Print Edition for The Observer for Friday February, 24, 2023

The independent

To uncover

newspaper serving

the truth

Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s

and report

and holy cross

it accurately

Volume 57, Issue 56 | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2023 | ndsmcobserver.com

O’Neill Family Hall rector departs Several residents said they have reason to believe the departure is the result of misconduct Observer Staff Report

Orlando León

Former O’Neill Family Hall Rector

O’Nei l l Fa m i ly Ha l l’s rector w i l l “no longer ser ve” i n t he role a s of T hu r sday, Feb. 2 3, accord i ng to a n ema i l sent to resident s t hat a f ter noon.

“E f fec t ively i m med iately, Orla ndo [ L eón ] w i l l no longer ser ve,” Bre y a n Tor n i fol io, t he Resident ia l L i fe d i rec tor w ho over sees t he ha l l a nd super v i ses L eón, w rote i n t he ema i l. “Plea se k now

Resident ia l L i fe i s f u l ly com m it ted to suppor ti ng you a nd t he ent i re O’Nei l l Fa m i ly com mun it y t h roug hout this t ra n sit ion.”

H i s biog raphy ha s been removed f rom O’Nei l l’s prof i le on t he Resident ia l L i fe website. Accord i ng to a web a rch ive sc reen shot of h i s biog raphy, L eón ser ved i n v a r iou s yout h prog r a m s t h roug hout his c a reer i n educ at ion, pr i ma r i ly ser v i ng yout h w ho had “exper ienced t rau ma, loss of some sor t, a nd/or remov a l f rom t he home.”

Fr. C h r i s Rehagen w i l l ser ve as t he i nter i m rec tor for t he rema i nder of t he ac adem ic yea r a nd w a s

ANNA MASON | The Observer

see O’NEILL PAGE 5

Orlando León departed Thursday afternoon from his post as rector in O’Neill Family Hall, an email sent to hall residents announced. Fr. Chris Rehagen will serve as the interim rector for the remainder for the year.

Off the Ave: Student-run coffee shop opens at SMC

ND hosts Ukraine prayer service

By PETER BREEN News Writer

Courtesy of Erin Bennet

Saint Mary’s newest dining option , student-run-and-created Off the Ave coffee shop, opened Monday Feb. 20. The shop was thought up and run by six Saint Mary’s students in the Department of Buisness.

Monday morning saw many Saint Mary’s students starting their week off with an extra kick of caffeine, courtesy of Off the Avenue, Saint Mary’s new student-run coffee shop.

Off the Avenue has been started

and run entirely by students. One student, Hannah Shoemake, had the idea last spring to give new life to the space, along with some help from James Rogers, a business administration and economics professor. “[We] got talking about the vacant space and how back during my freshman year it was

NEWS PAGE 3

VIEWPOINT PAGE 6

By KATELYN WALDSCHMIDT Associate News Editor

occupied by Sedexo,” she said.

Before Notre Dame Dining took over in 2020, Sedexo used to be the food service used by Saint Mary’s.

“He and I were kind of brainstorming and kind of thought of the idea of how cool it’d be to offer see SMC PAGE 4

SCENE PAGE 10

To mark one year since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Nanovic Institute for European Studies arranged a commemoration in Nanovic Hall, which was followed by a candlelit prayer service for peace at the Grotto with University President Fr. John Jenkins Thursday evening.

In the Nanovic Hall Forum — adorned with the student research exhibition “Ukrainian Art as Protest and Resilience” — sophomore Marko Gural welcomed attendees on behalf of the Ukrainian Society of Notre Dame.

“I think that one year ago harkens back to a completely unrecognizable reality, on Feb. 23, 2022, the Ukrainian Society hosted a panel of Notre Dame professors that evaluated the state between Russia and Ukraine,” Gural said. “That evening Russia invaded.”

Four exchange students from Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) then gave their stories of war and exile. The last to speak, Andriana Opryshko, who is

W Basketball PAGE 16

studying cultural studies at UCU, explained the hatred she has felt during the past 365 days.

“I let myself be angry at every Russian soldier… who put me in danger, every person in my country in this danger…,” Opryshko said. “It was something that I screamed into my pillow about, something that made me want to break and throw things. I remember being jealous of people who could cry and tried not to snap at my friends because of the anger that wasn’t even directed at them.”

Next, those gathered in the forum acquired candles and marched together toward the Grotto.

Director of liturgy for Campus Ministry Kate Barrett received the procession after the lit candles were placed inside the rocky cavern, greeting the crowd on behalf of the President’s Office.

“We’re so glad to gather together in prayer, even though it’s really hard to believe that we are here recognizing the one-year anniversary of this invasion,” Barrett said. “Walking together as you all see UKRAINE PAGE 4

M Basketball PAGE 16

2

TODAY

The observer | Friday, February 24, 2023 | ndsmcobserver.com

Question of the Day: ndsmcobserver.com

Have a question you want answered?

Email photo@ndsmcobserver.com

What is your least favorite food?

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

Claire Bosch

Charlie Pehl

sophomore Walsh Hall

first-year Pangborn Hall

“Peas.”

“Olives.”

Giovanni Komyatte

Elizabeth Limp

junior Siegfried Hall

sophomore Howard Hall

“Horseradish.”

“Whatever the dining hall is serving.”

(574) 631-6900 ads@ndsmcobserver.com

Sean Burke

Maddie Loftim

Editor-in-Chief

first-year Pangborn Hall

graduate student Howard Hall

“Brussel sprouts.”

“Celery.”

Editor-in-Chief Alysa Guffey Managing Editor Aidan O’Malley Asst. Managing Editor: Mannion McGinley Asst. Managing Editor: Genevieve Coleman Asst. Managing Editor: Maggie Eastland Notre Dame News Editor: Bella Laufenberg Saint Mary’s News Editor: Meghan Lange Viewpoint Editor: Hannah Hebda Sports Editor: Aidan Thomas Scene Editor: Willoughby Thom Photo Editor: Ryan Vigilante Graphics Editor: Maggie Klaers Social Media Editor: Anna Hurt Advertising Manager: Emili Garcia Casas Ad Design Manager: Christina Sayut Systems Administrator: Jack MapelLentz Talent & Inclusion Manager: Angela Mathew Office Manager & General Info

Ph: (574) 631-7471 Fax: (574) 631-6927 Advertising

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

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

(574) 631-4541 mmcginl3@nd.edu, gcoleman01@saintmarys.edu, meastlan@nd.edu Business Office

(574) 631-5313 Notre Dame News Desk

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

(574) 631-5323 smcnews@ndsmcobserver.com Viewpoint Desk

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

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

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

(574) 631-8767 photo@ndsmcobserver.com Systems & Web Administrators

webmaster@ndsmcobserver.com Policies The Observer is the independent, daily newspaper published in print and online by the students of the University of Notre Dame du Lac, Saint Mary’s College and Holy Cross College. Editorial content, including advertisements, is not governed by policies of the administration of any institution. The Observer reserves the right to refuse advertisements based on content.

The news is reported as accurately and objectively as possible. Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the majority of the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Assistant Managing Editors and department editors.

Commentaries, letters and columns present the views of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Viewpoint space is available to all readers. The free expression of all opinions through letters is encouraged.

Letters to the Editor must be signed and must include contact information.

Questions regarding Observer policies should be directed to Editor-in-Chief Alysa Guffey.

Post Office Information The Observer (USPS 599 2-4000) is published Monday through Friday except during exam and vacation periods.

A subscription to The Observer is $130 for one academic year; $75 for one semester.

The Observer is published at: 024 South Dining Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556-0779 Periodical postage paid at Notre Dame and additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address corrections to: The Observer P.O. Box 779 024 South Dining hall Notre Dame, IN 46556-077

Today’s Staff News

Sports

Meghan Lange Liam Kelly Matthew Broder

Matthew Crow Ben Rihn

Graphics

Ayden Kowalski

Gabriel Zarazua

Photo

RYAN VIGILANTE | The Observer

The student section carried on their tradition of holding up copies of TYhe Observer while the opposing team is being announced at Wednesday’s men’s basketball game against North Carolina. The Irish fought hard but eventually fell to the NC Tar Heels 63-59.

The next Five days:

Want your event included here?

Email news@ndsmcobserver.com

Scene Viewpoint Maddie Law

Nicole De Guzman

Corrections The Observer regards itself as a professional publication and strives for the highest standards of journalism at all times. We do, however, recognize that we will make mistakes. If we have made a mistake, please contact us at editor@ndsmcobserver.com so we can correct our error.

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Women’s Investing Summit (WIS) ‘23 Corbett Family Hall 8:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.

Keynote speakers include Lindsey Vonn.

Notre Dame Women’s Lacrosse Arlotta Stadium 1 p.m.

Versus the Clemson Tigers.

Notre Dame Women’s Soccer Alumni Stadium 2:30 p.m.

The Irish take on Xavier.

Talk: “Policing in America” Hesburgh Center Auditorium noon - 1 p.m.

All are welcome.

CST Minor Information Session 234 Geddes Hall noon - 1 p.m.

Stop by and meet people in the program.

Fridays at Noon Concert LaBar Recital Hall noon - 12:45 p.m.

Free and open to the public.

Kendrick Oliver Performance DPAC 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Purchase tickets online.

“Dawn’s Early Light” DPAC 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Musical about an Italian-American family during WWII.

Notre Dame Men’s Tennis Eck Tennis Pavilion 4 p.m.

Notre Dame faces Michigan State.

Hidden Figures Film Discussion 145 Spes Unica Hall 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Hosted by the SMC History Club.

News

ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2023 | The Observer

3

Keenan Hall hosts 47th annual Revue show

By KATHRYN MUCHNICK Associate News Editor

“I t h in k t hat we a re going to f i nd ways to d isappoi nt ou r pa rents t hat nobody t houg ht was even possible.”

T hat is how Sa m my Kacius, a sen ior i n Keena n Ha l l, descr ibes t he 47t h a nnua l Keena n Rev ue.

Kacius is t he d i rector of t he Rev ue, wh ich w i l l k ick of f Thu rsday i n t he Stepa n Center a nd r u n u nt i l Sat u rday. The Rev ue is Keena n Ha l l’s sig nat u re event, a nd t h is yea r, t he t heme is “Hig h School Rev uesica l.”

“It just felt l i ke t he t heme to do,” Kacius sa id of t he “Hig h School Rev uesica l” decision. “You get a l l t he cha racter t ropes t hat you ca n put i n t here, you get t he music — ever y t h i ng about it is just so rev ue-able.”

T he decision process for t he t heme beg i ns i n t he fa l l semester, when t he Rev ue sta f f posts pieces of paper a rou nd t he dor m for Keena n residents to w r ite ideas on.

T he sta f f t hen selects t he f ina l t heme f rom t he crowdsou rced l ist.

Bobby Nichols, t he rector of Keena n Ha l l, sa id t he t heme decision isn’t just about what is f u n n iest.

“The t heme doesn’t necessa r i ly matter [i n t he show]

beyond t he t heme sk it,” Nichols ex pla ined. “W hat rea l ly matters is : How do we ma rket it? W hat’s t he logo goi ng to look l i ke ? ” A f ter t he t heme is decided, t he rector, d irector a nd execut ive producers f ina l i ze music a nd host sk it t r y-outs. A ny member of Keena n Ha l l ca n w r ite a sk it a nd pitch it to t he Rev ue sta f f. A f ter sk it ca l lback s, t he scr ipt is f ina li zed a nd each role is cast.

Nick Slusher is one of t wo execut ive producers for t he show, a nd he sa id h is role is sl ig ht ly d if ferent f rom t he d irectors.

“T he d i rector is ver y much i n cha rge of t he show itself — t he comedy, t he way t he sk its a re la id out, t he blocki ng, a l l t hat good st u f f,” Slusher sa id. “The producers a re more in cha rge of t he log ist ics — beh ind t he scenes st u f f to ma ke su re t hat t he show is r u n n ing smoot h ly.”

Tickets for t he show were d ist r ibuted last Monday in Da h n ke ba l l room. A lu m n i ent irely cover t he cost of t he show, so st udents were g iven t ickets for f ree — w it h a l i m it of 2 t ickets per st udent ID. “We a re ex pect ing about 1,600 people a n ig ht,” Slusher sa id. The Rev ue sta f f reser ves seat ing for

Keena n residents a nd V IP aud ience members — a lu mn i a nd fa m i lies of per for mers — before d ist r ibut ing t he rema in ing t ickets to st udents.

Instead of cha rg ing for t ickets, Keena n col lects donat ions for Dismas House, a loca l nonprof it t hat prov ides t ra nsit iona l housing for people recent ly released f rom inca rcerat ion. Nichols sa id a g roup of f ive to eig ht Keena n residents volu nteer at Dismas House ever y Monday, a nd members of Dismas House w i l l be at t he Rev ue to int roduce t hemselves.

“We rea l ly wa nt to see t hem as a n integ rated pa r t,” Nichols sa id. “Ou r hope is t hat, whatever money t hat you t houg ht was going to be spent on a t icket, donate t hat to Dismas House.”

The Rev ue moved into t he Stepa n Center on Monday for tech week. Rehea rsa ls r u n f rom 5 to 11 p.m. ever y day u nt i l open ing n ig ht last n ig ht.

“Tech week is a mag ica l, weird, somewhat t ir ing t ime,” sa id Ber i Ta ng ka, t he ot her execut ive producer. “I t h in k it’s just f ina l ly seeing what happens when a l l of t hese pa r ts come toget her.”

Nichols sa id t hat a lt houg h he helps to choose t he d irectors, producers a nd how

to nav igate SAO, t he Rev ue is r u n a l most ent irely by t he st udents.

“My role is, I t h in k, just to accompa ny t he g uys,” Nichols sa id. “I rea l ly w i l l defer to Sa m my, Ber r y a nd Nick — as d irectors a nd producers — to ma ke t he decisions.”

Nichols ta kes t he scr ipt to va r ious ca mpus orga n i zat ions, includ ing Resident ia l L ife, SAO, Pr ismND, Diversit y Cou nci l a nd Mu lt icu lt u ra l St udent Prog ra ms a nd Ser v ices (MSPS), to ma ke su re t hat none of t he jokes cross a line.

“Ou r goa l rea l ly for a l l of t he sk its a nd t he process is t hat … we ma ke a show t hat’s welcom ing a nd inclusive to a l l,” Nichols sa id.

“We won’t hold back on jokes, but … we don’t wa nt a nybody to feel sl ig hted or upset.”

The vast major it y of Keena n residents a re involved in t he Rev ue, according to Nichols. T he Rev ue sta f f note t hat it is cent ra l to Keena n cu lt u re.

“I’ve never seen a not her event at Not re Da me t hat gets people as im med iately into it as t he Rev ue,” Kacius sa id.

Music d irector Mi ke Ha n isch sa id t he Rev ue ma kes ever y resident of

Keena n feel l i ke t hey a re essent ia l to t he dor m.

“T he Rev ue is a g reat place to just a l l have a common goa l, br ing what you have to t he table a nd rea l ly feel l i ke col lect ively, you’ve created somet h i ng — wh ich just ma kes you feel so much closer to ever yone involved,” he sa id.

T he music tea m has been rehea rsing ever y Sat u rday f rom 10 : 30 a.m. to 2 p.m. t h is semester. Ha n isch sa id he is excited for t he Not re Da me com mu n it y to see t he “dept h of ta lent” in t he ba nd t h is yea r.

“We have a couple of f resh men on g u ita r who a re going to blow people away, I t h in k, especia l ly a lu mn i com ing back,” Ha n isch added.

Ta ng ka sa id t hat t h is yea r’s Rev ue w i l l be a not her step back to “nor ma l” a f ter t he show was hosted in t he stad iu m in 2021. A s of now, he’s look ing to t he f ut u re of t he Rev ue.

“I rea l ly l i ke t he place t hat t he Rev ue has in t he cu lt u re of t he t r i-ca mpus com mun it y a nd what we ca n do to sor t of com ment on t h ings a nd suggest new, f resh ideas a nd just ma ke ever y t h ing a l itt le bit si l l ier,” he sa id.

Contact Kathryn Muchnick kmuchnick@nd.edu

Professors comment on U.S.-China relations

By LIAM KELLY News Writer

Over the past few weeks, the United States has witnessed a heightening of tensions with China, raising concerns about a potential conf lict between the two world powers.

On Feb. 4, a U.S. F-22 fighter jet shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon over the Atlantic Ocean that had made its way across the U.S. after being spotted by bewildered onlookers in Montana, according to a story published by the Associated Press.

Speaking on the f light and subsequent neutralization of the Chinese spy balloon, Zoltan Buzas, associate professor of global affairs at Notre Dame, said the incident will “complicate efforts to improve SinoAmerican relations.” Buzas noted that Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled his planned visit to Beijing after the balloon was shot down.

This deterioration in U.S.-China relations comes at a time when the two countries are voicing fierce disagreements over Taiwan and China’s relationship with Russia.

Notre Dame professor of

law and global affairs Diane Desierto explained that it is “not altogether clear what China stood to gain” from taking this step.

Buzas argued the use of the spy balloon gave China a tactical advantage to survey U.S. military sites when compared to surveillance satellites.

“Radars have a harder time detecting balloons, which have less predictable trajectories than satellites,” he said. “Balloons can also collect better images, given their proximity to their targets.”

W hile the response of the Biden administration to the balloon incident has been criticized by some as weak, Desierto said she does not see it that way.

“I actually think the United States had a calibrated response,” Desierto stated.

“It made the determination of the threat assessment, it made the determination of the possible consequences for its population and ultimately, it did make it very clear to China that this is an obvious breach of international law.”

Both Desierto and Buzas made the point that the balloon incident will likely harm China’s reputation on

the world stage.

“Employing spy balloons might be a good way to gather military intelligence, but it might strike people as amateurish,” Buzas argued.

“China’s already in standing breach of many of its international obligations,” Desierto added. “It’s just a f lagrant invitation to worsen existing relations with many states around the world.”

Early in February, the U.S. announced that it had secured access to four new military bases in the Philippines, aiming to improve their tactical position in the South China Sea and counter China’s territorial ambitions for Taiwan, according to an article published by the BBC. Desierto argued that while China will strongly oppose this move, “it also has reason to be very cautious, because now there will be more permanency and regularity with respect to the presence of American troops in Southeast Asia.”

Since the shooting down of the balloon in early February, tensions have further worsened, with Secretary Blinken revealing that China is considering sending lethal support to Russia in their war

against Ukraine. In a story published by the Wall Street Journal, Blinken firmly stated that such a move would cause a “serious problem” in America’s relationship with China.

China’s close alignment with Russia — in addition to its violation of U.S. airspace and threatening of Taiwan — raises the frightening specter of a military conf lict between the two nuclear powers.

In a letter to his officers, U.S. Air Force General Mike Minihan made the startling prediction that the U.S. will likely be at war with China by 2025, which was made public

by NBC. Commenting on this assessment, Desierto argued that things weren’t quite that simple.

“There have been many assessments that yes, conf lict with China is imminent, but nobody has ever pinned a date,” she said.

Desierto also argued that a military conf lict between the two nations might not be as direct as many believe, adding that it is a “question of the degree to which the United States will be engaged in that conf lict.”

W hile the current situation

might appear to be dim, there are still reasons to be optimistic, Buzas said.

“The two countries have shared interests.

SinoAmerican trade is high despite efforts to decouple. There are global problems such as climate change that require SinoAmerican cooperation,” Buzas noted, insisting there remain areas where cooperation can still take place.

Desierto emphasized that in order for relations to improve, more communication is necessary from the Chinese government.

“There needs to be better diplomatic communication,” Desierto said. “It certainly does not help when President Xi Jinping’s government issues inf lammatory language. The Foreign Ministry pronouncements have been very inf lammatory and have been very quick to characterize the United States as somehow the culprit.”

Much may depend on the two countries’ ability to accomplish this, Desertio emphasized.

Contact Liam Kelly at lkelly8@nd.edu

4

NEWS

The observer | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2023 | ndsmcobserver.com

Ukraine

SMC

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

displaced from their homes due to this war, but it also reminds us that we are each on a journey to God that is made easier when we walk together.”

Subsequently, Jenkins, inviting his colleagues Fr. Yury P. Avvakumov, Fr. Herman Majkrzak and Fr. Andrij Hlabse into prayer, asked God to be with the people of Ukraine.

“Lord God, we pray for the people of Ukraine for all those suffering or afraid that you will be close to them and protect them,” Jenkins said.

“We pray for the world leaders for compassion, strength and wisdom to guide their choices.”

Following UCU psychology student Yevdokiia Yevdokimova’s reading from Isaiah 41, Jenkins urged the Notre Dame community to take action through prayer.

“Let us as Notre Dame continue to stand with all peace-loving people in praying for an end to this unjust war,” Jenkins said. “Let us pray for peace and freedom and dignity of all the people of Ukraine and for all peoples around the world. We ask God until that comes to keep safe the innocent men, women and children who are currently in harm’s way.”

Afterward, UCU computer science exchange student Yana Muliarska brought petitions before the congregation.

“We pray O Lord our God to give us the grace to remember to have mercy on our brothers and sisters in Ukraine and Russia who are involved in violent conflict,” Muliarska said. “Remove from their needs all hostility, confusion and hatred lead everyone along the paths of reconciliation and peace.”

Wrapping up the program, Barrett relayed the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church’s proclamation for a day of fasting, prayer and almsgiving on Feb. 24, 2023 — marking one year from the day of the first fullscale assault of the war.

“We may want to consider spending some time tomorrow [at the Grotto] or wherever we are, participating in this day as we feel called and as we are able,” Barrett said.

Jenkins called on God to intercede in the war with peace in the closing prayer.

“Lord God, look down with mercy on the people of Ukraine,” Jenkins said.

“Protect and save them from unjust aggression of those who seek to subdue them…

You give the people strength and courage to defend what is good, right and holy… let us pray for peace.”

t he ide a of how c o ol it ’d b e to of fer t he c a mpu s a more h ig h- end c of fe e e xp er ienc e. W it h t h at ide a , w e t hou g ht t h at m ay b e s ome ot her m a r ket i ng Bel le s w ou ld h av e t he s a me opi n ion,” Sho em a ke s a id .

Sho em a ke w ent a r ou nd to d i f ferent m a r ket i ng c l a s s e s, s ent out em a i l s a nd e v ent u a l l y ende d up w it h a b oa rd of si x add it ion a l fou nder s.

O ne of t he s e fou nder s, Gr ac e Ma rc he s el l i, s a id t h at t he h a nd s- on e x p er ienc e d re w her i nto w a nti ng to help.

“I fe el l i ke i n t he bu sine s s w orld, get t i ng t h at e x p er ienc e of s t a r t i ng a c ompa ny i s w h at helps y ou le a r n a l it t le bit more a nd help e d me le a r n w h at I w ou ld w a nt to do p ost g r ad,” s he s a id .

Gr ac e B en net t , a not her c o -fou nder, s e c onde d t h i s s ent i ment , s ay i ng “I’v e le a r ne d a lot of r e a l w or ld e x p er ienc e s.”

E l i z a b et h A nder s en s a id s he w a s d r aw n i nto helpi ng by t he f ac t t h at not h i ng l i ke t h i s h a s b e en done at S a i nt Ma r y ’s. “ We all w a nte d to le av e ou r m a r k on S a i nt Ma r y ’s a nd t h i s w a s a g re at w ay to do it ,” s he s a id .

T he te a m t a l ke d a b out how t hei r v endor s w er e all c a ref u l l y pic ke d ba s e d on v a lue s t he y hold de a r as Bel le s.

Ac c ord i ng to Sho em a ke, t hei r c of fe e s uppl ier, Unc om mon C of fe e Roa s ter s, has b e en w it h t hem t h r ou g h a l l t he ups a nd dow n s of k ic k s t a r t i ng O f f t he

Contact Peter Breen at pbreen2@nd.edu

Av enue. “ W h at ’s rea lly g r e at a b out t hem i s t h at a l l of t hei r c of fe e i s s u s t a i na bl y f a r me d,” Sho em a ke s a id . “Add it ion a l l y, t he y h av e a c of fe e pl a nt c a l le d S a l Ma r y a St ate, a nd it ’s a l l ow ne d b y w omen .

S o t h at ’s r e a l l y c o ol — it k i nd of t ie s bac k to one of S a i nt Ma r y ’s m a i n ide a s of emp ow er i ng w omen .”

For t hei r fo o d pr o duc t s, Off t he Av enue u s e s R a g a mu f f i n, a lo c a l S out h Bend ba ker y.

Ma r c he s el l i t a l ke d a b out how R a g a mu f f i n h a s a c on ne c t ion w it h S a i nt Ma r y ’s, as w el l as of fer i ng e x c ept ion a l pr o duc t s.

“A bb y, t he ow ner of R a g a mu f f i n, her mom r e c ent l y r et i r e d f r om b ei ng a pr ofe s s or at S a i nt Ma r y ’s i n t he e duc at ion depa r tment ,” s he s a id .

T he fou nder s a l s o t a l ke d a b out how m a ny op p or t u n it ie s t h at h av e b e en op ene d to t hem si nc e s t a r t i ng t h i s s hop, not on l y i n t r ips but a l s o m a k i ng S a i nt Ma r y ’s c on ne c t ion s.

“A lot of us ju s t v ie w e d e ac h ot her a s c l a s sm ate s, but now I can s ay t h at t he y a re mor e l i ke t he c lo s e s t p e ople I’v e b e c ome f r iend s w it h,” Sho em a ke s a id .

A nder s en t a l ke d a b out how t he s hop i s s t i l l lo ok i ng to e x pa nd it s of fer i ng s, i nc lud i ng a pac k a ge d spa r k l i ng l av ender lemon ade a nd a ne w c o ok ie. “ We a re op en to r emov i ng t h i ng s of f t he menu a nd put t i ng t h i ng s on it . It ’s def i n ite l y not a f i x e d menu,” s he s a id .

A s w el l a s menu e x pa nsion s, t he b oa rd a l s o s a id to b e on t he lo ok out for a bu si ne s s c lub t he y a r e w or k i ng on to ke ep t he c of fe e s hop r u n n i ng a f ter t he y g r adu ate. “ We’l l h av e st udent s f r om d i f fer ent bu si ne s s m ajor s s o f i n a nc e, acc ou nt i ng , m a n a gement , m a r ket i ng , a nd t hen t he y c a n ov er s e e w h at w e’v e b e en doi ng a nd m a ke s u r e it ’s f u nc t ion i ng ,” B en net s a id .

Mond ay w a s t he s hop’s g r a nd op en i ng , a nd m a ny s t udent s to ok t he opp ort u n it y to b e s ome of t he f i r st c u stomer s.

Fi r s t-y e a r s A s h le y Si m s a nd Ma r i a h Hor n a k c a me to t he op en i ng a fter Si m s’ pr ofe s s or told t he c l a s s a b out it t h at mor n i ng.

T he y t a l ked a b out t he c onv e n ienc e of h av i ng a c of fe e s hop on c a mpu s, e sp e c i a l l y i n Sp e s Un ic a Ha l l, one of t he m a i n c l a s s bu i ld i ng s.

“It ’s a lot mor e c onv en ient a nd e sp e c i a l l y b ei ng her e i n Sp e s, it ’s a lot e a sier to ju st l i ke go on my w ay to c l a s s s o t h at ’s n ic e,” Si m s s a id .

Hor n a k sp oke to lo c a l v endor s t he c of fe e s hop ut i l i z e s, s ay i ng “I t h i n k it ’s a n aw e s ome i n it i at i v e to h av e, mor e lo c a l s t u f f a r ou nd her e i n ste ad of big c or p or ate s l i ke St a r buc k s.”

Ju n ior Sh a n non W i l l i a m s s a id s he w a s “s up er e x c ite d” for t he s hop to op en .

“I k now w e’v e w a nte d t h i s op en for a w h i le a nd I’m ac t u a l l y v er y h a pp y t h at it f ina lly c a me to f r u it ion,” s he s a id .

W i l l i a m s t a l ke d a b out how n ic e it w a s t h at

s omet h i ng w a s f i l l i ng t he spac e si nc e t he c lo s e of t he old s hop du r i ng COVID t h at ne v er re - op ene d .

“Si nc e w e d id n’t h av e it du r i ng my f r e s h m a n a nd s ophomor e y e a r s, it ’s ju st n ic e to h av e t he spac e f i l le d, s o I’m s up er e x c ite d,” s he s a id .

T he op en i ng e v en s aw s ome t r i- c a mpu s s up p or t .

Hol y Cross sen ior s A iden C av a z o s a nd Br e v i n Slu s her stopp e d by a nd s a id t he y w ou ld a bs olutel y b e r et u r n i ng.

“I think it ’s rea lly i mp or t a nt for t he c a mpu s ov er a l l,” Slu s her s a id . “It ’s a pl ac e w her e y ou c a n br i ng p e ople toget her.”

At tende e s a l s o sp oke a b out how t he y lov e d t he ide a of t he s hop b ei ng c r e ate d a nd run by st udent s, a nd how it c r e ate d so m a ny opp or t u n it ie s for pr e s ent a nd f ut u r e s t udent s. S omet h i ng s t udent s c a n get i nv ol v e d i n, s omet h i ng t h at w ou ld l a st , s omet h i ng t h at st ay at S a i nt Ma r y ’s e v en a f ter t hei r gone.

“I think it ’s an a m a z i ng opp or t u n it y t h at t he bu si ne s s m ajor s to ok on, a nd it ’s an aw e s ome t a s k t h at w i l l b enef it p e ople in t he f uture a nd drive a mbit ion s,” Willia ms s a id .

“I t h i n k it s et s a go o d e x a mple for st udent s c omi ng i n a nd ju st k i nd of, w h at y ou c a n do her e,” Slu s her s a id . “ You’r e not ju st a st udent , but y ou c a n a l s o m a ke a big ger i mpac t .”

Contact Katelyn Waldschmidt kwaldschmidt01@saintmarys.edu

Paid Advertisement

Join us for a special video presentation of

Tuesday, February 28 | 7:00 p.m. | Holy Cross College Driscoll Auditorium Reception to follow in Vincent Atrium. Sponsored by the Black Student Association (BSA), and the Office of College Relations.

News

ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2023 | The Observer

ND researchers develop peanut allergy inhibitor

By EMMA DUFFY News Writer

Peanut allergies are some of the most common in the world.

Scientists have some knowledge on these allergies and how they function, but do not know how to truly stop their symptoms. Now, Notre Dame professor Basar Bilgicer is working with a team to research peanut allergy inhibitors.

The commonality and knowledge of peanut allergies is what pushed this condition to the forefront of their research, Bilgicer said.

“It’s the most pervasive form.

You know, the one that you hear the most about, because a number of people would have this condition,” he added. “It is the most studied, so we already knew the most about this specific allergy condition.”

Bilgicer noted that the goal of this study is to find a way to stop allergy symptoms before they start. Unlike an epipen, their new treatment does not stop symptoms after eating the allergen, rather it addresses the chemical makeup to stop the symptoms from occurring upon exposure.

Bilgicer said another a goal is to accomplish inhibition with the smallest impact possible on the immune system. So far, most allergy medicine attacks the immune system in the process of dealing with an allergen. Bilgicer’s research would have the ability to change the way people deal with their allergies.

“A lot of these allergy treatments or medications, they are immunosuppressants, one way or another they block your immune system partially or you know, pretty broadly, which makes your exposure to pathogens becoming more dangerous for you,” he explained. “So this eliminates that concern, because it only blocks

those few antibodies that are responsible for recognizing the allergen and leaves everything else alone.”

These goals are lofty, but years of work have been put in to achieve them. Bilgicer joined the research in 2008 and since then, the researchers have tried their hardest to take small steps toward their goal.

“It’s been making progress a little bit at a time,” Bilgicer reflected.

Research is a slow-moving process. Studies do not begin with random hypotheses and human testing, and those working on this project have spent a decade and a half watching the experiments evolve, he explained.

“Originally when we started out, we were working with model systems that didn’t really have real human energy relevance, but as years progressed, we learned more about allergies and the human immune system,” Bilgicer said.

The experiments have moved from basic discussions of molecular biology to using mice as subjects. Recently, the mice were treated with the inhibitor, and tests proved the method has real potential to work on human beings.

However, Bilgicer emphasized this does not mean that inhibitors will be available to people in the near future. There are still years of tests before the product will be used on humans. First tests will be performed on other animals, and as the tests progress, they will grow larger and closer to the biology of people.

Bilgicer said this process creates some uncertainty moving forward, because the research cannot be done at the school. While Notre Dame owns the patent, they would need to make partnerships with larger companies in order to performs tests on other animals.

Paid Advertisement

Saint Mary's College Master of Autism Studies

Our campus-based program will prepare you to respond to the critical needs for understanding autism spectrum disorder and people with autism.

Through intensive, clinical-based training and rigorous coursework, when you complete your degree, you will be ready to go to work with expertise in autism on day one.

QR code for more information or reach out to us at graduateadmission@saintmarys.edu

Despite all the progress made and the time already spent on the research, there remains a long road ahead. Not only must the researchers find a partner, but Bilgicer said they also need to perform these experiments in a thorough manner.

Not all medicines are fasttracked like the COVID-19 vaccine, and Bilgicer said that without the immediate threat of a public health crisis, it will take more time to evaluate their research. He said he feels the vaccine may have given false hope on how fast the research process works.

“Everybody’s expectations are a little skewed because the COVID vaccine came up late in about a year,” he explained.

Although the research may take time, Bilgicer said the researchers have faith in the process and are excited about the prospect of helping people with peanut allergies. But they also realize this model has a possibility to help with many other allergies. Their breakthroughs could be applicable to more than just peanuts, and they have already begun to look at allergens such as shrimp and penicillin.

No matter how far they have come, Bilgicer looks back at their first real breakthrough as their biggest accomplishment. To him, it seemed to be proof that they were doing something truly worthwhile.

“We got some really good results that I was really excited about. And then I started thinking, ‘Okay, you know, this is a chance, let’s move forward,’” he said.

Contact Emma Duffy at eduffy@nd.edu

O’Neill Continued from page 1

available to speak to residents from 8 to 10 p.m.

Thursday evening, the email said. That night, Rehagen was walking around O’Neill to introduce himself to residents.

Several O’Neill residents said they had reason to believe León’s departure is connected to misconduct.

A source close to hall staff members described them as “distressed.” Universit y spokesperson Dennis Brow n did not confirm or deny that León had been fired or that misconduct was involved but said the Universit y has “nothing to add at this point beyond the message that was sent to the hall’s residents.”

According to his LinkedIn profile, León ser ved in the position

5

NDPD discusses scooter theft

By LIAM PRICE Associate News Editor

For sophomore Zach Brown, having a few friends over in his dorm one night last spring ended with a rather upsetting surprise: his electric scooter, which he had stored outside of his room to make space for his friends, had been stolen.

“I put it out there probably around 8 p.m. and then I knew it was there until about probably two in the morning,” Brown said. “Whenever I woke up, at like 9 a.m., it was gone without a trace.”

Sophomore Liam Redmond, a first-year Gateway student at Holy Cross,alsoreportedhavinghisscooter stolen. One Saturday morning last fall, the night of a Notre Dame football game, he left his Ninebot Scooter in a friend’s car in the Holy Cross student parking lot. “[I] went back Sunday morning to open the truck and get it and it was missing. And, it appeared as though the car had been rummaged through,” he said. “We cannot remember if it was like, a locked and somebody broke in-situation, or if it was unlocked and somebody opened the trunk itself, but it was clearly stolen.”

Redmond’s scooter was stolen in the 2021 Fall semester before Notre Dame implemented its E-Scooter registration initiative to help prevent scooter thefts, and Brown had not yet registered his scooter at the time his scooter was stolen. Both reported their scooters being stolen to the Notre Dame Police Department (NDPD), but neither Redmond nor Brown was ever contacted about their scooters being found.

Increasing scooter thefts on campus Kris Hinton, who works in the investigations department at NDPD, said that this school year, as more students are buying scooters to use rather than riding bikes or skateboards, there has been an uptick in

for only eight months, beginning the role in July 2022. After completing his undergraduate studies in social work at Cal Poly Pomona, León earned a graduate degree in social work from San Jose State Universit y in 1992 and another graduate degree in elementar y teaching and education from Loyola Mar y mount Universit y in 2009.

In an inter v iew w ith The Obser ver in the fall, León said he had worked in education for 17 years before taking the job as O’Neill rector. ”I think for me, it’s the building of relationships, building a foundation and understanding it’s about the whole, not necessarily myself,” León said in the inter v iew on starting his job as rector.

scooter thefts reported to NDPD. Recently, Hinton said NDPD has received reports of about 10 to 15 scooters a month being stolen. Additionally, the electric scooters on campus look so similar to each other that students often mistake another student’s scooter for their own.

“What happens is that when someone purchases a scooter, they may not take any photos of it, they may not put any stickers on it, they may not write down the serial number of it,” Hinton said. “And that would really help us with identifying it because with some of the scooters that have been reported as missing or as a theft, they’re more likely on campus somewhere, but we don’t have that information to help us distinguish it from one Gotrax to another.”

Hinton said that identifiable stickers are very helpful for NDPD to locate students’ lost scooters.

“We’ve had some incidents in the past where some students have put some special stickers, either somewhere they’ve been, or a place, or a name… we’ve actually been able to use that particular sticker or accessory theyputonittohelp identifyit,”hesaid.

The best ways for students to keep their scooters safe, Hinton said, are to register their scooters with NDPD and to use a lock.

“Takethetimetoregister.Ifyoudon’t want to come to the police department, you can do it online,” Hinton said. “If you register it, we have all the information we need. That would help deter a lot of this from happening.”

After having his own scooter stolen, Brown also had advice to share with other scooter owners on campus.

“Onceit’sgone,there’sreallynothing you can do,” Brown said. “Whatever it takes to invest in [your scooter’s security], like a good lock or an AirTag to track it, which I know a couple of friends of minehavedone,thoseare100%worth it.”

Contact Liam Price at lprice3@nd.edu

6

The observer | Friday, February 24, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

Inside Column

Racism in the brain Carolina Jimenez Viewpoint Copyeditor

Racism seems to be a never-ending battle that our modern society desperately tries to dig itself out of.

We have battled external cues and blatant discrimination, believing that this will eliminate the big issue that is racism. However, these observable demonstrations of racism and explicit racial attitudes are minimal to the real battle we have yet to conquer: our brain. Now, dealing with such, is what I believe is the real way to unravel racism once and for all. We have heard about implicit racism before, even if we can’t fully recognize it. That is what fuels systematic racism — discrimination embedded in law and regulations (including the unspoken) of a society. An example of such racism has been in the spotlight recently — the skewed police brutality toward Black men over white men. An estimate by Northwestern University in 2019 places a Black man being 2.5 times more likely to be killed than a white man by a police officer in their lifetime. Now, this might be one of the first cases of major awareness to implicit bias. Implicit bias is thoughts and acts on the basis of prejudice and stereotypes without intending to do so. It brings an underlying layer of racism to light as even the most well-intended

people harbor hidden prejudices against specific racial groups. This is the modern battle of racism.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made big strides with the civil rights movement of 1964. He created awareness to the explicit bias and blatant segregation of the times. He changed the nation’s contentious racial landscape. The United States saw an African American president for two terms.

Black political figures routinely serve at top levels of the legislative branch, proving race has not deterred in the ballot box. African Americans have obtained legally mandated equality in civil rights and voting rights. However, he could’ve never guessed the devastating scars that a long time of injustice would leave in our society. As demonstrated by a Stanford University’s Recruitment to Expand Diversity and Excellence Program research, to this day about 75% of whites and Asians demonstrated an implicit bias in favor of whites compared to Blacks. A 15 page-study research on health care disparities provided results suggesting that implicit bias against Black, Hispanic/Latino/ Latina and dark-skinned individuals is present among many health care providers of different specialties, levels of training and levels of experience. A Cornell Law review has found that black defendants fare worse in court than their white counterparts. These

cases aren’t blatant and in your face; they are subtle and unacknowledged without deeper thought. At fault is our brain.

A cognitive process takes place where the brain decides if the person is an in-group or an out-group.

Out-groups (“bad”) are seen as unaffiliated groups that provide discomfort and danger — which our brains mostly associate with people of color. Ingroups (“good”) are usually considered people of the same race or similar to oneself that provides a sense of identity — however, even in cases of fully identified Black men are seen to consider other Black men as out-groups. This does not mean explicitly a show of discrimination is given by the people to their outgroups; instead, it concludes that their first impression is primed by the brain to follow stereotypes subconsciously.

The Implicit Attitude Test designed by Harvard shows how much implicit bias a person has. I recommend everyone reading to take it. Further understanding what motivates racism, and how we can therefore prevent it, may make our society a better and safer place for all of its members.

Contact Carolina at cjimene4@nd.edu.

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

Observer Editorial: Where will it happen next?

Last Monday, three students were killed and another five were injured at a shooting at Michigan State University, a community just two and a half hours away from our own. Students on the East Lansing campus were told to return to classes a week later. The Editorial Board at the MSU State News said no, it was too soon. Thousands more agreed.

Students at MSU are tired. Students across the country are tired. And we are tired.

We’re tired of this senseless violence, yet we are not tired of addressing how it impacts us, even when — especially when — that violence happens somewhere else. Why then, does it seem like tri-campus leaders aren’t doing the same?

Gun violence has been a facet of our lives for so long — despite how loudly we say enough is enough — and we ask campus leaders to take more active steps toward making us feel safe here.

The University of Michigan released a statement expressing its solidarity for the MSU community.

This statement included information on how students at the former university can seek resources for support and announced its plans to come together for a vigil in honor of the victims. Why have we not done more to pay our respects and show our support?

In the last week, the institutions of our tri-campus have issued statements and posted to their official Instagram accounts, but the students of Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross deserve a greater show of solidarity with our friends at MSU. Condolences are certainly worthwhile, but when

they are only two sentences long, they can’t help but feel like checking off a box. We must do more to actively demonstrate support for those enduring an unspeakable tragedy. As three Catholic colleges, we have the opportunity to hold a Mass, for example, in remembrance of the lives lost and hurt by this shooting.

Moreover, it is presumptuous of campus leaders to assume, if tacitly, that students, faculty and other community members are not heavily impacted by this event just because it did not happen here. Many students know someone on MSU’s campus, some have directly experienced gun violence and others may be disturbed to be so close to this kind of tragedy for the first time. We are connected to MSU — even if we don’t have an official relationship.

We would like to thank our fellow student journalists at Michigan State University for their coverage during this traumatic time. The strength and bravery they have shown in keeping their campus informed amidst the unimaginable is deeply admirable, especially at a time when MSU students may feel manipulated by national press scouring for stories and interview subjects. Stories we would like to highlight include: Alex Walters’ coverage of a vigil for the victims; Maddie Dallas’ gutting account of how students sheltered during the lockdown; and SaMya Overall’s memorial piece of the three students lost. Their work has remained diligent at a time when it’s hard to keep going.

Alarmingly, this recent tragedy is one of at least 67 mass shootings so far in the first 55 days of 2023. Our generation grew up with regular active shooter drills in school — we learned how to barricade doors, where to hide in classrooms, how to know when we were safe. What seemed like the unimaginable has

become commonplace. There are even students at MSU who have survived multiple school shootings.

Every time a new headline breaks, grief floods our timelines, followed in quick succession by a frightful thought: Where will it happen next? Students on all three of our campuses are rightfully concerned about their safety now more than ever.

One specific concern is how infrequently active shooter information is distributed by the University.

Knowing there’s a plan — or at least knowing how to access it — often provides comfort in times when tragedy strikes. While we understand how confidentiality may be a safety measure in itself, the reluctance to talk about the possibility at all is concerning. The University could do more to reassure students that there is a plan and publicize how students would hear important information if we became the next victims of violence.

While some may argue this kind of preparation is akin to paranoia, when students are experiencing this fear at such a high rate, it’s no longer over-preparedness. Faculty, staff and students are required to complete active shooter preparedness training once but a more consistent interaction with this resource would be beneficial. There are also national resources one can use to feel more prepared including a guide from the Department of Homeland Security (personal protection begins on page three) and a webinar workshop from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

This isn’t something we should have to prepare for, but when it is the reality students face, the University should readily be providing us with these resources. It’s time to stop acting like we would never experience something like the students at MSU are living through right now.

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

The observer | Friday, February 24, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

7

Looking for a job is a full time job Stephen Viz Poor Stephen’s Scrapbook

As I write this on Feb. 21st, 2023, I unfortunately still check the box as that of an unemployed king.

While many undergrad and graduate students who will graduate in May are set up to start full time roles this summer, I am not yet one of those fortunate folks. Professional job recruiting is a dance, and it is a dance that can be all parts soul-sucking, irritating, nauseating, exciting and enlightening. I don’t care if you’re going to work for a NGO, a MBB consulting firm, a think tank or for that pr*ck Jeff Bezos — recruiting processes for jobs are all alike. Unless your dad is a managing director at Goldman Sachs or Sequoia Capital, everyone in my shoes has played the game at some point. And I am talking about applying for a job, sending 30 networking emails, scheduling 6 coffee chats, maybe getting an interview, having a first-round interview, scratching your way to the second round, getting selected for the final round and waiting a week or so to hear about a job offer. End to end, these processes can take weeks and require high emotional intelligence, time management and endurance. I have been going at my current process now since basically July, and it so continues. I can’t begin to count the number of application rejection emails I’ve received since then. Running the race is not for the faint of heart, but what is worth having in life that really is?

So here I am, 9 months later and still an unemployed king. After graduation from the accelerated MBA this May, I haven’t the faintest idea where I’ll be working. And yet, I’m not discouraged. I can hardly believe it, but here I am, February of 2023, floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee. After 300 informational phone calls and nearly 2,000 outreach emails, I’m still kicking. I thank Kim Kardashian partially for my current state of mind. Her “get your f***ing ass up and work” moment on “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” really keeps me up at night. For those of you wondering at home, yes, I’m being sarcastic.

Partially. For some reason that puzzles me, this clip reminds me of a pregame speech of Knute Rockne’s that is at the beginning of “Rudy”: “We’re going inside of ‘em, we’re going outside of ‘em — inside of ‘em! outside of ‘em! — and when we get them on the run once, we’re going to keep ‘em on the run… And don’t forget, men — today is the day we’re gonna win. They can’t lick us — and that’s how it goes... The first platoon men — go in there and fight, fight, fight, fight, fight! What do you say, men!?”

Yes, I bombed an interview at my dream company in September, so what? Yes, I am recruiting off-cycle for my desired industry, so what? Yes, I turned down five job offers in the fall of 2021 to commit toward finishing my education. So. What? Your career is one of the few things you can control in life, so why not try to? As Rockne berates in the best of ways, “Go in there and fight, fight, fight.” If you want to be a consultant as a theology major, what’s stopping you? Refuse to take no for an answer. Force a seat at their table and pay it forward. Be the best of the best.

With all this being said, I’m close. Like dangerously close to landing a role in my desired city with a great growth trajectory and team environment. And while the job isn’t finished, through the grace of God and the great experiences I’ve had, I just know my patience is going pay off. For those of you who may be discouraged, here are some tips you might find helpful.

“It’s not personal, its strictly business.”

I’ve seen folks get discouraged about rejections by taking it personally. But as Michael Corleone chillingly points out, 90% of the time, this is not the case.

Companies need change all the time, and in this labor market, this continues to be the case. You weren’t declined for a role because you put “Hogwarts Legacy Fanatic” on your resume. No, that company just needed something else.

“Oh, I don’t have any experience.”

I hear this all the time. Guess what, yes, you do.

Everyone has experience, and whether that’s being an

RA, babysitting, joining a startup that failed after 6 months or being a varsity athlete, its experience. Use it and leverage it.

Email, email, email This brings us to outreach. Currently, it is difficult to get application traction by just applying cold. So what can you do? Go to LinkedIn, find out the names of team members at company name XYZ, and write them down. Then, go to Google and find the email format for said company. Proceed to send a blast email to every member of the team and just ask to connect for their experiences. 70% of the time, you will see connectivity. I have followed up religiously with some folks and they appreciate the persistence.

Leverage the Notre Dame network Take whatever thoughts you might have about the Notre Dame network and toss them out the window.

This network is so much more powerful than anything you could’ve possibly fathomed. And the best part? People want to help. Notre Dame alums love to connect. But they aren’t mind readers, and it all it takes to get some help is to ask for it. Brilliant, right?

Gratitude and check-ins Once you have made connections, follow up. Let people you’ve talked to know how you are doing. Tell them if you have landed a role, etc. And always thank them for their time. A little love goes a long way. Trust me.

So to those of you still looking for gainful employment, good luck and happy hunting.

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

He can be reached at sviz@nd.edu or on Twitter at @ StephenViz. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Invisible string Reyna Lim The Overshare

Jeong is cosmic. Jeong is a silhouette. Jeong is an enchantress who follows us, just as much as we follow her — trust in her to guide us, protect us, comfort us.

Jeong is my favorite Korean word, and it’s the one term for which I can never manage to pinpoint an English translation.

I wish I could explain it to you.

When I visit Seoul for break, my mother drives us to a sujebi restaurant in Jongno. It’s a discreet nook, blending into the street corner’s timeworn scenery.

Sujebi is a simple meal, soup with noodles handmade from dough. It’s the meal that’s been perfected over decades in the same lively kitchen, the same bowl of warmth and comfort that generations of locals return to. A family-owned business, turned one of the city’s culinary legacies — with signatures covering the wall from celebrities and politicians who seek sujebi on a rainy afternoon, just like us.

As we wait for our order, my mother recalls coming here with her friends when she was around my age, a trusty hangover cure after a night out. The owner gives us extra sides of banchan when she finds out I’m studying abroad, and because she likes my long eyelashes. I have to eat all the real food I can while I’m here, she says, before I return to french fries and pizzas.

No translator or Korean-English dictionary gives a definition of jeong that succeeds in encompassing

what it represents. Looking it up, you’ll find an array of words that could potentially give a half-formed idea: affection, heart, sympathy.

Jeong explains itself through experience. It’s more profoundly defined by the moments in which it trickles into our lives than any written definition could — like the kindness of the extra banchan at the restaurant, or the serenity shared by the families, businessmen and college students depositing their umbrellas in the basket by the door as they wander in for lunch.

I like to think of it as an invisible string, attaching us with unbreakable bonds, yet light as a feather. The immediate comfort I feel going up the elevator to my grandmother’s apartment, the photos my mother sends me when she receives the peonies I sent her. It’s more than affection or heart or sympathy. It’s the kind of connection you feel with someone that comes to be over time. The kind that doesn’t come with effort, but saturates your presence when you’re not paying attention, the way a light summer rain seeps into the shoulders of your T-shirt.

Too often, I look into the eyes of someone I adore and wish they spoke Korean, just so we could label it jeong, together. The one-syllable word is always on the tip of my tongue, like a teaspoon of sugar, melting faintly into a sweet and enticing aftertaste. It tints our most subtle hours and is here to stay, and I know the sensation is mutually acknowledged.

It’s at the tip of my tongue when my friend comes into my room crying, and I know that no questions need to be asked — how we’ll sit and listen to our

favorite songs until she’ll offer a weak laugh at my stupid joke. Or when I come home after spending the day with a boy I like, recounting his compliments and embrace after he drops me off, lingering by the door for a few extra minutes before saying goodbye.

When I’m watching my little cousin go through the rites of passage of a teenager and offering her never-ending, unsolicited advice despite her annoyance.

As many times as I’ve regretted the absence of the perfect English word for jeong, it’s all the more entrancing that we all feel the jeong in our lives, imbued by its warmth and led by its invisible string.

If you hadn’t encountered it before, now you have a word for it.

Jeong is the fondness humming through us as we split a dessert, hold hands, exchange knowing glances. Jeong is the contentment in weathering someone else’s turbulence. Jeong is the confirmation you can hear in the silence as you sit together in the back of the cab, the grace you can see in their eyes in the dark.

Jeong. I wish I could explain it to you, but I’ll bet you already know.

Reyna Lim is a sophomore double majoring in finance and English. She enjoys writing about her unsolicited opinions, assessing celebrity homes in Architectural Digest videos and collecting lip gloss.

Reach out with coffee bean recommendations and ‘80s playlists at slim6@nd.edu.

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

8

The observer | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2023 | ndsmcobserver.com

Life well lived Joey Jegier Discerning Your Best Self

I was visiting a Moreau class last week to talk about my research when the instructor posed a difficult question: W hat makes life well-lived? I was stumped. So many things make life good and beautiful. Friendship, family, fulfillment. How do they all fit together?

On the spot, I gave two answers. First, I said that a life well-lived would be one after which a person would look back upon their life and say, “I did the best I could.” Dissatisfied with a posthumous answer and wanting to provide the first-years with a concrete idea, I said that the ultimate mark of a life well-lived is love.

In this essay, I would like to elaborate on the principle of love and provide some ideas and suggestions for how to live a life of love.

A loving life is a good life. Love forges meaningful relationships. We love our family, our friends and our communities. This bonds us with other people and gives us a sense of purpose. Love leads to transformation and transcendence of the self. By loving others, we escape the bounds of the ego and live a different way of life. Finally, love radiates peace, joy, faith and hope. W hen we abide in love, though it may not always be easy, it will always be worth it.

W hen I say love, I do not mean the mere experience of passionate, infatuating emotions. Nor do I mean only romantic love. Love is not an emotion, but an action, a way of being, an infinite and universal power that undergirds existence, sustaining and connecting all of us in one web of humanity.

Love is an act of the will. To love, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, is to will the good of the other for their own sake. W hen we love, we want the person or people we are loving to f lourish and increase in well-being.

This kind of love, however, requires a radical redirection. It shifts the focus of our thoughts and actions away from our self-serving desires and toward the goodness of our fellow human beings. Instead of saying, “I want to do what makes

me happy,” we say, “I want to do what makes you happy.” Instead of egocentric, true love is othercentric. It calls us to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of others.

I am aware that this description of love goes against the grain of modern, utilitarian, selfserving conceptions of love. But how are those modern ideas of love and happiness working out? We have the means to satisf y our desires, but are we happy? Research says that, in general, our societies are unhappy. Indeed, happiness does not stem from satisfaction — it comes from connection.

Modern love seeks to satisf y egocentric desires, but this eternal, radical love seeks to connect human beings in other-centric relationships.

True love joins us together, and it does so for all people.

So, how do we go about living a life of love? How can we live up to the commandment to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind … [and to] love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-38).

I appreciate the insight from clinical psychologist Helen Schucman, who said that “your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it” (“A Course in Miracles,” p. 338).

Allow me to suggest two values that can help us find and remove those barriers to love: mercy and wonder. First, our love should be merciful.

The sun shines on both the good and the bad. Our love should likewise be unconditional. We should love with mercy, even when it feels hard. Our love should also be curious. We should seek to understand, and we should not assume. We should listen to others and love without hesitation, without judgment, always willing the good of that person.

Seek to “do everything in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14). Let love be your teacher. Desire the good of the other. Might I suggest two concrete steps to practice this love?

Meditate Try a 10-minute mindfulness meditation. Allow yourself to find a comfortable position. Anchor your awareness to the breath. Pay attention to

the rising and falling of your chest or abdomen.

Feel the coolness of the air as you inhale and the warmth as you ex hale. Now, as you focus on the breath, thoughts, images, emotions and other sensations will invariably arise. Pay attention to what comes up with non-judgmental curiosity.

That is, be merciful to yourself and wonder about the contents of your consciousness. The point of this meditation is not primarily to feel more at peace (though that may happen), but rather to become more in tune with the patterns of your mind and heart. Tr y meditating ever y day and see what happens.

Give Tr y to give some part of yourself (time, money, talent, etc.) to another person to make them better off. This could be listening (without judging) to a friend, donating to a charity or volunteering. The point is that you do something not for yourself, but for another. Paradoxically, as you give yourself away, you may become more fulfilled. As you pour out your love on others, love will continue to fill you up. Tr y bringing a smile to someone’s face and see how that feels.

Many of us here at Notre Dame want to do something or give something up for Lent. Tr y love. Tr y the eternal love that connects and sustains. Tr y the radical love that offers up the gift of sacrifice. This is the love of God. W hen we love others as God loves us, we love absolutely and unconditionally. W hen we love this way, we transcend the limited self and participate in the infinite divine. W hen we love like this, then we are happy.

Joey Jegier is a senior at Notre Dame studying philosophy, ESS and German. He enjoys coffee, conversation and taking time to be still (when possible). Areas of interests include mysticism, education and discernment.

Joey loves the city of South Bend and regularly visits the farmers market, his only source of milk and eggs. He would love to chat about anything and can be reached at jjegier2@nd.edu.

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

9

The observer | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2023 | ndsmcobserver.com

By ANNA FALK Scene Writer

I’ve seen U2 in concert three times. Once at Acrisure Stadium (formerly Heinz Field) in Pittsburgh, once at the United Center in Chicago and once at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. While my attendance was largely based on the fact that my parents are giant fans and I wasn’t old enough to stay at home, I can still say I’ve grown quite fond of the Irish rockers.

Knowing this, imagine my surprise when I found out Bono’s son had a band of his own.

In the spring of 2020, my sister and I sat in our 2009 gold Honda Accord (named Rudy) while we waited in the Starbucks drive-thru line. She asked if she could play something for me (to which I agreed), and she turned on “My Honest Face,” the first single from Inhaler’s debut LP. It rocked my world, and I’ve continued to listen to the band as they’ve gathered a devoted following.

With their new album, “Cuts & Bruises,” I did what I always do when a band I like releases new music — I avoided it like the plague. Unless something comes along to force me to listen to a new album or song, I try to forget about it so I won’t be disappointed if it turns out bad.

But Inhaler’s second LP, released on Feb. 17, is anything but bad. Some tracks are better than others by a mile, but the album as a whole shows that they’ve

beat the sophomore slump and are on their way to greater success.

The Dublin quartet — Elijah “Eli” Hewson (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Robert “Bobby” Keating (bass), Josh Jenkinson (lead guitar) and Ryan McMahon (drums) — wrote much of “Cuts & Bruises” while on tour for their 2021 debut, “It Won’t Always Be Like This.” The beginning half of the record sounds like it would fit perfectly in an early-2000s teen rom-com starring Lindsay Lohan, Emma Roberts or Amanda Bynes. It features introspective verses and uplifting choruses backed by resounding pop-rock instrumentation. Featuring the album’s singles, this half is good, but it lacks any innovation or f lair.

When I listened to the LP before, I stopped before the second half. This was a terrible decision. Once the eerie backing vocals of “Perfect Storm” commence, the course of the album takes a turn for the better.

“Dublin in Ecstasy” is a long-time fan favorite and cult classic of the band. They’ve played it live since their teenage years and made the decision to release it officially. “The Things I Do” features an insanely groovy beat that resonates with the soul. “Now You Got Me” is a perfect closer with a riff from Keating that’s worth obsessing over.

What I think makes these songs stand out in particular is how Hewson uses his voice. The 22 year old sounds a lot like his dad when he was young, and

fans of both Inhaler and U2 are reminded of this with each new release. “Cuts & Bruises” is an album reflecting on love and loss, the good days and the bad, feeling like you’re on top of the world and being down in the dumps. The first half mainly reflects those happy and nostalgic moments, while the second mainly reflects the ones you’d rather not suffer through. I do, in fact, enjoy happy music, but I think the lyrically and instrumentally-expressed vulnerability of the second half brings out a certain power in Hewson’s voice.

This LP shows a promising future for the group and it’s one that’s currently unfolding, as they were recently announced as support for Arctic Monkeys and Harry Styles’ upcoming European tours. They’ve certainly got the guts to change the music world, and I think they’ll continue to evolve miraculously despite all the cuts and bruises.

Contact Anna Falk at afalk@nd.edu

“Cuts and Bruises” Artist: Inhaler Label: Polydor Favorite tracks: “Perfect Storm,” “Dublin in Ecstasy,” “The Things I Do” If you like: Sam Fender, Wallows

CLAIRE KIRNER | The Observer

By NICOLE BILYAK Scene Writer

American actress and famed sex symbol Raquel Welch passed away after a brief illness on Feb. 15, 2023 at the age of 82. Welch was well-known for many films in the 1960s and had quite an illustrious career in the film industry, so it seems only reasonable to commemorate Welch’s life by taking a look at her early days and career.

Born on Sept. 5, 1940 in Chicago, Welch eventually moved with her family to San Diego, where she studied ballet until she left the ballet academy at the age of 17. After graduating from high school, Welch married her high school sweetheart, James Welch, and went on to work as a weather presenter, since her family and television duties were too demanding on her.

In 1963, Welch finally connected with Patrick Curtis, who became her personal and business manager. They both planned on turning Welch into a sex symbol. One year later, Welch was cast in many small roles in projects like “Roustabout” and “Bewitched.”

She made her first featured appearance in 1965 in a film called “A Swingin’ Summer.” She then won the Deb Award that same year for a photo in Life Magazine — this photo created buzz around town.

She was given a seven-year, nonexclusive contract with 20th Century Fox where the executives tried to convince her to change her name, but she vehemently refused. She appeared in her first Fox film, “Fantastic Voyage,” where she played a woman on a medical team who is miniaturized and injected into a scientist to save his life. It became a huge success and made Welch a star.

Fox lended Welch to Hammer Studios, one of the most famous genre film companies from the United Kingdom. She starred in “One Million Years B.C.,” which made Welch even more of a sex symbol with her outfit of a two-piece, deer-skin bikini. This bikini was her only costume in the entire film, and she only had three lines. While the film was censored for provocative dancing and moments of graphic violence, the film became a hit and made Welch a bigger star.

After “One Million Years B.C.,” Welch went on to star in many international projects including

“Fathom,” which was released in 1967, along with “Bedazzled,” which is a retelling of the Faust legend. The film was set in Swinging London during the 1960s, and the film later got a 2000 remake starring Brendan Fraser.

Shortly after working at 20th Century Fox, Welch went on to film an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ “The Three Musketeers” in 1973, which awarded Welch her first Golden Globe nomination for her performance as Constance Bonacieux. She garnered so much attention — and the film was such a massive success — that a sequel came out a year later called “The Four Musketeers.”

Welch had been married a total of four times and had two children. She married her manager Curtis in 1967, but divorced him in 1972. After her fourth divorce in 2004, Welch elected to not be in any more relationships.

In conclusion, Welch had a lot of success in the 1960s and 1970s in the film industry, and she will be missed by those who were fans of her films.

Contact Nicole Bilyak at nbilyak01@saintmarys.edu EMMA KIRNER | The Observer

10

The observer | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2023 | ndsmcobserver.com

By CAITLIN BRANNIGAN Scene Writer

It has almost been 20 years since the formation of the rock band Paramore. Since then, the band has produced hits spanning across a variety of genres, from pop-punk to new wave. Popular new artists like Olivia Rodrigo and Willow Smith have been inf luenced by Paramore’s cutting yet dreamlike sound.

The band is currently made up of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, drummer Zac Farro and guitarist Taylor York, although other members have left and rejoined over the years. After a wildly successful tour in fall 2022, they’ve released their newest album “This is W hy,” which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 this week.

The album is an emotional rollercoaster in its lyrics and its wide range of sound, ref lecting the anxieties of living in a post-COV ID world. The title track, “This is W hy,” grieves the public failure to set aside differences and solve society’s socioeconomic problems even after communally enduring a global struggle. It begins with soft, taunting strums of the guitar, ironically telling listeners

By ROSE ANDROWICH Scene Writer

When I first heard about the student run cafe, Off the Avenue (OTA), opening in Spes Unica, one of the classroom buildings at Saint Mary’s, I was excited, to say the least. The cafe opened on Monday, much to the excitement of the Saint Mary’s College community. The hard work of the students who founded and now run the cafe is one of many reasons to go there.

There was a lot I enjoyed at OTA. First, I love the cafe’s convenient location. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have three classes in Spes Unica, and two of the classes are back to back. I’ve rushed to 1844 Cafe more times than I can count to get coffee. This frequently results in me arriving late to poetry class. Now, with the cafe’s proximity to my classrooms, I can frequently stop for coffee and not be late to class.

In addition to the convenience of the cafe, the overall space is wonderful. It provides a study space for students along with their coffee. The decorations and the thought that was put into the space enhance the overall experience. There is also a terrace right outside the cafe equipped with tables to enjoy outside. The customer service is also exceptional.

that “If you have an opinion, maybe you should shove it.” The chorus swells in volume, a jagged guitar instrumental accompanying lyrics halfdespairing, half-raging over the current state of society.

As a whole, the album captures a w ide range of the paranoia and unsettling an x iet y of adulthood and liv ing in a post-pandemic world. “The News” encapsulates the distressing experience of acknowledging all the terrible things happening in the world, even those that don’t directly affect the listeners. The ver y first word of the song is “war,” communicating strongly and effectively the song’s hopeless tone. The instrumental of the chorus sounds somewhat dreamy, but the ly rics declare that one can “shut your eyes, but it won’t go away.”

My favorite track of the album, “Big Man, Little Dignit y,” has a dreamlike, slow pace relative to other songs on the album. It’s the kind of song I would put on a playlist for walking around one of the campus lakes. The steady guitar melody and softness of the vocals are rela x ing and offer a break from the torrent of emotions in the rest of the album. It gives the listener space to ref lect,

whether that be on the difficult issues the other songs confront or any thing else they may have on their mind. Despite this, it has its ow n powerful message to share. Though the ly rics leave room for interpretation, they describe people in power who are perceived as morally sound but really are incredibly corrupt, again echoing disappointment in modern societal structures.

Paramore’s return to music making with “This is W hy” is incredibly exciting. The album both shares a strong and important message and offers a mix of well executed pop-punk and rock sounds.

Even after two decades, Paramore’s still got magic.

The founders’ attention to detail with Off the Avenue extends to the menu. The cafe features both specialty drinks like Skunk Tails (coffee with mocha and white chocolate) and Cinnamon Squirrels (cinnamon, honey and vanilla), with cappuccinos and lattes coming down the line. I tried the cinnamon squirrel, the skunk tail and their cold brew coffee with cinnamon syrup.

My favorite drink was the Skunk Tail coffee because of the flavors used. The combination of mocha and white chocolate was good with the black coffee. While I enjoyed the Skunk Tail, I found myself on the fence in regards to the other drinks. The combination of the flavors in the Cinnamon Squirrel was a bit overwhelming, and I found myself unsure about the trifecta of cinnamon, honey and vanilla. The Skunk Tail used two flavors that enhanced each other. The white chocolate had a more subtle tone than the mocha. In contrast, the Cinnamon Squirrel felt like a battle between the cinnamon and the vanilla. When I tried the cold brew coffee, drinking it with solely cinnamon made the experience more enjoyable than drinking the Cinnamon Squirrel. Cinnamon and vanilla are both strong flavors on their own, which made me question the combination. In addition to the cinnamon and vanilla, there was also honey, which made the drink taste almost like

tea.

The Cinnamon Squirrel was very sweet, and I personally enjoy bitter coffee. I think the drinks currently served at Off the Avenue would be highly enjoyable for a new coffee drinker who may not like the bitter taste of coffee. After five years of drinking coffee, however, I have a clear perspective on how I like my coffee, and the drinks the cafe is serving currently don’t match my taste. I really look forward to seeing drinks such as lattes and cappuccinos become available. More availability in their menu would broaden the reach of the business. Off the Avenue has a lot of creativity in their strategy, though, and I love seeing a student-run business on campus.

Contact Caitlin Brannigan at cbrannig@nd.edu

“This is Why” Artist: Paramore Label: Atlantic Records Favorite tracks: “Big Man, Little Dignity,” “Running out of Time,” “This is Why”

Contact Rose Androwich at randrowich01@saintmarys.edu

Off the Avenue Location: Spes Unica at Saint Mary’s College Drinks: Coffee, tea Favorite drink: Skunk Tail

MARIA GORECKI | The Observer

Classifieds

ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2023 | The Observer

Crossword | Will Shortz

11

Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Be discreet, secretive and change only what’s necessary. Consider how to make your life less stressful. Concentrate on physical adjustments that add convenience to your everyday routine. Create opportunities instead of waiting for someone to step in and tell you what to do next. By taking control, you will eliminate opposition and reach your goal without interference. A trendy new look will boost your confidence. Your numbers are 3, 16, 24, 29, 35, 37, 40.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Take a break and rethink your strategy before you make a mistake. A proposal will mislead you; ask questions. Be specific about your responsibilities and what others expect of you. Staying active will help you avoid making impulsive moves.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Mix business with pleasure to get along better with your colleagues. Don’t let the changes you encounter discourage you from following your heart. Compensate for anything that disrupts your day or plans, and keep moving forward.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Get involved in something you believe in or feel you can contribute to and make a difference. First, however, eliminate dealing with anyone trying to take advantage of you. Handle business, get things done on time and avoid controversy.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Sign up for a class, event or activity that will allow you to use your imagination. A discussion with someone who shares your concerns will lead to a change that will make a difference at work or in your circle of friends.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Be receptive. What you learn will give you hope and revive your interest and ability to fight for what you want. Take the steps required to turn what you know and do well into a lucrative outlet. Self-improvement and relationship opportunities are apparent.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): TKeep your eye on the market and invest wisely. Discuss your plans with an expert. An offer will pique your interest, but until you get all the facts and figures, you should keep your money in the bank and observe.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Stand up and be counted. Speak freely, follow through and be willing to do the work yourself. Run the show instead of sitting in the audience.

Show your worth, and set guidelines for those who show interest in your plans.

Romance is encouraged.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The response you receive from sharing your intentions will give you a push to make your next move. A partnership looks exciting but is unlikely to pan out if you refrain from delegating who’s responsible for what before you begin.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): TWhat you contribute will make a difference at home. Get everyone you care about involved, and a closer bond will develop that encourages you to make positive lifestyle changes moving forward. Follow through with your plans; success will unfold.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Emotional situations will confuse you. Keep your thoughts to yourself until you gather the facts and fully understand the implications involved should you address issues prematurely. Bide your time, and you’ll discover what you want and how to proceed. An offer looks promising.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Lean on the experience you have to speed up the process of getting what you want. Don’t wait for someone to come along and do things for you. Believe in yourself and make things happen. A brilliant idea will lead to a cash infusion.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Hiding out at home will give you time to rearrange rooms to suit your needs. Don’t feel you have to conform to standard procedures when your ideas and plans are innovative and can help you reach your destination.

Birthday Baby: You have speed, agility and technique. You are versatile and persistent.

Sudoku | The Mepham Group

Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek

Support student journalism.

Donate to The Observer. ndsmcobserver.com/donate

Square Comic | XXX

Work Area

Make checks payable to and mail to:

Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday, The Observer is a vital source of information on people and events in the Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross communities. Join the more than 13,000 readers who have found The Observer an indispensable link to the three campuses. Please complete the accompanying form and mail it today to receive The Observer in your home.

The Observer P.O. Box 779 Notre Dame, IN 46556

Enclosed is $130 for one academic year Enclosed is $75 for one semester Name Address City State Zip

12

Classifieds

The observer | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2023 | ndsmcobserver.com

Baseball

Slaggert feature

Irish travel to Greensboro

By ANNIKA HERKO Sports Writer

Notre Dame baseball is off to Greensboro, North Carolina, for their second series of the season to take on UNC Greensboro.

The Irish have gotten off to a bit of a slow start this season. In their opening series against Lipscomb, they went 1-2. In the first game, Lipscomb won 5-4, but junior outfielder TJ Williams had an outstanding game for Notre Dame. He had a hit, a run and two RBIs. Junior infielder Casey Kmet, sophomore infielder Jack Penney and sophomore infielder Nick DeMarco also scored.

Graduate student Blake Hely pitched the first three innings, giv ing up four hits and three runs before he was replaced.

In t he second ga me, Not re Da me bounced back, w inning 8-4. Graduate student out f ielder Brooks Coet zee had t wo r uns a nd a n RBI. Graduate student out f ielder Jack Zyska, g raduate student inf ielder Ca r ter Put z, Penney, g raduate student inf ielder Zack Prajzner, junior catcher Da nny Neri a nd Wi l lia ms a ll scored one r un each. Sophomore Radek Birk hol z sta r ted a nd pitched t he f irst t hree innings, a l low ing one hit a nd t hree r uns. Graduate student A ida n Ty rel l got t he w in, pitching four hit less innings in relief. Junior Matt Bedford t hen ca me in to close t hings out for t he Irish v ictor y.

In t he f ina l ga me of t he series, t he Irish fell 4-2 a fter st r ugg ling to get on base.

The ga me was scoreless unt i l t he top of t he si x t h,

when Put z a nd Penney each scored. The Irish wou ldn’t score aga in.

Lipscomb’s sta r t ing pitcher was pu lled a f ter si x innings, a nd t heir t wo relievers didn’t a llow a hit t hrough t he f ina l t hree innings. Five players pitched for t he Irish, w it h junior Jackson Dennies as t he sta r ter.

UNCG has a lso had a f r ust rat ing sta r t to t he season.

They lost to Nor t heastern 11-0 in t heir season (a nd home) opener before going on to w in 7-6 a nd lose 12-9 in t he rema ining ga mes of t he series. They were a lso blow n out by No. 4 Wa ke Forest 20-2.

The Spa r ta ns have clea rly been st r uggling in terms of bot h hitt ing a nd pitching so fa r t his season. This shou ld g ive t he Irish a good opportunit y to rea lly dia l in a nd get t heir hitters across home plate. Neri a nd Willia ms lead t he tea m w it h .200 a nd .182 batt ing averages, respect ively. Irish head coach Shaw n St if f ler a nd t he rest of t he coaching sta f f shou ld ta ke t his series as a n opportunit y to rea lly eva luate t he tea m’s in-ga me hitt ing abilit ies. Not re Da me’s pitching has been prett y solid so fa r, so t here is no reason to suspect t his being a concern t his weekend.

The f irst ga me w ill be Friday at 4 p.m. a nd ca n be watched on ESPN+. The Saturday a nd Sunday ga mes sta r t at 2 p.m. a nd noon, respect ively. It may ra in t his weekend in Greensboro, but w it h ACC play sta r t ing in a litt le less t ha n a mont h, t he Irish w ill need to be ready.

Contact Annika Herko at aherko@nd.edu

Slaggert talks ND Hockey, series with Michigan

By RYAN MURPHY Sports Writer

To say that Notre Dame hockey has been a big part of Landon Slaggert’s life would be an understatement.

After all, the junior forward’s relationship with the team essentially began at birth.

“My dad’s been a coach, I think this is his 30th season now?

Kind of crazy how time flies by,” Slaggert said after practice Wednesday. “Growing up around the rink, these guys, they were my heroes.”

Indeed, Slaggert’s father Andy (himself a Notre Dame hockey alumnus, class of 1989) is in his 30th year on the Irish coaching staff. As the program’s lead recruiter, he has played a large part in building the recent success of Irish hockey. He also played a significant role in recruiting his sons — all three of them — to Notre Dame.

Graham Slaggert — the eldest of the three brothers — graduated from Notre Dame last year after four years with the team.

Two of those seasons, he played with Landon by his side. Graham is currently playing with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.

The youngest of the trio, Carter, is a signee playing with the USA National Team Development Program. Carter is expected to be a freshman on the team next year.

“It’s just a special, unique bond. Not many people can say they [have] played with their brother but also been coached by their dad,” said Slaggert. “It’s definitely a unique situation, but something that I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”

In his third year with the team, things have not necessarily been easy for Slaggert. After notching 12 goals and 26 points last season,

he struggled to find the back of the net early this year. Slaggert went without a goal until Nov. 23, two months into the season.

“Sometimes it just doesn’t fall for you, and you kind of keep your mindset right, keep a level head, so that’s what I try to do,” Slaggert said. “Luckily, right now I kind of got my mojo back and am getting some points.”

Yes, Slaggert does have his mojo back. He has four goals in his last four games and scored two in a crucial win over Ohio State two weeks ago. Slaggert’s uptick in production could not have come at a better time for Notre Dame, amid the race for home ice in the Big Ten tournament and an at-large bid to the looming NCAA tournament.

“It was a long time comin’ for sure, and I had to battle that mentally and stay positive through it all,” Slaggert said. He also noted that he is playing with more freedom and confidence lately, as a result.

But for Slaggert, there will always be more to Notre Dame hockey than goals and assists.

Growing up around the program, Slaggert has not only a deep connection, but also a deep memory.

Perhaps no opponent brings those memories out quite like Michigan, who the Irish will meet in their final two games of the regular season this weekend.

“It’s a big rivalry. They go way back to the CCHA days, and that’s where I really kind of found a love for Notre Dame hockey, and a love for the game,” Slaggert said.

The Irish and Wolverines have played some unforgettable games since their first meeting in 1923. Since the turn of the century, the Irish have topped Michigan in two Frozen Four semifinals and three CCHA championship games.

“I think the 2008 [game], the semifinal Frozen Four game

— that one will definitely be burned in my memory and one of my favorites of all time,” Slaggert said. “I remember it was over in Denver, Colorado, at the Pepsi Center. It was a late game, I think I was falling asleep on my mom’s lap as it was going into overtime.

It was a late night.”

In that game, Notre Dame’s Calle Ridderwall scored the overtime winner to send the Irish to the national championship.

“That was their first big win, and it was just awesome,” Slaggert remembered.

The rivalry in recent seasons has been no less entertaining than that near-midnight marathon game 15 years ago. Despite Michigan’s reputation for pumping out high-level NHL talent (the Wolverines had the most former players on opening day NHL rosters of any college team in the country this year), Notre Dame has been a thorn in their side.

“Guys tend to get up for the Michigan game, it’s a big rivalry,” Slaggert said. “You always want to beat those guys.”

Nowhere does this seem to be more true than on Michigan’s home ice at Yost Ice Arena. The Irish have won eight of their last 11 at Yost and have not lost there in the regular season since Nov. 10, 2018.

Yost is especially famed for its raucous crowds, yet Slaggert is unphased. He hinted that his team might even be looking forward to playing there.

“We like to play the villain,” he said.

The rivalry renews in climactic fashion Friday. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m, and the game will be streamed on B1G+. The series finale can be seen on the Big Ten Network at 8 p.m.

Saturday.

Contact Ryan Murphy at rmurph22@nd.edu

Write Sports.

Email Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu MEGHAN LANGE | The Observer

On Feb. 11, junior forward Landon Slaggert kills time between plays of the Irish’s contest against Ohio State. Slaggert tallied an assist on Nick Lievermann’s goal to help the Irish battle for a 2-2 tie.

Paid Advertisement

The ESTEEM Graduate Program Virtual Info Sessions

General Information

FIX THINGS THAT MATTER

Learn more about Notre Dame's M.S. in Innovation & Technology Entrepreneurship from our Students & Alumni.

Upcoming Session

Time & Date

Final Questions/Drop-in Office Hours

Monday, February 27 12:00 p.m

General Information

Saturday, March 4 11:00 a.m

General Information

Thursday, March 9 1:00 p.m

Final Questions/Drop-in Office Hours

Monday, March 13 7:00 p.m REGISTER HERE

14

Sports

The observer | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2023 | ndsmcobserver.com

ND SWIMMING AND DIVING

Guiliano, Hoagland bring home gold for Irish at ACCs

By MADELINE LADD Associate Sports Editor

The Irish sw imming and div ing team had a monumental meet last week at the ACC Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina.

After five days of competition, the No. 20 Notre Dame men’s Sw imming and Div ing team took fifth place, while the women finished eighth.

Sophomore Chris Guiliano had a standout meet, breaking school records in all five of his events. He saw the podium in all three of his indiv idual events, even capturing a w in in the 200 freest yle. Senior Jack Hoagland also saw an indiv idual w in in the 400 IM and brought home some hardware for the Irish.

Day 1 The first day of events started off w ith a bang, w ith the quartet of Guiliano, graduate student Colton Paulson, Hoagland and senior A lec DeLong breaking the men’s 800 freest yle relay record in a 6:16.29. Their performance

in what Guiliano calls “such a gritt y race” set the tone for the rest of the meet. Hav ing had a disqualification in this event at last’s year meet, the performance exceeded all expectations.

“Last year I actually DQ’d that ver y same relay,” Guiliano said. “I was kinda joking w ith my teammates like, ‘It’ll be better this year no matter how it goes.’ Once I got that first sw im under my belt, I think the confidence just grew from there.

Just hav ing those guys by my side, know ing they’d be able to give it their all too.”

of w ins in the 200 freest yle and 400 IM, respectively.

Guiliano’s freest yle time of 1:32.43 broke the 2014 school record, and Hoagland was just off the mark in 3:41.15.

“If I’m being honest, the 200 kind of came out of nowhere, and that’s the one I won,” Guiliano said. “I had no thoughts going through my head after that w in. I couldn’t really collect my thoughts. I just knew I had to go celebrate w ith the team.”

For the women, the Gillilan sisters — senior Colleen (52.34) and freshman Renee (52.55) — got the Irish on the board in the 100 butterf ly.

Day 2 Day t wo brought a bronze medal and another school record for Guiliano in the 50 freest yle (18.93). For the women, sophomore Mar y Cate Pruitt saw a personal best and a B-final finish in the 500 freest yle w ith a 4:44.79.

Day 3 Day three was huge for the Irish, w ith Guiliano and Hoagland capturing a pair

Day 4 Day four saw the Gillilan sisters back in action, this time in the 200 butterf ly where they both saw NCA A B cuts. For the men, freshman Tommy Janton earned his first indiv idual record w ith a 45.61 in the 100 backstroke.

A time trial 200 freest yle relay of Guiliano, junior Stephan Lukashev, senior Cason Wilburn and Paulson broke another school record

in a 1:16.89. Guiliano’s leadoff time of 18.88 broke his ow n school record from t wo days prior.

Day 5 The final day of competition saw Irish dominance in the mile. Sophomore Maggie Graves placed sixth in the women’s 1650 w ith a 16:14.95, w ith Hoagland in fourth for the men w ith a 14:48.82. Guiliano was back at it again, this time shattering his ow n record in the 100 freest yle w ith a final time of 41.85. The 400 freest yle relay saw Guiliano, Wilburn, DeLong and senior Thacher Scannell break the prev ious school record w ith a time of 2:50.14.

The Irish saw some persona l best t imes a nd recordbrea k ing sw ims across t he boa rd, boost ing conf idence as t hey cont inue on into t he postseason.

“I t hin k t he tea m as a whole def initely per formed a lot better. We have t he connect ion,” Gui lia no sa id.

“It was a l l t here for ever ybody. Ever yone cont ributed

a nd ever yone did t heir job.

It was a g reat meet for us a nd we def initely shocked a couple people across t he count r y.”

For Gui lia no persona lly, he was t hri l led w it h his per forma nce. His sights a re now set on t he NC A As, where he has lof t y goa ls for a l l t hree of his events.

“Coming of f of last yea r, I wasn’t rea l ly sure where my ex pectat ions shou ld be for t his meet,” Gui lia no sa id. “I ca me in seeded prett y wel l.

I had a g reat yea r a l l season so t hat def initely helped t he conf idence. To podium in a l l t hree events is just mind blow ing to me.”

As for now, it is nose to t he g rindstone unt i l mid-Ma rch rol ls a round a nd t he Irish get t heir cha nce to replicate t he week t hey had at t he ACCs. “The coaches a nd I, a nd t he t ra ining g roup we got going, have to buck le dow n for t he last mont h a nd rea l ly g rind,” Gui lia no sa id.

Contact Madeline Ladd at mladd2@nd.edu

HOCKEY

Stakes at an all-time high for Irish in final regular season series

By ANDREW McGUINNESS Associate Sports Editor

In theory, the end of the season should provide the most dramatic moment of a team’s season. But that often is not the case. Many teams are either too good or too bad to have much at stake for their season finale. As a result, the last weekend of the season can sometimes be more a glorified warmup in anticipation of a deep postseason run or merely just a playing out of the string.

Notre Dame hockey is not in either of these groups. They are one of those few special teams with a lot riding on their final regular season series, a daunting challenge in Ann Arbor against the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines. A rivalry matchup with a top-five opponent in enemy territory would qualify as an exciting way to conclude a season no matter what. But there are massive implications for Notre Dame’s Big Ten and NCAA Tournament hopes.

It is still possible for the Irish to host the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. But they need at least four out of six possible points this weekend for that to happen. That would have been no problem for

last year’s Irish team. A year ago, Notre Dame swept its regularseason series against Michigan, which included its final two games.

The Irish were forced to settle for a split in their first meeting against the Wolverines this season back in mid-November at home. The Irish were thrashed in the series opener 5-1 before clawing back from a 2-0 deficit in the series finale thanks to 31 saves from senior goaltender Ryan Bischel and an overtime winner from junior forward Grant Silianoff.

This weekend could also double as a preview of the first round of the Big Ten Tournament if Michigan takes care of business and some other results across the conference break in specific ways. That is a matchup the Irish would like to avoid as much as possible. Not only did the Wolverines eliminate the Irish in last year’s Big Ten tournament, but they once again boast one of the country’s best rosters.

Michigan’s roster includes four first-round NHL Draft picks, headlined by 2021 top-five selection Luke Hughes. They are second in the conference in goal scoring. And the Irish are probably not equipped to take advantage of Michigan’s

achilles heel: their defense.

There are a couple of factors that could change that, both this weekend and potentially beyond.

First, junior forward Landon Slaggert is starting to come out of his nearly year-long shooting percentage funk. After scoring 13.9% of his shots in his first two collegiate seasons, Slaggert converted on just two of his first 50 shots on goal this season, a staggeringly low shooting percentage of just four percent. It was always unlikely that the latter figure was indicative of Slaggert’s true talent level after he spent two seasons as one of the team’s best forwards.

Sure enough, he has four goals on 11 shots in his last five games.

That includes both goals in Notre Dame’s pivotal 2-1 over Ohio State last Friday.

The other is whether Notre Dame’s power play can continue its late-season emergence. Over their last six games, the Irish have scored on 26.9% of their power play opportunities. That number would be best in the Big Ten over a full season. It is also well above Notre Dame’s full-season mark of 18.2%. It has been not just an effective unit as of late, but a timely

one as well. Most notably, graduate student defenseman Nick Leivermann netted a crucial PPG in Notre Dame’s last game, a second-period equalizer that helped the Irish erase a 2-0 deficit against Ohio State. Without that goal, Notre Dame’s emotional Senior Night shootout win may not have happened.

Michigan goaltender Erik Portillo has regressed a fair bit this season, with his save percentage dropping 18 points from last year. A confident Slaggert and strong power-play performance would go a long way toward further diminishing his numbers.

However, Bischel and the Irish defense should expect to have their hands full this weekend. Three of the conference’s top six scorers play for Michigan, including consensus 2023 No. 2 NHL Draft pick Adam Fantilli.

Seven Wolverines have more points than Notre Dame’s leading scorer (graduate student forward Chayse Primeau with 21).

Fantilli himself is more than doubling Primeau’s output, leading the entire country despite turning 18 two games into Michigan’s season. He and Hughes, tied for

seventh in the country in assists, lead a Wolverines power play that is second in the conference at 23.1%.

Expect the Irish to try and turn this into a tight-checking, physical series as they did last month against Wisconsin. That is especially likely because losing in regulation would be damaging to Notre Dame’s NCAA Tournament hopes. Teams must be at least .500 in order to be eligible, a line the 14-14-4 Irish are dangerously straddling. The Irish have finished under .500 just three times in Jeff Jackson’s first 17 seasons and not once since 2014-15. They have struggled to build off of last year’s impressive 28-12 campaign and near Frozen Four miss. There is still a chance for that to change, but this weekend is the time to make it happen.

The series begins at 7 p.m.

Friday night at Michigan’s Yost Ice Arena. The regular season finale for both teams is Saturday night at 8 p.m. Both games are available on B1G+ and the Notre Dame radio network.

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu

sports

ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2023 | The Observer

WBB Continued from page 16

a turning point for an Irish defense that dug its heels in for the rest of the game, alternating bet ween different schemes depending on personnel. The constant changes proved impossible for Georgia Tech to keep up w ith, as Notre Dame forced 16 turnovers and several bad shots.

In her postga me comments, Ivey rema rked on her

UNC Continued from page 16

Graduate student guards Marcus Hammond, Dane Goodw in and Wertz connected on three straight three-pointers. Hammond converted a tough stepback jump shot to extend the Notre Dame run to 110. Suddenly, the Irish held a six-point lead. They would continue to play well in the closing minutes of the half and went into the break leading 27-19. It was the best outcome they could have hoped for after being held scoreless for over a quarter of the half.

W hile the Irish came on strong at the end of the half, poor execution from North Carolina played a significant role in Notre Dame’s halftime advantage. The Tar Heels shot just 5-27 on field goals and 0-11 on threepoint attempts in the first half.

Beyond their dismal shooting effort, North Carolina head coach Hubert Dav is said after the game that the team’s three keys to w inning are defending, rebounding and taking care of the ball. The Tar Heels did not

15

w illing ness to cycle t hrough personnel a nd defensive looks t hroughout a ga me.

“I’m a believer in adjusting your defense, t r y ing to t hrow tea ms of f w it h different defensive schemes,” Ivey sa id. “I have a t hree-big lineup, t hat helps, we extended our zone, we picked up f u ll cour t w it h our press.

I like adjust ing, a nd t hrowing tea ms of f. Not stay ing in one [scheme] too long, I t hin k t hat ma kes us ha rd to scout.”

Points in t he pa int were a major emphasis for t he Irish. For just t he t hird t ime t his yea r, a ll f ive members of Not re Da me’s f rontcour t rotat ion recorded at least 10 minutes. The Irish capita li zed of f of a st rong outing f rom t heir f rontcour t cor ps, outscoring t he Yellow Jackets 44-18 dow n low.

Kylee Watson in pa r t icu la r enjoyed a solid per forma nce, notching her f irst doubledouble of t he season w it h 12 points a nd 10 rebounds. The

out ing ma rked yet a not her st rong show ing f rom t he junior for wa rd. She has seemingly found a second gea r since t he return of g raduate student center Lauren Ebo f rom injur y.

Watson was one of f ive Not re Da me players to reach double f ig ures on t he scoresheet, as t he Irish once aga in ha nd led scoring by committee. No player scored more t ha n 13 tota l points, but eight recorded at least one basket.

Not re Da me w i l l now head back on t he road to end its reg u la r season. The tea m w i l l t ravel to Louisv i l le for a Sunday mat inee t ipof f.

The showdow n w it h t he Ca rdina ls w i l l be t he second in t wo weeks. The Irish notched t heir f irst w in over Louisv i l le since 2019 on Thursday, Feb. 16 t ha n ks to a bu zzer-beater f rom sophomore g ua rd Oliv ia Mi les.

accomplish any of those goals in the first half but got back on track in the second.

However, North Carolina would hold Notre Dame to just 32 points after halftime.

The Irish shot 50% from the field in the half but made just four free throws and t wo three-pointers. After recording no assists and eight turnovers in the first half, the Tar Heels finished w ith eight assists and just one turnover in the second. They were also dominant on the glass after halftime, racking up 16 offensive rebounds and seemingly scoring second-chance points after ever y missed shot.

Notre Dame saw their lead slip away less than four minutes into the half but would regain it several times, as the margin remained within one possession up until the final seconds. The Irish got a boost from freshman guard JJ Starling, who tallied 10 points in the second half after being shutout in the opening 20 minutes.

“I thought he really responded well,” Brey said of Starling’s play after a quiet first half. “I give him a lot of credit because he’s really hung in there. He gave us a

lift and got us going.”

Starling’s increased usage came after an injury to Hammond, who led the Irish in first-half scoring with nine points. Brey said after the game that Hammond sprained his toe and is expected to miss Notre Dame’s next game.

With less than four minutes to play, Notre Dame continued to stif le North Carolina defensively. But the Irish simply could not keep the Tar Heels off the glass. North Carolina’s Armando Bacot, Pete Nance and Leaky Black combined for 17 offensive rebounds in the game. And the Tar Heels scored crucial second-chance points on three consecutive possessions in the final minutes in large part because of their efforts.

Starling made a tough layup to cut the deficit to just one at 59-58 with under a minute to play. Notre Dame was in dire need of a stop.

They actually got two, but a pair of North Carolina offensive rebounds forced the Irish to foul in order to stop the clock. Four made free throws later, and North Carolina left South Bend as 63-59 victors despite finishing the game 2-23 (8.7%) from beyond the

arc.

Brey spoke about how the Irish rebounding woes caused their defensive efforts to go unrewarded.

“I thought we defended fabulously. They’re going to get to the backboard because they’re athletic as heck,” Brey said about North Carolina’s 23 offensive rebounds. “That’s hurt us at times, not only in this game.

Being able to get that key defensive rebound when four athletes on the other team are going to the backboard, we just haven’t been able to do it.”

Despite the growing total of disappointing results, he praised his team’s ability to stay focused and continue to push heavily-favored opponents to the limit.

“This has been a hard year, but they come in and keep competing. I give our seniors credit that they’re coming in [with the mentality of ], ‘We’re going to do this again,’” Brey said. “The old guys keep coming ready to go, and our young guys, I thought, really competed tonight.”

With just three games remaining in the regular season, Notre Dame will play at

Wake Forest on Saturday. The Irish have a score to settle after the Deacons used a huge second half to roll past Notre Dame 81-64 when the teams met in South Bend. Wake Forest was led in that game

by Damari Monsanto, who made eight three-pointers and scored 28 points. Brey has clearly not forgotten that outburst, calling his performance in that game “unbelievable” and joking that he “still hasn’t missed” a shot.

Notre Dame has come up short in crunch time in five straight games. But all it takes is one clutch moment to get a big win and gain momentum before the ACC Tournament. Brey has no doubt that the Irish will remain as confident and focused as ever against the Deacons.

“Let’s go to Winston-Salem and get in position again,” Brey said about his message to the team. “Maybe I can help you better, and maybe we can get over the hump.”

Notre Dame will play at Wake Forest on Saturday night. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. on ACC Network.

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

Contact Matthew Crow at mcrow@nd.edu

ND softball

Irish gear up for Spring Games

By J.J. POST Sports Writer

After a disappointing B1G/ ACC Challenge last weekend, Notre Dame softball looks to regain some momentum at The Spring Games in Madeira Beach, Florida.

The Irish seemed to be off to a great start in the B1G/ACC Challenge after an assertive win over Ohio State last Friday.

It took Notre Dame until the fourth inning to grab the lead, but once they got it, they piled on. A three-run home run streak in the sixth brought the Irish a 7-2 win and a strong start to the weekend.

But Saturday, things got off track. The Irish were stymied by a Northwestern squad that had just given up 15 runs to Clemson. Notre Dame could only muster up three hits over the course of seven innings in a

demoralizing 2-0 defeat.

Problems compounded later in the day in a rematch with Ohio State. The Irish amassed an early 5-2 lead, but struggled to close the game out. Graduate student pitcher Payton Tidd maneuvered her way out of a basesloaded jam in the sixth inning as the Buckeyes cut the lead to one, and allowed another run in the seventh to send the game to extra innings. The Irish then failed to record a single hit in extra innings as a slowly-tiring Tidd was eventually tagged for a walk-off double in the ninth.

Perhaps drained from the unfortunate Saturday doubleheader, Notre Dame then suffered their worst defeat of the season Sunday in a second showdown with the Wildcats. Northwestern took a five-run lead in the third inning, and though a home run from graduate student infielder Lexi Orozco brought the Irish

within two, that was as close as they would get to the Cats on the day. Northwestern piled on five more runs in the fifth and seventh frames, finishing the game as 10-3 victors.

Now in search of snapping a three-game losing streak, The Spring Games offer Notre Dame a prime opportunity to get back in form. The Irish will play five games in Madeira Beach, all five of which Notre Dame should be favored in.

UT Martin, who the Irish open their weekend with Friday afternoon, is just 1-4 on the year.

Florida International, who Notre Dame will play twice, holds a 0-14 record against Power Five opposition over the last three years. Dartmouth, who the Irish

will end their weekend against, still hasn’t played a competitive game this year.

A combination of opponent rust and talent gap should make this weekend a prime opportunity for the Irish bats, which struggled in South Carolina, to find some form. With the team’s first ACC games of the year looming next week, the chance to develop some momentum with a strong weekend (as well as boost their record for an eventual NCAA Tournament bid down the line) looms large.

From the circle, Notre Dame will also likely get the chance to break in the squad’s two freshman pitchers, Micaela Kastor and Paige Cowley. Neither have gotten more than 12 innings of

action yet this year. The Irish seem set to use a particularly short rotation this season, only listing four total specialized pitchers on their roster. It is vital that head coach Deanna Gumpf can trust all four of those arms in big moments.

Tune-up games like the ones Notre Dame will likely get this weekend should play a big role in building that trust.

Notre Dame softball will start their Spring Games slate Friday afternoon against UT Martin. First pitch is slated for 1:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcasted on FloSoftball. com.

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

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

16

The observer | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2023 | ndsmcobserver.com

nd women’s basketball

Irish women’s basketball wins fifth straight against Georgia Tech

By J.J. POST Sports Writer

MARY VOTAVA | The Observer

Graduate center Lauren Ebo celebrates during the Irish’s game against No. 4 UConn on Dec. 4. Ebo tallied 12 of the Irish’s 74 points in what was a dominant performance and an electrifying victory for the Irish.

On Thursday night, Notre Dame women’s basketball extended their winning streak to five, downing Georgia Tech 76-53.

Coming off a 40-point triumph over Pittsburgh on Sunday, the Irish entered Purcell Pavilion looking to notch another “style points” win against a Yellow Jackets squad currently sitting 14th in the ACC. Perhaps too focused on style, Notre Dame struggled to find its rhythm early.

Georgia Tech jumped out to an 8-0 lead from the opening tip, prompting Irish head coach Niele Ivey to call an uncharacteristic early timeout.

Ivey said after the game that the timeout was mainly to get the team in a more focused mindset on both ends of the f loor.

“I think it was a reset mentally,” Ivey said. “We got some

good looks, my goal was to go inside early, but we got no offensive rebounds and ended up one and done. So we talked about executing and crashing the boards. Obviously our defense [struggled], giving up eight quick points, I talked to them about locking in defensively. Changed a little bit of the rotation, I think that worked. Sometimes it’s like that, given the emotion of senior night. They came out on fire, we had to adjust, so I’m just happy we adjusted early and turned the tables.”

Those small defensive tweaks turned out to be well worth it. Freshman Cassandre Prosper was brought into the game to give the Irish some more length.

The rookie guard immediately rewarded Ivey w ith a steal, a block and an assist as the Irish tied up the game w ith an 8-0 run of their ow n.

That timeout proved to be see WBB PAGE 15

ND MEN’S basketball

Irish fall in primetime thriller against North Carolina

By MATTHEW CROW Associate Sports Editor

At this point, it feels like Notre Dame men’s basketball games are follow ing a script. Two weeks ago, the Irish went stride for stride w ith Georgia Tech all game before faltering in the final seconds. Then the same stor y played out against Virginia Tech, Duke and Virginia.

After a 63-59 defeat at the hands of North Carolina Wednesday night, Notre Dame has now lost five consecutive games by six points or fewer. In his final season, Irish head coach Mike Brey understands how frustrated his team is. They have been competitive in nearly ever y conference game they have played. But the results do not show it. Wednesday’s loss in Purcell Pav ilion dropped them to a disappointing 2-15 in ACC play.

“I feel for our guys, because we keep getting in position, but we can’t finish,” Brey said after the game. “We

put ourselves in position, but [losing close games] has kind of been the recipe.”

For much of the first half, though, it did not look like they would even get in position to have a chance at w inning. Notre Dame did not score for nearly six minutes to open the game. Luckily for the Irish, North Carolina could not take advantage of that scoring drought and led just 4-0 when the Irish finally woke up.

Coming off the bench, graduate student guard Trey Wertz sank a three-pointer to get the Irish on the board.

Wertz and graduate student guard Cormac Ryan combined to score the first 10 points for the Irish. North Carolina’s RJ Dav is converted a pair of free throws to stretch the Tar Heels’ advantage to 15-10 w ith just over eight minutes left in the half. But that was followed by one of the best extended stretches of basketball Notre Dame has played all season. see UNC PAGE 15

MICHAEL LI | The Observer

Graduate guard Dane Goodwin puts up a mid-range jumper during the Irish’s game against UNC on Feb. 22. Goodwin netted seven of the Irish’s 59 points, but it wasn’t enough to best a dominant Love-Bacot duo.