Print Edition of The Observer for Tuesday, January 28, 2020

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Volume 54, Issue 70 | tuesday, january 28, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Mass remembers senior Annrose Jerry University President Fr. John Jenkins, Fr. Pete McCormick lead commemoration of late student

By TOM NAATZ News Editor

Community members gathered Monday night in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart to remember and celebrate the life of Annrose Jerry, a Notre Dame senior. Jerry was reported missing last Thursday and her body was discovered Friday in St. Mary’s Lake.

University President Fr. John Jenkins celebrated the mass and director of Campus Ministry Fr. Pete McCormick delivered the homily. Vice president for student affairs Erin Hoffmann Harding delivered a reading, while senior and student body president Elizabeth Boyle read half of the Prayers of the Faithful.

The crowd in Notre Dame’s

Basilica was standing room only. Towards the end of his homily, McCormick announced Jerry had posthumously been awarded her diploma earlier in the evening.

In welcoming the congregation to the service, Jenkins took note of the communal sadness of the occasion. However, he said the mass was also filled with a certain sense of hope.

“We come here, of course, with very heavy hearts, as we mourn the passing of Annrose,” Jenkins said in his opening remarks. “But we also come with hope. The hope of Jesus, who overcame sin and death.”

In his homily, McCormick reflected on the passage of time. see MEMORIAL PAGE 3

COLLEEN FISCHER | The Observer

A Mass remembering senior Annrose Jerry was held in the Basilica Monday night. Fr. John Jenkins presided, Fr. Pete McCormick delivered the homily and the Folk Choir provided music for the memorial.

Petition to improve SMC security gains traction

By MAEVE FILBIN Saint Mary’s Editor

Saint Mar y’s senior Darby Harcourt created a Change. org petition for “an improved securit y system and additional cameras” on campus on Friday, the same day that police recovered the body of Notre Dame senior A nnrose Jerr y from St.

Mar y’s Lake. By Monday, almost 1,500 people had signed in support.

Though the petition was created in the wake of Jerr y’s disappearance and later death on campus, Harcourt said other personal experiences had prompted her to demand change.

She had been afraid for years, Harcourt said, and

the events surrounding Jerr y’s death inspired her to act.

“I got really scared,” she said. “W hen I found out that happened, I called my dad and I said, ‘I want to make a petition.’”

Harcourt said she used to park her car in the gravel see PETITION PAGE 4

Panelists discuss post-grad service, discernment

By CALLIE PATRICK News Writer

On Tuesday evening, a panel featuring former and current members of AmeriCorps, A lliance for Catholic Education (ACE), Jesuit Volunteer Corps (J VC), J VC Northwest and the Peace Corps was held in the Student Center at

NEWS PAGE 3

Saint Mar y’s to discuss pursuing ser v ice as an option after graduation. The panel, titled “Discerning Your Future: Is Postgraduate Ser v ice Right For You? ” was co-sponsored

by Office for Civ il and Social Engagement and the College Career Crossings office.

The panelists discussed

SCENE PAGE 5

Students, faculty attend March for Life over weekend

discernment and their ow n personal journeys deciding if doing ser v ice and volunteer work was the path for them.

“I v iv idly remember my discernment process and how incredibly overwhelmed and ner vous I was,” Anna Herrmann, see SERVICE PAGE 3

VIEWPOINT PAGE 7

Courtesy of Maggie Garnett

Over 800 people traveled from Notre Dame’s campus this weekend to attend the 47th annual March for Life in Washington, D.C.

By LAUREN SPENCER News Writer

Over 800 members of the Notre Dame community traveled to Washington, D.C., over the weekend to participate in the 47th annual March for Life, themed “Life Empowers: Pro-Life is Pro-Woman.”

The march is meant to

WOMEN’S TENNIS PAGE 12

highlight the anti-abortion movement and is held annually around the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that decriminalized abortion. This year, the event featured a speech

by President Donald Trump, which marked the first time a U.S. president has spoken in see MARCH PAGE 4

FENCING PAGE 12

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The observer | tuesday, january 28, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

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“Camila Cabello and I would go to the studio.”

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Senior Gretchen Hopkirk poses with the Audience Choice Award, given to the film with the highest audience approval at the 31st annual Student Film Festival on Sunday. She is surrounded by The Humor Artists, a group that was the subject of her film.

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The next Five days:

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Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Winter Career Fair Dahnke Ballroom 4 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Network with employers from across the country.

Stories of Grace Log Chapel 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Community members to share stories. All are welcome.

Lecture: “Border Anxieties in a Globalizing World” 1030 Jenkins Nanovic Hall 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Brown-Bag Seminar: “Awakening to Linguistic Otherness in Late Antiquity” 715J Hesburgh Library 12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Men’s Basketball vs Georgia Tech Purcell Pavilion 12 p.m.

The Irish will take on the Yellow Jackets.

Leadership Formation Workshop Geddes Hall B034 5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

All students are welcome to attend.

Men’s Basketball vs Wake Forest Purcell Pavilion 7 p.m.

The Irish will take on the Demon Deacons.

Environmental Cooperation in the Middle East Hesburgh Center for International Studies 4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Higgins Labor Cafe Geddes Hall Coffee House 5 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Discussion of workers’ rights. All are welcome.

Film screening: “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” Browning Cinema 6: 30 p.m. & 9: 30 p.m.

Ticketed event.

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3

Festival brings foreign films to Saint Mary’s

By SARA SCHLECHT and GENEVIEVE COLEMAN Associate Saint Mary’s Editor and News Writer

When Bong Joon-ho accepted a Golden Globe for his film “Parasite,” he urged audiences not to let the barrier of subtitles prevent them from enjoying foreign films.

In line with Joon-ho’s perspective, the Center for Women’s Intercultural Leadership (CWIL) will bring foreign films — and subtitles — to the Saint Mary’s community this week with its annual World Cinema Festival, which will take place Tuesday and Wednesday.

CWIL director Mana Derakhshani said the film festival has occurred each year for over a decade.

“The film festival has always been under my direction,” she said.

Memorial Continued from page 1

“Lately, I’ve been thinking about the curious nature of time,” McCormick said. ”There are moments when time moves painfully slowly — think of a class that just would not end.

Typically, the moment we start looking at the clock, it’s almost as if the second hand is dipped in molasses ... Then there are other moments, when time seemingly just zips down the clock … yet whether slow or fast, time is methodical.”

McCormick framed this point by noting that the only variable with respect to time is how much of it we receive.

“We have our expectations that we all live to a happy old age, and there’s nothing wrong with that desire,” he said. “The

Service Continued from page 1

a recruiter with JVC, said.

“Something that was helpful to me in my discernment process was to learn to start from a space of positivity, a space of gratitude and being able to decide what was best for me, to have options. To understand what a privilege it was to want to do something that not everyone really has the ability to do.”

JVC is a post-grad service program that has placements around the country and world.

The program currently runs in 37 cities and six countries.

Herrmann said her discernment process led her to the JVC because it answered her questions about her place in the world and how best to serve people.

“How could I best serve the world, knowing what I know about myself?” Hermann said.

The festival began with the help of a grant that funded it for several years and was a series of French films at first.

“When that grant … ended then we decided to just do our own kind of international film festival, and we’ve been doing it every year since,” Derakhshani said.

The films selected for the festival come from a variety of sources, Derakhshani said.

“Typically I try to get suggestions from people,” she said.

“I go online and look for films that have won awards, look for films that are directed by women sometimes, depending on the year. Some years I’ve done all [of the films] directed by women.”

Among the places she looked for films is an organization called Women Make Movies, which aims to support women producers and directors and

“amplify historically ignored voices,” according to its website.

“I try to make it more commercial films than documentaries just to attract more students,” Derakhshani said. “I don’t want it to sound like it’s another class they have to go to, so I look for films that are entertaining.”

She said she likes to choose films that have “cinematic value” that students might not seek out on their own. Sometimes she chooses award-winning films, but this is not always the case.

The film festival will begin on Tuesday with a showing of director Eric Khoo’s film “Ramen Shop.” “‘Ramen Shop’ is not awardwinning ... because it’s kind of a sentimental story ... but it’s kind of visually good, and it’s ideal for foodies who like to watch a lot of films about food,” Derakhshani said. “So it’s light-hearted but it’s

good.”

Wednesday’s film, “The Chambermaid,” is a Mexican film directed by Lila Aviles. “[This] one is a better film in terms of critical reviews, and it has been nominated for some awards,” Derakhshani said. “[It’s] very different than the first one. I wouldn’t call it light-hearted. It’s more ... slow paced — a day in the life of a chambermaid in a luxurious hotel in Mexico, so it’s kind of a slice-of-life kind of thing.”

Derakhshani said she thinks showing these films provides a learning opportunity for students.

“My goal all along has been to [contribute to] the internationalization of the campus — trying to bring to campus global awareness [and] some idea of what cinema looks like or feels like outside of Hollywood and the regular films that [students] are

exposed to,” she said. “... Often I try to bring films that are in the languages that are being taught on campus because it’s also an additional language practice for students. ... They are in the original language, so the expectation to read subtitles is there.”

The films provide an avenue to explore other cultures in a fun and enjoyable manner, Derakhshani asserted.

“If you want to study break and were looking for something fun to do or change of pace, learn something about a different culture,” she said.

The World Cinema Festival will take place in Vander Vennet Theatre at 7 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. The screenings are free and open to the public.

reality that we face is that our mortality has a way of operating under a different set of guiding principles.”

Turning to a discussion of Jerry, McCormick noted the anguish facing the community in the wake of her loss.

“Tonight, we gather to remember a beloved member of our community, Annrose Jerry,” McCormick said. “From the outside looking in, we see all of the markings of a long tenure in life: a loving family, a deep faith, a second semester senior with an acceptance already into graduate school, communities within Notre Dame where she is loved and admired … however, Annrose does not fit our expected narrative. Just 21 years old, Annrose’s life came to an end.

Death met her before anyone could have anticipated.”

McCormick acknowledged

that making sense of such a loss is hard. People immediately think with sadness about a life that was cut too short in these situations, he said.

“One interpretation of these past several days is to greet the news with sadness. The sadness rooted in the fact that Annrose’s life was just too short,” he said.

“She had much more to offer.

We begin to think what could have been, what life had been possible. This type of sadness typically leads us to ask one question: what can be done so that such a tragedy will not happen again?”

McCormick said fear largely motivates this reaction, and fear is not the best way to deal with these emotions. He said scripture offers humans a better approach: surrendering themselves to God, because God wants to help humans

through their journey.

“The mystery of the Incarnation — Jesus taking on human flesh — reveals to us that God desires to walk amongst us, to share and experience our anxieties, our challenges, our hopes, our joys,” he said.

In order to capture this full range of human emotion, it is important to live in the present, McCormick said.

“The challenge, if we are not attentive to the past and the future, is that we can simply spend all of our time there,” McCormick said. ”… Instead of taking in a beautiful sunset in its radiance, we worry instead about what the sky will look like when it’s gone. Or worry about a mistake we made an hour ago, and we fail to fully capture the excitement of a friend who desires to share with us something

great that’s just happened. This happens all the time.”

Exploring the purpose of the service, McCormick said congregants should apply this principle and not focus on the fact that Jerry’s life ended too soon, but rather celebrate and express gratitude for the life she lived.

“The invitation this night provides is to give thanks for Annrose’s life and to entrust her to the tender love and mercy of God,” he said. “This posture, I admit, requires a mindfulness that roots our decisions in the virtues of faith, hope and love.

While challenging, to remain steadfast to that, in the moment, they will serve — I promise you — as better guides than fear ever will.”

“Knowing that I want to be in a space of community, knowing I’m at my best when I’m serving communities, so I wanted a program that emphasized that. Knowing that I wanted to continue to grow in my faith outside of the university setting, which had really helped me to foster that. Knowing that I really wanted to work with diverse populations but I didn’t have the experience yet to say that was something I wanted to do. I wanted an experience to help me grow personally and professionally.”

For Itzxul Moreno, associate program director for ACE Teaching Fellows and a 2017 Saint Mary’s alumna, discernment really boiled down to where her “greatest joy and [her] greatest hunger met.”

“When I was an upperclassman at Saint Mary’s, I started thinking about, what is discernment for me, and where would I like to go from here,” Moreno said. “When it came

time to look inward for what it was that I wanted and what I wanted to do, I knew it had to be something around helping others and being in fellowship with others.”

Chris Suriano, recruitment coordinator for JVC Northwest, said his path to service was discovered on an “alternative spring break trip” his senior year of college that opened his eyes to volunteer work.

Regarding discernment, Suriano said to “take your time, do your research, really, really think about what’s important to you, what you want to learn and where you want to make it because the opportunities are available to you.”

Andrea Tiller, a recruiter for the Peace Corps, a federal independent agency that work in sustainable development projects in 61 countries worldwide, said her own personal discernment came a little bit later than most Peace Corps

volunteers.

Tiller worked in law enforcement in Michigan for 20 years before she had a “call in her heart to serve.”

“I think an important thing to ask yourself and when you’re talking to your folks, is thinking about why life is more than just a job, right?” Tiller said.

“The call in my heart was about 10 years in the making, so I was feeding that, kind of scratching that itch, going to different countries, staying for a couple weeks, helping out, living with a family, learning the language, doing cultural exchange. Then come back to my office, and it just wasn’t enough. For 10 years I’d been doing this, putting a band-aid on, when I knew what I really wanted to do. Which was go somewhere for a substantial amount of time, not just a hot-minute study abroad.

I wanted to build relationships that were deeper.”

After hearing stories of

people answering the call to serve after college, students attending the panel then began to share their own personal discernment.

“I’m a Spanish and secondary education major,” said senior Lupe Garcilazo when discussing her motivation to pursue service. ”I want to teach but I kind of want to get a little bit more experience, like in another country, or with people that speak other languages or have other cultures different from mine.”

Junior Mary Blake said she is also discerning a post-graduate service experience.

“I’ve always enjoyed helping people, and spending my time in a meaningful way,” junior Mary Blake said. “And people say if you’re not quite ready to jump into an office, or a career, this is a great way to spend some time in between.”

Contact Sara Schlecht at sschlecht01@saintmarys.edu and Genevieve Coleman at gcoleman01@saintmarys.edu

Contact Tom Naatz at tnaatz@nd.edu

Contact Callie Patrick at cpatrick01@saintmarys.edu

4

News

The observer | tuesday, january 28, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

March Continued from page 1

person at the March for Life.

“Ever yone started sprinting to get a good look,” freshman Karina Duff y said about Trump’s speech. “No matter what people’s opinions are of our president, it was so cool to see him live, in person — to hear him talk.”

For Duff y, the March for Life is less of a fight for prolife legislation and more of a necessar y celebration of humanit y.

“It’s about giv ing a voice to those who don’t have a voice,” Duff y said. “A ll facets of life need to be celebrated, no matter who you are, what color you are, whatever you are. I think societ y today is losing the value of that. So for one day, for ever yone to come together to march and celebrate that unit y is beautiful.”

In particular, the march is a way to give a voice to the unborn, said Noelle Johnson, senior and president of Notre Dame Right to Life.

“The March is our opportunit y to w itness, not only to life and love, but through that, to participate in our democratic process and to utilize those things that we praise in our American societ y, in which we can demonstrate what we believe in and stand for legal protection of the unborn,” Johnson said.

Petition Continued from page 1

lot at the back of campus, and was shocked to discover that there were no cameras installed overhead. W hen she w rote an email to the administration voicing her concerns, no one responded.

In her petition, Harcourt describes an ever-present fear that she feels when walking alone.

“As a woman in today’s world, I live in constant fear of being attacked or taken, regardless of where I am or what time of day it is,” the petition said. “Being on an all women campus, I believe there needs to be a stronger push in ensuring our students feel safe to walk around not only [on] campus, but also the school parking lots all times of the day.”

For Harcourt, this fear manifested when she was a senior in high school and an unknow n man attempted to hijack her car in a Target parking lot.

“Someone tried to get into my car and drive off w ith me and take me at a Target at 9 p.m. when ever yone was around,” Harcourt said.

“Luckily, I freaked out and got away. And even though

Duff y said though it is important to advocate for the unborn, there are other v ulnerable groups that she marched for over the weekend.

“Babies are still life, no matter what, starting at conception,” Duff y said.

“Getting legislation passed for that purpose is powerful and necessar y. But I think it’s also important to march for those that are w rongly accused, those that are homeless, those that have been neglected, those that are v ictimized by racism, those that are in the justice system that don’t know how to get out.

“If we want to call ourselves pro-life, we have to uphold the dignit y of the human person at all stages of life — from conception to death. Not just protecting those in the womb, and not just say ing no to the death penalt y, but also supporting all those in the middle that so many people just disregard.”

Duff y said though the 11hour trek to D.C. was difficult, the atmosphere was full of energ y.

“We boarded the bus, and ever yone could just feel the excitement — excitement to go march for human dignit y,” she said. “You knew people weren’t going to get much sleep that night.”

The number of people who were w illing to travel and participate in the march was

inspiring, Johnson said.

“Our Universit y is committed to the defense of life at all stages, and this is our greatest public demonstration of that,” Johnson said.

“It’s powerful not only that so many people care, but that so many people are w illing to undergo what is a really ex hausting trip.”

A head of the march on Friday morning, director of Campus Ministr y Fr. Pete McCormick spoke at a Mass for Notre Dame students, facult y and alumni at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Arlington, Virginia.

“He gave a homily about how he has all these hopes and aspirations that he can only have because his sister and brother chose life,” Duff y said. “It was beautiful and powerful.”

Mar y Benz, junior and director of spiritualit y for Notre Dame Right to Life, said at least 500,000 people were at the march this year.

“The march is important because it’s such a big statement of the number of people that are pro-life and that are conv icted enough about it to go to D.C. ever y single year,” Benz said. “W hen you go, you get to experience it firsthand and see the joy and the energ y. There’s a lot of young people there so having that experience ser ves to bring the pro-life movement together, and also to encourage and inspire all of us going home to continue defending

life in our day-to-day.”

Seeing so many like-minded people at the march was encouraging for Benz.

“Sometimes, even on this campus — which probably has a lot of pro-life students — I do feel ner vous about voicing my opinion, wanting to be aware of disagreement,” she said. “Know ing there’s that many people was a huge encouragement for me. Doing prolife work is one of the most important things in my life.”

As an active member of Right to Life’s executive board, Benz often encounters pro-life versus prochoice discussions and adv ises addressing them through relationships.

“It isn’t ver y effective to be abrasive in conversations like that,” Benz said. “I think it’s most effectively done in the context of a friendship.

I appreciate when I get to know someone well enough that we’re able to honestly share what we think, and why we disagree. I’ve also had several conversations w ith people v ia different tabling events w ith Right to Life, just asking people to explain to us why they would justif y abortions at different stages of embr yonic development.”

Though she is firmly prolife, Benz added she tries to work to understand the prochoice point of v iew.

“The best way for me to

become more sure of why I’m pro-life is to tr y to understand pro-choice arguments,” she said. “Their most compelling arguments have to do w ith women who are in such dire circumstances that they’re led to see abortion as their only way out. It makes me call to mind that we need to be doing a lot to support moms through their pregnancy and after. The life of the mother is just as important as the baby, and I want to defend both of them.”

The pro-life movement should be at the forefront of the nation’s consciousness, Johnson asserted.

“It is the issue on which all of our other basic civ il rights stand,” Johnson said.

“We have to protect the right to life for the most innocent and most v ulnerable.”

But being pro-life is about more than just the political movement, Duff y noted.

“Each person has an innate dignit y, and we need to recognize that and celebrate that,” Duff y said. “Yes, the march is focused on babies because they don’t have a voice, and there’s legislation that’s allow ing them to be killed against their w ill, so the political movement is a main point of the march, but it’s also to celebrate life at all stages.”

he ran after me, I ran up to up to random people, and …

I got home safe.”

Since this incident, Harcourt said she is always especially cautious when walking through parking lots and entering parked cars. She said this experience catalyzed her requests for heightened sur veillance and safet y on campus at Saint Mar y’s.

“Currently, our school parking lots do not have adequate lighting or any form of camera system, which is not only a red f lag but extremely unsafe for ever y indiv idual on campus,” the petition said.

In the petition, Harcourt asks that the College install more cameras throughout campus, pay ing specific attention to the parking lots.

“My main concern is just hav ing those cameras where we can just feel a little safer,” she said. “Just being able to walk around and feeling secure. You know, things still w ill happen even w ith cameras … but w ith people know ing that there’s cameras, it’ll be less.”

Harcourt also suggests the addition of securit y checkpoints at the entrances and ex its to campus.

She especially emphasized the need for increased safet y

at the intersection of State Route 933, where The Avenue becomes St. Mar y’s Road.

“Freshman year, we — and this is sad that I have to say this — but freshman year you learn that that road is called Rape Road,” Harcourt said. “That’s already a concern in itself. It takes one time. Prevent it now. Don’t wait until it happens.”

At the same time, Harcourt said she believes Saint Mar y’s is largely a safe place to live, though she still sees room for improvement.

“I’m not say ing that Saint Mar y’s isn’t safe, I’m saying it could be safer,” she said. “Ever y where I go, I feel unsafe. It’s not just Saint Mar y’s. But I want this place to be safe. I love ever yone here, And I know Saint Mar y’s wants the same thing.”

Safet y improvements should be made all across the tri-campus communit y, Harcourt added.

“For all of the three institutions, I know there is much to be done to improve the student’s safety and desperately hope Saint Mary’s recognizes this need as well, as our safety is at risk,” the petition said. “I want to be safe, and I want my peers to be safe. There needs to be immediate change. This is more

important now than ever.”

Since sharing the petition on Friday, Harcourt said she has felt encouraged by the growing support from both current students, their parents and alumnae. The response had been largely positive, she said, with some people contributing their own ideas on how to improve campus safety.

“It’s kind of weird to see how many people actually signed it,” she said. “I was crying all of Saturday. It was just nice to see that people believed in what I said.”

Interim vice president of student affairs Linda Timm responded to Harcourt’s petition by encouraging students to reach out to the campus security office to make them aware of any areas of safety concern.

“The safety of our students is our primary concern,” Timm said in an email. “As such, we continually look at information that helps us provide a more secure environment. One source of such information is from our campus community who let us know if there is an area that could benefit from better lighting, or a security camera, or even maintenance on a hedge that might hinder a sightline.”

Safety has been a major

initiative within the leadership of the College, Timm said, and plans are in motion to install updated cameras throughout campus.

“Planning has been in process for several months to replace old analogue cameras with digital,” she said.

“We currently have all of the hardware to install more than 70 new security cameras around campus. Currently, our director of facilities and our interim director of campus safety are determining the location of each of these cameras, and encourage input from students and faculty.”

Security officers traveling the campus perimeter also provide 24/7 monitoring of the property, Timm said.

“It’s important that our entire campus community — students, faculty, and staff — feel confident of their safety,” she said. “We have, and will continue to, invest in measures to ensure this.”

The administration has yet to contact Harcourt and respond to her petition directly, but Harcourt said she plans on approaching them with her specific ideas on how to improve campus safety.

Contact Lauren Spencer at lspence2@nd.edu

Contact Maeve Filbin at mfilbin01@saintmarys.edu

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The observer | tuesday, january 28, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

By DESSI GOMEZ Scene Writer

The 2020 Grammy Awards took place on Jan. 26 shortly after the death of basketball player Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash that occurred in Calabasas, California.

Lizzo opened the ceremony in a beautiful glittery black dress with a set consisting of “Cuz I Love You” followed by “Truth Hurts.” Both performances took on a different spin, live with a flute dropping down for Lizzo to play and a classical break of violin and ballerinas being employed in “Truth Hurts.”

Host Alicia Keys took the opportunity to remind the audience that music brings people together, especially in times like these. After Keys’ initial acknowledgement that music’s biggest night would be taking place in “the house that Kobe built” (Staples Center), many presenters, nominees and performers echoed that with dedications and remembrances of the talented professional athlete.

Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton’s performance set a romantic tone for the night. The performance openly exhibited their love for one another, and when Stefani came out in her white dress speckled with red rose petals, I almost thought for certain that Shelton would propose to her.

Lizzo won the first award of the night with “Truth

By CAROLINE LEZNY Scene Writer

Jazz and nightclubs, swing dancing and radio contests: these are probably not the hallmarks of World War II narratives — and with good reason. The recent Broadway musical “Bandstand,” however, embraces the unexpected in its synthesis of music, dance and devastatingly candid storytelling.

This past weekend, South Bend’s Morris Performing Arts Center presented the Broadway national tour of the musical “Bandstand.” Composed by Richard Oberacker with a book and lyrics by Oberacker and Robert Taylor, “Bandstand” premiered on Broadway as part of the 2017 season. The national tour began in October, and will continue through the summer.

The plot of “Bandstand” centers around pianist and songwriter Donny Novitski (Zack Zaromatidis), a Clevelandborn veteran recently returned from service in the Second World War, who puts together a band composed of WWII veterans and war widow Julia Trojan (Jennifer Elizabeth Smith) in order to win the American Songbook’s “Tribute to the Troops” songwriting competition.

The strength of “Bandstand” lies in its unexpected darkness. A powerful and ruthlessly honest portrait of the veteran experience and transition to civilian life, “Bandstand” is far from the feel-good All-American fluff piece one might expect it to be. The musical is, in fact, a scathing indictment of the glorification of war and a devastating expression of trauma and loss. The show’s 1940s jazz and big band score

Hurts” for Best Pop Solo Performance. She also won for Traditional R&B Performance with “Jerome” as well as Urban Contemporary Album with “Cuz I Love You (Deluxe).”

The Jonas Brothers took the stage next with “Five More Minutes” and their newest song, “Whatta Man Gotta Do,” the best part of which may have been the camera panning to show their three wives sitting together and cheering them on from the crowd.

Dan + Shay won the Grammy for Country/Duo Group Performance with “Speechless.”

Camilla Cabello’s performance of “First Man” for her father sparked all kinds of emotions. She sang with a grace that complimented her polished pink outfit.

Dave Chappelle won the Best Comedy Album Grammy for “Sticks and Stones.”

Usher channeled the power of Prince in his tribute to The Purple One with smooth dance moves as well as vocals.

Billie Eilish’s performance of “when the party’s over” showed off her strong vocal range along with supporting piano accompaniment from her brother and producer Finneas O’Connell. Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C. amped up the atmosphere with “Walk This Way.” Following his earth-shaking performance of “EARFQUAKE,” Tyler, The Creator won the Grammy for Best Rap Album with his record “Igor.”

Lil Nas X’s performance of “Old Town Road” established itself as a top highlight of the night because it brought so many different artists together in celebration of a song that challenged its country roots and identity. Featuring BTS, Mason Ramsey, Diplo and Billy Ray Cyrus, the rotating stage and bright colors created quite a fun spectacle.

Demi Lovato’s performance of “Anyone” proved admirable in her courage to get back up on the stage and sing such a raw song. She did so with passion and pose in an elegant white dress.

Rosalía’s performance showcased careful attention to sonic detail with close-ups on hands clapping into microphones as well as against bodies. She and Billie Eilish both sported multiple inch acrylic nails, a seeming theme of the night.

Eilish stole the show, dominating in the final four categories, winning Album, Record and Song of the year as well as Best New Artist. She is only the second person in history to accomplish this and the first woman to do so.

If I were to list the top three elements of the 2020 Grammys, I would praise Lil Nas X’s performance (as well as his pink Versace suit), Alicia Keys’ steady hosting as well as talented involvement (especially in her performance of “Underdog”) and, finally, the humility with which Billie Eilish accepted her “Big Four” awards..

sheds the romantic idealism associated with the musical era and instead embraces the music as an expression of the frenzied, confusing and devastating experience of returning home from war. The score is equally entertaining and moving, complex in both orchestration and emotion.

What is most striking about the production is Andy Blankenbuehler’s Tony Award-winning choreography and its haunting manifestation of post-traumatic stress disorder. Dance in “Bandstand” most powerfully represents the ghosts of fallen soldiers and flashbacks to traumatic moments that haunt the characters; moments such as the now almost iconic “piano push” make the internal public, welcoming the audience into the minds of the tortured veterans.

The touring cast of “Bandstand” is, for the most part, remarkably talented. The principal actors impressively play their instruments live, in addition to delivering powerful acting and vocal performances. Largely made up of actors under the age of 25, the production’s young cast emphasizes the tragic youth of the military in this era. This is, in my opinion, a great improvement from the considerably older original Broadway company.

Zaromatidis is stunning as Donny, both determined and haunted in his portrayal of the band leader. His subtlety and range prove he is undoubtedly a star in the making, and that is without even mentioning his outstanding vocal ability.

Another standout performance is Louis Jannuzzi III as the compulsively organized former marine Wayne Wright.

Both Zaromatidis and Jannuzzi have the impressive ability

to take control of the stage, gripping the audience’s attention and delivering the most captivating performances of the show.

“I Know A Guy,” one of the musical’s opening numbers, follows Donny through his search for veteran musicians, building until it reaches a musically chilling conclusion.

The song brings the main cast of characters together, but more importantly illustrates the widespread effect of war on a community, demonstrating the fact that everyone in Cleveland “knows a guy” who served. Other standouts include the act one closer “Right This Way,” which blew the audience back with its raw emotion, and the heartbreaking finale “Welcome Home,” which received a welldeserved mid-show standing ovation.

“Bandstand” in its construction entices audiences to buy into the oft-embraced idealistic romance of the World War II era, then exposes them to their hypocrisy. In an era in which patriotism is often equated with intolerance, “Bandstand” proves that exposing propagandistic messaging can be synonymous with national pride. While shows like “Bandstand” are being written and performed, musical theatre proves itself to be both entertaining and socially relevant.

The national tour of “Bandstand” runs through early June. They will next be appearing in Pembroke, North Carolina. More information can be found on bandstandbroadway.com. The cast album for “Bandstand” is available on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music and Amazon.

Contact Dessi Gomez at dgomez5@nd.edu

Contact Caroline Lezny at clezny@nd.edu CLAIRE KOPISCHKE | The Observer

6

The observer | Tuesday, January 28, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Inside Column

Thoughts on living with your best friend Johannah Ward News Writer

During senior year of high school as we all were preparing for college, I remember one of the biggest pieces of advice floating around was to never room with your best friend.

For plenty of people, I am sure this advice is necessary.

Being roommates with your best friend can be a shock to the system as you discover new and nasty things about each other’s living habits or grow in separate directions.

Many of my friends and peers struggled with this advice as they all went to big local universities with many friends and acquaintances from high school following their journey to college. As the only person from my graduating class to attend Saint Mary’s, I did not have to worry about the drama of living with high school friends and instead was worried that my tiny single room would prevent me from making any college friends with which to live.

Incidentally, I met my best friend Emma (also known as the human embodiment of sunshine) on the first day of Welcome Weekend activities when I waltzed into her quad and complimented her crystal necklace (she complimented mine right back). Being inseparable all of freshman year, we knew rooming together was an absolute must.

Sophomore year, we studied abroad during opposite semesters. She was in Maynooth, Ireland, during the fall of 2018, and I went to Maynooth spring 2019. Even roughly 3,600 miles apart, we got to experience the same wonderful temporary home and excitedly facetimed each other to pick our room for junior year.

Our friends call our room the hippie cave. When you walk in, you are immediately met with the scent of patchouli and lavender oil. You’ll immediately notice twinkling fairy lights, tapestries, dried sweetgrass, star lanterns, a teapot (used at least three times a day) and a gigantic poster of Barack Obama’s face!

After a full year apart, our room feels like a shared sanctuary. Symbiosis anyone? I think yes.

Emma makes me laugh until we both snort, and then laugh even harder at said snorts. She blasts BTS in the car, exerting genuinely impressive effort to belt out Korean lyrics — but she ALWAYS queues a song by The 1975 just for me.

She even learned the words for optimal car karaoke.

Whenever anxiety takes over, Emma is ready with essential oils and fluffy blankets. She has tea and hugs waiting for me when I get back late from Folk Choir and was the first person I turned to when my community was shaken by sudden, tragic loss. She can tell when I am upset because of my scratchy, quiet voice. We pass up going out to cram into one of our beds and watch Disney+, sipping Diet Cokes.

We sit on the carpet in the middle of our floor to do homework because our desks are too far from each other.

Separation anxiety? Never heard of her!

When I am inevitably running late (and somehow surprised by it even though I intentionally snoozed all six alarms), Emma makes the coffee and makes sure I have time to eat before rushing out the door. According to my mom, we happily function much like a little old married couple.

Living with my best friend happens to be one of the brightest parts of my life. There is a line in a poem by Emery Allen that says, “Maybe we’re from the same star.”

Sometimes in this wild life, you get lucky enough to find a person who is made of the same star stuff as you. Someone who knows you deeply, and who loves you exactly as you are.

When you get lucky enough to find them, hold them close.

Tell them you love them. Say thank you. And, gosh darn it — live with them!

Contact Johannah Ward at jward01@saintmarys.edu.

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

A local framework: A gap between belief and practice Savanna Morgan Show Some Skin

This Walk the Walk week, I had the chance to speak at a panel discussion hosted by the Kroc Institute of International Peace Studies — Reparations and Reconciliation at Notre Dame.

What I loved so much about this panel is that it forces us to reckon with the contemporary implications of America’s past at the local level. Instead of asking “What can I do for my country?,” we posed the question: “What is my responsibility to my neighbor?”

When it comes to serving our neighbors, what we see in the case of Notre Dame is a need to attend to a gap between belief and practice. We proudly tout the principles of Catholic Social Teaching as the foundation of our academic mission, yet our deeds do not show solidarity or compassion for the poor and disenfranchised communities of South Bend.

We have programs that are meant to serve communities all over the world, such as the International Summer Service Learning Program (ISSLP), and many research apprenticeships dedicated to studying inequality abroad. Yet we turn away from the disparity in the lives of our South Bend brothers and sisters, and even disparity on our own campus, within our own community.

We talk in theory about alleviating the world of the broad structural burdens of oppression, but fail to apply these frameworks in our relationship to South Bend. We turn a blind eye to the poverty and injustice that burdens the lives of many living right next door. Black and Indigenous communities across America have a right to pursue reparations.

There is no exception in the Notre Dame-South Bend community. In fact, I argue that because of Notre Dame’s character as a Catholic and pro-life community, it has a responsibility to lead by example of how American institutions shall repair the damage caused by America’s transgressions against its Black and Brown communities.

It is built into America’s moral imagination, beginning with its Founding Fathers, to vary from the right rule of reason, to quit principles of human nature, to violate the moral law and commit crimes against fellow members of humanity in pursuit of capitalistic gains. And for every dollar earned, the moral debts have accumulated.

In the words of Black scholar and activist TaNahesi Coates, “It is as though we have run up a credit card bill and, having pledged to change no more, remain befuddled that the balance does not disappear.”

The debt is accruing exponentially, day by day, and it is all around us. It is true that the lives of Black Americans are better than 50 years ago. There is no more humiliation of “Whites Only” signs. The rates of Black poverty have decreased. However, we are still only a half-step away from our long centuries of despoilment. Only a half-step away from the promise: “Never again.”

Over the past 50 years, the income gap between Black and white households has not changed.

According to a study done by the Urban Institute in 2016, the median family wealth of a given Black family is $17,409 while that of a white family is $171,000. Regardless of income, Black people are less wealthy. When financial hardship falls, it falls hard. Medical emergencies, divorce and job loss sends Black Americans tumbling down the economic ladder, while for the average white American these are more often minor financial inconveniences.

In South Bend, there are multiple intersecting crises that keep Blacks at the bottom of the economic scale. You don’t have to drive far up Notre Dame Avenue before seeing the clear lines of distinction of

who belongs where in this city.

Maybe the streets Napoleon Boulevard, Corby, St. Louis and Miner Street ring a bell. These are the roads we navigate routinely without regard to the violence of gentrification present in many of our surrounding neighborhoods — neighborhoods that not too long ago hosted a disadvantaged, but still vibrant Black and Brown South Bend community, and where dozens of homes have been evicted and are now vacant within 10 blocks of Angela and Twyckenham.

It was only 50 years ago that African Americans in South Bend could not buy a home, receive a loan or even live in certain neighborhoods. Inside of the Civil Rights Heritage Center downtown there are posters from the civil rights era, with covenants from local neighborhoods that say a home could only be bought or leased by a white person. Young people say, “Wow, I thought this had happened a lot longer ago than it did,” but even today, safe, affordable housing is a problem for many Black people across the city.

It is easy to place the problem of poverty in South Bend entirely on deindustrialization of the Midwest, but we cannot deny the truth that Notre Dame is incredibly responsible for pushing people in worse and worse situations. For example, several properties on all sides of campus have been bought by Notre Dame realtors to sell to students and tenured professors. In a report by the Eviction Lab, South Bend is ranked 18th on the top evicting large cities in the United States. On average in 2016, South Bend had three evictions a day and a 6.7% eviction rate.

With facts so pressing, one has to ask the question: what is holding Notre Dame back in exercising “the preferential option for the poor?”

Instead we contribute to these oppressive and classist structures. We should support reparations, submit our questions and concerns to study and then assess the proper methods. But Notre Dame is not interested. This is because it is Black and Indigenous people who are making these claims.

Not only do we (as in America and Notre Dame) believe that reparations are impractical, the problem is much more existential. We conclude that the conditions in South Bend and Black America are not inexplicable but are instead precisely what you’d expect of a community that for centuries has lived under American oppression.

But we must not grow complacent with these struggles. We must acknowledge how white institutions contribute to Black disadvantage and commit to the appropriate remedies.

What do these appropriate remedies look like? It looks like calling gentrification what it is: classism.

It looks like reversing these effects by actively creating affordable housing options in the community.

It looks like eliminating the Notre Dame bubble, and establishing true kinship with the Black and Indigenous folks outside of our walls. It looks like taking our 13.8 billion dollar endowment out of this one mile radius, and sharing this wealth with the people Notre Dame has historically robbed of their right to a safe and secure life.

Savanna Morgan is a senior and can be reached at smorgan4@nd.edu.

Show Some Skin is a student-run initiative committed to giving voice to unspoken narratives about identity and difference. Using the art of storytelling as a catalyst for positive social change across campus, we seek to make Notre Dame a more open and welcoming place for all. If you are interested in breaking the silence and getting involved with Show Some Skin, email pdavis6@nd.edu.

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

77

The observer | tuesday, january 28, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Pro-choice and my self-worth I attended a private middle school, a place meant to help me grow in my education about the world but instead left me sheltered and confused. Obviously, in sixth grade we were given “the sex-ed talk,” but all that was presented were the stages of pregnancy. We were not told about abortion, condoms or the act of sex itself. Instead, we were left in the dark. My parents were of no help either — they never spoke of anything that was happening to my body. I vividly remember how disgusting and ashamed I felt getting my first period. This is not how people should feel about their bodies — as human bodies are beautiful, weird and special. I hope to tell you the story of my enlightenment as to why ensuring reproductive rights (i.e. the right to abortion) is so essential to personal freedom and personal growth.

In eighth grade, my class was required to go on the March for Life. I had no idea what abortion was, and

I was merely told I was “saving babies.” Looking back on that moment, I felt I was used as a pawn for someone else’s political voice. As I grew and learned more about reproductive health, I became privy to just how essential reproductive freedom is to my life. For once, I felt good about my body. The pro-choice movement gave me the bodily agency that Catholic teaching took away from me. I did not feel shame for having periods, wanting to have sex or seeking out birth control. It was essential to formulating my self-worth as a woman. Abortion, and the right to terminating a pregnancy helps individuals with uteruses with more than addressing their immediate medical needs — but protecting that right also gives them a level of support that I have never felt within the Catholic Church.

The discourse surrounding reproductive health in the tri-campus community is similar to that which went on in middle school, where individuals know

not of what they speak. They do not know of the momentous choice that is abortion — they exclusively deal in rhetoric and empty words about “caring for all humans.” As part of my Catholic education, I was told what I needed to do — but not given a concrete reason why. I feel as though the majority of Catholics in this community do not question their upbringing, even though their upbringing has violent results at times.

I encourage every individual to seek out information that might challenge your point of view, as maybe the reasoning behind your ideology is not based in a process of learning and acceptance, but rather a place of isolation.

I am unapologetically pro-choice and I feel free.

Mary Marta Antonetti senior Jan. 27

Hard versus soft differentiation policy — what you need to know Danny McMaster You’re Welcome for My Opinion

This past fall semester, the administration held a forum to discuss the off-campus differentiation policy for students who decided they don’t like Notre Dame and wanted to live off campus.

For starters, this column may seem a little premature. As you may well know, these policies have not been established yet, so there isn’t much point in talking about them. There are a series of complicated steps that must be taken before a policy like this can be enacted, such as: announcing the proposed policy and enacting the policy. Everyone knows that in Congress, bills are debated strictly after they have been written into law. This was why it is so important to pass bills, so that people can then understand what is in them.

It’s still a little questionable as to why people thought these policies were official. To quote the email proposing the differentiation: “New policies will take effect in fall 2021.” Personally, I can’t seem to understand why anyone was confused by this.

But now, let’s explore the core of this problem. Notre Dame seniors are moving off campus due to greedy, all-powerful landlords, who have had the audacity to build developments right next to Notre Dame that are so nice that students will sign up a full two years in advance to avoid a fourth year on campus. Notre Dame has responded with a $2,000 dollar credit to any student who commits to living on campus senior year by sophomore year (limited to 250 students, let’s not get ridiculous, but no pressure to make that decision sophomore year).

There are many arguments as to why off-campus students should be treated differently than on-campus students.

Some students have thought that it is unfair that offcampus students can use dorm facilities and attend events. Over 5,000 others signed a petition saying that they 100% don’t think this, but yeah, let’s call it 50/50.

We can all agree that access to the various dorm basement gyms, 85-square-foot kitchens and $10 SYR’s is

worth differentiating dorm community in the name of equality.

Some have argued that non-dorm housing is an important step for students to get used to living on their own after college, and the administration has said they think this is a valid point and a very good idea. They have also said they still want half of the senior class to live in the current dorm construction.

So clearly it is a very good idea for half of the senior class, but not the other half of the senior class, for, uh, reasons.

However, the differentiation did come with some positives for dorm life as well. Let’s explore some of the costs and benefits of this differentiation policy for future seniors.

Costs and benefits for future seniors: Costs — Exclusion from dorm sports. Exclusion from dorm dances. Exclusion from dorm governments, leadership roles and service events. Exclusion from being able to swipe into your own former dorm.

Also exclusion from dorm email lists (some of which has already happened).* Benefits — All the free laundry you can get your hands on. You got whites? Colors? Bring ’em in, baby.

We’ve got cold water, hot water and all the extended tumble dry you can handle. All for free.** Notre Dame residence halls have long been about much more than a set of four walls in which students live. They are, at their core, about community, and this community is easily one of the best things about Notre Dame.

Unless, however, you change the four walls before your four years are up, and then Notre Dame residence hall communities have a hard stop at year three. If someone asks you what dorm you were in after graduating, you are required to give your senior off-campus address.

Finally, the administration is still considering whether they will adopt a “hard” or “soft” policy. With a “soft” differentiation policy, “off-campus students would still have different rights and privileges,” she said, but they could “still participate in the day-to-day life of the community.” Here’s my best guess as to how those policies will shake out:

Soft differentiation policy Off-campus students will not be allowed to participate in dorm athletics, dorm events, private dorm meetings, dorm alumni groups nor anything dorm related.

Off-campus students must keep a 50-foot distance from their former dorm at all times to ensure dorm community is not disrupted. Sorry, Farley, you can’t get into North Dining Hall anymore.

Hard differentiation policy All that other stuff AND: Students will begin to take classes online through Arizona State University in order to ensure the comfort of off-campus living they had so desired.

Parking passes for off-campus students now equals $2,500.

At press time, an anonymous administration official was overheard saying in a meeting, “Well guys, why don’t we just allow kids to still be an active part of their former dorms, because this really is one of the most important part of the Notre Dame experience? Why don’t we let kids who contributed to their communities for three years still be involved with the things they care about while enjoying a little freedom and preparing for the real world? Why should we make enemies of our newest class of alumni for no real reason?” The meeting then broke out in raucous laughter, as the joke was incredibly well received. The conversation then moved to how they could reduce administration response time to major student issues from eight months to seven and a half months.*** *In many dorms, not necessarily all of them. Again, I can’t stress enough how little I research my columns.

Hate to admit it, but this one got a little bit of research. **Detergent and dryer sheets not included. ***Obviously this did not actually happen.

Danny McMaster is a senior business analytics major, and has never once been wrong in his entire life. He can be reached at dmcmaste@nd.edu or @DanMcMaster14 on Twitter.

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

Follow us on Twitter. @ObserverViewpnt

8

Classifieds

The observer | tuesday, january 28, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

Crossword | GARETH BAIN

Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Preparation and organization will be essential this year.

Getting everything in order will help ease stress and encourage positive change. The less you have to feel responsible for, the better. An emotional change should go along with clearing the clutter from your life. Getting tangled up in someone’s affairs will lead to confusion, uncertainty, anger and disengaging from relationships. Your numbers are 7, 12, 18, 26, 31, 34, 46.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Fulfill any promises made, and get on with your day. Stay focused on responsibilities, tying up loose ends and helping someone in need. The more you do, the better you will feel. Personal growth will change your life.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): It’s up to you to bring about change. Stop waiting and start doing. Update your look, and search for new ways to use your skills. Offer solutions, and be willing to lend a helping hand.

Something good will transpire.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Put more thought into job responsibilities. Don’t count on someone to do the work for you. Expect someone to try to tempt you to do something that is indulgent or that could upset someone you love. Be firm and say no.

CANCER ( June 21-July 22): Put in the time, and reap the rewards. Don’t be shy if you have an idea or think you can solve a problem; speak up. Your input will cause some controversy, but in the end, it will lead to personal gain.

LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22): Put a limit on your generosity. If you overspend, you will be left short when it comes time to pay your bills. Clear thinking should take precedence over impulsive action. Handle a challenge with care.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A change will lift your spirits and encourage you to participate more in your community. Networking events will allow you to show off your skills and bring about positive change. A partnership looks promising. Choose patience over aggression.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Take your time, think matters through and take a wait-and-see approach regarding what’s going on around you. Don’t get upset over the changes someone makes. Chose to take a pass instead of offering criticism or complaints.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): A change of scenery will lift your spirits. Chill out, and enjoy the process of preparing for something that looks promising.

Show affection, and be innovative in the way you approach a lifestyle change. Personal improvement is on the rise.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Be careful how you handle friends and relatives. Offer sound solutions if asked for your input. Don’t engage in gossip or listen to someone who is offering a speculative point of view.

Truth and facts matter.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Review projects, and see if there is any value in revisiting an old idea or plan. Getting together with someone you haven’t seen in a while will be a reminder of things you used to love doing.

Romance is favored.

AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Think and do. Following through with your plans will keep you occupied. Don’t worry about the changes someone is making. Accept inevitable change, and carry on doing your own thing.

Question motives if someone is too complimentary or generous.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Help a cause. Reach out to someone from your past. A chance to address a matter that was left undone will encourage you to move forward. A change should be made for the right reason, not out of anger or revenge.

Birthday Baby: You are talented, suspicious and aggressive. You are engaging and idealistic.

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Track&Field

Sports Authority

How we got to Super Bowl LIV Charlie Law Sports Writer

We’re finally here. After months of slugging it out all over the country, enduring injuries and painful losses, two teams have fought their way to the top of the NFL. We only have one week of football left until next August, so let’s take a moment to look back and appreciate the journeys of the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs.

The 49ers started the season predicted to finish third or fourth in their division, headed for yet another season of disappointment and a top10 pick. When they started off the season with seemingly impressive performances in two straight double-digit wins against the Buccaneers and the Bengals, everyone wrote it off as an easy start to the schedule. The Niners would soon be revealed as the below-average team everyone surely knew they were.

But they continued to win, beating the Browns by 28, the Rams by 13 and the Panthers by 38 en route to an 8-0 first half of the season, proving they were no fluke and no pretenders to the NFC crown.

They won two of three games in a brutal stretch featuring the 8-2 Packers, 9-2 Ravens and 10-2 Saints, further cementing themselves among the top few teams in the league.

But their season almost crumbled before their eyes as the 49ers watched Russell Wilson rally the Seahawks from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter of the last regular season game of the year.

The last time a team without a first-round bye made the Super Bowl was the 2012 Ravens; if the Seahawks stole the NFC West from the 49ers, the Niners would have the odds stacked against them to make a run in the postseason.

But Dre Greenlaw made a tackle about an inch shy of the goal line to save the No. 1 seed for the Niners, and after a week of rest that allowed them to return three defensive starters, the 49ers rolled the Vikings and Packers to find themselves in the Super Bowl.

The Kansas City Chiefs, on the other hand, strutted into the 2019 season ready for the Super Bowl after they missed it last year by the slimmest of margins. They returned MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the scariest passing attack in the league, and revamped the defense so Mahomes might not have

to throw for 50 touchdowns again. And they looked the part to begin the season, winning four straight games, including a victory over Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.

But then the injury bug bit Mahomes, slowing him down throughout the middle of the season, and the Chiefs quickly found themselves at 6-4 with the Raiders breathing down their necks at 5-4. When it seemed the Chiefs might slide into a Wild Card spot or even out of the playoffs, Patrick Mahomes reminded the world that he, not Lamar Jackson, is the best quarterback in the NFL, as he re-ascended to his 2018 MVP form and led the Chiefs to eight straight victories including the playoffs.

After the Chiefs fell behind 24-0 against the Texans in the Divisional round of the playoffs, Mahomes lit up the scoreboard so much that the Chiefs ran out of the fireworks they shoot when the team scores — no, really. He has looked unstoppable so far this postseason, but now, he faces possibly the best defense in the league. Will it matter? Probably not, but Nick Bosa, Richard Sherman and company aren’t as easily shrugged off as the Texans and Titans defenses.

If I wasn’t such a huge 49ers fan, I would absolutely be rooting for the Chiefs in this game for one reason: Andy Reid. Reid is one of the best coaches in league history. He has led 15 of his 21 teams to postseason berths and coached in 28 postseason games. Yet Reid, even after last weekend’s AFC Championship game victory, has only a 2-5 record in conference championship games, and he lost the only Super Bowl he has appeared in as a head coach.

Plus, Reid legitimately seems like a genuine and kind man. If anyone deserves to win the Super Bowl, it’s Andy Reid. Moreover, the 49ers have won five Super Bowls to the Chiefs’ one. It’s only fair, right?

Nope. Come Feb. 2, I will be wearing my George Kittle jersey and screaming like a madman for the 49ers to get number six.

If anyone was to beat the 49ers in the Super Bowl, though, I’d like for it to be Reid.

Contact Charlie Law at claw2@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

out to Sparks was the 3,000m race. On the men’s side, the Irish took the top five places.

In fact, the top four runners, senior Peter Monahan, senior Kevin Salvano, sophomore Matthew Carmody and sophomore Zach Kreft, were separated by less than three seconds.

“The men were going fast from the start and our top four or five there ran super fast and were competitive w ith each other but also worked together,” Sparks said.

The women’s race was much different than the men’s side, but in the end, graduate student Rachel DaDamio took home the v ictor y. “[DaDamio] beat [Louisv ille’s] Dorcas Wasike, who was a wellknown name in the 10,000m a couple of years ago,” Sparks said. “She is a multitime All-American, and for [DaDamio] to get a win over Dorcas shows a lot about what she can do at the end of races. She has shown us a lot in practice, but now she has shown us that she can win races. We had some other girls [achieve a personal record] throughout that race as well.”

Sparks was equally impressed by the team’s top hurdler, senior Summer Thorpe.

“Summer not only won but ran a really good time for this time of year, which will set her up for great things for the rest of the season,” Sparks said.

The throwers also did ver y well for the Irish. For the women, senior Abbey

Kapitan stepped up for the Irish to w in the weight throw and take second in the shot put. On the men’s side, the Irish took the top three spots in the weight throw w ith senior Logan Kusk y leading the way.

Sparks was pleased Kapitan was able to step up and take first in the weight throw despite some difficult competition. “[Louisv ille] has a lady who’s one of the top throwers in the countr y competing right along w ith Abby [Kapitan] and [junior] Rachel [Tanczos],” Sparks said. “Tanczos had a bit of a back issue that held her out of the competition. There was a bit less competition on the women’s side and Abby rose to the occasion to claim the w in this time.”

Both 4×400-meter relay teams placed third at the meet.

Sparks is aware there is a huge lack of 400m runners on the women’s side.

“That relay was all 800-meter runners and milers, so we don’t have any women’s 400m runners right now,” he said.

“And for the time being that is going to be a gap in our performance.”

The men’s side w ill also need to improve as the season continues.

“The men are led by [graduate student] Edward Cheatham and a few middle distance runners like [junior] Sam Voelz, who won the 1,000m and came back to run a really good leg in the 4×400,” Sparks said.

“There are some pieces there on the men’s side and we can put together a respectable 4×4 team w ith Ed and Sam leading the way for that group.”

9

Sparks hopes the freshmen on the team can continue to improve on a week ly basis. One freshman he has high hopes on is Michael Shoaf, who was one of the best throwers in the countr y coming out of high school and placed second in the weight throw on Saturday.

“We know that he is going to continue to improve because each week he learns a lot of good things and how to throw heav ier increments,” Sparks said. “He got second this week, and we hope he w ill continue to progress and be in contention to score points at the conference meet at the end of the year.”

Sparks also hopes freshman high jumper Sarah Flight can make an impact for the Irish at the end of the season.

“She was at her collegiate record, and she is another one who we expect to continue to improve and be on the verge of scoring points come the ACC Championship,” Sparks said.

The goal of the team at the moment is to get a little better every week and to be ready for the bigger meets at the end of the year.

“You don’t need to make any huge adjustments, but you need to keep taking little steps every weekend,” Sparks said. “If you are able to do that, you are able to set yourself up well at the end of the season.”

The Irish will be back in competition this Friday and Saturday at the Power 5 Invitational, which will take place at the University of Michigan.

Contact Nate Moller at nmoller2@nd.edu

ANNA MASON | The Observer

Irish senior Madysen Hunter, center, competes in the 60-meter hurdles on Feb. 2 at the Meyo Invitational in Loftus Sports Center. Hunter ran the hurdles in 8.92 seconds to place 22nd in the event.

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 | tuesday, january 28, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

M Bball

W Tennis

Continued from page 12

Continued from page 12

contested lay up, where the inbounder bumped him, to cut the lead to one-point.

Goodw in was later also called for a foul for undercutting a Seminoles player when it appeared the latter went over Goodw in’s back, and senior guard T.J. Gibbs fouled out of the game as well.

Brey’s post-game press conference took a turn when he suddenly brought up the plays unprompted.

“Durham get fouled on that last one? On that steal? Did he get fouled on that? ” Brey asked of the aforementioned play. “How about the walk on Pf lueger, at half court?

Sometimes we’re treated — we’re treated by the officials like we haven’t brought football as a full member, but yet we get a full share of the ACC Network TV. Are you kidding me? [Referee John Gaffney] T’s up our bench from across the court because he’s pissed off at us? I’m frustrated, man.”

Brey then complimented Florida State (17-2, 7-1 ACC) on the way their team played, before walking out of his press conference less than a minute into it.

“You gotta be kidding me man,” Brey said while waving his arms exasperatedly before walking out of the room. “C’mon man. We’re in the league, too. We’re in the league too now, c’mon.

C’mon John Gaffney. God. Congratulations to Florida State, [they]’re fearless. Great team, they can win it [all].”

In Brey’s comments on Monday’s ACC teleconference, he addressed his outburst during his opening statement.

“I was really proud of our group the other night in Tallahassee,” Brey said. “I thought we gave ourselves a chance and really fought back. I am so impressed with Florida State, I really think they can win the whole thing.

They are playing well. I certainly accept the reprimand for my comments and I will take my medicine like a man and accept my responsibility on that. I am going to try to be a good guy the rest of the season, but I can’t guarantee anything.”

Should the Irish have pulled out the win over Florida State, it would have provided a Notre Dame team striving to make a post-season tournament with a marquee win. Instead, the Irish now sit three spots from the bottom of the ACC at 11-8, 2-6 in the conference.

The Irish return to action Wednesday night to take on Wake Forest at Purcell Pavilion.

“It was a great match from both sides, and I think for our team, we came out in the doubles and we were not able to quite capitalize on a couple of opportunities at one and two; we ended up losing the doubles points to Furman,” Silverio said.

“We had to reset and respond quick ly going into singles.”

Silverio said the first four matches set a strong tone going into the singles, as three of the four were won by the Irish.

“It ended up coming dow n to our five and six, and [sophomore] Zoe Taylor, who was play ing at six, ended up battling back and pushed her match to a third set,” Silverio said. “And our number five, [redshirt sophomore] Julia Lilien, was battling into the third set. So it was really just great to see our team coming together, and being able to fight, and battling adversit y, and being able to respond from not quite getting the momentum we wanted from doubles, being able to reset and shift gears and really capitalize on our opportunities

Contact Hayden Adams at hadams3@nd.edu

Fencing Continued from page 12

Northwestern. This time, we were able to do so. We w ill have to match or exceed this effort going forward. Specifically, I’d like to tip the cap to our women’s sabre squad, who gave us the biggest boost against Northwestern.”

The men also had a strong show ing, shutting out three opponents in their ow n right as they defeated Detroit Mercy, Northwestern and Florida 27-0 apiece.

Their toughest test came

in singles.

“It was a great first match of the weekend. … It gave us a lot of confidence and belief going into Sunday’s match.”

But w ith Sunday’s matchup came some heightened competition, as the Irish took on the Georgia Bulldogs, who currently sit at the No. 3 spot in the nation. The Irish did not come out on top, but Silverio said that the many small v ictories — seen through the positive changes her squad was able to make in the midst of competition — were signs of encouragement for the team heading for ward.

“We didn’t quite get the result we wanted to there against Georgia; they beat up on us prett y good in the doubles, so we certainly need to make some adjustments and adapt to some of the things that we saw,” Silverio said. “And leading into our matches this weekend, we w ill definitely take this week and utilize our practice times and our indiv idual times to work through some of those adjustments.”

The match against Georgia put the team in a hole, Silverio said, but the Irish were there in “ever y

single match.”

“Obv iously, from a result standpoint, we were v ictorious in t wo of those matches, but we had a lot of little v ictories along the way, even in the matches that didn’t fall our way,” Silverio said.

“That competitive presence that we had is a great start for us, and we want to continue to build on that leading into our weekend here at home. We’re not quite where we want to be, but it was a great opportunit y to see a team like Georgia, number three in the countr y, and see what they’re doing well. … If we continue to stay focused on the details in the areas that we have control over, we’re going to be able to start turning the corner and get over those humps against the better teams.”

Silverio also commented on the play of Zoe Taylor, who played in the number one spot on the road this weekend. Silverio said the sophomore faces a tough challenge as a player in the number one spot in a conference as fierce as the ACC. Nevertheless, she is encouraged by Taylor’s progress and the small v ictories she claimed over the weekend.

“That top spot is difficult,

and it’s always going to be a battle,” Silverio said. “And in the ACC, I’d even say that ever y match, one through six, is always going to be a battle. But, for Zoe, the first day coming out she didn’t quite play as aggressively as she had been practicing.

And the girl from Furman, [senior Katarina Kozarov], capitalized on that and was able to shut the door a little bit quicker on Zoe than t y pically happens. But Zoe really rebounded well the next day. We had some good conversations the night before the Georgia match, and she made some positive adjustments against UGA, play ing another ver y good player, top-20 player in the countr y. … Those little v ictories that we were able to have and that she was able to have just by making those positive adjustments, I think they w ill be ver y critical as we move for ward.”

Mov ing on from a weekend of tough competition, the Irish w ill take on the A kron Zips at home this Friday as they continue non-conference play early in the season.

against Way ne State, who bested the Irish in foil duals 6-3, but the hosts controlled the sabre and epee fights 7-2 and 8-1, respectively.

The second day of competition saw the Irish face a new set of competitors as they took on larger regional foes from the Midwest.

Once more the women recorded three shutouts, this time against Case Western Reser ve, Michigan State and Wisconsin.The narrowest margin of v ictor y was 15 points, as the Irish beat Chicago 21-6, w ith the next closest margin being a 23-4

v ictor y over Michigan.

Sabre continued to be the strongest weapon for the Irish as they recorded several shutouts and recorded no worse a record than 8-1 against any opponent.

The men’s team followed suit, getting their three shutouts yet again.

Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin all fell 27-0 as the Spartans and Badgers failed to have a single competitor defeat his or her Irish counterpart the whole day.

The men’s closest call was a 20-7 w in over Chicago, while they also defeated

Case Western Reser ve 26-1 and recorded a couple of 25-2 v ictories over Purdue and Indiana.

Next up, the Irish w ill travel to Northwestern Universit y to participate in the Northwestern duals, where they w ill get rematches against the Wildcats and Ohio State, the latter of whom they faced at the St. John’s Inv itational on Jan. 18.

They w ill take on Stanford and top-10 opponent Princeton as well.

Contact Connor Mulvena at cmulvena@nd.edu

Contact Hayden Adams at hadams3@nd.edu

Hannah huelskamp | The Observer

The Irish competed at the DeCicco Duals on Jan. 25 in the Joyce Center. Both the men’s team and the women’s team went 7-0 on the day. The men’s team shut out three opposing teams on each day of the tournament and the women’s team shut out three opposing teams the first day.

Sports

ndsmcobserver.com | tuesday, january 28, 2020 | The Observer

11

ND MEN’s Tennis

Irish put on solid showing at ITA Kickoff Observer Sports Staff

The Notre Dame men’s tennis team traveled to Fort Wort, Texas, over the weekend to compete in the ITA Kickoff. While the Irish fell in their first match-up against Arizona (5-1), they would go on to defeat Florida Atlantic and claim the consolation title.

The Irish (2-2) started off hot in doubles against Arizona (5-1), taking the doubles point with victories on both court one and court two.

Junior Tristan McCormick and sophomore Axel Nefve dispatched junior Carlos Hassey and sophomore Jonas Ziverts by a score of 6-3. No. 5-ranked junior Richard Ciamarra and senior Matt Gamble required a tie-break to settle their match, winning 7-6 (7-5) over junior Igor Karpovets and junior Filip Malbasic.

In singles play, however, the Irish struggled against the Wildcats, losing four out of the six matches.

Ciamarra fell in straight sets 2-6, 1-6 to No. 61 Jonas Ziverts.

Notre Dame tied the match at 2-2 when junior William Howells beat Karpovets by the score of 6-4, 6-3.

The Irish put up a good fight as the

match was decided by the winner of the last two singles matches.

Ultimately, No. 102 Axel Nefve fell to No. 36 Malbasic 4-6, 4-6, giving the Wildcats a 4-2 win.

Notre Dame then set their sights on Florida Atlantic (2-5) in the consolation title match in which the Irish breezed past the Owls, winning 4-0.

Once again, the No. 2 and No. 1 doubles squads of Notre Dame helped to secure the doubles point with McCormick and Nefve winning over junior Maxime Lapraille and freshman Filip Frolo 6-3 as well as Ciamarra and Gamble winning 6-0 over junior Jason Legall and freshman Yovan Lambros.

The Irish had no trouble in singles play as well, winning three matches to earn the clean sweep.

Nefve defeated No. 58 Lapraille 7-5, 6-1. Freshman Connor Fu won his match by the same score-line, winning 7-5, 6-1 over Lambros.

William Howells rounded out the singles victories, winning 6-1, 6-3 over freshman Gerard Escandell.

The Irish now set their sights on Saturday, when they will travel to Bloomington to take on in-state rival Indiana University. Doubles play is set for 3 p.m. at the IU Tennis Center.

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Former Irish tennis player Grayson Broadus returns a hit during a match against Boston College on Feb. 6 at the Eck Tennis Center. Broadus finished his senior season in 2019 with a 17-12 singles record.

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The observer | tuesday, january 28, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com

nd TRACK AND FIELD

ND MEN’s BASKETBALL

ACC fines Notre Dame $20,000

By HAYDEN ADAMS Associate Sports Editor

Notre Dame was fined $20,000 in addition to a public reprimand of Irish head basketball coach Mike Brey after Brey publicly criticized the officiating of Notre Dame’s 85-84 loss to No. 5 Florida State Saturday night, comments which were in v iolation of the Atlantic Coast Conference Sportsmanship Policy.

“Public criticism of officials or public comments evaluating the officiating of particular contests is not in the best interest of intercollegiate athletics,” the policy states. “Indiv iduals associated w ith the athletics program are prohibited, therefore, from commenting while acting in an official capacit y on officiating other than directly to the Conference office.”

After being dow n doubledigits for the majorit y of the

Notre Dame Invitational led by distance squad

second half Saturday, the Irish (11-8, 2-6 ACC) made a valiant comeback attempt in the game’s final minutes.

However, there were a few questionable calls.

Namely, w ith time w inding dow n in the game, the Irish trailed 82-77 and graduate student guard Rex Pf lueger was called for a travel after losing possession of the ball and regaining it in midair before taking t wo steps. His ensuing pass to sophomore guard Dane Goodw in resulted in a successful three that was discounted because of the travel. The call led to a technical foul assessed to the Notre Dame bench, a four-point sw ing in a onepoint loss.

A lso, as the Irish trailed 85-82 w ith only 18 seconds left, senior for ward Juwan Durham intercepted an inbounds pass under Notre Dame’s basket and made a see M BBALL PAGE 10

By NATE MOLLER Sports Writer

ANNA MASON | The Observer

Irish junior Kelly Koehnen moves ahead in the 3,000m race during the Meyo Invitational at the Loftus Sports Center on Feb. 2.

see TRACK&FIELD PAGE 9

FENCING

nd Women’s Tennis

ND finishes weekend in Georgia with win, loss

Irish dominate DeCicco Duals

By CONNOR MULVENA

By HAYDEN ADAMS

Sports Editor

Associate Sports Editor

The Notre Dame women’s tennis team competed on the road in Athens, Georgia, over the weekend, taking on Furman on Saturday and No. 3 Georgia on Sunday. The Irish (3-1) walked away w ith a 4-2 w in over Furman (33) and a 5-2 loss to Georgia (2-0).

Despite the mixed results, Irish head coach A lison Silverio spoke highly of the progress her team has made early on in the season, and she is confident that, w ith continued progress, the squad w ill be quite alright.

Silverio was impressed by her squad’s abilit y to fight back against Furman despite beginning the match w ith a poor performance in doubles play. The Irish would turn things around in singles play and ultimately grab a decisive v ictor y.

The No. 1-ranked Notre Dame women’s and No. 2-ranked men’s fencing teams recorded clean sweeps of the competition at the annual DeCicco Duals as both squads went 14-0 over the weekend.

Head coach Gia Kvaratsk helia discussed what the duals, hosted by the Irish in the North Dome of Purcell Pav ilion, mean to the program.

“The DeCicco Duals are important to us for t wo reasons,” Kvaratsk helia said.

“First, it’s named after our legendar y head coach, Mike DeCicco. He built the foundations of our program and it would be nowhere near where it is today w ithout his efforts. It honors his legacy of building fencing in the Midwest by bringing in the varsit y and club teams from our region to our home to compete. Second, it gives our entire roster a chance to

see W TENNIS PAGE 10

The Notre Dame track and field squads were back in competition at home this past weekend for the Notre Dame Inv itational, featuring four other teams: Louisv ille, Marquette, Loyola Chicago and Illinois State.

There were impressive performances across the board for the Irish, but once again the distance squad shined.

Irish head coach Matt Sparks was pleased at the depth of the distance squad in multiple events.

“One thing we are proud of w ith the distance group is that there are eight distance events on the weekend and we won them all,” Sparks said. “It is a neat thing to do w ith some prett y good cross countr y distance schools in the meet.”

One race that really stood

Michelle Mehelas | The Observer

Irish junior Ally Bojczuk ends her forehand swing during her match against Bowling Green on Sunday at Eck Tennis Pavilion.

compete and contribute.”

The Irish outclassed v irtually all of the competition. The women’s team did not lose a single match to Detroit Mercy, Law rence or Way ne State, besting each by a score of 27-0 on the first day of competition.

They also beat Denison 26-1, Florida 25-2 and Cleveland State 24-3.Their toughest competition came against the No. 9-ranked Northwestern women’s team. Despite losing the advantage in epee duals 2-7, the Irish edged out the Wildcats 14-13 behind a 5-4 show ing in foil and a 7-2 mark in sabre.

Kvaratsk helia praised his group for handling the tough test the Wildcats presented.

“Naturally, we are satisfied w ith the results,” he said. “Earlier in the season, we had problems closing out bouts and matches against ranked opponents such as see FENCING PAGE 10