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Volume 53, Issue 60 | wednesday, november 28, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
O’Neill residents celebrate SDH worker Students surprise ‘Notre Dame Grandma’ Pam Jobin with gifts for 70th birthday, featured on ‘GMA’ By TOM NAATZ Associate News Editor
In 2011, after spending 24 years working at St. Michael’s Laundry, Pam Jobin decided to retire. However, the grandmother of 10 — with one greatgrandchild — soon discovered that she missed work. “I was bored,” Jobin said. After a year of retirement, Jobin contacted a friend who was one of the managers of South Dining Hall (SDH). The manager was able to get Jobin a job as one of the dining hall monitors. Last week, her work as a monitor landed her and her 70th birthday celebration a feature on “Good Morning America.” Jobin explained that the job in the dining hall appealed to
her because it would allow her to engage with students. “I thought, ‘You know what? It’s something I would like because I’m still interacting with people,’” she said. “I like South and I love the people and I love the students and the ambiance.” As she began her new job as a monitor, Jobin said she sought to emulate the example of Lila and John Ritschard, a husband and wife who worked as monitors in South Dining Hall. Both have since passed away. “I always admired how they had such a camaraderie. They had such a relationship with the kids. Everyone knew Lila and John,” Jobin said. “She was kind of a mentor, she would always see JOBIN PAGE 4
Photo Courtesy of Nick Martinez
O’Neill Hall 4A residents celebrate South Dining Hall monitor Pam Jobin’s 70th birthday with Jobin’s granddaughter. The celebration was featured on ‘Good Morning America’ and other news outlets.
Saint Mary’s groups host Fair Trade Holiday Fair By SARA SCHLECT News Writer
Ethical purchasing is at the center of a new initiative at Saint Mary’s. Sponsored by the Office for Civic and Social Engagement (OCSE), the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Ambassador team and the department of justice studies,
the Fair Trade Holiday Fair takes place this week in the atrium of the Student Center. Rebekah DeLine, director of the OCSE, said the fair is occurring in order to “raise awareness that consumption, which we all participate in as individuals, can be done in ways that are conscientious,” as well as, “to promote some
of our local organizations that promote fair trade.” The idea that became the Fair Trade Holiday Fair began at a charity event, DeLine said. “I got to talking with the manager of Ten Thousand Villages, and she said she would love to bring the store see FAIR TRADE PAGE 4
Mass held to recognize Building Services workers By MIKE DUGAN News Writer
Tuesday evening, Fr. Pete McCormick celebrate Mass in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. The Mass was held in celebration and gratitude for those who work in Building Services at the University of Notre Dame and was cosponsored by the Senior Class Council, Campus Ministry and
NEWS PAGE 3
the student government department of faith and service. Senior Emily McAuliffe, co-chair of the Senior Class Council faith and service committee, said that the Senior Class Council was moved to put on the event after reading a letter to the editor lamenting the death of 57-year-old Michael Amadek, a Notre Dame custodian who died in the driver’s seat of his car
SCENE PAGE 5
in the library parking lot on Thursday, Sept. 20, after reporting that he felt unwell. “After the death of Michael, we felt that we should recognize this part of the community who is usually not given the full recognition that they deserve,” McAuliffe said. “We thought a Mass would be a good way to show our gratitude see SERVICES PAGE 4
VIEWPOINT PAGE 7
Panel discusses rise of far right By NATALIE WEBER News Editor
The month of October saw a wave of violence, with the pipe bomb scare, the Tree of Life synagogue shooting and the shooting of two African Americans in Kentucky that is “being investigated as a hate crime,” according to NPR. In response to these events, members of the Kroc Institute organized a panel Tuesday to discuss the rise of populism and means to combat it, including redefining dominant social narratives, eliminating segregation and enacting grassroots political change. Professor David Anderson Hooker said in order to fight racism, xenophobia and farright extremism, society must abandon its “narrative[s] of superiority.” “We have a narrative of superiority that has constructed us in ways that allow that there’s always going to be a superiority and an inferiority,” he said. “There’s a narrative we celebrate at Thanksgiving, we
HOCKEY PAGE 12
have all of the war holidays … that celebrate the glorification of violence that supports a narrative of manifest destiny and doctrine of discovery that allows for superior glorification of violence as the way we show up in the world.” In order to overcome this narrative, individuals must abandon certain identities — such as whiteness grounded in a sense of racial superiority — and reimagine themselves. “For most of you, I would ask, in your imagination, if you weren’t white, who would you be? Do you have a way of even knowing yourself?” Hooker said. “We’re going to need an imaginative capacity to know ourselves outside of the constrictions of whiteness. Otherwise, you have to continue participating in the reproduction of the hegemony that emerges from that, that we label as racism, populism and xenophobia.” Eliminating segregation is also key to combatting rising see PANEL PAGE 3
ND M BASKETBALL PAGE 12
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NATALIE WEBER | The Observer
As the temperature drops and the days shorten, residents of Cavanaugh Hall decorate the halls in preparation for the holiday season. Students admire the lights, snowflakes, tinsel, trees and wrapping paper lining the halls and get in the Christmas spirit.
The next Five days:
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Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
A Talk with Carmen Perez Eck Hall of Law 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Lecture on race, law and society.
Lecture: “Writers in the No-Man’s Land” Jenkins-Nanovic Halls 6:30 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. A talk by Hana Morgenstern.
Seminar: “Youth, Political Inclusion and Social Engagement” Jenkins-Nanovic Halls 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Holiday Gift Auction Robinson Community Learning Center 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. All proceeds support the Robinson Center.
Confirmation Mass Basilica of the Sacred Heart 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. Students complete Church initiation.
Stories of Grace Walsh Hall Chapel 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. All are welcome for an evening of prayer and reflection.
Student Stand-Ups and Humor Artists Legends Nightclub 9 p.m. Live comedy sketches by students.
Handel’s Messiah Leighton Concert Hall 8 p.m. Performance by ND Chorale and Festival Baroque Orchestra.
Christmas Concert: Unchained Melodies Hagerty Family Cafe 8 p.m. Christian a capella group performs.
University Band Winter Concert Leighton Concert Hall 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. Featuring students, alumni and faculty.
News
ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, november 28, 2018 | The Observer
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College provides student meals during break By JORDAN COCKRUM Saint Mary’s Editor
In years past, students who stayed at Saint Mary’s over fall break or the Thanksgiving holiday were left without on-campus dining options. Instead, they had to stock up on groceries and feed themselves with dorm-friendly foods. This year, however, Saint Mary’s offered several dinners for students, who could sign up if they were staying over the break. About 50 students signed up for these dinners, vice president of student affairs Karen Johnson
Panel Continued from page 1
far right population, professor Rory McVeigh argued. “When a crisis hits, an economic crisis or something else, it makes it possible for some people to kind of buy into the notion that ‘It’s only our group that is suffering’ and they don’t see the suffering of other people in distant locations,” McVeigh said. “It makes it hard for them to recognize that there’s a common problem that could be solved through cooperation rather than through conflict. “And also [there is] the kind of segregation where maybe you’re actually spatially approximate but positions in the hierarchy overlap substantially with racial identities or religious identities that makes different groups affected differently by the transitions that are taking place in society.” Following the economic recession, those without college degrees had a difficult time finding employment, McVeigh said. As a result, he said, far right ideas gained more traction in the United States. “While we saw the unemployment rate going down and we
said. Johnson said the Sisters of the Holy Cross hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for students Thursday night, as well as Christmas tree decorating with pizza Friday and another meal Saturday. “We truly appreciate the Sisters of the Holy Cross helping us out,” Johnson said in an email. The idea to provide dinners for students who stayed on campus for break came from the Saint Mary’s Student Diversity Board. During the transition from former College President Jan Cervelli to Interim College President Nancy Nekvasil in early
saw a lot of things that suggested the economy was on the rise, there were a lot of other people who experienced something different and nobody was speaking to them,” McVeigh said. “And a demagogue came along and started speaking to them about their economic circumstances in racist terms and sexist terms and has enjoyed quite a lot of success in doing so.” Ann Mische, associate professor of sociology and peace studies, pointed to the political process as a means of addressing the rise of the far right. “My two recommendations are … try to construct insider-outsider coalitions. Pursue both electoral strategies, as we did in the U.S. in the most recent elections, but don’t just leave it to the elected representatives,” she said. “Also work on grass roots mobilization, community organizing and growing different kinds of social mobilization, including more conversational forms.” Mische traced the rise of right wing extremism in Brazil, which most recently elected Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right president. In recent years, Mische said, protests around the world have
October, Nekvasil met with both the student body as a whole and Student Diversity Board to discuss next steps and address student concerns. Junior and president of Student Diversity Board Bella Tillman said students came to the group to express the difficulty they faced in finding meals while on campus during breaks. This complaint inspired the group to work to provide for students that spend their break at the College. “We were made aware of the fact that a bunch of girls didn’t have anywhere to go during breaks, but also our dining hall
is closed,” Tillman said. “So they aren’t getting anything to eat because they have nowhere else to go, so we decided to try and start serving meals over breaks.” Student Diversity Board raised the issue with Nekvasil at her town hall with the Board following her appointment as Interim President, Tillman said. The group met with Nekvasil and Johnson several more times to begin planning, after which Johnson took over most of the responsibility. “The first town hall meeting with Nekvasil we started, because that’s when the idea came up,” Tillman said. “And then we
kept talking with her and Karen Johnson, and then everything started being planned.” Tillman said Student Diversity Board found this cause to be necessary due to the responsibility the College has to students. “The students are here, and it’s not their choice that they don’t have anywhere else to go,” Tillman said. “And also they are here for the housing and the dining, and so it’s kind of Saint Mary’s job to provide the food for them, too, if they’re paying for it.” Contact Jordan Cockrum at jcockrum01@saintmarys.edu
ANNA MASON | The Observer
A panel of professors from various departments discuss ways of understanding and confronting the rise of populism. “Racism, Xenophobia and the Rise of the Far Right at Home and Abroad” took place Wednesday.
advocated for less partisanship, resulting in debates over whether theses movements have supported dictatorships. “In many of these cases, the movements that started with a kind of radical autonomy articulated with strong anti-partisanship and often strong anti-corruption themes,” she said. “In many of these countries around the world, you saw the growth of populism,
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sometimes from the left, as in Spain, but sometimes from the right.” While Brazilian protests of the party system led to anti-corruption laws, the far-right also capitalized on this extremism, Mische said. “In many of the pro-impeachment rallies, [you saw] the rise of sectors that were defending the return to dictatorship, that were
defending military intervention and articulating it with the claims and critiques of corruption,” she said. “And Bolsonaro was just a marginal politician. Nobody took him seriously. But he was articulating the [message] of the extreme right, back in these anti-corruption demonstrations that contributed to the impeachment of the president of the worker’s party.” Professor Atalia Omer discussed anti-Semitic stereotypes. While anti-Semitism does not manifest itself in the same ways as racism, it still plays out in society through several stereotypes, Omer said. Jews are often regarded with suspicion, and seen as mysterious and disproportionately powerful and destructive, Omer said. Anti-Semitism and other forms of scapegoating are a means of distracting from the real sources of oppression, Omer said. “Why is scapegoating appealing? Because it helps simplify the world’s problems and divert attention from those systems and groups actually complicit in direct structural, cultural forms of violence,” she said. “Instead of examining the structures of exploitive capitalism, militarism and toxic masculinity, to name a few causes of injustice, is it by far easier to direct blame to a group whose dehumanization has deep roots and readily available religious, cultural and historical grammar and vocabulary.” Contact Natalie Weber at nweber@nd.edu
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News
The observer | wednesday, november 28, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
Jobin Continued from page 1
give you that talk. She was so loving and just everything.” Early on in her time as a monitor, around 2012 or 2013, Jobin “hit it off” with a then-resident of O’Neill Family Hall. That friendship eventually spawned a deep connection between Jobin and the residents of O’Neill, particularly the men of section 4A. Ever since that first friendship, Jobin said, the men of O’Neill 4A have “passed [her] down.” “His name was Matt. And he was just so funny. I’d go up to him and say, ‘Now listen. I don’t want to get upset with you,’ if they were doing anything,” she said. “But they would always — if they did do something, they never left a mess. Like I said, they just kind of passed me down.” Nick Martinez, a senior living in O’Neill 4A, has played an important role in developing the connection between Jobin and the dorm. He said Jobin has been an important part of his Notre Dame experience. “Section 4A of O’Neill is a very tight-knit community. We do everything together, including eating dinner together every day,” he said in an email. “I can distinctly remember my first dinner with 4A at SDH. Pam was working, and she was extremely excited to meet the new freshmen of 4A. Already having known the sophomores, juniors and seniors, she introduced herself to us freshmen as our ‘newly adopted Notre Dame Grandma,’ and that’s exactly what she ended up being.” Whenever the residents of 4A are at dinner, Jobin stops by their table to check in and say hello, Martinez said. She’s friends with all of them on Facebook and serves in a familial role for the group. “For a lot of us that are far away from our families, Pam fills that void,” Martinez said. “She’s there to support us, laugh with us, and even keep us in line when we need it. She truly is a part of our Notre Dame family.” For her part, Jobin said she embraces her role as “Notre Dame grandmother” to the men of O’Neill. “Sometimes you can tell when they’re quiet and they’ve got a paper. You just give that little pep talk,” she said. “But then they give me a lot of love. I get the hugs, the ‘How are you?’ and just that kind of stuff. They just treat me like they would probably their grandmother. And I always tease them. I said, ‘I can be your good grandmother, or I can be your worst nightmare grandmother.’ But they’re just cool boys. I just love them.” The bond between Jobin and the O’Neill residents often persists after the students graduate. For example, she said she will be attending the wedding of one of her “boys” in the near future. Every year, Martinez said, O’Neill 4A has celebrated Jobin’s birthday in some small way,
usually gifting her a bottle of wine. However, Jobin turned 70 this year, and Martinez said 4A decided to give her a surprise celebration at SDH. “We all put money in to get her flowers, wine, cookie cake and we even all made her homemade cards,” he said. “On top of that, I contacted a friend of mine at WNDU to get Pam’s story featured on the news. With the help of Ruth [Pajor] and Karen [Reed, managers at South Dining Hall], we were able to get all of the 4A O’Neill guys, and some honorary 4A friends who adore Pam as well, in place. Pam’s daughter and granddaughter came as well. The moment she walked into the dining hall, she began to bawl tears of joy, which was awesome.” The celebration caught Jobin completely by surprise. “I had no idea,” she said. “I am not ever at a loss for words. I’m a gabby person, and I love to talk. They got me good. I just could do nothing but cry.” Martinez’s friend got the story on the local news. From there, it was picked up by ABC. Martinez said he was thrilled that Jobin was able to receive such recognition. “I could not think of someone more deserving of the attention,” he said. “She means so much to us, so we were happy that the surprise was well-received. Pam is a light in all of our lives, and we are so blessed to have her.” The birthday celebration came as Jobin prepared to temporarily step away from her post in South Dining Hall, as she will undergo knee surgery Wednesday and will probably not be back until the end of January. Jobin said she will miss the students most while she is away. “[I’m going to miss] looking at the faces and knowing their different stories … I’m going to miss the kids,” she said. “And I know they’re not kids, but to me they are kids.” Martinez said O’Neill’s dedication will not fade during Jobin’s absence. “Until she returns, we will just have to visit her at home with dinner every once in a while,” he said. As she reflected on her time thus far as a monitor, Jobin recalled one particular Friday night before a home football game on which 4A residents chanted her name in a crowded dining hall. “A lot of times on Friday night before a home football game, they’ll do this chant, ‘We love Pam! We love Pam!’” she said. “I remember they did it one time on the East side and they did it and so many adults and parents were here, and they were walking out and said, ‘You must be Pam. Boy, they sure do love you, don’t they?’ And I said, ‘I love them just as much.’ … They’re just my heart and soul. I love these kids.” Contact Tom Naatz at tnaatz@nd.edu
Services Continued from page 1
and thank those members of Building Services and also remember Michael.” Senior Bridget Moroney, the other co-chair of the Senior Class Council faith and service committee, credited the letter to the editor with bringing to light issues pertaining to the inclusion of Building Services within the Notre Dame Community. “[The letter to the editor in] The Observer … made a really good point about [being] much more cognizant of who we’re considering a part of the Notre Dame family,” Moroney said. “We [the Senior Class Council] want to make it known to everyone at Notre Dame that people that work in Building Services are absolutely a part of the family and that they need to be celebrated just as much as any student is.” Moroney also credited sophomore Aaron Benavides, student government director of faith and service, with generating the idea. “Aaron had been talking with Campus Ministry about wanting to do something. … We talked with him after one our executive chairs sent us The Observer article, and then it came together with Campus
Fair Trade Continued from page 1
to campus,” she said. “I said, ‘I can help make that happen.’” Ten Thousand Villages is a national nonprofit fair trade organization with a location in Mishawaka. DeLine said the event was originally planned to just include Ten Thousand Villages, but it grew into a larger affair with the help of the CRS Ambassador program on campus. “One of the things [CRS] focuses on is ethical consumption,” DeLine said. “We built the fair around both the CRS desire to promote the idea of ethical trade and conscientious consumption and the fact that Ten Thousand Villages was coming.” According to first-year CRS Ambassador Clare Souder, Saint Mary’s is trying to become a certified fair trade campus. “There are multiple steps before we are officially fair trade, but at this point, we’re still on the ground trying to assemble
Ministry, student government and Senior Class Council,” Moroney said. McCormick, who serves as director of Campus Ministry and presided over the mass, began his three-minute homily by reflecting on the day’s readings from scripture. He stated that all individuals should be treated with dignity, and urged those in attendance to consider how they were acting in their daily lives. “We should be far more concerned with is how it is that we are living in this present moment — in this time and place,” McCormick said. “The Gospels are clear — do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It’s a simple rule for us; treat others with the dignity that they have been given unto them by God. Keep the simple things the focus and allow that to transform you.” McCormick continued to praise the work that custodial workers do and draw attention to the lack of recognition given to them for their day-today work. “We recognize … today, a moment where we celebrate our custodial workers on campus — people who byand-large serve faithfully and do so in a way that does not draw attention to themselves,” McCormick said. “The only time we really pay attention is
when things are out of place and, let’s be perfectly honest, how often is that, in fact, the case? We look around the beauty of this Basilica; we don’t see the hard-working men and women who come in here to tend to this space and this place on a daily basis. We just assume it to be this way.” McCormick challenged those attending the Mass to reflect upon the way that different classes of workers are regarded, and to act upon the notion that all men and women share a common human dignity. “It goes back to this understanding: what would our world look like if we treated each and every person with the dignity that they deserve — if we didn’t get caught up in the uniform and title that they had, but instead recognized that which is common amongst us all? And that is the inherent dignity God has given us,” McCormick said. “Because, while I cannot fully stand here and confess to understand the vastness of what God has in store, I can guarantee to us that each person will be adorned with the ring of affection that our loving God has for them. So, why not begin to look upon this world, and act upon that very reality?”
a team and figure out what steps we need to take in order to get to our fair trade campaign resolution,” she said. In addition to vendors, the CRS Ambassador team has a table at the fair with informational resources about the fair trade movement. “A big theme with fair trade is ‘Think global. Buy local,’ which shows how supporting the small local businesses helps the greater good when looking at the environment and the people working,” junior CRS Ambassador Sydney McAllister said in an email. This theme was of great importance in the planning of the event, DeLine said. “The CRS Ambassadors really helped in terms of identifying vendors to bring,” she said. “The Local Cup organized their entire involvement, but a student leader organized the shifts and supplies.” DeLine said four students who serve their federal workstudy at the organizations of The Local Cup and Unity Gardens have been instrumental in the fair.
“They have been helping staff the tables so we’re not pulling the staff away from those organizations to be here all day,” she said. Other organizations participating in the Fair Trade Holiday Fair in addition to Ten Thousand Villages include Aahaa Chai and J’Monet Customs. With the exception of Ten Thousand Villages, which is a national organization, all of these are local and regional. “By shopping at and supporting these businesses, students and community members gain a sense of awareness and comfort that the goods they are buying have not only been ethically sourced, but the hands and the people that were involved in the process of making these goods have received fair wages and are not forced into making them,” McAllister said. The Fair Trade Holiday Fair opened Tuesday and continues Wednesday from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Contact Mike Dugan at mdugan1@nd.edu
Contact Sara Schlect at sschlect01@saintmarys.edu
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The observer | wednesday, november 28, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
By JAKE WINNINGHAM Scene Writer
The premise of Steve McQueen’s “Widows” is basic enough: Four criminals die in a shootout while robbing a gangster, leaving their mourning wives to recompense the money lost when the getaway car explodes. From that simple starting point, the film reveals itself as a pitch-perfect exercise in the heistmovie tradition of escalating complications. As Viola Davis’ Veronica learns, her husband Harry and his crew stole from the Mannings, a pair of AfricanAmerican brothers transitioning from crime into politics. Jamal Manning, played by the increasingly ubiquitous Brian Tyree Henry, is running for alderman in his black Chicago district against the entrenched Irish-Catholic Mulligan family. McQueen and screenwriter Gillian Flynn tie these disparate threads together into a remarkable film that serves as both a popcorn flick and a heady examination of grief and how people change in the face of immense pressure. Flynn expands on her script, adapted from a 1983 British TV miniseries, by using the genre-film framework of the movie to address aspects of multiple contemporary concerns. Throwing in references to #MeToo, Black Lives Matter and political corruption in modern-day Chicago, Flynn crafts the best — or at least the most entertaining — Hollywood script since her own “Gone Girl” expertly interrogated toxic masculinity at the beginning of the Twitter age. True to form, Flynn laces her screenplay with plenty
By CARLOS DE LOERA Scene Writer
Looking at all the places featured in Scene in South Bend articles, there seemed to be a general trend: People (myself included) were not visiting the West Side of South Bend. But why is this? I think part of it is that there has been a lot of revitalization going on in Downtown South Bend, so it’s getting more attention and sparking more interest. Another factor, I think, is that people are told that the West Side is not the best/ safest area. With this in mind, I decided to go to the West Side because life is about breaking down barriers and venturing into places where others have yet to wander, right? I had also heard wondrous tales of delicious Mexican food in that part of town, and my little Hispanic heart could not resist. So, on the day after Thanksgiving, a day on which I engorged myself with more turkey than I could reasonably digest, I decided to feast on a variety of tacos and made my way to Taqueria Chicago. Sitting in my Uber, as golden domes turned to rusted underpasses and as signs outside of stores changed from English to Spanish, a wave of familiarity came over me. It all reminded me of my hometown just outside of Los Angeles — a very welcome experience considering I didn’t have a chance to go home for Turkey
of concise dialogue — more acidic than acerbic, like Aaron Sorkin without the blind idealism. Her best line was the closing shot of the film’s trailer and hits with even more impact in the finished product. While she is pleading with the other titular “widows” to complete their husbands’ last heist, Davis succinctly explains why they can finish the job: “Because nobody thinks we have the balls to pull this off.” Of course, Flynn’s dialogue is only as good as the actors delivering it, and “Widows” has perhaps one of the most star-studded casts in recent years. Michelle Rodriguez, Carrie Coon and Elizabeth Debicki join Davis as the bereaved wives, with “Bad Times at the El Royale” standout Cynthia Erivo entering the game late as she makes the case to earn her EGOT — only an Oscar away — sooner rather than later. In an inspired bit of casting, Liam Neeson plays against type as Veronica’s scumbag husband, while Colin Farrell attempts a shaky American accent as Jack Mulligan, a rich white alderman trying to keep his tenuous grip on his Chicago district. There are no less than four actors doing career-best work here, with Rodriguez and Debicki reaching a level previously unseen from them and Davis matching her immediately legendary turn from “Fences.” Even more so than those women, no one is more impressive than Daniel Kaluuya, fresh off a star-making role in “Get Out.” As the wonderfully named Jatemme Manning, Kaluuya plays the enforcer role with a terrifying dead-eyed intensity; he makes the mere act of turning up the volume on a television leagues more frightening than anything you’ll find in a horror film this year.
“Widows” is a passion project for the British-born McQueen, who introduces each screening of the movie with a recorded testimony explaining the importance of watching the original series in his formative years. He is at the top of his game here; like David Fincher and Steven Soderbergh before him, McQueen has brought arthouse methods into the multiplex. The opening of “Widows” introduces each robber and their wife by intercutting shots of their domestic lives with a kinetic car chase so bracing that it momentarily makes you wonder which Steve McQueen made “Widows” — introspective character work working in conjunction with unfettered adrenaline. No scene better explains the experience of “Widows” — and it is an experience — than the very first one. The opening shot of Davis and Neeson amorously kissing is quietly audacious in that we rarely see people of their age, or Davis’s color, demonstrating such passion. That is the entire movie in a nutshell: The audience is drawn in by an easily digested plot and A-list stars, only to be presented with discourse that challenges any of their preconceived notions about what Hollywood films are capable of. Just as Davis and Neeson’s kiss inverts a familiar movie trope, “Widows” holds an entire genre at gunpoint and demands your attention. It’s a minor filmmaking miracle that two luminaries at the top of their game in McQueen and Flynn teamed up to tell this story. They’re the only two who could; nobody else would have the balls to pull it off.
Day. The first thing I noticed when I arrived to Taqueria Chicago was the large piece of art that covers much of the side of the building. In graffiti-like letters, the words “Restaurant Taqueria Chicago” are sprayed in green, white and red (the colors of the Mexican flag) and circle a drawing of the Chicago skyline. Even before I enter the restaurant, I’m digging the vibe it’s putting out. Upon entering, I am welcomed by the sound of Mexican banda music playing and the sizzling of the grill. I also quickly take notice that I am the only one in the restaurant. The restaurant is mine. Taking a seat at one of the many available tables, I survey the place. Apparently, they just got new tile for the eating area — looks nice. Scanning again, I see an assortment of Mexican candies placed at the register, behind the counter I see a very young girl (my waitress’s daughter) playing a game on her phone and behind her, a mainstay of many Mexican restaurants: the image of La Virgen de Guadalupe (I may have escaped campus, but I am forever under the watch of Our Lady). I am handed a menu and immediately lock eyes with the taco portion of it. I know what I want: un taco de asada, dos de lengua, dos de tripa — all on corn tortilla (if you get flour tortilla, you ain’t real). Turns out they’re not serving tripa tacos that day. I mourn my loss, but recollect myself and instead get dos de barbacoa.
Throw in a fruit punch Jarritos and I’m ready to chow down. The tacos come out, I dress them in salsa verde and lime and go in for the kill. The carne asada taco is solid, with the real standout being the tortilla. Overall, 6.5/10. Next up, barbacoa tacos. These are exceptional, juicy and packed with flavor — 8.5/10. Lastly, I go to my all-time favorite type of taco, lengua. Most people are put off at the thought of eating beef tongue, but if you give them a chance you won’t regret it. The lengua tacos at Taqueria Chicago are the best I’ve ever had. Perfectly chewy, juicy and nicely complemented by the salsa verde and lime — 10/10. Right before I get ready to ask for the check, my waitress informs me that they are serving menudo. They usually only serve it on the weekend, but I am told they sell it on Black Friday “pa’ la cruda.” And while I was not hungover from the night before, I was drawn to the menudo because it featured tripa, which you will recall was not available for tacos. I got a bowl of the soup to go and had it for dinner later that day. No regrets, only satisfaction in my tummy. While I may not have been able to go home for the holiday, I was able to, even for just a meal or two, feel like I was in the confines of LA county. And because of that, I am truly thankful for Taqueria Chicago.
Contact Jake Winningham at jwinning@nd.edu
Contact Carlos De Loera at cdeloera@nd.edu RUBY LE | The Observer
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The observer | wednesday, november 28, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
There is no separation of church and state
Inside Column
Scott Frost, Nebraska and optimism Charlie Kenney Scene Writer
Two important college football games took place this weekend. One of them saw a team punch its ticket to the College Football Playoff and the other saw a team lose on a last-second field goal to wrap up its lackluster 4-8 season. In those games, Notre Dame secured its spot in the playoff and completed an undefeated season by defeating USC; and Nebraska watched a cute old man, otherwise known as Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz, brilliantly manage the clock and make sure his Hawkeyes came out on top by 3 points after 60 minutes. If you watched both of those games, I know that you’re thinking what I’m thinking: “I have to put some money on Nebraska. I gotta get on the bandwagon now, so I don’t get called a fairweather fan next November.” And, if I hadn’t been on the bandwagon for 21 years already, I would agree with you. Nebraska is the next Alabama, Scott Frost is the next Nick Saban and Lincoln, Nebraska is, in the near future, going to become Titletown, USA. Yeah, 4-8 isn’t the best record on paper. But neither is the 6-7 record that Scott Frost had during his first year at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Yet one year after Frost’s Knights batted just under .500, they finished their season a perfect 13-0, defeating Auburn in the Peach Bowl and crowning themselves the “unofficial” national champions. I’m not saying that the Huskers are going to repeat history. But I’m saying that the Huskers are going to repeat history. Scott Frost has the same coaching staff he had at UCF at Nebraska, he has many more resources to recruit with and he is coaching a team in a Power-5 conference. Sure, getting to that 13-0 season is going to be harder when his games are against Michigan and Wisconsin instead of Memphis and SMU, but Frost also has got a lot more to work with at Nebraska. And if you look at the numbers behind Nebraska’s 4-8 season, it really isn’t anything to get worried about. With the exception of their 46-point loss to Michigan, the Huskers lost by an average of 6.5 points in their eight losses this season. Rather obviously, that’s less than a touchdown. As Frost’s recruits keep coming in and Riley’s recruits keep graduating, the Huskers are bound to make up those points in close games. And it’s not as if these losses were all as embarrassing as their loss to mid-major Troy. Nebraska took 19th-ranked Northwestern to overtime and, in many ways, should have beaten the Ohio State team that just obliterated formerly fourth-ranked Michigan. The Cornhuskers won two national championships in the early 1970s and three in the late 1990s. It seems that it’s about time that they won one or two more, and all the elements seem to be coming together for them to do so in the near future. Contact Charlie Kenney at ckenney4@nd.edu The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Matt Marsland BridgeND
There is no such thing as separation of church and state. The two are totally inseparable, and what the modern interpretation of the term really means is the substitution of one church for another. One which is pretty gross, in my opinion. For clarification, I’m not saying that separation of church and state isn’t desirable or is a bad thing (despite what I may really think), but rather that the modern understanding of it is a myth, and not a good one like Hercules or any involving Aphrodite and Ares (the rascals). To understand this, first you have to know precisely what I mean by separation of church and state. I don’t mean separation of church and state as our noble (and largely illiberal — read my thesis, please) Founders intended it (more on this later), but rather the separation of church and state as understood by moderns (read: you). I.e., the idea that politicians and the legislation they produce ought to be free from the dictates or influence of any particular established church doctrine. To illustrate this modern position, I’ll quote from two fairly prominent Catholic (duh) politicians, Kennedy and Biden. Then-candidate John F. Kennedy said to some Baptists that “Whatever issue may come before me as president, if I should be elected, on birth control, divorce, censorship, gambling or any other subject, I will make my decision in accordance with these views — in accordance with what my conscience tells me to be in the national interest, and without regard to outside religious pressure or dictates.” Biden wrote in his autobiography that “I don’t think I have the right to impose my view — on something I accept as a matter of faith — on the rest of society.” Admirable as these sentiments may be (if admirable they are), they express one basic idea: Separation of church and state means that I won’t legislate or make policy decisions on moral assumptions handed to me by my church. This may seem a tad strong, but I think it’s fairly straightforward. What does it mean to “impose my view which I accept as a matter of faith on the rest of society?” Or “[make my decision] without regard to outside religious … dictates?” Biden has made it pretty clear that those views include something like abortion, which he claims to agree is intrinsically evil, as the church believes. In this case, Biden would not oppose abortion from this moral stance he received from the church, as he wouldn’t “impose his view on the rest of society.” What Kennedy said can be understood to be basically the same as what Biden did, but less fun to read. This is literally the same as saying they won’t
govern from moral assumptions given to them by a church. But abortion is obviously a moral issue, as are many other issues from war to immigration. So where are the state and its leaders supposed to obtain their basic moral commitments? The answer is obvious: the general moral feeling of the people. Absent separation of church and state, as in most (read: all) countries prior to the Enlightenment, the state received moral assumptions from the church with which it was associated and legislated from those assumptions. Under separation of church and state as understood by the esteemed gentlemen above, the state still legislates from moral assumptions — as it is impossible to do otherwise — and still receives those assumptions from a church. But in this case, that church is general public moral feeling, and therefore subject to the ebbs and flows of that notoriously changeable phenomenon. If the negative implications are not immediately clear to you, oh reader-whom-I-respect, let me spell them out: Without an explicit theology or religious authority, this church of public opinion’s moral dictates will be as changeable as whether low-waisted jeans look good (they don’t). So, something like gay marriage, which is morally questionable in one era, can suddenly become morally acceptable in the next, and the politicians follow suit in their public positions (*cough* Hillary Clinton). Further, without an enduring definition of right and wrong, our moral commitments are vulnerable to the whims of demagogues. What these examples make clear is not that we should get rid of separation of church and state as an idea, but that the modern conception is garbage, as without some external source of moral norms more solid than public opinion, our compass will swing around as aimlessly as one on Mars (Mars doesn’t have a magnetic field. That’s right I know science, guess I’m a renaissance man). I promised I would say more about what the Founders meant by separation of church and state initially, and I’ll be uncharacteristically brief. Just think about what “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” means and agree with me that it doesn’t mean “don’t govern from moral assumptions you learned in Sunday school.” Matt Marsland is a senior studying political science from Wisconsin. The viewpoints expressed in this column are those of the individual and not necessarily those of BridgeND as an organization. The views expressed in this column do not necessarily represent those of The Observer.
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The observer | wednesday, november 28, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
Ranking the Notre Dame websites Davis Gonsalves Highest-Ranking Column According to Me
I’ve been in a bad habit of not crediting my columns to the people who give me inspiration, so let me start with a story to credit senior Joe Weiler, who ultimately gave me the idea to write this piece. As we sit in our lab together, I am trying to check my team’s score on IMLeagues and the wave of rage has begun. As I shout, “This has to be the worst website Notre Dame uses,” Joe says I should rank them to really determine what the worst is. With so much terrible design to rank (NOVO, SAO 360, Ultratime, Sakai, etc.), I knew what had to be done. Now I love Notre Dame dearly, but maybe we could cut one of our underused offices for one employee to simply work on user interface. Anyway, maybe this is a start.
and the like. I am half-theology major so job boards generally scare me, but I am simply taking word of mouth that Go IRISH is a pretty good site. My initial parlay into the site did make me take a questionnaire on how I would be ethical, which does not really check out knowing Mendoza students use it the most. Overall, though, I thought it had crisp colors and was generally easy to understand. Top 5 it is.
5. DART Class Registration I want an addendum here because the class search function is kind of bogus. Notre Dame still hasn’t found a great way to search for classes independently; instead we have to rely on friends giving recommendations like some sort of 20th-century savages. However, they do make it simple to just have the CRNs you want written down, type them in and submit for your schedule. Help if you somehow need to improvise your schedule, but the intent is there.
1. Gmail Notre Dame suite Yup, coming in the top spot is the program developed by the third-largest company in the world, since there has to be a reason they got there. Gmail may not be flashy, but it is ever solid, with easy user interface and the greatest feature: You can just type someone’s name in (as long as it’s an nd.edu email address) and it gives you their email. Awkward group project contact sharing is a thing of the past. As someone who has an uncommon first and last name, my uniqueness is easy to spot in the search function. The only people who suffer are the hordes of common Irish names (looking at you, Michael Walsh) and the psychos who use their middle names as first names.
2. GPS (Graduation Progress System) Surprisingly helpful when it came time to pick classes for my senior year. At first, the layout looks NOVO-esque, which definitely scared me originally. But the color-coded classes as complete, uncompleted or in-progress absolutely helped my elementary-level organizational skills. One of the few class-related features that actually helped.
3. InsideND It’s not flashy and does not try to do more than it intends. You want an aggregate of all the websites using an nd.edu domain? That’s all it is. Not necessary for the high-frequent sites that you just type in — like Sakai or Gmail — but when you need a transcript request, you know where to go. The fun little website thumbnails give me a kick, too.
4. Go IRISH I am told this is decent for looking at internships
6. Sakai I, and I think most people, have a love-hate relationship with Sakai. Sometimes it glitches and gives you a few extra minutes on your quiz, or you can submit a corrupted file and get a few extra days on an assignment. On the other hand, it can delete your 20-question Intro to Biology quiz that’s due at midnight during your freshman year when you only had one question left at 11:55 p.m., and when you went to submit the quiz it said you haven’t started, which is a complete lie because I saved every freaking question at the time and that’s what kept me from moving up a grade at the end of the year. All I’m saying is there are a few schools of thought. Sakai is far from perfect, but it gets the job done-ish, and sometimes with such a heavily used site, that’s all you can ask for.
7. Ultratime The fact that Ultratime is so sensitive to a.m. and p.m. designations when it doesn’t even explicitly have an option to select either cost me 40 hours of work from the summer that I only recently recovered. It looks like an Excel spreadsheet from the ’90s, for which I simply have no patience. A simple time in, time out sheet should not be difficult, but alas, here we are.
8. SAO360 This now begins the list of websites that go beyond irritating to infuriating. I’m really not a fan of the whole institution of SAO, but I see why it is necessary. The website, however, is anything but. The modules are confusing, not encompassing and overall less than helpful. They take a while to get responses to,
and you have to be added like it’s some exclusive club. There is a sharp design, but I am against the philosophy behind its purpose.
9. NOVO A website so bad that Notre Dame actually had to email to tell us that it sucked. We took on NOVO as a replacement for DART, but NOVO hurt so much that we still use DART. It wallows in mediocrity since there is no point to use it at all now, but it still shows up on InsideND. Between Coursicle and DART, NOVO has no place in this world. No one wants NOVO, and this would be the worst website if it were not for the next, disgusting, no good, deplorable aspect of the internet that Notre Dame decided to contract out.
10. IMLeagues Was it ever in doubt what the worst website would be? This Satan’s spawn of a domain has made me lose years both from stress and time it takes to get to your intended destination through redirects. This last year, I coached f lag football so if I wanted to check the upcoming game times, here is what I had to do: 1) Go to the RecSports website. 2) Click the IMLeagues portal. 3) Enter my school organization. 4) Go through Notre Dame’s portal and select ND ID login. 5) Go through DUO’s TwoStep login. 6) Then click the IMLeagues banner again. 7) Once on the IMLeagues site, I had to disable my ad blocker. 8) As I am being blasted with pop-up ads, I have to search for f lag football on the side (if you do not type everything correctly, it will not pop down, and if it does not pop down you cannot find it). 9) There, I can scroll through results — even though I clicked on the exact thing I wanted already — and select Flag Football Women’s A. 10) Now from there, I can select our team and find their schedule tucked away between MVP tracker and player stats, which are always empty because no one uses them. I simply hate this website. I think I hate this website more than any social injustice in the world. IMLeagues is my hell and I will think of its user interface when I get sad about graduating. #notmyIMLeagues Davis loves to rank people, places, things, ideas and sometimes even verbs. His current senior year places fourth among years, his neuroscience major places seventh, and his theology major ranks third among all majors. Contact him at dgonsalv@nd.edu to be placed first in his heart. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Did Jesus just leave Chicago? “Jesus just left Chicago, and he’s bound for New Orleans, out to California through the forests and the pines. Ah, take me with you, Jesus.” These are the lyrics to a song I listened to recently during a ride in an Uber to downtown South Bend. The driver enjoyed every bit of this loud music, and I could not resist the temptation of tapping my feet to the good sound. This was the latest of the American tracks which I have fallen in love with, having grown up listening to a lot of American music. I have since developed an assumption that music is a true reflection of the social realities around our societies. It would be implausible to assume that most of the residents of Chicago have received Jesus as their personal Lord and savior. Let alone to presume that he is more welcome or needed in New Orleans. Nonetheless, we can’t simply ignore the impact that social interaction has on their music preferences. This week, I was thrilled to learn that pop star Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana. I remember his music was very popular in Uganda during
my childhood over two decades ago. The fallacy behind his music, which was promoted by his electric videos, was that he was a devil worshipper. Many of the teenagers in English-speaking East Africa states of Kenya and Uganda followed American hip-hop music. I remember the lyrics were very strong and insinuated some form of oppression against the rappers. This, therefore, would lead us to believe that the rappers hailed from communities were they were socially excluded, discriminated against and racially oppressed. But what would motivate petrifying names like C-Murder, Big Punisher or even Ghostface Killah. Music has the power to drive policy and attitudes in society. I always reflected on lyrics of Wyclef Jean: “If I was president, I’d get elected on Friday, assassinated on Saturday, buried on Sunday, they go back to work on Monday.” Firstly, there’s a strong sentiment of resentment toward the leaders in many parts of the world. In the U.S., there is free speech, which means that people can openly criticize their leaders
and government. This is not the case in countries like Uganda and Tanzania, where I live. Content that is “annoying” or that “leads to public disorder” might easily get one into jail. On the other hand, there is this most important role of music, which is to entertain. In practice, we can’t separate education and information from the entertainment industry. Neither can we divorce politics from entertainment. Recently, I was amazed at how some of Kanye West’s fans reacted to his meeting with President Trump. Believe it or not, many artists have been either openly or secretly involved in the politics of their states or countries. To a large extent, this might be a reflection of the views of their communities, and not necessarily fans. On this note, I wish Jesus had not left Chicago for New Orleans. I wish he would not leave the Fighting Irish forever. Tonny Raymond Kirabira graduate student Nov. 25
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DAILY
The observer | wednesday, november 28, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
Crossword | Will Shortz
Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Put your time where it will count the most. The changes you make will make a difference to your relationship with a friend or lover. Talking over the details you would like to see happen will bring you one step closer to turning your dream into a reality. Do your own fact-checking to avoid being misled by someone manipulative. Your numbers are 2, 16, 24, 26, 31, 38, 45. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Take good care of your personal finances. Keep spending to a minimum. Update any documents to avoid a lapse of coverage or payments that could put you in jeopardy. A contract or commitment should be thought through carefully. Romance is highlighted. ★★★★★ TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Go over last-minute changes, or adjust something that could cost you at tax time. Steady progress can be made if you are diligent about what needs to be completed on time. Stick to simple, realistic plans that are within budget. ★★ GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Know what and who you are up against. It’s important to have the wherewithal to deal with sensitive matters accordingly. A personal change to the way you look or how you do your job will give you a competitive edge. ★★★★ CANCER (June 21-July 22): Take a unique approach to whatever you do and you will drum up interest and the help you need to get things done. Show confidence and determination moving forward. Greater opportunities will come your way. Walk away from impulsive people. ★★★ LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Plan to have some fun. Attend networking or social events that will give you the chance to share your thoughts. You’ll click with someone you meet, but before you make a move, get a little background information. Looks can be deceiving. ★★★ VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Problems at home will surface if you’ve been too busy or have neglected personal responsibilities. Timing is everything, and balance between home and work will make a difference to the outcome of a matter that has been festering. ★★★ LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Embrace change and tighten up your spending habits. How you handle money matters will make a difference to an important relationship you have with someone. Joint ventures must be handled carefully to avoid criticism. Using charm trumps using force. ★★★★ SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): A trip is favored if it will help you seal a deal. Don’t let emotions come between you and the success you crave. Someone from your past will pry into your personal and business affairs. Don’t share personal information or passwords. ★★ SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Get moving. Physical activity and health-related changes will encourage you to avoid any sort of excess and indulgence. A discussion with someone you love will lead to future plans. Romance is highlighted, and a commitment can be made. ★★★★★ CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Be leery of anyone making impulsive decisions or promises that are unrealistic. Stick to what and who you know best, and check every detail personally to avoid an unwanted surprise. Keep an open mind and a close watch over your possessions. ★★★ AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Updating your image will give you a boost. Make your position clear when dealing with contracts, investments and legal matters. A change to the way you eat, drink and exercise will pay off. Romance will enhance your life. ★★★ PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Be careful of what you say and the promises you make. A sensitive situation will leave you questioning someone’s point of view. Stick to what feels most comfortable. Travel plans or dealing with authority figures should be put on hold. ★★★ Birthday Baby: You are adaptable, outspoken and spirited. You are helpful and youthful.
WINGin’ it | OLIVIA WANG & BAILEE EGAN
Sudoku | The Mepham Group
Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek
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SPORTS
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ND Women’s Volleyball
Sports Authority
Chess offers unforeseen thrill R.J. Stempak Sports Writer
My recommendations page on YouTube is in a weird place at the moment. Amid the standard basketball highlights, NPR Tiny Desk concerts, SNL clips and movie trailers, a new genre has taken up real estate: chess. For some reason unbeknownst to me, the 2018 World Chess Championship has piqued my interest since before the start of the 12-game contest in early November. The gripping championship this year is between a pair of prodigies, American Fabiano Caruana and the famous Norwegian Magnus Carlsen. Twelve games in and what keeps me coming back has nothing to do with either of these grandmasters, or even the games they have played, but one word: “drawish.” What does this esoteric word mean? To help explain, I will return to the world of normal sports with a college football connection. I watched one of the longest games in college football history over the weekend — LSU at Texas A&M — and let me tell you, that game was looking incredibly drawish. This game had everything you could want from a college football game, an FBS-record 146 points, seven overtimes and plenty of sleep lost. The Aggies (8-4, 5-3 SEC) and Tigers (9-3, 5-3 SEC) managed a lovely coordinated dance throughout the overtimes, each team making sure to miss or make the twopoint conversions when its opponent did the same. Being an avid Cleveland Browns fan, experienced in the art of the draw, I was certain this game was going to end without a victor crowned. It had all the makings of a tie, yet five overtimes in, my friend told me that ties are not allowed in college football. Unfortunately, the Aggies won and the chance for a draw disappeared. This is very much not the case in the 2018 World Chess Championship. It has been as drawish as can be, with each game ending in a draw so far and the scored tied 6-6. I follow chess pundits, who do exist, on Twitter, and every game so far has gotten to a point where an expert has deemed it drawish, which means that the pieces sit in such a way where a draw is the most likely outcome. A secondary, and arguably more important, definition of drawish is that it is something you can say in the middle of the chess game to sound like you know what is going on. This is the way I use the odd term the most.
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Now that we established that I know very little about the game itself, it is time to delve into the exciting side stories that make the World Chess Championship unlike any other sporting event. The biggest scandal of this year was a YouTube video leak documenting some of Caruana’s preparation. That does not sound like much, but it turns out the top chess players in the world keep their training camps very secretive. This extends all the way down to keeping the members of a team anonymous, as knowing who is in the room might give an opponent a hint regarding certain tendencies the player is practicing. The video was taken down quickly, and the championship is still even, so it seems this blunder has had little effect on the outcome so far. The next big scandal came from Carlsen’s side of the table in the ninth game, when the defending champion showed up with a bruised eye. No, it was not from some Caruana crony trying to take his opponent down a notch, but from a game of pickup soccer in between matches eight and nine. Onlookers were worried that any need for painkillers or impaired vision would hurt Carlsen’s chances in a World Championship, where he needed to operate at peak performance. Despite the away-from-the-table drama, Carlsen maintained control of game nine, but was unable to break the tie. The 12th regulation game took place Monday morning, and something very out-of-theordinary happened. Carlsen had a large advantage on the clock as well as a clear advantage on the board after his 31st move. There were many pieces left, and the game did not look drawish. Yet Carlsen offered a draw, and Caruana took it happily. Spectators were shocked at the quick ending and timid play by Carlsen. The championship will move on to overtime Wednesday, which will involve games with stricter time limits. Just imagine two grandmasters in top form playing chess on the biggest stage. Now adjust the playback speed to 1.5 times in your head and that will give you a good idea of what tiebreaker format is like. The defending champion Carlsen is favored in this overtime format, but if the competition so far tells us anything, we should be ready to expect the unexpected. Contact R.J. Stempak at rstempak@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
ND falls to Duke, bids farewell to senior class Observer Sports Staff
Notre Dame fell in five sets to Duke on Nov. 21 in Durham, North Carolina, during its final game of the year. By winning the regular season finale, the Blue Devils (16-11, 10-8 ACC) finish fifth in the conference standings, with the Irish (1610,10-8 ACC) one spot below at sixth. After winning the first set, the Irish then dropped two in a row to the Blue Devils and faced defeat before rallying in the fourth to force a decisive fifth set. However, in the fifth set, Duke prevailed and won the day. Notre Dame lost despite a balanced attack paced by freshman outside hitter Charley Niego, who led the team with 19 kills, followed by fellow freshman and right side hitter Sydney Bent with 16. Senior outside hitter Rebecca Nunge contributed 14 kills in the effort. The Irish were also competitive on the net, thanks to senior middle blocker Kristin Baer, who has played a major role over the last few weeks of the season. Baer led the team with eight blocks, and freshman setter Zoe Nunez had a season-high five blocks. Niego also provided four blocks, and
Nunez had 55 assists for the Irish. In the first set, Notre Dame responded to an early Duke lead and gained a 20-16 advantage. Despite a Duke timeout in an attempt to slow the Irish attack, Notre Dame maintained control and won the set, 25-19. In the second set, Notre Dame’s success carried over early, but Duke responded and took the lead in the middle of the stanza. The Irish would never let the lead get out of hand, narrowing the margin to 22-21, but the Blue Devils went on a run to win by a score of 25-22. The third set was again tightly contested, and Notre Dame would again not go away despite Duke’s attempts to build a lead. With the set tied at 22 apiece, the Irish failed to complete the set for another time and lost as the Blue Devils scored the final three points of the frame. With their backs against the wall, Notre Dame came out in the fourth set determined to stay in the game. After the Irish gained an early lead, the Blue Devils came back and eventually knotted the set at 19-19, but Notre Dame pulled away to win 25-19 and force one more set. Similar to their first set victory, Notre Dame’s defense stymied Duke’s attack in
the fourth, holding the Blue Devils to only a .167 hitting percentage. The backline was anchored by senior libero Ryann DeJarld and sophomore libero Madison Cruzado, who tallied 21 and 16 digs, respectively. In the final set, the competitiveness of the previous ones continued. Duke gained an early edge, but Notre Dame would not go quietly, tying the match at 9-9. The lead didn’t grow beyond a 1-point margin until the teams were tied at 15. However, Duke then scored in consecutive possessions to gain the necessary twopoint victory margin and win the game, 3-2, ending Notre Dame’s season on a loss. The Irish, who did not qualify for the NCAA tournament this season, are bidding farewell to four seniors: Nunge, DeJarld, libero Kelly Byrne and middle blockers Meg Morningstar. DeJarld is ending her career on a personal high note, as she was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year on Monday. The libero is the first player in program history to win the title and the first one to record over 2,000 digs. She is third among active NCAA players in career digs, with 2,340, and she led the ACC in 2018 with an average of 5.02 digs per set.
NHL | Sabres 3, sharks 2
Skinner seals 10thstraight win for Buffalo Associated Press
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Perfect it wasn’t. The Buffalo Sabres still made it to 10. After squandering a 2-0 lead in the final 8½ minutes of the third period, Jeff Skinner scored 1:41 into overtime to seal a 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night. Buffalo matched its longest winning streak in franchise history, and is enjoying the NHL’s best run since the Columbus Blue Jackets won 16 in a row from Nov. 29, 2016, to Jan. 3, 2017. Very few of the Sabres’ wins have come easily since their last loss on Nov. 4. Nine of the 10 games have been decided by one goal, and this marked the seventh one decided after regulation — and third in a row. “When it’s a tight game, we
feel confident. If we’re down we don’t panic,” said defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. The play began when Sharks goalie Martin Jones poked the puck away from Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who was driving to the net from the right circle. Skinner followed by beating Evander Kane to the loose puck, faked going to his forehand and backhanded a shot behind Jones. Nathan Beaulieu also scored for Buffalo. Carter Hutton stopped the first 32 shots he faced and 36 overall to extend his personal-best winning streak to eight. It’s been a night-and-day season for the Sabres, who suddenly find themselves atop NHL’s overall standings, one point ahead of Tampa Bay and Nashville, after both teams lost on Tuesday.
By improving to 17-6-2, the Sabres are eight wins short of matching last season’s total, when they became the NHL’s first team to finish 31st in the standings following the addition of the expansion Golden Knights. The fans became so caught up in the excitement with Buffalo up 2-0 in the third period that they began counting to nine and then chanting: “We want 10!” The Sabres can even poke fun at themselves, with much of it directed at Ristolainen’s goal celebration in which he stomped his feet and twirled his stick as if it were a lasso. “It was embarrassing. It was awful. He ruined a beautiful goal,” Beaulieu said. “We’ll have to work on it. But if he keeps finding the back of the net, it’s fine by me.”
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Edmonds Continued from page 12
and it started in January. Still reeling from a 100-67 thrashing by Louisville the week before, Notre Dame clawed back from a 23-point deficit to beat then-No. 6 Tennessee by 14 points. The resiliency the Irish displayed then went on to define their championship season. Six game into this season, that tenacity has continued to lead this team in its undefeated start. This past week alone, Notre Dame (6-0) travelled north to compete in the Vancouver Showcase, facing off against Gonzaga, Drake and Oregon State — the latter two of which are ranked opponents, currently at No. 24 and No. 9, respectively. Three games in three days on the road can wear any team down. In each matchup, the Irish struggled to separate early on, even finding themselves down 12 to the Beavers (5-1) at the end of the first quarter. However, regardless of the scoreboard or shooting percentage, the Irish always managed to rally, winning each game by double digits. This team has the edge in
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period, the Irish went on a power play of their own when Northern Michigan’s Philip Beaulieu was sent to the penalty box for holding. Notre Dame failed to capitalize on the twominute extra-man opportunity, and the game remained scoreless late into the first period. The power play unit has struggled to put points on the board for the Irish this season, and that trend continued early on Tuesday night. Entering the contest, Notre Dame converted only eight goals on 47 power play attempts, good for a 17-percent clip that is 39th-best in Division 1 hockey. “I think the whole team is a little frustrated at times with our power play, and it’s not for a lack of effort. … The first thing that has to happen is you have to get scoring chances, you know, and eventually they’re going to start going in,” Jackson said. Steeves was loitering just outside the crease when he received the puck from sophomore forward Colin Theisen and snuck it past the Northern Michigan goalkeeper. The goal, Steeves’ third on the season, gave the Irish a 1-0 lead that they would take into the first intermission. Within the first five minutes of the second period, the Irish found themselves in another power play opportunity when Northern Michigan’s Jarrett Lee was penalized for hooking, but the Wildcats successfully killed the extra-man opportunity to maintain the one-goal deficit.
composure. The Irish no longer get rattled when the bigwigs of the league roll in, perhaps because they too have become bigwigs. Nonetheless, despite hosting two top-15 teams this week, including the No. 2 Huskies (5-0), McGraw and her team have never been more prepared. Although Connecticut has dominated this series, winning 36 of the 48 total matchups, the Irish have matched the Huskies in recent history, splitting the last 16 meetings since 2011, including the overtime win to reach the national championship last season. Despite the numerous frustrations McGraw has expressed with the team’s lack of defense, the Irish are too talented, too mature to crumble. Fans might have to grin and bear it through some ugly wins, but just like that win over the Volunteers sparked a historic run to claim the national title, this team has no ceiling on its potential and will reward you with its hustle and dedication. Contact Charlotte Edmonds at cedmond3@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Irish senior guard Arike Ogunbowale drives to the paint during Notre Dame’s 84-74 victory over Oregon in the Elite Eight on March 26. Ogunbowale made all six of her free-throw attempts during the game.
Shortly after the power-play chance, the Irish flew down the ice with a genuine scoring opportunity, but freshman defenseman Nate Clurman mishandled a pass near the crease and could not capitalize on the fast break. Late in the third period, Northern Michigan awarded Notre Dame their third power play opportunity of the night when Connor Frantti was penalized two minutes for slashing. The Irish once again struggled on the power play and failed to find the back of the net despite the personnel
advantage. Shortly after Northern Michigan killed off the Notre Dame power play, they went on an extra-man opportunity of their own when freshman forward Michael Graham was penalized for hooking. Only seven seconds after Graham was sent to the penalty box, the Wildcats converted on the power play when Darien Craighead sent the puck screaming past junior goaltender Cale Morris to tie the game at one goal each. The Irish attempted to reclaim the lead early in the third period as Cal Burke sent a shot
MICHELLE MEHELAS | The Observer
flying off the right leg pad of Northern Michigan goalie Atte Tolvanen. Later in the period, Notre Dame was awarded its fourth power-play chance of the night after Adam Rockwood was sent to the penalty box for tripping. Once again, however, the Irish failed to turn the extraman opportunity into points on the scoreboard. With the game tied at one at the end of regulation, Wildcats dragged the Irish into a fiveminute sudden-death overtime period. Notre Dame claimed the opening faceoff and controlled the puck in Northern
Michigan’s third of the ice for the opening minute. After a shot by Notre Dame senior forward Dylan Mamquist was blocked near the mouth of the goal, Burke was there to clean up the rebound and send the Irish home with a 2-1 victory. “We need him,” Jackson said of Burke. “We have to rely on him to be a productive player.” Notre Dame will get back on the ice this Friday when it hosts RPI for a weekend series at Compton Family Ice Arena. Contact Ryan Kolakowski at rkolakow@nd.edu
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Irish junior forward Cal Burke looks to pass during Notre Dame’s 1-0 loss against Ohio State on Nov. 2 at Compton Family Ice Arena.
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Casey had an uncontested look at the goal, his header went over the bar. Virginia senior forward Simeon Okoro tested Irish junior goalkeeper Duncan Turnbull in the 18th minute of the game with a long-distance shot that was controlled by Turnbull. Seven minutes later, Cavalier senior forward Prosper Figbe connected a header off a corner kick, but Turnbull once again corralled the save. In the 52nd minute, a Notre Dame corner went into the box and ricocheted off several
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Durham had a couple of huge blocks down the stretch to go along with a pair of gamechanging three-point plays that helped solidify Notre Dame’s (61) win. While Durham’s performance had Purcell Pavilion on its feet, no one was more excited than Irish head coach Mike Brey. “I am so proud of Juwan Durham. For him to come in and do that, he deserves it, and in the midst of it as I’m watching it and here they come making a run and I’m thinking, God don’t spoil this kid’s coming-out party. He was fabulous, and hopefully we can build on that,” Brey said. “A month ago I said to him, ‘you know, you have a healthy body
ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, november 28, 2018 | The Observer
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players before it was finally handled by Virginia junior goalkeeper Marcel DaSilva. In the last 15 minutes of regulation, the Irish got several chances at breaking the tie. Casey cut into the box, but was just inches from connecting with a low cross. A few minutes later, freshman midfielder Mohamed Omar got a header off an Irish free kick, but the shot went straight to the hands of DaSilva. Omar would miss again a few plays later. Senior defender Felicien Dumas kicked a corner into the heart of the box, but Omar miscalculated the cross and missed a golden opportunity in front of goal, his shot going over the
bar. In overtime, Dumas took a free kick from a few yards past the box, but his shot missed just wide. With two minutes left in the first overtime period, Cavaliers sophomore midfielder Joe Bell sent a long strike on goal that Turnbull tipped away, keeping the Irish alive. As the pressure of a golden goal overtime continued to rise, both teams seemed to be headed to a second overtime. Suddenly however, the luck of the Irish happened. Four seconds left. Junior midfielder Tommy McCabe sent in a cross hoping that one of his two awaiting teammates could produce
something. Three seconds left. The 376 fans that bought a ticket to the game awaited as McCabe’s cross hung in the air. A 6-foot-2 freshman forward from St. Louis got in position for a header. Two seconds left. The freshman, Jack Lynn, beat his defender to the cross and rose up for a header. DaSilva, in a highlighter yellow jersey, took two steps to his right and dove. One second left. Lynn’s shot found the back of the net. The crowd erupted as the Irish dog-piled on Lynn in the corner of the field. “We had a couple of games
where it ended in [overtime], earlier in the year, that went the wrong way. It’s nice to get on the good side,” Lynn said, referring to four overtime games in which the Irish were unable to pull out a victory. One of those overtime games was against No. 2 Indiana, who won in Alumni Stadium back in September in a 2-1 overtime win. The Hoosiers (19-2-1, 8-00 Big Ten) will be Notre Dame’s next opponent, as the Irish will travel to Indianapolis to avenge their loss earlier in the season and try to advance to the College Cup.
and a healthy mind, you really have a chance to get better now.” He’s just missed so much, so I’m just thrilled for him, I’m really thrilled for him.” Durham had such a good performance that Illinois head coach Brad Underwood noted his game-changing abilities on the defensive end. “I thought that Durham was a huge, huge factor in the game, he had four or five blocks and a couple of and-ones down the stretch, so give that young man credit,” Underwood said. When asked what it means for himself and the team after he gets a blocked shot, Durham responded that it’s a mental advantage over the opponent. “They get a little nervous to come back down, and if they do wanna come back down, I’m
gonna try to block them again, so I just try to put that fear in their hearts,” he said. Sophomore forward D.J. Harvey quickly jumped in in support. “My man, going for the record, you heard it here first,” Harvey said on the Notre Dame all-time blocks record in a season — currently held by former Irish forward Jordan Cornette. Other notable performances for the Irish included 19 points from both Harvey and junior forward T.J. Gibbs. Harvey, who had struggled shooting the ball in Notre Dame’s past two games, found his stride down the stretch against Illinois (2-5) and was able to make some key buckets in the second half for the Irish. In response to how frustrating the past couple of games have
been for him, Harvey explained his mindset on past poor performances. “Very frustrating, I’m probably my hardest critic, so I stayed in the gym after hours. … There’s always gonna be games like that, just gotta work on being more consistent, and just gotta build from here, and can’t harp on those last two games,” he said. Harvey also explained that pulling out a win like this in a tight game down the stretch will translate well in games down the road. “We practice those situations that we were in late every practice, so you know that carrying over to the game, us taking that seriously, and you know kinda not taking our foot off the pedal, because that’s what we kinda did, so just making sure we don’t
do that moving forward, and you know just keep guarding and rebounding and our offense will come,” he said. The Irish shot 57 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3 in the second half, catapulting them to victory. The one major sore spot for Notre Dame came at the free-throw line. The Irish shot just 50 percent (13-26) from the line in the second half, which allowed Illinois to stay in the game to the final second, when Illinois sophomore guard Trent Frazier’s potential gamewinning 3-pointer rimmed out. The Irish next travel to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday to face Oklahoma for the first road game of the season.
Contact Charlie Ortega Guifarro at cortegag@nd.edu
Contact Grant DelVecchio at gdelvecc@nd.edu
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Irish junior forward T.J. Gibbs drives against his defender during Notre Dame’s 63-60 loss to Radford on Nov. 14 at Purcell Pavilion.
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The observer | wednesday, november 28, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com
HOCKEY | nd 2, northern michigan 1 (OT)
nd men’s basketball | nd 76, illinois 74
Irish win despite Durham’s breakout game offensive struggles gives Notre Dame victory By RYAN KOLAKOWSKI Sports Writer
Despite statistical advantages on the ice, No. 8 Notre Dame required junior forward Cal Burke to clean up a game-winning goal in sudden death overtime to escape from Compton Family Ice Arena with a 2-1 victory over Northern Michigan. The Irish found the back of the net for the first goal of the night, put 35 shots on goal compared to Northern Michigan’s 19 and were awarded seven power-play opportunities to the Wildcats’ two. However, No. 8 Notre Dame (8-4-1, 4-2-0 Big Ten) failed to convert its scoring opportunities into goals consistently, going 0-for-6 on the power play in regulation, but an overtime power play goal off the stick of Burke handed Northern Michigan (6-9-0, 5-3-0 WCHA) a narrow defeat at the hands of a top-10 opponent. “Our mantra this year is to start fast and finish strong, and I think we did both,” Irish
head coach Jeff Jackson said. “Tonight I thought, again, we had several good scoring chances on the power play. We just didn’t quite connect … but it’s just important, obviously I think, for their confidence to be able to score, especially the game-winner tonight.” Within the opening minutes of play, Northern Michigan went on the power play after Notre Dame freshmen forward Alex Steeves was sent to the penalty box for boarding. Following a sweep over Michigan State before the Thanksgiving holiday, Irish head coach Jeff Jackson credited the penalty kill corps for killing six Spartan power plays in the weekend series against a Big Ten Conference rival. That same corps easily erased a twominute Northern Michigan power play to bring the Irish back to full strength early in the first period. Midway through the first see HOCKEY PAGE 10
By GRANT DelVECCHIO Sports Writer
ANNA MASON | The Observer
Irish junior forward Juwan Durham attempts a tip-in during Notre Dame’s 89-62 victory over Chicago State on Nov. 8.
Notre Dame pulled out a thrilling 76-74 victory over Illinois on Tuesday night, thanks, in part, to a huge performance by 6-foot-11 junior forward Juwan Durham. Durham is a transfer from Connecticut, and has dealt with knee problems ever since tearing his ACL in his junior year of high school. After struggling to find a big role for the Irish in the first six games of the season, Durham broke out against Illinois, finishing with 10 points on 3-4 shooting to go along with five blocks. “You just know that you always gotta stay ready no matter what, and if you let sitting out on the bench get to you, then you’ll never be ready, so you just have to stay ready and be motivated,” Durham said after the game. “It felt pretty good, I was just trying to help out the team as much as I could.” see M BBALL PAGE 11
nd women’s basketball
nd men’s soccer | nd 1, virginia 0 (OT)
ND has already Squad scores last-second goal to reach quarterfinals shown its tenacity By CHARLIE ORTEGA GUIFARRO
Charlotte Edmonds Associate Sports Editor
Sports Writer
Ninety-nine minutes, 59 seconds. One second shy of hitting triple-digit-minutes and the end of the first overtime, No. 7 Notre Dame headed in a gamewinning goal against No. 10 Virginia and found its way into the NCAA quarterfinals. The Irish (11-6-3, 4-3-1 ACC) were coming off a win against Michigan that went into a 12-round penalty shootout. The Cavaliers (10-4-3, 3-2-2) were coming off a 2-0 win against Furman. With temperatures hovering in the low 40s, both teams looked to square off for the first time this season after their earlier matchup on Sept. 14 was postponed due to inclement weather. The match kicked off Sunday afternoon in Alumni Stadium. Eight minutes into the first half, senior forward Sean MacLeod delivered a cross to junior midfielder Jack Casey. Although
connery mcfadden | The Observer
see M SOCCER PAGE 11
Irish junior forward Jack Lynn dribbles upfield during Notre Dame’s 2-1 overtime loss to Indiana on Sept. 11 at Alumni Stadium.
With five Final Four appearances in the past seven years, four of which saw Notre Dame finish as runner-up, the pieces have been in place for a while. Yet a fade-away 3-pointer in the corner as time expired on Easter Sunday solidified it. Irish head coach Muffet McGraw has built a championship women’s basketball program defined by its hustle and refusal to be intimidated. Women’s basketball has long been ridiculed by sports fans for lacking competition and employing offensive schemes that settle for 3-pointers. Although these are fair criticisms, this Notre Dame team (6-0) has proven that there’s a lot more to intrigue fans. It’s true that women’s basketball has long been dominated by familiar faces — Tennessee, UConn, Stanford, Duke, Baylor and Notre Dame, to name a few. In part due to the significantly smaller potential earnings in
the WNBA compared to other professional leagues, with the average player not eclipsing six figures, athletes often elect to attend prestigious schools with tight alumni networks, setting themselves up for other opportunities beyond basketball, leaving mid-tier programs on the outside of the elite recruiting scene looking in. This has created a lopsided league, with only 15 teams owning at least one national title. UConn alone has 11. Look no further than last year’s Final Four, where all four teams were the top seed in their respective regions. Simply put, there’s little room for Cinderella stories in women’s basketball. Notre Dame’s championship didn’t change that. However, it did bring disenchanted fans back to the game, enthralled by a team that was never truly out of it. Of course, those back-to-back buzzer beaters by senior guard Arike Ogunbowale didn’t hurt. Things are changing, though, see EDMONDS PAGE 10