THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING NOTRE DAME, SAINT MARY’S AND HOLY CROSS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2026 | VOL. LX, NO. 45
Bishops urge ND to rescind Ostermann appointment
Bishops Rhoades, Barron, and others say professor’s abortion advocacy is disqualifying to lead Liu Institute
By Observer News Staff
Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend has called on Notre Dame to rescind its appointment of professor Susan Ostermann to lead the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies because of her public advocacy for abortion rights. He said her advocacy “clearly should disqualify her from holding a position of leadership within the Keough School.” The public statement Rhoades issued on Tuesday marks a significant intensification of the pushback against Ostermann’s appointment.
“Professor Ostermann’s extensive public advocacy of abortion rights and her disparaging and inflammatory remarks about those who uphold the dignity of human life from the moment of conception to natural death go against a core principle of justice that is central to Notre Dame’s Catholic identity and mission,” Rhoades said in the statement.
Rhoades also argued that Ostermann’s appointment should not be protected by appeals to
academic freedom.
to expand the Institute’s global partnerships and create impactful research opportunities that advance our dedication to serving as the preeminent global Catholic research institution.”
While the University of Notre Dame is located within the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Rhoades does not have the ability to make decisions regarding University policy or personnel; though he could issue a formal warning, request an intervention by the Vatican or forbid the University from identifying itself as Catholic.
“Academic freedom concerns the liberty of faculty to conduct research according to their own professional judgment and interests. This appointment, by contrast, concerns the official administrative appointment to lead an academic unit. Such appointments have profound impact on the integrity of Notre Dame’s public witness as a Catholic university,” he wrote.
HCC presidency extended to 2030
By Berhan Hagezom
Saint Mary’s News Editor
The Board of Trustees and the Members of the Midwest Province of Brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross have approved the continuation of Holy Cross College President Marco Clark’s presidency to 2030.
In an interview with The Observer, Clark shared that as the first layperson serving as president of the College, the extension helps to build further confidence in his leadership and the institution’s future. He described the process of renewal from the Board of Trustees.
“I go through a pretty rigorous evaluation process every year. And so as we concluded last year’s evaluation process … the conversation began to look towards the future, and so the board had their own level of meetings
NEWS | PAGE 3
CrossPaths startup
Two ND students teamed up to code a competitor for the Marriage Pact matchmaker.
and convened to discuss a continuation of my contract,” he explained. “They sought some outside counsel as well, through consultants that help with these sorts of matters, and then they presented me with the option for a four year extension to the contract.”
He also described why he initially chose to become president of the College, which he owed to being taught by the Holy Cross brothers and lay teachers, who instilled in him an appreciation for education and mentoring in addition to Catholic values.
“I often will use the joke, I’ll say that while I don’t have the initial CSC after my name, I do have CSC in my DNA,” Clark said.
His education was what led him to also go back to Bishop McNamara High School to become the principal and later the
see “President” on page 4
OPINION | PAGE 5
ND must choose
Editor-in-Chief Liam Kelly argues Notre Dame should stand boldly for its Catholic mission.
“I call upon the leadership of Notre Dame to rectify this situation. The appointment of Professor Ostermann is not scheduled to go into effect until
July 1, 2026. There is still time to make things right,” Rhoades concluded.
Notre Dame has not publicly changed course on the appointment. A University spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Observer on Wednesday that Ostermann “is well prepared
This is not the first time Rhoades has criticized a decision made by Notre Dame. In 2016, he criticized the University’s decision to award then-vice president Joe Biden the Laetare Medal, billed by the University as the “most prestigious award given to American Catholics.” In 2018, he publicly disagreed with the University for providing contraceptive coverage in its health insurance plans. Notre Dame moved
University updates housing process for Gateway students
By Lucy Loes News Writer
This fall, as a result of the advocacy of previous Gateway students, a new housing process has been introduced for current gateway and transfer students. These students will be able to request another
transfer as their roommate and rank their top three hall preferences, prioritizing whether matching their roommate or hall is more important to them.
Previously, neither Gateway students nor transfer students had the same
choice in the housing process afforded to undergraduate sophomores at Notre Dame. Transfers were not guaranteed on-campus housing, while Gateway students, who spend one year at Holy Cross
Doubleheader to open 2026 basketball season in Rome
By Observer Sports Staff
CBS Sports reported Tuesday that Notre Dame and Villanova are close to finalizing an agreement to open the 2026-27 college basketball season with a doubleheader in Rome. The proposed twin bill would see the
SCENE | PAGE 8
ND matchmaking
Sisyphus must be happy now that dating stress at Notre Dame can be relieved by an algorithm.
Irish and Wildcats square off in both men’s and women’s basketball as the first games of the new season.
The monumental arrangement is rooted in religious connections. Palazzetto dello Sport, the proposed 3,500-seat venue for the event, sits just over 3.5
SPORTS | PAGE 10
Baseball preview
Irish ready to embark on 202526 season on Feb. 13 with a strong roster yet low ranking.
miles from the Holy See. While Notre Dame operates as the globe’s preeminent institution of Catholic higher education, the newly elected Pope Leo XIV is a 1977 graduate of Villanova, an Augustinian Catholic university
see “Rome” on page 9
SPORTS | PAGE 11
Hockey
Notre Dame faces Minnesota again after being narrowly defeated in November.
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend and Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester have called on Notre Dame to rescind its appointment of professor Susan Ostermann to lead the Liu Institute.
Benny Ortega Freshman Graham Hall “Bangkok.”
Ben Nascimento Freshman Stanford Hall “Orlando.”
Zaina Arain Freshman Welsh Family Hall “Singapore.”
Isabela Maxwell Freshman Holy Cross Hall “Africa.”
Lily Angst Freshman Walsh Hall “Singapore.”
Friday
Notre Dame men’s hockey vs. University of Minnesota The Irish face the Gophers. Compton Family Ice Arena
7 p.m.
Saturday
Concert: Christian McBride & Ursa Major Grammy winner performs jazz. Leighton Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sunday
Notre Dame women’s basketball vs. NC State The Irish take on the Wolfpack. Purcell Pavilion 4 p.m.
Monday
Workshop on “Envisioning Dante”
An introduction to printed books analysis with computer vision. 102 Hesburgh Library 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Tuesday
An Evening with Lee Horikoshi Roripaugh Acclaimed writer Horikoshi Roripaugh reads from her memoir. Haggar College Center 6 p.m.
Married professors find love in the lecture hall
By Annelise Demers and Andrew Poulton Associate News Editor and News Writer
At Notre Dame, some professors share more than department meetings and syllabi. They share car rides to campus, research ideas over dinner and sometimes even a kid.
Across campus, married faculty couples are balancing teaching, research and family life together. Some even work in the same departments.
The University’s Office of Human Resources declined to answer what percentage of professors are married to each other, but shared that about 61% of faculty members are married, while 11% are not married and 28% are unknown. Among staff, 62% are married, 14% are not married and 24% are unknown.
For Antônio José Lemos, a teaching scholar of theology, and his spouse, Catherine Lemos (Duggan), also a teaching scholar of theology, their partnership is both personal and professional. The two met as classmates in a theology Ph.D. program and became close friends before beginning their relationship.
The couple has been married for nearly two years and recently welcomed their son Maximilian, who is already becoming familiar with academic life.
Working at the same university brings unique opportunities and humor to their daily routines.
“It’s fun,” Lemos wrote in a statement. “We drive to work together and even share the same office. We also teach the same course and
we are always seeking the other’s feedback on ideas for teaching and research.”
Students often learn about the connection in lighthearted ways.
Sometimes Lemos compares his classes with Duggan’s class.
“We are already starting to study the New Testament, but my wife’s students are still in the book of Exodus,” Lemos wrote.
The couple frequently collaborates academically as well. Early in their relationship, they co-authored a conference paper that later became a published book chapter. They also attend conferences together, sometimes with their son.
“Our son, who is 10 months old, has been to three theology conferences already,” Lemos wrote.
Another faculty couple, Ana Flores-Mireles and Felipe SantiagoTirado, share a similar story of partnership shaped by academia. The two met while pursuing doctoral degrees and conducting research at Cornell University.
As dual-career academics, they quickly learned to coordinate their professional paths. When applying for postdoctoral positions, they focused on cities with multiple universities to increase the chances of both finding opportunities.
“The first thing that we started doing is looking for places where there are several universities,” FloresMireles said. “Even if one department cannot hire two people, we would have other options.”
Working in the same field has strengthened their relationship.
Flores-Mireles said having a partner who understands the demands of research makes a significant difference.
“You need to find a good best friend, because that person needs to actually understand your job and the long hours,” she said. “Before we were married, I was working at 2 a.m. or coming back to the lab at 3 a.m. and he understood that.”
Today, the two frequently collaborate professionally, combining their research expertise on projects and publications.
“We decided to work together officially,” Flores-Mireles said. “He works with fungal pathogens and I work with urinary tract infections, so we found ways to connect our research.”
Students sometimes discover their connection in unexpected ways, such as seeing the couple’s young son Liam moving between their offices.
“I think it’s always a surprise,” Tirado said.
Balancing academic careers with family life requires careful planning, the couple said, especially without extended family nearby.
“Communication is very important,” Tirado said. “We have to check each other’s calendars constantly.”
They emphasized that partnership in academia means supporting one another’s careers equally.
“We really value each one’s success,” Flores-Mireles said. “If one of us needs to focus on something for work, the other steps in.”
Brian Mulholland, assistant teaching professor in the Department
of Mathematics, and Kathryn Mulholland, also an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Mathematics, first met during graduate school when Brian Mulholland gave Kathryn Mulholland a campus tour.
“When I was a first-year graduate student and Kathryn was a prospective student, I gave Kathryn a tour of campus,” Brian Mulholland wrote in a statement. “I like to tell people that she instantly fell in love with me and chose Notre Dame for grad school because she wanted to date me.”
Kathryn offered her own version of the story.
“Yes, Brian gave me a twohour tour of campus,” Kathryn Mulholland wrote in a statement.
“His love for Notre Dame is third only to his love for God and me.”
The couple has been married for almost eight years and were married at Holy Family Church in South Bend.
Some of their favorite early memories together reflect both humor and care in their relationship.
“Kathryn gave me a pair of gloves shortly after we started dating because I refuse to buy things that keep me warm,” Brian Mulholland wrote.
“She wrote a cute note with them with a good pun.”
Kathryn Mulholland remembered their first official date.
“Brian was a groomsman in his best friend’s wedding in the morning,” she wrote. “He invited me to a Notre Dame hockey game and concert in the afternoon. I accidentally
wore white and every usher assumed we had just gotten married.”
Working at the same university has strengthened their partnership, the couple said.
“Notre Dame is such a great community. I love the fact that I get to have lunch with my wife and talk about our classes and our students,”
Brian Mulholland wrote.
“I share a lot in class, so yes they know we are married,” he continued. “I even have brought my son into class with me, and so students have gotten to know our family life.”
The couple frequently collaborates on teaching and classroom ideas.
“Teaching, all the time,” Kathryn Mulholland wrote. “It’s been very convenient to have a go-to substitute and very fruitful to have a sounding board for ideas.”
Both professors said balancing family life and academia requires intentional priorities.
“Academia allows me to have an unusual schedule which is a challenge at times,” Brian Mulholland wrote, “but it also allows me to bring my son around and have little moments with my wife that I think would be hard in a corporate setting.”
“Regardless of workplace or employer, it’s about prioritizing the right things,” Kathryn Mulholland wrote. “For me that’s God, husband, kids, then everything else.”
Contact Annelise Demers at ademers@nd.edu and Andrew Poulton at apoulton@nd.edu
CrossPaths seeks to rival Marriage Pact at ND
By Jane Miller News Writer
For the past few weeks, CrossPaths, a mysterious Marriage Pact dupe, has been flooding students’ emails, prompting them to fill out their match-making form in time for Valentine’s Day.
The aim of the program is to
“find your perfect match,” according to co-founder and Notre Dame junior Nathan Gafney. It was created to rival Marriage Pact, an online annual match-making program created by Stanford students which now operates at over 100 universities, including Notre Dame.
The idea for CrossPaths started last spring at the Hesburgh
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Hackathon, a weekend-long coding event where students pitch startup ideas. The original concept was a friendship matching service that failed to intrigue the judges.
“We made this algorithm that matched friends with friends to solve the loneliness epidemic,” Gafney said. “We got dead last.”
When two of the people who matched on their friendship service were revealed to have been dating, Gafney and his project partner, ND junior George Gardey, decided to disregard the judges’ criticism and move forward with the project as an improved Marriage Pact to prove the judges wrong.
Gafney and Gardey pitched CrossPaths to the IDEA Center at Notre Dame and received a total of $1,600 from a combination of direct funding and competitions. They were granted permission from the Office of Information Technology to send emails to the ND student body, and since last spring they have had a total of four rounds of the matchmaking program. The biggest and most official launch was this semester, in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day.
“We’ve matched 3,500 Notre Dame students across grad and undergrad,” Gafney said, “about
40 percent of the undergraduate population and 20 percent of the graduate student population.”
The timing, for Gafney, is key.
“It’s very easy to market Valentine’s Day,” he said. “Go get a match so you’re not lonely on Valentine’s Day. Why not?”
The project comes at a time when being single is on the rise.
Gafney said that 60% of 830 respondents they surveyed said they had not been in a relationship at Notre Dame.
Senior Nicholas Peterson was one of the 1,600 students to fill out the form this round. Peterson has been single for “21 and a half years and counting.” He needed a date to his formal.
His friend, senior Ivan Alvarez, who has been single for “about 21 years and three quarters” saw CrossPaths as “a low commitment, fun way to find out if there’s anyone like you.”
The two of them didn’t really know where CrossPaths came from or if there was any benefit to doing it as opposed to the Marriage Pact, but figured “why not?”
CrossPaths aims to be more fun, engaging and successful than the Marriage Pact. Features like free response questions, customized date ideas and the agency to choose between two top picks are
unique to the algorithm. Users can also choose whether they are looking for a friend, a serious relationship or something casual.
Free response questions on CrossPaths are generated based on responses that the user has already given.
“All of those written questions are adaptive, so if you fill it out, your questions will be different than anyone else’s … no two people have the same questions,” Gafney said. “It’s all trained to extract information from you.”
The extracted information is used to build a profile that allows the system to match you with other users.
Students who are willing to pay $5 are allowed to see their top two matches and choose between them.
“These are essentially two people who match all the criteria of similar values, similar beliefs, similar interests,” Gafney said. “We give you the choice to pay to pick who you think is more attractive, essentially.”
The system does not include photos of matches, but Gafney said the assumption is that users could look their matches up online.
“Someone paid like ten times I see “CrossPaths” on page 4
President
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president and CEO of the institution. Following this, he became the executive director of the Holy Cross Institute at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. While he was there, he received a phone call about a position opening at Holy Cross.
“When Holy Cross College called and said that the presidency was open and they invited me to apply for it, what immediately drew me was kind of going right back to those roots of that Holy Cross brothers’ high school. [It] is working in an environment where we get a chance to mentor and walk side by side with students … There really is the strong principle of accompaniment in a small college,” he said.
Clark also listed the strong faculty presence, the institution’s four core values and the South Bend and tricampus community as drawing him to the College.
His extension is also in alignment with the 60th anniversary of the College’s founding, originally established as a community college.
Gateway
Continued from page 1
College before transitioning to Notre Dame as sophomores, went through the same randomized housing process as Notre Dame freshmen.
“This [change] comes as Residential Life opens two new residence halls on campus this fall – Coyle Hall and Grojean Hall–allowing the University to fulfill a commitment to provide all transfer students with on-campus [housing] next year. In previous years, transfer students were not guaranteed on-campus housing and were assigned to any remaining space available after current and new first year students were assigned,” Dan Rohmiller, director of residential life housing and operations, wrote in a statement.
Bishops
Continued from page 1
forward with awarding Biden the Laetare Medal and providing contraceptive access despite Rhoades’ objections.
Several other bishops voiced their support for Rhoades’ statement, including Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Bishop Samuel Aquila of Denver, Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay, Bishop Donald Hying of Madison, Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Bishop James Wall of Gallup, and Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth.
“Like Bishop Rhoades, I speak as someone with strong connections to and deep affection for the University of Notre Dame,” Barron said on X. “I believe that going ahead with this appointment is repugnant to the identity and mission of that great center of Catholic learning.”
The College’s five-year Strategic Plan, from 2023 to 2028, includes five core themes of zeal for mission, educating hearts and minds, transformational student experience, mission advancement and growth.
He explained that the plan has not only helped the College look towards the next few years, but also the subsequent decades ahead.
“When I started four years ago, in the first year, we began the process of creating a new five-year strategic plan, and that five-year strategic plan really is a plan that now has been extended to take us through the end of this decade,” Clark said. “We knew that right in the middle of this, we’d be celebrating our 60th anniversary as a College. What this strategic plan does, and I think what an appointment like this does, is this has us looking forward to the next 60 years now.”
The strategic plan, developed in 2023, involves the development of three new dorms that will add a total of nine residential housing units for students to have in the following years. The dorm currently being constructed will open in August of this year where students will be able
The changes announced to students in the Gateway program last week were met with excitement.
“We found out last week that we actually would have an opportunity to choose. [Since] we were expecting it would be just like last year, where it would be completely random, when the housing administration announced to all of us in a meeting that they’re making changes [so] we could kind of pick our own dorm and roommate, everyone was very excited,” freshman Mia Polichio said.
While the random roommate process is something Notre Dame prides itself on, many Gateway students felt that they had already experienced some semblance of this culture. “I feel like it already felt a little bit random this year, just because we hadn’t met anyone beforehand and we had such a limited number to pick from. So in the
CrossPaths
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think,” Gafney said.
Neither Peterson nor Alvarez paid to see their matches.
“Hell no, I’m not paying for that,” said Peterson.
The $5 incentives are how CrossPaths generates revenue. Including the money that CrossPaths received from the IDEA Center, Gafney said the project is profitable and will continue to be so in the future.
He and Gardey are planning to expand CrossPaths beyond Notre Dame; the tentative plan is 10 schools in the next month, 50 in the fall, and 250 by year three.
The primary strategy will be to avoid schools where Marriage Pact is already operating.
“We’re going to try BYU,” Gardey said. “The Mormons might be into this as much as Catholics are.”
Gardey says that user data generated from CrossPaths is
to choose housing assignments and view the dorm soon through family weekend.
The College has also implemented their Pathways Programs for business, health sciences, computer science and education that gives them a fast track towards graduate programs and combined undergraduate degrees.
“By us having these pathway programs and having students who possess not only a high intellect but also great work ethic, we’re also helping them to prepare and pave the way with all of the other things that you have to do to prepare to go to med school,” he explained. “We’re looking at an 85 percent acceptance rate to med school today, and that’s what we’ve been able to demonstrate the last couple of years.”
The College partnered with the University of Notre Dame and Lilly Endowment Inc.’s College and Community Collaboration initiative in 2025 to establish the Center for Leadership and Professional Excellence within the former South Bend Tribune building. They plan to offer further micro-credential programs and certifications,
sense that we were already in such a unique situation, I don’t think that we needed random roommates to kind of feel the culture,” freshman Agnes Vedra said.
Kathryn Wilkinson, another freshman in the Gateway program, believes the new agency in the housing process will make the transition to living on Notre Dame’s campus smoother and help Gateway students expand on the relationships they have already developed. “I think it will be much easier, because then you’re either rooming with someone you already know, and you’re really comfortable with that, and then you’re just in a dorm where they could find a spot, or you’re in a dorm that you have maybe friends and peers that you already kind of know that community, and then you can just build it on [that] further,” Wilkinson said.
Vedra expanded upon this idea,
very valuable.
“The Rover or something will always try to do a poll of like, what political leaning their students are,” said Gardey. “Well, we have that information on 40% of the student body already.”
This data could be sold to companies that are interested in changing their business models to adapt to the interests of college students, keeping individual information anonymous.
“It would be illegal to sell the data raw,” said Gardey. “The IDEA Center has told us we should look into anonymized research reports to marketing companies … It’s all laid out in our privacy policy.”
The data is also used to provide date ideas for matched individuals based on their interests.
“Mine gave me an idea for a date night that involved me breaking into the top of Jordan Hall,” Peterson said with a laugh.
Alvarez’s suggestion was “star gazing by the St. Joe River.”
Peterson did not end up
professional development skills and dual enrollment programs for highschoolers, the first two of which will be open to students throughout the tri-campus.
“I’ve often said that Holy Cross College was founded as a community college, and today I see us as a college for the community,” Clark said. “And one way that we can be a college for the community is by providing these educational opportunities for adults and other non-traditional learners.”
He shared that these new developments and additions to the College allow for them to bring further innovation into the community and support future projects.
“I think the increase in enrollment, the new developments, the increase in philanthropy and fundraising are all indications of a strong, thriving future,” he said. “It’s a level of support and confidence in what it is that we’re doing, the unique niche or need that we’re fulfilling in society and then the confidence in the leadership that we have. And so I’m really humbled by that.”
He showed gratitude for the support given by Notre Dame President Fr. Robert Dowd and Saint Mary’s
explaining how the previous housing process tended to treat Gateway students like freshmen rather than growing members of the community. “We’re excited, because it feels more like we’re a part of the culture right away rather than starting over freshman year … We had our classes here, we’ve established our friends, joined clubs, and the changes [reflect how] it just feels a little bit more like sophomore year and not freshman year again,” she said.
These changes are most directly a result of the advocacy of previous Gateway students. “Over the years, Residential Life has heard from transfer students – including Gateway transfer students – about the importance of living on-campus, having a roommate who understands their experience, and having some agency in where they start their time at Notre Dame.
breaking into the top of Jordan Hall, but he did meet up with his CrossPaths match.
“We met up today. That was probably successful,” said Peterson. “We got along and talked for about an hour and a half.”
She agreed to go as his date to Keough formal.
Senior Sean Kerr, who one-ups Peterson and Alvarez by being single for 22 years, also met up with his CrossPaths match.
Kerr had done Marriage Pact before, but never actually ended up meeting a new person through it.
“I got a match and I met her.
I mean, it was successful,” Kerr said. “It was like the first person who responded to me that I didn’t know in person already.”
The two of them met at Starbucks in LaFortune Student Center this week, and while he does not know if it could go anywhere yet, he is happy to have met a new person.
“I think [CrossPaths] is helpful
College President Katie Conboy.
“I’m not from Notre Dame, Indiana or from South Bend, so I’m really grateful for the friendship and partnership that my tri-campus colleagues have given me. They’ve become great friends and we’re great partners in this,” he shared.
He is also grateful for the trust given by the South Bend community and their dedication towards developing the common good. Clark hopes that Holy Cross continues to grow through South Bend and the tri-campus in the future.
“It’s nice to come to a small town that seems to care so much about the common good and does have a thriving future with new infrastructure investments and all the other amenities that go along with living in this area,” he explained. “Then there’s just the sense of community and hospitality that we love, so I say thank you to the tri-campus, I say thank you to this local South Bend community. I look forward to ways that we can continue to contribute to make it better in the years ahead.”
Contact Berhan Hagezom at bhagezom01@saintmarys.edu
Our hope is that these changes will take a step toward responding to that feedback and improving the experience of transfer students,” Rohmiller said.
Wilkinson further highlighted the positive impact of previous students’ advocacy for her cohort. “I think it’s really great that they’re actually listening to the Gateway students, because I know I’ve talked to a lot of them last year, and there’s just a lot of differences that have been made for our year, which has been awesome. Like, we got to be in the class photo. Yes, we’re the first Gateway year to be in the class photo … We couldn’t be in our position now without the past ones actually giving feedback, trying to grow this program and make it better,” Wilkinson said.
Contact Lucy Loes at lloes@nd.edu
for a lot of people, actually, because … I don’t know how to initiate a relationship,” said Kerr. “I get really nervous asking a girl out.”
He also thinks that it can be helpful for introverts.
“I feel like to date people and get to know people you have to, like, go to parties and stuff,” Kerr said. “And like, I’m definitely not a party guy.”
Gafney and Gardey are pitching at the McCloskey New Venture Competition with the prospect of winning $50,000 to support CrossPaths.
Reflecting on his and Gardey’s process of creating CrossPaths, “two nerdy guys trying to do dating sites,” Gafney said he is glad to have had the opportunity “creating a business, building something cool and proving the judges at that hackathon wrong.”
And Peterson is happy that he has a date to his formal.
Contact Jane Miller at jmille95@nd.edu
OPINION
Notre Dame must choose courage
By Liam Kelly Editor-in-Chief
184 years ago Fr. Edward Sorin and his compatriots made their way through the wilderness of Indiana and arrived at a pair of frozen lakes covered in snow. Those men of destiny, hewing down timber and clearing snow, labored through the winter, erecting a small log chapel, a beacon of light in an unforgiving landscape on a restless continent.
Their writ, as imparted to them by their Holy Cross superiors, was not to establish a technical college or a research institution or an athletic organization, but rather a Catholic school, committed to being a “force for good” in the world — not in some abstract, secular sense, but through the cultivation of virtuous citizens rooted in the Catholic faith.
Over the past few weeks, the campus and the internet have been inflamed with the controversy surrounding the appointment of professor Susan Ostermann to head the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies. Students and student groups have written letters to the editor on the subject, academics have cut ties with the Institute, renowned professors have spoken out against the drift in the Catholic character of the University and prominent bishops in America have urged Notre Dame to rescind the appointment.
All the while, the University administration has continued to defend Ostermann’s appointment.
While those who argue that Notre Dame has abandoned its Catholic character make a ridiculous claim which does harm to the many devout Catholics on this campus, one cannot ignore that priorities other than Notre Dame’s Catholic mission seem to be guiding the University today to a greater extent than they should.
As esteemed former sociology professor Christian Smith argued in his recent piece in First Things explaining his decision to leave the University, growth in research capacities, growth in donations, growth in football success, growth in merchandise sales and growth in national standing all seem to be the driving forces of the University administration as of late, more than the cultivation of undergraduate education or its Catholic character.
Growth in all of these fields can of course be a good thing. But growth for its own sake seems like little more than that “perpetual and restless desire of power after power” with no end other than its own triumph. This is not the Notre Dame way.
As Francis Wallace put it in his
Over 2,000 students gathered on North Quad for mass in St. Olaf’s Ice Chapel Feb. 2. Fr. Greg Haake and Fr. Pete McCormick celebrated the mass, which included a choir and altar servers carrying icicle crosses.
1949 history of Notre Dame, “The Notre Dame Story,” “Before Rockne and before football, from the beginning, [Notre Dame’s] primary goal has always been the production of moral leadership.”
This mission is, of course, distinct. It sets Notre Dame apart in the field of higher education. Most elite institutions, whatever their founding ethos, now view education as purely utilitarian. Education and research are not directed towards higher aims, but merely aim at personal success and a vague sense of progress.
Now Notre Dame, in its desire to be fully accepted into the upper echelon of American academia, has implicitly accepted this ethos. It creeps into everything the University does in its curriculum design, in its marketing and, of course, in its hiring processes.
Ostermann’s views on abortion have been extensively reported on in this newspaper and many others.
Of course, not every professor at a Catholic university must be Catholic or hold Catholic beliefs personally.
Indeed, it is a good thing to have nonCatholic voices in a Catholic university to further such a university’s engagement with the rest of the world. Academic freedom is a valuable thing that the University is right to defend.
What a Catholic university does require, however, is that all professors, Catholic or not, engage in dialogue with the Catholic faith. As the Land O’Lakes Statement, itself a more liberal view of Catholic education articulated by Fr. Theodore Hesburgh and others, argues, all disciplines have “a philosophical and theological dimension” which compels them to engage in dialogue with the Catholic faith.
Where Ostermann’s appointment presents difficulties for the University’s Catholic mission is in the fact that her views on pro-life Catholics indicate she does not want to engage in this type of dialogue. Specifically, Ostermann has described opponents of abortion whom she should be in conversation with as “complicit” in “violence.” Moreover, on the issue of integral human development, where there is perhaps most room for dialogue between the disciplines of global affairs and theology, she twists the Catholic view of the issue to argue that abortion is an essential part of such development. Despite Ostermann’s protestations that she will be able to separate her personal views from her professional views, her opinions on abortion are inexorable from her professional views. Separating her personal views would entail not discussing subjects such as integral human development entirely which would be both untenable and do a great disservice to students in the Liu Institute.
This newspaper has repeatedly asked the University for further comment on Ostermann’s appointment and has repeatedly been referred to a statement touting Ostermann’s research prowess and academic credentials. Ostermann’s credentials are no doubt impressive. I have nothing to say to impugn her experience or her personal character. At a secular research university, she would be eminently qualified for her position. But at Notre Dame, a Catholic university, she has failed the basic test of being open to engaging in dialogue between her discipline and the Catholic faith. If the University’s decision holds, it will seem to be prioritizing research
prowess over commitment to its Catholic mission.
By all metrics, University President Fr. Robert Dowd and his staff are fine leaders of the University. Under their leadership, the endowment has grown to new heights, the University has done well in national rankings, athletic teams have found great success and Notre Dame has been named one of the best workplaces in America. The problem is not in how the administration has enacted its goals, but rather the goals toward which it is aiming. If research and rankings have pride of place over moral cultivation, then something has gone wrong.
To stay true to its mission, the University must actively lead, both on campus and beyond. On campus, it must lead its students in the Catholic faith, leaving room for academic freedom and debate, but always directing the academic curriculum and residential programming towards this end.
Beyond campus, Notre Dame must not be afraid to buck the educational model of American higher education, which has proven itself to be intellectually hollow and morally bereft. It must recognize that its fundamental mission is to serve as a beacon of what education should be and that the school’s acceptance rate or national ranking are not what make this mission successful or not.
Achieving these goals requires courage and faith. But they are goals that students and alumni want to see accomplished and which the world needs.
One need only to look as far as the ice-chapel constructed on North Quad a few weeks ago. Like those first brave men who stepped out into an
unknown wilderness and formed a chapel out of earth and wood, those students ventured into the snow and constructed an icy edifice that reached not for earthly, but rather heavenly things. And like that first log chapel by the lake, once they built it, people came in their thousands, not because it was like everything else around them but because it was different and true and good.
Fundamentally, despite what outside commentators say, Catholicism is alive and well at Notre Dame. Many professors and students believe resolutely in the mission of the University and live it out every day. I too believe that the University administration believes in this Catholic mission and wants Notre Dame to be a Catholic university. I simply think that they are too afraid that other people prefer a muted version of its Catholicism. They would rather not meet the ire of critics than stand boldly on controversial issues.
Catholicism at Notre Dame can limp on with this mindset, but it cannot fully thrive. Its reputation as a Catholic university will continue to be harmed, and Catholicism on campus will retreat more and more into devout but isolated pockets of campus. This approach is not how Notre Dame became what it is today. Over its history, Notre Dame survived and excelled because it was always unafraid of the danger before it and advanced toward its goals unapologetically.
Wallace put it best when he wrote,
“The Notre Dame tradition, from the date of its foundation in 1842, has been a constant fight for life. From the beginning it was a Spartan child, thrown on the hillside to live or die. Born under the most rugged conditions, it lived the hard way, came up from the other side of the collegiate tracks, after a long early struggle for survival that was one crucial scrimmage after another.”
Notre Dame is now at a time for choosing. It must decide whether it will remain resolutely and unapologetically a Catholic university or if it will continue down the slow and lamentable drift of secularization. What is needed is courage, a resolution to stand firm in its identity both on campus and beyond, come what may. Ultimately, there can be no higher calling for a University as storied as Notre Dame than fulfilling its Catholic mission in the fullest sense.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Contact Liam Kelly at lkelly8@nd.edu
In defense of performative studying
By Sophia Anderson Opinion Columnist
“Performative studying,” the act of studying excessively in public to appear studious and hardworking to your peers, seems like an oxymoron. How could something that used to be “nerdy” and uncool be performative? Who would want to be
perceived as someone who’s always studying?
But as most people at Notre Dame can attest, here the person who studies the least usually doesn’t want people to know about it. How long you can lock in at the library feels like a genuine reflection of your moral worth; everyone wants to be “busy” all the time.
My friend disagrees with me that performative studying even exists here; she argues everyone is too genuinely busy to have time to be performative. There aren’t that many “study influencers” at ND, she argued. Why perform if you’re not going to film it? I disagree — I believe this type of studying runs rampant on campus.
I think people are performing all the time, genuinely studying, but doing so in a way that can be inefficient or downright ineffective. Think about it like this: we all have a perfectly functioning dark desk under our lofted beds, complete with a (grossly powerful) fluorescent light and a chair that (while not at all comfortable) definitely gets the job done. If we all
wanted to do our work as quickly as possible and do other things, why not just do everything as quickly as possible, mere feet from our beds? Why put on a sweater and mascara and trek through the snow on a Saturday morning when you could legitimately, and more quickly, write
see “Study” on page 6
DECLAN LEE | The Observer
Study
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your paper in your dorm lounge? Why print out and highlight your readings in pastel colors, copy your science-related diagrams (not a STEM major, best I can do) on the big whiteboards or colorcode a to-do list you’ll forget to ever cross off?
The answer, to all these questions and to the original (why perform studying just for yourself?),
is that we have to. I know from personal experience that sometimes, romanticizing my study experience is the only way to make myself study at all; I may not perfectly understand everything I read on a six-hour study bender, but at least I’m engaging with the material at all. Dressing up and working in public, where I am at least accountable to the imaginary people around me I’m studying for, is sometimes the only thing that makes me work at all. If anything gets done, then the
OPINION
performance is worth it.
I think performative studying is necessary for anyone who isn’t naturally inclined to study as much as most people have to at this school. After all, if you’re going to do something all the time, you might as well enjoy it as much as possible.
My only warning is not to get too caught up in the romanticization of your academic life. Sometimes it’s fun to be Pinterest-level organized and match your iPad background to your favorite TikTok
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
The former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, once joked with her cabinet colleagues that “When I’m out of politics I’m going to run a business, it’ll be called rent-a-spine.” I never imagined that the University of Notre Dame could be a customer.
On Feb. 9, a Hong Kong court sentenced prominent democracy activist Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison for his opposition to the Chinese Communist regime and for his love of liberty. The response from Western governments and institutions to this affront to individual rights and human dignity has been disappointing and desultory. U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio issued a short statement calling the sentence “unjust and tragic.” The Canadian foreign ministry was “disappointed.” The European Union deplored the “heavy prison sentence.” Even the United Kingdom, of which Lai is a citizen, was lukewarm, with foreign secretary Yvette Cooper promising merely that “we will rapidly engage further on Mr. Lai’s case.” Notre Dame’s reaction, however, has proved particularly damning — stone cold silence.
This absence of a statement from the University perhaps should not surprise me since I encountered the same lack of interest in my previous efforts to draw Notre Dame’s attention to the plight of Lai and democracy in Hong Kong. As a junior, I urged the Student Senate to lobby the University to award an honorary degree to Lai. Similarly, I co-authored an article on the subject in the Scholastic with Fr. Bill Miscamble, all to no avail. With the sentence now handed down, I once again take up my pen, perhaps in vain, to urge Notre Dame to show
study motivators, but other times, it’s nice to just get it done. Don’t enjoy the aesthetics of studying to the point where you sacrifice quickly submitting a discussion post from bed or doing a reading without decorating your notes. When you get to the point that the aesthetics are taking longer than the work, you’ve gone too far.
Notre Dame is, academically, a great school; however, most people I know who got in here were also accepted to other schools that were as great or even better
Where is our spine?
some backbone when it comes to basic human rights in Hong Kong and the case of Lai.
There is no other way of summing up the situation than to say Lai is a hero of freedom and a champion of liberal government. A man of deep Catholic faith, he opposed Communist China’s designs to suppress Hong Kong’s democracy and bring the former British colony completely under Beijing’s sway. Lai supported the massive pro-democracy protests which swept Hong Kong in 2019-2020. His Apple Daily newspaper frequently criticized the Chinese dictatorship’s “security” law which provided for the transfer of prisoners from Hong Kong to the mainland — a flagrant violation of the 1984 Sino-British Declaration.
Lai took a stand for free speech and for that basic human right he will now likely die. As the British government rightly pointed out, a 20year sentence for a 78-year-old man is “tantamount to a death sentence.” His sacrifice warrants at least passing notice from the world’s leading Catholic university, Notre Dame. For Notre Dame to claim her mantle as the preeminent institution of Catholic education, she must be not only a center of academic excellence but of moral excellence too. Without doubt, the Beijing regime will not alter its decision to condemn Lai because Notre Dame denounces it. Our collective conscience, nevertheless, should compel Our Lady’s University to stand on the side of right. As Lent approaches,
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
banners around campus repeat the words of the Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross: “We hope for a world where love and justice prevail.” Hope without action, however, is a futile endeavor. There is precedent for the University raising its voice on matters of national and global significance. The murder of George Floyd, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict all garnered public statements from former University President, Fr. John Jenkins, C.S.C. The assassination of Charlie Kirk drew a statement from University President Fr. Robert Dowd. The persecution of a lion of freedom surely merits the same treatment. Indeed, in Mr. Lai’s case, a clear-throated statement
academically. We chose ND for a lot of reasons — don’t let the appearances of being a smart and busy student take away from your time engaging with the culture, campus and balanced experience that ND is meant to be. Even the best actors need to take time off.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Contact Sophia Anderson at sander38@nd.edu
from Notre Dame would mark our University apart from the limp and timid reactions of Western governments and institutions. If we believe in free expression and human dignity, let us act like it. If we are the world’s leading Catholic university then we should lead inspired by our Catholic faith. Silence in the face of China’s tyranny is inconsistent with Notre Dame’s fundamental values and core mission — are we a force for good in the world or aren’t we?
In my article with Fr. Bill Miscamble in 2022, we wrote “We all know the phrase ‘the Notre Dame difference’ ... The struggle for democracy in Hong Kong presents us with an opportunity to demonstrate that difference in action. Notre Dame should not be numbered among other cowardly Western institutions cringing and scraping at the foot of the despot Xi Jinping.” Those words remain equally true today. In the game of calling moral balls and strikes, this decision should be easily made. On the one hand, Notre Dame can align herself with Lai who fought for freedom of expression, open discourse and individual liberty, while on the other hand is the oppressive dictatorship which has silenced his voice.
Is Notre Dame afraid of staking a bold claim for what is right even if it is unpopular in the Chinese politburo? The deafening silence cannot go on for Notre Dame to be truly Notre Dame. It is high time we found our spine.
Eoghan Fay Class of 2023 Law School Class of 2026 Feb. 13
The business case for removing Susan Ostermann
As a young alumnus working in Catholic education, I regularly recommend Notre Dame to prospective families. The rich and vibrant Catholic life available to students at Notre Dame made all the difference in my life. Like many, I went to Notre Dame for its prestigious ranking, and I graduated having found real joy in my Catholic faith.
This is why I take Notre Dame’s Catholic identity so seriously. It’s something with real consequences
for students’ lives. And it is why I am so disheartened by the appointment of Susan Ostermann to a leadership position within the University.
Professor Ostermann’s public and academic record includes regular advocacy for expanded abortion access and the maligning of pregnancy-resource centers. Appointing her to a position of institutional leadership makes this record representative of Notre
Dame, even though it contradicts the University’s Catholic mission. This is not a matter of academic freedom, but of whether the University’s leadership appointments should reflect its Catholic mission.
I suspect this decision was made as a routine administrative matter, without deliberation from the University’s senior leadership. Several of Notre Dame’s peer institutions have abdicated their
founding missions through this kind of incremental drift. Prospective families ask me about this all the time: Is Notre Dame abandoning its Catholic mission, too?
I want to answer with a confident, “no.” But decisions such as this make it more difficult to say that honestly. Alumni and donors who understand the school’s core value proposition — being the world’s premier Catholic research
university — want to keep investing in that vision.
Those entrusted with special care of the university should reverse this appointment, not as a punitive measure, but as a reaffirmation of the unique mission that makes Notre Dame most valuable to the Church and the world.
Nick Marr Class of 2020
ALYSSA SIRICHOKTANASUP | The Observer
men’s basketball
Photos by Keira Jones
Holy Cross College men’s basketball played against Indiana University South Bend on Feb. 11 and lost 87-83.
ND matchmaking: Sisyphus must be happy
By Matt Norton Scene Writer
For those unfamiliar, “The Myth of Sisyphus” is a 1942 essay by Albert Camus detailing, you guessed it, the myth of Sisyphus, a man who according to Greek mythology, had committed some transgression against the gods and was sentenced to push a boulder up a haill, only to have it roll down when nearing the top, for all eternity. Camus’ reflection on the myth can be summarized as this: we must say that Sisyphus is happy in his toil, even free, as he can find happiness in defying the gods by embracing his repetitive task. To a similar end, I believe we can all find similar happiness through the ultimate absurdity of Notre Dame’s dating scene: the cold, unfeeling algorithms of CrossPathsND and Marriage Pact.
In my short time at Notre Dame, I’ve come to enjoy CrossPathsND and Marriage Pact release days as mini-holidays. My excitement stems from two points: one, maybe I’ll get matched with that cute girl from class, and number two, perhaps to a lesser level of excitement, I get to help my friends craft
opening lines on Instagram to their matches. I’d wager that most of you feel a somewhat similar level of excitement for pretty much the same reasons. Invariably, most of us fall into similar categories of outcomes: we don’t get matched with the partner of our dreams, are quickly ghosted or the dining hall date goes terribly. Nonetheless, the boulder falls back to the bottom of the hill, so why do we continue pushing the boulder of love up the hill?
apps, thus, the so-called “gamification” of dating has been on the rise. How do I optimize my profile for the best match, if there is such a way? How can I ensure that when I eventually swipe on my best match, they’ll be interested? Intimacy was never designed to be this type of zerosum game, and the apps have even adapted to that. Take Hinge, for example. Their main selling point is that it’s “designed to be
deleted.” I don’t intend to call out CrossPathsND or Marriage Pact for promising something they can’t deliver on, as you could totally find your future spouse through their service, but their non-swiping system does shift the conversation out of frame: maybe the boulder isn’t the perfect match we’re looking for; perhaps it’s the incessant hope that this time, the algorithm will make sense and match you with the person you need, not the archetype you want.
That same hope drives us to keep playing the game. A “WarGames” fan might say that the only winning move is not to play, but I contend that the absurdity of continuing to opt into a system you’ll probably never win is part of the fun. Raging against the dying of the light in as small of a context as a matchmaking survey still does something to satisfy that urge to defy the algorithms’ cold indifference. Like Sisyphus, we continue to push our personal boulders, and though the brief pain of losing a 10/10 match will inevitably hit us, the excitement of waiting for the possibility of success, no matter how absurd the likelihood of it is, will always outweigh that heartbreak. At the end of the day, don’t take failure in these matchmaking services too seriously. I think we all know this already, but it’s just a fun thing to do that brings the campus together in excitement for a week or two. Revel in the absurdity of the algorithm, and who knows, maybe it will find favor in your profile, and push the boulder over the hill just once.
Contact Matt Norton at mnorton3@nd.edu
The balancing act of Super Bowl advertising
By Aislynn Fuller Scene Writer
Each year, as millions tune in nationwide to watch “the big game,” brands and companies have a lucrative opportunity to sell their product to an incredibly large audience — if they’re able to pay the $8 million to $10 million price tag for a spot, that is. Once that’s secured, they pull out all the stops to ensure that their ad is the one that people talk about, and it’s gotten to the point that many viewers, myself included, are more interested in watching an ad than the game itself. The culture surrounding Super Bowl advertising has developed in such a way that the ads themselves have become their own form of entertainment to the point where they often have teaser trailers as if they were a TV show or film. However, not all ads are created equal, even with all the money poured into them.
It’s only natural that companies use part of their budget to snag a celebrity or two. While it can be easy to simply plop famous people in a commercial and say, “Look, they’re here, so you should buy our product,” it’s not always enough; one brief Katseye appearance does not instantly sell me on State Farm. In my opinion, the best way to use a celebrity in a Super Bowl ad is to play to their strengths. Consider Emma Stone’s dramatic performance in Squarespace’s ad, or Sabrina Carpenter’s witty romance with “Pringleleo.” Both of these ads utilize their celebrities in a way that
is congruent with their images and their skill sets. Stone is an awardwinning actress, so it makes sense for her to star in an ad that calls for emotional acting and is styled after an arthouse production. Carpenter’s songs are largely about relationships and romance presented in a cheeky tone, so it makes sense for her to construct a perfect man out of Pringles.
Above all else, concept is the foundation that every commercial is built on. If the concept is bad, the rest of the ad suffers. For Super Bowl ads, many companies attempt to be humorous with their concepts, to varying degrees of success. I laughed hard at Ben Stiller and Benson Boone as retro techno-disco singers
for Instacart, but Dunkin’s ’90s sitcom-styled ad failed to have a similar effect on me because, even with all its stars, its script felt bloated. Other companies go for either more serious or heartwarming concepts. While this can work, I don’t think an ad can rely on it alone. The Google Gemini ad about a mother and son visualizing what their new house may look like was compelling, but it didn’t show me the value of Gemini above other software. Meanwhile, Lay’s sentimental narrative about a man passing his potato farm down to his daughter did tug at my heartstrings — they took the idea of local farmers and ran with it in a way that made sense.
No matter what direction
companies take, Super Bowl ads can drive themselves into many possible pitfalls. As alluded to before, sometimes they put so much focus on the concept that they forget to sell me the product. Sure, Coinbase’s Backstreet Boys karaoke ad was enjoyable, but I had no idea what the ad was for until the end, and I was still left wondering why I should use Coinbase. Other times, certain concepts can feel out of touch. In an era where many are afraid of AI taking over the workforce and potentially going rogue, neither Genspark’s “Take the Day Off” ad, in which an entire workplace’s jobs are replaced by AI, nor Amazon Alexa’s attempt at humor, in which Chris Hemsworth is afraid that Alexa will
kill him make a good case for what they’re selling. Speaking of AI, it’s hard for me to look at Svedka’s robotic AI hellscape and comprehend the fact that actual human beings approved it. It almost feels like a psyop to discourage companies from using generative AI in advertising. The most effective Super Bowl ad concept is one that is easily digestible without being bland. Consider Pepsi: while they didn’t have any big-name celebrities (unless you consider the polar bear as a CocaCola mascot), they were still able to deliver a simple yet effective ad that I enjoyed. The message was clear: enjoying Pepsi is nothing to be ashamed of, as demonstrated by a polar bear coming to terms with his preference. The lighthearted reference to the Coldplay cheating scandal from last year didn’t hurt either for two reasons: first, it tied into the ad’s larger idea, since the polar bears proudly hold up their Pepsi cans instead of trying to hide from the camera, and, second, I believe enough time has passed for the reference to be tasteful.
Indeed, in order for a Super Bowl ad to succeed, it needs to balance several factors. In fact, the same goes for any commercial; it’s just that Super Bowl commercials are on a larger stage, with larger budgets and a larger amount of pressure to perform. No wonder they’ve become such a cultural staple.
Contact Aislynn Fuller at afuller01@saintmarys@nd.edu
LIAM FLYNN | The Observer
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just outside of Philadelphia. It is yet to be confirmed whether the pontiff will have any involvement in the event or its surrounding festivities. An avid sports fan, the Chicago-born leader of the Catholic Church made headlines for supporting the Chicago White Sox, and
the subsequent jeering from crosstown rival Chicago Cubs fans who make the pilgrimage to the Vatican.
The official start date of the college basketball season is Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, but the NCAA granted special permission for the universities to compete a day earlier, on Sunday, Nov. 1. Although unique, opening a season abroad is not unheard of in college athletics, especially for the Irish. Head coach
Niele Ivey’s women’s basketball program embarked on the 2023-2024 campaign in Paris against South Carolina, and the football team has held a week one contest in Dublin in 2012 and 2023.
The event will mark a handful of firsts for college athletics as well. The contest between Micah Shrewsberry’s Irish and Kevin Willard’s Wildcats will be the first men’s season opener abroad, and it’s the first Division I
ND MEN’S LACROSSE
basketball game to be played in Italy. It was actually Willard who first teased the event, telling college basketball reporter Jon Rothstein that his program had added the Irish to its upcoming schedule during a podcast appearance on Tuesday morning. It only took a few hours before Rothstein’s CBS colleague Matt Norlander scooped that the event would include both schools’ women’s programs in a blockbuster international spectacle.
It is expected that the games will be played in the Roman afternoon, corresponding to the American morning. With FOX set to nationally broadcast both games, the doubleheader will serve as matinee coverage leading into weekly NFL production. Although unconfirmed, Norlander reported that the men will open the festivities with the women’s game to follow on Fox Sports 1.
Irish lacrosse primed for another shot at glory
By Jack Muething Sports Writer
Coming off a 9-5 season in which they made it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men’s lacrosse team returns to the field this Saturday to open its season against the Marquette Golden Eagles. As they do almost every season, the Irish have very high expectations, but there are going to be some key adjustments that the Irish are going to need to make with some key players from last season moving on.
Head coach Kevin Corrigan, the longest tenured coach in the NCAA, will be returning for his 38th year. He is used to a revolving door of talented players, but the losses the Irish are suffering, particularly on the attacking end, are going to affect this team. The key attacking losses the Irish will suffer are Chris Kavanagh, Jake Taylor, and Devon McLane, meaning the Irish will have to replace all three starting spots up top.
A likely starter for the Irish is Josh Yago, a graduate transfer from Air Force who made the NCAA playoffs last year before losing to Maryland and made the finals. Yago led the Falcons in points, picking up 37 goals and 35 assists, and he’ll most likely replace Taylor as the starter at attack. Another likely starter for the Irish is junior Brock Behrman, who waited his turn the past two seasons and now will get his chance to shine. Behrman picked up four goals and three assists for Notre Dame, and he was a very promising player coming out of high school, as he was ranked the No. 31 recruit in the class of 2023.
Other potential options for the Irish attack include sophomore Brady Pokorny, a fivestar ranked as the 12th best player in the class of 2024, sophomore Luke Miller, who was the 40th-ranked player in the class of 2024, and also two five-star freshmen Teddy Lally and Cam Kelley, ranked at 7th and 21st in the class of 2025, respectively. It is going to be a new look at attack for the Irish, but they have some
incredibly promising options.
The Irish do return some of their key midfielders from last season. Jordan Faison, however, will not be, as the star wide receiver for the Irish football team elected to solely focus his efforts there. Graduate students Will Angrick and Jalen Seymour and seniors Will Maheras and Max Busenkell all return, who will all be key two-way middies for the Irish. Angrick picked up 15 goals and 12 assists last season; Seymour had 13 goals and five assists; Maheras picked up nine goals and nine assists, and Busenkell contributed eight goals and seven assists. That is some key offensive firepower the Irish return and is certainly going to help an inexperienced attack as the season gets started. Other options include two-sport sophomore Matt Jeffery, who had six goals and an assist last season, graduate Fisher Finley, who had four goals and two assists, and fivestar freshman Dylan Faison, brother of Jordan Faison, ranked at 14th in the class of 2025.
On the defensive side, the Irish lose one of the best short stick defensive middies they have ever had in Ben Ramsey. The most likely starters at that slot are sophomore Chris Reinhardt and senior Christian Alacqua, as they were the main players to receive minutes alongside Ramsey a year ago. Many of their offensive midfielders will also play two-way roles for the Irish. At long stick, there is going to be competition for the second spot between sophomores Luke Stickler, Luke Crowe and Jimmy Kenney. However, the first spot will undoubtedly belong to Will Donovan. Donovan, a senior, has been an All-American for all three seasons he has played college lacrosse, and to no one’s surprise, he was named a preseason All-ACC player as well. He will be one of the best in the country, and he is going to be a problem for opposing attackers all year. He is a key player on one of the best defenses in the country.
The Irish will return all
three starters from a team that had one of the best close defenses in the country in senior Will Gallagher, senior Nate Schwitzenberg and junior Shawn Lyght. The Irish only allowed 9.14 goals per game last season, which was 9th in the country, and these three are only going to help. Gallagher picked up 30 ground balls and caused 11 turnovers last season in a very solid year while Schwitzenberg also contributed 18 ground balls and caused 11 turnovers. The real star for the Irish defense, however, is Lyght. Regarded as one of the best defenders in the country, he has been an All-American each of the past two seasons and also won the Schmeisser Award as only a sophomore last season. He was also picked as a preseason All-ACC player this season, and he will
be the anchor on an Irish defense that will most likely be one of the best in the country. In the net for the Irish will be Thomas Ricciardelli, a senior coming off a solid junior year in his first season as a starter with a 56.6% save percentage and 159 saves. Again, the Irish were 9th-best in goals allowed per game, and Ricciardelli was a huge part of that.
The final position to cover is faceoff, and for the first time in years, it will not be Will Lynch. The good news for the Irish, though, is they have brought in top-ranked FOGO in the class of 2025 Aidan Diaz-Matos. DiazMatos is also ranked as the 7th-best player in the class overall. Additionally, the Irish have junior transfer Tyler Spano from Washington and Lee, and even though he
is coming from a Division III program, he is a 2nd-team All-American according to Inside Lacrosse. Lynch is a key loss for the Irish, but the two recruits they have to replace him look to be solid.
The Irish open their season Feb. 14 against Marquette, and they will play an incredibly tough schedule this season, with seven of their games against teams who made the tournament last year. The Irish were ranked No. 8 in the preseason rankings by Inside Lacrosse, and while they may have some growing pains this year with key stars departing, they also return some highimpact players, and certainly have the potential to bring the national championship back to South Bend.
Contact Jack Muething at jmuethin@nd.edu
GABRIELLA MARTIN | The Observer
Irish sophomore defender George Guyton strides across the field during Notre Dame’s preseason showcase against Air Force on Jan. 30 at Loftus Sports Center. The team officially began their season on Feb. 14.
Irish baseball looking to keep momentum in 2026
By Ethan Laslo Sports Writer
Last season was a tale of two halves for Notre Dame baseball in Shawn Stiffler’s third year at the helm. The Irish opened the campaign 16-17 before ending the season on a 16-4 run that came to an end in the first round of the ACC tournament with a 10-inning loss to Boston College. That finish has Stiffler and the rest of the team looking to capitalize at the beginning of the season this time around.
“You’re trying to build up that momentum, and it’s months apart. I understand that, but you know how to win,” Stiffler explained. “I think that’s the first thing and that’s one of the things we did over those four weeks.”
Nevertheless, Notre Dame’s 11th-place finish in conference play was a step up from 15th in 2024, as was their 14-16 conference record, a step up from the previous 9-21. 2025 was the best season that Notre Dame has had thus far under Stiffler, a mark that he and the rest of the team will look to improve upon in 2026.
To build on the momentum of last season’s end and improve this year, Stiffler plans to rely on both the returning players and the new additions alike.
“I’m anticipating the start of this season as much as I have in a long time for a lot of reasons,” Stiffler detailed. “That returning core and we hit home runs in the portal … We hit home runs, really mature guys who came in, showed leadership and found a bunch of roles, both on the mound and the positional side … I’m as excited as I’ve been in a long time to get this started.”
Pitching
Despite Coach Stiffler’s insistence that, on the mound, “you’re never deep enough,” pitching depth appears to be one of Notre Dame’s greatest strengths heading into this season.
For the Irish, the stable starts with junior right hander Jack Radel. Following the departure of Rory Fox to the draft, Radel tracks to be the Irish’s ace this season. While Notre Dame as a collective boasted a 5.11 ERA last season, Radel held just a 3.58 ERA with a record of 7-4. He particularly caught fire over the latter half of the season and Coach Stiffler feels that he has only improved since then.
“...the biggest thing I’ve seen from [Radel] over the last couple months is just the refinement of his stuff,” Stiffler described. “Now you’re seeing him much more polished, and I think you’re going to see a much more polished piece of him … when Jack takes the mound on Friday nights. We’re going to be as good as anybody in the country.”
Besides Radel, Notre Dame also added significant pitching talent in the transfer portal, all of whom Stiffler expects to get starting reps. Graduate transfer Ty Uber is a right-hander from Stanford that Stiffler highlighted as already
having experience in the loaded ACC, tossing 104.2 career innings with a 6.02 ERA. Left-handed senior Noah Rooney transferred from Minnesota, also having experience on the mound in high major competition. Stiffler also mentioned the winning experience of right-hander Eli Thurmond, a fellow graduate transfer that won two NCAA Division II titles with the University of Tampa.
Stiffler discussed the possibility of two left-handed freshmen getting into the starting rotation. From just down the road in Valparaiso, Caden Crowell joins the Irish as a top-100 recruit that Stiffler compared directly to a young Jack Radel. His other pick is Florida native Dylan Singleton, who Stiffler explained has done very well throwing strikes thus far.
Beyond the possible starting rotation, Stiffler also discussed where he feels the team’s greatest pitching strength lies: the relief.
“I think our middle relief is really, really strong. We have guys that I think go out and get six outs,” Stiffler explained. “We’ve had different match-ups because we’ve added left-handed depth. We have different looks.”
He started off by describing the side-arm talent of right-handed sophomore Chase Van Ameyde, who Stiffler described as throwing in the low-90s in relief. He also highlighted the talent of sophomore righty Oisin Lee. The 6-foot-6 closer was named to the National College Baseball Writers Association’s Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List this week.
Notre Dame will also feature the talents of graduate right-hander Radek Birkholz, one of the final stalwarts of the 2022 College World Series team, along with junior righty DJ Helwig and lefty Evan Clark, a graduate transfer from Illinois.
Infield
The infield will feature a mix of both new and old talent that can get it done on the field and at the plate. By far the most experienced position for the Irish will be catcher, despite the loss of standout Carson Tinney to Texas. Catching duties will be split between two juniors: Mark Quatrani, a Cornell transfer, and Davis Johnson, who enters his third season with the Irish. At Cornell, Quatrani was a two-time First Team All-Ivy League selection at catcher while belting an impressive line of .338/.461/612 at the plate during his time there. Over his two seasons, he would also hit 17 home runs and 67 RBIs to go along with them. Johnson, who will see time both at catcher and designated hitter, started 36 games for the Irish last season while batting .281/.492/.429 to go along with 7 home runs and 28 RBIs.
At third base, sophomore Parker Brzustewicz will be the Irish’s only other returning regular starter in the infield, but will make the move from the first base corner to third. 47 of his 50 starts last season came
at first, as he led Notre Dame with 56 hits while hitting .301/.415/.371. However, Stiffler explained that Brzustewicz’s time at first base isn’t completely done.
“It doesn’t mean he won’t go back to first base at times, depending on match-ups, but he’ll have the opportunity to play some third base for us this year.”
Another sophomore, Noah Coy, will get the nod at shortstop. Stiffler has previously highlighted Coy’s athleticism, although he struggled at times last season at the plate. Despite last season’s slash line of .145/.275/.211, Stiffler retains much optimism going into this season regarding Coy’s ability to lock down his spot in the middle infield.
Opposite Coy will be one of the two true freshmen New Jersey natives in the infield, being second baseman Jamie Zee. Though nothing is set in stone for the entire season, Zee will start the season off holding down the fort at second. Stiffler also discussed his versatility to move over to third base when necessary if Brzustewicz moves to first base or designated hitter at times.
First base will feature more of a committee approach, but the main starter could wind up being the other true freshman of the infield, lefthander Dylan Passo. Last season, Passo was ranked as the top first baseman in New Jersey and was named a three-time All-Divison selection. Stiffler explained that situational matchups could warrant the return of Brzustewicz to the position or star sophomore outfielder Bino Watters, who was one of the Irish’s best hitters last year. He also mentioned the possibility of Van Ameyde seeing time at first as well.
“That position will rotate a little bit based on match-ups and where our health is and who needs a day,” Stiffler explained.
Outfield
In the outfield, Notre Dame returns heaps of experienced talent. That talent starts with Bino
Watters, who broke out as a star last season as a freshman. In his first season of college baseball, Watters held a .317/.436/.549 batting line, all good for top three on the team. His breakout season would earn him a spot on the 2025 ACC All-Freshman Team and the D1 Baseball Freshman All-America Second Team. The achievements of last season earned Watters Preseason Second Team All-American recognition by D1 Baseball. Stiffler mentioned that the outfield won’t be his only home, though; he will see time in left field, at first base, and at DH.
Watters will rotate in left field with Davis Johnson, who will also see time at catcher and DH. As a junior, Johnson brings a certain veteran presence due to his entire college career being spent with the Irish. He started just one game in left field last season, but expect that number to shoot up this year as the Irish have depth at every position Johnson plays. Regardless of who anchors left field, though, Stiffler is confident the Irish will be strong there.
Center field will be anchored by Drew Berkland, a standout graduate transfer from Minnesota. Last season with the Golden Gophers, Berkland played in all 52 games as he batted .289/.400/.481. Alongside that line, he nailed 14 home runs and a team-leading 53 RBIs to take home Dave Winfield Team MVP honors. In his limited time with the Irish, Berkland feels that he’s been able to find his position amongst the team and really find his role, especially as a leader to the underclassmen.
“I think throughout the fall and winter I’ve developed a certain level of respect to most of the guys where they know what they’re getting out of me,” Berkland explained. “They know I’ve been kind of through the circuit of college baseball. So, I’m trying to take them under my wing a little bit.”
Finally, sophomore Jayce Lee will handle right field. The South Bend
native and graduate of St. Joseph High School started 30 games for Notre Dame last season, all of them being in the corners of the outfield. He finished the season with a 1.000 fielding percentage to go along with a line of .208/.257/.368 at the plate. Stiffler also mentioned that freshman Brandon Logan could see time in the position over the course of the season as he adjusts to the speed of college baseball.
The expectations for the Irish are as high as they’ve been over the course of Stiffler’s tenure as the head man. This season, they’re projected to finish 12th in the ACC’s preseason coaches poll, but the team has other plans. Stiffler knows that this team has the makings of one that could make a run in the spring. They have experience from top to bottom while also bringing in a crop of difference making freshmen that could make noise throughout the season.
“This is certainly on paper, we’re looking at the most established team I think we’ve had since I’ve been here, for sure,” Stiffler said.
The Irish open their season this weekend with a tough series at Florida Atlantic, squaring off Friday at 6:30 p.m., Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and Sunday at noon. The following weekend, the gauntlet begins as they travel to Jacksonville to compete in the Live Like Lou Jax College Baseball Classic alongside Indiana, UCF, and the defending national champion No. 2 LSU Tigers. The home opener is slated for March 3 against Eastern Michigan before the Irish begin ACC play by traveling to Durham to take on Duke. The schedule features a plethora of ranked opponents: they’ll take on No. 8 Louisville (March 13-15 road series), No. 19 Clemson (March 20-22 home series), No. 11 North Carolina (March 27-29 home series), No. 17 NC State (April 2-4 road series) and No. 16 Florida State (April 17-19 road series).
Contact Ethan Laslo at elaslo@nd.edu
GABRIELLA MARTIN | The Observer
The Notre Dame baseball team huddles on the pitcher’s mound during the Irish’s annual two-game Fall Classic scrimmage series on Oct. 29, 2025 in Frank Eck Stadium. The team embarks on its 2025-26 season on Feb. 13.
Irish host Minnesota in conference rematch
By Nikki Stachurski Associate Sports Editor
This Valentine’s Day weekend, the Irish host Minnesota in their second series of the season. The teams take the ice Friday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m. ET and Saturday, Feb. 14, at 6 p.m. ET at Compton Family Ice Arena. Although the Gophers are not one of Notre Dame’s greatest rivals, the Irish will continue to display their newfound grit as Minnesota looks to contend in the playoffs.
Last weekend, the Irish traveled to play No. 13 Wisconsin in a heated series. Despite losing both games, the Irish took the ranked Badgers to
overtime in Friday’s matchup before losing 5-6 on a fortuitous shot from Wisconsin. In the following tilt, the Irish scored early but ultimately fell short in a one-goal deficit as the Badgers scraped by with two wins.
While the Irish were competing against the Badgers, Minnesota was struggling at home against Ohio State, earning two losses itself. The Buckeyes bested the Gophers 6-2 on Friday, Feb. 6, and 2-1 on Saturday, Feb. 7. Notre Dame beat the Buckeyes 6-1 when they traveled to South Bend in late January, and the fact that the Irish did what the Gophers could not in
beating the Buckeyes at home is undoubtedly a point of confidence heading into this weekend’s series.
The last time these teams met was in early November, just after the collegiate hockey season took off. Minnesota was the second Big Ten team Notre Dame had played at that point in their season, but it did not let the Gophers run up the score. The Gophers shut out the Irish in their first game on Friday, Nov. 7, 3-0, and won again the following night, 4-1. Despite winning both matchups, Minnesota’s offense left room for improvement. Gopher senior forward Brody Lamb was the only
player to score on both nights, as the remaining goals were scattered across the bench.
On the other side of the blue line, Notre Dame sophomore goaltender Nick Kempf made 62 saves in the series, forcing the Gophers to work for their goals. The Irish only had 19 shots on goal in the first game, but upped the count to 34 the next night. As the season has progressed, the Irish have become more confident in shooting and in producing offensive chances, priming Notre Dame to put more points on the board the second time around.
The Badgers are 10-18-1 for the season, but only 6-12-0
in conference play. The Irish stand at 5-20-3 overall and 1-15-0 in the Big Ten. The games this weekend are not out of reach for the Irish. The evolution of play from the beginning of the year to now is shocking, and Notre Dame has worked through the awkwardness that comes with being a younger, developing team. If the Irish defense gives Kempf some help around the net, they can limit the overworking of their goaltender and reduce goals while the offense makes creative plays that generate success as confidence grows.
Contact Nikki Stachurski at mstachur@nd.edu
Irish senior forward Niko Jovanovic fights for the puck against a Falcon player in Notre Dame’s 3-3 tie against Bowling Green on Jan. 30 at Compton Family Ice Arena. The Irish competed in another draw the following night, with the second matchup of the home-and-home series ending 2-2; against Minnesota, the Irish look for their first win since Jan. 24.
Outlaw has redefined her perspective on setbacks
By Payton Dymek Associate Sports Editor
Imagine entering your senior year and deciding to take one of the biggest leaps in your career: transferring schools. Although many athletes hesitate at the thought, senior guard Hannah Outlaw embraced the idea with open arms and decided to move to Saint Mary’s for her final year of eligibility.
Outlaw, who had successful careers at Glen Oaks (2021-23) and Aquinas (2024), has had an immediate impact on the Belles’ stats book, sitting second in field goal percentage, total rebounds and steals, while
coming in fourth for points on the team. During the team’s 76-67 victory over Olivet on Jan. 7, Outlaw had seven steals, a performance that she called her “most memorable.”
She said the game “proved how hard [she] worked on defense and how the defense was feeding the offense.” Aside from showing how strong a defender she is, Outlaw had her best offensive game against Anderson on Nov. 25, with 22 points and 11 rebounds. “Once you see a shot go in, you’ll gain the confidence to keep shooting,” she said.
Throughout the three programs Outlaw has been a part
of, each has shaped her skill sets in new ways. During her time at Glen Oaks, Outlaw said she was “battling outside battles and used basketball to take [her] mind away.” However, she faced a PCL injury that caused her to take time off, and once she returned, she was “in survival mode, playing each game like it was [her] last.” During her journey at Aquinas, Outlaw rarely saw the court, but she said she “used every opportunity to focus on [her] defense.” Saint Mary’s was Outlaw’s next step, as it was close to home and provided a sisterhood that helped her thrive. This season, Outlaw is working hard to
have an impact on her younger teammates.
Outlaw said she is choosing to be a leader on the team and is not afraid to be vocal about the team’s strengths or weaknesses. Despite Outlaw serving a serious mentor for the younger women on the team, she admits she and her teammates are “very giggly people,” and although they stay serious during games, they also allow themselves to have fun by laughing, dancing and joking when they have the opportunity. This year, Outlaw has dealt with injuries, which has been an adjustment. She started the
preseason with a knee injury, sat out the first few games with a concussion, strained her hamstring and recently injured her back. Outlaw believes that recovering from these injuries has helped keep her mind strong during difficult times.
Outlaw has consistently balanced school, sports and even jobs, while maintaining a permanent spot in the stats page. However, she says that players’ mental games may be the strongest thing on their resumes.
Contact Payton Dymek at pdymek@nd.edu
GABRIELLA MARTIN | The Observer
FOOTBALL
Coaching additions bring winning experience
By Ethan Laslo Sports Writer
On Feb. 7, Notre Dame football officially announced that Brian Jean-Mary and Aaron Henry will be the newest additions to the coaching staff. They will replace Al Washington and Mike Mickens, both of whom took NFL coaching jobs over the last month and left behind some large shoes to fill.
Washington spent four seasons with Notre Dame as the defensive line coach and defensive run game coordinator before being announced as the linebackers coach on Jan. 7. However, on Jan. 30, Washington announced he would be leaving Notre Dame to take a job as the Miami Dolphins’ linebackers coach. Over the course of his time at Notre Dame, Washington
coached standouts such as Howard Cross III, Rylie Mills, Joshua Burnham, Boubacar Traore, Jaylen Sneed and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa.
Mickens was Notre Dame’s defensive backs coach and has departed to take a position with the Baltimore Ravens. In Baltimore, he will be reunited with his former pupil Kyle Hamilton and coach the rest of the defensive backs, while also serving as defensive pass game coordinator. Over the course of his time with the Irish, Mickens coached several elite defensive backs, including Hamilton, Leonard Moore, Christian Gray, Xavier Watts, Cam Hart, Adon Shuler and Tae Johnson.
While Washington and Mickens will surely be missed, their replacements offer much promise. Jean-Mary and Henry both bring years of
experience that will help them lead the Irish defense to continued success.
Jean-Mary will serve as the linebackers coach and defensive run game coordinator. He comes from the rival Michigan Wolverines, where he held the same position. He is known not only as a great coach but also as an elite recruiter. Over the course of his 25-year coaching career, Jean-Mary has contributed to seven top-15 recruiting classes. He has spent time at Louisville, South Carolina, North Alabama, Georgia Tech, Texas, South Florida, Tennessee and Michigan. In his most recent two-year stint at Michigan, he coached a unit that was the nation’s 19thranked run defense in 2025, allowing just 111.9 yards per game. The defense also ranked 23rd in the country
in total offense allowed, giving up 323.3 yards per game. Over the course of his career, he has coached 10 NFL draft picks and brings a wealth of experience to the Irish.
Henry replaces Mickens as defensive backs coach and will take over as co-defensive coordinator after spending the past five seasons with Illinois, the last three of them as their defensive coordinator. 2026 will be the 13th year of his coaching career, during which he has spent time at Arkansas, Rutgers, NC State, Vanderbilt and, most recently, Illinois. In 2025, eight of 11 defensive starters under Henry earned all-Big Ten honors on a unit that held No. 23 Tennessee to a season-low 278 yards in their 2025 Music City Bowl victory. In fact, Henry’s final two seasons at Illinois were the winningest two-season
stretch in program history with 19 wins. He has coached several standout players, but one stands out in particular: Devon Witherspoon. Henry’s star pupil was a First Team All-American and the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year in his final season under Henry before being drafted by the Seattle Seahawks. In Seattle, Witherspoon has shined; in his young career, he is a threetime Pro Bowl selection, a 2025 Second Team All-Pro and, most recently, a Super Bowl champion. Henry’s experience at arguably college football’s highest level in the Big Ten will serve him well at Notre Dame, where he will have the opportunity to coach one of the nation’s best units in 2026.
MARIELLA TADDONIO | The Observer
Aaron Henry (left), the former defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Illinois, and Brian Jean-Mary (right), the former defensive run game coordinator and linebackers coach at Michigan, are the most recent additions to Notre Dame’s coaching staff; the two will replace the departing Al Washington and Mike Mickens and bring impressive credentials.