eagerly RSVP’d to Jessica B., the Yelp Elite Squad’s fearless leader, confirming my attendance, as well as four of my close friends.

Full disclosure, my friends think this obsession of mine is extremely weird. I signed them up for this event without their knowledge and forced them to come when it finally rolled around.

The joke was on them, though, because the party was a smashing success. We arrived, treated ourselves to some delicious (and free) seafood gumbo and Cajun sausage mac n’ cheese, and got into character. I was Ophelia, a professional bowler who liked to refer to dollar bills as “biscuits.”

Donned in masquerade masks and Yelp stick-on tattoos, we set off with 15 other Yelp Eliters to uncover the murderer. Things got heated at times, but what better way to get to know a group of middle-aged South Bend natives than by accusing them of murder?

We were all confident Leon was guilty, but by round three it turned out that he was actually the one murdered. This threw us all off, and no one was able to correctly guess the murderer. Either way, we still had a blast.

By the end of the night, we said goodbye to our new friends who we didn’t actually know the real names of — Leon and Zenobia, if you’re reading this, I’m hoping to see you at the next Yelp Elite event — and drove back to the Notre Dame bubble.

I think what made this experience so special, aside from the good food and interactive game, was that we had absolutely nothing in common with the people that we were playing with other than our passion for Yelp.

We never once mentioned Notre Dame, or even the fact that we were college kids. We just showed up and jumped right in. We had so much fun in the most random way possible.

Earlier this month, there was another Yelp Elite event at O’Rourke’s. It was a spelling bee hosted by Fireball, and even though I wasn’t able to attend, a bunch of my friends did and had an amazing time.

My friends still make fun of me from time to time, but at the end of the day I know they’re benefiting from my odd hobby.

These Yelp Elite events have added nothing but value to our lives in the last two months, switching up our usual routines and allowing us to meet people we would never have otherwise. Now we’re all eagerly awaiting the announcement of the April Yelp Elite event.

But you don’t have to be Elite to have these same experiences.

Whether you’re volunteering at a homeless shelter, going out to eat or just doing homework at a cafe off campus, I think it’s important to take the time to explore the South Bend community. I wish I had more in the last four years.

Contact Teagan Dillon at tdillon@nd.edu The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily of The Observer.

LETTERs TO THE EDITOR

Response to the Mendoza bubble struggle I felt the need to respond to April 26’s article “Reflection on the Mendoza bubble struggle.”

First off, I have been a custodian for over 30 years. Ten years at Notre Dame. This concerned me and I was very shocked to see the statement that the soap dispensers in Mendoza don’t work. And haven’t in ages. I for one work in Mendoza and have been in this building since March of last year and I assure you my soap dispensers work. I cannot stress the importance of communication. But not to tell someone

because of people don’t want to admit they didn’t wash their hands? I am here because I love my job and I care about everyone’s well-being. Especially the cleanliness of this building.

We all have to communicate. Speak up! We are here to make this a pleasant experience for our students, workers and visitors.

Debra A. Kring custodian April 27

The dreadful 15 There are a couple of uncertain aspects about college that makes it a little scary. How is it going to be living away from home for the first time? How is my new roommate going to be? There are a million possibilities and uncertainties that make starting college both an exciting and scary adventure. And during this time of change, one might find having emotions of excitement and joy combined with anxiousness and fear of the unknown.

Especially if you do not know the answer to an important question for many first year students: Am I going to gain the hated freshman 15?

Before coming to college, so many people warned me about these dreadful 15 pounds that people commonly gain in the first year of college. Therefore, I eagerly and fearfully, planned ahead to avoid them. The plan was easy, eat healthy and go to the gym regularly.

How hard can it be? Well, it didn’t happen. Not even close. I started college and realized that my plan was harder to follow than I thought.

I suddenly felt that gaining weight was inevitable, and forgot about the plan.

A new environment is definitely a trigger for a big weight gain. With an all-you-can eat-buffet, high levels of stress and late night snacks, healthy eating becomes really difficult. Additionally, with the hectic schedules, new people to meet and new activities to be involved in, going to the gym seems to be the last thing on our priorities. Well, sadly, this sounds very similar to my last semester.

The dorm environment in which we live in surely does not make it easier and there are many specific examples of how. With the tentative “FJ’s” on Tuesdays in Ryan where Fr. Joe makes an unimaginable amount of baked goods for students — I am not even in Ryan but having friends there is both a perk and a liability. Not to mention the huge party bags of chips in the Huddle or the Ben and Jerry’s pint of ice cream waiting for you to eat it all. Living on campus surrounded by temptations does not make a healthy lifestyle any easier.

For that reason, I encourage you to face temptation and begin a new path of a healthy college lifestyle. The first step is being aware

that this is the time to start healthy routines that will probably with us in the future and taking the freshman 15 as a lesson. A lesson on how not to channel, stress, boredom and homesickness, but an opportunity for change and improvement. The second step: not getting discouraged if you gained some weight.

Instead, be sure you can fight the unwanted pounds and prevent from gaining more if you really want to. It is not easy, but at least not giving up is a step. At last, the third step is taking action and here are some examples of how it worked for me that could also work for you.

The first recommendation is finding a type of exercise that you really enjoy and commit to it. Maybe even try exercising with friends so that you have some additional support. What I did was sign up for group classes in the gym.

I choose the classes that I like the most, which include dancing and cardio core, and therefore was motivated to go. Not only because I already paid for them, but also because I had no excuse as those were activities that I love.

Additionally, the type of food that you consume is very important as they are the fuel to your body. Therefore, one recommendation is acknowledging how eating healthy does not only ref lect on how you look on the outside, but also how good you feel in the inside. This ref lection helped me in my change of lifestyle, as I realized that if I kept eating high amounts of sugar, I was going to create an unhealthy habit that in the long run could have had very dangerous health consequences. I ref lected on the effect of food in my body and decided that it was time to make some changes and even create healthy habits that can last.

So, this is nothing more than an opportunity for ref lection and change. Think about the choices that you are making in college and the type of lifestyle that those choices are leading to. Do you think that you need some change?

If the answer is yes, then what is your next step?

Manuela Burbano freshman May 1

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7

Speaking intelligently about the female body Sarah Brown Bridging the Gap

Last week, against my best judgement, I wrote a column for The Observer titled “An Attack on Planned Parenthood is an Attack on Women’s Rights.” Even though the article was not about abortion, I was sincerely worried about the personal consequences of publishing it under my name. Primarily, I feared the damage that expressing my support for Planned Parenthood could do to my relationships with conservative friends and family.

However, when a friend pointed out that my hesitation was emblematic of a larger climate of political polarization in America, I finally agreed to publish. While my fears were largely unfounded, the initial fear I felt in expressing a standard Democratic Party platform continued to bother me. My friends know me as an opinionated individual, normally unafraid to express my beliefs, so I had to ask myself what was different about this issue. I do not believe I would have hesitated to publish an equally liberal opinion on immigration, climate change or gun control. My concern therefore was not emblematic of political polarization, but rather the politicization and polarization of female reproductive care.

Unfortunately, my mistake reflected a larger political climate of purposeful misunderstanding on issues of reproductive health. When speaking about abortion in the case of rape, Todd Akin, a Senate nominee from Missouri, replied, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down.”

The female body does not in fact have a way to “shut down” either rape or the resulting pregnancies. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee similarly explained the need for the Republican Party to “wage a war for women to empower them to be something other than victims of their gender.” He continued, “if the Democrats want to insult the women of America by making them

believe that they are helpless without Uncle Sugar coming in and providing for them a prescription each month for birth control because they cannot control their libido or their reproductive system … then so be it.” While I appreciate his confirmation that I am not in fact a victim of womanhood, I question his assumption that limiting access to preventative care will empower women.

Furthermore, the use of birth control in no way demonstrates an inability to control one’s libido and many women use it for medical purposes.

While these are individual, isolated cases, one only has to analyze the prevalence of abstinence-only sex education to observe a systemic attack on reproductive discourse. Since 1982 the federal government has spent over $2 billion to support curriculums that withhold basic information required by teens to make informed decisions on sexual activity. Furthermore, abstinence-only curriculums are ineffective. In a federally-funded study, Mathematica Policy Evidence found that abstinenceonly programs had no effect on sexual abstinence, age of first sexual intercourse, or number of partners.

Furthermore, this withheld information is crucial to addressing the current knowledge gap on reproductive health. A study published by the Guttmacher Institute found that, while 69 percent of young women were committed to preventing unplanned pregnancy, 40 percent believed that using birth control “didn’t matter.” Despite the fact that almost two-thirds of American 18-year-olds have had sexual intercourse, 57 percent of sexually-active women do not received formal instruction on basic birth control methods before having sex for the first time.

Furthermore, studies have illustrated the drastic effects that teenage pregnancy, an obvious effect of inadequate information on birth control, can have on female educational achievement and poverty. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, only half of teen mothers will earn a high school diploma by their 22nd birthday. Teen pregnancy is also closely correlated

with poverty, with 63 percent of teen mothers receiving public assistance in the first year after birth. This cycle of poverty is perpetuated in the next generation. Children of teen mothers are less likely to receive a high school diploma, more likely to enter the welfare state and correctional facilities, and more likely to experience teenage pregnancy themselves. This is even more true for vulnerable populations; half of all young women in the foster care system become pregnant before turning 20.

Increasing access to reproductive care is fundamental to protecting the human rights of women around the country. However, protecting these rights requires talking about them. To ignore current misinformation campaigns is to be complicit in their perpetuation; if the country plans to continue politicizing the female body, it must speak about it intelligently. Conversations about Planned Parenthood, sexual education and female healthcare can be hard, but they cannot be avoided.

Parties can oppose abortion, but they cannot be allowed to systematically attack basic truths about the female body. I made a mistake in hesitating to express my support for Planned Parenthood; but female reproductive care can no longer be taboo in a society valuing female lives.

Sarah Brown is a political science and neuroscience major from Grand County, Colorado. She is a rising senior and will be serving as BridgeND’s president in the fall of 2018. The viewpoints expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of BridgeND as an organization.

BridgeND is a bipartisan student political organization that brings together people from all across the ideological spectrum to discuss public policy issues of national importance. They can be reached at bridgend@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Add some sweet n’ sour sauce Yizhi Hu Cultural Kaleidoscope

I met this person, a Chinese-American, at a career event. He told me that he attended high school in a region that was predominantly Chinese-speaking.

Naturally, the question “Do you speak Chinese?” slipped out of my mouth. With his eyebrows slightly down-turned, he laughed at my question and answered “barely.”

A few weeks later, I browsed his LinkedIn profile, on which he indicated that he had “professional working proficiency” in Mandarin Chinese.

Standards for each category of language proficiency on LinkedIn might be ambiguous, but no one would mistake “barely” for “professional working proficiency.”

I happened to speak with him a few more times, only to realize that “barely” was indeed an understatement — he could throw out basic phrases, just not enough to assemble them into coherent sentences for a conversation.

My curiosity was piqued as I also vaguely sensed his dissociation with China — maybe because he told me more than once that he held an American passport or maybe because he commented that one of our mutual friends’ opinions “sounded Chinese.” Even though my inquisitiveness died out soon, the possibility that he might have exaggerated his fluency in the language of a

region that he disassociated with kept me pondering on the value of language, and even culture.

Against the backdrop of intense competition, exaggerations of cultural competencies are ubiquitous. After all, emotionally-gripping cultural narratives that people may not have experienced and proficiency in languages, even whose culture they consciously distance themselves from, make them appear more human and well-rounded.

“It’s like adding some sweet and sour sauce,” one of my friends said jokingly, “or teriyaki, salsa, whichever suits the taste of the main course.”

Frivolous and benign as these exaggerations might appear to be, I have ambivalent feelings about them.

To many of us, the value of culture and its numerous components is intrinsic. We often hold certain perspectives only to realize later that they might have been informed by our past experiences. Culture transforms us in ways that transcend the lines of rigid descriptions on resumes. But exaggerations of cultural competencies fall into a grey zone, especially when the person uses them solely for personal gain. In this situation, culture no longer has inherent value but is dependent on how many other benefits it could bring about. It becomes instrumental — it becomes a tool.

In sociology, culture is defined as the beliefs and behaviors shared by a group of people. This collectivity adds gravity to culture as it lives through the tide

of time and affirms a community’s shared identity. To disrespect culture and to manipulate it for egoistic gain thus neglects the importance of a group’s history and the inherent value of culture. My grandfather often recounts to me his early adulthood, which coincided with the Cultural Revolution. Every night, he and his coworkers, literate and illiterate, had to attend mandatory study sessions of the Maoist Thought. The richness of Chinese culture was reduced by the government then to a singular ideology, and its art, music, literature, social behaviors and other cultural elements were regulated and manipulated to serve for the furtherance of political goals.

Even though our fudging of culture-related skills on our resumes is not perfectly analogous to a regime’s manipulation of culture, we nonetheless relegate its value and collective gravity to a mere means to an end. We are simply treating culture like “sweet and sour sauce” that can be added to a main course.

But you can rarely find sweet and sour sauce in China — unless you go to KFC. Yizhi Hu is a junior political science and Japanese double major. She hails from Wuhan, China, and lives in Walsh Hall. Yizhi welcomes all comments and can be reached at yhu3@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

@ObserverViewpnt

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DAILY

The observer | wednesday, may 2, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Crossword | Will Shortz

Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: You’ll feel passionate about reaching the goals you set this year.

Your drive and determination coupled with quality performance will not deny you the success you crave. Put your priorities in order and do not deviate from your plans. Your relationships with the people headed your direction will be instrumental in getting the support you need. Your numbers are 9, 13, 20, 27, 38, 41, 46.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Think before you jump into something that may end up limiting you down the road. Listen to good advice, and consider what influence your decisions will have on friends and family. Don’t make choices due to anger or frustration.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): How you treat others will dictate the response you receive when you want something. An open and honest approach to what you are trying to accomplish will help bring people on board, making your objective easier to obtain.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): A problem with a group you are involved with will sprout due to evasive information or misinterpretation. Your charm will help you draw people to your side, but if you cannot deliver what you promise, the support you gain will quickly disperse.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Taking a different approach to your job or how you handle others will improve your popularity. Getting along with others and being willing to compromise and adjust to the way the world is changing around you will alleviate stress and frustration.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You’ll have an interesting encounter or conversation, but don’t be misled by empty promises. Be prepared to go it alone, and if anyone pitches in to help, it will be a bonus. Own what you do and take credit for your accomplishments.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): An emotional problem will surface if you oppose a personal or professional partner. Listen carefully; take care of any unfinished business that might slow the progress you are trying to make. Positive change will require effort and time.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Take care of yourself emotionally, physically and financially. Your relationship with others must be based on equality, not giving in to accommodate others. Keeping the peace can be accomplished, and everyone can maintain equality while doing so. Speak up about what you want to see happen.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Physical changes that you have wanted to make will occupy your mind. Don’t fall for hype regarding a procedure or investment that can do the impossible. Doing proper research will be essential.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Share your feelings with someone you love. The plans you make will bring about positive changes at home. Altering your living space to accommodate a new addition will bring you joy as long as you don’t overspend.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You’ll be given options, and with proper care and consideration, you will find the best route to take in order to satisfy your needs as well as the needs of others. Home improvements and stronger relationships will lead to good fortune.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You’ll be eager to bring about change and to improve your chance to get ahead professionally or financially. Question anyone offering too much or trying to persuade you to take a risk. Invest in yourself, not someone else.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Don’t be tempted by someone using flirtatious means to convince you to get involved in something that isn’t to your benefit.

Look for an opportunity to use what you have to offer; you will get ahead financially.

Birthday Baby: You are entertaining, adventuresome and playful. You are intense and progressive.

WINGin’ it | BAILEE EGAN & Olivia wang

Sudoku | The Mepham Group

Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek

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Don’t forget Wenger’s legacy Daniel O’Boyle Sports Writer

English soccer in 1996 was anything but “The Beautiful Game.”

Many of the best players were visibly unfit; many were known to drink the day before games and pay no attention to their diet; tactics that weren’t a bland take on the classic English 4-4-2 formation were universally rejected and players who weren’t British or Irish were still fairly rare.

Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United aside, no team was close to the top of Europe, and even Ferguson’s team was clearly a step behind true powerhouses like AC Milan of Italy or Ajax of the Netherlands. All of that began change in October of 1996.

Arsenal had been one of the top teams in England but struggled to replace two-time leaguewinning manager George Graham, finishing in the bottom half of the Premier League under Bruce Rioch. They tried something new.

They hired Arsene Wenger.

Wenger wasn’t the first manager from outside of Britain or Ireland in the Premier League, but he embodied the spirit of the rest of Europe more than any prior appointment. Unlike Tottenham’s Ossie Ardilles, Chelsea’s Ruud Gullit or most English managers in the game at the time, Wenger wasn’t a particularly famous player before entering management. In fact, despite a fairly successful spell with Monaco, he was almost completely unknown to English fans who paid little attention to the remainder of the soccer world. All they knew was that his last job had been in Japan, a complete non-entity in global soccer. That was enough to dismiss him.

Even worse, Wenger didn’t have the personality of England’s top managers. He was more quiet, reserved and intelligent. His master’s degree in economics and ability to speak six languages earned him the nickname “Le Professeur.” And he believed that building a good team was about more than picking players and yelling at them.

He brought in previously-foreign concepts of nutrition to English soccer, telling his players to cut out the beers and pork pies in favor of healthier options. In terms of tactics, he believed in patience. Maybe delivering dangerously hard tackles when without the ball and kicking it as far up the field as possible when you have it wasn’t always the best solution.

The players Wenger brought in didn’t help his reputation early

on either. Instead of established English lads who fans had seen before, Wenger looked to his home nation of France to bring in players like midfielder Patrick Vieira.

Yet, just two years later, Wenger had proven that English soccer needed a revolution. His Arsenal team broke the dominance of Manchester United by winning the rare “double” of the Premier League and FA Cup in 1998.

Wenger’s nutritional revolution had allowed an aging defense that grinded out wins in the late ’80s and early ’90s to keep playing at an elite level into their late 30s. His tactics allowed star Dutch forward Dennis Bergkamp, signed under Rioch, to thrive. His own signings, such as Vieira, played a pivotal role, too. That summer, when France won the World Cup with a team that drew heavily from Wenger’s Arsenal team and players he had given debuts to at Monaco, his genius became even clearer.

And pretty soon, England adapted. The next year, Ferguson upped his game, picking up on some of Wenger’s tactical advances and led Manchester United to a Champions League title. The pair engaged in one of the greatest managerial rivalries in soccer history through the early 2000s, as Arsenal won two more titles behind the goals of Thierry Henry — a talented winger Wenger converted into a legendary pure striker. The second of those titles was one of the greatest achievements in soccer, as Arsenal completed the 2003-04 season without defeat.

Maybe you know this.

Wenger’s status as a soccer legend is undeniable to most fans of the sport. But for many who started paying attention to the sport in recent years, it can be easy to forget. For more than a decade, Wenger has provided over an always-good but rarely-great Arsenal team, who couldn’t seem to win another league title. “Wenger Out” became a popular catchphrase for Arsenal fans believing they needed a change.

Over a week ago, Wenger announced he would retire when the season ended. Maybe Arsenal will appoint the right replacement who will inject a new life into the team and have them competing for the Premier League. But no matter what happens, you can’t take away Wenger’s impact on the game.

Continued from page 12

two runs in the sixth inning, four runs in the seventh and three more runs in the eighth to round out its 14-run outing.

The Irish scored those runs on 13 hits — with Podkul, Vierling and Kavadas each notching at least two knocks — and a patient approach at the plate that netted eight walks drawn

by Irish hitters.

But the performances on the mound were nearly as strong as the ones at the plate.

Freshman southpaw Tommy Sheehan started the game for the Irish and threw four innings in which he allowed just four hits and one run — the result of back-to-back twoout doubles by the Broncos in the top of the fourth inning — with two strikeouts in 63 pitches.

“That might have been one of Tommy’s better performances,” Aoki said. “I thought he was in the strike zone. He had the one at-bat against [Broncos freshman right fielder Blake Dunn] that went 10 or 11 pitches, 3-2 counts on probably three or four of those — I think earlier in the year, he loses that guy, and he made him put it in play [and] recorded the out. I thought that was really good. I thought the compete factor there was much better than we had seen earlier in the year.

Then, sophomore righthander Zack Martin came in for four innings of relief and picked up the win, allowing four hits and no runs on an

M Lax Continued from page 12

50-50 ground balls in that game.

That preserved possessions for us, and that got possessions for us out of the face-off game.

That meant our defensive stops turned into possessions at the other end of the field. It just was a great effort by our entire team getting the ball off the ground and clearing and getting it to the other end.”

Among the strong defensive play from the Irish, Corrigan said senior long-stick midfielder John Sexton has notably led the defense on the field.

“John Sexton was outstanding, has been all year,” Corrigan said. “But he’s really hitting his stride right now. Defensively, he is playing great. He is on the ball, and he is as good as it is at getting the ball off the ground. I think our short-stick [defensive midfielders] are doing a great job

efficient 46 pitches.

“Zack, for me, kind of got back to who Zack is — kind of in the strike zone and making people beat him,” Aoki said.

“The past couple of outings, with [Boston College] and Virginia Tech the weekend before, some of the innings that got to him where there’s a walk and a hit batter or something like that — that’s, to me, really not who and what Zack is as a pitcher. So I think seeing him get back to who he was was good to see.”

The Broncos would score three of their four runs in the top of the ninth off of Irish sophomore right-hander Anthony Holubecki, but that proved to be far too little, far too late to get them back in the contest, as Notre Dame eventually recorded the final out for the 14-4 win.

The efficiency with which Sheehan and Martin made their way through eight innings was especially important for Aoki, as he said he plans to have the two in the fold for Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh, as the Irish will

9

prepare for their final home series of the season starting Friday and lasting through Sunday. Looking to keep the momentum going with just seven games left on the schedule, Aoki said pitching will be a major factor this weekend against the Panthers (24-17, 10-11 ACC), with graduate student southpaw Scott Tully set to lead things off Friday when Notre Dame and Pittsburgh square off for the first game of the weekend at 6:05 p.m.

“Hopefully, Tully can create some momentum for us off the mound [Friday],” Aoki said. “When we go in there — obviously with seven games left, all of the games are really important to put us in a position to accomplish some of the things that we wanted to at the outset of the season. So [Tuesday night] was step one, and hopefully we can continue to play going in through the weekend and come out with some good results against [Pittsburgh].”

Contact Ben Padanilam at bpadanil@nd.edu

BRIDGET DONNELLY | The Observer

Irish junior right fielder Eric Gilgenbach swings for a home run during Notre Dame’s 14-4 win over Western Michigan on Tuesday.

now. And that takes a lot of pressure off your defense because people like to pick on the short sticks out there. When they don’t have that advantage of picking on the short sticks, it becomes that much harder to generate offense. [Junior] Drew Schantz, [graduate student] Carlson Milikin, [junior] Timmy Phillips — those guys have been doing a terrific job for us.”

The Irish last played the Black Knights (5-7, 2-6 Patriot) and lost 10-9 in overtime in West Point, New York, last year. Compared to last year’s team going into that game, the Irish are much healthier now and more prepared mentally and physically, Corrigan said.

“We lost in overtime in a game that meant everything to them, and while it meant something to us, it didn’t have the same weight as them,” Corrigan said. “I just don’t think we brought the right intensity in that game. We were banged up, had a couple guys

that were hurt. Right now, we are going the other direction. We are getting healthy as we get to the end of the year, and I like that a lot more than where we were a year ago at this time.”

During practice this week, Corrigan said the team will focus on building from their groundball play, which made them successful the week before.

“I just think [ground-ball play] is such a key to what happens in the game,” Corrigan said. “And it is particularly a key for this team. I think that’s something we have to continue to emphasize and be good at. And that makes everything else easy. It makes possessions easier, everything easier. It’s such a critical part of our game.”

Notre Dame and Army will face off at Arlotta Stadium at 1 p.m. Saturday to cap off the regular season.

Contact Meagan Bens at mbens@nd.edu

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Gordon Continued from page 12

right thing for me. So I just walked into a boxing gym one day, and it turned out to be — it was a boxing gym like 10 minutes away from me — run by a former two-time champion of the world and former fighter of the year.”

It was love at first fight for Gordon. From there on out, he entrenched himself in the world of boxing.

“I instantly fell in love. I’d go at 5 a.m. to the gym, go to school all day, go to track practice, and then go back [to the gym] in the evenings,” he said. “It just clicked.”

It was a match made in heaven. At Notre Dame, Gordon entrenched himself in the boxing club from the very start, participating in Bengal Bouts his freshman year. He would eventually go on to become a captain and president of the club. But it wasn’t easy in the beginning.

“Freshman year is a very different attitude than I have now, in that I was an unknown commodity,” he said. “No one knew who I was. I kind of fed off of that. I didn’t want people to know who I was. I didn’t have access to the gym — I didn’t have a key, I wasn’t a captain. I wasn’t a well-known guy. So I trained in Rolfs pretty much by myself every night. I trained hard.”

The No. 4-seed in the 196-pound division of Bengal Bouts, Gordon went on to defeat a two-time champion and president of the boxing club in a semifinal fight which he said he knew no one gave him a chance to win. He would lose a close fight in the finals to Jack Considine, the incoming president of the boxing club.

The first-year defeat awoke a sleeping dragon, fueling Gordon’s remarkable efforts in the coming years.

“It was a close fight, but I came up a little bit short there,” he said.

“Going out, I was like ‘Hey, I hate losing, don’t want to do it again.’ …

It fed me some fire for the upcoming years.”

Gordon claimed victory in the next three Bengal Bouts tournaments, winning each final fight by unanimous decision.

Now, let’s fast forward to March 2018.

With Bengal Bouts behind him, Gordon headed to Cicero, Illinois, for the 2018 Chicago Golden Gloves, a branch of the nationallyrenowned boxing tournament.

But this was no campus fundraising tournament. It was a different beast.

On March 9, Gordon arrived at Cicero Stadium for the preliminary round of the senior novice heavyweight division. He was thoroughly trained, but he was still a senior in college and a boxer who had picked up the craft in his junior year of high school. Matchups are normally posted for the fighters an hour-and-a-half prior to the fight, but on Gordon’s first night, there was an error, and he was informed of his opponent a mere 30 minutes prior to round one. And what a first opponent it was for Gordon.

“I didn’t know who he was. My buddy looked him up on facebook, turns out he was an MMA fighter with 20 fights, and he had knocked

his last three fighters out in the first 45 seconds,” Gordon said. “The guy was good. He was tough.”

Gordon was in a new world of boxing. Gone were the large rings of Bengal Bouts in the Dahnke Ballroom. Rings of Golden Gloves are half the size, which means more action. Gone were the safetyfocused 16-ounce gloves of Notre Dame’s boxing club. The gloves in Chicago were 12 ounces. And Gordon hadn’t sparred his opponent prior to the fight, as he had in Bengal Bouts. Instead, he said hello to an MMA veteran.

“I didn’t know what to expect, and he came out swinging,” he said. “He caught me a few times, and I was like, ‘Alright, here it is.

We’re in for a fight.’”

Smaller ring, lighter gloves and a mixed-martial-arts champion — a recipe for disaster for most fighters.

Not for Gordon.

“Going into the second round, I switched stances, hit him with a stiff left jab and broke his nose,” he said.

The fight was over, as they couldn’t stop the bleeding.

Gordon also won his next fight by technical knockout (TKO). After that, he claimed victory in the semifinals by split decision.

In the finals, Gordon faced the toughest test of pure boxing he’s had in his career, and for the first two rounds, things didn’t necessarily go as planned.

“He was the best pure boxer I fought,” he said. “I was very much so looking for a knockout, so I was head hunting a little bit, throwing a lot of power hooks. It was neck-andneck on the cards. I probably won the first round, he probably won the second. But it was close. In my corner, [coach] Matt Gelchion said, ‘Get your s--- together, stop head hunting, tighten up, let’s go.’ … I was kind of fighting like a spaz.”

But in the third round, Gordon took care of business, as he has time and time again. He made a plan, and executed it to a tee.

“I snapped out of it in the beginning of the third round,” Gordon said. “I knew immediately what I wanted to do. … One of my favorite combos is like a Mike Tyson combo, where you throw a hook to the body and then shoot an uppercut.

So I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to get him up against the ropes and do that.’”

Gordon did just that, and he won the final fight by TKO. “As soon as he hit the ground, they stopped it,” he said. “It was one of those — as soon as you land it, you knew it was clean and you’re like, ‘OK, it’s over.’”

With that, Gordon claimed the 2018 Chicago Golden Gloves championship, becoming only the second fighter in Notre Dame history to do so.

Pat Gordon is a grinder.

He’s gritty, passionate and his hunger is insatiable.

“Back home, I train in the summer,” he said. “I never really stopped. There was no offseason for me. Lots of hard work and dedication. Everyday, with my coach, we would train for four or five hours.

Grinding, grinding workouts.”

Every day, Gordon is with Gelchion — who works in development at Notre Dame — in the Pit,

grinding out every last bit of every workout. Gelchion was integral to Gordon’s success in Bengal Bouts and beyond; and for him, Gordon said he is thankful.

“He and I have always had a special connection. He’s coached all of my Bengal Bouts fights, all 16 of them,” Gordon said of Gelchion.

“He’s one of my best friends. …

It’s rare to find someone who is just focused on training you, oneon-one. Not only did he do that, but when we’re [working out], he’s there doing every single rep with me so it would suck less. That was awesome. It was a really cool experience to have someone like that, always there for you.”

Behind the scenes of Gordon’s victories, in Bengal Bouts and Golden Gloves, him and Gelchion spent hours upon hours perfecting the craft. Whether it be sprints, long runs, pushups, spars, jump ropes or anything else under the sun, Gordon dedicated himself restlessly outside of the ring. “[Gelchion] called himself ‘Dr. Frankenstein’ because he said he was going to make a monster. He’d make these personalized workouts, [so] every day I’d have a personalized workout made,” Gordon said.

“Because I’m outgoing, I would have guys come in and throw on me,” he said. “I would get the best guys in Bengal Bouts and be like, ‘Hey, could you guys come in for 40 minutes?’ I would bring two or three guys and have them rotate.

I went six or seven rounds, where the first guy would throw on me, stop and then bring in someone fresh, and that guy would throw on me. We’d go like that for six rounds, where I’m going six rounds straight

but they’re fresh everytime. ... All I have to work on is defense.”

And then, just when you think the work would be done, Gordon would get into his cardio.

“Typically, it’s like 8:30 [p.m.] at that point in the night,” he said. “So after that, I’m off to Loftus to run some type of cardio — either longer cardio, five or six miles, or sprints around the track.”

Pat Gordon is selfless.

In his first two years of Bengal Bouts, Gordon was mainly focused on boxing. After working hard in high school, he was determined to win and hone his own skills along the way. But when Gordon came into his junior year as a Bengal Bouts captain, his focus shifted.

“The jump from sophomore to junior year was big for a couple of reasons,” he said. “I was a captain my junior year, so it was more about helping other people develop and less about helping myself develop. I was being more of a leader and taking time out of my day to show guys, ‘Here’s how you throw a jab, here’s how you throw a hook.’”

With this leadership position came the opportunity to get involved in the fundraising mission of Bengal Bouts in Bangladesh.

Gordon didn’t hesitate to do so, and his charity experiences with the boxing club remain dear to him today.

“Going hand in hand with that was the fundraising aspect of Bengal Bouts, which, I’ll admit, freshman and sophomore year was not at the forefront of my mind,” he said. “But then, junior and senior year, it was the No. 1 thing, the most important thing to me. After my junior year, I went to

Bangladesh, which really solidified how important it was.

“There’s a reason why we’re giving our money there. They need it. ... You’re going to live in Bangladesh and help out a place that really needs our help.

Gordon went on to become the president of the boxing club this year, his senior year at Notre Dame.

And with all of the hard work, all that he has dedicated to Bengal Bouts, Gordon has the perspective to truly recognize the profound benefits of the tournament.

“Bengal Bouts is the most Notre Dame thing, the most Notre Dame experience, the most Notre Dame entity that we have at this campus,” Gordon said. “ ... A lot of times, especially when you have a reputation like Notre Dame — constantly chasing a carrot ... it’s easy to get caught up in that. ... Going over to Bangladesh and seeing the benefit firsthand, everyone who participated in Bengal Bouts ... made a difference. They actually made a positive difference in the world. I think that’s just a beautiful thing.”

And Gordon has made a difference in his time at Notre Dame.

Whether it be in the Bengal Bouts record books, the legacy of becoming the second Golden Gloves champion in Notre Dame history or the mission in Bangladesh, Gordon has left his mark on this campus and beyond.

And while one might be able to go on and on about Gordon’s boxing abilities, work ethic or charitable efforts, the one word that sums up his efforts in the sport of boxing with certainty is “champion.”

Contact Connor Mulvena at cmulvena @nd.edu

Sports

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, May 2, 2018 | The Observer

Track

ND Women’s golf

Notre Dame preps for NCAA tourney Observer Sports Staff

The Irish are headed back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2016, as they found out April 25 that they will be the No. 12 seed in the Madison regional. Action is set to take place at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison, Wisconsin, from Monday to Wednesday next week.

This year’s NCAA tournament qualification marks the 10th time under head coach Susan Holt that the Irish have qualified for postseason play and just the 12th time in program history. Of those 11 previous regional appearances, Notre Dame has only advanced to the NCAA championship once, finishing in 22nd place in 2011. 24 teams and 12 individuals will qualify for the championship from regional play, which features 72 teams and 24 individuals between the four regional sites — the other three sites being TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, hosted

by Stanford; University of Texas

Golf Club in Austin, Texas, hosted by Texas; and Don Veller Seminole Golf Course & Club in Tallahassee, Florida, hosted

by Florida State. The NCAA championship is scheduled for May 18-23 at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

The Irish missed the tournament last year for the first time since 2007, snapping what was a nine-year streak at the time. However, junior Emma Albrecht became the second golfer in program history to qualify as an individual entrant for regional play, as Noriko Nakasaki — who qualified as an individual in 2007 — is the only other Irish female to do so. Albrecht went on to tie for 13th place in the Columbus regional, shooting an 8-over-par 224, with her placement ending up as the second-best finish by a Notre Dame women’s golfer in NCAA regional play.

The 12th-seeded Irish will compete at the Madison regional at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison, Wisconsin, starting Monday.

Continued from page 12

put together several strong performances at the Penn Relays as well. Junior distance runner Anna Rohrer — competing in her first track event in 10 months after recovering from a hamstring injury — won the women’s 10,000 meter run with a time of 33:25.24.

Rohrer’s time ranks third in the ACC and ninth nationally in the event so far this season.

At the end of the weekend, Rohrer was named the College Women’s Athlete of the Meet for Individual Events as a result of her efforts.

The Irish women also picked up three top-two finishes in relay events. Junior Kelly Hart and seniors Jordan Shead, Samantha Murray and Jessica Harris competed in the distance medley relay, finishing second with a time of 11:03.71.

In the 4x100-meter relay, Shead combined with junior Kyla Lewis and sophomores Summer Thorpe and Michaela Butler to place second overall with a time of 45.44 seconds.

Thorpe also joined forces with sophomores Grace Cronin, Naya Sharp and Madysen Hunter to take first place in the shuttle hurdles relay. The Irish squad finished with a time of 54.87 seconds.

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On the men’s side, the Irish finished runner-up in the distance medley relay. Graduate student Jacob Dumford, senior Kirk Hansen, junior Zachary Zajdel and freshman Yared Nuguse finished with a time of 9:35.18.

The Irish also sent some of its members to the Gina Relays in Hillsdale, Michigan, over the weekend. Freshman distance runner Annasophia Keller finished runner-up in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Keller’s time of 10:44.11 was a personal record. Junior Rachel DaDamio placed third in the 1,500-meter run, finishing in a season best time of 4:27.81.

Irish senior pentathlete Rachel Rhodes also competed at the Gina Relays. Rhodes has been dealing with some injuries over the past few seasons, and Garnham said he has been very impressed with the determination she has shown.

11

“She’s a senior this year, so it would be awesome if she could score at the conference meet,” he said “She’s just been battling.

I’m super proud of her, and she just gives us everything that she can. Hopefully, she can have a lifetime best ... and score at her last meet. It would be amazing.”

On the men’s side, senior Irish distance runner Kevin Pulliam placed fourth overall in the 10,000-meter run, finishing with a time 31:08.41.

The Irish return to action this Friday at the Billy Hayes Invitational. The meet will take place in Bloomington, Indiana, with competition beginning at 3 p.m. The Billy Hayes Invitational will be Notre Dame’s final competition before the following weekend’s ACC outdoor championships.

Contact Peter Baltes at pbaltes@nd.edu

EMMA FARNAN | The Observer

Graduate student Jacob Dumford, center, races in the Meyo Mile at the Meyo Invitational on Feb. 3. He finished third in the race.

12

The observer | wednesday, May 2, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Baseball | nd 14, western Michigan 4

Notre Dame tops Western Michigan

By BEN PADANILAM Sports Editor

Playing in its second-to-last midweek game of the season, Notre Dame hit four home runs and scored 14 runs against Western Michigan to cruise to a 14-4 win Tuesday night at Frank Eck Stadium.

The Irish (21-24, 10-14 ACC) jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning when junior second baseman Nick Podkul and junior center fielder Matt Vierling hit backto-back home runs with two outs to give the Irish a quick 2-0 lead over the Broncos (18-19, 8-8 MAC). That lead was quickly extended in the bottom of the second inning when freshman third baseman Niko Kavadas led off the inning with a solo shot of his own to put Notre Dame up 3-0. And although the Irish would go scoreless in the third inning and the Broncos would add a run of their own in the top of the fourth, the Irish benefitted from yet another

Boxing

Gordon wins Chicago boxing tournament

home run in the bottom of the fourth when junior right fielder Eric Gilgenbach followed up a Kavadas single with a two-run shot to left field to put Notre Dame up 5-1.

Irish head coach Mik Aoki said the early power display provided a much-needed boost for the team in the game, as the Irish took advantage of a wind blowing out to left field and gave themselves a cushion they would not relinquish in the game.

“It was good. Obviously the conditions were conducive to it with the wind blowing out some ... but it was good,” Aoki said. “It’s always good to score first — kind of loosens it up a little bit, let’s us play from in front a little bit. I’m not sure that there’s a sport in existence that it’s not better to be playing from in front than behind.”

And the Irish would continue to extend the gap by which they were out front, scoring see BASEBALL PAGE 9

By CONNOR MULVENA Associate Sports Editor

If you talk to Pat Gordon, it doesn’t take long to realize what kind of person he is.

Pat Gordon is a boxer, and an excellent one at that.

Photo Courtesy of Pat Gordon

Senior Pat Gordon celebrates after winning the Chicago Golden Gloves amateur boxing tournament on April 13.

see GORDON PAGE 10

Track & Field | Penn relays; Gina relays

Men’s Lacrosse

Squad prepares to host Army for last home game

Richartz, Rohrer key Irish success

By MEAGAN BENS

By PETER BALTES

Sports Writer

Sports Writer

After being crowned the ACC champion with its 17-7 victory over No. 10 Virginia this past Sunday, No. 8 Notre Dame will host Army on Saturday for its last regular-season home game.

The Irish (8-5, 1-3 ACC) had an explosive offense showing Sunday, as six different players registered multiple goals against Virginia (12-5, 1-3 ACC) for a season-high scoring output.

Additionally, the Irish defense locked down the Cavaliers’ attack and limited it to seven goals, tied for the fewest the squad has scored all season — the other time being Notre Dame’s 9-7 win over the Cavaliers on March 17. Heading into the last home game, Irish head coach Kevin Corrigan said the team is focusing on building from last weekend.

“The biggest thing in that game, and the whole weekend, was our ground ball play,” Corrigan said. “We won the

Several Irish athletes had a strong showing at the Penn Relays this past weekend, placing highly and dropping their times in numerous events. The meet — which is held annually at Ben Franklin Field in Philadelphia — is known for bringing together top athletes from around the country and around the world.

Irish jumps coach Jim Garnham said the meet’s atmosphere is unique and electric.

“It’s an experience like no other,” Garnham said. “Fortyeight-thousand people on Saturday, screaming, yelling, watching a track meet. It’s pretty amazing. ... The college kids here don’t [usually] get to partake in something like that. You do that overseas. You go to a meet with 100,000 people watching. ... But here, you don’t get anything like that, so it’s awesome for the kids to be there.”

see M LAX PAGE 9

Gordon, a Notre Dame senior, has proven that time and time again here at Notre Dame, claiming three-consecutive Bengal Bouts championships in his sophomore, junior and senior years. And he proved it once again this March on a national stage.

Rewind to Gordon’s junior year of high school. He was a kid who needed an outlet, as many people do during trying times in life. And he fortunately stumbled upon boxing.

“My mom passed away, and I was looking for an outlet,” Gordon said. “I thought about joining the military. Dad thought maybe that’s not the

chris collins | The Observer

Irish graduate student midfielder Carlson Milikin follows a dodging opponent during Notre Dame’s 8-2 loss to Duke on April 7.

The Irish jumpers were able to put together some strong performances over the weekend. Junior Matthew Birzer placed sixth in the men’s high jump after clearing the bar at 2.08 meters. Graduate student Nathan Richartz placed first in the pole vault in his sixth consecutive meet, clearing 5.40 meters in the process — topping his mark of 5.30 meters from last year — to remain unbeaten this spring season.

Garnham said he has been very pleased to see Richartz’s progress this year and is very excited to see his performance in the postseason.

“It’s been awesome,” he said. “He’s one of the top-four guys in the country, so it’s going to be tough for him to go to a meet and get beat, but ... he’s jumped against some of the best guys in the country as well. … It’s been exciting; he’s going to be missed next year, I can tell you that.”

Notre Dame’s track athletes see TRACK PAGE 11