ND reforms Moreau program
By Sophie Hanawalt Notre Dame News Editor
With the class of 2029 settling into campus, freshmen are amidst their third week of the Moreau First-Year Experience. The course has been a staple of Notre Dame’s curriculum for the past decade, although the course has undergone significant changes this year.
Last year, a portion of the class of 2028 was given a pilot Moreau curriculum. This school year, the pilot was fully adopted: Each freshman will take one semester of Moreau followed by a second semester their senior year.
Andrew Whittington, the program’s senior director, explained in a statement to The Observer that after the program’s initial creation in 2015 “to build upon Notre Dame’s aim to educate both the minds and hearts of her students,” an initiative was launched in 2022 to rethink the experience. In collaboration with the Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Research, a committee of faculty and staff leaders researched new approaches for the program.
According to Whittington, the new program maintains “fundamental principles” of the former rendition of the course, including a common syllabus, small class sizes and an overarching goal of building community.
Theology professor Bill Mattison, the faculty director of the Moreau program, shared that the process of creating this year’s rendition of the program was sparked when leaders in student affairs and the provost’s office came together two years ago to discuss how they “thought it could be more, particularly if campus-wide faculty and staff leaders were involved in redesigning it and teaching it,” Mattison wrote in a statement to The Observer.
Mattison later formed two committees to support the program’s creation, the curriculum committee, whose task according to Whittington was to “integrate intellectual reflection on ultimate questions about God, relationships, and the human person with practical
see “Moreau” page 4
New restaurants open near ND
By Megan Cornell Associate News Editor
Memorial mass held for late student Audrey DeShetler
By Avabella Mitrano News Writer
Welsh Family Hall held a memorial Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Monday evening for sophomore Audrey DeShetler.
DeShetler passed away on June 8 after a 14-year battle with neuroblastoma, a rare pediatric cancer.
University President Fr. Robert Dowd presided over the Mass, which was wellattended by DeShetler’s family, students and other members of the Notre Dame community.
Dowd began by thanking DeShetler’s family for sharing their daughter with the Notre Dame community and
see “Memorial” page 4
Saint Mary’s opens new Language and Literacy Lab
By Berhan Hagezom
Saint Mary’s News Editor
After its grand opening on Tuesday evening, Barrio: Tacos + Tequila + Whiskey became Eddy Street’s newest addition. The taco bar has locations
In the past few months three restaurants opened near campus: a taco bar, an Asian fusion restaurant and a neighborhood bar and grill. These restaurants cater specifically to students, offering special promotions for game days and other events.
see “Restaurants” page 2
The speech language pathology (SLP) department at Saint Mary’s held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the College’s new Language and Literacy Lab from 1:30-2 p.m. on Monday in room 18 of Havican Hall. The lab aims to help SLP students gain holistic skills while benefiting the children at the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC), who will receive specialized attention in the space designed for them.
During the ceremony, various faculty associated with the department shared remarks while students discussed the importance of the new lab. College President Katie Conboy spoke at the ceremony and was joined by Susan Calandra ‘72, the donor of the lab. Calandra discussed her personal experiences with her son in SLP services and explained why she
believes a space like this was needed at Saint Mary’s.
Susan Latham, associate professor and founding chair of the department of speech language pathology, spoke to the purpose of the lab as an innovative opportunity for SLP students to work directly and closely with children and aid in educating them on verbal and written communication skills.
“There are several purposes to this room. Primarily, it’s to help our students both in speech language pathology and education know how to be the teacher of the classroom,” Latham said, discussing students’ role in building connections with the students. “So the different things that will happen in this lab first is a language and literacy-based classroom for three and four-year-olds. We will also extend our services for literacy after school program to
help children who are struggling with written language.”
Four graduate students will work in the lab with eight children per semester. Latham hopes to grow the number of children using the lab to 16 in the following academic year. One of the graduate students in the program, second-year master’s student Olivia Herbst, provided insight on the development process of the lab itself.
“I know it’s been in the works for four or five years now, since they first got the funding for it and started brainstorming what it would look like exactly. It’s the product of a lot of really hard work and a lot of planning before the students even really came into the picture. I know Dr. Latham has been working really closely with Kari Alford, the director of ECDC,
see “Lab” page 4
MEGAN CORNELL | The Observer
Barrio: Tacos + Tequila + Whiskey is the nearby Eddy Street’s newest edition, serving homemade tacos and craft cocktails. It opened Sept. 9.
AVABELLA MITRANO | The Observer
Fr. Peter McCormick gives the homily at Audrey DeShetler’s memorial mass, sharing her life story and highlighting her impact on campus. DeShetler, who would have been a sophomore this year, died in June.
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Meruelo career center takes on national approach
By Emily Barlett News Writer
The Meruelo Family Center for Career Development has expanded its programs and services beyond the Dome in an effort to reshape career development for Notre Dame students.
Through its regional engagement model, the center has brought career discernment and networking opportunities to some of the country’s most influential metro areas, including Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, New York City and Houston. Unlike most traditional career development programs, the regional engagement model has an external focus, forming meaningful relationships in job markets where Notre Dame students want to work.
“The regional engagement model at the University of Notre Dame is a cornerstone of the career development experience that truly sets the University apart,” Northern California regional engagement manager Allison Gagnon said.
The program offers students several tools to connect with sought-after employers, including the Golden Gateway Series, an initiative that helps students network with professionals at companies like Google, Nike and Apple. The regional engagement model also offers career treks, helping students discern potential vocational paths in locations relevant to specific career paths.
“These treks provide behindthe-scenes access to organizations and opportunities to learn about different career paths and chances to connect with Notre Dame alumni and friends who can offer mentorship, advice and professional guidance,” Gagnon stated.
Restaurants
Continued from page 1
around the Midwest and East Coast and is best known for its diverse menu and lively atmosphere.
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The model also employs a regional engagement team, which operates throughout the country. Team members in national hotspots help teams enhance the Notre Dame network, enabling the University to connect more directly with national fields.
“The regional team is ND’s career ‘game changer,’” regional engagement associate for Southern California Dorothy Kozak Snoke said. “For students wanting an inside glimpse into top employers in major industries – aerospace, sports, media, biotech, Fortune 500 companies – we connect the dots with connections to help you get in the door.”
Junior Vince Smith reported gaining valuable experience working with firms across San Francisco and Silicon Valley through the model.
“I have been able to gain a real understanding of the technology and venture capital ecosystem, and
Using fresh ingredients and homemade recipes is a high priority for the restaurant.
developed many lasting and meaningful relationships with big names in these industries,” Smith said.
Senior Connor Casey, who participated in a Bay Area career trek, noted that the opportunity highlighted the many paths that can come after business analytics and finance degrees. On the trek, Casey met alumni working for LinkedIn, who shared unique insights into profile-building strategies.
“Not only did I gain a behindthe-scenes glimpse into several tech giants, including Salesforce and LinkedIn, but I was also able to personally connect with two dozen Notre Dame alumni and fellow students,” Casey said.
According to Casey and Smith, both recommended their experiences to others, with Smith expressing his gratitude for the initiative.
“I cannot emphasize enough how grateful I am for this program and how much I would recommend
others take advantage of these opportunities,” Smith said.
The University is planning to expand the model as the center hopes to establish teams in other major cities such as Boston and Washington, D.C. Both have dynamic job markets and increasing student interest, making them perfect future targets for the evolving program.
“Rather than simply offering career services on campus, like many other universities, our regional model embeds staff in strategic regions to cultivate real-time, meaningful relationships with employers, alumni and parents,” Gagnon stated, emphasizing that the model not only helps students take the next steps in their professional careers but also contributes to a global network rooted in community, innovation and growth.
Contact Emily Barlett at ebarlett@nd.edu
“You get to choose from different shells, proteins, cheeses, toppings and sauces and kind of create your perfect taco or bowl. You can come in multiple times and do a completely different food experience,” owner Jake Hawley said. Barrio functions as both a restaurant and a bar, with late-night hours on Fridays and Saturdays and an extensive cocktail menu.
“We’re open until midnight during the week and until 2 a.m. on the weekends as another late-night food option. You can have the same experience at Barrio at noon as you can at midnight,” Hawley said.
“We prepare everything in house fresh daily, which is a big part of what we do. We don’t freeze anything that goes into our food. It’s prepped every single day from scratch,” Hawley said.
The restaurant also serves brunch on weekends, with a mimosa bar and breakfast tacos. “We do brunch on the weekends — Friday, Saturday and Sunday — from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. We serve a bunch of different breakfast tacos, bowls and stuff like that. The brunch would be great for game days especially,” Hawley said.
Although they have locations across the country, Barrio’s South Bend location offers a distinct experience.
“You’ll see a lot of Notre Dame themed art … we’re going to do special events on game day. We’re going to close half
the restaurant … and host a tailgate party with the rest of it as table service. We can rent out some of the space to big groups and we do catering as well,” Hawley said.
Next door to Barrio, Jinya Ramen Bar is an upscale Asian restaurant serving ramen, sushi, rice bowls and artisanal cocktails.
Jinya Ramen Bar opened over the summer, and students are already enjoying the new Eddy Street spot. Junior Grace Ann Kinsale visited the restaurant last week and shared that “Jinya provides a more upscale dining option to the area with a wide menu that includes vegan ramen.”
“That’s something you don’t usually find around here. It’s a refreshing addition to the Notre Dame dining scene,” she said.
A short drive away in downtown South Bend, Manny’s Sports Bar is a bar and
restaurant that opened on Aug. 1.
The restaurant features a patio, 30 TVs and various arcade games and serves a variety of bar foods and late-night snacks. Manny’s has also hosted various events since its opening, including a watch party for the Notre Dame vs. Miami game sponsored by Teeling Whiskey.
Junior Emma Murphy attended the watch party and said she enjoyed her experience. “I loved the open air concept where we were able to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air. [It] felt like I was back home on my patio watching the game. The picnic table setup was warm and inviting and the staff matched the casual and welcoming atmosphere,” she wrote.
Contact Megan Cornell at mcornell@nd.edu
Courtesy of Allison Gagnon
Notre Dame’s Meruelo Family Center for Career Development aims to expand opportunities for students through its regional engagement model while fostering networking events with Notre Dame alumni.
Moreau
Continued from page 1
applications of living well,” as well as the co-curricular committee, who oversaw the development of the co-curricular activities.
“Our team improved upon the pilot course by offering a clearer course description and consolidating the purpose of the course into two most fundamental learning goals,” Whittington wrote. He noted that the majority of required texts remain the same from the pilot.
The course is grounded in the work of program namesake Basil Moreau and that of other members of the Congregation of the Holy Cross who founded the University.
“Not only the content but also the shape of the course honors Father Moreau’s teachings on Christian education. Among the course topics are three placed at the beginning, middle, and end of the course to remind students of grace: gratitude, dignity, and rest,” professor Neil Arner, the associate faculty director for the program, wrote, adding that students will engage with five texts or videos prepared by members of the congregation throughout their time in the course.
One significant change to the course is the introduction of the Moreau Commonplace
Lab
Continued from page 1
as well as with donors and the planning committee,” Herbst said.
Latham shared that the lab is unique to the state of Indiana, for it allows students to have a direct space to communicate with children and develop their learning at their own pace.
Students utilize a pull-out model, removing children from their typical classroom to go learn in the lab space instead. SLP students also have the opportunity to learn how to develop a curriculum for a whole classroom and observe what a learning environment should look like.
Memorial
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reminding them that she will always be a part of it. “We celebrate because we are sad, but also to celebrate a beautiful life. She had a life of faith, hope, and love,” Dowd said. Fr. Peter McCormick gave the homily and shared DeShetler’s backstory. An avid Notre Dame football fan, DeShetler was a computer science major and
Book, which was provided to each freshman to write reflections in.
Along with the book, the course curriculum now includes videos from campus leaders who speak on “various aspects of a life well lived,” citing friendship, work, community, dignity and leisure as example themes which are explored in terms of how students can apply them at Notre Dame and beyond.
The course’s instructors have also been diversified to include faculty along with deans, department chairs, institute heads, provost John McGreevy, University President Emeritus Fr. John Jenkins and Notre Dame Law School dean Marcus Cole.
Whittington shared that the new instructors’ addition to the program demonstrates “their commitment to serving and walking with our newest Notre Dame students.”
The most pronounced change to the program has been the introduction of Moreau peer leaders (MPL), which were incorporated after being tested and receiving positive reviews during the pilot.
Upperclassmen peer leaders join the freshmen in the course each week, their main role during each class being to provide a 10-minute personal reflection to provide a starting point for connections from the texts and materials the freshmen will examine each week to their personal
The lab is beginning to collaborate with the College’s education department. Latham is further hoping to collaborate with educators and students across the community to make the lab an accessible educational setting.
“It’s just the very beginning of us being able to work together and figure out how can more people benefit from this space than just the speech language pathology students. I hope that we have more education students here, but we’re also going to have educators from the community that we want them. We want to be face to face with them,” Latham said. Different areas of the
participated in multiple clubs on campus, including the Themed Entertainment Association and AccessABLE. Reflecting on DeShetler’s impact on campus, McCormick said, “Most importantly, she was a friend, a daughter and a sister, one who knew what it meant to show up for others, one who knew what it meant to seize the moment and to appreciate how special it was, one who knew how to make
lives.
“Along with the Commonplace Book, the Moreau Peer Leaders might be the most popular and impactful feature of the FirstYear Seminar,” Mattison wrote, “Since the seminar invites students to probe perennial questions as they relate to living at Notre Dame and beyond, upper-class students serving as peer leaders draw on their own experiences to help guide students in their own quest to thrive at Notre Dame.”
220 students applied for the 120 Moreau Peer Leader spots, a competitive cycle that Whittington wrote was “a sign of the strength of our community in its desire to serve first-year students and the trust in the new Moreau Program.”
Nate Moore, a sophomore in Duncan Hall who is a peer leader for professor Melissa Moschella’s section of the course, noted that peer leaders are encouraged to spend time with the students outside of class, so he took the freshmen in his section to Chipotle last Wednesday.
“Inside and outside the classroom, [the peer leaders] are like big brothers and sisters to the students,” Mattison wrote.
In one class session, Moore spoke on tradition at Notre Dame, sharing, “the students read these two articles and
lab include a dramatic play area, a quiet reading area, a construction manipulative area where children play with building blocks, an art area and a writing area. Latham aims to expose children to language through functional and meaningful activities, rather than being taught language in a structured and constricted manner.
“Maybe one week, the dramatic play area becomes the post office. Well, you can imagine the wonderful writing that’s going to happen in the writing center around writing to important people in their lives and sticking them in the mailbox and just knowing, ‘Oh, this is where you
others laugh, and to enjoy the presence of others and be kind.”
McCormick compared DeShetler’s resilience in the face of cancer to Joseph’s and Mary’s perseverance. “Audrey faced uncertainty and fear and like Joseph she refused to allow that fear to have the last word. She lived knowing that death would come but she chose instead to squeeze out every ounce of life in the
essentially what they were about was look, Notre Dame is ingrained in football traditions and we have tons of different dorm events that go on, but the root of what Notre Dame is really built on is the seeking for understanding and truth. So my role was trying to get the students to move away from football to start thinking about education beyond the future of positions and status holds.”
David Rae, a senior in Siegfried Hall, served as a peer leader for the program last year.
“I applied to be a Moreau Peer Leader because I was excited about the way that this version of Moreau connects with and ministers to first year students by tailoring the readings and discussions to promote conversations that are applicable to their everyday lives while also cultivating an attentiveness to those around them and God,” he wrote.
Rae discussed how valuable building a Moreau community is to him and added, “Being a MPL gives me the chance to walk with first year students on their journey to adjust to life at Notre Dame as I can try to be a friend and resource to them: sometimes offering advice through my testimonials but sometimes just an understanding ear to rant to about the many struggles that will come along the way.”
put a stamp on an envelope,’” Latham explained.
Following the donor’s remarks thanking the Saint Mary’s Development Office and the blessing of the space by Rev. Felipe Campos, the ribbon-cutting took place with the help of children from the ECDC, along with Latham, Calandra and Conboy.
Lupita Luna-Tovar, a second year master’s SLP student, wrote in an email that the ceremony symbolizes a new path for the College in creating new avenues for the community. She also elaborated on how it relates to her personal identity.
“As a first-generation Latina college
days that she had … and like Mary lived with a simple but profound faith,” he said.
DeShetler’s faith in the face of suffering should be an example to the entire community, McCormick said. “Just as Audrey’s life has made such an impact on each and every one of us, let us pray that that would be the same for each of us, that we might have gotten to the same belief that Jesus the Christ loves us, calls us by name and
Additionally, students are expected to attend three of 26 offered “co-curricular learning opportunities” per semester, which Mattison shared include cultural events featuring theater, poetry, dance and music. The program’s signature co-curricular event will be an evening for freshmen in the program to spend with University President Fr. Robert Dowd on Oct. 7 at Notre Dame Stadium, where he will speak on hope.
Freshmen will also complete two co-curricular labs, interactive activities like interviewing a classmate in detail and writing a reflection on the interview.
This program is largely unique to Notre Dame due to it being “a common course across the entire student body, intellectually rich and nourishing, with a holistic focus on living well” according to Whittington.
Savannah Gurnsey, a freshman in Welsh Family Hall, shared her appreciation for the course.
“I think it’s really cool that we get to learn about what the school stands for and the goals they have for their students. It’s different than any other college that I’ve heard of. It feels like they really want me to actually become a better person,” Guernsey said.
Contact Sophie Hanawalt at shanawal@nd.edu
student, it carried even greater significance because I recognize that I am in spaces and receiving opportunities that many in my community have not always had access to. I am truly grateful to Saint Mary’s College, my clinical supervisors, professors, and the community for their constant support and encouragement. To me, the ribbon-cutting symbolizes not only the growth of our program, but also the doors being opened for students like myself to thrive and make a difference in the lives of others,” she wrote.
Contact Berhan Hagezom at bhagezom01@saintmarys.edu
sends us out to be his hands, his feet, his heart and his mind,” he said.
Attendees gave the DeShetler family a round of applause at the end of the Mass, and Dowd thanked them again. After the mass, receptions were held in Welsh Family Hall and Stinson-Remick Hall of Engineering.
Contact Avabella Mitrano at amitrano@nd.edu
By Carlos Basurto Columnist, “Eudaemonic Banter”
The recent ever-accelerating improvement of artificial intelligence chatbots has dominated the discussion cycles ad nauseam. Evidently, they are the first and flashiest step in a reframing of various educational, societal, economical and political issues. As with all emergent technologies, every facet of human civilization is being reevaluated, and the monetary incentives exacerbate the narratives of apparent progress. How much is this an economic exploit to take advantage of an obvious financial asset bubble? It is unknown, but one thing is certain — whichever form they take, these tools are here to stay and will change how humanity interacts with the world, and one another. Nevertheless, there is one particular channel of the human experience these artificial intelligence advancements have coincided with that is imperative to bring attention to, for it has catalyzed an unprecedented, turbulent reaction. The ongoing loneliness epidemic bludgeoning the American populus, particularly young adults, has gone hand-in-hand with the COVID pandemic, the dismantling of public spaces and social organizations, political polarization, internet-fueled interests, hyperspecificity and echo chambers, proliferation of remote interactions and social media disingenuity, among many other factors to create the perfect cocktail of ubiquitous isolation and unaddressed mental illness.
To love your chatbot
We, as a society, are at our most vulnerable: We seek true connection with desperation. And what is there to fill the growing void in the human heart? The artificial. Why, tech has opened the floodgates: More people are connected now than ever before in human history. Instantly, anyone can speak to another on the planet with the flick of a wrist. The barriers have been torn down and in their place, there have sprouted digital town squares. Everyone, everywhere always knows everything about everyone all of the time. And yet, despite being provided the most options, never has it been harder to make true, lasting relationships. The reasons are aplenty and fluctuating, but the hedgehog dilemma faced by humanity is a constant reality: To connect
is hard, to connect hurts. When tired and bleeding, we find our snowy, unfeeling escape in comfort. We want something uncomplicated. Something nice. Something that ceases our thinking and simply makes us feel good. Well, do I have the product for you. What if I were to tell you: You can have someone infinitely knowledgeable and wise, personally tailored for your specific needs and available 24 hours a day, in your pocket? Someone that shares all of your interests, who hates the same things you do and will always support you, hear you, agree with you, sparing the harsh judgement you find outside. Sycophantic machines, trained on you to be just like you want them — need them
— to be. Specialized on triggering every positive stimuli in your psyche, to maximize your desire to be with them. Who cares if you know it’s not a person? That was never the point, anyway. The chimera of social interactions, the companion created for you to love: your favorite AI chatbot. Perhaps, for some that may not be as tech-savvy or lonesome, this may appear as a foreign concept. But the growing number of young people who have found themselves in profound, committed relationships with their chatbot has been on the rise. These can be romantic, sexual, spiritual or merely that of occasional companionship. These collections of code appear as patient therapists, as vocal believers, as listeners, as all humans in your life could not be. Chatbots have,
Stop pursuing happiness
“It is not joy and sorrow which are opposed to one another, but varieties within the one and the other. There are an infernal joy and pain, a healing joy and pain, a celestial joy and pain,” Simone Weil, “Gravity and Grace.”
There is a great poverty in the English language’s vocabulary of negative and positive emotion or affection. How often are we asked, “How are you?” and how little are we able to express ourselves? How often do we seem, by all appearances and objective metrics, to be doing “good,” but really we carry despair within our hearts without knowing why or how to express it? It is curious and troubling that, of all aspects of life, the most difficult to express is that aspect at the
very center of life: the “pursuit of happiness.” I do not doubt that a large part of this poverty of language is due to an innate ineffability of our inner experience, especially our most profound experiences of joy and sorrow. But I can’t help but wonder if there are cultural reasons why the English language is lacking in this area. I would not expect the language of a people who are largely confused and who widely disagree about what “happiness” even is to boast a rich variety of expression on the types and degrees of happiness.
The Catch-22 is that the very reason (I suspect) the language is impoverished — i.e., a cultural failure to grasp the spiritual depth of joy and the interior life — is the same reason such language is sorely needed to add nuance and clarity to our
often lonely and malnourished interior lives. While less developed countries suffer materially yet abide with a rich spiritual joy, more developed countries prosper materially but suffer existentially or spiritually, which can be seen from the alarming rates of suicide, depression, social isolation, despair, doubt, etc. Something must be wrong with the way we are pursuing happiness in the modern West. It seems that our outward suffering comes with different inward qualities. Sometimes, our suffering feels desolate, lonely and meaningless; other times, it feels rich, accompanied and redemptive. To capture this nuance, and to enrich our vocabulary of suffering and joy, I’d like to propose two distinctions — between sweet and sour,
at command of their respective corporations for financial gains, entered the cycles of human intimacy, dissipating solitude at any cost; at times, even feeding into dangerous delusions — causing the deepening psychological phenomenon of AI psychosis. But though extreme cases are easily discernible, I hope to bring light to all of us, for it is us who stand in the vanguard, with our defenses trashed, at the dawn of the age of smoke and mirrors. Do not hesitate, for AI chatbots are the first of many. Today, they are the least convincing they will ever be. Their expansion into audio, video, virtual reality, robotics and more realms of your daily life is not merely a theoretical possibility, but an inevitability. And with every step, we will blur the line further, until perhaps it ceases to exist altogether. What does our susceptibility to these machines say about us, about what we truly long for? What is our objective in our relationships, in our connections with fellow humans? What is it, truly, that brings us satisfaction? The void of the heart expands, restlessly awaiting an answer. Whilst our loneliest, we dared unleash Pandora’s box. We did not care what laid within, so long as it kept us company.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Contact Carlos Basurto at cbasurto@nd.edu
and between holy and empty.
Our suffering is sweet if our outward struggle seems inwardly meaningful or somehow positive to us. Our suffering is sour if our outward struggle seems inwardly meaningless or altogether negative to us. Our suffering is holy if we undergo it with faith, trust and prayer. Our suffering is empty if we undergo it without calling on God, without trusting in God or even cursing God. Applying these distinctions to joy along with suffering, we now have an enriched vocabulary with eight categories of emotion or affection. I have listed the eight categories below, each with a characteristic example.
Empty sour suffering:
An agnostic investment banker, working a hundred hours a week, struggles with depression and
meaninglessness.
Empty sweet suffering:
A competitive bodybuilder, whose vanity is as puffed-up as his muscles, fights through one last rep. Holy sour suffering — Jesus laments on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Holy sweet suffering — A Christian feels himself growing closer to Christ through his Lenten fasting. Empty sour joy — The brother of a king kills for the throne and all its luster. Empty sweet joy — A staunch atheist finds purpose in his charitable non-profit. Holy sour joy — Not possible, since the only thing that can turn joy sour is evil or emptiness. Holy sweet joy — A Christian couple marries! With this enriched see “Holy” on page 6
MEG HAMMOND | The Observer
By Richard Taylor Columnist, “Just Glad To Be Here”
Holy
Continued from page 5 vocabulary, it seems to me that we should desire not to go from suffering to joy, but to go from emptiness to holiness and from sourness to sweetness. Without this enriched vocabulary, it seems self-evident that we should
desire to avoid suffering and pursue joy. Then, embarking on this “pursuit of happiness,” we wrongly assume that the project of our lives is to minimize suffering and maximize joy. But, in truth, suffering and joy often go together, and what determines the quality of our inner affections is not so much whether we are in a state of suffering
or joy, but whether such suffering or joy is sweet or sour, holy or empty. As Weil writes, “It is not joy and sorrow which are opposed to one another, but varieties within the one and the other.”
One whose goal is to pass from suffering to joy, without appreciating the variations therein and the union of suffering and joy, will always see suffering
as a problem — something to be solved, escaped, eradicated. But one whose goal is to become holy and remain faithful to Christ no matter what comes and who hopes to find some sweetness in his trials will not see suffering as a parasite to be exterminated but a sad reality to be confronted, patiently undertaken and
transformed — just as he himself is transformed by the suffering, transformed into the very person he wishes to become, Christ.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Contact Richard Taylor at rtaylo23@nd.edu
Grabbing coffee with: Martijn Cremers
By Allison Elshoff Columnist, “Asking for a Friend”
“Grabbing coffee with” is a human-interest series highlighting the interesting professors and faculty at Notre Dame. Suggest a guest by contacting aelshoff@nd.edu.
Dean Martijn Cremers welcomes us into his backyard, his grill ready to serve us students in his “Corporate Governance & Catholic Social Teaching” class this fall. At any other university, it might be unheard of for the dean of the business school to invite students to their home for an intimate barbecue; but at Notre Dame, I’m not entirely surprised. In keeping with this spirit of charity towards students, Cremers has also agreed to be the first guest on my “Grabbing coffee with” series this semester. We opt for burgers and spicy Italian sausages instead of coffee and tea. Freshman year, my impression of Cremers was very limited. All I knew – that he had a Dutch accent and loved “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” by Hokusai – came from a “Mendoza Open House” talk my parents attended Welcome Weekend. I’ve come to learn a great deal more, however, about the man in charge of the Mendoza College of Business (and his obsession with “The Wave”) during my three years here.
Cremers grew up in Boxmeer, a small town in the south of the Netherlands. Given his hometown’s aggressively secular nature, it might come as a surprise that he ended up at Notre Dame. It probably would have come as a surprise to a collegeaged Cremers himself: “After I graduated with a master’s in econometrics from the Free University in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, I was very unsure about my next step. Upon the urging of my older brother, I decided to apply to study econo mics at a graduate school in the U.S., which I had never visited at that time. When I got a scholarship from New York University – which changed my life – I expected to be in New York for one year, and then go back to Amsterdam to work in consulting. But things changed quickly.”
A major turning point for the dean’s career discernment was taking an MBA course in advanced derivatives trading on a
whim during his first semester. In 1997, it was a relatively upand-coming area on Wall Street.
“The professor was amazing, and, after he got to know me a bit, saw something in me that I had not seriously considered yet; namely, to do a Ph.D in finance, rather than go to Wall Street to trade derivatives,” Cremers said.
“Even when I was finishing my Ph.D, I wasn’t sure yet [what to do], but the offer to join Yale University as an assistant professor of finance was an amazing opportunity. Once at Yale, I grew to love all aspects of being a professor, starting with teaching and doing research.”
When asked what eventually drew him to Notre Dame, the dean says that his faith and family life became increasingly important to him after teaching for ten years at Yale. “I was looking for a university where I could better integrate my faith and family life, a place where community and friendships with colleagues and students were paramount,” he explained.
The barbecue feels like the culmination of this dream: The dean leads us in prayer before we dig into our burgers, and later, my classmates and I play gaga ball on the trampoline with his eight-year-old son, Justin, while the rest of the group compares their favorite South Bend restaurants around the fire pit.
This integration of faith and family extends beyond the dean’s work-life balance to his vision for the business school, as well. One of the changes he’s made during his tenure has been switching Mendoza’s slogan from “Ask More of Business” to “Grow the Good in Business.”
He explained what the revised slogan means to him: “We grow the good in business through what I call the ‘three Cs’: how we contribute, cooperate, and compete. We grow the good in business through how we contribute to society, how we serve others, starting with the products and services that fulfill genuine needs. We grow the good in business through how we coordinate with all stakeholders in solidarity, especially those with the greatest needs, starting with the team that you work with closely. We grow the good in business through how we compete with excellence, externally in the marketplace (of products and services, the labor
market and the financial market), through a prior internal competition towards the best version of yourself, by the grace of God and the support of others.”
As my parents learned during my Welcome Weekend, Cremers tends to represent this vision with the “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” by Hokusai, using Mount Fuji as the guiding compass to ensure one’s goods contribute to society. The boats are the stakeholders coordinating in solidarity, and the wave is the competitive, external marketplace.
Interested in how the dean arrived at this inspiring vision, a bit outside-of-the-box for a business school, I asked him who the biggest influence in his life as been.
“Definitely my parents,” he said. “My father worked as a teacher in grade school, middle school and then high school and he taught me the importance of faith, hard work and perseverance and of the intellectual life, especially as cultivated in the humanities – literature, history, painting, music, architecture, religion, etc., etc. –and, finally, the love for teaching. My mother worked in a nursing home and always emphasized the importance of serving others, especially by her example.”
He found that being dean allows him to practice and pursue all of the values his parents ingrained in him, from a love of teaching to serving others: “I love serving as dean for three reasons. First, I love all aspects of being a professor and I love Notre Dame, so it is fulfilling to work towards a shared vision of how we can better serve our students, faculty and staff, how we can be more faithful to our mission, working towards what Mendoza can look like in five to 10 years. Second, I love how social the role is, to be part of a team, how I get to know and work with so many faculty, students, alumni, parents and Notre Dame supporters, with University and college leadership, whereas much of being a professor is more individual. Third, it is quite multifaceted, dynamic and challenging to serve as dean, which forces me to constantly learn, grow and work on my weaknesses, by the grace of God and the support of others.”
Seeing as he has found such a calling in his work, what advice would he give students discerning their post-graduate
plans? He said to “Make sure you take time for discernment, about what your gifts are, how to develop those, and then share them with others. At Mendoza, we started an academic discernment course for first-year students [and have] also introduced courses at Mendoza that explore the moral purpose of business and the vocation of business. I also urge all students to consider doing a minor or second major in a discipline that is very different from your first major. Finally, reach out to the most generous and kind alumni in the world, the graduates of the University of Notre Dame. They are eager to help guide your first steps postgraduation as well.”
As Justin breaks out the s’mores (after pointedly reminding his dad that we hadn’t had dessert yet), I’m struck by how little of our professor’s lives us students really get to see from just inside the classroom. Deans of business schools feel like they are supposed to be aloof, too busy to give students advice or too professional for something as laid-back as this barbecue. But seeing Cremers at his home has given me a little glimpse into the surprising normalcy and humility of his personal life. To give readers the same feeling, I asked what people might be surprised to learn
about him: “As I am Dutch, students may be surprised that I have become a very committed fan of the Notre Dame football team. I joined Notre Dame in 2012 and until then I had never even watched an American football game, and I did not even understand the complicated rules of football. That changed immediately after coming here. In my 13 football seasons since I arrived at Notre Dame, I have never missed a single minute of a single home football game (except one, when I had COVID). I love how Notre Dame athletics brings people together to cheer the Fighting Irish.” And cheer them on this Saturday we will. As the sun sets and it’s time for us to go home, we clean up our s’moressticks and lovingly let down Justin for a second round of gaga ball. I’m reminded of how lucky I am to be here at this school, learning from faculty that are much more than their titles: deans, maybe, but also mentors, parents and unapologetic football fans.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Contact Allison Elshoff at aelshoff@nd.edu
ALLISON ELSHOFF | The Observer Dean Martijn Cremers grills burgers at his home while hosting a barbecue for students in his class this Fall semester.
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ shoots its way to the top
By Mason Mccart Scene Writer
In 2021, Sony Pictures signed a pay-one output deal with Netflix, giving Netflix first-look rights at any project the studio plans to release. Made possible by this business decision, Netflix swooped in and was granted the opportunity to release Sony’s latest project “KPop Demon Hunters” on the streaming service instead of via theatrical release. What was initially believed to be a minor project Netflix acquired for distribution ended up becoming one of the biggest cultural sensations of the decade.
When watching the film, I was immediately drawn to how much love the film was created with. In every frame of the animation, you are able to see the artists’ behind-the-scenes passion and dedication. Beyond that passion, a strong script and phenomenal voice acting make the film as enjoyable as it can possibly be.
The characters within the movie are impeccably written and extremely likeable, even if not particularly relatable. However, the film spends its entire runtime examining the
main character, Rumi, and does not provide as much of a voice or background to its supporting cast. Even though I found this to be a small issue when fully connecting with the story, it is a problem that will most
likely be fixed in any sequels.
The strongest aspect of the film lies in its original music. The composers behind the now smash hit songs were obviously students of K-pop and sought to make impactful
contributions to the genre. All of these elements harmoniously blend together to form a movie that is confident in what it is and what sort of impact it wants to leave audiences with. The level of the film’s impact is
visible in every area possible, with the film topping charts of all kinds. The most impressive statistic of the movie lies in the fact that it is now the most streamed film of all time on Netflix, surpassing the previous record holder, “Red Notice.” Paired with a sing-along release that went No. 1 at the U.S. box office and made $19 million in two days, the project has dominated film charts.
In addition, the film’s soundtrack has also taken over the music scene, with “Golden” becoming the first girl-group song to top the Billboard Hot 100 in 24 years. To date, the soundtrack has accumulated over 2 billion streams on Spotify, with all seven songs surpassing 200 million plays and over 54 million monthly listeners tuning in to the film’s Spotify.
Even months after its summer release, “KPop Demon Hunters” remains a cultural phenomenon and points to an exciting future for the franchise, and I am looking forward to seeing what comes next.
Contact Mason McCart at mmccart@nd.edu
The need for a Notre Dame conception day
By Allison Abplanalp Scene Writer
Holidays provide meaningful opportunities to pay respect to the spirits of deceased ancestors, celebrate eternal love, honor the gods or, in the case of Russia’s Conception Day, to procreate. Although Russia’s Conception Day is not widely known or celebrated, it is one of my favorite holidays.
Russia’s population is declining. Nationally, deaths outnumber births 1.6 to 1, contributing to a natural population decline of over 3 million people from 2016 to 2024. The government has been working hard to get the number of Russian babies to rise. But of all the incentives aimed at reducing its citizens’ celibacy, Conception Day is the most unorthodox. The concept is beautifully simple: on Sept. 12, couples are given the day off from work to procreate and repopulate the country. Then, nine months later, on Russia Day, couples who give birth are rewarded with prizes such as cash, televisions, refrigerators and cars.
The holiday began in 2005 in the region of Ulyanovsk, where Lenin was born 135 years, one month and 21 days too soon for his parents to be eligible to receive a new washing machine for giving birth to baby Vladimir and changing the course of history. The program quickly gained traction. In its second year, over 500 couples participated, and nine months later, three times as many babies were born on June 12 as the daily average. However, the results are not straightforward. Those families may have had children regardless, and opportunistically timed
their pregnancies to have a chance at a new SUV. If not, the fact that people are willing to commit to raising a child for over 18 years just for the chance at winning a new refrigerator illustrates how much people value well-preserved food.
As far as Russian state policy goes, this one is quite unconventional. A true embodiment of a plan so crazy it just might work … maybe even at Notre Dame. I propose Feb. 26 for our new holiday, nine months before the day Fr. Edward Sorin founded Our Lady’s University. This holiday would allow Notre Dame alumni (with the intention and means to create a loving and supportive home for a child) to take the day to work towards increasing the Fighting Irish fan base. Why is this important?
According to a recent study, Notre Dame has the second-largest fan base in college football. Seems pretty good for a school with fewer than 9,000 undergraduate students, right? WRONG! Being number two is the reason our national championship drought continues yet another year. After all, none other than Ohio State outsizes the Irish fanbase by roughly 3 million utterly obnoxious Buckeye fans.
If Conception Day is what Russia is using to solve what Vladimir Putin asserts is Russia’s most acute problem, I see no reason why Notre Dame can’t also use it to solve our most pressing issue — not winning a national championship for the last 37 years.
Like Russia, we will provide
prizes to incentivize procreation. Everything from season tickets to the promise that your child won’t be placed in Carroll if admitted can be used to encourage the enlargement of the Irish fanbase. Not to mention the grand prize: the Notre Damebranded Holtz Hypertrail Xplorer Stroller™, equipped with cup holders and a golden dome-shaped canopy, perfect for taking the new baby on lake walks during a sunny day. In Russia, winners of the grand prize (a UAZ-Patriot) are judged based on “respectability” and “commendable parenting.” At Notre Dame, they will be evaluated on tailgating abilities and a commitment to ensuring the mind will not be cultivated at the expense of the heart.
But what about the students?
Rest assured, I am not so radical as to suggest the same celebration on the undergraduate campus of a Catholic university. Instead, the students will be hard at work making strategic investments to nourish the University’s baby: the endowment. While our alumni use the day to create more members of Generation Alpha, our student body will be generating alphas.
Now, with my plan in place, there is only one small hiccup: Russia’s Conception Day has not successfully created a lasting increase in population. However, this is not something we should be concerned about. Despite some similarities between Notre Dame and Russia (famous dome buildings, harsh winters and a drinking culture to help us through them), Notre Dame does not have an ongoing war, economic instability, emigration or the legacy of the USSR’s collapse holding it back. Thus, it is more promising that Notre Dame Conception Day will bring an influx of Irish babies (the fanbase, not the nationality — Ireland’s population is already experiencing strong growth). If all goes according to plan, “here come the Irish” will have a whole new meaning next November. Let us stand ready to welcome a new generation of children who must endure the brutal combo of plummeting acceptance rates and the pressure to get into Notre Dame so their parents can vicariously relive their glory days. Only through Notre Dame Conception Day can we ensure our sons and daughters march on to victory.
Contact Allison Abplanalp at aabplana@nd.edu
ALYSSA SIRICHOKTANASUP | The Observer
HUMOR
MEG HAMMOND | The Observer
Irish continue gauntlet with ACC opener at Pitt
By Tyler Reidy Associate Sports Editor
A tough stretch of matches early in the season will wrap up this weekend for Notre Dame men’s soccer. The Irish, after defeating No. 14 Oregon State on Aug. 28 and dropping this past Sunday’s contest to No. 4 Indiana, will visit No. 10 Pittsburgh in their Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opener on Friday.
Notre Dame enters league play at 1-1-2 and hasn’t yet found its offensive footing, totaling two goals in four contests played. The Irish didn’t lack opportunities against the overpowering Hoosiers in Sunday’s 1-0 loss, totaling 13 shots – 10 of them coming in the second half. However, only two made it on goal, allowing Collins Oduro’s 35th-minute tally to stand as the decider.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Blake Kelly has led Notre Dame from the back through the first three weeks, and his response to the challenge of ACC opponents will be worth attention. Kelly currently leads the conference with 17 saves, and his .895 save percentage paces all ACC keepers with at least 10 saves. Last year, he didn’t make it through the duration of conference play, as Notre Dame replaced him with graduate student Collin Travasos in October.
Beginning on Friday, we’ll see how much of a step Kelly has taken toward becoming an elite ACC stopper.
Pittsburgh poses a formidable challenge for the Irish, entering the weekend at No. 10 in the country. The Panthers, who have reached the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals in four of the last
five seasons and qualified for the College Cup in 2022, were projected to finish third in the ACC Preseason Poll. Only Clemson and Wake Forest slotted into the list higher than Pittsburgh.
The Panthers have opened the season 3-2, already playing one conference match against No. 3 Clemson last Friday. They began the year with consecutive home wins against Quinnipiac and Michigan State before falling short in road trips to Georgetown and Clemson. Most recently, the Panthers took down Butler by a 4-1 score on Monday night.
Under reigning ACC Coach of the Year Jay Vidovich, the Panthers have returned several key contributors from last season’s 14-win group.
Casper Svendby, a First Team All-American and the ACC Defensive Player
of the Year in 2024, is back but has seen limited action with just one start so far in 2025. Elsewhere on the back line, two-time All-ACC Third Team selection Jackson Gilman has already played the full 90 minutes four times this season as he begins his third year as a captain.
Pittsburgh has also brought back two members of last year’s ACC All-Freshman Team in forward Lasse Dahl and defender Niklas Soerensen. Dahl led the Panthers to victory with a Monday brace against Butler, while Soerensen, like Gilman, has played every minute of the match on four occasions.
Graduate Spaniard Arnau Vilamitjana has emerged as a main contributor in the midfield, tallying three goals and three assists for a quick nine points. He put
together an impressive threeassist night against Butler on Monday. One of the players he set up for a goal, impact Marshall transfer Marco Silva, has found the back of the net twice this year.
In goal, Pittsburgh lost Third Team All-ACC selection Cabral Carter to Los Angeles FC, bringing junior Jack Moxom into the full-time picture after he started five times last year. With an early save percentage of .588, Moxom hasn’t been great, but he still has plenty of time in the season to gain more experience and become a stronger asset for the Panthers.
First touch between Notre Dame and Pittsburgh is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu
KEIRA JONES | The Observer
Senior midfielder Sebastian Green possesses the ball in the attacking third during Notre Dame’s 1-0 loss against the No. 4 Indiana Hoosiers at Alumni Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 7.
QUESTION OF THE DAY:
How many times have you used the library this semester?
Lacie Esmoer sophomore Holy Cross Hall
“Three times.”
Ana María González Paniagua sophomore Ryan Hall
“One time.”
Eva Romero senior Walsh Hall
“Six times.”
CROSSWORD | WILL SHORTZ
Elwin Serrao junior Knott Hall
“Eight times.”
Simon Madden senior Knott Hall
“Six times.”
SOCIAL MEDIA POLL
Have an idea for a poll? Email dstangel@nd.edu What is the best place on campus to study at?
A recent poll conducted by The Observer via Instagram recieved a total of 264 responses. The majority of students who responded, 53% with 141 votes, said they thought Hesburgh Library was the best place to study at on campus. Two locations were nearly tied with 20% each: dorms having 53 votes and LaFortune Student Center with 52 votes. An additional 7% of students with 18 votes thought that the best place to study was Duncan Student Center.
THE NEXT FIVE DAYS
Want your event included here? Email news@ndsmcobserver.com
Wednesday
World Suicide Prevention Day Messages of Hope Fieldhouse Mall 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Thursday
The Triumph of Economic Freedom former senator lecture Mendoza College of Business
5 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday
A Conversation with Justice Amy Coney Barrett DeBartolo Performing Arts Center
4 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Saturday
Saturdays with the Saints Geddes Hall
10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Sunday
“The Swimmers” film and panel discussion DeBartolo Performing Arts Center 4 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
MARIELLA TADDONIO | The Observer
Sophomore outside hitter Morgan Gaerte blocks the volleyball during Tuesday’s match against the Tigers in Purcell Pavilion. Gaerte led Notre Dame in kills during the match, which the Fighting Irish lost 0-3 to LSU.
Belles volleyball prepares to face Manchester
By Claire Watson Associate Sports Editor
The unbeaten Saint Mary’s Belles volleyball team will welcome the 4-3 Manchester Spartans to the Angela Athletics and Wellness Complex on Friday night. Going into the season, the Belles had the odds stacked against them as they were placed in the seventh position by the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) preseason rankings. Their strong start proves that they should be ranked higher than third-to-last by the league’s coaches.
Saint Mary’s
With an aggressive lineup, the Belles are not afraid to prove their place on the court. They come into this showdown with the Spartans averaging 12 kills per set, 11.39 assists per set, 1.39 blocks per set, 1.74 service aces per set and 16.83 digs per set.
Junior middle hitter Caroline Carens has tallied up a total of 82 kills over the past
six games. Behind her, freshman outside hitter and defensive specialist Shannon Rudge totals 56 kills for the Belles. Senior defensive specialist Karli Fegan, sophomore setter Giuliana Graczyk and senior middle and outside hitter Delaney Martin have also starred as they each total six service aces.
Carens, a Naperville, Illinois native, also leads the team with 100.5 points while Rudge, the hometown phenom from Mishawaka Penn High School, follows with a total of 65.5 points. Fegan, an Orland Park, Illinois native, comes through as the defensive leader with a total of 115 digs so far this season. Close behind her is Rudge, who has a total of 75 digs, doing her part to extend rallies defensively, while also racking up kills.
The Belles have yet to be pushed to a fifth and final set by any of their six opponents. They opened the campaign with a 3-0 sweep over Oberlin, before rolling off 3-1 wins over Mt. St. Joseph, Hiram, Kenyon
and Benedictine. Their most recent win was a second 3-1 defeat of Benedictine, occurring at home on Sept. 9. Saint Mary’s is 2-0 in the friendly confines of the Angela Athletics and Wellness Complex, as well as an impressive 4-0 away from home.
This impressive start is the best of head coach Denise Van De Walle’s 11-year tenure at the helm of the squad. Saint Mary’s raced out to winning seasons in each of Van De Walle’s first three seasons from 2015-17, but have yet to replicate that success and haven’t qualified for the postseason since the 2019 campaign. Although it is still early, the Belles seem poised to reverse course and post one of the program’s best marks in the last decade.
Manchester Manchester, who is a part of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC), was expected to turn in a successful season, as they were placed third in the
HCAC preseason poll. The team is currently 4-3 on the season after their Sept. 9 3-1 win over Kalamazoo. The Spartans have also collected victories over Olivet, Franklin and Wilmington, following their two-game losing streak to open the year against Heidelberg and SUNY Brockport. Manchester comes into this game with strong statistics as they average 11.5 kills per set, 9.6 assists per set and 14.4 digs per set.
Despite these three losses, the Spartans hold a strong front line. Senior outside hitter Avery Ball steps up as an on-court leader with a teamhigh total of 85 kills and 100.5 points on the season so far. Behind her is sophomore defensive specialist and libero Adelyn Figley, who has tallied 48 kills and 53.5 points. Fellow defensive specialist and libero, junior Tiffany Watterson, joins them as she has totaled 89 digs on the season while Ball adds on another 81 for herself. Junior middle hitter and South Bend product
Lily Lichtenbarger comes in handy for the Spartan defense as she has collected 17 blocks on the season.
The Spartans will provide a crucial measuring stick for the Belles as eighth-year head coach Ivan Matos has revitalized the Spartans program over the second half of his tenure. Matos has turned Manchester into one of Indiana’s most consistent Division III programs, compiling a 17-10 record in 2023 and an 18-11 mark a year ago in 2024. If the Belles are a real threat to make damage in the postseason, a win over a successful in-state program will do measures.
Now 6-0 on the season, the Belles are ready to host Manchester this Friday, Sept. 12 starting at 7 p.m. Following that, the Belles will remain at home as they host the Franklin Grizzlies for the annual Morgan’s Message Game on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
Contact Claire Watson at cwatson7@nd.edu
Saint Mary’s soccer shoots for fifth straight win
By Claire Watson Associate Sports Editor
Now 4-0 on the season, the Belles soccer team is preparing to host their next match against Concordia at home this coming Thursday.
Saint Mary’s Saint Mary’s soccer has had a strong start to their season as they head into this week. The Belles kicked off their season in August with two wins: a 2-0 victory over Franklin and a 3-1 triumph over Governors State. Rolling into September, the Belles continued strong as they finished with a 5-1 win over North Central (Minn.) and a quick 5-0 shutout against Bluffton.
Still young in the season, two starters for the Belles lead the team: freshman forward Mia Johnson and sophomore defender Isabella Kreydich, both of whom have scored four goals. In shots taken, Johnson comes out on top with 21. Freshman forward Bella Musachio is the one to look for, as she leads the team with a total of two assists.
As a team entering Thursday’s affair, the Belles have a combined total of 76 shots, 15 goals, 41 shots on goal, eight assists, 27 corner kicks and two shutouts and average 3.75 goals a game.
Concordia
Concordia has not started out the season strong, as they are 0-4-1 so far on the season.
Concordia took early 4-0 and 2-0 losses against Elmhurst and WisconsinStevens Point back in August. Going into September, Concordia faced Carthage and Dubuque and ended up
shut out by both, 2-0 and 4-0, respectively. Rounding out the past week, Concordia faced off against Beloit, where they scored their first goal of the season and ended the afternoon in a 1-1 draw.
Scoring that lone goal of the season for Concordia, freshman forward Angelina Barreno leads the team.
Barreno has appeared in four out of the five games, while starting two of them. While not having any goals so far this season, fellow freshman forward Erika Flores is another team leader for Concordia as she has tallied a total of nine shots on goal. Flores has started and played in all five of the games this season and leads
the team in shots taken with a total of 15.
The upcoming match is set to start this Thursday, Sept. 11 at 3:30 p.m. The Belles will welcome Concordia to the Purcell Athletic Fields as they look to extend their perfect stretch to five.
Contact Claire Watson at cwatson7@nd.edu
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SMC SOCCER
Key dates set for Irish men’s basketball schedule
By Ben Hicks Associate Sports Editor
With the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) releasing its full conference schedule on Tuesday afternoon, Notre Dame men’s basketball’s full slate is now set for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
Head coach Micah Shrewsberry enters a crucial third season at the helm in South Bend. The program will be tested in both non-conference matchups as well as ACC play as the Irish aim for their first March Madness appearance since the 2022 campaign.
With just under two months until the Irish kick off the season in Purcell Pavilion against the Long Island Sharks, now is the perfect time to highlight the five matchups that will make or break Notre Dame’s season.
Nov. 16 at Ohio State
After opening the year with three buy games in South Bend against LIU, Detroit Mercy and Eastern Illinois, the Irish will hit the road for their first real test of the season. Notre Dame will head to Columbus to do battle with the Buckeyes in the first leg of a two-year series that will send the teams return to South Bend in December 2026. Both programs are led by young head coaches in search of their first tournament berth at their respective schools. Notre Dame’s early-season momentum was halted by a midNovember loss to Elon a year ago, while Ohio State’s loss to Pittsburgh in a similar spot may have been what kept them out of the bracket on Selection Sunday. This showdown at
Value City Arena will have massive implications for two hungry teams looking to make noise in loaded conferences.
Nov. 24 vs. Kansas (Las Vegas)
The following week, Notre Dame will return to Las Vegas to participate in the Players Era Festival for the second consecutive year. The nation’s premier multi-team event, which pays out NIL shares to each participating team, pits 18 of college basketball’s best brands against each other in a three-game competition. It was a rough Feast Week in Sin City last November for Notre Dame, as they dropped all three contests and lost nowjunior guard Markus Burton for nearly a month due to a knee injury suffered against Rutgers.
This year, Notre Dame will do battle with blue blood Kansas on the first day of the event. The Jayhawks have qualified for every NCAA Tournament since 1990 and have captured two national championships during that period. Bill Self looks to have a much-improved roster from last year’s team that was bounced in the first round, meaning the Irish will have their hands full.
However, these are the opportunities the selection committee points to when deliberating over bubble teams. Kansas presents a Q1 opportunity away from home. Notre Dame was 0-8 in Q1 a year ago and fared just 4-13 away from home a year ago. A win against one of the game’s elite programs could announce to the country that Irish basketball is back.
Jan. 20/21 at North Carolina
A road test in Chapel Hill presents another marquee matchup for Shrewsberry’s group as ACC play gets underway at the turn of the calendar. The Tar Heels came into South Bend last winter and shocked the Irish on a last-second four-point play in Markus Burton’s return from injury. The University of North Carolina is in a very similar position to Kansas, as
both storied programs have struggled to navigate the NIL era, yet have poured tons of funds into building this year’s roster. With the ACC expansion allowing for less opportunities against the conference’s best teams, Notre Dame will have to take advantage of their trip to Tobacco Road.
Notre Dame trails the alltime series against the Heels 16-5, and hasn’t won in the Dean Smith Center since the 2014-15 Elite Eight season. Burton and fellow junior guard Braden Shrewsberry have proven themselves to be prolific scorers, but their leadership has yet to translate into road victories. There is no better time and place for that to change than Chapel Hill.
Feb. 3-4 at Louisville
While North Carolina escaped South Bend with a win last winter, Louisville came in to Purcell Pavilion and completely dominated the Irish. Regardless of the manner in which those games played out, Notre Dame will be motivated to avenge those defeats.
Pat Kelsey has guided a remarkable turnaround for the Cardinals, returning the program to March Madness for the first time since 2019 in his first year at the helm. Louisville has a revamped roster, headlined by talented transfer Ryan Conwell and Mikel Brown Jr. This showdown
should be a fast-paced, highscoring, guard-dominated battle, a style that didn’t lend itself in favor of the Irish last season. Going to the KFC Yum! Center is always challenging, but Notre Dame has the horses to stay competitive with Louisville.
Feb. 24/25 vs. Duke
The most anticipated home game of the season sees the big, bad Duke Blue Devils trek to South Bend for the first of a critical three-game Irish homestand at the end of the season. With the ACC not being as deep recently as in past years, tough losses late in the season have doomed bubble teams like Wake Forest and Pittsburgh over the past couple seasons. On the other hand, a marquee victory over Duke could draw plenty of eyeballs to the expected progress in South Bend, and potentially solidify a spot in the postseason.
Duke’s talent is unmatched, but Notre Dame’s defense and toughness have allowed them to frustrate the Blue Devils under Shrewsberry. The Irish have lost eight-point games at the hands of Jon Scheyer’s Blue Devils each of the prior two years. Noticeable improvement for Micah Shrewsberry’s bunch will be pinpointed by their performance against the nation’s best in the dog days of the season.
Contact Ben Hicks at bhicks2@nd.edu
JONATHAN KARR | The Observer
Then-freshman guard Sir Mohammed drives to the basket during Notre Dame’s 4OT win over Cal at Purcell Pavilion on March 8. A four-star recruit, Mohammed averaged 3.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in his first year.
Irish volleyball falls 3-0 to LSU at home
By Ben Hicks Associate Sports Editor
Fourth-year head coach
Salima Rockwell and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish volleyball team welcomed Southeastern Conference (SEC) power Louisiana State University (LSU) to Purcell Pavilion Tuesday evening for the first annual “Showdown at the Net” game. LSU picked up the convincing 3-0 victory, despite each set being competitive with the Irish falling 25-20, 25-22 and 25-22. The home defeat drops Notre Dame to a disappointing 1-3 on the young season, marking another period of September struggles under Rockwell’s leadership.
The Irish, who finished 12-17 a season ago, collected their lone win of 2025 thus far in the season opener at home against Santa Clara. After that five-set thriller over the Broncos, the Irish dropped five-set matches to both Villanova, in the Catholic
Challenge, and Illinois, in a standalone contest.
Led by third-year head coach Tonya Johnson, the Tigers last reached the NCAA Tournament following the 2022 season. Entering play on Tuesday, the Tigers were 4-2 with shutout wins over South Alabama, Omaha and Houston, as well as a nailbiting 3-2 victory against San Diego State. Their two losses came against top-20 opponents, first in the season opener against No. 10 SMU (3-2) and then at home later that weekend against No. 20 Baylor (3-1).
Sophomore outside hitter Morgan Gaerte, a local product from nearby Angola, has emerged as a budding star for the Irish in 2025. The nationwide number five ranked player in the class of 2023 appeared in just 16 games last season, but was named the ACC co-offensive player of the week on Sept. 8. Gaerte recorded a school-record 34 kills in the heartbreaking
defeat to the Fighting Illini, and added 14 more, plus five digs in Tuesday night’s loss to the Tigers.
Senior outside hitter Lucy Trump and middle hitter sophomore Anna Bjork also contributed for the Irish in the setback, each recording five kills. Freshman setter Maya Baker continued the hot start to her young career, leading the team with 15 assists. The Californian also leads the team in that category on the season with 81, including a season-high 24 against Illinois. Sophomore middle blocker Mallory Bohl, who made 16 starts last year during her breakout freshman campaign, saw her first action of the season following an injury. The Saline, Michigan native made three kills on just four attempts.
LSU’s balanced offensive attack and stringent defense were on display from the start of the opening set, as mini-runs set up an advantage that the Tigers wouldn’t
relinquish. Senior outside hitter Nia Washington had four kills and no errors in the frame, as well as an ace. She would finish the match with 18.5 points, 14 kills, three blocks and two aces.
In set two, Notre Dame pushed out to a 21-19 edge to prompt an LSU timeout. The Tigers were able to reset, and claim four of the next five points. With the score 23-22, Washington capped off the set and a 5-0 closing run with two of her kills. Sophomore middle blocker Jessica Jones also made an impact in the stanza, as she led the frontline to finish the day with six blocks.
The Irish again raced out to a lead in the third set, capturing six of the first seven points. LSU was able to weather the storm with another late-set frenzy, this time led by their attack. Freshman setter Taklya Brown had 16 assists, while junior setter Lauren Brooker turned in 12 of her own.
With the victory, the Bayou
Bengals improve to 7-2 alltime against the Irish. They now return to Baton Rouge to face in-state foe Southeastern Louisiana on Sunday, Sept. 14 at 2 p.m.
The Irish will now hit the road for the first time this season, heading out to the Rocky Mountains to take part in a Colorado State-hosted two-day two-game event. Notre Dame’s first contest in Fort Collins will be against the host Rams on Friday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. The Irish will wrap up the brief road endeavor by battling East Texas A&M on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Irish will then return home for the “Cheer Her Name” game against rival Michigan, which will celebrate 50 years of women’s varsity athletics on campus. Both of this weekend’s matchups can be streamed exclusively online on the Mountain West Network.
ND VOLLEYBALL
MARIELLA TADDONIO | The Observer
Sophomore outside hitter Morgan Gaerte rises up for a kill during Notre Dame’s 3-0 loss to the LSU Tigers at Purcell Pavilion on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Gaerte, a Northern Indiana native, was named the ACC’s co-offensive player of the week on Sept. 8 after setting the school record with a 34-kill performance in last week’s 3-2 home loss against the Illinois Fighting Illini.