James Farrington junior st. edward’s hall “Four, not enough.”
Loren Park junior Lyons hall “Three hours.”
Kathleen Rocks junior cavanaugh hall “Four hours.”
Kim
Marcela Gonzalez freshman Lyons hall “Four hours and one minute.”
Sophomore Meg Spesia has her head shaved as part of the Notre Dame’s charity event, “The Bald and the Beautiful.” The event seeks to raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer research. Supporters can have their heads shaved in solidarity.
Today’s Staff
Corrections
The observer regards itself as a professional publication and strives for the highest standards of journalism at all times. We do, however, recognize that we will make mistakes. If we have made a mistake, please contact us at (574) 631-4541 so we can correct our error.
Friday
Voci Italiane: Singing the History of Italy
DeBartolo Performing Arts Center 7 p.m. Live Italian concert.
Christ’s Passion DeBartolo Performing Arts Center
7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Plays depicting Creation to Doomsday.
Saturday
“Going for Gold” Stepan Center
4 p.m. - 7 p.m. Olympics-themed fundraiser for cancer research.
BCAC Fashion Show Washington Hall
7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Celebrating the diversity of black culture. Sunday Baseball
Monday
“Brunelleschi’s Dome”
12:05 p.m.
5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Author to speak about bestselling novel.
Marguerite Barankitse Lecture
102 DeBartolo Hall
7:15 p.m. - 8:15 p.m.
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Leadership and love for social change.
Tuesday
“Voices of Change in Cuba” Hesburgh Center
12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m. Carmelo Mesa-Lago will present.
Christ’s Passion: Medieval Mystery Plays DeBartolo Performing Arts Center
7:30 p.m. - 9:30
KATHRYNE ROBINSON | The Observer
Inaugural ‘Electric Mile’ to benefit Center for the Homeless initiative
By ALEXANDRA MUCK news Writer
c ircle K, one of the largest service clubs on campus, has partnered with Flaherty h all to start a new event this year called e lectric m ile. For $5, participants can participate in a milelong walk or run from m ain b uilding to Flaherty h all from 8 to 9 p.m. on Friday, and all proceeds will help the s outh b end c enter for the h omeless provide bus passes to the homeless.
s enior c hristina Kappil, the president of c ircle K who has been coordinating the event, said the event is intended to demonstrate what a difference not having to walk everywhere would make in the lives of homeless people.
“ i n the wintertime, they have to walk to their jobs,” she said. “They have to walk miles and miles each day. This would alleviate that — especially in the winter — [so] that they can get to their jobs and help them get to a better place in their life.”
s ince the event is
neon-themed, c ircle K and Flaherty will be providing free glow sticks — as well as free hot chocolate and donuts — and they recommend that students wear their hall apparel. The event will end with a reception that will include music and food in the Flaherty courtyard, and a representative from the c enter for the h omeless will speak about how the money will be used and what the center does.
Kappil said c ircle K leaders had the idea to start the event after a club member discovered the c enter for the h omeless needed bus passes, but did not have the budget to cover them.
“That was coincidentally when Flaherty h all was opening,” she said. “We had partnered with Knott h all to do various events, so we thought we could do this with a woman’s dorm.”
Kappil said she has liked working with the women of Flaherty h all, since the groups — the dorm residents and c ircle K — have different resources and ideas.
“ m eeting new people and having a vision together and
seeing it implemented is a really cool aspect of planning it,” she said.
h er favorite part of the event, though, will be knowing the money is directed toward a good cause, Kappil said, and she hopes the two groups can repeat the event next year.
“ i f Flaherty wants to continue and actually make this their signature event, we would love to work with them,” Kappil said. “ i deally we could continue working with them in the future.”
c ircle K and Flaherty are expecting about 150 participants and hope to raise $900 from e lectric m ile, which will take place outside — regardless of the weather — in solidarity with the homeless, Kappil said.
“ i t’s a fun event, but it’s supposed to be in solidarity for the residents,” she said. “There is no rain date — it’s rain or shine. That’s part of walking in solidarity with these people who have to walk in tough conditions to get to work.”
Contact Alexandra Muck at amuck@nd.edu
baskets were brought in by moms and local companies to raise funds for senior week.
putting on a karaoke night, which should be exciting,” she said. “They’re letting the girls in until midnight, even if [they’re] under 21, too.”
i n addition to a nature trail walk s aturday morning, m c c ambridge said, events planned for s aturday afternoon include a trunk show featuring products from local companies, and a Palm s unday m ass offered at the c hurch of Loretto in the evening.
“We have included local vendors from the s outh b end area to come and showcase their products,” she said. “We have a mix of boutiques, skin care, cosmetics, soap works and even [juices for sampling]. ... i t’s Palm s unday, too, so we had to make sure that the time counted for the moms between s aturday and s unday.”
The weekend will conclude with a banquet and auction for the students and their moms, m c c ambridge said.
“The h ilton is hosting us on s aturday night, where we will share a meal with our moms, and even President c ervelli,” she said.
c onnaughton said the
“This is a huge fundraiser for the junior class,” she said. “a ll the money that we raise will be put towards senior week for senior year.” m c c ambridge said this event is important to the community because students get to introduce their families to the experience of being a s aint m ary’s student.
“ b elles love this weekend because it is our chance to show off s aint m ary’s,” m c c ambridge said. “For many parents, they don’t always get to see what life is like as a b elle, and this is their chance.”
c onnaughton said she is looking forward to experiencing the weekend with her mom, a c ollege alumna.
“ m y mom went to s aint m ary’s, actually — she graduated in ‘87,” c onnaughton said. “a nd i know this is one thing for her that she has been looking forward to also sharing with me, because she kind of pushed me to come to s aint m ary’s, but now she also gets to share in the weekend with me.”
Contact Gaby Jansen at gjanse01@saintmarys.edu
Paid a dverT isemen T
Paid a dverT isemen T
ERIN McAULIFFE
s enior s cene Writer
This morning I snoozed for 49 minutes.
Pop-punk duo diet c ig’s Alex Luciano (vocals and guitar) gets that feeling — and pretty much everything else millennials “meme” about — on the band’s debut album “swear I’m Good At This,” released April 7th.
“I wanna be the best one at this but I don’t wanna get out of bed,” she croons over simple guitar riffs and thrashing drums on track “blob Zombie.”
Luciano met bandmate and drummer noah bowman after she interrupted his band’s set for a lighter. she offered to film a music video for his band but quickly realized she wanted to be on stage, so bowman and Luciano paired up. They released their e P “o ver easy” in 2015, and since then the band has been getting out of bed in the mornings for eggs and band practice. don’t sleep on them — “swear I’m Good At This” is a telling title for this feminist, saccharine Pop rocks debut punk release.
The album starts out on a personal note — Luciano playfully discusses the treacherous terrain surrounding “getting it on” with someone of the same name. Around the one-minute mark we hear her ask “ready?” as bowman comes in on drums in sympathetic catharsis. This supportive, enthusiastic dynamic is echoed throughout the album, but also in the duo’s live shows — at a set I saw them perform in July, bowman gleamed as Luciano hopped, kicked and jumped around stage. however, not all friendships can be this great: o pener “sixteen” ends with Luciano’s sad teenage realization
that her friends were fake and probably wouldn’t come to her post-breakup barbecue as she questions how many hot dogs to buy. (From the egg references on “o ver e asy” to eating tacos everyday for breakfast on this album’s track “road Trip,” diet c ig has a knack for relatable, humorous food references. on this record Luciano mentions grocery shopping twice.)
“bite back” opens with the lyrics “I feel like garbage,” but quickly strums and drums itself into an anthem that makes me want to jump on my bed in furry slippers. but the song proves Luciano’s versatility and complexity as the track turns vulnerable and she strums along to the lyrics “I am so lonely in this big city / everybody’s so damn busy.” (Thoughts echoing many seniors’ nerves as they prepare for c hicago, new York city, etc.)
The album’s shortest track, “Apricots,” is acoustic, while Luciano channels an innocent Kanye West on “Freestyle 4,” singing “I wanna kiss you in the middle of a party, I wanna make a scene.”
diet c ig is an internet band, from Instagraminspired track “Link in bio” to taking the words right out of refinery29’s mouths on “bath bombs,” the band has turned itself into GIFs — moving image files — multiple times.
“swear I’m Good At This” gifts us everything from feminist anthem “Tummy Ache” (“And I’m starting to get real sick of / Trying to find my voice / surrounded by all these boys”) to relatable digital dread on “barf day” (“I use my phone until it dies, just like my plants I can’t keep anything alive”) to homesick coping methods on “Apricots” (“When I’m homesick I go to the
supermarket / I buy all the things I think my mom would get”).
Accordingly, this record is one I wish I had sooner. The new York Times touted the album as “feminist pop-punk for all ages.” While I don’t think all tracks are relatable or suitable for a grade schooler, I genuinely wish I had Luciano to guide me through the teenage years. she leads a group of teens in crafting activist signs out of glitter glue in the band’s “Tummy Ache” video and frequently interacts with teenage fans on Twitter, always attempting to find all-ages venues to play at.
Luciano is 21 years old, frequently wears pom-pom accessories and acts like the stage is a trampoline. “swear I’m Good At This” invites us all onto that same trampoline as we wait for her jumping to gleefully propel us skyward.
Contact Erin McAuliffe at emcaulif@nd.edu
“Swear I’m Good At This” Diet Cig
Label: Father Daughter Records
If you like: Frankie Cosmos, Sad13, Cherry Glazerr Tracks: “Bite Back,” “Maid of the Mist,” “Tummy Ache”
to be found here, but it’s a compelling portrait of young romance, or the lack thereof.
At an age when most Americans are working on college applications, steve Lacy already has a Grammy nomination. The 18-year-old joined up with californian r & b outfit The Internet as a guitarist and producer, earning widespread accolades for 2015’s “ego death.” Like a neo-soul Wu-Tang c lan, each member of the group is now releasing solo material to be played on a collective tour. Following projects by syd and matt martians, “steve Lacy’s demo” is out now. It is a brief collection of taut pop-funk tunes, far more sophisticated than its title would suggest. The songs on this e P are all focused on young love. It’s a well-trodden subject, but Lacy’s lyrical point of view is youthful without being juvenile. o pener “Looks” is only long enough for one verse and two choruses. “I want you and you want me,” Lacy sings in nursery-rhyme cadence, but he ultimately concludes that “looks ain’t enough.” e lsewhere, he repeats “I hate you just as much as I love you” in a deadpan tone. rather than sounding petulant, Lacy suggests the same psychosexual angst that powered Prince jams like “Lady cab driver.” There are no revelatory insights
The music here is perfectly in line with his work on The Internet. Lacy chops up live drums into loops that echo early hip-hop. While he does not show off in a traditional shredding sense, the guitar parts are immaculate. bass and lead dart around each other in fits and starts, filling in the vast space between drums and vocals. The groovy arrangements are all the more impressive considering Lacy used bare-bones software Garageband to produce them. despite its February release date, this is a collection that begs to be heard in sunnier weather. even within this template, Lacy makes room for a variety of styles. The neanderthal beat and garage-rock chords of “dark red” recall oasis. Immediately following, “Thangs” is a sluggish bass-heavy groove, hazy like barbecue smoke or sunlit blacktop.
The clear highlight is “r yd,” another entry in the quintessentially American songbook of car-as-sex metaphors. “speeding down the backstreet,” Lacy croons under falsetto harmonies, “I’m tryna get you in my backseat.” The stuttering drumbeat is equally suited for slow dancing or appreciative head-nodding. Lacy’s guitar playing is impeccable here. he illuminates the
jazzy chords with gorgeous fills that match the drum rhythms while playing off the vocal hooks. “r ide with me,” he asks on the chorus, and the offer is tempting. don’t be surprised to hear this echoing from rolleddown windows all summer.
“steve Lacy’s demo” is ultimately all too brief. With six songs in 13 minutes, none pass the 3-minute mark. It’s a canny move for an unproven artist: the hooks are sticky enough to stand out, while the occasional clunky melody does not stick around to bother. It certainly leaves the listener wanting more. Whether working with The Internet or solo, steve Lacy is one to watch.
Contact Jack Riedy at jriedy@nd.edu
“Steve Lacy’s Demo”
Steve Lacy
Label: Three Quarter
If you like: Janelle Monae, Prince, Tyler, the Creator
Tracks: “Ryd,” “Some”
JACK RIEDY
s cene Writer
Looking up
Nora McGreevy s cene e ditor
I like to surround myself with stars. m y room at home has a print of v incent van Gogh’s “ s tarry n ight o ver the r hone” hanging on the wall, for instance. m y desktop background is a picture of stars that I lifted from Pinterest. For c hristmas, my mom gifted me a blue water bottle with all of the constellations of the n orthern h emisphere etched in white, and I carry it around obsessively.
I can attribute my love for stars solely to my mother. m om grew up in c hicago – not a suburb of c hicago, mind you, but a house within the proper city limits. As a young astronomy enthusiast, living in proximity to millions of other people posed a challenge: the night sky was barely discernable from her backyard, obfuscated by the light pollution of a thousand different streetlamps and skylines. s o in high school, my mom bussed herself down to the Adler Planetarium and took classes: she looked through telescopes, stared at projectors and learned to identify nearly all of the constellations in the n orthern h emisphere.
n ow, every summer when my family goes up to a lake in m innesota in the summer, my mom will row us out into the middle of the lake on exceptionally clear nights. o ur lake is nestled in between two small towns, and you can catch a minor haze of light clouding the view at the fringes of the horizon. In the middle of the sky, however, the m ilky Way cuts through your field of vision with dazzling clarity. If the water is still, the shimmering lights of the stars will reflect in the deep blue of the lake beneath us. m om will deliver an impromptu lecture, noting the various red, yellow and blue hues of distant celestial bodies, pointing out planets and tracing the arcs of different constellations from sparkling point to point in the vast sky overhead.
o ften when I’m walking back to b adin on my way home from wherever I was studying that night, the sun will have set and the stars will be out. I look up, and can make out some hints of the few constellations that I’ve remembered over the years – there’s o rion, and there’s the b ig d ipper – well, that’s it, really, but it’s nice to locate even a few of them.
It’s always a revelation of space: as I walk back to my dorm on a Tuesday night, I remember that I am taking small steps on an unfathomably large planet, which is itself moving rapidly through the cosmos. The pinpricks in the night sky I see are quite literally light years away from me, yet visible nonetheless.
Looking up at the night sky, for me, grounds me in time and place in a way that few other things can effectively do. At our nights at the lake, my mom has said things to this effect — but words always fail both of us. The simplest way to communicate our awe is to remain silent and sit together, eyes open, necks craned to the sky — looking up.
Contact
Nora
McGreevy
at nmcgreev@nd.edu
The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Can Catholics speak to the dead?
Gary Caruso c apitol c omments
Too often will conservative c atholics — or fundamental baptists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, muslims, o rthodox Jews or those dogmatically believing faithful of fill-in-the-blank-here organized religion — stubbornly cling to centuries-old traditions formulated during ancient times without a refresh as characteristic of the Pope John XXIII era or now under Pope Francis. Just as c hristians believe that Jesus lived and grew throughout his existence on earth, the faithful should not remain static, but evolve to address our modern life and times. In fact, the successful megachurches nationwide today weave a blend of conventional with nontraditional outreach that creates a new religious social phenomenon. Their pastors include less than spiritual solutions over practical best practices on how to become debt-free, how to better raise children and how to be come financially successful. c atholics are fortunate Francis has begun his own refresh movement, albeit more spiritually based and slower paced.
As our Lenten season wanes, we c atholics owe ourselves the type of personal self-introspective reexamination that pushes our traditional organizational boundaries to better our spiritual existence. We fail when we blindly restrict ourselves from greater-thanlife possibilities like reincarnation or communicating with our dearly departed. d id the “wise elder men” who selectively sorted, collected and rejected various gospels, teachings or writings for the original bible actually write God’s only words and reject nonsensical notions? Imagine how different c atholicism would be if those compiling the bible included the recently found Gospel of Judas that professed Judas was the most loved disciple, and therefore the only one who could have completed the task of betrayal.
c an our c atholic black-and-white vision of heaven and hell ever melt open to considering a Karma existence where our journey is a series of learning life lessons and spiritual improvements through reincarnation? many, including this writer, reject such an elementary explanation that after death we either eventually end up in a paradise or a firepot. m ichael Prescott, new York Times and Us A Today bestselling author, has devoted blog entries wherein he reverses his former skepticism about communicating with the dead. Prescott examines author and television personality, psychic medium John e dward mcGee, Jr. best know as John e dward of the television series “c rossing o ver.” e dward is famous for linking messages from beyond with people present in his audience.
Ironically, psychic medium e dward has written about his own path of religious and spiritual enlightenment in a book,“Practical Praying: Using the rosary to e nhance your Life.” h is book examines the history of the rosary as authorized by the c atholic c hurch and e dward’s prayer process. he explains how he has
utilized the power of prayer through the rosary, which he prays before his public events to better prepare himself. e dward explores the rosary as a powerful tool that brings focused energy and creative thought into our everyday life. Although quick to suggest that we may not find a quick material happiness fix, we can embrace the promise of living a more abundant life in general by using God’s gift of free will to chart our own courses.
c ritics attempt to catch e dward with inconsistencies by claiming that he baits audience members who yearn to connect with loved ones from beyond by using vague questions. From personal experience, having attended four of e dward’s public events during the past five years, I have been amazed at the specificity he speaks to validate personal messages coming through him. While also yearning to be “read” throughout the years, I was passed over until last week. I attended a Pittsburgh event with several cousins, including 79-year-old Patty whose last name is distinctly Polish, not Italian. she was a skeptic until e dward relayed messages to our family.
From 600 people, the staff chose five cards to begin the event by asking e dward a question. my cousin was first chosen, and nearly last called upon 90 minutes into the two-hour program. After her question, e dward paused and asked if she had a murder in her family. It was on her mother’s side, not the c aruso side. he noted that all who went through e llis Island were together. All four grandparents had been processed there. he spoke of a famous celebrity — e nrico c aruso. e dward said he sees a 9/11-type fire. Patty replied with the theatre, but he said it was a multilevel building. Patty answered that the theatre was on the second floor. o ur research later of the 1911 fire that killed 26 people included a cousin and her grandmother’s neighbors from three surrounding houses on their street. We c atholics had communicated through e dward with our dead ancestors.
While my personal Lenten journey this year follows Francis’ call to recognize those with whom I have become indifferent to in my daily routine, I cannot ignore my life experiences that have formed inconsistent beliefs with the c hurch. I not only hold open the possibility that I shall return eventually to learn and grow, but look forward to another round of life after my John e dward session. I believe as Prescott wrote in his blog when he sided with hamlet against the debunkers: “There are more things in heaven and earth, horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Gary J. Caruso, Notre Dame ’73 American Studies major, serves in the Department of Homeland Security and was a legislative and public affairs director at the U.S. House of Representatives and in President Clinton’s administration. His column appears every other Friday. Contact him on Twitter: @GaryJCaruso or e-mail: GaryJCaruso@alumni.nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
In an interview with The observer on march 30, vice president for student Affairs erin hoffmann harding said that until the number of sexual assaults on campus was zero, there were still too many.
While this editorial board supports the administration’s commendable sentiment, the fact is it is still not doing enough.
According to the University’s 2016 campus climate survey, 5 percent of all female respondents indicated they had experienced non-consensual sexual intercourse while enrolled at notre dame; 1 percent of all male respondents indicated the same. That means more than 160 students said they had experienced non-consensual sexual intercourse while enrolled at the University.
In 2016, 9.5 percent of respondents to the saint mary’s campus climate survey indicated they had been sexually assaulted while enrolled at the college — about another 50 students, nearly 93 percent of whom said the person who assaulted them was a student from another institution.
And yet, only 10 percent of the students who indicated they had been sexually assaulted at notre dame said they reported it to the University.
even for those who are cynical about what constitutes “legitimate rape” and have concerns about false reporting, the fact remains that the vast majority of students who believe they have experienced non-consensual sexual intercourse are choosing to not report it to the University. According to the 2016 campus climate, 54 percent of all students who responded said they doubted reporting would solve anything, and 30 percent explicitly “did not trust the University’s process.”
clearly, students do not fully trust notre dame’s current process.
That is not to say the University has not done anything in terms of sexual assault prevention. notre dame has focused much of its efforts towards education and awareness, and headway has certainly been made in the last year: The survey results indicate a 10 percent increase in familiarity with University policies regarding sexual assault and misconduct, and 90 percent of respondents indicate “the intoxication of someone initiating sexual activity” is not an excuse for his or her failure to obtain consent from the other person. more students are being trained in bystander intervention through Greendot. Furthermore, University President Fr. John Jenkins, saint mary’s President Jan cervelli and holy cross President br. John Paige signed a memorandum of understanding in march to ensure more collaboration between the three campuses in addressing sexual assault.
It’s your turn
even with those improvements, however, there are other aspects in need of significant progress: of those 10 percent of students who did report to the University, 50 percent or less of both complainants and respondents indicated they were “satisfied” with various aspects of the University process, including the impartiality and timeliness of the investigation and the impartiality, timeliness and outcome of the administrative hearing process. exactly 50 percent of respondents to saint mary’s campus climate survey were at least satisfied with the college’s process for making a formal report, and 66.7 percent of those students indicated they were satisfied with the college’s response to their reports.
These sorts of investigations are highly sensitive, and naturally, not everyone is going to be happy with every outcome. however, both the saint mary’s and notre dame survey results demonstrate a significant lack of trust and lack of satisfaction with administration processes for handling sexual assault cases.
Additionally, the University is under investigation by the United states department of education’s office of civil rights (ocr) for possible Title IX violations pertaining to two cases. one is for discrimination based on sex; documents for the other have not been made available, so the nature of the case is unknown.
no definitive stance on whether or not the University mishandled these two cases can be taken until the ocr officially closes them. Yet, no matter the results, the truth still holds that two individuals felt so dissatisfied with notre dame’s process that they filed complaints with the ocr, both of which were deemed worthy of further investigation. even if the ocr ultimately determines that nothing is wrong with the University’s process, some sort of barrier clearly prevents sexual assault survivors from placing trust in their own academic institution.
Then again, there might just be something wrong. After all, the ocr found that to be case once already in 2011 after it opened an investigation following the death of saint mary’s first-year Lizzy seeberg, who killed herself after reporting she had been sexually assaulted by Prince shembo, a notre dame football player. seeberg’s father expressed his dissatisfaction with the way the University handled his daughter’s case, remarking in a 2010 interview with the chicago Tribune that, “If not at our Lady’s University, then where? Where in the world would you fight for women? Where in the world would you fight for a cause like this?” The ocr also expressed its concerns, citing among them a lack of clear instruction by the University of students and staff as to what processes would be followed after a report was made to the University.
And although notre dame agreed to make changes in how it handles sexual assault cases after the investigation was resolved, similar concerns to those reflected in 2011
continue to arise from amongst the student body. In 2015, a previous editorial board asked the student body to “make sexual assault a deeply personal issue.” And indeed, in the past few years, student leaders on campus have worked to change the culture of sexual assault on campus, answering seeberg’s father’s call.
student government in particular has made sexual assault awareness and prevention a priority for the last three or four years. This year, the University’s first sexual assault survivor support group was created on campus. The new student government administration — which started its term saturday — emphasized that expanding sexual assault resources and prevention methods on campus would be a top priority. At the moment, it is working toward the implementation of callisto, an online platform that timestamps sexual assault reports. even if the victim decides not to file an official report, the platform will send the information to the Title IX coordinator if a perpetrator’s name is reported by more than one person — for, according to callisto’s website, up to 90 percent of assaults are committed by repeat offenders. The implementation of such a program would, hopefully, help empower more survivors, streamline the reporting process and provide University officials with another tool to keep its students safe.
The student body has stepped up. now, we ask the University’s administration to match that effort.
Approaching the epidemic of sexual assault through education and awareness is a worthwhile endeavor on behalf of the administration — the statistics presented in the campus climate survey are highly indicative of some success.
but now, it seems clear that another endeavor must be taken, one that aims to restore trust in the University and its handling of sexual assault complaints. The increasing percentage of respondents who cite a doubt that the University process will solve anything is alarming, and it is a trend that needs to be immediately addressed. This editorial board recognizes that some members of the administration — such as hoffmann harding — believe their work does not stop until the number of assaults on campus reaches zero. And progress in that direction starts with restoring the students’ trust in the University’s ability to reach a solution. maybe it starts with pushing for further student input and response regarding University processes. maybe it starts with just a conversation that creates transparency of notre dame’s responses to complaints and what problems students have with those responses.
It might not be clear at this point what has led to that lack of trust, but one thing is clear: something needs to be done. because the number of sexual assaults on this campus will never reach zero if the number of students who don’t trust the University process does not get to zero first.
Walsh should get facts straight
on Tuesday, matt Walsh, writer for The blaze, hosted by the notre dame Young Americans for Freedom, gave a lecture entitled “how the Left corrupts capitalism.” on the Wednesday morning following his talk he made a post on Facebook detailing his narrative about the campus climate regarding his visit. central to his points were that the administration may have had a hand in the location and technical difficulties of the event. he states that he was “sent down into the basement of the science hall, in a room that wasn’t nearly big enough for the crowd.” mr. Walsh claims that the administration invited Wendy davis, who was given “a nice, comfortable room with microphones and everything” in her visit which he believes betrayed the University’s catholic values.
mr. Walsh’s claims present a mixture of fantasy, and with a knowledge of the proceedings of the student activities office (sAo), severe implausibility.
The lecture given by mr. Walsh was held in nieuwland hall, room 118, generally not considered a prime event location, and he was not provided a microphone for this event. having worked with sAo myself in the past, I know that a room request with sAo is a simple process, but must be submitted with time to spare. If a group does not submit a request until a few days or weeks before the event, or do not promptly follow up on sAo comments on their request, they end up with sub-prime real estate. Furthermore, sAo groups must submit audio-visual requests themselves, or end up with a disgruntled speaker. Thus, on the counts of room choice and technical failures,
the organizers are more likely to be at fault. mr. Walsh’s comparison to the Wendy davis event is then based in pure fantasy. First of all, notre dame administrators did not invite ms. davis to campus, rather she was hosted by the notre dame college democrats. her event seemed to be properly planned, as it was indeed held in a spacious room with microphones available. next time mr. Walsh comes to campus, he should get his facts straight. It would make his in-speech associations between liberalism and satanism a tad more believable.
Barabasi senior April 5
Daniel
lETTEr TO THE EdiTOr
Happy Birthday: g et in the game. sitting on the sideline waiting for someone to ask you to play will not further your interests. l ook for any opportunity to get involved. use your strengths and skills to make a difference. Assess your partnerships and reset your strategy. spend more time with those who have the same values and plans for the future as you. your numbers are 4, 15, 21, 24, 33, 39, 42.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): you have to put your energy to work for you. Avoid fruitless conversations and get down to business. It’s what you do that will count, not what you profess to want to do. c hannel emotional energy into success, not a scuffle.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): l ook over your options and make choices based on what’s realistic. d on’t let your pride lead to a disagreement or changes that aren’t necessary. Work alongside others in order to come up with the best solutions. d on’t play favorites.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): stay away from discord and from people who are trying to coax you into something you don’t want to do. Take responsibility for your personal happiness as well as reaching your goals. express your thoughts and you’ll attract like-minded people.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): uncertainty when dealing with unpredictable partners or groups that want too much from you will be a sign to back away. concentrate on using your knowledge and skills to help yourself as well as others.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): embrace change and do what needs to be done in silence. d on’t waste time criticizing or complaining when it’s up to you to do what’s best for you. be a leader and offer solutions instead of adding to the problem.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A couple of changes to your residence will add to your assets. stay within budget, do the legwork and you will pick up skills as well as learn something new. d on’t let someone else’s uncertainty hold you back.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): c hange can be good if it’s reasonable and fits your current budget. A partnership will stabilize your personal, financial and emotional life. A willingness to share in order to raise your standard of living will lead to a better future.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): you’ll be tempted by what others do and say. l ook at the big picture and make choices based on what you know, not what you hear. make a point to do your own research and legwork and you will eliminate mistakes.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): make alterations at home or to the way you live that will lower your overhead, ensure your sanity and ease your stress. you can wheel and deal, but don’t let anyone use emotional tactics to pressure you into making poor choices.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): d on’t let anger be what leads to change when taking action physically and making things happen should be your means to accomplish your goals. c hange can be good when it’s handled the right way. consider your motives.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): you have a voice. d on’t let anger take over when you should be focusing on what you can do to make things better. use your knowledge and experience to bring about logical alternatives that will create a greater revenue stream.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): you’ll be offered lots of ideas. d on’t be too quick to jump into someone else’s plans. c onsider what’s in it for you as well as how you can negotiate and manipulate the situation to benefit you. stay calm.
Birthday Baby: you are energetic, passionate and intense. you are exciting and bold.
Jumble | dAvId hoyT And Jeff knurek
sudoku | The mePhAm grouP
JusT add waTer | erIc cArlson & John roddy
wiNGiN’ iT | bAIlee egAn & olIvIA WAng
really well off ball to open up our feeding game as well. so it was just a really great collective effort to attack the defense that we saw today.”
i n the end, nine different i rish players picked up goals in the victory. Fortunato ended the day with eight goals and three assists, tying the notre dame record with most goals in a half with six and increasing her lead as the team’s top scorer. Three other i rish players — sophomore midfielder samantha Lynch, senior midfielder casey Pearsall and muller — each finished with hat tricks, and freshman midfielder cassie Ford scored her first career goal.
“a ll year we’ve had our scoring quite spread out, so it was good to see it continue on,” halfpenny said on the scoring distribution. “... especially on a day where the one-vs-one game we open up for each other, but to see helpers we were able to have out of that one-vs- one driving game was really great. so, it’s nice to see that continue on and that scoring spread from our middies to our attack.”
The o wls entered the game as one of the top offensive squads in the country, averaged 37.78 shots per game, the most in the nation. however, notre dame was able to hold Kennesaw state to just 14 shots Thursday. s ophomore goalkeeper s amantha Giacolone allowed three goals and made two saves — which was uncharacteristically low for the manorville, new York, native who was coming off a careerhigh 18 saves in notre dame’s loss to no. 2 north c arolina on sunday — and left the game after 47 minutes once the i rish had collected a comfortable lead, giving way to freshman goalie Grace steffens. steffens picked up four saves. halfpenny said her defense played a solid game, but noted the draw control — a battle notre dame won 17-12 — was what pushed the i rish over the edge defensively.
“We just really were disciplined in our defense’s approach, as we have been in the last few outings,” halfpenny said. “i think that we obviously helped ourselves by winning the draw battle so we could limit the possessions right out of the gate, but then, as a unit, we did a really nice job of handling on one-vs-one and having help defense when it was necessary and allowing our one-vs-ones to take care of themselves instead of pushing too much.”
The i rish will return home to acc play when they take on no. 15 v irginia Tech in their final regular season home game of 2017. They will host the hokies (11-4, 2-2 acc ) at a rlotta stadium on april 15 at noon.
Contact Elizabeth Greason at egreason@nd.edu
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a shot at Friday, which we’re really looking forward to.”
seniors Jane Fennelly, monica
robinson and mary closs each only have five regular season matches left in their college careers. closs and robinson make up the irish’s number one doubles pairing, and Jane Fennelly’s contribution to the third pairing has
been an undeniable presence all year. Louderback had nothing but praise for his seniors.
“our seniors have been really good all year, and i feel like they’ll finish out the rest of this season the way they have all year,” Louderback said. “a ll three of them play very well in matches but also work extremely hard in practice. That really helps our younger players see how hard they work when they’re out there. a ll three are competing the best they have in their four years.”
Louderback said this match will have major implications for the acc standings. a few wins down this last stretch of the season will put them in strong position for a high seed in the upcoming acc tournament. These wins could also raise the irish’s national standing, but Louderback insisted the team is focused purely on the acc
“We’re not worried a whole lot about anything but acc,” Louderback said. “right now
all the teams are playing to see where we’re going to be seeded at the acc tournament. everyone from one to eight or nine is close right now. every match we have coming up will help determine where we are in the tournament. duke was picked to be one of the top two teams coming into this year. This would be a big win for us.”
The irish will battle the blue devils at 4 p.m. Friday at courtney Tennis center.
Contact Jack Concannon at jconcan2@nd.edu
Paid a dverT isemen T
Paid a dverT isemen T
MICHAEL YU | The Observer
Irish freshman Zoe Spence returns the ball during Notre Dame’s 5-2 win over Purdue on Feb. 22 at Eck Tennis Pavilion.
shy of notre dame’s blue line. A denver shot from there was blocked, but the puck bounced into the corner.
And the forecheck was back on.
A few more shifts later, notre dame cleared the zone, but a forward got too much of an attempted tip-in dump. Instead of making the denver defense turn and chase, the puck slowly wobbled out to the middle of the ice.
A Pioneer defenseman stepped up and fired the puck to a forward, who successfully tipped it deep into the Irish zone, past the defensemen, demonstrating perfectly what notre dame had failed to do just a second earlier.
And the denver forecheck was on once again.
Another Irish turnover just over eight minutes into the first period allowed denver to keep the puck in the zone. Fourthline Pioneer senior forward emil romig beat the Irish around the net, avoided a sweeping pokecheck by Irish junior netminder cal Petersen and looped around to shoot from the sharp angle.
The puck hit Petersen’s shoulder, then the back of the net. The rout was officially on.
“We probably could have had crisper passes out of the zone,” Irish junior defenseman Jordan Gross said. “We struggled with
some turnovers in and around the neutral zone. We needed to get pucks deep and wear down their defensemen.
“If we did a better job of that, it would have been a better outcome.”
The hidden side of a strong forecheck is how much responsibility it takes off its own defense, though, and how difficult it is for the opposing forwards to get any sort of momentum rolling. Whenever the Irish managed to beat the pressure, they immediately headed to the bench and change after a full shift. This often left just the Irish just a single forechecker to maintain an ineffective presence the Pioneers had no trouble passing around, gaining speed on the rush into the notre dame zone for yet another wave of offensive pressure.
“Puck management, when we’re playing well that’s our game,” Irish head coach Jeff Jackson said. “When we manage the puck out of our zone you’re not playing defense. We improved so much in the second half of the year, but it showed up again tonight where we weren’t making good plays coming out of our zone or good plays through the neutral zone.”
“When our forecheck is going, it makes the game really easy for the [defensemen],” denver senior defenseman Will butcher said. “We can gap up, and we can stay right on their forwards in our
offensive zone.
“When our forwards are playing well it makes our job as defensemen even easier.”
It showed: notre dame took over five minutes to even register its first shot attempt, then another minute to record a shot on goal. The Irish totaled just 17 shots on the evening compared to 42 for the Pioneers.
despite being completely dominated for the first 20 minutes, the Irish entered the dressing room down just 2-0, a deficit they overcame against minnesota in their
first nc AA tournament contest two weekends ago.
And for most of the second period, notre dame had at least managed to nail enough boards in front of the door to keep denver at bay. A big hit by sophomore defenseman dennis Gilbert and a couple one-man-act shifts by junior forward Anders bjork even managed to enliven a slightly pro-notre dame crowd.
The boards gave way 14:07 into the second period. Irish junior defenseman Luke ripley blew a tire skating retreating toward the
Irish zone, and the Pioneers capitalized on the resulting two-onone to make it 3-0.
“That third goal was the back killer,” Jackson said. “It was very similar to the minnesota game last week where we got that next goal, but that didn’t happen tonight.”
denver added two more goals before the buzzer, and soon notre dame was simply watching its season slip away.
Contact Zach Klonsinski at zklonsin@nd.edu
consistently getting shots on goal. Irish junior captain and netminder cal Petersen was forced to make 11 saves, but there was little he could do when denver senior forward emil romig skated behind the net, turned and fired a rip over Petersen’s left shoulder into the top netting for the opener with a little over five minutes gone by.
The Irish (23-12-5, 12-6-4 hockey east) tried to respond, but struggled to maintain possession in denver’s zone, as the Pioneers used their speed to force turnovers, get out in transition and create chances. They did not have to wait long for a second, as captain and senior defenseman Will butcher raced past Irish freshman forward mike o’Leary around the net and dished a puck to freshman forward henrik borgstrom, who slotted the puck past Petersen’s
leg to put denver up two.
The Pioneers even had several chances to put more on the board, as romig sailed a shot over the crossbar after a two-onone with just over two minutes left, and an errant pass from Irish freshman defender Andrew Peeke gifted denver another opportunity, but the shot sailed past the post, ending the first period at 2-0.
notre dame came out in the second trying to spark a comeback, and sophomore defenseman dennis Gilbert laid a big open-ice hit early in the period to the approval of the mostly proIrish crowd.
star forward Anders bjork had a good chance to get notre dame back in the game when the junior cut inside and drove straight to the net, but was unable to force it in. As time went on, however, the Irish once again struggled to find passing lanes to get out of their zone, and denver was happy to press notre dame and force turnovers.
The turning point came at 14:07. Forcing a faceoff in denver’s zone after some positive possession, the Irish pushed to keep the puck in the offensive zone. but after the scrum, the Pioneers were able to get out in transition.
As Irish junior defenseman Luke ripley moved backward to stay in front of the oncoming rush, he slipped, suddenly gifting the Pioneers a two-on-one matchup. denver subsequently made no mistake, as Pioneers senior forward evan Janssen slipped the puck to junior
defenseman Tariq hammond for the tap in. The goal sucked any momentum notre dame had out of the building, and once again the Irish were on their heels.
“I felt we were turning a corner and then we had a defenseman fall down,” Jackson said on the third goal. “I thought we started getting a little more comfortable playing the game at that pace, but that third goal is the back killer.”
Two and a half minutes later, denver struck again, as sophomore forward dylan Gambrell skated around the net and fired a shot on goal. Petersen went for the save, but the puck helplessly rolled over his arm and into the net to put the Pioneers up four.
With the blood in the water, denver was hungry for more, and were gifted a golden opportunity when another Irish defenseman slipped — this time sophomore bobby nardella — forcing Petersen to make two saves to preserve some dignity for the Irish. but moments later, bjork uncharacteristically gave the puck away in his own zone, and this time Petersen was helpless as senior forward evan ritt fired past his left shoulder to make it 5-0 in a forgettable period for the Irish.
“he’s been our rock all season long,” Jackson said on Petersen, who made 36 saves on the night.
“I thought he had a couple that he probably would’ve liked back, bad angle situations, things that he usually stops off the post. They exposed him when he was a little too aggressive in a few situations, but he also made some saves for
us too, so it makes up for giving up a bad goal here and there.”
The third period saw both teams finally get on the power play, as denver had a chance at 5:20 when notre dame was called for too many players on the ice. but the Irish killed it off, and six minutes later finally got off the board after denver freshman defenseman michael davies was penalized for interference. Immediately off the faceoff, freshman forward cam morrison deflected in a longrange effort from junior defenseman Jordan Gross to give notre dame a lone bright spot. but the game was still too far out of reach, and at 16:42 denver cemented its spot in the national championship as Gambrell added a second goal off a shot that glanced in off Petersen’s skate.
“They’re the number one ranked team in the country for a reason,” Jackson said on denver’s play. “You give them their due; they’re a great team. I just didn’t think we played as well as we’re capable of playing.”
but for the Irish, who only graduate two seniors this year, this loss only serves as motivation for next year.
“For me, it just makes us more hungry to get back out there and come in with a better mindset, similar to what this denver team here did [last year],” sophomore forward Andrew oglevie said. “We’re going to build off of it, have a good offseason and come back ready.”
Tobias Hoonhout at thoonhou@nd.edu
KATHLEEN DONAHUE | The Observer
Irish junior goaltender Cal Petersen stands in the net during Notre Dame’s 6-1 loss to Denver on Thursday at the United Center in Chicago. Petersen had 36 saves in the game, which ended Notre Dame’s season.
KATHLEEN DONAHUE | The Observer
Irish junior forward Jake Evans fights for the puck during Notre Dame’s 6-1 loss to Denver on Thursday at Chicago’s United Center.
Notre Dame falls to Denver in Frozen Four
Irish magical run comes to end in loss to Pioneers
By TOBIAS HOONHOUT Associate sports e ditor
ch Ic AG o — notre dame’s quest for a national championship hit a roadblock Thursday night, as top-seeded denver overpowered the Irish from start to finish.
While Irish head coach Jeff Jackson was proud of his team’s journey to the Frozen Four, he admitted the Irish were simply beaten.
“congratulations to denver, they’re certainly a great team, seemed like a team on a mission to me, so hats off to them,” he said. “We looked a little more like we did a few weeks back in the boston Garden [in a 5-1 loss to Umass Lowell], we certainly had a very tough opponent and that had a lot to do with it.”
The first period was all denver (32-7-4, 20-4-3 nchc), as the Pioneers flexed their offensive muscle in notre dame’s zone, controlling the puck and
ND offense puts on clinic in Georgia
By ELIZABETH GREASON sports e ditor
no. 12 notre dame found its groove once again as it took down one of the country’s top offenses in Kennesaw state, 24-4, in a midday road matchup Thursday.
Freshman midfielder s avannah buchanan started the offensive charge for the Irish, scoring the first goal of the game just over three
Nd WOmEN’s tENNis
minutes after first draw. At first, the Irish (10-5, 3-2 Acc ) and the o wls (5-5, 1-2 A sU n ) kept the game tight, trading goals to put the game at 2-2 just under eight minutes into the game.
however, a goal from notre dame senior attack Grace muller spurred a 5-0 run — which was ended by o wls freshman midfielder Izzy Palermo, who was able to put one in the back of the net. The
Irish did not allow this slip to slow them, as senior attack c ortney Fortunato scored to start the next Irish run — as they scored 16 unanswered goals, shutting down any of Kennesaw state’s hopes for a victory.
Irish head coach c hristine halfpenny cited her team’s organization on the field and its focus on working together as reasons for notre dame’s offensive success against the
o wls.
“I think we were really efficient in what we did in pushing the fast break, we had some really, really nice fast goals, but also being really organized in our attacking efforts as a unit,” halfpenny said. “We did a really good job running our motion and setting up clear lanes for each other to attack in one-vs-ones, and moving
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Irish to host ACC-rival Blue Devils
By JACK CONCANNON sports Writer
The Irish will play host to no. 15 duke on Friday.
As of late, the Irish (16-3, 7-2 Acc) have returned to their winning ways, improving to 7-2 in Acc play after defeating virginia Tech on march 31. The blue devils (13-3, 7-0) have been a powerful team all season and are currently undefeated in Acc play. The opportunity to
go against a ranked team with momentum is a critical one for the Irish, Irish head coach Jay Louderback said.
“For us to go in [to virginia Tech] and play as well as we did on their fast courts was very good for our confidence,” Louderback said. “confidencewise for the duke matchup, that really helped. It looks like we’re going to be playing duke indoors as well, so that win should be something that will really
help us against duke.”
The Irish are not lacking in confidence despite the fact that duke is one of the strongest teams in the Acc. Its only three losses on the season have come against sec opponents, all of whom are now ranked. The blue devils have have been cutting their way through Acc competition, winning a large portion of their matches with lopsided scores. Louderback said the blue devils pose a number of
Denver forecheck overwhelms Notre Dame
By ZACH KLONSINSKI s enior sports Writer
chIc AG o — denver’s forecheck was as good as advertised Thursday night, turning the Frozen Four’s second semifinal into a 6-1 loss and a long night for the Irish at the United center.
The Pioneers never let notre dame breathe in its defensive zone, starting from the game’s first shift when Irish freshman forward cam morrison bobbled the puck as he was coming across the Irish blue line. denver pounced on the loose puck and sent it deep.
Then the Pioneer forecheck was on.
A shift later, Irish sophomore defenseman bobby nardella hesitated after receiving a pass, eventually trying to send the puck across the middle of the ice. by then, a Pioneer forechecker had closed the gap on nardella though. The puck ricocheted off him and slowly trickled out, just
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Spencer Perry to transfer
Observer Sports Staff
Irish sophomore safety spencer Perry announced his intention to transfer Thursday on social media. The newhan, Georgia, native saw action in six games this season, but did not record any tackles. most of his time on the field came at special teams.
challenges for the Irish.
“They’re solid in their entire lineup one through six, and have three really solid doubles teams,” Louderback said. “They’re just tough; they have a good variety of older leaders and younger players. They’re a good team; we’re looking forward to it because we think it’s going to be a close one. It’s a higher-ranked team we’re getting
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“Thanks to [the] University of notre dame for the opportunity to pursue my education and play football,” Perry said in a tweet. “All the best to my advisors, professors, rector, teammates, coaches and the Fighting Irish fans. At this time, I am electing to transfer and continue my educational goals and football career elsewhere.”
The three-star prospect out of ImG Academy had been playing the new rover position throughout spring practice, but has struggled to rise above fourth on the depth chart at the position.
KATHLEEN DONAHUE | The Observer
Irish junior forward Jake Evans drives toward the net with the puck during Notre Dame’s 6-1 loss to Denver in the semifinal round of the NCAA tournament Thursday at the United Center in Chicago.
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Nd WOmEN’s laCrOssE | noTre dAme 24, KennesAW sTATe 4
