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Volume 53, Issue 99 | Tuesday, march 19, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
Former president sues College Five months after departure from Saint Mary’s, Jan Cervelli files civil lawsuit Observer Staff Report
Former College President Jan Cervelli filed a civil lawsuit against Saint Mary’s on Tuesday, alleging members of the Saint Mary’s Board of Trustees pressured her to resign and did not honor their settlement agreement with her. According to the complaint filed in the St. Joseph County Superior Court, Cervelli is suing the College on counts of breach of contract, declaration of rights and injunction, violation of Indiana’s Wage Payment Statute and breach of duty of good faith and fair dealing. Cervelli is requesting compensation for damages resulting from the College’s breach of contract
and a declaration of her rights pursuant to her contracts, the complaint said. The complaint details the events leading to Cervelli’s resignation and asserts Saint Mary’s has not honored the terms of her employment agreement. The suit also revealed Cervelli and Saint Mary’s entered into a settlement agreement at the time of her resignation. The lawsuit claims that Saint Mary’s Board of Trustees chair Mary Burke pressured Cervelli to resign and that the College has not honored its settlement agreement, which stated Cervelli would receive see CERVELLI PAGE 3
SMC choir tour celebrates sisterhood By COLLEEN FISCHER News Writer
As the sun went down on Monday, the Saint Mary’s Women’s Choir was just arriving back on campus. After touring throughout spring break and performing in four states including Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, the choir arrived back to campus and will perform their last show at the Church of Loretto this Friday. Though the trip culminated in a performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Sunday, the choir’s stops along the way were also influential and beneficial, choir conductor Nancy Menk said. “I loved singing in some of the great acoustic spaces along the way,” Menk said. “I loved how receptive and excited the students were when we sang at Beaumont School [in Cleveland].” To some students, the tour had a lot to do with legacy — not only the legacies of the alumni they performed with, but also the places that they visited and
NEWS PAGE 2
performed at along the way. “Going to Cleveland and seeing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was just so exciting,” sophomore Grace Grueninger said. “All of the musical legends that contributed to the world of music and seeing all the artifacts from the different eras was really a lot of fun. … Singing at Carnegie Hall is such an experience when you think of everyone who was there. All of those names, you cannot even fathom who stood and sang on that stage.” As the tour drew to a close in New York City, members of the choir were able to experience and enjoy the surroundings, including the opportunity to perform at the renowned Carnegie Hall. The concert honored women simultaneously through the 175 years of Saint Mary’s celebration and through Carnegie’s Hall’s concert series Distinguished Concerts Orchestra and Distinguished Concerts Singers International. The SMC choir performed at the ‘Magnificat: A Musical see CHOIR PAGE 3
SCENE PAGE 5
Sexual assault reported Observer Staff Report
Observer File Photo
Jan Cervelli, pictured, resigned as Saint Mary’s President on Oct. 5. On March 12, Cervelli filed a lawsuit against the College.
A sexual assault was reported to the College on Friday, according to an email sent to the Saint Mary’s community. The incident, which took place the morning of March 8, posed “no immediate danger to campus,” the email said. Saint Mary’s has a zero tolerance policy for sexual misconduct. According to the email, information regarding sexual assault prevention and resources for survivors can be found through Saint Mary’s’ Campus Ministry and the Health and Counseling Center.
Service dogs improve quality of life for students By AVERY WYTHE News Writer
As a junior in high school looking ahead towards college, senior Amy Mansfield said she was determined to move away from home and live a normal, independent life as a college student. She has been able to live out this goal with the help of her service dog, Juniper. Mansfield has Type 1 Diabetes with hypoglycemia unawareness,
meaning that often times she does not exhibit symptoms of low blood sugar. Improving her own safety and independence were key factors in Mansfield’s decision to get a service dog. “A dog offers things that a piece of technology can’t,” she said. The pair found each other with the help of an organization called Medical Mutts which primarily trains shelter dogs for service — a mission that was particularly appealing, Mansfield said.
“The idea that a shelter dog can become a service dog is really important for people to know,” she said. “Even if they have traumatic histories, they can be really great dogs.” After signing a contract with the organization, Medical Mutts set out to find the perfect match for Mansfield and her needs as student. Eventually, Juniper became that match. see DOGS PAGE 4
Jenkins addresses New Zealand terrorist shooting Observer Staff Report
University President Fr. John Jenkins released a statement Friday offering his condolences to the loved ones of victims of a terror attack that killed at least 49 people in New Zealand. An additional 48 people were wounded when a gunman opened fire at two mosques in the city of Christchurch during
VIEWPOINT PAGE 7
Friday prayers. “On behalf of the University of Notre Dame, I extend my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the shooting victims in Christchurch, and to their extended family among the Muslim students, faculty and staff here at Notre Dame and in South Bend,” Jenkins said in the statement. In his statement, Jenkins
invoked the spirit of the Lenten season and offered prayers for those who were killed. “In this season of Lent, we offer our prayers for our brother and sister believers who were so cruelly murdered in houses of worship of the God of their understanding,” he said. Jenkins expressed hope that
TRACK AND FIELD PAGE 12
ND W BASKETBALL PAGE 12
see ATTACK PAGE 3
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Tuesday
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Saturday
Forum: “Finding Common Ground” Leighton Concert Hall 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Former Secretaries to speak.
Lecture: Making Global Health Carey Auditorium 12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. The history of the eradication of Polio.
Lecture: “How Democracies Die” Hesburgh Auditorium 5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Part of World Politics Series.
Lecture: 10 Years Hence Jordan Auditorium 10:40 a.m - 12:10 p.m. Director of Google Analitics to speak.
The Work of Our Hands Various Venues all day Exhibition of Liturgical Vestments.
Career Fair Century Center 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. Located off-campus in downtown South Bend.
Architecture Career Fair Morris Inn All day Interview days on Thursday and Friday.
Artist Lecture: Artist Eric W. Stephenson 214 Riley Hall of Art 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. Free and open to the public.
CST Conference: “Option” McKenna Hall all day Sponsored by Center for Social Concerns.
Big Ten Hockey Tournament Finals Compton Family Ice Arena 8 p.m. Irish host Penn State.
STUDENT SENATE
Senate increases club funding By GENEVEIVE REDSTEN News Writer
The student senate passed a resolution Monday evening to increase funding for student clubs and organizations by approximately $30,000. The new resolution will cut three percent of the budget for Student Union organizations and reallocate it to other student clubs. Student body president Gates McGavick and vice president Corey Gayheart, both seniors who promised to increase club funding during their campaign, were instrumental in pushing the resolution through the senate. “This is a really important day for clubs and student organizations,” McGavick said in a comment after the meeting. “We reached a compromise that worked for everyone, and I know I can speak for Corey in saying that we’re really happy to deliver on a campaign promise of ours to give clubs more money.” Diversity chair, senior Alyssa Ngo, previously told the senate that diversity clubs are struggling financially. Ngo argued that increased club funding would help support these clubs’ diversity initiatives on campus. Six weeks prior, the senate voted on — and rejected — the same resolution. McGavick and Gayheart negotiated for weeks and reached a
final agreement for Monday’s meeting. The first resolution addressed the financial transparency of the Club Coordination Council (CCC), the student organization responsible for allocating annual funding to student clubs. The CCC oversees a budget of about $340,000, according to CCC sophomore vice-president elect Patrick Harris. Senators, notably the representative from Welsh Family Hall, junior Lindsay McCray, originally opposed the funding reallocation because they thought that the CCC lacked financial transparency. “CCC took that [feedback] to heart … And we decided that we want to be more transparent directly to the senate,” Harris said. Although student government leaders easily resolved the concerns about the CCC’s transparency, they clashed over the second legislative compromise, which addressed the concerns of Student Union representatives. Student Union leaders had previously opposed the reallocation because they worried that the budget cuts could jeopardize their mission. In response, they crafted a resolution that revised the budgetary process. The Financial Management Board could traditionally pass this budget with a simple majority of five out of their nine voting members.
Class council presidents were worried that their voices could be ignored by a simple majority vote, so they proposed an amendment requiring that the budget pass with a twothirds majority. “[The amendment] ensures that the three percent that gets transferred over will be more equitable, with more people being on board,” Michael Conlon, president of the Senior Class Council, said. Critics argued that this change could potentially allow class council leaders to derail the budgetary process. “The system as it currently stands is not broken. … Why would we change something that’s not broken to implement something that could go wrong?” Harris said. McGavick and Gayheart dismissed these concerns. “This is a very minor procedural edit. … It’s what is the missing piece in the opportunity that we all have to give clubs thousands of more dollars,” McGavick said. Ultimately, the second resolution passed. The increased club funding marks a major legislative victory for McGavick and Gayheart, whose term ends on April 1.
Contact Geneveive Redsten at gredsten@nd.edu
News
ndsmcobserver.com | Tuesday, march 19, 2019 | The Observer
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Plaintiff in marriage equality case to speak at ND Observer Staff Report
Jim Obergefell, plaintiff in the U.S. Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage
Cervelli Continued from page 1
status as a tenured professor and adequate pay and benefits in lieu of her resignation, w ith the possibilit y of a buyout of her position. The Board of Trustees said in a statement Thursday that the Board has fulfilled its end of the settlement agreement w ith Cer velli. “The Saint Mar y’s Board of Trustees is aware of, but not surprised by, the complaint that has been filed by former president Janice Cer velli,” Burke said in the statement. “We obv iously disagree w ith the allegations raised by Ms. Cer velli’s law yers, their descriptions of the agreements and their account of the facts. The Trustees have honored all of its agreements w ith Ms. Cer velli and has fulfilled all of its obligations
Choir Continued from page 1
Celebration of International Women’s Day.’ According to an email sent by the College, the concert featured around 250 individual female voices from around the world. Menk conducted the large scale concert and enjoyed connecting the current choir members with their predecessors. “I was thrilled with the success of our Carnegie Hall concert,” Menk said. “One of the highlights for me was seeing the 64 Women’s Choir alums who came back to sing in the Alumni Choir or brought their own women’s choir to be a part of it.” The experience of singing with alumni was also beneficial for the students. “It was a lot of fun to hear all of these musicians come together, … all of these female
Attack Continued from page 1
the world w ill overcome hatred that leads to such v iolence in the future. “In our lifetimes, may we see an end to the brutal religious bias and hatred that results in the shedding of innocent blood across the world,” Jenkins said.
in the United States, will speak at the Notre Dame Law School on March 27 on the topic of marriage equality, according to the Law School’s website. Obergefell v. Hodges
mandated that all states must issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and to recognize the validity of marriage performed in other states. Obergefell will be joined
by two other plaintiffs in the case, ’82 Notre Dame alumnus Greg Bourke and Michael DeLeon, who will discuss their experiences with Obergefell v. Hodges as Catholics. Law professor
Patricia Hackett will moderate the discussion. The event will take place at 12:30 p.m. in the McCartan Courtroom of the Eck Hall of Law. The lecture is open to the public and free.
to Ms. Cer velli as a tenured member of Saint Mar y’s College facult y.” In the statement, Burke said the Board w ill “file a w ritten response to the allegations w ith the appropriate court in due course,” and looks for ward to resolv ing the dispute. According to the filed complaint, Cer velli claims Burke came to her around Sept. 30 w ith an “undated and unsigned” separation agreement calling for Cer velli’s immediate resignation. Burke required Cer velli to accept the resignation agreement by Oct. 5, or, according to the complaint, the Board would have terminated Cer velli w ithout cause. In the complaint, Cer velli also claimed she had no indication of a desire for her resignation before being asked by Burke. During the Sept. 30
meeting, the suit alleges, Burke told Cer velli to not report to work and to tell ever yone that she was on sick leave, which, according to the suit, was not true. The complaint also asserts Burke suggested Cer velli lie and attribute her resignation to caring for her mother. Burke said the College w ill not comment regarding specifics of Cer velli’s resignation. “As a matter of employee confidentialit y and in accordance w ith Ms. Cer velli’s contract w ith the College, we w ill continue to refrain from commenting on the specifics involv ing her departure from the College,” Burke said. In her count alleging breach of contract, Cer velli argues Saint Mar y’s has neglected their obligations set in the settlement agreement
regarding her position as a tenured facult y member, her right to compensation and employ ment benefits, her right to reinstatement to facult y and her right to severance pay ments. Cer velli and the College entered into a settlement agreement where both parties agreed that Cer velli would “continue her position as tenured member of the facult y” and would be paid “in an amount equal to the highest paid professor at Saint Mar y’s.” The agreement also stated the College would “pay Cer velli certain severance pay and benefits for t welve months, beginning Jan. 1, 2019.” On Jan. 31, according to the lawsuit, Cer velli’s counsel sent a letter to the College demanding pay ment for the unpaid wages. The lawsuit claims that to date, Saint
Mar y’s has not paid Cer velli the unpaid wages. Cer velli is petitioning for tenure, all compensation and employ ment benefits, and is requesting that the court either orders her reinstatement to the Saint Mar y’s facult y where she can continue her employ ment until her resignation or retirement, or continued severance payments under the settlement agreement. Cer velli is also suing the College for breaching its dut y of good faith and fair dealing for three reasons: the College‘s failure to pay her salar y, refusal to recognize her position as tenured facult y and attempts to prevent Cer velli from disclosing her position as tenured facult y, according to the complaint. The lawsuit is currently pending.
musicians,” Grueninger said. The choir traveled to and from performances by bus, allowing them time to connect with one another as well. “My favorite part was growing closer with everyone and making new friends,” firstyear Mollie Gniadek said. The concert not only connected students with each other and Saint Mary’s alumni, but also with female singers from across North
America. “Creating this global sisterhood of people who worked with Saint Mary’s, … The sisterhood is worldwide, even Canada,” Grueninger said. The appeal of participating in such an event extends beyond connecting with people to performing in the venue itself. The students also benefited from “singing in such a prestigious venue,” which first-year Liv Gren cited was
her favorite part of the trip. “For me, the best part was New York,” junior Mary Trainor said. “I loved exploring and going on adventures in New York, and singing at Carnegie Hall was an incredible experience.” The choir’s tour and musical performance at Carnegie Hall allowed the students to be inspired by alumni, venues, professors and each other.
“It is really inspiring to work with these really talented people around me,” Grueninger said. “Aspiring to be more than I was, I was watching Dr. Menk conduct a choir of 200 women and also an orchestra and working with the sweetest people at Saint Mary’s, stepping up to their level and making friends.”
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Dogs Continued from page 1
“When they first found her, she was super emaciated and had some cracked teeth … they think she might have tried to gnaw herself out of a poor situation,” Mansfield said. After being rescued from her own life-threatening situation, Juniper has taken on a life-saving role herself. She is trained to pick up on fluctuations in Mansfield’s blood sugar levels and alerts her when those levels get dangerously low. “It’s hard to say how many emergency situations she’s saved me from because she caught it before it got to that emergency situation,” Mansfield said. Having Juniper by her side reduces stress in Manfield’s daily life, she said. “[She makes] daily tasks a lot less anxiety inducing,” Mansfield said. “College especially being so busy, it can be hard to remember to sit down, breathe, take your blood sugar.” While Juniper essentially could be considered “a piece of medical equipment,” the role Juniper plays in Mansfield’s life is much more complex, she said, acting as “an extension” of Mansfield herself. Before she had Juniper, Mansfield found herself restricting her social life out of fear. “I would limit myself and what I would allow myself to do for safety reasons, but I think Juniper has restored some of that freedom that has allowed me to live my life and study abroad and be an RA,” she said. Juniper’s presence benefits more than just Mansfield, however. “I think she offers my mom a lot of peace of mind that she wouldn’t have if I were living alone,” Mansfield said. “That fear of something happening to me behind closed doors and nobody knowing about it for days is alleviated.” Though Juniper is a working dog, strangers often want to treat her like a pet, saying things like, “You have no idea how hard it is for me to not pet your dog,” Mansfield said. While she recognizes people’s positive intentions in saying such things, by the end of the day, getting so much attention can be exhausting. “It is hard to give people universal advice about how to approach a service dog because every handler is going to be different, every dog is going to be different,” she said. While no two experiences of having a service dog are exactly alike, senior Lauren Boutros also said her service dog Arlo is “like an extension” of herself. After taking a semester off of school for health-related reasons, Boutros said she knew having a service dog would allow her to live a more independent life. Arlo is new to the Notre Dame community, but loves everything about campus life — especially the snow and squirrels, Boutros said. The pair met for the first time in August of 2018 when Arlo was eight weeks old. Arlo is still in training — he and Boutros work
with three different trainers on a weekly basis. Boutros said she is an active participant in training her service dog. By doing this, she is developing valuable skills that will be helpful to her in the future, as she will likely live with a service dog for the rest of her life, she said. “If I didn’t have Arlo, my mother would have to be living here with me … I really would not be independent,” she said. “I don’t think that I could confidently graduate, I don’t think I could get a job. With Arlo, I have more confidence in doing those things.” As a prospective service dog, Arlo helps Boutros with her daily routine. He wakes her up in the morning and reminds her when to take her medication. He is also training to perform deep pressure therapy — something his sheer size helps him do well. Training might sound like hard work for a puppy, but Boutros ensured that Arlo is living the normal dog life. “Working is not work for him, it’s fun,” she said. “He lives such a happy life doing enriching things. He also gets to live out a life that is intellectual — he has to think about what he is doing and when to do it … there is a lot of opportunity for him to use his brain, which a lot of dogs do not get to do.” Navigating campus with a service dog is not always easy. Boutros and Arlo’s time training together has had its ups and downs. Service dogs have access to public spaces that other animals do not. Boutros said she is often asked by strangers if they can pet Arlo. “I don’t blame anyone,” she said. “I mean it makes sense. Of course you want to pet him, he’s adorable … It’s hard for me to say no.” However hard it is to say no, Boutros explained there is an appropriate time for petting, but when the pair is out among strangers is not always that time. “I’m training him to know when on is on and off is off,” she said. “Don’t let it ruin you day if we say, ‘No, please don’t take a picture.’ It’s okay, we don’t mean any harm … we just want some privacy. It’s hard to do this and not feel like you haven’t become a recognized figure on campus, and that can come with a lot of intrusiveness.” While privacy is often sacrificed when walking around campus with a dog, Boutros said that she has not had to make any sacrifices unwillingly. “I feel like I have gained a part of my identity, not in terms of being the girl with the dog on campus, but in terms of being Lauren who now has a service dog and lives a more full life,” she said. An initial concern for Boutros before getting a service dog was how having such a responsibility would affect her social life, she said, but she soon learned that the effect would only be positive. “It’s never stopped me from doing something that I’ve wanted to do socially … having a service dog has only opened up my life to actually living an experience that is good here,” she said. As students with service dogs on a college campus, both Mansfield and Boutros have received their fair
share of stares, they said. Seeing service dogs around campus can be a source of joy for many students. To these two girls, however,
their dogs mean much more. “In the long run, it’s important to remember that there is still a human being attached to that dog,” Paid Advertisement
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Mansfield said. Contact Avery Wythe at awythe@nd.edu
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Inside Column
Why I’ll never switch to Google Calendar Claire Rafford Interim News Editor
My mom showed me her impeccably organized schedule on iCloud and Google Calendar over spring break. Every category of her life — social, work and family — had a coordinated color, a little box assigning a task to her day. It seemed like a great system, but when she offered to show me how it worked, I respectfully declined. Sure, that kind of organization is appealing. But in a phone-centered world, I will always remain loyal to my old-fashioned, spiral-bound planner. As a self-identified control freak, I am willing to admit that I am more obsessed with my planner than the average person. Every single page contains appointments, overly detailed to-do lists and reminders written in my unkempt, half-cursive scrawl. I rely on this simple notebook to be responsible and to get through my day. But there is so much more than schoolwork and scheduled interviews within the pages of my planner: a scribbled motivational quip to get me through a particularly sad week, the title of this very column, a barely-legible note so I wouldn’t forget it and end up writing about something random, a song that I heard in the dining hall scrawled underneath my English homework so I can add it to a playlist later. As my friend pointed out when I told her my idea for this column, Google Calendar can remind me of appointments on all of my devices. This is true and convenient. But that feeling of crossing off an item from a to-do list, even if it’s something as unimpressive as “fold laundry,” is equivalent to the most intense shot of endorphins, more satisfying than the first sip of coffee or a hot shower. Nothing can beat the satisfying sharp cut of ink through an agenda item after a difficult paper has been completed. Despite the fact that my planner keeps my life in order, the physical object itself is a wreck. I often write outside the lines, so the pages are a mess of rainbow-colored inks and messy notes that probably only I can decode. The spirals are falling apart from overuse, several of the pages are folded over and wrinkled and there are coffee stains and blotched ink on several pages from when I dropped it in a puddle — oops. This doesn’t bother me, though. Google Calendar may have symmetrical and satisfying boxes with dazzling colors, but the reality is that life is messy. As much as I wish that everything could fit into a few squares and rectangles and remain separate, predictable planned in their boxes, real life doesn’t work that way. There will be days where all my to-do list items intertwine with some personal drama or sadness, and I don’t want to pretend that isn’t true. Even though it’s cheesy, I’m glad that my planner reflects the fact that my life is so perfectly imperfect. And when it comes down to it, I’d rather hold my life in my hands than stare at it on a screen. Contact Claire Rafford at crafford@nd.edu The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Think twice about Amazon Oliver Ortega News Con Fuego
Amazon is taking over the world. I kid, I kid. But the thought comes to mind whenever I hear the latest about the “retail apocaly pse” w recking through a shopping mall near you. Or the up-to-date tally of Ama zon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos’s ginormous net worth ($140 billion and increasing by the day). Or, on the rare occasion my penny-pinching, grad-student self is feeling bougie, I meander into W hole Foods, which Ama zon ow ns as of 2017. More recently, there was all that hullabaloo about “HQ2.” The Onion, venerable satire rag that it is, ran an October 2018 article titled “‘You Are A ll Inside Ama zon’s Second Headquarters,’ Jeff Bezos Announces To Horrified Americans As Massive Dome Envelops Nation.” The comical headline resonates because cities and states had scrambled to offer billions in subsidies for the company to settle in their back yard during the year-long search, show ing not only how per vasive a problem corporate welfare is but the extent of Amazon’s power. Of course, Amazon — valued at more than $1 trillion — is more than a retailer. As investigative journalist Stacy Mitchell reported in The Nation maga zine last year, Amazon isn’t so much tr y ing to dominate the market as become the market — for just about ever y thing, in fact. It produces T V shows and mov ies; publishes books and streams v ideo games; delivers restaurant orders and groceries; manufactures a range of products ranging from batteries to blouses; and offers healthcare and investment ser v ices. Ama zon is also the largest prov ider of cloud-computing ser v ices, w ith clients that include the CI A, Comcast and Netf lix. And w ith its growing net work of warehouses and deliver y vehicles, Amazon is gobbling up business that might other w ise go to the U.S. Postal Ser v ice or private mail carriers. Meanwhile, workers at its warehouses have complained of poor working conditions and low pay, while some prominent politicians such as Bernie Sanders have blamed Amazon for w idening income inequalit y. Around 50 percent of online shoppers start their search on Ama zon, a portion that has grow n tremendously in recent years. So powerful is its hold on online sales that thousands of its competitors ranging from small businesses to major retail brands to manufacturers have joined its platform to tr y to compete. But, according to Mitchell, what Amazon often does at that point is replace the third part y seller’s product w ith its ow n or price them out of business w ith excessive “fulfillment” fees. W hy should you care? Well, for one, when companies are able to monopolize or nearly monopolize, they set the rules of the game
to their ow n advantage, stif ling competition and hurting consumers. In her recent proposal to break up big tech companies, Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren argues that the government filing antitrust lawsuits against Microsoft in the 1990’s helped clear a path for Facebook and Google to emerge. She cites other instances of trustbusting in U.S. histor y to claim that really large companies like Ama zon should be designated “platform utilities,” entities prohibited from both ow ning the platform and its participants. So under this proposal, Ama zon wouldn’t be able to sell its products over those of third-part y sellers if it ow ns the platform. There are also larger, societal implications. Because of Ama zon’s dominance, what should be a public, democratic marketplace is being pushed over to the private sector, giv ing the corporation power “over such crucial questions as which books and ideas get published and promoted, who may ply a trade and on what terms, and whether given communities w ill succeed or fail,” to quote Mitchell. It’s also straight-up sad to see all these stores closings. Toys “R” Us, Payless ShoeSource, Charlotte Russe and Abercrombie & Fitch have permanently shut dow n or are in the process of closing for good. Universit y Park Mall in Mishawaka, a shopping hub for members of the Notre Dame communit y, has seen five national retailers inside the mall declare bankruptcy and announce they w ill close by the end of this year, the South Bend Tribune reported. W hat do we lose when the interactions that come from the brick-and-mortar experience — taking your kids for Christmas shopping at the local toy store, tr y ing on clothes w ith your friends at the mall, choosing fruit in the grocer y aisle — fade or go away completely? Our social lives, and our power as consumers and workers, takes a hit. As much as some business analysts might have you believe this seismic change is inev itable, that all these places are closing because of a failure to “adjust,” it’s not that simple. At least not entirely. For sure, there’s something irreversible about the whole affair — online shopping isn’t going away. But we have a choice to keep our dollars local and engage in the face-to-face shopping that for centuries has shaped our social experience rather than go the easier, but perhaps costlier in the long-run, route of one-click shopping. Oliver Ortega is a first-year Ph.D. student in the English department, specializing in Latinx Studies and a native of Queens, New York. Through his boundless cynicism, he keeps trying. Oliver can be reached at oortega1@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
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The observer | tuesday, March 19, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Cheer on the Irish Fighting Irish Students, Welcome back from spring break! Your Fighting Irish hockey team hosts the Big Ten Tournament Championship game this Saturday night at the Compton Family Ice Arena. We are fortunate that our pursuit of the conference tournament
championship — and the NCA A tournament — w ill be right here on home ice. We can count on you to be a part of the championship game against Penn State and help to lead the Irish “onward to v ictor y,” correct? Sign up for your tickets, and then show up early ready to be loud ! We
look for ward to seeing — and hearing — you this weekend. Go Irish! Jeff Jackson Notre Dame Men’s Hockey Coach March 18
A brief synopsis of recent OIT activity Andrew Rebholz Two of Clubs
Friday, March 8, 8:38 a.m. — Greetings, Notre Dame student body. Though we realize most of you have evacuated campus for your various spring break plans, we’d still like to send a short email about the current status of connectiv it y on campus. Sorr y to take up your time. Hopefully this won’t be too much of an inconvenience, as we have no intention of blow ing up your inbox. Just wanted to say that certain buildings have been hav ing trouble connecting to the interwebs, and we’re working the best we can to address the problem. Thanks ! Friday, March 8, 12:41 p.m. — Hi, me again. Again, not tr y ing to be too much of a pest here, but we just discovered that this connectiv it y problem might be a bit more grisly than anticipated. Long stor y short, a groundhog seems to have found his way into our w iring. There is some damage to our hardware, but we think we can identif y all those issues by this afternoon. Accomplishing that, ever y thing can get fixed over the weekend, and we’ll have your connection good as new by Monday! Thanks. Friday, March 8, 4:21 p.m. — So, turns out the groundhog is still scampering around. Yeah, we thought he’d given us his two cents and leave, but turns out the mongrel is still bouncing around in there. Dastardly little varmint has his mouth around a cable, just ey ing dow n my engineers as they tr y to scare him out of there. Sorr y for the angered language — there’s just a pluck y smirk on this demon’s face that unner ves me. We couldn’t fix connectiv it y today, as this critter’s been holding our systems hostage, and the extent of its damage is still left up to our imagination. Regardless, hopes are high; we are calling animal control at the present moment and w ill be keeping the groundhog under constant sur veillance until God purges its ev il from the earth. Have a nice weekend. Monday, March 11, 8: 02 a.m. — Things have gone from bad to worse. As it happens, animal control wouldn’t lend us a hand since this,
technically, only falls under the jurisdiction of OIT. I personally don’t understand how this only qualifies as a technological problem, but OK. We’ve been spurned by the laws of man, and thus have taken on the mission ourselves. I have an engineer who’s lost three fingers and another who’s lost an eye, but we’ll chase after this damned groundhog w ith an undy ing fur y. I feel that I’ve lost my sanit y, but I w ill hunt this monster ’til my last breath. Will prov ide updates as our crusade continues. Until then, connectivit y w ill still be an issue in LaFortune, Decio and Haggar. Monday, March 11, 4:16 p.m. — The day has been a long one. We’ve w restled up a temporar y solution, biding the groundhog’s time w ith distractions acquired from the DeBart vending machines, though I fear they w ill not satiate the beast’s hunger for long. I only have enough time to get off this email. Not only is connectiv it y still on the fritz, but I now fear that we OIT engineers are on the run. That’s right. It’s been made clear: Though we thought we were hunting it, it has all the while been hunting us. Our numbers are grow ing thin, unable to keep up w ith the groundhog’s ferocit y. Will update in the morning, as we continue to scramble our resources against the creature’s ire throughout the night. Tuesday, March 12, 10 :47 a.m. — It finished its meal faster than we anticipated, and I now regret giv ing the creature access to so much sugar and 5-hour Energ y. The beast has become a dy namo, a thunder-ball of energ y, and its appetite once again focuses on OIT hardware and OIT engineers. I came face-to-face w ith the beast as it swallowed my best friend whole. It occurs to me that no one truly appreciates how v icious groundhogs are as a species. It also occurs to me that I’ve looked into the eyes of the dev il. I have seen the abyss, and in turn, that abyss has seen me. How w ill I ever come back from this? How do I return to my w ife and family? How can I ever lie to my children, telling them ever y thing w ill be alright? I w ill never be the same. I begin to fear we w ill lose this war. Working closely w ith Cisco, our net work vendor, who is confident that maintenance tonight w ill address these net work
issues. Tuesday, March 12, 1:43 p.m. — Recent experiments reveal the groundhog to be bulletproof. I fear the worst. Wednesday, March 13, 8:33 a.m. — It’s gone. I cannot believe it. The beast has let mankind live. Will I ever understand why? Can one ever comprehend why such Lovecraftian horrors have yet to sweep us out from ex istence? I feel my life has an added significance, though conceptually I’ve never felt so small in this vast cosmos. Could it all be part of some grander plan? My mind races, and I hesitate to recognize how I’ve rediscovered God. Could it all be a ploy, this w ily groundhog just toy ing w ith us? I may never know … Net work issues have stabilized, as if by luck, fate or prov idence. W hat engineers are remaining have begun to slowly address the w reckage, bur y ing the dead and tally ing up how we might recover from the damages done to Universit y hardware. Expect updates tomorrow, and, for once, dare to hope. Thursday, March 14, 4:18 p.m. — Additional net work maintenance almost complete. We reckon ever y thing w ill be finished by the time students return from break. We’ve had to replace an absurd amount of hardware. My memor y f lashes over the last couple of days, back and forth through the hell I’ve been liv ing through since Friday, and I still grapple w ith the thought that this all came from one rodent. Could it all have been one bad dream? No, I tell myself as I attend the memorial ser v ice. No, and I’m luck y to be alive. I cannot sleep, but I spend my days kissing my w ife and telling my kids how much I love them. Life is precious, we found out. I do not expect to stay at this job much longer. Thank you all for listening. Being on break, most students deleted these emails directly from their inbox, never reading them. Andrew is not sarcastic. Coy to a fault, he enjoys talking without being heard. He can be reached at arebholz@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
ndsmcobserver.com | TuesDAY, MARCH 19, 2019 | The Observer
Crossword | Will Shortz
Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: The possibilities are endless this year. Embrace change and do your best to expand your interests and knowledge. Altering your personal life or the way you live will help you stabilize your life and your relationships with the people you care about most. Much can be accomplished if you use your energy to make updates and take care of business. Your numbers are 9, 15, 19, 22, 27, 36, 48. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Being understanding will help you avoid a standoff with someone who can jeopardize your position, reputation or chance to advance. You will obtain valuable information if you network. Verify the data received; spice it up to fit your needs. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Consider your objective and get the ball rolling. Focus on what you can do. Refuse to let an emotional matter throw you off schedule. If you are intent on making progress, you will get good results. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Make changes at home or to the way you handle responsibilities. Stick to the rules and regulations in order to dodge criticism and complaints. A chance to improve a partnership is possible if you are straightforward and willing to compromise. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Forge into the future with greater optimism. Consider new ways to solve old problems, and discuss your ideas with someone who can help you make your dreams come true. A helping hand someone offers will turn into a worthwhile partnership. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Don’t let the changes others make disturb you. Concentrate on the things you enjoy doing and develop a better emotional rapport with someone you’d like to get to know better. Refuse to let your emotions interfere with your responsibilities or reputation. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Get in the game. Refuse to let anyone sideline you by promising the impossible and winning over your support. Be upfront about what you can offer, and throw in an incentive to those who stand by you. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Your actions will be what prompt others to pitch in and help. Personal improvements, both emotionally and physically, will lead to an unexpected opportunity. A romantic gesture will bring you closer to someone you love. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Traveling, communicating and networking will spark ideas that will encourage you to make personal changes you’ve been considering for some time. Watch your spending habits to avoid problems with someone you share expenses with. A career change looks promising. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Observing will help you avoid being taken advantage of by someone who tends to exaggerate. Walk away from gossip and those who play mind games with you. Personal gains will come your way if you are cautious and rely on yourself. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): An unexpected change at home will make you consider your options. A closer look will reveal that you can actually benefit from what transpired. Slow down and make changes that will protect your finances and your possessions. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Be careful; mishaps are possible if you are reckless or let your emotions interfere with your common sense. Explore new ways to be helpful, and channel your energy into doing something constructive. Give-and-take will be fortuitous. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Stick to the basics and the truth. Too much information or exaggerating a situation or circumstance will not help you fix a problem. Say less and do more. The action you take will make a lasting impression on someone important. Birthday Baby: You are intelligent, demonstrative and flirtatious. You are popular and proactive.
wingin’ it | olivia wang & bailee egan
Sudoku | The Mepham Group
Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek
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SPORTS
ndsmcobserver.com | Tuesday, MARCH 19, 2019 | The Observer
W Bball
Sports Authority
Proper farewell for NBA icons Charlotte Edmonds Managing Editor
With just over three weeks remaining in the regular season and the Western Conference playoff picture nearly solidified — baring minor shifts in seeding — there’s no better time than the present to honor the likely closing of the careers of two legends of the league: Dirk Nowitzki and Dwayne Wade. While Wade is currently helping lead a Heat team that’s battling to defend their eighth seed in the Eastern Conference standings, Nowitzki has settled into his role as a bench player, contributing more in leadership than anything else on a young team that’s struggled to perform on the road. Regardless of their team’s respective outcomes, these two players’ contributions to the game and the cities they’ve represented can’t be denied. In his 21st season in the league, Nowitzki has made his way around NBA arenas across the country, being honored by fans and foes alike as they acknowledge the contributions he’s made to the game in, likely, their last inperson opportunity. Although the seven-footer from southcentral Germany has recently tried to rebuff claims of his approaching retirement — saying he’s going to see how his body feels and whether he continues to enjoy playing over the next couple weeks before he’s makes any decisions — there’s a general assumption within the league that this is his farewell tour, as he nears his 41st birthday this June. Meanwhile, Wade has announced this season will be the last of his 16-year career. On the court, Nowitzki has distinguished himself as a selfless teammate, having spent the entirety of his career with the Dallas Mavericks after being traded by the Milwaukee Bucks on the night of the draft in a multi-team deal that sent point guard Steve Nash to join Nowitzki in Dallas. Together, the two forged a bond unlike most teammates, and, along with forward Jason Finley, were integral to a new era of Mavericks basketball under the “Big Three.” His signature fadeaway became the model for all lanky teenagers — a contrast to the fast pace of the rest of the league. On a personal note, I once met Dirk and Steve Nash in a popular Dallas market, Eatzi’s, and although my 4-year-old self has little
recollection of this interaction, my mom claims they were both so kind to my sisters and me, even autographing a poster of the “Big Three” that rests somewhere in my brothers apartment today. After Nowitzki took the court last night against the Pelicans, he moved into sixth on the list of all-time scorers in the NBA, passing Wilt Chamberlain — yes, 100-point-game scoring Wilt Chamberlain. On the other side of the league, Wade has distinguished himself as a gritty floor commander, often willing to take on whatever roll needed for the team and knocking down clutch shots late into the game. The 36-year-old recently revealed that he nearly left the game altogether several years back when he, LeBron James and Chris Bosh were running South Beach due to debilitating knee pain, going so far as needing three surgeries. His 4.1 assists per game along with his signature step back have continually made him a threat throughout the course of his career. Although I have no personal anecdote to offer in defense of Wade’s character, he has continually distinguished himself as a leader on the court, winning three NBA Championships, one of which he was named Finals MVP. Although some uncertainty remains as to whether Nowitzki will hang up the jersey this season and how far Wade’s swan song can extend into the postseason, the likely end of both of these players careers marks something much bigger — the end of an era. An era prior to the 2005 collective bargaining agreement negotiations that established the current draft eligibility rules. An era that grew up idolizing the 1992 Dream Team on the heels of Michael Jordan and the Bull’s dominance of the ‘90s. As much as I love watching the Russell Westbrook’s and Paul George’s of the league — I’ll give you one guess where I’m from — those players were shaped by the Wade’s and Nowitzki’s of yesterday. Farewell to you both. You’ve given fans around the world something to rally behind and may you receive all the credit you deserve in these final weeks. Contact Charlotte Edmonds at cedmond3@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Continued from page 12
“Coming into the game we knew that we had a mismatch,” Shepard said. “So, I think the guards just did a great job of passing the ball inside. I mean, I can think of all of them making a great pass in and then obviously getting to play with a player like Bri makes it really easy … So, it’s just been a lot of fun this season.” From that point on, the game was all Notre Dame. With the exception of a rare glimpse of a comeback by Louisville, Notre Dame remained in control, closing the third quarter up 17 following a putback layup by forward Mikayla Vaughn as time expired. The sophomore reserve was the only bench player to get on the board, scoring four points and grabbing four rebounds in her 11 minutes of play. After a brief scare in which the Cardinals cut the lead to 14 just a minute into the final frame, the Irish went on a 4-18 run, with all five starters contributing to seal the deal. With just over a minute and half standing
Hockey Continued from page 10
said. And after 60 minutes of relentless play in both cages, the game headed into overtime. The overtime period began — and ended — in a nightmare for Minnesota. Senior forward Tyler Sheehy was penalized for a controversial hooking violation, and Notre Dame quickly capitalized on the power play. Graham, originally from
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between Notre Dame and its fifth ACC championship in six seasons, head coach Muffet McGraw subbed out the starting five, all but one of which — Young — will be graduating in May. Young, who has earned herself the reputation of the renaissance woman of the team as the first player in program history to record two triple-doubles in a season, lived up to the hype against the Cardinals as she and Shepard each recorded a double-double. The 21-point, 10-rebound performance was the tenth double-double of the season for Young. “I’m just really willing to do whatever it takes to help our team win and whether that’s guarding the best player on the other team, rebounding, scoring, passing, whatever that is I’m willing to do it,” Young said. “For this tournament, I think I was just looking to attack early so that I could get my teammates open and look for Marina, Arike on the [3-point line] and then have passes for Jess and Bri on the inside … I’m scoring, they’re going to guard me a little bit tighter so then I’m
able to a dish the ball.” Young and Shepard both earned First Team All-Tournament selections for their performances throughout the week, with Young being named Tournament MV P. Meanwhile, Ogunbowale was named to the Second Team All-Tournament team after averaging nearly 17 points through three games. As the clock wound down, the 20-point victory all but cemented Notre Dame’s top seed on the road to the 2019 national championship in Tampa, Florida. The opening round of play will begin this Friday. “Well, you know, when you beat ranked teams by as much as we did this weekend, I think it really sends a great message,” McGraw said. “We want to try to set a tone, but it’s a new season. Everybody’s undefeated. We gotta take care of business every single game. So, I’m glad we sent a good message. We can enjoy a couple of days off and then get ready to get back to work.’
Minnesota, skated from the right side of the ice around the back of the goal and onto the left side of the ice. He eluded the Gopher defense and got a shot off toward the inside-left corner. Twenty-two seconds after Sheehy’s penalty, the Irish had converted their first and only shot of overtime into the game-winning goal. Morris was excited to see that his team is progressing well, especially this time of year. “We’re definitely trending in the right direction at this time of year,“ the Notre
Dame goalie said. Following a 5-1 win on the road against top-seeded Ohio State on Sunday, No. 4 Penn State will visit Notre Dame this Saturday night for the Big Ten Championship game. The Irish split the last two games of the regular season against the Nittany Lions (22-14-2, 11-12-1 Big Ten), but Notre Dame will look to stay undefeated in Big Ten playoff action and claim its second straight conference title.
Contact Charlotte Edmonds at cedmond3@nd.edu and Ellen Geyer at egeyer1@nd.edu
Contact Charlie Ortega Guifarro at cortegag@nd.edu
ASHTON BIERI| The Observer
Freshman forward Graham Slaggert skates toward the action during Notre Dame’s 1-0 win over Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals at Compton Family Ice Arena on March 8. The Obser ver accepts classifieds ever y business day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Notre Dame office, 024 South Dining Hall. Deadline for next-day classifieds is 3 p.m. All classifieds must be prepaid. The charge is 5 cents per character per day, including all spaces. The Obser ver reser ves the right to edit all classifieds for content without issuing refunds.
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Sports
The observer | Tuesday, march 19, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
nD WOMEN’s BASKETBALL
ND earns top seed in Selection Monday chaos By ELIZABETH GREASON Senior Sports Writer
Sometimes, life just throws a wrench in your plans. Sometimes, you plan to practice from 3:45 to 5:45 p.m. and then ESPN releases your NCAA tournament bracket 3 hours and 45 minutes early by mistake. And sometimes, everything goes according to plan. On Monday, Notre Dame got a little bit of both. When ESPNU accidentally began leaking the NCAA tournament bracket at 3:15 p.m. Monday, with the live selection show not scheduled until 7 p.m. that evening, chaos ensued. The network announced to the public at 4:54 p.m. that it had moved the live show to 5 p.m. and women’s basketball director of operations Katie Capps sprang into action — running from their respective offices to the court where practice was still taking place and interrupting the whole operation. Irish head coach Muffet McGraw ended the practice on the spot and sent her squad running to the showers to get them upstairs and in front of the television before Notre Dame’s seed and region
was announced (officially this time). “We were right in the middle of practice and of course we didn’t know anything that was going on and our director of ops came in and said ‘They just moved the selection show up, we’re rolling in 10 minutes’ and we needed to stop practicing and kind of revealed the whole bracket to us. It was great news to get,” McGraw said. “Honestly, we lost a lot of practice time today and I’m disappointed. I don’t think we’ll bring them back tonight. We’ll just wait until tomorrow.” And that’s where the expected came into play. The No. 3 Irish ended up exactly where they were predicted to be: the No. 1 seed in the Chicago region, hosting their first and second rounds at Purcell Pavilion for the sixth-consecutive season. “The only game we have right now is the first game [against Bethune-Cookman],” senior forward Jessica Shepard said. “We’re not looking ahead to Chicago. We’re excited to be able to play in front of our fans.” Irish senior guard Marina Mabrey echoed that opinion and is ready to charge headfirst into competition Saturday.
“It feels good, after dropping the ball a couple of times [with three losses], to be able to pick it up and pick up right where we left off,” Mabrey said. Notre Dame (30-3, 14-2 ACC) will take on No. 16-seed BethuneCookman (21-10, 11-5 MEAC), which earned its place in the tournament by winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament on Saturday, defeating Norfolk State 57-45. Most of the players admitted they didn’t know where the Wildcats hail from, but when it comes down to it, the whole team knows what really matters is coming out prepared for the game. “All the teams in the tournament are good but they are first on our minds,” Mabrey said. Also in Notre Dame’s quadrant of the bracket is second-seeded Stanford, who sent the Irish home from the Lexington regional in the Elite Eight two years ago, and DePaul and Marquette, who sit at the five and six seeds, respectively, both of whom the Irish have defeated already this season. Also on Notre Dame’s side of the bracket is the Albany region. Sitting atop that region is Paid Advertisement
ACC foe and fellow No. 1 seed Louisville, who the Irish have downed twice this season. What is perhaps causing more intrigue than the Cardinals (29-3, 14-2 ACC), however, is who lurks just beneath them in their region: second-seeded UConn, who was not awarded a No. 1 seed for the first time since 2006. The Huskies (31-2, 16-0 AAC) won their conference with ease, but also dropped games to Baylor and Louisville and only played the sixth-toughest schedule in the country. Across from the Irish on the other side of the bracket sits the Portland region, which is topped by Mississippi State, who Notre Dame took down in the national title game last season. Miami, who defeated the Irish unexpectedly on Feb. 7 in Coral Gables, Florida, sits at No. 4 in the region. However, aside from the reigning national runner-up, the biggest name headed to Portland comes from the No. 2 seed — Oregon, who will not have to do much traveling. Led by senior triple-double machine Sabrina Ionescu, the Ducks (29-4, 16-2 Pac-12) top the country in fewest turnovers, sit at sixth in the nation in assists and are third in the
country in field goal percentage. Rounding out the bracket is the Greensboro region. Baylor took the No. 1 seed in North Carolina, which was expected as the Lady Bears (31-1, 18-0 Big 12) also held the No. 1 spot in the nation entering the selection show. Baylor shares its region with No. 2-seed Iowa and Hawkeyes senior forward Megan Gustafson, who was recently named women’s basketball’s player of the year by ESPN. The Irish will take on BethuneCookman on Saturday at Purcell Pavilion at 11 a.m. The Wildcats are led by senior guard Angel Golden, who is their top scorer, averaging 19.7 points per game and one of their top 3-point shooters at 31.3 percent. On the defensive end, senior forward Chasimmie Brown leads the team with 76 offensive boards and 191 defensive rebounds. She also leads the team in blocks with 34. “It doesn’t [matter] who’s in front of us. Every game is a championship game because if we lose, our season is over. I think everyone is coming back with that mindset.” Contact Elizabeth Greason at egreason@nd.edu
sports
ndsmcobserver.com | tuesday, march 19, 2019 | The Observer
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Track Continued from page 12
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Nuguse. The sophomore started his 1,600-meter leg over seven seconds behind the leader, Dan Curts of Iowa State, but slowly began to make up ground. By the half way point of the leg, Nuguse had fully caught up to Curts by running a 1:55.7 800-meter split. The t wo ran w ith each other for the next 400 meters before Nuguse surged ahead at the start of the final 400 meters. With t wo laps to go, the race turned into a battle bet ween Notre Dame and Stanford. Stanford senior Grant Fisher — a nine-time A llAmerican and 2017 NCAA champion in the 5,000 meters — started his leg in 10th place and had surged w ith the Irish sophomore to climb back into the race. Heading into the final lap, Fisher passed Nuguse and took over first place. He held that lead into the final straightaway, but Nuguse surged ahead in the final 15 meters to cross the finish line first w ith a mile time of 3:56.03 — w inning the men’s distance medley relay for Notre Dame in dramatic fashion. “It couldn’t have been any more exciting,” Sparks said. “Grant Fisher is probably the most respected distance runner in college right now … so it was really a fun race to watch from that perspective.” Nuguse was instantly greeted by his teammates and Carlson, who gathered in a circle to congratulate one another and soak in what they had just accomplished. Post-race, Nuguse said he couldn’t have done what he did w ithout his teammates. “W hen I’m doing it for my team out there, I give it all that I have, and it paid off tonight,” he said. For Sparks, the best part was that the “team” Nuguse referred to didn’t simply mean the three other indiv iduals on the relay. Rather, it signified how much support the DMR indiv iduals had from their teammates who made the journey to Birmingham, and ultimately how the event brought the entire Notre Dame track and field program together. “We had about 30 to 35 student-athletes come dow n to watch the race, and we were about the loudest people in the whole building,” Sparks said. “It was just icing on the cake, hav ing them there to celebrate w ith their teammates, and it put it over the top as far as one of the most memorable experiences a student-athlete can have.” Contact Joe Everett at jeveret4@nd.edu
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The observer | Tuesday, march 19, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
ND Women’s basketball
Notre Dame dominates at ACC Championship By CHARLOTTE EDMONDS and ELLEN GEYER Managing Editor and Sports Editor
With a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament on the line, No. 4 Notre Dame left no doubt in anyone’s mind who would be claiming that position from the ACC after besting No. 3 Louisville 99-79 and clinching the ACC Championship on Sunday in Greensboro, North Carolina. “Well, we came in with a goal of bringing the trophy back to South Bend, and I thought we played really well in every game in the tournament,” head coach Muffet McGraw said. “Offensively especially, just a lot of different weapons, a lot of people scoring … I thought we were really steady on offense and definitely came ready today. I thought that was a huge win for us and probably gets us to play in Chicago, which was another one of our goals. So, we’re thrilled with where we are right now.” Led by ACC tournament MVP junior guard Jackie Young in a rematch of last year’s conference championship, Notre
Dame ensured history did not repeat itself after falling 74-72 last year behind Louisville senior guard Asia Durr’s 17 points. This time, the Irish (30-3, 14-2 ACC) got to work immediately following the noon tip off, dropping 27 points in the opening frame. Despite initial back and forth, the top-seeded team started to distance themselves from the Cardinals (29-3, 14-2 ACC), building an 11-point lead behind an 8-0 run sparked by a Jessica Shepard layup, with four different players contributing. The senior forward had an impressive first half, scoring 13 points — nine of which came in the first quarter — to go along with her six rebounds. Although the Cardinals tried to find their groove, the Irish maintained their distance, finishing the first 10 minutes up 27-17. Notre Dame continued to set the pace, as senior guards Marina Mabrey and Arike Ogunbowale connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to push the lead to 12. However, Louisville quickly reminded everyone in the Greensboro Coliseum why it was the
Hockey
Sports Writer
Fifty-three seconds. For 53 seconds, a shallow fear filled Compton Family Ice Arena as the home team was just one goal away from advancing to the Big Ten final or one goal from virtually the end of their season. For 53 seconds, there was panic. For 53 seconds, there was doubt. But after 53 seconds of overtime, the Irish punched their ticket to the Big Ten Championship game for the second season in a row. This past Saturday night, No. 2 Notre Dame (21-13-3, 11-11-2 Big Ten) hosted No. 3 Minnesota (18-16-4, 11-10-3) in the semifinal game of the Big Ten hockey tournament. The game got off to a great start for the Irish who got on the board just two minutes into the first period when junior forward Mike O’Leary drove in from the right flank and sent a pass to junior forward Cam Morrison who was cutting in for a shot on goal. The puck deflected off
MICHELLE MEHELAS | The Observer
Irish senior guard Arike Ogunbowale dribbles the ball into the paint during Notre Dame’s 99-79 victory over Louisville on Sunday.
have a mismatch. And also, just Jackie taking the ball full court, going for easy layups. So, I think we really executed and
took what the other team gave us.” see W BBALL PAGE 9
TRack & FIELD
ND saves season with OT goal By CHARLIE ORTEGA GUIFARRO
third-ranked team in the country, as the Cardinals went on a 7-0 run of their own to cut the deficit to five. With the remaining five minutes of the half, both teams struggled to make their move, but the Irish closed the half up nine. Despite shooting nearly 37 percent from beyond the arc, Mabrey’s and Ogunbowale’s 3-pointers were the only longrange shots made on four attempts in the first half for the Irish. Notre Dame instead elected to focus its offensive efforts on the block and mid-range jumpers, taking 15 more fieldgoal attempts than Louisville. Returning to the court after halftime, Notre Dame continued to look to the posts on offense as they built themselves a 14-point lead midway through the third quarter. This run was led by graduate student forward Brianna Turner’s eight points, as the Cardinals couldn’t seem to find a response to her or Shepard. “I think we really took advantage of how they were guarding us,” Turner said. “A lot of times they went four guards, so we knew someone was gonna
of Morrison’s upper body and caught junior Gopher goalie Mat Robson by surprise when it slid into the back of the net. After several minutes of video review, the Irish were awarded the goal. Minnesota struck back when freshman forward Sampo Ranta connected on a pass and fired a one-timer through the legs of Irish junior goalie Cale Morris. Scoring on their first shot of the game, the Gophers tied it at one all 5:44 into the first period, briefly silencing the sold-out crowd of 4,882 and halting the Irish momentum. Both teams had power plays in the second period, but neither capitalized. The remainder of the game was a battle of the goalies. Irish freshman forward Michael Graham praised the work of his goalie. “[Cale Morris’ performance] was incredible. Just save after save. We screwed up a few times there in the second [period] and the third [period] but he had our back. It’s just who he is,” Graham see HOCKEY PAGE 9
Irish men’s DMR wins NCAA Championship By JOE EVERETT Senior Sports Writer
In the final event of the night at the NCA A Track and Field Indoor Championships on March 8 in Birmingham, Ala., the Notre Dame men’s distance medley relay (DMR) team stole the show by rallying to win the race, earning itself a place in Irish track and field lore. The title-winning team — comprised of freshman Dylan Jacobs, senior Edward Cheatham and sophomores Samuel Voelz and Yared Nuguse — recorded a final time of 9:31.55 to edge out Stanford and claim Notre Dame’s second DMR national title and fourth-ever NCA A Indoor Track and Field Championship. “I’m incredibly proud of these guys for buying in to each other, our program and Notre Dame,” assistant coach Sean Carlson said in a press release from the same day. “These guys represent everything about the
culture of our program and what we have been building here.” Irish head coach Matt Sparks credited Carlson for helping all four members of the team consistently buy into the vision he was setting fourth — they could actually win gold at nationals, especially after last year’s team finished just one second away from accomplishing that mission. “Last year we surprised a lot of people when we got second … and this year we still felt like we were the underdogs a little bit,” Sparks said. “But this has been a vision and a conversation that Coach Carlson has had with those guys since a year ago at this time. We lost two of the four, and really Yared was the big mainstay piece that we had, but the locker room talk has always been the same — that we need to give ourselves a chance to win that thing.” The Irish entered the competition as the top seed,
having recorded the secondbest time in NCA A history earlier this season at the Alex Wilson Invitational — crossing the line in 9:26.10 after Nuguse closed the relay with a 3:56 mile, tracking down and passing Wisconsin’s Oliver Hoare on the straightaway to earn Notre Dame the victory. Friday, inside the Birmingham Crossplex, the Irish would require a similar effort from their star sophomore. Jacobs led off for Notre Dame in the 1,200-meter leg, recording a 2:57.48 split to keep the Irish firmly in the mix. The freshman handed the baton off to Cheatham, who kept the Irish in the pack by running the 400-meter leg in 48.17. With the 12-team field still tightly bunched, Voelz took over and ran his 800-meter leg in 1:49.89 to put the Irish in sixth place at the final baton exchange. From there, it was all up to see TRACK PAGE 10