Print Edition of The Observer for Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Notre dame 33, iowa state 9 | Wednesday, january 15, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Going out with a bang Irish cruise to victory over Cyclones behind strong defense in Camping World Bowl

ALLISON THORNTON | The Observer

Irish sophomore tight end Tommy Tremble stiff-arms a defender while trying to gain yards after a catch during Notre Dame’s 33-9 victory over Iowa State on Dec. 28 in the Camping World Bowl in Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. Tremble had one reception in the game, finishing the season fourth on the team with 16 receptions for 183 yards.

Bowl sheds light on where Notre Dame stands Connor Mulvena Sports Editor

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Camping World Bowl. Ahh, what a delight. Two teams at the top of their sport battling it out in the crisp refreshing Florida air on a sunny afternoon. A model of the fierce competition that underlines college football. Exemplary fan spirit. The height of college football.

Not so much.

The lack of motivation surrounding this contest, which was overshadowed by the oncoming playoff games of the day, made it feel like an appetizer for the real football to come on Saturday night. But not a good appetizer, like pigs in a blanket or something, more like that ambiguous spinach dip your aunt made for Christmas that everyone “loves,” yet always ends up getting thrown away with plenty to spare.

We can talk for ages about the Camping World Bowl see MULVENA PAGE 3

By CHARLOTTE EDMONDS Sports Writer

ORLANDO, Fla. — Whether Notre Dame fans like it or not, Camping World Stadium now belongs to the Irish.

Returning to an Orlando bowl game for the second time in three years, the Irish (11-2) secured their 11th win of the season Saturday, besting Iowa State 33-9 in the Camping World Bowl. While lacking the theatrics of Ian Book’s late game heroics and Miles Boykin’s one-handed catch that lifted the Irish over LSU in the 2018 Citrus Bowl, Saturday’s game had its fair share of memorable performances.

The general consensus among fans leading up to this matchup was that despite being placed against a team that had taken Oklahoma and Baylor down to the wire on the road, the 10-win Irish were cheated by this bowl selection. However, come Saturday there were no signs of complacency or disappointment when graduate student Chris Finke and seniors Jalen Elliott, Alohi Gilman and Khalid Kareem stepped out to represent the Irish as captains.

“We don’t control those things, so we don’t worry about those things,” head

coach Brian Kelly said about the team’s response to not receiving an invitation to a New Year’s Six bowl. “We just keep playing.”

In its first drive under new offensive play-caller Tommy Rees, the Irish offense went three-and-out, forcing freshman punter Jay Bramblett to take the field less than a minute and a half into play.

However, the experience of the special teams unit was on full display, as Gilman forced a fumble on the punt reception which was recovered by senior wide receiver Chase Claypool. Unable to capitalize on their second possession, the Irish elected to kick a field goal on fourthand-four, bringing on junior kicker Jonathan Doerer who knocked a 39-yard attempt through the uprights to give the Irish an early lead.

Taking the field for the first time, the Irish defense didn’t remain there for long.

With the Cyclones (7-6, 5-4 Big 12) finding their rhythm behind freshman running back Breece Hall, Notre Dame junior linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah came up big, sacking Iowa State sophomore quarterback Brock Purdy and recovering the fumble. This time, Book made sure to get the Irish

Claypool shines during last game in blue, gold

into the end zone. A 26-yard run by senior running back Tony Jones Jr. and a five-yard pass to Finke set the Irish up right outside the red zone.

Just when it seemed like the Irish weren’t going to be able to convert with 17 yards to go on third down, Book found Claypool by the right pylon for a sprawling 24-yard touchdown catch. With a successful point after attempt by Doerer, the Irish extended their early lead to 10.

Heading into this matchup, there were a lot of question marks regarding the stability of the Irish offense, especially following the sudden departure of offensive coordinator Chip Long in early December. Despite a slow first drive, Kelly said he was generally pleased with the offense’s performance.

“Anytime you can go direct snap play action and hit a wide open tight end, I think that’s a unicorn today in college football,” he said. “You know, the ability to run the football downhill, synced up with play action, then the ability to spread the field, take shots down the field, get the ball into the right guy’s hands — [Claypool’s] hands, and find matchups that work

ORLANDO, Fla. — ­ A lot could be said of Notre Dame’s offensive production Saturday afternoon. In its first game without former offensive coordinator Chip Long, the Irish managed to produce 455 yards of total offense on 65 plays.

Senior quarterback Ian Book threw for 247 yards and a touchdown with efficiency, going 20-for-28 on pass attempts. Senior running back Tony Jones Jr. rushed for 135 yards on 11 attempts, one of which was an impressive 84yard touchdown run, which set the record for the longest run in Camping World Bowl history and Notre Dame bowl game history. But if you watched the game at all, you know senior wide receiver Chase Claypool stood above the rest.

The senior surpassed 1,000 receiving yards on the season in his Camping World Bowl outing, snagging seven receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown (and coming half a yard

see VICTORY PAGE 2

see CLAYPOOL PAGE 3

By CONNOR MULVENA Sports Editor

2

Insider

The observer | wednesday, january 15, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Victory Continued from page 1

for us — I thought the ball was spread evenly and then run effectively. … That’s an efficient offensive performance.”

With the clock winding down in the first quarter, Purdy started to mix up the offense, looking between Hall in the run game and Cyclones senior wide receiver La’Michael Pettway.

Pettway put pressure on the Notre Dame secondary with back-to-back catches for 33 total yards. However, the offensive momentum for both teams stalled in the second quarter, with each unable to pick up a first down. The Cyclones eventually got on the board with about 10 minutes to play in the first half when redshirt junior kicker Connor Assalley hit a 41yard field goal.

But with every punch the Cyclones landed, the Irish landed one of their own. A 29-yard kickoff return by sophomore receiver Braden Lenzy put the Irish in scoring position. When the offense went three-and-out, Doerer stepped up again, drilling a line drive 51-yard kick to

push the Irish lead back to 10.

But the Irish weren’t done scoring, and the offense was once again sparked by the energy of the defense. After the defensive line stuffed Hall on fourth-and-short, Book immediately got to work, hitting a wide-open Claypool deep in scoring territory. The wide receiver lunged to the end zone and was originally spotted a touchdown before the official review ruled he was down before breaking the plane.

Sophomore Jafar Armstrong eventually scored off a sweeping run — his first of 2019, having battled injuries throughout the season. A successful extra point by Doerer and a 26-yard field goal by Assalley brought the half to a close as Notre Dame returned to the locker room up 20-6.

“We feed off each other, us and the defense. You know, they tell us they’re going to get us a stop, and then we have to go score for them,” Claypool said.

“It’s give and take. I was happy we were able to put something on the board right after that [first] turnover and then continue that on. The defense kept giving us good field position,

good confidence, because, you know, once we get a lead we can start opening up our playbook a little bit.”

Claypool, the Camping World Bowl MVP, collected 112 of his 146 receiving yards in the first half and become the ninth Notre Dame receiver with more than 1,000 yards in a season. While that certainly puts him into a conversation of elite receivers and playmakers, Claypool insists that his focus has never been on those milestones.

“It was definitely a goal I had, so it’s nice to kind of reach that goal,” he said. “But, you know, you don’t really play the game for statistics. So it’s nice, but I’m not going to remember getting to 1,000 yards this game. I’m just going to remember going out with these guys.”

While Claypool certainly gave Irish fans plenty to be entertained with, perhaps the most exciting play of the game came in the opening minutes of the second half when Jones Jr. found a gap in the line and busted down the left sideline for an 84-yard touchdown, setting a record for the longest touchdown in Camping Bowl history.

The St. Petersburg, Florida, product certainly seemed to feel at home, rushing for 135 yards on 11 carries.

According to Kelly, Saturday’s performance was simply the result of hard work and dedication on the part of Jones Jr. throughout his time at Notre Dame.

“It was the culmination of putting together a running plan that, you know, when you see it hit and then you see him go the distance because he’s been talked about as a guy that doesn’t have the ability to take you over the top,” Kelly said. “But he doesn’t really care about that stuff. He was just excited about the ability to, you know, run the ball today effectively. And he ran physical and did what he normally does: help us win.”

The Cyclones and Irish exchanged field goals, rounding out the third quarter with Notre Dame maintaining a 21-point lead.

With the game all but decided, fatigue was evident at the start of the fourth quarter, as both teams went three-andout. The Irish eventually moved the ball 27 yards before calling Doerer back to the field to hit

his fourth field goal of the afternoon. The 39-yarder secured the largest lead of the night, as the Irish won 33-9.

Saturday’s game marked the end of many key figures’ careers at Notre Dame. To Kelly, this senior class has shown great resilience. Having gone 4-8 their freshman season, he said he’ll always remember this team as a “special group.”

“They did not listen to what the naysayers had to say about them. The negative tone, the negative people out there. All they cared about was playing the game. It was clean. It was about competing, always looking to better themselves,” he said. “You just read this team wrong, and it’s just so satisfying that this group has been rewarded with 11 wins because they have thought only about their teammates and how they can work to get better each and every day. They overcame adversity, lived the life lessons of it. They’re not perfect. They never pretended to be perfect and never wanted to be, but always strived for excellence.”

Contact Charlotte Edmonds at cedmond3@nd.edu

ALLISON THORNTON | The Observer

Irish senior wide receiver Chase Claypool reaches for the goal line after a 43-yard catch from quarterback Ian Book during Notre Dame’s 33-9 win in the Camping World Bowl against Iowa State on Dec. 28. The play was called as a touchdown on the field, but a replay review overturned it and set up a Jafar Armstrong touchdown two plays later.

Play of the game

player of the game

tony jones jr. makes an 84-yard touchdown run

Notre Dame wide receiver chase claypool

After Notre Dame’s defense forced a three-and-out to start the second half, the Irish wasted no time extending their lead. Senior running back Tony Jones Jr. took the handoff and found the perimeter mostly untouched, accelerating down the sideline toward the goal line. A Cyclones defender caught him around the 10-yard line, but Jones stiff-armed him and carried him into the end zone.

Senior Chase Claypool capped off a dominant season as the head of the Irish receiving corps. He gave the Irish their first touchdown with a 24-yard grab near the end of the first quarter, and he came inches short of catching a second score in the next. He led the bowl game in receiving yards (146), touchdowns (one) and catches (seven), and he also topped the Irish stat sheet in those categories for the season as a whole.

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Volume 54, Issue 61 | wednesday, january 15, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

A decade in numbers Notre Dame costs, demographics shift over decade

Saint Mary’s endowment grows by over 70%

By KELLI SMITH, NATALIE WEBER, MARY BERNARD AND MARY STEURER

By MARIA LEONTARAS Assistant Managing Editor

Over the past 10 years, Saint Mary’s has experienced changes in tuition costs, enrollment and demographics, as well as growth in areas such as the endowment and inclusion. The College recently embarked on a multi-year campus renovation project and has consistently become more diverse in the last decade.

Here is a look at how the College has changed since 2010, focusing on cost of attendance, enrollment, demographics and endowment.

All information has been collected from the College’s most recent annual report unless stated otherwise.

Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Assistant Managing Editors

Notre Dame has seen a number of substantial changes over the last 10 years.

Increases in tuition, applications for admission and research spending have impacted the University just as dramatically as other schools around the nation, while other numbers have stayed fairly consistent since the start of the decade.

Here is a look at how the University has changed since 2010, focusing on tuition, enrollment, demographics, crime, campus infrastructure, research spending and endowment.

Cost of attendance Over the past 10 years, the cost of attendance at Saint Mary’s has consistently risen.

Tuition saw a 44.6% increase

Cost of attendance The past decade included see NOTRE DAME PAGE 4

CRISTINA INTERIANO | The Observer

see SAINT MARY’S PAGE 3

Basilica renovated Chorale, Undertones tour over winter break West Coast, fundraise

By CATE VON DOHLEN News Writer

Several upgrades made to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on campus while students were away over winter break. This renovation mainly concerned new technology upgrades throughout the Basilica, Kate Barrett, Campus Ministry’s associate director of liturgy, said in an email.

Barrett said the project was a collaboration between Campus Ministry and Notre Dame Studios and was funded by an endowment.

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart underwent several technological upgrades over winter break.

“As this project took shape over the past several years we began to

NEWS PAGE 3

set aside funds from an endowment dedicated to Basilica renovations,” Barrett said.

Barrett said she represented Campus Ministry in the discussions before and during the renovation.

“The Basilica is part of Campus Ministry at Notre Dame, and I represented Campus Ministry as we selected bids for the design, worked with the sound designers, selected bids for the installation and completed the actual renovation itself,” Barrett said.

She noted that Campus Ministry relied heavily on the expertise of the staff at ND Studios in making many of the major decisions.

Dan Skendzel, executive see BASILICA PAGE 4

SCENE PAGE 5

By ALEXANDRA MUCK News Writer

While many students spent the last week of break at home or traveling, members of Notre Dame Chorale and the Undertones went on tour.

Chorale took 55 members for a week-long tour in California, said senior Caiti Crahan, the group’s president. Crahan said the group, which consists of 65 to 70 members, takes a domestic tour each winter break to fundraise for an international trip every four years.

“On winter tour, we’ll take a break in the middle of the concert and all the students introduce themselves while we pass around collection baskets, and

VIEWPOINT PAGE 7

we make a lot of money,” she said. “Alumni are very generous and they donate to it.”

On the tour, the group performed concerts in cities such as San Diego, Newport Beach, Palm Springs, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

“We do a city per night usually,” Crahan said. “Once in a while we’ll do two nights in a city if we want to give people a free day in the middle.”

The concerts are each an hour long and feature a mixed repertoire of Christmas music and songs from the group’s fall show. While the director puts together the program, the group’s tour commissioners do most of the planning, starting with reaching out to alumni clubs in

HOCKEY PAGE 12

September.

“Our entire trip is student planned,” Crahan said. “ … It gives the students a lot of practice being responsible for a trip like that.”

Crahan said planning includes reaching out to alumni groups and asking them to help find a church where the group — who practice twice a weekly during the school year — can sing. Alumni also find host families for the students and provide dinner while the choir is there.

While Crahan said the trip was a financial success — the group raised over $18,000 — she mentioned another purpose of see TOUR PAGE 3

ND M BASKETBALL PAGE 12

2

TODAY

The observer | wednesday, january 15, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Question of the Day: ndsmcobserver.com

Have a question you want answered?

Email photo@ndsmcobserver.com

What is your New Year’s resolution?

P.O. Box 779, Notre Dame, IN 46556 024 South Dining Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556 Editor-in-Chief Kelli Smith Managing Editor Natalie Weber

Asst. Managing Editor: Maria Leontaras Asst. Managing Editor: Mary Steurer Asst. Managing Editor: Mary Bernard

Notre Dame News Editor: Tom Naatz Saint Mary’s News Editor: Maeve Filbin

Viewpoint Editor: Evelyn Stein

Sports Editor: Connor Mulvena

Scene Editor: Mike Donovan

Photo Editor: Nola Wallace

Graphics Editor: Diane Park

Social Media Editor: Mary Bernard

Advertising Manager: Landry Kempf

Ad Design Manager: Ruby Le

Systems Administrator: Stephen Hannon Office Manager & General Info

William Gentry

Shannon Scott

sophomore Duncan Hall

freshman Howard Hall

“Triple my squat max.”

“Cook something new.”

Hayden Scully

Jack Rundle

sophomore Carroll Hall

sophomore Duncan Hall

“Be more environmentally friendly.”

“Read more.”

Alyssa Daniele

Claire Sision

junior Pasquerilla West Hall

freshman Morrissey Manor

“Keep my room clean.”

“Practice the organ more.”

Ph: (574) 631-7471 Fax: (574) 631-6927 Advertising

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Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Information Session: “Spring 2020 Social Concerns Seminars” Geddes Hall 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.

All students welcome.

Fitness Class: “Beat Biking” Smith Center Cycling Studio 7:30 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.

Free to all students.

Lecture: “Basics of Privacy” Andrews Auditorium 10:40 a.m. - 12:10 p.m.

First in seven-lecture series.

Cardio Strength Interval Smith Center Activity Studio 2 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.

Free to all students.

Basilica Mass Basilica of the Sacred Heart 10 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.

All are welcome to attend.

Exhibition: “New Faces” AAHD Gallery all day Featuring work by first year MFA students.

“Minor in Innovation” Duncan Student Center Innovation Garage 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Learn about the minor.

Exhibition: “New Faces” The AAHD Gallery all day Featuring work by first year MFA students.

Fitness Class: “Zumba®” Smith Center Activity Studio 3 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

All students welcome.

Candlelight Prayer Service Main Building 11 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Commemorates life of Martin Luther King Jr.

Systems & Web Administrators

webmaster@ndsmcobserver.com Policies The Observer is the independent, daily newspaper published in print and online by the students of the University of Notre Dame du Lac, Saint Mary’s College and Holy Cross College. Editorial content, including advertisements, is not governed by policies of the administration of either institution. The Observer reserves the right to refuse advertisements based on content.

The news is reported as accurately and objectively as possible. Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the majority of the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Assistant Managing Editors and department editors.

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Questions regarding Observer policies should be directed to Editor-in-Chief Kelli Smith.

BAVO to hold Green Dot training

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Today’s Staff News

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By SARA SCHLECHT Assosciate News Editor

The Belles Against Violence Office (BAVO) will host a Green Dot crash course session on Wednesday as part this week’s Green Dot Action Week programming.

“Green Dot Action Week celebrates the impact Green Dot has had on our campus in the past ten years while also calling the Saint Mar y’s community to action,” BAVO coordinator Liz Coulston said in an email.

“Through Green Dot, we are sending the message that violence is not tolerated on our campus, and ever yone in our community is expected to do their part to keep the campus safe.”

The week aims to build community through events including a spa night and Wednesday’s crash course.

“The biggest objective of the week is to share a little bit about Green Dot and how it helps strengthen our College community,” said Sarah Miesle, the sports information director, in an email.

Miesle, who has led Green Dot

training sessions for students as well as faculty and staff groups, will facilitate the event.

The crash course session will differ from bystander trainings in its level of structure, to allow attendees to ask more questions and share more stories, Coulston said.

“The crash course … is the only [event] of its kind this year, designed specifically for Green Dot Action Week,” Coulston said.

Green Dot sessions occur in the forms of shorter over view sessions, which last less than an hour, and full bystander trainings, which last about five hours, Coulston said.

Overviews are held several times throughout the year, depending on need and availability, but only one full bystander training will be held this year.

“The biggest thing students can hope to learn at the crash course is that Green Dot is something that is super accessible to anyone and ever yone,” she said.

Green Dot actions don’t have to be attention-grabbing or dramatic, Miesle said.

“It’s about being a good neighbor, a good friend and a good person.

Because of that, Green Dot is something I truly believe in and hope that other people can believe in by attending these trainings,” Miesle said.

Miesle said Green Dot is something that people should regularly think about. In her sessions, she compares it to studying for an exam — the content is practiced and considered so it can be properly applied.

“We always hope that when someone comes to a Green Dot session of any type, they leave with a little more confidence in what it means to be a bystander and how they always have a way to help in any situation,” she said.

The Green Dot crash course will take place in Spes Unica 134 at 7 p.m. No registration is required for this event. The full bystander training session will be held on Sunday Feb. 2, for which online registration is required.

Contact Sara Schlecht at sschlecht01@saintmarys.edu

News

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, january 15, 2020 | The Observer

3

Students confront poverty on Urban Plunge

By SERENA ZACHARIAS News Writer

W hile many students celebrated the holidays and spent time rela x ing over w inter break, some also spent a few days examining the causes and challenges of povert y in cities across America.

Urban Plunge, the Center for Social Concern’s onecredit experiential learning seminar, allowed 146 students at 25 different sites to learn about organizations fighting povert y in cities close to their ow n hometow ns. These immersions ranged from two to four days and many are affiliated w ith Notre Dame alumni clubs.

Adam Gustine, assistant director of seminars at the CSC, said he expects Urban Plunge to help students understand what it takes to

Tour Continued from page 1

the tour is to build communit y w ithin the group.

“It’s an intimidating group to join because most of us are such close friends because we’ve spent two or three or four years doing this sort of thing together,” Crahan said. “For the freshmen, it can be a little hard to approach a group of juniors and sophomores who are super tight.”

To help facilitate bonding, Chorale mixes up rooming assignments on tour every night.

“You’re supposed to spend a lot of time w ith different people and get to know them better,” Crahan said.

For the Undertones, an allmale group that is a subset of the Glee Club and sings pop

Saint Mary’s Continued from page 1

since 2010, more than $13,000, according to the 2019-2020 Fact Book.

There has been a 43.9% increase in costs from $43,200 during 2010-2011 to $ 62,161 for the 2020-2021 full academic year according to the College financial aid site. This includes tuition and housing as well as an estimate for books, personal expenses and transportation.

A ll Saint Mar y’s students received some sort of financial aid, w ith 88.1% of aid during the 2018-2019 school year coming from the institution, an increase from 2010-2011’s 85.1% .

Enrollment Fall

2019

marked

1,578

“build a communit y where ever yone f lourishes, particularly those who are marginalized.”

The plunges are framed through the lens of Catholic social teaching, w ith an emphasis on a preferential option for the poor and the v ulnerable.

“We want to explore the overlap between the pursuit of the common good and the human dignit y for each person, and how those t wo things play together,” Gustine said.

During the four classes prior to the immersion, Gustine said the students learn about the nature of the cities and neighborhoods they w ill be v isiting in order to tr y to understand the different approaches people take to combat the issues facing the sites.

“We look at sy mptomatic

issues versus root causes of these social issues,” Gustine said. “We do that so when you go on the immersion we have a frame of reference to what we’re looking at.”

In just a few days, sophomore Amelia Love, who helped lead an Urban Plunge site in The Ville in St. Louis this year, said the goal was not to solve any problems but to simply tr y ing to understand them.

“It’s a great way to build solidarit y in St. Louis w ith communit y members I would not have other w ise met,” Love said.

After participating in an immersion both this year and last year, Love said she found it heartbreaking how overworked and understaffed the employees at the homeless center are, but she knows their work is greatly appreciated.

“Change is possible, but

it’s hard. But that shouldn’t be an excuse for not helping people,” Love said.

Sophomore Caroline Myers participated in Urban Plunge for the first time this winter break, and stayed with a Notre Dame alumni couple in neighborhood in Denver called Sun Valley, which Myers said is the poorest zip code in all of Colorado.

She said they worked w ith a few different nonprofits during the immersion to learn more about the homeless population in Sun Valley. One of the organizations operated w ith a simple mission of going into the streets in the neighborhood and hav ing discussions w ith the homeless people w ithout an agenda.

Myers, who is from Denver, said she was particularly struck by a man she met named Kev in, who during

their prayer broke dow n cr y ing.

“He talked about his struggle w ith alcohol … he wasn’t asking for money or a new life, but he was just w ishing for God to decide what was going to happen to him,” Myers said.

A lthough Myers lives fairly close to Sun Valley and had v isited many restaurants in the area, she said she had no idea so many of the houses were for the homeless.

“Being from a part of Denver where I can easily turn a blind eye to their struggles, it made me upset w ith myself because I’ve had the priv ilege of not hav ing to realize that there was homeless housing dow n the street from my favorite doughnut shop,” Myers said.

music, the tour is primarily about becoming better friends and engaging w ith alumni, Undertones president Ralph Moran said.

“It’s certainly a goal to at least break even,” Moran, a senior, said. “We primarily go on tour for t wo reasons.

One is to bring another dimension of brotherhood to the group ... [and] engaging the alumni, whether they be singing alumni or just regular Notre Dame alumni.”

Moran said it’s rewarding to have alumni say they wished the groups visited more often after creating and rehearsing a set.

“At the end of the day, that’s the thing that makes Notre Dame extra special,” Moran said. “We have this strong alumni network and we tour to share our music with those people.”

While the group typically does a winter tour in California or Florida, this year members toured the Pacific Northwest for the first time.

“The primar y reason is that we think there’s been a dearth of groups w illing to go up there, and there’s a lot of alums that are hungr y for Notre Dame’s art scene to come and v isit and engage that,” Moran said.

As part of the tour, the group performed in places such as Spokane, Seattle and Portland. They also went to schools and gave workshops, during which they answered questions about music, college and Notre Dame.

“We went to schools where there’s a lot of hype surrounding Notre Dame, so we served as an outlet for them to ask questions about the admissions process, what it’s

like, etcetera,” Moran said.

One of Moran’s favorite parts of the tour was performing in the Space Needle in Seattle, which made the Undertones one of only a few musical groups to do so.

“It goes w ithout say ing, singing in the Space Needle was out of this world,” Moran said. “The Needle rotates on the top so you stand on glass and there’s nothing underneath you and you slowly do a 360 around the Needle. We were not even given a time we were supposed to finish, we were just told once you completed a full rotation around the Needle, then you’ll know that it’s time to w rap up your set. That was just ama zing because we had the full sk yline of Seattle and the ocean and then we had a really energetic crowd as well.”

The group started

planning the tour in early October by reaching out to alumni clubs.

“It was a massive net working bonanza,” Moran said.

“We had to talk to so many people to make sure the concerts could come together in this place none of us had v isited before.”

The group also rehearsed its set, which included songs from Taylor Sw ift, Neon Trees and The Jackson 5.

Moran said based on the reception they received, the tour was ver y successful.

“We hope that it has paved the way for future groups of any t y pe, whether that be singing groups or musical groups or dance groups, to go to the Northwest and pursue a similar trek,” he said.

students attending Saint Mar y’s, including both undergraduate and graduate students. This is an increase from 2010’s 1,555 enrolled students, but this does not include graduate students.

Enrollment for graduate programs began in 2015.

W hile 2019 boasted an increase in applicants and admitted students from the 10 years prior, enrollment rates have steadily decreased since 2015. The years between 2015 and 2019 show a 8.6% decrease in undergraduate enrollment from 419 students to 383.

“It is our goal to ensure that students are grow ing and developing in a broad cross-section of academic areas,” director of admission Sarah Gallagher Dvorak said in an Aug. 23 Obser ver article. “Additionally, we look for students who already

exemplif y the core values that make our College special: A passion and calling for ser v ing others, leadership skills and a diversit y of interests and variet y of life experiences and backgrounds to help enrich the campus communit y.”

our high standards for students and fulfill our commitment to energ y efficiency and sustainabilit y,” said Dana Strait, v ice president for strateg y and finance, in an Aug. 14 press release.

College’s percentage of firstgeneration students has steadily risen since 20.1% in 2014 to 27.2% in 2019.

In October 2019, Saint Mar y’s announced Redgina L. Hill as the new executive director of inclusion and equit y.

“I am extremely pleased to be welcoming Redgina Hill into this role,” Interim President Nancy Nekvasil said in an Oct. 11 release. “She brings an incredible amount of experience and enthusiasm to help carry forward our agenda of continual increase in access for students from all backgrounds. This is an important step at Saint Mary’s College as we seek to create a welcoming, diverse community where all have an opportunity to succeed.”

Demographics Endowment The College’s endow ment saw a 71.1% increase in market value from $117,565,362 in 2010 to $201,131,308 in 2019.

Summer 2019 marked the beginning of many renovations to the Saint Mar y’s campus. These changes were funded by the College’s endow ment as well as an approved bond of up to $ 51.5 million.

“We are thankful to have a healthy endow ment and a budget to support our campus’ rich histor y, maintain

Throughout the past decade, Saint Mar y’s worked to increase the diversit y of its student body.

As of 2010, 83.3% of the student population was white, w ith less than 20% representing nonwhite demographics. The percentage of white students decreased to 75% in 2019.

Though the College is a Catholic institution, the percentage of Roman Catholic students has steadily decreased from 2014’s 79.6% to 2019’s 69.7% .

At the same time, the

Contact Serena Zacharias at szachari@nd.edu

Contact Alexandra Muck at amuck@nd.edu

Contact Maria Leontaras at mleontaras01@saintmarys.edu

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NEWS

The observer | wednesday, january 15, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Notre Dame Continued from page 1

consistent hikes in the cost of admission at Notre Dame.

The cost of tuition increased by 39% since 2010 — more than $15,000 — according to data from the Universit y’s annual reports.

In the fall of 2019, tuition cost $ 55,046, compared to $39,412 in 2010. Tuition increased by an average of 3.78% each year, and the increase of 3.69% from 2017 to 2018 was the lowest in “more than 50 years,” Universit y President Fr. John Jenkins said.

The average total cost of attendance also increased 39% during the 2010s.

The total cost includes tuition as well as meals, housing, books and fees. The total cost in 2019 is $74,193, Notre Dame’s website stated. From 2010 to 2018, the total cost increased from $ 53,239 to $71,801, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

In recent years, Notre Dame has announced tuition changes in Februar y.

The average financial aid award per recipient increased 57% over the decade, according to data prov ided by the office of financial aid.

In t he fa ll of 2019, t he average aid package was $ 39,603 per recipient, preliminar y numbers from t he Universit y showed. In 2010, t he average award was $25,163. Over 10 years, t he average package increased by nearly $15,000.

Overa ll Universit y scholarship expenditure increased 61% , from $100,852,536 in t he 2010-2011 school year to a projected $162,412,534 in t he 2019-2020 school year.

Enrollment Enrollment at Notre Dame has stayed fairly consistent since the beginning of the decade. In the 2010-2011 school year, the Universit y enrolled 8,729 undergraduates and

Basilica Continued from page 1

director of ND Studios, noted the need for upgraded technolog y in the Basilica for an improved broadcasting experience of the 10 a.m. Mass. ”We often received feedback from viewers that they couldn’t hear or understand the choir, for example,” Skendzel said in an email. ”We can now address that for broadcast viewers without affecting the experience in the Basilica.”

Barrett said collaboration was key to carry out the improvement work.

“It was truly a joint project

Of the non-international students during the 2010-2011 school year, 73% of undergraduates were white. About 10% of undergraduates were Hispanic or Latino. That year, 0.5% of undergraduates identified as Native American. Asian students made up about 6% of the undergraduate population while black students represented 3% of the undergraduate population. Two percent of undergraduates were multiracial.

Non-international white students made up 68% of

the undergraduate population in fall of 2018. About 11% of students were Hispanic or Latino and 0.2% identified as Native American. About 4.7% of undergraduate students were Asian and 3.7% of students were black. Four students identified as Pacific Islanders and multiracial students made up 5% of the student body.

In 2010-2011, international students made up nearly 4% of the undergraduate student body. In fall 2018, about 7% of undergraduates were international students.

Women made up about 46% of undergraduates during the 2010-2011 school year, as compared to 48% of undergraduates in fall 2018.

During the 2010-2011 school year, 13% of undergraduate students received Pell Grants as compared to 11% of undergraduates during the 2017-2018 school year.

Pratt said in the coming years, the undergraduate admissions team w ill continue to focus on increasing diversit y at Notre Dame.

“As in the past, we w ill continue our efforts to increase the diversit y of the entering class,” she said.

“The undergraduate communit y at Notre Dame w ill continue to f lourish w ith students from diverse backgrounds — socioeconomic diversit y, geographic diversit y, ethnic diversit y, cultural diversit y and global diversit y. We w ill continue our best efforts to attract young scholars from across the countr y and around the world.”

According to The Insider’s Guide to the Colleges, 2010, about 80% of Notre Dame students identified as Catholic in 2010. In 2019, associate v ice president Don Bishop said the class of 2023 was 81.5% Catholic.

“We’ve always been around 80% to 80-some odd percent [Catholic].

I don’t think that’s new news,” Bishop told The Obser ver in August.

between our two departments,” Barrett said.

Although the new speakers and microphones required “a great deal of new wiring,” Barett said, the typical viewer will not notice anything different visually.

“We definitely brought in representatives from facilities design to assist us in ensuring that we maintained the integrity and beauty of the Basilica,” Barrett said.

Barrett said improving the articulation and consistency of sound in the Basilica was an objective of the upgrade.

“Spoken and sung words are so important in the Mass and other prayers — we want everyone to be able

to understand the scripture readings, homilies, and the texts of the music from the cantor and choirs,” Barrett said.

Also, the building is now better connected with the Rex and Alice A. Martin Media Center on campus, which houses part of ND Studios.

“The Basilica has seven remote control cameras that are operated from the media center for broadcast and recording purposes,” Skendzel said. “In addition to improving the sound quality in the Basilica, the recently completed audio upgrade makes it possible to mix audio separately for broadcast and

4,181 graduate students.

According to its website, Notre Dame currently has 8,617 undergraduates and 3,990 graduate/professional students.

Admission rates, however, have decreased since 2010, as Notre Dame has seen increasing numbers of applicants. In 2010, Notre Dame rev iewed 14,521 applications for the class of 2014 and accepted 29% of those who applied. Nearly 43% of early applicants were accepted from this pool. In 2019, the Universit y received 22,199 applicants for the class of 2023. From that group, 15.8% were admitted, and about 21% of early applicants were admitted.

Director of undergraduate admissions Christ y Pratt said the increase in applicants was in line w ith a nation-w ide pattern.

“Applications over the past nine years have been on an upward trend nationally,” she said in an email.

“With the advent of application platforms such as The Common Application, The Coalition Application and The Universal Application, students have greater access to multiple colleges and universities.”

The Gateway Program was founded in 2013, and consisted of 17 students, according to Notre Dame Maga zine.

Now, the program consists of about 75 students.

Demographics

Crime Overall criminal offenses saw no clear pattern of increase or decrease over the decade, according to NDPD’s Annual Securit y and Fire Safet y reports. The lowest number of offenses were reported in 2013 and 2018 at 45, and 2015 reported the highest at 85.

Sex offenses generally increased, w ith a minimum of seven in 2012 and a ma x imum of 24 in 2017.

Drug and alcohol v iolations show more variation by year but have also increased.

No hate crimes were reported to the Universit y from 2010 to 2018, according to the reports.

Campus infrastructure Notre Dame’s construction funding policy mandates buildings be primarily funded by contributions from benefactors.

Since 2010, the Universit y has completed about 20 projects, according to its website.

These included the Compton Family Ice Arena, Purcell Pav ilion at the Joyce Center and Hesburgh Librar y renovations.

The Universit y told the South Bend Tribune in 2014 it planned to spend more than $712 million on construction and renovation projects until 2019. Since then, the Universit y has spent $ 505 million on Campus Crossroads, $72 million on Jenkins and Nanov ic Halls, used a $33 million gift for the Walsh Family Hall of Architecture and a $20 million donation for Baumer Hall, among other projects.

Notre Dame is currently involved in eight major construction projects, including the replacement of Corby Hall and McKenna Hall, renovation of Dillon Hall and construction of a new dorm, Johnson Family Hall.

Research spending Notre Dame is ranked 101st among other academic institutions in research

recording purposes. This was not possible with the previous system.”

Barrett said the renovation allows for the widespread dissemination of services in the Basilica.

“This renovation makes it possible to share our prayer in the Basilica with the wider community through a livestream or taped video, with the best quality sound we can offer,” Barrett said.

Father Pete McCormick, the director of Campus Ministry, said the upgrades will improve the worship experience now and in the future.

“Day in and day out, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart seeks to praise God

and development spending, according to data from the National Science Foundation. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education names Notre Dame as an R1 research institution.

Research expenditures nearly doubled from 2010 to 2018, increasing from $110,360,000 to $220,000,000.

External research funding rose 52% from $118,845,047 in 2010 to $180,628,753 in 2019.

Endowment The value of Notre Dame’s endow ment pool has increased dramatically over the last decade. At the end of the 2010 fiscal year, it amounted to $ 6.07 billion, and the Universit y’s endow ment market value was ranked 11th highest in the nation by the NCES. By the end of the fiscal year in 2019, the endow ment was $13.78 billion — show ing a 127% increase from the start of the decade.

Vice president and chief investment officer Scott Malpass said in an email that the endow ment’s grow th has been gratif y ing for Notre Dame’s financial aid, facult y and resources. “[The endow ment pool] is the financial life-blood of the Universit y and critical to our aspirations as a worldclass institution,” Malpass said.

Notre Dame’s endow ment is considerably higher than most American colleges, w ith the median endow ment for all ranked institutions in 2018 at $ 65.1 million, according to U.S. News.

By the end of the 2018 fiscal year, U.S. News ranked the market value of Notre Dame’s endow ment 13th highest in the countr y, t wo slots lower than its NCES ranking in 2010.

Contact Kelli Smith at ksmith67@nd.edu, Natalie Weber at nweber@nd.edu, Mary Bernard at mbernar5@nd.edu and Mary Steurer at msteure1@nd.edu

through the proclamation of the Scriptures and Sacred Hymns,” McCormick said in an email. “The upgraded audio will support this important ministry long into the future.”

Barrett said worshippers have already started noticing differences in the sound experience at the Basilica.

“We were very, very grateful not only to hear the difference ourselves, but to listen to the comments of other Mass-goers who were so glad to be able to hear and understand every spoken and sung word,” Barrett said.

Contact Cate Von Dohlen at cvondohl@nd.edu

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The observer | wednesday, january 15, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

By DESSI GOMEZ Scene Writer

Greta Gerwig’s adapted screenplay of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel, “Little Women,” captured attention with its cast and kept that attention through its effective cinematography. This latest rendition of a classic story about family and the social status of women ignited hope in the hearts of viewers at the close of 2019.

Even from the trailer alone, one could sense the chaotic chemistry between the March sisters. Much of the story’s conflict sparks between Saoirse Ronan’s fiery Jo and Florence Pugh’s ambitious Amy. Responsible Meg and gentle Beth, played by Emma Watson and Eliza Scanlen, respectively, bookend the two middle sisters with grace.

Throughout the movie, the four March girls find a way to rise above any altercations due to their strong bonds, an ability reflected in the characterization of Laura Dern’s patient Marmee.

Meryl Streep does not disappoint in her crotchety portrayal of old Aunt March. Both regal and wry, she unsuccessfully attempts to dull Jo’s flame while significantly stoking Amy’s. Her ragged voice does sound a bit familiar, but that’s probably because she seems to star in practically every movie. Timothée Chalamet ties the whole film together as Laurie. He combines an air of mischief and fierce protectiveness of the March girls with obvious talent. Anything could happen

By GINA TWARDOSZ Scene Writer

While 2020 may be the start of a new decade, the sun (or suns) has set on the Star Wars saga. “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” is the final film both in the most recent trilogy and in the series as a whole. For many, it was the end of all things, but for new or young Star Wars fans, this new trilogy signified a beginning.

“The Rise of Skywalker” was released just before Christmas. While home for winter break, I attended a showing with my father, who is old enough to have seen the first movie, “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope,” in theaters back in 1977. We had differing opinions about Episode IX, and so did many other Star Wars fans.

My father, who belongs to the now-infamous category of “baby boomer,” enjoyed the movie for its jam-packed moments of action and plethora of light-saber fight sequences. I, however, felt that the movie left something to be desired.

Maybe that’s because I was such a fan of Rian Johnson’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” Johnson’s “The Last Jedi” was surprising, especially in its unique presentation of what it means to be a hero: you can be a nobody, an orphan or someone who just doesn’t know their place in the world yet, but that doesn’t mean that you are anything less than special.

But director J.J. Abrams callously undermines the previous movie’s message in his “The Rise of Skywalker.”

when Chalamet’s Laurie has a gleam in his eye.

The scene of Jo and Laurie’s “meet cute” stole my heart — and their later disagreement broke it. The energy between Chalamet and Ronan is palpable as they stumble through “proper” dance moves in their own world, so to speak, far away from the elegant party.

Maybe I felt the residual heartbreak from Chalamet and Ronan’s failed relationship in “Lady Bird,” but Jo’s rejection of Laurie’s marriage proposal left me wishing they had at least given marriage a shot. I can’t begrudge Jo if she didn’t truly love Laurie, but I thought the two would’ve made a great couple. I guess this is just a sign that Ronan and Chalamet should date in real life.

The absence of a love story between Jo and Laurie began to feel even more poignant when Pugh’s Amy became a potential candidate for Chalamet’s Laurie.

It is undeniable that Amy exhibits a powerful passion of her own in painting, yet I found myself constantly annoyed with her efforts to tag-along with Jo or Meg when they went anywhere. This annoyance was compounded when her antics culminated in the burning of Jo’s writing. Such are the stakes of sisterhood.

The movie’s back-and-forth narrative structure took some adjustment. Once it became established, though, I enjoyed drawing connections between past and future. This non-chronological format fostered strong parallels in the scenes depicting Beth’s two bouts of illness. The colors in the March house during

these two episodes could not have contrasted more— the second time around hinted at tragedy with darker grays and blues. And the same can be said for the pair of beach scenes. All four sisters (and Laurie) happily frolic about during their first visit to the sea. Later, Jo and Beth return on their own, the result being a more solemn and somber moment between the two.

As for Jo’s romantic moment at the end of the film, I’m not sure I was entirely convinced. Ronan created such a headstrong woman writer who seemed perfectly self-sufficient. I hope Jo didn’t take Mr. Dashwood’s words too seriously and marry just for an ending, just as her heroine had to do.

With its cavalry of a cast and clever filming, Gerwig’s “Little Women” is a must-see.

He chooses to name Rey’s grandfather as the evil Sith Emperor Palpatine.

Rey, in true Star Wars moralistic fashion, overcomes the pull towards the dark side, but this totally changes Rey’s characterization. The revelation that Rey belongs to such a bloodline removes some of her agency— she is constrained by the archetypal binary of good or evil. She comes from evil and is supposed to become evil, yet ultimately chooses to be good, to embody the side of the “light,” because of the goodness shared by Leia and Luke Skywalker. It wraps things up a little too neatly and a little too expectedly, and it makes her less of an “everyman” than she was in “The Last Jedi” (when all we knew about Rey’s family is that her parents were nobodies).

From a visual standpoint, Abrams managed to create a fast-paced phantasm of light-speed jumps, strobing and the combustion of planets. However, I felt that the movie didn’t slow down enough, mainly in terms of minor character development. Many have questioned the film’s prioritization of screen time for the General Leia Organa hologram over that of new Star Wars favorite, Rose Tico, who was played by Kelly Marie Tran — the first Asian American woman in franchise history to be cast in a leading role. In “The Last Jedi,” Rose was a main character, but in “The Rise of Skywalker,” she was demoted to the role of a minor character, appearing on screen for only about 2 minutes.

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” attempted too much in too little time. There’s nothing wrong with

bringing back old favorite characters like Han, Leia and Luke, as well as Lando Calrissian from “Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back.”

When this is done to the detriment of many new, beloved characters, though, the movie loses its story and nuance, becoming merely a vehicle for parading unrealized characters into view solely to determine who will be “best in show.” Leia, Luke and Rey (the Skywalkers) soak up the most screen time at the expense of the more diverse or interesting minor characters. This makes the movie predictable.

J.J. Abrams had his hands full in finishing one of the most beloved sagas in the history of film, and while he delivered a fast-paced, visually stunning action movie that many loved, some “movie-making magic” was missing in the end.

Contact Dessi Gomez at dgomez5@nd.edu

“Little Women” Director: Greta Gerwig Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Timothee Chalamet, Meryl Streep If you like: Louisa May Alcott’s novel, “Lady Bird,” “Anne of Green Gables”

Contact Gina Twardosz at gtwardosz01@saintmarys.edu

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” Director: J.J. Abrams Starring: Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega If you like: The original Star Wars trilogy

CRISTINA INTERIANO | The Observer

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The observer | Wednesday, January 15, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Inside Column

The Observer’s top 10 posts of the 2010s

You can’t just drone strike the bad guys Mary Szromba Banter from the Bend

Kelli Smith Editor-in-Chief

In the last decade, The Observer has hosted thousands of diverse stories and viewpoints. As I wondered about an opening column for the 2020s, I thought of an idea I’m hoping I won’t regret: reviewing our most-viewed content of the last 10 years.

I’ve always been confounded by some of the pieces that end up taking off. My takeaway is virality is unpredictable, and our audience even more so. If you’re like me, some of these might surprise you.

But without further ado, here are the most viewed posts on The Observer’s website over the last decade: 10. We should know about incidents off-campus With 26,406 views, this 2014 letter is a short, pointed questioning of the University’s failure to inform students of off-campus crimes.

Written after a Holy Cross student was shot less than a mile from campus, the author ended it with a poignant question: “In the meantime, I think we should ask ourselves: are we a University with an administration, or an Administration with a university?”

9. Never cross a picket line This letter brought in 26,649 views and sparked a firestorm in the comments by arguing that labor unions are good for the working class.

Leave it to the Notre Dame community to engage in a good old-fashioned economic debate.

8. Leggings: Another mom’s view See No. 1 (spoiler alert).

7. Notre Dame admits 3,410 students in most selective year yet Admissions stories always top the charts. Less known, however, are the emails our reporters get as a result of these pieces. I wrote a report a few years ago and received a surprising number of messages from alumni asking why their grandchild wasn’t accepted or if I could “put in a good word” for specific applicants since I clearly have an in with admissions. Actually, dear readers, I was waitlisted — so my guess is as good as yours.

6. An Unofficial Guide to Notre Dame Football Weekends 5. A Texas thank you If we didn’t have top posts about football, it wouldn’t be Notre Dame.

“A Texas thank you” is easily the most heartwarming post on this list.

Written in 2015 by a Longhorns fan who visited campus for the UTNotre Dame game, the letter thanks the Notre Dame community for “remarkable hospitality and generosity.” With 36,453 views, the Irish community seems to have appreciated that note.

4. What can body odor tell us about sexual attraction and sexual orientation?

This one surprised me at first glance, but I’ve never been great at science. With 48,710 views, this letter analyzes whether body odor is good for you. Not sure what the letter’s virality says about our community, but I’m not one to judge.

3. Notre Dame senior lacrosse player stops robbery Some more wholesome content. With 49,286 views, this story rehashes senior Tommy McNamara’s unbelievable actions after chasing down a robber in downtown South Bend. We love a good hero story.

2. Playlist: 17 songs about being 17 This was our highest tracking post for most of the decade. Whether because it invokes nostalgia or because it reached the right circles, this collection of songs is consistently trending. At 128,396 views, our staff long hailed it as our unbreachable top post — until last March.

1. The legging problem Coming in hot at No. 1 with 202,980 views is Maryann White’s infamous letter about leggings. This one is personal for me because it went viral my second week as Editor-in-Chief, and I’m unspeakably scarred from having to moderate hundreds of outrageous comments on it. I spent my entire 21st birthday reading the world’s hot takes on “nether regions” and “blackly naked rear ends.” What’s worse, the comments still haven’t stopped coming in — have fun, next Editor-in-Chief!

In all seriousness, as The Observer embarks on a new decade, we’re continually measuring what engages our audience — you — the most.

Drop a story tip or letter to the editor this new year, because our content is unquestionably enhanced by your thoughts and insights. For our sake, hopefully that involves less debacles over body odor and leggings — but hey, all viewpoints are welcome here.

Contact Kelli Smith at ksmith67@nd.edu The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

One of President Trump’s major campaign promises was an end to prolonged conflicts in the Middle East. “I’m the guy that didn’t want to go to war,” he said in 2016, and his anti-deployment stance likely won him the votes of those living in counties with high military casualty rates.

For a while the president seemed to be making good on that promise in his own, sloppy way. He pulled U.S. troops out of Syria, citing his desire to end involvement in “intense fighting along the Turkish border,” and to ignore “those who mistakenly got us into the Middle East wars.” Ignoring the fact that the Syria pullout was one of the most poorly thought out and dangerous security decisions in Trump’s presidency, it did appear as though the president was making an honest effort to reduce American involvement in active conflicts.

That all changed when Trump ordered a drone strike that killed Iranian general Qassim Soleimani two weeks ago.

In news that should shock absolutely no one who has been following this presidency, Trump’s decision to kill Soleimani stunned Pentagon officials, who had included such an extreme option to make their other strategies for Iran more palatable. The option to kill Soleimani was available to both Presidents Bush and Obama, yet neither one of them seriously considered doing so, as it was clear the costs would outweigh the benefits.

Don’t get me wrong, Soleimani was a bad guy. But we don’t just drone strike all the bad guys around the world. Doing so would lead to intense retaliation, and the fear is that this could lead to another war, the very thing Trump claimed he wanted to avoid.

While Twitter’s fears of World War III are likely overblown, there is real danger here. Trump’s decision to kill Soleimani puts Americans abroad at risk, particularly those in embassies, and Iran has already launched missiles at American troops stationed in Iraq. Fortunately, no one was killed, as it was simply meant to be a show of force. Symbolic gestures, however, can have huge implications for national security.

Iran has abandoned the 2015 nuclear deal and now recognizes no limitations on uranium enrichment, Iraqi lawmakers have voted to expel American troops from the country and the Iranian Foreign Minister has declared the strike an act of war that requires a response.

All of these gestures are dangerous. They put American lives and international security at risk, and will greatly impact how the U.S. is able to operate in the Middle East in the future. Already, the U.S.-led coalition in Syria responsible for fighting ISIS has halted its activities out of fear of an Iranian attack.

The worry is not another world war, but that these escalating symbolic gestures will force the U.S. to respond.

Perhaps Trump can avoid another endless war in the Middle East, but he may not be able to avoid endless, competing shows of strength.

Faced with this reality, one would assume that President Trump would attempt to de-escalate the situation. Instead, he has

threatened to bomb 52 sites in Iran, some of which he claimed were “very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture,” implying that some of them may be cultural sites. He then told reporters, “They’re allowed to kill our people. They’re allowed to torture and maim our people. They’re allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people, and we’re not allowed to touch their cultural site? It doesn’t work that way.”

Fortunately, it does work that way.

Purposely attacking cultural sites is, of course, a war crime. It’s unlikely that Trump would ever be able to get away with bombing cultural sites, but the fact that he threatened to do so goes a long way towards increasing tension in an already dangerously tense situation.

With the killing of Soleimani, Trump has displayed a staggering level of ignorance when it comes to foreign policy. He has put the lives of American troops at risk, jeopardized the fight against terrorism abroad, and has threatened international nuclear security in one fell swoop. Perhaps worst of all, he has been unable to offer a good reason for doing so.

The first explanation the administration was able to come up with was the vague notion of an “imminent attack” orchestrated by Soleimani. After it became clear that such an ambiguous justification wasn’t going to appease his critics, Trump claimed that Soleimani was planning to blow up an American embassy. Later, he claimed it was actually multiple embassies in other countries. He then claimed it was exactly four embassies.

Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper then revealed on CBS that he had not reviewed any evidence pointing to the idea that Soleimani was planning to attack an embassy, and several lawmakers have stated that there was no mention of an imminent attack on an American embassy in the briefing they received last Wednesday.

Reacting to the criticism over his vague justifications, Trump tweeted that his reasoning for the strike “doesn’t really matter because of his horrible past!”

This sentiment, of course, is representative of the heart and soul of the Trump presidency. Trump has endangered the lives of many, jeopardized national and international security and has been completely unable to communicate to the public in clear terms why he has done so. But, he says, it doesn’t matter why he did it because we got the bad guy.

Unfortunately for the president, foreign policy isn’t always about getting the bad guy. Sometimes, we let the bad guys live so that we can pursue greater, more important goals other than vengeance.

Unsurprisingly, this political nuance appears to have gone over Trump’s head.

“It doesn’t really matter,” he said. And for once, I hope he’s right.

Mary Szromba is a senior majoring in philosophy and political science, and she’s never been wrong about anything in her entire life. Questions, comments and anonymous love letters can be directed to mszromba@nd.edu or @_murrrrrr on Twitter.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

The observer | Wednesday, january 15, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

77

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Swipe policy is not backed by public ND data Notre Dame claimed increased threats to campus justified revoking universal dorm swipe access. Public records indicate a decrease in cases handled by the Notre Dame Police Department (NDPD) between 2016 to 2018.

Shortly before the fall semester began, director of residential life Breyan Tornifolio announced at the end of hall staff training that Notre Dame would no longer grant students swipe access to dorms in which they did not reside, a change of policy from previous years that was sharply criticized by student leaders. The Observer reported that the Notre Dame administration made this decision to “increase safety” and to match the policies Notre Dame’s peer institutions had implemented.

Notre Dame administrators have made it clear their intentions are to increase security measures on campus, including through more invasive means than are currently present. As The Observer reported, NDPD chief Keri Kei Shibata stated the police force is looking to install Closed Circuit Television Cameras to monitor dorm entrances and exits.

But Notre Dame administrators have been unable or unwilling to share data with student leaders that allowed them to come to these decisions. When asked by parliamentarian sophomore Thomas Davis if Notre Dame administrators would share the documentation used to make these decisions with the student senate, associate vice president for residential life Heather Rakoczy Russell responded that Notre Dame did not “own that data” they were using to make their decisions, and that Notre Dame administrators therefore were unable to share the data with student leaders.

Upon reading this, I felt disturbed by the lack of transparency that Notre Dame’s administration was showing and the lack of apparent care for student feedback shown by administrators. Surely, they could not have totally

neglected internal data in their decision making, and there would therefore have to be some data that the Notre Dame administration owned that it could anonymize and share with student leaders. Perhaps, I thought, there would be something about this data that would not support Notre Dame’s decision. I began to look for ways to obtain data that would help to inform this decision when I stumbled upon the NDPD crime logs.

Notre Dame regularly puts out crime logs, which are available on a NDPD website. These crime logs detail the individual incidents that are reported to NDPD and Notre Dame’s administration gives brief descriptions of each case. Crimes that are reported to NDPD are assigned a case number, while violations handled by other University officials (for example, the Office of Community Standards) are not assigned a number. Multiple crimes that the police believe to be related are assigned to the same case number, while unrelated crimes are assigned to different case numbers.

Seeing the urgency of Notre Dame’s behavior to increase safety measures despite student pushback, one might believe that crime at Notre Dame has increased in recent years. After all, if crime has increased, then extra safety measures that restrict students may be merited. A careful analysis of public campus crime records, however, indicates that crime has decreased on campus in recent years, calling into question the wisdom of the decision to revoke swipe access.

Crime reported to NDPD sharply and significantly decreased between 2016 and 2018. The number of lines in the crime log corresponding to criminal incidents handled

by NDPD fell 2.7% between the logs published in 2016 and 2017, and fell 11.3% between those published in 2017 and 2018. The number of unique cases handled by NDPD fell by an even greater rate: a decrease of 6.4% between the

logs published in 2016 and 2017, and by a whopping 20.3% between logs published in 2017 and 2018. In other words, if the purpose of the dorm swipe policy change was to “increase safety,” it came at a time when crime had been significantly decreasing.

Students should not simply accept Notre Dame’s opinions on safety as fact when the administration is either unable or unwilling to present data to back up their justification for policies that significantly affect student life at Notre Dame. With the implementation of the off-campus exclusion policy (or as the administration calls it, “differentiation”) around the corner, it is important that student leaders do not take the Notre Dame administration’s justification for their proposals at face value. If Notre Dame seeks to create policies that are made to benefit students, all students should have the ability to provide input, and as much data used in making these decisions should be made public as possible.

Rather than announcing substantial policy changes right before move-in or in the week prior to final exams, I would encourage the Notre Dame administration to pursue a policy of obtaining public comments, much like any federal agency would do when making final rules. This would allow for policies to be subject to fair public scrutiny and provide an organized process by which all students could provide input to decisions that significantly affect campus life.

If our administration wishes to implement sound policy through bringing as many voices to the table as possible, it should take this stride towards transparency and implement it as soon as possible.

Mike Dugan junior Jan. 14

A letter to my fellow Jews Blake Ziegler News with Zig

Notre Dame was founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross, not a bunch of rabbis. So, it is understandable that a Catholic university might not cover Jewish events. I am perfectly fine with this; Catholic education is part of why I decided to come here. However, it does not mean we should be silent towards the Jewish suffering across the nation.

Last semester, I realized the platform that columnists enjoy. I have the privilege to share my opinion on a widely read resource, and that carries a responsibility of showcasing underrepresented narratives to educate the community. Thus, I feel an obligation to discuss the Jewish community during important times, especially as a Jew myself. This is one of those times.

We cannot deny the persistent presence of anti-Semitism in the United States. The stabbing of five Jews in New York a few weeks ago continues the rise of anti-Semitic violence.

Jews celebrating Hanukkah in New York saw a string of attacks during the holiday, showcasing the danger of being Jewish in America today. But this is not a new occurrence.

In 2017, we saw a 57% increase in hate crimes towards Jews compared to 2016. Based on 2018 statistics, 60% of religiously-motivated hate crimes were directed towards Jews, accounting for 1,879 incidents. Oren Segal, vice president of the center on extremism for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), stated these are “near-historic levels” of antiSemitism in the United States. Whether it is the Pittsburgh shooting or the gunman in the Poway synagogue, Jews certainly feel the presence of anti-Semitism. Synagogues have increased security during worship, especially in New York, where many of these attacks have occurred. One only has to turn on the news after these events to see the constant coverage of American Jewry under duress.

Based on this information, one could understandably see why Jews might be fearful to step outside. However, this

is far from the reality.

American Jews still proudly display their faith despite anti-Semitic attitudes. An October 2019 survey from the American Jewish Committee explains that 95% of American Jews would not avoid participating in Jewish events out of fear for their safety. This is not the first time Jews have been exposed to hatred, and it will certainly not be the last. Nevertheless, Jews still recognize the importance of celebrating their faith.

The persistence of the Jewish community against the pervasiveness of anti-Semitism is why I wrote this column. It may seem easy to simply hide to avoid danger.

However, Jews cannot be silent towards these threats.

We cannot stash away our kippahs and not attend services out of fear, hoping that us abandoning the faith will end the hatred. This is flawed thinking. Hiding will only let the violence continue.

History has certainly not been kind to Jews, but it is especially unkind when hatred is allowed to fester. IF we accept the media’s portrayal of a dangerous atmosphere that must be feared, we also accept the notion of Jews as an endangered species. That is not the Jewish community I know.

My Jewish community is one that is proud of its heritage and faith. It is one that lives by its values in the face of antiSemitism, working towards a just world void of hate. It is not comprised of members afraid to step outside or display their identity; rather, they celebrate their heritage.

I implore American Jews to combat anti-Semitism by not hiding their Judaism. Wear it proudly and proclaim the faith in the face of hatred. When evil is confronted with good, it is blinded by the light.

This is not the first time Jews have stood up to hatred.

Throughout history, the Jewish people have faced evil and came out on top.

Just last year, Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein of the Poway synagogue shooting called for Jews to keep publicly being Jewish despite anti-Semitism. His powerful message led to increased attendance in his congregation, a statement in defiance of anti-Semites and their despicable actions. It

symbolizes the persistence of Judaism in the face of evil, a constant theme for the Jewish people.

I reiterate Rabbi Goldstein’s call in the wake of these recent attacks, hoping that more Jews continue to celebrate their Jewish identity. Wear your kippahs, light the Shabbat candles, put up mezuzahs and attend services despite the fear one may have. Fear is nothing to a community united against hatred.

Even recently, Jews celebrated #JewishandProud Day, showcasing Judaism despite anti-Semitism. These actions are a necessary effort to not only showcase Jewish pride but to combat the hatred of anti-Semites.

Moreover, this is an opportunity for American Jews to grow deeper in faith. As we mourn the losses and pray for the recovery of the injured, American Jews can honor them by celebrating Judaism. Following recent events, practicing Jewish traditions not only upholds a religious obligation, but also symbolizes a Jew’s commitment to his Jewish identity.

Personally, I will begin to wear my kippah publicly outside of synagogue. I hope this act invites conversation to educate others and stamp out the ignorance anti-Semitism capitalizes on.

This is not simply a call for American Jews to remain faithful following tragedy. It is also an opportunity to educate non-Jews about the perspective of the Jewish community and the support necessary to end hate against a beautiful, vibrant community. Together, we can come closer to a world we all want to achieve: a world without hate.

Blake Ziegler is a freshman at Notre Dame from New Orleans, Louisiana, with double majors in political science and philosophy. He hopes his writing encourages others to take an interest in politics and government. For inquiries, he can be reached at bziegler@nd.edu or @NewsWithZig on Twitter.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

8

DAILY

The observer | wednesday, january 15, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Crossword | JOE KROZEL

Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Reach for the stars. Don’t be afraid to show how passionate you feel about what you do professionally or personally. Make your words count, live up to your promises and show others that you mean business.

Turn this into a year filled with success, expansion and high expectations.

Embrace change, and take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. Your numbers are 7, 10, 16, 24, 28, 33, 42.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Keep a level head. If you overreact, you’ll make matters worse. Rely on your skills and your ability to pull things together quickly. Collaborating with a peer will make you twice as powerful when presenting what you have to offer.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Set the standard, and follow through with your plans. You can impress someone, but don’t do so if it will affect your reputation. At some point, you’ll be forced to say no. Cut your losses, and walk away from a bad deal.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Times are changing, but are you willing to make a move? Opportunities coupled with your creative ideas should help you make a positive change in your life. Someone you meet through education, traveling or networking will attract your attention.

CANCER ( June 21-July 22): Resolving an emotional issue will be much easier if you offer an enticing incentive. Aesthetic changes to your home will cheer you up and encourage you to host a gathering. A little romance will lift your spirits as well as your confidence.

LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22): Take action and do your own thing to get ahead.

Talks won’t amount to anything if you can’t demonstrate the result. Empty promises are likely if you trust someone who tends to say what you want to hear.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You may have to reinvent your strategy to fit current economic trends. Don’t hold back; be articulate, detailed and persistent. Someone you respect will stand by you and your decision, even if those closest to you give you a hard time.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You have to play to win. Don’t count on friends and people in high positions to help you. It’s best to take the initiative and go it alone. A problem at home may leave you speechless. Don’t give in to threats.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Start putting your ideas out to the universe.

Move fast, and you’ll stay ahead of the competition. Use your creative genius to cut corners. Make contributions to groups you feel have something to offer in return. Make plans with someone you love.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You can get by on charm and capture your audience, but don’t exaggerate, or someone will question you. If you leave something unfinished, the repercussions will be detrimental in moving forward. A lesson you experience will help you move on.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Dominate whatever situation you face. If change is what you desire, start the ball rolling. Make a point to engage in talks that will encourage others to respond favorably to your plans.

Romance is on the rise.

AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You’ll have a great idea, and if properly executed, you stand to make some cash. You’ll be able to get your point heard and make a difference. Work quickly, leave nothing to chance and focus on finishing what you start.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Keep your thoughts a secret. Take time to help others by providing a service or offering your time. Be a team player, and someone will offer you valuable information that will come in handy.

Personal gain is apparent.

Birthday Baby: You are charismatic, intense and passionate. You are innovative and tenacious.

Sudoku | The Mepham Group

Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek

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SPORTS

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, january 15, 2020 | The Observer

M Bball

Sports Authority

Clemson deserves appreciation Liam Coolican Sports Writer

On their way to the national title game, Clemson had many doubters. The media has been lambasting them all year for playing in a weak conference and not being as good as last year’s title-winning team was, which is not completely untrue. The ACC, especially this year, was arguably the worst of the Power Five conferences.

Although he was still outstanding, sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s stats have not been quite as good.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney clearly feeds on the doubters and inspires his team to do the same.

Clemson blew out nearly everybody they faced this season, and while the best team they played in the regular season was 8-5 Wake Forest, they obliterated them 52-3.

In the ACC championship game, they faced a solid team in Virginia, and beat them 62-17. Virginia lost by just one score to No. 9 Florida in the Orange Bowl.

The media hones in on Clemson’s narrow win against North Carolina. The team escaped 21-20 on the road against a Tar Heels team that would barely be bowl-eligible. This clearly wasn’t their best game, and other playoff teams (excluding Oklahoma, who did lose to Kansas State) didn’t have many close games against inferior opponents. LSU played many close games, but they also played a very tough schedule in the SEC West, and Ohio State didn’t have a single one-score game until they lost to Clemson in the semi-finals.

Ohio State was seen by many before the playoffs as the best team in the country, as many fans and media members put them in front of even LSU. Undoubtably, they were a great team. They beat a very good Wisconsin team twice, defeated Penn State and blew out Michigan on the road. Most people picked Ohio State to come away with the win.

But after a tough first half, the playoff experience of quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the rest of the roster proved to be the difference as Clemson came back for a 2923 win.

They entered the title game with no losses in the last two seasons. With 29 consecutive

wins, Clemson had the 12thlongest winning streak in the history of college football.

That is an accomplishment that should be celebrated, but instead has been overshadowed by the fact that they play in the ACC. LSU is an all-time great team as well. Quarterback Joe Burrow had one of the best seasons ever in college football, and they beat an astounding six teams in the top 15. There is no question they were the better team on Monday night; the 17-point differential makes that clear.

However, Clemson stayed in the game for nearly three quarters, which is impressive against such an incredible team. Most of the media coverage after the game praised LSU, and rightfully so, but the few articles about Clemson criticize the ACC or assert that Lawrence played poorly, instead of praising Clemson for such an amazing run.

While Lawrence was outshone by Burrow on Monday night, he didn’t play badly, especially against such an elite defense. Additionally, Burrow did not even play in a meaningful game until he was two years older than Lawrence, as he transferred to LSU as a redshirt junior, while Lawrence is a sophomore.

Next year, Clemson will lose several key contributors to the NFL, including star running back Travis Etienne and multiple starters on defense, although Lawrence will enter his third year as a starter.

Their schedule is only slightly tougher. They will come to play Notre Dame on the road, which will likely end up being their only tough game, unless there is a surprise ACC contender.

Clemson will finish the season with one or no losses, and the media will still assert that they don’t belong in the playoffs.

Clemson has earned the right to be respected, although they likely won’t get that from most people until they win another national title. They deserve praise for having an amazing two seasons, not criticism for merely losing one game — even the national championship — against a historically good opponent.

Contact Liam Coolican at lcoolica@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Continued from page 12

they turned the ball over four times in the first six minutes of the game. On the other side of the court, junior forward Jordan Nwora of Louisville was an issue as well, as he reached double digits early on in the first half. The Irish also struggled to finish layups at the rim, and ultimately allowing Louisville to go on a big run that resulted in as large as a 16-point lead for the Cardinals in the first half.

The game was by no means over, however, as head coach Mike Brey called for a fourguard lineup to reinvigorate the Irish offense in the second half.

“I felt the four-guard lineup would get into a rhythm offensively,” Brey said. “I never felt we could play two big guys against them. … The only way we were going to get back in it was if our guard lineup could score a little bit. And [sophomore guard] Dane [Goodwin] gave us a great lift.”

Goodwin proved to be the spark that the Irish needed.

He helped the Irish to a quick 11-1 run to start the half and brought the Irish to within two at the under-16 timeout.

The Irish defense also held Louisville to 0 for 5 from the field to start the half.

“I got in one of those grooves for a little bit,” Goodwin said.

“I didn’t really have it in the first half, but I got in a great flow in the second half for a while, and it eventually led us to get back in the game and take the lead for a little while.”

Out of the under-16 timeout, the three-point shooting contest began, with five threes made in a row between both teams. The final three of the run came from Irish sophomore guard Prentiss Hubb, who nailed a contested shot and cut the Cardinals’ lead to two points at 52-50.

Both teams then went stagnant on the offensive end for a few minutes before Goodwin knocked down a wide open three to give the Irish their first lead since the opening minutes at 55-53. The Irish lead grew to four with five minutes to play, but Louisville used a 7-0 run down the stretch to grab a five point lead with just over a minute to play. Louisville redshirt senior forward Dwayne Sutton made two threes in this stretch, which would prove to be the difference in the game.

“We gambled on defense on two possessions,” Brey said. ”We reached and gambled into a passing lane, and that really hurt us.”

The game was not over at this point, however, as the Irish got the ball, down three points with 40 seconds remaining.

But the last possession started with ball screens on the perimeter and Hubb driving to the basket, putting up a layup with 10 seconds left that hit the front of the rim.

The Irish secured an offensive rebound, but John Mooney missed a highly contested shot with a few seconds left. The Irish came up short 67-64.

Although Brey was impressed with his team’s determination for fighting back, the game will go down as yet another close, disappointing loss for the Irish who have seen late game leads slip away against Indiana and North Carolina State. Brey expects to be in more games like this and he hopes his team is up for the occasion.

“You can’t inject them with late-game confidence,” Brey said. “You have to have someone make a play a little more consistently. We have not been able to do that. I think we are going to be in this position over and over again and maybe the basketball gods will swing it the other way.”

The Irish will have a chance to rebound from their loss and pick up an important ACC road win in Atlanta this Wednesday against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

The Yellow Jackets are 8-8 on the season and 3-3 in ACC play. Their three ACC wins are all against teams that the Irish failed to beat: North Carolina State, North Carolina and

9

Boston College. The Irish are 1-10 when playing the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta.

Brey hopes that his team can go against this historical precedence.

“We need a league win,” Brey said. “There is no question about it. The clock is ticking.”

The Irish faced the Yellow Jackets three times last year.

They beat the Yellow Jackets at home and in the ACC tournament, but lost in Atlanta by a close score of 63-61.

Brey hopes to secure the road win this year by employing a game plan similar to this year’s win over UCLA. This will likely include a bigger lineup in order to handle Georgia Tech’s size. The Irish will also have to navigate the Yellow Jackets’ zone.

“We have been pretty good against zone, but they have been different this year in that they are about 50-50 between zone and man,” Brey said.

Wednesday’s game could come down to the last possession once again, and Brey hopes someone will step up.

“We’re doing some good stuff, but you have to finish it,” Brey said. ”You have to have some guys step forward.

I think we have some guys because I have seen them do it.”

The game will tip Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET and can be watched on ACC Network.

Contact Nate Moller at nmoller2@nd.edu

nathanial george | The Observer

Irish senior guard T.J. Gibbs dribbles the ball during Notre Dame’s 75-61 victory against UCLA on Dec. 14 at Purcell Pavilion.

The Observer accepts classifieds every business day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Notre Dame office, 024 South Dining Hall. Deadline for next-day classifieds is 3 p.m. All classifieds must be prepaid. The charge is 5 cents per character per day, including all spaces. The Observer reserves the right to edit all classifieds for content without issuing refunds.

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Sports

The observer | wednesday, january 15, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Hockey Continued from page 12

a power play to tie the score and, after taking the lead in the second period, get an insurance empty-net goal to win 3-1.

“I’ll probably have dreams tonight about pucks laying in the crease with open nets but just not being able to get to them, because it happened at least two or three times tonight,” Jackson said.

“Hopefully those things even out over time.”

Jackson credited Michigan for their defensive play.

“Give them their due,” Jackson said. ”They defend well, and their goaltender played well.“ Aside from their shortcomings offensively, penalties and simple mistakes, like bad point coverage in the defensive zone, also hurt the Irish.

“I told them between periods, ‘It’s one thing if you get beat by the opponent, it’s another if you get beat [by] yourself,‘” Jackson said.

With that, Jackson believes the offensive struggles impact the rest of their play.

“I had to have a talk with our captain this morning because, tonight was much better, he played a really good game in

my opinion,” Jackson said. ”But I think that guys put that weight on their shoulders because they’re not scoring, so they get away from the things that we need to do as a team.

And that’s probably been a collective thing more than an

individual thing.”

Despite the hardship, Jackson still believes in what his team is capable of based on what they showed earlier in the season.

“It’s a matter of getting them back into the mindset

that we’ve got to focus on the details of our game” he said.

“We’ve seen how we can play, and we just have to find a way to get back to that.”

Contact Hayden Adams at hadams3@nd.edu

allison thornton | The Observer

Irish freshman forward Solag Bakich, left, and sophomore defenseman Nate Clurman reach for the puck during Notre Dame’s 3-2 overtime win against Ohio State at Compton Family Ice Arena on Nov. 8.

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W Bball Continued from page 12

Walker for more than 35 minutes.

Freshman guard Anaya Peoples re-injured her shoulder during the second quarter and left the game after scoring three points.

One of the few positive statistics for the Irish this game was points scored by fast breaks. The Irish scored eight, almost double the amount of points off of fast breaks from their N.C. State counterparts.

On the other hand, the Wolfpack demonstrated a much higher ability to score.

N.C. State’s bench accounted for 30 of their 90 points, while Notre Dame’s reserves only accounted for six of their 56 points. This statistic wound up playing a significant role in the final score, and N.C. State proved to have a much deeper roster than the women of Notre Dame.

On Thursday, the Irish will be facing off against the Duke Blue Devils in Durham, North Carolina, marking the team’s first trip to North Carolina of the season. The team will be looking to improve on their 6-11 record with a road win.

Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m.

Thursday.

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JANUARY 19—25

martin luther king jr. day

COMMEMORATION Sunday, January 19

Candlelight Prayer Service 11:00 p.m. | Main Building Monday, January 20

MLK Celebration Luncheon A Conversation with Civil Rights Leader Diane Nash Diane Nash was a Freedom Rider, co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and played a pivotal role in the Selma Voting Rights Movement that ultimately led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

11:30 a.m. | North Dome, Joyce Center Doors open at 10:45 a.m.

• Free but ticketed • Classes are canceled from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Community-Building Lunches 11:30 a.m. | North and South Dining Halls Notre Dame ID required for entry.

Members of the Notre Dame community are invited to gather with friends and colleagues for a complimentary meal between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to continue the day’s conversations.

Visit diversity.nd.edu/mlk for additional Walk the Walk Week events.

#NDwalkthewalk

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The observer | wednesday, january 15, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

nd women’s basketball | n.c. state 90, nd 56

ND loses to No. 9 NC State by 34 Observer Staff Report

On Sunday, the Notre Dame women’s basketball team faced off in a home battle against No. 9 N.C. State. The game against a powerful ACC opponent marked the Irish (6-11, 1-4 ACC) women’s fourth game of the new year. The final score of the game was 56-90, in favor of the Wolfpack (15-1, 4-1 ACC).

This was the ninth meeting between the two teams. After losing to N.C. State, the Irish still lead the rivalry with a record of 7-2.

This loss marks Notre Dame’s third consecutive loss of 2020, the first two defeats coming a week earlier at the hands of Syracuse and Boston College.

Additionally, the 36-point loss that the Irish suffered against the Wolfpack is the largest point differential of any game this season.

The Irish women’s biggest lead of the game — five points — came towards the end of the first quarter. Apart from this

nd men’s basketball | louisville 67, nd 64

Irish comeback falls short against No. 13 Cardinals

lead, N.C. State was ahead in the score for the majority of the game. Their highest point differential was 35 points early in the third quarter.

All 12 of Notre Dame’s suited up players saw playing time.

Sophomore guard Katlyn Gilbert led the Irish in this area, playing for more than 35 minutes. The Indianapolis native also led the team in points and steals, ending the game with four rebounds and a career-high 25 points against the Wolfpack. Gilbert shot 12for-26 from the field, attempting more shots than any of the other Irish players.

Another high-performing player this weekend was graduate student transfer Destinee Walker. The 5‘10“ guard was the only other player to score double-digit points, finishing with a total of 11. Relying heavily on the former North Carolina player, head coach Muffet McGraw also played see W BBALL PAGE 10

By NATE MOLLER Sports Writer

nathanial george | The Observer

Irish sophomore guard Prentiss Hubb charges toward the basket during Notre Dame’s 75-61 win over UCLA on Dec. 14 at home.

In Saturday’s contest against the No. 13 Louisville Cardinals, the Irish comeback attempt fell three points short and they lost 67-64.

Louisville (13-3, 4-1 ACC) had a 12-point advantage at the half that was largely because of an uncharacteristic amount of turnovers and poor shooting from the Irish (10-6, 1-4 ACC), who were 2 of 13 from beyond the arc and had a measly 24 points at the half.

The Irish looked like a completely different team on offense in the second half, however, putting up 40 points and knocking down eight three-pointers. Despite this, Louisville used a late offensive surge to secure the road win and falter the Irish comeback attempt.

Turnovers were an issue for the Irish offensively early on, as see M BBALL PAGE 9

hockey | michigan 3, nd 0; michigan 3, nd 1

Offensive slump continues, Notre Dame swept

By HAYDEN ADAMS Associate Sports Editor

ALLison thornton | The Observer

Irish sophomore forward Jake Pivonka follows through on a slap shot during Notre Dame’s 3-2 overtime win over Ohio State on Nov. 8 at Compton Family Ice Arena. Pivonka got an assist during Saturday’s loss.

The No. 18-ranked Notre Dame hockey team dropped a pair of home games to Michigan over the weekend.

The Irish (10-9-3, 5-5-2 Big Ten) were outscored by the Wolverines (9-11-2, 4-7-1 Big Ten) 6-1 over the weekend, and the losses mark the third series this season Notre Dame has come away from 0-2.

Although the losses may look bad given Michigan’s subpar record, Irish head coach Jeff Jackson said ”it’s not like we got beat by a poor team.”

“I think that they’re a good team. They’ve got a lot of talent on that team,” Jackson said.

“They’re getting their game together right now, and we just so happened to be in the way.”

Even so, the Irish struggled to find any offensive rhythm for the entire weekend, a struggle that has dogged them over the last several games. Through the first nine games of the season, the team scored 37 goals en route to an 8-0-1 record. Since then, the Irish have scored 24 goals in 13 games.

Developing a strong offense

has been difficult, Jackson said.

“It’s a bit of the makeup of our team too,” Jackson said. ”… I can’t coach confidence. I can’t coach goal-scoring. That’s kind of an innate ability for guys, but there’s certainly guys that can score on this team that haven’t had that success. You can’t win not scoring, that’s not how’s the game’s played.”

In the first contest of the series, the Irish failed to capitalize on a few opportunities in the first period, while a penalty allowed the Wolverines to take an early lead 18 seconds into the power play. The Irish would continue to have opportunities but come up short time and again, as Michigan pulled away in the final period with two goals to take the first match 3-0.

The second game saw Notre Dame fare slightly better as they took a 1-0 lead in the first period from a goal by sophomore forward Graham Slaggert, then killed back-to-back penalties to maintain it going into the first intermission.

However, the puck refused to find the back of the net for the Irish as Michigan scored on see HOCKEY PAGE 10

Insider

Claypool Continued from page 1

short on a second). Claypool’s elite physicality stood out the entire contest, often carrying several defenders on his back as they attempted to take him down. But when asked about crossing that statistical benchmark, Claypool was humble — even sentimental.

“It’s not something that I was trying to reach,” he said.

“I mean, it’s a goal I had — it was definitely a goal I had.

So it’s nice to reach that goal.

But, you know, you don’t really play the game for statistics. So it’s nice, but I’m not going to remember getting to 1,000 yards this game. I’m just going to remember going out with these guys.”

Even opposing head coach Matt Campbell took the time to recognize Claypool’s level of play in the contest, praising the senior’s talent. Campbell said there were seven or eight plays in the game where his team just did not execute, and when asked how many of those plays involved Claypool, he was quick to give the senior credit.

“Let me first give Chase so much praise. He’s a phenomenal football player,” Campbell said.

Claypool, historically also an excellent special teams contributor as a gunner, also contributed on the punt unit.

On the opening drive of the

Mulvena Continued from page 1

in the scope of other bowl games or make jokes about how it means nothing all day.

But what can we actually take from this? At the end of a 10-2 season, what does this bowl victory against a Power Five opponent really tell us?

Iowa State was actually the perfect bowl opponent for Notre Dame. In a season full of questions surrounding Notre Dame’s place in the college football world, especially after the Michigan loss, a bowl game offers the Irish a chance to see how things stack up.

It can be hard to judge Notre Dame in comparison to the Power Five, especially in a season with a talentpacked SEC and a competitive Big 12, and Irish fans are often left feeling slighted or misjudged when the rankings are released.

Let’s say Notre Dame played Alabama in a bowl game. Sure, a win over Alabama would be great, but a more-likely loss probably wouldn’t tell us much. Even though the team was left out of the playoff this year, Alabama is no doubt in the top tier of college football.

A loss to Alabama shouldn’t necessarily signal trouble for the Notre Dame fan base.

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, january 15, 2020 | The Observer

contest, the Irish were forced to punt after a three-andout, and senior safety Alohi Gilman forced a fumble from the punt returner, Iowa State wide receiver Tarique Milton and Claypool recovered to give the Irish the ball, which ultimately led to their first score of the game.

After the game, when asked about his contribution on special teams, Claypool said the offense and defense feed off each other, and that dynamic is key in wins like this.

“They tell us they’re going to get us a stop, and then we have to go score for them,” he said. “So, you know, it’s give and take. I was happy we were able to put something on the board right after that turnover and then continue that on. The defense kept giving us good field position, good confidence, because once we get a lead, we can start opening up our playbook a little bit.”

The Abbotsford, British Columbia, native also took the time to thank his teammates, who he said have been integral to his development as a player.

“Being so far away from home in another country, you need a family that’s going to have your back through the ups and downs, and these guys did that every step of the way. If it wasn’t for them, I probably wouldn’t be here right now, because it’s hard, it’s hard,” he said. “It’s really hard. So, thankfully, I had a

Now let’s say Notre Dame played San Diego State.

Nothing much really to learn there. What about Pitt? Power Five team, but a win or a loss over Pitt probably wouldn’t sway anyone’s opinions about the state of Notre Dame football.

But Iowa State, tied for 3rd place in a Power Five conference with some good talent this year, and a team that played a close game against Oklahoma, Baylor and Iowa, should prove a decent test.

Coming from a conference with a traditional focus on high-powered offense, the Cyclones can make things happen in the air and on the ground. They might not have the best defense Notre Dame has faced all season, but it’s a solid unit, among the top 50 in the nation in total defense.

The point is that Iowa State is a good, respectable team in a solid Power Five conference, one which has sent a team to the College Football Playoff three of the last five years and has had a number of contenders along the way.

So I think we can take something away from what was no doubt a commanding win for Notre Dame. Although a non-playoff season seems to hurt a little more after last year’s loss to Clemson, all is not lost.

I myself have made some pretty bold claims about the

good family to lean on, and they were always there for me.”

As a senior who won’t be returning next season, Claypool offered some words of reflection on his college football journey.

“I appreciate everyone — speaking to my family, my friends, everyone who supported me throughout the years to get me to this point,” he said. “For a long time, something like this was a dream, and it’s something that was a dream that couldn’t be reached. But I hope I’m an example and live an example of someone [where] if you just keep on dreaming, then that dream will come true.”

Ultimately, Claypool said the takeaway from this trip was more than just a Camping World Bowl victory. He said cherished the little things on the trip more now that he was a senior.

“When you know it’s your last year and your last ride with the guys, you kind of do stuff and you’re like, ‘Wow, that’s the last time ever that I’m going to be able to do that,’ so then you really cherish it,” he said. “So every little thing we did, from going to Shake Shack, going to Universal, doing everything — Best Buy — it was really special, because you’re not going to get those moments back.”

Contact Connor Mulvena at cmulvena@nd.edu

state of Notre Dame football this season, and I stand by them, but I think this victory pushes back on our temptation to make things out to be worse than they really are after a “mediocre” season.

Defensive coordinator Clark Lea’s defense is solid — it has the potential to hang with the best in the nation. The offense has its kinks, but in the first game without Chip Long in a while, it managed to make some big plays on the ground and in the air.

The special teams unit made some big plays once again.

And in the end, the Irish came out with a 24-point victory over a good opponent — a good Power Five opponent.

Of course, I don’t mean to say all is well just because of a Camping World Bowl victory. As we all know, it’s still the Camping World Bowl.

I think Notre Dame football has a long way to go before truly being among the top tier as it used to be, and I believe it ought to make some changes to get there, but let’s walk away from the Camping World Bowl with a little faith in the foundation of it all.

Contact Connor Mulvena at cmulvena@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Scoring Summary 1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Total

0 10

6 10

3 10

0 3

9 33

notre dame 3, iowa state 0

Jonathan Doerer 39-yard field goal

9:29

remaining Drive: Eight plays, 21 yards, 4:10 elapsed

NOTRE DAME 10, iowa state 0

Chase Claypool 24-yard pass from Ian Book (Doerer kick)

3:20

remaining Drive: Eight plays, 58 yards, 3:43 elapsed

2

notre dame 10, iowa state 3

Connor Assalley 41-yard field goal

9:27

remaining Drive: Seven plays, 43 yards, 2:46 elapsed

Notre dame 13, iowa state 3 Doerer 51-yard field goal

7:23

remaining Drive: Five plays, 32 yards, 2:04 elapsed

notre dame 20, iowa state 3

Jafar Armstrong 1-yard run (Doerer kick)

2:25

remaining Drive: Four plays, 45 yards, 1:30 elapsed

notre dame 20, iowa state 6 Assalley 26-yard field goal

0:50

remaining Drive: Eight plays, 67 yards, 1:35 elapsed

3

NOTRE DAME 27, iowa state 6

Tony Jones Jr. 84-yard run (Doerer kick)

13:14

remaining Drive: One play, 84 yards, 0:15 elapsed

notre dame 27, iowa state 9 Assalley 42-yard field goal

4:58

remaining Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 4:33 elapsed

Notre dame 30, iowa state 9 Doerer 19-yard field goal

0:15

remaining Drive: 13 plays, 74 yards, 4:51 elapsed

4

notre dame 33, iowa state 9 Doerer 39-yard field goal

3:53

remaining Drive: Nine plays, 28 yards, 4:51 elapsed

statistics RUSHING yards 45 208

PASSING yards 227 247

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Insider

The observer | wednesday, january 15, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

ALLISON THORNTON | The Observer

Irish head coach Brian Kelly, center, holds up the Camping World Bowl trophy in the postgame ceremony while University President Fr. John Jenkins applauds following Notre Dame’s 33-9 victory against Iowa State on Dec. 28 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The game marked Kelly’s fifth bowl win out of nine as coach of the Irish.

Blowing Cyclones away

Notre Dame’s offense sputtered on their first drive, but they got a second chance when Alohi Gilman stripped the ball from the Cyclones’ punt returner, giving the offense a kick-start. Kicker Jonathan Doerer nailed all four of his field goal attempts, and the defense shut down a usually prolific Iowa State offense, holding them to just three field goals.

ALLISON THORNTON | The Observer

Irish senior wide receiver Chase Claypool extends for a catch during the Camping World Bowl.

ALLISON THORNTON | The Observer

Irish junior running back Jafar Armstrong accelerates down the field during Notre Dame’s 33-9 bowl win over Iowa State on Dec. 28.

ALLISON THORNTON | The Observer

Irish junior offensive lineman Josh Lugg prepares for the snap during Notre Dame’s win Dec. 28.

ALLISON THORNTON | The Observer

Irish senior running back Tony Jones Jr., center, tries to break a tackle during Notre Dame’s 33-9 win against Iowa State in the Camping World Bowl in Orlando. Jones rushed for 135 yards in the game.