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Volume 56, Issue 6 | Friday, september 3, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
Campus adopts Canvas Switch from Sakai to Canvas excites campus, raises issues By CONNOR MARROT News Writer
Since 2011, Sakai has been a key component of students’ educations as the primary hub for online resources, assignments, grades and communication with professors. However, as the University welcomed back fully in-person instruction, it has also mandated a transition for select faculty from Sakai to Canvas as the new Learning Management System (LMS). The University’s LMS serves as the software for course
work, assisting instructors in the delivery of content and assessments. According to professor David Campbell, one of the chairpersons of the committee responsible for the change, the switch from Sakai was “inevitable.” According to Campbell, Sakai has “lost most of its market share, which means there are fewer updates being coded.” He added that Sakai lacks any incentive to improve the platform as fewer institutions contract the software. Essentially, a “negative reinforcement” has been
created where Sakai fails to evolve in an ever-changing technological landscape, Campbell said. Campbell said the negative reinforcement was one of many factors that led to the transition. The Office of Information Technologies (OIT) was already dealing with a lot of questions from faculty about the rudimentary functions of Sakai, he said, and the University’s contract with Sakai was nearing its end.
Social Media Editor
After two semesters of dining on opposite sides of Plex iglas, logging into online classes and spending each morning taking a daily health sur vey, many Saint Mar y’s students looked forward to returning to campus this fall w ith hopes of returning to at least partial normalcy. Many were disappointed. In an email from the Saint Mar y’s College Student
Affairs Office on Aug. 13, the College’s fall restrictions were outlined. “Our goal has been to create a fall semester that is full of the t y pical activ ities and traditions of the season, while continuing to consider CDC and Indiana Department of Health guidelines,” the email said. Some of the notable updates cited in the email included the College welcoming v isitors to campus again, no longer requiring the daily health sur vey,
Observer Staff Report
Notre Dame Police Department (NDPD) emailed students Wednesday evening alerting them to a report of an incident of sexual batter y late Saturday night. The female v ictim reported she believes she was given a date rape drug in a North Quad men’s residence hall prior to the alleged batter y, which “may have occurred at another unknow n
see CANVAS PAGE 3
Saint Mary’s students react to new COVID-19 policies By VERONICA NAVARRO
NDPD reports sexual battery
classrooms and common areas returning to normal capacit y, lifting all dining hall restrictions and eliminating the option of remote classes. However, some restrictions from last year remained in place. “Saint Mar y’s students, facult y and staff have access to residence hall common areas and rooms. Guests are not allowed in residence halls or in rooms, including tri-campus communit y
location on campus,” according to the email. The incident was first reported to the South Bend Police Department on Sunday during a different investigation. It was then reported to NDPD on Tuesday. “The Notre Dame Police Department has been in contact w ith the v ictim as well as w ith our partners in South Bend,” the email said. A description of the suspect see NDPD PAGE 3
Noodle Nook debuts in LaFortune
see REACTIONS PAGE 5 CLAIRE REID| The Observer
University reveals speakers Observer Staff Report
The first keynote event of the 2021 Notre Dame Forum will feature NBC News’ chief environmental affairs correspondent Anne Thompson and U.S. Senator Chris Coons taking part in a “fireside chat” in the Jordan Auditorium at the Mendoza College of Business on Sept. 10 at 3 p.m., University President Fr. John Jenkins announced in an email Wednesday evening.
News PAGE 4
This year’s Forum, announced in April, is titled “Care for Our Common Home: Just Transition to a Sustainable Future” and will focus on placing a continued emphasis on caring for God’s creation, as Pope Francis writes about in Laudato Si. “We will host a wide range of discussions and events that aim to explore climate challenges across various dimensions,” Jenkins said in the email. Thompson, a 1979 Notre
Scene PAGE 10
Dame graduate, and Coons, a co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus, will discuss building a sustainable future by crossing political divides and steps the U.S. government can take domestically and internationally to ensure an environment-focused future. Jenkins added that additional events are planned for the week of Sept. 6. The Forum, established in 2005, begins Sept. 7.
Viewpoint PAGE 7
The Noodle Nook opened August in the Huddle Mart at LaFortune Student Center occupying the space of LaFortune Ice Cream shop. By CLAIRE REID News Writer
Earlier this summer Campus Dining announced the opening of the Noodle Nook, an Asian concept located in the LaFortune Student Center’s Huddle Mart as part of their Retail Dining Master Plan. The new restaurant — occupying the space formerly home to the LaFortune ice cream shop — opened in August, just in time for students’ return to campus. “The Noodle Nook offers
FOotball PAGE 16
a variety of customizable bowls with a choice of noodles, broths, proteins, vegetables and sauces,” said director of retail dining Sandra Garcia. “It is an affordable dining option, easy to customize, where animal protein is not the focus of the dish but instead complements it.” At the restaurant’s counter or via Grubhub, patrons can customize and order either a noodle bowl — which includes your choice of four see NOODLES PAGE 3
Men’s soccer PAGE 16
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TODAY
The observer | Friday, september 3, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
Question of the Day: ndsmcobserver.com
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Who is the most influential person in your life?
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sophomore North Hall
sophomore Baumer Hall
“My brothers.”
“Derek Jeter.”
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sophomore Pangborn Hall
sophomore Pangborn Hall
“Tiger Woods.”
“Kanye West.”
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Sean Kelley
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sophomore Sorin College
sophomore McGlinn Hall
“Mr. Rogers.”
“My mom.”
Editor-in-Chief Adriana Perez Managing Editor Evan McKenna
Asst. Managing Editor: Isabella Volmert Asst. Managing Editor: Colin Capece Asst. Managing Editor: Nelisha Silva
Notre Dame News Editor: Saint Mary’s News Editor: Viewpoint Editor: Sports Editor: Scene Editor: Photo Editor: Graphics Editor: Social Media Editor: Advertising Manager: Ad Design Manager: Systems Administrator: Talent & Inclusion Manager:
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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 any 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. Commentaries, letters and columns present the views of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer. Viewpoint space is available to all readers. The free expression of all opinions through letters is encouraged. Letters to the Editor must be signed and must include contact information. Questions regarding Observer policies should be directed to Editor-in-Chief Adriana Perez. Post Office Information The Observer (USPS 599 2-4000) is published Monday through Friday except during exam and vacation periods. A subscription to The Observer is $130 for one academic year; $75 for one semester. The Observer is published at: 024 South Dining Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556-0779 Periodical postage paid at Notre Dame and additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address corrections to: The Observer P.O. Box 779 024 South Dining hall Notre Dame, IN 46556-077
Today’s Staff News
Sports
Crystal Ramirez Liam Price Ryan Peters
Jimmy Ward
Graphics Maggie Klaers
Photo
Scene
ANDREW MARCIANO | The Observer
A group of students throw a frisbee around on North Quad during mid-70 degree weather on Wednesday after weeks of a heatwave. The north half of North Quad, covered last year by a heated outdoor dining tent, is now open for students to freely hang out on.
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Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Basilica Mass Basilica of the Sacred Heart 11:30 a.m. & 5:15 p.m. All are welcome to attend.
Jim Dine: American Icon Reception Snite Museum of Art 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. Complimentary refreshments offered.
Basilica Mass Basilica of the Sacred Heart 10 a.m. & noon All are welcome to attend.
#IMSOMEONE at Saint Mary’s Rice Commons 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Open to all students, faculty and staff.
Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’ Encyclcal Mckenna Hall 4 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. Open to students, faculty and staff.
Live Band Karaoke Legends 8 p.m. - midnight Perform karaoke with a live band. Open to students only.
Movie Night Montgomery Auditorium 5:15 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Come to watch “Fast and Furious 9.”
Liturgical Minister Training Basilica of the Sacred Heart 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. Open to the public.
FUEL Washington Hall 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Come to get involved in student leadership on campus.
Eurocup Team Trivia Night Jenkins Nanovic Halls 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Free and open to all Notre Dame students.
News
Canvas Continued from page 1
OIT presented two platforms, Brightspace and Canvas, to a committee formed by the Office of the Provost for evaluation as the next potential LMS. Because investing in an LMS is at least a several-year commitment, the committee attempted to run a pilot involving all colleges within the University, collecting the opinions of faculty and students, Campbell said. The committee began the pilot program during the spring 2021 semester, surveying the faculty and students who were piloting either program. “The thrust of the surveys was ease of use, and we also looked at things like the ability for people with disabilities to use the LMS,” Campbell said. Campbell said it was clear that both students and faculty agreed Canvas was the easier learning environment to use. While many students prefer Canvas, the use of Canvas by some professors and Sakai by the rest has raised issues. Freshman Danuta Sikora agreed that Canvas is easier to use, but has experienced problems
NDPD Continued from page 1
was not given at the time of the report. The email quoted “du Lac: A Guide to Student Life,” Notre Dame’s official policy book, and warned students of the risks of sexual assault as well as the standards for consent.
ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, september 3, 2021 | The Observer
utilizing Canvas and Sakai at the same time. “Navigating through both Sakai and Canvas has been difficult,” Sikora said. Sikora said the transition feels as if both faculty and students are at the same level of understanding when it comes to Canvas. Although faculty using Canvas this semester attended training, she said many professors “express discomfort with Canvas.” Senior Andrew Connor said the two platforms are “essentially the same.” But, if given the choice, Connor would choose Sakai. He said accessing documents in Canvas takes longer in class, but the professors will take the time to explain. Connor said the professors using Canvas seem to be equipped to solve issues. 10% of courses have migrated to Canvas this semester, 50% will by next semester and every course will transition by fall 2022. This lengthy process ensures OIT can “turn a Sakai-literate faculty into a Canvas-literate faculty,” Campbell said. However, Sikora took issue with the schedule, arguing that it only creates more confusion. “What if
“Sexual assault and other sex-based misconduct can happen to anyone,” the email said. “Anyone initiating any kind of sexual contact with another person must seek consent and not engage in sexual contact unless consent is given.” The email also reiterated that the perpetrator is solely responsible for any sexual misconduct, Paid Advertisement
I expect a class on one platform, but it’s on the other?” she said. Campbell urged the University to understand that it would “not have been physically possible” to migrate all at once because an employee of OIT has to move each course from Sakai to Canvas. OIT has a limited amount of employees and is already taxed, Campbell said. He added that OIT will offer training so the faculty can better navigate and understand Canvas. Students can expect better delivery of course content though Canvas, according to Campbell. At the professor’s discretion, there are many new features including reminders, calendars, cloudbased storage, collaborative discussion features, grade calculators and better accessibility for students with disabilities. Campbell expects Canvas to provide a much better learning experience for both faculty and students. “It was time to find something far more intuitive for faculty and students to use,” he said. Contact Connor Marrot at cmarrot@nd.edu
not the survivor, and reminded students to be aware of their surroundings and look out for others. Information about sexual assault prevention and resources for survivors of sexual assault are available from NDPD and on the Committee for Sexual Assault Prevention website.
Noodles Continued from page 1
varieties of noodles complemented by up to five available vegetable varieties — or a ramen bowl — identical to a noodle bowl but w ith broth included. Broth options include tonkatsu pork, chicken and spicy vegan. “I think they’re pretty good,” senior Mar y Lusebrink said of the noodle bowl she was eating at lunch Monday afternoon. “I like the ramen bowls better than just the noodle bowls, but I’m still tr y ing to find the combination I like the best.” A Cavanaugh Hall resident, Lusebrink appreciates the Noodle Nook’s convenient location and said it presents a more exciting alternative to other LaFun restaurants like Smashburger and Subway. “It’s a nice combination of different toppings to tr y,” added Erin Swope, another senior, as she enjoyed a noodle bowl across the booth from Lusebrink. “You can mix it up a lot w ith all the different kinds of sauces. There’s a nice variet y.” Swope said she was encouraged to tr y the Noodle Nook as a fan of Star Ginger, the Asian restaurant formerly located in Duncan
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Student Center know n for its poke bowls, pho and orange chicken. “I miss [Star Ginger’s] green beans, but this seems like an okay substitute,” she said. “It’s a lot of noodles for eight bucks, so that’s nice. It’s prett y fast and easy.” Garcia noted that follow ing the closure of Star Ginger, Campus Dining recognized “a void” in Asian cuisine on campus. This, in part, inspired the opening of the Noodle Nook. “Based on the feedback from our prev ious Star Ginger clientele, we looked to increase the offerings of similar dishes,” Garcia recalled. “Because the Noodle Nook does not offer the poke bowls, which were popular at Star Ginger, we added them to the menu at Café de Grasta for the semester.” But despite its lack of poke bowls, Garcia said the Noodle Nook has been a hit among students so far. “The Noodle Nook is increasingly popular,” she said. “We are w itnessing increased volume as the semester progresses. We look for ward to continuing that trend.” Contact Claire Reid at creid6@ nd.edu
Office of Student Equity Hosts Wellness Event Observer Staff Report
The newly established Office of Student Equit y, located on the second f loor of the Student Center, hosted the second installation of their “Nav igating College” series, titled “Nav igating Mental Health and Physical Wellness.“ The office seeks to support the diverse socioeconomic needs of the communit y at Saint Mar y’s. “Our office empowers students to achieve their full potential through financial, educational and social support,” associate director of student equit y Christin K loski said in an email to students. The “Nav igating College“ series was designed to help students and prov ide opportunities for involvement on and off campus. The series kicked off w ith its first installation Aug. 26, focusing on nav igating academics by guiding students on how to read syllabi, attend office hours and nav igate the world of higher education. During Thursday’s installation, the programming
focused on mental and physical wellness, discussing the importance of prioritizing mental health and physical wellbeing during the transition period from high school to college life. The office w ill hold the final part of its “Nav igating College“ series Sept. 9 w ith a focus on involvement w ithin the Saint Mar y’s communit y as well as the larger South Bend communit y.
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NEWS
The observer | Friday, september 3, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
ND researchers study behavioral inertia By LIAM PRICE News Writer
An interaction with a customer service call center can be a tiresome affair for people in need of assistance. When customers are already stressed out over an issue, the inefficiency of routing systems can only pile on to the frustration. And from a business perspective, inefficiency at call centers costs money — and its customers’s trust. New research from Notre Dame professors exploring a concept called “behavioral inertia” offers companies key insights to help improve their customer service and make service center operations more efficient. “The idea of behavioral inertia is new to the literature on call routing and hasn’t been discovered before,” said Notre Dame researcher Kaitlin Wowak.
Wowak is an associate professor of information technology, analytics and operations (ITAO) at the Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business and a coauthor along with Notre Dame associate professor Nicholas Berente of “A behavioral perspective on service center routing: The role of inertia,” which was published this August in the Journal of Operations Management. Wowak is an associate professor of information technology, analytics and operations (ITAO) at the Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business and a coauthor along with Notre Dame associate professor Nicholas Berente of “A behavioral perspective on service center routing: The role of inertia,” that was published in August in the Journal of Operations Management. Berente notes the study’s lead
author Aaron Schecter of the University of Georgia was finishing up his doctoral degree when he gained access to the call center of a large North American company. “He came to me to discuss how to approach the study and we put together the team,” said Brenete. The unique, confidential data set the team worked with was composed of about 70,000 calls, allowing the team to select and analyze data in an empirical way. “We’re one of the first studies to do that,” said Wowak. Originally, the research team was just looking for the presence of behavioral inertia. “As a team, we talked through it and felt it was interesting in itself, but what really gets companies interested is the performance implications of behavioral inertia,” said Wowak. “In general, behavioral inertia does hinder
service firm performance, but in certain situations, it actually helps firm performance.” Wowak mentions that the first of these situations arise when an issue is particularly complex. This is because automation cannot adequately route a caller to the best possible agent when an issue isn’t easily codified into a “press one to receive a specific type of help,” automated category. The routing agent’s behavioral inertia increases overall performance by knowing there is a specific agent with expertise who will perform much better than his or her peers. Codified, automated routing may not direct the caller to this specific agent. An agent’s expertise and an issue’s complexity are not easy for companies to objectively measure. “Humans, actually, are
fairly good at this sort of thing,” Berente said. “Our minds work through associative pattern matching and we can readily get a feel for things like expertise and complexity, whereas computers have a difficult time with this because it is multidimensional and there is no clear outcome variables.” “The implications for companies would be to give agents some discretion because they might have a better understanding of what agents know that can’t be codified in routing,” notes Wowak. Behavioral inertia — overall — hinders performance. The study would allow companies to know when to give agents discretion in routing calls and when to be stricter with automation. Contact Liam Price at lprice3@ nd.edu
Keough School holds discussion on 9/11 By MEGAN FAHRNEY News Writer
The three-part discussion series titled “The Twentieth Anniversary of September 11: Changing the Climate of Conflict” kicked off Wednesday with a conversation on the cause and effect of 9/11 featuring Andrew Bacevich, president of the Quincy Institute and author of “After the Apocalypse: America’s Role in a World Transformed.” The discussion, presented by the Keough School of Global Affairs and its Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion, consisted of remarks from Bacevich and responses from guests, students and faculty members. Participants discussed whether the attacks of Sept. 11 were an act of religious fanaticism, blowback to U.S. foreign policy or potentially a mixture of both. Following introductory remarks from Mahan Mirza, executive director of the Ansari Institute, and Scott Appleby, dean of the Keough School of Global Affairs, Bacevich began by stressing the need for a new national security paradigm. “Post-Cold War ideological expectations have turned out to be illusory,” said Bacevich. “So, too, have claims to U.S. military supremacy.” This new approach to national security should prioritize
domestic threats, such as the climate crisis, COVID-19, porous borders, cyber intrusiveness, the erosion of confidence in basic government institutions, rampant disinformation and unresolved issues regarding race, Bacevich said. “Keeping Americans safe where they live must shape basic policy,” he said. Three panelists provided their own remarks and responses to Bacevich. Perin Gürel, associate professor of American Studies, spoke of discrimination against people of color both abroad and in the U.S. Gürel described how the George W. Bush administration framed 9/11 as “the new Pearl Harbor” in order to fuel crackdowns on minority communities. This included the deportation of American Muslims and Arabs following 9/11 and the creation of the PATRIOT Act. Gürel continued by speaking about the idea of American exceptionalism and its negative impacts on American foreign policy in the Middle East. Following Gürel, Jamila Afghani, founder and president of the Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom Afghanistan, spoke about her own personal experience in Afghanistan, which she recently fled with her family after the recent Taliban takeover. Afghani, participating
MEGAN FAHRNEY | The Observer
Ansari Institute executive director Mahan Mirza speaks during the question and answer session of the event hosted by the Keough School of Global Affairs that discussed the causes and effects of 9/11.
virtually from Norway, said while Americans are celebrating the end of war in Afghanistan, Afghans are left to deal with the misery of their nation. Tears came to Afghani’s eyes as she recalled witnessing the collapse of her homeland in a matter of hours. “The city was finished,” she said. “There was no living being on the street and everyone was hiding in their homes.” She described the situation in Afghanistan as a “disaster” because of the U.S.
After Afghani, Ebrahim Moosa, professor of Islamic Thought and Muslim Societies at the Keough School of Global Affairs, spoke about the origins and morality of the American wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Moosa emphasized that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were unjustified and questioned whether or not Americans have sufficiently held politicians accountable. The conversation concluded with a question and answer session with the audience. Attendees
asked follow-up questions about statements from the panelists and about the course of action the U.S. should have taken in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. Bacevich said he believed the most important outcome of the discussion was the chance to hear from Afghani after her escape from Afghanistan. “It was very moving and, frankly, profound,” Bacevich said. Contact Megan Fahrney at mfahrney@nd.edu
New Engineering Innovation Hub opens Observer Staff Report
Notre Dame opened its new Engineering Innovation Hub (EIH) in the Cushing-Fitzpatrick Halls of Engineering. The EIH is a 10,000-square-foot, stateof-the-art experiential learning
facility that includes fabrication, automation, modeling and robotics, according to a University press release. EIH is part of Notre Dame’s iNDustry Labs initiative, which forms partnerships with industries and colleges and universities
to support growth in the South Bend-Elkhart region. Students will have access to the EIH through classes and various clubs and organizations involved with engineering and design on campus. The facility contains modern
ideation and project space, advanced manufacturing stations, 3D printing stations, metrology and computing resources and assembly space. Additionally, the EIH will act as a resource for local manufacturing partners and startup businesses
and as a fabrication and test facility for student research. In the press release, EIH managing director Daryl Peterson said the hub will help students learn experience and skills that will make them competitive job applicants in a variety of fields.
News
ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, september 3, 2021 | The Observer
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STUDENT SENATE
Senate discusses Notre Dame Voice Summit By ERIK FINCH-SOTO News Writer
On Wednesday night, the Notre Dame student senate convened for its second meeting of the fall semester to discuss the reports from the Notre Dame Voice Summit. Senior Megan Rogers, president of Design for America Notre Dame, took the f loor to voice the concerns and opinions of students who participated in the Summit. The Notre Dame Voice Summit, a project associated w ith the Office of the Provost, Student Government and Design for America, aimed to tack le the question of what campus life would look like after the COV ID-19 pandemic and how students feel about the future of Notre Dame. In April, the Voice Summit gathered over 100 facult y, staff and students to hear their fears or concerns about the next academic school year after the pandemic. Rogers said many of the debates about hybrid learning that arise this semester could affect the academic resources on campus for years to come. Last year, as a part of hybrid learning, students took advantage of the more accessible v irtual office hours and professor accessibilit y, but some worr y
Reactions Continued from page 1
Guests are not allowed in residence halls or in rooms, including tri-campus community members, except during move-in,” the email said. Similar to last year, tri-campus and off-campus visitors are not welcome in residence hall rooms. This semester, visitors are not allowed in residence hall common areas despite being welcome in visitor’s lounges just months prior. Additionally, all students are required to wear a mask in the classroom regardless of vaccination status. Following the email, students began expressing their concerns about inconsistencies in the College’s expectations. “I feel that the restrictions are unfair. The college has enforced that every Saint Mary’s girl get the COVID vaccine to return to campus. Notre Dame has done the same with their students. Masks are not enforced outside, they are not enforced in the dining hall, students can now serve themselves,” sophomore Angelina Balderas said. Balderas isn’t the only student who feels this way.
that these measures may not carr y over to the 2021-22 school year. Through an activ it y called “The W hy Ladder,” Rogers and her associates attempted to understand the reasoning behind students enjoy ing the additional academic amenities and understand the real impact they had on students. “We brought people together to ask… why? ” Rogers said. “You can take the bright spots [of hybrid learning] and then pollinate the dark spots w ith the brightness.” An anony mous chemical engineering student who participated in the study was one of many who were highlighted in the meeting about their comments on professor relationships. They, along w ith other students, had expressed how hav ing the personal connection w ith the professor made them more motivated in the classroom. The senate felt that the Voice Summit’s research and findings share insight into preferences that may not have been voiced otherw ise. Rogers and ever yone associated w ith the summit plan to continue its research w ith underclassmen and inv ite students to keep this initiative active by participating in its future summits.
“We’re allowed to be in close contact with others outside and in the dining halls, but we can’t have anyone in our private spaces unmasked or masked,” sophomore Aaliyah Jones said. After hearing that other students agreed that the policies were inconsistent, Jones started a petition urging the College to remove the residence hall restrictions across campus. “It’s essential for us to be able to have guests in our dorm rooms like a regular year. With the restrictions, the college faces the risk of mental health issues being brought on to students, students moving off-campus, and decreased participation in Saint Mary’s events. The restrictions won’t have much of an effect as all the SMC students will go to Notre Dame,” the petition reads. Nearly 700 students, parents and community members have signed the petition as of Wednesday. Jones also noted that professors are not required to wear masks, but students always are, despite likely sharing the same vaccination status. Balderas said she signed the petition because she wants to
ERIK FINCH-SOTO | The Observer
Design for America Notre Dame president Megan Rogers presents to the student senate Wednesday about how life will look after the COVID-19 pandemic and how students feel about the future of Notre Dame.
The senate also brief ly discussed the preparations for the upcoming National Suicide Prevention Week. Notre Dame plans to spend the next week raising awareness for mental health promotion through events and discussions. The senate
return to the valuable education that she is paying for. However, she understands some of the guidelines and appreciates that certain restrictions have been lifted. “I appreciate that we’re able to serve ourselves in the dining hall, and I think that inperson classes are so much better than online,” Balderas said. Jones also said the testing policies are fair. “I think that the entry tests for unvaccinated students is a great way to start the year, it keeps everyone safe. The weekly screening tests are also understandable.” However, to Jones, the positives of the new policies do not outweigh the negative effects they may have on students. “It has become hard to put yourself out there and make a real connection with people, since nothing has been faceto-face. Nothing is personal anymore,” Jones said. “The guest policy only makes that worse. Until that changes, campus will feel the same.” realistic interview scenario, she said. Contact Veronica Navarro at vnavarr3@nd.edu
discussed events such as the Grotto candle lighting ceremony and the suicide prevention discussions that would be presented by the department of Faith and Ser v ice as well as the department of Health and Well-being.
In an attempt to make suicide awareness more noticeable on campus, t-shirts w ill be distributed in the Duncan Student Center at the beginning of next week. Contact Erik Finch-Soto at efinchso@nd.edu
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The observer | Friday, September 3, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
Inside Column
Lost earrings
Don’t compare coronavirus policies to the Holocaust
Alysa Guffey Notre Dame News Editor
Blake Ziegler News with Zig
I got my ears pierced at 20 years old; I am currently 20 years old. I subsequently bought three pairs of earrings because I was so excited I could finally shop for earrings; upon college move-in, I lost said pairs of earrings. Now, I am left with one lone pair of earrings that can never be changed. The irony has not been lost on me — waiting so long for something, enjoying it for the smallest amount of time and then being back to square one, almost. Putting this feeling into words reminded me of how leaving freshman year was a similar sort of feeling. Coming back to South Bend last fall was returning home yet starting over at the same time. Nothing was the same yet everything was the same. Then, two weeks ago I found myself returning to campus for my junior year, halfway done with college. From here on out, my time at Notre Dame is going downhill. This is just a fact — not a sentimental feeling, a sense of fear, an overused joke, but rather a fact. The sad part about it is that it feels like we have lost so much time here. As someone on the Observer Editorial Board put it, the junior class is 0-2 in terms of normal years of college. Feeling like you have lost time is a hard emotion to overcome, no matter the circumstances. Yet here I am, accepting the hard fact that two years of college are gone but embracing the thrill that I still have two years of college to go. I remember coming to Notre Dame and thinking about all the things I wanted to check off my “Irish bucket list,” if you will. Once arriving in South Bend, I realized there are so many more experiences than I thought possible, and there are still multiple experiences I want to seek out. I want to go on a day trip to the dunes with my friends. I want to attend a Notre Dame football bowl game. I want to visit every undergraduate hall on campus. I want to have a semester where I rationally use my Flex Points and still have some left for finals week. I want to go on a retreat. I want my friends to be able to come and visit me. I want to take a creative writing class. I kinda want to swim in the lake. I want to go on a real spring break trip. (Who knew this would be so hard to come by?) Most of all, I want to leave this place with no regrets, and there is so much time to make up for lost time. Instead of thinking about all the time we lost in the past, I encourage you to join me in making the most of our future time. No matter if you’re a lucky — in some ways — first-year or scared senior, we all have the same 24 hours in a day and seven days in a week. Moral of the story: It’s never too late to do something new. I never thought I would get my ears pierced. No one did. I sometimes used it as my fun fact. Second moral of the story: Nothing is ever really lost. Here’s to finding our lost time and my earrings that I miss dearly. You can contact Alysa at aguffey@nd.edu The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Submit a Letter to the Editor: viewpoint@ndsmcobserver.com
In case you missed it, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) found herself in another antisemitic controversy over the summer. In multiple tweets and an interview, she compared proof of vaccination and mask mandates to the yellow stars Jews were forced to wear in Nazi Germany. Fortunately, her comments were widely criticized by Republicans and Democrats. However, Holocaust comparisons have been a common feature in protests against COVID-19 policies across the United States. The yellow star analogy is a popular one, invoked by an Oklahoma GOP chairman, protestors in New Mexico, a hat shop in Nashville, TN, and many others. That’s only the beginning of a long list of allusions to the Holocaust among the protests against pandemic measures. Such acts demonstrate a severe lack of competency on the significance of the Holocaust. Comparing the Holocaust to coronavirus regulations serves to undermine the tragic experience of its victims. The Holocaust was a systematic, racially driven effort to eradicate a group of people from existence. Having to wear a mask or provide proof of vaccination to engage in nonessential activities is in no way similar to the Jewish ghettos, discrimination and disenfranchisement, concentration camps or indescribable suffering endured by Jews in Nazi Germany. It is an uneducated opinion that has no basis in reality. Not only that, likening events to the Holocaust perpetuates antisemitism. The global Jewish population has only recently reached its pre-Holocaust levels. It took over 70 years to overcome the devastation Hitler did to the world’s Jews. Being asked to wear a mask on an airplane or provide proof of vaccination to attend a concert is not the same. In fact, these comparisons trivialize the deaths and intense persecution of Holocaust victims, diminishing the significance of the event. If I accept the claim that wearing a mask is equivalent to wearing a yellow star used by Nazis to indicate who would be sent to death camps, I’m lessening the severity of the Holocaust. Such a thought now distorts our perception of the Holocaust and its damage to Jews and the world, cheapening the lessons it can teach us about combating persecution and injustice. The widespread nature of Holocaust perceptions can be explained by two factors. The first factor is that the United States has a deeply troubling lack of adequate Holocaust education. Out of fifty states, only nineteen require Holocaust education in high school. The result is a public very uninformed on the most well-documented event in history. According to a 2020 survey by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, 11% of Americans nationally were unaware the Holocaust happened, 45% could not name a single concentration camp, and 51% did not know that six million Jews were killed. W hen breaking the data down state-by-state, the highest scoring state, Wisconsin, only demonstrated a 42% competency in Holocaust awareness. The takeaway is clear: Holocaust education is dismal in the United States, even where it’s
codified in law. W hen your populace doesn’t even know the facts about the event, false equivalencies become much easier to spread. W hen a public is uninformed on the Holocaust, it easily lends itself to taking misinformation as fact. The survey above also found that 7% of U.S. adults demonstrate some level of Holocaust denial, the belief that the Holocaust did not happen or at least in the way it is presented. For millennials and Gen Z, that number rises to 33%. Holocaust denial is often used to spread antisemitic beliefs veiled as truth-seeking, when in reality it seeks to persecute Jews. The significant presence of Holocaust denial is troubling, especially when considering the recent spike in antisemitism over the last few years. The second factor is that politicians manipulate lack of Holocaust education for their own advantage. W hether it is media attention, developing a household name or energizing voters, politicians on the right and left utilize Holocaust comparison to improve their political capital. It is true that Rep. Greene apologized for her Holocaust comparison, but it only took her three weeks to invoke the imagery again. Popular conservative commentator Glenn Beck equated conservative silencing on social media to a “digital ghetto.” The left also engages in this type of exploitation. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY ) compared migrant detention centers under the Trump administration to concentration camps. There’s also the frequent comparison of former President Trump to Hitler. Far-right groups online frequently used antisemitic tropes in messages against coronavirus measures. Such attacks were eventually aimed at Israel, where antisemitic conspiracy theories accused the nation of manufacturing the virus for the benefit of Jews, repeating a similar line of antisemitic logic that Jews are evil and control the world. Regardless of one’s opinion on Israel, it can be agreed that applying antisemitic tropes to the Jewish State is itself antisemitic. The solution to overcoming Holocaust misinformation and exploitation on Americans is more education on the Holocaust. Schools across the nation should adopt more robust curriculum to demonstrate the horrors experienced by Jews during the Holocaust. Such an understanding is necessary to recognize the broader role of antisemitism in world history and the world today. I’m not here to argue about COVID-19 measures or whether one political party is more antisemitic than the other. My purpose in this column is to denounce the lack of Holocaust education by Americans and how that infects our politics. I implore readers to educate themselves and become better advocates for the Jewish community. Blake Ziegler is a junior at Notre Dame from New Orleans, Louisiana, with double majors in political science and philosophy. He enjoys writing about politics, Judaism and the occasional philosophical rant. For inquiries, he can be reached at bziegler@nd.edu or followed at @NewsWithZig on Twitter if you want to see more of his opinions. The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.
The observer | Friday, September 3, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
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When you realize you can’t solve everything Lucie Kneip BridgeND
Nine hundred miles south of my dorm room in South Bend, my friends are sitting in the dark. New Orleans is laid low once again, this time to Hurricane Ida’s wrath, and almost the entire city is without power. We’ll see how much damage was done in the coming days. New Orleans lost power, but I am powerless. I can turn my desk lamp on, but I can’t stop the wind from shattering my friends’ window panes, or the rain from seeping into their basements. I could write a column about Kabul, but I can’t save the lives of any Afghans who come off the planes in Qatar with stab wounds or bullet holes in their bodies. That’s my cousin’s job. He’s triaging the lines at Al Udeid, where he and three other doctors are taking care of 15,000 military personnel and 15,000 Afghans who fled the Taliban’s brutality. There’s agony behind the headlines, desperation seeping through statistics, tragedy laced in every photo. Lebanon. Haiti. Some new development in the West Bank. Or Yemen. Or Venezuela. Take your pick. Having the audacity to believe you can still make a difference when you can only guess at the struggles your neighbors have endured feels like arrogance. When I see the victims of failed societies, emaciated kids and withered old men with bodies contorted by age and disease, giving five bucks to some campus fundraiser doesn’t feel like doing the right thing. Of course, there’s nothing inherently wrong with impersonally throwing a few dollars to someone who might put it to good use. But if that’s all we’re doing, then we’re bringing a blade of grass to a gunfight. I think of that image almost every morning, debating whether doing what I do is worth it: whether the research I conduct will truly improve someone’s quality of life, if my commitment to fostering productive political discourse is actually inspiring
civic action, if my time is spent doing what matters most in my single earthly life. And then I think of the photo of the Afghan woman I saw in yesterday’s news. How she had lost everything. How today she might lose her life. How her eyes reminded me of my sister’s. I get up. Whether it’s stubbornness or naivete (probably both), I get up. I accept that I can’t save that woman, and I get up anyway. I get up because there’s a chance that someone that day is going to need me. My dad always taught us to look for opportunities to help. He would make us read Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree” whenever we had our blinders on, worrying only about ourselves and unable to see the people who needed help right beside us. I wasn’t raised to sit around and wait for someone else to step up. No excuses. You find someone who needs help, and you help them. In Silverstein’s story, a boy becomes friends with a talking tree, as one does. The boy grows into a selfish man who exploits the tree for his own needs, but that’s not what stayed with me from the story. What stuck was that the tree gave what it could — apples for eating, branches to build a house, even its own trunk so the man could build a boat. It gave what it could. It gave what it had. Tomorrow I will read the headlines. I’ll look at the photos, hear the sounds of chaos, smell the blood and sweat and anxiety, see the fear in the eyes of people I will never meet. I will take all of these things, and tuck them away in my own heart, and hope for some way to find a way. A way to understand, and a way to respond. To be part of a force that stands between a person and their greatest fear: a force that says “If you want to get to them, you’ll have to get through me, because this person is my sister. These people are my family. Because we were all made in the damn image of Jesus Christ, and if one of us is suffering, all of us are. Because we are each other’s keepers, we are each other’s healers and our own goodness is determined by how we help those who will never be able
to repay us.” Until then, I will do what I can. I will give what I have.
KERRY SCHNEEMAN | The Observer
Lucie Kneip is the current president of BridgeND and is studying political science and global affairs. She can be found petting various dogs on campus or reached at lkneip@nd.edu BridgeND is a student-led discussion club that is committed to bridging polarization in politics and educating on how to engage in respectful and productive discourse. BridgeND welcomes students of all backgrounds, viewpoints and experiences who want to strengthen their knowledge of current issues or educate others on an issue that is important to them. The club meets weekly on Mondays. Want to learn more? Contact bridgend@nd.edu or @bridge_ND on Twitter and Instagram. The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Respectfully discussing atheism Recently, I was browsing through a couple of articles in The Observer when one headline caught my eye: “Why do atheists debate?” I was intrigued, but the more I read, the more I found myself upset with the contents of the article. Andrew Sveda tries to explain the logical inconsistencies in atheism, demonstrate that morals cannot exist without God and argue that atheists do in fact believe in God, but are just too “unrighteous” to admit it. However, he fails to adequately represent the atheist position and falls into the same trappings of uncharitability that he accuses others of indulging in. To preface, I’d like to clarify that I am an atheist, but harbor no ill will to theists of any kind. I’ve grown up in the Notre Dame community and have gotten along with religious folk just fine. In fact, that’s what I love about the Notre Dame community: that it accepts all people regardless of faith. And to be clear, my goal in writing this paper is not to try to argue whether atheism is true or not, but instead to discuss the discourse surrounding the topic. This, I think, is why I found Andrew’s article disappointing; it didn’t serve to further the debate on theism or respect atheism’s position, but instead tried to cast atheists as stubborn and against truth. The very first sentence Andrew uses to argue that atheists are against truth-seeking is “Atheism asserts that we’re the f luke accident of a mindless, unguided process.” Unfortunately, it seems as if Andrew has fundamentally misunderstood the definition of atheism, which makes no claims towards the origin of the universe. Atheism is simply
the lack of a belief in a God, nothing more. In fact, recognizing this helps answer Andrew’s titular question: The reason atheists debate is because they don’t follow a strict dogma or belief. The only common thread amongst atheists is a lack of belief. Any further arguments Andrew proposes are not arguments against atheism at all. For example, Andrew describes atheists as believing in no objective morals, but this position (moral relativism) has been around for thousands of years, argued by theists and atheists alike. Furthermore, many atheists do in fact believe in objective morality. Andrew isn’t arguing against anything intrinsic to atheism, but instead against ideas some atheists hold. As interested as I am in the debate around theism, I found Andrew’s article to be about something else entirely. Instead of an impartial look into theism debates, the article quickly devolves into overused anti-atheist talking points. Imagine if I said “Science is the pursuit of truth through reason, but theists use faith; therefore theists are not truth-seekers.” I think you would find that argument rightfully unfair. Not only is it a misunderstanding of theism (which uses both faith and reason), but it treats theists in an uncharitable manner. This is how Andrew treats atheists in his article. The reason I decided to respond to Andrew was not solely because of his unsympathetic assessment of atheism, but mainly because of how he ends his argument. After his supposed proof that atheists cannot logically seek truth, he goes on to
invalidate all atheists’ beliefs, saying “Never once in your entire life have you truly believed that God does not exist.” Andrew believes that atheists are aware of God’s existence, but “by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” While previous statements seemed at best uninformed, this last point Andrew makes is extremely uncharitable. Instead of any nuanced take on atheism or on the debate surrounding it, he decries atheists as stubborn and willfully in denial of the “beliefs of [their] heart.” I, like Andrew, have spent “countless hours” listening to debates and arguments as to the existence of God, and I find the subject fascinating. I have heard many enticing arguments towards the existence of God, and I readily encourage healthy debate between both sides on this issue. In fact, if there’s one thing that I would agree with Andrew on, it is when he says “The same generosity would not be given by many today,” when he attempts to give a favorable interpretation of atheism. To this point, I totally agree; too often, atheists can get bogged down into slinging ad hominem attacks and claiming intellectual superiority over their adversaries. Ideally, all should be able to have this conversation politely, giving charitable representations of the others’ positions. I just wish Andrew would extend the same favor. Roy Bualuan class of 2024 Sept. 1
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The observer | Friday, September 3, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
A new way to measure a nation’s success Megumi Tamura Subject to Change
How do we determine whether a country is successful? Great? So called “first-world? ” In many instances, the numerous rankings and scores given to nations are based on some quantifiable, monetary measure such as GDP or unemployment rate. That’s certainly fair, as a country’s economic health correlates with wealth and development. But does it correlate with a people’s well-being? Are the countries with the highest GDP and most millionaires and billionaires necessarily the happiest on Earth? The answer is, possibly surprisingly to some, no. To lay this out a bit more clearly, here’s a ranking of the three wealthiest countries on the planet based on GDP adjusted for inf lation: 1.The United States 2. China 3. Japan Next, here’s a ranking of the most depressed countries in the world according to the World Health Organization: 1.China 2.India 3.The United States The United States and China — two of the wealthiest nations on Earth with GDPs in the trillions — are also among the top countries in which citizens are suffering with mental illness such as depression, anxiety and substance abuse. This was quite surprising — to me, at least — because we are conditioned to believe that more money and wealth means more happiness
and well-being. That’s seemingly not necessarily the case. The other countries populating the ranking of the most depressed nations are war-torn places with less economic health, but it’s still shocking that the United States — the “beacon of hope,” the “city on a hill” — is right there as well. Maybe the traditional and easily quantifiable standards, such as GDP and economic wealth, shouldn’t be the only ways by which a country’s “success” is measured. Doesn’t it defeat the purpose of wealth and prosperity if one in five Americans suffer from mental illnesses like depression and anxiety? How can we call ourselves a beacon of hope for the rest of the world when so many of us are unhappy? W hen one in six of our youth experience a mental health disorder every year? W hen suicide is the second leading cause of death among young adults and adults? It’s time we start thinking of different ways to judge our nation’s — or any nation’s — success that focus not only on national economic wealth, but also on individual happiness, well-being and sense of security. Perhaps that’s the way we can better realize and treat the severe mental health crisis aff licting our wealthy, economically prosperous nation. Perhaps GDP alone isn’t the best way to measure success if it fails to account for wealth and income disparities. It doesn’t capture the fact that the richest one percent of Americans own “fifteen times more wealth than the bottom fifty percent combined.” Sure, America is wealthy, but not everyone is sharing in that wealth and the prosperity and luxury that can come with it. Robert F. Kennedy put it quite succinctly when
he said in a 1968 speech that GDP “does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play…. It measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.” Let’s start also looking at a nation’s accessibility to quality education, economic equality, fair justice systems, psychological well-being, trust in their elected officials, work-life balance, sense of community and physical and mental health — everything which “makes life worthwhile.” Of course, no nation can have any of this without a strong economy, but it’s clear that a nation can have a strong economy but be lacking in each of these. This might sound soft and naïve — in the midst of foreign wars, pandemics and everything else — and based on subjective data unlike a calculated measure of economic progress and growth, but that shouldn’t diminish its importance. Besides, it’s data- and policy-driven political actions that can and must change some of the aspects of life that are diminishing our national mental health. If this past year has taught me anything, it is that mental health is fundamental and that we can shift our priorities to care for ourselves and our well-being. As a nation, we should do the same. Megumi Tamura is a sophomore from New Jersey currently living in McGlinn Hall. She enjoys reading books, going to museums and eating Jersey bagels. She can be reached at mtamura@nd.edu or @megtamura on Twitter. The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Respect the house that Rockne built With the success of last semester’s vaccination efforts at Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross, our return this fall holds hope for a new school year in our tri-campus community. Now that we’re all settled in, have our rooms set up, and started to learn the names of other people in our sections, heads can only turn to one thing: football. However, as we get excited for the football season, data from our tri-campus and local community show that the pandemic is not over. Breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals are very possible. We find ourselves at another turning point, when our decisions will impact the rest of the semester and academic year. If you are visiting campus during football season or are just unsure about masking guidelines, here are a few clarifications on current guidelines that we implore you to follow. Masks are mandated for all visitors on campus — at least indoors and in other specified spaces. “All temporary employees as well as contractors and family members of faculty and staff, and all other visitors to campus must wear masks indoors,” according to Provost Miranda’s first fall update. You can see the reminders for this on signs in front of dorms, outside Hesburgh Library and by the LaFortune and Duncan Student Centers. If you come across one of these signs on your visit, don’t ignore it just because you see others walking past you without a mask. This is our home — we are not visitors here. These signs are for visitors and are prominent and easy to locate. Students in the library and student centers also need a mask when these spaces are open to the
general public and visitors are commonly present. For a complete list of locations where masks are required for everyone, visit the Notre Dame COVID-19 website. There are special rules for game days. While you are on campus for a football game, be sure to follow the masking rules, regardless of your vaccination status. Although the University announced on Friday they will not require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for entry to the stadium, Notre Dame Athletics Director Jack Swarbrick asked fans to “help us keep our community safe by being fully vaccinated prior to coming to Notre Dame Stadium and our area.” While outdoors or in non-enclosed spaces, masks will be optional for vaccinated guests. This includes the stadium concourse, seating bowl and premium outdoor seating. Non-vaccinated guests are expected to wear masks for their entire visit to campus. Regardless of vaccination status, Notre Dame will require masks indoors as outlined above. This includes indoor spaces like the bathrooms at Notre Dame Stadium and any University shuttles. Additionally, to establish contactless operations, Notre Dame Stadium has gone both mobile and cashless. All tickets will be on mobile phones, so be sure to have those ready before you arrive. In addition, all concessions will accept credit or debit card payments only. If you are coming to campus at a later date for a game, pay attention to changes in the rules. Gameday requirements will be updated on a weekly basis as the COVID-19 situation progresses. Everyone still has a stake in how we finish the semester. While professors at Notre Dame have the choice to require masks in their classrooms, vaccinated Notre Dame and Holy Cross students are not
required to wear masks indoors. Saint Mary’s is requiring all students, regardless of vaccination status, to wear masks in classrooms until the end of September. However, many professors have asked students to continue masking for the entire semester in order to protect themselves, their loved ones — such as immunocompromised family members and unvaccinated children — and the local community. Even if you are vaccinated, please respect others around you who might still be concerned about the pandemic’s consequences on them or their loved ones. You might not know why someone chooses to wear a mask. Regardless of where you attend classes, follow your professors’s guidelines so they and their families can experience some sense of security during this uncertain time. Remember to also protect those on our tricampus who work tirelessly to protect our own health and well-being — Campus Dining employees, building services staff and more. Their health should not be endangered. While we hope everyone will hold themselves accountable, we at The Observer also ask the administration, campus ushers and other authority figures on campus to ensure that we as a community continue to uphold the standards we have set. This is our home. We live here day in and day out, and we ask that you respect it and its rules so that we can have as close to a normal college experience as possible. We did our part in that. We got vaccinated. We wear our masks in spaces where we are asked to and in classes that require it. This may be your beloved alma mater or the future “best four years of your life,” but for the time being, this is our home. Allow these to be some of the best four years of our lives. Because the last two years, we’ve been 0-2 on a full college experience. Don’t make us 0-3.
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The observer | Friday, september 3, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
By KATE CASPER Scene Writer
In high school, everyone knew me as the girl with the Notre Dame jacket. The navy jacket with gold stitching from 1984. The jacket that got me through the limitless walks home from school, kicking rocks like the moody teen I was, just wondering about the future that once felt so distant. But alas, here I am, in Notre Dame, Indiana, the last place I would have expected, fighting for a spot at the university whose namesake, whose letters on the back of my jacket, got me through everything. I’ll admit it, I watched the 1993 film “Rudy” for the first time this past summer. To say my Notre Dame journey and Rudy’s are similar would be an understatement — Rudy got his start at Holy Cross College, and I am too. When I received my Holy Cross College-Notre Dame Gateway offer in late March, 2021, I was devastated. I suppose it isn’t the greatest feeling to be told, “Thanks, but no thanks. P.S. We’re sending you to a different school,” but that isn’t what Gateway is. Gateway is so
By JUSTIN GEORGE Scene Writer
Every so often a cultural phenomenon occurs where it seems that everyone is talking about one thing. Of course, a piece of popular media’s grip on popular culture loosens over time and eventually, it is relegated to the status of a nostalgia piece and becomes the subjects of jokes. The years slowly slip by, and suddenly the oncepopular piece of pop culture is unearthed and re-evaluated by a new generation of consumers and surges in popularity once again. Such is the case with Catherine Hardwicke’s 2008 film, “Twilight.” Due to the recent surge in popularity thanks to TikTok and Netflix, the “Twilight Saga” has once again been brought to the forefront of the popular consciousness. After being pestered by certain unnamed individuals to re-watch “Twilight,” I finally caved and revisited the 2008 blockbuster. Was it awful? Surprisingly, no. I am a huge fan of vampire films, although I am more acquainted with “Nosferatu,” “Dracula” and “Interview with the Vampire,” than “Twilight.” Hardwicke’s film eschews the traditional secluded European nobility and suave one-percenters for *checks notes* angsty teenagers that sparkle in the sunlight. I’ll give credit where credit is due: “Twilight” has a fiercely original conception of the vampire, one that is both heroic and villainous rather than the tradition of all bloodsuckers being evil. The sparkling skin catches a lot of flak, and while it is rather hilarious, I give “Twilight” major points for originality.
much more than spending a year at Holy Cross and transferring credits; Gateway is about the beauty in the journey. The beauty of being at Holy Cross College. It was only after the “Rudy” screening last Friday, August 27, in the Notre Dame Stadium that I began to feel the magnitude of the decision I made. My fellow Saints and I met at the arch at Holy Cross at 8:15, providing ample time to make the infamous “Holy Hike” to Notre Dame. We trekked across North Dixie Way, past Burke Golf Course and through South Quad until we reached the stadium. Getting comfortable on our picnic blankets, chugging water in the heat of the night, taking in the half-empty stadium and the energy of being surrounded by freshmen across the tricampus — it was a truly religious experience. It was an experience I never knew I needed, in a place I never knew I was longing for. The glimpses of Saint Joseph Chapel at Holy Cross and the images of iconic buildings at Notre Dame throughout the film gave me more appreciation of the two campuses I have grown to love this past week-and-a-half. But what made the screening special wasn’t that
we were watching a good movie; it was that we were watching ourselves. Every single person in that stadium saw themselves in Rudy — not just the Gateways. Every single person in that stadium identified with some facet of who Rudy is, whether it be his love for Notre Dame football from his childhood or the loss he experienced after his friend’s passing. We all know what it feels like to be Rudy. We know what it feels like to be the underdog, to have to rise to the occasion, to be misunderstood or mistreated and, perhaps most importantly, we know what it feels like to be in that stadium together on a sweaty summer night in late August with the first week of college classes under our belts. When the movie ended, my friends and I ran around campus, panting, dripping in sweat, taking in the stillness and the chaos of Notre Dame on a Friday night. To be across the street, strolling on God Quad or studying in Hesburgh Library is not to abandon Holy Cross — Holy Cross is just as much a part of the Gateway identity as Notre Dame is.
Plot-wise, the audience isn’t given a ton to work with. We all know the basics: Bella Swan moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father, captures the attention of the mysterious Edward Cullen, learns he’s a vampire and they fall in love. “Twilight” is filled with glorious non-performances, especially from Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. Both are incredibly talented actors, but it seems like they’re both a thousand miles away from the film. Each of them provides the bare minimum of what is required of a performance: being on-screen and reading lines. Nothing more, nothing less. I’m not sure whether to blame the script, director or actors, but it’s impressive how bad the acting is in this film. The script is another major point of contention for many viewers. It’s awful. With that being said, there is something extremely entertaining about the dialogue in “Twilight.” It’s the perfect film to get a group of friends together and watch and act out, much like “Rocky Horror” or “The Room.” It’s as though the screenwriter (or perhaps Stephanie Meyer) had never heard a teenager talk before. Regardless, the film abounds with gems such as Edward’s infamous line, “Your scent is like a drug to me like my own personal brand of heroin.” As for the film’s technical aspects: the camera is shaky and everything is blue. The budget for this film was $37 million and it seems they couldn’t afford a tripod or a proper color grade. The shots aren’t particularly bad by any means, and a handful of the nature shots are beautiful, but the constant shaky cam is frustratingly everpresent and is incredibly distracting.
This is the part where I risk my credentials as a film critic. I was thoroughly entertained by “Twilight.” I know it’s not a good movie, but it’s just so watchable. The baseball scene alone is enough to balance out the mediocrity of the rest of the film. It’s nonsensical, bombastic and energetic. Above all else, it’s superhuman vampires playing baseball! If this is trash, then I guess I’m a raccoon. “Twilight” is nothing if not highly entertaining. This is a group movie night film if I’ve ever seen one. “Twilight” is a popcorn movie of the highest regard. A simple plot, quotable dialogue and a huge nostalgia factor make this a very watchable film. It’s not good, but it’s not awful, middling but never amateur. It’s wildly entertaining and just so much fun to watch. If you’re looking for something to watch with your friends, you can do far worse than “Twilight.”
Contact Kate Casper at kcasper@nd.edu
Contact Justin George at jgeorge3@nd.edu
Twilight Director: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson Starring: Catherine Hardwicke If you like: “The Hunger Games,” “Divergent,” “Warm Bodies” Streaming on: Netflix
CLAIRE KIRNER | The Observer
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The observer | Friday, september 3, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
By MEG SLUZAS Scene Writer
“Donda,” “Donda,” “Donda.” For the latter half of the summer the title of Kanye West’s latest album has found its way onto my social media feeds, whether it be trending tweets or Instagram photos of West’s room in MercedesBenz Stadium. Kanye, or “Ye,” as he would prefer to be called, commanded attention and mystified his fans with three exclusive listening parties, each one featuring a slightly different iteration of the album. At the first two, which were performed in Atlanta, Ye strutted around the stage, hardly rapping live to his tracks. The third, in Chicago, featured bombshell appearances from disgraced artists DaBaby and Marilyn Manson, and an additional cameo from Ye’s ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, who appeared on stage in her wedding dress. “Donda” additionally sparked controversy with a potential scheduling conflict with Drake’s new record, “Certified Lover Boy.” As time went on, the wait for the album made fans more and more excited for “Donda” to drop. Yet for all the hype that preceded it, “Donda” itself did not wow me, leaving me wondering if the publicity surrounding the drop served to overinflate my expectations of the actual music. Ye’s style and sound has been extremely versatile throughout his career. His music, like his personality, is hard to pin down due to his ability to draw from multiple different influences such as R&B, gospel and EDM. However, despite the variability of his source material, Ye has demonstrated
By RACHEL HARTMANN Scene Writer
Premiering in 1999, “She’s All That” is a rom-com about a jock dumped by his girlfriend who tries to save his reputation by betting he can turn an “ugly” girl into a popular one by prom. Of course, the “ugly” girl is stunning underneath her glasses and unibrow, and the two end up falling in love. Now in 2021 comes “He’s All That,” a gender-bent version starring Addison Rae as the main character. In this version, Padgett Sawyer (Addison Rae), a famous social media influencer, livestreams her boyfriend cheating on her and is humiliated. Dubbed “bubble girl” due to her snot from crying, Padgett bets she can turn loser Cameron Kweller (Tanner Buchanan) into prom king in an act to win back her popularity and sponsors. From the first scene where Padgett gets ready for her “I just woke up” livestream, “He’s All That” comments on the influencer culture of today and the lengths people go to gain followers. However, the movie leaves a lot unsaid and makes a lot of mistakes. First of all, Padgett never really changes throughout the film. She realizes that she has been fake to her followers but still continues to plaster a fake smile on her face and show off her life until the end of the movie. Second, the whole idea of a person magically changing into someone else who is beloved in a matter of weeks is unrealistic. Plus, shedding a wig and wearing trendy clothes do not change someone’s personality. So, the movie seems
that he can take any sound and make it his own. Even when he features other artists on his tracks, such as Jay-Z and Nicki Minaj on “Monster,” the overall sound of the music is undeniably Ye. That said, “Donda” sounded like Ye adapted the sounds of his guest stars for their parts in his music, instead of orchestrating them into his style. For example, “Hurricane,” which features The Weeknd, sounds more like Ye on a Weeknd track than The Weeknd performing in the style of Ye. Even “Jail,” which incorporates an intro riff on the electric guitar, sounds more like Ye adapting the sound of Post Malone, who is not even featured on the album. There are some golden moments of originality that include that quintessential Kanye originality, like the gospel sound in “Keep My Spirit Alive” that hearkens back to Ye’s 2019 album, “Jesus is King.” Or “Come to Life,” which includes a rich piano solo interlude mixed with a very auto tuned Ye on vocals that fits his brand. However, this quintessential “Kanye-ness” stayed within the B sides of the record. “Donda” comes after Kanye fully embraced his Christianity and made it an integral part of his music and performances, which included “Sunday Service,” his line of semi-religious concerts. His Christian themes from “Jesus is King” carry over into “Donda” and can be seen in many of the lyrics and song titles on the album. This theme meshes well with the other major focus of the album: Ye’s dedication to his mother, Donda West. The religious and familial focus of the album takes the listener on a meditative journey with Ye as he dives into his mental state and his relationship with his mom. This meditative, prayer-like aspect is heightened by constant repetition that takes place
throughout the album. At the beginning of the record, Ye’s guest vocalist Syleena Johnson chants “Donda” for over a minute, so much so that the word almost turns into a mantra that starts the prayer that is the album. Using that lens, the repetition of lyrics and the revisitation of certain songs that Ye puts in part two of the album make sense of this decision. However, like additional litanies in mass, this makes the album run too long and could lose the listener’s interest. “Donda” disappointed me because it did not leave me stunned by the overall artistry of its music. The pre-drop hype inflated my expectations of the album so greatly that nothing could live up to the publicity stunts that preceded it. Throughout his career Ye has proven himself as a master orchestrator of the media and music, but in the instance of “Donda,” his masterful hype totally eclipses the quality of the album.
to convey that what you look like is vital to be accepted in this world. “He’s All That” made some significant changes from the original, such as losing the fatphobia, sexism and sexual harassment for laughs. However, the film was also much more sanitized and TikTok-ified. The film loses the cursing and drinking that the original movie had. The characters in “He’s All That” drink mocktails and insult each other with puns. It seems more fake and two-dimensional as the characters try (and fail) to seem relatable to everyday teens. While Rae does her best at acting, it looks forced and flat in many moments of the film, as if she’s filming an extended TikTok, not a movie. From her ever-present fake smile to her lack of emotions, Padgett seems out of touch with reality and lost in her fantasy world. Even with the humiliation of her famous boyfriend Jordan Van Draanen (Peyton Meyer) cheating on her on a livestream, she shows little emotion after the fact. She looks just how she does typically: perfect. The chemistry in “He’s All That” was decent, if a bit unrealistic, as Cameron falls for Padgett pretty quickly and forgives her quickly even though she used him for likes. Although, the unreal romance wasn’t surprising in a movie where there is a TikTok dance-off at prom and the school loser has an eight-pack hidden under his hoodie. Now, you may be saying to yourself, “Why would I watch this movie after this review?” Here’s what I have to say: If you want to watch a movie where you do not need to think and can just space out for a bit, then watch this one. I went
into this movie with the lowest expectations possible, but was surprised that I actually liked it. I didn’t love it or even like it a lot, but I didn’t hate it either. Honestly, I am a total sucker for rom-coms and tend to watch them without any expectations, so this checked that box. It’s a movie that I can see once and never again without saying it was a total waste of time. “He’s All That” is not great, but it is not awful. It’s just not worth all that hype or publicity it has gotten. Like “The Kissing Booth” it targets a specific audience and will not be liked by everyone. If you ever have a free day where you’re bored and looking for something to do, you can check out “He’s All That” streaming on Netflix — or you can do something else.
Contact Meg Sluzas at msluzas@nd.edu.
“Donda” Kanye West Label: GOOD MUSIC and Def Jam Recordings Favorite songs: “Pure Souls,” “Come to Life” If you like: ““Jesus is King,” Tyler the Creator, The Weeknd
Contact Rachel Hartmann at rhartma4@nd.edu
He’s All That Director: Mark Waters Starring: Addison Rae, Tanner Buchannan, Peyton Meyer If you like: “The Kissing Booth,” “To All The Boys” Genre: Teen comedy
EMMA KIRNER | The Observer
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ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, september 3, 2021 | The Observer
Crossword | Will Shortz
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Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Connect with people who share your concerns this year. You’ll find a way to endorse your beliefs and bring about the changes you want to happen. Step into the spotlight, and be the one to take on the role of leadership. Your insight and dedication to get things done will open doors to positions that have been unavailable in the past. Your numbers are 4, 17, 26, 29, 31, 38, 43. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Surround yourself with supportive people who have your back and offer suggestions that encourage you to pursue what makes you happy. An emotional plea will stabilize a meaningful relationship and make your life less stressful. Romance is on the rise. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Uncertainty will prevail if you have too many options. If you pay attention and consider what makes you happy, it will be easier to figure out what to do next. Physical activity will help you blow off steam and ease stress. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Rely on common sense, the connections you have and your charm to help you reach your goal. Speak up on your behalf and you will offset being put in a precarious position by someone who doesn’t share your beliefs. Romance is most definitely not encouraged. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Get involved in something unique or unfamiliar. It will give you the incentive to make changes at home that help you put the past behind you and start anew. Refuse to let an emotional matter spin out of control. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Refuse to let the changes taking place around you upset your plans. Don’t offer information about your intentions to anyone who may try to interfere. A chance to spend more time with someone you love will help you set your priorities straight. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Push yourself, embrace change and be open to suggestions. Refuse to let emotional matters infiltrate into business or financial prospects. You need to keep a clear head if you want to come out on top. Don’t get emotional; start moving. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Don’t throw caution out the window when dealing with matters that can influence your position or reputation. Do your homework, and offer only the information that will protect you from being labeled as “uncompromising.” Charm and mindfulness are encouraged. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Inhale; exhale. Keep life simple, take care of your responsibilities and navigate your way to a place that makes you feel good about who you are, what you accomplish and what you can look forward to with pride and excitement. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Use your intelligence, strength and ability to make the most with what you’ve got. You’ll ward off any opposition and invite contributions and the support necessary to get things done your way. Approach life, love and responsibilities with enthusiasm. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You’ll face plenty of questions if you use emotional manipulation or sport a pushy attitude. Relax and let others do as they please. It will give you the chance to put your house in order and do your own thing. Keep the peace. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A money matter is best handled with finesse. Use your intelligence, and you’ll develop a plan that can turn a little into a lot. Don’t leave anything to chance or up to someone else if you want to avoid disappointment. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Choose friends wisely if you want to attract the right kind of people. The associates you align yourself with will determine what transpires. Partnerships based on truth, equality and for the good of all involved will help you overcome adversity. Birthday Baby: You are adaptable, meticulous and personable. You are informative and clever.
Sudoku | The Mepham Group
Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek
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The observer | Friday, september 3, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
Sports Authority
Sports Authority
MLB’s tightest postseason races Andrew McGuinness Sports Writer
Depending on your rooting interests, this is either the most exciting or stressful time of the baseball season. If your team is a bottom feeder or can already see the X next to their name, you can sit back and watch the chaos unfold. Everyone else will spend the next month biting their nails and wearing a rally cap 24/7 in hopes of their favorite squad finding a way to the postseason. Last year’s expanded 16-team postseason made for a pretty cut and dry finish in the AL but an exhilarating finish in the NL that saw three teams competing for the last Wild Card on the season’s final day. With the normal 10-team format back in play for 2021, there are several divisions (and both Wild Cards) that remain up for grabs heading into the home stretch. With one month and two days left in the regular season, let’s take a deeper look at some of these races and forecast who will come out on top. *Standings as of the beginning of play on Wednesday 9/1
AL West 1st: Houston (78-54) In the Hunt: Oakland (7359, 5 GB) There are many fans who will never forgive the Astros for their infamous trash-can scandal in 2017, but one way to erase all of the doubts around their team would be to win a non-tainted fall classic. They certainly seem capable, adding an elite closer from division rival (and postseason contender!) Seattle at the deadline in Kendall Graveman. Pair him with a stacked lineup that’s getting Alex Bregman back from injury, and the ‘Stros are poised to win their fourth AL West pennant in five years.
1st & 2nd AL Wild Card 1st: NY Yankees (76-56, +2 GB), 2nd: Boston (75-59) In the Hunt: Oakland (7359, 1 GB), Seattle (71-62, 3.5 GB), Toronto (69-52, 4.5 GB) As you’d expect, the wild cards are the two of the tightest races in baseball. It’s even more wide open in the AL, where both spots are up for grabs with even a white-hot Yankees team unable to significantly pull away from the field. New York’s all-in push for Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo have created one of the AL’s deadliest lineups and all but locked the Bronx Bombers into a fifth straight Postseason trip. Spot number two is naturally more wide open. The Red Sox are enjoying a nice boost from the return of Chris Sale, who’s been great since returning from Tommy John in August, and trade deadline pickup Kyle Schwarber. Shoutout to the Mariners for
hanging around despite a -61 run differential, and to Toronto despite spending the first four months of the season in the U.S and a myriad of injuries to star free-agent George Springer. Ultimately, I like Oakland for this last spot. Starling Marte’s been phenomenal since coming over from Miami, and besides, the A’s usually wait until reaching the postseason to break your hearts.
NL East 1st: Atlanta (70-61) In the Hunt: Philadelphia (68-64, 2.5 GB), NY Mets (65-67, 5.5 GB) What was set to be a comedic yet tense pennant race turned into more of a one-trick pony in August. It turns out the Braves have been emulating The Freeze this entire season; giving hope and a head start to the Mets and Phillies before passing them at warp speed with an incredible August. An aggressive deadline spent splurging on outfielders to recreate whatever of Ronald Acuńa Jr.’s production they could (plus a nice closer in Richard Rodríguez) has worked out extremely well for Alex Anthopoulos and company. Philadelphia is still hanging around, but between seasonending injuries to lineup heartbeat Rhys Hoskins and solid starter Zach Eflin and their only consistency being in playing down to competition, their chances aren’t great. A five-game winning streak driven by their longest streak of scoring seven-plus runs since 1933 has certainly helped. At least they’re not in as much turmoil as the Mets. The Braves are in the driver’s seat en route to their fourth straight NL East crown, as improbable as it was a month ago.
NL West 1st: San Francisco (84-48) In the Hunt: LA Dodgers (84-49, 0.5 GB) Rarely do we see the two of the three best teams in baseball locked in a pennant race heading into September, but the NL West has been as cutthroat as advertised. The only thing is San Francisco and San Diego have traded scripts, with the latter scraping to stay in the Wild Card race and the former emerging as a juggernaut. Even though it’s an odd year, this has felt like the Giants season for some time now, at least until the postseason arrives. Veterans like Brandon Crawford and Buster Posey are as productive as ever in their mid-30s. Under-the-radar players like Mike Yastrzemski and Kevin Gausman have produced in spades. Everything second-year manager Gabe Kapler has touched has turned to gold, a stark contrast from his first managerial stint in Philly. Thanks to their incredible depth see McGUINNESS PAGE 13
Zwiller: Rams to be Super Bowl contenders this year Thomas Zwiller
AFC South
Sports Writer
The AFC South is an incredibly close two-team race between the Titans and Colts. The difference? WR Julio Jones, who the Titans were able to acquire from the Falcons in the offseason. Jones, WR A.J. Brown and RB Derrick Henry are a great trio and give QB Ryan Tannehill plenty of weapons to work with. The Jaguars and Texans are both rebuilding, so don’t expect much from them. Tennesse Titans: 10-7 Indianapolis Colts: 8.7-8.3 Jacksonville Jaguars: 6.8-10.2 Houston Texans: 4.4-12.6
At the time I am writing this, it is almost exactly a week away from the 8:20 kick-off of Cowboys @ Buccaneers on NBC. Football. Is. Back. And with the return of football comes the return of the ZLO Model. For those who did not read my columns last year, the ZLO Model is an algorithm I created to predict the outcome of a given football game and the eventual Super Bowl Champion. The Model did pretty well, indicating the correct result of games at a 70% clip. 538’s ELO model picked at a 64% clip. Well, I spent the summer advancing the model a bit, adding in a Monte Carlo Simulator as a way of seeing the average result of a season as opposed to just one given outcome. I also used ESPN and CBS fantasy projections as a way to predict how teams would do. Well, the results are in, and boy, are they surprising.
AFC East The Buffalo Bills taking the AFC East division was not at all surprising to me. Based on last year’s performance, the Bills should be an offensive powerhouse. The Patriots being only slightly above .500 was somewhat unexpected, but it makes sense when you consider they are starting a rookie quarterback. The real surprise to me was the Dolphins being sub .500 despite having the most promising defense; their offense is not up to scratch. Buffalo Bills: 12.3-4.7 New England Patriots: 9.3-7.7 Miami Dolphins 7.5-9.5 New York Jets 3.8-13.2
AFC West If you were expecting something different from the AFC West, you are going to be sorely disappointed. The Chiefs should run away with the division en route to another deep playoff run. The Chargers, Raiders, and Broncos are all going to finish with respectable .500 records. K.C. Chiefs: 11.3-5.7 L.A. Chargers: 9-7 Denver Broncos: 7.4-9.6 L.V. Raiders 7.3-9.7
NFC East The most significant change from last season for the NFC East is that the winner will have a winning record. A low bar, to be sure, but one I expect the Cowboys to clear, and quite possibly the Washington Football Team. I think the Model is a little bit high on the Eagles and low on the Giants, and I expect the records to be a little closer than projected. Dallas Cowboys: 11.6-5.4 Washington Football Team: 8.5-8.5 Philadelphia Eagles: 8.3-8.7 N.Y. Giants: 5.6-11.4
AFC North The AFC North is a division I could see falling to the Steelers, Browns, or the Ravens. In the majority of the simulations, the Steelers win the division, but the Browns are in the mix just as much. The Ravens are right there, but the loss of Dobbins last week did hurt them. The Bengals will progress in their rebuild if Burrow can stay upright. Pittsburgh Steelers: 10.4-6.6 Cleveland Browns: 9.3-7.7 Baltimore Ravens: 7.9-9.1 Cincinnati Bengals: 7-10
NFC North For Packers fans expecting Aaron Rodgers to have another MVP caliber season, I am sorry to disappoint. ESPN and CBS both have the star QB falling back to earth. Don’t shoot the messenger. The Minnesota Vikings should be in the mix for a playoff spot, bouncing back from last year’s disappointing season. The Bears and Lions get to battle it out for third. Oh my. Green Bay Packers: 10.5-6.5 Minnesota Vikings: 9-8
Chicago Bears: 6-11 Detroit Lions: 5.6-11.4
NFC South As a diehard Panthers fan, I truly wanted the model to come back with a reason for hope this season. Sadly it did not. This season, Tampa Bay should comfortably win the division while the Saints and Falcons battle it out for the 7th seed in the playoffs. The Panthers improve from last season, and Sam Darnold plays well, but it is not enough. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 11.6-5.44 New Orleans Saints: 8.5-8.5 Atlanta Falcons 8.1-8.9 Carolina Panthers 6.8-10.2
NFC West The NFC will be the most fun and most competitive division in football, with all four teams having a solid case to make the playoffs. I expect at least two of the teams, if not three, to make the postseason and one in particular to make a deep run. Stafford is going to have an electric season with the Rams and have a legitimate chance at MVP. Trey Lance will impress and lead the 49ers to a solid record and quite possibly a playoff berth (He’s also my darkhorse pick to win Rookie of the Year). L.A. Rams 12.3-4.7 Seattle Seahawks: 10.2-6.8 San Fransico 49ers: 9.5-7.5 Arizona Cardinals 8.3-8.7
The Playoffs Wildcard Weekend In the AFC, the Bills sneak out with the bye while the Chiefs barely get the second seed. The Steelers win the AFC North and take the third seed, while the Titans win the AFC South and get the final home game. Their opponent is a familiar foe: the Colts. The other wildcard teams are the Patriots and Browns. In the NFC, the Rams are the ones with the bye, while the Buccaneers get the second seed. Dallas grabs the third, and the Packers get the fourth. The wildcard teams are Seattle, the 49ers, and the Saints.
Divisional Round The Titans have a solid chance see ZWILLER PAGE 14
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[Intro]It was 1989, my thoughts were short my hair was long Caught somewhere between a boy and man She was seventeen and she was far from in-between It was summertime in Northern Michigan Ah ah ah Ah ah ah [Verse 1] Splashing through the sand bar Talking by the campfire
It’s the simple things in life, like when and where We didn’t have no internet But man, I never will forget The way the moonlight shined upon her hair [Hook]And we were trying different things We were smoking funny things Making love out by the lake to our favorite song
sports
McGuinness Continued from page 12
and a nice buy in Kris Bryant at the deadline (though not as good as LA’s haul of Max Scherzer and Trea Turner), it feels like San Francisco has just enough in the tank to squeak out a division title. The Dodgers are definitely the better team on paper; there isn’t enough space in this entire paper to list all of their stars. But the Giants have been more than the sum of their parts all season, and it feels like a division title is the logical conclusion to this dream regular season.
2nd NL Wild Card Leader (Tied): Cincinnati (71-62), San Diego (71-62) In the Hunt: St. Louis (6763, 2.5 GB), Philadelphia (68-64, 2.5 GB), NY Mets (65-67, 5.5 GB) A whopping 13 games separate first wild card LA and second wild card Cincinnati/San Diego in the standings. For reference, that margin is as wide as the one between the Reds and the league’s 24th best team (the Cubs). Perhaps the biggest surprise to see on this list is the Cardinals. April’s NL Central favorites slogged through the season’s first four months due to a combination of injuries and underperformance. Their
ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, september 3, 2021 | The Observer
rotation at the start of the month looked more like it belonged in Jurassic Park than The Show. But an under-the-radar 16-11 run has proved enough to get them back in the mix, though Jack Flaherty’s injury relapse has dampened the Red Birds’ spirits. Credit to the Reds for showing they’re more than pretenders. Some low-risk, high-reward bullpen buys at the deadline have stabilized the team, which is getting tons of production from Jesse Winker, Nick Castellanos, and 37-year old Joey Votto. They deserve a ton of credit for making the Padres sweat bullets. A frustrating August plagued by injuries and underperformance has the Friars feeling the heat. That being said, there’s just too much talent in Slam Diego for me to believe they’ll miss the Postseason. Though you argue the Phillies would be the most difficult opponent for the Dodgers or Giants in the WC game, if only because Zach Wheeler and Bryce Harper have emerged as Cy Young and MVP candidates, if not favorites, respectively. Same for the Mets if Jacob deGrom returns, but that’s sadly looking doubtful. Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
nd Women’s Soccer
ND to face off against Purdue Observer Sports Staff
This Thursday Notre Dame women’s soccer will face a tough in-state test when the Purdue Boilermakers come to South Bend for an out-ofconference match. The Fighting Irish, who will enter the match 3-0-1 on the season, will be looking to continue the two-game win streak they started on the road last week in Wisconsin, as they took down both the University of Wisconsin in Madison and Marquette in Milwaukee. Leading the Boilermakers (2-0-2) will be forward Sarah Griffith, who’s scored four goals in four games and is entering her third season as the focal point of the Purdue attack. Partnering with Griffith will be sophomore Nicole Kevdzija, a breakout rookie from last spring who has already added a goal and an assist to her account this season. Thankfully for the Irish and head coach Nate Norman, Notre Dame has a stout backline that’s more than equipped to shut down top teams. Eva Wirtz has been a revelation in defense this fall- though the sophomore only started two games her
freshman season, she’s been absolutely vital so far in 2021. According to inStat data posted by Chris Henderson (@chris_awk), Wirtz was the only Irish player to rank in the top five players in each of the team’s first three matches. “She’s definitely, I think, grown in her confidence this year. She was always a really good player for us last year. And she definitely has had a belief in herself. She’s a great one-on-one defender, she does a great job closing down attackers, and she’s good in the air. She’s a very solid, steady player at the back and we’re very proud of her that she’s having such a great year so far,” Norman said on Wirtz’s growth this season. On the attacking front, a balanced Irish front line should offer Norman plenty of options to come after the Boilermakers. Seven different players have registered a goal or assist for Notre Dame so far this fall, with Sammi Fisher being the only Irish player to have found the back of the net more than once. Catch Notre Dame attempting to extend their unbeaten start on Thursday when Purdue comes to Alumni Stadium. The game will kick off at 7 pm ET.
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nd Volleyball
Squad hopes to rebound Observer Sports Staff
Following an underwhelming weekend in the Golden Dome Invite that dropped the Irish out of the top-25 rankings, Notre Dame volleyball looks to clean up in a second invite this weekend. The lineup of opponents for the Shamrock Invitational includes Bowling Green, Cincinnati and UW Milwaukee. While the Irish started last weekend on a low note by falling in straight sets to 16th-ranked Western Kentucky, their performance only improved in the Saturday doubleheader. The day started with a thrilling five-set victory over Oakland and finished
Football Continued from page 16
used to this spotlight, but recent years have been tough on the boys from Tallahassee. After winning at least nine games every season from 2010-2016, winning a national championship, and appearing in four other major bowl games, Florida State dropped off a cliff. They sport a 21-26 record over the past four seasons. They have not been ranked to end a season since finishing 2016 at No. 8. There’s no doubt that one of the game’s most historic programs has been down in the dumps. However, Sunday night presents an opportunity to turn the page and start a new chapter. While Notre Dame may need to prepare for a new-look FSU team in the season opener, Norvell is doing the same for his squad. “You don’t really know what to expect,” Norvell said of the Irish. “You’re facing a new coordinator [Marcus Freeman], and offensively, we’re seeing a new quarterback and some new guys up front.” Norvell said he faces a challenge in preparing for Notre Dame’s Freeman-led defense. “They have experience sprinkled all throughout the direction — guys that play hard, play fast,” he said. “This is one of the best defensive coordinators in college football.” How Norvell attacks the Irish — or plans to — is tough to predict, namely because he hasn’t named a starting quarterback, and he doesn’t plan to before Sunday night. “It will be revealed when someone runs out on the field at 7:44 on Sunday night,” Norvell said of the quarterback situation. “We’re excited about the quarterback room, and those guys have competed really well, and we’re excited about what we’ve seen.” The contenders for the starting position are incumbent Jordan Travis, who showed high upside but also lots of inconsistency last season, and McKenzie Milton. Milton is a transfer from UCF who missed the past two seasons with a horrific leg injury suffered in his
with a sweep of Loyola Chicago. The team will look to build on this momentum and exhibit some of the home dominance that they established last year, as they went 7-1 at home in the 2020 season. The Irish also saw some individual highlights on the offensive side over the weekend, which was evidenced by the Golden Dome Invite All-Tournament team selections of sophomore and senior outside hitters Aubrey Hamilton and Charley Niego. Expectations for the Irish should be high heading into the weekend as all three of their opponents will roll into South Bend with losing records through their first three games of the season.
But none of them are to be overlooked, especially the Cincinnati Bearcats. In their two losses, they took Dayton to five sets and fell to Kentucky, the nation’s No. 3 ranked squad. Look for the Bearcats to be playing with an edge following a tough opening weekend in a neighboring Ohio invite. The first game of the invite for the Irish will be played at 7 p.m. on Friday against Bowling Green. The Irish will then play Cincinnati at 6 p.m. on Saturday and UW Milwaukee at 2 p.m. on Sunday. All games will be played in Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center and can be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
final game of 2018. Both could see significant snaps on Sunday night. Norvell praised both signal-callers for their adaptability, noting that it was an important attribute entering a game with so many unknowns in Week 1. The Seminoles are also still tinkering with various offensive line combinations, which means we could see more than five players in the offensive trenches. That could be dangerous against Notre Dame’s defensive line, one of the most experienced units on their team. “They got great length; they’re a physical bunch upfront,” Norvell said. “The way that [Freeman] can disguise the ways that he brings pressure is a challenge. They’ve got really great depth and guys with a great experience. It’s going to be a great challenge for our guys up front.” Jashaun Corbin and Keyshawn Helton will be key players at the skill positions for Florida State, as Corbin will be the featured back who can contribute in the passing game as well. Helton’s been limited by injury before, but the receiver has emerged as a leader. “Keyshawn has such tremendous leadership qualities,” Norvell said of Helton. “He’s very passionate about the opportunity to play the game. To see him come out and try to impact others, make sure they’re making the most of the moment, I’ve got the utmost respect for who he is and the way he works.” Defensively, Florida State will be stronger, having added some key transfers like Keir Thomas and Jermaine Johnson, who should bring pressure off the edge. Amari Gainer will be a jack of all trades at linebacker, which may help alleviate the concerns of an inexperienced secondary. Certainly, the Irish bring a different offensive look to Tallahassee than the one Norvell saw in South Bend last season. That was an October clash, won by the Irish 42-26. But Notre Dame lost eight offensive starters from that team. However, Jack Coan transferred in as the starter, ensuring the Irish won’t be without experience at a
pivotal position. Coan went 10-4 as a starter with Wisconsin, leading them to a Rose Bowl appearance. “He’s a very talented player,” Norvell said. “He’s played in big games and in big atmospheres. The thing you hear is how consistent, how accurate he is. He’s a new starter at Notre Dame, but he’s got a lot of productive collegiate experience. We have to try to make him uncomfortable.” Coan will look to take advantage of the less-experienced Florida State secondary, but the Seminoles will throw a lot of packages at him. Based on the depth chart, a fiveman secondary even seems possible at times, in order to limit what Coan can do down the field. That puts more pressure on Coan to be accurate in the short game, where he has to deal with more of Florida State’s defensive playmakers. Almost unarguably though, the bigger concern for Florida State is Notre Dame’s running game. Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree remain an electric duo, and they torched the Seminoles last season. In possibly their best joint effort, Williams and Tyree combined for 288 rushing yards in that October battle. “They’re very well-coached,” Norvell said. “They have great guys up front, at tight end, and they run with a purpose. It’s a challenge to stop.” Just a few years ago, to suggest that Notre Dame would clearly be the most talented team — and a 7.5 point favorite — entering a season opener on the road at Florida State, would have been ridiculous. But times have changed in these past few seasons, and the Irish bring a talented roster that will push Florida State to the limits. The Seminoles have no choice but to step up in the spotlight and try to punch back. The whole country will be watching, and Norvell knows it. “Everyone,” Norvell said, repeating it for emphasis. “Everyone will be watching what goes down at Doak Campbell Stadium on Sunday night.” Contact Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu
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Sports
The observer | Friday, september 3, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
Predictions
ND Cross Country
Team to start new year on Friday By NATE MOLLER Sports Writer
The Notre Dame men’s and women’s cross countr y teams w ill be kicking off their season this Friday at the Windrow-Valparaiso Open. A lthough both teams w ill not run their top runners at Friday’s meet, both coaches are excited to see the depth of their team and the performance of younger athletes. Women’s head cross countr y coach Matt Sparks discussed the importance of Friday’s meet. “In our minds, it’s an ex hibition t y pe meet to see some of the women step up in a leadership role that don’t normally have that responsibilit y. It gives us a sense of who did work over the summer, and who is maybe ready to step into a different position,” Sparks said. Sparks hopes to discover the depth of his team at Friday’s race. “We have a good idea of who our top 5-7 are, but we get to compete ten at the conference meet,” Sparks said. “This w ill give us an idea of how deep we are.” Sparks said that he expects senior Jackie Gaughan and graduate student transfer Maddie King to lead the way for the Irish on Friday. King is a transfer from Ole Miss where she competed in their top seven. Sparks also hopes that freshman Kate Wiser and graduate student transfer Lauren Bailey can step up for the Irish this season, although they w ill not be competing on Friday. The top three runners for the Irish seem prett y clear cut right now w ith junior Oliv ia Markezich, senior Maddy Denner, and senior Katie Rose Blachow icz leading the way for the Irish. Sparks hopes that the combination of returners and new faces w ill lead to success for the Irish this season. “We’ve got those three returners to go along w ith the newcomers that I think can give us as a team when it’s all said and done a chance at progressing towards a top 10 finish at the national team,” Sparks said. The big meets ahead of the postseason for the Irish include the Joe Piane Inv itational and the Wisconsin Nutt ycombe Inv itational in October. Sparks discussed the goals for the season, which include placing well at the ACC Championships held at
Notre Dame this year and placing top ten nationally. “We’ve got four teams in our conference that are probably going to be battling for top ten in the countr y. NC State was runner-up at nationals last year, and they returned ever ybody from that team, so that’s going to be a tough one to overcome. North Carolina and Virginia are two other teams that we w ill be battling w ith at the conference level, but also for a top ten spot nationally,” Sparks said. The men w ill be taking a similar approach to the women’s team this Friday w ith their top runners not competing. Men’s head cross countr y coach Sean Carlson is excited to see sophomore Carter Solomon compete on Friday. “This w ill be his first race in the Notre Dame jersey in cross countr y. I think by the end of the year, he could be someone that surprises some people. It might be a little bit of a slow start, but I am excited to get some more guys some more racing experience,” Carlson said. Carlson explained the racing plan for the team and veteran runners going forward this season. “The goal of this weekend is to be just kind of a rust buster. Two weeks from now at the National Catholic Inv ite, we’ll get some more young guys experience too because we probably won’t race some of the older guys that w ill be racing at the national meet until the later parts of the year,” Carlson said. “Because we are so competitive and so good right now, it allows us to tr y and get some other guys experience at the beginning of the year.” Carlson said that while he plans on racing many of his top runners for the first time at the pre-national meet at Florida State on October 15th, he won’t race his full roster of top runners until conference and nationals. “We’re really tr y ing to focus on our goal of running really well at the national meet,” Carlson said. “We might not pull out all of our cards out of the deck in the earlier part of the year.” The Irish placed second at the NCA A Cross Countr y Championships last year, and they return six cross countr y A ll-Americans to the roster this year. Carlson discussed how he hopes to see improvements in see XC PAGE 15
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Seminoles’ defense is full of underclassmen, and I expect Irish tight end Michael Mayer to have a career game on Sunday night. The ’Noles keep this one close throughout, but Jack Coan will lead the Irish on a late touchdown drive to secure a double-digit victory.
Notre Dame 34, Florida State 20 Colin Capece — Assistant Managing Editor The FSU program has been nothing but a hot mess for the last four seasons as compared to the Jimbo Fisher glory days that delivered a national championship. The Seminoles never lack talent, however, and some young players have a lot to prove in this primetime game, FSU’s first on Sunday in program history. The Seminoles are dangerous on offense no matter if McKenzie Milton or Jordan Travis starts at quarterback. Milton hasn’t played in two years after suffering a gruesome ankle injury with UCF in 2018, so he’ll without a doubt be laser-focused if he gets a shot to play. If Mike Norvell goes with Travis, the holder of the FSU single-season quarterback rushing record can certainly give the Irish problems with his legs, not to mention his ability to throw the deep ball against largely untested Irish cornerbacks. This game will be fast-paced and spread out at the beginning, but the Irish defensive line will eventually swing momentum in Notre Dame’s favor by taking control of the line of scrimmage. Defensive ends Isaiah Foskey and Justin Ademilola will solidify their presence in the rotation with thunder by getting after the quarter in the second half. Jack Coan will impress with his accuracy and decisionmaking in his first start, finding his playmakers in the open field against a young FSU secondary that will struggle to contain the newfound Irish offensive jolt. When Notre Dame grabs the lead, there’s no way they’ll give it back. Notre Dame’s speedsters will help the Irish bury the Seminoles in their own stadium before Kyren Williams and the big boys up front stomp all over the dirt
Zwiller Continued from page 12
of beating the Colts, so they advance to face the Bills. It should be a good game, but the model predicts the Bills will return to the AFC Championships. The Steelers beat the Patriots while the Chiefs beat the Browns resulting in Pittsburgh facing down the Chiefs at Arrowhead. Back in the NFC, the Buccaneers and the Cowboys win their respective matchups
pile. Doak Campbell Stadium will be absolutely rocking from the jump for the home opener against a visiting top-10 opponent, but Brian Kelly won’t let his team unravel on the road. The Irish will stay stone cold in Tallahassee en route to a tonesetting first victory.
Notre Dame 48, Florida State 14 Mannion McGinley Sports Editor
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The Irish should walk away from this one fairly unscathed. That is, unless head coach Norvell has a much better weapon in Milton than he’s leading everyone to believe. Quarterback is the one position truly in question and the one position I think can have any real effect on this game for the Seminoles. Travis is undoubtedly highly skilled and can get the job done, no questions asked. But he’s the level of FSU play the Irish are expecting. To play injury-plagued Milton over him quickly means they’ve got Milton somewhere he’s never been before. The FSU defense, although all talented, is all too young to pose a definitive threat to a lead running back like Kyren Williams or cause an issue for Coan to find passing options, especially when he has someone like Michael Mayer, in addition to an extremely talented receiving corps. I’ll leave room for the Irish to get their feet under them, wake up after a competition-less off-season, but unless the quarterback position has some major piece that all of us are missing — and that Norvell kept really close to the chest like an ace of hearts — I don’t see this game being any kind of threat.
Notre Dame 38, Florida State 20 Jimmy Ward — Associate Sports Editor I don’t think this is a trap game, but I certainly also don’t feel overly confident about this season’s opener on the road for the Irish. The Seminoles pose little threat to the Irish on paper. Mike Norvell has been trying to right a ship gone astray. While FSU lacks the all-around talent that you can find on most top-15 rosters, they probably don’t lack the fight to hang in there with some of those teams. I think the Irish will be able to fend off the ’Noles but I am
not expecting any team to run it up on the scoreboard. Also, to make a rather bold prediction: Notre Dame’s first taste of the end zone will come off a defensive score. I can see Kyle Hamilton stealing away a pass and sneaking down the field for a pick-six or Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa stripping a ball carrier and finding his way into the end zone. The Irish win but it is not a game that is free of the typical stress and anxiety that Notre Dame football is known to produce from time to time.
Notre Dame 27, Florida State 17 Emily DeFazio — Associate Sports Editor For some reason, this season opener has me remembering the fateful Louisville game of the 2020 season. Louisville, who finished 4-7 overall, only lost to Notre Dame by five points. And the final score was only 12-7. The Seminoles may have been down the past few seasons, but that does not mean they’re untalented; if underestimated, we could have ourselves a closer game than is comfortable, especially with the wild card that is McKenzie Milton in play. This game will also be a defining moment for Jack Coan ahead of next weekend’s home opener, as it will set the tone for his time in the QB1 position. However, I can’t see an outcome where Notre Dame walks away from this with anything but a victory. Kyle Hamilton and the defense will shut down any threat the scattered FSU offense can offer, and I expect offensive standouts like Kyren Williams and Michael Mayer to pick up right where they left off last season. Though there is always nervous anticipation heading into the season opener, the Irish come out of this one with a clear victory and start the year off on a good foot.
Notre Dame 38, Florida State 21 Contact Colin Capece at ccapece@nd.edu; Mannion McGinley at mmcginl3@ nd.edu; Jimmy Ward at wward@hcc-nd.edu; Emily DeFazio at edefazio@nd.edu; Aidan Thomas at athoma28@ nd.edu; and Nate Moller at nmoller2@nd.edu
to face off in Tampa Bay. While the Cowboys are good, winning on the road against the defending champs is too tall and order. The Buccaneers will face off against the Rams, who denied the Packers a third consecutive NFC Championship game.
Superbowl. Their opponent will be the Rams, who deny Tom Brady back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. In the Super Bowl, the Rams win at home in SoFi stadium. In the Super Bowl, the Rams win at home in SoFi stadium.
Championship Weekend
Contact Thomas Zwiller at tzwiller@hcc-nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
The Chiefs-Bills matchup will be a fantastic game, as well as a rematch of last year’s AFC title bout. However, this time, the Bills narrowly advance to the
sports
M Soccer
ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, september 3, 2021 | The Observer
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but it’s a good game for a lot of reasons” head coach Chad Riley said of the early Indiana clash and tough non-conference schedule, “We’ve always felt a strong non-conference schedule prepares you, not only for your league but if you want to win national championships, you have to play good teams”. As the Irish seek to win an NCA A Tournament game for the first time since 2018 - when they advanced to the Elite Eight - they will get an early measure of where they stand with a brutal non-conference slate. But, if early indications are anything to go by, Notre Dame looks primed for a vastly improved season. In the Indiana game, the Irish peppered a Hoosiers’ squad that allowed only six goals last season and routinely gives up less than a goal per game. The Irish scored two, forced five saves out of the Indiana keeper, and sent a couple of other prime chances just off target. “To make those chances
against a really good defensive team, you’d like to score a few more of those,” Riley noted of the offensive attack. Senior for ward Jack Lynn has been a force early, scoring against Indiana and firing off six shots in the Northern Illinois clash while recording an assist. Graduate student midfielder Dawson McCartney has also been front and center in the offensive attack, as he also recorded a goal against Indiana. However, more than individual standouts, the depth has been noticeable, with four different players scoring goals. “We have a number of guys that can score now, so we can continue to have a balanced attack going for ward,” Riley said. In particular, freshman winger Eno Nto has looked dangerous in creating a series of chances for the Irish, as he also notched the opening tally against Northern Illinois from 20 yards out. Fellow freshman Matthew Roou also blasted a goal against the Huskies, as Notre Dame has looked lethal within the f low of play, notching 13 on-target chances in two
games. Defensively, despite the hiccups against Indiana, the Irish have looked solid, with sophomore Paddy Burns, senior Philip Quinton, and freshman Josh Ramsey having played ever y minute. Senior Ben Giacobello has been a contributor as a defensive midfielder, and freshman Kyle Genenbacher has looked fantastic in his minutes off the bench. Sophomore goalkeeper Br yan Dowd made five saves against Northern Illinois, and he’s looked solid as the anchor of the defensive unit. “I think they’ve been great. They’re beginning to understand each other a little better” Riley noted, before referencing a couple of the goals allowed thus far. “The hard thing for them is a penalty kick, and a shot from 25 yards out...that’s not going to happen ver y often.” Notre Dame will need the defense to be on point and their offense to capitalize on chances against a sting y Kentucky defense. The Wildcats are fresh off a 12win season that included an NCA A Tournament run, and they’ve yet to allow a
goal in two games this season. Ranked 21st, Kentucky tied No. 25, Coastal Carolina in a 0-0 thriller and then slammed Wright State, who eliminated Notre Dame in the 2019 NCA A Tournament, 3-0 in their home opener. Substitute Daniel Evans is a sparkplug for the Wildcats, as he came off the bench to play 52 minutes and lead the team with five shots. He also scored the opening goal of the contest in the first half. For ward Eythor Bjorgolfsson is another big threat, as he tallied the other two Kentucky goals against Wright State. Kentucky likes to play direct to their skilled for wards and apply pressure on opposing back lines. However, it’s not a reckless approach, as Kentucky has given up just five shots on goal in two games. W hen shots have penetrated the back line, keeper Jan Hoffelner has been there for the save. In front of Hoffelner, Robert Screen, Luis Grassow, and Oliver Juul have been rock solid. Not only defensively, but in line with the direct style of play that Kentucky prefers, they get offensive contributions
from their defenders. In the Wright State game, Grassow notched assists on the first two goals. “They’re always going to make their home field a tough place to play. They’ll put us under pressure with some direct play” Riley said regarding the challenge that Kentucky poses. “It’s similar to our first two games with another really quality team, and we hope to continue to grow and get a result.” For the Irish, a ranked road victor y would mean a ton for a ver y young roster - and one that hasn’t seen a true road game with fans in two seasons. However, that added factor isn’t one that Riley is concerned about. “The good thing is a number of our guys have played in big moments, even some of the young guys. I think they’ll be prepared for that.” The Irish play their first of two consecutive road games on Friday, September 3rd. They’ll kickoff versus Kentucky at 7:30 PM, and the game can be viewed on ESPN+.
H2H
late. EDGE: Notre Dame
are promising but largely unproven commodities, while Houston Griffith becomes the second safety after nearly transferring. Junior safety Kyle Hamilton is the stabilizer, as he figures to be his All-American self. However, the Irish won’t face a lethal passing attack. The Seminoles have two starting quarterbacks right now, as Jordan Travis and McKenzie Milton figure to get snaps. Travis was shaky and inconsistent as a redshirt sophomore last season, but Milton hasn’t played since suffering a gruesome injury in 2018. It’s either rust or inconsistency under center for Florida State against Notre Dame’s lack of experience. In a matchup this close, a star player like Hamilton makes the difference. EDGE: Notre Dame (slight)
The Seminoles will likely play two young running backs in Jashaun Corbin and Lawrence Toafili. Although they are both young, both backs proved to be very successful in their first season with the Noles. While the Florida State offensive line is improved from last season, that is not saying much considering how much they were pushed around. Notre Dame should be able to stop the Florida State run defense in their tracks on Sunday. EDGE: Notre Dame
nation at his disposal, a few key veterans at the linebacker position and on the defensive line, and he can scheme his deep defense in a number of ways. His prowess as a defensive coordinator and the players he has to work with makes this a clear Irish advantage over an inexperienced FSU coordinator with a mess of an offense. EDGE: Notre Dame
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Book’s ability to pick defenses apart with short and intermediate throws. In 2021, Williams will once again be the focal point, and quarterback Jack Coan can zip the ball between the numbers as good as anyone in the nation. The true test for Rees will be expanding the offense to unlock the dynamic playmaking ability of five-star athletes like Chris Tyree and Braden Lenzy. The offensive fireworks will be on full display Sunday night against an inexperienced FSU secondary. Defensive coordinator Adam Fuller has developed NFL cornerbacks in the past, but his unit isn’t ready yet to contain the Irish speed barrage that’s about to be unleashed. Coan will have to check it down often against a strong FSU pass rush, but Rees will be ready with play calls that will get his athletes in space, forcing cornerbacks and safeties to make solo tackles. They will struggle mightily to bring down the combination of shiftiness and physicality the Irish skill position players possess. Don’t be surprised if this one turns into a track-meet early before the Irish impose their will at the line of scrimmage
XC Continued from page 14
cross countr y from seniors Dylan Jacobs and Matthew Carmody, who both had tremendous track seasons in the spring. Carlson also is interested
Notre Dame Special Teams
Offensive
This position group remains relatively unchanged heading into the 2021 season, which is a plus for the Irish. Punter Jay Bramblett has been a steady force on the field, and the introduction of Chris Tyree to kickoff returns proved beneficial. It is kicker Jonathan Doerer that will be the deciding factor in the success of the special teams unit. Doerer faltered last season, making only 15 of 23 field-goal attempts (65.22%). As he returns for his fifth season, he will seek to redeem himself and prove his worth, hopefully going from a source of uncertainty to a constant success. Freshman Lorenzo Styles Jr. has received high praise in fall camp, and adding him into the mix can elevate this position group to a force to be reckoned with. EDGE: Notre Dame
Florida State Coaching
Offensive
This is a tough position to grade. Notre Dame has a lack of experience in their secondary, with two cornerbacks who are yet to record an interception in their collegiate career. Clarence Lewis and Cam Hart
The Irish should have a strong run defense this year that is anchored upfront by graduate students Myron TagovailoaAmosa and Kurt Hinish, senior Jayson Ademilola, and junior Isaiah Foskey. Although the Irish lost linebacker Marist Liufau to injury this past week, he has a solid replacement in JD Bertrand, and graduate student Drew White will be there to lead the linebacker group.
Florida State offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham enters his second year, and there are not many reasons to be optimistic. Given that McKenzie Milton and Jordan Travis are still battling for the QB1 spot, it’s safe to say Milton isn’t back to his pre-injury self, given Travis’s inconsistencies and struggles last season. It’s been a quarterback carousel under Dillingham, and the receivers and running backs haven’t done much either. Meanwhile, Dillingham goes up against Marcus Freeman as his coaching counterpart. Freeman has one of the best defensive players in the
to see how graduate student transfer Anthony Russo will perform this year. “It will be interesting to see where he fits into the whole picture, but he is certainly another guy that can vie for one of our spots heading into the national meet,” Carlson said. The men’s team comes into
the season ranked number two in the coaches’ poll and number one in FloTrack rankings. With these high expectations, Carlson hopes his team can relax and focus on what is in front of them. “We’re trying not to become obsessed with the national meet. We’re striving to become
obsessed with being the best version of ourselves every day. I think if we do that, we are going to find ourselves in a really good position at the national meet,” Carlson said. “I think when you obsess about rankings and what place we are going to be, this is the added stress and pressure that you
Florida State Passing
Florida State Rushing
Contact Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu
Florida State Special Teams
Offensive
With punter Alex Mastromanno, the Seminoles have a strong leg with the potential to corner the Irish just outside their own endzone. As for the kickoff and punt returners, special teams coordinator John Papuchis named Keyshawn Helton, Travis Jay, Jakhi Douglas, Corey Wren, and incoming transfer Jammie Robinson as possible players to fill the role. This doesn’t mean Notre Dame won’t have an answer. Chris Tyree and Lorenzo Styles Jr. will put pressure on the FSU coverage. As for kicker Ryan Fitzpatrick, he was 4-7 on field goals (long 42) and 12-13 on PATs in 2020. With those percentages, he’ll be difficult to trust. EDGE: Notre Dame
can’t control and it isn’t necessary. We are just trying to keep it fun and stay relaxed and stay in a good position to be happy and healthy going into nationals.” The women’s 5K will begin at 5 p.m. and the men’s 6K will begin at 5:45 p.m. on Friday.
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The observer | Friday, september 3, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
FOOTBALL
Men’s Soccer
Head to Head: Sizzling ND offense preps Florida State Noles to battle stingy Wildcats Observer Sports Staff
Notre Dame Passing There are a lot of question marks surrounding Notre Dame’s passing game ahead of Sunday’s opener. Quarterback Jack Coan hasn’t played since 2019, and it remains to be seen if he can replicate the success he had at Wisconsin. He will have tight end Michael Mayer to throw as well, who will be huge problem for the Florida State secondary. Aside from Mayer, the Irish will look to Avery Davis, Braden Lenzy, and possibly Kevin Austin Jr. and Lawrence Keys. Florida State has a young but talented secondary that will play against the Irish. In fact, all the starters listed on the current Florida State depth chart are freshmen or sophomores. Although there aren’t many proven wide receivers on Notre Dame, look for them to exploit the young Florida State secondary on Sunday night. EDGE: Notre Dame
Notre Dame Rushing FSU worked an entire overhaul of their defense this offseason. Recruiting looked for defensive
linemen and pass-rushing linebackers. Now add two stellar transfer defensive ends in Jermain Johnson and Kier Thomas and it will be a tough line to breakthrough. Tough, however, does not mean impossible. Chris Tyree and Kyren Williams combined for 1621 rushing yards last season, with Williams achieving a season-high of 185 yards against Florida State. The pair have only gotten stronger over the off-season. Additionally, with Williams’s blocking capabilities and George Tackas filling the blocking roll Tommy Tremble took on, the options for run protection and runner themselves are entirely rotational. Add C’Bo Flemister into the mix and the run game has room to spare. EDGE: Notre Dame
Notre Dame Coaching
By AIDAN THOMAS Sports Writer
Offensive
In 2020, second-year offensive coordinator Tommy Rees had the benefit of an all-purpose back in Kyren Williams who was an impact player in every situation and was able to take advantage of Ian see H2H PAGE 15
SOFIA CRIMIVAROLI | The Observer
Irish junior midfielder Ethan O’Brien strikes the ball during Notre Dame’s 0-2 loss to Virginia Tech on April 9 at Alumni Stadium.
Football
Staff predictions: FSU, opener
By AIDAN THOMAS By COLIN CAPECE, MANNION McGINLEY, JIMMY WARD, EMILY DeFAZIO, AIDAN THOMAS, and NATE MOLLER
Sports Writer
see FOOTBALL PAGE 13
see M SOCCER PAGE 15
Football
Mike Norvell ready for Noles opener against Irish When you’re a major program that’s been struggling for a few years and hoping to bounce back, sometimes a quietly strong start out of the spotlight is desirable as you try to right the ship. The 2021 Florida State Seminoles won’t be getting that, but head coach Mike Norvell is ready and excited for the challenge: “All eyes will be on Tallahassee,” Norvell said in a post-practice press conference on Thursday. “We’re excited for the opportunity we have, and now we just get to go play the game.” Indeed, Florida State’s season opener could not come in more of a national spotlight. The Seminoles will face No. 9 Notre Dame on Sunday night as the lone college football game of the day. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. EST, and the game is going to be nationally broadcasted on ABC. The Seminoles of old may be
Two games into the 2021 season, and the Notre Dame men’s soccer squad already looks improved from the 8-9 team from 2020 that missed the NCA A Tournament. The offense has been clicking, and save for a few tough sequences, the defense has been tough to penetrate. After a nail-biting 3-2 loss to No. 1 Indiana, in which the Irish gave up the game-tying goal with mere minutes left in regulation on a penalty kick, Notre Dame rebounded to thoroughly defeat Northern Illinois 2-0. The Irish now bring their 1-1 record on the road for another very tough non-conference battle, facing a Kentucky team that went to the third round of the NCA A Championships last spring. “I think a chunk of the NCA A selection is RPI. Not only does it prepare you,
Aidan Thomas — Sports Writer
Courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics
Irish junior running back Kyren Williams drives the ball upfield during Notre Dame’s 52-0 shutout of USF on Sept. 19 at home.
This game reminds me of the last time Notre Dame played in the ACC’s Sunday night primetime opener. In 2019, the Irish took on Louisville on the road, facing a squad coming off a horrific season that had some potential for the upcoming campaign. That describes the Seminoles quite well, who have been down in the dumps for about four years now. Is McKenzie Milton the answer? He has to first win the QB1 job outright, but it feels like that will happen sooner or later. However, in the season opener, Notre Dame is simply the more talented team. Up and down the roster, the Irish hold advantages at just about every position. The biggest challenge will be getting their new-look
offense to gel against a transfer-laden FSU defense, but I don’t anticipate a strong Irish defense struggling against a disoriented and inexperienced Seminoles’ offense.
Notre Dame 31, Florida State 14 Nate Moller Writer
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Sports
The more I think about this game, the more it scares me. Despite being in the dumps the last couple of years, the Seminoles will surely bring the energy on Sunday night and play with something to prove. I expect the crowd at Doak Campbell Stadium to be crazy, and the ’Noles will also be playing for the first time since the death of legendary coach Bobby Bowden. While the Seminoles will have the crowd and energy on their side, the Irish are by far the more talented team at nearly every position. The see PREDICTIONS PAGE 14