Print Edition for The Observer for Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Author Andrea Pino-Silva speaks on sexual assault
By BERHAN HAGEZOM
Saint Mary’s News Editor
The annual Raise Your Voice series concluded with a keynote address Monday night from Andrea L. Pino-Silva, co-author of “We Believe You” and co-founder of End Rape on Campus.
Pino-Silva discussed how her work has been impacted by her identity and experiences as a survivor of sexual violence.
Two panelists, seniors Katelyn Sizemore and Valentino Rubio, asked questions regarding PinoSilva’s work.
Prior to the address, a press interview was held with Pino-Silva for the event with media organizations for in-depth information on her appearance there and her sexual violence prevention advocacy.
Press Interview
As a previous keynote speaker
Andrea Pino-Silva spoke on her experience as a survivor of sexual violence at Saint Mary’s “Raise Your Voice” symposium.
for the 2015 symposium, Pino-Silva discussed her decision to return to
Saint Mary’s.
“I came to Saint Mary’s ten years ago and I was really inspired by
the community’s commitment to supporting survivors, so I was really excited to be invited back.
ND uninvites Palestine speaker
By SOPHIE HANAWALT Notre Dame News Editor
When seniors Aria Bossone and Eva Garces-Foley began planning the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies’ annual Student Peace Conference, they landed on a theme of “United Paths for Peace.” Seeking an intersectional, collaborative outlook on peacebuilding, they quickly settled upon Eman Abdelhadi, a professor at the University of Chicago and grassroots organizer, and Jason Wesaw, a Potawatomi artist, to present the keynote addresses at the conference.
This plan was halted six days before the conference, when Bossone and Garces-Foley received an email informing them that Abdelhadi’s invitation to speak had been rescinded.
Abdelhadi received a similar email from the Keough School’s
dean, Mary Gallagher, citing an inability for the event to adhere with a campus security policy that requires a police presence at all events regarding Israel and Palestine as the reason for the cancellation.
She decided to publish the contents of this email alongside a written response titled “‘Do Not Participate’: The Absurd Excuse Notre Dame Gave Me When They Canceled My Talk” in “In These Times” magazine, in which she accused the University of censorship.
Planning of the conference Bossone and GarcesFoley explained that the eight month planning process for the conference began during the first week of the semester. Their decision to frame the conference, which is in its third decade, with a central
Students present research at ‘Raise Your Voice’ panel Faculty discuss impact of tariffs
By ANJA SCHAFER News Writer
On Monday, the Title IX Office and Department of Gender and Women’s Studies at Saint Mary’s organized their annual Student Research Panel as part of the Raise Your Voice series. The panel featured three Saint Mary’s students: senior Kaitlyn Magoonaugh, junior Giselle Martinez and senior Phoenix McClellan. The students’ research focused on online activism and gender issues within digital spaces.
Before the panel, junior Kayli Zelinske-Mader recited her poem “Oh, To Be a Woman,” which explored the contradictions women face, including how their clothing is judged.
“I am a tomboy because I wear boy clothes. I am a slut because I wore a crop top to class,” Zelinske-Mader read from her poem.
McClellan opened by presenting her research on sexually explicit and beautyrelated online content. Her thesis argued that this content can perpetuate misogyny and pressure women to conform to narrow beauty standards.
“It is also possible for both sets of content to act as catalysts for one another,” McClellan said. “My argument was supported by a number of different sources but the ones that I consider the most valuable are the nine interviews that I personally conducted with a variety of students from the tri-campus community.”
She interviewed nine participants aged 18 to 22 who had been exposed to these issues growing up. One interviewee, under the pseudonym Ophelia, described witnessing widespread misogyny online.
“Ophelia has noticed several women being harassed on social media platforms … In her understanding, it seems that
beauty is often considered synonymous with being sexually available and consenting to sexualization in online spaces,” McClellan said.
To illustrate harassment, McClellan cited a tweet from X user Nicholas Fuentes: “Your body, my choice. Forever.”
“The tweet that I’ve chosen to include on this slide serves as an example of the type of harassment and entitlement to women’s bodies present in online spaces,” she stated.
She added that viral phrases like “repeal the 19th,” referring to the 19th Amendment of the Constitution, reflect growing online extremism towards women.
“Similar phrases ... have become popular as the attitudes of consumers become more extreme in their opinions about women,” McClellan said. Her recommendations
By DAVID MURPHY Staff Writer
On Wednesday, April 2, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14257 in the White House Rose Garden, unveiling sweeping tariffs on countries across the globe. In his announcement, President Trump proclaimed April 2 “Liberation Day,” describing it as one of the most important days in American history.
In their most basic form, tariffs function as a tax imposed by one country on the goods and services imported from another country, with tariff revenues being collected and utilized by the federal government. This, in turn, raises prices for consumers when purchasing foreign products. Eric Sims, professor and chair of the economics department at Notre Dame, explained the general economic consensus around tariff policy.
“Economists typically believe that free trade is good, increasing the total surplus available to an economy. Tariffs impede trade
and specialization,” Sims said. “Of course, there are winners and losers from trade, and we need to be cognizant of that. There are tools other than tariffs to compensate the losers from trade and globalization. Such tools are likely both more efficient and more effective than blanket tariffs on trading partners.”
Despite the economic consensus surrounding tariff policy, some professors did note valid reasons for their continued use. For her part, Susan Rosato, a political science professor specializing in globalization and international political economy, acknowledged some of the rationales behind tariff policy.
“Historically … when countries have dismantled tariffs, we’ve seen that the result has been a tremendous amount of growth in the international economy,” Rosato said. “That doesn’t mean that there aren’t times when countries might want to implement tariffs.
see TARIFF PAGE 3
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Editor-in-Chief
Observer alumnae speak on covering ‘The Hunting Ground’
By AYNSLEE DELLACCA and BERHAN HAGEZOM
Assistant Managing Editor and Saint Mary’s News Ediotr
The Observer is the independent, daily newspaper published in print and online by the students of the University of Notre Dame du Lac, Saint Mary’s College and Holy Cross College. Editorial content, including advertisements, is not governed by policies of the administration of any institution. The Observer reserves the right to refuse advertisements based on content.
The news is reported as accurately and objectively as possible. Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the majority of the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Assistant Managing Editors and department editors. Commentaries, letters and columns present the views of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer. Viewpoint space is available to all readers. The free expression of all opinions through letters is encouraged. Letters to the Editor must be signed and must include contact information.
Haleigh Ehmsen and Jennifer Vosters (‘16), former Observer alumnae and graduates of Saint Mary’s College, discuss their perspectives as both a student and writer during the first release of the 2015 documentary, The Hunting Ground and its 10th year anniversary. They reflect on general tri-campus reactions at the time along with their own story coverage of these new developments.
Ehmsen mentioned how following the documentary’s release, she felt the institution handled it properly at Saint Mary’s compared to other universities at the time and respected the actions taken by the College itself.
“Saint Mary’s really embraced the documentary in a way that was like, ‘we’re going to share this because this is a conversation topic that we need to be talking about, that our institution is very included in. But we’re going to do that in a way that is safe for students on campus’ … I was reminded of how the administration at the time really wanted students to be able to watch this … and process it together as a community,” Ehmsen stated.
As a freshman at Saint Mary’s, Vosters inquired about who was responsible for the handling of sexual misconduct cases of Saint Mary’s students by perpetrators from The University of Notre Dame. The situation made her feel confusion and anger from the lack of response both institutions had towards sexual violence at the time, specifically with Lizzy Seeberg’s death.
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 editor@ndsmcobserver.com so we can correct our error.
shown following the release date and leniency was given towards the College.
“I don’t think that anybody was concerned that it wasn’t being shown the day it came out, just because … we know that the university has to buy the film rights and it’s expensive. They have to schedule it and stuff like that,” Ehmsen mentioned.
However, following the film’s immediate release, there were more conversations being held with administration and more pushback on the issue occurring within the tri-campus community, specifically between Saint Mary’s and Notre Dame. As a writer and student, Ehmsen felt conflicted initially between both her roles and being able to fully be present as both of them. She stated how it was challenging to not get emotionally involved within the subject matter while respecting the administration’s wishes.
“When I saw the film and wrote about it, it’s hard because you’re a student and you know people who have been in difficult situations and definitely feel the emotional pull of fellow students who have been sexually assaulted, especially the Lizzy Seeberg story. Those stories just kind of haunt you. You just have to balance it and write and share what you think is important and then see what the reaction is,” Ehmsen said.
a viewpoint article to also address the lack of urgency felt in the community coming back from summer break. Her piece, titled “Sexual violence is a life issue,” explored what it would take for the tri-campus and administrators to put an end to sexual violence.
“We, at least over at Saint Mary’s, felt like we had gone through this sort of mini reckoning in the spring, and it opened a lot of conversations and, here we are, it’s still happening at the same place … where’s the outrage there? When are they finally going to start taking some responsibility here? … I was really mad, so I wrote it, and I was gratified that it did seem to really resonate with what a lot of people at Saint Mary’s were feeling,” Vosters said.
Soon after the release of both articles, Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s hosted the main activists highlighted in “The Hunting Ground,” Andrea Pino-Silva and Allie Clark, to speak at each campus. Saint Mary’s also appointed a sexual violence task force to improve College procedures and policies regarding sexual violence and provide better support for survivors.
highlighted the several student and administrative panels held and invited Andrea Pino-Silva and Allie Clark, the main activists focused on in “The Hunting Grounds,” to speak on both campuses.
“I felt like they were doing what they could. At a small school, students have kind of direct communication with a lot of the administrators, so those people were hearing directly from students. And in that sense, I say this now, working at a larger university, the students have a lot of power at Saint Mary’s, and the administration really listens to them,” Ehmsen said.
By the spring of 2016, a full year after the first screening of “The Hunting Ground,” the Saint Mary’s sexual violence task force released their report on their suggestions for bettering the policy, procdures and prevention of sexual violence. Within this report, a memorandum, titled the “Memorandum of Understanding,” was to be implemented at all three campuses for greater communication and investigation into sexual assault.
“I remember I felt really kind of angry about that, and was angry a little bit at Saint Mary’s for not kind of pushing to figure that out. At least from my perspective, it seemed like there was more Saint Mary’s could be doing to hold Notre Dame accountable … Also I felt really angry towards Notre Dame as an institution for not taking this seriously, for not making it a priority … particularly for Saint Mary’s students who didn’t have the kind of recourse it seemed because we weren’t enrolled there,” Vosters described.
In Ehmsen’s perspective, she did not remember any outrage on the documentary not being immediately
Though the Belles Against Violence Office (BAVO) had existed prior to the documentary, the office notably ramped up its efforts towards sexual violence education and prevention that students took notice of. Vosters looked at it as one of the initiatives on campus that, “certainly entered my radar in a way that it hadn’t before the before the documentary screened like the things that BAVO was doing on campus and and wanting to kind of pay attention and get involved a little bit more.”
In the fall of 2015, tensions seemed to rise again after 3 reports of sexual assault were alerted to students less than two weeks into the fall semester. On Sept. 3, The Observer Editorial Board released an editorial titled “We’re mad as hell” in response to the assaults and called for students to “get mad” about sexual violence and encourage greater response from the University.
A week later, Vosters wrote
On Sept. 28, a protest of approximately 50 students and faculty marched through Notre Dame’s campus during a home football game to raise awareness for sexual assault survivors. Vosters mentioned she was a part of the march.
“My classmate had formed a loose club called “I’m Someone,” which was trying to draw attention to sexual assault and how … you don’t need to be somebody’s wife, somebody’s mom, somebody’s daughter, for it to matter what happens to you or someone,” Vosters said.
Throughout the fall semester, several viewpoint and news articles on TItle IX and sexual assault continued to be released.
In November, Notre Dame launched GreeNDot for the entire campus. The Observer also released a five-part investigative series on the reporting process, College and University initiatives, student group responses, rape culture and the next seps towards preventing sexual violence.
Ehmsen felt Saint Mary’s and Notre Dame both responded appropriately in listening to students, raising awareness and taking action against sexual violence on campus. She particularly
This memorandum was officially signed by the College and University presidents and implemented within the tri-campus community a year later, in March 2017, and has since been renewed and resigned each year.
Reflecting on how “The Hunting Ground” changed the tri-campus’ administrative and cultural approach towards sexual violence, Vosters feels the documentary showed that violence “is not inevitable” and was meant to shake its audience out of “complacency” towards sexual assault on college campuses.
“If ‘The Hunting Ground’ is still serving that purpose, and I think it’s sadly still really necessary, in terms of shaking us all out of our sense of inevitability about something like this, and reminding everybody that we do all have a role to play, and we are not wrong for expecting different results … We’re not wrong for wanting better and safer for everybody, and we’re not wrong for … wanting accountability and actual results,” Vosters said.
Contact Aynslee Dellacca at adellacca01@saintmarys.edu and Berhan Hagezom01 at bhagezom01@saintmarys.edu
I was really inspired by the goal of the event and to talk about this issue authentically, to shine a light on the issue of sexual violence and how Saint Mary’s is grappling with it and to also give a platform to survivors,” she said.
The daughter of Cuban refugees, a queer woman and a first-generation college student, Pino-Silva discussed the importance of her identity during her adolescence. She also shared that while she was actively figuring out her own identity, she had to navigate a new label of being a survivor.
“I think that the journey, it was messy … because it was at the same time of me navigating what it was like to be a survivor activist, it all kind of happened at the same time. There were a lot of changes, but I think that going through that messiness made me a better activist, because it made me have more grace for myself and for other survivors,” Pino-Silva said.
“It made me realize just how much inequity there were on college campuses because I had to kind of figure out my own identities while navigating seeking those resources,” she added.
In 2013, Pino-Silva was one of five students that filed a Title IX complaint against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Tariff
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If you would like to protect a certain industry from competition from abroad, tariffs might be a really good way to do that. You could also imagine that there are certain industries national security that you would want to protect from competition.”
The Trump tariffs, the first tier of which took hold on April 5, applied a global baseline rate of 10%. The president then announced that a planned second tier of tariffs would commence on April 9. These second-tier “reciprocal” tariffs would be applied on top of the 10% rate, impacting 60 individual countries. The weight of these second-tier tariffs was measured using each respective nation’s trade deficit with the United States, dividing net exports by total imports.
(UNC- Chapel Hill). After examining lawyer Catherine McKinnon’s work on Title IX laws, she was able to realize that sexual harassment and assault work as barriers to a student’s education, the foundation of Title IX.
“I thought, what if we combine our personal stories, our activism, we put it out there, we use this vehicle and we put them together? … Our strategy was to not just file the complaint, but to do it openly and to also encourage other students to follow us. And that was, that was really the birth of our movement,” Pino-Silva stated.
Through this action and their outreach encouraging students to file Title IX complaints at the same time, Pino-Silva and the other students were able to create a national impact and movement across college campuses, from Dartmouth College to University of California, Berkeley. Pino-Silva said that this allowed the media to “see this issue as being a more of a nationwide problem, rather than just an individual campus and individual survivors.”
Pino-Silva described how she felt more isolated than expected from both institutions and the people she considered to be her support system, specifically due to her advocacy work.
She noted the differences in conversations surrounding sexual violence on college campuses 10 years
The immediate reaction of markets to the news was severe. Following Trump’s announcement on Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted, falling 4% on Thursday. The 1,680 point drop in a single day marked the biggest loss for the Dow since June 2020. Other notable stock indexes, including the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, fell by 4% and 6%, respectively. Economics
professor Robert Johnson gave his interpretation of this volatile reaction.
“I don’t think the markets knew exactly how high the tariffs were going to be,” Johnson said. “As a result, I think investors got spooked. So there’s a level effect of tariffs, and then there’s a general question of how uncertain is the trading environment. The more uncertainty there is … the seemingly larger the decline in equities.”
Over the next few days, the
sexual violence, focusing on the MeToo movement and its evolution online.
later.
“When I was an undergrad in 2010 people didn’t talk about sexual violence. There weren’t Title IX Coordinators and there weren’t support offices. I think that the pressure of the movement and the demands the students have done through their activism and through their passion for their campuses has made it to the universities as a priority,” Pino-Silva said.
She then discussed how Saint Mary’s has continuously recognized the life of Lizzy Seeberg, a Saint Mary’s student who died by suicide after coming forward with allegations of sexual assault against a Notre Dame student, and created a conversation on the impact of sexual violence with her in mind.
“I think that it would have been very easy for Saint Mary’s to forget Lizzy Seeberg but the campus continues to talk about her. I mean, Lizzy Seeberg [would be] my age... I will tell you that I’ve been to many college campuses, and people don’t talk about what happened … Even at UNC, people don’t really talk about the complaint anymore and it’s been a real source of sadness for those of us that are activists, because the students are sometimes lonely and lost,” Pino-Silva explained.
Keynote Address
Students and faculty were able to visit a variety of booths before
markets continued to fluctuate, as observers remained unsure whether the reciprocal tariffs would actually go through. After a week of uncertainty and market instability, the White House announced a 90-day pause on all reciprocal tariffs on April 9, giving countries time to negotiate with the Trump administration. Notably, the pause on reciprocal tariffs excluded Chinese imports, which were increased to 125%, appearing to mark a period of renewed tension between the two countries.
“Right now, the U.S. and China are engaged in this seemingly destructive trade war,” Johnson said. “We ratcheted up tariffs on China. China reciprocated with higher tariffs. The Trump administration then ratcheted them up again. And so we’re in this tit-for-tat situation with China. Whether we can negotiate our way out of that, I think, is
understanding of oppression,” she said.
the keynote, where organizations including the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault, Family Justice Center of St. Joseph County, BAVO, Saint Joseph Health System, Health and Counseling Center, St Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office and the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of North Central Indiana were present.
Breanna Fitzhugh, the community outreach advocate of YWCA, shared that “this is our second year and we were asked to come back … A lot of people don’t know exactly what the YWCA is or what we do, so we love to be out and explain a little bit more and be out in the community.”
The keynote address, “Beyond Resilience: Building Movements that Work for Survivors” began at 6 p.m. with president Katie Conboy introducing Pino-Silva to the stage with a discussion of her background and advocacy work. Prior to leaving the stage, she mentioned Lizzy Seeberg and the prayer service held that morning.
Pino-Silva then discussed childhood, her family and what stepping into college was like as a first-generation student. She then discussed the aftermath following the incident, including being deeply involved with Title IX and starting a potential movement.
“I think when we were a bunch of students having these conversations, we didn’t think this would
the big question for the world trading system going forward.”
For the rest of the world, the future remains unclear. With this pause, the international ramifications of “Liberation Day” seemingly depend on upcoming negotiations between the United States and dozens of other countries. Several nations, including the European Union, have offered the U.S. “zero-for-zero tariffs,” in which both countries would lower their industrial tariff rates to zero.
Rosato noted that any potential agreement would have to overcome multiple barriers.
“One of the things that the Trump administration objects to are other unfair trade practices which are not necessarily tariff based,” Rosato said. “They’re upset with government subsidies for industry, currency manipulation and other non-tariff barriers to exchange. So just reducing your
be anything. After having these months and months of difficult conversations around the epidemic of sexual violence in our campus, we had to think we were thinking of what could change we had done,” Pino-Silva said.
She then discussed how there are still inequalities within the system and a “cycle of activism” that doesn’t achieve as much for the survivor.
Following this, student panelists asked several questions on the impact of “The Hunting Ground,” pushback they received from parents and what it looks like to start the conversation of sexual violence on college campuses for diverse students and backgrounds.
When asked by the panelists what it looks like to start the conversation of sexual violence on college campuses, Pino-Silva said, “Nobody thought to bring in the LGBT office, no one thought to bring in our religious leaders [and] nobody thought to bring in our accessibility services. They learned about it through students [and] they weren’t invited to the c onversation. In states and universities … you already have experts of color on your campus, you just have to treat them as experts.”
A book signing for Pino-Silva’s book “We Believe You” followed the address.
Contact Berhan Hogezam at bhagezom01@saintmarys.edu
tariffs to zero would be great for the United States, but that won’t cover all of these other practices which the administration objects to.”
Regarding the trade war with China, Rosato expressed uncertainty about its outcome, noting both sides’ unwillingness to back down. She described the situation between the two countries as a question of “Who will blink first?”
“This is still really, really costly for the Chinese government,” Rosato said. “My understanding is that the Chinese think that they will ultimately suffer less than the United States … They think that they might actually come out on the better end of this. I don’t know if that’s true, but it really is a game of chicken right now.”
Contact David Murphy at dmurph23@nd.edu
included education and media literacy as well as open conversation.
“My primary recommendation is to foster more safe spaces for people to discuss these highly sensitive topics without the fear of being judged for what they may or may not consume online,” she said. “Even if the only thing we can do about it is talk, that will still be a step in the right direction.”
Martinez then presented her research on digital activism and feminist responses to
“Digital activism transforms feminist actions and discourse, especially when addressing violence against women … While digital platforms amplify the voices and experiences of marginalized individuals, they can also oversimplify these experiences and limit the diversity and complexity of feminist responses,” Martinez said.
Using Kimberlé Crenshaw’s intersectionality framework, Martinez emphasized the need for more inclusive activism.
“Intersectionality challenges feminism to move beyond a one-size-fits-all
She traced MeToo back to founder Tarana Burke’s goal of empowering marginalized survivors, particularly women of color.
“Burke’s original vision was to create a space for marginalized survivors of sexual violence, particularly women of color, where they could share their stories and find solidarity with each other,” Martinez said.
When the movement went mainstream in 2017, Martinez shared, “The focus of the movement moved towards the experiences of white women in Hollywood,” she said.
Martinez noted the gains made, but also the limits of digital platforms.
“Digital activism has transformed feminist action by providing a platform to amplify the voices of women affected by violence,” she said. “But movements like #MeToo have also exposed the limitations of digital platforms — particularly when it comes to oversimplifying complex struggles and reinforcing dominant, exclusionary narratives.”
She urged creating a broader feminist space.
“This means creating a space for voices from different racial, socioeconomic, cultural, sexual and gender identities,” she said.
Magoonaugh followed with research on how profit-driven culture limits MeToo’s impact.
“While MeToo has empowered survivors and created conversation, its impact is limited by a culture where businesses can profit off of sexual assault and society is built upon distrust and a general contempt for women,” Magoonaugh said. She cited overlooked cases and branding campaigns that prioritized image over change.
“The MeToo movement has done a substantial job of bringing attention to issues of sexual
theme of united paths stemmed from what they described as an inherently interdisciplinary subject.
The co-chairs determined who they would invite to be their keynote speakers over winter break.
Both Abdelhadi and Wesaw were recommended to them by staff, as Abdelhadi spent time as a fellow at Notre Dame and Wesaw’s work has been featured in the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art. They were excited that Abdelhadi and Wesaw would be representing collaboration across different backgrounds — Abdelhadi as an academic and grassroots organizer of Palestinian solidarity and Wesaw as a cultivator of peace who labels himself as “not a scholar.”
“[Wesaw] is very deep within his community, the Potawatomi community, locally as an artist and peacemaker. We loved his view on life and relationship building, and we wanted that to inform our keynote session. For Dr. Abdelhadi, her research intersections were really cool, between religion, gender identity and migration,” said Bossone.
Both were sent email invitations to speak in January and quickly accepted these offers.
Garces-Foley shared that they began to discuss with both keynote speakers what they’d like to share during January.
She later added that up util roughly two and a half weeks before her address, they had not spoken to Abdelhadi about what specifically she wanted to talk about, but were aware of her work on gender migration and identity in relation to her Palestinian heritage and her organizing with Palestinian solidarity movements.
When Abdelhadi shared that she wanted to give a talk on pro-Palestine organizing at college campuses, she worked with Garces-Foley and Bossone to ensure they would have a safe space for constructive dialogue.
Bossone shared that they then communicated the topic of her lecture with Ari Woodworth, the event coordinator at the Kroc Institute, who went through the due process of giving the title and description to the University provost, John McGreevy.
“Ari expressed to us that she’s been doing this for years ... she said not to worry about this. She has the process down to a T; she knows exactly how this goes,” Bossone said.
According to Garces-Foley, they were told by Woodworth that they could assure Abdelhadi that “there will not be an issue.”
Six days before the conference, Garces–Foley and Bossone received an email from Asher Kaufman,
Panel
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harassment and assault,” she said. “But practices such as victim blaming are continually holding back its progress.” Magoonaugh challenged the idea that false accusations frequently ruin men’s lives,
director of the Kroc Institute, informing them that Mary Gallagher, the dean of the Keough School of Global Affairs, and McGreevy had made the joint decision to rescind the invitation. The email cited the campus policy requiring security at events discussing Israel and Palestine and maintained that due to the Blue-Gold game and Holy Half Marathon happening at the same time as the conference, the University would be unable to provide security details for the event on short notice.
Notre Dame has additionally been requiring Notre Dame IDs and checking backpacks at IsraelPalestine events throughout the year.
Garces-Foley acknowledged that those two campus events were out of their control, but said, “there were many holes left in their reasoning, and we were left out of the decision making process entirely.”
The co-chairs shared that they were left with three questions: was it offered for her to talk on different topics, for her to talk virtually or offered for the Kroc Institute to hire security?
“Because we were left out of the decision making, we never really got an answer as to why it was just a total cancellation and why there wasn’t a fight to have some other alternative,” Garces-Foley said. “Six days prior to have to completely pivot a keynote speech was a lot.”
Bossone noted that they were alerted at almost the same time as Abdelhadi, leaving them “blindsided.”
“We felt that it was pretty sad and disrespectful to us and our work over the past eight months,” she said. “[the University’s decision] in our belief does not promote the values of this institution and academic freedom.”
Garces-Foley noted that the security protocol prompts an assumption that events regarding Palestine and Israel couldn’t be held without security and labeled the protocol as unclear.
“To be able to have constructive conversations is a pillar of academic expression, so the fact that they would say no, there needs to be security and we can’t provide security so we’re just not going to have it, was indicative of a deeper issue of academic censorship existing in this current trend in this country,” Garces-Foley said. “To see the University capitulate to that fear of what happens if we have these talks on campus and then therefore censor this keynote was disappointing.”
Garces-Foley later noted that the move to cancel an academic discussion and Kroc Institute event was unprecedented.
“It also sets a dangerous precedent that if you know the topic of
saying, “Society believes the word of men more often than not.”
She criticized how commodification hinders long-term reform.
“While MeToo has empowered survivors and initiated dialogue, the underlying profit-driven motives in our culture continue to undermine
discussion is something fearful for the University, maybe an unpopular opinion, the University can just cancel it and not allow these things to be discussed,” she said.
She added, “At a deeper level, it’s an example of censorship of academic freedom. How is the University going to respond in this national moment of attack on higher education?”
Response from Abdelhadi In an interview with The Observer, Abdelhadi reflected on the cancellation of her address.
“I felt very upset about it,” she said. “I knew that the students had put a lot of work into this and I put a lot of work into it, and more importantly I felt that in this moment of intensive repression and intensive silencing of Palestinians themselves, this was Notre Dame truly … capitulating to this administration’s McCarthyism and doing it at an incredibly dark and painful moment in Palestinian history.” ”
She shared that she gave a similar speech at the University of Oregon this winter, at which one police officer was sent to sit in the back after people wrote to the provost saying she shouldn’t be allowed to speak. She labeled Notre Dame’s security requirement as “extremely abnormal.”
“The irony of all this is that what I was planning on talking about is everything that’s happened with pro-Palestine activism and the way it has threatened the very core of American universities,” Abdelhadi added.
On the policy itself, she shared, “We shouldn’t be in a place where you have to have this policy. I’m an academic, I’ve been in academic institutions my whole life, and it’s not typical that you need to run an event by the dean… [this] is a huge break in the tradition of American universities.”
On her decision to publish the email, Abdelhadi said, “It felt as a matter of principle that I needed to speak out and call this behavior out. It was cowardly, it was insulting and it’s very abnormal.” She added that she felt compelled to “name the reality” that “we’re not having the actual fight. You’re telling me about security, but it’s totally not that.”
Her X post regarding this email and her response has received over 425,000 views.
She shared that she believes the letter has gained traction on social media because the message resonates with people.
“I think these institutions, frankly, shouldn’t get away with this era, this needs to be in the historical record of what has happened to me, my people, and this moment in this dark moment in American history where we are tamping down on the
sustained, meaningful change,” she said.
Still, she acknowledged the movement’s significance.
“The MeToo movement has sparked conversations about sexual harassment, assault and rape culture, challenging systemic inequalities and social norms,” Magoonaugh said. “Despite dealing with backlash
spark by an extremely vulnerable and marginalized group of people,” Abdelhadi said.
She noted that while she understands universities frequently receive pushback from the pro-Israeli side, they should have anticipated pushback on this decision as “the majority of the American public stands with the Palestinian people and does not agree with what is going on.”
She noted that this instance was particularly insulting due to the fellowship she completed at Notre Dame.
“They literally paid me to come spend my sabbatical there. I have many friends on the campus. I look fondly upon it. I really can’t emphasize enough how out of turn it is according to basic academic etiquette,” Abdelhadi said.
Response from Faculty
Notre Dame’s Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine released their own statement via the Instagram pages of Solidarity ND and Student Voice for Palestine with four calls to action: to publicly apologize, to invite Abdelhadi back to campus, to clarify and revise their security policy and to stand up for free speech.
Conference
The conference brought students and faculty from over 20 universities in the U.S. and internationally. Over 50 presenters spoke in person and virtually and over 230 people registered for the conference.
To fill the gap left in the program following the cancellation of Abdelhadi’s speech, Garces-Foley and Bossone planned an alternative faculty roundtable discussion to discuss “democracy, censorship, and academic freedom: how did we get here and where are we going?” They incorporated a statement sent to them by Abdelhadi into the roundtable.
Garces-Foley shared that they’ve been in communication with Abdelhadi and will continue to have a working relationship with her. “She told us that to some extent, the things her cancellation has exposed and the attention it has garnered are greater than the things she could have said,” GarcesFoley said.
The co-chairs were assured by Kaufman that the student presentations would not be impacted by the cancellation or security measures, and students from Notre Dame and Pace University spoke on an Israel-Palestine panel. A nonviolent activism panel also discussed Palestine, and Bossone presented her peace studies capstone research on the topic at the conference.
Garces-Foley noted the inconsistency in the University’s approach to the issue, labeling the
and commodification, the MeToo movement still remains today. Although the election of leaders accused of sexual misconduct highlights society’s dismissal of sexual violence, showing just how slow moving real change can be.”
During time for questions, an audience member asked how the students took care of their
“standardization of the protocol” as one of their key concerns.
“Are you going to cancel all IsraelPalestine talks? That’s a huge issue in it of itself, but just choosing to cancel one, if the University isn’t clear on their policy, they can’t get upset at us for not following the protocol that isn’t even clarified,” she said.
Regarding the production of the conference, Bossone said, “When we picked the theme of collaboration, we didn’t realize how much it would be grasping at this core idea of … having everyone in this space and being able to learn from one another.”
Both co-chairs reflected positively upon Wesaw’s address, during which he discussed building relationships and community with people and nature.
University response
In a statement to The Observer, a University spokesperson wrote, “In an effort to both ensure the safety and security of our students, staff, faculty and guests and uphold the principles of freedom of expression on campus, events or lectures that touch on sensitive subjects require planning with the Notre Dame Police Department and other campus partners.”
The Spokesperson continued, “With respect to the lecture in question, the University was unable to provide the necessary security on short notice due to other long-scheduled events that day and apologized to the speaker for the inconvenience.”
Bossone shared that she and Garces-Foley sent an email to Gallagher and McGreevy following the cancellation. They did not hear back from McGreevy, but they met Monday with Gallagher.
During this meeting, she shared, Gallagher expressed the same argument of security concerns and told them the University needed to be informed sooner about the topic of the address, despite stating that the University currently has no clear protocol on the process.
Bossone also noted that they brought forward their three questions regarding the possibility of an alternative topic, a virtual talk, or outside security and “she didn’t really have a response as to why those things weren’t possible.” They expressed to her their desire to have been involved in the conversation and their concerns regarding censorship. Gallagher did not respond to a request for comment.
Contact Sophie Hanawalt at shanawal@nd.edu
well-being while researching heavy topics. Martinez said community and hope were key.
“I think just remembering that people are fighting to combat these issues helped me when I was doing my analysis,” she said.
Contact Anja Schafer at aschafer01@saintmarys.edu
Sexual violence still happens here
On Monday, Saint Mary’s held the fourth annual “Raise Your Voice” symposium, highlighting the tenth anniversary of the 2015 CNN documentary “The Hunting Ground,” which covered the epidemic of sexual assault on college campuses across the country. The documentary focused in large part on cases of alleged sexual assault against Saint Mary’s students. The film specifically highlighted the story of late Saint Mary’s student Lizzy Seeberg’s death, who committed suicide after being threatened for reporting Notre Dame football player Prince Shembo for sexual assault. In the documentary, former Notre Dame Police Department (NDPD) lieutenant Patrick Cottrell also claimed that Notre Dame had repeatedly avoided criminally charging sexual assault.
After the documentary’s release, Notre Dame was one of over 150 universities investigated by the U.S. Department of Education for Title IX violations. Its content also sparked outrage within the tri-campus, leading to a wide variety of responses from administrators, faculty and students. Administrators defended their institutions. Students participated in panels. Presidential task forces were launched. Protests were held. Speakers were invited. Programs were established. All of these actions built up to the first signing of the Memorandum of Understanding in 2017, in which the Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross administrations committed to “the sharing of information across our campus communities regarding awareness and prevention education, resources, reporting options and procedures.”
And yet, 10 years after the release of the Hunting Ground and eight years after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, the tri-campus still continues to have a serious sexual violence problem. Since the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, the NDPD has received five reports of rape and five reports of sexual assault on campus, according to their daily crime log. This of course does not include instances of sexual assault that are not reported, which the National Sexual Violence Resource Center estimates make up roughly 90% of all cases of sexual assault on college campuses. A cavalier attitude about sexual assault still pervades parts of campus, best demonstrated with the closing of Zahm Hall just a few years ago.
In accordance with Title IX and the Memorandum of Understanding, each campus has a full-time Title IX officer and has implemented Clery Act policies, such as annually reporting basic crime data and requiring some type of online consent training. While these commitments are important, comprehensively addressing sexual assault on college campuses requires more than meeting a minimum legal standard. It necessitates a comprehensive approach across
all three campuses that seeks to both prevent assaults and provide appropriate resources for survivors. More can and must be done in this regard.
Firstly, the jurisdiction of NDPD should be expanded so that instances of sexual assault at Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross can be investigated by either NDPD or St. Joseph County Police. When an instance of sexual assault is reported, the survivor has the option to pursue both an internal Title IX investigation and a separate criminal investigation. While NDPD can currently investigate any instance of sexual assault that takes place on Notre Dame’s campus, it lacks jurisdiction on the campuses of Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross, even if the perpetrator is a Notre Dame student.
Currently, according to the University’s procedures, survivors of sexual assault at Notre Dame can choose which jurisdiction investigates their case, should they seek a criminal investigation. There is no reason why students at Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross should not have the same options as Notre Dame students. While some might still view St. Joseph County Police as the better force to investigate their case, others might perceive NDPD as more efficient and more accustomed to dealing with these sorts of cases. Admittedly, the legal process of expanding NDPD’s jurisdiction might be a complicated and difficult one, but we believe a uniform set of options across the tri-campus for criminal investigations of sexual assault is necessary.
Secondly, we encourage all three campuses to be more transparent with sexual violence reports by sending out tri-campus crime alerts via email when instances of sexual assault are reported, specifying the location where the incident took place. The University has not sent out any crime alerts since October 2023, when students were made aware of drink spiking in a men’s residence hall, despite multiple cases of sexual assault being reported since then. In the Memorandum of Understanding, our institutions committed to “share information related to the safety of our communities with impacted participating institution(s), as permitted by law.” Surely, alerting the tri-campus community about reports of rape and sexual assault would be an effective way to make good on this promise to share information about the safety of the community. Moreover, including the location of the incident, which is done for most other reported crimes, would further improve transparency and accountability.
A University spokesman stated in an email to The Observer that NDPD only sends out these alerts when “there is an ongoing threat to the University community, and the report is sufficiently timely such that a warning will aid in the prevention of similar crimes.” Similarly, Saint Mary’s
On sunsets
My wonder at this place has yet to fade. I still see the sun crest over South Quad. I walk in the mornings, though less than I probably should during the busiest weeks of my first spring semester. I am enthralled by the world I witness. It is still new, but never unfamiliar. I wake up many mornings with some semblance of excitement or stress that disguises itself to convince me that my homework is worth doing that day.
It has been six months since I wrote “On sunrises.” It was not long after its initial publication that Professor Nancy Michael asked me to read it during my Moreau class one Wednesday afternoon. I see a friend from that class every now and then. She still thinks about that piece from time to time. It still hangs on former Viewpoint Editor Liam Price’s wall, primarily for the impressive formatting of my sunrise image onto that edition of the paper. I had never shared my writing, making the kind reaction to that piece one of the reasons I continued as a Viewpoint columnist. Every sunrise has a sunset, and this will be my last column. I have watched fewer sunsets than I have
sunrises, making my perception of this first year of college as one long day. My instinct is to turn my head to the right when I exit Alumni Hall. The left is so uncomfortable sometimes. Endings are so uncomfortable. All things must end in some way.
I end as I began: admiring the beauty of a wide sunset as I run toward it on an evening run or stop to snap a picture while I walk to dinner. It’s less intimidating than it was six months ago. Its breadth is not something I have to manage. I can just admire it. Sometimes I see it fall over the Rock. Or perhaps it’s the streets and neighborhoods of well-constructed Airbnbs that surround this campus. It always goes down. It may be at a different time each day, but it lowers into the night’s palm before it repeats the cycle the next morning.
I admire the interconnections at this place. The buildings that fit together and the people that mill between them. Many move like clockwork, but some admire the places on this campus. Few are awake for the sunrise, but we all see the sunset. It’s a communal experience juxtaposing the solitude of the sunrise.
I’m lucky enough to write about it. That is possible thanks to the many Observer editors that have read and published my pieces. My family and friends
director of campus safety Phil Bambenek stated crime reports or timely warnings are only issued in the event of “crimes that have occurred that students should be aware of” or “continue to present a threat to welfare” to students. Saint Mary’s Title IX officer Liz Baumann said these warnings are usually not administered for sexual assault reports because “the immediate threat has ended” by the time they’ve received a report.
Although it may be debatable what reported crimes constitute an immediate timely threat to the tri-campus community, much can be said about the impact that alerting the campus of these crimes might have in preventing future sexual assaults. Indeed, Notre Dame appeared to deem such reports necessary between 2019 and 2021, when six reports of sexual assault, ranging from misconduct to rape, were shared with the community via email. Without alerts, most members of the tri-campus community are likely unaware that rape and sexual assault occur as frequently as they do on campus. Ultimately, greater awareness of the problem can only lead to more dialogue about the issue of sexual violence and more vigilance in preventing it.
Finally, we argue that the Green Dot bystander training program should be made mandatory for all tri-campus students and faculty to complete alongside any other required consent and sexual assault training. The introduction of the Green Dot training program is a laudable step the University has taken to increase awareness of sexual assault prevention, and there is no reason why all students should not be required to take it. While no training course will solve the problem of sexual assault in its entirety, such a step would further demonstrate the commitment administrators have to encouraging awareness of sexual assault and creating a safe environment on campus.
Protecting the inherent dignity of every human being is the most sacred duty of any educational institution, and especially a Catholic one. Sexual assault in any form is a violent affront to this dignity and must be treated with the utmost seriousness. And while the tri-campus administrations have taken important steps to combat sexual violence in the ten years since the “Hunting Ground” documentary, as long as rape and sexual assault continue to occur in the tri-campus, more work remains to be done. If we want to be considered a campus that caters to and advocates for the dignity of the whole person, that creates a safe and welcoming environment for students and faculty and strives to be considered one of the greatest academic institutions in the country, sexual violence must have no space here. Even one case is too many, and there will always be work to do until sexual assault reports become and remain zero.
back home have been incredibly supportive, as well as friends on campus who have complimented (and criticized) my work over the past six months.
I’m leaving now to become a copyeditor, at least for the next semester to cover study abroad-induced shortages in the Viewpoint department, as well as assisting outgoing editor Abby Hernan and incoming editor Reddy Bernhold with their work.
It is time I leave you for a while. We’ve grown a lot together, haven’t we? I am different than who I was a few months ago. Don’t worry, though. I’m still me. The same me I’ve always been. Better, even. It was a year of momentous chances I am proud to share with you, even my vulnerabilities. Thank you for this privilege. I hope I gave you as much as you gave me.
Duncan Stangel is a freshman global affairs major at Notre Dame. Currently residing in Alumni Hall (the center of the universe), he hails from the small town of Cumberland, Maryland nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. When he’s not saving kittens from trees, you can find him stumbling to Debart with a caffeine source in hand. Contact at dstangel@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Duncan Stangel
The Center of the Universe
What South Bend taught me
While my name has graced the hallowed columns of The Observer before, most people don’t know me. I grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, or “The Vatican for Protestants,” as some like to call it (including me). I had never been to South Bend before deciding to make an unorthodox trip to Saint Mary’s College one summer. I had no family or friends in the tri-campus community, and my closest relatives were almost five hours away. But something about the trees lining the avenue and the crispness of the summer air made campus feel like home. And while my time in South Bend, Indiana, was cut short by certain unfortunate life circumstances, the year I spent calling it home changed my life. In South Bend, I found myself. I met friends, learned some lessons and got to feel truly alive for the first time in a long while.
The first lesson that South Bend taught me was that no matter what, all you can do in some situations is pray. The one thing I miss the most about the tri-campus is late-night rosary because whether it’s a study break, you dropped a dish in South or you had a panic attack that seized the air in your lungs, praying is the best option you have sometimes. Kneeling in the Grotto and staring up at the illuminated face of Our Lady saw me through many a weekend at 2 a.m. Just the act of praying and allowing yourself space will help with most things.
The second lesson is that no matter what you eat, it’s better than not eating at all. As a girl whose suffered through many years of anxiety around food, the second plate of potatoes is always worth it and so is the sixth plate of Brussels sprouts. As long as you eventually cycle through a protein, a fruit, a vegetable and some carbs, you are fine. Food is fuel, and it’s better to have strange looks at your plate than starve because you haven’t eaten. Also, for some late-night burgers, Fat Boys are the best in South Bend, and they deliver.
The third lesson is laughter. Laugh at that terrible joke your Intro to Religion professor says. Laugh with your friends. Laugh until you cry. Possibly even laugh until the dining hall soda comes out your nose. Just make sure that you have enough things that make you happy. You will never feel worse than when you haven’t laughed at something in a while. Especially with the permacloud. Allow yourself to laugh at the minute things in your day. It’s okay. Nobody is waiting there to kill your vibe unless you let them.
The fourth lesson is that not everyone is going to be your cup of tea. Vice versa is also true; you’re not gonna be everyone’s cup of tea either. As someone who cycled through a quad until she found the “roommate of her heart” (Love you, Ella), it’s okay not to click with people. Give yourself grace. You will find your friends in time. Sometimes, it’s in the unlikeliest of places like the back of Blinkie, in the dregs of an event, at The Huddle at 2 am, in the bleachers in Moose Krause or the basement of South. Your people will come to you as long as you are willing to see them.
The fifth lesson is how to be unapologetically yourself. Whether it’s wearing funky clothes that make you smile, the stickers you put on your laptop, the photos on your walls or the saint medals you wear. Don’t hide from people because you don’t think they’ll like it. Say the weird slang (still maintain that “swag” is still cool). Allowing yourself to dumb down who you are in any way is ultimately hurting you more than it’s helping everybody else. You got into the tri-campus community because of you, not who everyone else wanted you to be.
I grew up as the nerdy kid in the back row who got into trouble a lot. The only Catholic in the room. The girl with the glasses too big for her face. But South Bend taught me a whole lot, and what it taught me was to be myself and to pray for everyone else. No matter who you are, no matter where you are from, there is a home for you in South Bend. It just sucks it took me leaving to see that.
Elizabeth Burt senior
Statement on Abdelhadi’s disinvitation
We, the student organizers for this year’s Notre Dame Student Peace Conference, are deeply disheartened by the University leadership’s decision to rescind Dr. Eman Abdelhadi’s invitation to deliver a keynote address at the 2025 Student Peace Conference. Canceling Dr. Abdelhadi’s address less than a week before the conference reflects a lack of respect for Dr. Abdelhadi’s scholarship, her valued presence in the Notre Dame community as a 2023-2024 visiting fellow at the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study and the eight months of planning that we, as the co-chairs, have endured to cultivate a space of fruitful, intellectual curiosity and collaborative discussion on peace and justice in our world. As the conference organizers who invited Dr. Abdelhadi to deliver this keynote address, we were neither consulted in this decision nor offered alternatives to her abrupt cancellation, such as speaking virtually, speaking on a different topic, speaking on a different day or hiring outside security. This decision sets a dangerous precedent for restricting academic freedom and censoring discussions of Palestine on Notre Dame’s campus.
Our conference theme, “Unified Paths for Peace: Empowering Collaborative Peacebuilding,” inspired us to invite Dr. Abdelhadi to showcase the intersections of gender, religion and political identity and to highlight her ability to build bridges between academia and grassroots movements. Upon her disinvitation, we organized a faculty roundtable titled “Democracy, Censorship and Academic Freedom: How Did We Get Here, and Where Are We Going?” to fill the space of Dr. Abdelhadi’s keynote and address this unprecedented moment at this university and in our country. With her permission, we read aloud the following words of encouragement from Dr. Abdelhadi to a community with whom she had so callously been disinvited to engage:
“Dear Notre Dame Community — I am sorry I do not get to be with you today. Thank you to the student organizers for honoring me with an invitation to speak and for their tireless efforts. Since Notre Dame rescinded my invitation to speak on campus this week, dozens of colleagues known and unknown have stood up to demand that Notre Dame uphold the values of academic freedom and freedom of speech. I am grateful to you. You have affirmed the right of Palestinians — in the midst of a genocide — to name our suffering, to dissent to the complicity of our institutions in ethnic cleansing and mass extermination. You have banded together to proclaim that the campus is yours, it does not belong to the Dean or the Provost. It belongs to the students, faculty and staff without whom it would not exist. In this dark moment — both for this country and for the world — we can only survive in community, not in a defensive posture but in an offensive one. Capitulation and compliance with authoritarianism — from the White House to the Ivory Tower — will not save us or the institutions we hold dear. I hope you emerge from this episode stronger, more united, more cleareyed in your opposition to authoritarianism and
more committed to solidarity and liberation with all the oppressed people of the world. I look forward to seeing you all soon.”
To cancel Dr. Albelhadi’s lecture was to rob students from over 20 universities around the world, including dozens of our own Notre Dame community, from engaging with a renowned academic and activist. To cancel Dr. Abdelhadi’s lecture was to threaten Notre Dame’s mission to promote academic excellence and intellectual curiosity. In the words of Kroc faculty member Laurie Nathan, “The cancellation of Dr. Abdelhadi’s lecture violated the principle of academic freedom. This principle is constitutive of our University. Without academic freedom, we have a different institution, one that is not committed to free and critical expression, inquiry, research and dialogue.”
Notre Dame’s mission statement states that “the intellectual interchange essential to a university requires, and is enriched by, the presence and voices of diverse scholars and students.” This statement is not followed by an asterisk that excludes Palestinian presence and voices. Further, the mission statement asks each scholar and student to act with “respect for the objectives of Notre Dame and a willingness to enter into the conversation that gives it life and character. Therefore, the University insists upon academic freedom that makes open discussion and inquiry possible.” University leadership has failed to respect their own objectives. This decision threatens the very foundation of Notre Dame’s mission.
In a time when we can no longer rely on University leadership to hold steadfast to their mission, it is up to us — the students, faculty and staff without whom this university would not exist — to hold them accountable. We echo the sentiments and the call to action laid out in the Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine’s open letter urging University leadership to:
1. Publicly apologize to Professor Abdelhadi.
2. Re-invite Professor Abdelhadi to deliver her keynote on campus before the end of this academic year.
3. Clarify and revise its security policy to end the Palestine exception to free speech and halt unnecessary policing and surveillance of campus life.
Unite with other educational institutions to collectively fight against the suppression of free speech and human rights on our campuses. To the faculty, staff, graduate students, undergraduate students and alumni who have supported the conference’s vision and opposed the cancellation of Dr. Abdelhadi’s keynote address, we sincerely thank you. Let us continue to walk the path of courage and resilience to preserve the values of academic freedom, open dialogue and commitment to truth on which our University is founded.
Eva Garces-Foley senior Aria Bossone
ISABELLE
Notre Dame men’s tennis falls to Louisville
By NIAMH POWER SMYTH Sports Writer
In a fierce battle to wrap up the regular season, the Notre Dame men’s tennis team, despite a strong start, narrowly fell to the Louisville Cardinals 3-4 Saturday afternoon at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center. The Irish surged ahead with a 3-0 lead, thanks to their dominant doubles play and early singles wins. However, the Cardinals staged a comeback, securing four consecutive wins in singles matchups. As a result, the Cardinals were able to take the match on their senior day with a one-point victory.
Even with the loss, Notre Dame’s doubles teams continued to shine, as they have all season. The No. 22 ranked duo of junior Sebastian Dominko and sophomore Chase Thompson cruised to a 6-2 victory on court one, while freshman Luis Llorens Saracho and Peter Nad clinched the doubles point with a 7-6 (7-2) win at No. 3. The doubles win marked the sixth straight for Dominko / Thompson and 11 straight for the Nad-Llorens combo.
This momentum carried into singles play, where sophomore Kyran Magimay made quick work of Piet Steveker on court No. 6 with a dominant 6-1, 6-3 victory. Moments later, No. 8 Dominko earned a win over No. 85 Will Mayew to push the 3-0 in favor of the Irish. Louisville refused to go quietly. Miguel Avendaño started the Cardinals’ rally with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Nad at the No. 5 court. Senior Cardinal Natan Rodrigues then earned himself a senior Day win, defeating senior Yu Zhang 6-1, 6-2 on court No. 2, narrowing the Irish lead to one. Courts 4 and 3 proved decisive, as narrow defeats in both matches completed the Cardinals’ rally and delivered a painful loss to the Irish.
The defeat drops Notre Dame to 13-14 on the season, 1-8 on away courts and 1-12 in ACC play. The Irish now turn their attention to the ACC Championships, where they will face Miami again in Cary, North Carolina, on Wednesday, April 16.
Contact Niamh Power Smyth at nsmyth2@nd.edu
Irish prepare for tough test with No. 5 Tar Heels
By NOAH CAHILL Sports Editor
Last time out, the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team used a 7-0 run to edge Virginia at home and improve to 6-3 on the season alongside a 2-1 conference mark. After their loss against Syracuse, bouncing back against the Cavaliers was a must for the Irish, though it was anything but routine on Saturday.
The game was hotly contested throughout the first two and a half quarters before Notre Dame turned the tide late in the third. Knotted at 4-4 with under four minutes remaining in the third, the momentum of the game swung on an incredible sequence, as junior netminder Thomas Ricciardelli stuffed a shot attempt on the defensive end and sprung a fast break with his outlet pass to senior midfielder Ben Ramsey, who took it to the goal himself for his first goal of the season. The capacity crowd in Arlotta Stadium was brought to life after the goal, and the Irish gave them more to cheer about.
Back-to-back highlight reel goals from senior attacker Chris Kavanagh and graduate attacker Jake Taylor, the latter’s behind-the-back effort from the ground cracking SportCenter’s Top 10, extended the lead to 7-4. Senior midfielder Jalen Seymour would cap off the quarter, scoring with
10 seconds remaining to give Notre Dame a commanding 8-4 lead heading into the final frame, one they would maintain en route to the 12-7 victory.
Notre Dame’s final ACC contest of the season will take place in Chapel Hill against No. 5 North Carolina. After narrowly edging rivals Duke in an 8-7 defensive battle, the Tar Heels improved to 9-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play, climbing seven spots in the national rankings as a result.
In addition to their recent win, they boast an impressive 15-6 victory over No. 13 Michigan in their season opener as well as a dominant 18-9 display against Virginia in their ACC opener. They face tough tests with the No. 9 Irish and No. 7 Syracuse in their final two games of the season, games that will shape seeding for the fast-approaching ACC Tournament. Every game down the stretch is pivotal.
Entering his 17th season at the helm, head coach Joe Breschi’s group has markedly improved on their 7-7 record in 2024. Bringing on a pair of new coordinators and handing the keys of the offense to two freshmen, the Tar Heels were in rebuilding mode last year.
In a season full of highs and lows, Breschi was encouraged by the growth of his young players, players who form the core of this year’s squad. North Carolina’s leading scorer as a
freshman, Owen Duffy has hit the ground running in year two, tallying a team-high 49 points across 30 goals and 19 assists. Redshirt sophomore Dominic Pietramala, who shared more than a third of his team’s shots with Duffy last season, has been prolific in year two, leading the team with 36 goals. Moved up from defense, senior Ty English has embraced his role in the midfield, where he is the unit’s leading point-getter with 21. Another key piece of the Tar Heel youth movement last season, Brady Wambach has dominated at the dot, the sophomore winning 167 of his 254 faceoff attempts for a .657 percentage that ranks fourth in the nation. Freshman defenseman Chase Cellucci commands the No. 4 scoring defense in the country, a unit that allows a mere 8.09 goals per game and most recently stymied a strong Blue Devil offense, holding them to seven goals. Michael Gianforcaro headlined the offseason transfer portal additions, the former Princeton goalie anchoring the elite defense with a .546 save percentage.
Face off at Dorrance Field for the ACC clash is set for Saturday at noon with ESPNU providing the broadcast.
Contact Noah Cahill at ncahill2@nd.edu
GRAY NOCJAR| The Observer
Sophomore Kyran Magimay serves against Nick Mangipane for North Carolina on March 9, 2025. Magimay won won two of three sets to win his singles match, but the Irish lost 4-3 to the Tar Heels.
Happy Birthday: Take a novel look at the possibilities and build your life around what excites you most. Self-satisfaction is the goal, and happiness justifies the means to the end. Broaden your horizons, research, and engage in groups, events, and activities that prepare you for the adventure you want to pursue. Please refrain from taking on battles that aren’t yours to fight when it’s best to tailor your energy to reach your needs. Your numbers are 2, 5, 18, 24, 31, 38, 44.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Set the pace, agenda, and goal, and get moving toward your destination. Having a plan and the ability to do everything yourself will deter others from interfering. Be sure to go through the proper channels, assemble documentation legally, and handle any potential problem before it has a chance to stunt your progress.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Take the time to declutter your life. Walk away from situations that are stifling your progress. Pay more attention to the here and now. Be responsible for your actions and straightforward regarding your intentions. It’s up to you to set high standards and be true to your word.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): A change will offer a different perspective regarding what’s possible. Take a moment to view your options and adjust any aspect that doesn’t fit your agenda. Think innovatively, and you’ll discover a unique blend of understanding and comprehension that leads you to the winner’s circle. Avoid putting your health at risk.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Apply energy to whatever brings the highest return. Protect your reputation by going a step above others’ expectations. Pay attention to how you present yourself and how you handle your money. Keep your lifestyle simple and affordable. Take responsibility, and you’ll find happiness and peace of mind.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Take pride in what you do and say; you’ll appeal to those who can contribute to your long-term goal. Direct your energy wisely. What you learn and how you apply the knowledge and experience you gain will decide the outcome. Strive to reach the highest pinnacle and take a bow.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Concentrate on what’s important to you. Initiate domestic and home improvements that can help to lower your cost efficiency and encourage comfort and convenience. A joint venture or shared expenses will work if you set ground rules that ensure equality. Love, romance, and commitment are favored.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Heart-to-heart talks will help you avoid a meltdown with someone. Use your way with words to soften the blow, but be sure to get your point across. Incentives, a positive attitude, and suggestions regarding what you can contribute to make your relationship purposeful will help. Find common ground, and you’ll find hope.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Tone down your rhetoric and avoid a dispute. Live within your means, regardless of temptation. Set feasible goals and focus on personal growth, health, and fitness. Look inward, and you’ll discover how great you are and what you can do to achieve peace of mind and appease your soul.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Stick to basics, the truth, and a budget you can afford. You will set yourself back if you take on too much or try to impress others with exaggerated information. Avoid lavish events, unnecessary purchases or travel, and impossible promises. Get your home and finances in order.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Cultivate meaningful relationships. Don’t ignore the signs and signals you receive. An astute recollection of what transpires and finding solutions that satisfy everyone will put you in the driver’s seat. Being the go-to person moving forward will give you the courage and clout to develop and incorporate positive enterprises.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Smile and move forward positively. What you achieve will send you to bigger and better opportunities. Don’t be shy; express your desires and promote and market who you are and the talent and experience you can offer. Financial gain, personal growth, and advancement are apparent.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Educate yourself and confidently move forward. What you know and how you present your wisdom will help manifest optimal changes. Don’t limit yourself by setting boundaries. Explore places that offer opportunities to develop your skills and pay for the lifestyle of choice. Commitment and responsibility will lead to security and stability.
Birthday Baby: You are inspiring, optimistic, and authentic. You are empathetic and helpful.
Notre Dame looks to the ACC tournament
By NIAMH POWER SMYTH Sports Writer
This past weekend at home, the No. 24-ranked Notre Dame women’s tennis team closed out its regular season by making a statement, sweeping a weekend slate of ACC opponents inside the Eck Tennis Pavilion. On Friday, the Irish defeated Boston College with a 4-1 victory before completely shutting out Syracuse 4-0 on senior day Sunday morning. The pair of victories mark the 100th and 101st career wins for head coach Alison Silverio, who becomes just the third coach in program history to reach that mark.
Boston College
Unlike the last couple of weekends, the Irish got off to a slow start on Friday afternoon, dropping the doubles point despite a 7-5 win from freshman Bianca Molnar and junior Bojana Pozder at No. 3. The Irish came back with a bang in singles play. Junior Rylie Hanford delivered a dominant, almost flawless 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 5 singles, tying the match. Pozder, senior Nibi Ghosh and Molnar followed with wins at No. 4, No. 3 and No. 2 to secure a 4-1 victory for Silverio’s 100th win.
Syracuse
On Sunday morning, after celebrating the seniors — Carrie Beckman, Kate Bellia, Ghosh, and Maria Olivia Castedo — Notre Dame capped off the regular season with a commanding 4-0 win over Syracuse. The Irish returned to their usual form in doubles play, asserting their dominance and securing the victory on court No. 3 by Molnar and Pozder, followed by a victory at No. 1 by Beckman and junior Akari Matsuno. The Irish entered singles play with the early advantage and continued to dominate. Molnar struck first in singles with a 6-1, 6-2 win over No. 101 Serafima Shastova, Matsuno followed with another ranked win at No. 1, taking down No. 108
ND WOMEN’S GOLF
Miyuka Kimoto 6-4, 6-2. Junior Rylie Hanford clinched the win for Notre Dame with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 win at No. 5.
With these weekend wins, Notre Dame improves to 19-4 overall, 14-2 on home courts and 9-3 in conference play, securing the sixth seed in next week’s ACC Women’s Tennis Championship. The nine wins are the most for the Irish in the ACC since joining the conference in 2013. The 19 wins are also the most under coach Silviero and the most since the 2011-2012 season, when the Irish finished with 21 wins.
ACC Tournament Preview
Looking ahead, with momentum on their side and a firstround bye, the Irish will now head to Cary, North Carolina, for the conference championship and will face the winner of SMU and Wake Forest on Thursday, April 17, at 12:30 p.m. The Irish beat both teams back in February with a 4-1 win over SMU in Dallas and a 4-3 win over Wake Forest at home.
The No. 11-seeded SMU currently stands at 12-13 overall and 4-8 in ACC play. Last season, the Mustangs were in the AAC conference, but moved to the ACC starting this year. The Mustangs finished their last year in the AAC by securing the conference championship and finishing 14-12 overall and 5-1 in conference play. However, they faced a setback in the NCAA championship, where they lost in the second round to Oklahoma State. Significant departures from the team from last season include Lana Mavor, a graduate student who was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the AAC championship for the 2023-24 season. On the other hand, there has been a notable addition to the team this season: Arianna Stavropoulos, a graduate student who transferred from UC Davis. Stavropoulos’ highest doubles ranking is No. 64 as of March 5, 2025, and was named ACC player of the week the same day.
Heading into the ACC
Tournament, the SMU women’s tennis team’s last match of the season resulted in a 4-3 victory over No. 28 Georgia Tech, though they had previously lost to Clemson 2-4 just two days before. The top performers in singles matchups this season for the Mustangs include Stavropoulos, who has a 12-7 record with three ranked wins, and Drew Morris, who finished 12-10 with two ranked wins. In doubles, the pair of Ellie Pittman and Sophie Llewellyn have achieved an impressive 11-5 record, also garnering three ranked wins.
The No. 14 seeded Wake Forest has an overall record of 14 wins and 12 losses, with a record of 3-9 in ACC play. Last season, they finished with a record of 15-14 and a 6-7 record in the ACC. The Demon Deacons were eliminated in the
second round of the ACC championship by their fellow North Carolina team, Duke, and lost to Vanderbilt in the first round of the NCAA Championship. This season, they have seen some notable departures, including seniors Casie Wooten and Brooke Killingsworth, but have also welcomed new talent such as freshman Kady Tannenbaum and graduate transfer Makayla Mills from Kentucky. Currently, the Deacons are coming off a fourgame losing streak as they head into their matchup against the Mustangs. Their recent losses were all to ranked opponents: No. 18 Cal, No. 29 Stanford, No. 64 Florida State and No. 55 Miami.
The team’s top performers include Nevena Carton in singles, who has a record of 12 wins and
eight losses with three ranked wins. First-year Tannenbaum also has a solid singles record of 17-8. In doubles, Tannenbaum shines again, as she and her partner Carton have teamed up to achieve a 17-9 record with two ranked wins. Also shining in doubles is the duo of Krystal Blanch and Makayla Mills, who hold a record of 9-9 with two ranked wins. If the Irish win their thirdround matchup, they will take on No. 3 NC State in the quarterfinals. If the Irish move on to the semifinals, they will take on the winner of No. 2 North Carolina’s matchup with either Stanford, Miami, or Virginia Tech for a spot in the championship.
Contact Niamh Power Smyth at nsmyth2@nd.edu
Irish set to compete at ACC Championships
By CHRIS DAILEY Sports Writer
The Notre Dame women’s golf team is set to travel to Greensboro, North Carolina, for the ACC Championships, taking place from April 16–19. Riding three straight topsix finishes, the team is playing its best golf of the season. However, in the highly-competitive ACC, the Irish will still need to elevate their performance come Wednesday.
The Irish will be competing against 14 other programs, including several new entrants as No. 1 Stanford, Cal and SMU make their maiden
ACC Championships appearance. While Stanford reigns supreme as the best program in the country and defending national champions, Cal and SMU are no slouches either. Both the Golden Bears and Mustangs rank just outside the top 25 teams in the nation. Those teams won’t be the only strong roadblocks in Notre Dame’s way. The Irish’s long-time ACC foes No. 3 Florida State, No. 12 North Carolina and Clemson will all pose a formidable challenge. With this in mind, head coach Christine Powers Ellis will be sure to emphasize for her team to get off on the right
foot come round one of stroke place, which is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Embodying an underdog spirit, Notre Dame’s charge for conference glory will be led by freshman Bridget Wilkie. A former top 15 recruit nationally, Wilkie has lived up to the hype in her first year with the Irish. She will arrive in Greensboro off the back of her third consecutive top-25 finish, including a ninth-place result at the Pinetree Women’s Collegiate.
Seniors Montgomery Ferreira and Maya Hunter will complement Wilkie. Ferreira is looking to find consistency
on the links. In her last four events, she has placed T-13th, T-41st, T-12th and T-40th. If Ferreira can play her best golf, Notre Dame will get a muchneeded boost as they seek to compete against some of the ACC’s best. Meanwhile, Hunter shot 224 (+8) at the Maryland Terps Invitational a week ago en route to her first top 25 finish of the season.
Two of the following golfers — sophomore Alexsandra Lapple, freshman Faustine Errecade and freshman Maddy Bante — are expected to round out Notre Dame’s starting five. Lapple shot an impressive 215 (+2) at the Pinetree Women’s
Collegiate, placing her tied for third; the best mark any Irish golfer has received this season. Errecade most recently shot 220 (+4) in Maryland. Although Bante did not compete in Maryland, she delivered a stellar 206 (-4) at the Clover Cup.
Coach Powers Ellis has plenty of decisions to make, but one thing is for certain: if Notre Dame golfers can continue upon their collective upward trend, they will have a real chance to turn some heads in Greensboro.
Contact Chris Dailey at cdailey2@nd.edu
MARIELLA TADDONIO | The Observer
Junior Rylie Hanford and senior Nibi Ghosh take on Ohio State in doubles on February 9, 2025. The pair led 5-4 in their game that went unfinished as the Irish fell 6-1 to the 17th ranked Buckeyes at home.
ND WOMEN’S LACROSSE
Notre Dame set to cap off season against Louisville
By CHRIS DAILEY Sports Writer
After a season filled with ups and downs, the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team will play their final game of the year against Louisville this Thursday at Arlotta Stadium.
First draw is set for 3 p.m. The Irish will be eager to end their season on a high note, especially considering they are entering the game off back-toback one-goal losses.
The first of those two losses came on April 5 against No. 8 Stanford. The Irish held a 7-5 lead early in the fourth quarter. However to the dismay of the Irish, the Cardinal scored three unanswered goals en
route to a comeback. To add insult to injury, the game marked Senior Day for the Irish, who left Arlotta Stadium disappointed.
A week later, the Irish headed eastward for an ACC clash against Pitt. Needing a win in order to maintain hope of qualifying for the ACC Tournament, Notre Dame fell just short to the Panthers 1312. Sophomore Kate Timarky’s hat trick was cancelled out by five goals from Pitt sophomore Paige Telatovich.
With these results, Notre Dame dropped to 1-7 in ACC play and 6-8 overall. It’s very likely those numbers would be better if star freshman Madison Rassas had been
left Notre Dame with just two returning healthy scholarship players.
crashed and burned in a fourth consecutive Sweet 16 exit, projected top-2 pick Olivia Miles shocked everyone by not declaring for the WNBA Draft, instead transferring to TCU, who had just eliminated the Irish a week prior.
Whether it was an increased NIL deal, a desire for a new challenge removed from the non-basketball stressors of Notre Dame or a beef with rising junior guard Hannah Hidalgo, Miles’ surprise exit started a chain reaction of transfers. The next dominoes to fall were Emma Risch and Kylee Watson, two talented players expected to return from injury for the Irish, before former five-star freshman Kate Koval also entered the portal. Coupled with the graduation of five players, including three WNBA selections, these exits
In her five seasons at the helm, Ivey has only brought in nine transfers total, while nine for this cycle alone would still leave the Irish short of the 15-scholarship limit. After striking out on the nation’s leading scorer Ta’Niya Latson, the Irish plucked graduate forward Malaya Cowles from Wake Forest to fill a spot in the frontcourt vacated by Liatu King and Maddy Westbeld. Cowles slides in nicely next to rising junior guard Cassandre Prosper and the Wooden Award finalist Hidalgo, but Ivey and company still have a long way to go as both rising senior guard KK Bransford and lone incoming freshman Leah Macy are working their way through injuries.
Ivey faces many of the same monetary and admission roadblocks as Shrewsberry,
available. Rassas has been the spark plug for the Irish offense throughout the year, leading the team with 29 goals on the season despite her absence the past two games.
Without Rassas, Notre Dame will look to continue to rely on Timarky and graduate midfielder Kristen Shanahan for the bulk of the offensive production. With her hat trick, Timarky now has 23 goals on the season while Shanahan is just behind Rassas with 25.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Irish will seek to rely on senior goalkeeper Isabel Pithie. After patiently waiting for her turn to start, Pithie has excelled. She has recorded 109 saves on the season,
but may need some more leeway as she attempts to build a new roster almost entirely from scratch. The Irish have been tied to many of the top available prospects remaining in the portal, but just one commitment at this point in the cycle is concerning. Both programs still have work to do before the portal closes next Tuesday, April 22. While Notre Dame athletics remain steadfast in their preference to build competitive rosters traditionally, centered around multiyear high school recruiting, the desires of the players, and the fans for that matter, may have just forced their hand.
Contact Ben Hicks at bhicks2@nd.edu
The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
establishing herself as one of the premier goalkeepers in the ACC. Pithie will be supported by junior defender Abigail Lyons, whose 23 caused turnovers rank first on the squad.
Both teams enter the clash with a 1-7 record in ACC play, albeit they’ve arrived at this destination via very different paths. For the most part, Notre Dame has been in tightly contested matchups. Meanwhile, the Cardinals, led by head coach Scott Teeter, have struggled against many conference opponents, as they are in the midst of a rebuilding period.
The Cardinals suffered large defeats to No. 22 Clemson 14-2, Stanford 15-2 and No. 15 Duke 17-7 — all teams Notre Dame
has played to close games. Ironically, both teams earned their lone ACC win against Cal. Sophomore Reese Whiteman has punched in 24 goals for the Cardinals, standing tall as the only Louisville player with at least 20 goals on the year. Notre Dame, on the other hand, has four players who boast at least 20 goals: Rassas, Timarky, Shannahan and sophomore Kathryn Morrissey.
Although neither team is technically in need of a win, the game still feels like a lot is at stake. The matchup will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
Contact Chris Dailey at cdailey2@nd.edu
Saint Mary’s golf places top 10
By CLAIRE WATSON Associate Sports Editor
After a long break due to several tournament cancellations, the Saint Mary’s golf team was back in action over the weekend as they placed in the top 10 at the Kathy Niepagen Spring Fling hosted by Illinois Wesleyan University. The seventhplace finish, courtesy of an overall score of 647 (+71), shows improvement from their last outing, where the Belles finished ninth at the WashU Spring Invite. Melanie Maier led the Belles as she finished 16th individually. The freshman
scoring a 157 (+13), shooting 79-78. In addition to this, Maier tallied three birdies over the weekend, one at the par-four ninth on Saturday and the next two on Sunday at the par-four first and parthree 13th hole.
Katelyn Tokarz followed tied with a tie for 19th place after carding a 159 (+15) and shooting 82-77. The senior recorded 3 birdies on the weekend all during Sunday’s second round, at the par-four first, 12th and 14th holes.
Julia Lizak cnuck into the top 30 at a draw for 28th. The junior finished the tournament scoring a 161 (+17) while shooting 80-81. In the first round, Lizak showed up with back-to-back birdies on the par-four sixth and par-five seventh holes. Junior Amanda Melling rounded out the scorers for Saint Mary’s, as she finished in the top 70, carding 172 (+28) and shooting 82-90.
Junior Breana Harrington was the last competitor for the Belles. She placed in the top 72 with a score of 173 (+29), shooting 85-88. Sophomore Colleen Hand competed as an individual, placing in the top 100 competitors. She finished with a 179 (+35) and shooting 88-91.
The team now looks ahead to their final event before the MIAA Championship. They will travel to Angola, Indiana on Friday, April 18 for the Trine Invitational before the Championship begins in Battle Creek, Michigan the following week from April 21–22.
Contact Claire Watson at cwatson01@saintmarys.edu
SMC GOLF
ND BASEBALL
Irish set to compete at ACC Championships
By BEN HICKS Associate Sports Editor
Following Sunday’s twin bill that resulted in consecutive one-run losses at Boston College, Notre Dame baseball returned to Frank Eck Stadium for a midweek showdown with the Valparaiso Beacons.
In the first base dugout, the Beacons of the Missouri Valley Conference entered play with a disappointing 8-22 overall record and 3-9 conference mark. Despite collecting road wins in the last month over Illinois and Indiana State, two programs that qualified for last season’s NCAA Tournament, Valparaiso came to South Bend having lost 10 of their last 13 games, including a sweep at Missouri State
this past weekend.
Freshman right-hander
Kellan Klosterman made his third consecutive midweek start on the hill for the Irish. The Cincinnati native turned in 3.1 innings of scoreless baseball, while only allowing one hit.
Fellow freshman righty Nick Baffa, who attended Notre Dame |College Prep in Chicago, got his first career start for Valparaiso.
Baffa blanked the Irish in the first three frames before running into trouble in the fourth. The inning started with sophomore designated hitter Carson Tinney reaching on a squibber to the left on the mound, before graduate first baseman Connor Hincks launched his third home run of the year over the right field wall to make it
2-0. Freshman infielder Parker Brzustewicz drove in the third run of the inning when he tripled home Estevan Moreno after entering as a defensive replacement in the top half of the inning. The five-spot inning was punctuated by freshman outfielder Jayce Lee’s third home run of the season with a no-doubt blast into the screen beyond the left field wall.
The Notre Dame relief tandem of freshman Brady Koester and junior Xavier Hirsch would keep Valparaiso scoreless until the sixth, when the Beacons scratched across their first run on a two-out error.
The Irish would answer back in the bottom of the seventh, when Tinney homered to left on a 1-1 offering. It was the
Colorado native’s sixth home run on the season, and pulled him within one of freshman Bino Watters for the team lead in RBI with 27.
Tinney would tie Watters with 28 during his next trip to the plate, as he induced a basesloaded walk to plate Brzustewicz for the seventh Irish run of the day. The score would hold at 7-1, with the Irish claiming their first non-conference victory in three weeks since their 9-6 triumph over Michigan State back on March 26.
The Notre Dame bats were hot throughout the night, as the offense tallied 12 hits, with Watters, Tinney, sophomore catcher Davis Johnson and graduate outfielder Jared Zimbardo all recording two hits.
Eight of the Irish knocks went for extra bases, including the three roundtrippers, one triple and four two-baggers. By virtue of entering the game after Klosterman and striking out both batters he faced, Koester earned the victory to move to 2-0 in his freshman campaign. Baffa took the loss for the Beacons, falling to 0-1. Back to .500 at 17-17 overall, the Irish are on the West Coast this weekend for a conference series at The Farm with Stanford. First pitch for Friday’s game one is set for 9 p.m. with streaming available on ACCNX.
Contact Ben Hicks at bhicks2@nd.edu
Notre Dame balances the transfer portal
By BEN HICKS
Associate Sports Editor
The modern age of intercollegiate athletics has fostered a landscape of rapid player movement and roster instability completely foreign to the majority of sports fans. In an era devoid of oversight and regulation, the terms “NIL,” “revenue-sharing” and “eligibility” have superseded “team,” “amateurism” and “student-athlete.”
However, there is perhaps no contemporary issue more ingrained in the minds of collegiate sports fans, administrators and players than the “transfer portal.” While the University of Notre Dame has preferred to “minor in the transfer portal,” as termed by head football coach Marcus Freeman, the circumstances of the 2024-2025 season for both men’s and women’s basketball
have made engaging in the novelty of the portal a necessity for Micah Shrewsberry and Niele Ivey.
Shrewsberry understood the Notre Dame rebuild would be a multi-year undertaking when he accepted the gig in March of 2023 after guiding Penn State to new heights in a two-year stint. He has stuck to his word, with very few players transferring out of Notre Dame, as he fosters a rare sense of continuity that
should bode well for a now experienced Irish roster. The only non-graduate outbound transfers under Shrewsberry have been forwards Carey Booth, who barely played at Illinois this season, and the much-improved Tae Davis, who recently landed at Oklahoma.
Notre Dame has decided to build around the backcourt nucleus of guards Marcus Burton and Braeden Shrewsberry, both rising juniors who averaged double-digits points a year ago. The surrounding pieces are mostly unproven at this point, which is where dabbling in the portal may come in handy. While rising sophomores guard Cole Certa, guard Sir Mohammed and forward Garrett Sundra all displayed flashes of becoming quality pieces during their freshman seasons, it has become increasingly difficult to find success in March without uber-experienced players, who have often played at multiple schools.
To begin the second year of his tenure in South Bend, Shrewsberry and his staff brought in three graduate transfers to complement the returning young core that had a promising finish in the 2023-2024 season. The combination of a lack of defensive intensity and injuries to the ACC’s leading scorer, Burton, and the only transfer to pan out, Matt Allocco, made the 2024-2025 season gravely disappointing for the men’s program, as they finished with a record of 15-18.
So far, the Irish have only
added one player in the portal this go-around, but it was a splash. Shrewsberry was able to outbid consistent winning programs Baylor, Saint Mary’s and Xavier for Northern Arizona big Carson Towt. After a redshirt, COVID year and season-ending injury, the Gilbert, Arizona, native is entering his seventh season at the collegiate ranks, shoring up a veteran frontcourt alongside rising senior Kebba Njie. Towt led the nation in rebounding last season for the Lumberjacks, pulling down over 400 boards for an average of 12.3 a night.
Notre Dame also possesses the seventh-ranked recruiting class, headlined by five-star Jalen Haralson, which paired with Towt and the returners should create a formidable roster in the ACC. Shrewsberry will likely secure one or two more additions in the portal, with the team being linked to numerous point guards and shoot-first wings.
Much like Towt, however, all additions will most likely be graduates from the CO midmajor ranks as the admission process for 11 undergraduate transfers nearing a degree has proved to be an insurmountable hurdle.
Across the hall in the Rolfs Athletic Hall, Ivey’s women’s program endured a much messier start to portal season. After the school’s most talented roster since the 2018 national championship
MARIELLA TADDONIO | The Observer
Graduate Olivia Miles scored 16 points in victory against UCONN on December 12, 2024 in the Irish wear green game. Miles oficially transfered to TCU who knocked the Irish out of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
