Print Edition of The Observer for Wednesday, March 21, 2018

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Volume 52, Issue 99 | wednesday, march 21, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Ben & Jerry’s founder speaks on ethics Jerry Greenfield discusses impact of ice cream company’s community-centered business model

By CLAIRE RAFFORD News Writer

Jerr y Greenfield, cofounder of Ben & Jerr y’s Ice Cream, discussed the histor y of his company and ethical business practices in a lecture Tuesday evening in the Mendoza College of Business.

Greenfield gave the audience a detailed account of how Ben & Jerr y’s was founded. Greenfield and his childhood friend, Ben Cohen, were at a standstill in their lives, he said. Both in their t wenties, Greenfield had been rejected from medical school tw ice and Cohen was working a series of odd jobs in New York before they both decided it was time for

a change.

“Ben and I were failing at ever y thing we tried to do, so we thought, why don’t we get together and do something that’s fun — be our ow n bosses,” Greenfield said. “And because we had always liked to eat, we thought we would do something w ith food, so we just picked homemade ice cream.”

Greenfield and Cohen opened their first ice cream parlor in an abandoned gas station in Burlington, Vermont in May 1978, and sales went well during their first summer of operation, Greenfield said. However, the w inters came, bitterly so, and people naturally see JERRY PAGE 4

NDVotes aims to increase student voter registration

CHRIS COLLINS | The Observer

Jerry Greenfield speaks on the history of his ice cream empire and emphasizes the importance of a socially-aware business mission during a lecture at the Mendoza College of Business on Tuesday.

College holds screening of Anita Hill documentary

By SARA SCHLECHT News Writer

Saint Mar y’s College held a screening of the documentar y “Anita: Speaking Truth to Power” for students and facult y Tuesday in Rice Commons, followed by a discussion about the film’s significance. The

ROSIE LoVOI | The Observer

Dianna Schimitz, a member of the South Bend chapter of the League of Women Voters, speaks to students in Geddes Hall on voting.

By GRACE MCDERMOTT News Writer

To counter the national, steady decrease in voter turnout throughout the United States, NDVotes — a campaign led by the Center for Social Concerns — and the South Bend chapter of the League of Women Voters tried to help students learn how to register to vote

News PAGE 3

Tuesday afternoon in Geddes Hall as part of the Pizza, Pop and Politics lecture series.

A study done by PBS showed that in the 2014 midterm elections, Indiana had the worst voter turnout of any state, w ith only t went y-eight percent of the eligible population voting. see NDVOTES PAGE 3

Scene PAGE 5

discussion was led by three facult y members: Dr. Jamie Wagman, Dr. Stacy Dav is and Dr. Bettina Spencer.

Prior to the show ing, College president Jan Cer velli said she hoped the documentar y would help explain the significance of sexual harassment in the workplace and empower

students to understand how it can affect v ictims’ lives.

The documentar y told the stor y of Anita Hill, a former coworker of Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas whose Senate confirmation hearing for appointment to the Supreme Court see ANITA PAGE 4

Saint Mary’s to open new wellness complex

By MARIA LEONTARAS News Writer

Saint Mar y’s College w ill be celebrating the dedication of the new Angela Athletic & Wellness Complex on Saturday w ith the “Battle of the Belles,” a night of friendly competition bet ween classes.

The event, which is meant

Viewpoint PAGE 7

to last t wo hours, w ill start at 7 p.m. at the Angela athletic facilit y and w ill have many games for students to compete in, Student Activ ities Board president and senior Lily Freund said in an email. “‘Battle of the Belles’ is a battle bet ween the classes all about class spirit and fun competition,” she said. “Each class can w in

Football PAGE 12

points for w inning games such as tug-o-war, dodgeball, giant t w ister, class cheer competition, balloon burst, a dance contest, Saint Mar y’s triv ia and more.”

The Student Activ ities Board held a similar event in the past called “Midnight Madness,” Freund said, but see BATTLE PAGE 4

Men’s lacrosse PAGE 12

2

TODAY

The observer | wednesday, march 21, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

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“Warmer weather.”

“The warmth.”

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“Ice cream shops and taco trucks.”

“Warmer weather.”

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freshman McCandless Hall

“Spring cleaning.”

“Wearing shorts.”

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Today’s Staff News

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Kelli Smith Mariah Rush Colleen Fischer

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Ann Curtis | The Observer

Dr. Ruguo Fan, the director of the industry manufacture and decision making instiution and a professor of economics and management at Wuhan University discussed China’s economic reforms and open policy at Saint Mary’s on Tuesday.

The next Five days:

Want your event included here?

Email news@ndsmcobserver.com

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Exhibition: “Slow Looking” Snite Museum of Art 12:30 p.m. - 1 p.m.

Uses mediation to help understand art

Lecture: “The Problem of Human Representation in Pre-Imperial China” 210-214 McKenna Hall 12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

Óscar Romero Memorial Mass Basilica of the Sacred Heart 5:15 p.m.

Honors former bishop.

“Torture and Eucharist: Thoughts Then and Now” Hesburgh Center 3 p.m.

All are welcome.

Michiana VegFest Crobett Family Hall 11 p.m.- 4p.m.

Enjoy healthy and substainable eating and living.

Stories of Grace Geddes Hall Chapel 7 p.m.- 8 p.m.

A spiritual evening, full of prayer and reflection

Reading: Teju Cole Eck Center Auditorium 6 p.m. -7:30 p.m.

The Author of “Open City” and photographer.

Concert: Notre Dame Glee Club Leighton Concert Hall 8 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Tickets $3-$6 a variety of music.

Run Forrest Run 5/10 K campus-wide 9:30 a.m. - noon Supports the Gary Sinise Foundation.

Katinka Klenijn/ Bill MacKay Duo, cello and gutair O’Neil Hall of Music 4 p.m. - 5 p.m Indie and folk music.

News

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, march 21, 2018 | The Observer

3

LimeBike rolls out new electric products

By MICAELA POWERS News Writer

With the launch of two electric transportation products, LimeBike is taking the leg work out of biking. On Feb. 12, the company rolled out the Lime-E, an electricassist bike, and the Lime-S, an electric scooter.

According to LimeBike’s website, both the bike and scooter have 250-watt motors that power each product for ward and cost $1 to unlock and $ 0.15 per minute to ride. This is more expensive than the standard LimeBikes currently populating Notre Dame and South Bend, which are $1 per 30 minutes for the general public and $ 0.50 per 30 minutes for those who

NDVotes Continued from page 1

Junior Prathm Juneja, who led part of the discussion and works w ith NDVotes to participate in door-todoor canvassing throughout South Bend to encourage voter registration, said he is passionate about raising South Bend’s voter turnout numbers.

“Voting rights and voter turnout are the closest things we have to fundamental democracy rights,” Juneja said. “They govern all aspects of politics, and that’s what’s going to govern

Battle Continued from page 1

t his yea r, ot her ca mpus orga ni zat ions a re involved.

“This event is

sign up w ith a .edu email address.

The Lime-S and the Lime-E can each reach speeds of up to 14.8 miles per hour, the LimeBike website states, and the Lime-E’s motor alters the bike’s speed depending on how much force the rider applies to the pedals.

The Lime-E formally launched w ith 500 units in Seattle on Feb. 12, which LimeBike touted on their website as the “largest f leet of electric-assist bikes in the countr y,” and is now — along w ith the Lime-S — also available in some of LimeBike’s Bay Area markets.

LimeBike has made its other cities aware of their new products, LimeBike

spokesperson Emma Green said, and is exploring where they w ill bring their electric offerings next.

“We’re in almost 50 markets now w ith our normal LimeBikes, so we’re looking at those cities as well as new cities to launch,” Green said.

W hen asked about the possibilit y of LimeBike scooters coming to Notre Dame, however, Universit y spokesperson Dennis Brow n said in an email “there is no plan for scooters on campus.”

“It’s ver y much up in the air,” Green said. “We’ve been in conversation w ith Notre Dame and South Bend about our new models, and that includes Lime-E and Lime-S, definitely making

sure that they’re aware, but as of right now we just don’t have any updates of when they would be on campus.”

A lthough a specific date for the Lime-E and Lime-S to arrive in South Bend has not been set, South Bend operations manager Nathan Hasse said as w ith the regular pedal bikes, local LimeBike operations teams w ill monitor indiv idual scooters and electric-assist bikes to ensure that they are maintained and parked appropriately.

“We patrol, and ever y bike is touched on a daily or bidaily basis by our specialists,” Hasse said.

According to the LimeBike website, the Lime-E can travel 62 miles before its

batter y runs out and the Lime-S has a ma x imum range of 37 miles. LimeBike operations teams can monitor the charge level of each unit, and Hasse said they aim to get to each bike and recharge it before the batter y can run out in the middle of a ride.

Hasse said South Bend residents should call LimeBike if they notice a pedal bike that is in need of maintenance.

“We always tr y to ask the public for help,” Hasse said.

“If they do notice one that we haven’t noticed, just make sure to call and let us know and we’ll get to it right away.”

the rest of people’s lives.

I think the passion comes from this being the best way to give power to the people on issues that affect ever yone.”

Juneja, along w ith sophomore Steven Higgins, spoke to a room of around 30 students about the recent purge of Indiana voters from the Secretar y of State’s office.

“Eleven thousand voters were purged in South Bend last year, and the population is only about 101,000,” Higgins said.

Purged voters are given minimal notice through mail, and the purge

disproportionately affected communities of color in South Bend, Higgins said.

Two members of the League of Women Voters, Dianna Schmitz and codirector of the League’s voter registration program Nancy Johnson, encouraged students to get involved in registering voters in the communit y. According to the League of Women Voters website, the non-partisan organization was founded in the 1920s and has led campaigns for equal access to education and employ ment, as well as leading efforts toward voters’ education

programs.

The South Bend chapter hosts events throughout the year to push for voter registration and spread accurate information to the local communit y about their voting rights, Johnson said. She said their voter registration program began in 2011 w ith a mission of expanding voter equalit y and as of this week they have registered over five thousand voters. According to the state of Indiana’s website, the deadline for Indiana midterm elections voter registration is April 9, and students who live in other states can file for absentee ballots.

“We encounter a lot of urban my ths and incorrect information that people pass to each other,” Johnson said.

“For example, in Indiana, if you are currently not incarcerated and liv ing in your new address for at least a month, you can register to vote and vote for the rest of your life. People are listening to these w rong urban legends. That is one of our barriers to voting. We also find that people wondering about their citizenship status, that is another barrier.”

orga ni zed by ma ny Sa int Mar y’s organizations including Student Involvement, Student Act iv it ies Boa rd a nd Class Council,” Freund sa id.

“By collaborat ing w it h ot her Sa int Ma r y’s

orga ni zat ions we a re able to ma ke t his event even bigger.”

Student A f fa irs director Ju lie Schroeder-Biek sa id in a n ema il she helped orga ni ze t he event in t he hopes of increasing student pa r t icipat ion.

“Bet ween my fellow Student A f fa irs directors, Gloria Jen k ins a nd A riel Lea r y, we a re orga ni zing t he ga mes, recr uit ing fellow sta f f to assist a nd collect ing a lot of g reat pri zes for our students to w in,” Schroeder-Biek sa id. “We wa nt our students to pa rt icipate in t he f un, so sta f f members a re r unning t he event.”

As pa r t of t he la rger A ngela At h let ic & Wellness Complex dedicat ion ceremony, t he “Batt le of t he Belles” is one of severa l events to be held at t he College t his weekend.

“Meet Me at t he Avenue,” or accepted student day, w ill ta ke place Sunday so v isit ing

students a re a lso able to pa r t icipate, Schroeder-Biek sa id.

“It works out beaut if u lly t hat ’Meet Me at t he Avenue’ is t his weekend as well,” she sa id. “This presented t he per fect oppor tunit y to show our accepted students some Bel le spirit, so our Admission Of f ice inv ited t hem. We have had a g reat response : so fa r more t ha n 90 accepted students have ex pressed interest in attending.”

Freund sa id she is excited to include a nd welcome t he accepted students w it h t he excitement ot hers w i l l show t hrough “Batt le of t he Belles,” a nd t here a re ma ny ways for current students to pa r t icipate a nd show school spirit.

“You ca n pa r t icipate by decorat ing for your class a nd show ing spirit based on t he assig ned colors for each class,” Freund sa id.

“Show your spirit for your

class a nd pa r t icipate in t he ga mes a nd events during t he compet it ion. There w i l l be pri zes t hroughout t he event a nd t he overa l l w inning class w i l l get a pi zza pa r t y.”

This event is centered a round student pa r t icipat ion, Schroeder-Biek sa id.

There w i l l be a n oppor tunit y for a class pri ze, ma ny cha nces to w in indiv idua l pri zes a nd specia l drawings for each class a nd accepted students, she sa id.

“We a re depending on our current students to pa r t icipate, show t heir class spirit a nd have f un,” Schroeder-Biek sa id. “We did not do a ny pre-regist rat ion for our current students. Come to A ngela t his Saturday a round 6 :45 p.m. to reg ister w it h your class.”

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4

NEWS

The observer | wednesday, march 21, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

at mom-and-pop grocer y stores that he was passing by from one restaurant to another,” Greenfield said.

“So we started packaging ice cream into pints ... and that is how Ben & Jerr y’s stumbled into manufacturing ice cream and delivering it.”

But making and selling ice cream is just one aspect of the Ben & Jerr y’s business. In the second part of his lecture, Greenfield discussed the company’s deeprooted dedication to social responsibilit y and honest business practices. It started

w ith their public campaign against Pillsbur y because of their refusal to let t wo large ice cream distributors carr y Ben & Jerr y’s — they feared it would detract from sales of Haagen Da zs, a Pillsbur y company. So, Greenfield and Cohen started a campaign entitled “W hat’s the doughboy afraid of ? ” and sought support from their loyal customers, the media and the general public, eventually w inning their case. After that, though, Greenfield and Cohen began to feel that they had stepped away from the original mission of their company.

“We were kids of the ’60s, and we had a really negative opinion of business,” Greenfield said. “We felt like our business was just becoming another cog in the economic machine.”

Just when Greenfield and Cohen were considering getting out of the business, they received some w isdom from an old friend, Maurice Perper. He gave them the adv ice that made Ben & Jerr y’s what it is today, Greenfield said.

“If there is something you don’t like about the way that business is done, why don’t you just change it,” Greenfield said.

Thus began Ben & Jerr y’s

mission to make their business different. Instead of pulling in venture capital — a small number of elite investors — when they needed economic support, Cohen and Greenfield held the first ever public stock offer in the state of Vermont, giv ing the communit y control over part of their business. Greenfield said they also began the Ben & Jerr y’s Foundation to grant money to nonprofit organizations, but were over whelmed by the sheer number of worthy causes that needed help.

“As we thought about it, all the foundations in the countr y are in the same situation,” Greenfield said.

“There are these tremendous unmet human needs and not enough money to fulfill them. We started to wonder both why that is and what more business could do.”

Greenfield and Cohen decided that business and improv ing the communit y did not necessarily have to be t wo separate entities.

“The solution to the dilemma is to find those courses of action that have a positive impact on both of the bottom lines — making money and giv ing back to

the communit y,” Greenfield said.

They decided to find ways to help others and their business at the same time, he said, such as buy ing brow nies for their popular chocolate fudge brow nie f lavor from a baker y run by a religious communit y that supports people who have fallen on hard times economically.

The company also has about a dozen “partner shops” — stores ow ned by nonprofit social ser v ice agencies who work w ith at-risk youth. The money the shops make funds their programs and prov ides jobs for these adolescents.

Greenfield said he and Cohen believe that Ben & Jerr y’s socially conscious mission is part of what makes their business work so well.

“Just because the idea that the good you do comes back to you is w ritten in the Bible and not in some business textbook does not mean that it is any less valid,” he said.

“We are all interconnected, and as we help others, we cannot help but be helped in return. For businesses and people, it is all exactly the same.”

discussions of sexual harassment remained far from public. As she testified, however, the showing portrayed members of the Senate Judiciary Committee beginning to feel discomfort at hearing such graphic details in a hearing to which much of the public was paying attention.

Also mentioned in the documentary was the role race played in the handling of these allegations. In defending himself, Thomas mentioned in

the movie that the sexuality of black men had been stereotyped. This, he said, led to his being subjected to a “high-tech lynching” as a result of these allegations.

“My friends and I watched this [hearing] and couldn’t believe the words [Clarence Thomas] used,” Davis, professor of religious studies, said.

Having been 18 years old at the time of the hearing, Davis said she remembers understanding how significant it was for such allegations to be

made against such a high-profile figure as Thomas.

“The Monday after, all the phrase around my school was ‘high-tech lynching,’ and once he said that, we knew she was done,” Davis said.

In the discussion after the screening, students shared their thoughts of the documentary as well as the reason they attended the event.

“It’s a topic that, outside of a women’s college, I feel like you don’t hear a lot about,” sophomore Hannah Gams said.

As the event was intended to be the first of several held to discuss the issue of sexual harassment, Saint Mary’s students were told they will have more opportunities to learn about the topic.

“While I’m here, I like to embrace the opportunities that Saint Mary’s offers us to discuss the issue [of sexual harassment] openly,” Gams said.

CHRIS COLLINS | The Observer

Notre Dame sudents introduce Jerry Greenfield at Tuesday’s lecture about Ben & Jerry’s founding at the Mendoza College of Business.

Jerry Continued from page 1

decided to buy less ice cream so the pair decided to start selling tubs of it; first sales were to local restaurants, then to restaurants all around the state to stay in business. Little did they know, Greenfield said, that this practice would give way to the Ben & Jerr y’s pint.

“Ben thought that if he could start packaging the ice cream into pint containers, he could stop off

Anita Continued from page 1

made headlines in 1991. That same year, Hill testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which at the time was led by Joe Biden, about the sexual harassment she faced while working under Thomas.

Spencer, a psychology professor, recalled her thoughts after receiving news of the hearing.

“I was eleven years old [when this happened], and I thought Anita Hill was on trial,” Spencer said.

Other faculty members similarly ref lected on what they remembered about the hearing and how watching the documentary helped them understand the significance of Hill’s testimony about sexual harassment.

“In a sense, she was on trial,” Wagman, a professor of history and gender and women’s studies, said.

The documentary depicted Hill’s subjection to questioning from the Senate Judiciary Committee throughout her testimony and was asked to keep repeating the graphic details of the verbal harassment she said Thomas had committed.

“It’s interesting as an adult in 2018 to really reflect on these moments and where we [as women] have come but also where we haven’t,” Spencer said.

Prior to Hill’s testimony, the documentary said the

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The observer | WEDNESDAY, march 21, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

By MIKE DONOVAN Associate Scene Editor

Phil Elverum takes the stage clad in a simple white t-shirt and loose-fitting chinos. A dead pine rots — in the most comforting way — by his side. He begins playing guitar, the tones of which lacerate the audience, segmenting their collective consciousness into a smattering of individual reactions. Each person, now alone in the populated room, has no choice but to wander into Elverum’s fragmentary discourse and navigate the death, grief and memory’s maze of intractable barriers. It’s a “new one,” Elverum tells us. “Distortion.”

“Distortion” and “Now Only,” the album from which it springs, mimic the consonance of love and death without descending into the cliches of the love letter. As Elverum purports on “Now Only’s” predecessor, “A Crow Looked at Me,” “Death is real / Someone’s there and then they’re not / And it’s not for singing about / It’s not for making into art.”

Thus, Elverum bypasses the romantic’s listless vignettes of love and death, and dutifully interprets the excruciating loss of his wife, Genevieve Castree, as directly as possible.

Roland Barthes, semiotician and author of author of “A Lover’s Discourse,” elucidates Elverum’s position as a man both in love and at a loss — “Everything follows from this principle: that the lover is not to be reduced to a symptomal subject, but rather that we hear his voice in what is ‘unreal,’ i.e., intractable.” The lover must then reconcile this notion of “the unreal” with that of the real, embodied in death. “Now Only” marries love’s persistent, ineffable glimmers to the imminent pain of death to lead listeners into a discourse that, according to Barthes, is not in any way “dialectic” and steeped in “an extreme solitude.”

By AUGIE COLLINS Scene Writer

Superorganism may be a f ledgling band, but that isn’t stopping them from having big aspirations.

In 2017, guitarist Christopher “Harry” Young lamented on the stale nature of today’s pop music, saying: “It feels like it needs a bit more fun injected.” And with the lofty goal of revamping modern day pop in mind, the eight-piece band will need all of its members’ hands on deck. For the last year, the band has been busy attempting to do precisely that.

The bands self-titled debut, “Superorganism,” was recorded in the their shared living quarters in East London, where seven of the eight members reside. The songs they recorded there were electronically passed from room to room via email, with each member adding their own bit on the production line. With the band’s techy and anti-establishment feel that each member adds to, if the current music industry was the United States banking system, Superorganism would be the tiny block-chain network seeking to kick-start a revolution.

Due to the f lexible approach taken in the composition and production of their debut, however, the resulting sound of the album is closer to that of a blended jazz ensemble than of a indie pop jam compilation. But despite the album bursting at the

5

As Elverum’s perception of his wife’s passing fades from immediacy to “some untrustworthy old description in my memories,” he becomes less in tune with her tactile qualities. The tactile sensations at the point of tragedy, which told him — “Oh, my devastation is unique” — have since receded into memories such that only his perception of the “unreal” — namely the layers of love that existed between he and his lost wife remain. Sadly, this love, by nature, must persist unrequited. Of memories, Elverum concedes, “That must be your ghost taking form.” He doesn’t believe in ghosts.

Genevieve’s “unreal” qualities, unlike the physical attributes of her cancer and death, lend themselves to the language of art. But they will not fit kindly within a capacious elegy. Barthes might say her death released a wave of lacerations, that shattered the psyche of her lover. His recovery, consequently, occurs in roughly intelligible fragments.

Elverum, a devotee of the truth, presents these fragments unfettered. His lyrical mannerisms stumble over his lukewarm acoustic set pieces in much the same way that Coltrane wove complex melodies like “sheets of sounds” over the meddling of his quartets. Stark and angular, certain phrasings — “You don’t even have a dead body anymore, it was taken away / I went and wrote a check” — wedge themselves at a near perpendicular angle to the vaguely melodic drones that, on occasion, broach pop’s territory. The angles construct a trestle — the framework around which Elverum communicates the intractable reaches of his inner life.

Elverum’s process of verbalizing death’s untidy sting, when pushed to the end of its line, drifts like a group of sad people “Eating fruit and jumping on the bed like lost children / Exploding across the earth in a self-indulgent all-consuming / Wreck of ideas that blot out the stars.”

Absurdity, tragedy’s trusted friend, appears when meaning goes on hiatus, gripping the words and their listener with a comically direct parlance: “People get cancer and die / People get hit by trucks and die / People just living their lives get erased for no reason / With the rest of us averting our eyes” — over a jaunty melodic ditty.

Our eyes look away, but our ears listen. Sounds in-between the cracks — white noise, missed strings, vocal mishaps, errant drums — punctate hopeless attempts at lyricized meaning. The sounds function as colons, dashes, commas and parentheses — assigning order to a fragmentary mind.

Again, we see trestles: architectural orations to the sounds of death’s waltz with memory.

Natasha Tretheway — no stranger to death’s glare — contextualizes her fragmentary heritage: “Bring only what you must carry — tome of memory, / its random blank pages.”

Elverum’s “A Crow Looked at Me” brought it all, every heartsplitting parcel. “Now Only,” a year on, packs lighter, though the burden is still too heavy for flight.

seams with the sheer volume of the sound it contains, it never spirals into total chaos and anarchy, relying on its recurring harmonies to anchor it to its more listenable feel — think of it as a more poppy version of the Avalanches’ “Since I Left You.” Superorganism employs the use of cash registers, bursting champagne corks and stomping on crisp apples, among other things, to achieve the album’s infectiously fun sound.

As vital a role as production played in the cultivation of the album’s unique sound, Orono Noguchi’s laconic vocals perfectly juxtapose with the albums funky, techno sound, impeding it from ever becoming overwhelming for the listener. His lackadaisical vocal approach is especially prevalent on the grung y, EDM-esque “Nobody Cares,” capturing the apathy of a generation who are the most likely candidates to tune in, with lyrics such as “Sweet relief when you grow up and see for yourself / Nobody cares / Have a drink, have a smoke, do whatever you need to unload / Nobody cares.”

Riding the wave of the album through its track list, Noguchi’s melancholy tone is also memorably palpable on “Ref lections on the Screen,” while the subsequent “Nai’s March” paints an infectiously vivid portrait of an individual’s longing for their hometown.

But despite the album’s apathetic tone, it is always unapologetically clear that the band is here

first and foremost to have fun. Their viral hit “Something for your M.I.N.D.” and other pre-released single “Everybody Wants to be Famous” perhaps exemplif y this best with their lucidly colorful guitar riffs, pumping synths, and catchy hooks. All of their elements combine to create songs that feel less like a direct route from point A to point B, and instead akin to an entire visual landscape built for the listener to wander through.

“Superorganism” is a very promising release from a band who should be just finding their footing after assembling in 2016, yet are seen here basking in the glorious oddity of their newfound niche.

Contact Mike Donovan at mdonov @nd.edu

“Now Only” Mount Eerie Label: P.W. Elverum and Sun Tracks: “Distortion If you like: The Microphones, Sufjan Stevens

Contact Augie Collins at jcolli15@nd.edu

“Superorganism” Superorganism Label: Domino Records Tracks: “Everybody Wants to Be Famous,” “Nobody Cares” If you like: The Avalanches, Soccer Mommy, Beck

6

The observer | Wednesday, March 21, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Inside Column

Have the Oscars lost their relevance?

Brian Boylen Scene Writer

Despite being an above-average fan of film, I really had no inclination to watch the Academy Awards earlier this month. The only actual draw for me was wanting to watch Sufjan Stevens perform, but I knew his performance would be one click away on Pitchfork the next day anyway. I looked up the award results out of curiosity; I agreed with some picks and disagreed with others, but ultimately didn’t feel too strongly about any win or snub. I thought this might be a problem as I showed up to that week’s “Scenecast”—a weekly podcast by The Observer’s Scene section—as it was planned to be an Oscars discussion. However, upon arrival to the WVFI station, the couple other Scene members and I realized that none of us had actually watched the Oscars and none of us cared to talk about them.

This certainly got me thinking. If even a good chunk of Scene was indifferent to the Oscars, what about the general public? Apparently this year’s Oscars had the least amount of viewers since they began tracking the numbers in 1974. The viewership figure of 26.5 million people was a 20 percent drop from 2017’s numbers, which in turn were a drop from 2016. The trend is clear: people don’t care about the Academy Awards as much anymore. But why? I don’t really know, but I’ll guess anyway.

To begin, let’s look at why people watch the Oscars in the first place. Considering that the Oscars’ red carpet is practically half the show, it is fair to say that people watch for the stars themselves.

After all, the Academy Awards are a night for all of the big names in Hollywood to come together. It makes sense that we would want to watch all these famous celebrities we know be under one roof for a night. Whether it’s for the glamorous dresses or just the conversations, many people enjoy watching the stars.

Another draw of the Oscars is the rankings themselves. People form their own opinions on all the movies they have seen throughout the year, and like to see what the Academy has to say. It’s not uncommon for the Academy to have many seemingly wrong picks, but disagreeing with them is part of the fun. There is an undeniable prestige to receiving an Academy award, and it is undeniably interesting to see which movie takes home the coveted “Best Picture” trophy.

There are multiple reasons why these aspects of the Oscars don’t seem as enticing anymore to TV viewers. Well, perhaps part of the problem is that many Millennials don’t even have cable television anymore, as it has become outdated in many ways by online streaming services. I think there are deeper reasons outside of this, however. While the Academy Awards show is the biggest night in Hollywood, it maybe doesn’t seem as special as it used to. In the age of the internet, I can watch any clip from any celebrity any time I want. Carving out time in my busy schedule to watch them mingle on the red carpet doesn’t seem like much of a priority.

The nature of film as an art form is another problem. There is certainly a disconnect between what the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences—an organization comprised of around 6,000 film professionals—views as an award winning movie compared to the general public. For example, the winner of 2018’s “Best Picture” award was “The Shape of Water,” which tells the story of a mute custodian who falls in love with a humanoid amphibian. I happen to really enjoy the film and believe it is deserving of the nomination at the very least, but it certainly isn’t the movie most Americans would put at the top of their list. While I think that the best film of the year should win the “Best Picture” award, perhaps the Academy should take more into account cultural significance. “Get Out” was another movie nominated for the award, perhaps it would have been a better choice due to its influential effect on popular culture. 20 years from now, will people remember “The Shape of Water” or “Get Out”?

I am not sure what the future holds for the Oscars. It is still one of the top viewed events every year, but the viewership is rapidly shrinking. Perhaps the Oscars are fated to be just one more thing that Millennials will kill.

Contact Brian Boylen at bboylen@nd.edu The views and expressions of the inside column are those of the author and not necessarily of the Observer.

The societal importance of reflexivity BridgeND Bridging the Gap

You, the reader, are probably consuming this piece (or moving on to another) because you want to read inflammatory opinions, weird lists and obsessions, social commentary or maybe you’re just bored and lonely at lunch in the dining hall. Whatever it is, there is a “why” behind your actions. Now, maybe you’re reading the inflammatory opinions to rant about them with your roommate later: even your “whys” might have “whys”. These “whys” often hide out of our mind’s eye and unconsciously influence our beliefs and actions. To think about how and why we think is reflexivity. Some might also call it metacognition.

Whatever you think, it is useful and essential to political and social life to think about how and why we think what we think.

The ability to be self-critical and the ability to recognize the influence of emotions and perceptions on our beliefs and actions are other ways one can be reflexive. Being able to engage in reflexivity is a sign of cognitive maturity; yet reflexivity is not simply an individual action, it is something which can be used at the level of society and politic. Each of us individually and each society or group of people has consciously or unconsciously decided something about itself: its beliefs, its practices—even its membership.

Reflexivity is the tool we use when we evaluate those decisions as an individual and a society.

Sometimes we get stuck in our ways—we continue to do or believe something simply because that’s what we’ve always done. We forget the original intent or reasons behind these beliefs and actions, and reflexivity helps bring us back to the “whys” behind them, and recenters us.

Because, unfortunately, rooted practices and beliefs aren’t always as beneficent or “right.” A long list of medical reversals (like lobotomy) and a history of moral disasters (see: slavery) and political blunders (i.e. appeasement of Hitler) can give us a brief and incomplete snapshot of situations where reflexivity—rather than continuing with tradition—might’ve been better.

Reflexivity is an effective compass of change and tradition. By considering the motivations and influences on our thoughts, we can begin to effectively analyze and evaluate policy proposals, medical decisions and other situations.

Legislators who oppose gun control, support labor rights, oppose feminist proposals or oppose regulation of the financial sector can and should engage in reflexivity to evaluate whether their motivations lie in a true, reasoned belief in

their causes, in the monetary support of interest groups like the NRA, unions or Wall Street, or even in their own biases. Individually, and as a society, we tend to be resistant to change simply because things will change. Even Notre Dame as a community gripes about the smallest changes to tradition, like not singing the alma mater after football games. In more pressing matters, does clinging to tradition always serve us well? Does change always serve us well? Thinking about how we think is essential to answering these questions.

Thinking about how our emotions affect our thinking and being occasionally self-critical can help the country and those in our capital engage more fruitfully in civil discourse and come to more effective policy solutions. Rather than simply dismissing the opposing side’s ideas, our lawmakers should self-analyze; they might realize that the emotions underlying their thoughts and beliefs are more compatible with the opposition than they thought. Through this, bipartisanship can flourish, as our leaders recognize that the motivation for them all is to improve the America we all live in, and to promote unity. Working across the aisle and finding areas of agreement that can produce effective and reasonable policy solutions is a much better plan for the United States than gridlock. In a similar way, being self-reflective and willing to engage in virtuous discourse on campus and elsewhere can lead to more fruitful and productive dialogue, and reduce polarization.

Refusing to “give in” just because those before you didn’t makes little sense if the cause is worthy. Stubbornness for its own sake is nonsense.

Not only does it tarnish true acts of courageously standing up for something, but it does not allow you—individually and us, societally and politically—to move forward and better ourselves.

The feeling of “giving in” is an influence on our actions on which we should reflect. Consider why you are acting or believing the way you do, and self-evaluate. Only when we think about how we think will we be able to promote effective progress and retain useful traditions.

Ben Robinson is an off-campus senior formerly residing in Keenan Hall. He is majoring in neuroscience and behavior, and hails from Wisconsin.

He can be reached for civil discourse at brobins7@ nd.edu BridgeND is a bipartisan student political organization that brings together people from all across the ideological spectrum to discuss public policy issues of national importance. They can be reached at bridgend@nd.edu

Join the conversation.

Submit a Letter to the Editor: viewpoint@ndsmcobserver.com

The observer | Wednesday, March 21, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

7

A power of the powerless?

Gabriel Niforatos The Road Less Travelled

The use of social media has increased by massive numbers over the past decade, with everyone from teenagers to seniors being drawn into the wave of digitization. Apps and platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat allow users to keep up-to-date with the happenings of their friends, as well as the latest news of the day. What drives us to connect and follow and join social media? Is there something more than just a desire to keep up with our friends driving us to download the latest apps and technology? The unspoken urge to get social media, and the social fallout that occurs if you don’t upgrade, may actually speak to a much more inherent and deep seated ideology than mere “Fear Of Missing Out.” And the thing is, we may not even know that we are conforming to it.

“The Power of the Powerless” is an essay that was written in the 1970s by Vaclav Havel—a Czechoslovakian writer and politician—which theorizes on how dissent fits into the inherent conformity in communist nations. In this monumental essay, Havel talks about what life as a cog in a broader system of machine-like control looks like. Among the many ideas and topics that are raised is the hypothetical situation of a “greengrocer,” who puts up a sign in his shop that reads “workers of the world unite.” Does the greengrocer believe those words or is he putting them up as an act—subconscious or conscious—of conformity, with the underlying ideology of what Havel describes as “post-totalitarian” government?

The moment he puts up the sign, the sign becomes more than that. It becomes a symbol of his obedience to a social order that emphasizes conformity.

Whether or not we are living in the post-totalitarian world that Havel discusses is the topic for an entirely different essay. However, the subconscious act of the greengrocer has important significance to the modern use of social media. More specifically, whenever we get social media or download the latest sharing app, we are putting up the sign of the greengrocer.

An important distinction to make is between FOMO and the subconscious adherence to an underlying ideology. I postulate that they are, in fact, the same thing.

Potentially more riveting is the question of whether we are truly subconscious or if we get and stay on social media because we are well aware of some kind of consequence, a consequence we are trying to avoid. The greengrocer in “The Power of the Powerless” puts up the sign in his store because he is aware of the ever-present threat of force the state wields. With this knowledge present, subconscious or conscious regardless, he puts up the sign to avoid this threat. In the case of social media use, then, what is the “threat,” if there is indeed one?

The threat is the backlash that occurs if you don’t have the latest and greatest social media. In the face of large percentages of the population having social media, those without it are left behind and isolated—an ironic choice of words in an increasingly digital world—from the means of communication that their peers have.

Applying the example of the greengrocer on a deeper level, however, the use of social media goes beyond keeping in touch with other people and friends. Whether we mean it or not, we are really conforming to the ideas of a bigger, larger interest that transcends our own. The question that begs asking then is what is this hidden, controlling interest that motivates our update, trend-driven mentality?

The answer is the multi-billion-dollar corporate interests that control, own and founded the social media platforms we are all on. Using user data, they learn what the “pulse of the times” is, and then use that information to advertise trends and products that we are likely to buy. An article written in PCWorld tells how Facebook, Google and other platforms collect user data and “sell you to advertisers,” all with the goal of tailoring the ads you see to goods and services they think we want. The goal is efficient advertising to make more money, and if corporations have to control what content we see, take our information and make us feel obligated to get social media, they will do so.

In accordance with the greengrocer, then, social media is a form of control. Social media was, perhaps, formed with the altruistic motive of promoting individual opinion, connecting friends and increasing the efficiency of all of these processes. But what if, in the name of giving people a voice, social media has taken away, or sculpted that voice, into the shape of some norm or ideal? Havel states that “the primary excusatory function of ideology, therefore, is to provide people, both as victims and pillars of the post-totalitarian system, with the illusion that the system is in harmony with the human order and the order of the universe.” Social media presents ads tailored to what viewers click on and search. Algorithms use information of what we click on and search to show users more of the same material. Some apps, such as Snapchat, allow the user to manually filter content. Thus, on the one hand, social media is enclosing us in our own worlds, allowing us to filter content and get the same opinion and perspectives fed back to us. Social media is increasingly being used to keep up-to-date with current affairs issues and news—as published by a blog called the globalwebindex, and the use of these algorithms tailors and controls what content we see.

We aren’t really getting a free, uncensored opinion on a fundamental level. We are at the mercy of large corporations that control what we see while they send our information to advertisers.

Inevitably the argument that social media isn’t

anything close to the greengrocer’s sign could be made.

After all, if people are getting on to social media to avoid the negative consequences of a fallout of not having social media, then how do you explain cyber bullying? This is a very negative consequence of using social media, and in a survey conducted in schools located in England by the HMC, almost two-thirds of the students stated that they would not mind if social media never existed at all.

However, this still does not separate the scenario from the greengrocer. He puts up his sign to avoid the negative consequences he knows exist in society. However, this does not guarantee him automatic immunity from them.

Indeed, one of the hallmarks of many socialist or communist countries is the secret police they weaponized to keep control over dissent, often conducting “witch hunts” to search out those who they thought would compromise the government. Among many places, secret police existed in the Soviet Union and in Czechoslovakia, and Havel himself was at their mercy numerous times.

On the other hand, social media has often been the instrument against conformity. The outspoken organization of hackers called Anonymous, which works for radical social change, albeit through controversial methods at times, has its own Twitter account. The #MeToo movement, which has united women against abuse and misconduct in society, has employed social media to bolster to this already powerful movement. This perhaps speaks to the sections of “The Power of the Powerless” where Havel talks about what happens when the greengrocer fights back against the system. This fight may or may not be as widespread as it should be, however.

I am not saying that we should all delete our apps and start contacting each other with handwritten letters and emails. Social media has, undeniably, impacted our world immensely by letting us contact one another in increasingly more efficient, quick and effective ways. I am not questioning this. However, I am asking you, dear reader, to question the inherent sense of obligation you may or may not realize you feel when you download social media from the app store. Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter are the signs put up in the mart of the greengrocer. Again, I am not asking for us to delete our social media accounts. I am merely asking for us to reach up and cut the marionette strings that corporate interests have attached to us.

Because then, we won’t be using social media because everyone else is using it. We’ll be using it out of an inherent and authentic desire that we came up with.

Gabriel Niforatos is a freshman who is double majoring in economics and political science. When he’s not at school he is busy hiking and running in the New Mexico mountain range. His email is gniforat@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Save the breakfast sandwich In the looming shadow of Duncan Student Center lies the quaint cafe known as Waddick’s, an establishment deeply rooted in Notre Dame’s history. However, upcoming renovations threaten to destroy the classic look and feel of the decades-old location. As a Waddick’s employee, I have to say that the proposed “improvements” don’t feel well thought-out, nor do they actually take into account what students need.

Essentially, Waddick’s will be transformed into more of a “grab and go” location with scarce options and a rushed atmosphere. Now, there is no doubt we need more seating and workspace since O’Shag is essentially a long, narrow hallway with few practical spots to relax between classes. However, I fear that because so many of our popular products won’t be available, Waddick’s will become an insignificant countertop with an overpriced menu, lying in the background of a nondescript workspace.

In order to gauge student opinions, I conducted a survey on the proposed renovations. 42.7 percent of responses were in favor of increased workspace,

whereas 36 percent advocated for zero changes, with the options including more seating, aesthetic changes and the addition of an espresso machine. I interpret this as meaning, quite simply, that students would appreciate an expansion, but are hesitant to go forward with these changes when the integrity of a beloved place is at stake.

As “Iced Coffee Guy’s” letter brought to attention, Waddick’s is a great value compared to most campus eateries — a breakfast sandwich and coffee will run you about $5.60, as opposed to the lofty prices of Modern Market and Hagerty Family Cafe. However, we will be doing away with these right-priced items, including our good friend’s signature beverage: iced coffee. And how do students feel about this? 84 percent said they would stop coming to Waddick’s altogether and 12 percent said they would return much less frequently.

Last semester, we had a couple recreate their first date in photos at Waddick’s, right before they got married on campus. Even I didn’t realize a little place like

Waddick’s could be so important to people. There are ways to improve such a small space without completely stripping it of its identity, and I would be incredibly disappointed in this University if all of the backlash did not resonate.

In summary, students don’t want drastic change.

We don’t want another cold retail location. We want more seating, we want our favorite items to stay and we want the charm of Waddick’s to be left untouched.

This location has been and will continue to be an iconic source of memories: first dates, cramming sessions, awkward meetings with professors, muchneeded coffee breaks, anxiously waiting for your breakfast sandwich and so much more.

There’s a reason people are fighting for this so much, and it’s the same reason our line is still out the door.

Morgan McAviney sophomore March 20

8

DAILY

The observer | wednesday, March 21, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Crossword | Will Shortz

Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Expand your horizons and open your mind to trying new things. Take greater interest in others as well as in your personal affairs. Look for clear-cut ways to get the most for the least. Avoiding excessive behavior and people who tend to lead you in the wrong direction will help you maintain a lifestyle that is comfortable and fun.

Your numbers are 2, 10, 21, 29, 34, 38, 44.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Emotional issues will surface if you can’t find common ground or an ability to compromise when dealing with others. Inconsistency and outbursts will only make matters worse. Keep the peace and think twice before you say something regrettable.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Make changes at home or at work for the right reasons. Don’t let emotions take over or motivate you to head in a direction that may not be suitable over the long term. Intelligence and research will be your tickets to success.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): If someone is acting erratically, back away instead of tagging along. Concentrate on what’s best for you and what you want to pursue. An honest assessment of your current situation will help you reach your goals.

CANCER ( June 21-July 22): Rethink your lifestyle and the way you handle your money. Building a healthy nest egg will ease your stress. A physical approach to your responsibilities will help you gain access to a higher position.

LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22): Keep busy. Exercise, rigorous activities, taking action and making your dreams come true should be on your agenda.

It’s up to you to take control if you want to get ahead or make your life better.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Offering to help others is fine, but don’t let anyone take advantage of you. Make clear what you are able to contribute before you get started. Avoid excessive people or temptation.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Get active and fit. Do your best to get rid of bad habits or frivolous behavior. Make wise choices that will encourage you to keep moving and to do the best job possible, and you’ll avoid complaints and criticism.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): A business trip or meeting will encourage success. Discuss your ideas and plans and you’ll be given interesting choices. Walk away from anyone who shows signs of inconsistency or unpredictability. Align yourself with stable individuals.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Let the past guide you. A legal or financial experience will save you from a similar fate. Recall what happened and make adjustments to ensure you don’t lose this time around.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Partnerships will need to be handled with the utmost care. If someone appears to be the least bit erratic or inconsistent, it may be best to keep your distance. Trust in facts and only spend what is readily available to you.

AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Make a stress-free environment your priority. Live frugally and question your relationships with people who tend to be indulgent. Stay focused on what’s important to you and what will bring you the greatest stability.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Speak from the heart and be open about the way you feel and what you want. Walk away from situations that are casting a shadow on your life or your ability to get ahead. Don’t let anyone stand in your way.

Birthday Baby: You are sensitive, intuitive and caring. You are charismatic and outgoing.

WINGin’ it | BAILEE EGAN & Olivia wang

Sudoku | The Mepham Group

Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek

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sports

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, March 21, 2018 | The Observer

ND Softball

Sports Authority

UMBC’s win helps UCF’s case Lucas Masin-Moyer Assisstant Managing Editor

Shortly after it completed one of the greatest upsets in American sporting history, the Univeristy of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) — who became the first 16-seed to upset their top-seeded opponent in NCAA men’s basketball tournament history — received a tweet from an unlikely supporter.

Sure, there’d been some impressive tweets directed at UMBC Athletics over the course of the game from the 25,000 new followers it gained, but none was more meaningful than the one it received from the account for University of Central Florida (UCF) athletics.

The tweet — short, sweet and slightly smug — said, “Amazing what happens when an under ‘dog’ gets a fair shot in an expanded playoff … Congrats on the history.”

Now, if there is a hill I will die on, it’s that UCF’s football team should have made this past year’s College Football Playoff, if not been named the national champion after their undefeated season — a feat only they accomplished at the Division I last season.

Now, there’s a lot of reasons given why the Knights weren’t given a chance to prove their worth in the Playoff this year, which I’ve written about extensively before. But the true reason they didn’t make the Playoff is that they were a smaller school, with less commercial appeal, in a bad conference.

In college basketball, though, as pointed out by UCF’s tweet, smaller teams are able to get a shot to go up against the powerhouses, thanks to the automatic qualification spot given to each conference’s champion.

By giving each conference at least one spot in the tournament, every single team in Division I men’s and women’s basketball theoretically has a shot at winning the national championship, as they all have access to the tournament which crowns the champion.

And that is not the case with the College Football Playoff system.

This is not to say the March Madness selection committee is immune from making decisions

9

which give an edge for the atlarge bids to the tournament to teams with more marketing power — just take a look at their decision to include Oklahoma over cross-state rivals Oklahoma State, thanks in large part to the star power Sooners guard Trae Young brought to the table — but allowing for the inclusion of these smaller teams creates a genuinely more exciting and unpredictable competition.

And that allows more objective results than the Playoff committee’s controversial and subjective judgements that determine who has a shot to take home the title.

Without this system, the Ramblers from Loyola-Chicago would not have made a run this year, captivating the nation with buzzer-beaters and a 98-year-old nun. Butler could never have had its run to two straight Final Fours, which catapulted their coach, Brad Stevens, to being named to one of the most hallowed titles in all of basketball — head coach of the Boston Celtics.

And Gonzaga would probably not exist as the powerhouse it does today without the current tournament format, which consistently gave them access to the tournament, allowing them to become a national staple.

But this more inclusive playoff system is not just good for the little guys; its also good for the sport in general. The constant possibility of upsets brings in fans and potential players who would not otherwise tune in.

Millions fill out brackets — including myself, who, not to brag, is currently sitting atop The Observer’s bracket pool — trying to prove they can best see how the chaos will unfold.

To put it simply, March Madness is simply a better product and more enjoyable than its counterpart in football.

And while Duke or Villanova or some other traditional power will still prevail most times, I’d rather watch the Loyola’s of the world take down powerhouses at the buzzer than three straight matchups between Alabama and Clemson in the College Football Playoff any day.

Irish win seven, sweep Louisville on spring break Observer Sports Staff

Over spring break, the Irish played a total of eight games.

Notre Dame’s record in those games: 7-1, including a 4-1 start to ACC play that featured a sweep of Louisville on the road.

The Irish (19-8, 4-1 ACC) started their road trip with their first ACC series of the year against North Carolina State on March 10. In the first game of the day’s doubleheader, the Irish bombarded the Wolfpack (15-11, 3-5 ACC) with 17 hits and 15 runs.

On the mound, freshman righthander Alexis Holloway pitched a no-hitter in the first conference game of her collegiate career, as Notre Dame won 15-0.

The second game against the Wolfpack saw the Irish bats slow down, and North Carolina State took a 4-1 victory to split the series, as the rubber match scheduled for March 11 was cancelled due to weather with no makeup game expected.

After facing North Carolina State, Notre Dame traveled to Jacksonville, Florida, to face nonconference foes North Florida and Jacksonville. In a trio of low scoring games, the Irish escaped from Florida undefeated.

On March 13, the Irish played a doubleheader versus North Florida (18-14, 0-0 Atlantic Sun).

Holloway was dominant again in the day’s first game, going the full seven innings and allowing just one hit with 10 strikeouts.

The Irish offense, however, also struggled, and the game remained scoreless going into the sixth inning. But the Irish played small ball, with a pair of bunts and sacrifice flies plating two for Notre Dame in the frame.

The road team then added two

insurance runs in the seventh to secure the 4-0 win.

The nightcap was a little closer — the Ospreys did manage seven hits but only one run — as Notre Dame took home another 3-1 victory thanks to RBIs from sophomore right fielder Alexis Bazos and junior designated player Ali Wester. Wester, coming back from an injury, went 5-7 at the plate with two RBIs and two runs scored over the course of the day.

On March 14, Notre Dame beat Jacksonville (16-13, 0-0 Atlantic Sun) 3-1 and moved on to face Louisville (20-8, 0-3 ACC) in another conference series this past weekend.

On Friday, Notre Dame took a 10-3 victory thanks to a sixrun third inning. In the pivotal frame, Wester started the rally with a leadoff double and crossed the plate on a single by freshman center fielder Abby Sweet. Junior left fielder Cait Brooks singled and junior third baseman Melissa Rochford was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Then, sophomore second baseman Katie Marino, junior first baseman MK Bonamy and sophomore catcher Madison Heide all notched run-scoring singles. A double steal allowed Bonamy to score Notre Dame’s final run of the inning.

Up 6-0, the Irish cruised to a 10-3 win thanks to some insurance runs in later frames and a complete game from Holloway.

The second game of the series was more of a pitcher’s duel, but Notre Dame still found a way to win and came out on top Saturday by a score of 3-1.

Wester started the Irish scoring with a two-run single in the top of the second inning.

Thanks to a strong outing from

senior left-handed pitcher Katie Beriont, the game remained 2-0 through five innings.

The Irish added an insurance run on a sacrifice fly by Marino in the sixth inning, and though Beriont would allow a run to come home in the bottom of the frame, Holloway came in for the bottom of the seventh and closed out the game to cement the 3-1 victory and the series win.

On Sunday, the Irish went for the series sweep and got it with a 7-2 comeback win.

Notre Dame got off to a rocky start, as Holloway let up a home run and a triple to give Louisville a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. The Irish fought back, however, and loaded the bases in the top of the third. Brooks hit a sacrifice fly and Rochford knocked a two-run single to center field to give Notre Dame a 3-2 lead.

The first two Cardinal runs would be the only ones of the game for the home team.

Holloway pitched five more innings of scoreless softball, and Beriont game into the game in the seventh to close it out for the Irish. Notre Dame added a few insurance runs along the way to clinch the 7-2 win. After the trip, Holloway improved her record to 13-4 and has an earned-run average of just 2.14 with 11 complete games in 15 starts.

Notre Dame’s next scheduled game Wednesday with Western Michigan was postponed due to the threat of inclement weather for the evening. The two teams rescheduled their matchup for April 17. As a result, the Irish will next take the field Friday at 6 p.m. for the start of a three-game series with North Carolina at Melissa Cook Stadium.

Contact Lucas Masin-Moyer at lmasinmo@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Follow us on Twitter. @ObserverSports

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Freshman Alexis Holloway pitches in a game against Loyola on Oct. 10, 2017 at Melissa Cook Stadium. Beriont helped the Irish bring home a win in a three game series against Louisville.

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

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Sports

The observer | wednesday, march 21, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Fencing Continued from page 12

freshman Dasha Yefremenko and junior Julia Barry, respectively. All seven competitors recorded impressive indicator scores, which serve as a point differential value for hits landed, with Massialas leading the team with a net score of 48.

The men’s team also returned with two medalists in foil. Junior Axel Kiefer took second, followed by

Swimming Continued from page 12

in the prelims of the 50-yard freestyle. In an extremely tight race, Dolan took 39th with a time of 22.56 seconds, and she was followed closely by Quast, who finished in 44th place with a time of 22.61.

Divers sophomore Erin Isola and freshman Kelly Straub took the board Thursday to compete in the 1-meter dive.

Isola took 43rd place in the event, while Straub finished just behind her in 44th.

Irish head coach Mike Litzinger said the divers gained valuable expereince at the national competition.

“Having a freshman and sophomore competing on the boards bodes well for the future,” he said. “Along with having one of the top diving recruits in the country joining next season, I’m excited about the next step.”

Despite having been competitive through two days of competition, the Irish closed the second day without having scored a point in the championships.

Baseball Continued from page 12

Mik Aoki said Belcik struggled with location during the inning.

“Belcik gave up the three that he gave up,” Aoki said. “He wasn’t very good. I thought that he was in the middle of the zone, the slider wasn’t as good as it had been earlier on and he just had an off night.”

The rest of the way out, both sides saw the bats go quiet, as the only run put up after the sixth was thanks to a dropped fly ball in right field by Northern Illinois that allowed senior designated hitter Alex Kerschner to score in the eighth inning. On the night, the Irish did not score an earned run.

If there was a bright spot for the Irish, it would be their relief pitching after the sixth.

Sophomore right-hander Anthony Holubecki came in to throw 2 2/3 hitless innings, and he was followed by Tommy Vail and Cole Kmet, who closed things out in the ninth inning.

Aoki said he was happy with the strong performances out of his

freshman Nick Itkin in third.

They were joined by seniors Jonathan Fitzgerald and Jonah Shainberg, who placed fifth and sixth, respectively, in sabre. The competition concluded with sophomore Ariel Simmons finishing fourth in epee, followed directly by senior Nicholas Hanahan and junior Dylan French in fifth and sixth, respectively.

Irish head coach Gia Kvaratskhelia said he wasn’t surprised by the results of the regional.

“There is a pool of kids that contended for spots, and they’re all capable,” Kvaratskhelia said. “We were completely concentrated on that one mission this past week.”

The regionals have various national championship qualification availablity depending on the weapon. Qualification is based upon regional results, accounting for 60 percent of the total, and the Fencer’s Seeding Factor, an aggregate ranking of the season’s performance, making up the remaining 40

percent.

Massialas, Kleiner, Sirico, Yefremenko, Russo and Hassett will be competing at the upcoming NCAA championships for the women. For the men, Fitzgerald, Shainberg, Kiefer, Itkin, Hanahan and Simmons will compete.

Kvaratskhelia said there was never a doubt in his mind whether or not 12 athletes would qualify. And despite still looking for his team to compete at what he believes is its best, he said he is confident

they can reach that point come Thursday.

“Looking back on the season, it feels as though we haven’t competed our best up to this point,” Kvaratskhelia said.

“This team is capable of peaking at the end. We’re as well prepared as could be.”

The team will travel to Penn State for the NCAA championships, which will run from Thursday through Sunday.

On Friday, the team started to build momentum with four top-40 finishes. Dolan began the day in an event she currently holds the Notre Dame record — the 200-yard freestyle. She took home 35th place with a time of 1:46.12. Later in the day, Quast and junior Alice Treuth competed in the 100-yard backstroke, finishing 30th and 39th, respectively.

Isola rounded out the day for the Irish with a 34th-place finish in the 3-meter diving competition with a score of 286.10.

The highlight for the team of the week’s competition came Saturday in the 400-freestyle relay. Quast, Revilak, Dolan and Heller clocked in a time of 3:14.98 to earn 15th place in the event, subsequently earning four team points for the Irish in the event. Additionally, all four competitors earned honorable mention All-American status for their top-16 finish.

The individual events also came to a close with a 24thplace finish by Treuth in the 200-yard backstroke and a 33rd-place finish by Stone in the 1650-yard freestyle race.

The Irish finished the weekend in 41st place, beating out the

likes of conference rivals Duke, Florida State and Miami.

Litzinger said he’s optimistic about the returning talent and is confident in the upcoming leadership for next season on the women’s side.

“Our relays looked very strong and certainly were the highlight of the weekend,” Litzinger said of the team’s performance. “We return every athlete who qualified this year, and our recruiting has been very strong. … We are poised for big things in the future.”

The men’s team will travel to Minneapolis for their turn at the NCAA championships beginning Wednesday.

Four individual qualifiers will represent the Irish on the national stage, three of whom are swimmers. Freshman Zach Yeadon will compete in the 500-yard and 1650-yard freestyle events, in which he currently owns the seventh and

third best times in the country, respectively. He’ll be joined by senior Justin Plaschka, who will be swimming the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly, and senior Rob Whitacre, who will be competing in the 200-yard individual medley race and the 200-yard backstroke, the latter of which he currently holds the 13th-fastest time in the country.

Litzinger said senior Joe Coumos, the sole male diving qualifier, will be a key player on the board.

The four-day championship will be particularly busy for Plaschka, who in addition to his two individual events will lead off four relays — the 200and 400-yard freestyle and the 200- and 400-yard medley teams. Meanwhile, Whitacre will compete in the two medley relays, while junior Daniel Speers will be joining Plaschka on all four relays. Junior Tabahn Afrik rounds out the

final qualifier, participating in the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays.

“We need to take advantage of our high seeding and make our relays count,” Litzinger said of his team’s goals for the upcoming championships.

Litzinger said he and his coaching staff have spent the past couple weeks focusing on the various elements that come into play in this championship week.

“It’s a great and exciting time of year,” he said. “Our men are in the phase of their training where they focused a lot on pacing and detail work. They’ve continued on their training schedule while cheering on their female teammates.”

The men will compete in the NCAA championships starting Thursday at Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.

late relievers.

“I thought Holubecki was pretty good. I thought he and [Martin] threw the ball well,” he said. “And then Tommy and Cole at the end. Cole got the guy we brought him in for; and Tommy gave up a free 90, but he bounced right back.”

Following the loss, Notre Dame now gets a chance for redemption at home when it takes on Wake Forest for three home games this weekend, with the first game being played Friday at 6:05 p.m.

Aoki said he knows he’ll need more out of his team if they are to succeed going forward.

“We’ll need better effort than tonight,” Aoki said after the game. “I think that was the worst we’ve been by a long shot offensively, and it was [throughout the lineup] we were terrible, and so we’ve got to get better there. Defensively, we were fine tonight and four of our five pitches threw fine, so we’ve just got to get back to who we’ve been to this point in the season offensively.”

Contact Alex Bender at abender@nd.edu

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Sports

Football Continued from page 12

One of the most important changes will be figuring out who starts at the Rover linebacker position come the fall. Graduate student Drue Tranquill, who played the position last year, will move inside to the Buck linebacker slot, leaving a gap to fill. When opposing offenses line up with run personal and tight ends on the field, Kelly said he’s confident in senior Asmar Bilal at Rover. But when opponents go to a spread look, who plays Rover is still up in the air.

“If you want to get into the detached game and four wide, we can nickel out as an option, or we can look at another Rover that has maybe an ability to cover that No. 2 receiver down the

M Lax Continued from page 12

of set the tone for the rest of the game. And we wanted to do the same here, so we tried to get out to an early lead and we came out firing, just doing the things that we know how to do and it ended up working out.”

However, the Cavaliers would slowly climb back into the game.

Sophomore attack Michael Kraus put the weight of the Virginia offense on his shoulders, scoring four consecutive goals in the first and second period to tie the game at 4-4.

“Kid’s just a good player,” Irish

ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, march 21, 2018 | The Observer

field,” Kelly said. “We have some other options there. I don’t think it needs to come to, ‘Alright this has to happen in the spring.’ I think the nickel position will help us decide the Rover position. … I think we just keep working some young guys.”

The other Irish unit on the defense that is sure to see some change is the secondary. At cornerback, Kelly said senior Shaun Crawford is getting time at both cornerback and at the nickel position.

“We want to take our game to a new level. That new level is we have to be much more efficient in driving on some of the more intermediate and short routes, getting off the field on third down,” Kelly said. “The emphasis for our corners is to tighten up some of the quick game.”

At the safety position, Kelly

said he is expecting improvement from a group that recorded no interceptions in 2017. The emergence of Alohi Gilman — a junior who transfered from Navy and was unable to play last year due to NCAA restrictions — could greatly improve the group, Kelly said.

“We’ve talked a lot about the safeties in run support and run fits. We know his toughness, but he’s a really good cover safety,” Kelly said of Gilman. “He’s on the ball; he’s somebody that can play the ball in the air. He’s a guy that will get his hands on the ball.”

head coach Kevin Corrigan said of Kraus. “I coached his uncle and I played with his father, so I’ve known the Kraus family for a long time, and I’m a dumbass because he’s not on our team right now, because that kid can play. I hate that we have to play against him for two more years.”

Though Gleason and Costabile would score two goals to give the Irish a 6-4 halftime advantage, the Cavaliers would climb back yet again with three consecutive goals, taking their first lead of the game into the fourth quarter.

But in the fourth quarter, the Irish defense stood its ground once again, holding

the Cavaliers scoreless over the game’s final 15 minutes. And senior attack Mikey Wynne took care of the rest, scoring his third and fourth goals of the game — the fourth of which pushed him into fifth place on the school’s all-time goals leaderboard — to give Notre Dame a lead it would not relinquish. Wynne said the go-ahead score was the result of his strong relationship with junior attack Ryder Garnsey, with whom he executed the two-man game perfectly.

“Ryder wanted a pick at [goalline extended], and he just kind of gave me a look, and I was like ‘Alright, he’s definitely going to say something,’” Wynne said

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Offense On offense, all eyes will be on Wimbush and junior Ian Book, as the two look to win the starting quarterback job.

But beyond the quarterbacks,

11

the skill positions — running backs, wide receivers and tight ends — will see significant changes as well.

At wide receiver, Boykin has emerged as a consistent target, and Kelly said he hopes others can step up to Boykin’s level. “[Miles] is playing with a lot of confidence,” Kelly said. “With [Equanimeous St. Brown] moving on, he has that opportunity to really shine. And he’s had three good practices.

“I think everybody else is in that process of developing to that next level — [junior] Chase Claypool, [senior] Chris Finke, [sophomore] Michael Young.

[Junior] Javon McKinley’s going to have to step up now and show, ‘Count on me in this spring.’ And as you know, we have a host of young freshmen that are going to get a chance to

come in and compete for playing time.”

The Irish offense could also see some old faces in new positions as Kelly and his coaching staff experiment with their personnel. Two changes Kelly has made to this point include testing out sophomore Avery Davis at both quarterback and running back and sophomore Jafar Armstrong at both wide receiver and running back.

The Irish had just three scholarship running backs on the roster ending the year after Deon McIntosh and C.J. Holmes were dismissed from the program. Junior wide receiver Mick Assaf already switched positions to running back in response to that need.

of the go-ahead goal. “So I ran over, and as I was running by … he said, ‘[goal-line extended, goal-line extended],’ so I kind of knew what he was talking about. I looped back around, set the [goal-line] pick, he came off hard and then I kind of went to the backside, and he had a beautiful look to me.”

Over the game’s final minute, the Cavaliers desperately tried to even the score, but senior longstick midfielder John Sexton twice took the ball away from his matchup with stick checks to jar the ball loose and secure the 9-7 victory for Notre Dame.

Sexton was an All-American last season, but an injury caused him to miss valuable time in the preseason and he’s been slow to make the same impact he did last year. But Corrigan said Sexton showed he’s back to being “game ready” against the Cavaliers.

“He wasn’t ready a month ago, but he’s there now,” Corrigan said. “Obviously, he’s an awfully big player for us, so it’s good to see him make some plays tonight.”

Now, as the Irish prepare for a midweek matchup with Michigan, they will do so coming off two consecutive ranked

wins. And because of that, the Irish have a lot of confidence with where they are as a team at this point in the season, though they also concede that they are not where they want to be come the end of the season either.

“This is one of those games [where] it wasn’t pretty, it was just gritty,” Corrigan said of the win over Virginia on Saturday.

“We needed one of those. The last two weekends, we’ve played really, really good lacrosse. We didn’t play that well tonight, but we played really gritty, so it’s nice to know we can do both of those things. We can play pretty and we can play gritty, and that’s a good place to be.”

“It feels awesome,” Costabile said of the team’s mindset going forward. “I’m really, really looking forward to the rest of the season, where I think we’re getting better every week. And if we continue to get better, we’re definitely going to make it to championship weekend in May.” The Irish will next take the field Wednesday against Michigan at Arlotta Stadium.

Opening faceoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Contact Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@nd.edu

Contact Ben Padanilam at bpadanil@nd.edu

CHRIS COLLINS | The Observer

Irish senior midfielder John Travisano Jr. controls the ball during Notre Dame’s 11-7 win over Richmond on Feb. 24 at Arlotta Stadium.

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The observer | wednesday, march 21, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

baseball | NIU 5, nd 3

FOOTBALL

Kelly discusses Wimbush, Boykin, position changes

Notre Dame falls in home opener

By MAREK MAZUREK

By ALEX BENDER

Senior Sports Writer

Sports Writer

The spring season marches on.

Notre Dame held its first practice coming back from spring break, and Irish head coach Brian Kelly said his veteran group looks “clean” in the first few practices.

“You see it in [senior quarterback Brandon] Wimbush and [senior wide receiver] Miles [Boykin] — they’re going to connect on some big plays this year.

You see it in [graduate student center] Sam Mustipher — his experience out there, controls things from the snap and his recognition up front,” Kelly said. “I don’t think you see it in a transformational sense, but you see it in smaller areas that look to be really clean.”

After waiting for over a month to play their home opener, Notre Dame left Frank Eck Stadium disappointed Tuesday night, losing to Northern Illinois by a score of 5-3. With the loss, the Irish have now lost three straight and eight of their last ten games.

For both teams, the game started off relatively quiet at the plate — both starting pitchers came ready early on. For Notre Dame (8-11, 2-4 ACC), sophomore right-hander Zack Martin was firing in the first few innings, getting through the first four frames with just one hit allowed and no runs scored. At the plate, the Irish stranded a pair of runners in scoring position on base in the second inning, but they made good on their opportunity in the third when a wild pitch allowed freshman third baseman Jared Miller to score and give the Irish the early lead.

In the fifth inning, however, Martin finally cracked, as he

Defense The Irish return nine starters from last year’s defense, but there are still changes to be made. see FOOTBALL PAGE 11

CHRIS COLLINS | The Observer

Irish senior wide receiver Miles Boykin darts right during Notre Dame’s 21-17 victory over LSU at the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1.

men’s lacrosse | nd 11, denver 9; nd 9, virginia 7

ND picks up two top-10 victories

By BEN PADANILAM Sports Editor

Entering spring break, No. 4 Notre Dame was coming off its first loss of the season to No. 2 Maryland.

By the end, the Irish (4-1, 1-0 ACC) had themselves a twogame win streak against top-10 opponents.

Notre Dame started its spring break action off with a matchup against No. 5 Denver on March 10 at Arlotta Stadium. Coming into the contest on the heels of a loss in its previous game, Corrigan said in an interview with The Observer that the team would need more production from the duo of sophomore midfielder Bryan Costabile and junior attack Brendan Gleason, who were held pointless in the 12-10 loss to the Terrapins (6-1, 0-0 Big Ten).

And the Irish got just that from the duo against the Pioneers (52, 0-0 Big East). Costabile and Gleason combined for three goals in the first quarter, as the Irish jumped out to an early

6-1 lead heading into the second. Gleason would score three more goals the rest of the way to give him four on the day, and Costabile would add another goal late in the game to complete his own hat trick and bring an end to the Pioneers’ comeback effort, sealing the 11-9 victory for the Irish. The defense also had arguably its best effort of the season to that point, becoming the first team to hold the Pioneers to less than 10 goals in a game this season.

A week later in their matchup with No. 9 Virginia, the Irish would follow the same formula: jump out to a quick start and put forth a strong defensive effort. In the first five minutes of action, the Irish stormed to a 4-0 lead.

“We were trying to come out the gates really hot,” Costabile said of the team’s start against the Cavaliers (6-2, 0-2 ACC). “We know that we came out [against] Denver and we were just putting it to them right then, and it kind see M LAX PAGE 11

gave up a walk and single to start the inning. The Huskies (5-14, 0-0 MAC) capitalized, bunting over the runners before an RBI single and a sacrifice fly knocked both of those runners in and gave them a 2-1 lead over the Irish. Notre Dame responded in the bottom of the frame. Senior left fielder Jake Johnson got on base with a single and came around to score on a double by junior shortstop Cole Daily, as NIU committed an error and allowed Johnson to come all the way home from first to tie things up, 2-2.

In the sixth inning, the Irish were not as fortunate.

Sophomore right-hander An­ drew Belcik came in to relieve Martin, making his team-high 11th appearance for Irish on the mound. And the Huskies got to him quickly, getting three straight singles to left field and reclaiming the lead.

With two outs, Belcik gave up a two-run double, and the Irish found themselves down 5-2.

Afterwards, Irish head coach see BASEBALL PAGE 10

fencing | midwest regional championship

Irish earn six medals

By CHARLOTTE EDMONDS Associate Sports Editor

Notre Dame had another dominant performance at the Midwest Regional championship in Cleveland on March 10, earning the maximum number of qualifications a team can achieve for the NCAA championships Thursday.

Coming off the ACC championships — where both the men and women finished in

second place in team competition, though the women swept the individual event titles and the men took home individual sabre and foil titles — the defending national champions proved they’re every bit prepared for the the national stage, as the team earned six top-three finishes, including two gold medals.

On the women’s side, four fencers earned medals, with junior foilist Sabrina

Massialas and junior epeeist Amanda Sirico earning regional champion honors.

Junior foilist Elyssa Kleiner and junior sabreuse Tara Hassett finished second in their respective events. In addition to the four medal earners, senior sabreuse Francesca Russo took home fourth place, while the Irish also saw fifth and sixth place finishes from see FENCING PAGE 10

nd swimming | ncaa championships

Squads compete in NCAAs

By CHARLOTTE EDMONDS Associate Sports Editor

Notre Dame’s women’s team concluded its season this past weekend at the NCAA championships in Columbus, Ohio.

The championships began Wednesday at Ohio State’s McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.

The 800-yard freestyle relay fell short of scoring points with a 23rd place finish, as sophomores Abbie Dolan

and Lauren Heller, junior Kyra Sarazen and freshman Skylar Fore recorded a time of 7:05.71.

Dolan and Heller returned Thursday to join freshman Carly Quast and junior Sofia Revilak for the 200-yard freestyle relay. Their school-record-setting time of 1:28.81 earned them 18th place in the preliminary round, narrowly missing a position in the finals. The day continued

with freshman Lindsay Stone competing in the prelims of the 500-yard freestyle, an event she set the program record for earlier this season.

Her 52nd-place finish was approximately three seconds slower than her personal-best time of 4:42.85. After a short break from the 200-yard freestyle relay, Dolan and Quast returned to the water to race see SWIMMING PAGE 10