Lecture highlights classifications in Shakespeare’s plays
By LUCAS MASIN-MOYER
news writer
on Friday, as part of the “Folio Friday” lecture series, peter holland, the mcmeel Family c hair in shakespeare studies, spoke on impact of genre classification in the First Folio. The First Folio, currently on display in the hesburgh l ibrary, is shakespeare’s first published collection of plays. holland began his talk with a discussion of the history and the importance of the First Folio.
“The “First Folio” was
Lecturer explores Syrian conflict
By ALINE IRIHAMYE news writer
The c enter for c ivil and h uman r ights hosted a lecture Friday afternoon by r adwan Ziadeh, a senior analyst at the a rab c enter in w ashington d c ., a visiting scholar at c olumbia u niversity, the founder and director of the d amascus c enter for h uman r ights s tudies in s yria and the head of the s yrian c ommission for Transitional Justice.
Ziadeh said he has worked in the field of transitional justice since 2007.
“ w hen the s yrian uprising started in m arch 2011, it was a moment for not only s yrian scholars, but also for all s yrian people to start a transition in [the country],” Ziadeh said. “The martial law had been declared in s yria from 1963 until 2011, which is almost 49 years.”
Ziadeh said s yria was under martial law, or military dictatorship, for longer than any other country in the world.
“a ll [constitutional rights] had been suspended: freedom of association, freedom
of expression, all of that had been under systematic attack by the a ssad government. s yrians have, as they say, thousands of reasons to rebel against the government,” he said.
Ziadeh said the uprising in s yria was inspired by the peaceful demonstrations that erupted in Tunisia, e gypt, yemen and l ibya.
“ m y hometown, d aarya, which is 70 kilometers south of d amascus ... is quite famous because of the name g hiyath m atar, who the w ashington p ost called ‘ l ittle g andhi,’” Ziadeh said.
Ziadeh said g hiyath m atar was inspired by the work of m artin l uther King, Jr. and m atar believed, “we are not in a war or fighting. ... w e need to build a better s yria.”
m atar was arrested and died under torture and Ziadeh said, “ h is death was actually a milestone in the s yrian uprising. i f the a ssad government dealt with peaceful activists in this way, it pushed the s yrian uprising to turn to violence and to take arms against the
Observer elects
new top editor
Observer Staff Report
The o bserver g eneral b oard elected current n ews e ditor m argaret h ynds as e ditor-in- c hief for the 2016-2017 term this s aturday.
h ynds, a junior living in p angborn h all, is currently pursuing a major in political science with a minor in business economics.
“ m argaret is one of the most talented, resourceful and reliable reporters at this newspaper, and i can think of no one better to take on this position,”
current e ditor-in- c hief g reg h adley said. “This coming year will be a busy one for The o bserver, but
under m argaret’s leadership, i am confident it will also be a historic one.” a m c l ean, v irginia
see ediTor PaGE 3
l abor café fosters discussion on managment
By MEGAN SULLIVAN news writer
l ast Friday, the h iggins l abor s tudies p rogram hosted l abor c afé, an event held multiple times throughout the semester to promote discussion on work-related social justice issues.
d aniel g raff, director of the h iggins l abor s tudies p rogram, opened Friday’s l abor c afé discussion.
“The h iggins l abor p rogram … is an interdisciplinary unit on campus that sponsors research, teaching and conversation on any aspect of the labor question, which is at the root of every society,” g raff said.
This particular discussion was focused on the issue of abusive management, and c harlice h urst, assistant professor of management in the m endoza c ollege of b usiness, served as the discussion’s facilitator.
see syria PaGE 4
“ w hat i wanted to facilitate today is discussion around the culture of work, especially in the u nited s tates and sort of exemplified by what we see in
a mazon,” h urst said. a mazon, h urst said, was featured in a n ew york Times article that highlighted business practices
that have promoted high levels of burnout among employees and an exceedingly
see labor PaGE 4 see Folio PaGE 4
MICHAEL YU | The Observer
The Labor Café series explores work-related social justice issues through a variety of discussions and mediums such as art.
ZACH LLORENS | The Observer
Shakespeare’s First Folio is on display at Hesburgh Library until the end of the week and the Folio Friday series will conclude Friday.
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Question of the Day:
What is your favorite movie?
Erin Callaghan sophomore breen-phillips hall
“‘27 dresses.’”
Emily Gust sophomore breen-phillips hall
“‘something borrowed.’”
Micaela Cubit freshman breen-phillips hall
“‘district 9.’”
Alex Tatarian freshman breen-phillips hall
“‘grease.’”
Utkarsh Sonkiya freshman Zahm house
“‘Forrest gump.’”
Francesca Simon senior off campus
“‘l egally blonde.’”
R. City performs at a concert at Legends of Notre Dame on Saturday night. The musical duo, made up of two brothers from St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, has written for a number of arists including Miley Cyrus, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj. t he next f ive D ays: Want your event included here? Email news@ndsmcobserver.com
Monday
Sustainability Expo LaFortune Student Center
7 p.m-8 p.m. Environmental research opportunities.
Passionist Volunteer Campus Visit Geddes Hall 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Information about the program in Jamaica. Tuesday
Eat a healthy meal before donating.
Grant Proposal
4 p.m.-5 p.m.
Learn how to craft a compelling proposal.
Eat a healthy meal before donating.
“The Life of Jesus: Christ for the Curious” Coleman-Morse Center
7 p.m.-8 p.m.
In the St. Andre room. Thursday
Mindful Meditation Coleman-Morse Center
5:15 p.m.-6:15 p.m.
All students, faculty and staff may attend.
“Iron Sharpens Iron” Christian Fellowship Coleman-Morse Center
10 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Student-led worship.
Friday
Lecture: “Centuries of Shakespeare” Hesburgh Library
4 p.m-5 p.m.
Michael Witmore will present.
Graduate Student
Mass Basilica of the Sacred Heart
5:15 p.m. -6:15 p.m.
Seating will be reserved.
CAITLYN JORDAN | The Observer
Justice Friday examines MLK’s legacy
By NICOLE CARATAS news writer
i n the latest installment of the Justice e ducation Friday series, s amira p ayne, assistant director of the o ffice of c ivic and s ocial e ngagement, and g loria Jenkins, director of multicultural s ervices, discussed the legacy of m artin l uther King, Jr. in 2016, specifically with a focus on inclusivity and diversity on s aint m ary’s campus and the greater community.
“The c ivil r ights a ct of 1964 is one of the biggest achievements of the c ivil r ights movement,” Jenkins said. “it was first proposed by p resident John F. Kennedy, and it definitely survived great opposition. it was after his death that it was signed by lyndon b . Johnson.”
The c ivil r ights a ct focused on ending the legality of discrimination, Jenkins said.
“under the c ivil r ights a ct, segregation on the grounds of race, religion or national origins is banned at all places of public accommodation, including court houses, parks, restaurants, sports arenas, theaters and hotels,” Jenkins
said. “no longer could blacks and other minorities be denied service based on the color of their skin.”
Junior member of the Justice e ducation student advisory committee c aylin mc c allick said that while
“Often times, it’s a relationship that we create with someone in our community that helps change our perspective of how something is; it helps us to just open our eyes a little bit more.”
Samira Payne assistant director Office of Civic and Social Engagement
to some extent, King’s goals were met, modern times see a different form of discrimination that is not necessarily apparent at first.
“i used to think things were getting better,” mc c allick said. “Then i went on a tour of the underground r ailroad
museum, and they talked about current slavery. ... The majority of people in prison are actually black people, and it’s just a different kind of slavery that we’ve changed into.”
p ayne said one way to break down stereotypes and help fight against discrimination is to build relationships with people from all racial and ethnic backgrounds. s he said it can be as simple as striking up a conversation in the elevator or attending an event put on by one of the many multicultural groups on campus.
“The value of relationships in terms of breaking down stereotypes and being able to gain a better understanding of different cultures and people from different backgrounds is huge,” p ayne said. “not just on our campus, but in our community as well. we talked about s aint m ary’s being a bubble. it’s really hard to get outside of that bubble and a lot of people from our community have these stereotypes of what s outh b end means.
“o ften times, it’s a relationship that we create with
paid a dverT isemen T
someone in our community that helps change our perspective of how something is; it helps us to just open our eyes a little bit more,” she said. “ w hether it be on campus or off campus, i encourage you all to work to build relationships with people, because i think relationships are a primary component of how we create change.”
Jenkins said she believes students such as the ones who attended the presentation will help create the change that King dreamed of.
“it is something that, even as myself, we’re put in situations when you know you’re uncomfortable, you know it’s not right,” Jenkins said. “s o what is our role when we find ourselves in that place? it’s to make our voices heard. we’re doing what ml K wants us to do. it’s going out there and making change. you might not think it’s big, but you never know how you might have touched that person that you said ‘h i’ to or welcomed onto s aint m ary’s campus.”
Contact Nicole Caratas at ncaratas01@saintmarys.edu
native, h ynds has headed the n ews department since m arch 2015. Throughout her time in the n ews department, h ynds has written extensively about mental illness and sexual assault on campus. p rior to serving as n ews e ditor, she served as an a ssociate n ews e ditor in the winter of 2015.
“ i am delighted at the opportunity to lead The o bserver for the next year,” h ynds said. “ i ’ve learned so much in my time on this staff, and i hope to keep up the energy and enthusiasm from this year’s e ditorial b oard moving forward.
“ i look forward to continuing coverage of issues that affect the student body.” h ynds will assume the role of e ditor-in- c hief on Feb. 28.
government.”
Ziadeh said more than 6,600 people were killed in the peaceful protests between m arch and s ept. 2011.
“The total number of victims in s yria [now] exceeds 300,000,” he said. “The s yrian population dropped from 23 million before the uprising to 16 million. [There are] almost 8 million registered refugees in neighboring countries.”
Ziadeh said the a saad administration’s extensive use of air force has threatened the lives of s yrian civilians the most.
“This is why when s yrians asked for imposing of the no-fly zone in o ctober 2011, we saved thousands of lives,”
Folio
brought together by fellow actors in the Kingsmen [ shakespeare company], John heminges and henry condell in 1623,” he said. “it was the first appearance of, among others, ‘macbeth,’ ‘The Tempest,’ ‘coriolanus’ and ‘a ntony and c leopatra,’ ‘Julius caesar’ and ‘Twelfth night.’ it is a strik-
“Our awareness of genre impacts how we read, watch [or] listen to a Shakespeare play. It’s not just then a matter of putting plays into convienent groupings ... ”
Peter Holland
McMeel Family chair
Shakespeare Studies
ingly complete work, there are no solo authored shakespeare plays that survive that are not in the collection.”
a fter giving this brief background, holland moved into his discussion of the organization of the First Folio.
“The editors of the shakespeare collection ... decided to go with organization by genre,” he said. “[They called it] m r. w illiam shakespeare’s comedies, h istories and Tragedies.”
These classifications though, according to holland, prove too confusing to readers and scholars, “however heminges and condell thought they were arranging the plays, the words they used to define three genres ... are equally confusing.”
holland began his dissection of the genres by discussing shakespeare’s histories.
“it is of course perfectly clear what [ heminges and condell] took history to mean ... history means e nglish history,” he
Ziadeh said. “ i f we go back in history, in none of the cases of civil wars, in l atin a merica and in a frica, has airforce been used as extensively against civilians [as in s yria].”
Ziadeh said there has been little help provided to s yrian citizens in order to protect themselves from these air strikes.
“The only way for s yrians to get away from these missiles is to develop an early warning system ... it’s a Facebook page,” he said. “a ll the missiles are launched in the south and need 14 to 15 minutes to reach [their] targets in the north. This is why activists in the south post on Facebook the time and the minute ... for the people in the north, if they are lucky, to escape.”
Ziadeh said the specific
said. “[They are] a line of plays are arranged in strict chronological order in terms of monarchs from ‘King John’ to ‘King henry viii.’”
This classification of histories though leaves out plays such as “Julius caesar” and “a ntony and c leopatra,” which portray non-e nglish history. even plays which portray british nobility, but not e nglish histories, such as “King l ear,” are classified as tragedies and not histories.
The classification of comedies in the First Folio, holland said, may be confusing to contemporary readers, “i don’t think it would have sense to shakespeare to be concerned with whether [his comedies] were very funny, ‘hamlet’ is full of funny moments.”
The classification of comedies is based on the classic roman definition which defines a comedy as a story which is “turbulent in the beginning and tranquil at the end,” as opposed to a tragedy, which follows the opposite path.
according to holland, these classifications help to dictate how the works are approached.
“o ur awareness of genre impacts how we read, watch [or] listen to a shakespeare play.” he said. “it’s not just then a matter of putting plays into convenient groupings, instead it’s a matter of how the nature of the plays themselves as shakespeare wrote them, are engaged all the time with an awareness of what kind of genre expectations they are grappling with from beginning to end.”
holland ended his talk discussing the ultimate impact of grouping shakespeare’s plays into specific genres.
“Thinking about genre doesn’t make anything simpler, only evermore complicated in the ways that any group would,” he said. “[a s for] the playfulness of playing with genre, there is no end, but there is of this talk.”
use of barrel bombs, or unguided bombs made from large barrels filled with explosives and shrapnel, led to millions of s yrians fleeing the country.
“To stop the refugee crisis, basically, put a no-fly zone to stop the use of barrel bombs,” he said.
There are three different crises going on in s yria, Ziadeh said.
“There is the s yria transition [from dictatorship] in one hand, isis in another hand and the flow of refugees in the other hand,” he said. “ i t’s all connected to each other, and we have to see it this way. o therwise, dealing with the refugee crisis is not enough, dealing with isis is not enough. we have to see the whole picture.”
Ziadeh said the international community,
Labor
competitive culture that undermines employee wellbeing and leads to high turnover rates.
h urst said these practices may “disproportionally affect people with family obligations … and negatively impact gender equity within the company. a dditionally h urst highlight the fact that a mazon is the only major tech company in that area that doesn’t have any female executives.
w hile some companies believe that their employees thrive in a highly com
petitive environment, h urst said, the emphasis on employees conspiring against one another, forced ranking systems and the idea that “conflict breads motivation and creativity” can create a culture with negative effects.
“ you hear a lot about the great hr practices of companies like g oogle and Facebook with paternity leave now, and video games at work, and they give you food, but at the same time, the people who work there are still working 80 hours a week. They’re still living for their jobs to a great extent,” h urst said.
The discussion then shifted to the culture’s effect on the managerial side of businesses.
“ o ne of the things we kind of know from the literature is that abuse cascade down,” h urst said. “ i f you
unfortunately, does not have a grand strategy to tackle these three crises.
“ you can’t focus on isis with the a ssad government still continuing war against civilians and you can’t focus only on the refugees and allow terrorist groups like isis and al-Qaeda to operate in the country.”
Ziadeh said the implementation of a no-fly zone is critical in ending the crisis in s yria.
“ w ithout the use of force against the a ssad government, [ a ssad] has no intention to come to the table to negotiate about transition or the end of the conflict,” Ziadeh said. “a nd the a - b - c of conflict resolution, if you are actually serious and committed to end the crisis and the conflict, is that you have to put all the players
see abusive supervisors in the warehouse, it’s because of the pressure they’re getting from above them, and the pressure they’re getting.
… There is really not much an employee can do to stop abusive supervision because it’s really part of the culture.”
The discussion then broadened to the a merican culture as a whole and its emphasis on the need for
“I question how we define passion. ... Even in academia, passion is how many hours people put in basically and how many vacations they don’t take ... ”
Charlice Hurst
assisstant professor
Mendoza College of Business
hard work, competition and data-backed results to attain success. c olleges and universities were cited as an example.
“ o ur students work, all the time,” h urst said. “ we create this mentality where they come to see it as normal. we pile a lot of work on, and we also expect them to do lots of extracurriculars, and i know in the business school, we have sort of a forced ranking system where they have to get a certain average.”
“ i t’s almost like we’re creating this context to train
on the table ... the people who have influence on the ground.”
Ziadeh said he would like to see u s . leadership approach the s yrian crisis like c anadian p rime m inister Justin Trudeau and g erman c hancellor a ngela m erkel.
“This is an election year,” Ziadeh said, “The public can make a difference. a mong the 17 r epublican and d emocratic candidates, 14 at least believe in the importance of a no-fly zone. i f one of these 14 gets into the w hite h ouse, we have to [ensure that] they keep their promise because that is essential and important. “ m islead action will lead to the same consequences and crises as inaction.”
Contact Aline Irihamye at airihamy@nd.edu
people in the mindset that will lead them to accept these working conditions without question,” h urst said.
The questioning of the culture then led to a discussion on the topic of passion.
“ i question how we define passion. … e ven in academia, passion is how many hours people put in basically and how many vacations they don’t take,” h urst said. “ i f you’re 50 and have kids and an elderly parent to care for, does that mean you still can’t be passionate about your work? s o i think we have to redefine how we define passion, and everybody can bring these different gifts to the workplace.” l ooking to the future, the discussion then focused on data and data’s place in company management.
“ d ata itself doesn’t tell a story; p eople tell a story around data,” h urst said. “ we’d like to believe, those of us who study management, that a company that treats its employees well should be able to be competitive … i don’t know why there is this disconnect here; it’s almost like a race to the bottom.”
The h iggins l abor s tudies p rogram will host a variety of events this semester, including l unchtime l abor r esearch, a dvocacy and p olicy s eries ( raps ) discussions and the next l abor c afé, which will take place Feb. 5.
Contact Megan Sullivan at msulli41@nd.edu
InSIdE CoLumn
no excuse for moral relativism
John Darr scene writer
warning: s poilers for season one of b ojack h orseman
i ’ve spent an inordinate amount of time trying to convince my friends to watch b ojack h orseman. i t’s not because it’s hilarious (though it is), or because it features my h ollywood crush a lison b rie (though it certainly, certainly does), but because it makes a really good argument for being a decent human being to a generation that has embraced moral relativism.
This argument comes to a head at the end of the first season. The first ten episodes of b ojack h orseman follow a washed-up horse through hedonistic and nihilistic shenanigans while recounting his life story to his ghostwriter, d iane. a t the end of episode 11, a distraught b ojack fresh off a terrifying, revelatory drug trip begs d iane to confirm that he’s somehow still a good person, “deep down.”
“ i don’t think i believe in ‘deep down,’” d iane eventually responds. “ i think that all you are is just the things that you do.”
i n today’s world, where many messages that are meant to be positive — be yourself, all you can do is your best, and so on — can be skewed to rationalize just about any action and lifestyle imaginable (for example, “This is just who i am,” “ i just can’t do X”), d iane’s message is a much-needed one. r eligion isn’t exactly thriving among today’s youth for a plethora of reasons, and while that might not be conclusively bad in itself, that means there are less strict principles and values guiding most young people’s lives. i sure don’t have a set of values and principles that feels stable, and i ’ve spent more time than i ’d like to admit reflecting, “ wow, i feel awful for doing X, and i don’t know why” and “ i should feel awful for doing or feeling X, but i don’t and i have no idea why.”
b ut what does feel like a stable and sensible conclusion is that people “are” how they act. s ure, everyone has bad days, weeks, even months, but in the end, there’s no excuse for not being a positive influence in the world. d estroying the destructive “ i ’m a good person deep down even though i consistently do these bad things and make no effort to change them” mentality is the first step in moving towards a better life. we all have control over our own actions. l earning that from a talking horse may not be the standard procedure, but it sure worked for me.
Contact John Darr at jdarr@nd.edu
The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
An embarrassment of riches
“a n academical system without the personal influence of teachers upon pupils is an arctic winter; it will create an ice-bound, petrified, cast-iron u niversity and nothing else,” c ardinal n ewman said.
i am a writer, not an academic. o ld school, a generalist, a free-range intellectual, one whose penchant for cross-border raids — today physics, tomorrow history — has given me an outrider’s take on academe and its discontents. n o skin in that game. These days there is no shortage of scholars lamenting the kiss-off of the life of the mind.
m illenials, stacked-up in ticket-punching institutions of higher learning, provide exhibit a : a captive population whose pronounced anti-intellectual bent has caused no end of soul searching. e xcellent sheep, in the damning phrase of one despairing savant.
a t yale, the refrain is the same. s eek to engage students beyond the pro forma syllabus slog — goad or provoke them into going off the deep end — and find yourself a pariah on ratemyprofessor.com “ d ude gets all worked up about nothing.”
The a pp g eneration, transfixed by the smartphone, is not about to navigate beyond its comfort zone unless there is a tangible payoff at the end. s mart to a fault.
w hich is to say the life of their minds hinges on classroom mastery. n o revelation on the page for them. b attle-tested from birth, black belts in the heuristic arts by the third grade, they know their way around a curriculum. a nd — rule number one — it’s friend-or-foe teachers. s o boycott “all worked up.” e ntreat or cajole them to move beyond credentialism and find push-back and “ w ho is this fool?”
b ehold then, the state-of-the-art in academic freedom, the parallel universe, wherein professors do their research thing and compete in the cutthroat game called tenure, and students do their g oogle search thing and compete in the cutthroat game called careerism.
a t n otre d ame, careerism is the big man on campus, notwithstanding a shoutout to ethical qualms. a ll those brand new buildings made possible by heavy-hitters concentrate the mind greatly. s even hundred business majors. welcome corporate recruiters. The mba is the blue-and-gold standard, glad-handing flush alumni, a skill-set readily acquired on g ame d ay, go Fleecing i rish. s ky box 101. i n the other universe — all those talks and symposia begging for a paltry turnout — a noted theologian lectures on the future of the planet to — generous count — 20 people, including, mirabile dictu, an undergraduate who dares to ask an intelligent question.
i don’t know whether to be embarrassed for the students or mortified by the institution that pockets their tuition and punches their ticket. c ertainly the no-shows, in great numbers, argues for the failure
of the u niversity to inculcate a respect for learning in and of itself. s even hundred literature and history majors hanging on every word of the learned speaker.
p unch your ticket by remaining indifferent to the intellectual life of the campus. i ndeed, swamped by course work, over-burdened with parental expectations, beset at every turn by peer pressure, synapses owned by social media, prove your sliver of autonomy by evincing an anti-intellectual mentality. h ow cool is that? b y all means socialize in the library, snack too.
s o keep them out of the candy store, found in the parallel universe, a cornucopia of lectures, talks and panels about the things that really matter. n otre d ame has an impressive schedule of speakers, everything is first cabin (the receptions in particular), and the life of the mind — on life support in the classroom — flourishes on the wall posters of o ’ s haughnessy h all.
s ince o ctober, when i arrived, i have been privy to discussions about nuclear power, i ran, p rimo l evi, the wars in i raq and a fghanistan, g erman memory-making, privatization of research, social justice, working class professors, isis and p aris, the encyclicals of p ope Francis and the origins of world war i i was even able to squeeze in a talk of my own on b erkeley’s r adioactive r oberts. True, i did attend the d uffy l ecture, an embarrassment to the department of e nglish. i wanted to headbutt the speaker, too arch by half, but the reception with wine took away the m aileresque venom.
r iches then in abundance met with acute embarrassments. The gadarene rush to the exits once compulsory attendance at the lecture expires is an affront of the first order. The image that stands out, courtesy of the Jordan a uditorium, is of a valiant undergraduate attempting to ask a question while his peers stampede around him, drowning him out and rendering him invisible. The stampede into a lecture or talk — non-compulsory — would constitute a miracle, and so far on campus i haven’t witnessed one. d o you believe in miracles? o ne can only pray.
The faculty at n otre d ame is first-rate, the students are affable and courteous, and the facilities are outstanding. For an old-school writer like myself you can’t ask for a better college experience. e specially since my undergrad years (post- n avy) were spent at state-of-siege b erkeley. The b erkeley of “ o n strike? s hut it down.”
n o threat of that here. n o problem. r ather a different threat, one that arises from the too smooth operation of the u niversity. c hill. p rofess the life of the mind while looking the other way as students look askance at that life and witness a gradual shutdown of the very idea — purpose — of a university. Quo vadis, n otre d ame? i have it on good authority that c ardinal n ewman is turning in his grave.
Robert Andersen can be reached rander15@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Robert Andersen guest columnist
The President we needed
a t his final s tate of the u nion address, p resident o bama harkened back to where he started with a message of hope and change. i t was refreshing, and i must admit it was a pretty good speech overall. h e spoke to lawmakers and to the a merican people. i t was a message of unity and civic engagement. h e stayed away from bringing up divisive issues like firearms restrictions in favor of resolving to find the cure for cancer. w ho i saw during that address was a p resident who i disagreed with, but respected. w ho i saw during that address was the p resident this country needed. The things i heard p resident o bama mentioned were worth believing in, until i realized one thing:
Talk is cheap; and seven years after taking office, his promises of changing the political atmosphere for the better were left unrealized.
Friends have asked me why i dislike p resident o bama so much, why i don’t hold r epublicans as accountable as i do d emocrats when discussing the political rancor of the last few years. For me, it begins with the p atient p rotection and a ffordable c are a ct, often referred to as the aca or o bamacare. w hen p resident o bama was inaugurated, he had strong majorities in both the h ouse and s enate, with a supermajority in the latter at one point in his first two years. b ecause of this, he never really needed to meet or negotiate with r epublicans. h e decided
that he would press forward without them, and for the first time in history a landmark piece of healthcare legislation was passed without any bipartisan support. yes, d emocrats credit m itt r omney’s plan in m assachusetts as the basis for the aca , but r omney has stated that a one-sizefits-all approach simply wouldn’t work for all 50 states. w ithout attempting to garner r epublican support, he steamrolled them with the aca p resident o bama held r epublicans’ heads under water for the first two years of his presidency, allowing them very little say in any of the legislative process.
This showed p resident o bama’s legislative naiveté. w hile he was a gifted orator and politician to d emocratic voters, he had only spent two years in the s enate and apparently didn’t learn a few elements of the policymaking process. n amely, that major minority parties will more often than not eventually gain a majority and that politicians have very good memories. n o wonder that, after two years of being completely stifled, r epublicans were unwilling to compromise with their chief antagonist when they gained control of c ongress. w hile i don’t agree that dozens of attempts to repeal the aca should take place — doing so only wastes time and public funds — i completely understand why h ouse r epublicans have done so and believe such attempts lend the aca all the respect it deserves.
p resident o bama went to washington, d c ., to change the way it worked, to foster more open political discourse and bring the country together. i t was a hopeful message, but he never delivered.
i would have loved to have a p resident who was interested in compromise and working toward mutually agreeable goals. e ven though i didn’t agree with candidate o bama’s political beliefs, i thought he might actually be able to change the way politics works. h e threw any hope of compromise out the window when he stonewalled r epublicans. a ny time he speaks on an issue, he starts by attacking the gop, whether it’s firearms, healthcare or foreign policy, and later lambasts them for not compromising and working with him. h e must’ve skipped negotiation while he was at law school. i f you want to make a deal with someone, you first need to be willing to come to the table. h e complains about how divided this country has become since he took office, not realizing that it is how he has managed his office that has created the divided environment.
The p resident that o bama portrayed during his s tate of the u nion and campaign speeches is the p resident that we needed years ago and even today, but too much talk and not enough action to back up words has left the nation more politically divided than when he took office. a s much as i would like to believe he was being sincere in his s tate of the u nion address, i would be a fool to do so. a s the old saying goes, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”
Kyle Palmer is a senior from Dillon Hall studying accountancy. He welcomes any challenges to his opinions. He can be reached at kpalmer6@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Trump unstump’d
Devon Chenelle The gadfly
o ne of the most memorable scenes in 2008 film The d ark Knight depicts b atman’s first encounter with the Joker. u pon viewing the gory video announcing the Joker’s entry into g otham, b ruce wayne despairs to his butler, a lfred, that the m ob “crossed the line” allying with a madman. a lfred replies with characteristic insight, telling b atman “you hammered them to the point of desperation. a nd in their desperation, they turned to a man they didn’t fully understand.”
The r epublican p arty has lost five of the past six presidential popular votes, while surrendering ground on positions from gay marriage to healthcare. r epublican support among nonwhites remains low with no incipient signs of reversal as minorities are on track to outnumber whites by 2044 . i t’s unsurprising that when, in 2009, a far-right protest movement stormed the nation, many establishment conservatives welcomed the Tea p arty that was seemingly r epublicans’ best chance at reversing d emocrats’ successes.
The Tea p arty became a launching pad for firebrand conservative politicians and newly ideological celebrities, among them d onald Trump. The d onald transitioned from reality T v to politics by addressing key Tea p arty concerns, questioning o bama’s birthplace, vaccines’ efficacy and global warming’s existence. e ventually, seeking to harness Trump’s bombast and popularity, r epublicans embraced him. i imagine once the size of his ambitions and political potential became apparent, gop operatives wished to reverse the decision — though by then it was too late.
w ith shades of h enry iv ’s supplication at c anossa, archetypal establishment r epublican m itt r omney ventured to l as vegas in February
2012 to obtain Trump’s endorsement — and impart political legitimacy to him. i n 2013, r epublicans invited Trump to speak at the c onservative p olitical a ction c onference and to run for n ew york’s s enate seat. h owever, Trump’s ambitions exceeded a supporting role. w hen, last June, Trump entered the presidential race, most mainstream r epublicans assumed he would be an annoyance, pulling the field rightwards before collapsing like so many populist conservatives before him.
yet Trump was far too popular, rich and clever to be gradually sidelined. Just as the Joker caught g otham’s old criminals flat-footed, Trump ran roughshod over the r epublican primary’s stodgy contenders. weeks from the i owa primary, Trump continues to defy the accepted political wisdom and the ardent desire of his own party, as his polled voter numbers persistently hover around 15 percentage points above his nearest primary competitor. Though he is far from securing victory, each day Trump maintains his lead, he inches towards the nomination.
i f Trump triumphs, it is not just because of a solitary and recent r epublican “deal with the devil.” i t will have been a development long in the making, for since n ixon’s 1968 s outhern s trategy and r eagan’s alliance with activist evangelicals the gop has shifted away from moderation and pragmatism and towards conservative populism. The Tea p arty is the latest outgrowth of a trend towards dogmatic ferocity, a dogmatism now so pronounced that last o ctober far-right congressmen deposed s peaker b oehner (whom The a tlantic called “probably the second most conservative speaker” in a merican history) for ideological impurity. This trend has been abetted by the gop ’s reliance on unbendingly conservative media, especially talk radio. m any of these outlets, particularly a cluster of online voices, are now among Trump’s most steadfast allies. Trump is not the primary frontrunner
r epublicans wanted, nor is he likely the one they needed. h e is, however, certainly the one they deserved.
d emocrats’ hands are not bloodless in the rise of Trump. The grassroots emphasis of o bama’s campaigns presaged and shared the demotic nature of Trumps’ run. m ost significantly, both parties are complicit in the formation of a political system that encourages simultaneous public demagoguery and private begging of wealthy donors, while also driving the media to ignore the nuanced and highlight the attention-grabbing. Trump has exploited this system masterfully; he is an excellent demagogue, his wealth removes him from the necessity of donation begging, and his ratings appeal drives the media to cover each outrageous statement. Trump’s success is as much the result of a merican politics’ built-up systematic failings as it is the r epublicans’ desperate alliance with the man.
g otham’s criminals’ Faustian bargain unfolded predictably; the Joker eventually exterminated his former employers. Though i doubt Trump will destroy the gop, his candidacy does bring a merica to a crossroads. w hether a merican politics embraces or recoils from Trump’s polarizing populism will determine much about our nation’s future. n ietzche wrote “beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster ... for when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.” a merica’s politicians have spent generations with eyes locked on the abyss of populism and partisan hatred. The abyss now gazes back in the form of a politically astute real-estate dealer. l et us hope the shock of reciprocation breaks, rather than amplifies, the stare.
Devon Chenelle is a sophomore in Keough Hall. He is a history major with an Italian minor. He can be reached at dchenell@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Kyle Palmer m r. p recedent
By JACK RIEDY scene writer
it’s a story that’s become depressingly familiar. a young girl crying on the news, a man hauled off in handcuffs, neighbors left to wonder how it could have gone on so long in their own backyards without anyone noticing. “room,” the recently announced best picture nominee, tells the fictionalized story of a kidnapped woman and the son she raises in captivity. somehow, buried in this dark premise, the film finds an optimistic vein of hope.
The script for “room,” adapted by emma donoghue from her own 2010 novel, preserves the central conceit of its source. The story unfolds not from the perspective of the kidnapped woman but instead through the eyes of Jack, her five-year-old son, played by Jacob Tremblay. born and raised in a minuscule soundproof shack, Jack knows nothing of the world outside. The only light comes through a cloudy skylight window. The young mother, known only as ma, played by brie larson, has explained away their glitchy television as signals from another planet and invading animals as one-of-a-kind creatures. This alien perspective creates a staggering disconnect for the audience. Though viewers realize the claustrophobia-inducing size of the titular room, director lenny abrahamson uses creative angles to show how it could really be an entire universe to someone who knows
nothing else. Furthermore, Jack does not realize the horror of his mother’s situation, prompting some truly infuriating moments in which he acts like a petulant child.
The emotional strain on larson’s character is decimating, to say nothing of the sexual abuse she suffers from old nick, her kidnapper. abrahamson keeps this abuse off-screen, mirroring Jack’s ignorance as he hides in a cabinet. in an era when sexual violence is increasingly prevalent on television and other media, it’s refreshing to see a film that deals with the consequences without actually depicting the crime.
“room” begins on Jack’s fifth birthday, as ma begins to tell him the truth about the outside. she crafts a plan for him to fake illness and escape. in a different film, this pursuit of freedom would likely take up the entire runtime. here — and this is no spoiler — Jack and ma’s liberation occurs midway through. Though the audience may share Jack’s disorientation, the sense of relief is palpable when mother and son wake up in a sun-dappled hospital.
The rest of the film deals with their struggle to adjust to a quote-unquote normal life. Joy, Jack’s ma returning to her birth name, grapples with losing seven years of her young adulthood to a random act of depravity. Jack is distrustful of all the new people and places in his life and yearns to return to room, which he sees as his home. even after their liberation, the scope of the story remains
limited, adding a few new characters but mostly staying confined to Joy’s childhood home. Though Joy has been physically set free, she still feels trapped by the psychological trauma she endured. it’s rare to see a mainstream film treat mental health with such nuance; hopefully it will inspire others to do the same.
The relationship between the two leads is what propels the film forward. made up of the same highs and lows of any parent-child relationship, it feels authentic. a s Jack, Tremblay’s performance never feels cloying, and his dialogue avoids any artificial cuteness as well. brie larson is revelatory as Joy. she portrays a strong woman, not in a one-dimensional ass-kicking sense, but as a complex, determined survivor. even as she projects certain emotions outwards to other characters, she hints at the depth of feeling behind those fronts. Joy and Jack rely on each other equally to make it through their hardship, and their bond is unbreakable.
“room” is a dark story, but it ultimately reaches an inspiring conclusion. a s the camera pans skyward in the final shot, the audience finally feels the freedom for which the characters fought so hard. in an age when oscar bait is easily recognizable, this film earns every award nomination, not to mention every tear of joy shed by the viewer.
Contact Jack Riedy at jriedy@nd.edu
By JOHN DARR scene writer
There is a jolt of true terror that hits you when you step into a room and realize you’ve arrived embarrassingly and inexcusably late. a s everyone stares at you — some disdainful, some curious, some simply bored — you have to shuffle off, bow your head and take a seat. i n most circumstances, however, life does go on. i t’s all going to be alright in the end.
e xcept, of course, when it’s not. “Fargo,” a masterwork of cinema written and directed by Joel and e than c oen, conjures the familiar terror of lateness in its first scene. i t lingers like frozen breath throughout the film’s runtime, pervading the small n orth d akota town that serves as the film’s namesake. w hen the film’s bumbling, nervous anti-hero Jerry l undegaard stumbles into a dim bar to hire a pair of thugs to kidnap his own wife, he’s late not only for their sketchy meeting. Jerry’s also too late to repair the dynamic of his splintering family, one in which he is no longer able to ask his wealthy spouse for much-needed money but instead must extort her and her parents through
shaky and desperate schemes.
a s the film progresses, Jerry repeatedly tries to escape the reality of the situation he’s found himself in. u nfortunately, he’s a weak man who lacks the respect of those around him and doesn’t know how to earn it without indirectly putting a gun to their heads. u nlike so many drama and crime films that h ollywood churns out, “Fargo” makes a convincing and original case for domestic conflict. The tension that crackles beneath the surface is never fully explained; while Jerry’s economic issues serve as a catalyst for the action driving the film, the conflict stems from the messy nature of crime itself and the constant stress of those who are driven to commit one.
The film earns the bulk of its power, and a surprising amount of humor, from the tedious and complex reality it supposedly draws its story from. i n most scenes, depictions of day-to-day struggles flesh out the groundwork for the wacky traits assigned to each character and setting. Jerry’s menacing father-in-law bares his teeth and growls at a hockey game on a petite television set. o ne of the hired thugs passive-aggressively demands a second meal of pancakes after having them
earlier for breakfast. The nearby town of b rainerd is guarded by an indescribably terrifying statue of p aul b unyan. The c oen brothers’ attention to detail imbues the film with crackling life, allowing their bleak setting of winter-struck m innesota to breathe with life and warmth despite its imposing, cold landscape.
That crackling life runs through the stellar performances of “Fargo’s” all-star cast. From Frances m c d ormand’s o scar-winning performance as a delightfully no-nonsense cop to s teve b uscemi’s droll portrayal of a perpetually dismayed hired hand, each player in the cast vitalizes their role. n otably, there’s no one actor here who misses out on the opportunity to capture the innate humor of the m innesotan accent. The film is worth watching for its “ o h yas” alone.
“Fargo” is a film where each part comes together with incredible grace to capture a very specific corner of our universe. i f you’re at all interested in crime thrillers, black humor, a merican culture or film in general, “Fargo” is a must-watch. m ake sure to catch it on n etflix before it really is too late.
Contact John Darr at jdarr@nd.edu
By ERIN McAULIFFE scene e ditor
Friday night, after circumnavigating the commerce center in search of a fire escape (the noted entrance on the birdsell project’s event Facebook page), i arrived at the student art reception in a panicked manner akin to the aesthetic and premise of the work — a response to space.
i descended cement steps into a small room where i was handed a pamphlet and assured that this was indeed a function sponsored by notre dame’s Teaching beyond the classroom grant, funded by earl and darielle linehan, and not a cult gathering. straight but disjointed hallways past shower rooms in the retired gym facility spit us out into a corridor with a window open to an installation of mirrors. alas, our destination proved a journey as well.
The set-up was a sprawling maze in the basement of the commerce center — a power plant turned health club. while the space now houses numerous businesses, the basement was left untouched. myles robertson and nalani stolz started the birdsell project “to revitalize once abandoned spaces by opening them to artists and the community.”
“i would go and scope out these abandoned spaces whenever i got the chance and kind of imagine things, but it never really seemed like a reality,” stolz said.
eventually the dream came to fruition: in 2014, the pair started their project out of the birdsell mansion outside downtown south bend, which hosted album releases, art installations and a student thesis entitled “get off” last year. as the mansion proved a hard building to climate regulate, the commerce center proved a promising winter alternative.
The discourse of “can i touch this? — don’t touch that! — it’s interactive” abounded at the exhibit on Friday. some works enticed the viewer to engage: touching and immersing oneself in the work. Turrets held installations that allowed one to walk in and explore intimately, lights were assembled to encourage adjustment and mirrors hung in pieces — selectively twisting perspective. a specific example of audience integration was a piece that featured three females assembled out of mixed media and hung on a mirror. viewers inevitably entered the work and were prompted to consider today’s standards of beauty and self-identity.
The overall atmosphere at the event buzzed with chatter and hummed along to south bend musician eta carinae and matt Teter’s electronic, lulling and jazz-inspired sound. There was an ever-present shuddering of “sorta creepy”
mingled with harmonious “oohs.”
The space featured an array of rooms that existed on two sides of the center: a carpeted section featuring diagonal wooden beams that resembled a 1980s “Twin peaks”-esque sauna (fitting the retired health center vibes) and a more desolate cement-based section (fitting the abandoned basement schema). students were introduced to the space and its history in october. They worked onsite for three weeks leading up to their final critique.
notre dame sophomore christina allende reflected on her experience with the Teaching beyond the classroom initiative at the commerce center.
“like with any subject, working outside of the classroom is vital to reach a better understanding — especially when it involves one’s creative process. we first saw the commerce center basement together as class and each chose a space we wanted to work in.
“i loved working on-site; being somewhere unfamiliar pushed me to be a little more adventurous. most of us as students had never shown our work in the south bend community, beyond campus borders.
“essentially, our assignment was to respond to the space. it was quite open-ended, leaving us with the choices of concept, content, medium and style,” allende said. issues like racism, beauty standards, police brutality, decay and fronting on social media were addressed. as the uniting aspect of the project existed more in process than message, students addressed all different aspects of society in their works. some attendees found it all a bit hard to digest: met with all these issues in a space where no end is in sight felt overwhelming to some. however, it was this aspect that allowed me to fully immerse in the mindset and physicality of the project. hit from all angles mentally and physically, i was left exhausted but introspective: external flooding of the senses and emotions forced me to sort and muse on things internally.
as there is the ever-present notion of the “notre dame bubble” and separation between south bend and the student body, the project proved itself a great integration tool. This project specifically got students off campus, out of the classroom and into a place that encouraged them to push convention and spark creativity in freedom of expression.
mark welch, concurrent assistant professional specialist, worked with a drawing i class at the commerce center last semester and spoke to the advantages of the collaboration.
“we take a very traditional, academic approach in the first
part of the semester, really focusing on learning to see and to translate three-dimensional reality onto a two-dimensional surface,” welch said. “That takes a lot of focus and there’s not a lot of freedom in those kinds of exercises. Transitioning to a more conceptual, experimental and contemporary approach takes a real leap of faith and a lot of trust. The students weren’t intimidated at all, though. They really rose to the occasion. Talking with the rest of the faculty who participated, there was a universal sense of pride in the students’ work.”
one of welch’s drawing i classes had the opportunity to partner with the birdsell project on a smaller scale in the birdsell mansion last spring.
“students worked side-by-side with professional artists to research and respond to the history of that space and its former occupants,” welch said. “That work was incorporated into a wider exhibition at the mansion entitled ‘discord.’ so, we were able to showcase the work in that context.”
however, Friday’s event gave rise to a much larger body of work, involved more participants and saw more visitors.
“[last semester] we didn’t have this kind of student-community interaction. community participation was an expressly stated goal of this project and that’s the point of the Teaching beyond the classroom grant.
“i was really pleased and surprised with the turnout. we kind of lost count, but there were easily more than 300 guests in the course of the evening and probably 65 to 70 percent were students. it was great to see so many students off campus for an event like this and to see them interacting with the south bend community. it was a very diverse crowd on pretty much every dimension. The birdsell project has a strong and dedicated following. couple that with 50-plus students and their friends, and maybe we shouldn’t have been so surprised to get such great numbers,” welch said.
on the impact of the collaboration and the opportunities for students of any major to immerse more fully in the department of art, art history and design with the addition of the studio art minor, welch predicts positive outcomes.
“who knows, with this many students seeing the end product, maybe it will prompt someone in attendance to say, ‘hey, this looks like something i’d like to be a part of.’”
The exhibit is open one final time at the commerce center (401 e colfax ave.) this sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Contact Erin McAuliffe at emcaulif@nd.edu
MARY McGRAW and LAUREN WELDON
Happy Birthday: Keep everything in perspective and don’t let what others do deter you from doing your own thing. if you waste time worrying about what everyone else thinks or does, you will end up missing out on an opportunity to make positive changes to your standard of living. personal improvements should be at the top of your to-do list. your numbers are 3, 5, 13, 24, 36, 43, 49.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): use your energy to show your love and affection for someone special. Try not to let jealousy well up and cause discord. The choice is yours: you can be fun to be with, or you can make a fuss.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): personal problems will escalate if you choose to disagree. do your best to be mindful of others and use diplomacy when discussing domestic matters. offer love and compassion, not negativity and anger. nothing can be resolved if you aren’t willing to compromise.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): you can’t buy love, but you can buy personal security if you put your money into a worthwhile investment. moderation is encouraged and will help to keep the peace at home. strive to stabilize your financial situation.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): a vacation or day trip with someone you love will bring you closer together. making changes to your surroundings will boost your spirits and encourage you to speak up about the things that make you happy. personal progress can be made.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Keep busy and stay out of trouble. Take care of your responsibilities before someone complains. work toward positive change. network with the people who can help you advance. Keep your emotions under control and finish what you start.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): review paperwork or research you have done in the past that can help you come up with a solution for a financial matter that is causing you worry. romance will help ease your stress. share your concerns.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): be inventive and agreeable and you will avoid any negativity that is festering at home or within a group you belong to. bring about personal changes that will encourage you to surround yourself with people who are forward-thinking.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): helping someone else will increase your popularity and make others aware of your skills and dedication. don’t be afraid to ask for favors or make suggestions that will benefit you. your sincerity will be appreciated.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Keep your temper under control and your ideas reasonable. don’t be misled by someone who is a smooth talker. look for facts to back up any idea or plans that are offered. only work toward change that you feel you can handle.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): stay on top of what’s being done and what isn’t. you’ll have to pick up loose ends if you are going to stay on track. an energetic approach to whatever you do will show others you are capable of getting things done.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): protect against illness or injury. Taking care of your health will ensure that you can handle the changes happening in your life. an unexpected event will bring you good fortune and happiness. Focus on the ones you love.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): you will feel stressed if you haven’t lived up to a promise or fulfilled a dream. don’t hesitate to ask for help. working alongside others to reach a common goal will bring you closer together and encourage romance.
Birthday Baby: you are independent, trendy and progressive. you are innovative and entertaining.
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NBA, NHL need to play fewer games
Rachel O’Grady sports writer
a ll my life, i’ve been called a bandwagon blackhawks and bulls fan. it’s a fair assessment: i couldn’t tell you the score of any of their past five games without looking them up, and i usually don’t watch either team play unless it’s in the playoffs or they happen to be on.
having said that, it’s not for lack of love towards either team. it’s just an aggressive time commitment to watch all 82 games (make it 164 if i’m watching both teams all the time), plus the additional playoff games. For both leagues, 82 games are way too many.
beyond my own selfish reasons of not wanting to be called a bandwagon fan anymore, 82 games is fundamentally dangerous. The n F l , with its 16-game seasons, still racks up an enormous amount of injuries. w hile the nba and the nhl are not as fundamentally dangerous and injury-ridden as the n F l , 82 games is an enormously large number of games to play without expecting a fairly high rate of injuries.
Take, for example, derrick rose. i wasn’t alive for most of the 1990s c hicago bulls glory, so in 2008 it was pretty exciting to score the numberone draft pick, and the city of c hicago was hopeful for the upcoming seasons. a fter winning rookie of the year and then mvp a few years later, there was talk and genuine hope for a championship.
a nd then he tore his acl a nd then he tore his meniscus. a nd then he needed more surgery. a nd so on and so forth.
b y now all hopes of a ring have vanished from the larger bulls fandom. c ould these injuries have been avoided with fewer games? perhaps. The wear and tear of playing a professional basketball game three or four times a week hurts anyone not in peak physical condition.
The same logic applies for hockey, if not to an even greater degree. even watching a hockey game can make my mom nervous for the players, people she doesn’t even know,
because it just looks so brutal. it’s arguably the bloodiest sport, and they play at the highest level several times a week. There’s no way that’s healthy.
w hile concern for the player’s well being is important, there is also something to be said for the quality of each game with these impossibly long seasons. c oaches, wisely, have been benching their stars to rest them for the playoffs, which leads to angry fans who paid significant sums of money to watch these key players. notably, last march, warriors coach steve Kerr decided to bench his star players, including stephen c urry, for a game against the nuggets, frustrating fans who paid specifically to see them play.
Kerr made a wise decision. There are so many games, and these players needed to be well-rested and uninjured for the playoffs, so it’s smart to rest them for a game or two. at the same time, it’s remarkably unfair to the fans who may only go to one game a season. i’m not alone in this argument. There are a number of articles on the subject, but more importantly, several bigname players have said they think 82 games is too many. i n august, for example, blake griffin voiced his opinion to cbssports.com at Team usa mini-camp. he argued 66 games over the same timeline as the current season would reduce player fatigue and injuries.
“i f you have less games, less back-to-backs, the product’s better. The fans will appreciate it more,” he said.
The same basic principle applies to hockey as well, particularly as hockey can be so intense and draining.
understandably, it comes down to the money, but it would be better for both the players and the fans if the nba and the nhl considered not playing 82-plus games. more importantly, i really want to stop being called a bandwagon fan.
Contact Rachel O’Grady at rogrady@nd.edu
The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Manning, Broncos to return to Super Bowl
Associated Press
denver — w hen peyton manning was watching games from the locker room a few months ago, none of this seemed possible.
manning back on the field, playing the role of the most decorated game manager in history.
manning churning his 39-year-old legs around right end for a 12-yard gain and a first down.
manning back in the super bowl.
The strangest season of no. 18’s hall of Fame-ready career will play itself out all the way to the last game. manning and the denver broncos are heading to the super bowl, thanks to his efficient offense and a big-play defense that saved a 20-18 victory over Tom brady and the new england patriots on sunday.
“it’s been a unique season,” manning said. “a nd this game today was a unique football game.”
manning’s third-quarter scramble for a first down — “The run,” he called it, using air quotes — might be the
most celebrated scramble by a broncos quarterback since John elway helicoptered in the super bowl, 18 years ago. it was certainly the most unexpected.
“he’s going to do what he has to do to win,” broncos coach gary Kubiak said. “he’s one of the greatest competitors ever in this league.”
That play helped flip the field early in the second half for the broncos (14-4). Then, defense saved the day.
manning’s fourth trip to the super bowl wasn’t wrapped up until cornerback bradley roby picked off brady’s pass on a 2-point attempt that would have tied it with 12 seconds left.
brady hit a double-covered rob gronkowski in the back of the end zone on fourth down from the 4 to set up the potential tie. The patriots had to go for 2 because stephen gostkowski pushed an extra point to the right in the first quarter — his first miss in 524 tries.
“a ll day, these guys put their bodies and lives on the line, and for me to come out here and miss a kick, it’s a nightmare scenario,” gostkowski said.
That left it to one play, and
after the broncos took a timeout to give demarcus ware time to rest and get back in the game, aqib Talib stepped in front of brady’s pass and deflected it skyward.
roby, who forced the gamechanging fumble in last week’s victory over pittsburgh, made the pick. The broncos recovered the onside kick and the celebration began.
manning improved to 6-11 in his vaunted series against brady, but 3-1 with the a Fc title on the line. manning surpasses elway as the oldest quarterback to take his team to the super bowl. The broncos will play carolina, a 49-15 winner over a rizona in the nFc game. new england (13-5) came up short and won’t get a chance to go back-to-back and win a fifth lombardi Trophy.
The patriots lost their last two regular season games to squander home-field advantage. in a game that came down to one play, that may have made a difference. a nother possible factor: bill belichick’s decision to pass up short field-goal attempts twice in the fourth quarter while trailing by eight. nFL
panthers rout cardinals to claim n Fc title
Associated Press
charloTTe, n c. — superman is headed for the super bowl.
he’s taking the carolina panthers with him.
cam newton threw for two touchdowns and ran for two others, and carolina’s big-play defense stifled the league’s topranked offense in a 49-15 romp sunday for the n Fc championship. it was the most points for a winner of an n Fc title game.
The n Fl’s new top man at quarterback — newton is an a ll-p ro this season — will lead the panthers against five-time mvp peyton manning and the denver broncos in two weeks. carolina is favored by four points.
“playing the sheriff,” newton said of manning. “we’re going to live in the moment right now. we’re going to be excited.” it will be newton’s first trip to the super bowl and the second trip to the big game for the panthers (17-1), who lost to new england 12 years ago. denver, of course, has made a habit of going to super bowls, reaching it for a record-tying eighth time.
“we won as a team,” newton
said. “we came out here and fought our tails off and we did what a lot of people said we couldn’t do. it’s not over yet. we’ll be ready to go in two weeks.”
a nd while the broncos’ defense carried it past new england 20-18 for the a Fc crown, carolina’s d was just as destructive. it picked off carson palmer four times, forced two fumbles by him, and never let up the assault.
special teams also had a takeaway, and when carolina grabbed a 24-7 halftime lead this time, it didn’t back off, as it did in nearly blowing a 31-point margin a week ago vs. seattle.
w hen newton flew into the end zone for a 12-yard thirdquarter touchdown — no, he didn’t have a cape on — he posed like a superhero, dabbed a bit, and pointed the panthers toward the bay a rea and super bowl 50.
newton finished with 335 yards passing and 47 rushing as carolina won its 13th straight home game, including three in the playoffs.
one of his biggest helpers was Ted ginn Jr., who was dumped by the cardinals after
last season. ginn had a 32-yard punt return to set up his weaving 22-yard T d run, and chased down a ll-p ro cornerback patrick peterson to prevent a second-quarter touchdown. he also had 52 yards on two receptions.
carolina’s defense did the rest, most notably making palmer uncomfortable in the pocket and turning l arry Fitzgerald, the star of last week’s overtime victory against green bay, into a virtual non-entity. it led the league with 39 takeaways, and at times it made an a rizona team that gained more yards than anyone look amateurish.
“we wanted to come out and play a complete game and i think the guys up front played exceptional,” linebacker luke Kuechly said. “There was pressure all day.” capping the barrage was Kuechly, who returned an interception 22 yards for a score. The 49 points were the most this season for carolina, which led the n Fl with 500 points. The last time a team scored as many as 49 in a conference title game was 1990, when buffalo beat the l os a ngeles raiders 51-3 in the a Fc
Belles fall in final minute at home against Olivet in MIAA play
By R.J. STEMPAK sports writer
saint mary’s lost in heartbreaking fashion saturday at home to olivet, 52-49.
The belles (1-17, 1-8 miaa) led the comets the entire game until the 3:35 mark in the fourth quarter at a ngela athletic Facility. They were unable to reclaim the lead before the buzzer sounded.
The belles opened saturday afternoon on a hot streak, scoring the first eight points of the contest. a fter conceding only a single basket to the comets (108, 6-3), saint mary’s continued its offensive dominance in the first, pushing its lead to 15-2. driving the first quarter scoring charge was senior captain and forward Krista Knapke. she tallied seven points and three rebounds in the quarter.
The belles scored on 61.5 percent of their attempts in the first, while at the same time holding olivet to 16.7 percent. This being the second of two meetings between these teams this year, belles head coach Jennifer henley said her team entered game with a defensive game plan that served as the foundation for their first quarter success.
“we’ve been working really hard collapsing down on help side when they are attacking off the drive, because they get a lot of their points off the drive,” henley said. “From that point recovering back out on the help side when they do their kick out. i felt our kids did a good job at that this game.”
To close the first, belles junior guard a spen davis converted a
buzzer-beating three-pointer, increasing the belles’ lead to 12 points. in the second quarter, saint mary’s offense cooled off, but its defense never let up, preventing easy looks for olivet, who shot 24 percent in the half.
The belles’ offense was spread around in the second, with their four field goals coming from four different players. saint mary’s went into halftime with a 26-17 lead.
olivet darted out of the break with a reinvigorated offense, scoring a jumper and two layups to trim the lead to three with seven minutes left in the third
period. a three-pointer from the top of the key by belles senior captain and guard maddie Kohler halted olivet’s run and pushed the lead back to six. The comets’ shots were falling, but the belles answered every basket thrown at them.
saint mary’s kicked off the final quarter with a, 39-33, lead. olivet started strong, quickly cutting the lead to three after two minutes. Knapke responded for the belles with a layup, halting the comets’ attempt to control of the game.
but saint mary’s was unable to hold them off, as olivet’s
constant defensive pressure led to four back-to-back turnovers halfway through the fourth.
“we got to a point where we started trading baskets for a minute there and then we had a couple consecutive turnovers down the stretch which hurt us,” henley said. “at the same i felt like they did everything i asked.”
a total of eight turnovers in the fourth quarter was too much for the belles to overcome, as they saw their game-long lead slip away, 52-49. The game came down to the wire, with saint mary’s having a chance to win with 10 seconds left and
weather cancels weekend action
Observer Staff Report
The fencing meet in which n otre d ame was scheduled to compete was cancelled this past weekend due to winter storms on the e ast c oast.
b oth the men’s and women’s squads were supposed to take part in the s t. John’s/ nyu i nvitational on s aturday and s unday.
Following the cancellation, the i rish will return to action next weekend when they take part in the n orthwestern d uals. The event will take place at n otre d ame’s c astellan Family c enter because of ongoing renovations at n orthwestern’s h enry c rown s ports p avilion.
possession, down a single point. a stolen inbounds pass took this chance from the belles.
Knapke led the belles with 11 points on 5-9 shooting along with six rebounds. Junior forward Kelsey ronan contributed 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds, while senior captain and forward eleni shea added eight points and seven rebounds. The belles are back in action for a rematch against calvin on wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at a ngela athletic Facility.
Contact R.J. Stempak at rstempak@nd.edu
CAITLYN JORDAN | The Observer
Belles sophomore forward Gabby Diamond surveys the defense during Saint Mary’s 52-49 loss to Olivet on Saturday at Angela Athletic Facility. Diamond scored four points and pulled down two rebounds.
CAITLYN JORDAN | The Observer Belles senior forward Eleni Shea takes a shot during Saint Mary’s 52-49 loss to Olivet on Saturday at Angela Athletic Facility. Shea, one of the team’s captains this season, netted eight points during the game, which Saint Mary’s led until late in the fourth quarter, tied with 27 seconds remaining amd ultimately lost to the Comets.
performances of the season.
“ i was really happy with the defense, which doesn’t happen often,” m c g raw said. “That was great. we did a lot of really good things defensively. i thought we talked; we communicated; we just really worked. i thought it was very intense, and they did a good job knowing who the shooters were.”
i n particular, m c g raw said playing four guards allowed them to bother the v irginia Tech shooters and shift the momentum.
“ i didn’t know if we’d have an advantage going to four guards, but i think when a rike came in, i think that’s when things really started to turn for us,” m c g raw said. “ i think it was a good move defensively for us to be able to do that.”
The effect of this strategy became apparent quickly. a t the end of the first quarter, the i rish were hanging on to an 11-7 lead. b y halftime, the lead had grown to 20. a lthough sophomore starting forward b rianna Turner was the team’s leading scorer with 18 points, m c g raw said it was the bench that sparked the offensive turnaround for the i rish.
“ i thought we started the game looking a little fatigued [from] our third game in a week,” m c g raw said. “ we just couldn’t get the energy, and then i thought we got it off
the bench. [Freshman guard a rike o gunbowale] came in and gave us great energy. [ s ophomore guard m ychal Johnson] gave us some good energy, so i think it was really important tonight. The bench was really key.” d epth proved to be a significant advantage for the i rish. o f the h okies 41 total points, only five came from their bench. i n contrast, the i rish got 42 points from their bench alone. The bench was led by o gunbowale’s 15 points and freshman guard m arina m abrey’s 12. a fter the game, m c g raw
the stretch run here for him to start heating up.”
scoring ability, but for whatever reason he struggled at the start of the year offensively,” i rish head coach Jeff Jackson said about the p lymouth, m innesota, native s unday afternoon. “There’s no better time than the second half and especially in
Jackson said while he would like to see a little more consistency in l ucia’s game, when the 6-foot-3, 206-pound winger is “playing with his jam” he has the ability to take control of a game.
“The goal he scored [ s aturday] night, that was a power forward’s move,”
said o gunbowale’s ability and desire to score coming off the bench is much needed on this team, particularly in a game like this when the offense picks up slowly.
“ i want her to look to score,” m c g raw said. “ s he’s got a scorer’s mentality, [and] we need that. we don’t have a lot of that. we have a lot of players who are pass first, and we need somebody that’s really looking at the basket. e specially in a game like this, when we need to get things going. i think her shot selection has gotten a lot better throughout the season.”
Jackson said. “ h e took the puck, he protected it, he took it to the net, and he didn’t give up because he scored on maybe the second rebound even.
“ i t was a big time goal. i t was a pro hockey goal.”
l ucia was far from the only i rish player to extend notable personal streaks over the weekend. s ophomore left wing a nders b jork pushed
o gunbowale credits her continually growing comfort within the offense to her success as the team’s offensive spark off the bench this season, she said.
“ i think i ’m getting more comfortable, and i know what [ m c g raw] wants me to do, so i ’m trying to do that,” o gunbowale said.
m c g raw was also pleased to see Johnson contribute on both ends of the court against the h okies and hopes to see her continue to shoot the ball, she said.
“ s he played really well defensively in the last game,
his current point streak to 10 games (seven goals and eight assists over the span) while sophomore center Jake e vans and freshman defenseman b obby n ardella bumped their streaks to six and seven games, respectively. b jork scored a goal Friday night and then chipped in an assist s aturday while e vans mirrored him, assisting on senior left wing s am h err’s goal Friday night before scoring a power play goal himself s aturday night. n ardella dished out three total helpers on the weekend.
Jackson maintained consistency throughout the lineup has allowed his team to sustain its high-level of play since the i rish began their unbeaten streak with a 3-1 win over western m ichigan on n ov. 28.
“ we’ve had many different games, different types of games,” Jackson said. “ s ome games we’ve relied on our goaltender too much. s ome games it’s been our special teams that’s done a really good job, but i think it’s just right now the balance we’re getting from our four lines and our six defensemen.
“ … i t certainly makes it tough to play against when we’ve got that many guys who are all playing at the
and today she was able to make some shots too and play well defensively” m c g raw said. “ s he really played a complete game tonight, and she’s capable of that. i ’d like to see her do that more, shoot the ball more actually.” n otre d ame will look to continue their undefeated start in the acc on Thursday when they travel to m c c amish p avilion in a tlanta to take on g eorgia Tech. Tipoff for the game is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Contact Ben Padanilam at bpadanil@nd.edu
same level.”
The i rish were in control of Friday’s game from the opening minutes. s ophomore center c onnor h urley put n otre d ame ahead just 3:15 into the game, and l ucia stretched the lead to 2-0 just over three minutes later. b jork, h err and l ucia’s second also scored for the i rish, while the w ildcats beat sophomore netminder c al p etersen on a penalty shot at the end of the second period. o n s aturday, n otre d ame jumped out to a 2-0 lead again on power play goals from senior center Thomas d i p auli and e vans, but the w ildcats scored a pair of second period goals to tie the score headed into the third period. l ucia’s third goal of the weekend put the i rish in front for good though.
n otre d ame returns to c ompton Family i ce a rena this weekend to face n o. 4 b oston c ollege on Friday at 7:35 p.m. The i rish and g olden e agles met in c hestnut h ill, m assachusetts, on d ec. 10, when n otre d ame scored three third period goals to stun its rival en route to a 4-3 victory.
Contact Zach Klonsinski at zklonsin@nd.edu
MACKENZI MARINOVICH | The Observer
Irish freshman defenseman Bobby Nardella takes a shot during Notre Dame’s 7-2 victory over Merrimack at Compton Family Ice Arena. Nardella is currently riding a seven-game point streak.
GRACE TOURVILLE | The Observer
Irish freshman guard Arike Ogunbowale dribbles upcourt during Notre Dame’s 79-66 victory over Tennessee on Jan. 24 at Purcell Pavilion.
Ogunbowale scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out two assists during Notre Dame’s 80-41 win over Virginia Tech on Sunday.
paid a dverT isemen T
shots, including a few free throws, for 14 points. vasturia eased into Jackson’s role in the second half letting loose for 13 points, which included a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.
“it’s definitely different,” vasturia said of playing point guard. “but i think we’ve done a good job all year of someone coming off the bench, as you saw today with [freshman guard rex plfueger] and [sophomore guard matt Farrell]. … we just got to pick up and come in and play the way we play, and i think we did a good job of that today.”
in addition to remaining efficient on offense in Jackson’s absence, the team was also stifling on defense, forcing boston college (7-12, 0-6 acc ) to commit 12 turnovers. The irish held the eagles to 28.6 percent from the field all while plfueger defended senior guard eli carter, who led boston college with 16 points. pflueger also added a career-high nine points on offense.
“i just knew coach wanted me to go in there and just play hard defense, and we knew that that was one of my best attributes,” pflueger said. “i saw it as a challenge to myself to lock [carter] down and make sure he didn’t score.”
The irish got off to a fast start after Jackson left the game, going on a 15-4 run. before the game got too out of hand, carter scored eight of the next 11 points for the eagles to cut the lead to four points. The irish lead was cut to two points after carter connected on his third threepointer of the half with just over two minutes left before halftime.
in the second half, the eagles were incapable of getting any offense going against notre dame’s defense.
boston college shot 20 percent from the field in the second half and ended the game by making just two of its final 14 shots. To make things worse for the eagles, they put the irish on the line 16 times in the second half. a nd notre dame converted on all 16 opportunities.
“coach emphasized a lot in practice that we need to get better on the defensive end … and i think we’ve made a big step today on the defensive end,” colson said.
winners of four straight conference games, notre dame has turned around its conference standing after starting the season off 1-2.
“we got a good little run going in this league, and any time you can do that, it’s really going to help the team and really going to help our confidence,” vasturia said. “we got a couple of days off here, and we’ll have a chance to go win another one.”
The big question heading into this week will be whether or not Jackson will return from the hamstring injury to play against syracuse on Thursday at the carrier dome.
“he’s logged a lot of miles and had to do a lot in that threegame stretch, so i’m not completely surprised that he got a little injury,” brey said. “again, it’s not season-ending, it’s something that he can come back from. w hen? we don’t know.” with or without Jackson in the lineup, the irish will travel to play syracuse at carrier dome on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Contact Manny De Jesus at mdejesus@nd.edu
KATHRYNE ROBINSON | The Observer
Irish junior forward V.J. Beachem sprints upcourt during Notre Dame’s 83-81 victory over Virginia Tech on Wednesday at Purcell Pavilion. Beachem netted 14 points during his team’s win over Boston College.
EMMET FARNAN | The Observer
Senior forward Zach Auguste attacks the rim during Notre Dame’s 83-81 victory over Virginia Tech at Purcell Pavilion on Wednesday.
By MANNY DE JESUS sports writer
d espite losing their leading scorer and captain, the i rish rallied s aturday to rout b oston c ollege, 76-49.
Just over two minutes into the game, i rish junior point guard d emetrius Jackson pulled his right hamstring on a loose ball play, which kept him out for the rest of day. The i rish (14-5, 5-2 acc ) remained unfazed on both sides of the ball, as junior forward s teve vasturia took over at point guard.
“ i ’m really proud of how we really didn’t let [Jackson’s injury] be a distraction at all,” i rish head coach m ike b rey said. “ s teve vasturia just slid over, handled the ball, and we methodically had a really good league win, so i ’m really proud of our group.”
vasturia and sophomore forward b onzie c olson led the offense, scoring 16 points apiece. c olson dominated the paint in the first half converting six of nine
m bball PaGE 15
Spreading their wings
y | nd 5, new hampshire 1; nd 3, unh 2
ND extends unbeaten streak Turner’s 18 help i rish down hokies
By ZACH KLONSINSKI sports e ditor
m ario l ucia buried the game winner with 8:15 left in the third period s aturday to lead n o. 13 n otre d ame to a road sweep of conference foe n ew h ampshire and extend the team’s unbeaten streak to 12 games.
l ucia paced the i rish (144-7, 10-1-2 h ockey e ast) in both of this weekend’s contests. The senior left wing notched three points, two goals and an assist in n otre d ame’s 5-1 victory over the w ildcats (8-12-4, 2-6-4) on Friday night before scoring the game-winning goal during the 3-2 i rish victory the following evening.
l ucia has begun to find his groove over the last month of action. The senior has scored six goals in n otre d ame’s last six games after only scoring three goals in the first 19 games of the season.
“ we always know [ l ucia]’s got the ability and the
By BEN PADANILAM sports writer
i n a game where the offense got off to a slow start, n o. 3 n otre d ame put together a strong defensive performance to beat acc -foe v irginia Tech, 80-41.
o n s unday, the i rish (191, 7-0 acc ) and the h okies (14-5, 2-4 acc ) both started slowly offensively. The i rish shot just 31 percent from the field in the first quarter while holding the h okies to 19 percent shooting.
b ut the i rish were able to pick up the offensive pace as the game went on, while the h okies continued to struggle.
n otre d ame ended the game shooting 52 percent, while v irginia Tech only managed to convert 27 percent of their attempts.
o ne reason for the h okies shooting woes was their inability to get the ball inside against the i rish defense.
o ne of the biggest advantages for the i rish was in
points-in-the-paint, where they outscored the h okies 48-10. h okies head coach d ennis wolff said he thought the size of the i rish — particularly in their backcourt — made it difficult for his team to get inside and create easier shot opportunities.
“ i think they have good size,” wolff said. “The guards are pretty good-sized girls as well. i think they can switch and not get hurt. They also have one of the best coaches in the history of women’s basketball, so they do a great job of taking away what you’re good at and playing off of your weaknesses. i think that they played some of the kids hard that can shoot for us and then stayed off the other kids which made their defense tough.”
This sentiment was echoed by i rish head coach m uffet m c g raw. m c g raw said she believed this was one of her team’s best defensive
KATHRYNE ROBINSON | The Observer
Irish junior guard Steve Vasturia looks to maneuver around two Virginia Tech defenders during Notre Dame’s 83-81 victory on Wednesday at Purcell Pavilion. Vasturia filled in at point guard and scored 16 points Saturday after junior guard Demetrius Jackson left with an injury.
MACKENZI MARINOVICH | The Observer
Irish senior left wing Mario Lucia celebrates a goal during Notre Dame’s 7-2 victory over Merrimack on Jan. 15.
