Print Edition for The Observer Monday, April 17, 2023

Students race in annual Fisher Regatta

Over 35 boats competed in Fisher Hall’s signature event, raising money for St. Adalbert’s Elementary

By KATHRYN MUCHNICK a ssociate news e ditor

over 35 teams sailed across st. mary’s lake in homemade boats for Fisher hall’s annual regatta saturday afternoon.

The regatta is Fisher hall’s signature event, along with their fall semester car smash where students can donate money to hit a car with a sledgehammer. both the regatta and the car smash raise money for st. adalbert catholic school in south bend.

in 2022, Fisher hall raised $20,000 for the students of st. adalbert’s, matching their record from the pandemic regatta in 2021. This year, the Fishermen set a goal of raising $25,000, hoping to use the funds to improve the elementary school’s hvac system.

“we’re still trying to do the math, because the donations are coming in from all over the place, but hopefully we’re gonna hit that goal pretty soon,” said aidan mchugh, regatta commissioner in Fisher.

in addition to raising money at the regatta and car smash, Fisher maintains a relationship with st. adalbert’s through a weekly tutoring and mentorship program.

“st. a’s is really a part of who we are, and that just rubs off on you. it’s just hard to be a part of Fisher and not be a part of st. a’s,” senior reed stevens said.

in addition to the race, Fisher sells food, regatta t-shirts and the opportunity to dunk a Fisherman. stevens, who works as a student manager in the dining hall,

see regaTTa PAGE 4

Tracing Tamara Kay’s op-eds

By LIAM PRICE

news writer

o ver the past year, most recently with a m arch 6 c hicago Tribune op-ed, Keough s chool professors Tamara Kay and susan o stermann have co-written 10 pro-choice op-eds together.

Kay, however, has been the primary target of public outcry since an i rish rover article claimed in o ct. 2022 that she “offers abortion access to students.” its argument centered around messaging on a sign on her door, which Kay said in a since-deleted tweet “was not about abortion,” according to Fox news.

s he told the new york m agazine that harassment intensified following notre d ame p resident Fr. John Jenkin’s d ec. 6 letter to the editor published by the c hicago Tribune distancing the university from an op-ed written by Kay and o stermann the day before.

Kay hired a lawyer in d ecember to pressure the

SMC holds second ‘Raise Your Voice Symposium’

By KATELYN WALDSCHMIDT a ssociate news e ditor

university to protect her from harassment, and she is currently considering legal action against the rover and the university.

since The c ut and The o bserver published articles earlier this month, a g oFund me raising money for Kay’s legal expenses has increased from $8,007 to over $12,000.

May 2022: Ostermann and Kay begin series of op-eds

o n m ay 4, 2022, s alon published the first of o stermann’s and Kay’s pro-choice opeds in a piece titled, “Forced pregnancy and childbirth are violence against women — and also terrible health policy.”

“ w hile pregnancy can be a joyous and miraculous event for those who freely choose it, forced pregnancy and childbirth is violence. it is sexual abuse. it is trauma,” the professors wrote. “ we know this

see Kay PAGE 3

The second annual raise your voice symposium begins monday at saint mary’s college. The three-day event in april raises awareness and educates students and community members about sexual violence during sexual violence awareness month.

saint mary’s student government association (sga) president, angela martinez camacho, who has been involved in organizing and adverting the symposium, spoke about the event’s purpose.

“unfortunately, sexual abuse and sexual assault is something that happens within the tri-campus, and sometimes it happens to our students,” martinez camacho said. “it’s through events like this symposium that we are able to show students that we are not only here to support them, but we’re also here to teach other students the importance of being believers, supporters and activists.”

The symposium opens monday at 6 p.m. with athlete, survivor and activist maggie nichols’ keynote address.

liz baumann, a member of

the president’s committee on sexual violence, which also plans the symposium, talked about nichols the significance of her presentation.

“[nichols] is also known as ‘athlete a,’ the first to formally report the abuse of larry nassar within usa gymnastics,” baumann said.

in 2020, netflix released a documentary titled “athlete a” about nichols’ journey during the nassar investigation. The term ‘athlete a’ was used to maintain nichols’ anonymity.

martinez camacho also spoke to the value of bringing nichols in to speak during the symposium.

“i know of her story through watching ‘athlete a,’ and i was just so overwhelmed by what she had to endure leading up to the olympics and still being able to pursue her talent, her dream of being a gymnast,” martinez camacho said. “i think it takes a lot of guts and that’s really inspiring to me.”

at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Kate lawson, Xavier university’s chief Title iX officer, will present a Title iX overview. earlier in the year, the president’s committee on sexual violence brought in lawson

to review the college’s Title iX process.

“we wanted to bring someone in that does not have a relationship with the students [and] has not conducted the process on our campus,” baumann said. “rather, she has the opportunity to solely talk about what Title iX is and what the best practices within it are and how we can implement that on our campus.”

additional events Tuesday include presentations and workshops about responses to sexual violence, supporting lgbTQ+ survivors, spirituality as both healing and heartbreak and advocacy and activism efforts.

The symposium concludes wednesday with Take back the night, an annual tri-campus march for awareness of sexual violence. lasting from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., students can take part in marches, survivor speak-outs and a prayer service held at the grotto.

Take back the night is special because it is collaboratively organized by the tri-campus, baumann said.

“we hold meetings as a

see symposium PAGE 4

Meghan Lange | The Observer

Two boats race neck and neck as they row across St. Mary’s Lake during the annual Fisher Regatta Saturday. Over 35 different boats competed in the race, which raises money for St. Adalbert Elementary School.

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because it happened prior to the roe v. Wade in the U. s ., and it happens all over the world.”

Two days later, the Los a ngeles Times published another piece co-written by the professors titled “Pregnancy is risky. Losing access to abortion puts women’s lives at stake.” Later in m ay, another op-ed written by Kay and o stermann, comparing abortion access for women in the U. s . and women in the U.K., was published on the british s ociological a ssociation’s website.

The majority of the ten opeds included a disclaimer at the end, such as the one included in the s alon op-ed, that “the authors’ opinions are their own, and do not necessarily reflect those of the University.”

Following the s upreme c ourt’s June 2022 decision overturning roe v. Wade, which negated the existence of a constitutional right to abortion, Kay and o stermann wrote five more pro-choice op-eds throughout July and a ugust.

Oct. 12: Irish Rover article sparks outrage a n o ct.12 article published in the i rish rover, written by its editor-in-chief, W. Joseph d er euil, claimed that Kay was working “to bring abortion to notre d ame students.”

Further, in an article published the same day as the one in the rover, d er euil wrote a piece for the national c atholic r eview ( ncr ) titled, “What You s hould Know a bout notre d ame Professor’s Promotion of a bortion to students,” adding some commentary on what notre d ame should do about the situation.

“d espite notre d ame being a school dedicated to

promoting human dignity and the common good, Kay has loudly demonstrated the failure of this school to uphold the vision of the c atholic c hurch in both of these matters,” d er euil said in the ncr piece.

“statewide abortion bans will demonstrate more than ever before where deficiencies in early child care and support exist. notre d ame, the bestfinanced c atholic university in the country, is ideally situated to set an example of what this support can and should look like.”

The i rish rover’s o ctober article received national attention, being promoted by various conservative media outlets, including on Fox news’ and breitbart’s websites. The article was also reposted on the notre d ame website by the r ight to Life club.

Kay told The c ut that she began receiving harassment via email, including rape and death threats, after The i rish rover published its piece.

December: Chicago tribune op-ed followed by Fr. Jenkins’ response the next day o stermann’s and Kay’s next op-ed was published d ec. 5 in the c hicago Tribune. i n the piece, they argued that health policy on abortion issues has been dictated by lies, referring to common conceptions on the topic of abortion such as, “abortion bans prevent abortion,” “abortions kill babies” and “abortions are dangerous.

The next day, though the d ec. 5 op-ed stated at the end once again that “the authors’ opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the University,” Jenkins disavowed the professors’ op-ed while stressing their freedom to express their opinions.

“r egarding their op-ed, ‘Lies about abortion have dictated health policy’ in the d ec.

5 c hicago Tribune, Tamara Kay and susan o stermann are, of course, free to express their opinions on our campus or in any public forum,” Jenkins wrote. “b ecause they chose to identify themselves as notre d ame faculty members, i write to state unequivocally that their essay does not reflect the views and values of the University of notre d ame in its tone, arguments or assertions.”

a few days later, on d ec. 13, notre d ame political science professor d aniel Philpott stepped into the debate against o stermann and Kay with an op-ed in the ncr , originally published on his blog, a rc of the Universe. h is op-ed did not have a disclaimer attached to it that the author’s views were unreflective of the University’s.

Jan. 24: GoFundMe created a fundraiser on the crowdfunding platform GoFund me titled “supporting Tamara Kay and academic freedom” was created by Kay’s colleague susan st. v ille on Jan. 24 of this year. The fundraiser’s homepage described Kay as the target of a “dangerous amount of harassment, including threats” from antiabortion advocates.

“Prof. Kay was the subject of defamatory stories posted by white nationalist hate groups and by the i rish rover, an online publication that, though not affiliated with the University, is written by notre d ame students and lists several faculty members as advisors,” the page reads.

b y writing the letter to the editor in The c hicago Tribune, the fundraiser’s description said Jenkins was “violating the University’s academic freedom policies. The statement caused an escalation in harassment against Prof. Kay, who had to teach her final

class of the semester with police monitoring the hallway outside her classroom.”

February: Statements continue indirect debate over the controversy

Without mentioning the controversy surrounding Kay — who holds appointments in both sociology and global affairs — directly, notre d ame’s department of sociology released a statement entitled “notre d ame Leaders must stand up a gainst h ate” on Feb. 8, calling to attention the importance of academic freedom at the University and lamenting the harassment that researchers have faced for their work.

“We stand with our notre d ame colleagues who have recently endured vitriolic verbal attacks and threats of violence for exercising their academic freedom in research and writing related to reproductive health access and abortion bans,” the statement reads.

“d isturbingly, some threatening messages have come from nd parents and alumni, in direct response to reportage and published letters from University-connected entities that believe this research runs counter to the c atholic mission. These acts of violence, including verbal and written harassment, are outrageous, unacceptable, and dangerous for our entire community.”

a statement released the same day by student club notre d ame r ight to Life disagreed. a uthored by thenpresident merlot Fogarty, the statement was entitled “The notre d ame c ommunity stands Up a gainst v iolence.”

Linking to the sociology department’s statement, Fogarty wrote, “i n the context of ongoing campus debate over the morality, legality, and justice of abortion, notre d ame is uniquely positioned to be the model for c atholic institutions

committed to protecting students, women, and the sanctity of life.”

Fogarty also celebrated Jenkin’s “witness to the sanctity of human life” through his c hicago Tribune disavowal, and questioned claims of academic freedom, saying the violence committed through abortion was a far more significant threat.

“Those who are truly threatened by this violence [abortion] don’t have the voice to speak up for themselves,” she wrote. “b y contrast, academic reputation, tenure, and the ability to publish in national media outlets are all privileges that should not be weaponized to insulate their holders from criticism under the guise of ‘academic freedom.’”

The department of sociology’s statement urged Jenkins to take action immediately against infringements on scholarship at the University.

“University president John Jenkins has spoken in the past about the importance of engaging in civil discourse. now, more than ever, we need him and other notre d ame leaders to ensure a culture of civility by publicly condemning the actions of those who so badly misunderstand the mission of a great c atholic university,” the statement said.

o n Feb. 20, Jenkins released a statement affirming the University’s commitment to academic freedom, writing that “scholars and students in our community have the freedom to express their views on any matter.”

Jenkins added that the University has a unique opportunity to react with strength to politically polarizing times by engaging in respectful dialogue between disagreeing parties.

“To the extent we can combine the passionate pursuit of truth through inquiry and dialogue with respect toward those with whom we disagree, we will be a community animated by the love of truth we seek and charity toward the colleagues and students who are companions in this search,” Jenkins said.

i n an email to The o bserver, University spokesperson d ennis brown said the Feb. 20 statement was responding to national trends of intense discourse relating to issues of free expression on college campuses.

“a cademic freedom and free expression in higher education have been much in the news in recent months — from controversial courses and speakers on campuses, to dei debates, to the place of tenure and decisions by politicians and trustees,” brown said. “Given these many conversations across the country, Father Jenkins took the opportunity [in the statement] to reinforce his position.”

Paid a dverT isemen T

Regatta

coordinated with south dining hall to donate the food for the event.

between 30 and 40 Fisher residents are part of the planning committee, which mchugh described as an all-year process.

The race itself is broken down into two divisions, a women’s bracket and a mixed gender bracket, and both divisions have three rounds of racing.

“There are a lot of ways in which dorms can kind of compete against one another but a lot of it’s very sports-centric,” mchugh said. “The regatta, that’s something that’s more accessible to everybody. a nybody can build a boat, race and have a decent shot at winning.”

mchugh did acknowledge the advantage of engineering majors, and indeed, the women’s division winners was a team of engineers, led by a nne myler. myler’s team also took second place in an open division race later that afternoon, mchugh said.

sophomores ayden ellis and emanuel Thelles-chaves of siegfried hall won the open division, after a disappointing loss the previous year.

“i have wanted to build a boat for several years now,” said ellis, a chemical engineering major. “The Fisher regatta was one of the first things i saw when i was looking at colleges … about notre dame. a nd so i started building a boat the summer before i went to

con T inued F rom Page 1

tri-campus so we have representatives, both staff and students, from all three campuses that help with the planning,” she said. “it’s not led by one campus or another. We really are working collaboratively on that event, which is really special because there aren’t very many of those currently going on in the tri-campus.”

martinez camacho said Take back the night is a unique opportunity to increase sexual violence awareness throughout the tri-campus.

“it isn’t just a symposium for saint mary’s students, it’s open to the tri-campus community,” martinez camacho said. “We hope notre dame really shows up. We hope holy cross really shows up. We just want this event to sort of be inspiring and empowering for all.”

With all the advertising of the symposium, especially by sga, martinez camacho believes the three-day event will have a strong attendance.

“i think that turnout will be great,” martinez camacho said. “i hope that through the workshops, students get to know or get to develop skills and gain knowledge.”

but even when the symposium is done, baumann said the the work to be done in raising awareness of sexual violence is not.

“although the symposium falls in april, which is near the end of the [academic] year, we really think of it more as a beginning in the work,” baumann said. “it really is a year

notre dame.”

unfortunately, ellis and Thelles-chaves’ boat capsized in the middle of the race in 2022.

ellis attributed this to the watercraft’s rowboat form and his team’s lack of rowing ability.

“everyone was cheering [when we sank] because our boat was intimidating,” ellis joked.

This year’s boat, called The redemption, was fashioned after some kayaks in ellis’ backyard. ellis finished it last Tuesday, and his team practiced on a nearby lake for three days in preparation.

“This year’s boat was super stable. a nd it was mainly, ‘What boat could beat carroll hall’s boat?’ which was very fast last year,” ellis said.

ellis said he expects to return to st. mary’s Lake next year, with some additional improvements to The redemption.

mack Pittman, a junior living off-campus, built a regatta boat for an assignment for her wood sculpture class, taught by mFa student chip sox.

Pittman had never participated in the regatta before, but over a few weeks, her team built a wooden frame and then sealed a paper mache layer over top of some metal fencing. a lthough the regatta was the first time they put the boat in the water, Pittman’s team triumphed in the first heat.

“a fter quite a rough start, it was a neck and neck finish with another group on an air mattress, so that was intense,” Pittman said.

Pittman’s boat began to sink

long effort, and we have people that are working year long on it including the President’s committee, our belles against violence office, our Title iX office, as well as student groups such as belles supporting belles.”

during the symposium, what’s most important, baumann said, is that everyone takes care of themselves.

“although i wish for everyone to come to every single event

during the semi-finals, forcing her and her teammate to swim to the finish, although she said the water wasn’t as gross as she expected it to be.

“[The regatta] is fun, it gives people an opportunity to get into the lake. The weather yesterday absolutely made it perfect,” Pittman said.

mae harkins, another student in sox’s class, made a “skin-on-frame” boat by steam-bending wood and sewing scrap denim and other fabric to fashion a cover.

“it’s fun to see how creative people can be with their boats and also how people can use a lot of technical skills. so there’s a lot of variety in the boats,” harkins said. harkins recalled a boat buoyed by inflated garbage bags and one team that raced on a kiddie swimming pool.

“it really spanned the whole spectrum,” she added.

The regatta is an integral part of Fisher’s culture, stevens said, and he loves seeing it passed down to each new generation of Fishermen.

“as a senior, kind of phasing out of the system now, it’s just so exciting to see that it’s gonna pick right back up where we left off,” stevens said. “seeing that community being lived into each successive year … that’s my favorite part.”

Contact Kathryn Muchnick at kmuchnic@nd.edu

during these three days, i also understand that this topic is incredibly emotionally taxing,” baumann said. “come to what you can, but also know your limits and take care of yourself. Find other ways to get involved in this cause if perhaps attending certain events are not the best fit for you and your needs.”

Contact Katelyn Waldschmidt at kwaldschmidt01@saintmarys.edu

By KELSEY QUINT news Writer

“What do The rock, vin diesel and mr. clean have in common?” a flier posted in baumer hall reads. “bald.”

This past sunday, residents of baumer hall shaved their heads during the second annual baumer buzz to raise money for st. baldrick’s Foundation, that supports childhood cancer. Twenty buccaneers signed up to participate, and a few more were inspired to trim their hair on the spot.

The event encouraged the volunteers to reach out to friends and family for donations in exchange for a sacrifice of self-image. baumer buzz organizer, junior bryce mcdonnell, said baumer hall was nearing its goal of raising $10,000. mcdonnell kicked off the event with a prayer and statement of intention.

“Let’s remember who we’re serving, which is the st. baldrick’s community which outreaches to different children’s hospitals across the world and provides research funding and also funding for the mentors of children who are suffering from cancer,” mcdonnell said. “This is a cause that’s near and dear to my heart, and i think you guys supporting through cutting your hair is just super special.”

baumer shaves for st. baldrick’s Symposium

richard “mazz” mazzei, baumer hall’s minister-in-residence, was the first to get shaved. mazzei said he was excited to see the hall come together and was overall, “just happy to be involved” with the cause.

“i reached out to my family back home in boston,” mazzei said. “anytime you can help children, i think it’s awesome.”

Luke brady, a junior in baumer hall, said awareness of the event spread quickly — especially with mothers on Facebook.

“i decided at the last minute

during easter break that i was going to buzz it,” brady said. “i just joked about it with my parents, and they said, ‘Yeah, you should go for it.’ i didn’t think that i would raise a bunch of money, but it ended up being my mom who shared it on Facebook, and it did really well.”

Junior John healy, another volunteer, said the shaving was more than just a fundraiser. For healy, it was a “sign of solidarity.”

“i think the most important part of this is exercising solidarity with those who don’t have a choice about keeping their appearances because they’re undergoing chemotherapy,” healy said. “it’s a very good exercise to practice ‘dying to self’ and not caring as much about your appearance or trying to be caught up in how you look. The important part is what’s on the inside.”

mcdonnell echoed healy’s sentiment about solidarity, adding that the shaving was also a chance for the buccaneers to “become a part of something bigger than themselves.”

“[volunteers are] sacrificing their own image of self so that we might provide a better image of what it’s like to be in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are suffering in this world,” mcdonnell said. “even if we raised $10, i think the more important thing is what we’re doing as a result of the event here today, which is going around campus afterwards and acknowledging that we are buzzed and bald and we are proud of it because we’re representing something.”

While the baumer buzz was a hall-exclusive happening, an upcoming event, The bald and The beautiful notre dame, is an opportunity for students, faculty and community members of the tricampus get buzz cuts to support the st. baldrick’s Foundation.

Contact Kelsey Quint at kquint@nd.edu

Paid a dverT isemen T

By ANNA FALK s cene e ditor

Phoebe bridgers, Lucy dacus and Julien baker have made incredible music as individual artists. As the supergroup boygenius, they are unstoppable. The trio had previously released a self-titled eP in 2018, a six-track collection of lyrically masterful, gut-wrenching ballads which was well-received by fans and critics alike. With their limited yet addictive discography, fans craved new work. Five years later, they’ve delivered again. on march 31, boygenius released its debut LP simply titled “The record.”

This supergroup may be young, but they are by no means immature in their sound. The album moves between styles with ease. Tracks like “$20” and “satanist” show the band’s devotion to rock classics, backed with thrumming electric guitars and interspersed with cathartic, screaming vocals. others like “Letter To An old Poet” and “We’re In Love” fit more with the “sad-girl” aesthetic, blending soothing vocals and piano to create tear-jerking melodies. “cool About It” and “Leonard cohen” appeal to lovers of folk and acoustic guitars.

bridgers, dacus and baker also prove to be superlative lyricists. “The record” discusses various themes, though romance is especially prevalent. The trio cover the emotional spectrum of a relationship — change, vulnerability,

rebellion, intimacy and more. While confessional songwriting is not a poetry preferred by all, they find the power of the ordinary in their storytelling. Their words are specific, pointed and reek of verisimilitude. expressions of the everyday translate into impactful symbols of effect. The lyric “I might like you less now that you know me so well” from “Leonard cohen” is an example of this, showcasing in a simple statement the conflict between self-preservation and emotional intimacy in a conversation between dacus and her partner. “And it feels good to be known so well / I can’t hide from you like I hide from myself” in “True blue” illustrates similar themes in a different context, emphasizing the difficulties of this intimacy (even with one’s self) while reconciling with the beauty of being known by another person in this way. conflict ultimately characterizes “The record.” Intrapersonal and interpersonal turmoils are explored throughout the LP, reflected in the changing musical styles. The collective genius of boygenius prevails in “The record,” but their nature as collaborators seems to fail in moments. With the knowledge of each artist’s discography, one can easily pick out who had the heaviest hand in the creation of each track. Lyrically and sonically, they have their preferences, and it is evident. bridgers tends to stick to more somber, soft guitar songs, dacus pairs strong, emotionally evocative vocals with strummed melodies and baker tends more towards the power of strong drums

and the electric guitar. Their self-titled eP displays a greater ability to melt their sounds together without losing ingenuity or intensity.

bridgers may be the most well-known of the trio due to her more recent rise in fame as a result of collaborations with more mainstream artists like Taylor swift and sZA, but their work demands attention to the discographies of all three. The demands of creative freedom make supergroups a rare sighting in the music industry, but they prove to be strong and powerful forces capable of unimaginable success. boygenius continues to amass followers as time goes on, and there is no sign of stopping. With their appearances at music festivals around the world and their impending tour, there is no telling where boygenius will be by the end of this year. hopefully, they’ll be getting the recognition from the mainstream that they deserve.

Contact Anna Falk at afalk@nd.edu

“The Record”

Artist: Boygenius

Label: Interscope Records

Favorite tracks: “Not Strong Enough,” “Leonard Cohen,” “Satanic”

By NATALIE ALLTON s cene Writer

You may know collegehumor from the YouTube sketch comedy that brought them fame over a decade ago, such as their “hardly Working” or “messages from a ceo” series. o ver the past few years, though, they’ve developed a solid reputation producing unscripted comedy television series and releasing them independently on their own streaming service, dropout. You may have seen viral clips from their most popular shows — “dimension 20,” “Um, Actually,” “make some noise” and “dirty Laundry,” among others — on TikTok or Instagram. my personal favorite, “Game c hanger,” is wrapping up airing its fifth season now, and if you aren’t already watching, then you should be.

The premise of “Game c hanger” is relatively simple: It’s a game show, but the rules change every episode and the contestants have no idea what game they’re playing until it’s already begun. The episodic basis of the show is ambitious by nature, and season 5 has been its most impressive so far. episodes have ranged from sequels to formats explored in prior seasons (“sam says 2”) to improvised songs in the style of karaoke greats (“Karaoke night”) to a 40-minute episode of

fully ad-libbed shakespearean dialogue (“A Game most c hanged”) to a two-episode parody of “The bachelor.”

The season’s particular standout is its finale, “e scape the Greenroom,” in which the actual greenroom of the set is transformed into an escape room, unknown to its victims until the door is locked from the outside.

Izzy roland, Lou Wilson, and Jacob Wysocki are constant delights every time they’re featured, but “Game c hanger” has an impeccable record of casting just the right people to play off of each other and the game each episode.

The true heart of the show, however, is sam reich, the host/creator/executive producer/occasional antagonist. reich’s enthusiasm for the show explodes from the screen, and his delighted reactions to the contestants’ shenanigans improve every bit substantially. he’s also not afraid to cast himself as the heel. he’s aware that he’s functionally the trickster god running the whole affair, and the episodes in which the contestants begin to turn his own game against him are some of the show’s best.

dropout is worth the subscription for many reasons — I can’t overstate how much I genuinely love all of the content that they produce — but “Game c hanger” is by far my favorite show on the platform. Part game show, part reality T v, part improv comedy, part prank show and, above all, unendingly clever and hilarious, “Game c hanger” pushes the boundaries of unscripted television, and the medium is better for it.

brennan Lee mulligan,

“Game c hanger” is brilliant on a number of levels, but first, respects must be paid to the production team, including the writers, art directors, production designers, editors and absolutely everyone involved in the behind-the-scenes work for every episode. It’s no small feat that each episode manages to be not only entertaining, but unique and fully explored. I have never finished an episode of “Game c hanger” and felt like they should have done more with the premise. I need to again shout out the “e scape the Greenroom” episode, which was so mind-bendingly impressive from a production standpoint that I had to watch it multiple times just to catch all of the clever ways that they created a full escape room out of a limited existing space. Also deserving of praise is the incredible cast for each episode. every episode is a new rotation of comedians — sometimes familiar collegehumor cast members, sometimes not — which are always perfectly suited for the game they play.

Contact Natalie Allton at nallton@nd.edu

INsIDe COLuMN

My current ‘hot or not’ list

Christina Sayut Graphics e ditor

As someone who recently turned 21, I feel like I have been going through a complete reinvention of myself. I’ve dyed my hair, bought new clothes and I have tried to convince all of my friends that I am in a new era. What that era is, I have no idea. b ut it is definitely a new era. In this new era of mine, I’ve been compiling a list of things that are “hot” to me and things that are “not.” And because I think I am the smartest person in the world, obviously they are all right, and I am not open to criticism at this moment.

Things that are hot:

1. o range c elsius

s tarting strong, I know. b ut as someone who loves citrus, it really is a good flavor. Grow up.

2. b ugging your friends in their dorm room

Looking at you, Keenan 2W s ix.

3. c alling your family

They’re the best people to gossip with in my humble opinion.

4. Gold Jewelry

If you are a silver girl, I understand. It is not my lifestyle.

5. s elf-tanning water

I just feel so much better when I am a little sun-kissed.

6. Teaching yourself to play guitar

I did this, and now, I feel cool. You can feel cool too.

7. Working in the graphics department

em AIL me IF Y o U A re I n T eres T ed

8. d oing homework in Fitzpatrick

I have no rationale for this one. I am just more focused.

9. Texting your mom gossip during family gatherings

n o one gets me the way that my mom gets me.

10. Isa

Love you, pookie.

Things that are not:

1. o verextending yourself

Take a break! Go for a walk! Quit your job!

2. Pretending to like people

Just be honest. d on’t be fake. It isn’t a good look.

3. Forgetting to write your Inside c olumn

s orry c laire!

4. Going to class when it is warm and sunny

Let me sleep on the quad!

5. b eing a genuine hater

c omplaining is okay, but don’t be mean.

6. s ocks and sandals

This is something that I genuinely have never been that okay with.

7. The small dining hall to-go cups

h ow am I supposed to drink d iet c oke from a tiny little cup?

8. Going out without Jordan and Liv

c an I even function without you guys? It’s so unclear.

9. Getting called at 12:30 a.m. to create teaser graphics

I was already in bed guys.

10. Laughing at Anna’s jokes

A travel mug for a writer on the go? c omedic genius.

11. n ot sleeping enough

h ow can you not enjoy sleeping eight or more hours every night?

Honorable Mentions (Mostly jokes because I don’t think they will see this):

1. m ichael m asten

2. Anna Falk

I hope you have enjoyed this list because I enjoyed making it. Goodnight and Godspeed!

You can contact Christina at csayut@nd.edu.

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

A christian is a miracle

“Therefore, if anyone is in c hrist, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 c orinthians 5:17 esv ).

A c hristian is fundamentally unique and is not just like everyone else. n or is he, more or less, just like all other religious people but is instead radically set apart. A c hristian, as the verse above indicates, is a miracle and a new creation. h e is a marvelous theater in which God displays h is wonderful grace and power for all creation to see in awe. Perhaps you think I’m exaggerating or being extreme. b ut the b ible doesn’t think so. Indeed, it teaches that the entirety of the c hristian life is defined by the supernatural and gracious working of God.

To better understand this, we first must realize that man is not naturally good, but is rather conceived in sin and iniquity (Psalm 51:5). All our hearts — yes, including yours — do not naturally desire God but hate h im and h is law ( r omans 8:7). Instead, they desperately seek evil and delight in it; as the b ible says, “Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them” ( r omans 1:32). This perverse and wicked heart is nothing less than a “slave to sin” (John 8:34) and under the “power of s atan” (Acts 26:18). s uch words are not of my own making but are the words of Jesus h imself. h e even said that the Pharisees — the (seemingly) most moral and religious people on the planet — were “of [their] father the devil” (John 8:44). s uch a deadly, heart-piercing condemnation is, again, not just for the “really bad people” but describes all who are currently outside of c hrist, no matter how many good things they’ve said or done (1 John 5:19, r omans 3:10-20). Anyone apart from Jesus is “dead in” their “trespasses and sins,” “following the prince of the power of the air,” and are “by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” ( e phesians 2:1-3).

What hope is there for such evil, wretched sinners? n one in themselves, for no amount of good works, religious devotion, tears over sin and penance can wipe away even one, or a fraction of one, of the innumerable offenses that justly condemn one to God’s eternal wrath. o nly Jesus’ death on the cross can cleanse us from our sins. It was there that h e bore the wrath and punishment our sins deserved so that those who believe and put their trust in h im are fully forgiven and reconciled to God ( c olossians 2:13-14, John 3:14-16, 2 c orinthians 5:17-21). When one believes in c hrist and c hrist alone for their salvation, they who were once “children of the devil” (1 John 3:10) now have become “children of God” (John 1:12). We, who were once God’s “enemies,” are reconciled to h im ( r omans 5:10) and have “[received] adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:5). We, who once considered the cross as foolishness and folly (1 c orinthians 1:23), have been fully cleansed by it and “have confidence to enter the holy

places by the blood of Jesus” ( h ebrews 10:19). We, who were once happily in “the domain of darkness,” have been “transferred” by God “to the kingdom of his beloved s on” ( c olossians 1:13). We, who were once slaves of sin and opposed to the things of the s pirit, have now been made slaves of righteousness and are in-dwelt by the s pirit, love God’s law and hate sin ( r omans 6:17-18, Galatians 5:17, e phesians 1:13). We see quite clearly, then, that we were “guilty, vile and helpless,” as the old hymn goes, but have been supernaturally changed by God’s grace and power (and by nothing we have done or accomplished). s o marvelous and radical is this conversion that it is described as being “born again” (John 3:3), being brought “from death to life” (John 5:24, cf. Luke 15:24), and mirrors the very words of God in creation, “Let light shine out of darkness” (2 c orinthians 4:6).

Yet this is not the end of God’s work in the believer at all but the beginning. God continues to grow the believer in holiness and conformity to h imself (Philippians 2:13). In h im and “the strength of [ h ]is might,” we are able to battle and be victorious against sin and the “schemes of the devil” ( e phesians 6:10-11). And it is through the s pirit that our minds are renewed and that we have a greater knowledge and love of God ( e phesians 1:17-19, 3:16-19). s uch things may seem a far-off or abstract reality to even many c hristians, whose lives feel trapped in an endless mundane cycle of work, busyness or continual sadness and disappointment. While we should not expect that every day will bring us some rapturous experience of God, we must also remember the words of s cripture: “And we all, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 c orinthians 3:18), and “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 c orinthians 4:16). God continues to work in the believer every day; in h is sovereignty and goodness, we grow both in good times and bad, both in light and in darkness, on the mountaintop and in the valley and everywhere in between.

b ut far greater still will be that day when God completes h is work in us, and we will forever be with the Lord in glory. What an amazing day when the great company of believers, redeemed and now glorified and perfect, will praise God for h is grace upon grace with those words, “ s alvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” ( r evelation 7:10). Looking to this coming day and seeing what h e has already done, how can we not now stand in awe of and glorify God for h is wondrous and supernatural working in us who believe?

Andrew Sveda is a senior at Notre Dame from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, majoring in political science and theology. In his free time, he enjoys writing (obviously), reading and playing the piano. He can be reached at asveda@nd.edu or @SvedaAndrew on Twitter.

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

Students mourn professor

Last Tuesday, the sudden, unexpected death of Professor m ichael s tanisic left the Aerospace and m echanical e ngineering (A me ) department reeling. In ongoing conversations among the A me department this week, d r. s tanisic is warmly remembered and deeply missed, particularly among senior undergraduate students.

h olding our class to a high standard, d r. s tanisic shaped us into attentive, analytical engineers, beginning with our sophomore year’s “ d ynamics” class.

e xacting during the lecture, he emphasized the importance of proper notation and units (God forbid that we mix up pound-mass and pound-force) and required us to use straight edges to draw readable figures and free-body diagrams. h is problem sets caused numerous late nights and tearful calls home but also dramatically increased the skill and camaraderie of our class.

I don’t think I appreciated d r. s tanisic until the fall of 2021 when he taught “ d ifferential e quations” and “ m echanisms and m achines” to our close-knit class of 15 students in r ome. That fall, I saw a man deeply enamored with the physical world, dedicated to figuring out how it works. h e walked slowly around r ome, studying umbrella pines and starling murmurations, marveling at the history of the city and the fact that the Apostles once walked the same streets. Upon learning something new, he would laugh and shake his head in wonder.

We all experienced his kindness, too.

h e delighted in sharing meals or going on outings with his undergraduates. h e bought us good pizza and told us, in helpfully forceful terms, which pizza places to avoid.

It was not possible to stop briefly by his office hours: h e would belabor a point, rephrasing it in different ways, working through examples, until we understood it thoroughly.

h e was an avid emailer. Through email, he showed his concern for us and imparted wisdom on all sorts of topics — academic and

otherwise. b rief, enthusiastic messages — clarifying questions or detailing various points from lectures — steadily filled our inboxes. h e learned the Italian word for umbrella (ombrello) so that he could warn us, via email, to carry an ombrello should we choose to go outside at dusk, as the starlings swarmed. (This warning stemmed from his own unfortunate experience of walking beneath defecating birds.) e ach time we stopped by during office hours, we found him in the midst of dashing off another email, sending quick notes or YouTube videos to his daughters or colleagues or other students.

d r. s tanisic took his students’ voices seriously and cared about helping us succeed.

Towards the end of the semester in r ome, I received an email in which he wrote: “ m olly, I have not taken in r ome like I suspect you have … If you were to recommend 2 things that I m U s T see/do, what would they be?”

Later on, we talked about what he had seen. And lately, after mentioning in passing that my “ s enior d esign” group was machining a steel bracket for our project, he sent me about half a dozen emails containing information on commercial brackets and tools for manufacturing, helping ensure that our group would remain on track.

A classmate shared a story that illustrates d r. s tanisic’s care and attention to detail: o ne day, d r. s tanisic arrived on campus with a limp. h e revealed that he had encountered a rubber duck while biking to work, and extended his journey to put the duck in the library’s reflecting pool. Though he injured himself in doing so, he made sure that the duck got a good home in the pool.

d r. s tanisic paid attention.

d r. s tanisic cared for the world around him. h e loved engineering, loved his students and loved his daughters.

m ay God rest the soul of this good man, gone too soon.

Molly Doerfler senior April 13

In memory of Doc

I can’t say I’m the best person to write this, given that I’m a mechanical engineering graduate, and engineers aren’t exactly known for their prowess in writing. h owever, I feel that someone should, so I’ll give it my best shot. We all just lost a truly great man. Professor m ichael “ d oc” s tanisic was a man well-known by all those in the mechanical engineering department, and words can’t give him the tribute he deserves. I had the honor of being Professor s tanisic’s student for his “ m echanisms and m achines” course, ” s enior d esign” and the b aja club. I know others who knew him through the r obot Football c lub as well.

When I first met Professor s tanisic, I was a bit intimidated (as it seems most of us students were), but after attending his office hours and just talking with d oc, that intimidation quickly subsided. I learned that he was a man of great humility and had one of the best dry and self-deprecating senses of humor I’ve ever known. I recall d oc once telling us in a class that his exams were so hard that he never got better than a b on his own finals, but he grossly undersold his own intellect.

The textbook he wrote for his “ m echanisms and m achines” course is easily the best textbook I’ve ever read. It was one of the few textbooks that I actually bought outright, and I still have it.

I expect textbooks to be dense and dry, and far too long, with too few real-life examples. h owever, I found that d oc’s was refreshingly set apart. It’s straight to the point — telling you only what you need, just when you need it — but it was thorough enough that the content made perfect sense.

In retrospect, this isn’t a surprise. That’s the kind of person d oc was. h e wasn’t interested in unnecessary fluff.

We students all saw that side of him. b ut those of us who really took the time to talk to him or had enough classes with him knew that d oc was a deeply caring man. h e truly cared about his work, his

students and his family.

h e didn’t talk to us about it, but he was also a man of great faith. h e was a man who lived his faith out in his actions more than his words. You wouldn’t know unless you knew him well (or, in my case, if you asked him about an email he was working on for his church during office hours). If you went to his office often, you might’ve noticed the few small icons hanging up on the wall, which gave us all a small window into his devotion.

d uring the presentations for our senior design projects, which focused on teleoperated remote incision devices (a fantastic idea from d oc), we had some time to go around and see everyone else’s work. With this extra time, I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with d oc for a few minutes. We talked about where I was going to go to work and the end of the semester, but we also talked about some of his life and his past.

In particular, I remember d oc talking about a time in his life when he had a job with a long commute across state lines and how much he struggled to spend time away from his daughters. I walked away from that conversation knowing that he was such a blessing to his family and hoping that one day I could measure up to the great man he was.

I couldn’t have guessed that would be the last real conversation I had with him.

Professor s tanisic was a man like no other. I’ve considered him a genuine role model since I first saw the man that d oc truly was. I hope that his family and the n otre d ame community are granted solace in this deep loss. And I ask that all of you join in praying for the repose of his soul and the comfort of his family. m ay all of us remember him well and live by his example, striving to be men and women of honesty and integrity, good humor, deep caring and of faith.

m ay his soul rest in peace.

Noah Pleiman class of 2021 April

We love Dr. Stanisic as much as he loved us

Courtesy of Jacob Plocher

Aerospace and mechanical engineering associate professor Dr. Michael Stanisic and student Noah Pleiman chatting during popular mechanical engineering “Senior Design” class.

Zarazua: Top 10 editions of “The Shirt”

By GABRIEL ZARAZUA graphic designer

Editor’s Note: Gabriel Zarazua is a graphic designer for The Shirt.

it’s the unveiling week for “The shirt”! if you don’t know what The shirt is, it is a project that began in 1990 to raise money for notre dame student activities. To help unify notre dame stadium, students wear it for every season’s first home game. To preview this friday’s unveiling, i will rank my personal favorite editions of “The shirt.”

10. 1991: 150 years of Excellence

i am a fan of clean and simple, and 1991 demonstrates that perfectly. While there is nothing related to football on the shirt, the outline of the golden dome and the basilica is beautiful. Though i am not a fan of royal blue, i feel the bright yellow design and font make it a nice vintage-style shirt i hope to obtain sometime.

9. 1990: the First Shirt

You can never go wrong with the original. With a sleek front design of “notre dame irish” and hand-drawn designs of notre dame landmarks, including legendary coach Lou holtz, this shirt is truly one of a kind. designed in the spring of 1990 by notre dame alumnus brennan harvath, this is the shirt that started it all.

8. 1992: A tradition

Continues

as an artist, you always want to try and think outside the box when creating a piece. You want to be different yet get across the point you are trying to make. Well, the designers of the 1992 edition did just that. once again bringing back Lou holtz, they placed him before a mount rushmore of notre dame head football coaches. This shirt showed how the tradition of winning continues while conveying the expectations that come with being the head coach of the fighting irish.

7. 1997: Cheer Cheer for old Notre Dame

While it’s always good to look ahead, sometimes you have to take a step back and see where you came from in order to move forward. on the back design of the 1997 edition, the present football players line up against the team of old — with leather helmets and all. it was a great way to show appreciation to past teams of notre dame football, showcasing the excellence the team has had for decades and would continue to have into the 21st century.

6. 2019: Built on tradition

i have a soft spot for this edition since it was the one made when i

was a freshman. some bias aside, you can’t deny how amazing this shirt looks. again going back to the days of old, this shirt keeps it nice and simple with “notre dame football” on the front, but in a vintage font from the 1920s. on the back, we also have a vintage nd monogram alongside a football player from the good old leather helmet days. With the words “built on Tradition” across the stadium, it gets its point across to showcase the foundations of what the football program was built on.

5. 2015: A Golden tradition

i’m sure by now you can tell i am a sucker for the old days of notre dame football. With the old and new helmets together side by side on the front, it again shows how the past and present come together as one, a golden tradition that will never be surpassed by any other football team in the country. The design of the game is also dynamic and energetic. it reminds me of the vintage notre dame football programs you see at the entrance before the game. i’m a sucker for the green editions of past shirts, and this edition proves it.

4. 2004: We Are ND once again, i don’t mind when designs decide to be clean and simple. sometimes all you need is one slogan and design to get your point across, and that is what 2004 is all about. “We are nd.” need i say much else? The back showcases an amazing graphic of a football player with a sleek transparent shamrock behind it, along with the phrase “The cheering Thousands shout Their battle cry.” i honestly can’t explain it. everything just fits together perfectly. The shades of gold and blue make everything come together perfectly with the green shirt. sometimes simple is just better.

3. 2021: Strong and true coming off an interesting year — both on and off the field — this shirt represents hope in my eyes. after the struggles of our covid-19 year, this shirt represents the hope of everything going back to normal thanks to the strength we all showed by sticking together through a rough year-and-a-half. despite all the circumstances working against us, we came out stronger than ever. The font and colors for “strong and True” are beautiful. The gold helmet raised in the air is a nice touch. and the painted back design is just as beautiful to look at. You can truly appreciate all the attention to detail in the painting, and ara parseghian’s quote, “as long as there is unity, there is strength,” at the bottom really brings everything together. after all the ups and downs, this shirt summarizes that as long as we are in this together, we can accomplish anything.

2. 2020: With unshakable Spirit

You know, i heard that, apparently, this shirt was not a favorite among the crowd. Well, it’s unfortunate that those people don’t have good taste because this shirt is truly one of a kind. This edition is full of easter eggs. i don’t even know where to begin! You have the stained glass front and center with the “irish” forming around it. You have the founding dates for the university and football team and their corresponding stadium ticket placements.

a flyover soars above the football player, and the sleeve bears the vintage nd monogram you see in the stadium. The typography is also beautiful and i’m in love with the shade of green they chose. This shirt is simply amazing to look at. maybe people disliked it because it was the covid year, but either way, this shirt is one the best editions ever made, period.

1. 2002: return to Glory

after all the praise i gave the 2020 edition of the shirt, what makes the edition made 18 years before so much better? Well, in all honesty, it was the first edition of The shirt i ever owned. i found it a little over seven years ago in a goodwill down south in san antonio, Texas, and it was one of very few notre dame merchandise i ever owned for years. “return to glory” — what a phrase. after an underwhelming 5-6 season the year before, this edition was already conveying great expectations for the team before the season even started. That is what notre dame football is all about — the golden standard that no other football program has. no matter the circumstances, greatness is always expected of this team.With the four horsemen and lines from Knute rockne’s famous speech on the back along with that iconic gold helmet next to it, this shirt is a classic. in a way, it did predict the future, as the team went 10-3 that year. i still have the shirt to this day, and wouldn’t trade it for the world.

don’t forget! The unveiling for the 34th edition of The shirt is this friday, april 21st on Library Lawn from 4:30 to 6 p.m. There will be food trucks, performances and much more! There will be events held every day leading up to the unveiling so keep an eye out by following our social media, @theshirtnd. hope to see you all there!

Contact Gabriel Zarazua at gzarazua@nd.edu

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

c homa’s goal came on an assist from Wolak, and the score was a significant one for both players. The seniors each recorded their 200th career point on the play, as Wolak secured her 89th assist (with 111 goals) to set up

c homa’s 174th goal (with 26 assists).

r obert m orris finished the first quarter with two consecutive goals. b ut the c olonials were shut out by the stingy i rish defense for the entire second period.

m eanwhile, n otre d ame stretched its lead to 9-4 with c homa’s fourth goal. d oherty then scored three straight goals in the last four minutes of the quarter to give the i rish a 12-4 halftime advantage.

b oosted by a stretch of five consecutive goals, n otre d ame outscored the c olonials 9-2 in the second half. d oherty set a new

tr ACK AND FiELD

career-high with her fourth goal of the game. a hern and s hanahan both secured hat tricks with a pair of secondhalf scores. They also finished tied for the game-high with five points each. Junior goalie Lilly c allahan had seven saves while holding n otre d ame’s opponent to six goals or fewer for the third straight game. c allahan had previously recorded her 100th save of the season in the win against p itt.

n otre d ame now has just one game remaining before beginning postseason play in the acc Tournament next week.

The i rish will conclude their regular season at home against Louisville (5-10, 2-6 acc ) on Thursday night. The s enior d ay matchup will be at 7 p.m. at a rlotta s tadium, and the i rish will recognize their seniors with a ceremony before the game..

Contact Matthew Crow at mcrow@nd.edu

Irish T&F leads in seven events

By ANDREW MCGUINNESS sports e ditor

Though there was no team score at the Jim freeman i nvitational in Louisville, Kentucky, it was a weekend to remember for a large chunk of the notre dame track and field team. With major events like the penn relays, acc c hampionships and ncaa postseason looming in the suddenly not-so-distant future, the i rish followed up a strong showing at the Jack shaw i nvite the prior weekend by winning seven individual championships in Louisville. notre dame got the weekend off to a strong start on friday. freshman s arah david and senior John Keenan set the tone by winning the women’s and men’s javelin titles with throws of 39.88 and 66.86 meters, respectively. The i rish continued their winning ways on day two. Junior eve balseiro took home the crown for the 400-meter run, posting a time of 54.42 seconds. notre dame then authored a clean sweep of the top five spots in the women’s 1500-meter run. graduate student a nna s ophia Keller led the way with a time of 4:19.98. s ophomore siona c hisholm finished less than a second behind, with sophomores s ophie novak, molly grant and paige grant all

close behind. The men’s team also secured the top two spots in the same event. graduate student nick m iller came in first with a time of 3:46.16. fellow graduate student Jackson storey was second, finishing in 3:48.77.

Junior m ichael shoaf added another individual victory, placing first in men’s shot put with an 18.88-meter throw. notre dame had two more top-three finishers in the women’s 400-meter hurdles. freshman reese s anders finished ahead of the pack with a time of 59.83. a nother freshman, remy finn, placed third for the 400-meter dash, coming in with a time of 56.19. Junior nick mota’s 8:33.76 time in the men’s 3000-meter race was also the best of the competition.

a nd the quartet of freshman molly bennett, finn, s anders and balseiro led the i rish to victory in the women’s 4x400-meter relay with a total time of 3:43.47.

The i rish will be back in action on friday. s ome of the team will head to Winstons alem to compete in the Wake forest i nvite on friday. o thers will stay in state and compete at the i ndiana i nvitational, held at i ndiana university, from a pril 21 to 22.

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu

Happy Birthday: slow down, double-check your work and focus on the people who worry you. look for alternative ways to deal with shared expenses and joint ventures. back away from anyone who limits what you can do or tries to control your life. make your home a place that offers peace and allows you to focus on what’s important to you. let go of the past. your numbers are 9, 17, 23, 26, 37, 42, 48.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): refuse to let anyone disrupt your plans. stick close to home, where you can spend quality time with the ones you love, or work on a pet project that brings you joy. do what feels right and encourages you to improve your life.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Think about every move you make from beginning to end. Take the initiative, lend a helping hand and set an excellent example for others. listen to suggestions and pick and choose what works best for you. Protect your financial position.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): don’t make impossible promises. Put more effort into your professional goals and how you handle your cash. don’t hesitate to speak up if you have a valid complaint or suggestion. do your best to leave a good impression. Protect your well-being.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): The race to learn is your ticket forward. having an open mind while gathering information will help put your plans in motion. keep track of your spending. offer advice or hands-on help, not cash, to someone in need.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): observe what others decide to do, but don’t follow. look for opportunities that suit your needs and require what you can offer in return. Taking charge of your life and following your heart will help build confidence and the promise of sweet success.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): embrace change, knowledge and awareness, and you will devise a healthy plan. how you reach out, connect and help others will change how they view you. Partnerships that are well-balanced mentally, physically and financially will pay off.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): breathe deeply. you have what it takes to come out on top if you believe in yourself and give it your all. don’t overlook what you can do. Precision and detail will determine the outcome. simplify your lifestyle and ease stress.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): change what you don’t like. Put your words into action and let everyone see what you are willing to offer. refuse to let personal matters cloud your vision or hold you back. Take the road less traveled and discover something new and exciting.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): be observant. listen, research, ask questions and adjust to protect your health, money and position. don’t trust others with personal information. no one will sell what you have to offer better than you.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): reevaluate your skills and experience, and update your resume to fit what’s trending in the job market. don’t jump into something without sufficient upgrading. Preparation will decide how far you advance. Take nothing for granted and don’t let anyone take advantage of you.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): don’t share personal information or make changes that leave you open to criticism. make upgrades at home that add to your comfort or entertain someone you fancy or want to work with, and see what happens. Personal improvement looks promising.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): emotional matters will escalate if you challenge a friend or relative. keep your distance and let situations calm down before you make references or changes that will hurt a meaningful relationship. self-improvement will keep you from criticizing and trying to change others.

Birthday Baby: you are emotional, secretive and spontaneous. you are engaging and persistent.

the i rish dished out a resounding response. n otre d ame’s first three hitters reached to load the bases, and four graduate students followed with a train of runproducing at-bats. When all was said and done, the i rish had scored five runs before making an out. They would add one more on a pickoff error to take a 6-2 lead. a fter that, d ennies settled in to finish four innings, and n otre d ame’s offense widened the margin. i n the fifth, junior outfielder TJ Williams clubbed a two-run home run, his fourth of the season. c lemson scratched two late runs across, but a two-out, two-run double from graduate right fielder b rooks c oetzee iii held the Tigers at arm’s length.

Getting five innings of two-run ball from two of its sub-two era relievers, freshman c aden s pivey and graduate student a idan Tyrell, n otre d ame iced the six-run victory. h aving forced c lemson to use seven arms in the contest, the i rish appeared to have a firm grip on the series.

Game two: Notre Dame 1, Clemson 5 a highly unfavorable pitching combination doomed the i rish in s aturday afternoon’s loss.

First, sophomore starting pitcher Jack Findlay suffered his first true hiccup of the season. The Tigers attacked the lefty early, handing him the second-worst line of his young career (five earned runs in two-plus innings). c lemson connected for three extra-base hits in the second inning, including a leadoff laser home run from b illy a mick.

Though the i rish also scored a run in the second, they couldn’t cut the 5-1 deficit after the third. c lemson starting pitcher a ustin Gordon had his way tossing an earned run-free 6 ⅓ innings, good for a careerhigh. a s he departed in the seventh, n otre d ame missed out on the first of two scoring chances. i nheriting runners on the corners and one out, c lemson reliever Tristan s mith struck out junior catcher d anny n eri and induced a Williams groundball to end the threat.

i n the eighth, the i rish generated an even more promising opportunity, putting men on second and third with one away. The inning mirrored its predecessor, though. This time, n ick c layton entered and struck out c oetzee before getting a groundout from pinch-hitting graduate outfielder n ick Juaire. s triking out three more times in the ninth, n otre d ame faded

quietly to even the series.

Game three: Notre Dame 4, Clemson 6

s unday’s rubber match turned out to be the weekend’s most competitive game. b oth offenses enjoyed fast starts, yielding a 3-2 c lemson lead through two frames. i n the first, c oetzee belted a two-out rbi double, but Will Taylor countered with a run-scoring single. Then, both teams scored two-out runs in the second, but the Tigers grabbed two to take the one-run lead.

Yet again, missed opportunities told n otre d ame’s story as the game transitioned into the home stretch. b etween the third and ninth innings, the i rish went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. a t the same time, when n otre d ame did squeak runs across, c lemson answered. That first occurred in the fifth, when the i rish briefly tied the game before the Tigers struck back. Then, in the seventh, c lemson dealt the final blow as a mick and r iley b ertram laced consecutive doubles to untie the game once more.

From there, n ick c layton wrapped up his excellent weekend out of the Tiger bullpen. Pitching three shutout frames, he closed out a 6-4 c lemson win and sent n otre d ame home with a disappointing series loss.

Following the road trip, the i rish will play 15 of their next 16 games at Frank e ck s tadium. That stretch begins with a pair of home midweek matchups — Tuesday against v alparaiso and Wednesday against Western m ichigan. b oth games will begin at 6 p.m. on acc n etwork e xtra.”

Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu

ND WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Women’s lacrosse sweeps Pitt, Robert Morris

By MATTHEW CROW a ssociate s ports e ditor

a n otre d ame women’s lacrosse enjoyed a successful road trip to Pittsburgh this weekend, picking up a pair of dominant wins in the s teel c ity. The n o. 8 i rish outscored Pitt and r obert m orris by a combined 26 goals to extend their road winning streak to three. With the victories, they improve to 11-4 (5-3 acc ) ahead of their regular season finale.

Ahern stars as Irish roll past Panthers

a fter their previous acc game ended in a one-goal defeat at the hands of b oston c ollege, the i rish were eager to get back on track with a conference victory. Friday’s matchup with last-place Pitt (4-11, 0-8 acc ) provided the perfect opportunity to do just that.

i n its most recent outing, n otre d ame jumped out to a 24-0 lead against b utler before coasting to a 26-3 win. For much of the first half against Pitt, the i rish seemed on track for a similar result as they scored the game’s first 11 goals.

s enior attacker Jackie Wolak kicked off the scoring for the i rish with a goal less than three minutes into the game. That was followed by back-to-back scores from senior attacker m adison a hern, the second of which was assisted by senior midfielder Kasey c homa. The Panthers had no answer for Wolak, a hern and c homa in

the first half. b y the time Pitt got on the scoreboard for the first time midway through the second quarter, all three seniors had recorded hat tricks in addition to combining for three assists.

a hern responded to Pitt’s opening goal with her fourth of the night, but the Panthers would strike back with one more to send the i rish into the halftime break with a comfortable 12-2 advantage.

With a big lead in hand, n otre d ame struggled to maintain its offensive aggressiveness in the opening minutes of the third quarter.

Pitt scored the first two goals of the half while holding the i rish scoreless for more than 11 minutes. b ut the closing stages of the third would see the n otre d ame attack heat up again.

a fter c homa scored her fourth goal of the game, assisted by Wolak, a hern added two more in rapid succession. Those scores pushed her tally to a careerhigh-tying six goals, marking the seventh sock trick of her i rish career.

Leading 15-4 entering the final quarter, the i rish continued to put pressure on the Panther defense. Goals from junior midfielder m ary Kelly d oherty and senior attacker Jane m c avoy made it five straight for n otre d ame and pushed their advantage to 13. The i rish would ultimately cede a pair of goals to Pitt in the final minutes, closing out their fifth acc victory of the season by a 17-6 score.

Choma, Wolak reach milestone in win against Colonials

Just two days later, n otre d ame was back in action. They didn’t have to travel far, making the 20-mile trip to face r obert m orris (6-8, 4-1 mac ) on s unday in their third consecutive road game. s imilar to their previous two outings, the i rish had no trouble with the c olonials, opening up a sizable firsthalf lead before cruising to a 21-6 win.

The i rish offense picked up right where it left off against Pitt, scoring four goals in the first four minutes to quickly take control of the contest. it was a balanced scoring attack, as four different players combined to do the damage. Junior midfielder Kristen s hanahan scored the opener, and ensuing shots from graduate student midfielder h annah d orney, m c avoy and c homa found the back of the net soon after. a hern collected a pair of assists to help n otre d ame take a 4-0 advantage.

The scoring barrage continued over the remainder of the quarter, but for both sides. c homa scored her second in between two r obert m orris goals that trimmed the i rish lead to three. b ut consecutive goals from Wolak, c homa and a hern made the score 8-2. c homa also earned another hat trick, this time in the first quarter alone.

see WLaX PAGE 8

Paid a dverT isemen T

Kaleb smith medically retires Tigers claw back to take series from Irish

By Observer Sports Staff

exactly one week before the annual blue and Gold game, traditionally a time of optimism for notre dame football, the Irish received some disappointing news. on saturday, Graduate student wide receiver Kaleb smith announced his medical retirement from football on Twitter.

“As someone who has dedicated their life to this sport, this game we call football, you never think about when it will end. For me, this end has come before I was expecting it to,” smith’s post said. “After countless hours of prayer and thought I believe my time playing this game has passed, what is more important to me now is my future after football and to achieve that I must focus on my mental and physical health which has taken a great toll throughout the years.”

smith had transferred to notre dame during the offseason after spending five years at virginia Tech. The Louisa

county, virginia, native started 29 games for the hokies, making 74 receptions for 1,143 yards and seven touchdowns. Last year, as a redshirt senior, smith set career highs in games played (11), receptions (37), receiving yards (674) and touchdowns (three).

his 674 receiving yards were well more than twice as many as he had in any previous season.

smith was expected to bring invaluable experience to a green Irish receiving room that struggled to produce last season. notre dame’s receivers as a whole were outproduced by then-junior tight end michael mayer alone.

The Irish receiving core was already looking to be in better shape for 2023. notre dame brought in four receiving recruits in their most recent class, three of which are four stars, per rivals. senior running back chris Tyree has also switched to receiver, at least for spring practice. but losing an experienced receiver in smith certainly does not help the Irish passing prospects.

By TYLER REIDY Associate s ports e ditor

With a golden opportunity to reach a .500 mark in A cc play, n otre d ame’s offense fell by the wayside in big moments in c lemson. After dominating Friday night’s game, the Irish took a step back against strong Tiger pitching on s aturday and s unday. With the series loss, n otre d ame falls 18-15 overall and 8-10 in conference action.

Game one: Notre Dame 10, Clemson 4

With red-hot junior pitcher Jackson d ennies receiving another series-opening start, n otre d ame fell behind early Friday night. The Tigers brought a total of 13 men to the plate in the first two innings, cashing in for two runs in the second. In the ensuing top of the third,

Irish softball notch important series win over v irginia Tech hokies

By J.J. Post

Associate sports editor

notre dame softball scored a major series win over the weekend, taking two of three games against virginia Tech in south bend.

The virginia Tech hokies entered the series ranked nationally by all outlets that submit Top 25 ballots.

With a 9-1 triumph over Indiana on Wednesday, the Irish end the week with three ranked wins.

notre dame’s rPI, a critical factor in ncAA tournament selection, has begun to soar though the Irish had struggled to climb the rPI rankings until this past week. even as the team’s record improved, notre dame remained stuck in the low 40s and high 50s in national rPI.

however, with the wins over virginia Tech and Indiana, the Irish have risen 15 places in the last week.

rPI isn’t the only ranking notre dame climbed as a result of the series victory.

The Irish are now up to sixth in the Acc standings, a steady improvement from the team’s

up-and-down start. missed opportunities against syracuse and Pittsburgh left notre dame with ground to make up, but backto-back series wins over quality virginia Tech and Louisville teams prove that there’s more to this Irish team than its sluggish start showed.

The mvP of the virginia Tech series for notre dame was graduate student pitcher Payton Tidd. Tidd earned the start in both games one and three for the Irish, taking home wins in both.

Throwing a total of 12 innings in two days, Tidd has now thrown complete games in each of her last three starts.

Graduate pitcher Payton Tidd winds up during notre dame’s defeat of virginia Tech at melissa cook stadium on April 14, 2023.

A veteran who has been a staple in notre dame’s rotation for five years now, Tidd’s durability is a known quality.

but her ability over the most recent stretch of the season to dominate games and allow for younger pitchers micaela Kastor and shannon becker to rest cannot be overstated. Tidd seems well

on her way to her most high-usage campaign since her freshman year in 2018-19.

The Irish will now have a major chance to climb the Acc standings further with a road series against boston college on deck. The eagles have struggled this season, and currently sit in the conference cellar with a 2-13 Acc record. notre dame has failed twice now to capitalize on series with teams in the bottom half of the conference. A third slip-up could have serious ramifications on tournament seeding.

A sweep would give the Irish a fighting chance at a top-four finish in the conference. A loss, however, would all but ensure notre dame’s place in the middle of the pack come the end of the regular season. Further, the team’s recently improved rPI would take a serious hit. notre dame softball will be back in action Friday when the Irish take on boston college in chestnut hill, massachusetts. First pitch is set for 4 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on the Acc network. ”

Contact J.J. Post at jpost2@nd.edu

Daniel ielusic | The Observer

Graduate student Brooks Coetzee III prepares to swing while up at bat against the Butler Bulldogs on Mar. 28 at Frank Eck Stadium. see bAsebALL PAGE 10

MaX PeTROsKY | The Observer

Irish freshman outfielder Mickey Winchell lunges down to receive a ground ball in gameplay against the Indiana University Hoosiers.