Print Edition of The Observer for Monday, April 23, 2018

Page 1

The independent

To uncover

newspaper serving

the truth

Notre Dame and

and report

Saint Mary’s

it accurately

Volume 52, Issue 118 | monday, april 23, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Committee unveils ‘The Shirt’ for 2018 The Shirt Project honors Parseghian’s legacy, reflects on various benefits of money raised By TOM NAATZ Associate News Editor

At last September’s Notre DameGeorgia football game, head coach Brian Kelly noticed a problem. Not with his team, but with the apparel of the crowd. “As you looked around the stadium, you couldn’t really find the color that hit Notre Dame,” Kelly said Friday at the unveiling ceremony of the 2018 edition of “The Shirt.” The ceremony was the culmination of a months-long process. The Shirt Project has been working throughout the year to design the hallmark piece of Notre Dame fan apparel for the upcoming season. Junior Kristin Andrejko, president of The Shirt Project, said many steps went into this year’s product. “Our committee is formed

usually every October and the first big choice we make as a committee is our choice of vendor,” she said. “After October, the next big decision we have to make is the color of the shirt, and so we usually have that decided before Christmas … Along with the color comes a decision about fabric … January through February is very designintensive … and then March and April are heavy on the Unveiling planning and thinking about our marketing promotions.” The Shirt Project is a student-run endeavor. Members of the committee are chosen through a selective application process, Andrejko said. Aside from the committee’s advisor, who helps with issues related to trademarks, and Kelly, who is always presented with The Shirt see SHIRT PAGE 3

BRIDGET DONNELLY | The Observer

Head football coach Brian Kelly helps reveal “ The Shirt” for the 2018 season outside the Hammes Bookstore on Friday. Former Notre Dame football player Jaylon Smith also attended the event.

Valedictorian reflects on academic successes By COLLEEN ZEWE News Writer

Editor’s note: This is the first of a five-part series profiling the valedictorians of Saint Mary‘s class of 2018. For the first time in history, Saint Mary’s has five valedictorians. Molecular biology major Darya Bondarenko is one of the five students honored with the

valedictorian title this year — an honor which represents the mind of Saint Mary’s, according to the commencement website. Bondarenko found out she was named valedictorian in an email from senior academic advisor Tracy White, who asked that she come meet the other valedictorians and discuss the commencement speech. Bondarenko said she was

pleasantly surprised by the number of valedictorians. “I think I was the second person [at the meeting], and as more people started filing in, it was surprising,” she said. “It‘s also kind of exciting. It‘s really fun that we have so many students who have accomplished such a high honor.” see BONDARENKO PAGE 3

Professor walks to raise money for Burkina Faso By MADISON RIEHLE News Writer

Michael Meyer, an associate professor in the Mendoza College of Business, completed his fourth 30-mile walk around campus yesterday in an effort to raise money to build a well in Burkina Faso. In order to complete the 30mile trek, Meyer planned a 1.5 mile route on campus that he

News PAGE 2

lapped 20 times, stopping once for a carb-break. The walk began around 6 a.m. at Keenan Hall, and went until 4 p.m. Meyer said the 30 miles is symbolic of the distances that people of Burkina Faso walk each week to get clean water. “I never want this to be about me, or for that matter Notre Dame,” Meyer said. “I always just focus on what’s happening in Burkina Faso. The kids and

Scene PAGE 5

the mothers go out and get the water everyday, sometimes walking three to four miles everyday. When a village gets a well, suddenly the kids can go to school, the family can spend more time together and you really have an inflection point in the entire trajectory of that village.” Meyer began doing this hike after hearing a 12-year-old speak see CHARITY PAGE 4

viewpoint PAGE 7

First ‘IDEA Week’ spotlights new innovations By NATALIE WEBER News Editor

Though the Studebaker plant closed in the early 1960’s, many still identify the city of South Bend with its manufacturing past — and the after-effects of the factory’s demise. Associate provost Bryan Ritchie wants to change this perception. “This community has been mired in its past for so long,” Ritchie said. “I mean, OK we’re the ‘Studebaker City.’ When do we move past that? What’s the new moniker? We’re the ‘Big Data City.’ We’re the ‘Advanced Manufacturing City.’ Whatever that case might be … we just need to get to that next thing. So I want people to start to see that and understand that that’s a possibility.” Ritchie is leading the efforts behind IDEA Week, a Notre Dame-led festival highlighting innovation and entrepreneurship. Ritchie — whose official role is associate provost and vice

football PAGE 12

president of innovation — said the week combines many of the initiatives already taking place in the community. “We were doing a lot of things in April anyways around innovation and entrepreneurship, and so we said, ‘Why not create a celebration week where we pull all of these events into one week? And let’s get everyone motivated and excited about what we’re doing.’ Hopefully, that will have knockon effects,” Ritchie said. “I mean, it will bring others out of the woodwork, get them engaged, make sure they understand and see what’s happening.” Nick Swisher, executive director of IDEA Week, said the conference is a direct result of Notre Dame’s efforts to become a leading research university. “It’s now maturing to a place that the ideas that are coming from the labs and from the students are enough of a critical mass to really put a focus on see IDEA PAGE 4

MEN’S lacrosse PAGE 12


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.