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Volume 53, Issue 110 | wednesday, april 3, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
ND admits students to class of 2023 With record-breaking number of applications, University accepts 3,410 in most selective year yet By Max Lander News Writer
Notre Dame has released its regular admission decisions, and with it the profile of the class of 2023 has started to take shape. An increase of 1,825 students — about 9 percent — applied for this year’s application pool — compared to last year’s recordbreaking 22,200 applicants, Donald Bishop, the associate vice president for undergraduate enrollment, said. The total number of applicants was not the only increase the admissions office noted. Applications for students with the highest academic credentials also increased by 22 percent. “This was by far our most
competitive and selective year,” Bishop said. “There were students that we would admit just two or three years ago, that we just couldn’t admit now.” The class is currently composed of 3,410 admitted students from 2,050 different high schools. The types of high schools admitted students came from also displayed some diversity, with 47 percent of admits coming from public schools, 34 percent coming from Catholic schools and 19 percent coming from private or charter schools, Bishop said. Test scores and good grades are far from the only factors that go into the admission decision process, Bishop said. The process involves various factors,
like the needs of the University’s various colleges and athletic programs, the diversity of the applicant pool, the academic and personal interests of applicants and other more qualitative factors. “Top colleges are looking for students who won’t treat this as the biggest achievement of their life,” Bishop said. “It’s just the next step and they want to use the college as a vehicle to get smarter, to get more creative and to enjoy learning more.” Bishop said some applicants have a great transcript on paper but do not truly want to become better students and people. “So there is a group of see ADMISSIONS PAGE 5
The Bald and The Beautiful to support cancer research By ERIN SWOPE News Writer
Hair can often be a means of self-expression. However, sometimes no hairstyle at all can say more than even the most elaborate updo. The Bald and The Beautiful, one of the largest student-run philanthropy events on campus, gives students the opportunity to either shave their heads, donate eight inches of hair or buy hair extensions to raise
funds and awareness for cancer research. “It’s cool when you shave your head and you’re walking around campus and you see somebody else that you didn’t know was shaving their head or a girl who got her hair cut super short, it’s just like a cool little bond you share,” Bart Bramanti, a junior and co-chair for the event, said. This year, The Bald and the Beautiful will be held on April 3 and 4 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
and April 5 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Duncan Student Center on the Hagerty Family Cafe Stage. Participants can either donate eight inches of their hair for free, shave their head for $15 or purchase colored hair extensions, each color representing a different type of cancer, for $10. Organizer and senior Rachel Belans said she hopes the central location will help make the see HAIR PAGE 5
Philosophy, FTT class to study ‘The Good Place’ By COURTNEY BECKER Senior News Writer
Students interested in receiving academic credit for studying “The Good Place” and philosophy should start trying to earn points for their positive actions. This fall, the departments of Film, Television and Theatre (FTT) and
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Philosophy are joining forces to create “The Good Class,” a six-week, one-credit class that will serve as an interdisciplinary study of “The Good Place,” a hit sitcom on NBC. The class will be restricted to FTT majors and students in the philosophy major or minor, and will feature a visit from television writer and producer Michael Schur,
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who created “Parks and Recreation” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” in addition to “The Good Place.” Meghan Sullivan — the Rev. John A O’Brien Collegiate Chair and professor of philosophy, and one of the architects of The Good Class — said the department see CLASS PAGE 4
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CLAIRE KOPISCHKE | The Observer
Class of 2019 valedictorians chosen by College By COLLEEN FISCHER Saint Mary’s Editor
Saint Mary’s students strive for academic success, but every class has students whose academic devotion puts them at the top of their class. On March 25, the College released the names of the three young women who will be the class of 2019’s valedictorians. Though all three students wanted to excel academically, none of them set out to receive this honor. Communicative science and disorders (CSD) major Elizabeth Priester was simply looking for individual success in each of her classes. “I just wanted to be really successful in all of the classes I was in. It just kind of led to being valedictorian,” Priester said. A similar sentiment was reiterated by fellow CSD major and valedictorian Natalie Dock. “I definitely didn’t think that I would be valedictorian coming into Saint Mary’s — I was
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just looking to get the most out of my experience,” she said. Monica McGrath, the third valedictorian, also said she did not seek the title of valedictorian but instead had more personal motivators. “[I am] always looking for self-improvement,” she said. In the summer between their junior and senior year, the students were told there was a possibility of they would be valedictorians of their class. Dock said she tried to make sure that the possibility of her being the top of her class did not change the way she went about her day-to-day life. “I tried not to let it affect me, because I didn’t want to be motivated by that,” Dock said. “I wanted to do the best that I could. … I didn’t want that to be on my mind.” Although honored to receive the title, Dock tried not to place much value on the award. Though she considers see GRADUATION PAGE 3
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Lecture: “Investing and Markets” C B003 Stayer Commons 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Molly Shannon talks.
Global Cafe LaFortune Student Center Ballroom 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Holi Festival celebration.
Alumni Design Conference 226-228 West Lake Hall 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Design alumni to visit.
Data Fest Mendoza College of Business all day Statistical analysis competition.
The Work of Our Hands Various venues all day Exhibition of Liturgical Vestments.
AmeriCorps Panel 512 Duncan Student Center 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Explore AmeriCorps service opportunities.
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Series: “Listening to Uganda” Geddes Hall Coffee House noon - 1 p.m. Lunch will be served.
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Women’s Lacrosse vs. Virginia Tech Arlotta Stadium noon Irish take on the Hokies.
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ND opens minor in real estate By MARY CLARE DONNELLY News Writer
The Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate recently launched an interdisciplinary minor in real estate, which is open to all undergraduate students. “The minor is 15 credits, with an introductory course, three electives of three credits each in a variety of different areas ... and the last three credits of the minor are these industry engaging colloquia,” Eugenio Acosta, program director of the Institute for Real Estate, said. The colloquia are one-credit seminars that bring in people from the industry to talk about their work. The first being offered is Real Estate Finance and Investment this fall. “It brings in experts on the business and law side to talk to students about real cases, real issues and connect students with what they would be doing out in the real world, with the kind of jobs that are out there and the experiences they will have,” Acosta said. Students and alumni from Notre Dame have long been interested in real estate, but until now there was no way to quantify the courses they had been taking.
“For years, we’ve had faculty and courses in real estate but no real way to capture a student’s interest,” Acosta said. “But now students who take those courses can get a minor, so this is a way to help them better prepare for industry, with jobs and internships, by giving them credit for what they do — but also enhance the opportunities and create new courses.” Since the minor applications were opened this semester, 53 students have applied for the minor. However, due to the course requirements only current freshman and sophomores will be able to complete it in time for graduation. “There has been almost double the demand at what we thought there would be for the minor so far,” Jason Arnold, managing director of the Institute for Real Estate, said. The nature of the minor is interdisciplinary, Acosta said. He said this reflects the multifaceted nature of the real estate industry, offering classes in three different colleges — the School of Architecture, the College of Engineering and Mendoza College of Business. “I’m excited that it’s going to be a very diverse group, and truly interdisciplinary. If you look at the numbers, a quarter
of our students are going to be Arts and Letters, and 8 percent are STEM,” Acosta said. “Mixing engineers with some science folks and some arts and letters and putting them together with the business students is going to be a great learning experience.” Acosta said it is important to have an background stemming from multiple areas when going into real estate. “Real estate is a very applied field and very interdisciplinary,” he said. “You can come in on it from the finance side, the architecture side or the engineering side. So it’s great to have a base academic discipline and to enhance it with a minor on the applied side.” Through the requirement to take at least one elective course outside the student’s academic home, the minor’s interdisciplinary nature is shown. “I’m excited that students are going to take more real estate classes and that there is an outlet for that,” Arnold said. “They’re going to be pushed to take things outside of their own discipline to learn about what makes up real estate at large.”
Contact Mary Clare Donnelly at mdonne22@nd.edu
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College to host Lenten reflection brunches By GINA TWARDOSZ News Writer
Easter brunch is a holiday tradition, but what about the brunches leading up to Easter? Every Sunday until Palm Sunday, students can join Campus Ministry leaders in the conference rooms outside the Noble Family Dining Hall for Blessed Brunch and Encounter with Christ to reflect upon their Lenten spiritual journey. Junior Grace Erving was one of the creators of the blessed brunches. An intern for Saint Mary’s campus ministry, Erving said she wanted to find a way to highlight the teachings of Campus Ministry’s retreats in a way that required a lower commitment from students in the midst of finals or senior comprehensives. Emily Sipos-Butler, assistant director of Campus Ministry,
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it to be accomplishment, she said she wanted to evaluate it against some of the other things she has done in her life both academically and personally. “I think in terms of a title it is a great accomplishment,” Dock said. “I guess I tr y not to be too proud of titles and
said she felt a Lenten brunch was the perfect way to meet students where they are while still providing them with deep, meaningful conversations about faith. “In the past, I’ve led a retreat called ‘Encounter with Christ’ and students just loved it,” she said. “But when I tried to recruit students for it, you can guess what I would hear: ‘I’m too busy.’ Many students can benefit from deep conversations about faith and life, but they’re so busy, it can be challenging to get them to come away for things.” Each Sunday for four weeks during Lent, Erving said students can come brunch with student leaders while discussing different topics, like their relationship with Christ and their Lenten process. “This Sunday, I will be talking about prayer and different ways
to pray, and our last brunch will feature a presentation from graduate student Margaret Davis on how her relationship with Christ has grown and how she will continue her faith after leaving Saint Mary’s,” she said. The blessed brunches are open to “all Christians and any seekers,” Sipos-Butler said. “It is Christian-focused, but anyone who is asking questions about faith and God and is curious can come as well as those students who are very devoted to a life of faith as a Christian,” she said. Sipos-Butler and Erving both agreed the focus of the brunches is to encourage students to be open about their Lenten struggles and triumphs. SiposButler said feeling the presence of community during Lent can make it easier to achieve one’s Lenten goals. “It’s important for us to be
encouraged in our faith journey, particularly during Lent,” she said. “Lent can feel like an individual time of penance, but we journey on this together. It’s much easier to ask deep questions of yourself and of God if we know we are apart of a supportive community.” Erving said she sometimes feels like she’s “doing Lent all wrong,” but that having a community to share her frustrations with helps overcome some of the challenges she experiences. “I’ve had some very difficult Lents and I’ve had some very fruitful Lents in the past,” she said. “Some people can feel like they’re doing Lent all wrong, but having that community to bounce ideas off of can be very helpful. Of course you can’t do Lent wrong, but it can start to feel that way if you feel like you’re in it alone.” All in all, Erving said the
brunches provide students with the opportunity to breathe and reflect over good food and good company. “When you’re a college student, you have 86 things on your plate at one time, so it’s hard to prioritize,” she said. “Your spiritual life and your faith may not get prioritized, but those are some of the most important things for college students because they’ll stick with you long-term. We all need to retreat and do a little reflection, because it’s a part of self care. “Everyone has one bucket, and if you put good things in the bucket you can pour those back out — but if you’re not putting anything in your bucket, you’re not going to have anything to pour out.”
those big things but also the little things in my life, but this is definitely one of my greatest accomplishments.” All three women recognized they did not get to the top of their class without help. McGrath said she wanted to share her pride with the people who surround her life. “I am really proud for my friends and family who supported me,” McGrath said.
“I am almost more proud for them than for me. My parents and my friends were always pushing me helping me when I was struggling just being there when I was stressed or just helping me.” All three valedictorians said being at Saint Mar y’s was crucial to their success, and it means something different to each of them. Priester appreciated that the College allows for
all students to express themselves and their talents, and said the school offers them a place to show what they have to offer. “One thing that I really cherished about my Saint Mar y’s education is Saint Mar y’s is a place that truly recognizes all the gifts and talents that we bring to the world, and it’s a place of community,” Priester said. “It sets up a network of belonging where students feel recognized as both who they are and who they plan to become. I just love this environment and how they allow us to explore and dream and discover our passions.” Though all of the students said that they focused on academics throughout their career, McGrath said the College also helped them to grow as individuals and people. “I feel like there was a ver y good balance here,” she said. “Saint Mar y’s helped me grow academically and I definitely feel ver y prepared for any challenges that I am going to face. I feel educated as a whole. That is something that Saint Mar y’s always said on the tours — ‘We don’t just educate academically but as a whole person.’ I have grown to be a better version
of myself than who I was when I came here.” W hen describing themselves, none of the valedictorians used the words intelligent or smart — they instead focused on traits that helped them get to where they are. They spoke about patience, focus and drive. “I’m pretty positive, I like to ref lect on things that I am grateful for … I’m pretty patient,” McGrath said. Dock said her grades have always been a primar y focus. “I have always considered myself a ver y detailed-orientated person. I have always been fairly focused on my grades — maybe that is just in my nature, I always wanted to strive to do my best,” Dock said. Priester said her academic career has taught her important life skills. “It [the road to becoming valedictorian] definitely has given me a good work ethic and a drive for success,” Priester said. As the three valedictorians leave Saint Mar y’s, they leave behind a legacy of hard work and drive. They will deliver a joint address at their class at commencement on May 18.
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typically aims to bring in “people who have some philosophical dimension to their jobs but they’re not philosophy professors” to speak each year. This year, someone suggested Schur. “We all love ‘The Good Place,’ students reference it in class all the time and in their writing, and it’s really creative and well-done, philosophically,” Sullivan said. So, Sullivan wrote an email to Schur, which got passed through the Notre Dame community to Notre Dame alumnus Regis Philbin, who gave it to his daughter, Jennifer Joy Philbin, who is married to Schur. From there, Sullivan said, Schur agreed to come to campus as long as he could talk to a lot of students about philosophy. In order to ensure Schur’s trip to campus was as fruitful as possible, Sullivan explained, she wanted to make his visit “a whole production” and find a group of students guaranteed to be “totally obsessed with the show” and then “weaponize them” to make the most out of a day with the creator. The idea for a one-credit
class about philosophy and “The Good Place” came together between Sullivan and Ricky Herbst, the cinema program director at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, who suggested they bring in FTT professor Christine Becker to teach the television aspects of the class. Becker jumped at chance to be involved with the class, as “in addition to loving the show and loving Mike Schur,” it gives her an opportunity to expand her “world of teaching” in a new way. “I was fascinated by a crossover with philosophy and thrilled with the idea of being able to work with someone bringing different approaches, and then students who will have different ways of thinking,” she said. “I always love it when I have students from other majors in my FTT classes because they ask different questions, they think in different ways, they challenge me.” While Schur’s visit itself will be the main event of The Good Class, Sullivan said he will also speak to around 450 freshman in God and the Good Life — a large class that satisfies the first philosophy requirement — and attend a larger event with the broader Notre Dame community.
The professors haven’t set an official syllabus yet — although Becker said formulating the class has been the most fun she’s ever had building a course — but they know it will probably end up featuring an even blend of television and philosophy studies. “There are ways in which they’re not fully discrete. So I don’t think it will be like this day will be FTT day and this day will be philosophy day,” Becker said. “I think the goal is more, where can we find these intersections in the fabric between them and the idea of even storytelling as a notion is philosophical.” The interdisciplinary nature of the course will ultimately be beneficial to students from both departments, Herbst said. “That’s something that we should be finding in more of our classes here, because it’s the way almost every other business is trying to train its people,” he said. “It’s to give them broad exposure and cross-train.” Sullivan added that the the show itself is “enormously culturally important for expanding interest in philosophy” in today’s society, which the class will explore. “Everyone does philosophy at some degree in their life, Paid Advertisement
and philosophy is a very important part of everyday life — and a lot of times people don’t believe us about this,” she said. “And for good reason, because a lot of philosophy books are exceptionally boring, but art like this is the counter-example.” In addition, Becker said, this class — which will ultimately speak to “understanding how storytelling is forged” — is a natural extension of the FTT department, as it ensures its students will “be smarter consumers of film and television and have fun along the way.” “You’re not someone who just watches TV, you’re someone who can have an elevated experience of it,” Becker said. “There’s value in understanding how these things are made, how the creative process works, how the industry works, understand the economics behind it and that kind of stuff. You become a media-literate person, but it’s a blast if you like it.” The target demographic for the class, Becker said, is students who are able to hit the ground running in terms of knowledge of the show and creative thinkers. This goal, along with the idea that the class will be a small discussion group, led the professors
to create an application with questions that refer to “The Good Place,” such as, “We recently discovered that no one has passed The Good Class in centuries, so please provide your suggestions for how the course should be fairly graded going forward.” “We thought, OK, well we have to have an application, and then the thought is, well, how do we vet people?” Becker said. “We said, ‘Let’s come up with “Good Place”-like questions.’ … One of our ideal students would be someone who’s seen the show, knows it backwards and forwards on day one of that class.” That application is available online — where Sullivan said the professors will likely post updates about the course so anyone who is interested can follow along with it — and is due April 7 by 11:59 p.m. In the end, Herbst said, using “The Good Place” as a case study will show students the benefits of blending two disciplines in an interesting and enjoyable way. “We can be smart about fun things, and we can have fun with smart things,” he said. “And we need to do that much more.” Contact Courtney Becker at cbecker3@nd.edu
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applicants that have exceptional credentials but actually don’t have the motivation to become better, they’re just trying to outperform everybody,” Bishop said. “The new elite student is coming up with their own questions, they’re less enamored with and driven by coming up with the answers to whatever questions they think are going to be asked and they are a lot more interested in developing their own questions.” The admissions office is not solely concerned with making the final admit decisions, but consider how and where efforts could be made to cultivate a better applicant pool. “As famous as Notre Dame is, we don’t want to just draw applicants that somehow have
heard about Notre Dame,” Bishop said. “We’re typically under-represented in groups that don’t know as much about the University. We want leaders from all these different socioeconomic groups, so if they go back to their home environments, Notre Dame has a role in building leaders in all communities — not just necessarily limited to who already knew about Notre Dame.” To help combat this issue, the University has started working with groups like the American Talent Initiative, Cristo Rey and QuestBridge — all of which try to find high-ability, low-income students and provide them with a richer view and greater degree of interaction with top colleges. “QuestBridge is probably our largest relationship — we’ll probably have over a hundred students in the fall who came through the QuestBridge
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process,” Bishop said. The University is also interested in increasing representation in students and applicants. While more diverse representation overall has been on the rise, there are still groups that appear to be underrepresented. “If you look at the non-white United States students of color, we’re at about 26 [or] 27 percent,” Bishop said. “Ten years ago we were at about 16 percent [or] 17 percent, so we’ve grown there and we’ve also grown in international [students] and we want to grow more. We also want to grow in first generation and low-income [students]. We are, in our opinion, underrepresented there compared to our peers.” Bishop also said that the recent college admissions scandal, while it didn’t involve Notre Dame, has caused the University and other top schools to take a look at their admissions processes. “I think all of the top schools are really evaluating what sort of mechanisms have people use to maybe distort their profiles,” Bishop said. “We looked very quickly at our pool and we felt that we did our due diligence. We have every year found some students fraudulently applying, and when we catch that we dismiss their application. There’s not many cases of that, but each year there are several.” The incoming class of 2023 was not only record setting in its academic qualifications, but also exhibited a couple of characteristic differences overall from previous classes. “We’re looking for students who will also use School of Global Affairs, I think that’s been a big gain,” Bishop said. “We promoted the creativity side of Notre Dame more, and we looked for students who were responsive to that.” Contact Max Lander at mlander1@nd.edu
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fundraiser more successful this year. “We switched the location this year,” Belans said. “It used to be in [LaFortune Student Center] so we’re hoping that the new location will be really exciting and maybe help us get more participation this year.” Last year, the event raised around $10,000 and the organizers are hoping to either match that amount or reach $15,000 this year. Since its inception, the event has raised more than $300,000 for pediatric cancer research. The money raised is split between Memorial Hospital in South Bend and St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on childhood cancer research. However, the efforts of The Bald and The Beautiful go beyond just raising money. The event has also sponsored a playroom called “The Bald and The Beautiful Room” in Memorial Hospital and the group also organizes visits to Memorial Hospital a few times a month. On Wednesday, children from the hospital will be coming to the fundraiser for arts and crafts. “We wanted to support the children’s hospital here because those were the kids we could interact with and it’s in South Bend,” Bramanti said. “And the St. Baldrick’s Foundation was the research-related side of it. … We want to donate to a fewer number of places and make more substantial contributions.” The Bald and The Beautiful began in 2009 when some members of the Freshmen Class Council began planning a service event in honor of one of their classmates, Sam Marx, who had been in a battle with cancer during his time on campus. The goal of the event was to keep Sam’s vibrant presence alive on campus after he left for further treatment and to raise awareness for cancer
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research. At the first The Bald and The Beautiful, 126 students came out to shave their heads. Last year, 258 people preregistered for the event and this year they have 100 individuals registered for donations — including 15 girls who are planning on shaving their heads. Around 500 people ended up participating last year, as people can also walk up the day of and participate. “I have not participated in The Bald and the Beautiful before,” Elisabeth Lasecki, a sophomore who will be donating eight inches of her hair, said in an email. “I decided to participate because I was already planning to chop my hair, so I might as well do it for such an incredible cause.” Bramanti has shaved his head the last two years. “It’s funky. You feel like you have Velcro all over your head,” he said. While shaving your head my not be for everyone, Belans said it lends one a strong emotional connection to those going through cancer. “It [shaving your head] requires a lot of bravery and is a huge emotional challenge for people to go through and do that big empathic thing to stand in solidarity with people with cancer,” she said. Belans has donated her hair three times to The Bald and The Beautiful. “There’s all kinds of things we take for granted and one of the easiest ones is a full head of hair,” Bramanti said. “But on a shaving-your-head basis, you’re stepping into someone else’s shoes and seeing what it’s like. It’s an interesting experience. When you shave your head and you’re off campus where people don’t know you, you can get looked at kind of funny, like ‘why does this kid have a shaved head’ and maybe that’s something that people who are going through chemo have to deal with as their hair is growing back. It’s just trying to understand and get a little appreciation for how blessed we are to live the kind of lives we do and do what we can to help those who have to deal with the things we don’t.” Lasecki is still apprehensive about the approaching date for her big haircut, but it excited to do her part for those battling cancer. “I’ve wanted to cut my hair for a while now, but I’m definitely still a bit nervous,” Lasecki said. “I haven’t had short hair since I was pretty young. Nevertheless, I’m just grateful I can do my small part in the ongoing fight against cancer.” Bramanti said if shaving your head has even crossed your mind before, it’s definitely a risk worth taking. “I think everyone will get a little nervous when they think about shaving their head,” Bramanti said. “But, I never looked back. I’m very happy I did it the two times I did. If you haven’t done it and it’s something you’re thinking about, take a little leap of faith. You always have a conversation starter.” Contact Erin Swope at eswope2@nd.edu
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The observer | Wednesday, april 3, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
Inside Column
Michael Quirke Maeve Filbin News Writer
Michael Quirke is in the same position I left him in when I first visited his small shop on Wine Street three years ago: hunched over a red block of wood, mallet and chisel in hand, attention fixed on his work. He is careful but intentional with his strokes, giving physical form to the stamping, whinnying horse coming to life beneath his hands. The door swings shut behind us with a wooden clap and a gust of wind, sending a spray of sawdust into the air. The dust settles slowly, like little flecks of gold in the late afternoon sun shining through the front window. Quirke pauses only for a moment to lift his head in greeting, revealing clear blue eyes, a round red nose and an impish grin beneath thick tufts of white hair. His fraying navy fisherman sweater and faded wax vest are stained with varnish and dusted with a fine layer of wood shavings, making it hard to distinguish man from material, as if after many years of woodcarving the shop had simply swallowed him up. Without wasting time on preamble, Quirke returns to his square of wood and plunges straight into storytelling. The County Sligo is girded by the opposite-facing purple crags of Ben Bulben and heathery hills of Knocknarea, two rock formations hewn from limestone and home to Irish history and legend. A Sligo native, Quirke took up the family business as a young man, continuing his father’s work as a butcher until the year 1988, when he transformed the shop and began carving alder, ash and birch instead of meat. Since then, Quirke has been sharing the stories of Sligo with a world that has all but moved on from legend and lore. He tells us all of this without pause and without looking up from another block of wood, now taking the form of a kind-eyed, woolen sheep. This is the same story he told me three years ago, but I hang on to every word as if it’s the first time I’ve heard it. He places a calloused hand on a finished piece sitting on the counter — a three-faced woman pulled from the stained wood — and begins the legend of Maeve, or Mebh, the warrior queen of Connacht. Quirke points one knobby finger towards the horizon, where the sun is setting over Knocknarea. He tells us that Queen Maeve is believed to be buried at its summit under a cairn of loose stones, standing upright in full battle armor, facing her enemies in Ulster. Casting a surreptitious glance over his shoulder — as if checking for unwanted onlookers — Quirke digs around in his vest pocket and pulls out a pencil stub, then sketches a crude map onto a loose scrap of paper from the cluttered work bench. With another conspiring look, he presses the drawing into my hands and informs me that he’s just given me directions to the Sidhe Fae, the fairies that dwell within the hills of western Ireland. I thank him for the stories, for the map and for the magic, and feeling drawn to “she who intoxicates,” ask to buy the carving of Queen Maeve. Quirke pats my hand gently and insists upon commissioning a new piece of the warrior queen, which will be ready by the first warm days of summer. Untethered from modern technology, Quirke drifts far beyond email, social media and even a fax machine, running operations with a single landline. He explains all this as he scribbles the phone number to the shop on the back of his handwritten business card, which reads: Michael Quirke, The Woodcarver and Wordweaver to the Power of Myth. With promises to return in early May, we step back out onto Wine Street, amazed to find that a fast-moving, everchanging world still existed outside of Michael Quirke’s woodcarving shop. I know that when I return in the following months, and if I were to visit sometime in the following years, Quirke will be in the same position I left him in upon last entering his shop: hunched over a block of birch or ash, mallet and chisel in hand, preserving the stories of western Ireland in both wood and word. Contact Maeve Filbin at mfilbin01@saintmarys.edu The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
An indigenous perspective on the Columbus murals As a Lakota student and a member of the Native American Student Association (NASAND), I’m often accused of not listening to arguments that don’t immediately agree with me. This of course ignores past Observer articles in which I am quoted that made it abundantly clear that I was open to discussion and NASAND holding an open town hall on the Columbus Murals last year. So once more, I am quite open to anyone who would like to discuss Columbus and his impact on indigenous people. Unfortunately, that challenge seems to have only be taken up by alumni of Notre Dame who have sent messages to the NASAND group that I can only categorize as openly racist. This letter is mainly a therapeutic exercise for me personally. But I also hope that it can serve as a perspective of an indigenous student at Notre Dame on the issue. I decided it might be beneficial for me to step out from the bubble I have apparently confined myself to. I attended the controversial event titled “Columbus: Hero Not Heathen” put on by a small conservative group on campus featuring Michael Knowles of the Daily Wire. Besides the founder saying Arabs “like to bomb crap and live in open sewage,” I would ask that you view the website’s Columbus Day video. But I still felt that I should listen to the opposition to gain an understanding of where they are coming from. I was waiting for the facts and logic to overwhelm me and convince me. Unfortunately, the event could be boiled down to crying about Notre Dame becoming a victim of the “far left” and leftists taking over the education system, followed by a summation of Columbus’ life that glossed over atrocities (I wonder why?), and frequently used dog-whistle language to excuse those atrocities. Knowles, a spoiled kid from Westchester County and a successful political commentator, doesn’t have much to complain about. He isn’t being oppressed, he doesn’t have to combat the effects of colonialism on his community. He isn’t fighting for basic human rights. Instead, he’s getting paid quite a lot to complain about Notre Dame finally taking a step toward creating a welcoming environment for victims of genocide. One claim that Knowles made stuck out to me as particularly insulting to many who would have a problem with the glorification of Columbus, namely Native Americans. At one point in the lecture, Knowles claimed that those opposed to this glorification are “Un-American.” Who are you calling “Un-American”? This is extremely insulting to Native Americans, as Natives have served in the military at a greater rate than any ethnic group, long before we were even given citizenship or the right to vote. While traditional religions were banned in the states, Natives were fighting and dying in the Vietnam War. This trend has continued, with 18.6 percent of Native Americans serving in the post 9/11 period. So again, I ask, who are you calling “Un-American”? Knowles claims that we do not appreciate the freedom brought by the United States. He dishonestly leaves out the part in which that “freedom” was forced at the barrel of a gun. Please ask the people of my reservation or the Oglala reservation (which is currently underwater) about the “freedom” and “civilization” brought by the United States. Of course, that would require Knowles and the small conservatives on campus to leave their gated communities to empathize with people for a change. At first glance, Knowles’ assertion that leftists have taken over Notre Dame is laughable. At second, third, fourth and fifth glances, it is equally laughable. If the University has been infiltrated and corrupted by leftists, it has a funny way of showing it. If the simple act of listening to a marginalized community and tentatively acting upon criticisms is a takeover by leftists, we are really bad at it. So, is it just this decision, or was it its decision to invite the first African American president
to speak at commencement? Or was it their support for DACA recipients? Which action by the school turned Notre Dame into a social justice warrior wasteland? Knowles and other critics have also claimed that the University has slowly started to shed its Catholic identity by beginning to accept progress and change. Funny I know, but apparently being decent to Native Americans means the school that has a gigantic golden dome (which I would argue is antithetical to Catholicism itself) with the Virgin Mary atop it has lost its Catholic identity. Knowles and his ilk seem to have abandoned Ben Shapiro’s model of “Facts don’t care about your feelings” in favor of “The bad people made me feel bad for liking Columbus, the only Catholic we should admire, apparently.” Knowles also adopted the practice of using language framing the people that Columbus encountered as “primitive” and “nearly naked,” along with frequent insistence that Columbus discovered America, despite the existence of an entire people. By describing them in this way, the people Columbus encountered are no longer people with a unique society, customs and history. Instead, they are primitive, childlike people in need of guidance. You see, Columbus’ first instinct was not to enslave them, but to help them, contrary to actual history. It has the ring of Manifest Destiny and the White Man’s Burden. After Knowles’ presentation, he opened it to Q&A. This segment of the event was hilarious. I suggest watching this part, as the very first question is comedy gold. After listening to these amazing questions, I decided I wanted to join the fun. Originally, I had planned of asking a question about considering Native perspectives on the murals. I introduced myself in Lakota, the language of my tribe, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Knowles quickly interrupted me and asked if I was related to Senator Elizabeth Warren. This interaction showed me that Knowles was not interested in a debate or discussion (I should’ve realized this after he wrote a blank book and sold it). So, I asked him a question that was only partially serious, before walking out the door and going home. I did this because Michael Knowles and the small group on campus are, despite their claims, not interested in dialogue. My goal wasn’t to debate Knowles, but to waste his time just as he had wasted everyone else’s. So again, if these groups were truly interested in discussion, they should have come to NASAND’s town hall or to our demonstration in front of Main Building. They should have engaged with our (and my) Facebook page or responded to my call for discussion in past Observer articles and letters. For those who would like to do something productive to help Native Americans on campus, I would suggest following what we’re up to at NASAND. We’re always looking for ways to bring a Native perspective to Notre Dame. For every negative message, we have received twice as many positive messages. I’ve had productive discussions with those who disagree with the decision. Many faculty and students have come out in support to NASAND’s goals. We recently had two important resolutions regarding a Native Studies minor and an official land acknowledgement passed by student senate. Native people have always fought for a better experience in a country that resists change — Notre Dame is no different. There will always be people who resist change for the sake of resisting change; they don’t matter. Progress and acceptance do. Finally, please consider donating to the Pine Ridge (Oglala) Reservation, which is currently suffering from devastating floods. Mikey Boyd, Sicangu Oyate sophomore April 2
The observer | Wednesday, april 3, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
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Notre Dame is weird Griffin Cannon BridgeND
Notre Dame is kind of a weird place. I’m not certain quite how controversial a statement this is but I think we might need a reminder every now and again, so here goes. I’m certain many of us have had the frustration of trying to explain to friends back home that yes, seeing monks and seminarians is not an irregular thing (in O’Shag, at least) but no, we are not a monastery. Yes, people do drink here and yes, we also really do have singlesex dorms (that you can only be in certain places after certain times). We’re pretty normal though, I promise. As for the politics of this place, even those of us here can’t agree. I regularly hear complaints that this campus is far too conservative, as well as far too liberal, though these sentiments tend to come from different people. Of course, there are some tentative answers for those that care about numbers and surveys more than I do. Regardless, we are a strange group, none more famously so than our president, liberal, who in an impressive feat of intellectual flexibility has managed to hate American heritage, perhaps Christianity itself, while simultaneously hating a woman’s right to healthcare. In all seriousness though, it is precisely the difficulty of reducing Catholicism to any clean-cut political labels that makes this campus so interesting. It leads to
discussions in the pages of this very publication that with some frequency lead to national news coverage of the school. From murals to leggings, we are taken to be a bellwether, though, of what I’m not entirely clear. This unique mix also leads to confusion and perhaps some discomfort for those of us whose political beliefs were informed by the more traditional party understandings than by church teachings, especially when one begins to see serious worldviews that mix and match the familiar and the utterly foreign. Anyway, we’re weird. Frankly though, that’s probably for the best. Rather than allow our Catholic heritage to become a side note on some tour guide’s script, this institution has remained deeply devoted to the tradition that created it. From required theology classes to rectors in residence halls to all the quirks our friends back home can’t quite get their heads around, Notre Dame is something genuinely, consciously and intentionally different. Of course, we do allow space for most of the trappings of American collegiate normalcy with a concession here and there gradually chipping away our otherness. There is also a genuine willingness to invite the rest of the world under the dome to share in what this school is. Yet none of this changes the fact that this is a Catholic University. There will be questions raised here, debates over issues long settled elsewhere, that will see serious discussion. There will be opposition on this campus to that which is considered common sense almost anywhere else and practices, antiquated by any other standard, that persist.
Of course, change should not be opposed for the sake of opposing it any more than it should be pursued for the sake of pursuing it. On balance, though, we will stand out, we will be weird, and over the years we will hear countless times the refrain: “But other schools — ” and that is just fine. We are not falling behind here at Notre Dame. We are following a different path. Sometimes we will be indistinguishable from others, sometimes different as night and day. For now, we retain the ability to live in one world and engage in the other, holding on to our Catholic identity while remaining open to everything else. The mixture of ideas this creates, the deep diversity of thought and perspective, makes us all the richer. But we should never forget though that we are not every other school, nor should we be. Notre Dame is weird and that’s just the way I like it. Griffin Cannon is a senior studying political science from Burlington, Vermont. The viewpoints expressed in this column are those of the individual and not necessarily those of BridgeND as an organization. BridgeND is a bipartisan student political organization that brings together people from all across the ideological spectrum to discuss public policy issues of national importance. They can be reached at bridgend@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Ranking my own columns Davis Gonsalves The Highest Ranking Column According to Me
We are closing in on the last few columns, with only two left after this. As my column nears its end, I want to reflect on my columns and evaluate them by the only way I see fit — ranking them. What better way to categorize my thoughts? Here is the list of the 25 articles I’ve produced by my own meta ranking.
Tier 5: Columns where the execution could have been better 26. Who Wants to Go to Dome Dance 25. The Bible is a movie — who’s playing who? 24. States as Tinder Profiles 23. Ranking the Notre Dame Websites 22. I’m Ranking Everything 21. End of the Year Ranks 20. Mid-Semester Ranks 19. Why the Bible Favors a Tuition Increase These columns may have been as funny as any other ones, but I know personally they could have achieved something greater. The idea was there but I just did not execute like I know I could have, and the result is taking something that may be funny, and make it frustrate me. With Dome Dance, I straddled the line of the criteria being too ridiculous and also serious so people did not know if the application was real. In The Bible as a Movie, a few lines were removed because I did not work with my editors to check if some were jokes were acceptable. Both the states as Tinder profiles and the Notre Dame websites article needed more time. I rushed the Tinder connections only allowing three days for a response and I could have thought of more jokes for each specific website. The trio of miscellaneous column rankings have individually very funny ranks, but I should have thought through them more, cut the fat on each and keep only the best ranks. Lastly, I should have used better Bible quotes and stingier remarks on each, but I balked and held up a tad; a practice I do not want to make routine.
Tier 4: Could Have Used More Time 18. Ranking the Campus Outrages 17. How to Make a Football Team out of Saints 16. Ranking the Relationships at Notre Dame The Campus Outrage one frustrates me, because since I published it, the legging controversy came out and I could have given a spicy take, but alas, I missed the boat by only
a few days. Both the Saints and Relationship issue has good jokes and I feel I did well with what I wrote. Overall though, if I would have sat on the columns more, I would have thought of better lines. When reading the published version of all three, I wanted to fix some phrasings and add a sentence or two, indicative that I just needed to reread them again.
Tier 3: Solid content, but I bit off more than I could chew 15. Dear Mr. Finn Wittrock 14. Ranking the Sentences of the ‘Dear Males’ Article 13. Ranking the American Regions 12. Ranking Campus Bathrooms 11. Top 10 Rules as an RA 10. All the Dorm Mascots get into a Fight. Who Wins? 9. Which Disney Princess I would be Most Likely to Marry Biting off more than I can chew manifests in a few different ways. Dear Mr. Finn Wittrock was the first letter ever submitted to The Observer and is a little more niche humor. Similarly the Dear Men column faded in the memories of many students and the reaction to my satire was lukewarm. I bit off more than I could chew when evaluating my audience, going more experimental but falling a tad shorter than I had hoped. For American Regions and Bathrooms, these were much larger projects that required more research than initially imagined. I had to rush the columns at the end because of how long they took. Even though I am still happy with them, I would have limited their scope if doing it again. For Rules as an RA and dorm mascots, I initially wrote a ton of content but had to scale back. Ultimately, I think this made the columns cleaner, but I was off with how much I could write. Lastly, I opened up a can of worms with Disney princesses where seemingly everyone on this campus has their internal ranking that I was not clued in on. I bit off more than I could chew in the sense that I ranked a topic I simply could not defend from the hoards of Disney princess lovers.
Tier 2: Columns I am content with and received good feedback from 8. Study Abroad as Described by Rankings 7. Ranking the Arguments with my Friends 6. Ranking the Last Five Emails from Fr. Jenkins 5. If a Dorm was a City 4. Ranking the Spineless, Copycat Rankers These are some of my favorite columns I have written,
receiving a lot of praise but mainly I liked how much time I put into them. Study abroad really allowed me to encapsulate the strange country Denmark is while also telling my parents that I’m having a good time. The Fr. Jenkins column rewarded me with a one-on-one meeting with the University President, and the Copycat rankers article put the brakes on the runaway train that was impersonating ranking columns. With dorms as cities, I was able to combine my love of the Notre Dame residential model with my love of geography to produce a column I felt happy with and others could enjoy. Nothing is necessarily wrong with these column, they are kept from the top tier because they do not have that magic or pizzazz or whatever you want to call it that will keep them special in my heart.
Tier 1: Columns special to me 3. Ranking the Student Presidential Platforms by Web Page Layout 2. Screw it, We’re Ranking the Halls 1. What’s the Best Basketball Team we can Make out of US Presidents At the time of ranking the presidential platforms by web page layout, there had been a deluge of student body election articles in The Observer. There were the news articles that 10 percent of the vote had been shaved from each ticket, the endorsements from different sources and the Zahm freshmen throwing the election a curveball. When I wrote my column, I kind of just muddied the waters even more and turned a circus into a zoo. For that I am grateful. The ranking dorms column definitely received the most press and engrained the type of column I was to write. This column is the origin of how I write my column but I felt I messed up on a few dorms and deservedly got some backlash. The U.S. Presidents column is my personal favorite though and allowed me to place my musings with my friends in AP Gov class onto paper. The Presidents and Halls one were very close, but I gave the former the edge because of its universality where the latter finds meaning only within Notre Dame. Plus the dorm rankings no longer reflect my true rankings now, since many have shifted. Maybe we will see the updated list soon. 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.
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CLAIRE KOPISCHKE | The Observer
The observer | Wednesday, april 3, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
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The observer | Wednesday, april 3, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
By MARTY KENNEDY Scene Writer
After a year-long hiatus from production, the hit comedy and three-consecutive time winner of the Emmy for Best Comedy Series “Veep” has returned for its seventh and final season. “Veep” stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus (whose fight against breast cancer delayed production of the show) as the dysfunctional and accidental Vice President-turnedPresident Selina Meyer, who tries to run for president yet again. Despite Selina’s new campaign motto being “New. Selina. Now.,” “Veep” viewers learn early in the first episode that Selina will be the same raunchy, chaotic and spurious politician she’s always been, accentuated in the first five minutes of the episode. Selina’s plane lands in Cedar Falls, Iowa, to announce her candidacy for the presidency, only to soon realize her campaign announcement is set up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, an scenario symbolic of the dysfunction of both her and her staff. What is so interesting about “Veep” is its ability to remain politically neutral while at the same time accurately portraying the political process that happens in Washington D.C. Selina Meyer’s political party affiliation is ambiguous throughout the show. Real politicians who have watched the show say that they think Selina is a member of their opposing party due to her disfunction and idiocy. At the same time, viewers involved in the D.C. circuit have agreed that “Veep” pinpoints many of the secrets and behind-closed-doors interactions of D.C. Selina is the quintessential example of a politician who does not personally
By CHASE CUMMINGS Scene Writer
In the early 2000s, hip-hop was overwhelmed with bling-flaunting artists like 50 Cent, Juvenile and Lil Wayne who rapped about chains, sex, drugs, money and guns. Much of the music of that era may as well have been copied and pasted from one artist to the next, for when 50 Cent released “In Da Club,” he was revered as a creative god amongst men. Bling-era rappers were masculine and braggadocious, but bubbling under the mainstream surface were acts like Kanye West and, more obscurely, MF Doom, who scratched similar itches in much more interesting ways. Early 2000s hip-hop was so run-of-the-mill that Kanye’s pink polos and backpacks were considered weird. MF Doom, on the other hand, sported a mask, which was nothing new — Daft Punk famously wore robot helmets in order to separate art from the artist. Conversely, MF Doom used his costume to create an entirely new identity: the supervillain. In 2004, MF Doom and Madlib joined forces as a rapper-producer duo under the name Madvillain to create the abstract hip-hop classic “Madvillainy.” The album begins with a vintage radio broadcast describing the two as “a villainous pair of nice boys who just happened to be on the wrong side of the law.” Whereas 50 Cent was tough because of gun-talk and gold chains, MF Doom created his villainous persona by telling tales of schizophrenic prostitutes, winning the award for best drug user and
stand for anything but will take stances, or no stance at all, in order to maximize votes — highlighted by her asking her communications director to delete an excerpt about immigration from her presidential announcement because it is “too issuey.” On top of this, “Veep” writers have expressed that it has been a struggle crafting new material due to the insanity of current politics. During the Obama administration, the show seemed like a political unreality, it’s events too ludicrous and baffling to occur in real life. However, as the show continues to thrive in the Trump administration, that unreality has transitioned into political reality, as “Veep” now seems to more accurately portray D.C. than it initially intended to — storylines and farcical events in the show have actually happened in real life. What pushes “Veep” over the top is its ability to tackle hot-button issues in a non-offensive and absurdist way. The first episode deals with several mass shootings that have occurred in America and the problem with politicians only offering “thoughts and prayers,” yet no actions. When pressed on the problem, Selina fails to address the issue at hand and doubles down in a circumvented way, offering her “mindfulness and meditations” to the victims. Selina even uses a mass shooting as a launching pad to announce her presidential candidacy, explaining why she wants to be president in the words of everyone but herself — “If you want me to use my own words then write me something to say,” Selina ironically instructs her staff earlier in the episode. “Veep” brings attention to hot-button social issues in a palatable and respectful way, making viewers not laugh at the issue
itself but the absurdity of how others respond to it in such an insensitive and narcissistic manner. “Veep” is what comedy is supposed to be. It is boisterously funny, satirizes a consequential system in a nuanced and absurd way and is the raunchiest and wittiest show on the air today. As “Veep” comes to a close, with only seven episodes in this final season instead of the normal 10, viewers, including myself, are yearning to find out if Selina Meyer will finally be elected president of the United States and break the glass ceiling, which, as Selina says, she “took a dump on.” As a show that used to be a cathartic escape from reality but is now a horrifying depiction of actuality, I thank “Veep” and its production staff for crafting a show that will hopefully bring viewers much joy once again for one last time.
embarrassing his contemporaries. Unlike other rappers, MF Doom did not have to brag about why he was the best rapper alive; he proved it with unmatchable rhymes, flow and word play. “Figaro” begins, “The rest is empty with no brain but the clever nerd / The best emcee with no chain you’ve ever heard,” Doom effortlessly rhymes six words within one breath as he makes fun of other rappers’ IQs and style. Later in the song, he mumbles, “Do not stand still, both show skills / Close but no krills, toast for po’ nils, post no bills / Coast to coast Joe Shmoe’s flows ill, go chill / Not supposed to overdose No-Doz pills.” Does this make sense? No, but Doom does prove that he can out-rap his competition in both English and gibberish. Mere braggadocio does not set Doom apart from his contemporaries, but he earns his cockiness through coded bars and overwhelming literary technique. Of course, one cannot talk about Madvillain without mentioning MF Doom’s other half: Madlib. Like Doom, Madlib’s execution is not entirely experimental; similar to RZA and J Dilla, he repeatedly samples soul and jazz music on tracks like “Strange Ways,” “Fancy Clown” and “Rhinestone Cowboy.” While Madlib did not necessarily break new ground on “Madvillainy,” his stylistic breadth is something to behold. There are 22 tracks across the album and each one is radically different from the last — the beat on “Accordion” is an addicting loop of the titular instrument; the next song, “Meat Grinder,” samples a Frank Zappa bassline and whining synthesizers that sound like they were pulled from an episode of
“SpongeBob Squarepants.” Next, “Bistro” sprinkles in dialogue from “Citizen Kane.” Madlib is the perfect match for MF Doom’s eccentricities. Each exhibit creativity so vast that it is hard to believe “Madvillainy” came from their minds alone. The rap scene of 2019 is similar to 2004’s. Trap’s themes are comparable to bling-era hip-hop — money, drugs, sex, chains, violence, masculinity — but amidst that repetition is a myriad of creatives who were all influenced by “Madvillainy.” Earl Sweatshirt, JPEGMAFIA and even Thom Yorke would be different artists if not for MF Doom and Madlib’s masterpiece. Even if the album had influenced no one, Madvillain warrants celebration for crafting an album so imaginative, odd and unforgettable.
Contact Marty Kennedy at mkenne18@nd.edu
“Veep” Season 7, episode 1 Starring: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale If you like: “30 Rock,” “Arrested Development,” “The West Wing” Where to watch: HBO
Contact Chase Cummings at bcumming@nd.edu
“Madvillainy” Madvillain (MF Doom and Madlib) Label: Stones Throw Records Favorite Tracks: “Curls,” “Figaro,” “Strange Ways,” “Supervillain Theme,” “Rhinestone Cowboy” If you like: Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler, the Creator, Danny Brown
CLAIRE KOPISCHKE | The Observer
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DAILY
The observer | wednesday, april 3, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
Crossword | Will Shortz
Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Be secretive this year. The less others know about your plans, the better it will be for you. Keep your financial assets, personal information and passwords hidden to avoid theft or someone meddling in your affairs. Playing it safe will be the quickest route to achieving your goals and the success you desire. Your numbers are 2, 10, 19, 26, 30, 37, 43. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Take better care of your health and physical well-being. Overdoing it will lead to exhaustion or injury. Pay close attention to information being shared. Verify what you hear before you decide to spend money or make a vocational move. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Personal change will have a positive effect on someone you love, not to mention help you out when it comes to attitude, business and getting things done. A passionate approach to life will be better than channeling your energy into anxiety and excess. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Take a moment to reconsider your next move. Don’t get snowed into something that will do you more harm than good. Living in moderation and following your own path will prove to be beneficial. Keep your emotions under control. CANCER ( June 21-July 22): Trust and believe in your abilities, and positive reinforcement will be ywours. If someone prompts you to make a change based on your talent, experience and knowledge, you should probably follow through. Romance will enhance your personal life. LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22): Shine brightly, but don’t make promises you cannot deliver. Your heart may be in the right place, but your reputation will suffer if you are too accommodating. Only agree to what’s doable, and make changes that are necessary. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Simplify your life by sticking to the people you can trust and the prospects that are worthwhile. Learn as you go, and base each move you make on logistics. A domestic or professional change should be made for the right reason. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Take positive action when it comes to your relationships with others and choosing friends who have as much to offer as you do. Refuse to let anyone dictate what you can do. Be honest but not too revealing. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Get out and participate in events and activities that are conducive to connecting with people who can help you get ahead. Mix business with pleasure, and you’ll enjoy sharing your success with someone you love. Personal improvements are featured. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Keep your personal thoughts and information to yourself in order to avoid someone taking advantage of you. Stick close to home, and keep your loyalty where it belongs. Don’t overdo it physically, and protect yourself emotionally. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Old friends and lovers will have an impact on your day if you reach out. A change at home will be in your best interest. Don’t hesitate to engage in something that encourages you to revisit an old dream. AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Listen carefully and pursue your goals on your own. Your best effort will come from taking care of personal affairs that can be done only by you.w Leave no stone unturned, and stick to a plan that is realistic. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You may feel like sharing your opinion, but don’t make someone angry in the process. Offering too much information can have a devastating effect on a friendship or your relationship with a sibling. Offer help, understanding and compassion. Birthday Baby: You are curious, original, unique, and sensitive. A perfect blend for today. You are passionate and expressive. It’s your birthday, get out and explore and take advantage of your day. You’ve got luck on your side.
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Sports Authority
Yelich stays on top of his game Keegan Smith Sports Writer
In January of 2018, the Milwaukee Brewers acquired Christian Yelich from the Miami Marlins in exchange for a slew of Brewers prospects. Though Milwaukee knew it was getting a stud outfielder, even it could not have seen how essential Yelich would become to its everyday lineup. The acquisition hoisted the Brewers to the top of the NL Central, resulting in the team’s first division championship since 2011. Their 2018 playoff run ended after a 4-3 series loss in the NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but their young outfielder from Thousand Oaks, California, is picking up right where he left off just a season ago. Last season’s National League MV P is hot out of the gates to start the 2019 season, after blasting four home runs in the Brewers’ opening four-game series against the Cardinals. In fact, Christian Yelich was able to contribute a home run in each of the four games, t y ing the MLB record for most consecutive games w ith a home run to start the season. Perhaps the most fascinating part about the slugger’s success is his sw ing and its unconventional nature. Last season, Yelich recorded the 16th-lowest launch angle percentage in the MLB at 4.7 percent. Nobody in the top 15 lowest launch angles recorded more than 22 home runs in the 2018 season. W hat all this means is that Yelich has a ver y shallow sw ing. His sw ing suggests that he keeps the ball on the ground and profiles as more of a contact hitter than any thing. However, Yelich finished his 2018 campaign 12th in home runs, hitting 36, earning him the NL MV P award.
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To put things into perspective, last season, he ranked 373-of-392 in f ly ball percentage for all batters w ith at least 150 at plate appearances. Conversely, he finished the season 35th in ground ball percentage for all qualified batters. Yelich hardly got the ball in the air when he made contact, but when he did often times the ball traveled over the fence. Outside of Luke Voit who only recorded 161 major league at bats in 2018, Yelich lead the MLB, hitting a home run on 36.4 percent of his f ly balls. Yelich is doing things that baseball has never seen before and there is no end in sight. There is really no explanation for Yelich’s numbers. Many thought that his incredible 2018 numbers were inf lated by an insanely high batting average on balls in play and home run to f ly ball ratio (HR/FB%) but he is quick ly prov ing those people w rong in the early stages of the 2019 season. Surely Christian Yelich is due for some sort of regression at some point this season but his 166 weighted runs created plus (wRC+) last season suggests that he is one of baseball’s most dangerous offensive weapons. At just 27-years-old, the outfielder’s ceiling is as high as anyone in the MLB and he w ill be a player to watch for years to come. The Milwaukee Brewers have a long way to go in the 2019 season, but Yelich’s f lashes of greatness suggest that they are still the team to beat in the NL Central, despite past success from the Chicago Cubs and successful offseason moves by the St. Louis Cardinals. Contact Keegan Smith at ksmith62@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
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Harper takes on the heat Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Showered by raindrops and jeers for much of the game, Bryce Harper put a batf lipping, celebratory finish on his memorable return to Washington. Harper crushed a long home run in his final atbat, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Nationals 8-2 Tuesday night for the franchise’s best start in over a century. Maikel Franco also homered for the Phillies, baseball’s only undefeated team at 4-0. They had only done that in 1915 and 1897. Harper left Washington after playing 927 games over seven years, participating in six All-Star Games and winning the 2015 NL MVP Award. He listened to what the Nationals had to offer, then signed a $330 million,
13-year contract with the rival Phillies in February. Harper hasn’t wasted any time providing returns for the investment. He has three homers and five RBIs in four games, along with a .429 batting average. He drove in three Tuesday. Booed during every atbat, Harper thumped a “take that,” 458-foot shot in the eighth inning off Jeremy Hellickson. As the ball soared toward the second deck in right field, Harper f lipped his bat and circled the bases with delight before celebrating with his new teammates in the visiting dugout. “It’s the emotion of the game. That’s it. That’s about it,” he said of the bat f lip. But man, that home run sure felt good. “I was pretty fired up. I was excited,” he said. “I was trying to get back to my teammates as quick as possible
and do all my handshakes.” W hen Philadelphia’s starting lineup was announced during the late stages of a 41-minute rain delay, it became apparent that Harper would not be welcomed back warmly. “Hearing the boos in the first at-bat just reminded me that I have 45,000 people back in Philadelphia screaming for me,” Harper said. W hen he took his position in right field, Harper stood in front of seven fans wearing white shirts that spelled out T-R-A-I-T-O-R. After striking out twice, Harper doubled to right in the fifth and singled in a run in the sixth to make it 6-0 before connecting in the eighth. W hen the game ended, hundreds of Phillies fans remained, chanting “MVP! MVP!” as Philadelphia shook hands.
ncaA MEN’S BASKETBALL
Duke duo named to AP All-America team Associated Press
The season did not end as Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett intended. The fabulous freshmen came to Duke to win a national championship and their bid came up short with a loss to Michigan State in the Elite Eight. Williamson and Barrett still managed to make a bit of history. The Duke duo was named to The Associated Press AllAmerica team on Tuesday, becoming the second freshman teammates to make the first team in the same season. They were joined by Tennessee’s Grant Williams, Michigan State’s Cassius Winston and Ja Morant of Murray State. Kentucky’s DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall were the only other freshman teammates to take firstteam AP honors in 2010. The 6-foot-7, 285-pound Williamson electrified college basketball with an array of thunderous dunks and soaring blocks, occasionally having to tilt his head to avoid hitting it on the backboard. He was selected unanimously by 64 voters as a first-team AllAmerican. He averaged 22.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.2
blocked shots and 1.8 steals per game while leaving everyone wondering what he would do next. “He’s got the most incredible first step,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “That’s why he’s getting all those steals. He can take one dribble and cover more space than most human beings that I know can do. And so then he has the strength to finish at the end. So he’s not Superman, but he’s damn close.” Barrett arrived at Duke as the higher-rated recruit and while everyone fawned over his high-f lying teammate, the athletic 6-7 guard quietly had a superb season in Durham. Barrett led the Blue Devils with 22.9 points, grabbed 7.5 rebounds and dished 4.1 assists per game on a team that came a game short of the Final Four. Williams was the SEC player of the year a season ago and may have been even better while winning the award this year. The 6-7 junior averaged 19 points per game while shooting 57% and had 7.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and lead the Vols to the Sweet 16 for the first time in five years. Morant was the most
exciting player in college basketball not named Zion, lighting up highlight reels with emphatic dunks and no-look passes. The 6-3 point guard may have turned himself into an NBA lotter y pick his sophomore season, leading the nation w ith 10 assists per game and averaging 24.6 points to become Murray State’s first first-team A ll-American. “He’s one of the most exceptional players that I’ve had a chance to watch play,” Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said. “He’s kind of a throwback to guys who have the abilit y to score points. But also has the passion and the excitement about creating opportunities for his teammates.” Winston is not the most athletic player, even on his own team. He is heady, ultra tough and a big reason the Spartans are in the Final Four. He averaged 18.9 points, 7.6 assists and was Michigan State’s go-to guy when a big shot was needed. “I didn’t really picture myself in that position at the beginning of this year,” Winston said Tuesday . “It’s a year full of blessings, for sure.”
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The observer | wednesday, april 3, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
Track Continued from page 16
2:04.84. Harris currently ranks third nationally in that event. Nuguse managed to top that performance by winning the men’s 800-meter race, finishing in a time of 1:48.29 and recording the ninth-best time in program history. Meanwhile, at the Raleigh Relays, the Irish also took to re-writing the program record books. Freshman Anna Fischer earned the seventh-best alltime Notre Dame finish in the women’s 3K steeplechase with a time of 10:50.02. However, the highlight of the meet came from the men’s 10K race, as junior Kevin Salvano and freshman Danny Kilrea both finished with top-10 times in program history. Salvano recorded a ninth-place finish in 28:54.46 — the fifth-fastest 10K in Notre Dame history — while Kilrea finished right behind him in 10th and a time of 28:55.25 to etch his name into sixth place. Sparks commented on how these early-season performances will set both the individuals and the team up well for a long run in the outdoor season. “Basically, we spend the entire outdoor track season working towards qualifying for the NCAA Regional meet,” Sparks
said. “In the men’s 10K, we feel like we qualified four men to the NCAA Regional meet. That’s a good set-up for them for later in the year. They’ve got their qualifiers out of the way early, and now they can worry about training and setting up for the conference and regional meet down the road.” The distance team having spent itself at two separate meets, Sparks noted that this upcoming weekend — which will see the Irish travel to the North Florida Invitational in Jacksonville, Florida — will once again be focused on the rest of the team and their events. “Now we’re going back to where we were two weeks ago, as most of the athletes that didn’t go to Raleigh or Stanford are going to North Florida,” Sparks said. “The University of North Florida is hosting the NCAA Regional meet, so it’s a great opportunity for the throwers and sprinters and jumpers to get a lay of the land, which is especially important for the throwing events as each ring is a little different. [They’ll] get a feel of the facility that they will be back competing on in six weeks, trying to qualify into the NCAA championship. There will be a few distance runners competing there as well, but the primary team will
be made up of throwers, sprinters and jumpers. Hoping to get a few athletes marked [for the regional].” Sparks also noted that the Irish will also send a small contingent of unproven distance runners up north this weekend
to the Spartan Invitational in East Lansing, Michigan. “We’re going to take a small group of distance runners who haven’t had the chance to compete this year,” Sparks said. “They’re still developing, and maybe coming off some aches
and pains, but it’s a chance for them to compete. Whereas, next weekend in Louisville, [close to the whole team] will be there.” Contact Joe Everett at jeveret4@nd.edu
ANNA mason | The Observer
Irish sophomore Yared Nuguse competes in the Meyo Mile during the Meyo Invitational on Feb. 2 at Loftus Sports Center. Nuguse won the 800-meters Friday, posting the ninth-best time in program history. Paid Advertisement
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W Tennis Continued from page 16
to grow our belief, culture and discipline. Overall … we performed at a high level, and we want to continue to build off of that growth and momentum.” Silverio also highlighted Corse’s high level of play during the match. “Cameron Corse is certainly someone who sticks out,” Silverio said. “She’s been someone that has been coming
ndsmcobserver.com | Wednesday, April 3, 2019 | The Observer
in every day consistently keeping her head down and working hard. She’s going after her serve, coming forward and finishing points and really buying into her identity.” The Irish will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, on Friday to play Virginia. Silverio stressed the importance of this match when discussing her goals for the rest of the season. “Our overall big picture goal is that we want to continue to develop and to approach every day as an opportunity to
get better,” Silverio said. “We understand what’s on the line in these next three matches of the regular season and … the ACC tournament. We want to earn a berth into postseason play, so we understand the value that each day brings.” Silverio also noted how pleased she is by the character and poise of the team. “There are many things that impress me about this great group of girls,” Silverio said. “No. 1 is the people that they are.They care for and support
ALLISON THORNTON | The Observer
Irish sophomore Ally Bojczuk makes a forehand hit during Notre Dame’s 4-0 victory over Purdue at Eck Tennis Pavilion on Feb. 13.
one another on and off the court. They are all buying in and taking ownership of something that’s really greater than themselves. We get to come out here every day and represent our Notre Dame family. They deal with pressures in academics and the expectations that come along with high achieving … with grace, gratitude and a lot of humility.” Contact Patrick Gallagher at pgallag4@nd.edu
Allison thornton | The Observer
Irish sophomore Cameron Corse watches the ball during Notre Dame’s 4-0 victory over Purdue on Feb. 13 at Eck Tennis Pavilion.
W Lax Continued from page 16
ANNA MASON | The Observer
Irish junior midfielder Savannah Buchanan sprints with the ball during Notre Dame’s 16-4 conference win over Louisville on March 2 at Loftus Sports Center. Buchanan scored two goals during Sunday’s win.
Taylor Warehime. The score remained tied until Buchanan put the Irish back on top after the Irish cleared the ball on defense. The Tar Heels again responded though, as sophomore attack Jamie Ortega scored, followed by a goal from graduate student midfielder Ida Farinholt that gave North Carolina its first lead of the day. However, Notre Dame would regain the momentum heading into the intermission as senior attack Samantha Lynch and Aldave scored successive goals in the final 3:11 of the first half to give the Irish a 4-3 lead at halftime. The second half was no different from the first as the lead continued to change hands. The Tar Heels opened scoring with a goal by junior attack Katie Hoeg and regained the lead as Ortega scored her second goal of the day off an assist by Hoeg. Hoeg finished the day with one goal but tallied four assists in the effort. Notre Dame responded once more as Lynch netted her second goal of the day, but the Tar Heels took the lead at 6-5 on
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a 4-1 win against Louisville in Kentucky. Notre Dame is the first of four matches that Duke faces in its regular season-ending four match homestand. The Blue Devils are led by junior Nick Stachowiak, who is ranked 75th nationally in singles. Stachowiak is 13-7 on the season. To conclude the road trip, Notre Dame will travel to Raleigh on Sunday to take on North Carolina (13-4, 5-2 ACC). The Tar Heels have won five of their last six matches, most recently posting a 6-1 rout of Florida State in Chapel Hill. North Carolina, like Notre Dame, will play two more games before Sunday’s match, hosting No. 23 North Carolina State on Wednesday and Boston College on Friday. The Tar Heels are led by their elite doubles paring of junior William Blumberg and senior Blaine Boyden, who earned the title of ACC Men’s Tennis Doubles Team of the Week on Tuesday afternoon. The pair have gone 11-2 on the season and are currently riding a seven-game win streak, going 9-1 in their last 10 matches. The road trip will conclude regular season travel for the Irish. After they return from North Carolina, their regular season will finish with a threegame home-stand against Georgia Tech, Clemson and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Match time Thursday in Durham is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Warehime’s second goal of the day. However, Lynch stepped up and scored two-straight goals to give her three in the period and four on the day, putting the Irish up 7-6. A yellow card on Lynch gave North Carolina another manup advantage and allowed the Tar Heels to tie the score at 7-7, but they would not regain the lead as Buchanan and Aldave scored successive goals in a 40-second span to put the Irish up 9-7 with four minutes remaining. Turnovers by the Tar Heels proved costly down the stretch as the Irish milked the clock and maintained the lead to win the game by two. An integral part of the Irish victory was the play of senior goalkeeper Samantha Giacolone, who put in an especially sound performance, parrying away 14 North Carolina efforts and collecting five ground balls. In front of her, senior defenders Hannah Proctor and Makenna Pearsall secured two ground balls of their own, keeping the Tar Heels at bay. Next up on the schedule, the Irish travel to Massachusetts for a game Wednesday against No. 1 Boston College. The match is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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The observer | Wednesday, april 3, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
nd women’s lacrosse | nd 9, north carolina 7
nd women’s TENNIS | duke 4, nd 3
ND falls short of upset of Duke By PATRICK GALLAGHER Sports Writer
Notre Dame was on the brink of an upset victory over No. 3 Duke on Sunday before losing 4-3 in a fiercely contested home match. The Blue Devils have three players ranked in the nation’s top 25, but the Irish looked formidable and played well enough to compete with any team in the country. The match began with Duke (17-2, 9-1 ACC) earning two dominant 6-3 victories in doubles to secure a 1-0 lead over the Irish (10-10, 3-8). In singles, Irish sophomore Cameron Corse evened the score by beating Duke senior Ellyse Hamlin, who was on a seven-match winning streak. Freshman Zoe Taylor gave Notre Dame the lead with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over sophomore Hannah Zhao. Sophomore Kelly Chen tipped the momentum back in Duke’s favor by defeating sophomore Ally Bojczuk in two sets.The Blue Devils would
No. 4 Irish rebound with win against No. 5 Tar Heels
go on to regain the lead as senior Kaitlyn McCarthy won versus junior Bess Waldram. Duke clinched the overall victory when No. 15 ITA-ranked freshman Maria Mateas outlasted No. 63-ranked junior Zoe Spence in three closely contested sets. Graduate student Brooke Broda closed out freshman Margaryta Bilokin in three sets to finish up the match for Notre Dame. After the loss to Duke, the Irish dropped their last five games and eight of their last 10. After the match, Irish head coach Alison Silverio reflected on her team’s hard work and effort against Duke. “It was a battle on both sides, and this is a match where we put it all out there,” Silverio said. “I think Duke put it all out there, too, and they came out on the winning side today. There are a lot of little victories that we can grab ahold of from this match and really continue see W TENNIS PAGE 15
Observer Sports Staff
Michelle mehelas | The Observer
Irish sophomore midfielder Andie Aldave looks to pass during Notre Dame’s 27-0 victory over Kent State on Feb. 24.
Notre Dame finds success at pair of tournaments By JOE EVERETT
Squad looks to snap losing skid Observer Sports Staff
Senior Sports Writer
see TRACK PAGE 14
see W LAX PAGE 15
nd men’s tennis | virginia tech 5, nd 2
Track & field | Stanford Invitational; raleigh relays
Notre Dame sent its distance runners to opposite coasts this past weekend, as the Irish competed at both the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, California, as well as the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, North Carolina. “This week was distance runners and middle distance,” Irish head coach Matt Sparks said. “Specifically, more of the middle-distance runners went to Stanford while the longer distance people went to Raleigh. Of course, the two people [that placed at the top], who we’ve followed the lead of for the last couple years, were [sophomore] Yared Nuguse and [graduate student] Jess Harris. We’re setting ourselves up for a really good outdoor season with those two.” Harris, running in her first race since the cross-country season, finished second overall in the 800-meters with a time of
The mark of a great team is being able to respond to disappointment, and that is just what the No. 4 Notre Dame did Sunday. After losing a hardfought match away to No. 3 Syracuse a week before, the Irish (10-1, 3-1 ACC) responded with grit and determination to defeated highly touted No. 5 North Carolina at Arlotta Stadium. A back-and-forth affair, both teams traded the lead in the first half. Sophomore attack Maddie Howe opened scoring for the Irish with a goal just over two minutes into the game off an assist from junior midfielder Savannah Buchanan. The Tar Heels (9-3, 2-2 ACC) would respond however, as sophomore midfielder Andie Aldave received a yellow card, allowing Carolina to gain a man-up advantage and even the score with a goal by freshman attack
ANNA mason | The Observer
Irish senior Kelly Hart rounds the bend in the 800-meter race during the Meyo Invitational at Loftus Sports Center on Feb. 2.
The No. 16 Irish will play their final road matches of the regular season this weekend, traveling to North Carolina to face three opponents, two of which are in the ACC. Notre Dame (11-11, 3-5 ACC) will take on North Carolina Central on Thursday, Duke on Friday and No. 11 North Carolina on Sunday. After opening the season with a six-match win streak, the Irish have faltered down the stretch, sustaining losses from five of their last six opponents. Most recently, Notre Dame was defeated by Virginia Tech 5-2, unable to regain momentum after losing the doubles point. Although freshman Axel Nefve and senior Grayson Broadus both posted comeback wins in singles after each losing the first set, the two points they earned were not enough to stop the Hokies’ (15-5, 5-3 ACC) victory. Looking forward, the Irish will first face the Eagles of
North Carolina Central in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. NCCU (4-9, 3-0 MEAC) has won three of its last four matches, but it has yet to play a ranked opponent this season. Notre Dame, on the other hand, has already seen 12 teams in the top 25, going 3-9 against such opponents, two of whom are currently in the top 10 (No. 5 Virginia and No. 8 Mississippi State). The Eagles are led by senior Gabriel Cucalon, who has an impressive record in singles competition. After opening the season 0-3 behind losses at Campbell, Duke and UNC Asheville, Cucalon has won nine-straight singles matches, seven of them in straight sets. After their match Thursday, the Irish will remain in Durham to face the Blue Devils (8-11, 2-6 ACC). After dropping three-straight conference matches against Georgia Tech, No. 22 Miami Florida and No. 5 Virginia, Duke snapped its skid with see M TENNIS PAGE 15