Print Edition for The Observer for Friday, January 27, 2023

NAACP president and CEO speaks at ND

Notre Dame hosts Black Excellence dinner with Derrick Johnson as part of Walk the Walk week

By BELLA LAUFENBERG notre dame news editor

on Thursday evening, hundreds of notre dame students, staff and faculty weathered the northern indiana winter to gather in the morris inn smith ballroom.

From the other side of the nation, president and ceo of the national association for the advancement of colored people derrick Johnson and other activists traveled to join them.

Together, they all joined in a celebration of black excellence as one of the final events of notre dame’s annual walk the walk week.

a lthough the goal of the week has been to consider realistic

smc votes event discusses politics

By CATHY DOHERTY news writer

o n wednesday evening, smc votes hosted the first meeting of their “ p olitics and p retzels” series. This series will consist of three meetings in r eignbeaux l ounge of l e m ans h all, where students can gather to discuss the current political climate with other students and professors.

l ibbey d etcher, a senior political science major and host of the event, explained who was sponsoring the three-part series.

“This event is mainly sponsored by smc votes, which i co-lead with sophomore Jean o choa.” d etcher said. “ we decided to collaborate with the political science club to have a broader reach with students.”

For the first meeting, d etcher invited s aint m ary’s political science professor s ean s avage to speak with students on gerrymandering and the newly elected 118th u s c ongress.

w hen asked what she was

hoping students would take away from the event, d etcher said she “hope[s] we can facilitate good discussion so our campus community members can learn about recent political events.”

To the same question, s avage said: “ i hope that, regardless of their majors, students will develop a stronger interest in and awareness of a merican politics. … e veryone is affected by what happens in politics and government.”

d etcher began the meeting by speaking on district lines that are drawn for elections in each state.

“ m y big focus on voting rights, in a roundabout way, is redistricting,” d etcher said. h e explained that redistricting occurs every 10 years following the national c ensus. “ w hen politicians are drawing these lines, they purposely include or exclude certain communities, often communities of color and marginalized

see smc PAGE 4

future steps towards diversity and inclusion while reflecting on the legacy of martin luther k ing Jr., Johnson made a different point during his keynote address.

To begin, he joked to the audience about the pitfalls of the “preach and sleep” method, saying that he was not a fan of a speech format where he spoke about issues unrelatable to the listeners. Johnson urged the audience to both listen and participate in the dialogue during the event and beyond.

“From our perspective, as naacp, we see that our democracy is on a shoestring,” he explained. “being able to pursue

see eXcellence PAGE 3

Panelists advocate in wake of Dobbs decision

By LIAM KELLY news writer

p articipants in the panel

“a c ulture of l ife in p ostd obbs a merica” advocated against abortion and for a pro-life movement that places equal emphasis on the life of the mother and child w ednesday afternoon.

The panel, which was hosted by the n otre d ame o ffice of l ife and h uman d ignity and the n otre d ame r ight to l ife club, consisted of: d anielle b rown, associate director of the a d h oc c ommittee a gainst r acism in the u s c onference of c atholic b ishops; c harles c amos, professor of medical humanities at the c reighton u niversity s chool of m edicine; a ngela Franks, professor of theology at s t. John’s s eminary in b oston; o c arter s nead, a professor of law at n otre d ame; and b ishop k evin r hoades of the diocese of Fort w ayne — s outh b end.

s nead began the panel

by emphasizing the importance of the recent d obbs v. Jackson s upreme c ourt decision for their movement.

“ b efore we could even have any substantive conversations about how to shape the law, r oe v. w ade had to be overturned,” m r. s nead said, arguing that the r oe v. w ade decision was “pursuant to an illegitimate power grab by the court that didn’t have any sources in the text, history or tradition of the c onstitution.”

n ow that the c ourt has tossed the power to regulate abortion to the states, s nead said “it’s our responsibility to take that authority and to care for mothers, babies and families and build a culture of life and a civilization of love.”

s nead advocated for policies that outlaw abortion while also supporting mothers, pointing to the state of Texas as an example.

“Texas has not just

extended the protections of the law to the to the unborn child but at the same time, authorized $100 million … for alternatives to abortion programs to try to support pregnancy resource centers … to help support women in terms of poverty, health care [and] addiction,” he said.

b rown then spoke, drawing connections between abortion and racism.

“There are … two thirds as many abortions in the b lack community than amongst our sisters in the white community,” she said.

w hile a fricana mericans make up roughly 12% of the a merican population, b rown said, “some figures report that without abortion, the population and the communities would be double that percentage.”

b ut b rown said it is not enough to simply point out the issue of race with abortion — she said action

see dobbs PAGE 3

RYAN VIGILANTE | The Observer

NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson, left, and Hugh Page at the Black Excellence dinner, part of Walk the Walk week where Johnson spoke to the students to motivate them to create a better world.

Editor-in-Chief (574) 631-4542 aguffey@nd.edu

Managing Editor (574) 631-4542 aomalle2@nd.edu

Assistant Managing Editors (574) 631-4541 mmcginl3@nd.edu, gcoleman01@saintmarys.edu, meastlan@nd.edu

Business Office (574) 631-5313

Notre Dame News Desk (574) 631-5323 news@ndsmcobserver.com

Saint Mary’s News Desk (574) 631-5323 smcnews@ndsmcobserver.com

Viewpoint Desk (574) 631-5303 viewpoint@ndsmcobserver.om

Sports Desk (574) 631-4543 sports@ndsmcobserver.com

Scene Desk (574) 631-4540 scene@ndsmcobserver.com

Photo Desk (574) 631-8767 photo@ndsmcobserver.com

Systems & Web Administrators webmaster@ndsmcobserver.com

Policies

The Observer is the independent, daily newspaper published in print and online by the students of the University of Notre Dame du Lac, Saint Mary’s College and Holy Cross College. Editorial content, including advertisements, is not governed by policies of the administration of any institution. The Observer reserves the right to refuse advertisements based on content. The news is reported as accurately and objectively as possible. Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the majority of the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Assistant Managing Editors and department editors. Commentaries, letters and columns present the views of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer. Viewpoint space is available to all readers. The free expression of all opinions through letters is encouraged. Letters to the Editor must be signed and must include contact information.

Questions regarding Observer policies should be directed to Editor-in-Chief Alysa Guffey. Post Office Information The Observer (USPS 599 2-4000) is published Monday through Friday except during exam and vacation periods.

regards itself as a professional publication and strives

the highest standards of journalism at all times. We do, however, recognize that we will make mistakes. If we have made a mistake, please contact us at editor@ndsmcobserver.com so we can correct our error.

life, liberty and happiness as guaranteed in our constitution is eroding fast and is eroding because of tribalism — using the current political climate to destroy social norms and expectations.”

And instead of preaching, Johnson started to tell a story. he told the audience about a man named A. Philip randolph and his work as one of the first leaders of the civil rights movement, organizing one of the first labor unions and campaigning to integrate armed services. Johnson also brought up medgar evers and an important woman whose true narrative got lost in American history.

“she always looked much younger than her age. she was a fierce fighter. she was a secretary for the nAAcP in Alabama,” he noted. “When there was an incident, she would be the person to go in and investigate those incidents. does anyone know who I’m talking about? rosa Parks.”

Pulling it all together, Johnson detailed the events after Parks’ arrest.

“[e d nixon] called three people.” The first two were pastors, who wholeheartedly agreed to participate in whatever nixon was organizing. The second was mLK Jr., who hesitated due to a fear of being driven out of a town he just moved to.

“And the reason why I’m going through this part of the journey [is] because in movements, everyone has something to contribute and that as we think of the civil rights movement or journey, it was never about one person,” he declared.

And when the audience was listening in silence, Johnson emphasized: “It was never about a ‘dream’! It was always about the demand that the social contract we call the constitution will be applied to all.”

expanding on that idea while

Dobbs

con TI nued From PAGe 1

must be taken.

“The problem that I see most within the pro-life movement is that we are all stats when it comes to the b lack American and no heart. [We are] not caring about health care disparities, food deserts, safe and affordable housing, educational choice, and the c atholic c hurch is rapidly withdrawing from city centers. Why don’t we care?” she said.

While b rown argued that laws must be enacted to stop abortion, she also argued that a shift in the culture is necessary.

“ m en and women today, really, we just want to be God. We lack a proper anthropology of the human person and a definition of

the listeners hung on his every word, Johnson proclaimed again.

“race is a social construct. It is a political title that we carry around to create ‘others,’” he said. “It is a tool that is still being used today so effectively that it is tearing this democracy apart.” moving on, Johnson addressed the audience and called on them to take part in a dialogue. both faculty members and student leaders stood up to make additions and asked questions regarding steps moving forward at the closing of the event.

The last question was posted by balfour-hesburgh scholar and senior Kirsten Williams.

“When I look at black communities in my local area, it’s disheartening to see that they’re plagued with a lot of violence,” she asked. “What are some strategies or methods that we can employ to uplift and empower black communities?”

Johnson’s answer was that everything boiled down to hope.

“What you are witnessing is the legacy of systemic barriers resulting in hopelessness,” he explained.

To close, he told one last story about his time in a class that was a requirement for his college graduation. his teacher, Johnson said, was upset one day because of a batch of bad test scores.

“This particular day, dr. simmons was late to class,” he began. “We all get there, we’re sitting quiet. he comes in and was visibly upset… he said to us ‘some of you are resting on your laurels; I assure you, they are not strong enough.’”

Johnson looked around the room and then repeated: “some of you are sitting on your laurels… don’t rest on your laurels.”

“All of us in this room have an obligation because we are in a top-tier percentage of those who have the skill and the ability to protect it, grow it and ensure that the social contract we call the constitution applies to all,” he added. “but the question is, are

true freedom,” she said.

Franks then talked about the role that abortion has played in feminist movements over the past 100 years.

While the first wave of feminism, Franks argued, was mostly about “moral exhortation” and changing social structures to benefit women, second and third wave feminism evolved to the point where “the problem was female fertility.”

The solution for these feminists, Franks argued, was abortion.

This view of feminism, Franks said, was out of touch with basic biology and “just doesn’t work.”

“Women cannot simply follow a male timetable when it comes to pursuing education or pursuing a career if they also want a family,” Franks said.

Franks argued that a

you up to that challenge?”

The dinner had many different sponsors, including the multicultural student Programs and services (msPs), the president’s office and the department of diversity and Inclusion, but the event was mainly organized by notre dame student government. Leading the charge was eliza smith, director of diversity and inclusion – race and ethnicity, and her department. Additionally, biology graduate student camille mosley served as the event’s emcee and first-year bernice Antoine led the group in an opening prayer.

“We pray for the black community here and around the world for justice where there is in justice, peace on every street corner and hope for your grace to pour out on this nation,” she invoked with a loud “Amen” and agreement heard around the room.

At the end of the evening, after dinner and Johnson’s talk, mosley announced the recipients of the black excellence staff, faculty and student awards. she explained that the nomination committee decided on the two winners in each category based on a very rigid rubric that took into account many factors including personal accomplishments and their commitment to the legacy of mLK’s dream

The staff award had 19 total nominations and winners were barbara Wadley, the coordinator for the balfour-hesburgh scholars program, and harold swanagan, director of basketball operations. out of eight possible candidates, the faculty award was given to associate professor of management and organization Angela Logan and associate professor of architecture John onyango. Finally, students daymine snow and Temitayo Ade-oshifogun were chosen out of the 15 other student nominees.

Contact Isabella Laufenberg ilaufenb@nd.edu

worldview that pushes motherhood to the side in favor of monetary gain should be rejected by the movement.

c amosy turned the focus of the conversation to the future of the anti-abortion cause.

“Just as a quarterback needs to lead his receiver and throw the ball, not where he is now, but where he will be in a few seconds,” c amosy said, “so we as a pro-life movement need to think about not where the culture is now, if we want to be persuasive in the public sphere, build alliances, appeal to people with different sources of ultimate concern, but think about where we’re going.”

Like other speakers, c amosy stated that in a post- r oe world, “the goal of radical equality for both mother and child” should

students line up for booster shot

By COLLEEN FARRELL news Writer

s tudents snaked out the s tepan c enter Thursday morning to receive their bivalent booster shots.

The line for the clinic, which was hosted by university h ealth s ervices ( uhs ), went all the way to the snow-covered sidewalks. In fact, when the clinic opened at 10 a.m., students were already lined up to get their cov I d -19 booster shots.

Inside the building, a sign was set up with instructions for people with and without their vaccine card on how to check in. A mask was required to proceed into the building for the shot.

b ethel Aninyei, a graduate engineering student, was one of the people waiting in the line outside for their booster shot.

When asked why she came to the clinic, Aninyei said it was because the shot will be mandatory for the upcoming school year, as announced by the university last n ovember. s he said she probably wouldn’t have come to the clinic if it wasn’t, since she had already received the first booster.

Going to the universityrun clinic had two main advantages for sophomore Anna m c c artan. o ne was the clinic’s convenient location, and the other was that she would not need to worry about submitting information through her uhs portal.

“ m ostly, it’s really nice

be the priority.

c amosy argued that in order to do this, anti-abortion advocates must not be afraid to use the government to achieve their goals.

“We have been led, in my view, by far too tight connections to a r eagan-style r epublican Party that rejects the role of government in favor of virtually only private solutions. There is nothing c atholic about this approach,” c amosy said.

After the four panelists spoke, r hoades came to the stage and praised the work of the panelists and the r ight to Life group on campus, saying that “respect for the life and dignity of every human being” is the “foundation of what makes a university truly c atholic.”

r hoades touted the work of pregnancy and women’s care centers in the diocese,

just walking a couple minutes from my dorm and not really having to worry about submitting it separately on the portal, like automatic uploads,” m c c artan said.

m c c artan said she caught cov I d for the first time this fall.

“I think since I had gotten the disease so recently, I probably would have waited longer, because I think I still have some antibodies from having it. s o, it probably would be more effective later, but since they’re requiring it, I think I would sign up now,” m c c artan said.

The convenience of going to the university-run clinic was also expressed by junior c hris b arile.

“It’s the closest thing, and also they upload your information right to your portal,” he said.

b arile said he probably would not have gotten the bivalent booster if it was not required because he is already boosted.

d iana Taylor, a nurse at the clinic, said that the bivalent booster is different from the earlier monovalent booster because it protects against more strains of c ovid-19.

“This one has the d elta, the o micron and the b A.5. s o, it’s a totally different strain of what those first boosters came out,” she said. “The bivalent means more than one, so there’s two new things they’ve added onto there, so the booster you had is not the same as this.”

Contact Colleen Farrell cfarre23@nd.edu

which give material assistance to women during and after their pregnancies.

“It’s remarkable the number of women who’ve been helped, and many AfricanAmerican, many Latinas and many who are lower income people. And the method is love,” r hoades said.

“The number of abortions in our diocese has been cut in half,” he added.

c oncluding his remarks, r hoades emphasized the importance he places on the fight against abortion.

“Life is the first good received from God and is fundamental to all others. To guarantee the right to life for all and in an equal manner for all is the duty upon which the future of humanity depends,” he said.

Contact Liam Kelly

lkelly8@nd.edu

communities,” d etcher said. “This dilutes the vote of those people and they’re not counted accurately.”

s avage then touched on the changes in the h ouse of r epresentatives that occurred following the 2022 midterm election.

“The d emocrats lost their very narrow majority, about five seats, while the r epublicans gained their very narrow majority of five seats,” he said.

Then, s avage elaborated on the election of Kevin m c c arthy as s peaker of the h ouse.

“ i n order for Kevin m c c arthy to get enough votes to become s peaker, he had to give up certain powers,” s avage said. h e said proxy voting — voting without physically being on the h ouse floor, was going to be ending.

s avage also discussed the new 72-hour rule.

“ b efore a vote is scheduled, the members of the house have 72 hours to read it before voting on it,” he said.

a fter d etcher and s avage spoke on gerrymandering and the newly-elected c ongress, they opened the discussion up for questions or comments. For the next 15 minutes, the group engaged in conversations, shared opinions and answered each other’s questions.

d etcher, who interned for the U. s h ouse of r epresentatives last spring, spoke on the relevancy of politics for young people.

“For many students, this past midterm election was the first or second election they voted in,” she said. “a n important part of voter mobilization efforts is to really emphasize the impact voters have on elections at all levels, as well as the policies produced by their representatives.”

s avage shared why he thinks the 118th c ongress should be important to college students.

“a s a result of the midterm elections, the r epublicans won a narrow majority in the h ouse of r epresentatives,” s avage explained. “ i t is unlikely that the h ouse G o P will appropriate billions of dollars for the relief of student loan debt.”

The second part of the “Politics and Pretzels” series will be in r eignbeaux Lounge on Feb. 15.

Contact Cathy Doherty cdoherty01@saintmarys.edu

FTT hosts 34th student Film Festival

By EMMA VALES news Writer

This weekend, n otre

d ame’s Film, Television and Theatre (FTT)

d epartment will host its 34th annual n otre d ame

s tudent Film Festival in the d e b artolo Performing

a rts c enter’s b rowning

c inema.

Ten unique short films made by 20 different student filmmakers in n otre

d ame’s FTT d epartment, both collaboratively and individually, will combine to put on a film festival open to the entire n otre d ame community.

The Film Festival will take place Friday and s aturday at 6:30 p.m. and s unday at 7 p.m.

a udience members will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite film via text after each screening, and the student(s) who receive the most votes will be presented with an a udience c hoice a ward after the final screening.

Ted m andell, professor in the FTT d epartment and the founder of the festival, emphasized that attending the film festival is a great way to support oncampus student filmmaking and also “understand that we’ve got some very talented, creative students here on campus.”

m andell said he was impressed with all of the films the students have prepared but noted that picking out a favorite would be like “picking a favorite child,” even when looking back at all of the films that students have produced for the last 34

years.

m andell said he can recall each and every film his students have produced since the festival’s origin in 1990. h e emphasized that the filmmaking process is extremely collaborative, and “the faculty is just as invested in the process as the students.”

Just last year, three documentaries that premiered in the festival went on to be played in both Los a ngeles and n ew York Film Festivals. m andell describes the festival as “a launching pad,” as alums have gone on to work for s aturday n ight Live, n etflix, nbc and other entertainment companies.

s uneina b adoni, a senior filmmaker participating in the film festival, collaboratively filmed, produced and edited two films: “Tension” and “Lily.” Going into her n otre d ame education, b adoni wasn’t initially set on the FTT program, but after attending one of the admitted student days and talking to the professor m ichael Kackman at the FTT table at the majors fair, she decided to give it a try.

“Tension,” a film that b adoni put together with classmates i sa r m aiz and Tianji Lukins in her i ntermediate Film Production class, was especially exciting for b adoni to make because it is a horror film about the struggle between a voodoo doll and b adoni’s friend m att, who acted in the film.

“ i t was really fun to shoot because we got to use a ton of cool equipment like

huge rigs and lights that we checked out through the FTT office” b adoni notes.

b adoni also teased a creative twist at the end of the film.

“Lily,” b adoni’s second film, was entered into the festival with classmate

c hloe s tafford in their d ocumentary Production course with m andell. “Lily” is a documentary that features the daughter of b adoni’s uncle’s n otre d ame roommate, who suffers from epilepsy and has had up to 50 seizures a day since she was five weeks old. b ut since taking non-psychedelic medicinal mushrooms, Lily has been seizure-free for up to 20 weeks. i nspired by Lily’s story, b adoni and s tafford traveled to Los a ngeles during fall break to spend time with Lily’s family and capture Lily’s story for their documentary.

r eflecting on her time at n otre d ame, b adoni said she’s grateful for the closeknit relationships that she’s developed with the FTT faculty and students and everything she’s learned in her classes.

Liz m aroshick, another senior FTT student from b uffalo, n ew York, also contributed two films to this year’s festival: “ s ew Loved” with a bby Urban and “For b etter, For Worse” with o livia h sin.

m aroshick also produced “ s ew Loved” in m andell’s d ocumentary Production class, and the assignment was to simply pick a documentary topic “pretty much anywhere in the country,” but m aroshick and Urban “fell in love with” and decided to choose a women’s organization right

here in s outh b end that teaches underserved women in the local community general life skills, sewing in particular.

m aroshick and Urban went to the center and filmed content for three days, developing close relationships with the women there. m aroshick says that it was a “super interesting experience and something that [she] definitely wouldn’t have gotten” had she not taken m andell’s class.

The second film that m aroshick is contributing to the festival is “For b etter, For Worse,” a narrative fictional film made in her i ntermediate Filmmaking class. The class tunes into students’ more creative sides, allowing them to write creative scripts and experiment with new things such as unique lighting. m aroshick describes the film as “film noir meets modern day Tinder… kind of like a ‘dating-goes-wrong’ situation.”

b oth b adoni and m aroshick encourage all students to attend the festival, as it is “a tangible way to show the n otre d ame community what the FTT students spend their time working on and what they are really passionate about.”

Tickets for the event can be purchased online at performingarts.nd.edu or in-person at the d e b artolo Performing a rts c enter ticket office. m andell advises everyone to “buy your tickets online because the event will sell out fast.”

Contact Emma Vale evales@nd.edu

Paid a dverT isemen T

Snow days

‘Impermeably and forever’: Reflecting on Rory Gilmore’s graduation speech

“Gilmore Girls” has been a comfort show of mine for years. Through my many watches, I’ve processed that rory Gilmore is no perfect character. In fact, she’s one of the farthest main characters from “perfect” that I have come to know in my 22 years of reading, watching and learning. While she and Lorelai didn’t always get everything right, they’ve shaped who I am from some of their best moments and I’ve learned from watching some of their worst. one of rory’s biggest, humblest moments (and simultaneously one of her best) is her chilton valedictorian speech. In it, she touches on all that she learned and all those she loved. It is this speech that feels like the most relatable piece of rory’s character for me at this moment in time. It felt that way at the end of high school, and it feels the most fitting now as the class of 2023 enters our final semester. because the speech feels so fitting, I’m going to follow its framework as I reflect on the people and the things that made these four years possible and made them worth all the work they required before I fully embark on my last semester on notre dame’s campus. A semester that I know will be full of light and laughs, but that ultimately came too quickly. “I live in two worlds. One is a world of books.”

For anyone who knows me, they know I understand that the ability to read and write day in and day out has been a gift. I’ll pick up anything from a pop culture magazine to Proust and read them cover to cover. sure, reading has been tedious at times, but this university gifted me with the space to explore. my very first class started with sophocles and his stories about oedipus and Antigone. I learned that a coffee mug has one side and is, in fact, a doughnut. We read everything from Plato and st. Augustine to betty Friedan and malcolm X. And I defeated George Foreman with muhammad Ali after simulating an acid trip with Timothy Leary. I can’t thank my professors enough for introducing me to some of the greatest minds of every generation. especially the professors that have become my mentors in other facets of my work, as well.

I have not only read as much as I wanted, but I’ve also had the chance to put pen to paper. I’ve written essays I couldn’t be prouder of (and some I wish to never see again). I’ve interviewed some of the coolest athletes and coaches this university — or the world — has ever seen. And I’ve told their stories the best way I knew how. Writing has been an outlet and an exercise throughout my four years. I am so grateful to have taken the classes I did. They really focused on using the knowledge I gained in the ways I knew how: in my own voice.

And to The observer, for training my journalistic voice in ways I would never be able to just in the classroom. There’s nothing more important to me than the work I have done in the basement of south dining hall. I will carry those skills for the rest of my life. And I hope to always read all the important work student journalists do on our campus each and every day.

“It’s a rewarding world, but my second one is by far superior.”

I am so grateful for all that I have learned here, but that is a fraction of what notre dame has come to mean to me. my second world includes the people I have had the chance to meet here. These people, like the people of stars hollow to rory Gilmore, are eclectic, fun and beyond intelligent. everyone I have come to know on this campus is “supremely real, made of flesh and bone and full of love.” I could not have grown and learned in all the ways that I have without the discourse, the support and the care of my friends here.

From late nights in the library to similarly late nights out. From fabulous birthday parties to sitting on the couch playing a board game. I have come to recognize the people here as my family. Without them, my life here would not be the same. They let me cry in my hardest times, called me out

in my stupidest and celebrated with me my achievements, no matter how big or small. I am every bit who I am after these four years because I got to know them. To the group of friends born of a math class we had to take — despite none of us wanting anything to do with math — I am so lucky we bonded as tightly and quickly as we did. To the friends who have come since then, you have come to mean the world to me, just as quickly.

“My twin pillars … from whom I received my life’s blood and … without whom I could not stand.”

While I love it here, I had to get here first to figure that out. And it’s at this point that I stray slightly from rory’s speech. she thanks her grandparents at this moment (and while my grandparents have always been the brightest lights in my life) I’d like to combine her words for them and her words for Lorelai into some for my parents.

To be at notre dame would not have been possible without the love I know from heather and John mcGinley. They truly are my twin pillars. They created a space for me to ask questions, figure things out and learn from everything I do. my mother and father “never gave me any idea I couldn’t do whatever I wanted to do or be whomever I wanted to be.” my mother showed me every role model imaginable, but none as influential as herself. And my father? he is the reason for my confidence. I never feel more prepared for anything than I do after talking to them. Without them, succeeding here simply wouldn’t be possible. And it wouldn’t mean all that it does to me.

“But my ultimate inspiration comes from my best friend … the person I most want to be is her.”

And I save the rest of rory’s words for my very best friend in the entire world. my little sister is the person I learned from the most and has guided me through these four years even without trying to. she knows my every move, how I react, what to ask when I don’t know where to start and how to respond to my answer.

Without my little sister, I couldn’t do what I do. she inspires it all and I am so grateful. Weekends she would visit for football or for the hell of it were bright spots in semesters. Watching her perceive the people and spaces around me gave me new perspectives. For a while, she practically knew me better than I knew myself, and it helped me to find the right people in my life. I have so much more to learn from ry but I cannot thank her enough for all that she’s taught me already. she’s a “dazzling woman” and the Lorelai to my rory. she helped me to shape the person I have become and pushed me in ways no one else knows how.

“Impermeably and forever”

The last thing I want to steal from rory Gilmore is the sentiment that this isn’t an ending but a beginning. At least, that’s what everyone will tell us. We will get jobs. We will start new schools and we will do work in other ways and continue growing outside the gates of our Lady’s University. still, that doesn’t mean I want to reach my last days here and say goodbye to all of this. It has meant so much to me and become such a powerful part of who I am.

In spite of that, I know that at some point this semester, I will catch myself wishing it were all done. Wishing I could turn in my thesis as is and finish my finals already. I caught myself doing it in the seven semesters leading up to this one. This time, though, I refuse to hurry anything, even in those moments. I am going to cherish it all. For as quickly as this semester has come, I don’t want to see it go. As rory Gilmore said, leaving here “means leaving friends who inspire me and teachers who’ve been my mentors, so many people who’ve shaped my life… impermeably and forever.” It’s going to hurt making that leap from our home under the dome. but that’s the thing about it. Yes, we will be leaving, but notre dame will always be our home. “Impermeably and forever.”

Contact Mannion at mmcginl3@nd.edu.

A few days ago on my way across campus, instead of hurrying to get to where I was going like I normally do, I took time to admire the snow. I noticed how beautiful the Golden d ome looked as the snow fell down and how much people seemed to be embracing the moment. b eing from c hicago, I don’t have as much appreciation for the snow as most people do. I love when it snows around the holidays, but not so much when it’s m arch and nearing April. h owever, given that we’re still in January, I’ve chosen to embrace the snow for the time being.

As a little kid, I would always get so excited at the possibility of a snow day. I remember sitting and staring wide-eyed at the T v as a five year old hoping and praying that my grade school would be listed in bold red font as one of the schools that would be closed for the day. At five, a snow day meant that I could drink hot chocolate and go sledding with my friends. In high school, I had the same feelings when it came to snow days. I vividly remember checking snow day calculator apps and refreshing my email numerous times per day in hopes that we had received an email stating that classes had been canceled. o nly, in high school, instead of drinking hot chocolate and going sledding with my friends, I mostly chose to take the time to sleep in, something my normal 6:30 A m wakeup had prevented me from doing.

n eedless to say, snow days were always great. d uring the pandemic, however, I realized that snow days had become a thing of the past. c lasses could get moved online and carried on as normal. As nice as it was that people were able to adapt their daily routines to working remotely during a time when the whole world had seemed to stop, there was a huge part of me that longed for the traditional snow day.

Last year, during my first year of college, there were one or two days where the weather was so bad that classes were moved online. s ome of my professors conducted classes as normally as they would have had we been in an actual classroom, while others told us to go out and enjoy the snow. d uring one of the snow days, I took advantage of the extra time and caught up on some sleep. And during the other, once classes had finished, I remember going over to my friend’s dorm room, where we ordered d omino’s pizza and watched Gossip Girl. d espite having to go to class online, we still managed to make a “snow day” enjoyable. As much as I could say I am not a fan of the snow, I realize that snow can bring a lot of joy if you choose to embrace it. s now reminds me not only of snow days, but also of skiing and snowmobiling with my family. It reminds me of the time I was little and built snow forts with my cousins. And, most recently, it’s given me memories of being here at n otre d ame in s outh b end.

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

The

those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

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

Isabella Kause simple beauty

Mannion McGinley Assistant managing editor

don’t delay discernment!

Joey Jegier discerning Your best self

before coming to notre dame, I had never heard of discernment. now, I would be lost without it. discernment has not only brought joy and clarity, but it has also become the subject of my senior thesis. my research investigates the nature of discernment at notre dame, so I have become familiar with the theories and practices of discernment, as well as the manifold ways discernment is manifest on campus. The purpose of this biweekly column will be to explain the whys and hows of discernment. I will argue in favor of taking time to discern, and I will provide concrete methods for you to practice discernment.

but first, I want to tell you a story, the story of my own discernment journey. Then you may appreciate why I think so highly of it.

coming into college in the fall of 2018, I was brighteyed, bushy-tailed, fresh and full of confidence. After all, I had succeeded in achieving and accomplishing all the accolades in my high school days. Why would anything be different now?

As many first-years, I was full of confidence and ego. I rushed through moreau reflections. I procrastinated on my homework and hurried to complete assignments before the midnight deadline. my motto was: “due tomorrow? do tomorrow.”

Aside from competing on the track and field team, I was inactive in my dorm, clubs or other extracurricular experiences. on the weekends, I went to parties on Friday, tailgated hard before football games on saturday and played video games on sunday. In general, I took a utilitarian approach, seeking to maximize the apparent good.

Later, I learned that what I perceived as good

was not always so. conversely, what I thought to be worthless was of highest value. needless to say, I neglected discernment. I avoided discerning probably because I subconsciously knew it would be painful. I knew the path I was heading down was not the one for me, so I steered away from this realization.

Throughout my first year, I successfully suppressed the quiet voice of my conscience, but that strategy was bound for failure. In my second fall semester, a series of events left me vulnerable and confused. Though I still projected an aura of confidence, I felt more uncertain than ever. There were so many questions. “What is my purpose?” “What kind of life do I want to live?” “What kind of person should I become?” These questions broke through my hard heart and overwhelmed my stubborn mind with doubt and anxiety. back then, men did not address mental health so candidly. I did not seek support but instead selfisolated. I skipped class because I felt that everyone would discover the imposter I really was. eventually, I became quite depressed. soon thereafter my loving parents paid me a visit. They knew something was off. After opening up with them, we decided that I would withdraw from the University and reapply next fall.

That year away from college was the best gift I could have received. Indeed, God was seeking me before I could seek h im. I got a job at LifeTime café, took classes at U nc c harlotte and attended therapy sessions with dr. mermelstein. I enjoyed the time at home with mom and dad. I cooked dinners, baked bread and gardened. most importantly, I was compelled to reflect on my withdrawal from school. I was forced to discern. Thank God.

After taking a quasi-gap year, I returned to notre dame, switched from engineering to philosophy and quit the track and field team. I explored different courses of study and career paths, decided to reflect deeply and began to embody the values toward which I aspired.

since then, since experiencing that failure, since walking through a valley of darkness, I have experienced the most fulfilling years of my life. I discovered my interests, found my calling and became more discerning in my everyday judgments. As I was living in darkness, I saw a great light.

The message of this story is twofold. First, take time to discern. Take time to reflect with yourself and with others on those big life questions. second, if you are living in darkness, you may soon experience a great light. It was not until I had experienced darkness that I could appreciate the light.

so, do yourself a favor and don’t delay discernment. don’t do what I did my first year, letting life pass by unexamined. Instead, think about what is truly important to you. Think about what you really want in life. Think about where God is calling you to go and who he is calling you to be.

Whether you are choosing your major, choosing your career or choosing ways to spend your free time, discernment is for you.

Joey Jegier is a senior at Notre Dame studying philosophy, ESS and German. He enjoys coffee, conversation and taking time to be still (when possible). Areas of interest include mysticism, education and discernment. Joey loves the city of South Bend and regularly visits the farmers market, his only source of milk and eggs. He would love to chat about anything and can be reached at jjegier2@nd.edu.

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

The hole in our newsroom

As Walk the Walk week wraps up at n otre d ame, our predominantly white institution is left to think about how to put into practice the ideas we’ve engaged with this week. The University has poured funding and time into curating events with distinguished speakers and alumni and publicly uplifted its diverse students’ stories for the week. This, of course, is an important first step in championing people of color on our campus and educating a majority white student body but it is, by nature, performative. s o, how do we confront the actual problems we face when it comes to including students of diverse backgrounds?

The o bserver strives to promote diversity and inclusion in our newsroom, but there are ways in which our efforts can be more performative than substantive. We cover many culturally diverse subjects, such as the Asian Allure showcase, Latinx h eritage m onth events at s aint m ary’s, the b lack Images talent show and the history of the Potawotami land on which n otre d ame is built. h owever, in an internal feedback survey we conducted last semester, some writers expressed that our coverage felt tokenistic at times. This semester, we pledge to focus on more indepth coverage on the state of diversity and race relations in our tri-campus.

Yet even with this new focus, there will inevitably be stories we miss. We want to hear from you on how you feel The o bserver has neglected your particular corner of campus. You can email or talk to any of our editors, who are more than happy to discuss story ideas.

At the root of our problem, The o bserver is

lacking diverse writers. h aving writers of various cultures, identities and backgrounds — and even from various areas of study — expands the range of interests and story ideas of any media organization, therefore, making its coverage more representative.

This issue is mirrored in newsrooms across the country. In 2021, the n ew York Times reported that 70% of its leadership was white. In the summer of 2020, during the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd, more than 150 employees of the Wall s treet Journal signed a letter to their editor saying that the Journal’s coverage of race was “problematic” and that its staff was not diverse enough. The c hicago Tribune, a paper that serves a city where 55% of the population are people of color, does not officially publish their employee demographics, but stated in a 2021 article that legacy news organizations like theirs “must do a better job of telling the full stories of the city’s b lack and brown communities.”

In theory, The o bserver doesn’t have as many barriers to entry as most other news organizations. Unlike other college newspapers, we do not require our writers to apply before they write their first story. An opinion piece written by the former e ditor-in- c hief of Georgetown University’s student newspaper The h oya argues that student journalism is often stacked against low-income students because student newspaper roles often require long hours, taking away time that could be spent working part-time jobs. While working at The o bserver is time-consuming, we are able to pay our staffers who edit and produce our content five days a week — contrary to practices at many other colleges.

s till, there is clearly something about our culture that is failing to bring in a diversity of students. We want to make joining and writing,

editing and photographing for the paper as accessible as possible. Let us know of any way we can make this newsroom more welcoming. If you’ve ever had any interest in working for The o bserver, visit our office in the basement of s outh d ining h all for our meetings on s undays:

2 p.m. for s cene, our arts and culture section,

2:35 p.m. for s ports and 3:30 p.m. for n otre d ame and h oly c ross n ews. If you’re at s aint m ary’s, stop by our office in the basement of the student center for the s aint m ary’s n ews meeting at 7 p.m. s unday evenings. If you’re not ready to dip a toe in just yet, we would encourage you to read our site and paper as well as follow our social media accounts to see the variety of work you could do.

The o bserver must be a more inclusive place. If you feel you could assist us in that goal, we would also like to invite you to apply to be a part of our Talent and Inclusion department. The department is led by the m anager of Talent and Inclusion ( m TI) and includes an assistant m TI position. In this role, you would directly be involved in making our coverage more representative, recruiting more writers of color and other identities and backgrounds, building our presence at h oly c ross and making our newsroom one where everyone feels welcome. d o consider applying online before next Friday.

We take our responsibility to the tri-campus community seriously. We want our staff to reflect the University’s and c olleges’ student bodies as closely as possible. We are your paper and we are independent for a reason — to tell all stories. b ut we are missing some voices in our newsroom, and we intend to do all that we can to rectify this. r each out to us if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions for ways we can do better. We want to be a paper you can be proud of.

can’t ever say you haven’t been told’: My love letter to ‘The Sopranos’

Stephen Viz Poor stephen’s scrapbook

Television, in particular paid programming television, has seen a cinematic revival since the turn of the twenty-first century. While once belittled as the little brother of the silver screen, the current landscape of television has changed drastically. no longer do actors smirk at the idea of taking on T v projects, but rather embrace it in ways not seen before. And while there have been dozens of titles that have received both critical and fan acclaim, all roads lead back to “The s opranos” (1999-2007), arguably the godfather of modern television (yes, all puns intended).

A contemporary take on the American mafia genre, “The s opranos” revolves around a crime family in new Jersey, headlined by our titular character, Tony s oprano. The premise begins with Tony as a criminal battling depression, but the show quickly becomes so much more. 86 hours of this show are still not enough to satisfy fans, as even after ending 16 years ago, hbo’s magnum opus continues to be a focal point for conversation, debate and remembrance. Parts drama, dark comedy and commentary on American society, “The s opranos” has turned thousands of viewers into critics of all other pieces of cinema. I am one of those critics.

And don’t get me wrong, I have come to love plenty of other shows over the years. Yet nothing has come to match the level of intersecting entertainment and enlightenment that “The s opranos” has come to represent. Let me explain.

First, I seriously think you could consider several rewatches of “The s opranos” as a tutorial to the world of business. Think of watching “The s opranoss” as like a quasi-business school, unraveling before your eyes through the lens of La c osa nostra in metropolitan new Jersey. And yes, granted, the business conducted on the show is of course illegal. b ut the levels of intricacies present in these illegal rackets of the s oprano family can grow an intellectual curiosity inside the viewer that is truly unprecedented for its time.

The ingenuity of such schemes has always made me wonder that if real-time mobsters used their business savvy, capital and execution toward more

LETTEr TO THE EdiTOr

noble pursuits of commerce, then maybe their world would’ve been better off. b ut I digress. o ne some scheme in season four circles around fugazi (fake) mortgage loans in inner city newark. First, Tony s oprano and crew, with the help of their combined political capital, buy up houses primed for urban development in the city. Then, using a bribed real estate appraiser, they reevaluate the houses at a 300% markup. The revalued houses are then sold to a not-for-profit also enlisted in the scheme, who then defaults on the mortgage payments. Percentages of the profits are then chopped up “nicely.” negotiation, organizational management, quality control and conflict resolution are all developed in depth. “c harles s chwab over here,” I believe is a quote.

b ut more importantly, as a roman c atholic, there is truly a triumphant relevance that exists in the show’s discussion of spirituality, God, eternal life, redemption and the evil that is present within the m afia’s half-hazard embrace of its c atholic heritage. For the Italian members of La c osa nostra, their shared religious culture gives a divine dignity to their work. When members are inducted into the m afia, they burn a photo of a chosen patron saint, simply repeating, “m ay I burn in hell if I betray my friends.” Additionally, when the discussion of hell is once again broached, characters revert to their place in the mob as a saving grace from eternal hellfire. “We are soldiers, we don’t go to hell,” is a continuous sentiment throughout all six seasons. Additionally, when two integral characters are wounded by gunshot, they are left with lengthy recoveries. For these men, gruesome nightmares follow them. v isions of hell as “never-ending st. Patrick’s d ays” are discussed, and these characters seemingly see that their current paths are a oneway ticket there. b ut our mafiosos accept this, and Tony s oprano becomes a sociopathic figure of the devil, leading his crime family into the twenty-first century. Like the devil, Tony attracts all around him with false promises, sin and delight, while ultimately sowing their destruction. “m y Uncle Tony, that’s who I am going to hell for,” is often how he is referred to.

b ut the most harrowing spiritual encounter of all comes in the form of civilian complacence with the sins of the crime family. In particular, “innocent” family members such as a children and wives are

caught up in the crossfire of realizing the truth of their abundance of riches. c armela s oprano, the wife of Tony s oprano, acts as the centerpiece for this. In the first season, c armela’s children begin to poke the bear of Tony’s activities as a mafioso, but c armela is aware of it all along. Tony and c armela’s children eventually accept the lifestyle, and actually come to defend it, but c armela’s peace of mind sometimes wavers. Tony keeps her entertained with diamonds, furs and mercedes s L, but he is serially unfaithful and seldom acts to keep business out of the habitat of the s oprano family home.

In season 3, c armela sees a Jewish psychiatrist after continuing to struggle with her husband and his infidelity. The doctor gets c armela to open up, as she truly does want Tony to reconcile for his sins. c armela insists that she was only ever there to “make sure he had clean clothes in his closet and dinner on his table.” b ut instead of advice, c armela gets an ultimatum. The doctor brings judgement and brings it hard. he laments, “You must trust your initial impulse and consider leaving him. You’ll never be able to feel good about yourself. never be able to quell the feelings of guilt and shame that you talked about. As long as you’re his accomplice… Take only the children — what’s left of them — and go… I’m not charging you because I won’t take blood money. And you can’t either. o ne thing you can never say: that you haven’t been told.”

For those who haven’t seen the show, I’m sorry. b ut c armela never ends up leaving Tony for good. And while her character fails to answer the spiritual call, what other shows even broach this subject? The ending of the series is infamously ambiguous and keeps the conversation going, but I think this scene and hundreds of others beg questions on philosophy, spirituality, society, that haven’t been matched on T v s o seriously, sit back and enjoy the show.

Stephen Viz is a one-year MBA candidate and graduate of Holy Cross College. Hailing from Orland Park, Illinois, his columns are all trains of thoughts, and he can be found at either Decio Cafe or in Mendoza. He can be reached at sviz@nd.edu or on Twitter, @StephenViz

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

Thank you social justice volunteers

The University of n otre d ame does an excellent job of reminding us how important it is to reach out to “the least of our brethren” and practice social justice as part of our daily lives. There is the c enter for s ocial c oncerns on campus that does an excellent job clarifying this for us. o ne of the other organizations on campus that also actively practices social justice in our community is the s acred h eart Parish on campus. They have a s ocial Justice m inistry that has been active for many years with a number of parishioners who have also been active in such ministries.

o ne of the local organizations in s outh b end is the c atholic Worker h ouse. A current faculty member, Prof. m argie Pfeil in the department of theology, was one of the founding members

of the c atholic Worker. o ne important outreach of the Worker was the opening of o ur Lady of the r oad ( o L r ) that is located at 744 s outh m ain s treet in s outh b end. This is a drop-in center, following the example of d orothy d ay, that is a welcoming place which, among other assistance, serves breakfast to the poor and homeless every Friday, s aturday and s unday. The guests can also take a shower, launder their clothes and can often receive a haircut. s ome members of s acred h eart serve breakfast on the third Friday of each month. We see a good number of nd students, both women and men, who have been going to o L r to serve those who come in for breakfast. I’m reluctant to give names as I don’t want to omit someone I may forget. o ne of their important observations is how thankful

and polite the guests are, and most reply with a “thank you very much, and may God bless you.”

We welcome any students who would like to volunteer at o L r

o n behalf of the guests who come to o L r for breakfast and as a member of the s J m of s acred h eart Parish, I would like to thank all of those volunteers who reach out and help to serve those in need. They help to continue to make o L r a welcoming place where people can receive a good breakfast, have a warm and safe place to rest and are treated with respect. m y God bless you all.

Thomas Nowak professor emeritus Jan. 26

‘You

By AYDEN KOWALSKI scene Writer

Few franchises have a better pitch than “Pokémon”: tame and trained magical animals battle each other, save the world with a team of them and ultimately become “the very best, like no one ever was.”

Whether each game brings the player into this dream is a different question. The previous main series games, 2019’s “Pokémon sword” and “Pokémon shield,” are infamous for their failure to do so. Additional content for these games, however, quickly got back on track, and “Pokémon Legends: Arceus,” released in early 2022, truly makes magic. “Pokémon scarlet” and “Pokémon violet” aim to continue this upward trajectory, and in this reviewer’s experience of “violet,” the game is a success, and it’s easy to see how the series can shine even brighter. catching, raising and battling Pokémon is as enchanting as it has ever been. The new battling mechanics introduced in this game are creative and allow for exciting possibilities, which this review will not spoil. The greatest issue with the system is the lack of a difficulty setting. This is a game for all ages, which means the adventure must be accessible, but there is no button to give opponents stronger Pokémon or more complicated strategies. Instead, one must create self-imposed rules to add to the game’s challenge, and even so, one cannot create new opponents. This is an easily remediable problem for the next “Pokémon” games, though.

“Pokémon violet” is the first fully open-world game in

the series and is a great first step into this new system of world design, with compelling prizes for exploration and a surprising degree of freedom in movement. There is a simple and powerful joy in climbing a mountain that seemed impossible to summit and finding a rare item or special event at the peak. There is still substantial room for growth for future games in this department, however, as the environments are mostly unmemorable (with one magnificent exception) and the human settlements are uninteresting. These cities lack distinct cultures, interesting populations or exclusive activities. There is also very limited interaction between Pokémon and humans in the cities, which is a shame, as bringing Pokémon into everyday city life could make these places attractions. Imagine a mountain city where flying Pokémon carry people between buildings, or a city with a parade in which Pokémon use their abilities to create a light show. most frustrating of all the game’s best elements, however, is a lacking technical presentation of this world. The game simply runs poorly, and its visuals are at a low quality. older “Pokémon” games with pixilated, two-dimensional overworlds and Pokémon battles used the power of suggestion to their advantage, letting players imagine the world in greater detail and conceiving something far beyond the technical capacity of any video game. As a three-dimensional adventure in an open world where one can travel anywhere, this game must depict its world as accurately as possible to satisfy players. rather than inviting players to join the game in fully constructing this world, “Pokémon violet,” at its worst, invites players

to imagine a better piece of software.

The story here, unlike many Pokémon games, is not a formulaic tale about an evil organization chasing a god Pokémon to realize its ambitions. Instead, the player’s character is simply a schoolkid in the Pokémon universe, whose friends bring them into the main adventures of the game. While these will not hold an adult’s attention throughout their duration, they are excellent stories for younger players about empathy. The three main supporting characters — nemona, Arven and Penny — all have problematic aspects to their personalities and difficulties that define them. nevertheless, the player finds the good and brings out the best in them. our friends aren’t perfect, the game argues, but that shouldn’t be our expectation. being human is about connecting with other humans in our brokenness, as our relationships can build us to be better. That is an invaluable lesson for players of all ages.

“Pokémon” is still working out the details of its dream, but “Pokémon violet” is a wonderful blueprint for adventures to come, and a very good game in its own right. While its world needs more splendor and its adventure more flexibility, “Pokémon violet” still has magic. It may not convert older players to following the franchise, but hopefully this is building up to the show that will sweep the world away, the long-awaited realization of the dream. but as it stands, it’s still worth letting “Pokémon violet” cast its spell, even if the seams of the fantasy are visible.

By NICOLE BILYAK scene Writer

As the s cene department’s resident “d ungeons and d ragons” connoisseur, it is my job to know about anything and everything “d ungeons & d ragons.” At the beginning of 2023, a leak of the new draft of the o pen Gaming License ( o GL) circulated around the internet and caused quite an uproar in the “d ungeons & d ragons” community. s o much so that many people have begun to search for new systems to play, going as far as taking a trip back in time to the 1970s and picking up the very first edition of “d ungeons & d ragons.”

s o what is all of this talk about the o pen Gaming License controversy? b efore I dive into the fuss and give my two cents, I should explain what this actually means. The o pen Gaming License is a default gaming license that allows fans of “d ungeons & d ragons” to use portions of “d & d” products without the publisher, Wizards of the c oast (Wot c ), overlooking them. This license is what made way for what is considered “homebrew,” or creating content that is under the “d & d” mantle but is the creator’s own work. much of the content that is now created

by “d & d” players and dungeon masters has been featured on many Wiki sites and on Wizards of the c oast’s website, dndb eyond. With the content that is created nowadays, many of the creators will also sell their products for a decent profit.

In late 2022, rumors began to circulate about Wizards of the c oast reaching out to third-party publishers and having them sign non-disclosure agreements. m any fans were concerned that the o GL was going to go away, thereby threatening the livelihood of homebrew content creators. b ut Wot c came out to say that the o GL was not going away anytime soon.

The aforementioned leak of the o GL 1.1 added the idea that those who create homebrew content would have to pay a royalty to Wot c , and there would be a requirement of revenue reporting for all content creators. To say that there was a massive uproar in the “d & d” community would be a major understatement. m any people flocked to dndb eyond and canceled their subscriptions as a way to send a message to Wizards that they messed up badly. Wizards claimed that “d & d” would be more open, which could not have been further from the truth. m any third-party publishers came out to say that they would create their own system, such as Kobold Press.

From my perspective, I can wholeheartedly say that this new o GL is one of the most restrictive parts of “d & d” that I have ever come across. I will go on to say that “d & d” is definitely a part of my life that I will never give up. I love being able to tell an absolutely fantastical story where I get a group of people together and just play for over three hours a day. I make my own content that has my name attached to it, but I never publish any of the content. I am very concerned that with the o GL restricting this content, I now have to rely on officially published material and possibly have to pay an astronomical amount of money for being able to have access to the content that I have personally created. s o, will I ever cancel my dndb eyond subscription? honestly, no. e ven with all the controversy going on about the o GL, I always have a backup place for keeping the content that I have personally created, but there is always the fear that Wot c is watching over me.

s o hopefully, Wizards of the c oast can make an ethical decision that can be in favor of all parties involved in “d ungeons & d ragons.” avoid.

Contact Nicole Bilyak at nbilyak01@saintmarys.edu

EMMA KIRNER | The Observer

CLAIRE KIRNER | The Observer

By ANNA FALK scene Writer

o n Jan. 23, popular b ritish rock band Arctic monkeys celebrated 17 years of their debut LP, “Whatever People s ay I Am, That’s What I’m not.”

This album is one of the most influential rock albums of the 21st century and stands as an early testimony of the power of the Internet in the music industry. With the release of their seventh studio album, “The c ar,” and a long list of tour dates spanning multiple countries on almost every continent, it’s important to take a step back and look at how the famed quartet got their start. h ow did they get so popular, and how have they evolved into what they are today?

Arctic m onkeys was formed in 2002 by founding members Alex Turner (lead vocals, guitar), m att h elders (drums) and Andy n icholson (bass) in s heffield, e ngland. They soon brought on Jamie c ook as a second guitarist and began making music, playing their first gig at a s heffield pub called The Grapes in 2003.

The band soon garnered a large and loyal following from their live shows and from a fan-made m y s pace page promoting the band’s 18-track demo. Their first e P “Five m inutes with Arctic monkeys” was released in 2005 — featuring tracks such as “Fake Tales of s an Francisco” and “From the r itz to the r ubble” — and they soon signed with d omino.

The release of “WP s IA” in 2006 was monumental beyond comparison. This LP remains the fastestselling debut album in UK history, surpassing the previous holder by nearly 60,000 copies. s ales from the first day were more than those of the top-20 combined, and the numbers from its first week in the U.K. were more than the first year in the U. s Arctic m onkeys became famous nearly overnight throughout the U.K. In response to their sudden popularity, n icholson became overwhelmed and left the band to work on his own musical projects. The band replaced him with n ick o ’ m alley, and the lineup has been the same ever since.

o ver the next decade, the band regularly released music — whether it be LPs, e Ps or b -sides (of which they have over 40) — and continued to grow in popularity. They have received 104 award nominations and garnered 42 wins, even having the opportunity to perform at the 2012 London o lympic opening ceremony along with Paul m c c artney (The b eatles) and Alex Trimble (Two d oor c inema c lub).

After a hiatus from their world-renowned album “A m ,” the m onkeys began to look at their music with a fresh set of eyes. While their previous music had been characterized by energetic instrumentals and vocals, their new project, “Tranquility b ase h otel and c asino,” changed that. Taking inspiration from a variety of media including s tanley Kubrick films and The b each b oys’ “Pet s ounds,”

they created a concept album about a lunar hotel and casino from the perspective of different patrons and employees around the base. Turner croons about religion, politics, consumerism and culture with a jazzy, space-aged edge that threw off many fans upon first listen.

m any longtime fans have had a hard time coping with their new sound and further evolution with “The c ar,” but have found more authenticity and maturity from the music. While the band has always been lyrically masterful, their recent albums have shown a return to their incisive commentary on society and modern culture as a whole while maintaining their innovative instrumentation.

As a lover of music, music history and Arctic m onkeys, I was thrilled to be able to write this. o ut of the four years I’ve had s potify, they have been my top artist for three. “WP s IA” is an iconic and incredibly well-made album that remains one of my favorite works of theirs — but “ h umbug” will always be in the top spot. Their diverse and extensive discography serves to fit any mood and situation, and they continue to impress as time passes.

d espite the connotations from their debut album title, whatever people have been saying about Arctic m onkeys regarding their pure talent and star-power is exactly what they are and will remain for years to come.

Contact Anna Falk at afalk@nd.edu

By CLAIRE LYONS Associate scene editor

“Aftersun” is the most poignant and sensitive portrait of parenthood, depression and grief that I have ever seen.

The movie follows a grown-up s ophie as she recalls her last vacation with her father, c alum. s ophie, for the majority of the movie, is a precocious 11-year-old who is oblivious to the private emotional struggles of her father. r eal and imagined memories of the past, spliced with nostalgic home videos and haunting visions of her father, subtly shine a light on how we write and re-write grief and loss into our family histories.

“Aftersun” has been nominated for a smattering of awards, including at the c annes Film Festival and the b AFTAs, mostly for its excellent director, c harlotte Wells, and leading actor and recent o scar nominee, Paul mescal. mescal works perfectly to the film’s strength — melancholic restraint — as he plays a struggling single father who wants to shield his daughter from his problems. mescal’s on-screen chemistry with the incredibly talented 13-year-old Frankie c orio is the beating heart of the movie. e ven though c alum can hide his depression from an 11-year-old s ophie, he can’t hide it from an adult

s ophie and, therefore, the audience. s ophie revisits her memories of the vacation and begins to fill in the gaps. An exasperated comment to her dad about “not being able to afford singing lessons” becomes more gutting — and you can see it on mescal’s face. e ven though the memories of the vacation are overwhelmingly positive because s ophie remembers time with her father fondly, we get terrifying (and imagined) flashes of c alum’s despair: him sobbing by himself in their hotel room and jumping into the mediterranean s ea in the middle of the night.

The film is subtle and understated, guiding you through emotion without forcing you to process anything. o bjectively, nothing happens. A father and a daughter spend a wonderful vacation in Turkey together. The daughter remembers it after her father is gone. And yet, I was completely a wreck at the end.

“Aftersun” ends in a scene that will forever change the way I listen to Queen and d avid b owie’s hit single, “Under Pressure.” As a young s ophie dances with her dad in Turkey, an older s ophie is searching for a vision of her (frozen-intime) dad. As the music rises in a crescendo, young s ophie hugs her dad and old s ophie loses him in the crowd. h er memory of him becomes more real than he is.

I was in tears because I was remembering, too. memories of my mom came flooding back to me: her doing makeup in the master bathroom, her hitting a bullseye with a bow and arrow, her driving me in a cool car after school… s ome things I still can’t remember. s ome things I never knew about. I saw the film two days before the ten-year anniversary of my mother’s suicide, and it hit like a sucker punch.

“Aftersun” captured my anxieties about outliving my parents and being left with nobody to lean on. It made me rethink everything I had ever said to my parents. It reminded me to be more gentle with the people who raised me. b ut most importantly, it reminded me that parents are fallible creatures and that forgiveness is a virtue.

Contact Claire Lyons at clyons3@nd.edu

“Aftersun”

Director: Charlotte Wells

Starring: Paul Mescal, Frankie Corio

If you like: “Lady Bird,” “Before Sunrise”

Happy Birthday: Preparation and organization are essential this year. A minimalist attitude will help you curb bad habits and dodge overspending and situations that add stress to your life. recognize what and who are good for you, and make decisions that bring you closer to your desired lifestyle. Consider what’s important to you; build on these staples to achieve stability. your numbers are 6, 11, 23, 28, 35, 39, 43.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Emotions will surface. Take a step back and think before you say or do something you will regret. Scour the internet for answers, go to an expert, confide in someone you trust and put the best version of yourself before anyone who questions you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Stop, pay attention and do everything according to the rules and regulations. Studying and confirming every detail will give you the confidence you require to outsmart anyone trying to hold you back. Work relentlessly to beat the competition.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): rely on yourself, your experience and your knowledge to get you where you want to go. A physical move will encourage new beginnings and an opportunity to work alongside individuals who will rival and encourage you to do your best. Self-improvement is apparent.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): keep a watchful eye on others. Someone will likely sabotage your plans or make you look bad if given a chance. you may have to step outside your comfort zone if you want to make a lasting impression on someone influential.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Do your best, and you’ll get the support required to complete your plans. Don’t let the changes happening at work cause insecurity. your extra effort will go a long way when trying to impress someone in charge. romance will lift your spirits.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Do what works for you. Ignore anyone pushing you in a direction you don’t care to travel. Stick to basics and do things by the book. Set a budget and refuse to take on more debt or work than you can handle.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): There will be plenty of opportunities, but indecisiveness will stand between you and taking advantage of an offer. Clear your head and defer to an expert. Protect against physical injury or an altercation with someone who doesn’t share your beliefs.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Dodge anyone putting pressure on you. look for alternative ways to keep the peace and avoid a run-in with someone inconsistent or heading in a different direction. Be true to yourself and how you want to live. Avoid health risks.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): you can be entertaining without overspending. hosting an event or meeting or starting a discussion with those you live with will help make your life easier and your support system reliable.

A personal pick-me-up will boost your energy and invite compliments. romance is favored.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Change is looming, but baby steps will help control the outcome. Overseeing everything you want to achieve will eliminate mistakes and lower your costs. Sidestep anyone who tries to talk you into being extravagant. A change at home will ease stress and add to your comfort.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Be open about what you are willing to do for others and what you expect in return. Being honest will speed up getting what you want and when. Take notes, look at the facts and follow through without hesitation.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Confirm details before proceeding. If you say too much or overreact, you will face scrutiny that can interfere with what you are trying to achieve. Don’t rely on others or leave anything to chance. focus on your target and don’t look back.

Birthday Baby: you are active, free-spirited and innovative. you are original and trendy.

are pretty grateful.”

All three have taken different paths to earning their nomination.

Goaltender r yan b ischel, for instance, was not initially named to the list of nominees. Yet, 52 and 42-save performances in last weekend’s games at n o. 6 Penn s tate caught the attention of the committee, who added b ischel to the list this week.

h is late addition has nothing to do with a lack of qualifications. The netminder has been a stalwart for the Irish, racking up 824 total saves, the most in college hockey. h is .928 save percentage is fifth-best nationally, and best among goaltenders who have played 1,000 minutes or more. e arlier this month, b ischel was also named to the watch list for the m ike r ichter Award, given to the nation’s top goaltender.

As the team’s go-to goalie, b ischel has started every game this season to date, and he ranks second nationally in minutes played. What’s his secret to staying sharp so consistently?

“I spend a lot of time in the hot tub,” b ischel said, half laughing.

“Focusing on taking care of my body has been a big emphasis here.”

b eing prepared mentally has also been a focus for b ischel, who said that football coach m arcus Freeman’s message to the team earlier this month helped him stay in the moment, “one shot at a time.”

For forward Trevor Janicke, the path to his nomination has been bolstered by a strong second half of the season.

The m aple Grove, m innesota, native has been finding his offensive rhythm of late. h e has tallied five goals in the last seven games.

s uch success in his senior season at n otre d ame is extra special for Janicke because of his family ties to the program. Janicke’s d ad, c urtis, was a forward with the Irish from 1989-1993. h is brother, Justin, is a sophomore on the team. The brothers have played together for the first time in their hockey careers during the last two seasons.

“I basically have been bleeding gold and blue since I was born. I knew the n otre d ame

fight song when I was, like, two years old,” Janicke said. “ m y whole life, this was my dream.”

Leivermann, returning for his fifth and final season with the Irish this year, is one of the most important members of this n otre d ame squad. As usual, Leivermann is putting up good offensive numbers, averaging .72 points per game from the back end. d espite missing eight games this year due to injury, Leivermann leads Irish defensemen in points and his next goal will tie his single-season high of six.

m ost importantly, the team’s captain does not shy away from the ambitions of n otre d ame hockey. Acknowledging, with an 11-12-3 record through 26 games, that this year has not gone to plan, Leivermann sees opportunity ahead for this Irish team.

“We have an expectation to win the b ig Ten and make a run for the national championship, and that’s still our expectation, even though things aren’t going our way,” Leivermann said.

“We still find ourselves in a spot where things are going to work out if we pull together a few wins.”

In that sense, this weekend’s series against Wisconsin takes on an important tone. Time is of the essence for the Irish to start their climb up the standings. o nly six games remain in the regular season after this weekend, all of which are against top-15 opponents.

The Irish are currently on the nc AA Tournament bubble. They sit at 15th in the PairWise r ankings, a system that determines which teams qualify for the 16-team tournament.

What is the energy like in the locker room going into such a critical series?

“ e xcited,” b ischel said. “I think the room today after practice was, like, the most excited I’ve seen it all year, so yeah, I think the guys are fired up for sure.”

The sense of urgency around the team was best summed up by Janicke.

“It’s time to go… now, it’s playoff hockey.”

The puck drops on a crucial regular season series at c ompton Family Ice Arena tonight at 7:35 p.m es T. Game two of the series will follow on s aturday at 6 p.m. es T.

The curse that continues to haunt the Vikings

Nate Moller senior sports Writer

The v ikings’ record in onescore games in the regular season: 11-0. The v ikings’ record in one-score games in the playoffs: 0-1.

That’s pretty much all that is needed to sum up yet another season that ended in heartbreaking fashion for the m innesota v ikings. They yet again fell victim to a curse that has haunted their franchise since its inception more than 60 years ago.

Although I tried to keep my expectations in check for the v ikings this year, it was hard to contain my excitement after they continued to pull off exciting win after exciting win in the regular season.

It was after the v ikings found a way to win the “game of the year” against the bills that I really started to believe in this team. After winning by a score of 33-30 to improve to 8-1, it began to feel like this team had a legitimate chance to be a super b owl contender. In past seasons, those close games, like the one in buffalo, were games the v ikings simply couldn’t seem to win. but this year felt different.

Although the v ikings had slip-ups against the c owboys and Lions over the coming weeks, they continued to win close games against respectable teams and seemed like a legitimate contender.

And then came the game against the Indianapolis c olts on d ec. 17 at U. s b ank stadium — a game I attended in-person. The v ikings came in as heavy favorites against the lackluster c olts, with a chance to clinch the n Fc north with a win.

In the first half, the v ikings were atrocious, and they found themselves in a stunning 33-0 deficit at half. What happened in the second, however, was nothing short of magical. The v ikings truly pulled off the impossible, as they battled back to win 39-36 in overtime and completed the biggest comeback in n FL history. The atmosphere at that game was truly unlike any game I have ever attended. After that, I truly believed that this v ikings team was destined for greatness in the playoffs.

After winning two of their last three games to finish the season 13-4, the v ikings secured the three seed in the

n Fc and earned themselves a date with the new York Giants in the Wild c ard round. They beat the Giants just a few weeks earlier on c hristmas e ve, and I had the utmost confidence coming into this game.

The first offensive drive resulted in a touchdown for the v ikings, but that would be the only time the v ikings led the whole game. The Giants went on to tear up the v ikings’ defense. o n their first two drives, the Giants scored two touchdowns and tallied 156 yards off of just nine plays. Although the v ikings managed to stay within striking distance, there were a couple of critical plays that were simply head-scratching and contributed to the seven-point loss.

The first of these head scratchers was a critical thirdand-one for the v ikings early in the game with the score tied at seven. The v ikings desperately needed a first down to keep the redhot Giants offense off the field, and instead of running the ball, they drew up a lateral to wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who then threw the ball to quarterback Kirk c ousins. c ousins ended up getting dropped for a loss of two yards. Why in the world would you let c ousins use his legs on a third and short, especially when d alvin c ook is one of the best running backs in the league? The v ikings were forced to punt the ball away and subsequently watched the Giants march down the field after this blunder.

The other crucial play happened at the beginning of the fourth quarter with the v ikings trailing 24-21. The v ikings faced a fourth-andone from the Giants’ 16-yard line, and they lined up to go for it. It looked like the v ikings had the first down on a run up the middle, but left tackle c hristian darrisaw jumped before the snap. The ball was moved back, and the v ikings were forced to kick a field goal to tie it instead of having a chance to take the lead.

Then, the biggest head scratcher of them all occurred on the final drive of the game. With the v ikings down seven and facing a fourth and 15 from their own 48-yard line, Kirk c ousins threw a short check down pass to tight end T.J. hockenson for three yards. Although c ousins faced heavy pressure, he needed to give his

team a chance. I would have rather had him chuck it up blindly toward Jefferson than to seemingly admit defeat by throwing it underneath to hockenson. Jefferson made some phenomenal catches this year and he might have had another one in him, but now we will never know. The play was so perplexing that after the game, veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson said that “[ c ousins] must not have known what down it was.”

This series of unfortunate events is just another saga in the disappointing life of a v ikings fan. If you really want a list of all the v ikings’ blunders in the playoffs, you would need to talk to my grandparents, as they witnessed the v ikings lose four super b owls in the 1970s. b ut even in my lifetime, this loss hurt just as much as the disappointing losses in the 2010 and 2018 n Fc c hampionship games against the s aints and the e agles.

If the v ikings were just a bad team, it would be a lot easier. but that’s the problem. It seems like the v ikings are always just good enough to build up my hopes, but never good enough to win the super b owl. To prove my point that the v ikings are historically a good football team, they ranked seventh in the n FL in all-time winning percentage coming into the 2022 season. This winning percentage is better than the 49ers, steelers and Giants — all teams that have at least four super b owls. The v ikings, however, have nothing to show for their stellar winning percentage.

I could continue ranting for days about the v ikings and pointing fingers at various players, coaches and front office employees. I’ve realized now, though, that maybe it isn’t any one specific person or group of people. It seems to be something bigger than that. For whatever reason, the m innesota v ikings are a franchise that is always destined for failure in the playoffs, regardless of how good they are in the regular season. The v ikings are a cursed franchise that might never win a super b owl.

Contact Nate Moller at nmoller2@nd.edu.

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

Contact Ryan Murphy at rmurph22@nd.edu

starling actively looking to run the floor provides a new dimension for a team that has usually looked to slow things down offensively.

With graduate student forward nate Laszewski in foul trouble, Lubin played 22 minutes, his most since november. In that time, he established a post presence on both ends of the floor. Utilizing uncommon strength and quickness for a freshman, he posted 10 points and two blocks while also playing tough on the glass. notre d ame is known as an “old” team, and rightfully so, with five graduate students in their seven-man rotation. b ut starling and Lubin have been improving all season and are ready to make a big impact down the stretch.

Louisville’s troubles cannot be pinpointed to one single facet of the game. The c ardinals rank dead last in the Acc in both points scored and allowed. o ffensively, most of the load has been carried by e l e llis, who leads the team with averages of 17.8 points and 4.7 assists per game. r emarkably, not a single other c ardinal has averaged double-digit points or more than one assist, shedding some light as to why they have struggled. As a team, Louisville has shot just over 32% from three-point range. Given notre d ame’s difficulties with defending opposing big men around the basket, the Irish will likely pack the paint and dare the c ardinals to beat them from

squad looking down the back half of their conference schedule.

“she’s worked so hard,” said Ivey. “she’s very mature for a freshman, understanding what she needs to do on and off the court, and she’s growing

HCC bASketbALL

into playing longer stretches. With the loss of dara, our guards will have to play longer stretches.”

notre dame will now start preparations for a road trip to raleigh, north carolina, for their second top-25 matchup of three over the next twelve days. The hosting nc state Wolfpack provided both Ivey’s signature win and most

agonizing loss last season– with the Irish notching a major topfive win at home in february and a season-ending sweet 16 loss in march against the ‘Pack in 2022. The nc state game will tip off at 3 p.m. on saturday and will be broadcast on esPn

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

Holy Cross teams split results against Lakers

By PETER BREEN sports Writer

on a snowy south bend night, holy cross men’s and women’s basketball took on roosevelt University in a double header at mcKenna Arena. The women glided past Lakers, while the men fell just short in overtime.

beyond the arc.

Turnovers have also plagued Louisville, who have averaged 16.6 per game, fourth-most in the country. notre d ame, meanwhile, averages just 9.4 turnovers, fourth-least nationally. Although the Irish did give the ball away 15 times against nc state. The Irish prefer to take their time and work to get the best possible shot off. however, that has seemingly contributed to the team’s late-game woes. When opposing defenses buckle down in the closing stages of the game, notre d ame has often been forced to hoist difficult shots late in the shot clock.

Against a team that turns the ball over as much as Louisville does, the Irish may benefit from making more of an effort to push the pace. That should provide easier opportunities to get to the rim or kick the ball out to a knockdown shooter.

notre d ame has been knocking on the door for several games but has not found their moment to break through and start stringing Acc victories together.

s aturday’s game represents as good an opportunity as any, and the Irish will look to improve upon their 9-5 home record and make the c ardinals wait a little bit longer for that elusive first conference win.

notre d ame will host Louisville at Purcell Pavilion on s aturday. The game tips off at noon. The matchup will be available on es Pn2 and notre d ame r adio network.

Contact Matthew Crow at mcrow@nd.edu

sophomore forward Grace Adams won the 5:30 p.m. tip, and the saints didn’t look back from there. holy cross jumped out to a 11-0 lead, dominating the opening five minutes of play. At the close of the first quarter, the saints’ defensive resolve kept the Lakers down 22-8.

roosevelt junior forward Jayla Turchin built some momentum to start out the second period, leading her team on a 6-0 run before holy cross could again crack the scoreboard. The three-point shot of michiana native and roosevelt graduate student guard meghan Urbanski also did not help the saint’s cause. A timeout, however, helped the saints kick their offense back on, and holy cross trotted off the court at the midpoint buzzer, up 45-28.

In a third quarter that brought many players in saint gray and Laker black to the foul line, freshman forward carly spradling and freshman guard Audrey Tallent were relentless in backing their team up with buckets.

Swim

in competition.

“Just going in as a team, I think a lot of the swimmers and divers are just way more confident than in the past,” Winters said. “I think a lot of people are just more excited to see what they can do compared to the past few years.”

According to c hase, it’s been “nose to the grindstone” the past few weeks in terms of training. Though this meet will provide the Irish with a chance to get off the block in a competitiverace format, the main focus is about swimming for Tim — and the Irish’s 19 seniors. The community will rally around the seniors as they are recognized for their efforts and dedication over the past four years.

Three-fourths way through the matchup, holy cross stood assuredly at the helm, up 71-47.

A fourth quarter Laker fullcourt press proved to be ineffective. A layup from sophomore guard Anna Tallent closed out the affair — holy cross the victors, 93-58.

earlier this season, the saints came up three points short against the Lakers on the road in chicago. head coach Tom robbins knew that his team had to find a way to stop Urbanski if they wanted a different result this time around.

“We felt like we really needed to get to Urbanski,” robbins said. “she’s a local girl, played at mishawaka marian and she really hurt us the first time around. We just smothered her from three. she ended up with 11, but she had 10 in the first half. To hold her to one point in the whole second half I thought was key for us.”

Anticipating how Turchin might also be a problem, robbins set the dynamic Adams to the task.

“Turchin is pretty big for them,” robbins said. “so we had Grace Adams guard her, and she really did a nice job locking her down — held her to 10 points, which is about half of her average.”

The saints, now 13-10, will carry their momentum into Gary, Indiana saturday in a 2 p.m. matchup against Indiana

“This holds a special place in our hearts since it’s a community-based event,” Winters said. “A lot of parents come in, a lot of friends and family. It’s a nice meet to get all together.”

Three school record holders make up this senior group in coleen Gillilan, Jack hoagland and cason Wilburn. A resilient class, the class of 2023 has had to overcome the pandemic and major staffing changes among notre dame swim and dive.

“We’ve been through a lot here as a class at n otre d ame, and to see that we all finish together is definitely going to be a nice memory we will have forever,” Winters said.

A last career home meet is a bittersweet topic for Winters and chase. Along with the 17 other seniors, they are starting to reflect and take note of the little things that will soon

University northwest. Men fall to top-seeded Lakers in overtime

The holy cross men’s team, coming off an upset victory against olivet nazarene, took on another top-ranked chicagoland collegiate Athletic conference team in roosevelt. The battle between the saints in white and the Lakers in black was fought through diplomatic timeouts.

Too many missed long balls from the saints permitted the Lakers to jump out to a 15-9 lead 10 minutes into the game. by the end of half, holy cross, though only managing 21 points, clawed back to within 10 points.

The saints had their work cut out for them in the second half of play. Thankfully, the freshman duo of guard Phil robles II and forward Tommy snyder finally started to turn on the heat.

With 10 minutes to go in the ball game, it started to get interesting. holy cross cut down roosevelt’s lead to four points and then down to two with six minutes left on the clock. robles II nailed a three in the thirty-fifth minute to tie the game back up at 50 — electrifying the mcKenna Arena crowd. Read the remainder of the story at ndsmcobserver.com

Contact Peter Breen at pbreen2@nd.edu

be gone.

“I think that in my mind and a lot of seniors’ minds, we aren’t looking forward to moving on,” chase said. “We look forward to practicing everyday and we’re excited to continue to race and finish out the season strong. It’ll be bittersweet at the end, and it’s something that you start to cherish a little bit more as the end of swimming at notre dame comes near. especially as you start to hit the final tally marks.”

The Irish seniors are prepared to make this final mark a memorable one. c ompetition begins at 10 a.m. on f riday morning. A f riday 5 p.m. session will follow, and a s aturday 11 a.m. session will close out the meet.

Contact Madeline Ladd at mladd2@nd.edu

MICHAEL LI | The Observer Irish sophomore guard Sonia Citron shines on offense during their home game against FSU. The Irish will face NC State away on Jan. 27.

Up-and-down Irish look for stability against Wisconsin Badgers

By ANDREW McGUINNESS

Associate sports editor

n o matter who they play or what they do, n otre d ame hockey has been unable to escape the seesaw that their 2022-23 season has become. s ince n ov. 11, the Irish have played seven two-game series against the same opponent, and they’ve split all seven. It doesn’t matter whether the Irish are playing teams at the top, middle or bottom of the b ig Ten standings. It’s been win one, lose one for almost as long as the Irish can remember, a pattern that has prevented them from looking like last year’s near-Frozen Four team for anything more than a brief moment.

There is still time for the Irish to make a big push. They are just seven points back of Penn s tate and o hio s tate, who are tied for second in the b ig Ten. And if there is

any team that the Irish figure to be able to find consistent success against, it’s their opponent this weekend: the Wisconsin b adgers.

n ot only are the Irish home, where they’ve been much better than they have on the road, but the b adgers are currently bringing up the b ig Ten’s rear.

It’s Wisconsin’s first time at c ompton Family Ice Arena since last m ar. 6, when the Irish eliminated them from the b ig Ten tournament by taking Game Three of their first-round series by a 4-2 final. Game one of that series should ensure the Irish will not underestimate Wisconsin goaltender Jared m oe anytime soon, though. m oe stopped 49 of 50 Irish shots in a 3-1 Wisconsin victory.

m oe has once again been a bright spot for the b adgers, posting a strong .917 save percentage and starting

all but four of Wisconsin’s games.

The pressure will likely be on m oe and Irish senior goaltender r yan b ischel, because neither team is particularly stellar on offense. e xpect games more similar to the 2-0 game these teams played on Jan. 6 than the 6-4 one the day after. n either team averages more than 2.5 goals per game or has a single player with at least ten goals.

The b adgers are no pushover, however. While neither side scores much, Wisconsin’s power play is much better (20.1% vs. 15.5%). The b adgers also outshoot their opponents, a battle the Irish have lost this season — often badly. The b adgers also have some good bloodlines among their top players. c ruz Lucius, the brother of 2021 first-round nh L draft pick c haz, leads Wisconsin with

nine goals and 24 points.

r ight behind him is b rock

c aufield, the brother of m ontréal c anadiens sharpshooter c ole.

c ruz himself is an nh L

d raft pick, going in round four to c arolina last year.

h e is one of ten b adgers, including m oe, to have been taken in the draft.

d efenseman c orson

c uelemans is the highest among them, going off the board 25th to c olumbus in 2021. c uelemans is tied with c aufield and m athieu

d e s t. Phalle for second on the team with 14 points.

h is seven goals make him one of the highest-scoring blue-liners in the b ig Ten.

Wisconsin certainly lacks depth — no one else on the team has double-digit points. b ut they will present a challenge for the Irish, especially since n otre d ame has been without star graduate student defenseman n ick

The Irish enter this weekend as mired in a scoring slump as they have been all season. The Irish have not scored more than two goals (excluding the shootout) in their last four games. The good news is that n otre d ame’s last offensive outburst came against the b adgers, when they scored a season-high six goals on Jan. 7 in m adison. Junior defenseman d rew b avaro and senior forward Trevor Janicke both tallied two goals and an assist, while senior forward Jesse Lansdell also tallied three points.

There are reasons to think the Irish can push for more offense down the stretch. Janicke and junior forward r yder r olston have been picking up their play as of late. Janicke has five points in his last five games, and

see bAdGers PAGe 15

Irish look to continue hot start in Kentucky

By ADAM AKAN sports Writer

It’s a new season for n otre d ame men’s tennis. Following a mediocre season last year, the Irish are looking for improvement both in and out of A cc play this year. Irish head coach r yan s achire and his team — filled with savvy veterans and some high-flying freshmen — know that this weekend presents a key opportunity to showcase that

improvement.

The Irish have gotten off to a blazing start this season, crushing d ePaul and IUPUI on Jan. 13, sweeping

c hicago s tate on the road and winning a 4-3 thriller against Western m ichigan last week at e ck Tennis Pavilion. Their lone defeat came against n orthwestern on Jan. 15 in e vanston.

The Irish will head to Lexington, Kentucky, this weekend to play in

the Kentucky r egional of the ITA Kickoff. They are seeded n o. 2 in the tournament and will take on n o.

3 Washington on Friday at 5 p.m. in the opening round. The Irish last played Washington in the second round of the 2013 nc AA c hampionships.

The h uskies won 4-3 in a match that lasted more than four hours.

s hould the Irish prevail, they will play the winner of n o. 1 Kentucky and n o.

4 Liberty in the final. The

victorious squad will earn a spot in the ITA n ational Indoor c hampionships. That tournament will be hosted by the University of Illinois in February.

n otre d ame was last invited to the Kentucky r egional in 2014. That season, they would go on to qualify for the ITA n ational Indoor c hampionships. o verall, s achire has brought the team to the competition three times during his tenure, most recently in 2019.

This weekend’s competition provides a premier opportunity for the Irish to continue their success this season and reach a milestone that they failed to last year. In a season which will be defined by momentum and consistency, playing in these sorts of big-stage matches before A cc play begins will be crucial for the team.

Contact Adam Akan at aakan@nd.edu

Leivermann since Jan. 7.

SOFIA CRIMIVAROLI | The Observer

Irish junior forward Ryder Rolston gains control of the puck during a December home game against Penn State. The Irish lost the first game 2-5 but won the second 5-3. They faced Penn State again during two January games and once again split the results, winning the first game 2-1 and losing the second 2-3. The Irish seek victory next over Wisconsin.

Irish look to get back on track against struggling Louisville

By MATTHEW CROW

a ssociate sports editor

o n Tuesday night, notre

d ame men’s basketball suffered a narrow road loss against an nc s tate team that will likely be playing in the ncaa Tournament. The i rish will seek to get a better result s aturday, when they return to Purcell Pavilion to host conference foe Louisville.

The i rish and c ardinals have both struggled through much of the season. notre d ame enters the game looking to shake off a four-game losing streak that has dropped them to 9-12 (1-9 in the acc ). Louisville, meanwhile, has perhaps disappointed more than any other team in the nation. The c ardinals are just 2-18, the worst record of any major conference team, and are winless in acc play. notre d ame will look to ensure they stay that way and gain some momentum before heading into a string of very winnable games against Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and v irginia Tech.

For the i rish, it is difficult to attribute their current slump to anything other than late-game execution.

The outcome of eight of their ten acc games has been in question into the final minutes, save for double-digit losses to m iami and north c arolina. notre d ame has been in nearly every game it has played. b ut the i rish just have not found the right buttons to press in order to win tight games, a shock for a team with so much veteran talent.

Tuesday’s loss encapsulated how much of the acc slate has gone for notre d ame. The i rish played a talented team in a hostile environment, yet were in control for much of the game. When it came down to crunch time, though, they could not get the job done. e ach of their four losses since defeating Georgia Tech has told a similar story.

d isappointing results notwithstanding, there have been several positive trends as of late that could provide a boost against Louisville. The first is the return to form of graduate student guard c ormac r yan. a fter a brief midseason slump, r yan has regained his shooting stroke and has been on a tear as of late. a fter making just eight total three-pointers during

a seven-game stretch that spanned most of January, he has connected on eight in the last two games alone. he has shot at a 62% clip from deep in those contests.

When r yan gets hot, he becomes nearly unstoppable from beyond the arc. The i rish are a different team when he is shooting the ball well. i n their best performance of the season to date, an 18-point win against thenno. 20 m ichigan s tate, r yan made a season-high six threes and scored 23 points.

a lso promising for the i rish has been the play of their freshman duo, guard J.J. s tarling and forward vena llen Lubin. b oth had arguably the best game of their young notre d ame careers against nc s tate. s tarling has appeared to get more and more comfortable all season and has scored in double figures five times in the last seven games. o n Tuesday, he scored 18 points, notably doing much of his work in transition. This was a welcome change for the i rish, who rank near the bottom of the country in fastbreak points.

r olston is coming off a twopoint weekend. Junior forward Landon s laggert also has two helpers in his last four games, and while this season has been a struggle, it is worth noting s laggert is scoring on just 4.3% of his shots. That is well below his 12.9% and 15.7% rates from the last two seasons. s ome much-needed regression to the mean could be the boost the i rish need.

h owever, that will not matter if n otre d ame cannot tighten things up in their own zone. The i rish yielded a jaw-dropping 98 shots in

their series last weekend at Penn s tate. For reference, Lindenwood is last in the entire country in shots against per game at 41.8. n otre d ame is not too far behind (or ahead, depending on your perspective), surrendering the fourth most at 35.1. b ischel has been great, but the i rish cannot depend on him for everything. e xpect him to be back in the crease this weekend. The series starts at c ompton Family i ce a rena on Friday at 7:30 p.m. i t wraps up at 6 p.m. on s aturday. b oth games are available to stream on Peacock.

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcgiunn@nd.edu

Paid a dverT isemen T

MAX PETROSKY | The Observer

Irish freshman guard JJ Starling goes for a layup during a November game against Southern Indiana to give the team a needed boost. see LoUisviLLe PAGe 13

hocke Y FeAtURe

Three Irish skaters nominated for prestigious Hobey Baker Award

By RYAN MURPHY sports Writer

As this weekend’s important conference series against Wisconsin approaches, three n otre d ame skaters have been nominated for college hockey’s most prestigious award. b ut don’t tell them that.

With the Irish in the thick of the hunt to make the nc AA Tournament, individual awards are not at the forefront of their minds.

“I didn’t know it was coming out or anything, so I got a text and thought, ‘This is pretty cool!’ It was never on my mind at all,” senior forward Trevor Janicke said. h e, along with graduate student defenseman n ick Leivermann and senior goaltender r yan b ischel, were nominated for the h obey b aker Award.

The award, named after one of the greatest American athletes of the twentieth century, h obey b aker, is given out annually to the most

excellent all-around player in men’s college hockey.

d espite its status as an individual accomplishment, all three Irish were quick to pass off the praise.

“It’s not an individual award at all,” Janicke said, whose eight goals and 17 points lead the team. “It’s a testament to my teammates and the coaches as well.”

For Leivermann, the team’s captain, seeing his and his teammates’ names on the list of 86 nominees is especially meaningful.

“ o ne other thing that’s special for us [to see] is all the other guys in the country right now that are up for [the award]. Those guys are all pretty high-end talent names, so any time you’re in a category of the top players in college hockey, it feels pretty good,” Leivermann said. “You’re doing something right. It’s a testament to everybody, not just us, and we

see hocKeY PAGe 12

Notre Dame rallies to 7047 victory over FSU

By J.J. POST sports Writer

For roughly 15 minutes at Purcell Pavilion Thursday night, it appeared the loss of graduate student guard dara mabrey would be a cataclysmic, season-ending blow for an Irish team with Final Four ambitions.

With the home crowd at their back for a matchup with no. 24 Florida state, notre dame couldn’t buy a bucket. over the game’s first 12 minutes, the Irish shot just 2-18 from the field. They mustered up seven points in an opening quarter and change that included a nine-minute scoring drought.

simply put, the Irish offense looked lost without their sharpshooting guard. The spacing that mabrey usually provided didn’t exist, as the seminoles settled into a zone defense and dared notre dame to beat them from deep. Two early fouls by sophomore olivia miles took the Irish’s mercurial floor general off the court. And as Florida state amassed a 22-12 lead in front

of a silent Purcell audience, the game teetered on the brink of a seminole rout.

Just the opposite happened instead. With 4:07 remaining in the second quarter, Irish head coach niele Ivey made a triple substitution: bringing in miles, freshman guard KK bransford and funior forward Kylee Watson to try and find a spark.

And that spark was found with haste. Graduate student center Lauren ebo converted a quick layup within 10 seconds of Ivey’s subs entering the game. A pullup jumper by miles, a layup and two free throws from bransford and another layup by sophomore guard sonia citron soon followed without a seminole response, capping off a 10-point burst by the Irish that helped notre dame enter halftime trailing by just one.

In the second half, the Irish blew the game open. A platoon of ebo, bransford and citron found their scoring stride, helping notre dame open up a 16-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Irish would continue to pour it on in the final

frame, eventually winning by 23 points.

After the game, Ivey gave credit to ebo, who posted a double-double in her first start of the season for the Irish.

“I really loved our experience, our size with that lineup… I thought [ebo] was great,” Ivey said. “she’s solid. Great presence when we get her the ball. I think she does very well, one of the best in the country, at finishing. I feel like I had six starters the entire season- so I think that was easy for her [to enter the lineup].”

Also stepping up in mabrey’s absence were notre dame’s two freshmen: bransford and early enrollee guard cassandre Prosper. bransford ended the game with 15 points on an efficient 6-11 clip. And while Prosper struggled to land her shots, she was an active presence all over the court. she finished with five rebounds (four coming on the offensive end), three steals and a block.

Ivey mentioned bransford’s growth as a major positive for her

see bAsKeTbALL PAGe 13

Irish seniors prepare for Tim Welsh Classic

By MADELINE LADD Associate sports editor

n otre d ame swim and dive is preparing for the annual Tim Welsh c lassic and senior meet, coming off a successful tri-meet against n avy and Princeton earlier in the month. The two-day competition will close out the 2022-23 home season and turn the page for the Irish to gear up for the fastapproaching A cc and nc AA championships.

This meet honors Tim Welsh, the former 29-year Irish head swim coach who passed away in June 2021. Irish swimmers take this memorial to heart, both in and out of the pool.

“When you swim at this meet, you can definitely feel that you’re swimming for something greater than yourself,” senior n ick c hase said.

Teams in attendance will include o hio s tate, the Akron women’s team and Indiana s tate. The b uckeyes are projected to be fierce competitors against the Irish, and the non-A cc competition adds a nice variety to the pool.

“It’s just nice to race other people that we usually don’t race in the A cc s and just have fun doing it with a different outlook on the sport of swimming,” senior s ydney Winters said.

After coming off of an intense training camp in Florida over winter break, Irish swimmers are just now starting to find their speed as the championship season begins to creep up. Winters cites the positivity instilled in the swimmers by the coaching staff for the team’s increased confidence

SOFIA CRIMIVAROLI | The Observer Irish graduate student and team captain Nick Leivermann huddles to celebrate during December home game against Penn State. The Irish will return home this weekend to face the Wisconsin Badgers.

ND swImING AND DIvING

ND womeN’s bAsketbAll