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Volume 52, Issue 123 | monday, april 30, 2018| ndsmcobserver.com
ND, SMC evaluate financial aid resources Institutions look to offer greater assistance for low socioeconomic students, attract more applicants By NATALIE WEBER and JORDAN COCKRUM News Editor and Saint Mary’s Editor
Editor’s note: This is the first part in a series exploring the experiences of low socioeconomic students at Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s. From 2001 to 2014, the percentage of Pell Grant recipients at Notre Dame increased from 8 percent to 11 percent of the student body. At Saint Mary’s, the percentage of Pell Grant recipients decreased from 25 percent in 2009 to between 22 and 23 percent in 2018. Pell Grant recipients are awarded a federal scholarship based on financial need, and colleges often use the percentage of Pell students to measure the number of low socioeconomic status students enrolled.
Don Bishop, associate vice president of undergraduate enrollment, said while Notre Dame’s percentage increased at the same rate as its peer institutions, the University still lags behind in enrollment of low-socioeconomic status students. “The numbers are the numbers and while we can show we’re growing, we’re not up to most of the other schools yet,” Bishop said. “Why aren’t [we] there now? It takes time. Do [we] mean to get up there? Yes.” The University is a need-blind admission school, meaning it does not consider a student’s financial background during the admissions process. In 2010, the University implemented an “enrollment management model” to
SMC YAF hosts discussion on civil discourse By JORDAN COCKRUM and MARIA LEONTARAS Saint Mary’s Editor and Associate Saint Mary’s Editor
In the weeks leading up to the April 12 “Gun Rights are Women’s Rights” event organized by the Saint Mar y’s chapter of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF), differing perspectives on the issue of gun rights emerged in a ver y visual way: vandalism
Graphic by Claire Kopischke
see LSE PAGE 3
of the pre-approved advertisements strewn across campus. W hether it be through tearing the posters down, w riting v ulgar comments on the f lyers or reporting discomfort to the College, some students vocalized their objections to the occasion through a variety of methods. see YAF PAGE 4
Conference highlights gender study research By MAEVE FILBIN and ANDREW CAMERON News Writers
The Gender and Women’s Studies Departments from Notre Dame, Saint Mar y’s and Indiana UniversitySouth Bend hosted the third biennial Midwest Undergraduate Research Conference in Gender Studies, themed “New Directions in Gender Studies,” Friday and Saturday in McKenna Hall. The conference featured
12 panels of 43 students who presented on political representation, feminism, marriage, identity and performativity, body image, media and culture, science and technolog y, policymaking and other research areas related to gender relations. The occasion also included an alumni panel and reception, as well as a keynote address from Ntozake Shange, a playwright and poet, as part of the InterAction Community Theatre for Social Justice
Action conference. Saint Mar y’s senior Taylor Thomas presented on the histor y and interpretations of the Sapphire stereotype, other wise known as “the angr y, black woman” stereotype. Titled “Warped Images: The Sapphire and Relationship Abuse in the African-American Community,” Thomas’s presentation explored the media portrayal of the Sapphire stereotype and see CONFERENCE PAGE 3
Saint Mary’s chemist elected to council Saint Mary’s chemistry professor Toni Barstis was selected as one of eight new councilors for the chemistry division of the Council of Undergraduate Research (CUR), a press release Friday said. Chemists from private liberal arts colleges founded CUR in 1987
to facilitate information-sharing about faculty research, the release said. “This is a testament to the level of scientific research undertaken at Saint Mary’s,” Barstis said of her election as a councilor in the release. “I am grateful for the support of colleagues, administrators and the talented, enthusiastic students
for making this honor possible.” Barstis’ research oversees the College’s five-year dual degree engineering program and heads Saint Mary’s Paper Analytical Devices (PADs) Project, which aims to create “simple, inexpensive, paperbased tests to screen for low quality pharmaceuticals and contaminated food and water,” according to
the release. Over 100 students have been involved in the PADS project and are working to develop technology to improve health care in developing nations, the release said. Provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs Nancy Nekvasil said Barstis was renowned for her research.
“Toni is highly regarded both on campus and in the wider research community for her cutting-edge contributions to the improvement of health and welfare for people around the world,” Nekvasil said in the release. “Her commitment to teaching inspires our students to join her in becoming world-class problem solvers.’’
scene PAGE 5
viewpoint PAGE 6
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bookstore PAGE 12
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Junior Class Council members host a fundraiser on South Quad for the Notre Dame Veterans Fund on Sunday afternoon. The event, a field day-style spring celebration, included inflatable slides, obstacle courses and snacks for people to enjoy.
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Exhibit: “Defend Your Online Privacy” Hesburgh Library 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Part of Choose Privacy week.
Knight-Hennessy Scholars at Stanford University Information Session 141 DeBartolo Hall 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
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.
Panel: “Autism in Television and Film” W210 Duncan Student Center 7 p.m. Open to the public.
Concert: Notre Dame Jazz Band Leighton Concert Hall 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. Tickets available online.
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.
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Conference Continued from page 1
its effect on younger generations through intimate partner violence. Thomas said she is very passionate about both African American studies and efforts to counter stereotyping and prejudice. “My goal for all the research I do on black men and women is [to] combat the many stereotypes applied to them and help create new narratives,” Thomas said in an email. “Furthermore, I hope to inspire the people who heard my presentation to analyze the media they take in and to critique it publicly [by telling] those in power, loud and clear, representation matters.” Studying gender relations is important because women, especially women of color, are more likely to experience physical violence than men, Thomas said. Through her research, Thomas said she analyzed the statistics surrounding gender relations, such as the wage gap between male and female workers, as well as the violence directed toward LGBTQ youth. “Americans like to think that we are so far beyond the times of racial discrimination and women’s suffrage, but the truth is that we still face many of the same issues — just in different ways,” Thomas said. “We never actually solved the problems of the past, we just found
LSE Continued from page 1
recruit a more diverse pool of applicants and attract those who might otherwise feel that the University was out of their reach, Bishop said. “We put a high priority on lowincome or U.S. students of color or first [generation students], because those are not the natural groups that, even [in their] junior or senior year, assume that they should apply to a top-end school,” Bishop said. “You have to be more inviting, you have to get out there and contact them more.” As part of its efforts, Bishop said the University pairs with a number of Community Based Organizations (CBO’s), such as QuestBridge, Cristo Rey and KIPP, to identify and attract students. Sophomore and QuestBridge liaison Eric Kim said he first discovered Notre Dame through QuestBridge, an organization that
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Band-Aid solutions. Gender relations and gender studies asks us to look deeper. In the same way you must remove the root of a weed to be completely rid of it, you must do the same to problems in our current world.” Saint Mary’s sophomore Katherine Wankelman said she titled her presentation “‘Who Tells Your Story?’: Lin Manuel Miranda’s Color-Conscious Casting and the Women of ‘Hamilton’” because of its focus on the implications of the renderings of gender and race in Miranda’s hit Broadway production “Hamilton.” Miranda provides his audiences with commentary that invites them to reconsider the ways they have learned and engaged with the history of the United States through the lens of gender and race, Wankelman said. “The telling of our history is predominantly white-centric and androcentric, and that is problematic for a number of reasons,” Wankelman said in an email. “Too often, we think that history can be considered outside of race and gender, merely perpetuating the cultural norms of whiteness and maleness. Therefore, if we … remove race and gender from history, we are excluding a number of important voices from the narrative.” Miranda’s purposeful manner in which he presents the constructs of race and gender to his audiences is especially evident in his color-conscious casting and the
dialogue of “Hamilton” character Eliza Schuyler, Wankelman said. Through her research, Wankelman found the version of history most often taught and analyzed excludes people of color and women — both by chance and purposeful omission. The cultural phenomenon of “Hamilton” cultivated an enormous fan base, she said, allowing for the important, widespread reception of the inclusive renderings of race and gender. “I think it is important to think critically about the media and aspects of pop culture that we engage with and acknowledge where they may or may not be problematic in the ways they discuss various social constructs,” Wankelman said. “The media we consume has an influence on the way that we see the world, and no one is truly immune from this. Therefore, we must carefully consider what ideas the media … [perpetuate], such as gender binary and gendered norms.” Gender and women’s studies highlight the intersectionality between race and gender issues, which could lead to greater success for feminist movements like the Women’s March, Wankelman noted. The research of topics like race and gender can push people to consider those who are excluded from the narrative of history, she said, and empower others with the tools necessary to make effective and lasting change for the future. “The way we engage with gender,
be it our gender or someone else’s, is so contingent on our understanding and education,” Wankelman said. “Gender is something that we are surrounded with every day, and that necessitates a conversation coupled with education.” Notre Dame senior Liam Maher presented on his thesis, which he said discusses “the performativity of gender and how [drag artists] turn it into an art form.” Despite being nervous about public speaking, Maher said the discussion was “a fantastic experience.” “Especially since I plan to go into academia after graduating, it was a really great experience for me to practice presenting my research, talking about it with other people and workshopping with other people about their research to try to relate it to wider trends in different fields,” Maher said. “It was a lot of fun — super causal and lowkey, but a lot of cool topics were discussed. … It was really great to see people from all these different academic institutions able to get together and really be able to talk and relax and have fun.” Maher said he believes the status of gender relations at Notre Dame makes the topic especially important for students. “Notre Dame kind of has a funky gender relations dynamic, which you find out really quickly when you go anywhere else in the country or even out into South Bend,” he said. “I think it’s really important
that Notre Dame hosts conferences like this that talk about these gender issues and historical trends of gender relations and gender itself. In future years I’d like to see it grow into an even bigger event that gets more of the Notre Dame community involved, because a lot of the topics that were discussed were just so cool and I wish more people could have heard them.” Notre Dame senior Taylor Still’s presentation of her thesis, “‘Chi rappresenta noi?’ [‘Who represents us?’]: What it means to act in the interest of women from Italy and the United States,” focused on issues of citizenship and the treatment of Italian-American women, Still said. “As a first-time presenter, I was pretty nervous going in, but it was such a welcoming environment and it was awesome to see how interdisciplinary everything was,” she said. “I think people tend to think of gender studies as insular, but that’s not the case at all. It was great to see everyone enter into the conversation and try to make connections between each other, even between the days. I think it was evidence that there was a lot of authentic listening going on — people trying to constructively learn from each other.”
partners with schools who provide financial aid packages to low-socioeconomic status students. “There are approximately 40 partner colleges, which means they will offer a financial package or scholarship that resembles a full ride,” Kim said. “Notre Dame is on that list, which is how I found out about the school. Not to generalize, but a lot of the scholars have not heard about Notre Dame when they apply, so it’s never on our radar, whether it’s because we’re not good enough, it’s not in our culture [or] we live in a family that hasn’t been exposed to Notre Dame, such as myself.” While QuestBridge does not provide any aid towards student tuition, it helps connect low-socioeconomic status students with the resources they need, Kim said. Kim described QuestBridge’s senior year program as “a long, arduous application process.” Students first complete a QuestBridge application, and the organization
selects a pool of finalists. As finalists, students can choose up to 12 colleges from QuestBridge’s partner schools, and apply to be matched with the schools through QuestBridge. “If you get matched, you get a financial aid package that resembles a full ride, plus a stipend, depending on the college,” Kim said. “A few students here have stipends so they can go back home. It really depends on the financial aid office at each school. If you get matched with multiple schools, that’s where their ranking system comes in. … The match process is a binding one to the highest-ranking one you’re matched with.” Bishop said the University has also focused on its financial aid, increasing its aid budget by 44 percent over the past seven years. In the 2017-2018 school year, 99 percent of Saint Mary’s students received some sort of financial aid from the College. Beginning in 2018, 100 percent of incoming students will receive some financial assistance, Saint Mary’s director of financial aid Kathleen Brown said. “In the past, not every student would receive a merit scholarship, but beginning this past year admission changed how they award scholarships and now every admitted student receives some type of award from the admission office,” Brown said. “So that award is not based on need, that’s based on a combination of their high school curriculum, their GPA, and their test score on either the ACT or SAT.” Brown said she encourages students to apply for small and local scholarships to aid them in financing their education. “There are a lot of free
scholarship searches on the Internet, but because they’re on the Internet everyone in the world is applying for them and often the small local ones that perhaps don’t post their scholarships on the Internet — perhaps they don’t have the tech savvy to do so — they have a much smaller applicant pool and students have much better odds of winning them,” Brown said. Although finding local scholarships can be difficult for students, Brown said she recommends students speak with high school guidance counselors for information on locating them. “A lot of high schools have award ceremonies right before graduation, where the high school counselor will collect information where all of their high school seniors have won scholarships,” Brown said. “So if a student goes back to that counselor, that counselor usually knows what organizations have given students scholarships.” An additional resource Brown feels Saint Mary’s students should be aware of, she said, is the emergency fund for personal needs. “[The emergency fund] is for financial emergencies not related to paying your bill at Saint Mary’s,” Brown said. “Any student that is having any sort of a personal emergency that they feel they need funding for should go to Karen Johnson to see if she might be able to help them with some of that funding.” To further increase the number of low-socioeconomic students at Notre Dame, Bishop said the University is working to create a $1 billion endowment to fund student scholarships. Currently, the University would need to raise approximately $300 million in
endowment to increase the percentage of students with incomes below $60,000 from 11 percent to over 15 percent, Bishop said. To raise that figure to 20 percent, the University would need to raise $700 million in endowment. To date, the University has raised over $580 million in pledges. However, Bishop said, this does not mean all the money is available. “Some of that money has been raised and received and it’s given us more money to fund,” Bishop said. “Others are promises that, over a period of time, that donor has identified when the money will be given … so it’s in all different levels of readiness to help fund.” Bishop said the University does not currently have the funds to increase the number of low-socioeconomic status students as quickly as schools like Princeton University, which increased its Pell student enrollment from 7 percent to 23 percent between 2001 and this year. However, Bishop said he remains optimistic when considering Notre Dame’s progress. “Do we have all the money right now, lined up, to be as aggressive as Princeton and the other schools? No, we do not,” he said. “Are we getting more money each year? Yes. Do we need to show progress each year and report it? Yes. And then you guys can judge each year if we’re making enough progress or not.” Senior News Writer Megan Valley and News Writer Mary Bernard contributed to this story.
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YAF Continued from page 1
The event featured Antonia Okafor, founder and president of EmPOWERed, who spoke to the Saint Mar y’s community regarding her views on gun rights. EmPOW ERed advocates for concealed carr y on college campuses as a method of self-defense for women, according to Okafor’s website. Freshman Cecelia Klimek said she saw advertising for the event on Facebook and throughout campus, and her discomfort led to her reaching out to vice president of student affairs Karen Johnson. Klimek said she had many qualms with the event, the most immediate being its contradiction with her interpretation of Catholic teachings. “My issue was if you’re going to say you’re a pro-life college, then you have to enforce that in ever y aspect,” she said. “You can’t pick and choose which controversial issues you’re going to allow speakers to come and speak about. They would never allow a pro-choice speaker to come to campus because it’s against Catholic teaching, but they’re going to allow someone who advocates for the AR-15 rif le which literally shreds your organs. It results in a loss of life.” Though Klimek did not see the event as aligning with Catholic traditions, Johnson said the College examines its educational value in the approval process for all speakers. “We are guided by our values as an institution of higher learning and our Catholic tradition to choose speakers that foster the open and civil exchange of ideas,” Johnson said in an email. “This does not mean that the College endorses the speaker or his [or] her content, but rather believes that the sharing of diverse ideas and opinions leads to greater opportunity for discourse and learning.” W hile Klimek understands the benefit of sharing multiple points of view, she said she still felt the College should have used more discretion in the handling of such a sensitive topic. “I was just ver y disappointed in how the administration handled it,” Klimek said. “I don’t blame the club because they have their right to speak their truth. That’s totally fine, and that’s why we have clubs on campus.” Justice studies and philosophy professor Andrew Pierce said it is important to acknowledge both the difficulty some feel in expressing their views and the advantages of engaging with a variety of perspectives. “It’s important to be able to hear and react to opinions
that you disagree with,” Pierce said. “If someone were to go through their whole college or university education without being confronted with ideas that they disagree with, that would be problematic. They would be missing something important there.” Senior Clare McKinney, YAF’s president, said she advocates for discussion between people of opposing viewpoints, rather than making assumptions. “If you actually talk to people, maybe you would see that there is actual personal experiences that make people think the way they do,” McKinney said. “I just think people are so prone to just stereotyping and generalizing on both sides of the political spectrum. So many people think I’m crazy, but I just wish that they would talk to me. I’ve heard girls openly say things, like in hallways or just in school, and they’ll say I’m a racist. My husband’s Cambodian, and I just wish people would talk to me and see that I’m not some crazy person. I just am really passionate about what I believe in because I think it’s the best way to help our society.” Along with participating in these discussions, McKinney said students should be more willing to listen to the other side. In the case of the “Guns Rights are Women’s Rights” occasion, she said she felt higher attendance would have defused the situation. “I would have wished that more girls did come who didn’t agree, because then they could come, hear what Antonia had to say and they might have learned something new,” McKinney said. “They might have shifted their perspective. Or, they could have been like, ‘Oh my God this is insane, I am more hard-lined in what I believe.’ But I feel like by ripping down the posters and not going, you are not allowing yourself to have that experience and to have that personal growth.” After approaching the administration with her frustrations, Klimek said she and professors with views different from Okafor’s decided to attend the event and ask questions to understand the other side’s point of view. “It was definitely hard to go into, but I was definitely glad I went in the end because I got some perspective and I felt more validated in my own beliefs and in what the College upholds as a Catholic institution, much more so after the presentation than before,” Klimek said. On October 29, 2015, Feminists United organized a display to present information on other services Planned Parenthood provides outside of abortion.
McKinney said this event alone provided a year’s worth of controversy between differing points of view, but now she feels that level of controversy is more frequent. “[The Planned Parenthood display] caused a lot of problems, but that was the one incident for the whole year,” McKinney said. “That was the one tense thing between ideologies, where I feel like now there’s something ever y month where people are just getting really upset. And they don’t really want to talk about it, they just want to make it not happen.” McKinney said she has been making an effort to reach out and involve different organizations in YAF events by reaching out to those she feels would be interested. However, McKinney said she encountered difficulties throughout these attempts. “No one got back to me — so I feel like I’m tr ying and I’m tr ying, and nothing,” she said. Klimek also recognizes this lack of communication and said she hopes to see more discourse in the future. “I hope for future reference that next time a controversial speaker comes to campus — on the Saint Mar y’s students’ part — that we engage in more discourse about this, and we all share our opinions,” Klimek said. “If we don’t speak out about this, then one club is allowed
Photo Courtesy of Claire McKinney
A poster for the “Gun Rights are Women’s Rights” event sponsored by Young Americans for Freedom was vandalized as an act of protest.
to display their agenda all over campus, and the rest of us are silenced by our passiveness.” Although a college setting may allow for the avoidance of practicing civil discourse, knowing how to engage in these types of conversations is a skill students will need after college, Pierce said. “I suppose it’s possible to avoid [civil discourse] in this sort of bubble of a college or university, but it’s really not possible to avoid it in the world,” Pierce Paid Advertisement
said. “You know, after people graduate and go out into the world they are going to have to sort of wrestle with these ideas and hopefully wrestle with them in a productive way that doesn’t just shut out everyone that disagrees, but actually finds a way to negotiate those differences and those disagreements.” Contact Jordan Cockrum at jcockrum01@saintmarys.edu and Maria Leontaras at mleontaras01@saintmarys. edu
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The observer | monday, april 30, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
By CARLOS De LOERA Scene Writer
You never know where you’ll find the best food. When I was 10 years old, my family made the twohour trip from Los Angeles down to Tijuana, Mexico to visit my grandpa. I had made this trip with enough frequency to know that the day would be spent walking around the city eating tacos and Mazapanes de Cacahuate, only to end with me sitting in the car for three miserable hours just to cross back into the U.S. However, this trip was a bit different. When my family arrived at my grandpa’s house, I was informed that we would be eating at a Chinese restaurant that night. I was confused, not to mention apprehensive. Chinese food in Mexico? After some convincing from my mom, I put down my walls, opened up my mouth and tried the food. It was so good. To this day, I still claim the best Chinese meal I’ve ever had was that night in Tijuana. I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t mind the car line at the U.S. border. Okay, that’s a lie. I still hated the ride back, but at least my little tummy was satisfied. So, when two of my friends told me about a really good Thai restaurant in South Bend, I had a quick second of skepticism before recalling my Mexican Chinese food experience. My older brother introduced me to Thai food years earlier and I enjoyed
By MOLLY CHEN Scene Writer
If you had to describe the newest album from Unknown Mortal Orchestra (UMO) in three words, they would be fuzzy, funky and dark. After years of distinctive psychedelic rock, the New Zealand group released “Sex & Food,” the band’s fourth full-length album that manages to maintain the characteristic, buzzing lo-fi sound that grabbed listeners’ attention from UMO’s beginning while taking steps in bold, new directions. The album kicks off with “A God Called Hubris,” a 41-second introduction featuring only a steady beat and blurred baseline that lead perfectly into the record’s proper beginning, “Major League Chemicals.” While the riff-heavy track seems to set the stage for a collection that will be unlike anything we’ve heard from UMO before, the band starts to lean toward their familiar style in “Ministry of Alienation.” A relaxed pulse and loose, wavering guitar prime listeners for songwriter, guitarist and singer Ruban Nielson’s instantly recognizable, distant vocals delivering disaffected lyrics like “my thinking is done by your machine / can’t escape the 20th century.” A brief saxophone solo introduces itself just 10 seconds before the song ends, where it’s choked off as quickly as it was established. “Hunnybee” follows, hovering somewhere between rhythm and blues (R&B) and disco as Nielson recites lyrics written for his seven-year-old daughter — “Hunnybee, there’s no such thing as sweeter a sting.” Nodding toward fan-favorite “Multi-Love” with tight, rhythmic violin and disco-inspired beats, it’s one of the record’s strongest and most listened-to tracks. However, things start to get darker at the album’s brief fifth song, “Chronos Feasts on His
it, so I was coming in with high standards — or so I thought. Cambodian Thai easily surpassed my standards and expectations. I ordered the pad see ew. I’m pretty sure my life peaked at that moment. Now I recommend this restaurant any time my friends want to eat out. I love it. In an interview, Sonita Kham explained the rich history of her family’s establishment. Kham wears many hats at the restaurant, working as host, waiter and cook. Cambodian Thai is the product of the hard work of Kham’s parents, Sokunthea and Vanny Kham. Her mother, Sokunthea, is originally from Cambodia and learned to cook Thai food while in a refugee camp in Thailand during the Cambodian genocide of the late 1970s. Both Sokunthea and Vanny — Sonita’s father, also from Cambodia — relocated to Chicago and met while in high school there. The two originally opened a restaurant in Chicago, but weren’t able to make enough money and went out of business. They then relocated to South Bend, where Sokunthea worked as a chef at Notre Dame’s North Dining Hall. However, the always-ambitious Sokunthea felt called to open up her own restaurant. She left her job at Notre Dame and opened up the original Cambodian Thai in 2005. The original location sat only about 22 people. After seven years, the family took a chance and moved to their current home on Michigan Street in 2013. They felt confident with this decision because of the faith
they had in the quality of their food. “All of our food is homemade,” the younger Kham said. “All of our sauces are made in house. We pride ourselves in fresh, flavorful food … it’s just our little twist on Thai cuisine with a mix of my mom’s little touches.” These are qualities that truly come through in each dish. After eating a plate of pad see ew or some curry, you feel comfortably full as opposed to grossly stuffed. The Khams have these plates down to a science. Earlier this year, the restaurant was renovated to “feel more open and airy,” Kham said. Before the building on Michigan Street housed Cambodian Thai, it was a bar and later a diner. Kham noted that “I wasn’t going for [an] expensive [look] so that I could put my prices high … I just wanted to get rid of the disgusting carpet.” Since renovating, she constantly receives compliments on the new hardwood floors and overall modern look of the restaurant’s interior. Above all else, Kham wants people to know that Cambodian Thai is a family business. “The staff is about 10 people — my mom, dad and brother are [in the kitchen] everyday … and everything is made to order,” Kham said. She hopes that “people will enjoy our food that we work so hard for … we love when people love your food and when they keep coming back.” Come back I shall. So should you.
Children,” presenting only a plucked electric guitar and Nielson’s familiar but somehow unsettling harmonies as he sings “Chronos feasts on his children like turning mango flesh / will the trouble cease when she pays off the police?” After this turnaround, we hear a return to the heavy guitar that opened the record up in the next song, “American Guilt.” Although its early release undoubtedly heightened anticipation for “Sex & Food,” this decision prepared listeners for an album that would be packed with the dense guitar and howling vocals that make the track so exciting — but “American Guilt” remains more of an exception than a rule. While showing clear steps in a different direction, the song is one of the least conventional-UMO-sounding tracks on the album, but is still arguably one of the greatest. “The Internet of Love (That Way)” serves as the album’s unsung jam — R&B-influenced with a simple backing beat, groovy guitar and lyrics like “only you could love me that way,” the song feels like a mix of heartbreak and commemoration of love over the internet. Things abruptly shift from smooth to upbeat and danceable with “Everyone Acts Crazy Nowadays,” appropriately named for its driving beat, effects-laden vocals and unexpected turns. Synthesizers oscillate between bubbly and hectic before an unexpected violin closes the song, and “Sex & Food” goes back to feeling dark and unsettling with “This Doomsday.” Led with an acoustic guitar and familiar, whispered vocals, Nielson hints at looming darkness as he chants, “God’s face was so big on that day / Lord don’t let me get bored Sunday / Left with a million things to say / Left me on this doomsday.” Things pick up again with dizzying, falsetto-led “How Many Zeros,” and begin to wrap up with “Not in Love We’re Just High.” Beginning with unnerving, glitching noise before introducing a paced, even synth, the Prince-tinged
track is especially memorable. The lyrics are difficult to make out in some places, as Nielson’s vocals are cut short and backed by a simple beat that works to create an atmospheric sort of washed-out feeling that accompanies lyrics about romantic inabilities. The final track, “If You’re Going to Break Yourself,” is a drowsy rock ballad filled with soothingly smooth guitar and satisfying bass. “Sex & Food” is overall enjoyable, but difficult to nail down. While some parts of the album are so new they’re next-to unrecognizable, others linger dangerously close to forgettable due to their familiarity. Regardless, all of the tracks come together to leave listeners feeling somewhat tired and waiting for a breakthrough of meaning that we never quite reach. The album is haunting in some ways, and demands attention from long-time fans and new listeners alike in ways that only UMO can. Still, Unknown Mortal Orchestra never fails to impress as they continue to bring contemporary issues to listeners’ attention and bend the rules of genre.
Contact Carlos De Loera at cdeloera@nd.edu
Contact Molly Chen at mchen5@nd.edu
“Sex & Food” Unknown Mortal Orchestra Label: Jagjaguwar Tracks: “Hunnybee,” “American Guilt” If you like: Foxygen, DIIV, Tame Impala
CLAIRE KOPISCHKE | The Observer
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The observer | monday, april 30, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
Inside Column
Pick study abroad over football Tom Naatz Associate News Editor
I haven’t missed a home football game in my two years at Notre Dame, nor have I left any games early. I’m a fiercely loyal sports fan who loves Notre Dame football. Nevertheless, last November game days felt like a bit of a hassle. To be fair, I neither drink nor particularly enjoy tailgating, and my legs aren’t as strong as they were in my high school cross country days. Though I was thrilled Notre Dame was winning, I wasn’t sure the blowout games were worth the cold, driving rain that defined the end of the season. This time in my life coincided with my study abroad applications. Owing to my (undiagnosed) Seasonal Affective Disorder and general love of fall, Thanksgiving and Christmas season, I elected to apply to a spring semester program. But when filling out the application, I didn’t hesitate to check the box indicating that I was willing to go abroad either semester if need be. Some fellow applicants I know didn’t check that box. The reason? The football season with which I was disillusioned. Studying abroad is one of the only times in your life where you get to spend four months in an exotic environment with all of your basic needs taken care of. But it’s not just a vacation, it’s a chance to expand your horizons. It’s impossible to grasp historical calamities, like World War I or the Holocaust, without seeing where they took place. Notre Dame’s mission statement speaks of a desire to “create a sense of human solidarity and concern for the common good that will bear fruit as learning becomes service to justice.” Human solidarity is impossible to cultivate without exposure to other cultures. Football is a great way to have fun and bond with the Notre Dame community. I don’t think it should come at the expense of an amazing opportunity such as study abroad. There are practical considerations on this point. We haven’t won a national championship in 30 years: The chance that your junior season is the season is (sadly) slim. The season might actually go really poorly on the field. Or, you might just get bored with it. Philosophically, study abroad has some built-in dimensions that football games lack: Namely, the opportunity to break out of the bubble that the average Notre Dame student (white, Catholic and middle class) inhabits. Being a force for good in the world requires a familiarity with the world. One frustration I have when I talk to non-Notre Dame students about Notre Dame is the University’s stubborn reputation as a “football school.” People don’t seem to grasp that we’re a lot more than that. A Notre Dame priest discovered the formula for synthetic rubber. Notre Dame students once faced off against the KKK in South Bend. Our former president was the architect of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. There are countless examples of the school’s cultural and intellectual prestige, but this side of our reputation often gets swallowed up by football tradition. I love football season. It’s a unique part of the Notre Dame experience. But it’s just a part, not the whole experience. So, if you’re applying to go abroad, please check the “either semester” box, even if you would prefer to go in the spring. Studying abroad is an experience you’ll never forget; it has the potential to reshape your entire worldview. Plus, you’ll be back on campus in time for your senior season. Contact Tom Naatz at tnaatz@nd.edu The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Three years too late This past Thursday, University President Fr. John Jenkins issued a statement responding to the conviction of comedian and actor Bill Cosby on three counts of sexual assault. Cosby was awarded an honorary degree from Notre Dame in 1990 in recognition of his public accomplishments — he was once known endearingly as “America’s Dad” — but in light of the conviction, the University decided to rescind the degree. Although rumors of serious sexual misconduct have trailed Cosby since the early 2000s, the accusations did not receive widespread public attention until 2015, when dozens of women came forward to accuse Cosby. In 2015, Cosby was arrested when a judge reopened a case led by plaintiff Andrea Constand — the only accusation to result in an arrest. By April of 2016, more than 50 women had accused Cosby of sexual assault. Last week, a jury found Cosby guilty on three counts of sexual assault in Constand’s case. Jenkins said in his statement that the University administration based its decision entirely on the verdict. “While certainly troubled by serious, public accusations made by multiple women against him, the University elected to wait until due process had been afforded the accused, and a verdict delivered, before rescinding the honor,” the statement said. While this Editorial Board wholeheartedly agrees that Cosby’s degree should be revoked, we strongly disagree with how the administration handled this decision. The University should have rescinded Cosby’s degree earlier. By waiting for an official verdict, the administration has made it clear that this decision has very little to do with the actual nature of Cosby’s actions, and everything to do with public perception. Although it took until 2018 for a jury to hand down a verdict, the fact that Cosby sexually abused women was publicly confirmed as early as 2015. In 2015, in a released deposition from a 2005 civil lawsuit brought against Cosby, the comedian admitted on record to obtaining Quaaludes in the 1970s so that he could drug women he wanted to have sex with — “the same as a person would say have a drink,” was his rationale for using them. In light of Cosby’s confession under oath, numerous universities — institutions such as Brown, Fordham and Marquette — revoked the honorary degrees they had given to Cosby. Many more universities began discussions about whether or not to rescind the degree. Many Notre Dame students called for similar action from their own university. In March 2016, Notre Dame’s student senate passed a resolution asking for the University to revoke Cosby’s degree, citing the fact that Cosby’s confession was in direct conflict with du Lac, which prohibits “the illicit redistribution of
prescription drugs.” But Notre Dame stood back and did nothing. In fact, at the time, Notre Dame refused to even consider revoking the degree. University spokesperson Paul Browne told The Observer in 2016 that while the University would not have awarded the degree if the information had been available at the time, “it is not the practice of the University to rescind an honorary degree previously awarded to individuals for achievements recognized at those times.” Then, in its statement Thursday, the University implied that it had needed legal confirmation of Cosby’s misconduct in order to rescind the honorary degree. But this confirmation had already been made publicly available in 2015. Even then, there was no doubt that Cosby’s behaviors were in direct conflict with the University’s mission. So why did the University delay? In spite of concrete facts, Notre Dame stood back as other institutions revoked Cosby’s degrees. Notre Dame then stood back as both its student body and student government called for action. And when Notre Dame finally did act, it stated its rationale was to wait for the facts to be “confirmed.” Not only is the decision hypocritical, it is disgraceful. We at The Observer see a clear pattern in this case of the University simply looking to do what is most convenient, instead of what is right. If the University had revoked Cosby’s degree earlier, it would have established a clear, rigorous code of moral conduct for its honorary degree recipients. In particular, the University would have upheld a zerotolerance policy for sexual violence in all forms, one that extends to all members of the Notre Dame community — honorary or not. In joining with its peer institutions, the University would have reinforced its stance that sexual violence anywhere — on its campus or in the mansion of a celebrity — is entirely unacceptable. This would have been a powerful statement. Instead, the University took a half-step, one which evaded moral responsibility by resting its decision on a legal technicality. This was a safe decision. It simultaneously allowed the University to avoid any potential negative publicity and exempted the University from making a more controversial, yet fairer, moral choice. The University regards itself as the premier Catholic university in the country, one which aims to be a “force for good” in the world. The University’s website states that Notre Dame “has always stood for values in a world of facts.” But in light of the University’s protracted decision, we at The Observer question whether or not that statement is still the case. The “world of facts” came to light in 2015. And instead of acting then, the University allowed a fear of public perception to swallow the values it has “always stood for.” As a result, the right decision came three years too late.
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Time to re-build our realtionship with Cuba Jordan Ryan Words of WisDome
Just 10 days ago, Cuba welcomed a president with a name other than Castro. Taking over the reigns from long-term dictator Fidel Castro’s brother Raul Castro, Miguel Diaz-Canel is only the third President of Cuba in the past 60 years. With a leadership change comes an opportunity the United States cannot waste. We should utilize this time to revive our steady progress in promoting democracy and free trade in Cuba. Our histor y with Cuba has been rocky since Fidel Castro took power in 1959. Castro developed close ties to the USSR, which plagued our fight against communism throughout the duration of the Cold War. For decades, Cuba remained an isolated and poor state, burdened with regulations that suppressed free speech and economic opportunity; regulations with which the United States disagreed, but did not attempt to dismantle. However, in 2014, President Obama decided it was time for a change. He moved to pursue free trade as well as open up embassies, beginning a joint partnership with Raul Castro’s government to provide economic opportunities to both nations. Though these policies were successful in
revitalizing a broken economy, in November 2017, President Trump rolled them back, arguing that they were unfair to U.S. businesses and consumers. Such rollback restricted certain types of trade, travel and partnerships between Cuba and the U.S. These led to noticeable economic consequences, with American tourism to Cuba dropping seven percent since the rollback. Cuban officials stated that the total number of U.S. clients for 2018 thus far is only 56.6 percent of what it was in 2017. President Trump should take this opportunity to pursue a reunited partnership with Cuba. Not only will increased f low of American goods, tourists and ideals to Cuba likely spread the democratic values to which Cubans deserve to be introduced, but also will provide major economic opportunity to our own nations. Cuba’s Ministr y of Foreign Trade and Investment released its newly-expanded annual foreign direct investment opportunities portfolio, which details 456 economic development projects worth over $9.5 billion open to foreign investment. The US is letting opportunities with our next-door neighbor slip away. W hat’s more is that Diaz-Canel has shown signs of potential interest in pursuing a new path for Cuba to follow. Though he has indicated that his predecessor Raul Castro will remain inf luential
in the Communist Party of Cuba and will even remain a member of the National Assembly, DiazCanel has expressed at least some interest in reviving his nation by forming a progressive panel of councilmembers. According to the Miami Herald, 42 percent of the 31 members selected for the Council of State are new, and women now hold 48.4 percent of the council seats. Black and mixed-raced representation on the council has reached 45.2 percent. New faces with new ideas will provide new opportunities to promote our cooperation with Cuba. This generational shift in power may be a key to producing long-standing relationships. Though clearly an orchestrated transition of power, now is time to tr y to revive our connections to Cuba and its ever-growing society. Our relationship with Cuba has the potential to support their advancement out of poverty and reverse the regulations of the Castro regimes, all the while supporting our economy. Now is the time to push for democracy in Cuba. Senior Jordan Ryan, a Pittsburgher formerly of Lyons Hall, studies political science, peace studies and constitutional studies. She welcomes any inquiries, comments or political memes to jryan15@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
To Notre Dame Gabriel Niforatos The Road Less Traveled
Dear Notre Dame, Last time I wrote I told you that I wanted to touch brief ly on some of the people and experiences that made my first year the incredible experience it was. Brief ly forgetting the fact that you are gifting us with finals in a week, here are some of my thoughts. I want to start with some thank-yous and interjections about some individuals that impacted my freshman year. I want to thank Professor MacKenzie (capital k, of course) for literally changing the way I see the world through his writing seminar. Through an entire year of classes, his class remains one of my favorites. Coffee on me next year, absolutely, and my apologies if there is any unnecessar y wordiness and redundancy in this letter. Dr. Erin McLaughlin and her writing and rhetoric class that transformed the writing process for me. Professor McAdams and the debates, discussions and thoughts about Havel and authoritarian societies that I look for ward to having in the coming years of college. Professor Layman, who taught my American politics class in my first semester and completely opened up the subject for me. Kasey Swanke, my first-year advisor, and the entire First Year of Studies, as well. FYS really does an incredible job preparing freshmen for the transition into college and teaching us how to navigate courses as we prepare for later years, as
well as never failing to answer those early-morning emails about registration and future classes. I want to thank Mr. Hubbard and Denise, part of the cleaning staff at Hesburgh Librar y and Coleman-Morse, respectively. I really appreciate all of the conversations about life we had over the course of the two semesters, and I look for ward to the ones we will have in future semesters. One year is over and I am making this sound like a graduation letter. I’m sorr y. I just wanted to take a step back and ref lect a bit on all that’s happened. I could end this letter right now with cliches about how fast it went and how it all rushed by, but I won’t (see what I did just there?). Instead, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for the Chainsmokers concert and the shows at Legends. Thank you for Show Some Skin and student stand-up comedy shows. I am not going to thank you for finals because no one in their right mind would. But, on a more serious note, I do want to thank you for the challenges and late nights tr ying to perfect the last lines of papers and memorize equations. I came to you because I wanted a challenge, because I wanted to be tested and tried, and that is what you have given me. As Dean Page talked about and showed by example during Welcome Weekend, all of those prehistoric years ago, I cannot wait to see where the rest of my journey here takes me, during college and after. That’s an entirely different letter, one that I have yet to live. So for now, I’ll just say that I can’t wait to be back here next year, standing in freezing rain as
we watch our football team march dominantly through the season and win the national championship. So much has already happened, and I can’t wait to see what other experiences and memories will be shaped in the coming years. Next year, I won’t be looking at you through the eyes of a first-year student anymore. I’ve found my “secret” study places, I know where all of the dorms are (that’s a casual lie), I know that people are unsure of what “DeBartolo” is, but know that “DeBart” is right next to the stadium, at a right angle to the Snite Museum. The freshman experience is over. There, I said it. But I can’t wait to see and experience campus and college life now that I’ve already been here a full year. The first time I saw the dome, there was a ner vous-yet-excited anticipation. For me, it represented a challenge, a new time in my life that I wanted to jump into headlong. Now, with freshman year over, I see the dome a little differently. Yes, of course, the challenge is still there. But, after an entire year has passed, after the midnight papers, the first round of finals, the ABP chai lattes, the madness of football games and all of the endless moments and times I could recall, I see it as a symbol for home. See you next year, Gabriel Niforatos Gabriel Niforatos is a freshman who is double majoring in economics and political science. When he’s not at school he is busy hiking and running in the New Mexico mountain range. His email is gniforat@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
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DAILY
The observer | Monday, April 30, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
Crossword | Will Shortz
Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Aim to satisfy yourself. Gather information and become involved in whatever will contribute to getting ahead and improving life. Take advantage of opportunities, and get rid of bad habits. Stop hanging out with negative people. Hope, optimism, hard work and downtime filled with people and pastimes that bring you the happiness you deserve should be your priorities. Your numbers are 3, 12, 17, 26, 34, 37, 42. ARIES (March 21-April 19): You’ll be tested and judged by others if you are too open about your plans. Avoid interference by searching for inner growth and personal stability. You don’t need approval from anyone but yourself. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Show others how you feel through your actions. Less talk will give you more time to live up to your promises and expectations. What you do without being asked will bring surprising and unexpected results. Personal improvement is encouraged. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Tidy up any unfinished personal business. Make sure your tax return is complete and that you’ve taken advantage of any and all deductions allowed. You’ll come out on top if you are diligent about details when handling medical, financial or legal matters. CANCER (June 21-July 22): You can make changes that suit your needs. Look for alternative lifestyles; align yourself with people who share your sentiments. Move forward with optimism, and be willing to embrace what life has to offer. Choose to get along. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Not everyone will be eager to pitch in and do what you want to do. Don’t shy away from following through with your plans all by yourself. What you achieve will satisfy you. Avoid excessive behavior and indulgent individuals. Keep Dancing. Never Stop. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Use your imagination when dealing with relationships that are suffering from boredom. Spice up your life by trying something new and unique. Exploring new interests with someone you love or suggesting a family project will bring you closer together. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Emotional spending or indulgence of any kind will not ease stress. Put more thought into ways you can use the skills, experience and knowledge to bring in extra cash. Revise your resume or offer a service your community could use. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Emotions will swell up when dealing with relationship issues. Direct your energy into something that will please the people you care about most. The difference you make to an older family member will result in an unexpected reward. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): A reserved attitude will serve you well when dealing with people who have seniority or more information than you. Listen to what’s being said; it will motivate you to make a few adjustments to your plans. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You’ll feel uncertain due to someone’s unpredictable nature. Don’t feel you have to give in to keep the peace. Make your own plans if you don’t like what’s being offered. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You’ll be tempted to make an impulsive purchase or decision. Don’t pull out your credit card unless you have the money in the bank to cover the expense. Excess will set you back financially, causing stress and regrets. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You’ll be given a choice. Don’t be shy or feel guilty. Choose what you want and enjoy your good fortune. Put your needs first, and make a positive change that will bring you greater comfort and happiness. Nurture an important relationship. Birthday Baby: You are steadfast, motivated and helpful. You are supportive and considerate.
WINGin’ it | OLIVIA WANG & BAILEE EGAN
Sudoku | The Mepham Group
Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek
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sports
ndsmcobserver.com | Monday, april 30, 2018 | The Observer
Sports Authority
Women’s Basketball
Liverpool defies the odds Lucas Masin-Moyer Assistant Managing Editor
“A selling club.” It’s a term typically associated with not-so positive connotations in European soccer, and for a long time had been directed at Liverpool FC, mired in mediocrity for the last decade — bar runs at the title during the 2008-09 and 201314 seasons — falling from their title of kings of Europe. Being called a selling club indicates a lack of desire to win, and only a desire by the owners to make as much money as possible by cashing in on the same talents who allow their club to win. And, to be honest, over the past decade, Liverpool has kind of fit this definition. The club goal-scoring engine behind their 2008-09 title chase, Fernando Torres, was let go a mere year and a half after he led them to within four points of dethroning Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United. To make it worse, they sold him to Premier League rival Chelsea FC. It’s one thing to show a lack of will to win by selling one of your best players, it’s another level of prioritizing profits to sell him to your direct competition. Immediately after finishing in second place in 2013-14, the club sold striker Luis Suarez to FC Barcelona, bringing in the unsurprisingly-awful Rickie Lambert to replace him. This past January, as the transfer window re-opened, it looked like Liverpool was living up to this reputation once again, as they sold the “little magician,” Philippe Coutinho, to Barcelona for $192.7 million, the second-largest transfer ever. At this point in the season, Liverpool looked stalled. Sure, Mo Salah was beginning to score goals in bunches, but they sat on the border of being in the top four in the league once again, and while their Champions League performances had been good, no one had any expectations for them to make it beyond the round of 16, maybe the quarterfinals if they were lucky. But something strange happened after Liverpool sold
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Coutinho — they got better, or at least didn’t get as dramatically worse as you would have expected after letting go of the second-most expensive player in all of soccer history. There are a few reasons for their surprising form. First, they didn’t go out and spend the money on as many trendy players as they could find as they had in the past. They used some of the money to fill their biggest need, at center-back, on ex-Southampton player Virgil van Dijk, who has served as a rock in the back. Second, the offense flows better without Coutinho. For as much credit as he gets for his stunning outside-the-box goals and pinpoint passes, the team often tried to force play through him, stopping any real flow from developing on the offensive end. And don’t get me started on how for every miraculous goal he scored he took as many ridiculous outside-the-box shots, really killing a lot of opportunities for the team. With their major need addressed and an offense in which players could play with each other instead of having Coutinho try and do it all, the team has flourished, making even midfielder Jordan Henderson look great occasionally. Also, having Mo Salah score more than 40 goals and arguably play as one of the best in the world has helped. But for all the doom and gloom which seemed to surround Liverpool after they sold Coutinho, they have managed to make it into the Champions League semi-final, scoring a 5-2 win against AS Roma in the first leg. So is Liverpool a selling club? Maybe. But at this point, they’re a selling club which is 180 minutes away from being crowned kings of Europe once again, while Coutinho will watch the remainder of the UEFA Champions League on his TV in the Catalan sun. Contact Lucas Masin-Moyer at Lmasinmo@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Kathryn Westbeld to train with Los Angeles Sparks Observer Sports Staff
Former Irish forward Kathryn Westbeld signed a training camp contract with the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday. Westbeld was a threeyear starter for the Irish and played through injuries her junior and senior seasons, serving as a captain her senior year. She finished her career with 1,076 total points, averaging 7.6 points per game, and scoring a careerhigh 284 points during her
final season. Former Irish forward Kathryn Westbeld attempts a layup during Notre Dame’s 91-89 overtime win over UConn in the Final Four on March 30 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. She also posted a careerhigh field goal percentage of 0.592 her senior year. She finished her career with 731 rebounds, grabbing 206 boards over the course of the 2017-18 season for an average of 5.57 rebounds per game. Westbeld scored six points
and grabbed nine rebounds in Notre Dame’s national championship win over Mississippi State on April 1, playing 31 minutes in the contest despite dealing with an ankle injury which kept her sidelined for most of the team’s first two games in the tournament. The Kettering, Ohio, native will join Natalie Achonwa, Lindsay Allen, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Jewell Loyd, Kayla McBride and Devereaux Peters as former Irish players currently on WNBA rosters.
ZACH YIM | The Observer
Former Irish forward Kathryn Westbeld drives down the court in Notre Dame’s 61-58 national championship victory over Mississippi State on April 1 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
nfl | Cleveland Cavaliers 105 Indiana Pacers 101
LeBron carries Cavaliers Associated Press
CLEVELAND — LeBron James wasn’t ready to go home or to Philadelphia or Los Angeles. Unwilling to sit despite battling leg cramps in the second half, James scored 45 points and got some much-needed help from his teammates in Game 7 to stay unbeaten in the opening round of the NBA playoffs, leading the Cavaliers to a 105-101 win on Sunday over the Indiana Pacers, who pushed the game’s best player to the breaking point. The Cavs will open the conference semifinals on Tuesday at top-seeded Toronto. The Cavs got a huge lift from Tristan Thompson, who played just 24 minutes in the first six
games but made a rare start as Cavs coach Tyronn Lue used his 34th different starting lineup this season. Thompson added 15 points and 10 rebounds, Kevin Love made four 3-pointers, and George Hill returned after missing three games with back spasms to score 11 in 19 second-half minutes. Oladipo scored 30 and Darren Collison had 23 for the Pacers, who were still within four in the final minute before a cutting James scored on a bullet pass from Kyle Korver with 30 seconds left. “Best receiver in the NBA,” Korver said of James. “Just got to put it up there for him.” Oladipo hit a 3 at the horn and was immediately embraced by James, who had never played a
first-round Game 7 and was in jeopardy of seeing an eighth trip to the Finals end quickly. “Honestly, I think we were the better team, and they had the best player in the world,” Pacers forward Trevor Booker said. A loss would not only have ended the Cavs’ season earlier than expected and their reign as threetime conference champs, but it would have pushed James closer to free agency. ““Honestly, I think we were the better team, and they had the best player in the world,” Pacers forward Trevor Booker said. Despite the loss, the Pacers felt great about their season. “This team was amazing,” [Lance Stephenson] said “The future is looking very bright.”
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sloppy plays, Notre Dame capitalized on a Florida State error to score freshman pitcher Alexis Holloway. Despite holding them to only three runs in the last four innings, the Irish were unable to recover from the early deficit, only registering one more run before losing 9-2. After the game Gumpf said her focus was on moving on. “I think we could give them a much better ball game than we did tonight.” In the mid-series matchup on Saturday, the Irish returned behind senior Katie Beriont. The left-handed pitcher contained the Seminole batters at first before giving up six runs in the top of the second inning. The Irish continued to struggle up the middle, as three of four RBI hits bounced over second base into the center field. Gumpf responded by subbing junior Cait Brooks in at the mound to finish out the remainder of the game.
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reception. Smythe is the third Irish player drafted in the 2018 NFL Draft, following former offensive linemen Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey, who were picked No. 6 and No. 9 overall, respectively. He is the seventh-straight Notre Dame starting tight end and 29th overall to get selected in the NFL Draft, including the 16th tight end in school history to be drafted in the top-four rounds.
Equanimeous St. Brown drafted by Green Bay Packers Former Irish wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown was drafted 207th overall — the 33rd pick in the sixth round — in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. While St. Brown’s numbers dipped during his junior season, he was named Notre Dame’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2016 after leading the team with 58 receptions for 961 yards and nine touchdowns. St. Brown started 25 games over his Irish career, amassing totals of 92 catches, 1,484 yards and 13 touchdowns. This past season, he caught 33 passes for 515 yards and four touchdowns. The Anaheim, California, native is the fourth Notre Dame player picked in this year’s draft, following offensive linemen Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey, who went sixth and ninth overall, respectively, and tight end Durham Smythe, who was picked 123rd overall in the fourth round. St. Brown joins former Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer in
Assistant head coach Kris Ganeff said Brooks has done a really good job as a closer throughout the season. “[Brooks] will come in and stop the bleeding,” she said. Effective pitching, along with runs by senior right fielder Sara White and Cait Brooks on a wild pitch in the third and fourth innings, respectively, allowed the Irish to inch their way back into the game. Although their run quickly came to end, as the Seminoles responded with a batting clinic of their own, tallying five runs to close out the game led off by Warren. With the bases loaded, she hit a double against the fence over freshman centerfielder Abby Sweet to clear the bases. Despite getting runners on second, the Irish failed to capitalize and finished the game in six innings. Ganeff said the Seminoles are the empitome of what you expect to play in a top-10 team. “When you’re playing a team like that there is no margin for error,” she said.
“Unfortunately, we’re putting base runners on with freebees, making errors, just not playing to the level you need to play when you’re playing a top-10 team in the country. They haven’t seen us a nearly our best. We’ve been on our heels when we get down early so tomorrow our goal is we have to keep it close. That’s your opportunity” Despite dropping the first two matchups, Ganeff said the team needed to get their confidence back heading into Sunday’s Senior Day game. Trying to keep the game close every inning, the Irish took their first lead in the bottom of the second. After Brooks advanced to second on a fielding error and continuing on to third on a sacrafice bunt, sophomore second baseman Katie Marino fired to centerfield to bring Brooks home and match the Seminoles run earlier in the inning. Notre Dame clinched the lead on the follow at-bat when White singled up the middle as Marino sprinted around third before narrowly being called safe at
home. Gumpf said that inning changed the tide for the Irish. “They gave us a couple runners and we took advantage,” she said. “Sara’s been the true definition of a utility player…playing every position except for catcher. Whenever that void is there she fills that role,” Ganeff said of the senior. The game eventually cooled as the Irish continued to play sound defense against the Seminoles, who left all six runners on base over the next three innings and maintaining a 2-1 lead. Later, in the top of the sixth, the Seminoles had the opportunity to overtake the Irish. With the bases loaded, Holloway struck out junior first baseman Carsyn Gordon to save the Irish another inning. Notre Dame used that momentum to earn an insurance run when junior third baseman Melissa Rochord earned an RBI to score Sweet with two outs on the board. With a two-run cushion, Holloway struck out two batters and walked one, before
clinching the victory with a solid strikeout against junior shortstop Cali Harrod. Winning the final matchup allowed the three seniors to end their home careers on a high note and set the Irish up for the postseason. Gumpf credited the senior crew for building the culture of the program but stressed that their focus remains on the next game. “Our senior class … [has] been a group that’s been pretty steady and consistent for us over their entire careers,” Ganeff said. “They’re the type of athletes that never get too high or too low which is good because it keeps the team at a pace that you want them to be. It keeps the real.” The Irish are currently waiting to see where they will be seeded in the ACC Championship as their opponents wrap up play . They’ll head to Atlanta, Georgia for the ACC Championships scheduled for May 9-12.
Green Bay. The Packers have drafted 27 Notre Dame players in their history, the last coming in the sixth round of the 2003 draft when the Packers selected offensive tackle Brennan Curtin.
to play inside, leaving Morgan to compete for a spot on the depth chart with Iyiegbuniwe, Nick Kwiatkoski, John Timu and Jonathan Anderson at inside linebacker. The Bears also signed Trumbetti, who largely played on the defensive line for the Irish, after the draft. The Demarest, New Jersey, native is
expected to transition to playing at the outside linebacker position, where he is expected to compete for a backup role behind projected starters Leonard Floyd and Aaron Lynch. Trumbetti played in all 13 games this past season but started only one, and he recorded four tackles for loss amongst his 28 total tackles.
Adams, Morgan and Trumbetti join former Irish players Quenton Nelson, Mike McGlinchey, Durham Smythe and Equanimeous St. Brown — all of whom were drafted between Thursday and Saturday — as members of the 2017 roster to join the ranks of Notre Dame players at the next level.
Undrafted free agents Following the conclusion of the 2018 NFL Draft on Saturday, three more former Irish players joined NFL rosters as undrafted free agents, as running back Josh Adams, linebacker Nyles Morgan and defensive lineman Andrew Trumbetti all agreed to terms with NFL teams Saturday evening after not being drafted. Adams, who declared early for the NFL Draft after a junior season in which he ran for 1,430 yards and nine touchdowns, agreed to terms with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Warrington, Pennsylvania, native finished his Notre Dame career with 3,198 rushing yards in three seasons and will now join a roster that features Jay Ajayi, Kenjon Barner, Corey Clement, Donnel Pumphrey, Wendell Smallwood and Darren Sproles at running back. Morgan, who started at middle linebacker both his junior and senior seasons for the Irish, agreed to sign with the Chicago Bears. The Crete, Illinois, native recorded 186 tackled over those two seasons, including 5 1/2 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. The Bears drafted former Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith to play alongside last year’s starter Danny Trevathan at the inside linebacker spots of the Bears’ 3-4 defense. The Bears also drafted former Western Kentucky linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe in the fourth round, and he is also expected
Contact Charlotte Edmonds at cedmond3@nd.edu
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Bookstore Continued from page 12
freshman Michael Brannan and senior John Cunningham kept the game within one. But the momentum shifted after a fast break by Hunnicutt, eventually leading to a 19-14 Practice Squad lead. As the game got increasingly physical, St. Andrew’s ability to make their free throws kept them within three, but a foul shot by senior Brad Sherman and Mitan’s field goal ultimately led to Practice Squad’s win. “Winning two years in a row is unbelievable,” Hunnicutt
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with he free 90, it was a really good bunt that the kids laid down, the second bunt was another one that was a pretty a pretty decent bunt and the Martellini puts a really good swing on the ball and it happens to be in the five-minute span that the wind wasn’t howling in from left, so, but that ball was going to score two or three, easily, regardless. Outside of that I thought Scott was really good.” Notre Dame tied the game in the bottom of the inning when a wild pitch allowed sophomore first baseman Daniel Jung to score from third base. With freshman left-handed pitcher Cole Kmet on the mound, the Eagles went down one-two-three, in the ninth. “I thought Cole looked really, really good,” Aoki said of the freshman. “I think maybe having a little bit of a lighter week this week, and not having to balance it with smashing into other large men probably really helped him.” In the bottom of the 10th, senior left fielder Jake Johnson
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said. “That rarely happens. It’s definitely going to go down in history, winning back-to-back. I couldn’t be any happier.” Last year, Practice Squad fought for the title, taking down their opponents in an electric 30-28 overtime victory. With the addition of senior Matt Gregory and graduate student Will Bowser, they came back even stronger this year, Hunnicutt said. After spending the last four years on the Notre Dame men’s basketball team, Gregory made his Bookstore debut as a member of Practice Squad. Though it was his first appearance in the tournament, he faced
a familiar opponent in the championship matchup, assistant men’s basketball coach, Ryan Ayers. “It was fun, exciting and really physical,” he said. “It’s a lot different than playing inside, and it’s a lot of fun playing against Coach Ayers.” Ayers, who was also making his championship debut, was the captain of the men’s basketball team in 2009 before returning as a member of the coaching staff. “I got to play against him [Gregory] a few times during practice this year, and obviously I saw him mature and grow,” he said. “It was a lot of
fun playing him. That was cool to do.” Cunningham, a manager of the men’s basketball team, asked Ayers to join St. Andrew’s after he heard he was looking for a team. “It was a lot of fun playing with him [Cunningham] this past month,” Ayers said. “It was a really great environment, something I always wanted to do as a student and to do it as an employee now is pretty cool.” “I remember watching coach when he was here, flipping on Notre Dame games and seeing Ryan Ayers playing,” Cunningham said. “I
get to work with him, we play three-on-three before or after practice, then to actually be a teammate with him is really cool.” Despite the loss, Cunningham’s first appearance in the Bookstore Basketball championship game was a dream, he said. “It was a tough game, and obviously we played a really great team,” Cunningham said. “I’m really proud of our effort … We came out there and competed, and you can’t ask for much else.”
outraced a ground ball up the middle for a single. Junior second baseman Nick Podkul walked, and with two outs, Kavadas lined a walkoff single just over the head of sophomore first baseman Jack Cunningham, scoring Johnson. “I don’t think this was a oneoff,” Aoki said of Kavadas. “I think this has been the trajectory for him for the better part of four to six weeks, so I’m really happy for him.” The Irish are now 4-0 in extra innings this season. “I think that we’ve been able to sort of just take that onepitch-at-a-time-mentality, not try to do too much, just kind of keep the line moving so to speak from the batting order and then, defensively and on the mound, in order to have some success in a situation like that, you have to be able to put up zeroes or limit offensive opportunities,” Aoki said of his team’s extra-innings success. Saturday afternoon, the Notre Dame bats went silent as it was the Eagles who took game two of the series by a score of 6-0. Boston College southpaw Dan Metzdorf was tremendous on the mound,
going eight innings strong while allowing just two hits. The Eagles first got on the scoreboard in the second inning, an inning in which they did not record a hit. Notre Dame starting pitcher, sophomore Zack Martin, walked one batter and hit another, allowing for a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly that gave Boston College the early lead. Martin would only go two innings on the day as he was relieved by Cameron Brown who went a little more than five innings, giving up five runs in the process. After the game, head coach Mil Aoki commented on his team’s inability to put together more productivity at the plate. “I think Metzdorf did a good job, kind of cross counted us and pitched a little bit backwards with some change ups in hitter counts,” said Aoki. “Some of the better balls we hit seemed to be right at people. There weren’t a whole ton that we put right on the barrel, but the ones we did sort of ended up in gloves.” Boston College would add a single run in the fifth and the sixth innings before tacking on three in the eighth. On a day where not much went right for the Irish, Aoki emphasized the need for his team to be tougher at the dish heading into the rubber match on Sunday. “I give a lot of credit to Metzdorf, but I think there’s a function of it where we could have been a little more competitive at the plate than we were today,” he said. “I didn’t think we were as tough as we need to be.” In the final game of the series Notre Dame defeated Boston College 5-4 Sunday afternoon to claim the weekend series. The Irish managed to cap the weekend with a victory behind strong performances from sophomore Andrew Belcik and Kmet on the mound. The Irish got ahead early in the final game of the series. In the bottom of the first inning, Johnson reached first on a walk. With Johnson on first, Podkul hit a deep double off the wall in the left field to bring in a run, giving Notre Dame an early 1-0 lead. After striking out the first two batters he faced in the top
of the second inning, Vail got himself in a bit of a jam. He surrendered an infield single up the middle and a walk consecutively, giving the Eagles an RBI chance with two men on and two outs. But Vail managed to escape unscathed, striking out junior third baseman Jake Alu to close out the inning. Boston College started to get the bats going in the top of the third inning, as Vail appeared to lose his command. After sophomore center fielder Dante Baldelli doubled to right center and advanced to third on a sacrifice fly, freshman outfielder Chris Galland knocked him in with a single over the head of Podkul. Sophomore first baseman Jack Cunningham then singled to score Galland and give the Eagles a 2-1 lead. Vail went on to walk sophomore second baseman Brian Dempsey, which scored Cunningham, to hand the Eagles a 3-1 lead. After Vail walked two consecutive hitters in the top of the fourth, Aoki brought in Belcik to take over with two men on. The right hander got out of the jam to give the Irish a chance to bounce back at the plate. And in the bottom of the fourth, the Irish capitalized. After Vierling walked, junior right fielder Eric Gilgenbach sent one far over the left field wall to give tie the game at 3-3, scoring Kavadas. Boston College quickly answered Gilgenbach’s home run in the top of the fifth inning with a sacrifice fly by Alu to take a 4-3 lead. The Irish made their final push in the bottom of the eight inning, as Podkul was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a wild pitch, Vierling was walked, and senior designated hitter Alex Kerschner was intentionally walked. With the bases loaded, Kavadas singled to left field, scoring Podkul and tying the game at 4-4. Then, Gilgenbach reached on a fielder’s choice which scored Vierling and gave the Irish a 5-4 lead. With a one run lead heading into the final inning, Kmet entered in the top of the seventh and sealed the Irish 5-4 victory. “We got a few good innings
out of Tommy [Vail], and then he kind of lost it,” Aoki said. “[Belcik came in] and sort of steadied the ship. He gives up that little unfortunate run, just a jam shot in the ‘couldn’t throw it any better’ categroy that starts it. But, with [Belcik] and Cole [Kmet] doing a nice job down the stretch there, it gave our offense a good chance to scrape something together…” Specifically, Kmet and Belcik have been crucial to the Irish bullpen this season, and Aoki noted their lack of mistakes on the mound. “[Belcik and Kmet] have been pretty solid all year long, and I think the big thing is that, by and large, they don’t shoot themselves in the foot. You have to hit to beat them. That’s a big deal,” Aoki said. “I think at the professional level, some of those closers get away with walking some people because they’re pretty prolific strikeout guys, and when you’re playing game number 72 of 162 it doesn’t feel as much like life and death whereas for us, those eight and ninth innings take on tha real pressure type of thing. The fact that you’re throwing strikes and you’re not sort of contributing to your own demise I think is a really big deal.” Aoki also said Kavadas, who had the go-ahead RBI for the Irish on Sunday, has had stellar play and versatility as of late. “He’s been really good. I think he’s a testament to just hard work. He puts in hours– swinging the bat, taking ground balls at third, at first, DHing,” he said. “He and a couple of other guys … they’ve been defensively sort of like utility knives– we’ve sort of put them all over the place. I’m really impressed with Niko, the fact that, you know, third base, first base, just bouncing around the field and being a freshman and still being able to not get thrown off. He just goes out there and plays.” The Irish will take on Western Michigan Tuesday, May 1 at Frank Eck Stadium.
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The observer | monday, april 30, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
Baseball | nd 5, bc 4; bc 6, nd 0; nd 5, bc 4
Irish take two of three from Eagles By CONNOR MULVENA, ELIZABETH GREASON and ALEX BENDER Associate Sports Editor, Assistant Managing Editor and Sports Writer
Notre Dame took two of three from Boston College in a home series this weekend at Frank Eck Stadium. The Irish (20-24, 10-14 ACC) pulled off another walk-off win as they took the game to the bottom of the tenth inning but were able to overcome the Eagles (15-28, 6-18), 5-4, in Friday’s series opener. Notre Dame got on the board in the second inning when junior third baseman Matt Vierling walked to lead off the inning and freshman designated hitter Niko Kavadas followed up by going yard with a homer to right field. Senior left fielder Jake Johnson flew a solo shot to right for his third of the year in the next inning. The Irish got off to a strong start defensively, as well, with
bookstore basketball | practice squad 21, st. andrew’s 17
Practice Squad defends Bookstore championship
graduate student southpaw Scott Tully on the mound. Tully had a no hitter through the end of the fourth inning, which Eagles junior catcher Gian Martellini broke up to lead off the fifth with a base hit to left field. The Eagles started playing some successful small ball in the seventh with a walk and back-to-back bunts to load the bases with no outs, but the game changed in an instant when Martellini sent one long to left-center field, just off the top of the wall for a grand slam, to put Boston College on top. Irish head coach Mik Aoki said he was extremely pleased with Tully performance and that the seventh inning was just a small mishap in an otherwise strong outing. “I thought it was really good. I thought it was really, really good. Obviously the one inning, give them some credit,” Aoki said. “Obviously it starts
Ann curtis | The Observer
The top-seeded Practice Squad earned its second championship in a row on Sunday night after defeating No. 3 seed St. Andrew’s 21-17. After a backand-forth first half, senior Matthew Mitan sunk the final shot to clinch Practice Squad’s victory. “It was a good game. They put up a really good fight, and they’re a tough team,” senior captain Reed Hunnicutt said. “We started off kind of slow, but Mitan really played well down the stretch. We did a good job of exposing the mismatches, didn’t try to force too much and just took whatever they gave us.” Unable to secure shots down low, St. Andrew’s had to take advantage of outside shots to stay in the game. As Practice Squad began to pull away early in the second half, jumpers by
see BASEBALL PAGE 11
Senior Matt Gregory goes for a layup during Practice Squad’s 21-17 win over St. Andrew’s in the Bookstore Basketball finals Sunday.
see BOOKSTORE PAGE 11
By TEAGAN DILLON Sports Writer
nd softball | fsu 9, nd 2; fsu 11, nd 2; nd 3, fsu 1
football
Smythe, St. Brown drafted as three others sign deals Observer Sports Staff
By CHARLOTTE EDMONDS Associate Sports Editor
Durham Smythe drafted by Miami Dolphins Former Irish tight end Durham Smythe was drafted 123rd overall in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins as the 23rd pick in the fourth round. Largely a blocking tight end, Smythe played in all 13 games for the Irish in his fifth year, averaging a career-high 16.3 yards per reception. He scored one touchdown in the 2017 season and averaged 18.8 yards per game. Smythe also played in every game in 2016, scoring four touchdowns on nine receptions and an average of 12.4 yards per reception. He battled shoulder and knee injuries in 2015 as a junior and only played in three games, but he scored his first-career touchdown against Virginia. In his sophomore year, he played in all 13 games and only recorded one see FOOTBALL PAGE 10
ND beats FSU on Senior Day
chris collins | The Observer
Former Irish tight end Durham Smythe prepares to block during Notre Dame’s 21-17 victory over LSU in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1
In their final regular season matchup, the Irish took on Florida State in a threegame series this weekend. The Seminoles (41-10, 18-3 ACC), who currently lead the ACC standings, returned to Melissa Cook Stadium for the first time since routing the Irish (31-20, 13-10) last March. Florida State came out of the dugout ready to play, scoring a run in the opening inning off a sequence of two walks and a single that loaded the bases. A single over second base scored Seminole senior third baseman Jessie Warren to put Florida State up 1-0. Warren would continue to help build their lead with five runs over the next two innings behind a Notre Dame error and a subsequent single. With two quick outs by the Irish in the second, the Seminoles run appeared to be coming to an end. However, Florida State was able to load the bases and a hit by Warren through
the legs of Irish senior shortstop Morgan Reed plated another Seminole runner. The Seminoles continued to distance themselves by loading the bases before scoring two runners on a single. Warren continued to give the Irish fielders trouble in the third by bringing runners home from second and third, making the score 4-0. “We had some really good at bats but we realized how poorly we played at times to give them a lot of runs,” head coach Deanna Gumpf said. “We have to focus on the things we’re doing well.” The Irish were able to slow Florida State’s momentum in the latter half of the opening matchup, holding the Seminoles scoreless through the fourth and fifth. On the other side, while at-bat in the fifth inning, sophomore Alexis Bazos sustained a wrist injury on a hit-by-pitch. The right fielder wouldn’t return to the series. After series of see SOFTBALL PAGE 10