MAGGIE KLAERS | The Observer
3. Don’t underestimate Marshall m arshall begins its first season in the s un b elt c onference after coming over from c onference U s A. h ead coach c harles h uff previously was an assis tant at Alabama and Penn s tate and will have his team prepared. The h erd went 7-6 last year with four of those losses by a touchdown or less. Last weekend the h erd blew out F cs school n orfolk s tate in their first game of the season, cap turing a 55-3 Quarterbackvictory.h enry c olombi is a transfer from Texas Tech, so he has fa miliarity with big crowds having started five games as a r ed r aider. n evertheless, m arshall will be missing star running back r asheen Ali. Ali rushed for over 1400 yards and 23 touch downs last year. A differ ence maker on the field, he would have been someone for the Irish to watch out for.Though it seems like an easy path to victory for the Irish, The Thundering h erd has absolutely noth ing to lose. They have some talent on both sides of the ball with the capability of keeping it close for a quar ter or two. The Irish should not get sleepy this weekend as The h erd will surely be intense and looking to upset the Irish.notre d ame must fix last week’s mistakes and continue to improve on the positives to handle m arshall and continue their march to the c ollege Football Playoffs. Contact Madeline Ladd at mladd2@nd.edu
As mentioned above, the run game struggled last week against o hio s tate. The lack of holes opened for the running backs proved to be a problem for the Irish in moving the chains.Lastyear, the offensive line was a weakness for the Irish. it was supposed to have been much improved with the return of coach h arry h iestand. m issing an injured Jarret Patterson didn’t help but the o -line had its chal lenges blocking a fired-up o hio s tate defensive line.
There is still time to pick up the pieces, however, and against an undersized m arshall defensive line is the time to do it.
going.“he wouldn’t want us to be moping around, we still have a mission to do, so we’re going to do it for him,” heAssaid.awhole, the play of the wide receiver group under whelmed many observers during s aturday’s loss to the b Theuckeyes.group totaled just three receptions for 117 yards. Junior tight end m ichael m ayer was b uchner’s primary target throughout the game, haul ing in five passes for 32 yards s aturday. For s alerno himself, it wasn’t all celebratory s aturday night, either. With the Irish trailing 14-10 in the fourth quarter, after they had driven into o hio s tate territory, he was called for a controversial offensive pass interference call.The penalty pushed the Irish back to their own 44yard line. The offense never regained its momentum, losing 2 yards over its re maining two drives, while o hio s tate scored another touchdown to put the game out of reach. “I think we handled it well,” s alerno said of the challenge of playing in o hio s tadium. “I know a lot of people are talking about the lack of receptions, but there was also just a lack of plays we ran on offense in general.”salerno said the team ran less than 50 plays on offense as part of a strategy to keep the b uckeyes’ explosive of fense off the field as much as“Itpossible.waspart of our game plan to limit their offensive possessions,” he said. “ e ven though the production wasn’t neces sarily there, it wasn’t really a slight on the receivers. We’re just going to keep building on that.” s ophomore quarterback Tyler b uchner, starting his first collegiate game, had an up-and-down performance, starting off by completing his first eight passes, but finished 10-18.
“I thought he did re ally well,” s alerno said of b uchner’s play. “As a re ceiver, there’s a lot of things that I need to be on top of in terms of the playbook. “That’s just a single little sliver of what Tyler needs to be on top of…just for him to be so poised in that moment and perform, proud of him.” d espite the loss to the b uckeyes and the fact that the wide receivers were held to such a low output, s alerno believes that there were many positives to take away from the matchup in c olumbus.“Weknow we can com pete against one of the best defenses in the country,” he said.“Like c oach Freeman said, this will be our floor and it’s only going up from here.”salerno will certainly play a pivotal role in the wide receiver group mov ing forward. e specially with graduate student Joe Wilkins and sopho more d eion c olzie working through foot and knee inju ries,Afterrespectively.toilingfor four years while rarely seeing the field on offense, s alerno will take a turn this season stepping into the limelight. Contact Liam Coolican at lcoolica@nd.edu
2. Create holes for the running game
KTV con TI n U ed F rom PAge 4 time taking significant reps [against] a big team and a big moment like that on of fense,” he said. “For me, [it is] that personal confidence that I know I can compete at that level.” It was only s alerno’s sec ond career reception — the first, which came in n ovember’s blowout victory over g eorgia Tech, went for a loss of four yards. s alerno joined the team as a walk-on prior to his freshman season in 2018 and only saw the field once in his first two years. h e became the team’s primary punt returner dur ing their run to the c ollege Football Playoff in 2020 but managed just 45 total yards on 10 returns. h e reprised that role at times through out 2021, including in the Fiesta b owl loss against o klahoma s tate. Prior to the 2022 season, s alerno finally earned a scholarship after four years in the program. This year, he will likely play a pivotal role in a wide receiver group that was al ready thin before Avery d avis suffered a seasonending“We’reinjury.soshort on guys that everyone has to play a lot of different positions,” s alerno said after a practice last month. “ b eing a fifth-year guy, I know the offense really well so just being able to fill in any role that needs someone.”Theloss of d avis — a sixth-year player and team captain — hurt the team’s morale, but s alerno said it was important to keep
Salerno con TI n U ed F rom PAge 4
potential here this week end, especially in a less risky game, for r ees to be more aggressive with the play calling.
The observer | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com2 INSIdER
The independen T newspaper serving n o T re d ame, s ain T m ary’s and holy cross To uncover T he T ru T h and repor T i T accura T ely volume 57, issue 8 | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com news PAGE 5 scene PAGE 9viewpoin T PAGE 7 fooT ball PAGE 16 w soccer PAGE 16
l iz b aumann, the d irector of student i nvolvement and a dvocacy at s aint m ary’s opened the event with a word about the mission of the period p roject. “ we want to ensure that each student has access to basic needs on campus. The period p roject at s aint m ary’s c ollege aims to provide free menstrual prod ucts to all students and cam pus community members” b aumann said. b aumann expanded on this mission to include the conver sation surrounding periods, “ we want to decrease period stigma and increase educa tion and access to products on campus” b aumann stated. she commented on the hopeful longevity of this proj ect, and the impact it has had on the s aint m ary’s commu nity this year so far. “p roducts are also available across cam pus in bathrooms in every building. we hope that this project can continue to grow.” “These products will help see period PAGE 5
freeman to engage with
Flu requiredvaccineatND Observer Staff Report d irector of u niversity h ealth s ervices ( uhs ) e dward Junkins announced in an email w ednesday that all n otre d ame un dergraduate, graduate and professional students will be required to receive a sea sonal flu vaccine again this fall.
fans before home games
Two specific events that were planned for the rally were the “a re you s marter Than a d illon f reshman?” game show and the “make over challenge” where “we’re going to have girls put make up on different guys from other dorms,” Kaiser said. The d illon h all program ming portion of the rally, Kaiser said, will open at 5:30 p.m. and the rally’s other events will take over at 6:15 p.m.
By LIAM PRICE a ssociate news editor
Saint Mary’s, SGA hosts period party
Rocking by Rockne s ponsored by d illon h all, the r ockne r ally will be gin at 5:30 p.m. and will in clude f reeman’s appearance, performances by the n otre d ame b and, c heer team, p om s quad and d illon h allorganized hype events. b randed the “ r ockne r ally” for the first time this year, the rally is a running tradition for first home game weekends on s outh Quad. “ i t’s just a fun way to kick off the season and it’s more student-centric this year than it’s been in the past,” o ttaviani said. d awson Kaiser, president of d illon h all, said he and his fellow organizers are ex cited about the fun activities they planned. “ i think there’s going to be a good showing and a lot of crowd involvement, which we’re really excited about,” Kaiser said. “ we didn’t want to make it just about d illon and go up there and do a bunch of skits, we wanted to include the dorms as much as we could.”
This is the third year the u niversity has required stu dents to get the flu vaccine. The requirement began in the fall 2020 semester dur ing the covid -19 pandemic. “[ b ]ecause symp toms of the flu can of ten mimic covid -19,
Courtesy of Liz Baumann Student Government Association president Angela Martinez Camacho and vice president Josie Haas smile with other students at the Saint Mary’s Period Project Party, posing under festive decorations. see asl PAGE 3 see vaccine 4
Marching to Victory with Coach Freeman f ormerly referred to as “the p layer walk” where football players walked from the g uglielmino a thletics c omplex on home game days across l ibrary l awn and into the stadium, this year’s “ v ictory m arch” will instead begin at the b asilica of the s acred h eart and in clude a speech by f reeman on l ibrary l awn, o ttaviani
first week of s eptember marks the be ginning of d eaf a wareness m onth, and s aint m ary’s a merican s ign l anguage ( asl ) c lub is ready to cel ebrate while also teaching students about d eaf culture and asl Junior and asl c lub pres ident e merson h enry has a particular interest in deaf awareness because she was diagnosed with a complete hearing loss at a young age. “ i was diagnosed with hearing loss at 18 months
ASL club awarenessspreads
By CORA HADDAD news writer a ttendants of wednesday night’s “period p arty” could expect a full room of s aint m ary’s students and com munity members, celebrating a new addition to the s aint m ary’s campus, the period p roject. bingo was played, stickers and informational pamphlets were distribut ed, and music was blasted throughout r ice c ommons located in s aint m ary’s stu dent center.
By KATELYN WALDSCHMIDT news
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see gameday PAGE 3
Thewriter
The period party is the first event to kick off the ongoing Saint Mary’s Period Project
FooTBAll FRIDAY m arcus f reeman will en gage with fans at the r ockne r ally on s outh Quad f riday night and at the v ictory m arch event on l ibrary l awn this s aturday prior to his first home game as head coach for the i rish. The events are newly named, “enhanced” tradi tions for n otre d ame fans to engage in this weekend, as sociate director for fan expe rience d arin o ttaviani said. “ we’re excited to com memorate c oach f reeman’s first home game with some fun and new fan experience opportunities,” he said.
ExhibitionAAHDMondayGallery 214 Riley Hall 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Art exhibit on the Mueller Report. Catherine Arnold Lecture Eck Visitor Lecture5AuditoriumCenterp.m.-7p.m.oneducation.
P.O. Box 779, Notre Dame, IN 46556 024 South Dining Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556
Nikolai Eggleton St.sophomoreEdwards “SynchronizedHallswiming.”
Corrections
Valeria Sanchez Martinez Breen-Phillipssophomore Hall “Swimming.”
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What is your favoriteAngelsport?Gonzales
Sofia CrimiVaroli| The Observer
Makayla Hernandez Photo Sofia CrimiVaroli Sports Madeline Ladd Aidan Thomas Scene Ayden Kowalski Viewpoint Carolina Andrea Jimenez FootballFriday Fridays at the Eck Eck Visitor Center 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Variety of activities ahead of gameday. Trumpets at the Dome God Quad 4:10 p.m. - 4:20 p.m. Band performs outside Main Building.
Notre Dame students take advantage of the pleasant summer weather by spending their evenings outside. North Quad is a popular green space on campus for students to meet up and spend their free time after their classes, as are McGlinn Fields and South Quad.
t he next f ive D ays:
Jeff Mwathi St.sophomoreEdwards Hall “Soccer.”
St.sophomoreEdwards Hall “Soccer.”
Karalina Kulis Pasquerillasenior West Hall “Volleyball.”
John Gallagher St.sophomoreEdwards Hall “Football.”
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Today’s Staff News Meghan
IrishSaturdayMusic and Dance McCourtney Hall 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Live performances and flute-making. Thunder from the Sky 3:30Basilicap.m. - 3:45 p.m. Organ recital and singing of Alma Mater.
BasilicaSundayMass Basilica of the Sacred This8Hearta.m.mass is only held on football weekends. Spanish Mass Basilica of the Sacred Mass3:30Heartp.m.inSpanish at the Basilica.
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SessionStudentTuesdayBrainstorm Driscoll Auditorium 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. Student strategic planning session. Hesburgh Lecture Patricia George Decio 4:30Theatrep.m. - 6 p.m. Lecture on ethics and public policy.
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. Lange
• Leadership Workshop: One Ball, One World: Football Under the Climate Microscope Thursday, September 15, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m., Monogram Room, Joyce Center (By Invitation Only)
ASL con T in U ed F rom PaGe 1 Gameday con T in U ed F rom PaGe 1 said.The event organizers took the Player Walk event, “and now enhanced it,” o ttaviani said. “We’ll have a sound sys tem, it’ll be a bigger event and again a chance for c oach, who wanted to en gage with the fans on the way into the stadium, to be able to do that,” o ttaviani said.The event will also fea ture a musical performance as the football team makes its way to Library Lawn. Prior to the team appearing at the stage at 12:15 p.m., the Glee c lub will perform at 11:30 a.m. s imilarly, for 7:30 p.m. home games, the Glee c lub will perform on the stage at 4:30 p.m. and the football team will arrive at 5:15 p.m. o ttaviani credited Freeman for much of the engaging activities planned for home football games this season.“it’salways had a great fol lowing of people, and now we’re excited to just make it more of an event where there’s speaking and engage ment because that’s what the coach’s goal was,” o ttaviani said.
• Notre Dame Sustainability Expo Monday, September 12, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., 8th Floor, Duncan Student Center Network with Notre Dame alumni
• Notre Dame’s Commitment to Carbon Neutrality Wednesday, September 21, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m., 136 DeBartolo Hall Times are in Eastern TimeRegistration Required old, then later with profound hearing loss which means i have no hearing in either ear,” h enry said. s he said her parents had to make the difficult decision to get her cochlear implants, which involves a surgical process.senior m aggie c lancy is treasurer of the as L club. s imilar to h enry, c lancy is hard of hearing and wears hearing aids. For c lancy, it is a family ordeal. “ i was 12 when i was di agnosed with hearing loss,” c lancy said. “ m y mom has a cochlear implant, but she lost her hearing over time and that’s just how it is in my family. n one of us were born deaf or are part of d eaf culture in that way.” c lancy said the distinc tion between lowercase “deaf” and uppercase “ d eaf” is important within the d eaf community. The n ational a ssociation of the d eaf uses “deaf” when referring to the audiological condition of not hearing and “ d eaf” when referring to a particu lar group of deaf people who use as L. “ i was introduced to d eaf culture because my uncle is deaf,” c lancy said. “ i al ways wanted to learn as L to communicate with him more.”henry and c lancy both said people believing ev eryone who suffers from hearing loss uses as L is a common“Peoplestereotype.tendtomake that assumption, ‘ o h, you have hearing loss so you use as L?’” c lancy said. “ b ut that’s a big misconception that everyone uses it.” h enry said the goal of the club is to teach as L and bring awareness to all types of discussions within d eaf culture. s he said the club is open to everyone, as they teach beginning signs such as the alphabet, numbers and introductory phrases such as “hello’” and “how are you?” “ i t’s not like a class where you’re going over lots of ma terial and doing projects, it’s just about teaching, learn ing, asking questions and immersing yourself into a new environment,” h enry said.clancy said the club offers a more informal alternative to the s aint m ary’s sign lan guage class. “a lot of our club meet ings have been very in formal get-togethers to try and get people inter ested in learning sign language,” c lancy said. “ i t’s a good opportunity for people to sit down and ac tually be able to practice hands-on and signs that are interesting to them, that you might not find in a curriculum.”henrystarted learn ing sign from the television show “ s witched at b irth,” which fea tures a deaf charac ter. s he recommended learning from sources as simple as YouTube and online resources from Gallaudet University, the only deaf university in the world.henry and c lancy both eagerly shared plans for d eaf a wareness m onth. The club is planning on hosting a showing of “ coda ,” an o scar-winning film about a child with hearing in a deaf fam ily. The club will meet Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. and is open to all tri-campus students.
News3 ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022 | The observer Paid a dverT isemen T ENERGY WEEK 2 0 2 2 16TH ANNUAL NOTRE DAME Plus
• The Energy Career Path of an Economics Major (and Energy Studies and Theology Minors)
• From Carbon Capture to Artificial Food: The Complexities of Future Choices Tuesday, September 20, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m., Carey Auditorium, 107 Hesburgh Library
• Film Screening: Wasted! The Story of Food Waste Sunday, September 11 - Monday, September 12, Virtual, 12:00 p.m. - 12:00 p.m. (24-hour viewing window)
• Weigh the Waste Nights Tuesday, September 13, 4:30 - 8:30 p.m., North Dining Hall and Wednesday, September 14, 4:30 - 8:30 p.m., South Dining Hall
• Notre Dame Power Plant Wednesday, September 14, 12:30 - 1:30 p.m., 100 Facilities Building and Thursday, September 15, 12:30 - 1:30 p.m., 100 Facilities Building
Guided Tours
Contact kwadschmidt01@saintmarys.eduWaldschmidtKatelynat
• Crossroads Solar Wednesday, September 14, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m., South Bend
Tunnel experience access This year, fans will also be able to access to the n orth Tunnel at n otre d ame s tadium throughout the football season, assis tant athletics director Juli s chreiber said in an email. “For the first time in two years, we are opening the n orth Tunnel with two types of experiences,” she said. The “ n orth Tunnel e xperience” will be held on select dates throughout the season, not including home game weekends, she said, and the “Friday Tunnel e xperience” will take place on home game Fridays, s chreider said. The former will provide fans with photo opportu nities including the n orth Tunnel entrance, the vis iting team locker room and the iconic “Play Like a c hampion” sign. s imilarly, guests will be able to take photos on the n orth e nd Zone and at the n orth Tunnel entrance for the Friday Tunnel e xperience for a $10 fee benefiting the r ockne a thletics Fund. i n her email, s chreiber said gifts to the fund “allow student athletes at the University of n otre d ame to be champions in the class room, community and competition.” Contact Liam Price at lprice3@nd.edu
SEPTEMBER 11-22
• Careers in Renewable Energy Friday, September 16, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m., E108 Corbett Family Hall
Careers in Energy Explore career development opportunities in energy, the environment, and sustainability
• Architecture and Climate Change: Grand Visions in Urban Planning Monday, September 19, 8:00 - 9:00 p.m., Virtual via Zoom Webinar
Thursday, September 15, 5:00 - 6:00 p.m., DeBartolo Hall, Room TBD
Food Waste to Energy
• Notre Dame Turbomachinery Laboratory Thursday, September 22, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m., Ignition Park Presentations (Open to the general public)
Register at: energy.nd.edu
4 NEWSThe observer | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022 |
GENEVIEVE COLEMAN | The Observer
Period Project aims to supply free menstrual products
These boxes are put in the public bathrooms across SMC campus, allowing the students to take free menstrual products they need. Please recycle The Observer.
Vaccine con T in U ed F rom PaGe 1
By KRYSTYNA SOWA news Writer i n the s aint m ary’s c ollege public bathrooms there are baskets on the counter filled with period products. This is what is known as the Period Project around campus. Liz b aumann the d irector of s tudent i nvolvement and a dvocacy at s aint m ary’s c ollege ex plained what the Period Project is exactly, “The Period Project has the mission of increasing access to period prod ucts while also decreasing the stigma and increasing education.”ThePeriod Project has a va riety of goals, and many have already been accomplished. “ o ur initial goal has been to have free period products in at least one bathroom in every building on campus,” b aumann said. h owever, the baskets on the counters are not the only way to access free period products. b aumann further explained, “ i n ad dition to that, we have full boxes of products in the m other Pauline Pantry, so if students need more than just one product they can access that for free as well.” i ncreasing education about periods is anoth er important goal for the Period Project. “ o n the oth er side of things, we have created programming to in crease education and de crease the stigma,” b aumann said.The s tudent b ody President a ngela m artinez c amacho explains how the s tudent Government a ssociation is involved with the Period Project, “Liz b aumann and c hristin Kloski, both leaders of the Period Project, reached out to s G a and asked for partnership and sponsorship alongside hosting the period party.”inaddition to hosting fun events like the period par ty, there will also be more education-focused events. “Throughout the year we’ll have additional events, bringing in experts in the field to talk about periods and menstrual cycles and related issues,” b aumann said.The Period Project has been helpful for many students across campus. m artinez c amacho expressed how she found the Period Project helpful, “ n umber one, i ’ve heard quite a few sto ries of how students on campus were in moments of ‘oh my gosh i need a pad, tampon etcetera’ and the baskets from the Period Project have helped them in those moments.”baumann discussed why she thinks the Period Project is impor tant for the s aint m ary’s community. “ i think it’s important for everyone to have access to these products but espe cially in a space that is pri marily women, primarily menstruators.”oneofthe main things about the Period Project is how you can easily access these products. “Through administration and student government, we can help to make someone else’s life a little bit easier. i think that’s the overall goal,” m artinez c amacho emphasized.however, the Period Project is still continu ing to grow across cam pus. b auman addresses different ways for the Period Project to keep grow ing, “ r ight now we are running only on dona tions. a nd we know that those can run out. s o creating space in the s aint m ary’s budget to fund a project like the Period Project, i think is really important.” The s aint m ary’s Period Project gets a variety of do nations. “There are some alumnae that found out about the project and wanted to donate so that’s really exciting. a ll our funders are listed on the website; so i urge people to go there and see who they can thank,” b aumann said.martinez c amacho conveys the message to always take period prod ucts if you ever need one. “We will always make sure that we give stu dents, faculty, and staff accessibility to what we are promoting, and what we are giving to you all. s o take it when you need it.” b aumann expressed her thoughts about peri ods, “ i guess just the final thought is periods aren’t weird, periods aren’t gross, periods are normal and we should be able to talk about them openly. and that in cludes providing products openly.” Contact Krystyna Sowa ksowa01@saintmarys.eduat
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minimizing the cases of flu on campus can pre serve U hs testing resources for covid -19 testing and help conserve local health care resources,” Junkins wrote in Wednesday’s email.asin previous years, the University will offer free flu vaccines to students at its annual flu blitz. This year, the first Flu b litz will take place s ept. 20 to 21. The first round of vac cines will be for students only.The second flu blitz will be open to students, faculty, staff and dependents from o ct. 11 to 12. r egistration is required for both flu blitzes and will open m onday, s ept. 12. Junkins wrote that stu dents are also permitted to receive their flu vaccine at a local primary care provider, pharmacy or walk-in clinic but must upload documen tation proving they received the vaccine to their U hs pa tient portal. s tudents who fail to get vaccinated by m onday, o ct. 31 will have a hold placed on their student account — preventing them from registering for classes next semester.according to the email, students, faculty and staff who have any other questions or would like to submit a request for a medical or religious exemp tion to the vaccine should email immunizations@ nd.edu.students who previous ly received an exemption from the flu vaccination requirement do not need to provide updated documen tation this year, Junkins wrote.
“o ur goal is to provide free menstrual products in ev ery building on s aint m ary’s campus. Additionally, we aim to keep a substan tial supply of menstrual products in the m other Pauline Pantry on campus for students to access them throughout the academic year” b aumann continued. s aint m ary’s sophomore, Isa Grace Guthrie expressed her thoughts on the con versation of periods them selves, “Periods need to be destigmatized. There’s a lot of misunderstandings and misconceptions about peri ods and I’m really glad that we’re having this conversa tion here at s aint m ary’s” Guthrie said. Junior m egan m aurer stat ed her excitement about the event and particular admi ration of b aumann’s enthu siasm for the cause.
“I think this is a really cool thing. I love Liz [ b aumann]. And I love that she’s very pas sionate about this and I think her passion makes every one else feel better” m aurer said.emily s ierkowski, a junior at s aint m ary’s, discussed her thoughts on the impact of the period party. “I just think that it’s really amazing that we are really advocat ing for our periods since we are all girls and we all have them. s o it’s really nice that we’re recognizing it and cel ebrating it instead of dread ing it,” s ierkowski noted. Liz b aumann commented on the success of the Period Party, “The party had much more attendance than we ever could have imagined. I ran out of everything, which is a great problem to have,” b aumann said. s he continues on to speak of her perception of the stu dent body and their advo cacy towards this topic. “ b ut I think that also speaks to the importance of the Period Project and how much our students do want to talk about periods, talk about their bodies, have access to products and decrease the stigma,” b aumann explained.bauman expressed her thanks to s aint m ary’s s tudent Government Association as well as her excitement for future Period Project events. “I’m excited to continue to plan events, and we’re grateful to s GA for making this event so per fect,” b aumann finished.
Contact Cora Haddad chaddad01@saintmarys.eduat con TI n U ed F rom PAGe 1
“Afghans are facing grave humanitarian violation, poverty, reparation, de pression and uncertainty,” JawadJawadsaid.stated that the complete withdrawal of U. s . Armed Forces has had a detrimental impact on the Afghans. h e explained that the Taliban, over the past year, engaged with the Afghans in a manner that demonstrates their domi nance and desire to have complete control.
By KIKI RILEY news Writer
News5 ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022 | The observer
Period
Panel discusses current state of Afghanistan
In a publicized statement at the time, previous interim vice president of student Affairs and current dean of students Gloria Jenkins said, “because issues can arise 24/7, finding a support system that they [the students] could reach out to anytime was very im portant for the welfare of our students.”Jenkins continued, “Yes, students have the opportu nity to visit our health and c ounseling c enter, but only during normal business hours. We had been interested in supplementing their care, and smc c are is a great service to do just that.” With the virtual health sys tem now no longer available, the health and c ounseling c enter has been working to create updates. In a statement given upon request, the director of the health and c ounseling c enter s arah Granger stated, “We are pleased to announce that we have doubled our counsel ing staff and continue to col laborate with various campus departments to provide sup port on weekends and after hours.”currently, confidential re sources on campus include the s aint mary’s c ollege c ampus m inistry department and the belles Against v iolence o ffice ( b Avo ), an office at s aint mary’s c ollege aimed at pro viding help and services to students who have faced sex ual violence, relationship vio lence, and stalking, as well as providing learning services to prevent future violence in the tri-campus area. In addition, non-confi dential resources include s aint mary’s c ollege c ampus s afety, residence Life staff members, and first-year peer mentors. s ara Granger also discussed how the health and c ounseling c enter had been working to prepare these resources for the new school year. “In preparation for the aca demic year, we met with peer mentors, student leaders, and r As to provide resources, both on and off-campus, and tools to help support stu dents. We will continue to conduct outreach and share available resources through out the semester,” s arah GrangerAccordingstated.to the s aint mary’s c ollege health and c ounseling website, their of fice is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. monday through Friday but is closed for national holi days. If students are in need of an appointment for coun seling or health-related ser vices, they are encouraged to schedule an appointment by contacting the health and c ounseling o ffice at 574-284-4805.otheroff-campus resourc es include the national c risis Text Line, 741741 (for texting only), the national s exual Assault hotline, 800-656hoPe (4673), and the LGbTQ+ hotline, 866-488-7386.
smc updates health plans
Contact Kiki Riley at kriley4@nd.edu students who are seeking ad ditional necessary support through campus. b e sure to look out for more events in the upcoming months,” b aumann continued. b aumann addressed the societal need for access to period products citing a 2021 bmc women’s health study “o ne in ten college students report that they cannot afford pantylines, pads, tampons, and other menstrual hygiene sup plies.” b aumann said. s he talked about how the Period Project’s goal is to help provide these products.
Contact Liz Schutter eschutter01@saintmarys.eduat
By LIZ SCHUTTER news Writer In an email received on June 21, 2022, the s aint mary’s c ollege student Affairs o ffice announced that the Timely c are virtual health system would be discontinued for stu dent use at s aint mary’s effec tive July 1, 2022. The Timely c are virtual health system was original ly implemented for student use in the Fall of 2020 as a campus-wide resource dur ing the c ovid-19 pandemic. The virtual health system was able to connect students to li censed professionals, ensur ing they had access to doctors and mental health services without having to visit in person during the c ovid-19 pandemic.Through the virtual health system, students were able to access medical resources from a smartphone or other device at any time of day or night and from any location. This virtual health service was provided free of charge and did not re quire medical insurance for doctorAccordingvisits. to a press release on the s aint mary’s c ollege website, the Timely c are virtual health system was brought about through “a joint effort between the student Government Association, blue mantle, and the o ffice of student Affairs” in order to offset the in-person coun seling services s aint mary’s c ollege had to offer during the c ovid-19 pandemic.
o ne year ago, the U. s armed forces withdrew from Afghanistan, creating a ref ugee crisis and leaving the Taliban in control. m any professors and the former Afghan ambassador to the U. s . are still reeling over the impacts.Agroup of panelists congregated via Zoom on Tuesday to reflect and fur ther discuss the U. s . armed force’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and the coun try’s current situation under Taliban leadership. The panel served to spread awareness about the oneyear anniversary of the complete withdrawal of U. s troops from the area and to inform attendees about Afghanistan’s past, present and uncertain future. s aid Taib Jawad, a for mer Afghan Ambassador to the United s tates, United Kingdom and r ussia, said Afghanistan is currently in a deep crisis.
“And so the best they can offer is come here, submit your will and we will let you live but that’s basically it,” Jawad said. n ilofar s akhi, a research fellow at the Kroc Institute for International Peace s tudies and professional lec turer of international affairs said the Taliban’s mission is taking away the rights and silencing the voices of the Afghans.“sothe first five months of the Taliban takeover they had a strategy of suppress ing the segment of society that was progressive — civ il society activists, human rights advocates, human rights defenders, journal ists, particularly rights de fenders, minorities,” s akhi said.sakhi further explained that the Taliban intention ally targeted the media and Afghans who attempted to share any information about the Taliban’s plans or their treatment towards the Afghans.“Ifintellectuals appeared in the media they detained them. If journalists tried to reflect on the realities on the ground, the Taliban detained them. The gov ernment protesters were suppressed and detained,” s akhi said. s akhi said there are re ports of Taliban members interfering with civil soci ety organizations and or dering them to remove any parts that granted Afghans the ability to freely express themselves.hethensaid that these or ganizations “had to remove the advocacy component, they had to remove the hu man rights component — women political par ticipation, human rights, advocacy or freedom of expression.”Thepanelists concluded the conversation by dis cussing potential scenarios that Afghanistan may face in the future. m alek s itez, professor of political sci ence at s elinus University, said that there are three possible scenarios for the future political process in Afghanistan. The first is the “bad scenario” that he hopes does not become a reality. In this scenario, the Taliban will embrace “dicta torship as a military religious regime and will continue to fight against rebel groups,” s itez said. “As a result, the Taliban will make the field of Afghanistan more open for cultivation of global terrorism.”Thesecond scenario per tains to the spread of war throughout the region. “Wars will spread and the superpowers such as r ussia, c hina, India and regional states such as Pakistan, India and c entral Asia re cruit soldiers from amongst their supporters in war in Afghanistan,” s itez said. s itez then discussed the possibility of Afghans be ing recruited to fight in war by other nations. h e said it is very easy for these “superpowers’” to recruit Afghans as soldiers and that these countries will do so if necessary.Thelast scenario sheds a more positive light on Afghanistan’s future. s itez explained that U. s . for eign policy and the ac tions of the U. s . President are critical in solving some of Afghanistan’s major problems.“This scenario paves the way for the establish ment of the rule of law in Afghanistan. Global pres sure causes the Taliban to retreat,” s itez said.
The language of music I started college in the fall of 2020, attending socially distanced classes and football games. As I ate dining hall meals out of disposable containers in my room while it got colder outside, I was determined to swallow my homesickness. one day that semester, I walked by Au bon Pain in the library and was stopped in my tracks when I heard a vaguely familiar sound in the cafe. I realized that it was a hindi song, which I later found out was the wistful, bossa nova sound of the song “(Why) from “barfi,” a whimsical hindi film. Though I grew up in India, I never used to listen to much Indian music on my own. In mumbai, the city I grew up in, popular Indian music is often hindi songs from bollywood films. I grew up learning hindi as a second language in school but my family is south Indian, so we didn’t speak it at home and watched very few bollywood movies. I had a nar row idea of bollywood films as having implausible storylines and inces sant musical numbers ranging from maudlin ballads to ‘item’ songs with cringeworthy lyrics. This disinterest in bollywood music was probably also a symptom of living my life poised towards the West. As a teenager I listened to Ariana Grande, beyoncé and indie musicians like dodie. When I was in sixth grade, my sister and I discovered Andrew Lloyd Webber and barbra streisand and would listen to cds of their broadway hits with a strange kind of devotion. We would even listen to songs by the black eyed Peas and Lady Gaga that my sister had downloaded on her nokia brick phone. despite this, when I heard hindi music on campus, I almost felt like my homesickness was making me imagine the tune. As it turns out, one of the employees working at A bP was Indian and had put on one of her playlists during a shift, but I was surprised by how much it struck me. That year I spent the 10 week long winter break with relatives in new Jersey rather than going home. I barely left the house and filled the swathes of time watching all the bollywood films I hadn’t seen, from the classic 2003 film “Kal ho naa ho” set in new York city to the more contemporary “Kapoor and sons.” my conception of south Asian mu sic broadened — I discovered indie bands, Indian and even Pakistan’s coke studio. but even the stereotypical hindi music grew on me being away from home — the maudlin ballads seemed heartfelt and the up beat songs felt invigorating. now hindi music is the soundtrack that accompanies my life. I walk to class immersed in Arijit singh’s plaintive vocals on cloudy days and listen to soundtracks from bollywood sports dramas as I run on the treadmill. one of my best friends here is Indian-American and some of our best memories together have been singing along to hindi songs while driving to Warren dunes state Park or playing bollywood music at parties where it’s too loud for people to tell the difference. rather than gradually losing my grip on hindi, I can now appreci ate the metaphors hidden in romantic songs. When she asks me the meaning of certain words she hears in a song, I try to explain the subtle differences in usage. by sheer osmosis, my vocabulary has expanded to include traditionally Urdu or Persian-influenced words that bollywood often uses to make their songs more poetic. Through different majors, friendships, clubs and seasons in my life at notre dame, exploring new hindi music has been the most strange of constants. As I was thinking of ideas for this column, I felt hesitant to write on this topic, thinking it was far too self-indulgent and perhaps unrelatable to a lot of other stu dents. even if you’re not an international student or the type to analyze changes in your music taste, you’ve likely felt the tension between being your authentic self and wanting to fit in at college. but the most remarkable thing about our tri-campus community is the spectrum of beliefs I’ve encountered here. I’ve learned so much about the world beyond the narrow silos of identity politics by listen ing to people’s authentic stories. The observer want to see our campus’ constellation of opinions reflected in our Letters to the editor. Pitch us stories about arts and culture that you care about.We want to hear about your connection to the K-pop zeitgeist or how your favorite film affects your life on campus. If there’s an event on campus that we’ve missed, a questionable decision by the administration or a broader institutional problem that you want to investigate for a story, our news editors want to hear from you. This is your tri-campus community and your independent newspaper, so I promise it’s not too self-indulgent.
Contact Angela at amathew3@nd.edu. The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Pablo Lacayo is a senior at Notre Dame, majoring in Finance while minoring in Chinese. He enjoys discussing current affairs, giving out bowl plates at the dining hall, walking around the lakes, and karaoke. You can reach him at placayo@nd.edu.
To bring things back to the question of who the most important woman of the 19th century was, I close with a quote by cixi herself: “Although I have heard much about Queen v ictoria . . . still I don’t think her life is half as interesting and eventful as mine. now look at me, I have 400 million people all dependent on my judgment.” That ought to settle any contest. I invite you all to learn more about cixi, whose storied life kept me wonderfully enter tained throughout 75 nights while living out in Arkansas for the summer.
Although tradition dictated women were strictly forbidden from meddling in politics, cixi skillfully used her wit and cleverness to assert herself as the power behind the throne. since the new emperor was only a child, whoever controlled the regency would wield true power in china until the son of heaven came of age. sensing the danger of having highly reactionary elements serve as the new emperor’s minister regents as en croaching Western powers sought to contin ue to interfere with china, cixi engineered a coup against the board of regents whom the deceased Xianfeng emperor had entrusted to run political affairs throughout his succes sor’s childhood. After clearing the board and securing her position as the official regent, cixi effectively controlled china for over five decades until her passing in 1908. After the fall of the Qing dynasty, nationalists and communists alike derided cixi’s memory, framing her as an inefficient and corrupt despot ultimately responsible for china’s decline throughout the nine teenth century. Traditional historians in china have always been prejudiced against powerful women within court affairs, and the fact her legacy has been mostly defined by those deeply opposed to Imperial rule in china and one-sided accounts fed by igno rant Western contemporaries prevents one from acquiring a clearer understanding of who cixi truly was, and her contributions to launching modern china. over the summer I had the opportu nity to read two books on cixi. The first, “empress dowager cixi: The concubine Who Launched modern china,” by Jung chang, is a 2013 biography that dives deeply into the inner workings of the Qing court of the time and does a lot to explain cixi’s contributions to modernizing the almost medieval china of the time. suppressing foot binding, cleaning up the bureaucracy, im proving tax collection, crushing the Taiping rebellion and launching the Tongzhi restora tion are just some of her deeds. Without cixi’s position as regent, many historians agree Imperial china would have succumbed to the ash heap of history a lot earlier than 1912. chang wrote this biography after go ing through court records, correspondence and diaries, which revealed a much more intimate picture of cixi’s role in chinese history. The second book, “With the empress dowager,” by Katharine carl — an American artist invited to paint cixi’s portrait and live within the Imperial court in the early 1900s — does a lot to demystify cixi’s enigmatic persona and bring down the perception of a power-crazed despot which still lingers to thisAsday.history is written by the victors, the modern understanding of cixi has been distorted by relying on those who always had a deep contempt for her and the regime she symbolized. however, in defense of the Grand empress dowager, she presents the perfect example as to why contentious fig ures ought to be thoroughly analyzed and reviewed to have a more complete under standing of their role in history. certainly, she was no saint worthy of canonization, but she certainly also was not the vicious “she dragon,” which decades of history built upon palace gossip, revolutionary vitriol and Western xenophobia made her up to be.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
In defense of the Grand Empress Dowager
Pablo Lacayo reliable ramblingsAngela Mathew manager of Talent and Inclusion
The observer | Friday, september 9, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com6 inside Column
When one thinks of powerful and in fluential women in the second half of the 19th century, it would not be surprising for the list to come up rather short, as the cir cumstances most women around the world found themselves in prevented them from foraying into society beyond a limited set of roles. over the past week, I asked some of my friends who they thought could potentially top out a list of the century’s most influential women. beyond “I have no idea” and “Why are you asking me this?” the only name which consistently came about was that of Queen v ictoria, who reigned over the United Kingdom and its vast global empire for over six decades. If she can manage to remain a household name well into the 21st century and have an era named after her, then she probably is without a doubt not only the most important woman from the 19th century but also one of the greatest figures to have lived back then, irrespective of gender. however, there is another, who in my opinion beats out Queen v ictoria, consigned to obscurity in the West and maligned by most in the east. cixi, Grand empress dowager of the Qing d ynasty, was born to a manchu family in beijing in 1835. When she was only 16 years old, she was selected to enter the Forbidden city as one of the Xianfeng emperor’s many consorts. In an impressive stroke of luck, she was one of the chosen few among over 60 candidates sent in from all over the empire! Although she had a low rank within the complex structure of the emperor’s harem, she secured her position by giving birth to Zaichun, the emperor’s first and only son. In addition, her ability to read and write chinese proved advantageous to her, as she was able to assist the emperor in exercising his duties, giving her a thorough educa tion regarding the art of governing. When Western invaders during the second opium War invaded and razed through beijing, burning down the cherished old summer Palace, the Imperial court fled northwards to avoid the dangers brought about by the invaders. Upon the emperor’s death a few months later, cixi’s five-year-old son was enthroned as the Tongzhi emperor, with cixi and empress dowager cian, the emperor’s official wife, serving as co-regents.
The Lifestyle nomad Dane Sherman saints Among Us
I want my saints scrappy like my mom. I want my church with all of its flaws shining through the stained glass.
Krista Lourdes Akiki is a senior majoring in busi ness analytics and minoring in computing and digi tal technologies. She grew up in Beirut, Lebanon and moved back to the U.S. to pursue her under graduate degree. She loves learning new languages, traveling and of course trying new foods. She craves adventure and new experiences and hopes to share these with readers through her writing. She can be reached at kakiki@nd.edu or @kristalourdesakiki viaTheTwitter.views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
soggy dog kibble saints
m oreover, living alone in a new city meant I had to be intentional about relationships and meeting new people. I had to schedule times to FaceTime with friends and family back home. I also had to be more proactive in going out and meeting new people or connecting with cowork ers over happy hour. I tried to be more present and truly enjoy the times when I was surrounded by exciting new people. A third big part of living with intention is learn ing to say no. If a commitment does not align itself with what you value or does not bring you any closer to the person you hope to be, do not be afraid to say no. s ome days it feels like I have to stay open and keep saying yes to ev erything: yes to starting a new research proj ect, yes to leading a club, yes to volunteering for dorm events, yes to going out every single night, yes, yes, yes … and quite frankly, it can be
overwhelming. Living with intention means you will recognize how precious your time is, savor the moments of free time you have and decline participating in activities that do not add value to your life. Keep in mind that added value comes in all shapes and forms: happiness, more free time, longer breaks, etc. value is not only centered around more money or more prestigious status.All this is to say that you start settling into a routine for the semester and feel overwhelmed by all the commitments and tasks you have to complete, so take some time to identify your goals for the semester and highlight what matters to you most. Let these goals and values become a compass for more intentional deliberate living. h ow else do you think you could tune in to yourself.
God accepts us all not in spite of our brokenness, but including that brokenness. I can think of nothing holier than to discuss the truth in the stories of folks around us who try to do a little bit better than they did yesterday.
This past summer, I had the chance to live in Washington, d c . as I completed my internship. And while there is so much to learn from living alone in a big city in your twenties, one lesson that really stuck with me was undertaking living with more intention. This lifestyle entails prac ticing deliberate intention every day; it starts with a calculated, conscious choice to pursue a specific course of action or direction. As my junior year spring semester came to an end, I was left completely exhausted. It felt like I was stuck on autopilot with a predictable routine. I wasn’t making progress toward my goals and it felt like I was missing something. I said yes to too many commitments and was left procrastinating heavily to avoid dealing with all of it. d oes this feel familiar to you? If so, then it’s probably time to live with more intention; it is time to step out of mindless activities and ensure your life is based on your own conscious choice of how you want your life to be. Ironically, living with more intention hap pened to me unintentionally. h aving to balance a 40-hour work week with online classes and the desire to explore the city meant I not only had to closely plan my days, but also had to prioritize. I had to sit down and decide what mattered to me most and how I wanted to split my time. I had to identify normal behaviors and pat terns that just seemed to suck time out from under me and redirect my efforts toward other activities. For instance, I started completely turning my phone off after 9 p.m. (unless I was out, of course). s ince I couldn’t sit there and just scroll for hours at a time, I had to find fulfill ing activities. I started working out more often, going on long evening walks, organizing other areas of my life like my finances and I even read six books in under a month.
Dane ALWAYS wants to chat and can be reach at @ danesherm on Twitter or lsherma2@nd.edu.
The observer | Friday, september 9,2022 | ndsmcobserver.com 7
In this column, I will look at the cases of some people I’ve met who are so close to the divine that it tickles you.
The views in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Yes to more intentional living
Krista Lourdes Akiki
Through looking at the lives of these saint-like individu als, I hope to understand better what it means to bring the kingdom of heaven here to earth. We’ll explore the lives of people from every faith and no faith. conservatives and liberals. The wealthy and the poor. straights and gays. Women, men and nonbi nary folks. The holy spirit exists within each of us, and I’ve met everyday saints in each and every one of these groups.The stories we tell can have power over how we see faith interacting in our lives. I think there are more saints like my mom than we’d like to admit, who did a pretty damn good job for the circumstances they were given. Who devoted their life to God and to others in pro found ways. more saints that remind us of bloated, falling apart kibble in a water bowl than of steak with truffles.
I am not holy, nor would I ever pretend to be. I sin like all of us 1,000 times every single day. however, I spend a lot of time in community with those who are so holy it tingles your toes, and they help me take one step closer to God every day.
Dane Sherman is a junior at Notre Dame studying American Studies, Peace Studies, Philosophy and Gender Studies. Dane enjoys good company, good books, good food and talking about faith in public life. Outside of The Observer, Dane can be found exploring Erasmus books with friends, researching philosophy, with folks from Prism, reading NYTs op-eds from David Brooks/Ezra Klein/Michelle Goldberg or at the Purple Porch getting some food.
Editor’s note: This column includes discussions of suicide and drug addiction. do you ever wake up and feel something is wrong? on Aug. 18, 2014, the birds chirping, the sun shining brightly over Lake Washington and a fully planned day of hanging out with friends. The perfect way to end the summer. The recipe for a perfect day, yet something chewed at me. I bounded down the stairs and slammed into the door excited to talk to my mom about the day ahead. The chewing was providential, I ran in and found my mom dead, stolen from me by a cocktail of suicide, opioids and depression.ThisAugust was the eight-year mark since my mom’s death. I woke up early again expecting it to be like any other day. birds chirping, the sun high up in the sky peeking through my windows and my dog licking my face.Iwalked slowly downstairs and got ready to feed the dog. As the brown little droplets poured into the bowl, I realized I was filling the water bowl with kibble. Tears tore out of my eyes like a day hadn’t passed since I lost my mom.Ifound God in the water bowl with the puffed-up dog food pellets floating and breaking apart. I found my mom in the bowl, too. If we were to imagine God as a food (besides commu nion) we would describe God as steak, truffles or some otherworldly food item, but I found her in the broken, dis carded and disgusting mush in the water bowl. my mom is not a saint in the traditional sense of the word — she was an on-and-off-again lesbian who had three children out of wedlock with three different men (two of them gay!), she held tightly onto many different prejudices and flip-flopped between the mormon and catholic churches depending on which was able to give better aid. however, she was a saint to me. she suffered a lot, was kicked out of her house when she was 17, worked three jobs to push her kids through school, endured 49 back surgeries and had a severe opioid addiction. When the coroner was cleaning up the house, he told us he’d “never seen so many pills in my life.” despite this, she possessed an almost effortlessly selfdeprecating sense of humor that would make a whole room turn into a jubilant cackle of hyenas. one time while shopping in a Walmart superstore with me, my niece and my sister, mom got us to play hide and seek from my sister. The three of us running and ducking be tween aisles and avoiding her for hours. she would summon the whole U.s. army if she had to, if someone threatened someone she loved or if they were doing something she deemed unjust. my brother has autism and our local public school wasn’t providing education that was accessible to his learning. my mom, fuming, grabbed a ream of paper, smacked a few pages of meticulously documented wrongdoing on top, marched to the district office and wouldn’t leave until they were able to provide him with the resources to succeed. she forced the district to change how they helped my brother and other folks with disabilities. And, she never gave up. deciding to go to college in her late 40s to prove to her kids that she wasn’t a quitter. she persevered through neck braces, poverty, addiction and other crosses she bore every day. It’s been eight years, but the tendrils of her life still linger throughout my own. she lives in the ashes neck lace I wear around my neck every day, the 65 emails left unopened since the night she died, the books I read, the forests I go to find peace and the work I seek to do for the rest of my life. she’s never let go, her arms still tightly wrapped around me. some of the people we admire in the church can (and should) be more broken than a shattered vase, have more flaws than possible to count and more parking tickets than mass attendances. When she wasn’t at church, she was leading the PTA even though she was working three jobs and had no time to herself. I remember some nights, the family stayed up until two in the morning to finish up buttons for a func tion the next day or cupcakes for a kid’s birthday. she poured herself into service for others even when she probably should have been focusing on her own wellbeing.God meets us where we’re at — in dark alleyways, in our weary hospital rooms, on shag carpet flooring and on dirty bathroom mats.
The second manifestation is when religious groups participate in disinformation. When the leaders of a faith willingly promote disinformation for personal gain, it dwindles the sincerity and value of the reli gious principles they promote. For instance, a report from opendemocracy found a global network of cri sis pregnancy centers backed by American religious groups frequently peddles dangerous lies about abor tion. materials include claims that abortion leads to cancer, increases the chance of child abuse and more. sometimes, the clinics would pose as abortion providers before discouraging women from seeking the proce dure.Participation in disinformation can also come from the pew, not the pulpit. In many evangelical communi ties in the U.s., congregants have pressured their pas tors to promote the QAnon conspiracy that the 2020 election was stolen and more. The use of false informa tion to advance one’s ends is a complete disregard for the truth and undermines the goodwill that individuals seek in Third,religion.disinformation can target religious communi ties, threatening their safety. When fabricated informa tion negatively portrays a religious group, it imbues stigma towards its members. This often manifests into verbal or physical harassment, which discourages one from practicing one’s faith or publicly displaying that faith. In India, Islamic groups were blamed for spread ing cov Id-19 and “coronajihad” became a term to villainize Indian muslims. These circumstances only emboldened the religious conflict in the region, promot ing hostility toward muslims. This type of harassment is a clear offense against religious freedom, limiting one’s ability to express one’s faith safely and freely. my hope in this column is to alert readers to the ne glected effect that disinformation can have on religious liberty. The right to seek meaning in one’s life, mani fested through religion, is an innate right that ought to be as respected as other forms of expression. In the fight against disinformation, we must remain committed to protecting the rights of all people. Blake Ziegler is a senior at Notre Dame studying political science, philosophy and constitutional stud ies. He enjoys writing about Judaism, the good life, pressing political issues and more. Outside of The Observer, Blake serves as president of the Jewish Club and a teaching assistant for God and the Good Life. He can be reached at @NewsWithZig on Twitter or bziegler@nd.edu.Theviewsexpressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
The observer | Friday, september 9, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com8
recognize that these neurodivergent people are simply trying to manage and make sense of the complex feelings they’re encountering — a daunt ing challenge that anyone, even if they’re neuro typical, can relate to. This is in line with how many disability theo rists conceptualize a “social” model of disability. r ather than blaming individual people for strug gling to adapt to often-unwelcoming institutions, the social model suggests that the struggles that disabled individuals face are primarily due to societal barriers and prejudices. In the case of people with autism and other neurodivergence, we should work to challenge discriminatory policies, practices and attitudes rather than suggesting that neurodivergence itself is the problem. Abandoning harmful and inaccurate assumptions about stim ming is one crucial step to achieving this goal. In the meantime, I’ll continue to move, sway and dance to my rhythm.
When the truth is as flexible as rubber, the stability of democracy isn’t far behind. disinformation is a fun damental threat to the democratic world. hallmarks of democracy, such as the free and open exchange of ideas and our institutions, rest on the assumption that our society is committed to the pursuit of truth. This is not to say that there can’t be disagreement. Arriving at a consensus despite our differing opinions should be democracy’s standard operating procedure. The threat lies when information is rejected because it contradicts one’s worldview with no evaluation of the evidence. When we’re given false information that prompts divisiveness and hostility, that’s the problem. disinformation rejects the truth in favor of disillusion ment for the benefit of those who profit off a distorted reality. no level of truth, no matter how certain, is free from this threat. The last few years are riddled with examples. cov Id-19 vaccine hesitancy worldwide has been to beliefs motivated by disinformation. The January 6 insurrection was fueled by a partisan lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. russia has employed social media propaganda to users in India, china and African nations to support its invasion of Ukraine. 16 of the world’s biggest polluters 1,700 ads on Facebook to undermine the world’s shift to clean energy in 2021. A report from oxford University found that 81 governments in disinformation campaigns last year to attack political opponents, silence dissent and meddle in foreign affairs. disinformation poses a clear problem for democracies, one that nefarious governments and powerful groups aim to capitalize on. While the threats are formidable, there’s an undercovered dimension of disinformation that warrants further review: its effect on religious freedom. A core purpose behind religion is to ascertain the purpose behind the truths we encoun ter. Judaism teaches that science and religion converge as religion informs the “why” behind scientific discov eries. The catechism of the catholic church is right to proclaim that “since the same G-d who reveals myster ies and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, G-d cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth.” We can use science to ex plain how the world functions, but faith informs what that means for us as individuals. because disinforma tion is an assault against the truth, it is also an attempt to undermine our efforts to understand and assign meaning to that truth. When truth is subjected to illmotivated revision, the process by which we understand that truth is also threatened. There are three ways that disinformation harms re ligious freedom I’d like to explore. The first is when the state pressures religious groups to promote its disinfor mation campaigns. This operates in a similar function as one argument for separation of church and state. Political influence of religion diminishes the transcen dent value of one’s faith, reducing it to a political tool and not a spiritual resource beyond material concerns. state coercion to participate in disinformation cam paigns fits this offense. moreover, if a religious group refuses to participate in these campaigns, the sustainability of the commu nity is threatened. consider the Jewish community in russia. over the summer, the chief rabbi of moscow fled the country after refusing to support the invasion of Ukraine and promote propaganda. Thousands of russian Jews have the country in fear of persecution amidst the government’s of the Jewish Agency, an or ganization that facilitates Jewish immigration to Israel. When a religious community doesn’t adhere to the state’s vision of truth, it risks severe punishment.
Jack Griffiths is a senior at Notre Dame majoring in English with a supplementary major in Global Affairs. His areas of interest include neurodivergence, migration, and the intersections between faith and public policy. When he’s not writing, you can find him singing with the Liturgical Choir, walking around the lakes, or playing Super Smash Bros. with folks in his dorm. He can be reached at jgriff22@nd.edu. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
dancing to my inner rhythm
Blake Ziegler news with Zig Jack Griffiths neurodivergence
Autism isn’t just an abstract condition that hides in the recesses of my mind. It animates me. It makes me move, sway and dance in unusual pat terns. It makes me “stim.” When I was in early elementary school, I would wave my fingers in front of my face whenever I was excited, such as after getting a good grade back on a spelling quiz or while playing my favorite games on my n intendo ds . Today, while I no longer ha bitually “flap” my hands in this way, I still find that my body often moves in tune with my inner rhythm. I might be sitting in a lecture and sud denly notice that I’ve been rapidly lifting my foot up and down for the past several minutes, as if there’s an imaginary organ pedal that I’m using to play the music of autism. When working on home work in the evening, I might feel the desire to get out of my chair and pace around, going in small circular odysseys in my dorm room. n ext to my desk, I keep a basket of small toys, including a rub ber ball, some lavender-scented putty and an as semblage of plastic cubes attached to each other. I have these in case I need to squeeze or spin some thing in my hands while completing other tasks, such as participating in a Zoom meeting. This is stimming, which is often defined as “self-stimulatory behavior.” Through repetitive movements, stimming allows people to manage high levels of excitement or to help them focus. s timming is not exclusive to autists or other neu rodivergent people, as even neurotypical people might find themselves tapping their fingers on their desks or clicking the tops of their pens. h owever, autistic people often have more notice able or unique stimming patterns, which can lead toTherestigmatization.aresomeinstances where autistic people learn to manage how they stim, to change how they respond to the music of autism. In my case, however, I’ve found that while I might stim less or in different ways than before, I still consistently experience moments when my excited brain com pels my fingers and feet to move around, making it a bit challenging to stay still for extended periods of time.Isuspect that this is the case for a lot of other autistic people. While the specific ways autistic folks stim can vary wildly from person to person, a lot of us will need something to do to satiate the autistic rhythm inside our heads during intensely emotionalTherefore,experiences.itiscrucial for everyone — our edu cators, our supervisors, our leaders, and our peers — to help our communities de-stigmatize stim ming. This would involve educating people about why many autistic people do repetitive move ments that seem unusual to others. That way, in stead of responding with suspicious glances, they
The effect of disinformation on religious freedom
By BRENDAN NOLTE scene Writer since signing to J. cole’s dreamville records in early 2017, Atlanta rapper J.I.d (real name destin choice route) has built a name for himself not through the absurd style, va pid lyricism and obscene amounts of bass that defined the “soundcloud rap” era in which he came up, but through a commitment to two things too often lost in modern hip-hop: honesty and craft. The rapper whose stage name originates from his grandma’s description of him as “jittery” has never lost that same restless swagger from when he was young, and J.I.d’s latest album “The Forever story” puts on display his most vulnerable, cohesive and thoughtful work to date with out losing sight of the hard-hitting beats and elaborate flows that put him on the map.
The emotional core of “The Forever story,” however, comes from the three-track run of “Kody blu 31,” “bruddanem” and “sistanem.” “bruddanem” and “sistanem” delve into J.I.d’s sense of kinship and loyalty toward his brothers and sister, and the comparison of these feelings shows how uniquely important these different kinds of relationships are while still expressing the lessons his family has taught him. The corner stone (or “feature presentation” as it’s described at the begin ning of the track) of the record is “Kody blu 31,” a memorial of sorts to J.I.d’s friend Kody who died when he was young.
J.I.D’s TRIUMPH OVER CIRCUMSTANCE:
The first five tracks after the intro are the “hits” of the al bum, including the two singles “dance now” and “surround sound,” with the latter featuring an expertly crafted Aretha Franklin sample not at all out-of-line with the themes of the album. cutting in The Last Poets – a group largely respon sible for the formation of hip-hop as a genre — to the begin ning of “raydar” and features from Lil Wayne and Yasiin bey exemplify the appreciation J.I.d has for the origins of both his style and the genre as a whole.
The observer | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022 engineered cicadas produced by InGen wannabe, b iosyn Genetics. The cicadas are targeting the seeds of crops not produced by b iosyn. e veryone’s going to starve unless someone stops them. The world had a big enough problem on its hands with the dinosaurs; the only reason the cicadas are in troduced is so d r. s attler can rope d r. Grant into an investigative journalism stunt to have b iosyn shut nosaur smuggling to aid search. her role, beyond bailing the others out of trouble, is so minimal that her name escapes me. In lieu of a plot or characters, dinosaur action be comes the film’s main focus. The diversity in fight scenes is appealing to those who just want their ac tion fix, as characters fend off herds of raptors, run from a T-r ex and witness several battles between
The chorus on this track melodically advises the listener to “swang on” in what seems to represent the central message of the album — a message which resonates deeply as a reflec tion on grief and what it means to keep living. This record is so lyrically dense that there is no way anyone could explore all of the phenomenal work in both writing and delivery in one review. While there is an impressive verse or two on every song, the standout tracks in terms of lyrics were “crack sandwich,” an exploration of the chaotic yet tight relationship between J.I.d, his six siblings and his parents, and “2007,” the outro to the album which dropped as a mu sic video a week prior and does not appear on spotify due to clearance issues. It illustrates in both verse and voice memos the story of J.I.d’s life from 2007, when J. cole dropped his first mixtape “The come Up,” to 2017, when J.I.d signed to dreamville records and dropped his first album. “The Forever story” easily constitutes J.I.d’s best and most complete body of work to date and safely establishes him as a modern great alongside the likes of Kendrick Lamar and his mentor, J. cole. Contact Brendan Nolte at bnolte2@nd.edu
GABRIEL ZARAZUA | The Observer
“The Forever Story” Artist: J.I.D. Label: Dreamville Records Favorite tracks: “Crack Sandwich,” “Can’t Punk Me (feat. EARTHGANG),” “2007” If you like: Kendrick Lamar, EARTHGANG, Smino, Danny Brown
‘THE FOREVER STORY’
“Jurassic World: Dominion” Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldbum Director: Colin Trevorrow If you like: “Jumanji: The Next Level”
The opening track “Galaxy” almost directly reflects “doo Wop,” the intro track to J.I.d’s first album, “The never story.” This immediately introduces one of the key themes of the album, which is the juxtaposition of where the rapper sees himself now — sitting atop or near the top of the metaphori cal mountain that is the rap game — versus where he was when he first signed to dreamville or even first started mak ing music. While “The never story” served as a meditation on J.I.d’s life growing up in Atlanta and how the mindset of his youth still influences him in the present, “The Forever story” represents a feeling of triumph over circumstance and an emphasis on who he is and has become.
Favorite episodes: “The Tell,” “Hello, Darkness,” “I Know Who Did It”
MAKAYLA | The Observer Image courtesy of SCREEN RANT / 506 courtesy of LOGOPEDIA
ToppingWriter the charts of Goodreads and receiving en dorsements from the likes of reese Witherspoon and Taylor swift, delia owens’s 2018 novel “Where the crawdads sing” was an instant success. The much-an ticipated release of its film adaptation, however, has not come without scrutiny.
/ IGN
10 The observer | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
PHOTOGRAPHY GABRIEL ZARAZUA | The Observer | Image
If you like: “The Afterparty,” “Knives Out” Where to watch: Hulu
Starring: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Tina Fey
Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, David Strathairn Director: Olivia Newman “Only Murders in the Building”
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There’sWritera blackout across new York city. In the Arconia apartment complex, a murder investigation is occurring. And during all of this, the building’s residents come togeth er for one moment and sing. This is “only murders in the building.” There’s murder, there’s mystery, but what stands out most is the cast of characters and how they deal with the chaos they find themselves in. Though the episode had suspenseful moments and revelations for the investigation, the moment that stands out most is how the background characters interact and expand beyond just one-note per sonalities into complex characters with hopes and goals of their own. What’s even better is how these characters re turn throughout the season to help solve the mystery un derlying the show. The show centers on charles (steve martin), oliver (martin short) and mabel (selena Gomez), all residents in the new York apartment complex, “The Arconia.” In the first season, mabel’s childhood friend Tim Konos is found dead in his apartment, leading the three to unite over their shared interest in murder-mystery podcasts and start their own. The trio, despite all odds, make not only a great team unit, but great investigators, too. After a night of celebration over the arrest of Tim’s killer, the three get a mysterious text and find a dead body in mabel’s apartment: their neighbor bunny Folger, the owner of the building. The second season picks up on this thread, with the main trio investigating the killing, while defending their reputations from rival pod caster cinda canning (Tina Fey) and the crooked detective Kreps (michael rapaport). These five aren’t the only char acters the show takes time to know, however. In fact, every character, no matter how small, feels developed in such a way that they have a life outside of their purpose in the sto ry. This is one of my favorite aspects of the show. In the first season, the question “who killed Tim Konos?” carries much of the plot, but the second season places less emphasis on the actual murder and more on a wider theme of family. Family remains a clear theme that runs through the season, with all three central characters confronting their own fears and obstacles: oliver worries about the results of a dnA test; charles confronts the meaning of fatherhood as mysteries towards his own father arise co inciding with the arrival of his former partner’s daughter; mabel confronts her unhealthy coping mechanisms re garding death and negative emotions that rose from her own father’s death. Through all of these subplots, new rev elations arise that lead the investigators to new evidence, no matter how unlikely they seem. The mystery is not im possible to solve, but it is not so clear that one could solve it from the season’s start: the show makes a point to have the audience learn and connect the pieces in the same ways the characters do. Twists are surprising, yet always rooted in information that was already known: the twist comes from solving the puzzle, not learning something unknown to the audience entirely.
“Where the Crawdads Sing”
By ANDY OTTONE scene
Contact Andy Ottone at aottone@nd.edu
By JANE MILLER scene
HERNANDEZ
The show balances great character moments with an overarching mystery. even when the show feels like it’s me andering or abandoning the mystery in favor of character moments that are unrelated to the wider picture, the show ties it all together with such skill it never feels forced or un founded: every reveal is justified and has some foundation to stand on. The show is not only a great mystery, but also a masterful character-driven comedy, carried by the perfor mances of short, martin and Gomez, along with the writ ing that provides them with great material. Whether you’re looking for a laugh or a chance to play sherlock, you can’t go wrong with “only murders in the building.”
“Where the crawdads sing” follows Kya clark as she grows up alone in the north carolina marshes, nature being her sole companion. The climactic event of the story occurs when Kya is put on trial for the murder of an ex-lover. Though Kya is declared innocent by the court, in a shocking twist at the end of the film, it is revealed that she was guilty all along (though the audience isn’t too up set about this, seeing as her victim was abusive and had attempted to rape her). Following Kya’s death, years af ter the trial, her husband discovers the missing necklace from the crime scene hidden in her belongings. shocked, he destroys the evidence, the credits roll and the audi ence is left thinking: Yes! The marsh girl got away with it. Though the movie did a decent job of emphasizing the heroine Kya’s immense love for the natural world, it glossed over significant plot points that made the book unique. most shockingly, the film completely scrapped the book’s reveal that Kya had secretly been submitting poetry to the local newspaper under the pseudonym Amanda hamilton. This is important in the novel, as the poems, scattered throughout the book, reveal certain things about Kya that had not been explicitly told to the reader. The omission of these poems and other valuable plot points result in the film lacking much of the book’s zest and depth. despite the film’s shortcomings, it received an im mense amount of publicity. While some of this came from the film’s celebrity involvement (Taylor swift com posing music for it and reese Witherspoon producing it) the movie’s release brought up decades-old questions re garding the author’s dubious past. The connections between the story and owens’ real life begin to get suspicious when one examines owens’ time as a wilderness conservationist in Zambia, Africa. owens, her former husband, and his son, chris, stepped over the line in their conservation efforts when footage of the murder of a Zambian animal poacher was broadcast ed in an A bc documentary about the family. Though the perpetrator of the crime was not directly shown, after the incident, A bc cameraman chris everson asserted that it was chris owens who had fired the weapon that killed the poacher. similar to Kya in “Where the crawdads sing,” the owenses evaded capture for their crimes, re turning to the United states before the Zambian authori ties could investigate the situation. owens has made it clear that much of the content of “Where the crawdads sing” is based on her real-life ex periences. A naturalist like Kya, owens spent much of her youth in the north carolina wilderness. The title was inspired by her own mother, who, encouraging owens to explore, would often say, “Go way out yonder where the crawdads sing.” The parallels between owens’ life and Kya’s seem all too peculiar to exclude the possibility that owens wrote Kya’s character and her escape from justice as a reflection of the former’s own evasion of the law. The book and film suggest the man Kya kills deserves his fate, and it’s en tirely possible to assume that owens feels the same way about her and her family’s victim. considering owen’s spotty past, Taylor swift and reese Witherspoon’s support of the film raises questions about their own character. Is it right to support a film if the author of the adapted story is likely an accomplice to murder? Is the beauty of the story enough to disregard its suspicious inspiration? does the author’s talent jus tify society ignoring her dubious past? I’m not sure that it does. Contact Jane Miller at jmille95@nd.edu
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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You’ll learn plenty if you participate. Taking part in activities or educational pursuits that open your mind to a host of new ideas will help you expand your interests and skills. A proposal looks inviting and a partnership promising.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Be patient and open-minded, and rely on your experience to help you make good decisions. A last-minute change of plans will offer insight into the people you are dealing with and help you recognize what you must do to compensate.
Classifieds11
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Be open to learning. Less talk and more paying attention to what others do and say will pay off. Look for opportunities that require your skills and qualifications, and you’ll find an opening that will add to your resume. Choose peace over discord.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Check out all your options and pick up as much information as possible. Ask questions and test drive ideas before you agree to anything that will require your time, effort or cash. Wise decisions begin with discipline, knowledge and good connections.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Don’t let anger take over. If you don’t control your emotions, you will jeopardize your chance to advance. Consider the changes around you and look for a way to make what’s happening work in your favor.
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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You may be tired and bored of routine, but don’t head in a new direction for the wrong reason. You can expand your knowledge and interests without giving up your security. Know what to keep and what to discard.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Take a passionate approach to whatever you decide to do; you will stand out and make a difference in the outcome. Be open, and you’ll find out where others stand and who will be an asset or a liability. Preparation is encouraged.
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Happy Birthday: You may be up for a challenge this year, but don’t feel like you have to take on unreasonable demands. Change doesn’t have to be difficult. Recognize what’s available and how you can use your skills, tools and attributes to get where you want. Don’t let others discourage you; compete with yourself, and you’ll be happy with the results. Your numbers are 4, 15, 24, 28, 32, 44, 47. ARIES (March 21-April 19): A vivid imagination will help you turn something ordinary into something extraordinary. Stop dreaming and start doing, and everything will fall into place. Make changes because you want to, not because of what someone else is doing or asking of you.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Protect your assets, take care of your liabilities and detach yourself from things you no longer need or use. Simplify your life, and you’ll learn to relax and enjoy what life offers. Make self-improvement and romance priorities.
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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Take nothing for granted. Step up and do your part. Don’t fear being a leader or facing controversy or competition. Trust in who you are and what you know you can do, and carry on without delay. Romance and personal growth are favored.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Pursue something that will improve your life. Fixing up your space to accommodate your long-term plans will help build enthusiasm and the momentum required to turn your dreams into reality. Speak your mind and forge into the future with passion.
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VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Be ready to adjust as you move forward. Stay on top of what everyone is doing and make positive suggestions for whatever transition is necessary. Be a good listener and leader and people will want to follow.
Three years ago, bright-eyed me came into notre dame with no expectations for tailgating. I grew up in the suburbs of new York, aka no good high school football and absolutely no real tailgating. Well, unless you count Jimmy buffet’s margaritaville.Ihadnooneto guide me through the confusing lots of Joyce and stadium or to explain the unwrit ten rules of tailgating. but now that I have mastered the art of tailgating, I am here to be your guide through the confusing and rambunctious experience that is a notre dame tailgate. *many of the acts listed below can help nd fans of all ages. I don’t condone underage drinking.* What should i wear? It’s an absolute must to wear some kind of notre dame appar el. don’t have any? Any combo of green, blue and gold will work. A lot of kids tend to wear The shirt to the first game as it’s a loose tradition, but there is no pressure to buy one if you don’t own one. most men wear some kind of nd t-shirt or jersey, but I appreciate it when guys step out of their comfort zone and wear more creative ’fits. similarly, girls’ outfits vary from jerseys to notre dame crop tops and tennis skirts. As long as you’re supporting the Irish, it doesn’t re ally matter what you wear! of course, this changes past the second game, when the tem perature starts to drop. If you still have it in you to wear cropped tops or skirts, have fun! but, if you’re like me and can’t stand the cold, I would recommend moving to jeans and an nd sweatshirt. no matter what you wear, just make sure it is noT the color of the opposing team.
A little over a year ago, I penned a sports Authority titled “Zwiller: rams to be super bowl contend ers this WhileYear.”Ihave never really liked the title “sports Authority” (I have about as much authority over sports as a lucky quarter), my rams article is my favorite article I have ever written here at the observer.Forone, it was just a fun piece to write; I love sports, but the nFL is unquestionably my favorite. That and the article aged like a fine wine; it’s always fun to be correct.so,with the hope that I can keep my super bowl picking streak alive for another year, here goes my prediction, based on my ZeLo model, for the 2022 season.
According to the model, the bills are projected to be the best team in the AFc east, with nearly a 70% chance of taking the crown. While the Patriots are likely to be a solid team with a good defense, the lack of an actual offensive weapon will be their downfall. meanwhile, the dolphins have two lethal wide receivers in Tyreek hill and Jaylen Waddle, which finally propel them into the play offs. The Jets take a meaningful step forward but still post a losing record on the season.
Olivia Schatz Associate sports editor
AFC South Indianapolis colts: 8.8-8.2 Tennessee Titans: 8.28-8.72 acksonville Jaguars: 7.57-9.43 houston Texans: 6.5-10.5since the colts acquired matt ryan, they have been my favorite to win the division. ryan will have a great o-line and run game and a solid defensive unit. ZeLo is not as optimistic, though; like the Patriots, the colts’ lack of an elite wide receiver will prevent them from running away with the divi sion. meanwhile, derrick henry returns and produces incredible volume, but on low efficiency, just 4.2 yards per attempt, his worse mark since 2017. both the Jags and Texas take significant steps forward.
NFC South Tampa bay buccaneers: 11.62-5.38neworleans saints: 9.72-7.28 carolina Panthers: 7.61-9.39 Atlanta Falcons: 5.05-11.95 Unsurprisingly with brady back in Tampa bay, the bucs are a force to be reconned with and firm favorites to win the nFc south. I have some questions about the sheer volume brady ex pected to produce, but ZeLo has the 44-year-old as its most valu able player. Jameis Winston leads the saints to a winning record and a wildcard spot. baker helps to turn the Panthers into a 7-win team, and the Falcons begin to figure out what their rebuild will look like.
NFC West Los Angeles rams: 9.89-7.11 san Francisco 49ers: 9.86-7.14 Arizona cardinals: 9.49-7.41 seattle seahawks: 7.03-9.97 The super bowl champs will take a bit of a win-loss record step back here but still find a way to win the division, albeit narrowly. Assuming Lance is as good as his projections indicate, the 49ers will be an absolute force, both on the ground and defensively. The cardinals, meanwhile, will have to navigate their first six games without deAndre hopkins.
Photo album on the counter / Your cheeks were turning red / You used to be a little kid with glasses in a twin-sized bed / And your mother’s telling stories ‘bout you on the tee-ball team / You told me ‘bout your past thinking your future was me / And I know it’s long gone and there was nothing else I could do / And I for get about you long enough to forget why I needed to / ‘Cause there we are again in the middle of the night / We’re dancing ‘round the kitchen in the refrigerator light
playoffs AFc Playoff Teams: buffalo, cincinnati, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, miami, Kansas city, baltimorenFcPlayoff Teams: dallas, Green bay, Tampa bay, Los Angeles, san Francisco, minnesota, new orleans super bowl: buffalo over Tampa bay Contact Tom Zwiller at tzwiller@hcc.nd.edu.Theviewsexpressed in this col umn are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Tom Zwiller sports Writer
The observer | FriDAy, SEpt EMBEr 9, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Personal Miss Glee, Enamored with you pretty girl. Stay courageous I:IX - Secret Lover ;) P.S. Mom, I threw up.
olivia, what is one last thing you would recommend to a new tailgater? eat food. You have a long day ahead of you. even if you are not drinking, you will be standing on your feet in the sun for a large por tion of the afternoon. drink water, and eat lots of food. Your body will thank you later. Also, have fun. I know, I know, super cheesy, right? but seri ously, tailgating should be fun, and in no way stressful. You only have 24 home football games in your collegiate career, make each one last! Contact Olivia Schatz at oschatz@nd.edu.Theviewsexpressed in this column are those of the author and not neces sarily those of The Observer.
AFC West Los Angeles chargers: 11.40-5.6 Kansas city chiefs: 9.53-7.47 denver broncos: 9.46-7.54 Las vegas raiders: 8.98-7.02 It certainly feels weird not to have the chiefs here (and I am sure I will regret it). but the chargers are a loaded team, boasting a better defense than Kc and, yes, a better offense. mahomes is currently the second in the model’s mvP chase, but herbert has the better supporting cast. The broncos certainly got an upgrade with russell Wilson, and it could bring them into the play offs as a wildcard, but it will not be enough to get them over Kc vegas has a good first year under Josh mcdaniels but falls short of the playoffs.
The Packers lack a true #1 wide receiver. meanwhile, the vikings have an overwhelming amount of offensive talent; it’s up to head coach Kevin o’connell to turn it into touchdowns. dan campbell continues the rebuild in detroit, and the bears finish fourth.
AFC North cincinnati bengals: 9.41-7.59 baltimore ravens: 9.29-7.71 cleveland browns: 7.9-9.1 Pittsburgh steelers: 6.83-9.17
NFC North Green bay Packers: 10.57-6.43 minnesota vikings: 10.2-6.8 detroit Lions: 7.21-8.79 chicago bears: 6.69-10.31 This division will be incred ibly close this year, thanks to the departure of davante Adams.
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.
SportS Authority ZeLO: NFL picks look to nail Super Bowl champs
What the heck does “Joyce 15” or “Stadium 32” mean? Good question. Joyce and stadium are our two lovely tailgat ing lots. now, you may ask, what do the attached numbers mean? The lots are established as a grid system — you will probably notice the large poles on every corner. each poll has a flag with the lot you are in and a number to distinguish where in the lot you are. You will eventually get a text from your friends and/or parents on where they are tailgating — either Joyce or stadium, followed by a number.nowthat you know what it is, good luck navigating the large bodies of people. I would recom mend staying either as close to the stadium or as close to the back of the lot as possible until you see the flag that you are heading towards. It will take hours to walk straight through the giant masses of peo ple. especially with a large group of people in tow.
AFC East buffalo bills: 12.01-4.99 miami dolphins: 10.43-6.57 new england Patriots: 9.23-7.78 new York Jets: 6.68-10.32
I have been a doubter since the bengals began their legendary playoff run. I thought they would lose to the Titans, the chiefs, then to the rams and this year, they would regress. The model feels differently, as the bengals currently are neck and neck with the baltimore ravens for the division. As for the browns, they have an unremark able season primarily due to the 11-game suspension of deshaun Watson. And speaking of good defenses, the steelers should con tinue to have an elite unit, just not an offense that can make the most of it.
12 Classifieds SportS Authority
NFC East dallas cowboys: 11.52-5.48 Washington commanders: 10.06-6.94Philadelphia eagles: 9.11-7.89 new York Giants: 5.73-11.26 my rule of thumb for both the cowboys’ defense and the commanders’ defense is to es timate that both will be a little worse than the model thinks. The cowboys because the vol ume of turnovers produced last year is not sustainable, and the commanders because the unit was questionable last year. As for the eagles, I know they were a playoff team last year, but they went 0-6 against teams that also made the playoffs and just beat up on weaker teams. meanwhile, the Giants continue the noble new York tradition of tanking.
Now i’m at a tailgate … what do i do? This is where the fun really be gins. The table provided will prob ably have a ton of free drinks and chips and dip galore. If you know the owner, it’s free reign, have fun. If you don’t, it probably is also free reign (but it never hurts to ask). There will be more alcohol and more food than you can ever imag ine to finish off in the few hours be foreTherekickoff.will also be tons of games, participate if you want but no pres sure. most family-oriented tail gates will have at least one game of cornhole set up. I would explain to you the rules ... if I actually knew them. don’t worry someone there will (just throw the bag and hope for the best). There will also be a ta ble at most of these tailgates to play more traditional drinking games. beer pong, flip cup and rage cage are the classics. And if you think the party is too lame, it never hurts to offer a round of “rattlin’ bog” to get the party starting again. You don’t drink? no problem. most tailgates have tons of food and nonalcoholic drinks! no one is going to force you to take any drinks. If they do, leave that tailgate immediately. They’re not the type of people you want to be around. Do i need to like or know football to go to the games?
TailgatingDummiesfor
Absolutely not! That’s the fun part of it. I still don’t know the words to the fight song or the Alma mater, and I swear they will still let me graduate!As a first year, I sur rounded myself with a group of people who were very passionate about football. While I was busy chatting or eating the stale pop corn, they would explain to me in (sometimes excruciating) detail what had just happened. And look at me, three years later not only working in the sports department of the observer but covering our first home football game of the season!(don’t worry Aidan [the observer’s sports editor], I have learned a lot of the rules since then … probably).
Amazing Artifacts: The Hidden History of Notre Dame Heather Hyde Minor Professor of Art History Oct. 14 (vs. Stanford)
Ranjodh Singh Dhaliwal Ruth and Paul Idzik Assistant Professor in Digital Scholarship and English Sept. 16 (vs. California)
ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022 | The observer sports13 AHEAD OF THE GAME with Arts & Letters
The observer grades each position, selects players to breakout or improve
a ssociate sports editor, sports editor With almost a week in the books since notre dame fell in the season opener, sports edi tor a idan Thomas and associ ate sports editor emily deFazio handed out grades to each posi tion group and discussed which players need to break out for the irish in the coming weeks.
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The irish tight ends notched six of the ten receptions in the passing game. both michael mayer and Kevin bauman played a key role in the touch down drive. This is where the strength of the offense is right now. mayer is an instrumental player for the irish, but only av eraged 6.4 yards — after ending the 2021-22 season at an 11.8 av erage — and had an uncharac teristic bobble. This and missed blocks by him and bauman dropped the position score.
Thomas: A, Defazio: A Linebackers it was good to see marist Liufau back in irish uniform; with a year of waiting under his belt, he and his pent-up energy will be a welcome addition to the ranks of Jd bertrand and Jack Kiser moving forward this season. The irish were solid but had some slips and also didn’t make any disruptive plays, with zero sacks or tackles for loss. Those slip-ups and lack of im pact play helped osU to pull away late in the game.
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Thomas: a-, defazio: b running back The running backs boast the only touchdown on the season so far with audric estime. but that will not be enough moving forward. This group averaged 2.5 yards per rush against osU, which is not enough to have a major effect on the game. That being said, they also received little help from the offensive line, frequently getting hit at or behind the line of scrimmage. They have the talent in the likes of estime, chris Tyree and Logan diggs to really step it up moving forward and to maybe even utilize Tyree in a receiver position should this group get locked down.
Thomas: B+, DeFazio: BTight End
Thomas: B+, DeFazio: ADefensive Backs
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The Economics of Baby Booms and Busts Kasey Buckles Professor of Economics Paid a dverT isemen T
Offensive Line There were too many times that buchner was left scram bling when the line broke. moments of discombobulation cost the irish some yardage and playmaking ability. The irish av eraged 0.4 yards before contact on running plays. by PFF, three of the irish’s four lowest-rated players were offensive linemen. That is not to say the linemen are the only ones to blame or that they were ineffective. a s buchner himself said in the post-game press conference, it is his job as well to find protection. but the trend must continue upwards for this group, espe cially if Jarrett Patterson’s return is at all in question.
This grade can depend on what you were looking for. buchner delivered a few electri fying moments, and he played turnover-free. it was a solid per formance but one with a lot of room for improvement. buchner seemed confident on the field. his strength was in his pass ing game, yet he didn’t exhibit it enough in the second half. he needs to get a consistent rhythm of passing and rushing to sure up this position group.
This position group objective ly had the best showing at ohio state. cam hart, Tariq bracy and clarence Lewis all showed up and helped hold ohio state to its lowest number of points since 2018. The irish also saw breakout performances from freshmen Jaden mickey and benjamin morrison. We’re ex pecting big things from this group going forward and are excited to see them be a premi um feature of our defense.
Thomas: B+, DeFazio: ADefensive Line Pretty much the same prob lem for the defensive line. This group was not as effective as it needed to be and needs to con sistently add pressure to match ups moving forward. Key players also need to play at the elite level they normally do; isaiah Foskey
Thomas: C+, DeFazio: B Quarterback
LaBar Recital Hall • O’Neill Hall (south side of Notre Dame Stadium)
Whose Paradise?: Undocumented Migration in Hispanophone Caribbean Literature and Art Marisel Moreno Rev. John A. O’Brien Associate Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures Nov. 4 (vs. Clemson)
Faculty experts from the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy: • Luis Ricardo Fraga • Matthew E.K. Hall • Geoff Layman • Benjamin Radcliff • Christina Wolbrecht Oct. 21 (vs. UNLV)
2:30 p.m. every football Friday
For more information, visit al.nd.edu/aheadofthegame
By EMILY DEFAZIO and AIDAN
Expand your mind with exciting research from outstanding faculty. Sept. 9 (vs. Marshall)
POSITIOn gRADES see GradinG PAgE 15
Xavier Navarro Aquino Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing Nov. 18 (vs. Boston College)
Thomas: D, DeFazio: C+ Wide Receiver The 39 yards per catch by the wide receivers is eye-popping. The three total catches? not so much. some of the wide receiv ing corps had some highlight plays in columbus, notably Lorenzo styles, Jr. with his open ing 54-yard gain and matt salerno with his recovery catch. braeden Lenzy added a 32-yard reception. however, this group was not used to the extent it could be, and they weren’t get ting open quickly. They need to work out some issues and find a solid possession re ceiver so the irish don’t have to lean on michael mayer on every crucial down.
THOMAS
ILS Student Group Excursion to West Side Story Performance (limited number of free tickets available) Sunday, October 9, 2022 2:00 p.m. • Morris Performing Arts Center Presented by South Bend Civic Center
Success Stories of Hispanic Alumni Virtual Panel Thursday, September 22, 2022 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. • Zoom
Poder Popular and the Challenge to U.S. Churches: A Conversartion with Movimiento Cosecha Monday, October 3, 2022 11:00 a.m. • 315 Bond Hall
Transformative Latina Lecture with ND Trustee Dorene C. Dominguez '85 Monday, September 19, 2022 12:30 p.m. • 104 Bond Hall Free Chick-fil-A starting at 12 noon. Afro-Latinx Poetry Now Conference Tuesday & Wednesday, September 27 & 28, 2022 Sessions at 2:00, 3:30, & 8:00 p.m. • McKenna Hall No registration required. Visit latinostudies.nd.edu for tickets and event information.
Crossing Waters Book Discussion with author and ND Associate Professor Marisel Moreno Tuesday, October 4, 2022 7:00 p.m. • 315 Bond Hall Pre-reception starts at 6:30 p.m. Paid a
Latinx Identidades Thursday, September 29, 2022 5:30 p.m. • 104 Bond Hall Pre-reception at 5:00 p.m. in Bond Hall Lobby.
Institute for Latino Studies Fall 2022
Latinos and the Reshaping of American Politics Thursday, September 15, 2022 6:00 p.m. • 104 Bond Hall Latinx Student Alliance (LSA) will host a post reception and voter registration drive following the event.
Hispanic Heritage Month
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SomosND: Hispanic Heritage Month Kick-Off Fiesta Thursday, September 15, 2022 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. • Bond Hall Steps
Junior midfielder Lindsey Adent gained possession from the s partans in the offensive third and quickly found b owen, who pushed the ball toward the center of the field before putting a shot just past the Aurora goalkeeper, giving s aint m ary’s an advantage before even 10 minutes had passed. b owen has been a consis tent goal-scoring threat for the b elles, having scored both of the team’s goals this season after finding the back of the net four times last year. The assist was Adent’s first of the season. The lead would prove to be short-lived for s aint m ary’s. Although they con trolled possession for much of the opening half, an opportunistic s partan team moved the ball quickly up the field after a b elles turn over to score an equalizer in minute 23, with Aurora sophomore midfielder Lauren b liefernicht setting up senior midfielder Jessica m irsky, who tallied the goal that evened the score at 1-1. Looking to build on the momentum that came from erasing the deficit, Aurora played aggressively for the remainder of the first half. The s partans took nine shots in the period as a whole, six of them being on goal.Luckily for the b elles, high-level play from soph omore goalie Kara s tacey kept them in the game. After ceding the early goal, s tacey bounced back to record a season-high sev enbsaves.othteams came out of the halftime break looking to attack, with each hop ing to secure the goal that would put them into the win column for the first time.
This game worries me more than i care to admit. it has all the makings of a trap game, as notre d ame spent all sum mer preparing for o hio s tate, and they now have to bounce back physically and emotion ally and prepare for another contest right away. it isn’t just the timing of the game that concerns me, however; m arshall is a very good Group of Five opponent, and one that i rish fans would do well not to Thatoverlook.beingsaid, *knocks on wood*, notre d ame doesn’t lose trap games; they haven’t lost to an unranked oppo nent since the disastrous 2016 season. m arshall will keep the game close for a half, but notre d ame’s superior talent level and home-field advan tage will help them pull away by the fourth quarter.
envelope, test the waters and see what b uchner can really do. m ight be a rocky first quar ter and we’ve been burned be fore playing to the level of our opponent but under Freeman the i rish play at their top at any given moment. There’s at least one interception, and b uchner sends a long ball for a touchdown time and again. The defense still shines, and the offense joins the ranks — electing to be aggressive.
Predictions con T in U ed F rom PAGe 16
The loss against o hio s tate pointed to some glaring short comings, especially in terms of the offensive line. The i rish certainly cannot get sleepy despite the lack of threat, as this is the perfect weekend to regroup and refine. i think notre d ame will un doubtedly claim the victory this weekend, but not with m arshall sneaking one in for good measure.
SMC Soccer con T in U ed F rom PAGe 16
Coolican - Associate Sports Editor
Notre Dame 35, Marshall 7
Thomas: B-, DeFazio: B+ Two offensive players that need to breakout or Thomas:improve Lorenzo styles, blake Fisher. styles caught the first pass of the game, broke a tackle and ran for a 54-yard gain. he must provide that electricity but also more con sistency. he only saw one more target and no more receptions. blake Fisher also needs to be a rock at right tackle. he got beat in a critical moment on saturday, forcing buchner to rush a deep throw to an open styles. That could have been a potential touchdown and a 17-7 irish lead. Fisher (and the offensive line as a whole) must improve.
DeFazio: chris Tyree, braden Lenzy. Tyree’s speed continues to amaze me. he needs to have a stellar season for the irish, which may even include a po sition switch to receiver and must be a more dominant force on the field. Lenzy also has to focus on being more of a pres ence for the irish offense. he only had one reception on the night at osU; he needs to break out and be a consistent find for buchner. Two defensive players that need to breakout or Thomas:improve. isaiah Foskey, brandon Joseph. i’m turning to the star power here. They both played well on saturday, but they weren’t disruptive. in those big games, the irish need disruptive plays from their stars, and they really didn’t get them all day from either Foskey or Joseph. DeFazio: marist Liufau, rylie mills. Liufau started the game off strong, but his en ergy seemed to dwindle in the second half. he has the capac ity to be a key defender for the irish if he focuses on bringing the same amount of energy on the final block as he does to the first. rylie mills had three tackles in columbus, and also has the capacity for a breakout season. he looked pretty solid in the season opener.
This weekend is predicted to be somewhat of a cake walk for the i rish, and there are lots the team can take ad vantage of as they take on the Thundering herd at home.
With star running back r asheen Ali out for m arshall, one of the few potential threats for the i rish is no lon ger in question. The i rish have lots of room to show what they can do, as well as work on improving against a low-risk team.
Notre Dame 45, Marshall 10Nate Moller - Sports Writer
ND
Contact Emily DeFazio at edefazio@nd.edu and Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu
Contact Matthew Crow at mcrow@nd.edu
Grading con T in U ed F rom PAGe 13
This game feels similar to last year’s season opener against Toledo where the i rish needed to score a lastminute touchdown to secure a victory.coming off of a huge game against o hio s tate, m arshall could definitely catch the i rish sleeping in their home opener just like Toledo did. The Thundering herd are no slouch either, and they are coming off of a dominating 55-3 win last week, although it was against F cs opponent norfolk s tate. The Thundering herd are led by quarterback henry c olombi, who played seven games for Texas Tech last season. o n the ground, the Thundering herd have e than Payne and Khalan Laborn, who each rushed for over 100 yards last week.
d espite the loss, the game in c olumbus confirmed one thing for me--there is significant talent on this i rish team. They just need to figure out how best to use it. m arshall’s defense is their strongest suit, while notre d ame’s offense is their weak est as of now. With a shaky offensive strategy and the mental challenges that come with a loss under their belt, the i rish could be in a posi tion like they were last year against Toledo where an ex pected win turned into a bit of a nail-biter. o n the flip side, notre d ame’s will seems stronger than last season, and they can use the setback as mo tivation, not as a source of discouragement. i f b uchner is allowed to throw the ball and the offense can get their rhythm back, i expect a solid win for the i rish. Notre Dame 35, Marshall Liam10
Just as in the first half, the b elles controlled play for most of the early minutes. Unlike the first half, though, they could not capitalize despite creating several strong opportuni ties. e ffective goalie play on both ends turned the game into a defensive struggle. With the contest seeming ly headed toward a tie, the s aint m ary’s offense made a final push in the closing minutes but was stymied by the Aurora back line. s ophomore midfielder Grace b arresi and junior forward Kaitlyn d ay both had shots saved, and anoth er strike from b arresi went just wide, leaving the game to be concluded at 1-1. Looking ahead, s aint m ary’s will continue nonconference play with a pair of road games this week end, taking on h anover on Friday at 5 p.m. and d ePauw on s unday at noon. The b elles will then return to s outh b end for a string of three straight home games, beginning with a match up against Franklin next Thursday night.
The i rish defense was much better than expected against a potent o hio s tate offense, and they should be ready to match up against a much less talented m arshall team. i expect the i rish defensive line to get plenty of pressure on m arshall quarterback henry c olombi throughout the game and force some turnovers as well. o n the offensive side of the ball, Tommy r ees should be more comfortable let ting Tyler b uchner air the ball out behind the home crowd.Towards the second half, the i rish will figure out their running game and have a couple of big rushes from c hris Tyree as well. i expect the Thundering herd to hang around for a bit, but the i rish pull away at the end.
Notre Dame 31, Marshall Madeline7
LaddAssociate Sports Editor
this season off an assist by mTheercado.b oilermakers, who had defended so well up until this point, rebounded right back from the one-two punch.Kayla b udish, the lone black jersey in the sea of white all night, tallied her first goal of her college career just over three minutes later in the 62nd minute. b oth sides played at a fast pace throughout the final 25 minutes of play. n otre d ame’s experience and communication skills ulti mately carried the day. With less than eight minutes to go, sophomore midfielder Korbin Albert struck a dag ger of a goal, her second of the year, building a 3-1 lead for the i rish. The fatigued Purdue starters were unable to mount a persuasive at tack in the final minutes of play against the fresh legs brought in to fortify the i rish defensive line. The final score stood at 3-1. The i rish recorded 29 shots and seven shots on goal com pared to the boilermaker’s six total shots with just three on goal.
ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022 | The observer sports15 Those scoring woes were nowhere to be found in an action-packed first half Wednesday.Afterboth sides failed to convert on chances in the opening minutes, the b elles went on the attack.
Contact Peter Breen at pbreen2@nd.edu Soccer con T in U ed F rom PAGe 16 may have notched four tackles against the buckeyes, but he was not as dominant of a force as he usually is on the field. Additionally, the second unit needs to be more effective in relief, as the irish wore down late in the buckeyes’ final two touchdown drives.
Thomas: B, DeFazio: B+ Special Teams The special teams unit saw a lot of action saturday night. When the irish were kicking or punting, they looked great. When they were receiving punts or kicks, the irish struggled. They didn’t get a punt return off, and two kickoff returns av eraged 11 yards. That played a big role in notre dame los ing the field position battle all night.blake Grupe’s kick was good to put the irish on the board first, and Jon sot was rock-solid in the punting game. This group needs to focus on tightening up their perfor mance to where they are con sistent every time they take the field.
Notre Dame 41, Marshall Emily17 DeFazio - Associate Sports Editor o hio s tate exposed where the i rish need to fine-tune things ahead of their home opener against m arshall. The team we saw in the first half at os U is the team that needs to show up in s outh b end s aturday afternoon.
By PETER BREEN s ports
Sophomore midfielder Korbin Albert prepares a diagonal ball in Notre Dame’s game against Illinois on Aug. 28 in South Bend. see
observer predicts nd-marshall
The home opener has ar rived. The Irish take on m arshall in notre d ame s tadium on s aturday and The o bserver’s football beat has locked in their predictions.
n otre d ame team was able to rest their starters at the close of the first half, exer cising the program’s depth as an advantage. The young and talented b oilermaker squad, which showed great discipline in the opening minutes of play, was unable to afford such luxuries. Though the score lay 0-0 at halftime, the Irish were undeterred. All four goals in their last game against Wisconsin found the net during the second half. The Irish also possessed a 10-4 midgame shot advantage over the b oilermakers. The stalemate crept al most a quarter of an hour into the second period of play. In the 59th minute, senior midfielder m addie m ercado shot in her fifth goal of the season to take the 1-0 lead for the Irish. Thirty-five seconds later, senior forward Kiki van Zanten landed her first goal MAX PETROSKY | The Observer
By MATTHEW CROW s ports Writer s aint m ary’s soccer crossed the Illinois border Wednesday night to face Aurora in their third game of the new season. s enior for ward Jillian b owen scored her second goal of the year to give s aint m ary’s an early lead, but the b elles were ul timately forced to settle for a 1-1 tie as they continue to seek their first win. s aint m ary’s and Aurora entered the game with simi lar resumes, each holding records of 0-1-1 while under going struggles on the offen sive end. The b elles opened their season with a 1-1 tie on the road against c oncordia c hicago before being shut out in a 1-0 home loss to c entral, while Aurora was unable to get on the board in either of its first two games.
Courtesy of Saint Mary’s Athletics Junior forward Jillian Bowen looks to dribble by a defender in a Saint Mary’s soccer match. Bowen leads the Belles in scoring. see smc soccer
TheWriterundefeated n otre d ame women’s soccer team trotted into West Lafayette, Indiana on a hu mid Thursday evening to face off against in-state rival, Purdue. It was a re match of last year’s r ound of 32 matchup, which the Irish won in penalty kicks. They left tonight with a still unblemished record (6-0-0) after a 3-1 victory over the b oilermakers.TheFighting Irish waited a week to get back on the pitch after a scheduled con test with Indiana University on s unday, s ept. 4 was rained out. Graduate stu dent o livia Wingate record ed her first career hat trick the last time n otre d ame played, in a 4-1 win against Wisconsin.ThePurdue b oilermakers, a solid b ig Ten school sit ting 3-3 on the season, were coming off a strong road victory at Kansas s tate in which goalkeeper s arah Kile recorded 11 saves.
PAGE 15 SMC SOCCER
Aidan Thomas - Sports Editor
Irish offense stays red-hot, torches boilermakers to remain undefeated
Observer Sports Staff
STAFF PREDICTIONS see PredIcTIons PAGE 15
n otre d ame played ag gressively right out of the gate on Purdue’s Folk Field. The Irish sent sev eral balls hurling over the b oilermaker’s net and dom inated possession of the ball within enemy territo ry. Fifteen minutes passed before the Purdue squad mounted a formattable at tack on the n otre d ame side of the field. Yet, for the remainder of the first half, Purdue was able to keep n otre d ame off the scoreboard with its grit ty defensive play. The Irish became frustrated at the b oilermaker’s handling of the early pressure. 20 min utes into the game, the Irish bench was charged with a yellow card. In the 39th minute, junior midfielder e va Gaetino received a per sonal yellow card to the roar of b oilermaker fans. The more experienced
WOMEN’S
ND SOCCER
Strong start leads Belles to draw versus Aurora
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The defense was even better than I expected in the opener, but the offense experienced some hiccups. s ome were foreseen, like the Irish strug gling to run the ball without Jarrett Patterson and mini mal availability from Logan d iggs. o thers, like the rest of the offensive line struggling, and the Irish only completing ten passes, were less foreseen. m arshall has a defen sive line and pass rush that could give the Irish a better test than many expect. The Thundering herd are a tricky opponent, and flashbacks of Toledo last season make me second-guess picking total blowout in Freeman’s head coaching debut at notre d ame stadium. Talent wins out, however, and the Irish pull away in the second half. Notre Dame 34, Marshall Mannion6 McGinleyAssistant Managing Editor r egardless of the final score last weekend, the Irish looked good. The defense looked in credible, the line didn’t pick up a lot of stats but repeatedly forced c .J. s troud to prove how good he is. o n offense, the Irish didn’t excel in ev erything. There wasn’t any sort of explosion on the field, nor did the Irish take any real long-shot opportunities, ei ther because they were shut down or they chose not to. That being said, this is the weekend to push that
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The second goal last week end was for the Irish to look like they belonged on that field. Throughout the 12 years of the Kelly era, fans of college football have told a broader narrative that once the Irish made it to the big stage, they couldn’t hold their own. While there’s a lot more nuance to that dis cussion, the fact of the mat ter is the scores were never close.Whether the talent just wasn’t there for the Irish, they weren’t coached the same way or it was just a sheer mindset issue, the out comes were often blowouts. Last weekend, however, they led until the third, were only down by four un til the fourth quarter and only lost by 11 points. The Irish were by no means out of that game at any point.
“It feels great to be back at home with the fans support ing us. We are ready to move on and play the next game,” b racy said. b racy emphasized the im portance of the Irish focusing on this week’s upcoming game against m arshall and not dwelling on the past. “It’s about the next game,” b racy said. “c oach Freeman says all the time, ‘one play, one life.’ If things don’t go your way, onto the next week. Get in the film room, prac tice hard, and get ready for nextJuniorweek.”defensive lineman r ylie m ills, who finished s aturday’s game with three tackles, is also one of the an chors of the Irish defense. d espite the loss, m ills felt that the defense competed well against the b uckeyes and that the Irish could get another shot at o hio s tate in the playoffs if they continue to improve and take care of business.“Thebiggest takeaway is that we are right there. And if we take care of business and do what we can do day in and day out the rest of this season, I have no doubt that we will play that team again,” m ills said. m ills emphasized the importance of constantly improving as the season pro gresses and competing every day in practice. “As we go on this season, we have to trend upwards,” m ills said. “We have to go out and dominate every day of practice.”Whenasked about finish ing games strong this season, m ills stressed the impor tance of working hard to wards the end of practices.
d oes this mean r ees doesn’t trust b uchner? Absolutely not. r ees read the room — or the stadium for that matter. h e allowed the entire team a chance to prove themselves, not just b uchner. Jon s ot is a great ex ample of this. h e did his part as well as anyone, pinning the b uckeyes deep in their own half on several punts. h ad b uchner taken a des perate shot downfield and it went poorly, that’s an en tirely different mindset com ing off the field, one no one needs to start their collegiate career with. The shots he did take, although they didn’t all land, looked promising. This is the weekend to put those to the test. m arshall can be a threat if the Irish let them. b ut if b uchner takes control under guidance from r ees, this game will be a great space to shore up comfort levels on the field before the season grows more difficult week to week. While that 1 in the loss column is going to hurt all season, 11 points is no detri mental loss, especially when they came so late in the game. And, some of the concessions the Irish made then will not be on the table this week end. Freeman already made it well known. h e wants to be aggressive this weekend, so you won’t see that conserva tive play calling — nor should you. It’s time to define notre d ame Football for the sea son. The Irish will enter notre d ame s tadium ready to rack up the points on both sides of the ball and they’re fully ca pable of it.
ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022 | The observer insider3 as he has matured as a foot ball“Fromplayer.the minute I got here, he was talented. There was no question to how talented Ta r iq b racy is,” Freeman said. “ b ut what he has shown us is that he is able to be con sistent and perform at a re ally high-level every day.” Freeman praised b racy for his ability to play multiple positions and step into a big role as a senior. “We have used him at mul tiple positions. It’s impres sive for him to be able to play nickel and then go out to corner and then go back to nickel and to be able to ask him to do different things,” Freeman said. “ h e’s really performing right now as a senior should, and he is a guy that we are really going to depend on. I couldn’t be more pleased with his performance.” b racy was proud of the secondary’s performance on s aturday, and he emphasized the importance of competing with any opponent. “The message we sent is that we are here to play ball,” b racy said. “Any time we play, we want to come out and compete at the highest level.”“We are ready. It doesn’t matter what team we play or who it is, we just want to compete.”bracyemphasized the im portance of limiting explo sive plays, which the Irish did well for the most part against the b “Theuckeyes.receivers are going to catch the ball. That’s part of football, but we want to lim it their explosive plays and limit the yards after catch,” b racyAnothersaid. player who stood out for the Irish on s aturday was freshman cornerback b en m orrison, who finished the night with three total tackles.bracy praised m orrison for his ability to step into his first collegiate game and make an impact. “We knew what he could do coming in. We saw him ball out in our Fall camp,” b racy said. “We were 100% confident in his play, and it showed on the field.” Freeman also praised m orrison and freshman cornerback Jaden m ickey for their performance on s aturday.“Tohave Jaden m ickey and b en m orrison play and per form at the level that they did in that game as true fresh men, they are going to be special,” Freeman said. “ b oth of those players are going to be special for our football program for years to come.”bracy also praised gradu ate student safety b randon Joseph for being a captain of the Irish secondary. “ h e’s a smart player, very athletic, and can change the game,” b racy said. “ h aving a guy like that along with the rest of our safeties is very helpful playing that nick el and corner position and knowing you have help over the top.” d espite the secondary’s success against the b uckeyes, the Irish came up short, and b racy knows his team can learn from this loss. “It’s football. You are going to win some and lose some. There has to be a winner, and there has to be a loser,” b racy said. “And if you lose, you have to learn from it and bounce back.” b racy is excited to return home this weekend and feed off the crowd’s energy.
“When we get to later pe riods of practice, are guys getting tired and wavering off, or do we still have the same intensity as when we came out there?” m ills said. “There’s things like that where, as we get to the tough er part of practice you have to keep up with the same inten sity that you started.” m ills also mentioned that he and his teammates have meticu lously watched the film from s aturday’s game to look for areas that they can improve. “For me specifically, I no ticed that I have to work my pad level lower and work my moves better,” m ills said. “I’m my harshest critic, so every time I come away from a game like that and watch the film, I notice some high lights and things I did okay. h owever, there are things that I look at and realize I can do better. I just look at those and I know if I can really perfect that, I can be much greater next week.” m ills acknowledged that the defense was firing on all cylinders in the first half of s aturday’s game, and he hopes that the defense can replicate that performance going“Theforward.biggest positive is for the first half of football, we were stopping them. We were stopping the run and domi nating the guy in front of us and working moves to get to the quarterback,” m ills said. m ills believes the Irish are capable of bouncing back this season and getting an other shot at o hio s tate in the“Ifplayoffs.wejust keep preparing and being intense in practice and focusing on finishing, at the end of the season we will play those guys again,” m ills said. “I know we will be way more prepared and ready.”
Defense con TI nued F pAGe 4 PETROSKY The Observer Irish junior Rylie Mills pursues Buckeye quarterback C.J. Stroud in Notre Dame’s Sept. 3 game against Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio
Column con TI nued F rom pAGe 4
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Contact Mannion McGinley at mmcginl3@nd.edu
Contact Nate Moller at nmoller2@nd.edu nose guard from the year be fore if you didn’t know you were supposed to miss them. And that was against the number three team in the country.now,the Irish will take on the Thundering h erd, and you can expect the defense to be everywhere. e ven the cornerback room — arguably the most questionable unit on the defensive side of the ball — has stepped up to the challenge. Last weekend was a test of how good they are. n ow, it’s time for a joy ride. m arshall is a strong enough opponent that it’s an impor tant test run for just how dominant the defense can be, not just how long it can hold its own.
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Like b racy, m ills is excit ed to be back in front of the home crowd this s aturday. “I’m super pumped for it. It’s always great when you are at home and you have the crowd on your side,” m ills said. “Last week they weren’t cheering when we were mov ing down the field, so it will be nice to have that.”
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A couple conservative calls from Tommy r ees came in the form of protection for Tyler b uchner behind h iestead’s offensive line, all on the field for the first time. While they could have been game changers had they gone for it — as Freeman ul timately said he wanted to — r ees made the right deci sion. There’s a just as likely possibility that a brand new quarterback makes a mistake downfield under pressure to wards the end of a long, loud, hostile game as there is that he makes the game-winning touchdown throw. The dif ference? This way, r ees took the game — and mentally, the season — off b uchner’s shoulders. h e gave b uchner the opportunities to do what he came to do without put ting a tinted filter on his en tire season.
coLuMn Irish
By LIAM COOLICAN Associate sports editor
MAX PETROSKY | The Observer Irish graduate student TaRiq Bracy lines up a tackle in Notre Dame’s Sept. 3 game against Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio.
By MANNION McGINLEY Assistant managing editor
Matt Salerno primed for bigger role in Irish offense
KEYS To VIcToRY
Bracy, Mills prepped to lead Irish defense
The pass was tipped once, twice and then three times before m att s alerno, on his back, brought the ball in for a 31-yard gain. The improb able catch extended a n otre d ame drive early in the sec ond quarter and led to their only touchdown of the game. “It’s probably the biggest play I’ve made in my career,” s alerno said. “It was great to have that opportunity, I’m glad Tyler ( b uchner) trusted in me enough to throw me that ball.” s alerno didn’t see the field much on s aturday — he was on the field for just eight snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, but he was there when the team needed him to make a critical play. For the former walk-on, it was impactful for him to be able to contribute in such a big“That’smatchup.really my first ALLISON THORNTON | The Observer Irish graduate student Matt Salerno returns a kickoff against Oklahoma State in the 2021 Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona. prepare to define themselves
see sALerno PAGE 2
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Last weekend, the Irish fell 21-10 to the o hio s tate b uckeyes. The Irish also started a brand new quar terback, under a brand new coach, with a brand new o -line coach. Last weekend, the Irish beat the spread, scored first and led for most of the game all while the defense took on the three-headed hydra that is the b uckeye offense under c .J. s Lasttroud.weekend was a differ ent game. n ow, the Irish home opener is upon us, and n otre d ame has a different set of goals to accomplish as they take on mThisarshall.weekend, the Irish de fine themselves. o utside of pulling off a win, n otre d ame’s goals s ept. 3 had two major facets, at least from where I sat. First, keep the b uckeyes at bay. The Irish were headed into a massive stadium. They knew it would be loud, and it was. They knew it would be hostile, and it was. They knew they’d be the underdogs in a space like that, and they were. s till, the Irish defense came bounding out of the tunnel for a sack, forced s troud out of the pocket repeatedly and only allowed one touchdown in the first half. (The lowest first-half score the b uckeyes have seen under head coach r yan d ay.) They could have kept that pace too had the offense not been in a conser vative mindset in the second half. The defense was on the field for quite some time and still only let up three touch downs overall. This weekend, however, the defensive goal unequivocally has to be to join in on the scoring. With a defensiveminded head coach and Al Golden in the coordinator chair, the Irish were ready. You wouldn’t have known in o hio that the Irish lost their star safety and their starting
By MADELINE LADD Associate sports editor n otre d ame proved to be a worthy opponent against the favored o hio s tate b uckeyes last weekend. h owever, a scoreless sec ond half was the nail in the coffin for the Irish to ulti mately lose the matchup. n evertheless, they beat the brutal 17.5-point spread and showcased the team’s potential. n ext for the Irish is this weekend’s home opener against the m arshall Thundering h erd. Though the Irish are overwhelming ly favored in this matchup by the national press (also ranked the second-easiest game on the schedule by o bserver s ports s taff), they must not be complacent and look past this game. They will need to execute what was learned from the loss last weekend. h ere are three key points for n otre d ame to capture a secure win and work on some of its shortcomings. 1. Less conservative play calling Last weekend, n otre d ame came out to estab lish the run game and keep the ball out of the hands of the explosive o hio s tate of fense. This earned the Irish the lead through the end of the third quarter. h owever, the b uckeye defense soon adjusted and their changes were apparent and effec tive. In the second half, it appeared the Irish were playing not to lose, which ultimately resulted in their demise. r ees chose not to take shots downfield with deep passes and instead continued to repeatedly run the ball. This led to b uchner only completing 10 passes. There is lots of
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By NATE MOLLER sports
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SALERno FEATuRE
Keys to v ictory against marshall
DEFEnSIVE FEATuRE
AlthoughWriter the Irish came up short in last week’s seasonopening loss in c olumbus, there were plenty of positive takeaways to be had, espe cially on the defensive side of theThefootball.Irishsecondary held a potent o hio s tate offense to 223 passing yards, compared to the b uckeyes’ 683 passing yards against Utah in last season’s r ose b owl. o ne of the leaders who emerged on s aturday night was graduate student cor nerback Ta r iq b racy, who finished the game with four tackles — three of which were solo. h ead coach m arcus Freeman acknowledged that b racy has always been talent ed, but b racy has improved and become more consistent see KTv
