Print Edition for The Observer for Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Professor raises funds for legal expenses

More than $9,000 donated for “academic freedom and freedom from harassment and abuse”

By MAGGIE EASTLAND and RYAN PETERS editor-in-chief and managing editor

Editor’s note: This article includes excerpts of strong language.

w hen Tamara Kay posted a sign on her door advocating her office as a “safe space to get help and information on all healthcare issues and access — confidentially and with care & compassion,” she unleashed a media firestorm that found its way to national headlines.

Kay says the aftermath has pushed her to weigh legal action

against the university and the irish rover. in december, she hired a lawyer. in January, fellow global affairs professor susan st. ville organized a gofundme page that, as of april 4, has raised $9,422 to support Kay’s potential legal expenses. around $1,000 of those donations poured in after The cut published a story

about Kay’s grievances with the university on monday.

“at this point, the cost of retaining legal representation has placed a significant burden on prof. Kay and her family,” the page says. “we are seeking funds to offset the legal costs professor Kay is incurring as she tries to secure the protection for safety and academic freedom not only for herself but for all notre dame faculty, staff and students.”

The online fundraising page states any funding that exceeds legal costs will be donated to organizations that support survivors of indian residential schools, including the legacy of

right to l ife is without president, faces turmoil

ISA SHEIKH

notre dame news editor

members of the university’s largest student group, notre dame right to life, received a series of two letters dated april 2, 2023, addressing turmoil and turnover in the club’s ranks. The correspondence capped a constitutional debate that lasted for weeks within the anti-abortion group, and an even longer period of interpersonal strife in the club’s higher ranks.

in a six-and-a-half-page letter sent to members of the club, former president merlot fogarty wrote to address “questions in the past several weeks over the intentions of several members of the board, the process of deliberation of the constitution and what this means for the club in the coming years.”

fogarty, a junior in ryan hall studying theology and political science, marked the end of her tenure in her letter: “my term began on april 1st, 2022. it is now april 2nd, 2023. Thus, i am no longer your president. no one has been elected. my term has come to an end.”

in her letter, fogarty heralded the club’s accomplishments over the past year and called her leadership of the club “one of the

most beautiful and remarkable experiences of my life.”

she also detailed a year of tensions and broken trust, as well as painted a portrait of her deteriorating mental health. fogarty has shared her history of anxiety publicly and has discussed how coming from a broken family led her to anti-abortion activism.

in october, a board retreat was held, and fogarty writes she “regained a sense of peace and confidence in the board, my leadership skills and the amazing work we were doing to change hearts and minds on campus.” but that didn’t last long.

“i began hearing a lot of details of my personal life in conversations around campus with people i had never spoken to before. board members had been sharing with others the struggles i had been facing in my personal life, to paint me as an incompetent leader,” she alleged.

This tension seeped into the club’s work.

“The factions on board became more visible in meetings as certain people sided with each other and separate group chats were made,” fogarty wrote. a sitting member of the board, seeking anonymity because of the threats and harassment

they say they have received, said fogarty’s letter came as a surprise.

“we were not aware of our former president’s intent to step down or of the letter she wrote to the club, but felt the confusion that resulted from it deserved an immediate response. a majority of the board gathered on sunday for hours to determine what we felt was necessary to say,” the board member wrote to The observer.

The board member wrote that “among other things, the board has received anonymous threatening emails that include assertions that ‘we will not forgive. we will not forget. we are watching.’”

Jose rodriguez, the club’s vice president for design, said the four-page response letter emerged from a “secret group chat” that excluded himself and other members of the board.

“The response is not intended to speak for every member of [the] board unequivocally, but the majority of board members were consulted. as we noted, this year, and especially the process since [the constitutional referendum], has been incredibly painful and deeply saddened all of us,

see righT To life PAGE 3

hope foundation.

Kay and the gofundme description reported that she has received harassment and remains dissatisfied with the university’s efforts to protect her safety and academic freedom.

as Kay told The cut, one such message read: “Tamara Kay should be a** f***d under Touchdown Jesus at noon.” others were filled with similar threatening or inappropriate language.

The irish rover, a self-professed catholic, conservative newspaper run by notre dame students and faculty advisors, reported that the sign on Kay’s door

and a capital letter “J” meant that she was willing to help notre dame students access abortions, citing since-deleted tweets that mention information on how to attain plan c pills and emergency contraception.

Kay did not respond to requests for comment on the meaning of the signage previously on her door. no students reached out to her while the sign was up or since it has been taken down. The signage remained on display for 10 days before maura ryan, vice president and associate provost for faculty affairs, and r scott

see Kay PAGE 5

Hall of the Year winners named

By PETER BREEN associate news editor

at the 37th annual student leadership awards held Tuesday night in dahnke ballroom, student government, the student activities office (sao) and the division of student a ffairs presented 30 awards, including hall of the year and nine senior awards. o’neill family hall won hall of the year, while pasquerilla west hall and caroll hall won the respective women’s

and men’s titles.

master of ceremonies a ntwann harper, the program coordinator for student programming at sao, recognized the “countless” nominations.

“These nominations are a clear reminder of the true love and commitment our students have for this community,” harper said. “you all do work that builds a better tomorrow and a better notre dame.” true love and

see banQueT PAGE 5

CATHY DOHERTY | The Observer

Hall Presidents Council co-chairs Jinny Gouldin and Lauryn Pugh announced the hall of the year winners in Dakhnke Ballroom.

Tamara Kay s ociology and g lobal a ffairs p rofessor

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and we have struggled for months to determine what is charitable and productive,” the anonymous member of the board specified.

A former board member told The observer that less than half of the board was actually involved in the letter’s drafting and publication.

The response itself thanks Fogarty “for the hard work and dedication she has shown to the club during her time as president” before leveling a number of accusations against her leadership.

rodriguez, a junior in Keenan hall, said he joined the club under Fogarty’s encouragement.

“I joined obviously [because] I’m pro-life, but also specifically through the encouragement of merlot to get more involved in the pro-life cause, in building a culture of life on campus,” he said.

rodriguez said he appreciated Fogarty’s leadership.

“I think she’s a great leader. of the three years I’ve been on campus, she has been the best president of right to Life, in my opinion,” he said. “she has obviously increased the amount of events that right to Life has had. she increased the number of ways that club members could be get involved within the club, either as commissioners, through volunteering events, to service events, through all that stuff.”

rodriguez mentioned a number of the club’s successes over the past year.

“And a lot of the events that we’ve had have had an impact. For example, fundraising for a mother, protesting pharmaceutical companies and attending the march for Life. There’s just been a wide variety of events that we’ve had that would not be possible without merlot’s leadership, without all the time that she spends planning out these things,” he said.

Constitutional crisis

At the end of February, right to Life’s Groupme, which currently stands at 755 members, exploded into chaos, with members leveling allegations of a board-led “coup” against Fogarty. The specific controversy was rooted in the fact that the club’s lost constitution from 2011 had been found. The board’s response letters argues they had then begun the process of amending the constitution for several reasons.

“First, the constitution had been lost for years, and sAo had not shared it with us until this year. over time, it had calcified into something that did not resemble the current shape of the club. because of this, our President decided to begin the process of constitutional reform, and we have been debating and revising this constitutional draft since last semester,” they wrote.

They wrote the 2011 constitution “bound the board members into the legal gymnastics that were needed to keep the club functional” and not risk the club’s

hundreds of thousands dollars in funding and standing with the student Activities office (sAo).

The late February amendments, agreed upon in a single hour-long board meeting according to the former board member, included requirements that the president be a senior and have served on the board for two semesters, as well as imposing a one-year term limit.

Fogarty, who herself was nominated for president as a sophomore who had been on board for only one semester, wrote in her letter to the club that “it became clear that a single person was instituting all of the amendments, and that they were ensuring someone like me could never be the club’s president again.”

rodriguez agreed that the amendments seemed to target Fogarty specifically, given the combination of a term limit and a requirement that the candidate be a rising senior.

With a referendum on the amended constitution going to club members, the club’s large group chat erupted.

“Around 10 p.m. that night, a senior club member asked a question about the terms of one clause on elections in our 750-member club-wide group chat. In the next few hours, hundreds of questions and comments about the meaning behind the referendum and why the board was targeting me specifically flooded the chat.

I sobbed in my room as I realized what had really happened. I hadn’t led the club to destruction. I had been undercut and betrayed by three petty girls and a club advisor,” Fogarty recalled in her letter.

Fogarty wrote in her letter that she was not allowed to share the final results of the vote with the club that night, but the results were overwhelming, with 85% of the club striking down the amended constitution.

This was not the end of proposed constitutional changes, however, as the club’s leadership moved to define “active members,” a two-thirds majority of whom was needed to pass any constitutional changes.

According to rodriguez, this had four requirements: to pay dues, participate in at least one committee, attend a majority of monthly meetings and to volunteer for two major events. he added that committees no longer exist in the club, and that attendance hasn’t been taken at monthly meetings, so the new requirements effectively meant only some members of the board deemed the “executive committee” could be considered “active members.”

rodriguez himself proposed an amendment to strike all requirements for active membership except the paying of dues, something he said the board had previously unanimously agreed upon in early February, which failed by a two-thirds vote at the march 20 meeting.

These active members thereby voted in the amendments at that meeting, and according to the response letter, they were “passed

by an overwhelming majority vote.”

Fogarty expressed her disgust at the events in her letter, writing, “Thirteen people were given the power to make decisions affecting a club that makes up an eighth of the student body, decisions on which the real membership of the club had already made their views clear. We went from being the largest pro-life campus club in the country to a 13-member aristocracy making decisions out of spite rather than the love of christ.”

Troubles with the de Nicola Center and club advisor

A former board member recalls how the club advisor, Petra Farrell, the culture of Life program manager at the de nicola center for ethics and culture, became “one of the driving forces” of the strife within the board. referring to Farrell and the center, the former member speculated some tension had come from disparate views on the way to approach a post-dobbs campus.

The former board member made reference to financial manifestations of this difference of opinion, saying that the de nicola center had priorities centered on broader appeasement and their donor base.

In particular, the former member expressed frustration over the march for Life and resistance to spending thousands of dollars to attend this year’s protest, the costs for which are split between right to Life and the de nicola center, which hosts a fundraising banquet the night of the march in dc each year.

The de nicola center has launched a webinar series on caring for women and children in the post-dobbs reality, but the former member argued this was insufficient and out of line with the right to Life approach to building media attention around abortion issues, including addressing oncampus controversies.

Fogarty’s letter makes reference to Farrell, recounting a specific meeting with her.

“I was looking for guidance and advice from our advisor, but was instead met with a detailed account of the gossip and rumors that I had been hearing, although this time they came to a head: I was told that I was dividing the club and failing to promote a culture of life,” she wrote.

Fogarty’s letter also specifically mentions a number of other instances involving Farrell, including the day following the Groupme episode.

“The next day I was called to a meeting with our advisor where she blamed me for the state of the club Groupme chat, accused me of colluding with those who voted no and demanded that I write and sign a statement that there were no ulterior motives for the constitutional amendments and that we had decided to release it unanimously as a board. I refused, because ‘lying is a sin,’” she wrote. rodriguez also shared concerns about Farrell and her involvement in board controversies.

“her standard was basically

that she was just an unbiased intermediary, that she was just going to facilitate us and let us come to our own decisions. but in my opinion, she has not consistently applied this standard. As there’s been various moments where she’s influenced the opinions of members on the board by giving her own opinions, such as supporting the term limit and various other amendments,” he said. “Those were controversial to the club, but not to the majority of the board.”

he also said she had insufficiently addressed social problems in the club’s ranks.

“I don’t think she’s done enough to address the bullying that goes on behind the scene. I think she’s had various opportunities to step in. but she has not. so I would have liked for her to take a more prominent role in addressing the aggressiveness of some people on the board, some of the comments that they’ve made towards merlot. To act as the adult in the room,” he said.

The response letter takes issue with Fogarty’s characterization of Farrell’s involvement, writing, “our advisor was instrumental in meeting with sAo to ensure that our club — and our hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding —would not be deactivated and risk 1.5 years of having an inactive status. our advisor did not place the club’s legitimacy in jeopardy; rather, she’s the only reason why we continue to exist at the moment.”

Finances and allegations

The march for Life is not the only point of contention over the club’s $170,000 budget.

In the board response letter, allegations were made of “verbal and physical abuse, elaborate lies, excessive and unapproved spending of club funds, exclusion, aggressive behavior, distrust, libel and slander and threats to our reputations.”

The anonymous board member added that “our former president often spent large sums of money to buy items, especially over the summer and during the fall semester, without notifying the treasurers or board as a whole. We also lost money on our concession stand due to a lack of communication and input from the rest of the board.”

rodriguez said such allegations made towards Fogarty were untrue. The former board member added that spending was a big issue, one that “you could blame the entire board this year for because we didn’t have a budget in the fall.”

The former board member and rodriguez suggested that allegations of abuse may have come from Fogarty’s implementation of a “task manager” spreadsheet to keep track of which three tasks board members were responsible for at a time.

“not everyone on the board contributes an equal amount of effort towards this club, or has the same time commitment, and not everyone fulfills their duties,” rodriguez said.

he further added that Fogarty

had stepped in on cases where members of the board had not fulfilled their tasks.

“There’s certain times where board members fail to accomplish their designated tasks within the scope of their role. And in those cases, merlot put it upon herself to get that done. I think she’s been — contrary to what the letter says — good at communicating with board members,” he said.

Moving forward

In her letter, Fogarty thanked anti-abortion activists on campus.

“I thank you all, truly, for the support you have shown for my leadership and your radical commitment to supporting life on campus. I am so blessed to have been able to lead you this year, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for the pro-life movement with people like you leading the way. I apologize deeply for the way this year has ended, and I hope you recognize the great good we have done on this campus and the love I have in my heart for each and every one of you,” she wrote.

“They say satan attacks that which is doing the most good. Through lies, rumors, gossip and malice, satan was able to destroy a wonderful organization that used to be dedicated to respecting the dignity of life,” Fogarty added.

The sitting board member wrote the route forward is unclear.

“I cannot say with complete certainty how we will endeavor to rebuild this trust, but in my own relationships, I will be prioritizing open, honest and personal conversations, time away for prayer and reflection and the choice to hope in the intentions of others. hopefully these enable us to have fruitful discussions that allow us to move forward,” they wrote.

rodriguez affirmed that communication was central looking ahead.

“I think there’s been a lack of transparency of board members communicating with each other, and the board communicating to the club as a whole. I think to rebuild that trust, we start with better communication, both with other board members and with to the club, and hearing what the club members have to say, taking their thoughts and opinions into consideration and allowing them to voice what they think the direction of the club should be moving forward,” he said.

In the closing of her letter, Fogarty shared her disappointment with the club’s perceived shift.

“I am sad to say that the leadership of this club no longer aligns itself with the love of one another, with a love for the dignity of life. my own life has been torn to pieces by those who claimed to uphold the dignity of life. To the board members who let a piece of paper take over the joy this club once used to bring to me, I wish you the best of luck. I hope you find peace in my absence,” she wrote.

runde lectures on U.s. global leadership

By LIAM KELLY news Writer

d aniel r unde, s enior v ice President of the c enter for s trategic and International s tudies, promoted his new book, “The American Imperative: r eclaiming Global Leadership through s oft Power” during a lecture at Jenkins n anovic h alls on Tuesday afternoon. In his address, r unde urged the United s tates to provide a leadership agenda that speaks to developing countries. r unde noted that “we’re not in the post- c old War age anymore” and that America’s position as a unipolar world power is now being challenged, having entered an age of “great power competition” with r ussia and c hina.

“The c hinese c ommunist Party and v ladimir Putin’s murderous regime can fill voids today that they couldn’t 20 years ago,” r unde pointed out. “They can fill voids in vaccines, they can fill voids in the digital space, they can fill voids in infrastructure, they can fill security voids, they can fill values voids.”

While there may be a bipartisan consensus that America now faces a threat from c hina and r ussia, “what we don’t have in Washington yet is a

consensus on what the heck to do about it,” r unde said.

If the United s tates does not muster a response to this threat, the consequences could be catastrophic, he warned.

“The c hinese c ommunist Party is hoping to set up an alternate world system.

If there’s a world led by the c hinese c ommunist Party, no one is going to like it,” r unde said.

This fierce competition between the U. s ., r ussia and c hina, r unde said, is not likely to take the form of direct military confrontation, but rather a battle of ideas and resources in non-aligned countries throughout the developing world.

“The United s tates and our allies need to offer a positive, forwardlooking agenda that speaks to the hopes and aspirations of other countries as an alternative to a c hinese c ommunist Party and v ladimir Putin partnership in developing countries,” he added.

If the United s tates does not provide a vision of leadership for these countries, “they’re going to take their business somewhere else,” r unde predicted.

o ne of the most important theaters of this great power competition, r unde said, will be Africa.

“A big part of our future

is in Africa. There are a billion people in Africa today. 25 years from today there will be more citizens of Africa than all the citizens of India and mainland c hina combined,” he said.

The agenda that the United s tates provides in this region has to change with changing times, r unde said.

“The kinds of things that speak to our friends’ hopes and aspirations are changing. This isn’t your grandparents’ developing world. It’s not even your parent’s developing world. It’s richer, freer, healthier with a lot more agency,” he explained.

r unde argued that countries in the developing world are now looking for more infrastructure, technology, education partnerships, trade and investment from the United s tates, as opposed to just aid.

h e also urged diplomats to spend more time in these developing countries and learn the native languages as opposed to simply speaking e nglish or French.

r unde focused on technology as a centerpiece for the competition between the United s tates and r ussia and c hina.

“I do not think it’s in our interest to have the digital rails of the future be owned by [ c hina]. It’s

not in our interests, it’s not in our friends interests. We need an alternative,” he pressed.

r unde also warned against using software owned by c hina that could be used to surveil Americans. h e specifically focused on TikTok, which has been subject to recent scrutiny in c ongress.

“This is bad news. This tracks everywhere you go,” he said of TikTok.

While r unde acknowledged that students might enjoy the funny videos they see on the app, he implored his audience to think more deeply about c hina’s intentions in promoting the app in the United s tates.

“ d id you know, on mainland c hina, they restrict the use of Tik Tok [to] … only 1 or 2 hours?” he said. “Why is it allowed here? It’s almost like a new opium. It’s almost like they’re exporting something. It’s almost like they’re doing it on purpose.”

h e also warned against progressive d emocrats and isolationist r epublicans who want to see the United s tates withdraw from a leadership role on the world stage.

While r unde said he hasn’t heard any proponents of this view, “say they’re cool with c hina leading the world,” that could be the

consequence of such a policy.

h e pointed to international institutions such as the World b ank and the United n ations as proof of this notion, arguing that if the United s tates refuses to lead here, c hina will.

“There are some unfortunate things about the multilateral system,” r unde conceded. “ b ut, if we have a fit and quit, guess what? c hina can fill that void.”

d espite the threat posed by c hina and r ussia a nd the looming specter of conflict between the two nations, he urged for greater understanding between the peoples of these countries and the United s tates.

“We need people-to-people connectivity,” r unde explained. “We should make c hinese students in the United s tates welcome. I think it’s one of our strengths.”

As he recommended seeking understanding with c hina, r unde also reaffirmed the need for the United s tates to stand up to the country and assert its role as leader of the international system.

“Leadership is a choice,” r unde stated. “I’m arguing that we need to lead.”

Contact Liam Kelly at lkelly8@nd.edu

r ide-share startup hopes to disrupt industry

By ALYSA GUFFEY editor-in-chief e meritus

d esi, a college-exclusive ride-share company, is currently in a closed beta test for limited members of the n otre d ame community — and the company began in the s outh d ining h all stirfry line.

s ophomore Liam r edmond first had the idea for d esi in high school when he noticed his friends having a difficult time ordering rides or feeling unsafe with random strangers driving them from place to place.

Then, he started talking to fellow sophomore Zach b rown in a line on campus that is known to be a great time for conversation.

“Liam was talking all about d esi and his idea in the stir-fry line and I said ‘That sounds great,’” b rown said. “And I thought we could work together because I have that web and app

development background.”

r edmond then brought in the third co-founder, film, television and th eatre major r ob c orrato, to the team as chief creative officer to coordinate media production, content creation and marketing for the company.

With the core trio assembled, redmond, brown and corrato doubled down in July 2022 to devote time to make their vision come alive.

Through a couple of successful Friday pitches at the Idea center, desi secured $4,000 in funding through three grants. The company will next source other funding this summer through friends, family or a pre-seed round for potential investors.

They plan to run the soft launch through the end of the semester, with more test users added each week, and to prepare for a full launch on the app store in the fall 2023 semester.

As of monday, desi had 176 approved riders and 48 approved drivers, with 20 drivers currently

listed as active on the app. rides are free in the beta-testing stage. The only revenue drivers make now is in the form of optional tips. one driver reported back that he made $210 in just two nights of driving, corrato said.

once desi goes full throttle, the service will be offered using a base price for pick-up plus a per-mile and per-minute factor. The team estimates an average ride will be $12, with the driver taking home 70% of the total. The pricing model sets the company apart from Uber, which uses dynamic pricing to rack up fares when demand surges.

“so it’ll scale up,” brown said. “but I imagine most of our rides are going to be within that fivemile radius thinking that south bend airport is probably the farthest people are going to be going.”

Safe and social rides

The desi founders believe they separate themselves from competitors Uber and Lyft through

their closed ecosystem. All drivers and riders must be students within a college’s community.

“We really want to introduce this idea of profiles like Instagram where you can see common connections,” redmond said. “People can see ‘oh, they’ve got a buddy. It’s a great thing to talk about, and I feel safer if I know you know… a common friend.’”

even the brand’s name plays off the idea of a college rideshare community that is more socially connected. It originated with the name devi but was switched to be a shortened version of the designated driver.

“We wanted to sell that designated driver kind of thing where it’s somebody that you trust coming to pick you up,” brown said.

And, the team said driving for desi is an easy way to make money late on the weekends, a time when on-campus jobs are hard to come by as social events peak for the week. They added that test drivers have confirmed

it’s a good gig in the valuation stage.

desi follows the same regulations for hiring drivers across the industry, including a background check, a motor vehicle record check and three years of driving experience. In addition, a personal interview is conducted by the team, redmond said.

“That really sets us apart,” redmond said. “We all looked at becoming drivers [on other apps] and were honestly scared at how easy it was to become drivers.”

If the team succeeds in the tri-campus market, they hope to expand to colleges across the country that have similar characteristics to notre dame.w

“It would be our main goal, of course, to get desi everywhere,” corrato said. “That would be phenomenal but we’re really targeting schools that are similar to notre dame in location, in size and type of students.”

Contact Alysa Guffey at aguffey@nd.edu

Appleby, the dean of the Keough school, Kay told The cut.

After the backlash began, Kay tweeted: “The note on my door was not about abortion. And the University knows this, but neither they, nor I can comment on what happened to prompt it. I’ll say no more about that. but I do, of course, fully support abortion rights and the policy implications of abortion bans are horrific,” according to Fox news.

University spokesperson dennis brown said that Kay’s signage and social media activity implied that she was offering medical advice on abortions.

“A reasonable person could understand Professor Kay to be giving medical advice (on becoming ‘unpregnant’ by taking abortion pill without knowing any details about an individual

student’s health),” a University spokesperson wrote in a statement to The cut. “This seemed unwise from both the perspective of faculty members and students.”

In the months following the Irish rover’s coverage, which was picked up by several other news outlets and conservative organizations, Kay received a preponderance of emails and messages attacking her for vocally supporting abortion rights.

other messages reported to The cut include: “drop dead c**t,” and “eat a couple of handfuls of opossum sh*t.”

In a string of tweets and opeds, Kay has repeatedly voiced her support for abortion rights with the qualification that her views do not represent the University.

Kay did not clarify whether she planned to pursue any specific legal action. she was not

willing to speak on the record with The observer but offered a written statement.

“There is significant and extensive documentary and witness evidence of the meetings, communications and interactions pertaining to all that has transpired, and in time that will be clear,” she wrote in an email.

“This is not and has never been about me. It is about the safety and dignity of the brilliant women students on this campus, who deserve to thrive and flourish here. my commitment to them, and to our black, indigenous, LGbTQI+ and students of color is unshakeable, at the core of how I try to live my deep faith every day, and cannot be undermined by threats, abuse and harassment.”

University spokesperson sue ryan said in an email to The observer that notre dame “categorically denies” that the administration has “in any way

limited her academic freedom or failed to address her security and other concerns.”

ryan cited a list of measures taken to ensure Kay’s safety.

“While no direct threats were identified, the police continue to monitor for any threats other than inappropriate and harassing emails,” ryan wrote in an email.

ndPd provided Kay with a safety plan for her home and met to address safety concerns in the classroom, she wrote. The office of Information Technology, at the request of the office of the Provost “isolated any such emails so that they would not reach Professor Kay, but would be available to notre dame police for monitoring.”

Kay has academic freedom to speak in her subject area, ryan wrote.

“Professor Kay’s area of expertise, which earned her appointment at notre dame,

relates to global trade and, in particular, the north American Free Trade Agreement,” ryan wrote. “even now, her page on the department of sociology website lists her research expertise in a wide range of sociological topics — none involving reproductive rights. Like any citizen, all notre dame faculty are of course free to discuss their personal opinions so long as they distinguish those opinions from their position at the University, a policy that is common in higher education.”

The University declined to comment on whether or why Kay has sought legal representation.

News writer Liam Price contributed to this report.

Contact Maggie Eastland at meastlan@nd.edu

Contact Ryan Peters at rpeters5@nd.edu

observer staff wins 17 awards at annual IcPA

By Observer Staff Report

The o bserver staff won 17 awards at the 2023 Indiana c ollegiate Press Association (I c PA) awards, including second place for d ivision I n ewspaper of the Year.

The staff won first place in the s ports Page d esign category for their Irish Insider post-game issue of the n otre d ame vs. c lemson football game. The o bserver staff also won second and third place for b est s taff e ditorial for the e ditorial b oard’s January 2022 editorial about supporting nonc atholic students and the o ctober 2022 editorial about

Banquet

con TIn U ed From PAGe 1

commitment our students have for this community,” harper said. “You all do work that builds a better tomorrow and a better notre dame.”

connor Patrick, former president of club coordination council (ccc), delivered the evening’s first four awards. club of the Year went to the multiracial/multiethnic student Association of notre dame. The black business Association’s trek to silicon valley over winter break earned club event of the Year. Luke strawn of the rock-climbing club and Andrew bartolini of the University’s American society of civil engineers chapter were named officer and Advisor of the Year, respectively.

next, the former student body president and vice-president, Patrick Lee and sofie stitt, issued four student Union awards.

For service to students, an Irish clover award was presented to howard hall rector Anna Kenny and former cavanaugh

combating sexual violence to create a safe campus community, respectively.

This year, the n ews d epartment won two awards. Former Assistant m anaging e ditor Genevieve

c oleman and n ews

Writer Liam Price won second place in the n ews s tory category for their o ctober 2022 reporting on students calling for accountability and prevention following social media posts about alleged sexual assault cases on campus. m anaging e ditor r yan Peters won third place in the c ontinuous c overage of a s ingle s tory category for his coverage

hall president molly schroeder. mathematics professor brian mulholland received the Frank o’malley Undergraduate Teaching Award, and michael murakami won the michael J. Palumbo Award for his dedication to the student Union.

hall Presidents council (hPc) co-chairs Jinny Gouldin and Lauryn Pugh then revealed the men’s hall of the Year, Women’s hall of the Year and hall of the Year awards.

despite having one of its smallest first-year classes ever, carroll hall landed men’s hall of the Year. Goudlin said that carroll hall’s community soared beyond expectations due to events such as the restarting of their big brother program, their sustainability-focused water party, carroll christmas, newlywed games amongst roommates and talks about verbalizing affection and toxic masculinity.

Pasquerilla West hall, inciting the evening’s most animated applause, took home Women’s hall of the Year.

“[Pasquerilla West hall] went above and beyond in cultivating resident growth and well-being

on the University’s revised plans for parking lots on Palmer s treet after residents raised their concerns.

v iewpoint e ditor c laire Lyons won third place in the e ntertainment s tory category for her feature on Whisk, a n otre d ame indie band.

m aggie Klaers won first place for her Feature Page d esign that accompanied the story about Whisk.

In the e ntertainment

c olumn category, Lyons’ review of P emc o’s fall musical “ b are: A Pop o pera” took second place and Angela m athew, m anager of Talent & Inclusion, took third place for her review of Tess Gunty’s

with the creation of an incredible wellness room, spearheading a completed gym renovation, resilience training and a revamped statement of inclusion and corresponding allyship pledge,” Gouldin said.

“Unwavering commitment to developing and fostering the well-being of their residents in every aspect” elevated o’neill Family hall to the 2023 hall of the Year.

“[o’neill Family hall] captured the interests of its residents across a multitude of different areas with events such as mental health mondays, caught in 4K and Acousticafe, while integrating themselves across campus with wildly creative events with the Kindness club, through TikTok collaborations with other dorms and the Wonder Association,” Pugh said.

next, maureen doyle, director of student centers, activities and events at sAo, and harper doled out 10 student Leadership Awards. sAo confers these awards annually to undergraduates who best exemplify the University’s spirit.

This year’s winners were

novel “The r abbit h utch.”

Klaers also won third place in the Illustration category for her illustration “Irish whip Tigers.”

In the s ports d epartment, s ports e ditor Andrew m cGuinness’ June 2022 reporting from Knoxville, Tennessee about the baseball team advancing to the c ollege World s eries was awarded second place in the s ports n ews s tory category.

In the v iewpoint d epartment, columnist e llie Konfrst was recognized for her piece on class and wealth on campus which took first place for o pinion c olumns.

elijah mustillo, rose nguyen, Jin rui cai, camila sanchez siles, billy micard, Jill maudlin, david Webster, mary Grace scartz, Patrick Lee and sarah Wells.

To close the evening, the division of student Affairs honored nine seniors. m brian coughlin, associate vice president for student development, turned over five awards, while vice president of student affairs Fr. Gerry olinger imparted the last four.

coughlin recognized claire reid with the denny moore Award for excellence in Journalism. blake Ziegler and Austin Wyman each received the mike russo spirit Award. schroeder earned her second accolade, the ray siegfried Award for Leadership excellence. John sexton won the John W. Gardner student Leadership Award.

olinger congratulated award recipients and thanked the audience before honoring the last few students.

“Thank you for the many ways you share your God-given gifts with this campus,” olinger said.

“We’re really excited for the ways that you will go out and be a force

Photographer m ax Petrosky took first place for his photo essay of n otre d ame men’s basketball vs. d uke. Petrosky also won second place in the Feature Photography category for his photo of clearing snow off a field.

Klaers and r yan v igilante rounded out the awards with their first place Irish Insider ahead of the b YU s hamrock s eries game in the s pecial s ection Front c over category. Photographer Gracie Lee, Klaers and v igilante also won third place for their Irish Insider for the 2022 Fencing n ational c hampionships.

for good in the world and share those gifts with so many others as well.”

olinger granted Grace casper the blessed basil moreau, c s c. Leadership Award. A rev. Theodore m hesburgh, c s c. Award went to both molly doerfler and nicholas crookston.

Finally, eliza smith was named this year’s rev. A. Leonard collins, c s c. Award winner.

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the impression she made on me,” olinger said. “When I first became vice president for student affairs, she emailed me in the very first couple of weeks that I took over and started to engage with me in some really important conversations around celebrating martin Luther King Jr. as a day off here at the University — a task that she and I completed,” olinger said.

A performance of the University’s alma mater, “notre dame, our mother,” by the student a cappella group halftime ended the ceremony.

Contact Peter Breen at pbreen@nd.edu

My best girl’s birthday

Lim

It’s gotten way too late and we’re somewhere in Frankfurt, Germany, sitting on a street corner, willing for the Uber app to get us a ride. This is so classic, you say.

c lassics never go out of style.

We tiptoe up the stairs to your room but not before grabbing the ice cream. We’re still humming r osalia and staring at the ceiling while we both take off our makeup, with the easy remover wipes that will most definitely make my skin break out tomorrow.

And so went all the Friday nights. s ometimes our weekends would start with me joining your dad’s weekly s habbat dinner (I still have dreams about that secret sauce of his), other times you’d borrow my mom’s “lounge dress” to sit at my desk and finish up your essay. b ut they always ended the same, and when the lights came on and everyone started picking up plastic cups off the floor, we never worried about how we were getting home.

I don’t know how I feel about the idea of soulmates, but maybe if there really was a soul that mine was predestined to share halves with, it would have been you.

c an you believe how long it’s been since we saw each other? There’s probably no use putting a count on the years when the total will sum up to forever. Forever and our plans for each other’s weddings, our shared vineyard in France, our future cars we declared when we were fifteen.

I’ve already told you this, but you’re the coolest girl I know. Any chance I get, I’ll mention to anyone who will listen that my best friend is serving in the military. s ometimes when I read about what’s going on in the news, my heart sinks a little bit. You seem happier than ever, though, and my only real complaint is that I don’t get to be right next to you for it.

e very April that comes around, I equate to your birthday. h ow lucky I got to know I’ll always have you in my corner, the way I’ll always be in yours. The distance won’t let us get waffles at c entral or Jägerbombs at h elium this year, so this silly little column is my birthday gift to you.

Funnily enough, the song “Feels Like” by Gracie Abrams just came up on shuffle as I write this. s ometimes I commit tiny bluffs in my writing for artistic purposes, but this particular happy coincidence is actually true. s he says she wrote this song about her best friend. It sings like a love song, but the sentiment is only really synonymous to the adoration and fondness of an indelible friendship — “I would do whatever you wanted.”

To the girl who is always down to do it all with me, no matter how questionable. Who stood by my side through regrettable high school decisions and constant cafeteria drama. Who napped with me through free periods and danced out of the graduation ceremony with me.

You’re somewhere training and being a badass independent woman, while I’m procrastinating an analytics assignment and this goes to print. Just you wait and I’ll give you a copy, wrapped up in a bow.

To n el, my number one girl.

h appy twenty-first birthday. I can’t wait to celebrate worth all that’s overdue and more.

I’d do whatever you wanted.

Love, r eyna

Reyna Lim is a sophomore double majoring in finance and English. She enjoys writing about her unsolicited opinions, assessing celebrity homes in Architectural Digest videos and collecting lip gloss. Reach out with coffee bean recommendations and ‘80s playlists at slim6@nd.edu.

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

In a niche coffee shop in v ienna

Kate Casper outsider Instincts

In a niche coffee shop in v ienna, I fit right in, wearing my favorite sweatshirt with the watercolor fish and some orange converse sneakers, the ones owned by every selfproclaimed “Indie Kid” I’d ever met. I plugged my half-alive phone into the wall, sipped on a honey lavender latte and began politely eavesdropping on the two 20-somethings to my left, c .P. and e ric (or something like that).

They were seated at some bar stools along a wall happily adorned with vibrant records of b ob m arley and Joan Jett and c ulture c lub and Traffic. They were wearing outfits that oozed with post-legal-drinkingage angst — c .P. in an oversized sweatshirt and some dad sneakers and e ric in a green Yankees hat and vintage bomber jacket. They looked cool, sure of themselves, but also humble as a box of crayons (because crayons can be humble, can’t they?).

They looked like the type of kids who rode bikes around the neighborhood in packs over the summer “ s tranger Things” style or hightailed it out of class every day right as the bell rang for dismissal (then hiked to their beat-up 2005 m azda 3’s to smoke a much-needed joint … or 2 … or 3). They were cool; they were older; they were spending a Tuesday night over winter break in a niche coffee shop in v ienna (and they fit right in).

Their conversation was full of “strip mall talk,” the type of conversation you have in the c hick-fil-A drive-thru with hometown friends, discussing your most recent situationship or the avant-garde movie you want to watch later that night.

It was also full of “glittery, cosmic chatter,” the type of conversation you have while stargazing in some random field in the middle of the night, discussing big-picture postgrad plans or the profound philosophical differences between m ILF m anor and Love Island (which are cinematic masterpieces, obviously).

b ut really, c .P. and e ric’s conversation was just as rooted in the “now” as it was rooted in “10-years-fromnow.” s omehow, they jumped from high school nostalgia to the present woes of being a 20-something to the r est of their Lives with such ease.

They discussed their red flags — from being a s lytherin to disliking Popeye’s French Fries (fair). They laughed about the time c .P. got pulled over by a cop for speeding in the high school parking lot, and the time e ric partied with a random 30-year-old frat star (also fair). They made fun of each other: c .P. poked fun at e ric for being “the golden child” in high school, and e ric poked fun at c .P. for having a deep disdain for Greek Life. They talked about their futures, when c .P. gets

her mb A, and e ric graduates from v irginia Tech in m ay. They talked about the friends they’ll visit in n ew York c ity, and the friends who are getting married in August. They talked “grand scheme.” They talked pregaming their kids’ soccer games (when they have kids … if they have kids). They talked meeting their future spouses (is it tacky to get a prenup if you’re not a celebrity?). They talked everything here and now and everything far, far away.

And I realized, much like them, I am thinking both big picture and small. I’m living for study dates in LaFun and runs around the lake and Friday nights, but I’m also living for a good job, a husband, a life. I too am on the cusp of the r est of my Life.

And in my “glittery, cosmic chatter” in n orth d ining h all well after closing, I find myself talking to friends more and more about where we might end up, the jobs we might have, the families we might build.

s o while c .P. was telling e ric, “22’s getting kinda old. Am I old?” I couldn’t even fathom the year 20 (still can’t), but I could grasp c .P.’s fear of getting older. And while e ric discussed law school and investment banking in n ew York c ity, I couldn’t even fathom a summer internship, but I could see my own fear in his anxieties.

And while I’m younger than them, a part of me just wanted to say, “ c hill out guys, don’t worry. We’re all just swimming in the trivial wonders of life, the things we discuss in strip malls! We’re all just caught up in a future that is unknown and endless and cosmic — and a present that is chaotic and ridiculous and filled with so much meaning (probably)! We’re the youngest we’ll ever be and probably the most lost, but isn’t it fun?”

A part of me wishes I had the guts to expose myself as an eavesdropper and say that to their faces (it would’ve been funny, right?). b ut really, I felt at home there, in a niche coffee shop in v ienna, couched between c .P. and e ric on my left and a loud, ranting high schooler on my right (who was dramatic and annoying and a lot like me, only brattier). And it was in that northern v irginia coffeehouse that c .P. and e ric shared a beautiful, human conversation, one I’m sure they weren’t expecting some girl to write about in her o bserver column, but here we are. And while I’m still not totally convinced their names were c .P. and e ric, I want to let them know that in a niche coffee shop in v ienna, they fit right in.

Kate Casper (aka, Casper, Underdog or Jasmine) is from Northern Virginia, currently residing in Breen-Phillips Hall. She strives to be the best waste of your time. You can contact her at kcasper@nd.edu. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Reyna

The o vershare

Leah Moody bridgend

The past 72 hours have been a blur. Alongside the typical slew of exams and papers, pretty much every organization that I’m involved in decided to hold a large event.

A few of the highlights:

Thursday, I was a moderator for b ridge the Gap, a series of small group roundtable discussions hosted by b ridge nd c overing topics such as gun control, healthcare and free speech, the event served as a means to foster positive, productive discussion among people of all viewpoints.

Friday, I helped to put on a campus wide prayer and worship night through Iron s harpens Iron, an interdenominational faith group affiliated with c ampus m inistry.

And today, I find myself spending my s aturday night sitting in a booth at LaFun, writing this oped just before its deadline.

b ridge nd and Iron s harpens Iron have both been formative parts of my experience here at n otre d ame, their unique missions drawing me in at the beginning of my first year.

b ridge nd is the n otre d ame chapter of b ridgeU s A, a national organization committed to constructive engagement, ideological diversity and solutions-oriented politics. Through our discussions and events, we attempt to fight polarization through open discussion. We do not expect, or want, people to hide their true beliefs. r ather, we encourage them to share their opinions and recognize the humanity of the other side.

Iron s harpens Iron is an interdenominational c hristian group, meaning we have c atholic, Protestant and o rthodox members. o ur name, Iron s harpens Iron, comes from Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” In I s I, our mission is not to hide our differences, but instead to sharpen one another through them as we come together, united by the foundations of the c hristian faith.

m y two biggest leadership commitments — d irector of e vents for b ridge nd and Iron s harpens Iron Leadership — don’t seem to be that similar at first glance. h owever, they are

met with very similar reactions when I talk about them with people from home — usually it’s a laugh or a quizzical expression before they inevitably ask, “how does that work?”

I come from Anderson Township, a seemingly irrelevant o hio suburb where the local politics are so nasty that they repeatedly make national news. The feud over whether or not my high school mascot was a racist caricature was so contentious that The Wall s treet Journal covered it (they did, however, end up changing it after my senior year. Go r aptors!). Just last year, a student from my district testified before congress when the school board canceled a high school’s longstanding diversity day in fear that it was a guise for cr T indoctrination. m y e nglish teacher was told he could no longer read the news headlines to us at the beginning of class because they were too controversial, Facebook feuds over school board elections are notorious for distasteful personal attacks, and our location between urban c incinnati and rural, conservative c lermont county creates a tangible tension. It is certainly not a place that is homogeneous in thought. h owever, it is a place where people are so consumed with the idea of being “right” that they have deemed radicalism and gross rhetoric necessary in the fight for the morality of our beloved Township.

c ompared to politics, religion is not much of a source of division back home. h owever, like most important things, people were often unwilling to discuss their differences. As a Protestant, I was initially nervous to attend n otre d ame — I was scared to go to a school where the vast majority of students were of a different religious background than myself; I was scared to take c atholic theology classes; and I was scared to have my beliefs questioned and challenged. Anderson Township was a place where engaging with the other side in any matter felt unnecessary and I knew that coming to n otre d ame would serve as a needed challenge to the comfortable echo chambers I’d surrounded myself with in o hio.

I love my hometown and I believe in the people there. h owever, it is not often a place where people are willing to speak to one another civilly about their differences. While we (often rightfully) criticize the “ n otre d ame” bubble, I

have found it to be a refreshing escape from the “Anderson Township” bubble.

n otre d ame is a place that’s student body possesses an incredibly wide spectrum of opinions on pretty much everything, and b ridge nd and Iron s harpens Iron have served as places for me to come together with people that think differently than me because we are united by something bigger than ourselves. I could have chosen to join a political group that aligned more closely with my ideological views, or a faith group where others share my personal theology. h owever, the growth that I have experienced at n otre d ame would be impossible if it were not for the diversity of viewpoints that I have intentionally surrounded myself with.

n otre d ame has shaped me because its people have shaped me, and its people have shaped me because I have chosen to listen.

s o, to answer the question of my friends from home: I’m not completely sure how it works. I don’t always know how to effectively work for multi-partisan bridge building and interdenominational unity, and I have fallen short several times. o ften, I wonder if it would be easier to throw in the towel and retreat to the safety of my ideological and religious sects. h owever, what I can tell them is that it is worth it — that challenging your own beliefs through respectful discourse with others will make you and your community far better off, despite how difficult it may seem. Whenever I begin to doubt it, I think about my hometown.

Leah Moody is a sophomore studying economics and philosophy with a minor in theology. She is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, but resides in Flaherty Hall on Campus. She currently serves on leadership for Iron Sharpens Iron and is the Director of Events for BridgeND.

BridgeND is a multi-partisan political club committed to bridging the partisan divide through respectful and productive discourse. It meets bi-weekly on Mondays at 7 p.m. in Duncan Student Center Meeting Room 1, South W106 to learn about and discuss current political issues, and can be reached at bridgend@nd.edu or on Twitter @bridge_ND.

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

Grateful for the moment

When spring break finally approached us, like most other people, I was so excited to take time to relax and not have to worry about the stresses of school work. n ormally, my family travels on a 14-hour car ride to the panhandle of Florida. h owever, this year, my brother and I had different spring breaks so we decided not to go. Instead, I set out on a two-day trip to m iami with my mom and one of my best friends, Grace.

When the day finally came to head to m iami, we woke up at 2 a.m. to catch our early morning flight, excited for the warm weather we were about to encounter. When we arrived in m iami, we checked into our hotel and headed off to a nearby Italian restaurant, ready to see all that m iami had to offer. After lunch, we headed to the nearby mall. Anyone that knows Grace and I knows that we can never turn down an opportunity to go into s ephora, even while on vacation. Later that night, we ventured off to another nearby Italian restaurant and had some of the most amazing and delicious food. Then, we went to check out some of the cool m iami districts.

The next day, we went and took advantage of the hotel pool and spa. After coming back from the spa, we headed back to our room to get ready to go to s outh b each for dinner. As we were getting ready, we heard this random beeping noise that we didn’t think much of at first. h owever, when opening the hotel door, the sound was significantly louder, and we quickly discovered it was the fire alarm. We quickly made our way to the stairs to walk down the 17 flights of stairs. While we were walking down the stairs, my mom tried to call the hotel to see if there was an actual fire, but no one was answering. We assumed it was because everyone had left the building.

When we made it to the third floor, we discovered the exit doors were locked. We later discovered the exit doors were locked on the first and second floors as well. We were trapped. There was no way out of the building, and we still didn’t know if there was an actual fire or not. At this point, panic had set in. We called the fire department to explain what was happening. We then went over to a nearby glass window and saw a few people walking around below us, as well as a few people from the fire department. s till, no one knew where we were. We had to shine flashlights and call a nearby restaurant so that the fire

department could figure out how to find us.

After the fire department found us, we discovered that there was no actual fire. There had been a malfunction with the hotel’s system that had caused the alarms to go off, resulting in our being trapped. While it was relieving to hear that we hadn’t been in danger, this was something we had no way of knowing until we were actually out of the situation.

To me, this moment served as a reminder to never take life or the people in it for granted. e ach day is a blessing to be grateful for. We are not guaranteed a certain amount of time on earth, so it’s up to us to make the memories and cherish the moments spent with loved ones. And as traumatic as this experience was, we were still able to enjoy the rest of our time in m iami, creating memories that will undoubtedly last a lifetime.

Isabelle Kause is a sophomore at Notre Dame studying sociology and minoring in journalism. When she’s not busy, you can find her listening to country music or Taylor Swift or trying out new makeup/skincare products. She can be reached at ikause@nd.edu.

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

sharpening isn’t comfortable

Isabelle Kause simple beauty

My suffix fixation

Angela Mathew manager of Talent and Inclusion

To this day, I remember second grade as the time I started to love school. b efore then, I was extremely reticent, allergic to socializing and participating in class, but my homeroom teacher, m rs. b hatia, was the first teacher who seemed to see me for something other than being shy. I would sit with my classmates at colorful six-seater tables in our class, sunlight and the raucous honks of m umbai traffic streaming in through the open doors, as we learnt about multiplication tables and metamorphosis.

While the actual classes were delightful, what I remember most about that year was the magnum opus I produced — my list of words ending in “tion” and “sion.”

b y the age of eight, I had obviously heard of words like these before (“information,” “rotation” and “station”). h owever, when m rs. b hatia began teaching us about spelling rules and suffixes, I became mesmerized by words ending in “tion” and “sion.” d uring lulls during class and at recess, I would write lists of these words down on sheets of blank A4 size paper (without consulting the Internet, dictionary or any other external sources). It became a strange obsession.

I think the main reason I made this list is because I was captured by the patterns in the e nglish language. This may sound odd, but I still think my word list with these suffixes was a microcosm of the entire language.

Firstly, the list was so long (I ended with something like 17 double sided pages), that I had words starting with every letter of the alphabet and with a broad range of definitions. s econdly, and more importantly, learning words with these suffixes involves understanding a lot of the root concepts of e nglish. Words ending in “tion” are generally nouns formed from verbs. For example, “information” formed from the verb “inform” and “permission” formed from “permit.” b ut other words ending in “tion” can be nouns that are not formed from any verbs like “nation” or words that can be either nouns or verbs depending on the context like “caution.”

Listing out these words and trying to figure out their roots intrigued me. For me, it was the linguistic equivalent of going back to the source to understand why things are the way they are. It was an extremely satisfying task, especially for a language like e nglish with rules that are famously idiosyncratic and inconsistent.

I worked on my list for a few months, trying to keep it in alphabetical order. I would painstakingly rewrite it when it grew disorganized. Though I was generally quite private about my geeky pursuits, my classmates got to know about this one because I would take my list with me everywhere I went. Instead of making fun of me for it, like I expected they would, other kids started making their own lists too. It became somewhat competitive as everyone tried to think of more complex words. I vividly remember catching one of my friends looking up words in the dictionary to add to her list and everyone in class embarrassing her for cheating.

This childhood obsession with words left its imprint on me. I would go on to compete in spelling bees for which I would make more word lists (with a dictionary this time). I still love everything about wordplay — puns, idioms, anagrams.

Whenever I’m home, my mom and I solve the n ew York Times crossword everyday. m e (the faster typist) holds the phone, as we squint at the black and white grid, shouting out answers on easy m ondays and oohing and aahing at the revelation of themed clues in quirky Thursday puzzles. We don’t savor it as much as n otre d ame m agazine editor and his wife do, idyllically passing a puzzle from kitchen counter to couch over a week, filling in the squares with a trusty pencil.

We also play the n ew York Times’ s pelling b ee, a digital game where you make as many words from a seven letter “honeycomb” with a central letter. o ur attitude is similarly intense, trying to solve the puzzle as quickly as possible, to attain the high score of the day, known as Queen b ee. n ow at college, I often get WhatsApp messages from my mom gleefully announcing that she made Queen b ee without my help. I tell her that maybe she isn’t so different from a certain Pulitzer Prize winning book reviewer. m y logophilia didn’t just extend to games

however. m aking those word lists as a second grader meant that I was exposed to a lot of words even if I didn’t actually know how to use all of them. Just recognizing all of the patterns made me think of language as an elegant logical system. When I really think about it, what first drew me to writing was not my desire to express myself or tell important stories, but my fascination with the mechanics of language.

In high school, I rather misguidedly enjoyed writing not for the arguments I was fleshing out or the actual substance of my paragraphs. Instead I loved the process of unscrambling stream-of-consciousness sentences into (what I thought) was the most grammatically efficient or rhythmically satisfying prose.

e ven now, while I do think more about the content of my pieces, I believe that if I have enough time to chip away at something, there is a satisfying, methodical structure that I can reach, one that just “clicks” in place.

While tutoring at the writing center, I often encounter students who tell me they are “bad writers.” The societal misconception that talent in writing is dependent on something elusive and mysterious like creativity is sad. Through making my suffix lists, I internalized from a young age that e nglish, like math or any other discipline, is a skill that you can develop with exposure and practice, and through gamification (lists are my idea of fun)!

I try to make my students look at writing as a logical process — making flowcharts to organize an essay or using the logic of root words to help explain a grammatical concept to a multilingual student.

The joy of words did of course translate to me really enjoying creative, academic and journalistic writing. What’s more precious to me however, is loving words for their own sake and not just because they serve a final purpose like an o bserver inside column. s o I’m going to keep my inner second grader swinging through the monkey bars of language as long as I can.

You can contact Angela at amathew3@nd.edu. The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

INSIDE CoLumN

By ANNA FALK scene editor

At the end of every school year, I enjoy reflecting on the people, places and experiences that I’ve had the opportunity to encounter. I also find joy in seeing how my music has changed. Anyone who knows me knows that my music taste is a defining aspect of my life, and it’s a constant delight to discover new things. As this semester begins to wind down, I’d like to look back on the albums that have made my junior year unique.

“How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” by Florence + The Machine

In my opinion, this is Florence Welch’s best album. The production is clean and resounding. There’s a beautiful mix of upbeat and slower songs. Lyrically, the imagery and emotional evocation are unmatched. Also, it seems like the band is having so much fun making it, which is always a bonus. I first encountered this album in my high school years when my dance teacher choreographed something to “delilah.” It took me a while to come back to the piece, but I’m so glad I did. I constantly have a new favorite song from the album, though “various storms & saints,” “Which Witch” and “Queen of Peace” stand out.

“DECIDE” by Djo

djo is a somewhat newer solo artist, though he has previously played in the psychedelic rock band Post Animal. While you

might not know him by name, I’m sure you’ve at least heard of his popular performance as steve harrington in the netflix series “stranger Things.” Yes, steve “The hair” harrington (Joe Keery) is also a musical artist. his first album “Twenty Twenty” was good — full of hits like “roddy” and “chateau (Feel Alright)” — but “decIde” is better. It’s a smart and incisive commentary on fame, media and the modern world. It’s electronic and eccentric. Thematically and sonically, it’s solid, and it shows great promise for Keery’s future musical ventures.

“Pet Sounds” by The Beach Boys

Was this album released in 1966? Yes. Am I just now getting to it? Yes. Is it probably one of the best albums of all time? Undoubtedly. While I sat on a plane on the way to dublin this past september, I decided to watch a documentary about The beach boys’ brian Wilson titled “Long Promised road.” A large variety of things were discussed during this film, but “Pet sounds” was a primary focus, as the LP was brian Wilson’s pet project. This album transcends decades, providing some of the most recognized and well-known hits like “Wouldn’t It be nice” and “God only Knows.” Wilson’s ingenuity shines through in the harmonies and in the lyricism, touching the mind and the soul of humans then and now.

“Man-Made Sunshine” by Man-Made Sunshine man-made sunshine is the solo project of nothing but

Thieves’ lead singer and frontman conor mason. mason is not only an operatically trained vocalist, but he’s a great songwriter. “Life’s Gonna Kill You (If You Let It)” was the first song to be released off of his self-titled eP. The themes from the single — which are continued throughout the eP — encourage the listener to persevere through the rough moments in life. I’m not a personal fan of these sentiments when they aren’t done well, but “man-made sunshine” radiates with mason’s introspective and vulnerable lyricism. The instrumentation reflects this well, making it worth a listen.

“Swimmer” by Tennis

Whenever I tell people that I like Tennis, they always assume I’m talking about the sport. despite putting out consistently good albums since 2011, the husband-wife duo is not as well-known as it should be. “swimmer” is one of their more recent releases, succeeded only by “Pollen,” which was released in February of this year. Though it is only nine songs, each is expertly crafted and sonically pleasing. “need Your Love” is an obvious hit, with a catchy chorus and exciting tempo changes. “I’ll haunt You” is a grand showcase of lead singer Alaina moore’s vocal ability. “matrimony II” is a touching ballad about the duo’s marriage, rounding out the album perfectly.

Contact Anna Falk at afalk@nd.edu

EXPERIMENTS WITH FLEETING FAME LANA DEL REY

By SOPHIA MICHETTI scene Writer

Leave it to Lana del rey to leave fans thinking about mortality and lasting legacy with her ninth studio album “did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under ocean blvd” (“did You Know…”). released on march 24, “did You Know…” forces the listener to slow down and reflect on the lyrics, as the average track runs about five minutes long. The album experiments with a mix of folk and trap music, combining del rey’s classic sound with modern, techno styles.

del rey opens her exploration of what it means to be remembered with the album’s opening track “The Grants.” The song begins with the voices of melodye Perry, Pattie howard and shikena Jones, each of whom had previously appeared in a documentary entitled “20 Feet from stardom” that examined the lives of background vocalists. The song’s harmonized melodies and soft piano instrumentals evoke the gospel genre. With repeated references to John denver’s 1972 “rocky mountain high,” del rey sings about creating a legacy for her family and how “when you leave, all you take / … is your memory.” These themes reappear in the album’s titular song: del rey asks friends “don’t forget me” and compares the possibility of her own oblivion to that of the now-obscure Jergins Tunnel, a passage under ocean

oulevard that once allowed pedestrians to safely travel from the beach to the city.

of course, every Lana del rey fan is talking about “A&W.” Produced with Jack Antonoff, the song runs over seven minutes and is divided into two halves: the first is dominated by acoustic guitar and the second is inspired by early hip-hop music. “A&W,” an abbreviation for “American Whore,” begins by recounting the story of a woman who grows up to feel invisible and addicted to sex. repeatedly calling attention to “the length [of my hair] and the shape of my body,” she affirms that “I’m invisible” in her relationships — a feeling that she attributes to the “experience of bein’ an American whore.” While the first half of “A&W” ponders her experience retroactively, the second half zooms in on a single night in a club. del rey repeatedly sings of how “Jimmy only loves me when he wanna get high,” and the listener can’t help but notice the subject of the song’s destructive relationship with herself.

While del rey seems to be singing about her own individual experiences, the album is truly a collaboration. half of the album’s tracks feature other artists, including two interludes. The first — “Judah smith Interlude” — is a recording of celebrity pastor Judah smith’s sermon on love and lust. While the sermon highlights the question of whether the

aspiration for fame derives from love or lust, the recording feels jarring and out of place with the rest of the album. meanwhile, “Jon batiste Interlude” feels like an extended, unnecessary outro to the preceding track “candy necklace (feat. Jon batiste).” With so many featured artists already on the album, the interludes only seem to shift the spotlight away from del rey.

While the themes of “did You Know…” are certainly interesting to consider, the execution just isn’t there. del rey’s distinct and ethereal voice is often drowned out by overpowering instrumentals, and the songs spend so much effort trying to make a statement that they lack the quality that might inspire someone to play a song on repeat. Lana del rey is an icon in the American music scene — and she shouldn’t worry about fleeting fame anytime soon — but this album was not her finest.

Contact Sophia Michetti at smichett@nd.edu

“Did You Know...”

Artist: Lana Del Rey

Label: Interscope, Polydor Records

Favorite tracks: “Sweet,” “Margaret (feat. Bleachers)”

SCENE SAYS ‘SORRY!’

This is the nal week of Lent, and — knowing that this is a time for repentance — Scene wants to ask forgiveness for our grave errors. Whether we reviewed something too harshly (or not harshly enough), we want to correct our mistakes and show that we’ve changed our ways.

“An Evening with Silk Sonic”

Anna Falk, Scene Editor

At the time that “An Evening with Silk Sonic” was released, I was thrilled. Anderson Paak and Bruno Mars were making a disco-inspired album under the ever-so- tting name of Silk Sonic? My excitement knew no bounds. Yet, once the LP dropped, I was heart-broken — it had a 31-minute run time. I enjoyed basically every song (though I think “777” was nowhere near up-to-par with the rest of the album), but I couldn’t get past its length. Now I know my views were clouded, as their supergroup debut album was quite phenomenal. Not many artists emulate that style anymore, especially those in the mainstream. It truly is a great piece of work and it bodes well for their future work.

Old rating: 3.5 out of 5

New rating: 4.5 out of 5

“Dear Evan Hansen”

Rose Androwich, Scene Writer

From the moment I saw “Dear Evan Hansen” in New York last summer and heard “Waving through a Window” for the rst time, I knew I loved the music from the show. After watching the live performance, I wanted to watch the “Dear Evan Hanson” movie. My love for the musical transferred to the lm as I developed an appreciation for being able to hear the music and see the emotions within the actor while they were performing the song. The lm created a compelling visual picture which, accompanying the music, created a quality production. While there were some changes that would have enhanced the overall production — such as the actors featured — it still has value, especially for those who want to watch the production from their own home.

Old rating: 1 out of 5

New rating: 3 out of 5

“Do Revenge”

Andy Ottone, Scene Writer

When I rst reviewed Net ix’s “Do Revenge,” I said it felt unoriginal and coasted on aesthetics alone, featuring surface level references to better lms from the past. What I failed to take into consideration is the fact that it is a soft remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Strangers on a Train.” I hadn’t seen the Hitchcock classic at the time, but I have now and I’m even more confused by the inspiration that “Do Revenge” claims to have. My honest thoughts on the lm haven’t changed and I nd it funnier that somebody decided to fuse Hitchcock suspense with Clueless-in uenced writing if anything. All of my complaints regarding the lm’s reliance on borrowing tropes from classic teen comedies now apply to elements that were stolen from Hitchcock as well. Did watching the original make me appreciate the lm more? In the words of a better teen comedy, “As if!”

Old rating: 3.5 out of 5

New rating: 2.5 out of 5

“Falcon and the Winter Soldier”

Christine Hilario, Scene Writer

I was way too optimistic about Marvel two years ago. I wanted so badly to like this show, but with hindsight, it doesn’t hold up. In my original review, I praised the show’s “poignant political commentary” — a laughable sentiment. Marvel’s only goal is to make as much money as possible, so their show was never going to be anything close to “politically poignant.”

Sure, there’s a scene where Sam Wilson gets racially pro led by racist cops, but by the nal episode, he’s working with the NYPD. The show puts forward an idea that it isn’t the police system that’s awed but just some racist individuals. Also, there’s straight-up military propaganda (like every other Marvel entity). On top of the milquetoast politics, the show’s kind of boring. The pacing is slow and the buddy cop dynamic between Sam and Bucky falls at. This series’ saving grace is Daniel Bruhl bopping in the club.

Old rating: 4 out of 5

New rating: 2 out of 5

“Homeland Elegies”

Peter Breen, Associate News Editor

For Lent, I’m not going to repent for how I wrote my “Homeland Elegies” review last September. I remember stressing about my inability to synthesize the incredible beauty of Ayad Akhtar’s novel. But six months later, I’m proud of how the piece came out, especially since it was my rstever newspaper book review. What I regret, however, is when and why I wrote the story. I lost the entire Saturday of the rst home football game this year rereading “Homeland Elegies” on Google Books in Baumer Hall’s fourth- oor lounge. As Akhtar says, “A life spent reading is a wonderful life.” But what about the life of the Notre Dame student who doesn’t go to home football games? At best, it’s sacrilegious.

Old rating: N/A

New rating: 5 out of 5

“Inventing Anna”

Rose Androwich, Scene Writer

From the moment the screen ashed a statement disclaiming that the aspects of “Inventing Anna” were made up, I was entranced. My mom and I watched the show together and we were shocked by how the world Anna lived in was based on a lie. When the show is watched with the knowledge that it is not factual, it is highly enjoyable. I found myself lost in the elite world Anna conned her way into. Although the show arguably portrayed the victims in a negative light and made Anna out to be an aspirational character in some ways, this perspective is fascinating from a satirical lens.

Old rating: 2 out of 5

New rating: 3.5 out of 5

“Our Flag Means Death”

Anna Falk, Scene Editor

Who knew that a show featuring the likes of Taika Waititi, Will Arnett and Leslie Jones as Golden Age pirates could be so funny, romantic, treacherous and heart-breaking? “Our Flag Means Death” follows the story of real-life pirate Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) learning how to transform himself from a rich boy into a swashbuckling pirate. He and his crew encounter Blackbeard (Waititi) and his men and chaos ensues. This show is a beautiful depiction of nding love in your middle-age, queerness and staying true to oneself among other things. It’s full of anachronisms and witty remarks and it’s sure to make you experience every emotion possible.

Old rating: 3.5 out of 5

New rating: 5 out of 5

“Tell Me Lies”

Rose Androwich, Scene Writer

When “Tell Me Lies” was released, I instantly knew that I wanted to review the series. When I rst watched it, I called it a train wreck. This statement is true, but there was something I learned as I continued watching. The drama roped me in every week when a new episode was released. I would watch as soon as it came out. Eventually, my roommate and I read the “Tell Me Lies” novel and I insisted we watch the show together. This made me realize that I loved it. As the series continued, it evolved into one of my favorite shows. I’m really excited for season two.

Old Rating: 3 out of 5

New Rating: 5 out of 5

“Velma”

Natalie Allton, Scene Writer

As a self-proclaimed “scoobhead,” I am voracious for “ScoobyDoo” media, accepting in stride all of the high highs and low lows that come with the franchise. I’m sorry to say that “Velma” isn’t just bad Scooby — it’s hardly Scooby at all. Our beloved mutt isn’t even present and, frankly, neither is any of the rest of the gang except in name. The show can’t hold itself up on its own cringey lampshaded meta jokes and overbearing teen edginess, relying on the Scooby name to draw in viewers in lieu of decent writing. A Scooby show with expanded representation (and a Glenn Howerton-voiced Fred) could have been great. Instead, it refuses to give itself a chance. If you want a good, dark, teen-oriented Scooby show, watch “Mystery Incorporated” instead.

The half-shamrock comes from the show’s production value. It isn’t the fault of the animators or voice actors that they were given trash to work with.

Old rating: 3 out of 5

New rating: .5 out of 5

Happy Birthday: Speed things up quickly, and you’ll feel at home. Don’t worry about whether others can keep up; it’s O k to be first. After all, you are a pioneer. Dream about your goals, and in no time, you will manifest what you envision. Be true to yourself, and don’t stop until you reach your destination. Open the door when opportunity knocks. your numbers are 4, 11, 23, 26, 33, 41, 47.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Don’t let decisions linger on when time is crucial. l ook, analyze and make things happen that brighten your day and enhance the lives of loved ones. use insight and experience to help others, and you’ll gain perspective regarding your life.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A sloppy job won’t cut it; if you want to advance, give your all and promote what you achieve. It’s up to you to do your best. rely on your intuition, not unverified information that comes from unfamiliar sources.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Don’t be fooled by fictitious information. g o directly to the source to avoid getting caught in someone’s lies or scams. Do your research, ask questions and focus on what’s best for you. Create opportunities instead of waiting for a miracle.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): your eagerness will require you to hone your skills to fit the application to which you want to apply them. Don’t complicate matters; a one-step solution will have just as profound of an effect. Trust in what you know and do best.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Be careful; what you say and do might influence your position or reputation. keep your plans simple and look for opportunities for personal and professional growth. A place you find special will turn into a good thinking space.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Take the initiative and try something new. The people you encounter will offer interesting thoughts that encourage you to speed up the process of achieving success. It’s up to you to take what’s rightfully yours. update your image and demonstrate your skills.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Pay attention to what’s happening at home. understanding the dynamics of a situation and the people involved will help you stifle difficulties before they become hard to manage. Stick to basics and don’t overreact, and everything will unfold as planned.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Contracts, investments and putting your energy into getting the biggest bang for your buck will bring high returns. A change is in sight if you use your ingenuity to develop a formula that fits your style and budget and offers the desired results.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Choose a path that satisfies your needs. l et go of the past and stop following; leading is your thing. l ook for opportunities you feel heartfelt about, and you’ll meet individuals who share your concerns. Do your part and pay your dues.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Put more time and effort into your home, family and finances. Set up your lifestyle to fit your budget and ease stress. Don’t try to keep up with someone who is misleading. Set a standard of living that works for you.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): relationships will undergo changes you need to address. If you let others decide things for you, it will not be satisfactory. Specify what’s important to you and make it happen. Take control instead of being controlled.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): fix up your space. The better the flow, the less stress and easier it is to manifest what you want your life to be like moving forward. Changing how you earn your living will turn out better than anticipated.

Birthday Baby: you are inventive, nurturing and optimistic. you are sensitive and kind.

Herko: Why your bracket busted

Annika Herko sports Writer

m arch m adness is officially over and if you’re like me (and pretty much everyone else), those brackets you made, especially for the men’s tournament, didn’t go so well. most people pick their brackets pretty closely to the seeding. If you don’t like m arquette, maybe you had them losing earlier than their seeding suggested. o r, maybe you happened to see that one game where Indiana played really well, so you have them in your e lite e ight. o ther than that, because very few people have the time to watch enough games of each team, they pick according to the rankings.

There were over 20 million men’s brackets made on esPn this year. b y the end of the 25th game, there were no perfect brackets left. Fairleigh d ickinson (F dU) stunned the college basketball world by beating Purdue in the first round, becoming the second team in history to knock out a no.

SportS Authority

1 seed in the first round. but the upsets didn’t stop there. no. 15 Princeton beat no. 2 Arizona and no. 7 m issouri in the first and second rounds. no. 8 Arkansas took care of no. 1 Kansas. The final no. 1s, houston and Alabama, were eliminated by no. 5 seeds m iami and s an d iego state, respectively, in the s weet sixteen.

Then, there we all were, watching a no. 4, two no. 5s and a no. 9 in the Final Four, scratching our heads and wondering how we all could’ve been so wrong. And even more importantly, how could the selection committees have been so wrong with the seeding?

s o what did happen? Were the bigger, historicallybetter schools given the benefit of the doubt in seeding? should strength of schedule been more seriously considered by the selection committee?

o r, are the teams in the tournament just much more evenly matched now than in the past?

Let’s look at a few teams

to try and figure out what happened.

Florida Atlantic, one of the c inderella schools of this year, reached the Final Four as a no. 9. They were 35-3 before losing to s an d iego state. Their most recent defeat had come on Feb. 16. now granted, looking at the quality of their opponents in c onference Us A, I’m definitely not getting nervous. but winning 35 games in a season means all those little late-game slip-ups and uhohs that we see from most other teams didn’t really happen, which gave them the opportunity to really gain an understanding of how to play together.

Tennessee was a no. 4 seed who was knocked out by FAU in the s weet sixteen. They went 25-11 this season, beating tournament teams like s outhern c al, Kansas, m aryland, Texas, Arkansas, Auburn and Alabama. They also lost to a lot of tournament teams, including m issouri (twice), Kentucky (twice), Texas A& m and Auburn. Their second loss to m issouri eliminated them from the sec

tournament in the quarterfinals. s o, was Tennessee just a team that had some good days and some bad days, and was the loss to FAU simply a bad day?

From Feb. 1 until the start of the nc AA Tournament, they went 5-7. s an d iego state, this year’s runner-up, went 32-7 this year and lost just once in February.

Purdue, embarrassed by F dU, went 29-5 before the nc AA Tournament and won the big Ten Tournament. Four of those five losses came in February.

Texas went 6-5 leading up to the big 12 Tournament, despite having only lost three other games previously.

Uc onn, our national champions, went 31-8 this season. They lost one game in February (to c reighton) and lost to m arquette in the semifinals of the big e ast Tournament.

starting to see a pattern?

Teams that win a lot in February tend to win a lot in m arch. now, this isn’t a perfect science. It doesn’t account for the performance of teams like F dU, m arquette and houston.

s ometimes a team just clicks at the last minute, or cracks under the bright lights.

The results of this year’s tournament should change the way both we and the selection committee make brackets and determine seeding, though. The “historically good” schools are no longer able to skate past small-conference teams into the later rounds. This does mean that seeding is a much harder job (one I’m interested in if the nc AA is hiring, by the way) than it used to be. strength of schedule, overall record and recent record all need to be considered. Teams are made of people, so they often change from week to week. recent success and failure need to be accounted for in order for the committee to produce at least semi-accurate seedings.

Contact Annika Herko at aherko@nd.edu

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

McGuinness: Why you should cheer for your friends’ sports teams

Andrew McGuinness sports editor

510 miles from where it happened, I stared into my phone camera in perfect Jim h alpert deadpan style. “ m ontreal wins it!”

exclaimed announcer b rendan b urke in the background. The m ontreal c anadiens, the lowest seed in the 2021 s tanley c up Playoffs, had just cashed in on a clear-cut two-onnone in overtime to beat the Toronto m aple Leafs in Game five of their firstround series. And I, a die-heart, massive, ridiculously obsessed Philadelphia Flyers fan, was sad.

When I was first getting into hockey in 2016, I stumbled upon the YouTube channel of s teve d angle.

s teve (real last name of Glynn) is best known for his Leafs Fan r eaction (LF r ) series, in which he uploads a video recapping games in hilarious (and often outraged) fashion.

h e has made a video for

almost every single game that the m aple Leafs game have played since the beginning of the 2007-08 season. That’s over 1,300 videos alone on a channel that has garnered over 60,000,000 views since its inception.

b ut there has been one basic thing missing amidst the avalanche of content d angle has produced: a video about the m aple Leafs winning a playoff series. While my Flyers and Phillies have been off snapping long droughts of their own in recent years, the Leafs have come agonizingly close to a breakthrough an agonizing amount of times.

In 2013, they became the first team in nh L history to blow a three-goal lead in the third period of a game seven to the b oston b ruins.

b ut it’s ok, because the m aple Leafs earned opportunities for revenge by taking the b ruins to seven games in 2018

RYAN VIGILANTE | The Observer Notre Dame football fans cheer alongside the leprechaun during Notre Dame’s 35-14 victory over then-No. 3 Clemson on Nov. 5, 2022. The win was Irish’s second against a top-three Clemson team in three years.

of gas following three shutout innings. With the bases juiced and nobody out, b osch came in and slammed the door on n orthwestern, striking out two and inducing a flyout.

After scoring smallball runs in the third and sixth innings, n otre d ame brought out the big bats in their final two at bats.

First, sophomore third baseman Jack Penney hit his second oppositefield home run in as many games. The two-run poke restored Penney’s team lead at six homers and pushed the Irish into a 10-0 lead. s pence added on with his first career big fly in the eighth, concluding a 6-3 stretch for n otre d ame at Frank e ck s tadium.

With the win, n otre d ame now sits at 15-11 overall, while n orthwestern fell to 3-20.

Up next: Pittsburgh

The Irish will now hit the road for the first time in almost three weeks to visit the Pittsburgh Panthers (13-13, 4-6 Acc ). Pitt has lost four of its last seven after dropping a series at d uke last weekend. Last m ay, the Panthers lost two out of three against n otre d ame in s outh b end.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Pitt has not hit a ton relative

SAINT MARY’S GOLF

to the rest of the Acc (.264 batting average). s itting top three in the conference for both walks (168) and strikeouts (257), the Panthers play to the three true outcomes.

n oah m artinez leads the Pitt offense, holding a 1.090 oP s to go along with seven homers and 28 rb I.

n ext to him, c J Funk has launched nine long balls — four of them in Acc play. b eyond those two, three more Panthers have started every game this season.

Jack Anderson, AJ

n essler and s ky d uff each have at least 27 hits, 14 rb I and 18 walks. Pitt rarely runs, holding up the conference rear with 13 stolen bases.

The Panthers also carry an earned run average just below seven, conceding an opponents’ batting average near .300. r eliever b ryan nash has Pitt’s lowest individual er A at 3.72. To put that into perspective, n otre d ame has four regular arms with better marks. s tarting pitching has plagued the Panthers more than anything. Their two regular starters, Jack s okol and Kyle m osley, possess a combined er A near 7.00.

Thursday and Friday’s games will get underway at 3:00 p.m. at Pitt’s c harles c ost Field. s aturday’s first pitch will fly at 1:00 p.m. Acc n etwork e xtra will carry all three contests.

Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu

Beaudreau leads Irish at Chattanooga Classic

By ANDREW McGUINNESS s ports e ditor

The c hattanooga c lassic, held at c ouncil Fire Golf c lub in c hattanooga, T n , from April 2-4, was important to the n otre d ame women’s golf team for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, it was their final tournament before the upcoming Acc c hampionships. At a time of the year when the Irish need to be at their best, the team came into c hattanooga following two of their three lowest finishes of the season. They had previously placed 10th at the c lover c up and eighth at the Florida s tate m atchup during mid- m arch. Though those scores are a reflection of the team as a whole, the Irish were certainly hoping someone could break out in c hattanooga to help get things back on track. That person turned out to be senior Lauren b eaudreau. b eaudreau, who holds the program’s all-time record with a 206 (10 under par) performance at the Westbrook s pring Invitational in 2020, made a serious run at her own record this week. s he set the tone for the tournament with a 68 in the

opening round. That score put her in first place at the time. b eaudreau continued her strong play over the final 36 holes. The Lemont, IL, native finished with an overall score of 211. That was good enough for five under par and third place overall. o nly Xavier’s e mma m c m yler (nine under par) and sm U’s m ichelle Zhang (seven under) finished ahead of her.

Junior c hloe s chiavone turned in a strong performance of her own. b oth she and b eaudreau scored a 71 in one round and a 72 in another. s chiavone bounced back from a 75 in the middle round, finishing the tournament with a 71 (one under par) for a total score of 218. That tied her with Yale’s Alexis Kim for 16th place.

Thanks in large part to that dynamic duo, the Irish recorded their first top-five finish since the c olumbia c lassic nearly two months prior. n otre d ame’s overall score of 876 put them in fifth place. The Irish finished just one stroke back of fourth place s outh Florida and six back on second place Xavier. sm U ran away with the tournament, as their overall score of 850 was 20 fewer strokes than Xavier. The Irish played consistent,

mistake-free golf for most of the competition. Their 171 pars were tied with c olorado s tate for third most, and just three fewer than Xavier’s tournamentleading 174. b oth the Irish as a team and three of their five competing golfers turned in their lowest score of the tournament during the final round, showing improvement and building some momentum for the postseason.

With this, n otre d ame’s regular season officially comes to a close. The Irish competed in 10 events during the 2022-23 season, which began back on s ept. 18-20 at the b adger Invitational in m adison, WI. n otre d ame racked up five top-five finishes during the season. Their best came at the season-opening b adger Invitational, where they placed second. They will be back in action for the Acc c hampionships on April 13-16. The championships will take place at s edgefield c ountry c lub in Greensboro, n orth c arolina.

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu

Belles place fourth at Washington University Spring Invite

By THOMAS ZWILLER s ports Writer

After a signature win in the d an Quayle m atch Play Invitational at d ePauw University, the s aint m ary’s golf team was back in action, this time in e ureka, m issouri.

The b elles spent the weekend competing in the Washington University s pring Invite alongside 12 other teams. The field included n o. 4 Washington University in s aint Louis, the host of the tournament.

Day One

o n the first day of the two-day competition, the b elles tied for fifth overall. s ophomore Katelyn Tokarz had the best outing for the team, shooting 79, good enough

for 12th in the field. c lose behind was freshman Julia Lizak who finished in 17th with an 81.

s eniors Katherine

h opkins and Isa Patacsil both shot 84, which left them tied for 30th. Fellow senior

e rin b ennett was just one shot behind in a tie for 35th.

Washington University held the first team spot with a combined score of 306, while n o. 15 Illinois Wesleyan finished in second, eight strokes behind at 314. A bit further back at 324 was n o.

11 s t. c atherine University, and at a total score of 326 was n o. 24 Grinnell c ollege.

The b elles tied with Washington University’s second team at 328. It was nearly a three-way tie as r ose- h ulman had a team

score of 329.

Day Two

The b elles played better on day two, improving from 328 to 315 for a combined score of 643. It was enough to break their tie with Washington University’s second team who finished at 647.

It was also enough to leapfrog them over Grinnell c ollege who shot 319 on day two for a total of 645.

After having the best day-one outing, Katelyn Tokarz shot an 81 and fell into a tie for 15th (160). Included in the tie was Lizak who improved by two shots (79).

h opkins, who shot an 84 on day one, significantly improved on day two, finishing with 77 for a total of

161, which allowed her to finish in a tie for 19th. Patacsil, who had tied with h opkins on day one, scored 84 again and totaled 168. That dropped her seven spots into a tie at 37th.

b ennett, who had the lowest finish for the b elles on day one, shot 78, seven strokes better than her first outing. The improvement shot her up nine places on the standings. s he was the second biggest mover behind h opkins, who moved up 11 places.

A fourth-place finish is excellent for the b elles, considering the number of ranked d ivision III opponents they faced, including Grinnell c ollege, who they beat by two strokes.

The team will now have a break before competing in the m ichigan Intercollegiate

Athletic Association nc AA Automatic Qualifier Tournament. The tournament features the top four teams in the m IAA and gives the winner an automatic qualifying bid to the nc AA Tournament.

The competition, comprised of three legs spread across three separate days, kicks off next Tuesday at the e lbel Park Golf c ourse in s outh b end.

The last time the b elles competed in the m IAA AQ in 2022, they finished in first place on all three days, scoring 326, 323 and 311. d ay one of the tournament is currently slated for a tee time of 1 p.m.

Contact Thomas Zwiller at tzwiller@hcc-nd.edu

and 2019. They lost both, of course. i n 2020, they avenged that collapse by rallying from a 3-0 deficit in game four of their best-offive qualifier series against the c olumbus b lue Jackets. They fell behind 3-0 in game five, and let’s just say they didn’t quite have another improbable comeback in them.

When c anadiens center n ick s uzuki scored that goal for m ontreal, spoiling yet another m aple Leafs comeback from 3-0 down, i could see the collapse coming. a nd sure enough, that’s exactly what happened.

The m aple Leafs rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the third period of game six on the road but lost in overtime again. Toronto played game seven like they knew they were going to lose it, and sure enough, they did. s teve’s 31-minute eulogy to the team’s season has accumulated nearly 700,000 views. i t was the second longest video he had ever uploaded. h owever, one year later, it became the third longest video on his channel when he crossed the

33-minute threshold in his video for the final game of Toronto’s following season:

“LF r 15 - r ound 1, Game 7The Fog - T b 2, T or 1.”

a s someone who usually loves watching s teve’s videos, those game seven defeats have been harder to stomach each year. i t seems like i ’m in the minority here, though — none of d angle’s 19 mostviewed videos are for any of the 600-plus games the m aple Leafs have won since he started his channel.

i n the first full season of s teve’s videos i watched (2016-17), the m aple Leafs made the playoffs, and the Flyers didn’t. s o it felt natural to root for the Leafs — the deeper they went, the more content i ’d get to enjoy. b oth made it the next year, but the Flyers went out first, so i shifted gears again. i n 2018-19, the Flyers missed again while the Leafs cruised through the regular season. b y then, there was no doubt which team i ’d be cheering for to go all the way when the Flyers are out of the picture.

a t some point over the last six years, s teve has done something i never would have imagined. h e has turned me, someone with

no other connections to Toronto or the m aple Leafs, into a legitimate fan of the team. Preteen me would cringe at the idea of cheering for a non-local team —how could i be such a traitor? b ut you know what? i enjoy doing it. There’s no rule against doing it. s o i go and do it. There are a lot of things in life that are extremely complicated — there’s just no point in overthinking something so simple.

o f course, the Leafs are not a natural rival of the Flyers. They aren’t hated in Philadelphia the way teams like the n ew York r angers, n ew Jersey d evils, n ew York i slanders and b ruins are. b ut here’s the thing. For as much as i like s teve, for as much as i hope the Leafs break through this year — yep, they’re back in the s tanley c up Playoffs this year — it’s not like we’re friends. We’ve never met. i think we’ve had like two or three very ordinary Twitter interactions. a nd that’s it.

a s for all of those above teams, i do have friends who cheer for them. Good friends, in fact. Friends who i really like. a nd as shocking as this may be to

read for people who know me, yes, i realize there are things that are more important than sports. Friends are undeniably one of them. i like my friends, and therefore, i like it when they are happy. The r angers winning will make some of them happy. The d evils winning will make others happy.

s ame for the

b ruins. a nd for the i slanders. a nd other teams that didn’t make the playoffs this year too. a nd that’s just for hockey — there are plenty of instances of this phenomenon occuring in other sports, too.

s o, i want my friends to be happy. i hope that things that will make them happy happen. a nd if that includes the r angers or i slanders or b ruins or

d evils winning, i — still, for all intents and purposes, the biggest Flyers fan on this campus — will cheer for those things to happen. Yes, i actually mean that. i promise.

i understand this may sound like sacrilege. b elieve me, it’s a little weird to write myself. b ut as someone who had (at least a small amount of) support from Yankees, r ed s ox and m ets fans, among others, at my back during the Philadelphia

Phillies’ run to the World s eries last fall, it is so much better to be on the side of people you like. i ’m not saying you can’t chirp them a bit — that’s part of the fun of sports. When they’re playing your team, you can, and absolutely should, still root for them to lose like there’s no tomorrow.

a nd if you’re a Pittsburgh Penguins, d allas c owboys, a tlanta b raves or m ichigan Wolverines fan reading this and thinking that this level of support extends to you — yeah, that’s just not going to happen. s orry, but the line simply has to be drawn somewhere. d on’t think of it like you’re cheering for your rivals. You’re cheering for your friends and people you like, first and foremost. a gain, there are lots of things in life that are really complicated. b ut sometimes it really is that simple.

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.

Paid a dverT isemen T

Belles tennis team stumbles during MIAA

By THOMAS ZWILLER sports Writer

After 13 straight wins, quite easily the best mark in program history, s aint m ary’s tennis saw its baker’s dozen get burned last weekend.

The b elles of s aint m ary’s came into the weekend 3-0 in conference play, looking to avenge a 0-5 loss to h ope c ollege in the m ichiana Intercollegiate Athletics Association ( m IAA) Tournament s emi-finals. Instead, it is back to the chalkboard for the women. d oubles’ play saw a clean sweep by the f lying d utchmen, by scores of 8-1, 8-3 and 8-4.

In singles play, the b elles did not fair much better. o nly freshmen

Leah h osang and e velyn d emblans- d echans won their matches. h osang won a closely contested first set 7-6 and used the momentum to win her second set 6-3. d emblans- d echans won hers more quickly, first 6-1 and 6-4.

There were two notable losing performances with freshman e mma Kealy and senior Kathleen m cLeod putting up valiant efforts but coming up short.

When the dust settled, h ope earned a dominant win, 7-2, and its third conference win of the season, putting them in second place behind Kalamazoo.

After a disappointing

ND MEN’S goLf

result on f riday night, the b elles came into s unday hoping for a better result. The Kalamazoo h ornets did not allow them that opportunity.

Unlike against h ope, the b elles won a doubles play match as senior Lucy c hamberlin and h osang earned an 8-5 win. The other two doubles matches were close losses with sophomore Alayna c ampbell and Kealy falling short 5-8.

d emblans- d echans and m cLeod lost a hotly contested set, 6-8.

In the singles contests, the b elles lost the top three matches. c hamberlin lost to her opponent 4-6 and 3-6 while c ampbell lost 2-6 and 4-6. Kealy won her opening set 6-3 but then lost her next two 3-6 each.

h osang was the lone bright spot for the b elles in singles play. After losing her first set in a 0-6 blowout, she won her following two sets comfortably, winning 6-2 and 6-3.

In the fifth match, m cLeod nearly won the first set, losing 6-7 before falling 2-6. In the final singles match of the day, d emblans- d echans lost 4-6 and 3-6.

As they did against h ope c ollege, the b elles fell 7-2 to the Kalamazoo h ornets.

f or Kalamazoo, they maintain their top spot in the m IAA with a 9-6 record overall and a 5-0 record in conference play.

The back-to-back losses for the b elles mean that they are now 13-2, with a 3-2 record in the m IAA. While they are no longer undefeated, the b elles still hold fourth place in the conference. b esides Kalamazoo and h ope, only Trine University has a better record than s aint m ary’s, where they are 9-3 (1-0).

The b elles will have a chance to pass the T s torm’ on April 12 when they will travel down to Angola. While the b elles may have a ten-day break between matches, the schedule will be quite busy for Trine, something s aint m ary’s will benefit immensely from. In the ten days leading up to match day, Trine will host Alma and then go on the road to play h ope before welcoming the b elles. There is also the potential for the team to make up its postponed game against Adrian.

A match-up against Trine might be just what the doctor ordered. In the past four years, the two teams have played twice, with the b elles winning 6-3 in 2019, losing a closely contested 5-4 match, before winning again 6-3.

The match is slated for a 4:00 p.m. start in Angola, Indiana.

Contact Thomas Zwiller at tzwiller@hcc-nd.edu

inning of action. b ecker and Kastor’s combined 11 strikeouts marked a season high for the Irish staff on the year.

While n otre d ame hasn’t been bad in A cc play by any means, the Irish haven’t excelled either. Inconsistency defined a series loss to Pitt. A frustrating 0-0 tie left n otre d ame unable to get anything more than a 1-1-1 split out of a series against s yracuse. A walk-off home run left the Irish heartbroken against d uke.

n otre d ame currently has one conference series win to their name, a road decision against n orth c arolina s tate. If the Irish are to continue their streak of nc AA Tournament appearances, they’ll need more in that department. A red-hot Louisville team will present a tough task this weekend, but also the opportunity for a tone reset heading into the home stretch of the season.

The c ardinals have won nine of their last 10 games. s itting third in the A cc , Louisville is piecing together a dark horse push to be ranked in the top 25 nationally. If the Irish can go on the road and steal a series, it will be a strong statement of intent.

n otre d ame head coach d eanna Gumpf has stressed an interest in her side’s consistency of play over their actual record. If the Irish can piece together a winning weekend in Louisville, it will almost certainly mean they brought the consistent and thorough performance

that Gumpf has emphasized. And she certainly wouldn’t complain about an addition to the team’s win column, either.

Leading the way for the c ardinals at the plate will likely be pitcher/designated hitter Taylor r oby. r oby has displayed exceptional power in the cleanup spot this season. In Louisville’s most recent game against s yracuse, she clubbed a pair of home runs. That performance was just another in a string of electric outings for r oby this spring. With 14 home runs, 40 rb I and a slugging percentage of .860, the graduate student leads the c ardinals in just about every conceivable metric of power hitting.

In the circle, a combination of r oby and Alyssa Zabala should shoulder the load against the Irish bats. The pair have each made 20 appearances for Louisville. n o other c ardinal pitcher has more than 13. While r oby and Zabala will likely pitch the first two games for Louisville, the starter for the series’ final game is less clear. s am b ooe and Gabby h olloway have started four and three games on the year, respectively. b ooe has excelled in limited action, posting a 1.68 er A and holding opposing batters to a .196 batting average.

n otre d ame softball will look to push their winning streak to three games Thursday against Louisville at Ulmer s tadium. The first pitch of game one is set for 6 p.m. and can be streamed on A cc n etwork e xtra.

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

Irish come in with 12th place finish at Augusta Haskins Award Invitational

By ANDREW McGUINNESS

s ports e ditor

The month of m arch did not treat the n otre d ame men’s golf team particularly kindly. After starting their season with a respectable tie for sixth place in their seasonopening tournament on f eb. 16, the Irish finished in the back half of the field in their two competitions during m arch. With the postseason looming, getting off to a strong start in the month of April was imperative to get the Irish

in a good place for the A cc c hampionship, which starts in less than three weeks.

b ut their first of two regular season April tournaments did not go as planned. Instead, the Irish came in 12th out of 15 teams at the Augusta h askins Award Invitational.

h eld at f orest h ills

Golf c lub in Augusta, Georgia, the Irish were unable to get into a groove, ultimately recording their worst finish at a competition this season.

n otre d ame was unable to record a signature effort in any of the three rounds

to vault up the leaderboard. The Irish shot a 299 on the opening round, placing them in 11th. A score of 293 in the second round kept the Irish in the same position. And though the Irish slightly improved in the third round, shooting 292, that left them in a tie for 13th for the round and dropped them one place in the final standings.

s till, there were some encouraging individual performances for the Irish to take away from the weekend. f ive of n otre d ame’s six golfers recorded at least one round at par (72) or

better. f reshman n ate s tevens led the way for the Irish, finishing in a tie for 23rd with a strong 1 under par score for the tournament. s tevens’ 70 in the opening round was n otre d ame’s best 18-hole score of the invitational.

s enior Palmer Jackson was the only other Irish golfer to finish in the top 50, finishing in a tie for 40th. Jackson and s tevens were the only Irish players to record multiple rounds of par or better, as Jackson shot an even 72 in both of the first two rounds. Another underclassman, sophomore o wen m ullen, also flashed his

skills over the weekend. m ullen’s 71 in the closing round was n otre d ame’s second-lowest single-round score of the weekend. It was also n otre d ame’s best score during the final round.

The Irish will still have one more chance to get things in the right direction before the postseason arrives. They are set to compete in the Thunderbird Invitational at Papago Golf c lub in Phoenix. Arizona, from April 14-15.

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu

Pitchers dominate as Irish win second straight in shutout of Northwestern

By TYLER REIDY Associate s ports e ditor

It’s a moment every young ballplayer dreams of. There truly is nothing like it — seeing a ball fly off your bat and over the fence for the very first time at the college level. Tuesday night, n otre d ame sophomore catcher Joey s pence turned that dream into reality. It happened in the eighth inning, when he made a pinch-hit appearance in a 10-0 game. o n an 0-2 count, s pence got a pitch over the plate and drove it the other way. With some help from the wind, the ball sailed into the shrubbery for his first collegiate home run. That was just the capstone on a magnificent day for n otre d ame baseball. Wrapping up their ninegame homestand, the Irish shut down the n orthwestern Wildcats 12-0, recording 14 hits and going 5-for-14 with men in scoring position.

The avalanche began in a second inning that saw n otre d ame bring 10 hitters to the dish. With three runs already in, red-hot graduate catcher v inny m artinez stepped to the plate in a bases-loaded spot. Though his swing looked very different from the ones he used to hit three home runs last weekend, the s tanford transfer still drove in all three runners with a jam-shot double to shallow right field. The ball dropped between three Wildcats and kicked off an outfielder’s glove, and the hit gave m artinez 10 rb I in a four-game span.

While m artinez continued his hot streak, graduate reliever c arter b osch bounced back from an ugly outing in his previous appearance.

b osch entered the game in the fourth after freshman starter d avid Lally Jr. ran out of gas following three shutout

Trio of three-run innings lead Irish to convincing victory over Ball State

By J.J. POST Associate sports editor

n otre d ame softball improved to 21-10-1 Tuesday night, cruising past b all s tate 10-2 at m elissa c ook s tadium. The win closed out a nine-game homestand for the Irish, their first stretch of the season played in s outh b end after a customary opening month of road trips.

Aside from a solo home run by senior outfielder Leea h anks in the third inning, it was small ball that led the Irish to the win. s enior infielder Joley m itchell, junior infielder Karina Gaskins and graduate student infielder Lexi o rozco all notched rb I singles. n otre d ame also scratched home a run thanks to some smart baserunning in the fourth inning. With runners on the corners, junior infielder c assidy Grimm stole second, and sophomore outfielder e mily Tran raced home on the throw down by

b all s tate.

The Irish would scratch three more runs across in the sixth inning to invoke the run rule. s enior outfielder m acie e ck slapped another single up the middle with the bases loaded, pushing the Irish lead to six. Junior infielder m ac vazquez worked a walk to bring home another run. Junior catcher c arlli Kloss then hustled out an infield single to bring home the decisive final run.

In the circle, freshman m icaela Kastor was on top form, pitching five innings of three-hit ball. The rookie also struck out eight batters, a new single-game career high for her. 61 of Kastor’s 94 pitches were strikes. s ophomore s hannon b ecker then entered in relief, closing out the final inning without issue. b ecker struck out the side in her single

MEG LANGE | The Observer

Notre Dame freshman pitcher David Lally Jr. delivers a pitch home during Notre Dame’s 12-0 victory Tuesday, April 4, at Frank Eck Stadium. The Irish have allowed just one total run over their last two games.

GrAciE LEE | The Observer

Notre Dame junior first baseman Karina Gaskins gets ready for a pitch during Notre Dame’s 13-12 victory in nine innings over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on April 3, 2022, at Melissa Cook Stadium.

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