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Volume 53, Issue 119 | friday, april 12, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
Bill Nye speaks at IDEA Week Bill Nye the Science Guy dicusses career highlights, gives advice to students By ERIN SWOPE News Writer
If Bill Nye the Science Guy were to write a book, it would not be about his award-winning television show, the mysteries of the cosmos or even about his time as a stand-up comedian. It would be about grammar. “A Fun Evening with Bill Nye the Science Guy,” an IDEA Week event, was filled with humor and activism Thursday night in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. Nye discussed the lessons he’s learned over his years of experience as a mechanical engineer, comedian, scientist, television presenter, author and inventor as well as his vision for the future with Susie
Lira-Gonzalez, a graduate student who moderated the event. Nye began the evening by discussing his early career working at Boeing in 1977 and his experiences with mentorship. However, after Nye won a Steve Martin look-a-like contest in 1978, he began to do standup comedy. “I would work on the drawing board and write these amazing, amazing memos, and then I would go home and take a nap, and then I would go to comedy clubs,” Nye said. In 1986, Nye said he decided to quit his job as an engineer to focus on his burgeoning comedy career. It was around the same see BILL NYE PAGE 3
Carroll Hall to sponsor Lakeside Music Festival By MAX LANDER News Writer
Carroll Hall will host their signature event, Lakeside Music Festival, Saturday at 2 p.m. to exhibit student bands and musical talents. “Lakeside was started about five years ago, and its main aim is to better the music culture here at Notre Dame, because honestly in some aspects it’s pretty lacking,” said junior Christian Cyrul, the commissioner in charge of the festival. “It’s just a fun time, a whole afternoon where people can enjoy music from student bands and also for student bands to get recognition.” Unlike in previous years, this year’s Lakeside Music Fesitival was co-sponsored by the Student Union Board (SUB), which gave the event more funding to work with. “SUB got involved with it through Christian Cyrul,” senior Bailey Kendall, a director of programming for SUB, said. “He presented us with this really cool
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opportunity to help fundraise for a good cause and also it fits with SUB’s mission really well.” SUB, in general, looks to fund events that foster inclusivity across the student body, she said. “There’s no cap on the capacity of people that can go to Lakeside, which was something that was really important to us,” Kendall said. “It’s an inclusive event, its free, anyone can go to it, so we co-sponsored it to add more cool things to it.” Senior Bethany Boggess, executive director of SUB, said the collaboration was made possible in part because of extra money in the SUB budget. “The reason we had the awesome opportunity to sponsor Lakeside this year is because we had sort of a transition year with CJF, the Collegiate Jazz Festival, where we were able to work out a collaboration with them for CJF,” Boggess said. “So we had some money left over in our budget.” Boggess also said the co-sponsorship was a natural fit, especially see LAKESIDE PAGE 4
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ND to enhance security Observer Staff Report
ERIN SWOPE | The Observer
Graduate student Susie Lira-Gonzales moderates a talk with Bill Nye on Thursday night in DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.
Metal detectors will be used at all reserve-ticketed events at Notre Dame beginning this fall, the University announced in a press release Thursday. The decision comes following recent efforts to enhance security at campus events, including enacting a clearbag policy at all home football games. The policy will primarily affect major sporting events on campus including football see DETECTORS PAGE 3
Senior wins Truman Scholarship for service Observer Staff Report
Senior Prathm Juneja was named a Truman Scholar, a scholarship given to students who plan to attend graduate school and commit to a career in public service, according to a press release from the University Thursday. “I am immensely grateful to Elise Rudt and Dr. Jeff Thibert in [the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly
Engagement], who spent countless hours looking over drafts and guiding me through this process,” Juneja said in the release. “I’d also like to thank my recommenders, Paul Obocock, Rosie McDowell and Santiago Garces, who sacrificed their time not just to write my letters, but also to serve as incredible mentors to me. It is not lost on me that awards like this are often subjective, and that much of this may have just
been luck. I know for certain, though, that it would not have been possible without the support of my friends, family and mentors.” Juneja is graduating with a dual degree in political science and computer science through the Reilly five-year dual degree program in Arts and Letters and engineering. Outside of the classroom, Juneja participates see TRUMAN PAGE 3
College to host annual Junior Moms Weekend By REBECCA STELLA News Writer
There will be an extra 400 women roaming around Saint Mary’s College campus this weekend, as junior moms from all across the country come to visit their daughters. Juniors Michelle Lester and Kassandra Acosta, class of 2022 council representatives,
VIEWPOINT PAGE 7
are in charge of planning this year’s Junior Mom’s weekend event with help from executive administrative assistant of student affairs Noelle Warren and vice president of student affairs Karen Johnson. “This weekend is important because it gives the Belles of the junior class a chance to spend a special weekend with their loved ones as we end
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our junior year,” Lester said. “It is also a great way for us to thank our loved ones for everything they have done for us throughout our lives and especially their help in us attending Saint Mary’s.” Lester said this year, they are making specialized shirts that read, “I’ll love you forever, see MOMS PAGE 3
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25th Annual Hesburgh Lecture O’Laughlin Auditorium 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. Ethics and public policy lecture.
Monterey Jazz Festival DeBartolo Performing Arts Center 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Anniversary tour.
Film Screening: “Support the Girls” DeBartolo Performing Arts Center 3 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. In honor of May Day.
The Work of Our Hands campus wide all day Exhibition of liturgical vestments.
Lecture: “North Korean Nuclear” 1030 Jenkins Nanovic 4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m. Vipin Narang to talk on nuclear weapons.
Theatre: “The Great Gatsby” DeBartolo Performing Arts Center 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Stage performance.
Concert: Tim McGraw Purcell Pavilion 8 p.m. - 9:45 p.m. Grammy awardwinning artist to perform.
Senior piano recital LaBar Recital Hall 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. Peter Spalitto to perform works by Prokofiev and others.
Lecture: “Social Entrepreneurship” Hesburgh Center Auditorium 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. Karan Chopra to talk.
Discussion: “American Priest” Jenkins Nanovic 7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Panel to discuss new Father Hesburgh book.
Woman advances to mascot finals By KAY BONTEMPO News Writer
The storied tradition of Notre Dame Football has included 11 national titles, seven Heisman Trophy recipients and “Rudy” moment or two, but Friday may see something brand-new for the University: a female mascot. Sophomore Lynnette Wukie has made it through the initial application process to become a finalist for the beloved leprechaun role. On Friday she will try her luck at the public tryouts; if she succeeds, she will become the first woman at Notre Dame to wear the costume. The iconic Notre Dame mascot is more than just a green figure in a top hat and beard, Delayna Hernon, head coach of Notre Dame cheerleading said. “To me the leprechaun position is a role of great honor. It represents tenacity, grit, loyalty, pride and spirit,” Herndon said. Becoming the leprechaun is no easy feat. The process begins with the submission of an application video expressing why the applicant wants to be the leprechaun. Candidates selected as finalists go on to the in-person tryout, which is open to the public and a popular event for student
audiences. At the tryouts, the candidates are asked to perform at a mock pep rally, perform a solo skit using a prop and answer politically and socially relevant media questions as though they were at a press interview. Wukie said her love of Notre Dame and its community initially sparked her interest in being the leprechaun. “Ever since I came to Notre Dame, I was like, ‘This place is magical,’” Wukie said. “I walk around and can’t believe I’m here. I did cheer in high school and wanted to do it here, but that dream just wasn’t going to be reality.” Undeterred, she said she saw a new opportunity to express her school spirit in the leprechaun role. In regards to a possible public reaction to a female mascot, Wukie remains optimistic. “I think some people will be upset, but overwhelmingly it will be positive,” Wukie said. Herndon agreed, and said the idea of a female leprechaun had been brought up in previous years as well. “I have had discussions with many staff members prior to Lynnette’s submission about having a female leprechaun,”
Herndon said. “I think it’s something that the university is ready for if the individual is the right fit for the position.” Herndon said she does not believe the culture of the cheer program would change if the leprechaun were a female because it is already are a co-ed program. “The role isn’t so much about who the leprechaun is, as who can become the leprechaun,” Herndon said. Wukie said, ultimately, gender should not define the leprechaun. “Just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be able to be the leprechaun,” Wukie said. Wukie said she thinks having a female in the role would broaden representation at Notre Dame and help to showcase the diversity of the fan experience. “Like Muffett [McGraw] was talking about the other day, there aren’t enough female role models that girls can look up to and say, ‘I want to be her, I want to go to Notre Dame and do what she does,’” she said. “So I think it’s a chance for people to see that Notre Dame is more than just Rudy and Regis Philbin. We have a lot to offer.”
Contact Kay Bontempo at kbontemp@nd.edu
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RHA hosts themed karaoke event By EMMA AULT News Writer
Mamma Mia and *NSY NC tracks blasted from the basement of Saint Mar y’s Student Center on Thursday at Karaoke Night hosted by the College’s Resident Hall Association (RHA) events committee. The night was pajama themed, and girls gathered w ith their friends in slippers and matching pajama sets waiting for their turn to sing. In addition to karaoke, women could enter their names in a raff le for the chance to w in a variet y of prizes, junior and v ice committee president Nicole McCaffer y said. The RHA events committee receives funds for all its different events, and the group decided to allocate a large sum of the money for Karaoke Night. “We get a fund ever y year, and this semester we got a really big one, so we were able to get bigger gifts,”
Moms Continued from page 1
I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m liv ing, together we’ll be,” and w ine glasses w ith the words “Together we’ll be,” referencing the famous children’s book, “Love You Forever” by Robert Munsch. They w ill also host a garden dedication ceremony. “We w ill all gather at Riedinger House to dedicate a garden we have donated on behalf of the class of 2020 and our moms [and] mother figures,” Lester said. “It is a beautiful
McCaffer y said. The RHA events committee has hosted events like this in the past and Bella Escobedo, junior and RHA events president, said the group hopes these events bring the College’s communit y together. “We love getting the communit y together, and we love hav ing the girls bond and have a lot of fun,” she said. “Last year we did a similar Halloween karaoke event. This karaoke night is actually an annual event that the events committee puts on. In the fall we hosted Trunk or Treat, and we had the facult y bring their kids in for that.” The events committee teamed up w ith RHA for the event w ith volunteers running the night. “The RHA events committee and the other RHA executive board also comes and helps out,” McCaffer y said. “They come and volunteer for the different
shifts throughout the event, so they’ll help w ith the setup and tear dow n and things in bet ween.” McCaffer y said Karaoke Night required a significant amount of planning, but she enjoyed the preparations. “I think it’s fun to decorate and get people together,” she said. “Ever yone has a certain job that they like to do for these events. Some people like to do the decorations, some people like to just brainstorm and come up w ith the ideas for what to do for the event, so it’s just fun to get ever yone together and to create this event and to get a bunch of girls from the Saint Mar y’s communit y to come together and hang out.” McCaffer y said the committee welcomed women who have attended their events in the past and women who haven’t had the chance to come to their events before. “I came because I heard
there was going to be karaoke and mozzarella sticks, but yeah we all came w ith friends and wanted to be a part of the social aspect of it all,” first year Lex i Trombly said. “We usually just hang out in our room, so we wanted to come out to an event.” McCaffer y said the RHA events committee w ill continue to foster communit y through campus-w ide events. “It’s like a sisterhood. You really have that and can meet new people — even though it’s a small campus, you meet new people ever y year,” McCaffer y said. “We grow as an organization w ith the events, so we’re able to change them and improve ever y year, so I think it’s homier compared to other colleges. We’re like a family, and I really like that.”
garden on the right side of the law n in front of the house.” Lester said they w ill host an opening r eception Friday. Moms and daughters w ill have the opportunit y to practice yoga in Angela Athletic and Wellness Complex, attend Mass in the Church of the Lady of Lorretto and go to a silent auction at the Hilton Garden Inn over the course of the weekend. “A ll proceeds from the silent auction go to help offset the costs of the Class of 2020’s Senior Week next year,” Lester said.
Lester said moms and daughters also have free entr y to the A ngela Athletic and Wellness Complex along w ith tickets to Saint Mar y’s production of the play, “Proof.” Junior Kellen Hinchey said her mom is traveling from the suburbs of Chicago to spend some qualit y time w ith her daughter. “I am most looking forward hav ing my mom here all weekend, being able to introduce her a lot of my friends and getting her more involved in the SMC communit y,” Hinchey said. Hinchey said
she and her mom decided to participate in most of the pre-planned activ ities but w ill also spend time together on their ow n shopping or getting their nails done. “I hope to spend qualit y time w ith my mom this weekend and show her what a Saint Mar y’s woman is all about,” Hinchey said. “We didn’t know anyone who went to SMC before I started school here, so we are learning a lot of the SMC traditions together.”
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Detectors Continued from page 1
games, men’s and women’s basketball games and hockey games, the release said. Metal detectors will first be used on Sept. 14 — the first home football game of the 2019 season. “As we continue to analyze our safety and security procedures, the introduction of metal detectors adds another layer of protection for guests, teams and staff,” Mike Seamon, vice president for campus safety and University operations, said in the release. “Most fans have likely experienced this added safety precaution when attending games at other college or professional venues. This technology aligns Notre Dame’s fan safety procedures with industry best practices.” Metal detectors may also be used at other sporting and non-sporting events on campus if determined to be necessary, according to the release. Individuals attending events where metal detectors are being used are encouraged to account for the metal detector process when making their plans. Individuals can learn more about the University’s security policies at Notre Dame’s official gameday website.
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in NDVotes and the Building Bridges Mentoring program, in addition to being a former chief of staff and director of national engagement and outreach for student government. He is also an intern for Pete For A merica, Mayor Pete Buttiegieg’s explorator y presidential committee. Juneja hopes to use his Truman Scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in public policy w ith a focus on the intersection bet ween progressive government and technolog y, the release said. “Prathm represents the best of his generation,” Dav id Campbell, chair of the political science department, American Studies professor and Juneja’s thesis adv iser, said. “Like many others, he cares about ensuring equit y in our political system,” Campbell said. “But unlike most, he is actually doing something about it.” Juneja is one of 62 students receiv ing the award, selected from 840 candidates from 346 colleges and universities across the globe. He is the eighth Notre Dame student to w in this award since 2010.
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Lakeside Continued from page 1
given the similarities in purpose between CJF and Lakeside. “What we wanted to do was to find a way to spend that extra money in a meaningful way that still kind of went to the heart of what CJF does for students [and] provides entertainment via music to students,” Boggess said. “That’s the same thing Lakeside accomplishes, as well, so
Bill Nye Continued from page 1
time when Nye developed his signature look of a suit with a bow tie. “I had an intuition without being able to articulate it. But the guy who did articulate it was Jerry Seinfeld. He said, ‘You want to dress better than the audience,’ and so I wore a tie,” Nye said. “Whenever I wear a tie — a bowtie or a straight tie — I also wear a shirt. I mean I could pull [wearing a tie without a shirt] off though.” Nye said he has around 500 bow ties. Although, Nye added to his collection when he was gifted a Notre Dame bow tie. While writing on the sketch comedy show “Almost Live!” in Seattle, Nye said he became interested in creating a television show about science for kids. In 1993, he
it was kind of a natural sponsorship for us and a great way for us to add to an already amazing event.” Cyrul said the additional funding has allowed the event to be more ambitious, with funds going toward food trucks, better-quality shirts and more advertising. “Last year we had to kind of go to a bunch of different places to get funds and really didn’t have enough to have a lot of the free food we’re going to have this year,” Cyrul said. “So a lot of that funding is
going toward the food trucks, and so those are going to be free for all students who come. We’ll have over 900 meals throughout the day.” Cyrul said he also pushed for including more South Bend music culture in the event. “This year, I’ve kind of expanded [the event] a little bit by trying to bridge the gap between South Bend and Notre Dame,” Cyrul said. “So we’re advertising a lot to the South Bend community, and we’re also inviting a couple of South
Bend bands to come and perform as well.” Cyrul said the event is made up of 12 acts. Performers range from single acts to duos and bands — some even including professors. While the event is free to attend and open to all, one of Lakeside’s main goals is fundraising, mainly through the Lakeside shirts which will be sold at the event. All the proceeds go to the Boys and Girls Club in South Bend, Cyrul said.
Cyrul said the event’s relaxed nature is important to the overall Lakeside experience “The atmosphere going forward is not necessarily like a nighttime concert where everyone is focused on the stage but more of a chance to just gather with your friends, hang out in the sun and listen to some awesome music,” he said.
got a contract to create the nowfamous show “Bill Nye the Science Guy.” However, the road to becoming a science icon who inspired some audience members to arrive in lab goggles and lab coats was not easy, Nye said. “If you do stand-up comedy, you will fail,” he said. “It’s so difficult. The whole idea is to make it look like it’s not difficult, but if you screw up just one word, one pause, it just goes to heck. … I fail every day — don’t you? It’s just everyday there’s something you screw up and so two things. You have to cut yourself a little slack, but the other thing is you just got to keep going, you got to press forward.” From there, Lira-Gonzalez posed some rapid-fire questions to Nye where he revealed if he could write a book about anything, it would be about grammar. He also said he thinks everyone
should take a philosophy class, and his last tweet would be either, “I did my best,” or, “Clean water, reliable, renewably produced electricity, access to the internet for everyone, raise the standard of living and a better tomorrow for all human kind.” Nye said he believes these three things will change the world and help with climate change. “If you don’t accept that humans are causing climate change, you’re wrong,” Nye said. For the remainder of the evening, Nye fielded questions from the audience. The less serious side of the evening included a question about Nye’s favorite science pun. Nye said he didn’t want to tell his favorite one because everyone would think he didn’t like the other ones, but Nye did end up telling a few proton and neutron
related puns. “These are lame. But that you all know them is charming,” Nye said after the audience finished the puns for him. Nye also touched on more serious subjects, including the importance of finding accurate information in the age of the internet in response to a question about members of the Flat Earth Society. He stressed the importance of voting and women’s rights as well as the importance of discovery. In response to a question about the relevance of the recently developed photograph of a black hole, Nye said he had “no flippin’ idea.” He then discussed though how previous discoveries with seemingly no significant applications — such as the discovery of relativity — have proven incredibly important for future discoveries. However, while Nye is a
proponent of science, he doesn’t believe science is the only important subject. “STEM is a fine acronym, but I imagine another one,” Nye said. “Science would be first. How about civics? We need civics. History. Science, civics, history. An overview of math. … Oratory would be a good one, and then language. And that acronym would be SCHOOL.” Nye also said he thinks a wellrounded society is important for the future. Overall, Nye encouraged the audience to be passionate. “Just be passionate and find something that you want to do,” he said. “Don’t worry too much about your first job or where you’re going to live. You’ll find your way. Just get started.”
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Inside Column
Today’s music is great Jake Winningham Scene Writer
Last week, one of my colleagues at The Observer wrote a column titled “Today’s music is terrible.” In it, Hayden Adams described what he sees as problems within contemporary pop music, and pines for a return to the halcyon days of Huey Lewis and Queen. I respectfully disagree with Mr. Adams, though, and think that his take is guilty of a fundamental misunderstanding of what makes pop music — both now and then — great. At best, making a claim like “music is terrible nowadays” is simply an invitation for music recommendations; at worst, it is professing ignorance of the entire form of pop music. Mr. Adams claims to “miss the days when most artists could play an instrument, write and compose their own songs and sing it.” My response, put succinctly: what days are you talking about? The history of the Billboard charts (an imperfect way to measure “pop music,” certainly, but the best one we have) is full of artists who could not play an instrument, did not write their own songs and did not sing on their hits. You don’t need to look further than the numberone hits of the year from 20, 30 and 50 years ago: Cher’s “Believe,” George Michael’s “Faith” and The Archies’ “Sugar, Sugar,” respectively. All three are fantastic pop songs, and all three would fail to meet Mr. Adams’ tenuous definition of “good music.” Cher wrote “Believe” with a team of professional songwriters and famously innovated the use of auto-tune on the record; even though he wrote the song, Michael was responsible for zero of the instrumental performances on “Faith” and “Sugar, Sugar” was performed by a band comprised of cartoon characters. Perhaps Mr. Adams would look at all three of those examples and counter they are merely extensions of another claim he makes: “today’s music is … not artistic genius, it’s marketing genius.” Those two things are by no means mutually exclusive, and the notion of “marketing” an artist didn’t come into play with Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. I can hardly think of two more adeptly-marketed artists/groups than Prince or Queen, who Mr. Adams (correctly) cites as rock royalty and (incorrectly) points to as idols of a better age. When Prince turned his name into a symbol, he was expertly catapulting himself back into the news and got a free bit of branding to boot. The surviving members of Queen are still marketing themselves 27 years after Freddie Mercury died by helping produce a hagiographic rock biopic expressly made to sell greatest-hits records and win undeserved Oscars. Yes, marketing is just as important to pop success as artistic quality — that isn’t a new development, however. Pop music is more wide-open than ever before. Soundcloud and YouTube have allowed songs to become hits overnight, and the Billboard chart becomes more diverse by the day. Yearning for a return to the years when rock music topped the charts is, quite simply, a desire to go back to a time when pop music was less creative, less diverse, less receptive to anybody who wasn’t a white dude with a guitar (“My Sharona” was the number-one song of 1979 — at the height of disco! Donna Summer wept). Mr. Adams, please don’t punish Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift for failing to meet the standards set by older standard-bearers of pop music — celebrate them for remaking those same standards in their own image. And if you find yourself unwilling to do that, perhaps allow me to whisper the same words of wisdom you used in your own column: Let it be. Contact Jake Winningham at jwinning@nd.edu The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Commitment belongs to us all I want to begin by thanking you for your continued passion to address sexual assault. I deeply believe that our collective voices create change. I respect the movement to call on us as a college to do better for our students. Please know that I hear your concerns about filling the position for director of the Belles Against Violence Office. Dialogue has always been an important aspect of a Saint Mar y’s education and listening to each other can only bring clarity. I can assure you that nothing means more to me than our students, and their safety and well-being is our number-one priority. In fact, reinstating funding for BAVO was one of the first things I did as president. W hile the director of BAVO is a ver y important position, it is never the work of one person alone that makes us a strong college. This position had been put on hold by my predecessor; we opened up the applications again in Februar y and brought three candidates to campus the last week of March. Students on the advisor y council for BAVO were involved in the interviews and we plan to have someone in place by June 1, 2019, if not sooner. We are committed to finding the right person to lead such an important office on our campus. In the interim, we have relied on our healthcare professionals and campus ministers to support our students. Our BAVO Allies, who are College employees, are also trained to facilitate GreeNDot Training on campus. We have also utilized outside resources such as SOS of the Family Justice Center. It is our work together that makes us a strong community and helps to support our students. We have continued to support BAVO programming as we are in the process of hiring a new director. From first-year student
orientation and throughout the academic year, for all students, we host training for bystander inter vention, campus lectures and community advocacy and have continued to do so with the help of BAVO Allies. Our Regina Hall director has overseen the BAVO student advisor y committee to provide campus programming, and they have been active on campus at sporting events and other campus events giving out information and answering questions. I can assure you that we are committed to raising awareness about sexual assault and providing resources to our students. It is why we administered the HEDS Campus Climate Sur vey in 2016 and released the results publicly. President Emerita Carol Ann Mooney also implemented a task force on sexual assault in 2015. The task force’s final report outlines steps for moving for ward and included the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed and adopted by the tri-campus community in spring of 2017. Additionally, I have just spoken with a campus colleague about reinvigorating the Presidential Task Force on Sexual Violence. Confidential sources are important. Ever y student that has come for ward requesting confidential resources has been referred to counseling or to Campus Ministr y for support. We currently have three counselors, two nurses, a nurse practitioner and three pastoral ministers who can provide confidential support. We look for ward to welcoming a new BAVO director and sharing that news soon. All my best, Nancy P. Nekvasil Interim President, Saint Mary’s College April 11
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Follow McGraw’s example Head coach of Notre Dame women’s basketball Muffet McGraw took a stand April 4 in a pre-game press conference ahead of what would become one of the most competitive Final Fours in the history of the women’s tournament. With a major rivalry on the line and the target that comes with being the reigning national champion, McGraw responded to a question about her hiring process — McGraw makes a point of only hiring female assistants — and how she views her role as a voice for women in basketball. Seizing the publicity of the national championship as a platform to consider broader issues, McGraw delivered a powerful, 140-second response addressing gender equality that has since gone viral, even earning a retweet from former President Barack Obama. W hile McGraw’s comments raised some criticism from certain corners — some accused her of either failing to recognize the privilege her winning record has earned her or of being hypocritical with her strictly female coach policy — they were generally well-received, emerging as the “mic-drop moment” of the tournament. The question was asked in the context of women’s basketball, but McGraw’s answer extends beyond her field to address a deeper issue — that of the absence of women in visible leadership roles. More specifically, one of the main arguments McGraw made addresses the executive level. She cited congressional representatives, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and — in her case — athletic directors, noting that less than 10% of Division I athletic directors are women. She
detailed how none of these fields surpass 25% female representation and identified the problem as stemming from the top down. Simply put, “people hire people who look like them,” she said. Applying McGraw’s litmus test to Notre Dame reveals a similar breakdown in representation. At the broadest level, 32.9% of full-time regular faculty members are women, according to University spokesperson Dennis Brown. Regarding departmental leadership, only 15.5% of department chairs and college deans are female. Administrative leadership paints a similarly stark picture. The President’s Leadership Council of 26 members includes only seven women. The 48-member Board of Trustees includes 15 women. Further, Diana Lewis, former judge of the 15th Judicial Circuit Court in Florida, is the lone female representative on a board of fellows that consists of six members of the Congregation of the Holy Cross and six lay people. Of course, since the board is comprised primarily of CEOs, politicians and esteemed academics, it is self-imposing the selection from a male-dominated pool. Female leadership numbers at Notre Dame generally hover around a quarter — with the exception of the full-time faculty and the Board of Trustees, both of which barely exceed 30% — staying consistent with percentage of women in Congress and ref lecting a general lag in the movement to ensure equal opportunity. Furthermore, at the highest level, Notre Dame requires the University President to be a Holy Cross priest. Therefore, all women are entirely excluded from holding from that position. Given how executive organization impacts aspects of the work environment, this reality creates difficulties in the University’s ability to address gender relations between faculty and staff
members. W hile it is true that a number of other Catholic colleges are led by priests and the tradition of the Office of the President has helped maintain close ties to the Congregation of the Holy Cross, times have changed since the school was founded. W hereas at its inception, Notre Dame was a university exclusively for men, the school has been co-ed for nearly 50 years. It seems inappropriate that half of the school’s population can never hope to see someone who looks like them in the school’s top leadership role. The past decade has brought on a new wave of inclusion and support of women in various fields, most recently, leading to a record-breaking number of women running for — and winning — political positions. Similarly, women have continued to emerge as key contributors in the entertainment, medical and business industries. Although commendable progress has been made, it’s important to not lose sight on the bigger picture: W hen women see other women reaching their goals, they too will feel more enabled to do so, and when women are empowered to improve the quality of our leaders and innovators, everyone benefits. The question over representation will likely remain a contentious and gray area for years to come, but until significant changes are made within leadership positions, the conversation should continue to focus on the sources of and solutions to female empowerment. This goal needs to be intentional. To some degree, institutions need to make an effort to identify and recruit women who can grow into leadership roles, just as Muffet McGraw has done with her staff. She consistently looks for the best female candidates without compromising standards for herself or her team. Others can learn from her example.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
On the ‘senior exclusion policy’ My freshman year, I served as a representative on the Diversity Council of Notre Dame. During one council meeting, Erin Hoffmann Harding came to listen to the perspectives of the council about how Residential Life and Student Affairs initiatives could best meet the needs of minority students at Notre Dame in order to increase the numbers of these students remaining on campus. After releasing the six-semester oncampus housing mandate, the Student Affairs and Residential Life promised to address the concerns brought up by students — such as those discussed at the Diversity Council meeting — through waivers and incentive plans. Today, the University released their proposed enhancements to Residential Life, and I cannot help but feel like alienating off-students from their campus community ignores ever y comment and concerned raised by the Diversity Council. The cost to attend this university increases ever y year. Yet for me, receiving financial aid remains an uncertainty, despite relying on aid to attend. W hile the proposed enhancements include financial incentives — the first 250 sophomores who commit to staying on and students selected for non-R A leadership positions would
receive financial credit — this remains far too variable for students like me. Even with these credits, cheaper rent in the South Bend community remains much more affordable than living on campus in many circumstances. So, when the University announcement includes a plan to exclude students who move off campus from intramural sports, hall dances and hall councils, it feels like less of an enhancement and more of a punishment for students for whom living off campus remains the most cost-effective option. The message being sent is that if you cannot afford to live on campus for four years, or you have extenuating circumstances that exempt you from the six-semester policy, you are not as valuable a member of your hall community. Speaking from personal experience, the network of seniors in the Pasquerilla West community, both on and off campus, have truly shaped my experiences at Notre Dame. Off-campus seniors regularly attend fundraisers, dorm events and dances. They have an integral part in shaping our community. Like many other girls in my dorm, I have loved serving on various committees and playing interhall sports. Even though I will be living off-campus next year, continuing to be
involved in these aspects of dorm life is a way that I can continue to serve a community that served me so well over my past three years here. I fear that incoming students who plan to move off campus their senior year will not bother engaging at all in their residence halls because they do not wish to invest their time and effort into a community that will exclude them the minute they move off campus. To suddenly lose strong dorm ties would be incredibly detrimental to residence hall communities. I applaud the administration for taking into account the feedback of students through implementation of free laundr y and a more diverse offering of meal plans and certain financial incentives. Yet the senior exclusion policy seems contradictor y to the vast alumni networks, long lines of family legacies and strong traditions that demonstrate that regardless of where we stay during our time here or where we end up later in life, the Notre Dame family is a lifelong commitment.
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Jessica D’Souza junior April 11
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The observer | friday, april 12, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
Crossword | Will Shortz
Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Your desire for change will increase. A strategic plan coupled with patience will serve you well when the time is right to move in a new direction. Plan your actions based on your ultimate goal, and take advantage of an opportunity that allows you to incorporate more of what you want to be doing in your everyday routine. Your numbers are 7, 18, 21, 26, 32, 37, 48. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Make a change for the right reason. Don’t let your emotions cloud your vision. Work with what’s being offered. You will be happy and surprised by the way your day unfolds. Moderation will help you avoid making a mistake. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): An unpredictable pattern may excite you, but don’t go overboard. Have a plan in place to accommodate any pitfalls that occur. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Follow your heart only if you are positive it won’t be broken. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Your impatience and desire to participate will cost you if you are too eager to help someone who is taking advantage of you. Consider how best to deal with situations that are overwhelming, excessive or could end up costing you. CANCER ( June 21-July 22): Don’t be shy. Say what’s on your mind and do what’s right. Now is not the time to sit back and let someone else take over. Do whatever it takes to make your life and the world around you better. LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22): How you deal with others will determine the changes that take place around you. Take care of your responsibilities before you complain or criticize. It’s important to show consistency and discipline if you want to be a leader. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Participate in events that are conducive to mingling with interesting people. Learn from the conversations you have with experts, and share what you learn with people you want to work alongside. Much can be accomplished if you collaborate. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Keep conversations light and positive. If you get into discussions about money, religion or politics, it will lead to regret. Be open-minded and willing to accept others for who they are and what they believe. Physical exercise will help relieve stress. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Don’t worry about what you cannot change. Let go of the past and head into the future with optimism, ideas and good intentions. You have far more to gain moving forward than you do looking back or living in the past. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Make physical activity a priority and keeping busy your goal. Too much idle time or hanging out with people who are indulgent will not end well. Money matters should be handled with care. A problem with a sibling or partner is looming. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Make a positive change at home or to the way you do your job. Getting along well with others will lead to the support and help needed to reach your goals. Take responsibility for your actions; rewards will follow. AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Someone from your past will surprise you. Attending a reunion or reconnecting on social media with an old friend will bring back memories and prompt you to revisit a goal you have yet to accomplish. An opportunity is heading your way. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Open your door to friends and relatives. Listen to what others have to say to gain valuable information that will help you adjust to the changes that are going on around you. Romance will enrich your personal life. Birthday Baby: You are talented, adaptable and conscientious. You are helpful and generous. Don’t let anyone take advantage of your talents, especially on your day.
Wingin’ it | olivia wang & bailee egan
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Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek
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ndsmcobserver.com | friday, april 12, 2019 | The Observer
Sports Authority
Rowing
Albies deal part of broken system Ryan Kolakowski Sports Writer
On Thursday afternoon, the Atlanta Braves announced they signed all-star second baseman Ozzie Albies to a contract extension worth $35 million. That is life-changing money for anyone, especially for a 22-year-old middle infielder from Curacao. That money became much less significant however, when the full details of the contract were revealed. Albies and the Braves agreed to a seven-year deal with two club options, offering a maximum guarantee of $45 million to the young baseball player over the next nine years. Albies could be tied to Atlanta through his age-30 season, allowing the Braves to secure him for the duration of his prime years. This contract is an extremely poor evaluation of Albies, and it fails to give him what he is worth to the Atlanta Braves franchise. Other young players have signed team-friendly contracts in the past. Last month, outfielder Eloy Jimenez agreed to a six-year, $43 million extension with the Chicago White Sox before even appearing in a Major League Baseball game. Similarly, Scott Kingery and the Phillies agreed to a six-year, $24 million contract before Kingery sniffed a major-league diamond. Both of those contracts include club options that can increase the value of the deals. Each of those players were well-regarded prospects, but Albies is a different class of athlete. While Jimenez has yet to prove himself at the majorleague level and Kingery has struggled in limited majorleague experience, Albies is already a game-changing middle infielder for Atlanta. Albies made his major-league debut Aug. 1, 2017, and immediately impressed with the Braves. In only 57 games in 2017, Albies was worth 1.8 Wins Above Replacement (WAR), according to FanGraphs. That value, a measure of how a player compares to a replacementlevel player, is based on Albies’ strong glove at second base and electric start at the plate. In his 2018 season, Albies proved his first taste of the big
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leagues was not a mirage. In 158 games, Albies collected another 3.8 WAR, sixth-best among MLB second basemen. According to Dan Szymborski’s ZiPS projection system, Albies is expected to be worth 14.3 WAR from 2019 until 2021. WAR is an imperfect measure of performance, but it is the best way account for offense and defense and to look at the overall value of a player’s performance. Albies projects to be one of the league’s top performers at second base, but he will not be paid like it. Robinson Cano is taking home $24 million in 2019. Starlin Castro is earning just south of $12 million. Jose Altuve is commanding $9.5 million. Albies, at $5 million per year for the first seven years of his deal, does not even come close to those values. This is not a criticism of Albies. His $35 million guaranteed contract can set him up for life. This money allows Albies to live comfortably and stay with a city and franchise he likely loves. This is a criticism of Major League Baseball and the current state of the labor market within the sport. A grueling offseason saw star free agents like Manny Machado and Bryce Harper left without contracts until spring training. Other stars like Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel remain free agents two weeks into the regular season. There is a labor crisis in Major League Baseball, and young players are choosing to sign contract extensions rather than test the free agency waters. Ozzie Albies is the latest victim of the system. He is being underpaid by a franchise that Forbes values at $1.7 billion. In offering Albies the security of a meager salary by Major League Baseball standards, the Braves are limiting their young star’s earning potential. Ozzie Albies is rich, but that does not change the fact that Major League Baseball is leveraging a broken system to pay athletes far less than the value that they bring to the game. Contact Ryan Kolakowski at rkolakow@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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Email Ellen at egeyer@nd.edu
Irish crew prepares for west coast regatta By JOE EVERETT Senior Sports Writer
After waiting three weeks without a competition, the Notre Dame rowing team is set to jump back into action and hit the water this weekend, traveling west to compete in the Lake Natoma Invitational on the Lake Natoma Reservoir in Folsom, California. With upcoming meets the following two weekends as well, Irish associate head coach Marnie Stahl said the Irish are excited to return to competition in the hopes of stringing together strong performances as the team prepares for the ACC Championships in the middle of May. Additionally, it’s their only competition on the West Coast — the hub of collegiate rowing. “Happy to be out in California for the Lake Natoma Invite — a great, great race,” Stahl said. “We’re excited to
race and get out there.” Notre Dame’s first competition of the spring season came three weekends ago, when the Irish traveled down to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to row in the Cardinal Invitational at the Melton Lake Rowing Venue. Notre Dame competed against a strong field, highlighted by No. 11 Wisconsin and No. 19 Alabama, but managed to find a good deal of success during the Sunday portion of the competition, winning four of the five races to end the weekend on a high note and leave the Cardinal Invitational with six wins in 15 races. This weekend, the Irish will have another opportunity to gauge their talent — as a program and as a team — against some of the top programs in the nation. “We’ll be racing against some of the best crews in the country, so really excited to get back out,” Stahl said. “It’s
been three weeks since we’ve raced, so just really looking forward to [getting out on different water] and seeing where we match up.” Headlining the field at the Lake Natoma Invitational is No. 2 California — one of the oldest and most storied rowing programs in the country. The Bears swept the competition last year at the Lake Natoma Invitational and aim to repeat that success this weekend. The prestige doesn’t stop there, however, as No. 6 Brown and No. 12 USC will also be in attendance and looking to make a splash against powerhouse Cal. Notre Dame will take on California and Tulsa on Saturday morning, with Brown and Sacramento State to follow Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, they will face off against USC and Gonzaga. Contact Joe Everett at jeveret4@nd.edu
baseball
Notre Dame drops two midweek games at home By LAUREN MATHILE Sports Writer
On Tuesday night, Notre Dame picked up its third-straight loss as it hosted Michigan State at Frank Eck Stadium, followed by a home loss to Western Michigan on Wednesday night. Against the Spartans, the Irish (12-19, 7-8 ACC) came out swinging on offense. In the bottom of the third, sophomore center fielder Spencer Myers reached first base on a defensive error by the Spartans (8-22, 0-5). Senior right fielder Eric Gilgenbach grounded out to bring Myers home and give Notre Dame a 1-0 lead. Sophomore southpaw Tommy Vail, in his second career start, retired 10-straight batters to start the game — tying a career high — before giving up a walk to Michigan State junior designated hitter Bailey Peterson in the top of the fourth inning. In the bottom of the fifth, Kavadas extended the Irish lead to 2-0 with a solo home run, his 10th for the season, which doubled his previous career-high of five home runs in a season. However, the Spartans were able to answer in the next frame. In the top of the sixth, junior right-handed pitcher Andrew
Belcik gave up a home run to sophomore Michigan State pinch hitter Adam Proctor, cutting the Notre Dame lead in half. The Spartans offense rallied in the top of the seventh inning, ending the frame with a 3-2 lead over the Irish and causing Notre Dame to bring in sophomore righty Joe Boyle to relieve Belcik in the top of the eighth. While Boyle was able to prevent the Spartans from scoring in the final two innings, the Irish were unable to make a comeback, resulting in Michigan State handing Notre Dame its thirdconsecutive loss by a score of 3-2. Irish head coach Mik Aoki said the Irish need to be better at the plate to compete against strong competition. “We certainly need to have better at-bats,” Aoki said. “Through the course of the day, we gave away at-bat after at-bat. It’s tough when you have three guys in the lineup giving you pretty decent at-bats and the rest of them are slightly unproductive.” The Irish failed to make a comeback as they hosted Western Michigan the next night, falling 12-2 to the Broncos (9-20, 2-5 Mid-American). Western Michigan
immediately jumped out to a hot start, taking advantage of two walks and a hit batter from junior righty Zack Martin to plate four runners in the first inning. A double from Kavadas allowed Myers to score in the bottom of the first. Although junior righthanded pitcher Jack Sheehan relieved Martin midway through the top of the second, the Broncos were still able to bring in five more runs by the end of the frame, bringing the score to 9-2 with a combination of singles and triples. Western Michigan kept its momentum going from there, scoring two more runs in the top of the third and capped off its scoring with its 12th run in the final frame of the game. Notre Dame managed to bring in one more run in the fourth, but the Irish couldn’t get their bats going beyond that and dropped their fourth-straight game to the Broncos, 12-2. Notre Dame will look to rebound during a threegame series at home against North Carolina this weekend, starting Friday at 6 p.m. in Frank Eck Stadium. Contact Lauren Mathile at lmathile@nd.edu
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Book Continued from page 12
appearance. Meanwhile, freshman Phil Jurkovec came in highly touted and saw action in two games, having to split time behind the dual play of Book and former quarterback Brandon Wimbush. With spring practice underway and the annual Blue-Gold game Saturday, offensive coordinator Chip Long and the rest of the coaching staff expect Book to continue to progress as a leader on the field, while the emphasis on Jurkovec has been improved accuracy and comfort in running the offense. Long said he has high expectations for Book as he enters his senior year. As a junior, Book passed for 2,628 yards — in addition to 280 rushing yards — on his way to recording 24 touchdowns on the season. Although Jurkovec has a strong skill set, Long left no doubt that this team is Book’s to lead for the time being. “Ian’s been doing it for three years — he knows the offense really well,” Long said. “He’s brought really good, steady leadership. He’s not a vocal guy, but he walks with great confidence, and you can see that with his play with the receivers this
Recruits Continued from page 12
6-foot-2 Saint Louis product is the 34th-ranked player nationally and sixth-best wide receiver, per 247Sports. “He’s obviously a big pickup for Notre Dame offensively,” McKinney said of Johnson. “Now they’ve got him, and they’ve got two four-star tight ends that’ll be catching passes from Drew Pyne, their four-star [prostyle] quarterback commit.” Those two tight ends are Michael Mayer and Kevin Bauman, ranked first and second nationally at the tight end position, respectively. Pyne has been the longest-committed recruit for the Irish, having accepted their offer in April of 2018. McKinney said landing the commitment from Johnson bodes well for the Irish this early in the recruiting cycle, especially for the cache it gives them among other recruits. “Drew Pyne and Jordan Johnson, especially, are nationally known names,” McKinney said. “Recruits across the countr y know who they are. They go to big camps — Drew Pyne’s gonna be an Elite 11 finalist. So getting guys like that who are impact players … but they’re also guys that
spring, and all those skill guys.” On the other side of the coin, Jurkovec has continued to develop, with Long identif ying his game management as one of the areas they’re looking to expand upon this season. “Phil, we have to understand the offense. Day to day, there has to be some type of improvement,” Long said. “You’ve got to be the kind of guy that can come in and win a game. He had to learn the offense, take the steps, kind of where Ian was when we first got here.” Despite the areas still in need of growth in Jurkovec’s game, Long repeatedly cited his attitude and confidence as key assets to the future of the position. “Phil wants to be a great player, and that’s the No. 1 thing you got to have in a great quarterback,” he said. “He’s got great confidence.” Focusing on the more technical aspects of the game, Long commented on Jurkovec’s accuracy as a major element to look out for Saturday. “He’s been throwing a nice deep ball, but I think more than anything it’s just understand the offense,” he said. “Going through his progression and once he gets confident with that, that ball will come out a lot cleaner.” As integral as Book and
are known around the countr y and other guys want to play with those guys. [Notre Dame will] have those guys recruiting for them for a long time.” Notre Dame has commitments from six players in the 2020 class and is making progress assembling further high-quality recruits. One criticism lingering around the program’s recruiting, however, is the lack of fivestar talent the Irish are able to assemble compared to A labama and other SEC schools. McKinney, however, said he believes critics read too much into that point. “Rankings don’t mean a thing to coaches. They don’t care about what stars a guy is or any thing like that,” he said. “Obviously, the guys that have big-time offers are going to be highly rated guys, that’s just how it works, but rankings don’t mean any thing to coaches. … I think the narrative of, ‘Notre Dame doesn’t get the five-star guys,’ is a little overblown, especially because a lot of five-star guys come from the South or areas where they’re already leaning toward places like that. So that narrative, I can see where people get it from, but I think it’s a little blown out of proportion.” W hat really came back to bite the Irish in the Cotton
Jurkovec are to the functionality of the offense, Long was sure to note the efforts of the rushing and receiving corps to the success of the team, particularly commenting on the tight-end unit of sophomores Cole Kmet and Brock Wright and freshman Tommy Tremble. Kmet and Wright have both been active on the field since their freshman year, but it’s Tremble whose newcomer status has made him a pleasant surprise for Long. “He’s really come on the last two weeks. If there’s a guy on offense that’s progressed to where I think he could really help us next year, I think it’d probably be him,” Long said. “He has great athleticism, great speed — really physical player. He just has to learn football.” Long also emphasized the style of Tremble’s play as coming naturally. Behind a strong receiving unit paired with the leadership of Book and the confidence of Jurkovec, this team will look to return to the conversation of being a playoff contending team, Long said. “Explosive plays. … That’s one of our biggest goals, yards after the catch, yards after the run,” he said. “Being able to create out there.” Contact Charlotte Edmonds at cedmond3@nd.edu
Bowl was their lack of depth. A lthough Notre Dame held its own against Clemson to start, it was exposed once former Irish cornerback Julian Love was sidelined with an injur y and his replacement, junior cornerback Donte Vaughn, was ineffective with a shoulder injur y that required post-season surger y. McKinney said a concerted effort has been made to add to the rotation. “I think you always want to get to that point where you have guys that are good enough to where they can play when they’re called on,” he said. Still, McKinney acknowledged that the Irish want to balance the quantity of bodies at their disposal with the quality of play on the field. “Depth is obviously a huge thing, but I also think that in recruiting you’re looking for depth, and you’re looking for impact playmakers, too,” he said. “It kind of just depends on how the class shakes out. At quarterback, they got Drew Pyne early so they could move on to the class of 2021, and they got [four-star pro-style quarterback] Tyler Buchner there, so now they can start recruiting in 2022. It just kind of depends on timelines and how the classes shake out.” Right now, McKinney said, the Irish are still focused on
Defense Continued from page 12
Genmark Heath can swap in for running downs. “He has a natural instinct in coverage that we’re going to use to our advantage, plus his length,” Lea said about Lamb’s progress over the course of the spring. “When you start dropping a guy who’s 6-[foot]-4 into the middle of the field, the dig window tightens — especially when he has a great awareness of what’s going on behind him, and he’s shown a knack for that.” Lea said he has high expectations for Lamb. “I don’t treat Jack like a firstyear player because he enrolled early,” he said. “We’re going to have some urgency with him to see where we can get him so that we’re not limiting him to just what he does really well. Maybe there’s another layer in there where he can become a really good first- and second-down player as well.” Lamb is currently in competition with Genmark Heath and Bauer for reps, and a clear favorite has yet to emerge. Lea said he and the rest of the coaching staff will be creative and strategic in terms of who sees the field more and will be keeping an eye out to determine which guy is ultimately going to take the bulk of the plays on the field. While Bauer is more physical than Lamb and Genmark Heath is a better run-stopper, Lamb’s size
the more immediate future and want to get the best possible players they can. “On offense, I think the priorities are running back and wide receiver, and obviously they checked a big box with Jordan Johnson,” McKinney said. “He was their top wide receiver target, and they got him committed, and now they want to go out and get
and athletic potential may end up tipping the scales in his favor. Another talked-about linebacker this offseason has been Shayne Simon. The 6-foot-3 rising sophomore out of West Orange, New Jersey, has a combination of speed, athleticism and agility that makes it difficult for Lea and the other Irish coaches to keep him off the field. As a former safety, Simon initially moved to the rover position before realizing it wasn’t the best fit for him. Realistically, Lea said, Simon is athletic enough to produce wherever the coaching staff places him on the field, and he will be making a major impact wherever he ends up. “His physique, his body-type, just when you look at him physically and how he’s grown, we don’t want to put any limitations on him. … We see him as a factor in the box,” Lea said. “Right now, he’s slid in to play some [inside linebacker] for us just as a way to get him box experience and get him reps. Obviously I think he’s a guy that can do both, and his experience even last year playing a little buck will help if we need to slide him over.” While there is still plenty of work left to be done, Lea said he and the rest of the Irish coaching staff are pleased with where the linebacker corps is at right now and are hoping the competition at the position will only heat up heading into the season. Contact Grant DelVecchio at gdelvecc@nd.edu
Chris Tyree and Tirek Murphy at running back. And then on defense, it’s defensive end — and it’s been defensive end the last couple of years, and I think it’ll continue to be that way. You gotta have pass rushers, and I think that’s the priority for Notre Dame.” Contact Hayden Adams at hadams3@nd.edu
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Geyer Continued from page 12
to help the Irish last season, seeing the field in just two games and not completing a pass in either. On the contrary, in 2017, when Book sat behind Brandon Wimbush, he played in 10 games, recording a season completion percentage of 61.3%. And who could forget when he came in to relieve QB1 Wimbush in the Citrus Bowl, notching an unreal performance of 14-for19 passing for 164 yards and two touchdowns to lead his team to a 21-17, come-frombehind victory against No. 17 LSU? When Book took over for Wimbush as the starting quarterback in 2018 against Wake Forest, the entire Notre Dame dynamic changed, and the Irish offense never looked back. Sorry Phil, but Ian’s not going anywhere — he’s got this season covered.
Out wide Speaking of Book, it is worth noting the rising senior lost his favorite target on the outside — Boykin. The two were a dynamic duo, with Boykin’s height and agility being a perfect match for Book’s ability to thread the needle. Although it will be
ndsmcobserver.com | friday, april 12, 2019 | The Observer
a different offense without Boykin, it won’t necessarily be a worse one. With the return of Chris Finke for a graduate-student season and rising senior Chase Claypool, Book will still have all kinds of options, as Finke will favor shallower ins and pops, while Claypool will be open on the deep routes that Book loves so much. Furthermore, with Boykin’s departure, less notable receivers will have the chance to step up. Let’s not forget what rising junior Mike Young can do — he, like Book, stepped up in the Citrus Bowl when duty called.
Run game There will be obvious challenges on the ground with the absence of Dexter Williams, who was far and away the best rusher for the Irish amid their 2018 title campaign. Although rising junior Jafar Armstrong certainly emerged as a force to be reckoned with — particularly prior to Williams’ return from his four-game suspension at the beginning of the season — he ultimately underperformed, never quite breaking out as predicted. He was also never the same after sustaining an injury midway through the season, causing him to fall by the wayside in
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the back half of the year. But Armstrong certainly has the potential to lead the Notre Dame running game, especially when he has the tools and support — both of which he has had access to in the offseason. The Armstrong who comes onto the field Saturday should be faster, stronger and, frankly, hungrier than the neophyte we saw last year. Regardless, Williams left big cleats to fill. The running game will pose the biggest question for Notre Dame come fall, but there’s still time for the Irish to get into peak shape for 2019. All in all, there are certainly adjustments that need to be made on the Irish offense with the emergence of a new season. But Notre Dame should be able to get there, especially with a season opener at Louisville and a home opener against New Mexico. But when the Irish head south to Georgia for game No. 3, they’ll see where they really are as a team, whether they like it or not. Contact Ellen Geyer at egeyer1@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer. Paid Advertisement
EMMA FARNAN | The Observer
Irish junior running back Jafar Armstrong runs the ball down the field during Notre Dame’s 24-26 victory over Ball State on Sept. 8.
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The observer | friday, april 12, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
FOOTBALL
Blue-Gold Game
Book solidifies his role at QB while Jurkovec makes improvements
Irish offense confronts absences and embraces emerging leaders
By CHARLOTTE EDMONDS
Ellen Geyer
Managing Editor
Sports Editor
For the past eight years under head coach Brian Kelly, Notre Dame football has often featured a revolv ing door of quarterback rotations, w ith different circumstances calling for different players to step up. However, as the Irish prepare to take the field Saturday for the annual Blue-Gold game, there seems to be little debate as to who’s calling the shots from the pocket. Junior Ian Book emerged onto the scene last season in his second-career start against Wake Forest and never looked back. The 6-foot product out of El Dorado, California, proved to be a steady presence on the field, leading the program to its first College Football Playoff see BOOK PAGE 10
Notre Dame is not the same team it was last year. With the likes of former w ide receiver Miles Boykin and former running back Dexter Williams mov ing on to the NFL, there w ill be noticeable absences in rising senior, quarterback Ian Book’s operation. But the Irish have the potential for another electric season — and w ith a new dy namic on the offense, there w ill certainly be new faces emerging as leaders.
Field marshal
ANN CURTIS | The Observer
Irish junior quarterback Ian Book drops back to pass during Notre Dame’s 30-3 loss to Clemson in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Book took the helm of the Irish offense in his start against Wake Forest.
Linebacker position to be point of emphasis for defense By GRANT DelVECCHIO Associate Sports Editor
With the losses of Te’Von Coney and Drue Tranquill, Notre Dame is returning a depleted linebacker corps heading into the 2019 season. The Irish will host their annual Blue-Gold spring game at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium, and the linebacker position will be a focal point for defensive coordinator Clark Lea and the rest of the Irish coaching staff. Graduate student Asmar Bilal returns as the only starter from last year’s squad, a team that ranked 13th overall in the nation in terms of scoring defense, giving up an average of 18.2 points per game. While Bilal is the only constant among Notre Dame linebackers from last year, he will be playing a different position for the Irish in 2019, transitioning from rover to inside linebacker heading into the fall. Lea said he believes the linebacker corps in particular is “in a very different place” since the start of the spring season. “That’s part of the evolution of the unit, and there are also still strategic moving of parts and pieces just to try and figure out the best combination,” he said.
“I think if we’re doing the right thing coaching-wise and coaching it conceptually, the ability to move people around becomes an advantage.” While Lea said the Irish are “better-equipped, better-skilled from where [they] started” this spring, the defense is still up in the air in terms of where each player will end up on the roster. “If you look at our room, its an interesting makeup just in terms of the multiplicity of position,” he said. “We’re still a work in progress and have a long way to go, but slowly but surely the picture is clearing up, and I think Saturday will be an important part of that.” With plenty of pressure in terms of who will be protecting the middle of the field next fall, the young core of rising sophomores Bo Bauer, Jack Lamb and Shayne Simon and rising juniors Jordan Genmark Heath and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will be battling to determine who sees the field. In terms of the rover position, Owusu-Koramoah has been getting the most playing time, followed by rising sophomore safety Paul Moala. Having size and athleticism at the rover position is something that enables
the playbook to be expanded, especially in base situations. Touching on whether or not there was a “sure” starter out of the group in advance of next season, Lea was hesitant to express whether any decisions made now are going to be final, but noted that Bilal is “going to be a factor for” the Irish after doing “a great job this spring.” “He’s a guy that I think — physically and in terms of his game experience — I think enhances the unit. … This is going to be how hard can we work at it,” Lea said. “The minute the spring game is finished, these guys are gonna have to maybe take Sunday off, and then on their own get back to work on Monday and work in earnest through the summer. Though we’re a little bit uncertain right now, in our room we’re really excited about where we’re headed, and so it’s each man individually taking the ownership of his own improvement — and you can do that in the summer time.” Lamb has also impressed the Irish coaching staff as of late and could find himself on the field in passing situations, Lea said, while the more experienced see DEFENSE PAGE 10
Let’s not kid ourselves — there is no quarterback race. Despite Phil Jurkovec’s success in high school, the rising sophomore did nothing see GEYER PAGE 11
Recruiting class shows promise despite last season’s championship outcome By HAYDEN ADAMS Associate Sports Editor
A lthough Notre Dame’s national championship dreams were dashed in the College Football Playoff Semifinal to eventual-national champion Clemson, the Irish are placing their hopes in a bright future. After picking up one final commitment from four-star defensive end Isaiah Foksey on National Signing Day, the Irish put together yet another top-15 recruiting class — their seventh-straight — w ith 22 new faces joining the Irish next season. The coaching staff has managed to maintain its success on the recruiting trail and is taking lessons from the team’s season-ending loss. During Notre Dame’s 30-3 manhandling by Clemson in the Cotton Bowl, the Irish gave up four touchdow ns on big plays and couldn’t manage any major responses of their ow n. Blue and Gold Illustrated recruiting analyst Dav id McKinney said follow ing the loss to
Clemson, there has been an increased emphasis on landing players capable of making those kids of plays for the Irish. “There’s way more of an effort being made that way this cycle, in 2020 especially,” McKinney said. “You look at … Chris Ty ree, who’s a borderline five-star running back. Some have him as a five-star, some have him right below five-star status, but he’s probably the No. 1 target on the board overall for Notre Dame. And then there’s Tirek Murphy, who’s a four-star running back. You look at [four-star] A.J. Henning at the w ide receiver position, [three-star] Xav ier Watts at the w ide receiver position, [four-star] Michael Redding III — so they’re definitely putting an emphasis on impact play makers at the skill positions on offense this cycle.” The Irish are on the right track so far, as they managed to land 2020 four-star w ide receiver Jordan Johnson. The see RECRUITS PAGE 10