Print Edition for The Observer for Friday, April 12, 2024

Tri-campus hosts ‘Take Back the Night’

Community members march from Saint Mary’s towards the Grotto to protest sexual violence

By ELIZABETH BURT News Writer

Students of all grades, colleges and Wednesday afternoon and evening, students and faculty members of the tri-campus community joined together on Marian Island at Saint Mary’s College to kick off the annual “Take Back the Night” event.

Students handed out “Believe Survivors” tote bags, signed the annual “Take Back the Night” sign and made posters.

Part of an international movement which dates

back to 1976, “Take Back the Night” aims to give survivors of sexual violence a place to share their stories with each other and fight back against perpetrators of sexual violence.

This year’s activities included a march from Saint Mary’s Marian Island to the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, where SMC students met up with students from Holy Cross College and Notre Dame for a prayer service.

While marching across campus, students held signs with different sayings including “Intoxication does

not = Yes, NO means NO” and “Sexual Assault isn’t a Game, Bodies aren’t Points, There is no High Score.”

Many upperclassmen from the tri-campus community have been a part of “Take Back the Night” for many years, including Saint Mary’s senior Madeleine Winston who opened up the night with a speech at the Grotto. Notre Dame students Chloe Lestitian, Sylvia Garcia and Mia Moran led the gathered community in readings from the Quran, a Hebrew song and a list of intercessions gathered by student leaders. After each

South Shore Line resumes full service, ends busing

By GABRIELLE BEECHERT Assistant Managing Editor Emeritus

After more than two years of construction, the South Shore Line announced on April 9 that all railway tracks are fully operational, bringing an end to the temporary busing between Gary Metro Center and Dune Park.

The South Shore Line — a commuter rail service run by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) — operates between Millennium Station in Chicago and South Bend

Airport. Because of the South Shore Line’s proximity to campus, many Notre Dame students use the line when they need to travel to Chicago.

“Right now, we are very pleased with how things have gone. All parties involved are pleased with it, and at this point it is looking on time and in budget,” David Wellman, the communications manager for the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (NIRDA), said.

Construction on the tracks began in late 2021, and the busing between stations

began in February, 2022. The construction is part of a 20year strategic business plan put together by the NICTD and the NIRDA. Part of the plan was to transform the single track portion of the railway between Michigan City and Gary into a continuous double track. According to the South Shore Line’s website, this will allow for the line to add 14 weekday trains for more frequent service, reduced delays and improved travel times.

Senate fills positions for end of term, next year

By PETER MCKENNA

With the 2024-2025 senators officially in office, much of Wednesday’s senate meeting focused on the transition to next term.

intercession, those gathered were asked to say, “Let us believe so that hope is not extinguished.”

Winston emphasized the importance of the event for her.

“‘Take Back the Night’ is really a night where individuals who are survivors of sexual violence, intimate violence and stalking have the ability to really speak about their experiences without the impact of having to justify what happened to them,” she said.

Winston wrote on her “Believe Survivors” bag, “It’s not my shame because it

was never my choice to hurt someone else,” a phrase she said helped her remind herself that she wasn’t the one who decided to hurt another person.

The group then marched to the Dahnke Ballroom for the “Survivor Speak Out” event, chanting “Shut out the darkness, shine your light” among other phrases.

The “Survivor Speak Out” event allows survivors to share their stories in a safe space, free from mandated reporting, surrounded by fellow survivors and allies.

Fire breaks out in O’Neill Hall

Observer Staff Report

Brooke spoke out in support of Musgrave, saying, “I actually nominated Thomas, so clearly, I have great confidence in his ability to do a very good job of interpreting the constitution and advising the senate.”

Koryn Isa, who served with Musgrave on judicial council,

The senate passed a resolution to elect Thomas Musgrave as student union parliamentarian, taking over Hunter Brooke’s position, for the 2024-2025 term.

also attested to his competence. “Thomas has taken the initiative in a lot of things, which I think is fortunate as a parliamentarian to continue to be proactive,” Isa said. “He has definitely been the most engaged, involved vice president of peer advocacy that I have had, and I

Several emergency alert phone calls informed campus Thursday evening of a fire at “insert location,” an apparent failure of the NDAlert system. The fire broke out on the ‘B’ side of the second floor of O’Neill Hall, and residents were evacuated as firefighters entered the building and could be seen searching rooms.

Students were alerted of

the fire via text message, email and phone calls around 10:13 p.m. Nine minutes later, students received texts informing them the fire was out.

An Instagram story announcement on the University’s official page clarified the incident. The announcement said, “While there was a minor fire at [O’Neill Family Hall], the incident was quickly extinguished. There

LIAM KELLY | The Observer

Firetrucks flooded to O’Neill FamilyHall Thursday night after a fire broke out on the second floor. No injuries were reported.

An article in Wednesday’s paper incorrectly referred to Swiss ambassador to the United States Jacques Pitteloud as the former Swiss ambassador to the United States. The Observer regrets this mistake.

Leanne Bujalski fifth-year Pasquerilla East Hall

DAYS: What University policy would you change or abolish?

Want your event included here?

Monday

“Do you Really Want to Live Forever?” Room 104, Bond Hall 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Science fiction writer

Ted Chiang visits.

Teams develop solutions to everyday problems.

Children’s Choir sings Church of Our Lady Loretto, Saint Mary’s 4:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Childern singing.

Tuesday

Irish Famine talk

1050 Jenkins Hall 3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Tyler Anbinder discusses his new book.

Baseball Frank Eck Stadium

6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Notre Dame take on the Valparaiso Beacons. SOFIA

were no injuries. A small group of residents will be temporarily relocated.”

Sophomore O’Neill Hall resident Travers Mason said he was walking through the hallway after grabbing his coat to go outside when he saw smoke coming from a dorm room.

“There was smoke leaking from above and below the door,” Mason said. “It looked like smoke. You could smell it. It looked like the color of crude oil, like a black smoke.”

As students stood outside of O’Neill Family Hall, a fire department official reminded students of the fire alarm’s importance.

“These fire alarms are serious. Tonight proves that,” he told residents. “When the fire alarm goes off in the building, you leave whether you think it’s safe or not.”

With a cascade of fire trucks still present, many residents moved en masse to the Huddle while awaiting reentry to the building, while a small crowd of students in neighboring dorms came out to observe the chaos. O’Neill Hall rector Fr. Mike Ryan declined to

Bishop discusses vocations, law

By ASHLEIGH LOBO News Writer

The “overarching vocation that we all share is to be a saint,” Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois stated during a lecture to Notre Dame law students Thursday afternoon in the Eck Hall of Law.

Paprocki explored various topics including marriage, education, leadership and the connection between law, love and theology. Above all, Paprocki focused on the concept of vocation, urging individuals to ask, “What is God calling me to do with my life?” rather than focusing on personal desires.

Paprocki was ordained to the priesthood at Saint Mary of the Lake Church in the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1978. Driven by this desire to assist those in need, he made the decision to pursue a law degree so he could provide legal aid to the poor.

Paprocki’s first acceptance to law school came from Notre Dame Law School. While Paprocki was eager to attend Notre Dame, he ultimately decided to decline the admission offer, as he

was assigned to be a priest at St. Michael’s Parish in South Chicago at the time. He chose to instead enroll at DePaul College of Law, believing that this was where “God wanted [him] to be.”

Paprocki emphasized “vocation often requires sacrifice” even if “you want to do something as much as I wanted to go to law school” at Notre Dame.

With his law degree, Paprocki co-founded a legal clinic dedicated to serving the poor while continuing to fulfill his duties as a parish priest. In 2013, he earned an MBA degree from Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business through the “Executive Education” program.

Paprocki argued being a lawyer is not necessarily a vocation but rather a profession, insisting a “vocation is [a] task to get to heaven.”

Ultimately, Paprocki stated the purpose of vocation “is to be with God in heaven and share in God’s love.”

Editor’s Note: A longer version of this article can be read at ndsmcobserver.com Contact Ashleigh Lobo at alobo@nd.edu

Economics and the Good Society

SMC shows ‘Anne of Green Gables’

By AYNSLEE DELLACCA Saint Mary’s News Editor

The Saint Mary’s College program in theater will present their spring musical, “Anne of Green Gables,” this weekend April 12-14. The musical will be directed by SMC alum Eva Cavadini ‘12 and tickets are free to tri-campus students. The Friday and Saturday show will begin at 7:30 p.m., while the Sunday show will begin at 2:30 p.m..

Originally a book, “Anne of Green Gables” follows the story of a young, orphaned girl named Anne who was mistakenly sent to middle-aged siblings Marilla and Mathew Cuthbert on their family farm, named Green Gables.

Sophomore Delaney Nold will play Anne, in her second lead role in a Saint Mary’s theater production. She stated she felt “humbled” by earning her role as Anne and is grateful to be a part of a story that holds much sentimental value to her.

“When I auditioned, it wasn’t necessarily that I only wanted to be a certain role. It was just the fact that I just was so in love with … Anne of Green Gables. I grew up reading the book and watching the film series with my grandma at sleepovers and everything like that, so it has a lot of sentimental value to me,” Nold said.

theater productions since fifth grade. Tudor said she felt delighted to earn the role of Gilbert and challenge herself in playing a male character.

“[Gilbert’s] just a teenage boy. He has a lot of energy. But it was really difficult for a little bit to try to figure out what guys do,” Tudor said. “I had to really think for a second, but I think I get to embrace some of my femininity, but also mix it in with Gilbert … just trying to embrace or experiment with male mannerisms has been fun.”

President Conboy will also make a guest appearance in the musical during the Saturday and Sunday performances.

Junior nursing major Fionnuala “Fi” Criswall-Carder served as the stage manager for this production.

“A stage manager is basically the advocate for your actors and the advocate for directors to actors,” Criswall-Carder said. “Obviously, they can both do both jobs, and they’re very capable of doing so. But it’s just helpful, which is one of the reasons why I really like stage management, because it reminds me a lot of being a nurse, which is a combination of my two passions.”

Senior Julia Zusi, the music director for the musical, helped Nold portray Anne’s character through song as well, which has helped bring her role to life.

“[Anne’s] a very important figure and a literary icon, and I think that she’s very human. So getting to connect with the audience in that way and having just a moment for them to just look at Anne and to hear the story through song, I think is really beautiful,” Nold said.

Senior Natalie Biegel will play Anne’s caregiver and motherfigure, Marilla Cuthbert. As a theater and sociology major, she plans to pursue a career in theater education, lighting, design or performance after graduation.

Biegel has participated in theater since the age of six and in the College’s theater program in various ways since 2020. She stated playing Marilla in the production, while meaningful, isn’t what was most important to her.

“It’s not about the size of [the role], it’s about the impact that the theater department has had on me, and I think that’s much more special than the role that I’m playing. Of course, I love being involved and I love the role that I am playing, but the show and the community and the personal growth are much more important to me than the role,” Biegel said.

Freshman Grace Tudor will play Anne’s love interest, Gilbert this weekend. Tudor is a nursing major and has participated in

Criswall-Carder said she enjoys not only the organization and creation aspects of acting as stage manager, but also the tightknit community formed during such a short period of time. She remembered one of her favorite moments from rehearsal she believes sums up her love for the theater community.

“We had a messed up cue a couple of days ago, when we were figuring them out, and the whole cast just kind of erupted into laughter,” Criswall-Carder recounted. “Everyone was tired and it was just this wonderful bonding moment that was really cute.”

Beigel said her favorite moments within the musical is one of the last. As her character, Marilla, looks out to her family’s farm and says goodbye, Beigel said she thinks of the moment as herself saying goodbye to the Saint Mary’s theater community.

“I think about it every time I go on stage, and I’m like, ‘Wow, this is really special that I have gotten to experience so much as a performer here in just four short years,’” Biegel said.

Criswall-Carder encourages everyone to come and watch the show and support the students who participated in the production.

“I’m very, very proud of everyone; they’re amazing. My cast is amazing, my crew is amazing, my directors are amazing, my designers are amazing, truthfully.

[...] So please come see all their hard work,” Criswall-Carder said.

South Shore

“It’s really been an all hands on deck project. We‘ve been proud to lead this, but we have a bunch of great partners. We’re going to be seeing the fruits of these projects in terms of economic development it will bring probably very soon,” Wellman said.

Upon the completion of this project, Wellman said he does not anticipate any more track construction that would shut down the railway between South Bend and Chicago in the foreseeable future.

Although this marks the conclusion of the construction, for many tri-campus students, the construction over the past few years has proven cumbersome for traveling to and from the city.

“It’s literally the most inconvenient thing ever,” senior Ashley Cho said.

Cho takes the South Shore Line every time she flies home to Los Angeles. Because there are no direct flights that leave from South Bend International Airport, she flies out of Chicago whenever she travels home.

“Unless you’re from one of those hubs that fly in and out of South Bend, it’s so hard for flights,” Cho said. “There is no reason for a train to take three

and a half hours.”

Senior Roman Fresquez most recently took the South Shore Line over spring break. After returning from spring break in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Fresquez and his friends spent the day in Chicago to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The group took the South Shore Line back to South Bend.

“The flight from Mexico to Chicago felt shorter than the ride from Chicago to South Bend,” Fresquez said.

As seniors, both Cho and Fresquez won’t be able to capitalize on the return to the fully operational service for much longer as students. However, Cho said she’s looking forward to using the fully operational service when she returns for game days as a graduate. Fresquez, on the other hand, recognizes how younger students and other commuters will benefit from the finished construction.

“I’m unhappy that I’m leaving and I don’t get to experience it, but I guess I’m happy for everybody who gets to who doesn’t need to take the bus anymore,” Fresquez said. Contact

THE NIEMEYER LECTURES IN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

Night

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Recently appointed Saint Mary’s BAVO coordinator, Alexa Zapata, joined students throughout the night. As one of the confidential resources at Saint Mary’s, she said she wanted to be there to “put names and faces out there for people that need help.”

Zapata also said she wants “people to feel heard and recognized if they’re going through something, have gone through something, or know of anyone that has gone through something … [so] that they don’t feel alone, that they have a place to go.”

Also present were student leaders from throughout the tri-campus community, including Holy Cross College student government association president Joseph Stokes, Saint Mary’s student government association director for external affairs, Katie Theriault and Notre Dame student body president Dawson Kiser.

Contact Elizabeth Burt at eburt01@saintmarys.edu

You Can’t Fool Rules:

Opera and International Thought

A trio of lectures on the surprising connections between opera and international thought by DAVID ARMITAGE, the Lloyd C. Blankfein Professor of History at Harvard University.

Diplomatic Mozart

April 10 — 3:30 p.m.

Smith Ballroom, Morris Inn

Commentators:

Jennifer Pitts, University of Chicago, Department of Political Science

Pierpaolo Polzonetti, University of California, Davis, Department of Music

Featuring a performance by bass-baritone Ian Williams with Dror Baitel, pianist

Death at Sea: Wagner to Klinghoffer

April 11 — 3:30 p.m.

Smith Ballroom, Morris Inn

Commentators:

Eric Nelson, Harvard University, Department of Government

Christopher Chowrimootoo, University of Notre Dame, Program of Liberal Studies and Department of Music

Featuring a performance by soprano

Deborah Mayer with Dror Baitel, pianist

Senate

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

personally appreciate that.”

The senate also passed a resolution to elect Luke Monson as judicial council vice president of elections for the 20242025 term.

Because student body president Dawson Kiser had to resign from his position as vice president of junior class council, Sabrina Takagishi was elected as junior class vice president for the remainder of the 2023-2024 term. Takagishi was nominated by Rose Nguyen. As a part of their constitutional duty, the senators submitted their preferences on which cabinet department they would like to serve on for the 2024-2025 term.

Student body vice president Maeve Miller announced that the senate’s internal election would take place next week and outlined an opportunity to serve on the Campus Life Council next year. The council was revived last year and makes policy recommendations to the vice president of student affairs.

“It is a vital part of how the student union works, especially with the Division of Student Affairs and Fr. Gerry Olinger,” Miller said.

Musgrave then detailed the duties of those wishing to serve on the committee for the constitution.

“It’ll be looking at how we can make the student union more effective, efficient and consistent through the constitution,” he said.

Contact Peter McKenna at pmckenn2@nd.edu

Refugee Songs

April 12 — 12:30 p.m

Smith Ballroom, Morris Inn

Commentators:

Mira Siegelberg, University of Cambridge, Faculty of History

Martha C. Nussbaum, University of Chicago, Department of Philosophy and Law School

Featuring a performance by soprano Anne Slovin with Dror Baitel, pianist

politicalscience.nd.edu/niemeyer

Getting over Mary Jane

That is something I only learned 27 days ago.

Repercussions of Mary Jane

Excuses for a slow Holy Half

the motivation to run fell faster than Twitter’s advertisers after it became X.

It has been 27 days since I told Mary Jane I was done with her, and it has been a grueling month. Change is hard. Healing is hard. But that is why it’s so rewarding.

Some people can handle a girl like Mary Jane in their lives and be just fine (and some people like to excuse Mary Jane by saying that her friend Lexi Hall is worse), but the humbling lesson I have had to learn is that I can’t.

Time has shown me that I simply liked her too much. I was obsessed with her. She was always on my mind when I wasn’t with her, and she even made me think that I needed her to be my best self.

But nothing could be further from the truth.

Mary Jane had a unique way of sneaking into parts of my life and taking over everything.

That first summer that she moved in with me, I liked nothing better than to hike up to Goat Hill Overlook near my house with my two pups and Mary Jane, enjoying the vibes of it all. Looking over the Delaware River, it felt like I was looking at a massive, real-life painting.

But soon Mary Jane would insist that I leave the dogs behind — they were too much work to handle, and they took away from our special moment. And soon, she convinced me not to bother with the hike at all. I could enjoy her company from the comforts of my home balcony.

She also convinced me that, without her, I couldn’t possibly be creative. This is probably just a product of how she made me feel when I was with her: the excited racing thoughts which I would record in my notebooks while hanging out with her contrasting with the feeling of lonely despair leaving me shriveled up in bed when I was left alone.

Soon my career aspirations began to fade into a small collection of ideas which might allow me to indulge in my relationship with her. I went from wanting to change the world as an energetic freshman to wondering how I would ever move out of my parent’s house.

I began, even, to regret coming to Notre Dame. It was all too hard to juggle. Mary Jane had me thinking that an educated life was probably not for me.

When I realized I was hanging out with her too much, which was probably sometime in the spring of last year, I began making rules for myself.

What if I only see her on weekends? It sounded like a good plan at the time, but eventually the weekends began to include Thursdays. And soon enough, I needed to see her on a Tuesday night when I turned in a late essay, simply to reward myself for completing it.

Moderation of Mary Jane, for me, simply wouldn’t work. It always ended up in a desperate descent into daily indulgence. And excuses to get back together with her were just that — excuses.

Had it not been for the backlash of seeing her so much, I don’t know if I would have ever stepped away from Mary Jane.

My parents were the first to tell me, very early on, that Mary Jane was bad news. My mom thought she smelled bad. My dad thought she was stealing my ambition. They never liked seeing me with her, but I had become an adult, so there wasn’t much they could do about it.

The final straw was my University.

Notre Dame doesn’t allow its students to have people of the opposite sex in their dorms after midnight on weekdays, but Mary Jane is an exception — she’s never allowed. And when the Conway Hall cleaning lady found her bag in my London flat, reporting it to the rector, Notre Dame treated the issue very seriously.

If I was seen with her again, I was sure to be suspended, and I’m lucky I wasn’t on the first strike.

But even a run-in with the Office of Community Standards wasn’t enough to make me change. No: change must come from within.

After Mary Jane enticed me in moments of weakness back to her glass lips a few times too many, I finally blocked her completely.

As I have said, it hasn’t been easy, and I am not writing so publicly to announce that my journey has reached its end — it never will. I don’t think I’ll ever forget Mary Jane.

The negative thoughts that arrive in my mind at the absence of her companionship have been overwhelming at times, leading me to think that perhaps it would just be easier to see her again. And I would be lying to deny that there have been many times I have strongly considered giving her a call in the past month.

I’m lucky to have extensive resources in my own journey, whether its the McWell Center for Student Well-Being and the University Counseling Center at Notre Dame, or simply my uncle who, because of his own divorce with Lexi Hall ten years ago, has helped advise me in my own process of change.

When the cravings for Mary Jane get brutal, I go to Youtube to hear similar stories from others. I find that it helps me feel less alone.

“Addiction,” one commenter said, “is giving up everything for one thing. Recovery is giving up one thing for everything.”

The change had to come from within, but the help was critical.

Clichés like ‘one day at a time’ became my friend.

And one day at a time, I have begun to feel stronger, more hopeful and less desperate for Mary Jane’s electric charm.

You can contact Liam at lprice3@nd.edu.

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

The Holy Half is coming up! Although this is an opportunity for some to show off how hard they’ve been training, others may face the shame of a slower-than-expected time. Maybe you’ve been training for months, hyping up how fast you were getting only to fall short on race day. Or perhaps you haven’t been training at all, and every time you say you’re going for a run you secretly sneak off to Taco Bell. Either way, when you finish the race at a time you’re not proud of, you’re gonna need an excuse to save face. These can be hard to come up with at the spur of the moment, so I have prepared some options that I think could be believable.

1. You’re a method actor who is playing a character with a limp in an upcoming role. Playing a character with a limp is no small undertaking. It requires extreme dedication that only a few possess. For years, you have dreamed of becoming one of the great method actors, the likes of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino or Hilary Swank. You know that if you can nail a limp, this role will be the springboard for your future Hollywood career. The only problem is that it’s hard to run fast with a limp. But, method acting is all about sacrifice.

2. You were busy analyzing stock charts.

Why would you spend the race chasing down runners when you could be chasing alpha? Although staring at Yahoo Finance on your iPhone the entire race may have slowed you down, it will all be worth it when the markets open Monday morning. Everyone has to respect the finance grind, and if they don’t, they’re probably an Arts and Letters student entering a lowpaying job.

3. The mannequin challenge. It just so happened that every speaker you ran by was playing Black Beatles by Rae Sremmurd, forcing you to do the Mannequin Challenge at every turn. The song is nearly five minutes long, and after hearing it nine times, you have tacked on an extra 45 minutes to your time that someone less dedicated to 2016 internet challenges could have avoided.

4. All the prize money was given to charity.

Once you realized the money they collected was donated to charity and not given to the winner, you lost interest. You were hoping to use the winnings to buy a life-size Elon Musk wax figure you’ve had your eyes on for a while now. But ever since you found out you weren’t going to get your hands on any of the $50,000 that will be going to South Bend charities,

5. You were still wearing your solar eclipse glasses.

You put them on last Monday to see the eclipse without going blind, but you kept them on for the stylistic appeal. However, they do make it hard to see, and you tripped over several rocks and ran off the route far too many times to be able to keep up a fast pace.

6. You got trapped inside the porta-potty.

You went in for a quick stop at the porta-potty, but when you tried to leave you discovered the lock was stuck. Only after fifteen minutes of prying at the lock did it finally come unstuck. But at that point, you had fallen too far behind.

7. You didn’t want to have to shower.

It’s looking like Saturday is going to be pretty hot. The faster you run, the more you are going to sweat. Unless you want to stink worse than male computer science majors, you’re gonna need to shower. But if you convince your friends that Indiana is experiencing a drought and you don’t want to waste water, then you go from a slow runner to a sustainability hero.

8. You drank no water all day and ate an entire container of fettuccine alfredo right before the race.

This Holy Half you wanted to do more than raise money for South Bend charities, so you decided to raise awareness for rabies during your run. In solidarity with those with rabies, you refused to drink any water. Additionally, you didn’t realize that carb loading was supposed to be the night before, and the fettuccine alfredo sat heavy in your stomach. Although it was difficult and borderline dangerous, you could not let rabies win.

9. You had to stop and spit on Carroll Hall.

If someone in Carroll has wronged you, this is your chance to get back at them and explain your less-thanspeedy time. Perhaps one of them hit you with his bike or was rude at Carroll Christmas, or maybe you just dislike the dorm in general. No matter the reason, you had to defend your honor against the Vermin even if it came at the cost of a fast time.

Allison Abplanalp is a sophomore finance and accounting major. If she could change one thing about the English language, she would make “a lot” one word. Her least favorite month is March because every year, she is devastated when she fails to pick the perfect March Madness bracket.

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

Allison Abplanalp Under Further Scrutiny

Asking the question: is it over for me?

On Monday, a friend of mine was telling me about his eclipse experience. He did not want to watch it from South Quad, so he drove an hour to a forest with a few friends for a better experience. He explained that at the peak of the eclipse when the forest was completely dark, the animals went haywire. It made sense why they would, but I had not thought about how the animals would have reacted to the eclipse.

I tried to think about how the experience would be as a squirrel in the forest. Maybe I’d leave my hole to fetch some nuts for my family (I don’t know anything about squirrels). A beautiful, sunny day is suddenly overcome by darkness. Then, in my darkest hour, with a mouth full of nuts, I would ask myself: “Is it over for me?” In a fit of existential dread, I would start running aimlessly and, eventually, be unable to find my way back to my children to feed them.

“Is it over for me?” is a question I have either asked or been asked every week this semester. The question is simple, but also deeply saddening.

posting were not conventionally attractive, so all of the comments would say “Bro is one of us” or “It’s over for you,” which meant they considered the person in the video to be both unattractive and lacking potential.

In my section, the question has evolved into a way to ask if you are in a zugzwang — the inescapable position in chess where, no matter which way you move, you will be checkmated.

Unfortunately, I, as well as many people in my circle, have been put into zugzwangs this semester.

One of my friends received a 55% on his corporate finance midterm and had to decide whether or not to drop the class. If he were to drop the class, he would have to switch his supplemental major to a minor. If he stuck with it, he risked failing the course or tanking his GPA.

Another one of my friends spent the past years waiting for a girl to give him a chance, and two weeks after they went on a date, she got back together with her ex-boyfriend. If he texted her to say his piece, she would cut him off for good.

I was put in the position this week where I had to choose to drop either my second major, study abroad program or summer internship.

“it’s over for me.” Usually, in these situations, we feel like we have to take some sort of action.

However, I learned that doing nothing is a valid course of action — no matter how stuck you feel.

My friend who messed up on the corporate finance exam was about to drop the class before I told him that the syllabus says you can replace your worst midterm with your final exam grade. We’re rooting for him.

My other friend stayed silent and let her be. She realized a month later that she wanted to see him again and messed up by getting back with her ex.

I did not drop any of the three, even though I felt like I had to. I got a sponsor for summer classes and worked out a schedule to take the courses in the summer that does not conflict with my internship.

If the squirrel had just waited for the conditions to change rather than running wild, it would have had no trouble making it back safely.

So, if you ever ask yourself “is it over for me?” — it most likely isn’t. Give yourself some time to think it over before you do anything crazy.

At first, the question was a reference to a TikTok “brain-rot” joke. People would post videos showcasing their faces and bodies with the caption: “Is it over for me?” Most of the time, the people

Sometimes circumstances force us to make decisions where we must sacrifice something. Sometimes we mess up so badly that we can’t even just “lock-in” to pass a class. Sometimes we think

Matt Baird, a proud native of Danville, California, is a sophomore majoring in English and finance. He enjoys walking, listening to music and humming. You can reach Matt at mbaird2@nd.edu.

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

Boycott the Grubhub robots

Over a year has passed since a fleet of 30 bright orange Grubhub robots suddenly appeared on Notre Dame’s campus. Although dodging their willful, preprogrammed paths and watching them wheels-up in the snow has become commonplace, it is worth reevaluating the impact of these machines on our community.

When the robots first wheeled out on their campaign to conquer campus, proponents of the new scheme heralded the “convenience” that students would now have. No longer would they have to trek to the dining halls or on-campus restaurants, but instead they could have food delivered straight to their door.

The Grubhub machines did not emerge in a vacuum, however. The robots were a “natural progression” from other Grubhub initiatives on campus, including the mobile app and kiosk ordering introduced in 2018, according to Adam Herbert, senior director of campus partnerships at Grubhub.

The Grubhub robots were part of a larger innovation in the way students buy and eat their food on campus. Campus Dining has deemphasized the dining halls by further pushing flashy, name-brand restaurants (or mediocre ones with smaller names) onto students. In the dining hall, kiosks have taken the place of a smile from the burger guy or the omelet woman. We spotted a mobile order $1.49 banana for pickup this week at Hagerty, with a trademark Grubhub slip taped on. With the advent of entirely contact-free restaurants like Gipper’s, we are barreling towards dystopia. Long, sit-down meals are discouraged, with speed being the ultimate goal. Interactions with food service employees are limited, and convenience takes priority over conversation.

Those who proclaim the benefits of the Grubhub robots and ordering system might point to the convenience of being able to pick up food without spending time waiting in line, as well as the ease of choosing

between a variety of restaurants.

These marginal benefits have been ordered in advance at a steep cost — leagues more than a bowl from Garbanzo Mediterranean.

For one, we’ve compromised the pedestrian nature of campus. When the University announced its ban on electric scooters in November, it argued “the proliferation of mechanized vehicles on campus is inconsistent with the pedestrian character of campus we have tried to preserve.” By this standard, why should we tolerate mechanized Grubhub robots terrorizing our walkways and not electric scooters?

Secondly, students are pressured into spending money unnecessarily. With the current annual total cost of attendance at Notre Dame exceeding $83,000, students are already spending enough money to be here. Although flex points in dining plans give students the flexibility to eat at on-campus restaurants for no extra charge, students often go through this money quickly, especially with inflated prices at oncampus restaurants. A cheesy bean and rice burrito at Taco Bell is $2.59, more than double the listed price on their website (especially painful when you return to your room and find that after this human-free encounter, it is something other than a cheesy bean and rice burrito).

The dining halls can serve as a great equalizer in the community, giving all students the opportunity to choose from the same set of options without the social pressure to spend money.

Perhaps most importantly, the Grubhub food apparatus encourages isolation amongst students. No longer are students encouraged to congregate with friends in the dining hall, but instead they are programmed to eat as quickly as possible, while talking to as few people as possible.

Having impromptu interactions with one’s peers is an invaluable part of the college experience. Eating a meal is about much more than wolfing down calories

before returning to your homework. It’s about setting down the worries of the day for a few moments to spend time with others and appreciate life. As the mural of the Last Supper on the wall of South Dining Hall reminds us, a shared meal is sacred.

Any benefits that the Grubhub kiosks and robots bring are surely marginal. Ordering through GrubHub is not always as efficient as picking up a meal yourself. If students see a long line at a restaurant, they might decide to take their business elsewhere. With no such disincentive in the app, orders pile up, leading to longer wait times.

Even if ordering ahead on Grubhub is occasionally faster and more convenient, the “grab and go” option at the dining hall already exists as an alternative for those in a rush.

Ultimately, the groups which benefit the most from this shift to Grubhub dining are the campus restaurants and Grubhub itself.

The University, in pursuing this system, has sought to create the most profitable experience for its partners and the most convenient system for its students without pausing to question whether it was creating the most fulfilling experience.

Notre Dame is not a hotel. It is not a business. It is a University and a community. Its ultimate goal is and always ought to be the academic, moral and social development of its students. It is long overdue that the University asked themselves if the Grubhub robots and kiosks help further this goal.

Until a change in policy occurs, we encourage students to speak with their wallets and refrain from ordering food via the Grubhub robots. Leave your dorm, take a break from your studies and meet some friends for dinner in the dining hall. If you are going to an on-campus restaurant, try to politely order from a real person and eat your meal with others. No, this might not always be the most convenient option, but in time, it will prove to be the most rewarding.

By ANDY OTTONE Scene Writer

If you think about it, there is a long history of American sitcoms about aliens. “My Favorite Martian,” “ALF,” “Mork & Mindy” and maybe most notably “3rd Rock from the Sun” all focus on the ways space aliens adjust to American society and the humans they endear themselves to. The subgenre has a surprisingly long history, and what might have been the best of them ended ten years ago this week.

On April 11, 2014, two families sat in a garage next to a spaceship talking about where they would end up going. They reference moving towns (and in a meta-joke, networks — they gave a hard no to ABC Family), but their ultimate fate is left unknown. A decade later, they’re still nowhere to be seen. ABC’s “The Neighbors” feels like a weird show, but on the surface it was really simple. To paraphrase the theme song used in the second season, the show focused on a family from outer space who settled in New Jersey and who lived in relative peace for ten years until a human family, the Weavers, moved next door. And all of the aliens have the names of famous athletes.

By JAYDEN ESPINOZA Scene Writer

When the show debuted in September 2012, I was only eight years old. Thinking back, it was most likely the first network show I watched as it came out. No show has stuck with me over the years in the same way “The Neighbors” has. I didn’t know who Dick Butkus, Larry Bird or Jackie JoynerKersee were beyond the names of the characters on the show. As a (young) adult I can appreciate how funny it is to name all of the aliens after famous pro-athletes. As a little kid, I didn’t even process that as a joke. That’s why I think the show stuck with me: I watched it when I was young, but now I’ve grown up. Would I still love it ten years later?

The short answer is “yes,” but you aren’t here for the short answer. For a sitcom, the episodes are nothing too bizarre once you consider the premise. “Alien family misunderstands human holidays,” “the aliens go to a mall” and “the humans meet the aliens’ wacky extended family” are all fairly standard plotlines for this type of show. However, the performances are what sell it. Undeniably, the show’s stars are Simon Templeman and Toks Olagundoye as Larry Bird and Jackie Joyner-Kersee, respectively, the parents of the alien family. Sure, the show focuses on the human family, the Weavers, but when I think about the show, they’re not who I

remember. I remember the aliens — obviously. Well, that’s not fully accurate. I remember one line: “Oh no, Dick fell in the well again.” Season 1, Episode 20, “Sing Like a Larry Bird” was a formative artistic experience for young me. I was already fully familiar with Broadway musicals before this. I had seen “Wicked,” I knew vaguely what “RENT” was, and who doesn’t know what “Annie” is? But I had never seen them made fun of. I had never seen Alan Menken, famed Disney and “Little Shop of Horrors” composer, dedicate himself to a musical parody episode of an ABC sitcom. And nothing could prepare me for “Galavant,” the spiritual sequel to “The Neighbors” (sharing an actor and Alan Menken’s music), but “Galavant” is a story for another day.

Is there a lot that makes this show different than a modern “3rd Rock”? Maybe not. But I have the philosophy that every piece of art is important to someone in the world. And to me, this show is art — important art, at that. I own the first season on DVD. I am still waiting for a continuation. For now, I’m going to give it another ten years. If the JoynerKersee-Birds could wait that long, maybe I can too. Contact Andy Ottone at aottone@nd.edu

WHY WE READ CELEBRITY MEMOIRS

Almost monthly, there seems to be a new announcement. Celebrities across the spectrum of relevancy are releasing their new tell-all autobiographies which offer never before seen insights into their lives. But what about celebrity autobiographies compels readers across the world to propel these potential cash grabs onto the New York Times Best Sellers list?

Is it because we legitimately care about the day to day lives of the lawyers from infamous trials and the actors from our favorite 90s sitcoms? Or is it because we’re so deeply invested in where public figures like Prince Harry have been since their (not so) private time away from the spotlight? Do we hope to open up page 79 and find a (not so) secret family recipe for making the perfect medium rare steak? Or does coverage on social media and by media

outlets continue to make characters out of real life people who might actually want to become more connected with other humans? In recent years, memoirs like Prince Harry’s “Spare” and Jennette McCurdy’s “I’m Glad my Mom Died” quickly flew off the shelves and into our hands as online personalities took their stories into their own hands and drew direct links to the characters people have come to make out of them.

There is, undoubtedly, room to say that the reason why these stories are even being shared, and the reason why we’re ordering their books at midnight on preorder day, is precisely because of their celebrity status — not in spite of it. Why wouldn’t we be interested in the gossip and details of the lives of people who’ve performed in front of our faces for as long as we’ve had a screen available to us?

This isn’t to bash the projects, some of which actually hold profound commentaries on the societal expectations on their personal identities or provide

tales of success and failure, offering their audience a chance to value the lives they live. In these stories, the celebrity authors show themselves, and a part of us in the process. They show the places that life will take you regardless of your origin. They show what might be made from nothing and how gaining success and privilege might not be the best end goal.

Consider this a cautionary tale of sorts, the next time you go to purchase a memoir online or at a local bookstore. (If you’d like to support a local bookstore, find one at indiebound.org/indie-store-finder.) Take a double look at that cover. What really draws you to their story?

In a time when celebrities are increasingly reclusive — showing themselves only to their fanbase on social media or in rare interviews, only on their own terms — who might we find on the page that doesn’t exist in real life? Contact Jayden

From South Bend to Fenway, Mike Monaco is becoming one of the next great sportscasters

By ANDREW McGUINNESS Senior Sports Writer

When Mike Monaco arrived on Notre Dame’s campus as a freshman in August of 2011, he knew he wanted to work in sports. He had a clear role model for the path he wanted to follow — but it was not Bob Costas or Al Michaels or any of the famous sports broadcasters he grew up listening to, nor the ones that he’s worked alongside of in his time on the mic.

“I went to Notre Dame thinking that I wanted to be a baseball general manager — [I] wanted to be the next Theo Epstein,” Monaco said. Epstein is an MLB executive and former president of the Chicago Cubs.

“Because of that, [I] went to Notre Dame intending to major in econ and started taking a bunch of courses on that track. But it was kind of freshman, sophomore year where I figured out that media/ journalism was more my interest,” said Monaco, now in his fifth year as a play-by-play announcer for ESPN.

Monaco’s talent for announcing didn’t come overnight. As a student, Monaco gained experience

broadcasting numerous sports for WVFI and Fighting Irish Media, taking advantage of every opportunity, from mock football broadcasts to calling fencing meets and everything in between.

“I would go solo and broadcast Notre Dame baseball games or Notre Dame hockey games or Notre Dame women’s basketball games on WVFI. At the time, as I’m sure it is now, everyone was wanting to do the football games and to a similar extent, men’s basketball, but the other sports not so much,” Monaco said. “So I was very fortunate that both SIDs [sports information directors] in the athletic department and people with WVFI sort of let me ... get experience that way.”

Broadcasting wasn’t the only path Monaco explored as a student. He joined The Observer almost immediately after arriving and stayed until the day he left, eventually serving as Sports Editor. Although it he ended up pursuing other paths professionally, Monaco said that his experience as a writer helped up become a better broadcaster, in addition to several professors and faculty members who improved his skills.

“My advisor was the now late Karen [Croake] Heisler, who was just amazing to me, and we lost her way too soon. But so many, so many students had a special relationship with her, and I count myself among those very lucky to be able to say [that]. Gary Sieber in JED [Journalism, Ethics and Democracy], taught me a ton ... and then Chris Becker. I would be hard-pressed to name a better teacher or professor that I’ve had anywhere in my education than Chris Becker,” Monaco said.

In an industry where most have to pay their dues for years and years, Monaco has risen quickly. At just 30 years old — although he jokingly referred to himself as an old man — Monaco has already broadcast the Little League World Series, the College World Series and the Stanley Cup Playoffs, among other high profile games and events. One of the most surreal, though, came when he stepped into a booth not too far from his hometown of Cohasset, Massachusetts.

“The first [game] that comes to mind ... was the first time I ever did Red Sox games, which was in September of 2019 for NESN, doing their TV broadcasts,” Monaco said.

“I filled in on two games at the end of that year, Red Sox vs. Orioles, and I got to work in a three-man booth with the late Jerry Remy and the Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley. That was the first, like, ‘I cannot believe I am sitting at Fenway Park between these two guys and talking about the team that I grew up rooting for’ [moment].”

This is one of the busiest times of the year for Monaco. He still fills in on Red Sox broadcasts on occasion, who have just started their season, and the Stanley Cup Playoffs and College World Series are fast approaching. The travel that comes with the job, especially working for a network as opposed to just a single team, can be demanding. The schedule isn’t for everyone. But the tradeoff is well worth it, Monaco said.

“I think the best part of it is you get to just be a sports fan,” he said. “As cliché as it sounds, [you] get to do something that does not feel like work and get to be a very tiny part of these amazing sports events. And then along with that, I love the team aspect of it and the camaraderie that you build with your teammates, whether that’s your on-air broadcast partners

or production people behind the scenes. [I’ve] made incredible, lifelong friends from that.”

Monaco has worked with some of the best in the business, from Remy and Eckersley with the Red Sox to Olympic gold medalist AJ Mleczko to former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III. When announcing, he maintains a mix of professionalism and composure, amplifying the excitement of big moments while making viewers feel like they’re part of a conversation between him and his partner.

Despite all Monaco’s already accomplished, there are still things yet to be checked off on his professional bucket list. Calling March Madness is one, although Monaco admitted recency bias may be influencing this goal. But given the success he’s had less than a decade after graduating, there’s no doubt that whatever the moment, Monaco can make the right call.

After walk-off win over Western Michigan, Notre Dame prepares to play Florida State

By CLAIRE WATSON Sports Writer

After a 3-2 win over Western Michigan on Tuesday, the Notre Dame softball team is now 23-14 overall on the season and 7-8 in ACC play. The Irish look ahead to playing the No. 18 Florida State Seminoles, who are 28-10 overall and 9-3 in conference play.

Last year, the Irish played three games against the Seminoles and lost all three at home. Notre Dame lost the first game 5-4 in eight innings, lost 11-2 in the second game and 12-0 in the third game.

Game One

In the first game, Payton Tidd started in the circle for the Irish, pitching into the seventh inning for the Irish and ultimately took the loss. Tidd allowed eight hits and five earned runs while striking out three batters. Current sophomore Micaela Kastor came into the circle to finish out the game for the Irish, striking out one batter. Neither team scored in the first four innings of the game, but Notre Dame jumped ahead in the fifth inning by putting

four runs on the board. Florida State was quick to respond, putting up four runs of its own in the top of the sixth, tying the game at 4-4. Neither team scored in the seventh inning, sending the game into the eighth inning where the Seminoles put up the final run of the game, making the final score 5-4 in favor of the Seminoles.

Offensively, the Irish had five hits. Lexi Orozco went 1-for-3 at the plate and hit her 14th home run of the season. Leea Hanks, Joley Mitchell and Macie Eck also added a hit, and Tidd added on a hit of her own.

Game Two

The Irish lost 11-2 in the second game, which was also Senior Day.

In the top of the first inning, the Seminoles jumped ahead very quickly, scoring six runs. The Irish responded by adding on one run of their own but were not able to respond completely. Neither team scored in the second inning, but both teams scored in the third inning with Florida State putting up three runs and Notre Dame adding one more run to their score, making the score

9-2 in favor of the Seminoles. Florida State added one run in the fourth inning and one run in the fifth inning. Since Notre Dame was unable to respond, the game ended with the final score being 11-2.

Kastor started in the circle for the Irish but struggled in the first inning. She allowed six hits and six earned runs with one strikeout. Current junior Shannon Becker came on in relief for the Irish and finished the game in the circle. Becker allowed five hits and five earned runs while striking out three.

Offensively, Orozco had a 2-for-3 effort at the plate. Current senior first baseman Karina Gaskins added on an RBI and a single for the Irish, and Mitchell and current junior catcher Carlli Kloss each added on a single of their own.

Game Three

In the finale last year against Florida State, the Irish lost the game 12-0 with the game only lasting five innings for a second

consecutive day.

Florida State quickly jumped ahead, scoring two runs right off the bat in the first inning. Neither team scored in the second, but Florida State added on one run in the third, eight runs in the fourth and one run in fifth. With Notre Dame unable to respond, the game ended 12-0 in the fifth inning. Mitchell was the only player who pulled a hit for the Irish, and it was a double.

Tidd started in the circle for the Irish, throwing into the fourth inning. Tidd allowed six hits and seven runs (six earned). Becker then came into the circle and pitched a third of an inning for the Irish. Becker gave up five hits, four runs (three earned) and had one strikeout. Kastor finished out the game in the circle for the Irish, pitching an inning and two thirds. Kastor allowed two hits, one unearned run and had four strikeouts.

Looking Ahead

Now looking ahead, the Irish

are preparing to play Florida State, a team with 28 wins on the season.

The Seminoles are coming off of one loss and two wins against Louisville. They lost the first game 5-4, won the second game 8-4 and won the third game 4-3.

Leading in the circle for the Seminoles is Makenna Reid, who has a total of 68 strikeouts on the season so far. Reid also leads the team with a total of 26 appearances in the circle, followed closely by teammate Ashtyn Danley who has 25 appearances.

Offensively, Jaysoni Beachum leads the team in the box with an overall batting average of .447 as well as having a total of 51 hits on the season. Michaela Edenfield leads the team as well with 11 home runs and a slugging percentage of .827.

Notre Dame will face Florida State this weekend, starting at 6 p.m. on Friday.

Contact Claire Watson at cwatson01@saintmarys.edu

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Change can be good, but first, you must know what you want. Research, follow the dots, see where they lead, and micromanage each step to avoid getting stuck with someone else’s problems. Be creative, do the unexpected, and you’ll gain ground.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Put pressure on yourself to get things done instead of depending on or waiting for someone else to take over. If change is necessary, fine-tune it to suit your needs. Think, put a plan in place, and oversee every move from start to finish. Make your presence felt.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Pursue new avenues and discover what you’re missing. Engage in activities that broaden your awareness and make you realize what’s possible. Expand your mind, interests, and possibilities by embracing change and opportunities. Pay attention to fitness, diet, and healthy living.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Stop, look, listen, and review. Figure out what you are up against before you start something you may need help to finish. Consider what you have and what you are willing to give up. Change requires sacrifice. Focus on personal growth and peace of mind.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Implement necessary changes and hold tight on manageable matters. Taking on too much will lead to emotional duress. Consider your financial position and how you can use your attributes to get ahead. Attend events that offer introductions and connections to influential people.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Host an event, learn something new, and be open to partnerships and joint ventures that can give you the backup you require to put your plans in motion. Travel, educational pursuits, and conversations with experts will set your mind at ease and help build momentum.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Set your sights on what you want and proceed. A passionate approach to life, love, and the pursuit of happiness will lead to positive change and opportunity. Engage in physical activity to show off your skills and impress someone you want on your team.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Refuse to let your emotions take over. Taking a wrong turn or letting negativity seep into your plans will change the dynamics of what you are trying to achieve. Brush yourself off, surround yourself with positive energy, and embrace what life has to offer.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Avoid lengthy conversations with people who are pushy or try to manipulate you. Focus on home improvements and connecting with like-minded people who will confirm your thoughts and encourage you to focus on what you have and how best to maintain it. Your status quo.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You’ll meet with opposition if you participate in group efforts. Consider what you do best and head in a direction that allows you to work at a pace you can handle with the skills you have. Rely on experience and use your quick wit to achieve results.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Set the standard, and don’t lose sight of your goal. Work diligently to ensure you have everything in place before making a presentation. Don’t feel pressured by protocol or anyone trying to throw you off guard. Trust your instincts and make your next move.

Birthday Baby: You are expressive, loving, and helpful. You are diligent and elaborate.

Men’s Lax

two outstanding upperclassmen. Graduate student Michael Long is the team leader in assists with 27 and total points with 50. Senior CJ Kirst has 46 points of his own and leads the team in goals with 34. They come off combining for four of the team’s 14 goals in a 14-8 win over Brown that propelled the Big Red’s conference record to 3-1. As a team, Cornell’s offense ranks third in the country in goals per game with 15.5 per game. On the other end, however, the Big Red have been a bit shaky defensively, allowing 13.3 goals per game, which ranks 62nd in the nation out of 73 teams.

In the final minutes of the Duke game, ESPN commentator Paul Carcaterra questioned if this Notre Dame team had any holes. Its performances following the Georgetown loss suggest there may be no answer to the question. Scoring 16.38 goals per game, the Irish attack leads the nation. Conducted by the Kavanagh brothers, graduate student Pat and junior Chris, who combined for 12 points in the victory over Duke, the Irish attack has looked unstoppable. Graduate attacker Jake Taylor has been the beneficiary of the Kavanaghs’ brilliant passing all season, notching a team-high 26 goals. Graduate student Devon McLane joins in as the leading point-scorer in the midfield with 22, alongside senior Eric Dobson and freshman sensation Jordan Faison, who have 15 and 17 goals respectively.

Allowing 9.25 goals per game, the Irish rank fourth in the nation defensively. On that side of the ball, it has been the Liam Entenmann show. The graduate student and reigning National Goalie of the Year in 2023 has continued his dominance in the cage this season. He has made 84 saves in eight games, including the save of the season against Syracuse, a play that saw him recover on a pass and dive across the net to deny what looked like a wide open goal. Pairing an Entenmann-anchored defense with the elite talent and production in the midfield and attack, this Notre Dame looks primed to continue this incredible run.

The Notre Dame vs. Cornell game will be played at a neutral site: Long Island University’s Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium in Old Westbury, New York. Faceoff is set for 12:30 p.m. with ESPN+ providing the broadcast.

Irish sweep Louisville in home finale

By TYLER REIDY Sports Editor

After narrowly missing a top-50 Sunday win against Georgia Tech, Notre Dame men’s tennis put the hammer down in its final home match of the regular season. The Irish swept No. 46 Louisville away with a 4-0 win, returning to .500 overall at 12-12 and 3-8 in ACC play.

Notre Dame’s sweep on Wednesday afternoon proved unexpectedly lengthy, requiring three hours to complete as Louisville played closer than the final count would indicate. The battle opened with stiff competition in doubles play, where Notre Dame’s No. 2 team of graduate student Nil Giraldez and freshman Chase Thompson claimed a 6-4 win. Louisville then pushed back with a 6-4 defeat of its own in No. 1 doubles, as the 11th-ranked Cardinal combination of Etienne Donnet and Natan Rodrigues bested the 12th-ranked Irish pair of sophomore Sebastian Dominko and senior Jean-Marc Malkowski.

In the decisive No. 3 doubles match, Notre Dame earned the day’s first point. Sophomore Evan Lee and junior Yu Zhang got the job done, winning 6-3 to start the transition to singles action.

Singles play also featured a host of close sets, beginning with the No. 5 match that finished first.

Freshman Kryan Magimay of Notre Dame claimed a first-set win of 6-1 against Louisville’s Will Mayew, but the second set proved much tighter. Ultimately, Magimay won the set 7-6 (4), expanding Notre Dame’s lead to 2-0. No. 3 singles was the second match to finish, with Thompson delivering a come-from-behind victory against fifth-year Matthew Fung. In the first set, Fung edged out the Irish freshman 7-5, but Thompson released an avalanche from there. His closing set wins of

6-1 and 6-0 moved Notre Dame within a point of overall victory.

The headliner matchup of Dominko and Donnet in No. 1 singles pushed the Irish over the finish line, but not without a fight.

Donnet, the 68th-ranked singles player in the nation, claimed another first-set Cardinal win, downing 39th-ranked Dominko 6-4. Dominko gutted out a 7-6 (5) win

in the second set before taking a 6-1 triumph in the final set.

Notre Dame’s next and final regular-season opponent, Boston College, has lost 10 straight meetings with the Irish since they joined the ACC. The Eagles have had a tough season, and their recent schedule has done them no favors. Boston College stands at 5-13 overall and remains winless

in all 10 ACC matchups. In three of their last four games, the Eagles faced teams ranked in the nation’s top 20, most recently losing to Virginia Tech and Virginia last weekend.

The Irish will face Boston College at 3 p.m. on Friday.

Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu

Irish top Liberty to start road trip

By ANDREW McGUINNESS Senior Sports Writer

Thursday afternoon was hardly a marquee moment on the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse calendar. It was a game day, with the Irish starting a season-ending three-game road trip by heading to Liberty. Not only are the 4-9 Flames not a toptier opponent, but the game was played in driving rain. It was a miserable day to be outside, the type of game where teams just hope to get in and get out with a victory. That’s exactly what the Irish did, taking the lead 46 seconds in on a goal by senior attacker Abby Maichin, stretching it to 6-0 by the end of the first quarter and never letting

the Flames get within five. It wasn’t the team’s typical dominance against non-elite competition. The Irish won the first two of those aforementioned quick turnarounds against Central Michigan and Butler by a combined margin of 47-6. But the Irish hung tough amid the terrible conditions and a stellar performance by Liberty goalie Mara Tellers (16 saves on 28 shots), avoiding a letdown with the postseason now just two weeks away.

The Irish will have a two-day turnaround for the fourth time this season and the second time on the road as they travel from Lynchburg to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech. The Hokies are 9-6 on the season but just 2-5 in

ACC play and are winless against teams currently ranked, which makes Saturday’s game matter even more to them. They are 5-2 at home, though they’ll be going head-to-head with an Irish team seeking a perfect regular season on the road.

The Hokies struggle as a team on offense, but Kayla Downey is sixth in the conference in points per game and one of three Hokies with 20 or more goals (Olivia Vergano and Paige Tyson are the others with 36 and 28 goals, respectively). Goalkeeper Jocelyn Torres has been a huge part of their success this season, posting a .427 save percentage and averaging 6.56 saves per game, fifth in the ACC.

Notre Dame handed Virginia

Tech its worst loss of 2023, winning by a lopsided 14-1 final tally. Graduate student attacker Kasey Choma scored a careerhigh eight goals. For the second time in her career, Choma’s peak single-game goal tally was achieved against the Hokies, matching her six-goal feat from her sophomore year in 2021. Graduate student attackers

Jackie Wolak and Madison Ahern also scored four points each, and senior Lilly Callahan stopped six of seven shots in goal.

The Irish and Hokies will face off in their penultimate regular season contest at noon on Saturday.

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu

home runs in that contest, including one from current junior shortstop Jack Penney.

Ranked 13th in the nation, North Carolina is having another sharp season at 26-7 overall and 11-4 within the ACC. With a 20-0 start to the year on home field, the Tar Heels have a chance to do serious damage against an Irish team still reeling on the road. Carolina has won 24 consecutive games in Chapel Hill dating back to last year, when the Tar Heels’ season ended at the Indiana State-hosted Terre Haute Regional.

Offensively, North Carolina has turned a healthy balance of speed, power and average into 291 runs, which rank third in the ACC. Each of North Carolina’s nine position players with at least 18 starts carry a batting average above .280. Casey Cook, whose 48 runs batted in rank second in the conference, leads everyday starters with a .370 average.

North Carolina’s extrabase power comes from all angles, and it begins with Albert Osuna and his teamleading 15 doubles. Anthony Donofrio, the only Diamond Heel with multiple triples, has four on the season. Five different Carolina hitters own eight or more home runs, with Parks Harber and Vance Honeycutt carrying 11 and 10, respectively.

As the ACC’s most efficient baserunning team, North Carolina has 57 stolen bases in 61 attempts this season. Honeycutt and Donofrio both rank inside the conference’s top five for basestealing, combining for 33 thefts.

Workshops and Keynote Address featuring Kym Worthy

Kym Worthy is the current prosecutor in Wayne County, Michigan. Subject of 2019 Emmy-awardwinning documentary, I Am Evidence, Worthy chronicles her remarkable 10-year mission to process 11,431 abandoned and unprocessed sexual assault kits discovered in a Detroit police warehouse.

While North Carolina’s offense went cold during its 2-1 loss to South Carolina on Tuesday, its pitching was the issue during last weekend’s series loss at Virginia.

The Tar Heels’ starting rotation of Folger Boaz, Jason DeCaro and Shea Sprague gave up a total of 12 runs in 12 1/3 innings. Their usually solid bullpen got roughed up as well, blowing an 11-6 lead in last Thursday’s 14-11 loss.

The North Carolina series will be Notre Dame’s last multi-game road trip between now and mid-May. The Irish will host Boston College, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh and Toledo over the four weekends following this one.

Friday’s series-opening first pitch will fly at 6 p.m. with games following at 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu and Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu

Irish look to continue dominance at No. 8 Cornell in third consecutive top-10 matchup

By NOAH CAHILL Associate Sports Editor

After an early season slip-up in overtime against Georgetown, the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team has played like the undisputed best team in the country. Since the loss, the Irish have rattled off five straight victories over several elite opponents, including No. 5 Maryland, No. 7 Syracuse and No. 4 Duke last Sunday.

Despite playing fewer games than most teams, head coach Kevin Corrigan and the Irish pride themselves on their difficult schedule, playing in the ACC, which currently includes four teams

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in the national top 10, and scheduling formidable nonconference tests. Their upcoming matchup with No. 8 Cornell on April 14 will be one such test.

Playing in the Ivy League, arguably the second-best conference in the country behind the ACC, the Big Red have put together a 7-3 record. They have a few marquee wins this season, including victories against conference foes No. 13 Princeton and No. 9 Yale, but none better than their double-overtime victory over No. 7 Syracuse last Tuesday.

Cornell is led in attack by

Irish snap losing streak against Butler, head to North Carolina for penultimate road series

By ANDREW McGUINNESS and TYLER REIDY Senior Sports Writer and Sports Editor

The final score of Notre Dame baseball’s first win since March 23 is misleading, but only slightly. An 11-2 margin of victory usually indicates a dominant performance by a team’s offense, a high-scoring thriller that excites all in attendance.

Wednesday night’s game between the Irish and Butler was more of a slog than a slugfest, though. Nineteen different pitches took the Frank Eck Stadium mound under the lights, including 12 Bulldogs, one of which was starting catcher Cade Vota, who only faced one batter (he flew out to center). There were four errors, four wild pitches, three passed balls, three hit batsmen and 13 walks between the two teams. Game 7 of the World Series this was not.

What it was, however, was a badly needed victory for the Irish, whose seven straight losses entering the night were its most since at least 2009. And it’s not like they didn’t earn it. Graduate student outfielder David Glancy continues to be one of the hottest hitters in the conference, launching his third home run in his last

five games just two batters into the night. The Irish took advantage of Butler’s wildness on the mound and in the field, putting together multi-run efforts in the fifth and sixth innings.

But the most encouraging development for Notre Dame came on the bump. Eight Irish pitchers surrendered just six hits (and only two for extra bases) on the night while striking out 13 hitters. Pitchers like graduate student Tobey McDonough, graduate student Will Jacobsen and sophomore David Lally Jr. — arms the Irish were counting on entering the season — delivered solid outings amid what has been a rough 2024 so far.

One victory won’t change the trajectory of this Irish season, at least in the moment. But it was a reminder that the Irish have more in the tank than their record may indicate. They’ve lost 13 of 15 ACC games, but eight of those defeats have come by three runs or less, and five by just a singular run. They still have to prove they can carry this success into conference play, with a daunting series against No. 13 North Carolina on the horizon. Now, though, they at least have a little momentum to bring into it.

Irish transition to North Carolina seeking road redemption

Ten years ago, during Notre Dame’s first season as an ACC program, the Irish lost each of their first 10 conference road games. That 2014 team, which went 22-31, ran into high-powered foes — such as No. 6 North Carolina State and No. 1 Florida State — away from home early.

Since then, no Irish baseball team has started 0-10 on the road in ACC play. But if this year’s squad cannot take the first of its three games this weekend at North Carolina, the 2014 team will have company. The 2024 Irish have faced an even tougher schedule to start their road slate, going winless at No. 16 Virginia Tech, No. 10 Florida State and an NC State ranked 19th as recently as last week.

Two weekends ago in Raleigh, the Irish twice came within a breath of breaking up their dismal start outside South Bend. On both Friday and Saturday, the final two days of the series with NC State, Notre Dame led by multiple runs through five innings. But the Irish bullpen caved in on itself, allowing a combined 10 runs in eight innings throughout the second half of the two

games.

In the end, NC State walked off with 7-6 wins in each contest, rallying back from a 6-4 deficit in the ninth inning of the series finale. Notre Dame also had chances to win in 4-2 and 4-3 losses at Florida State in mid-March but struggled to break through against the Seminole bullpen.

The Irish now head to Chapel Hill looking to build on their midweek victory over Butler — a win that snapped an overall losing streak of seven games. With its RPI rating having slipped down to 36th in the nation, Notre Dame could use a jolt against a North Carolina program it has good history against since joining the ACC.

Last season, the Irish and Tar Heels played a highly competitive series that flipped the calendar from March to April in South Bend. Friday’s game, a 10-8

Carolina win, saw the Irish score each of their runs on long balls. Current sophomore second baseman and senior center fielder T.J. Williams both went deep as the eight and nine-hole hitters, putting Notre Dame ahead 8-4 through eight innings. But the Diamond Heels answered with a sixrun ninth inning, concluding with a go-ahead grand slam by third baseman Johnny Castagnozzi.

After rain and snow pushed Saturday’s game to part of a Sunday doubleheader, North Carolina claimed the series with a 5-2 win. Connor Bovair, who now pitches out of the Tar Heel bullpen, fired off eight innings with just two runs allowed. Notre Dame then countered with a 9-2 victory to split the doubleheader and salvage a game out of the series. The Irish launched three more

MEGHAN LANGE | THE OBSERVER Graduate attacker Pat Kavanagh eyes the cage during Notre Dame’s game against Maryland on March 3.