Print Edition for The Observer for Wednesday, November 17, 2021

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Volume 56, Issue 31 | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Notre Dame affected by labor shortage Empty silverware holders, no late-night quesadillas: campus strained by low employment BUSINESS

By MAGGIE EASTLAND and MAXWELL FELDMANN Associate News Editor, News Writer

A worker shortage is rippling across the country, and the Notre Dame campus is also feeling its impact.

Whiteboards encouraging workers to join the Campus Dining staff and shortened Taco Bell hours highlight the underlying labor shortage on campus.

The problem is exacerbated by both nationwide labor shortages and lower levels of

student employment.

“As has been widely reported, many organizations are currently finding it a challenge to recruit and hire new employees,” University spokesperson Dennis Brown said. “The University and our region are not immune to these challenges and we are certainly seeing fewer applicants for our open positions.”

Notre Dame prides itself on offering benefits and wages far above the regional average.

In order to attract employees this academic year, Brown said, the University increased local advertising and offered

signing and referral bonuses for some positions.

Due in part to a hiring freeze in place from mid-March 2020 to June of this year, Notre Dame has slightly more job openings now than this time last year, Brown added.

Undergraduate students have not jumped at the opportunity to fill these positions.

In the 2020-2021 school year, around 15% of undergraduate students held a job on campus. Though Notre Dame does not have exact numbers for this school year, Brown said undergraduate employment has decreased.

Alumnus donates $50 million for financial aid Observer Staff Report

Universit y alumnus Harr y Fath (’63) and his w ife, Linda, gifted $ 50 million to his alma mater to use exclusively for undergraduate financial aid, Notre Dame announced in a press release Tuesday.

The gift is the “largest of its kind in the Universit y’s histor y,” according to the release.

The Fath family approached Notre Dame about the possibilit y to

make a difference for students who w ish to attend the Universit y — no matter their circumstances.

“Linda and I are honored to be able to make this gift to the Universit y of Notre Dame, a place that is run w ith integrit y and espouses the right kind of values,” Harr y Fath said in the release. “It is our hope that this gift w ill change thousands of lives for the better.”

The release noted that financial aid has been the

Universit y’s top fundraising priorit y for more than three decades. This year, the Universit y is distributing more than $180 million in aid.

Universit y President Fr. John Jenkins extended his gratitude to the Faths on behalf of the Universit y.

“This extraordinarily generous gift w ill prov ide much-needed f lex ibilit y in offering financial aid packages tailored to the needs of our students and their families,” Jenkins said in the release.

ND reports lowest COVID cases in three semesters

By REYNA LIM News Writer

In August 2020, Notre Dame reopened its campus for the fall 2020 semester in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, community members have come together for three semesters to face common adversities

NEWS PAGE 4

presented by COVID. While the 2020-21 school year was filled with challenges caused by the pandemic — including surveillance testing, student quarantine and isolation and rising case numbers — the 2021-22 school year has brought about a more stable status quo for the community. Most social events

ViewPoint PAGE 6

have resumed and, compared to the end of the 2020 fall semester, the Notre Dame community has substantially lower COVID-19 case numbers. At the end of the fall 2020 semester, the running total of positive cases was 1,890.

This number was similarly high at see CASES PAGE 5

SCENE PAGE 10

At North Dining Hall (NDH), lead student manager junior Pablo Lacayo said he has noticed a strain on employment.

“Given the more challenging circumstances the tail end of the pandemic has generated, I do feel a greater emphasis has been required from the student [recruiting] program’s behalf,” Lacayo said in an email. “There’s a nationwide trend going on right now that has come to impact us as well.”

Lacayo works almost every dinner hour, the dining hall’s busiest shift from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., to help fill the gaps.

Lacayo works just under 20 hours a week, the maximum amount a Notre Dame student is allowed to work.

“The dining halls are indispensable and irreplaceable at Notre Dame, at North Dining Hall alone over 5,000 meals can be served on a single weekday … no other option than getting things done exists,” Lacayo said. “Given the expectations of my position, I think taking on the extra hours can be considered a call of duty.”

Lacayo said he focuses his see LABOR PAGE 3

Project uses Corby Hall bricks to make art

MEGAN FAHRNEY | The Observer

Betty, a guest at the Center for the Homeless, works on pieces of slate before they are glued together as part of the Corby Brick project.

By MEGAN FAHRNEY News Writer

This fall, the Center for the Homeless in South Bend has launched a new social entrepreneurship venture called Corby Bricks ND. Through the project, guests at the center create special art work using pieces of real, 130+ year-old brick from Notre Dame’s original Corby Hall. The art is sold to raise money for the center.

Steve Camilleri, executive director of the Center for the Homeless, said the project

CROSS COUNTRY PAGE 16

uses repurposed materials to create art work, similar to how the guests find purpose again in their work at the center.

“To see the guests that have worked dow n here and how much it means to them to be able to take these items and restore them, it reminds them of their life, is what they’ve told me,” Camilleri said. “They’ve been given a second chance at the center.”

The framed pieces feature an ND logo made w ith the see BRICKS PAGE 3

M SOCCER PAGE 16

2

TODAY

The observer | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Question of the Day: ndsmcobserver.com

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If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

P.O. Box 779, Notre Dame, IN 46556 024 South Dining Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556

William Kim

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sophomore Alumni Hall

junior Lewis Hall

“A fish.”

“A penguin.”

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junior McGlinn Hall

junior Welsh Family Hall

“A dinosaur.”

“An otter.”

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junior Lyons Hall

senior Baumer Hall

“A penguin.”

“Red panda.”

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Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Portuguese Game Night 106 Bond Hall 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Language practice with traditional games.

An Evening with Author Lauren Groff Decio Theatre 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Book signing and talk on her novel “Matrix.”

“The Military and Civil Rights” Lecture online 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Exploring racial justice in the U.S. Military.

“Bernadette, The Spring, and The Immaculate One” Geddes Hall 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Open to the public.

Basilica Mass Basilica of the Sacred Heart 10 a.m. & noon Masks required. All are welcome.

“Felon: An American Washi Tale” Philbin Studio Theatre 7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Poet Reginald Dwayne Betts performs.

Salsa Night Legends 9 p.m. - midnight Party and learn new dance moves with Salsa DJ Ramzi!

Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra Concert Leighton Concert Hall 8 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Annual fall concert.

Harvest Fest Hesburgh Library West Pavilion noon - 1:30 p.m.

Hosted by the Medieval Institute.

“The Cloud-Capped Star” (India, 1960) Browning Cinema 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Tickets available one hour prior to screening.

News

Bricks Continued from page 1

original Corby Hall yellowbuff brick and black slate roof pieces from the recently renovated Corby Hall.

Each piece is sold at a suggested donation of $1,842 in honor of the year of the Universit y’s founding. There are 500 pieces that w ill be available for sale.

Notre Dame has maintained strong ties w ith the Center for the Homeless ever since Father Edward “Monk” Malloy founded it in the 1980s.

Due to COVID-19, many fundraising events that the center relies on to continue running have been canceled.

Events such as Lipsy nc w ith our Stars and the Miracle Holiday Luncheon, which generally raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, were not able to occur in the past couple of years.

This project might make up for some of the money lost due to these cancellations, Camilleri said, as it w ill hopefully raise up to $1 million.

The studio where the pieces are created is housed in the basement of the center.

ndsmcobserver.com | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | The Observer

There, guests create other t y pes of artwork as well, including mirrors sold to restaurants made w ith recycled corks.

The goal of the project is to raise money for the center while teaching guests valuable work skills, helping to break the cycle of homelessness.

Bett y, a guest at the Center for the Homeless who helps create art, said the project is ver y important to her.

“The most basic reason why it’s important to me is because it tells me that I can be employed again,” Bett y said. “I was unemployed for a long time, and now I know that I can do a job, and I can do it well, and I can get hired to do it.”

Danny, another guest at the center, said the meaning of the project to him lies in the good he is able to do for himself and for the guests and staff at the center. He said his soul has grow n as a result of participating in the project.

“It keeps us going, we’re learning something here,” Danny said. “It’s a gift of God for me.”

Contact Megan Fahrney mfahrney@nd.edu

Labor Continued from page 1

attention on the wash room, a less glamorous but vital part of the dining hall’s operations.

“My shifts routinely revolve around the dish room, one of the most important elements needed to keep NDH running,” Lacayo said. “There has to be constant action to make sure that the dining room is always adequately stocked in terms of plates, cups and silver ware.”

W hen recruiting, Lacayo said he emphasizes that the dining halls offer the highest wages — currently $13.50 an hour as base pay — and the most f lexibility of any on-campus job.

For student employees, a limited worker supply can also be a positive. Dylan Wachula, a first-year student and employee at South Dining Hall, said he appreciates the f lexibility brought on by the labor shortage.

“It’s nice that I get to pick my own shifts,” Wachula said. “The worker shortage seems to have affected the functions of South Dining Hall as they have been ver y f lexible when you come in.”

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Notre Dame economics professor Eva Dziadula said worker leverage over wages, hours and benefits is a possible upside of the current labor shortage.

“Conditions for workers are currently improving,” Dziadula said. “Wages have gone up more than we’ve seen in a long time.”

Post-pandemic, workers are harder to replace, meaning they have more negotiating power with their employers. The source of the shortage and resulting worker leverage comes down to supply and demand, Dziadula said.

“There is a reduction of supply and the prices go up,” Dziadula said.

With more job openings and fewer people able to work due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other circumstances, companies have more demand for employees, but workers are in short supply. As a result, prices — in this case wages, benefits and f lexibility — increase.

Economists have yet to reach a complete consensus on the causes of these shifts in worker supply and demand, but most agree that the COVID-19 pandemic played a large role in

3

one way or another, whether through reopening hiring bursts, changing worker sentiments or stimulus incentives to stay home.

Many workers remain constrained by the pandemic and unable to come to work. Some are still worried about COVID, and others have children or other dependents to care for, Dziadula said, naming some of the circumstances that limit the labor supply.

“Kids are in quarantine.

Schools are closed on and off. For people who have dependents, it’s been more difficult for them to return [to work],” she said.

Stalled immigration has also contributed to changing labor dynamics and decreased supply of workers, Dziadula added.

“Historically, a significant portion of agricultural and essential industrial jobs are taken up by immigrants,” she said. “If the f low of people stops, then the only way you can get people to work those jobs is to increase wages.”

Contact Maggie Eastland at meastlan@nd.edu and Maxwell Feldmann at mfeldma3@nd.edu

4

NEWS

The observer | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

BUSINESS

Inflation worsens student budget problems

By CAITLIN GORMLEY News Writer

This semester could be one of the most expensive yet.

From toilet paper to coffee, costs of student staples are rising.

The consumer price index, which measures changes in how much Americans pay for certain goods and ser v ices, rose 0.4% in Sept., the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Over the past 12 months, prices in all categories rose 5.4% , the largest jump in prices in 30 years.­­­ For students, higher prices mean a variet y of things.

One consequence is an increase in driv ing expenses, especially for those liv ing off campus.

Gas prices are up 1.2% from the month before and 42% compared to year ago. A A A reports the average gas price in the South Bend area stands at $3.33 per gallon, that’s nearly $1.38 higher than this time last year.

“Gas is my biggest expense. Especially w ith the cold weather approaching, I am spending more money on gas than I used to,” Julia Caccavo, a senior liv ing at Legacy Village, said.

Inf lation has taken a toll on ever yday household products too. Major producers of household goods, such as Proctor & Gamble and Kimberly Clark, have announced their plans to raise prices mov ing forward.

Students like Caccavo are feeling the effects of these price increases.

“I never realized how expensive toilet paper was before mov ing off campus,” she said. “The little costs that I never really considered are starting to add up.”

Groceries, which saw a 4.6% price increase over the past 12 months, have also put pressure on students’ pockets. As food prices continue to climb, students have had to budget more and search for bargains at the grocer y store.

Timmy Gallagher, a senior liv ing off campus, shared how no longer hav ing a meal plan has made him more aware of his spending.

“Me and my housemates make an effort to cook food at home,” Gallagher said. “With groceries being a huge expense recently, we do our best

to limit grocer y trips and only get what we need to build cheap and tast y meals.”

Off-campus students are not the only ones feeling the effects of inf lation.

Students liv ing on campus have also responded to the price jumps and reevaluated their spending habits.

“A Starbucks pumpkin latte used to be my go-to treat to fuel my study ing”, Shannon Lyden, a sophomore liv ing in Breen-Phillips Hall said.

“But it has gotten too expensive. Now, I make my ow n coffee in my dorm room.”

If a cup of joe wasn’t expensive enough, coffee saw a 4% increase from last September to this year.

Beyond student impact, inf lation has taken its toll on Notre Dame administration too. Rachel Hughes-Gehrig, project and accounting coordinator for Notre Dame Marketing Communications, said rising prices have made it difficult to keep offices stocked.

“We’re hav ing a hard time finding what people are used to. Ever yone’s favorite snacks are not only more expensive, but they take tw ice as long to get here,” Hughes Gehrig said.

W hat Hughes Gehrig is referencing is the recent disruption in the supply chain. Bottlenecks in global supply chains have caused record shortages

in a range of goods, including food and beverages, cars, and even ingredients for Thanksgiv ing dinner.

The supply chain issues contribute to rising prices.

However, there is no single culprit. Eva Dziadula, an associate teaching professor in the Department of Economics at Notre Dame, gave some insights on what might be causing these high inf lation rates.

“The pandemic is obv iously hav ing an impact”, she said. “We saw sort of a big decline in demand when COV ID started and now as people are getting vaccinated and can do more things, demand for almost ever y thing increases, and as a result, prices go up.”

She also pointed to larger issues in the global economy as a cause for the higher prices.

“Part of it is the largest producing markets for food have had horrible harvests,” Dziadula said. “W hen crops physically cannot grow, there is a huge shock on the supply side and things become more expensive.”

Dziadula thinks that these problems w ill likely persist for a while, especially given the unexpected impact of the Cov id-19 pandemic.

“We’ve never had anything like this before,” she said. “And I don’t think it is just gonna go away any time soon w ith a magic wand.”

However, there is some hope. Dziadula mentioned there are some things policy makers could do to ease inf lation.

She talked about a potential contractionar y monetar y policy which would work by increasing interest rates to reduce demand and slow economic grow th. This could come at a cost, though.

“Less grow th could make unemploy ment worse, a problem that has already been really prevalent throughout the pandemic”, she said.

Another option is action from the Federal Reser ve, the central banking system of the U.S. Ma x Goedl, a v isiting assistant professor in Notre Dame’s Department of Economics, shed some light on the Federal Reser ve’s role in easing the effects of inf lation. “[The Fed] has been buy ing a lot more bonds than usual and pumping money into the economy,” Goedl said.

“Recently, though, they announced they are going to stop doing this sooner than they originally planned.”

The Fed’s decision to start tapering bond purchases is designed to decrease the money supply, Goedl said. This move aims to decrease spending and hopefully, prices along w ith it, thereby slow ing inf lation.

Both professors say there is no one solution. Inf lation is hard to

predict because it is tied to a lot of variables and has a whole range of effects.

“It is not as simple as ever y thing is getting more expensive,” Goedl said.

“There are w inners and losers from inf lation.”

In one sense, students can be on the w inning side.

“The higher rates of inf lation actually lower the real burden of debt, which I would guess would actually help a lot of Notre Dame students that have a lot of debt,” Goedl said.

W hat this means is that students who have borrowed money for their education, may have the chance to pay back the loan w ith dollars that are worth a lot less than the ones they were originally lent.

For students borrow ing money to pay college tuition, inf lation might have a silver lining, one that comes at the cost of more expensive Starbucks drinks.

The office is working on many more initiatives this semester. Go said the OCG is hopeful this rebranding helps students better understand the mission of the office and engage w ith other office i n it iat ives, prog ra ms, a nd oppor t u n it ies.

Contact Caitlin Gormley at cgormley@nd.edu

CAITLIN GORMLEY | The Observer

Across the United States, inflation is currently at its highest rate since the recession in 2008. Notre Dame economics professors say the COVID-19 pandemic is one contributing factor. Over the past 12 months, prices in all cateogories rose 5.4%, the largest jump in 30 years.

News

ndsmcobserver.com | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | The Observer

5

SMC student trustee reflects on role

By CRYSTAL RAMIREZ Associate News Editor

During each spring semester, Saint Mary’s opens up applications for the student board of trustee position for the upcoming year. The application is open to any junior — who in the fall would be an incoming senior. An applicant is chosen in the spring as the incoming student trustee from the senior class.

The student trustee is a full voting member of the Saint Mary’s Board of Trustees and serves as a delegate and student representative on the board.

Senior psychology and environmental studies major Eliana Sanchez is the 2021-2022 student trustee and sat down with The Observer to speak on the logistics of her role and how it has been serving as the student trustee during a nontraditional year.

Speaking to the role itself — what it means to be the student trustee and what it entitles — Sanchez spoke about her place on the board as a full voting member and being the student voice during meetings.

“As the student trustee, I am a full voting member on Saint Mary’s College Board of Trustees, and so what I do is I’m the student voice,” Sanchez said. “To put simply, being the student trustee means that’s I’m just a student representative on the board of trustees, so I represent student concerns, and student opinions, essentially, on issues that are touched on during the meeting.”

Cases Continued from page 1

the end of the spring 2021 semester at 1,516 cases. Dr. Edward Junkins, director of University Health Services (UHS), said the unique challenges brought about by the pandemic over the past year and a half have been felt on many levels.

“In addition to creating public health policy based on rapidly

Unlike previous years, Sanchez took up many more roles and responsibilities that a trustee would have normally assumed, given that the Inauguration of President Conboy was finally being planned and scheduled for the fall of 2021.

“So I am on different committees, and I serve as the student voice in those committees and in the big general executive board meetings … then under that, I just also do various different things for the College, and whatever is appointed to me,” Sanchez said. “This year, I was asked to be on another committee — I was asked to lead the student event committee for inauguration week. I felt, in some sense, overwhelmed by everything I was planning on happening before we actually made recorded logistical plans.”

Looking back now, about a month after the Inauguration of President Conboy, Sanchez is left feeling accomplished and with a new appreciation of the campus community.

“I can tell you that after the inauguration, now that it’s over, I feel empowered in a sense because I feel like I actually got to know who President Conboy was and what she actually stood for and what her vision is for the Saint Mary’s community,” she said.

Sanchez spoke about importance of the role she holds and what it means to her.

“I feel very grateful to have this position, providing me with a lot of insight on how the College operates,” Sanchez said. “I have been

involved in various student clubs and groups throughout my three years here at Saint Mary’s and so this kind of gave me a new perspective on how I view the College. So I feel very honored and grateful to be put in this position and to be connected with so many people who care about the College.”

She elaborated more on the impact this position has had on her perspective on the College, especially given her past student leadership and initiatives to create a more welcoming, equitable and diverse community on campus.

“The groups that I have worked with the past few years have all dealt in some way or another with diversity, equity, inclusion and just creating a better campus community for those students,” Sanchez said. “And so I felt very honored and very grateful to be able to represent multicultural, diverse and underrepresented students on the board and their experiences as well.”

As for her decision to apply, Sanchez noted she had not considered applying at the beginning of her junior year.

“I had no intention to be the student trustee, like that was not my end goal,” Sanchez said. “My reason for applying was just that as I saw myself, move up through student groups and participate in different roles, I saw that there was a need to express certain concerns on an institutional and structural level.”

Having served in different leadership roles, all focused on working

hands on with students and programming events that cater to students, Sanchez said it was time to take up a different role that would allow her to take those experiences and present them to the institution.

“So I thought this was the right opportunity for me to voice these concerns. And I feel very passionate about the things that I have experienced throughout my years here, and I wanted to effectively communicate that to people who made a quote on quote decisions and to the school,” Sanchez said. “I just felt passionate about my experience here at Saint Mary’s, and what I thought was lacking and what I thought needed to be said.”

When applications opened in the spring of 2021, Sanchez applied, so she could share her experiences as a student of color.

“As a student of color, you often think that your voice is not being heard and your concerns aren’t being heard appropriately,” Sanchez said. “And I figured, as I have had these experiences, and I have worked towards these issues, the only way I could really voice my concerns is at the top level.”

Sanchez explained that she did not realize how much the Board would value her opinion.

“My idea of who the board is, and what they believe in has definitely changed since participating in these events, and taking up this role,” Sanchez said. “I didn’t think I was gonna have as big of a role as I did or as big of an

opinionasIdid.Ididn’tthinkthatmy opinion or what I thought was going to be actively sought after.”

Sanchez lastly spoke on her goals for the rest of her time in this role, and what she wishes to accomplish in her time as the student trustee.

“My main goal, moving forward is to improve the communication between the Board of Trustees and students,” Sanchez said. “Because as I said before, my opinion of the board was that it was that they were a group of decision-makers on issues that directly impact the experiences of students on campus.”

Sanchez said she plans to inform students about the good things that occur at Board of Trustee meetings in the future.

“I think that a lot of good comes out of the Board of Trustees meetings that we don’t hear about or isn’t communicated to students well, and so one of the things that I’ve been talking about doing and plan on doing is to talk about the progress and work happening at these meetings,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez is excited to work on an initiative that would allow for some type of chain of communication between the board and students, maybe even something as simple as an Instagram page with posts giving updates.

“These are important decisions getting made, and students should know what those decisions are.”

evolving science, Notre Dame is also responsible for maintaining campus safety, communicating accurate and timely information, and remaining mindful that the virus was both contributing to and diminishing our overall physical and mental health,” he said.

As of Nov. 13, the running total of positive cases on campus has accumulated to 263. At approximately this time a year ago, this number was at 1,618. Junkins noted the

significant difference in the number of positive cases this fall compared to last fall. “[The positive cases] ultimately translated into hundreds of students in quarantine and isolation at any particular time throughout the semester,” he said. “By comparison, this year, Notre Dame has only needed to house fewer than three dozen students in quarantine and isolation at any one time.”

Dr. Alex Perkins, Notre Dame biology professor and Eck Institute for Global Health faculty member, cited vaccination as a critical factor in the decrease of positive cases on campus.

“Knowing the high efficacy of the vaccine, when nearly everyone is vaccinated, what we would expect to see is dramatic reduction,” he said. “The students who were infected at one point last year, which must apply to a pretty large proportion of campus, went on to get vaccinated as well. This would mean natural immunity in addition to the vaccines which is probably even more powerful.”

Junkins also emphasized the significance of vaccination, explaining that it was “critical in the local, national and global fight against COVID-19”.

“When a community is uniformly, highly vaccinated, the rapid spread of the COVID virus is extremely unlikely,” he said.

“Notre Dame was fortunate to have both our own vaccination center on campus last spring and enough vaccines to immunize all students — undergraduate, graduate and professional.”

Junkins added that Notre Dame’s high vaccination rates allowed the campus to start the fall 2021 semester without the stricter restrictions that were in effect last year.

“Without the collective concern for our community’s health and well-being and the willingness of students, faculty and staff to comply with the University’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement, we simply would not be able to enjoy so many of the pre-pandemic practices and University traditions we are experiencing now,” he said.

While the Univresity’s COVID dashboard displays much lower numbers of positive cases, many of these can be attributed to “breakthrough cases.” Perkins addressed these cases, explaining that understanding them starts with comprehending how immunity works.

“When you’re vaccinated, your body is basically primed and prepared to fight the virus much sooner than it would be if it hadn’t encountered it before,” Perkins said. “That’s the implication. But as soon as the virus shows up in your body, your immune system won’t immediately fight it off. Someone who is vaccinated or had it in the past will simply be able to fight it off much more quickly.”

He added that, while breakthrough cases are rare, they are to be expected.

“From a health standpoint, they are not a huge worry,” he said.

“Occurrence of hospitalization and death among those who are vaccinated are very low, in

comparison to those who aren’t.”

Junkins spoke on what is to come for UHS leadership and the campus community as a whole. He said that Notre Dame will continue close tracking, particularly with the winter months coming up.

“The daily caseload will be closely monitored for any upward trends, and outbreaks within groups or locations on campus will be closely tracked. Additionally, the unvaccinated population on campus will continue to be closely monitored on a weekly basis,” he said. “To date, this group of individuals continues to have an extremely low test probability positivity rate.

All of this suggests that the prevalence of the virus remains quite low on the Notre Dame campus.”

Perkins agreed that it is important that Notre Dame continues to monitor the pandemic.

“We can probably expect the coronavirus to hang around indefinitely,” he said. “It will continue to fluctuate, and we are likely approaching something of a new normal.”

Another factor to be mindful of is the emergence of new variants over the past few months, Perkins said, adding that “if you feel ill or have tested positive, even if you are vaccinated, it would be a good idea to try to isolate yourself.”

Students may refer to the UHS website for additional information on COVID-19.

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Contact Crystal Ramirez at cramirez01@saintmarys.edu

Contact Reyna Lim at slim6@nd.edu

6

The observer | Wednesday, November 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Inside Column

Support from the Notre Dame community Anna Hurt Twitter Platform Manager

About a month ago I lost my little brother. He was my Irish tw in, not even a year younger than I am.

I don’t remember a time w ithout him. Losing him to mental illness shattered my heart in a way that I don’t think I can ever recover from.

In the month I’ve been back at school, it’s been a struggle know ing that most of my family and ever yone who knew him is far away from me in my home of Dallas. Since then, I’ve been told by many people to tr y to find little moments of joy ever y day despite the suffering. For me, most days, this little moment of joy comes as a result of the astounding demonstration of extreme kindness, compassion and generosit y of the whole Notre Dame communit y.

Communit y is often a sort of empt y buzzword, repeated often w ithout any real meaning behind it.

The communit y at Notre Dame does not fall into this categor y. It is far from meaningless. People repeat the word often because the communit y here is living. It is liv ing because it is concrete, demonstrated daily in actions taken by the students, facult y, staff and clerg y.

W hen I first heard the news over the phone, I was standing outside the class I had just been in. A graduate student who I did not know and whose name I don’t even remember saw me in distress, and took it upon himself to stay w ith me and comfort me until I could get to my family. W hile I was sitting outside, cr y ing on his shoulder, two alumni who came to campus for their class reunion came over to check on me. They stayed and spoke comforting words and prayed w ith me.

In the weeks follow ing, my professors have been incredibly understanding and helpful. They assured me that they were there to help and let me know that they were pray ing for me. The hall staff in my dorm made it a point to check on me often. My family and I have received multitudes of letters from different people at the Universit y, many of whom I have never met, say ing that they are there for me and that they are offering masses for my brother.

I get to come home to my incredible roommates, who never judge me for how I’m feeling on any day, who understand when I need to be distracted or when I need to cr y about it and who let me be alone, but never lonely. I get to sing w ith the Liturgical Choir, whose voices and prayers lift me up and bring me comfort.

I’m far from being OK. Many days are so difficult that it’s hard to keep going. But I am comforted by these little moments of joy and the fact that there is a campus full of people who care about me. The number of people I need to thank is so many that I cannot adequately express my gratitude to them all, so this is my thank you letter to the whole communit y.

Thank you to the graduate student who stayed w ith me, to the classmates who checked on me after wards, and to anyone who has reached out w ith a kind word or a prayer. I pray that Our Lady has her arms around my brother in the same way that her Universit y has its arms around me. I am incredibly grateful to be a part of this extraordinar y communit y.

You can contact Anna at ahurt3@nd.edu.

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

The flags in our case files that are not on point Devin Humphreys Law, Life and the Lord

Whether I’m preparing a bench memo for an upcoming case at the Wisconsin Supreme Court for Justice Brian Hagedorn, backing up a hot take I’m putting in my scholarly writing or giving myself extra context on the readings I’m doing for my law school classes, two things are always a given. First, I’m going to be reading cases, and second, I’m going to be using a research database to look those cases up, view them and analyze them. Every law student will tell you that there are two major players in the research database game: Westlaw and Lexis. Ask any particular law student, and I guarantee he or she will have an opinion as to which one is better. In the interest of full disclosure, I myself am a strong Lexis partialist, but this column is not an advertisement for my preferred database service. I will give Westlaw equal time here.

Whether you use Westlaw or Lexis to look up a case, the steps are pretty similar. You search for the case you want (using the reporter citation if you have it), the database either takes you directly to the case text or lists the cases it thinks are close to what you’ve searched for, you pick the case you were actually looking for (or try a different way of finding it if your search was close but no cigar) and then you check the icon at the top-left corner. Both Westlaw and Lexis have this little icon (Westlaw calls it KeyCite; Lexis calls it Shepardizing) that strives to tell you whether there are any cases that give your case “negative treatment.” For instance, Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court case that allowed public accommodations to be segregated under the doctrine of “separate but equal,” gets a red octagon on Lexis or a red flag on Westlaw. Red, on either service, means that your case’s main upshot has been directly overruled by later precedent (for Plessy, that’d be Brown v. Board of Education). But there are other ways that a case is flagged, on either service, as having received negative treatment.

A yellow triangle on Lexis or a yellow flag on Westlaw mean a bit of due diligence is required.

On either service, yellow means either that a side proposition of the case has been overruled or that other courts have strongly criticized the reasoning behind an opinion. Either way, it’s a signal from your preferred research database that you should proceed with caution if you intend on relying on the case you’re looking at for anything important.

But oftentimes, these yellow flags end up being a nothingburger. When a case I’m looking at is yellow-flagged, the first thing I do is check why Lexis or Westlaw decided to yellow-flag it. If a case has been yellow-flagged for criticism from a different court, it matters who’s doing the criticizing and why. Say the 7th Circuit doesn’t like a 6th Circuit opinion – that doesn’t really matter, since neither jurisdiction controls the other. If I’m dealing with something in the 6th Circuit, I can use that yellow-flagged case with no fear that it’s not good law, at least in Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky. But if the Supreme Court is issuing the critique… well, that’s a different story. Likewise, when a higher court has overruled a side proposition, it matters what side proposition the court is overruling. If I’ve got an important constitutional law case, but a principle of civil procedure got clarified on appeal, the lower court opinion is still just as important for what I’m using it for, even though it’s been yellow-flagged. But I might not want to use that case as the latest and greatest example of good Civ Pro jurisprudence if a

higher court has criticized the opinion on exactly those grounds.

I submit to you, dear reader, that we can and should view our relationships with other people along similar lines. As a matter of fact, I argue that each and every one of us has a yellow flag.

The ubiquity of excuses for concluding that it is difficult to love ourselves and our neighbors as brothers and sisters in Christ is absolutely striking. And sometimes there are people that, for our own weird personal reasons, just plain don’t vibe with us. Those weird personal reasons are when the yellow flags of the lives of others are germane to our own lived experience. But the vast majority of the time, to steal a cliché from the legal research lexicon, “that yellow flag is not on point.”

Is someone giving you grief for an idiosyncrasy that makes people think you’re kind of crazy?

Find the people in your life who will find those idiosyncrasies crazily beautiful. Does your friend have a habit that’s ever so slightly annoying?

Ninety-nine times out of 100, you end up remaining friends with that person in spite of the fact.

Just like court cases on Westlaw or Lexis, we have just as many good reasons for handwaving noton-point critiques of our friends as the critiques themselves and it is through this extension of grace that we build community, foster friendships and acknowledge each other’s humanity as not only a weakness but a strength.

But it gets better, because as Catholics, each of us has a glaring red octagon in our case file.

Something about our lives, the very thing that identifies us with the human condition, has been overturned: the stain of original sin. Since Baptism wipes away the stain of original sin, we who have been baptized have seen this overbearing aspect of our human identity overturned in a very meaningful way. The Sacrament of Baptism’s indelible mark upon the soul is to overturn the stain of original sin and render us the children of our heavenly Father that we were created to be.

I had the opportunity, this weekend, to reunite with fellow law students from all across the country, friends I made this summer as I discerned, with them, the ways that I can integrate my life in the legal profession with my faith. As we were talking about how the fall semester had been going, it became clear that I was in a room with a bunch of people, all of whom have yellow and even red icons on their case files. But just like when researching a case, that’s never the end of the story. And while no yellow flag was able to stop me from embracing these friends of mine as the brothers and sisters in Christ they are, it was the red flags, the ones that note our identity as entrenched in sin has been erased, that made me most grateful to be in their company. As we go about this week, may we seek that grace where it may be found, embrace our friends in spite of their not-on-point yellow flags and because of their red ones and acknowledge the presence of God where two or three are gathered.

Devin is a member of Notre Dame Law School’s class of 2023. Originally from Farwell, Michigan, he is a 2020 graduate of Michigan State University’s James Madison College. In addition to serving as a teaching assistant at the law school, in his free time, he sings with the Notre Dame Folk Choir and discusses the legal developments of the day with anyone who will listen. He can be reached at dhumphr2@nd.edu or @DevinJHumphreys on Twitter.

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

The observer | WEDNESDAY, November 17125, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

7

Inside Column

The importance of finding your song Anna Falk Scene Writer

If you know anything about me, then you know of my love for music.

My journey to developing this passion began with dance. I started dancing when I was little (before I can remember), and I haven’t stopped since. As I picked up more styles and took more classes every week, the types of movement changed and, along with it, the music. I went from doing pliés and changements in ballet to doing God knows what in lyrical class; from Chopin to Florence and the Machine; from Tchaikovsky to Sleeping At Last.

This transition was aided by the melodious tunes from my dad’s old silver Honda Civic. On the days we went to dinner at a restaurant or went grocery shopping, my dad would put on an array of songs by U2, Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend, the Killers and the like. Buildings passed, the roads stretched onwards and my sister and I jammed out in the backseat like we were performing concerts for the rearview mirror.

Speaking of, I can’t not mention music without talking about my sister. We are concert buddies, playlist collaborators, artist swappers and the most opinionated analysts of our favorite albums. She has shown me all of my favorite music and trekked with me through

all of my new discoveries (though, for the record, I found Peach Pit before she did).

Up until about 8th grade, I never understood why music meant so much to people; I simply listened to whatever my family and dance teachers put on. For a younger me, it was just something to dance to in class or a soundtrack for a 16-hour car ride to Minnesota.

I don’t know when the switch was flipped in my brain, but it happened, and I became an avid music lover. I delved into the discographies of Young the Giant, Twenty One Pilots, Panic! At the Disco, COIN, Bastille and countless others. Music wasn’t simply just delightful noise, but it was a multimedia art form that could cross generations and address the masses in simple stanzas and strums of a guitar. It grasped at my heart and shook me to my core; music had changed my life.

For as long as I failed to see the light of music’s burning sun, I never learned how to play it (sans a weeklong guitar class in the summer when I was 10 and the recorder unit in 5th-grade music class). It is one of the biggest regrets from my 19 years of living. I don’t have a voice melodious or well-tuned enough to front a band, my fingers are stubby and can’t stretch over the neck of a guitar and I am not coordinated enough to learn how to use the drums or play the piano.

When I was in 6th grade, my classmates and I were given the chance to participate in band class. While I was interested in playing an instrument, I didn’t want to pay for the materials, and being in band class meant

that I had to miss my last year of recess (which I definitely did not want to do).

But what would’ve happened if I decided to take that class? What if I ended up really liking the guitar that one week and begged my mom to let me learn more?

What if I decided that my dreams of playing the violin weren’t just dreams, but rather how I should be picturing my reality?

I don’t expect my 12-year-old self to have made these (what I know now as) life-changing decisions. I didn’t know that I would grow to love music as I do now. I knew nothing! I was 12!

Yet, I crave this connection and intimacy with the musical form that cannot be illustrated in even the simplest of words. So, I go to concerts. I meet people with who I can join in music communion. I collect records. I write about it for fun. I continue to dance and show others how music flows in movement.

Music is something so crucial to my living; it has given me friends and unforgettable memories. It has shown me my truest self and made me face my worst nightmares. It has given me shelter from the storm of life. I don’t know where to thank music for how it has provided for me, but I know I can honor it by sharing it with those who need it the most.

You can contact Anna at afalk@nd.edu.

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

Letting it slide – just a little Eva Analitis The Flip Side

A favorite line of teachers in middle school was to tell us that high school instructors would never tolerate tardiness or turning work in late and, in high school, that college professors would never let so-and-so behavior slide. As a senior in college, it’s somewhat entertaining to look back on those warnings and evaluate their truth: Does the world really get harsher and more hostile to “sliding” the older we get? My assessment: partially true, partially false.

To some extent, colleges intend for this to be the experience. Universities don’t market the undergraduate years as ones of strict supervision or 24/7 regimens.

They’re quite upfront about the concept that you’re now on your own: You alone are responsible for your making it to your 8 a.m. exam and you’ll simply get a zero if you don’t. And you yourself must contact your professor if you have questions or concerns about a course – not your parents. Especially for bigger classes where attendance isn’t taken, you can theoretically make it through the entire semester without showing up to a single session–though your GPA might not. And, often to my surprise after spending my high school years in uniform, no one will come running up to you to reprimand you for wearing a sleeveless top or ripped jeans in public–a relieving development.

While a lot less is technically mandated on paper once we set foot on campus, we face just as many, if not more, responsibilities. They have simply changed. Other things have become important: we have civic duties. We confront new obligations living in a communal setting.

We must find internships or jobs. We stress over suits and collared shirts as we finally find ourselves buying business-appropriate attire. The interesting paradox of college is that it can actually be more demanding to have fewer concrete demands for which others will look over our shoulders to make sure we fulfill. People make us do a lot less–but, really, that’s just because we must now make ourselves do the important things.

In the new realm of delicate balance between freedom and responsibility that is college, one area in which

I’ve had a surprisingly positive experience is deadlines.

Three years ago, as a wide-eyed freshman, I deemed them hard lines that I didn’t dare cross. After all, I was decisively informed by every high school and middle school teacher ever that in the “real world,” anything late is unacceptable; if you miss a deadline, the universe will burst into flames – or at least your own future will.

As a caveat, with the perspective I will share next, I certainly don’t mean to speak for all classes, occasions and professors. But I am here as a witness to report firsthand that sometimes, when you need an extension, you can in fact get one.

Again, I don’t mean to encourage you to rip up your calendar, unset all your alarms and throw away your planner. The goal is still to make it by the deadline. And in life, some things you really can’t miss or be late for (As my dad often reminds me, the plane/bus/train/ etc. “won’t wait for you.”). Deadlines keep us in line and allow the world to operate. We would live in utter chaos if everyone simply went about doing things whenever they wanted and didn’t have to coordinate anything or answer to anyone. So, no, I’m not advocating the death of the deadline.

But sometimes, you just need an extension: There aren’t enough hours in the day for you to finish all the tasks facing you, or your brain is completely dry of ideas for your philosophy paper, or you just so happen to have two exams on the same day your research project is due.

Some might say, “So what? Get it done, anyway.” That’s what we were raised to think – words hammered into our heads by high school teachers who had nothing but good intentions and sought to prepare us for the rigidity of the real world. But the reality is, we live in a more understanding world than we are led to believe, if only we look for it. Sometimes, when we tell our professors our circumstances, they might tell us that we have no business destroying ourselves to get that paper in by 5 p.m., and that an extra 24 hours won’t hurt anybody.

Older generations, including our high school teachers, might shake their heads in disapproval at the mere thought of not turning in an assignment before the Sakai window closes– “How irresponsible! That would never fly in the real world!” They might even call us “snowflakes” for not breaking our backs to make sure

that we never miss a deadline. Real adults are always on time, right? But there is no shame in prioritizing your wellbeing and mental health over your Sakai gradebook. It would harm us more in the long run to not do so. Plus, I, for one, like to turn in work that I’m proud of, not something I had no choice but to throw together in a rush after finishing five other assignments in the days before. That extension of an extra day or two can–and I’d argue, will–mean better engagement with the course material. So, the bottom line is: Students, if you’re drowning, don’t be scared to ask for an extension. I have, and will continue to do so if the need arises. Professors, if students seek an extension, seriously consider granting them one. They’re only asking because they really need it.

My epiphany on extensions has been a more recent phenomenon, likely because as an upperclassman I now tend to take smaller classes that allow for more contact with professors, and they are able to be more lenient. So, instructors of the mass 150-person lectures might pull their hair in disbelief at this column wondering where in the world I’ve gotten my information and who allowed me to give such advice. But if you, or someone you know, is in desperate need of an extension, it doesn’t hurt to ask. The worst professors can say is no, and if they do, your deadline stays the same.

For the record, what I have told you, reader, is not all hearsay. I’m not giving you reckless advice to hold off on starting your work with the idea that you can just ask for an extension, while myself turning in all assignments by 11:59 p.m. I have made personal use of extensions, thanks to empathetic, realistic professors, and quite fittingly, this column even comes to you courtesy of an extended deadline (Thank you, Abby Patrick, Editor of Viewpoint.). Sometimes we can let things slide, just a little.

A former resident of Lyons Hall, Eva Analitis is a senior majoring in political science and pre-health. Even though she often can’t make up her own mind, that won’t stop her from trying to change yours. She can be reached at eanaliti@nd.edu or @evaanalitis on Twitter.

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

8

The observer | WEDNESDAY, November 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

A response to ‘The definitive top ten Taylor Swift songs’ Dear Matthew Carranza and Brian Conlon, I have to admit, when I read your joint Letter to the Editor in the Nov. 15 publication of The Obser ver, I laughed. I’m sure you realize the impracticality of boiling an entire music artist down to 10 songs that will be completely uncontested, especially considering Taylor Swift has been releasing music since 2006. Heaven knows that most of my friend group has heatedly been discussing your choices, with many disagreements. I jokingly posted a photo of the paper release of your letter on my private Snapchat stor y, and of the 22 people who can see it, eight responded outraged that one song or another was not included.

Let me explain why I personally feel your list is inaccurate, and will never be fully accurate no matter how hard you tr y.

First, we must take into consideration the fact that Taylor Swift has been part of two main genres of music. She originally earned her name by taking the countr y music scene by storm and since then has become an extraordinarily renowned pop artist. She has released nine albums,

excluding re-releases and deluxe versions. Your list of 10 songs did not reference any of her music published after 2014, ignoring many well-known and well-received songs from “Reputation,” “Lover,” “folk lore” and “evermore.”

If we are going based on popularity alone, “New Romantics” would immediately lose its spot at #3, and may not make the top 10.

Following suit, “Mine” would also be moving down. “The Stor y of Us” is honestly lesser-known, and would probably easily be replaced by “Back to December” from the same album, “Speak Now.” Most controversially: “Wildest Dreams.”

This song is only currently popular because of TikTok trends, and if the spotlight has not faded by now, it’s probably fading quick ly because “A ll Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” is available. “Wildest Dreams” made waves when it was originally released, but was lost throughout time, as it was not as lyrically spectacular as other songs in even the same album.

There will never be a definitive top 10 list that ever y person will agree upon.

Taylor Swift has written so many songs of var ying emotional states that you cannot pigeonhole her. Some people will only ever pine for her to go back to her countr y roots. Others will only repeatedly listen to “Reputation” and scream along with their car volume blasting at 11 p.m. People who are non-confrontational (such as me, ty pically) will listen to ever y era, but find joy in the gentle strength and stor y telling within “folk lore” and “evermore.” She is an artist for the masses, and the masses will never be able to agree. She has written for ever y stage of life and ever y moment, from the height of love to the depths of a soul-crushing breakup. From high school to adulthood, Taylor Swift has managed to be relatable in ever y moment of life, joining ever yone together and shaking off the haters.

If anyone (looking at you, Matt) has any qualms with the presented opinions, please contact Liz Schutter at eschutter01@saintmar ys.edu and she will explain why you are wrong.

Elizabeth (Liz) Schutter Saint Mary’s College class of ’24

Nurturing your nature Julianna Conley in My Own Words

Fall semester of my sophomore year, I was a fixture in the career center, desperately searching for any guidance that might help me choose a major or determine what I wanted to do post graduation. As part of the discernment process, I took a Myers-Briggs personalit y test (I’m an ENFP, for anyone wondering) to see what sorts of activ ities I might be more naturally inclined towards or what my strengths or weaknesses might be. W hile going over my results, the career counselor broke dow n each letter, first explaining the two options for each facet of personalit y (e.g. extraversion versus introversion) and then asking where I thought I fell on the spectrum.

Reaching the section for tactics, which describes how a person approaches tasks, the counselor explained people are either “judging” or “prospecting.” W hen facing a problem, judging indiv iduals value structure, preferring to create an ordered plan, while prospecting indiv iduals value options and spontaneit y.

If judgers were assigned a research project, they’d first make a list of all the steps, then systematically choose a topic, go to the librar y, create an outline and methodically work their way through the paper.

A prospecting person, however, might hear the assignment, get really excited about one idea and delve into that for a couple days. By the end of the week, though, they’d be distracted and forget about the project. Then, different inspiration would strike, but still not THE big idea. For the next few weeks, the prospecting indiv idual would alternate between a few possibilities, losing interest or deciding there might be something better. Suddenly, the project would be due in a matter of days and a f lurr y of activ it y would take place. Plans would be throw n out the w indow, deadlines would be f lirted w ith, but at the end, the project would be done, a finished product just like the judger’s.

Follow ing this explanation, the counselor asked: “W hat kind of person do you think you are? ” Hesitating, I admitted that I work as a prospecting indiv idual, even if I w ished were a judging one. Immediately, I was admonished.

“NO ! Don’t be sorr y. You are the way you are !” she told me. “Our world has decided there has to be a w rong way and a right way to do things, and that organized structure is the only course of action, but your way y ields the same results. You have to do what works for you. You have to do what feels natural to you.”

Just last week, I was meeting w ith my thesis adv isor when I bemoaned that I’m not as far along w ith my project as my classmates are w ith theirs.

With a bemused look, my adv isor shook her head at me. “This is your process, Julianna,” she said. “It takes a while to figure out what you want, but once the bit’s bet ween your teeth, you’re fast mov ing. Don’t compare your method to others’. Your end product is good, and that’s what matters.”

Ref lecting on what she said, I’ve thought about all the ways we tr y to make ever yone fit into the same box, all the different times I’ve been told there is a right way to approach a problem, a single method used by “responsible students.”

And just like the career counselor told me, the instances where I’ve fought my nature — when I’ve ignored my instincts because I was tr y ing to do the “right thing” — those were the same situations where I had the hardest time y ielding results.

Take sophomore year, for example.

Over whelmed by taking 21 credits, starting an on-campus job, and joining a club sport, I decided the responsible thing to do was ignore my friends’ inv itations for dinner or study socials, instead spending my free time hunkered dow n by myself in the librar y. An extrovert who once conv inced my little sister to hang in the bathroom and keep me company while showering, I can’t say this solution of sequestering was met

w ith great success. Instead, I grew sad, w ithdraw n and more stressed than I was in the first place. Sure, solo study seshes work for some, but I like to be around people. I needed my social time.

Similarly, I’ve always had trouble focusing or starting tasks, and last year my procrastination problems reached an all time high. Again, I thought the solution was to fight my nature. One day I had a big paper due the next week but I also wanted to frolic in the spring sunshine w ith my friends. I conv inced myself that by w ithholding fun, I’d be more motivated to crank out a few pages efficiently, emulating my more organized roommates. In realit y, I sat sad on the eighth f loor of the librar y from 7 p.m. until 3 a.m., not w riting a single page, as I lamented the memories I was missing out on.

The next weekend, though, I let myself go to a friend’s luau performance, and after wards I worked more efficiently than ever before. This year, it took me a month and a half to choose a thesis topic, but now that I have a research focus I’m excited about, I find myself eager to put in the time necessar y to make it great.

Obv iously, life can’t be all fun all the time.

There are moments when work needs to be ground out or when necessar y processes may look different from your ideal course of action.

But there’s also something to be said about listening to yourself.

There’s value in recognizing what works for someone else might not work for you. W hen you appreciate your unique learning and working st yle, you’ll be able to play to your strengths, letting your best self shine.

Julianna Conley is a senior studying sociology and pre-health studies with a minor Journalism, Ethics and Democracy. Though she is forever loyal to Pasquerilla East B-team athletics, Julianna now lives off campus.

She can be reached for comment at jconley4@nd.edu or @JuliannaLConley on Twitter.

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

9

The observer | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

By CAITLIN BRANNIGAN Scene Writer

Venturing outside the comforts of my bed after a long week was not exactly my top priority last Saturday night. However, not even I could resist the tempting Emo Skate Night, Student Activities Office’s (SAO) latest use for the Stepan Center. Did I know how to skate? No. Had I ever gone through an emo phase? A lso no, but better late than never!

Besides, college is all about tr y ing new things.

So, I dragged myself out of hibernation, donned a pitch-black sweater — admittedly, and perhaps somewhat embarrassingly, the most emo clothing I ow n — and enlisted a couple of friends to help w ith this highly dangerous endeavor.

The most cursed building on campus was transformed into a highly elaborate roller rink courtesy of a square-shaped mat and a large screen play ing emo music v ideos (though the validit y of some songs as emo, such as “A ll Star” by Smash Mouth, was a hot topic of discussion throughout the night). Even though I spent half the night falling all over the place w ith My Chemical Romance blaring in the background, I was glad to have tried

By GRACIE EPPLER Scene Writer

Grandma pulled up in her grey Toyota, the letters “BKS4ME” etched across her license plate. As my neighbors and I loaded into her backseat in our plaid uniforms, she handed us each a baggie of apple slices and a book to read. “God’s Mailbox,” “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” or something a little more mature for the older kids like “The Giver” — the list goes on and on as Grandma produced an infinite amount of literature to keep us preoccupied on the short ride home.

Grandma is a retired librarian, and her house is a makeshift library. It’s much larger than my school’s tiny one they converted from a janitorial closet and slightly smaller than my hometown’s, which sat next to town hall and always smelled like the inside of an old hat. But no matter the size of the library, wherever there were books, I was happy.

If 6-year-old me were to describe her ideal utopia, it would be the new St. Joe County Public Library that re-opened this Sunday. Huge, spacious, colorful and bright — there is something for everyone within its brick walls.

On Nov. 14, a large line of masked visitors eagerly awaited for the door of the new library to finally open, pouring onto Main Street and into the cold air.

The customers were all shapes, sizes and ages, from babies strapped into strollers to elderly couples. All were stuffed into winter jackets, their eyes wide as

something new. Surprisingly, I found screaming every five seconds, clinging desperately to my friends and becoming well-acquainted with the ground to be very freeing.

Emo Skate Night helped show me the value of breaking routine and trying things that are out of my comfort zone, particularly with a couple of friends. I, unexpectedly, had a blast face-planting in the Stepan Center of all places with Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi” music video as my epic backdrop. Having a Mario Kart-style race around the roller skating mat and subsequently slamming into at least five other people proved to be a fun experience after all, despite my own doubts about it. I was particularly impressed with my friends’ creativity in developing an alternative use for the glowsticks as lightsabers — something I truly felt highlighted their innovation as engineering majors.

Most importantly, I was reassured that there are plent y of ways to have fun on a Saturday night besides going to a part y w ith lots of friends. I knew adjusting to college would be no easy task, but I didn’t expect finding friends and going out on the weekends to feel more like work than fun.

Overcrowded parties in stuffy dorm rooms have

been unpleasant experiences for me, and I used to env y the large friend groups I saw, wondering how people found so many close friends so fast. While I joke that my struggles with partying and the small size of my two-person social circle is because I forgot how to talk to people over quarantine, I’ve been slowly realizing that I feel most comfortable not going to parties and having only a couple of close friends. Partying hard every weekend like in the movies isn’t for everyone, and having a large friend group only a few months after being thrust into a new environment is a lofty expectation.

I’ve talked to a few others who have been feeling this way, and if you’re one of them, just know that it’s OK. It’s completely normal to not suddenly have a large group of friends who you feel deeply connected to. It’s completely normal to stay in on the weekends. Do what makes you feel happiest and most comfortable. If that’s having a lightsaber duel with the glowsticks at Emo Skate Night, then go for it. If that’s going to parties each weekend, then go for it. One person’s idea of fun may not be yours, and that’s totally fine.

they took in the three levels and various brightly lit, clean spaces all lined with books, magazines, movies and an extensive comic book collection.

As the other visitors and I shifted past the entrance, the many workers greeted us cheerfully.

“We’ve been waiting for two years for this exact moment where we could open the doors to everyone,” said Jennifer Kennedy, the chief engagement officer at the new library. “I think every single staff member here is overjoyed to finally welcome the public.”

This sense of joy was palpable, not only in the kind and welcoming library staff, but in the faces of the young children. The whimsical kids’ section of the new library features not only various shelves of books in both Spanish and English, but a whole room dedicated to play-space for kids to make-believe.

Hadley and Vivian, ages four, bounced up and down as they saw the miniature versions of shops and houses where they could pretend to be anything they wanted.

Their favorite part of the library, they commented, was being able to play.

Colleen, age nine and dressed in a purple shirt that read “Reading can take you anywhere,” skimmed through the large junior readers’ section. “I was so excited to come here, because it was closed for two years,” Colleen exclaimed.

“Reading is fun,” Amir, age six, said. “And it’s all about making your imagination.”

Libraries are not just a place to find books. They are a place to play, let loose and imagine. When we are

reading a book, we are no longer bogged down by our various assignments. We are magicians, presidents, astronauts and aliens. We are anything and everything we want to be.

The kids’ section takes up about half of the spacious first floor, which also features a teen section with games such as ping-pong and checkers along with an auditorium and a ballroom. The upstairs has a collection of study spaces and computer labs. And of course, the entire library features shelves upon shelves of books of every genre and age group.

The sparkling, spacious new library has something for everyone, whether you are a lover of “The Boxcar Children,” a nonfiction nerd or just need a quiet place to finish some work. Though not everyone will leave the building with a book, they will definitely leave with a smile. At least, I know I did.

I smiled not just because I was excited for the community of South Bend to have this amazing space, but because the atmosphere inside the new library brought a wave of nostalgia to me. Suddenly, I was back in my hometown of Fenton, MO, crouched in the tiny library after a long day at school (multiplication timetables can be exhausting). I was raised on the sarcastic quips of Rick Riordan’s Annabeth Chase, the simple yet magical stories of C.S. Lewis and the jumbled jargon of Dr. Seuss. Books were my escape.

Reading was my therapy. And libraries — libraries were my home.

Contact Caitlin Brannigan at cbrannig@nd.edu

Contact Gracie Eppler at geppler@nd.edu EMMA KIRNER | The Observer

10

The observer | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

By MAGGIE CLARK Scene Writer

Taylor Swift rarely ceases to surprise or amaze me. I have been an avid “Swiftie” since 2012, yet my expectations of her artistry has been exceeded with every song, music video or album release since then. The Friday release of “Red (Taylor’s Version)” was no different. Not only was I blown away by the album itself, but I was particularly stunned by the 10-minute version of what was arguably already one of her best songs: “All Too Well.” Even though the original song is heartbreaking, I would consider this new, longer version to be (to quote Taylor ) “maiming.”

Devastating lyrics such as, “You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath,” made my jaw drop upon hearing them, causing me to ‘unreasonably’ despise a certain actor about whom the song is allegedly written. As if the song itself was not enough to leave me like a “crumpled up piece of paper,” there is also a 13-minute long short film which makes the song all the more impactful. “All Too Well: The Short Film” is directed by Taylor Swift and stars Sadie Sink, Dylan O’Brien and Taylor Swift

By ANNA FALK Scene Writer

It may have been originally overshadowed by the simultaneous release of “Red (Taylor’s Version)” Nov. 12, but “An Evening w ith Silk Sonic” has been doing quite well w ith critics and fans alike.

In case you aren’t aware, the duo Silk Sonic consists of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, two ver y well-know n artists in the modern music industr y. Their bond was formed during Bruno Mars’ 2017 “24K Magic World Tour,” where .Paak opened during the first European leg. This time allowed them to collaborate musically, but their work together was put on hold when the tour ended.

Had quarantine not happened, it is likely that audiences might have never heard the sweet sounds of Silk Sonic. The w riters came together just before the pandemic forced ever yone into their homes, but they continued to work throughout their isolation. Mars and .Paak announced the creation of Silk Sonic and an upcoming musical release in Februar y, and the rest is histor y.

“An Evening w ith Silk Sonic” is a fusion of soul, funk, rap and R&B that The Ringer described as a “1960s to ’70s retro endeavor.” The album has a runtime of approx imately 31 minutes, and it features special contributions from funk legend Bootsy Collins and bassist Thundercat.

I enjoyed the album thoroughly. Songs like

(with one of the producers being Notre Dame alum, Austin Swift). Like the song itself, the short film is absolutely brilliant and is only a testament to the artistic genius that is Taylor Swift.

“All Too Well: The Short Film” details the story of the relationship between “Him,” played by Dylan O’Brien, and “Her,” played by Sadie Sink. It follows the epic of “All Too Well,” the song, pretty faithfully.

Therefore, it is absolutely gut-wrenching. I do not want to spoil too much of the film since I believe you should watch it no matter your opinion on Taylor Swift, but I think the ending is especially wonderful. In addition to the story and this ending, the cinematography of the short film is one of the most beautiful parts of it. Shot on 35mm film, the picturesque scenes have a vintage, home video-like quality, giving viewers a feeling of strange familiarity. The film transitions from fall settings at the beginning to winter settings at the end, following the sequence of the song and the progression of the relationship.

One of the most prominent aspects of the relationship described in the 10-minute version of “All Too Well” is an age gap between Taylor and the person who she is singing about. This is cleverly

explored in the film, with an emphasis on “Her” innocence, portrayed not only in her character, but also in an “old scarf from that very first week,” and on the manipulative, almost-disconnected nature of “Him. The casting of the film helps to demonstrate these aspects of character, as Sadie Sink is 19 years old — similar to the age of Swift when she wrote the song — while Dylan O’Brien is 30. While the two actors have strong on-screen chemistry, it is almost jarring seeing the two so “in love” considering their age gap. This should not be taken as criticism, but rather as a point of praise, as this perfectly demonstrates the heartbreak Swift expresses in the song.

Overall, both Sink and O’Brien offer fantastic performances, causing me to sympathize even more with Swift and (somehow) even less with that certain actor already mentioned.

All in all, “All Too Well: The Short Film” epitomizes not only “All Too Well” as a song, but also as a representation of the quality and artistry of Taylor Swift. Thus, this beautiful portrayal of “the love affair” is bound to “maim you too.”

“Leave the Door Open” and “Smokin Out The Window” get stuck in my head frequently, and the tracks let you groove along to Mars and .Paak while they live out their ’70s dreams. “After Last Night” is smooth like caramel, “Put On A Smile” prov ides a melancholic but catchy melody and “Blast Off” is a truly psychedelic ending.

A lthough I generally enjoyed the album, I found some areas are in need of improvement. First, the runtime is simply too short. This is more of a personal gripe than a technical one, but I believe that if I am going to be entertained during “An Evening w ith Silk Sonic,” then I shouldn’t want the evening to end.

Second, I found this debut to be ver y formulaic. In some ways, the duo’s formula is fantastic — they have an introduction to the album that feels true to the era, the tracks have a nice f low and they finish the record by “blasting off” in the final song. However, the subject matter never seems to change, and it can become tiring. A lso, .Paak takes a majorit y of the verses, and Mars takes a majorit y of the refrains. W hile this is not true of ever y song, it is predictable, and it doesn’t give each artist a chance to show off their vocal abilities throughout the entiret y of the album by just sticking to certain sections.

Lastly, a rev iew published in The Washington Post describes the album as “too sanitized,” and while I want to defend this album, I also have to

agree. There seems to be something about the album that just touches on the surface of what true soul and funk can really become. I’d really like to see the duo get more in touch w ith the music that they were inf luenced by and create something really spectacular (not just nostalgic for a time never lived). It is understandable that they might want to cater to a certain audience, but I would be interested to see what they could do w ith more time.

If Silk Sonic releases another album in the future, I w ill be thrilled. I honestly think that they should continue to record together, for their duo works well, and they make good music. I hope that, should they collaborate again, they continue to work on developing their musical niche and find a place where their respective areas’ music can meld together into something even greater.

Contact Maggie Clark at mclark29@nd.edu

Contact Anna Falk at afalk@nd.edu

“An Evening with Silk Sonic” Artist: Silk Sonic Label: Aftermath, Atlantic Favorite Tracks: “Put on a Smile,” “Leave the Door Open” If you like: Bootsy Collins, James Brown

MAKAYLA HERNANDEZ | The Observer

Classifieds

ndsmcobserver.com | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | The Observer

Crossword | Will Shortz

11

Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Surround yourself with positive thoughts. Make changes to your space that encourage creativity, spirituality and personal growth.

Broaden your outlook, but don’t take on impossible tasks.

Balance is the key to getting things done that help you achieve goals that contribute to self-satisfaction and overall happiness and contentment.

Be passionate about life, love and work, and good things will unfold.

Your numbers are 7, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Go over the pros and cons of situations and relationships causing concern. Knowing what you are up against will help decide what and who are worth your time and effort. Keep an open mind, but don’t let anyone take advantage of you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You may know how a game is played, but don’t expect everyone to play fair. Keep your eyes open, don’t hesitate to ask questions, and be sure to cover your tracks and maintain proof and ownership of what you contribute.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Big ideas followed by sound judgment and hard work will pay off. Don’t let anyone discourage you or meddle in your affairs. Work at your own pace, and don’t share what you are doing until you have everything in place.

CANCER ( June 21-July 22): Put restrictions on entertainment, spending and over-the-top behavior. You can have fun without going into debt. Do something that appeals to your creative skills, and explore what you can do with the talents you possess. A unique path will lead to enlightenment.

LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22): Avoid costly ventures or donations you cannot afford. Doing something in the spur of the moment will lead to setbacks.

Stay focused on what’s attainable, and put your heart and soul into what you are trying to achieve.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Information you gather will lead to a change of mind and direction. Don’t let the unknown frighten you. It’s time to branch out, try something new and explore what the world has to offer.

Fix your surroundings to suit your needs.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Back up and let things unfold before you take sides or let your thoughts be known. Get out and do something that will broaden your outlook, and you’ll discover you have more options than you realize. Don’t give in to manipulative people.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Step out of your comfort zone if that’s what it takes to help make changes that facilitate your happiness and peace of mind. Don’t live a lie or be a martyr.

You owe it to yourself to do what’s best for you.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Get your facts straight before you decide to start a debate. An emotional incident will bring you closer to someone you think is special. Honesty will help you keep the peace. Look for a way to have fun without being indulgent.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Give credit where credit is due. Take the high road when faced with an ethical choice. Don’t be afraid to use your skills and experience to bring about positive change. Physical activities will encourage fitness, self-improvement and romance.

AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Think things through before you make a decision that can influence what you do next. Get the proper documentation or qualifications in order before starting something new.

Listen to what others have to say, but do what’s best for you.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Invest wisely. Abide by the rules and regulations. When in doubt, ask questions. A new look or image will lift your spirits. A professional change will allow you to use your skills more efficiently.

Romance is encouraged.

Sudoku | The Mepham Group

Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek

Write Sports.

Email Mannion McGinley at mmcginl3@nd.edu

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The observer | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Irish XC Continued from page 16

flying under the radar for most of the year, but Carlson doesn’t believe that this year’s higher expectations change much ahead of the meet.

“I think we have tried to keep a very level head and very similar perspective,” Carlson said.

“We did really well a year ago.

We were smart in how we raced and stayed true to who we were and we’re going to go into this year with more or less the same expectation.”

Carlson talked about how Yared Nuguse decided to come back to school after making the Olympics last year with the goal of winning a NCAA national title for Notre Dame.

“He was an Olympian that came back to school to make this last run at cross country,” Carlson said.

Beyond Nuguse, Carlson discussed how this is the ‘last dance’ in a sense for his team that is full of veteran leaders in Danny Kilrea, Andrew Alexander, Matthew Carmody, Dylan Jacobs and Anthony Russo.

“They’re all mature, older guys who have really come back for this being the goal,” Carlson said.

The women also won the regional meet this past weekend, and they were led by senior Maddy Denner, who won the 6K race in a time of 19:55.8.

She was closely followed by junior Olivia Markezich, who crossed the line in second in a time of 19:57.7. Rounding out the top five for the Irish were sophomore Erin Strzelecki (10th, 20:12.1), graduate student Lauren Bailey (13th, 20:14.2) and graduate student Maddie King (30th, 20:37.3).

Head women’s cross country coach Matt Sparks said he was excited to see his team have their best performance of the year so far.

“The big takeaway from the weekend was that their fitness and confidence finally matched up,” Sparks said. “Our fitness was growing, but I don’t think we were confident at the conference meet. I think Friday was a reflection of those entities finding themselves at the same time and allowing us to be successful.”

Sparks thought Denner did

Football Continued from page 15

having sw itched from w ide receiver two weeks ago, Watts has gained experience on both sides of the ball, a knowledge that w ill ser ve him well no matter where he definitively w inds up. He posted

a great job of being confident and going out fast.

“She led every step of the race after 600 meters,” Sparks said.

“That’s not something she’s traditionally done, and I think her fitness and confidence finally meshed and found a way to get to where she was capable of being.”

Sparks described Markezich’s big finish which allowed her to finish in second place.

“Olivia was sixth place with 400 meters to go and she had a huge finish to get up to that second place spot,” Sparks said.

Sparks knows that it is vital to go out aggressively this weekend at the national meet.

“We still need to get out aggressive similarly to what we have talked about all year,” Sparks said. “One of the bigger challenges of this meet is the sheer volume of people. Our third through seventh runners are going to have to try to all be in the top 100. And that’s a tough position to find yourself into. Recognizing where you are in the race is a skill that we’ve talked about quite a bit this year.”

The women raced this course last year and had a very poor performance, but Sparks is confident that last year’s performance won’t negatively affect this weekend’s race.

“Now we are a much different team,” Sparks said. “We have at least seen the course.

We just haven’t raced it well.

But at least we know the lay of the land.”

Sparks said he is excited to see Maddy Denner compete in the championship setting.

“Maddy Denner has become a different person in the last two weeks to the point where now she knows she can run with anybody in the country,” he said. “She was pretty comfortable on Friday and this will be the first time for her to work towards being an All-American in cross country and see her continue her rise to prominence on a stage like this.”

The women’s 6K race will take place at 10:20 a.m. Saturday, followed by the men’s 10K race at 11:10 a.m. Both races can be watched on ESPNU or through the ESPN app.

Contact Nate Moller nmoller2@nd.edu

at

a strong performance in Charlottesville w ith five tack les to his name, making important stops in the Cavaliers’ drive.

For Watts, it w ill be landing on his feet in a position and planting roots.

W hile playing both sides of the ball gave him good experience, channeling his energ y into perfecting

Please recycle The Observer.

HOCKEY COLUMN

Zwiller: Predictions on No. 14 ND Hockey After falling short in backto-back conference games against Minnesota, Notre Dame needed a statement win against Wisconsin to keep from falling behind in the Big Ten standings.

And after sweeping the Badgers, the Irish got their statement win.

The then 6-3 Irish hosted the 4-5 Badgers at Compton Family Ice Arena, with just over 4,330 people in attendance.

The Badgers struck first in the series despite being on the road, with Forward Roman Ahcan scoring a power-play goal on an Irish roughing penalty.

It would be the first and last goal the Badgers would score at Compton.

Less than three minutes into the second period Landon Slaggert socred the equalizer, followed by Jesse Landsell shortly after that. Notre Dame Forward Trevor Janicke ended the period by converting on a Wisconsin penalty to give the Irish the 3-1 lead.

In the third period, Max Ellis put the game on ice, scoring twice, once on a power-play and an empty netter.

In the second game, the Irish scored two goals in the first period, one on a power play by Grant Silianoff and one by Nick Leivermann (4-on-4). The last goal of the game came late in the second, scored by Hunter Strand.

After their series against the Badgers, the Irish improved to 2-2-0 in conference play and 8-3-0 overall. That record is good enough for fourth place in the conference.

Ahead of Notre Dame is Michigan (10-2-0, 5-1-0), Minnesota (7-5-0, 4-1-1), and Ohio State (7-3-0, 4-2-0). Behind the Irish are the Badgers (4-8-0, 1-4-1), Michigan State (65-1, 1-3-0), and Penn State (6-5-0, 0-4-0).

In their next series, the Irish will have another chance to build momentum and gain ground in

the conference standings. Their opponent? The No. 1 Michigan Wolverines.

Michigan has certainly earned their number one ranking without question, as they boast an NCAA best record of 10-2-0. The Wolverines boast a high-scoring offense; they have scored 52 goals through 12 games, averaging 4.33 goals per game. That is also the highest such mark in the NCAA this season. Unfortunately for the Irish, Michigan is also stout defensively. Allowing 26 goals through 12 games, the 2.17 GAPG ranks the Wolverines 12th in college hockey.

One advantage I expect the Irish to have in this weekend’s upcoming series is in faceoffs.

The Irish are a top-10 faceoff team going 346-292, or about .542. Michigan is not horrible on faceoffs, but they have only won .511% of their attempts (382-366).

A vital area, as it is in most games, is penalties. The Irish are an incredibly sound defensive team, while Michigan is looking to be an offensive force. Both statements hold for the Irish penalty kill and the Michigan power-play. The matchup will essentially be an unstoppable force meeting an unmovable object.

The Irish lead the nation in penalty kill percentage.

Of the 43 penalties the Irish have taken that have allowed power play opportunities, they have only allowed two power-play goals (.953). The power-play unit is without question going to be challenged this weekend as Michigan has one of the best attacks in the country. The Wolverines have had 48 power-play opportunities, and they have converted 15 times (ranks sixth). That power-play percentage ends up being .312, a figure that is third-best in the country.

On the flip side, Michigan’s penalty-kicking unit is not nearly as good as their powerplay unit. The Wolverines have killed off 41 of their 49 penalties (or about .837), making them the 21st best unit in the

nation. Fortunately for the Wolverines, the Fighting Irish have an abysmal power-play attack. Of the 40 power-play opportunities the Irish have had, they have only converted six times. At .150%, that makes Notre Dame 41st in the NCAA. Yikes.

Another reason I want to focus on penalties is that Michigan averages the 10th most penalty minutes per game.

It is much closer to eighth if you consider that Brown and Yale have combined for 177 penalty minutes in only seven games.

Despite their lackluster powerplay, the Irish need to score when Michigan gives them the opportunity. If the Irish can stay out of the box (which they are capable of doing, they are 30th in penalty minutes per game) and take advantage of the frequent Michigan penalties, Notre Dame can win this series.

Well, let me put a caveat on that. Notre Dame can win this series if it is low-scoring. ND has a top-5 defense in terms of goals against, allowing only 1.73 per game. However, they average 3.67 goals per game, which is 11th in the country but is behind Michigan’s 4.33 goals per game.

Lucky for the Irish, Michigan also allows 2.17 goals per game which means that ND can score against Michigan; I do not think they can win a shootout.

Historically, Michigan owns the series, leading 83-63-5.

But if I had to pick this one, I would say that Notre Dame can get the split on the road. In the last four series played between the two rivals, the home team is 0-8 with a goal differential of 24-7 (-17 at home!). I think there is a difference with Michigan being the best team in college hockey, but the No. 14 Irish should at the very least steal a win on the road.

Game 1: Notre Dame 3 Michigan 4 Game 2: Notre Dame 3 Michigan 2

one position w ill allow his athleticism and knowledge to best ser ve the Irish.

With so many freshmen seeing the field in their first year, gaining that invaluable experience that w ill translate into their later seasons, Notre Dame is laying the groundwork for a formidable group that has the capacity to get that

higher CFP berth Brian Kelly has been craving. If turning over the roster has any advantage, it is in preparing the future generations of Irish football. However, all that depends on how these individual talents are organized. As we have seen this season, talented members mean little

when the entire system of players is out of sync. As Kelly said in his postgame presser, the young players are maturing; it is what is done w ith that maturity that w ill be the difference between CFP and ‘C’-ya-later.

By THOMAS ZWILLER Sports Writer

Contact Thomas Zwiller at tzwiller@hcc-nd.edu

Contact Emily DeFa zio at edefa zio @nd.edu

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13

FANTASY CORNER

Observer Fantasy Corner Week Eleven: Teams for Playoffs

By SAM OUHAJ, JOHN KALEMKERIAN, GEHRIG SMALSTIG and JAMISON COOK Sports Writers

Week 11 of the NFL is approaching, and with just seven weeks left, we are in for some exciting matchups.

Over the next few weeks, fantasy teams will be fighting for a chance to be in the playoffs and making sure their team dominates. We have the info here at Fantasy Corner to help make sure your team makes it into the playoffs this year.

Sam OuhajWho to Start: Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins Since Tua has returned to the Dolphins, his connection with Waddle has been fantastic. The two played together at Alabama, so the chemistry is there, but with an injury to DeVante Parker, Waddle has had to step up significantly.

He has scored doubledigit points in his last two games and is becoming targeted almost ten times a game. The Dolphins will be facing the New York Jets this Sunday, and though the game will be a snooze fest, I expect Waddle to have a fantastic day. The Jets just allowed two receivers to go over 100 yards against the Bills, and their secondary is a mess. Play Waddle with confidence.

Who to Sit: Cordarelle Patterson, RB, Atlanta Falcons The Dallas Cowboys dominated the entire game

and never allowed Patterson to get going. Perhaps the most explosive player this season, Patterson was held to just 4.9 points against a Dallas defense that was run over by the Denver Broncos a few weeks ago. While Dallas is among the top three teams in the league, and their game against Denver was a fluke, the Falcons still failed to move the ball. Unfortunately for Atlanta, they are going against one of the hottest teams in the league right now, the New England Patriots, and on a short week. Bill Belichick removes your best players and forces you to play left-handed, which is not suitable for Patterson owners.

Patterson is also a familiar face in New England, and knowing Belichick, I am sure he knows the exact game plan from Patterson. Stay away from him this week.

Who to Pick Up: Mark Ingram II, RB, New Orleans Saints (Rostered in 61.9% of leagues) John Kalemkerian- Who to Start: Christian Kirk, WR, Arizona Cardinals Who leads the Arizona Cardinals in both receiving yards and fantasy points this season? Probably threetime All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins, right? No? Ok, then it has to be seven-time Pro Bowler A.J. Green. No?? It’s actually four-year veteran Christian Kirk, who has not only started every game for Arizona, but is quietly putting together a top-20 wideout campaign. Kirk will be a

primary beneficiary of Kyler Murray’s likely return this week against the Seahawks, and the Cardinals offense will be looking to bounce back from a dismal performance against the Panthers where Colt McCoy struggled mightily under center. At this point, Kirk should be locked in as a weekly starter, especially if Hopkins sits again with a nagging hamstring injury.

Who to Sit: DJ Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers Through the first four weeks of the season, DJ Moore was a top five fantasy wide receiver and every manager who snagged him in the fourth or fifth round was ecstatic.

As someone who drafted Moore in one of my leagues, I can now say that the biggest managerial error of the season was not trading him while his value was sky-high. Moore has crashed back down to earth, crossing the doubledigit fantasy point threshold just twice in the past six weeks.

Poor quarterback play is the major culprit.

With the Panthers likely to give Cam Newton the majority of the snaps this week against the WFT, Moore has the potential to regain at least some of his early-season value.

Even so, I’d leave him on the bench this week, especially with the number of solid WR options out there at this point in the season.

Who to Pick Up: Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots (Rostered in 27.4% of leagues) Gehrig Smalstig-

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Who to Start: Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens If there’s a midseason waiver wire receiver that could end up making a big impact come playoff time, I think Bateman is the guy. The Ravens offense has been missing a receiver that can run the full route tree and be a dependable red zone or third down target since Lamar’s arrival, and the rookie out of Minnesota has all of the talent to fill that role. While Mark Andrews and Marquise Brown will still get their fair share, Bateman brings something to the table that demands getting him the ball. This is evidenced by his workload since coming off of IR, seeing 6+ targets in each of his 4 starts, leading to three straight double digit performances. The Ravens also face a Bears defense that is much better against the run than the pass, which could force Lamar to air it out more in this week’s matchup.

Who to Sit: Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons The Falcons should be motivated to bounce back in a big way after getting throttled by the Cowboys in week 10.

Unfortunately, they have to run into one of the more disciplined and well-rounded teams in the league in the New England Patriots. I expect the Pats to run the ball well, keeping the ball out of Matt Ryan’s hands, while also exposing the holes that the Falcons have at O-line and receiver. Pitts will likely see double coverage much of the day and remain

in this midseason slump that he has fallen into the past three weeks.

Who to Pick Up: Kalif Raymond, WR, Detroit Lions (Rostered in 5.5% of Leagues) Jamison CookWho to Start: Devonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles The reigning Heisman winner has finally rounded into form in the last two weeks, and he has put up great numbers on a limited number of targets.

Smith has seen six targets in each of the last two weeks, but he has used them to record 22.6 fantasy points in both contests.

He has three touchdowns in two games, and the connection between himself and QB Jalen Hurts has been strengthening in recent weeks. The targets have been there all season for Smith, so if he can get more looks as the season progresses, the number of touchdowns and amount of yards should only go up. With another winnable game against the Saints on the horizon for the Eagles, look for Hurts to rely on his favorite target as Philadelphia tries to keep improving. I like Smith against the Saints defense in Week 11, so make sure he is locked into your starting lineup.

Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Football Team While McLaurin has been seeing the targets, he has not accumulated the yards to rack up solid fantasy performances.

The touchdowns have also been very few and far between, making for even more lackluster score lines. QB Taylor Heinicke may be fun to watch, but his presence doesn’t give a ton of fantasy upside for his receivers. RB Antonio Gibson looked a lot better this week as well, allowing WFT to lean more on the run this week and going forward. To make matters worse, the Panthers defense had a field day against the Cardinals this week, and they will look to make life tough for Heinicke and McLaurin once again. I don’t like McLaurin this week, so keep the receiver on your bench and monitor him closely going forward.

Who To Pick Up: Dan Arnold, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars (Rostered in 26.1% of leagues) Contact Sam Ouhaj at souhaj@nd.edu, John Kalemkerian at jkalemke@nd.edu, Gehrig Smalstig at esmalsti@nd.edu and Jamison Cook at jcook22@nd.edu

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Sports

The observer | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Boxing

Baraka Bouts finals: Wrap on final 10 bouts

By MANNION MCGINLEY Sports Editor

The Notre Dame Women’s Boxing Club put on their final 10 bouts Monday night. Twenty women faced off to crown a champion in each of the 10 weight classes.

Bout 1: Carly “The Wall” Hall, a senior representing Pasquerilla East from Charleston, South Carolina v. Amelia “Meals on Wheels” Love, a senior representing Farley Hall from St. Louis, Missouri Form and footwork were important early in the first round of this bout for both fighters.

After a short exchange of jabs, Hall was able to get an advantage on Love, keeping her circling in a backpedal and eventually backing her against the ring. During the break, all you could hear was “Meals on Wheels” but Hall’s corner of fans came to life right at the bell, giving Hall the momentum to start the round on the offensive again.

Love backed Hall into a corner briefly but Hall regained her footing and landed a few more jabs to close the round out. Third round, Love stepped out of the corner powerfully. Hall answered quickly though and backed Love into her own corner and then the one next to it.

By unanimous decision, from the blue corner, Carly “The Wall” Hall won the bout.

Bout 2: Cece “Ginger Spice” Giarman a junior representing Lewis Hall from San Francisco, California v. Erin “Waterworks” Fennessy, a senior representing Walsh Hall from Madison Wisconsin.

In this bout between the present and the future, junior captain Giarman took on club president Erin Fennessy. Fennessy swung first but Giarman struck first followed by a couple of hits landed

by Fennessy. Giarman relied heavily in the first round on her right hook and it did her some good. But, when that missed, Fennessy took the chance to land a few jabs and get Giarman on her back foot. Fennessy struck first again prompting each boxer’s group of fans to grow louder and louder in the second round. Fennessy kept the pressure on through most of the round, keeping the pace high and only allowing a few swings from Giarman. But those few swings came in heavy. To start the third, that pressure stayed from Fennessy, but again, what Giarman could land struck hard.

By split decision, from the blue corner, Cece “Ginger Spice” Giarman won the bout.

Bout 3: Mags “Little Bull” Roccato a senior representing Walsh Hall from Moorestown, New Jersey v. Ellie “The Hammer” Hammerschmitt a sophomore from Pasquerilla East from Indianapolis, Indiana To start the first round, The Hammer and Little Bull would each land hits, in turn, one, then the other and back. Hammerschmitt was able to find her pace a few times in the middle of the round. Just before the bell though, Roccato found a rhythm that she brought right back out into the second round. Roccato kept Hammerschmitt on her back feet and unable to keep her hands up to avoid the hits, briefly cornering her at the end of the round. Roccato came out swinging to start yet another round and immediately got Hammerschmitt backtracking, eventually backing her into the corner twice more before the end of the bout.

By unanimous decision, from the blue corner, Mags “Little Bull” Roccato won the bout.

Bout 4: Hannah “The Hulk” Koch, a senior representing Lyons Hall from Fort Wayne, Indiana v. Nora “Who Needs Ankles, Anyway?”

Tucker, a senior representing Welsh Family Hall from Libertyville, Illinois These two stayed locked in swings from the get-go.

Tucker and Koch exchanged footing advantages for most of the first round, but it was Koch who was able to land a few more significant hits.

Staying in lockstep again, to start the second round, Tucker took a short advantage on the attack, using the bit of speed she had on Koch to get inside. Koch used a longer reach and a bit of a harder swing to answer. If Koch was off her step though, Tucker could get right back in and land a few more hits. Although Tucker kept her on her back feet, Koch was able to land quite a few hits to start the third and made Tucker hesitate a bit.

Just before the end of the bout, Koch landed a hit on Tucker that forced an eight-count.

By unanimous decision, from the blue corner, Hannah “The Hulk” Koch won the bout.

Bout 5: Megan “Mamba” Voigt a senior representing Howard Hall from Grand Rapids, Michigan v. Elizabeth “Lights Out” Kerner a senior representing Pasquerilla West from Erie, Pennsylvania This bout was all about speed. Both bobbing and weaving, and dodging quick punches, the pair of boxers were quick on their feet.

Voigt was first to strike significantly and forced two

mandatory eight-counts on Kerner within the first round.

Voigt found a quick advantage in the second round but Kerner fought her off and the two exchanged a set of jabs before another barrage from Voigt forced another eight count. The third round had an even start, both boxers landing hits and blocking them fairly equally. Kerner found a short advantage answered by one from Voigt as this round passed the quickest.

By unanimous decision, from the blue corner, Megan “Mamba” Voigt won the bout.

Bout 6: Samantha “Twinkle Toes” Manfreda a graduate student representing Farley Hall from Bethel, Connecticut v.

Gabrielle “The Dirty” Diederich a graduate student representing Ryan Hall from Salina, Kansas.

These two boxers are both graduate students, both in their first year of the club and roommates off-campus. Twinkle Toes fits Manfreda perfectly. To start the match she kept Diederich spinning, using her reach to land a few. When Diederich could get her in reach though, she was able to take advantage, backing Manfreda against the ropes twice. Round two, Diederich kept the pressure on keeping Manfreda backing up yet again. At the close of the round, Manfreda grabbed a short advantage landing a couple of combinations. Manfreda landed a few with new energy in the third immediately followed by a combination from Diederich that backed Manfreda into the corner. At the close, Manfreda followed a tired Diederich and landed just a few more to close the bout.

By split decision, and as the first win from the gold corner, Gabrielle “The Dirty” Diederich won the bout.

Bout 7: Sabrina “Golden Stinger” Curran, a junior representing Flaherty Hall from Houston, Texas v. Emily “Bookhook” Wilborn, a senior from Howard Hall from Rochester, New York.

Immediately, Curran got Wilborn on her back feet but once inside, Wilborn could answer and she was able to grab an advantage of her own.

This went back and forth a few times in the first round.

Wilborn got inside for the beginning of the second round, landing a few on Curran. It was Curran’s right hook and extended reach that gave her a continued advantage though.

Wilborn came out of the gate on fire again in the third round but quickly, Curran answered.

This was the most evenly set round of the three as both boxers landed a few combinations in turn with each other.

By split decision, from the blue corner, Sabrina “Golden Stinger”

RYAN VIGILANTE | The Observer

Junior captian Cece “Ginger Spice” Giarman wins bout against club president Fennessy in split decision to ultimately win her weight class.

Curran, won the bout.

Bout 8: Cam “Can’t Touch This” Dowd a senior representing Badin Hall from Topsfield Massachusetts v.

Sydney Herczeg a sophomore in Fischer Graduate Housing from South Bend, Indiana A slip from Herczeg to start the bout held up the initial pace. Dowd was quick to take over once they really got started though. Another hold occurred as a search began for Herczeg’s contact, and the round ended shortly after. Dowd’s speed, reach and power all combined to give her an advantage over Herczeg for the first half of the second round.

Herczeg answered just about halfway through, but Dowd regained control before another stalemate and the bell for the round.

Dowd came out hot to start the third. She knocked Herczeg’s headgear out of place and then almost immediately knocked her off her feet to force an eight-count. Dowd held her in the corner, which Herczeg broke out of with a strong right hook. Ultimately, Dowd held the advantage for most of the third round.

By unanimous decision, from the blue corner, Cam “Can’t Touch This” Dowd won the bout.

Bout 9: Mia Lecinski v. Sophie “Mighty Mouse” Kressler a senior representing Walsh Hall

from Rumson NJ Due to three-year captain Lecinski falling ill, this ninth bout wasn’t fought. By way of walkover, Sophie “Mighty Mouse” Kressler won the bout.

Bout 10: Molly “M Capes” Caplice a junior representing Flaherty Hall from Michigan City, Indiana v. Kelly “Wardog” Ward an off-campus senior from Queens, New York.

In the final bout for the night, Ward took a quick advantage, throwing jabs at Caplice quickly, left and right. Ward got Caplice on the ropes at one point, keeping her on the defensive and maintaining the advantage through the first round. She found another quick advantage in the second round, but not without a fight from Caplice. Ward got Caplice on the ropes again, forcing an eight-count for Caplice in front of a cheering fan base. Ward went on one more advantage to close the round. To start the third, the two boxers were locked in it.

As fits her nickname though, “Wardog” Ward was relentless and again found an advantage in the third round. Caplice turned it on her about halfway through but Ward responded heavier, forcing yet another eight-count.

By unanimous decision, from the gold corner, Kelly “Wardog” Ward won the bout.

Contact Mannion McGinley at mmcginl3@nd.edu

sports

ndsmcobserver.com | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | The Observer

15

Football Column

Prepare for (potential) greatness, Notre Dame

By EMILY DeFAZIO Associate Sports Editor

Did anyone else see Logan Diggs absolutely vault over that UVA defender?

The play immediately brought me back to the infamous Najee Harris hurdle over former Irish defender Nick McCloud in the 2021 Rose Bowl; only this time, it was one of Notre Dame’s guys that did the leaping. What a nice change of pace that was.

Having any Irish player comparable to the No. 24 pick of the NFL draft means good things for Notre Dame, but even more so when they are a freshman. Upon reflection, the match against UVA can be viewed as a glimpse into what could be for the team over the next few years with this group of young players making their way up the depth charts. Though not limited to these names, Tyler Buchner, Logan Diggs, Lorenzo Styles and Xavier Watts are four freshmen (at least in terms of eligibility) that have already made their mark on the program.

With standouts on both sides of the ball, fans can — tentatively — begin to get excited about the future of Notre Dame football.

Tyler Buchner The quarterback from San Diego came to South Bend highly anticipated by the student body. Many likened Buchner to the “Chosen One,” the one who would usher in a new era after Ian Book’s departure. With a similar emphasis on the run game between the two players, Buchner seemed like the perfect means of transition between the three years under the then-graduate student and the next offense.

With a little time, Buchner could possibly fulfill these prophecies.

Buchner has seen the field a considerable amount, given graduate student Jack Coan’s position at the helm. He stands as the second-leading rusher for the team at 213 yards, trailing only captain Kyren Williams. Maybe it’s the number 12 on his jersey, but Buchner is certainly

shaping up to be a similar player to his predecessor.

However, his minutes have been sporadic, making it hard for the freshman to get fully integrated into the Irish offense. He may be a good runner, but he needs to be a good play facilitator in more ways than rushing the ball.

At UVA, he began to integrate both skills; he demonstrated his impressive arm with a launched pass that just overshot its receiver. Despite the missed catch, Buchner demonstrated that he will be a strong QB1 for the Irish at some point in his career.

Logan Diggs Clocking in at the third leading rusher at Notre Dame, Diggs had himself an early career day at Charlottesville.

Though his hurdle may have stolen the show, his “regular” contributions are the true indicator of his talent.

He is a constant presence in the game when he plays, proving himself to be a reliable option for his quarterback. There are even times on the field where one can Paid Advertisement

mistake Diggs for Williams or sophomore running back Chris Tyree. The freshman is able to take the inch and go the mile like his upperclassmen counterparts, cutting through the slightest hole in the opposing defense. In doing so at UVA, he marked a career-high 64 yards. His knack for taking advantage of every opportunity will make him invaluable for the Irish going forward.

Diggs will simply have to continue acclimating to the college football atmosphere.

Now that Tyree is back in action, Diggs’ playing time may be decreased slightly. He must watch that his muscle memory from the minutes he did spend on the field does not falter; despite older, talented backs ahead of him, he needs to keep the fervor that he would have if he were starting while he waits for that moment to come.

Lorenzo Styles Styles’ “next play mindset” has made him a force to be reckoned with. With Avery Davis out for the season with

a torn ACL, the freshman’s role becomes all the more integral to the Irish offense.

He has posted 164 receiving yards on the season so far, clocking in behind senior Braden Lenzy in the rankings. At UVA, Styles ran for a 37-yard gain, putting the Irish in position to score a touchdown two plays later.

He is valuable in both aspects of offensive play, and this versatility is key going forward.

One thing to watch with Styles is consistency. He has made the occasional big drop in pivotal games, like the one against UNC, and these slipups can cost Notre Dame the game. However, with enough practice and on-field experience, Lenzy will continue to make his presence felt in the program.

Xavier Watts Xavier Watts may not be a true freshman, but that does not diminish his potential for the next few years. The linebacker from Omaha did not originally start on defense; see FOOTBALL PAGE 12

16

The observer | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

Cross country

Irish XC earns ticket to NCAA Championships

By NATE MOLLER Sports Writer

ANNA MASON | The Observer

Notre Dame men’s and women’s cross country finished first at the Great Lakes Regional to head to the NCAA championships this Saturday. The men’s team is ranked fourth and the women’s team 10th.

Both the women’s and men’s cross country teams placed first at the Great Lakes Regional in Evansville this past weekend, earning a trip to the NCAA Championships. The men finished with 37 points and the women with 56 points. Both teams will head into the national meet on Saturday with high expectations, considering the men are currently ranked fourth in the country and the women are 10th.

On the men’s side, the Irish packed up and put six runners in the top 12. The Irish were led in the 10K race by senior Matthew Carmody, who finished fourth in a time of 30:00.5. He was closely followed by graduate student Yared Nuguse (5th, 30:00.6), graduate student Andrew Alexander (7th, 30:01.3), graduate student Anthony Russo (10th, 30:03.5), senior Danny Kilrea (11th, 30:03.9) and senior Dylan Jacobs (12th, 30:04.1).

Head men’s cross country coach Sean Carlson said he thought his team did a great job

of packing up and not exerting themselves too much ahead of this coming weekend’s national meet.

“We wanted to conserve as much energy as we possibly could leading into the national meet,” Carlson said. “It was a fun weekend for the boys to run together and continue to build confidence and momentum for the postseason. It was just a great day and nobody looked out of control.”

Carlson discussed the lofty goals he has set for his team ahead of the national meet.

“We’re hoping that we can do a very good job of getting out in position early on so that we put ourselves in a position to execute the goals we have for ourselves as a program, which is to compete for a national title,” Carlson said.

“It certainly means that a lot of things have to go right for that to actually happen, but when we are competing for a national title, I think it’s realistic to think we can finish on the podium.”

The Irish finished second at last year’s national meet after see IRISH XC PAGE 12

men’s soccer

Notre Dame men’s soccer captures first ACC title in program history

By J.J. Post Sports Writer

On Sunday night, Notre Dame men’s soccer captured the first ACC title in program history, downing Duke 2-0 in Cary, North Carolina.

A brace from graduate midfielder Dawson McCartney powered the Irish through the final, the first of his two goals coming on a beautiful strike from outside the box just five minutes after kickoff. McCartney picked up the ball in the midfield, and then raced towards goal into space before unleashing a rocket of a shot from roughly 20 yards out to put Notre Dame ahead 1-0.

In the second half the Irish would ice the game through another goal from the graduate student. Paddy Burns loaded up a long throw into the box from the sidelines, and the ball eventually made its way to McCartney who headed it goalwards. His first effort was parried by Duke goalkeeper Eliot Hamill, but Hamill’s save fell right back to the foot of McCartney, who tapped the ball into the empty net. Once up 2-0 the Irish team sat back, content to continue soaking up the pressure of a Blue Devil

offense desperate to try and find a late spark.

But that spark never came, and at full time the Irish became the first team seeded fifth or lower to win the ACC tournament since Syracuse in 2015.

Unsurprisingly, the win propelled the Irish into a prime position for the upcoming NCAA tournament. As a reward for their impressive tournament campaign that saw them fell a pair of top 15 teams and top the conference widely regarded as the most difficult in the nation, Notre Dame were awarded the fourth overall seed in the national tournament. Roughly akin to a one seed in college basketball, the placement means the Irish will play all their games at home at Alumni Stadium until the College Cup, which will be played at a neutral venue, though not one the Irish are unfamiliar with, in Cary, North Carolina.

Getting to play all their games until the College Cup at home is a massive win for Notre Dame, who have won eight straight matches at Alumni Stadium this season.

Alumni has traditionally been a fortress for

both Notre Dame’s men’s and women’s soccer teams come postseason time, with the Irish players being used to the piercing winds, cold temperatures and occasional snow and sleet storms South Bend tends to enjoy come November and December. And while Notre Dame’s next opponent (the winner of the Vermont vs.

Villanova play-in match) will be used to playing in cold weather, the remaining teams the Irish might face in their quadrant on their road to the quarterfinal (Wake Forest, Mercer, Florida International), are all located in far warmer areas. And while weather plays a generally minimal role in a game of many factors, the lack of experience in cold weather games among those three teams should give the Irish a leg up in round two.

Notre Dame men’s soccer will look to extend their winning streak from the ACC tournament to national tournament play Sunday, as they take on the winner of Thursday’s contest between Vermont and Villanova.

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

ALEX CHILIKINA-BROWN | The Observer

No. 28 graduate midfielder Dawson McCartney scores for ND against Duke to put men’s soccer on track to win their first ACC title ever.