Print Edition for The Observer for Wednesday, April 2, 2025
1,450 admitted students to attend ‘Rally’
Newly admitted students from the class of 2029 will explore campus this weekend
By MEGAN CORNELL Staff Writer
All students admitted to the class of 2029 have been invited to attend The Rally, three days of programming from Thursday through Saturday aimed at introducing students to Notre Dame. An estimated 3,600 visitors are expected to be on campus during the weekend.
The Rally, which launched last year, is a rebrand of Notre Dame’s traditional
admitted student days. Previously, students could pick between two dates to visit on a Sunday night and Monday morning.
At The Rally, prospective students will learn more about Notre Dame’s community, academics and opportunities.
Last year, students admitted during the early action round of applications were invited to The Rally in March, with the event repeated for regular decision
admits in April. This year’s Rally will be similar to last year’s but has been expanded to include a full 48 hours of programming over one weekend instead of two.
Erin Camilleri, the director of recruitment and strategic partnerships for Notre Dame’s office of undergraduate admissions, and Jennifer McGuire, experiences and engagement program director for the office of undergraduate admissions, wrote in a
Notre Dame Law School hosts interfaith dinner
By ISABEL TORRES Staff Writer
Last Friday evening, the University of Notre Dame Law School hosted its third annual Interfaith Dinner to celebrate the community’s religious diversity in observance of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the Jewish Passover, Easter and the Baha’i Festival of Ridvan. It featured a catered meal and prayers offered by a delegated speaker from each of the religions represented at the dinner. The event took
place in the Eck Commons with a notice that anyone was welcome to attend.
Nora Ibrahim, president of the Middle Eastern Law Students Association and a second-year J.D. candidate at Notre Dame Law School, expressed that the event is not planned with the intentions of promoting certain religions, but instead, to offer an opportunity to promote interfaith discourse and communal education.
“At such interfaith events, we bring a speaker from every faith tradition to talk
about their own faith traditions,” she said.
She expressed that the goal of Notre Dame Law School, through its programming, is to establish and uphold an inviting religious community. Ibrahim indicated that selecting speakers that positively and academically represent religious orders is a top priority for interfaith dialogue.
“The speakers are people who are knowledgeable about the faith,” Ibrahim
Law school hosts death penalty abolition week
By JESSICA MAYOR News Writer
Yusef Salaam of the Central Park Five and author Sister Helen Prejean visited campus last week to speak at Notre Dame Law School’s Death Penalty Abolition Week. Prejean, the author of several books including the Pulitzer Prize winning “Dead Man Walking,” and Salaam gave talks offering their perspectives
on the necessity of eliminating the death penalty.
Jimmy Gurulé, the faculty director of Notre Dame Law School’s Exoneration Justice Clinic, introduced the speakers.
“In 2018, Pope Francis issued a decree stating [the death penalty] was inadmissible, that under Catholic teaching [and] Catholic doctrine, there was no exception [and] no justification for the death penalty,”
Gurulé said.
Gurulé reminded the audience that the death penalty remains in use around the United States. As of July 2024, Indiana reinstated the death penalty, executing their first person following this reinstating in Dec. 2024.
The purpose of the lectures, Gurulé shared, was to “focus on the death penalty from
statement to The Observer, “This extended Rally allows for deeper engagement with faculty, meaningful connections within our vibrant campus community, and the opportunity to forge lasting friendships.”
The programming at The Rally includes a welcome at Purcell Pavilion, campus tours and Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
Additionally, students will be invited to take shuttles to downtown South Bend and
explore different restaurants Friday night.
To plan these events, the admissions team partnered with various departments at Notre Dame as well as local restaurants in the South Bend community. “From the Colleges and Schools to Student Affairs and UOES, as well as our partners at the Joyce Center, everyone has come together for this effort. Additionally, the strong
‘Newman Hymnal’ to be retired
By ZACK POHLMAN Associate News Editor
“The Newman Hymnal” has been a staple at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and residence halls around campus for the past decade, but the familiar blue books will be retired at the end of the school year. Campus Ministry has purchased “Gather IV” hymnals, published by GIA Publications, to be used in all campus chapels beginning in May.
Due to strict copyright rules, Notre Dame is not able to reprint or order new copies of “The Newman Hymnal.” As new buildings and chapels have been built around campus, the old hymnal has not been able to meet demand, necessitating a change.
Campus Ministry hosted a launch party on Sunday for the new hymnal in Coleman-Morse.
Liturgical music directors from many residence halls and members of campus choirs gathered to view the new hymnal. Jonathan Hehn, assistant director of the Liturgical Choir, led the attendees in a variety of hymns from the new hymnal.
“One of the brilliant things about this text that I really love is that it not only is explicitly about gathering, but it also focuses 100% on the agency of God and gathering us together and then calling us as God’s people to go out and do good work,” Hehn said.
The tour gave a few examples of songs for different Mass parts, including entrance hymns, psalms and communion hymns. Patrick Kronner, the director of the Magnificat Choir, emphasized that the new hymnal provides
see HYMNAL PAGE 3
Photo courtsey of Allie Steiner
The “Gather IV” hymnal will replace “The Newman Hymnal” in Notre Dame residence hall chapels in May, after students move out.
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QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Maria Cornejo Solorzano sophomore Flaherty Hall “53.”
Mariana Novoa Fiallos sophomore Flaherty Hall “54.”
Peter Gibbons senior off-campus “Zero.”
Pauline Wang senior Lewis Hall “690.”
Jessica Wang sophomore McGlinn Hall “536.”
Emily Barlett freshman North Hall “531.”
Sophomore attacker Cate Krema attempts to score against North Central College , closing the game with a hat trick. The lacrosse game culimated in a 13-9 loss for the Saint Mary’s Belles at Purcell Fields last Wednesday, dropping the Belles’ to 2-5 on the season.
Today’s Staff
News Sophie Hanawalt
Megan Cornell
Maria Clara Corona
Graphics
Isabelle Rutland
Photo Mariella Taddonio
Corrections
Sports Henry Lytle Scene
Ayden Kowalski Viewpoint
Abby Hernan
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.
Wednesday
‘Living with Wounds’
Geddes Hall
4:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Rev. Erik Varden gives presentation on Christ’s Passion.
Salaam spoke on his experiences being wrongfully imprisoned. As one of the Central Park Five, Salaam was accused of raping a jogger in Central Park and leaving her for dead. Five children ranging between 13 and 17 years old of both Black and Latino backgrounds were wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for the crime.
Salaam was 15 years old when he was put on trial and 16 when he entered the prison system.
“They looked at the color of my skin and not the content of my character and deemed me guilty,” he said.
Salaam showed the room a newspaper clipping of Donald Trump calling for the death penalty to be reinstated in New York for this case. He went on to explain that acceptance of the dealth penalty is not the fault of just the current president, but that Trump was perpetuating it by “Whispering into the darkest enclaves of society, allowing for the sickness.”
Hymnal
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
increased flexibility in both instrumentation and music selection.
“One of the wonderful things about this new hymnal is that we have all sorts of resources that every hall will be getting,” Kronner said. “This, for example, is the C instrument book, so there’s descants, harmonization, all kinds of stuff for C instruments.”
Residence halls will also have access to supplement books for piano, guitar, B flat and E flat instruments. Additional flexibility will come from the sheer volume of music available. “Gather IV” includes over 1,100 songs compared to roughly 750 in “The Newman Hymnal.” Students can be content
“It needs a cure, and that cure is us fighting against spiritual wickedness,” Salaam said.
In his closing remarks, he left the audience with a call to action, urging them to take on a huge responsibility moving forward.
“We are playing chess, and I need you to be a master strategist in your approach, because this is not a short-term game,” Salaam said.
Syl Schieber, an additional guest whose daughter was killed by a serial rapist in 1998, came to speak in the Patrick F. McCartan courtroom in Eck Hall of Law.
The leading prosecutor in the case wanted to seek the death penalty, but Schieber and his wife Vicki Schieber refused to back the prosecutor.
On the night of Shannon’s murder, as explained by Vicki Schieber, her neighbor heard yelling and called the police. They arrived at the scene in five minutes but left six minutes later because they didn’t hear anything. During that time, Shannon was murdered.
“If the DA and the police were really worried about the safety of
in knowing that nearly all of their favorite hymns will still be included, including Notre Dame-specific music bound into the back of the volume.
“[The hymnals] are going to have a specifically customized supplement in the back for Notre Dame’s use that will include things like the ‘Mass for Our Lady,’ the Alma Mater and ‘Holy Cross to Thee Be Glory,’” said Allie Steiner, coordinator of special projects at Campus Ministry.
Steiner played a large role in securing the new hymnals. She said that the new hymnal project would not have been possible without input from the students actually doing the singing.
“We assembled a focus group of students from Liturgical Choir, Magnificat Choir and Folk Choir,
young women in Philadelphia, they would probably serve them better if they cleaned up the police department then, instead of killing somebody who’s going to be in prison for the rest of his life,” Syl Schieber said.
The Schiebers shared that they oppose the death penalty because of their deep beliefs as Christians and urged the audience to do the same.
“If you can’t stand by your principles when it’s difficult, then they’re not your principles,” Schieber said.
As the author of a Pulitzer Prize winning book that was later turned into a movie, Prejean discussed the important aspects and details of her book, “Dead Man Walking,” during her lecture.
While working at Hope House, a service organization, she was asked to correspond with an inmate on death row. When she went to visit him, on her entrance form, she checked the box ‘spiritual advisor.’ She shared that at the time, she was unaware that the only person who could go with the inmate to be executed was the spiritual advisor.
in addition to musicians from various residence halls to solicit their input on the hymnal content,” she wrote in a statement to The Observer.
The new hymnals will be placed in campus residence halls in May after students have moved out for the summer. After the last Mass of the school year in each chapel, attendees will be asked to grab the hymnals from their pew and place them in a receptacle to be recycled.
Campus Ministry has also created a webpage of Mass-planning and choral resources with the goal of making liturgical music more accessible to students in residence halls. Included on the page are tips on selecting music, psalm settings and information about both the old and new hymnals in order to ease the transition.
“You watch this killing, and it’s all legal. This is where the law comes in. We make it legal, which means that we make it right, morally right,” Prejean said.
She explained that the death penalty falls under the category of torture, which she defined as “extreme mental or physical assault on someone who’s been rendered defenseless.” She believes that the longevity of the execution process is a form of mental torture because of the toll waiting on death takes on a person.
After the speakers, Marcus Cole, dean of the Law School, explained that Death Penalty Abolition Week was held to give students an insight into not only the criminal justice system but also how these aspects of the criminal justice system and societal perspectives can impact faith and morals.
“As Catholics, Christians and human beings, we have an obligation to see each and every person as created in the likeness and image of God,” Cole said.
Contact Jessica Mayor at jmayor2@nd.edu
“For a couple of years now we’ll have a group of people that are familiar with [both of the hymnals],” Kronner said. “[On the website] you can see a complete index of both hymnals and where things are existing or not.”
GIA Publications also has a variety of resources for planning Masses. But ultimately, said Hehn, there is no single, correct way to prepare music for Mass.
“The goal is to get your people to sing,” Hehn said. “It’s an oral t radition, so the book is never right.
The people are always right, because the song belongs to the people.”
Contact Zack Pohlman at zpohlma2@nd.edu
support from the South Bend community has been amazing. While it has required a lot of hard work, it has also been a lot of fun!” Camilleri and McGuire wrote.
Not all students attending The Rally have committed to Notre Dame, so the admissions team hopes that The Rally will help inform their decisions. “We understand this is a time of important decisions for our admitted students. That’s why we’re inviting them to fully experience Notre Dame. We want them to see firsthand the impact of our dynamic faculty, feel the support of our residential communities, and recognize Notre Dame as a place where they’ll grow in mind, heart, and spirit—ultimately, empowering them to make the best choice for their college journey,” Camilleri and McGuire wrote.
If students do commit to Notre Dame, The Rally will be the first time they come together as a class. “As the inaugural gathering for the Class of 2029, the Rally marks the beginning of their Notre Dame journey, a story that unfolds through Welcome Weekend, JPW, Commencement, and Reunion,” Camilleri and McGuire wrote.
Current students will volunteer at The Rally in various capacities, including answering questions from students and parents, leading tours of residence halls and setting up for programming.
Freshman Kara Gallagher said that she chose to work at The Rally because of her own positive experience last year. “I remember when I was at The Rally last year, the volunteers had a r eally great impact on me and they were one of the reasons I chose to come here. They were so friendly and helpful, so I hope to be the same kind of friendly face for the admitted students,” she said.
Gallagher explained that she’ll be greeting students at the checkin desk and distributing goodie bags. She also signed up to give residence hall tours and will be responsible for walking students to the tours they signed up for and answering any questions they might have.
Contact Megan Cornell at mcornell@nd.edu
SMC hosts annual symposium on Aquinas
By MADYSON CASIANO Staff Writer
Last Thursday, Saint Mary’s College held an annual symposium on St. Thomas Aquinas, in which visiting professor from John Carroll University, Edward P. Hahnenberg, Ph.D, presented “Career, Calling and the Meaning of Life: Lessons from a Medieval Beggar.” The symposium was focused on the understanding of one’s vocation and purpose upon examination of St. Thomas Aquinas’ life and philosophy with its implication to present day.
Joyce McMahon Hank, a 1952 alumna of Saint Mary’s College, gifted the College with funds to establish a second endowed chair in 1997. This chair is currently held by Anita Houck, professor of Religious Studies and Theology. Establishment of the endowed chair has allowed Houck to direct funds to the continuation of the annual symposium on St. Thomas Aquinas, which in recent years has invited scholars such as Cardinal Peter Turkson, John O’Callaghan and Jean Porter.
Hahnenberg is the Breen Chair in Catholic Theology, chair of the Department of Theology & Religious Studies at John Carroll University and author or co-editor of seven books. The professor is an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a bachelors in philosophy and theology,
a masters in systematic theology and a doctorate in systematic theology. In the opening introduction, Houck noted this relationship between the community and lecturer.
Hahnenberg opened the lecture with a cartoon referencing Mary Oliver’s poem “The Summer Day” which introduced thematic questions of the lecture including, as Hahnenberg said, “What is it that you are going to do with your life?”
The lecture sought to explore questions by introducing the audience to Aquinas’ background. In particular, Hahnenberg contextualized Aquinas’ motivations within his time period.
Hahnenberg followed Aquinas’ schooling and highlighted a certain philosopher from antiquity whose thoughts would influence Aquinas’ understanding of the Christian God and vocation. This philosopher was Aristotle.
“What Aristotle does for Aquinas is he provides categories and language for Aquinas’ own, reflecting on the Christian tradition,” Hahnenberg said.
The professor then taught Aristotle’s four causes which included the material, efficient, formal and final, all of which the Greco-Roman philosopher deciphered to analyze reality. According to Hahnenberg, Aquinas expanded on the idea of the four causes as they apply to the “us,” or humanity, and the role of
the Christian God.
By the logic of Aquinas, in reference to the world, Hahnenberg stated that, “All of these are secondary causes, and if you’ve got secondary causes, that implies that there must be a primary cause.”
The professor applied the idea to examples of the understanding of the world and God.
“Secondary causes for Aquinas are everything that we think of when we think of the material of the world,... [ie.] God’s creation. All of that is at the level of secondary. That’s distinct from God, who is the primary cause,” Hahnenberg said.
Furthermore, pressing the idea of the Christian God belonging to a “framework bigger than God” questions the logical existence of God, which Hahnenberg retorted with Aquinas’ logic that thinking properly of God is instead, “God as the kind of originating source that brings everything into existence, and at every moment sustains it in existence.” Hahnenberg encouraged interpreting it as “Almost like God is the framework.”
The professor also discussed the implications of God as the ultimate source of continued existence.
“God is present in every molecule and every moment, sustaining everything in existence. If God is love, sufficient condition claims that that is the power of love, [and] God’s love sustaining
[our] existence. God always loves us. God loves everything and everyone, even those in hell,” Hahnenberg said.
Relating the lecture back to vocation, Hahnenberg defined the usage of the word “vocation” in the symposium’s context.
“I’m using it in a broad and inclusive sense of God’s call for all of us. It’s not just about states of life, but it’s about learning to respond and see your life as one of meaning and purpose towards many different things,” Hahnenberg said.
In respect to the usage of the word “vocation” in the lecture, Hahnenberg explored the idea of vocation of the person. In doing so, the professor called on Thomas Merton. Hahnenberg discussed Merton’s life and essay, “Seeds of Contemplation,” which the professor mentioned he attempts to include in every class he teaches.
The professor recalled the opening line to the essay, which read “A tree gives glory to God first of all by being a tree.”
After acknowledging the line, Hahnenberg talked about the diversity of God’s creation and the purpose each individual has by God, continuing to relate back to Merton’s essay.
Hahnenberg then addressed the turn of humanity away from proper vocation.
“The paradox is that nothing exists outside the radius of God’s love and will. So when we sin, we’re
trying to exist where nothing can exist. We’re striving for this kind of illusion to be where nothing can be. In that space, the best we can do is wrap ourselves in money, possessions, experiences, reputation and all these kinds of things,” Hahnenberg said. “It’s about kind of clearing away the illusion, the false self, and really coming to see yourself clearly.”
Hahnenberg closed with a final reflection on the question, “What does it mean to be Catholic?”
“I kind of think that if the question were, what does it mean to be me and me, this is pretty much the same, right? Spend time right with yourself, with God, with prayer, with community. Spend time among those who are in need. Spend time just growing into a greater sense of who you are, then you’ll start to see who you are, right, and every good decision will forefront,” Hahnenberg said.
The lecture was followed by a Q&A and reception where attendees reflected on the event. According to student Grace Hovanec, she attended the event out of encouragement from their courses.
“I was drawn to [the symposium],” Hovanec said. “There’s always more you can learn about [Thomas Aquinas], and I definitely did.”
Contact Madyson Casiano at mcasiano01@saintmarys.edu
said. “Professor Omar is not only Muslim, but he’s educated in Islam. We have Father Aaron Michka, who is both. He is aware of Islam and Easter. He is Himself. He’s a priest. He’s aware of the Catholic tradition.”
When asked about how individuals are hearing about and being invited to similar events hosted by Notre Dame Law School, Ibrahim expressed that the events are deliberately advertised in order to gain attention from as many people as possible.
“Invites are for students, faculty, staff and community members. It’s open to everybody. It’s very much an inclusive event, because we’re celebrating a lot of people from a lot of different faith traditions,” Ibrahim said.
Robert Stockman, an event guest with a doctorate in religious studies from Harvard University and faculty member of the Department of Philosophy at Indiana University South Bend, indicated that Notre Dame has done an impressive job of remaining true to its Catholic tradition while striving towards religious inclusivity. He represented and spoke on behalf of the Baha’i religion.
“I am very impressed that
the University has been so accommodating to religious diversity,” Stockman said. “I have taught at many universities, and I think that Catholic institutions just do it better than a lot of schools actually.”
Rabbi Shoshana Feferman, a rabbi at Temple Israel, formerly served in the Israeli army with the rank of sergeant major, and her husband, Robert Feferman, a Hebrew teacher and the vice principal of the Temple Beth-El in South Bend, were invited to the Interfaith Dinner formerly as representatives of Judaism.
When discussing the religious outreach by Notre Dame, Feferman expressed that the Campus Ministry department has been essential in preserving and initiating the relationship between the institution and Jewish communities in South Bend. He explained that the deep connection benefits both mutually and that the relationship is essential in a multitude of religious orders welcomed in partnership with Notre Dame.
“A lot of the religious affiliate work, specifically with the Jewish community, is actually through the Campus Ministry. They have been very accommodating to other religions,” Feferman said.
Contact Isabel Torres at itorres@nd.edu
SUB hosts Del Water Gap
By ASHLEIGH LOBO News Writer
This year, Del Water Gap headlined Student Union Board (SUB)’s annual spring concert, Sounds of SUB, which was held Friday in the Stepan Center. Student opening acts included Libby Garnett, Ben Warren Flynn and Maura McMahon.
“I’d never listened to Del Water Gap before, but he literally blew me away and I’m obsessed now,” AJ Nelson, a junior, said.
Shannon Lipscomb, the co-director of SUB, reflected on the concert’s planning process. “Working towards the SUB concert takes a lot of time, but it is very rewarding in the end,” she said.
SUB begins the artist s ]election process in the summer, working closely with their agents to explore potential performers who would be a good fit for the student body.
“We take [the summer] to connect with agents and work with our incredible concert committee to share our favorite music and discuss artists,” Lipscomb said. This year, they elected
to bring the 502s to campus in the fall and Del Water Gap in the Spring.
Zach Zieleniewski, the chair of the SUB Concert Committee, shared that the most rewarding part of planning the SUB Concert is collaborating “with the committee to bring their ideas and interests to life.”
Libscomb said that, “We [were] excited to welcome Del Water Gap after the amazing run he just had opening for Niall Horan last summer and before he opens for Halsey and plays festivals this summer.”
She shared that the decision process is not just finding popular artists, but also about ensuring they are available, fit within the budget and align with the vision SUB has for the concert experience. The committee takes student recommendations into account, and in this case, several members of the concert committee had seen Del Water Gap live and strongly advocated for bringing him to campus.
Once the artist is selected, the SUB team, along with their advisors Antwann
Harper and Dante Jones from the Student Activities Office, handle a wide range of tasks to ensure everything runs smoothly. “We work on signing contracts, marketing the concert, and planning a great experience for all concertgoers,” Lipscomb said.
“This year, we had a hype event for Sounds of SUB ft. Del Water Gap by giving away Monster energy drinks in Duncan Student Center. We also promote the concert through our social media channels, school emails and by telling our friends,” Lipscomb said.
Elizabeth Owsley, a sophomore, offered her praise for the concert, saying, “[It] was great. Del Water Gap sounded amazing live, and the energy in the crowd made it even better.”
“Being able to provide the opportunity for students to experience live music on campus — it’s a special and unique part of the Notre Dame experience, and I am happy to have gotten to be a part of it,” Zieleniewski said.”
Contact Ashleigh Lobo at alobo@nd.edu
Duncan Stangel
The Center of the Universe
On reality television
I have watched more competitive reality television than any human being alive on planet Earth. Like contestants on these shows, I’m prone to exaggeration. I have watched “Survivor,” “Big Brother,” “Big Brother Canada,” “The Amazing Race,” “The Traitors” (US, UK and New Zeland), “Australian Survivor,” “Koh Lanta,” small pieces of “Expedition Robinson,” and most recently, “Million Dollar Secret.” Shoutout to former Observer Sports Editor Chris Allen for playing a stellar game on that show thus far. It’s a massive library of television with a variety of formats and games that make for formulaic comfort in its basic form and peak entertainment at its best.
I will focus on “Survivor,” the game in which you are abandoned on an island and must vote out the very people who will decide who wins the milliondollar prize. It layers starvation on intense social strategy. It’s the great equalizer, with no amount of wealth or prestige being enough to make one good at the game. It has been won by office managers and students, cops and car salesmen, firefighters and models. Every time, the audience witnesses something it has never seen before. Sometimes, it makes for brilliant entertainment (Season 37, David vs Goliath), or it falls flat (Season 24, One World).
I have sent in two tapes to “Survivor”’s casting department, pitching myself as a wannabe diplomat and “strong communicator” with super-fan
knowledge and an affable, small-town persona. I’m still waiting for my response, Jesse [Tannenbaum] (“Survivor” casting director). I hope to survive on the island one day, though it has not yet arrived. However, I was given the opportunity to play Notre Dame Survivor, a college version with all the nostalgia and a critical lack of hunger.
On ND Survivor, I camouflaged my knowledge of the game, lied about knowing one of my friends and even pretended to need glasses much more than I actually do. I leaked information between allies and turned an alliance in on itself while organizing three consecutive blindsides. This caught up to me when I was eliminated at the final 13. One of these blindsides was my friend, Catherine, who I’ve watched the show with most weeks since I’ve been here. Her last words exposed my game, giving me a first-hand experience of the drama I have idolized on TV since I was 11.
Why play this way? I don’t know exactly. Villainy is so much more fun. I’m not a liar or a snake (thanks, Anna) in my daily life, so it was an opportunity to use my mind to make “big moves” and “play hard.” It was also fun to get my torch snuffed (or torn) after my unanimous vote out. I still think about what I could have done to save my game, as dork-ish as it sounds, but that is a part of the experience, too. After all, out of the 750-plus people who play real “Survivor,” only 45 have been declared the Sole Survivor (winner), meaning that hundreds have encountered the same “What if?” scenario.
However, the gameplay wasn’t even the best part. It was being around people who liked the same
shows I liked. They wanted to play the same game I did. I spent most of high school convincing my friends back home to give “Survivor” a chance, with none of them having the time (or desire) to take me up on the offer. Now, I am a part of a community of fans, people who enjoy the show together and bond over its brilliance.
The Tikinime (Goat Nuggets) tribe deserves their flowers for being an incredible group of players. Since the game is still underway, I won’t reveal anything, but I wish you all the best of luck. The production crew has been especially entertaining, with Luke’s (sorry, “Jeff’s”) sass standing out as a highlight of my challenge experience. I have one practice run under my belt before I get to set foot in Fiji, which is a delusional dream I hope will happen in the coming years. I recommend that everyone reading this applies for ND Survivor, fan or not, as the skills you practice last far beyond the mock version of the show in which we participate. It’s a community of friends with a layer of competition and a reminder of why we play these games: to test ourselves and play a human game.
Duncan Stangel is a first year 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.
Catholicism cannot be the only true faith
There exists an idea among many religious believers that the faith tradition they subscribe to is the “one true faith.”
A Catholic, for example, might believe that the teachings of the Church are either the only legitimate path to God, or the most legitimate.
This belief is not only understandable but possibly even commendable. After all, if one is to call oneself Catholic, shouldn’t one also maintain that Catholicism is true? Evidently so — it would be foolish to do otherwise. And if other faith traditions (Christian or otherwise) directly contradict Church doctrine, then these faith traditions necessarily cannot be true, if one believes that Catholicism is — right?
The answer would appear affirmative, and yet I find myself unconvinced. Can it really be the case that only one faith tradition is true, and that, moreover, this tradition happens to be my own? I suspect not. The following is an explanation as to why.
Assume you are raised Catholic in America. You grow up attending Sunday Mass, religious education classes and Catholic school. Your family is Catholic, your friends are Catholic, the people you look up to are Catholic, and so naturally, you come to believe that Catholicism is true. Not only that, but you believe with profound conviction — it feels as if your heart were on fire with the spirit of Christ (which, of course, it is).
One day, you sit next to a stranger on a bus. You strike up a conversation, and soon learn that this stranger is Muslim. This disappoints you, for however cordial this stranger seems, they profess a grave untruth (Islam), and will likely be condemned for eternity, unless, by the grace of God, they are brought into the light.
That is your conviction, and, as stated, not only is it understandable, it is even commendable.
But now consider the stranger — a Muslim. Assume they were raised in a devoutly Muslim
family, somewhere in Iran. Their family is Muslim, their friends are Muslim, the people they look up to are Muslim, and so naturally, they have come to believe that Islam is true. Not only that, but they believe with profound conviction — they feel as if their heart were on fire with the word of Allah (which, of course, it is).
That is their conviction, and yet according to you, they are categorically incorrect. They deny Christ — both His resurrection and His divinity — and as such, based on the scripture that you hold sacred, they will be denied a place in heaven. Interestingly enough, the stranger thinks the same of you — you deny Muhammad as the final prophet of Allah, and as such, based on the scripture that they hold sacred, you will be denied a place in paradise.
There are two explanations here, seemingly. Either one of you is correct, and the other incorrect (which, based on the fact that you are both equally convicted, seems unlikely) — or, far more plausibly, you’re both wrong, and it’s the atheists who have it right. After all, if God and religion are merely human constructs, as the atheists maintain, then it makes perfect sense why different cultures have different stories about God. You’re both making it up! No wonder you contradict one another!
Not only that, but how believable is it, really, that God — who you claim to be both omnipotent and omnibenevolent — revealed Himself only to specific people, and only in a specific part of the world? Moreover, how believable is it, really, that you happened to be born into that specific group of people, in that specific part of the world, that has received the true revelation? And finally, how believable is it, really, that anyone who wasn’t born into that specific group of people and in that specific part of the world has religion completely and utterly wrong — so wrong, in fact, that they will burn for eternity because of it?
Furthermore, consider this: as a theist, you know what it’s like to be an atheist. After all, you disbelieve every world religion, aside from one — yours.
But of course, yours is true?
Admittedly, this sounds harsh, and as I mentioned
earlier, it is understandable — even commendable — to believe that your religious tradition is true, even at the expense of another. This is oftentimes what religion asks of us.
But I’d like to propose a third explanation, which doesn’t maintain that either one of you is correct and the other incorrect, or that neither of you are incorrect and that the atheists are correct (nobody wants that). This explanation, as you might’ve guessed, is as follows: you’re both right. God exists. Since time immemorial, we have perceived as much.
As we’ve perceived God, and as He’s revealed Himself to us (which, I suspect, he does perpetually, and not just on selected, supernatural occasions), we’ve gone about developing traditions which attempt to understand and pay reverence to that which we now refer to as God. This needs to be expanded upon further, but I have not the time, so I’ll close with an analogy, which I cannot take credit for.
Consider a circular room, with God at its center. There are windows lining the walls of the room, so that those on the outside can gaze upon God. But each window offers a slightly different view of God — some are angled towards his face, others his back; some are big, others small; some are round, others geometric — so the onlookers develop different perspectives about God, depending on which window they look through.
Assuming this analogy approximates the truth (which it very well may not), would it make more sense for the onlookers to condemn one another for untrue belief, or to revel harmoniously in the wondrous things that they’ve glimpsed through each of their respective windows?
Jackson is an aspiring philosopher and nomadic freespirit. He is currently wandering through an alpine meadow somewhere in Kashmir, pondering the meaning of life. If you would like to contact him, please send a carrier pigeon with a hand-written note, addressed to “The Abyss.” He won’t respond. (Editor’s Note: you can contact Jackson at jlang2@nd.edu)
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Jackson Lang Letters from The Wanderer
Nightmares about California Golden is thy fame
Richard Taylor
Just Glad To Be Here
“She’s so beautiful,” my friend said, pointing to Mary atop the golden dome, “but I wonder if she would be happier if we melted her down and gave to the poor.” I told my friend to consider all the money we spend on other things; there is too much money coming in and out of this University to not give the Blessed Mother the golden fame she deserves.
One night last week, as I was walking back to Keenan, I paused to sit in front of the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue and gaze up at Mary. Whenever I walk between Jesus’ outstretched arms and Our Mother’s guiding glow, I feel hugged by the love of the Holy Family. That night I wanted to stay in the hug a little longer. One thing I love about the statue of Mary on the dome is her arms. Her right arm reaches out to me — she is tender; her left arm keeps me there — she is strong and true. Her subtle gestures are a nice complement to Jesus’ grand embrace, his loud invitation, “Come to me all!”
When I look at the golden dome, I do not see pride or wealth or the glitzy glamor of human endeavor. I see the opposite. I see the purity of humility and obedience. I think of the line in the Magnificat (the song that Mary sang after meeting Elizabeth). “He has looked with favor on his lowly servant” (Luke 1:48). Our Lady inspires me to be as humble as she was, to become God’s lowly servant, so that I too can say, “The Almighty has done great things for me” (Luke 1:49), so that I too can be cloaked with glory’s mantle and be pure as gold.
Though I usually cannot see it, I know that, at the bottom of the statue, Mary is crushing the serpent. In the same way, I know that Mary protects me from the snares of the devil, usually without me noticing. The Queen of Heaven not only subjects the demons but also reigns over the angels. I think of this when she shines on a clear South Bend night with her head among the stars, and I ask that she send her angels to help me.
The golden dome is especially inspiring to me as a student. There rests the Seat of Wisdom herself. In many depictions of the Annunciation, Mary looks up from a book toward the angel Gabriel. First, she studied and pondered the Word, then she said yes to the Word, then she carried the Word within her, then she gave birth to the Word, then she walked with the Word no matter how much it pierced her heart. O Notre Dame, may we study the truth like you, submit to the truth like you, carry the truth with us like you, give birth to the truth like you, stand firm in the truth like you and bear the wounds which the truth brings like you!
Richard Taylor is a junior from St. Louis living in Keenan Hall. He studies physics and theology. He encourages all readers to send reactions, reflections or refutations to rtaylo23@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Kate Casper Outsider Instincts
Now that it’s not completely taboo to talk about where this next chapter of our lives might take us, I’ve begun trying on the phrase, “I’m moving to Northern California,” trying to see how it feels. And it feels good; it feels warm; it feels rainy; it feels very, very far away.
I’ve also begun trying on the idea of becoming a San Francisco Giants fan, although I know I will always love the Nats more (and I will always look god-awful in orange). I’ve begun looking for apartments to rent and used cars to buy and Bay Area coffee shops to make my stomping grounds.
I’ve begun to realize every upcoming tour has a show in San Francisco after my start date, and every concert venue is someplace I’ve never heard of. I’ve begun to realize telling someone I went to school in Notre Dame, Indiana, might not hold the same weight in a San Francisco bar as it does in Halligan (where multiple middle-aged dudes will offer to buy your friends beers because they love the Fighting Irish).
I can’t pretend that this isn’t happening anymore — I’m not going home, and I’m not following the age-old Notre Dame-to-Chicago pipeline (and sometimes, of course, I wish I were).
While people have commended me for doing something “different” and taking a leap of faith, my nightmares about California have a lot less to do with fear that I won’t like it there or won’t make friends — and more to do with the fear of losing myself.
I don’t want to become someone my friends here wouldn’t recognize or like or love. I don’t want to betray the woman of integrity I became in this flat, cold, midwestern city (a place I adore beyond words, beyond the confines of the Notre Dame campus, a place where I found myself, where dive bars and soirees became equally familiar places, where strangers became friends).
I don’t want to abandon the person who grew to love it here.
As some of my high school friendships have shapeshifted and gotten more distant or completely dissolved, I find myself sometimes feeling regretful that I left Virginia (that “home” isn’t as home-y as it used to be). I’ve tried to remind myself that the growth I’ve experienced at Notre Dame is a net positive, that I never lost myself, that I was allowed to change and so were the people I grew up with.
Occasionally, when I flip through my high
school yearbook, I see it, written in multicolored Sharpie: “Never change, Kate.” I never understood this, but now I do. I think what they meant was: “You’re allowed to change, but dear God, don’t lose yourself. You’ve got something good going.”
As I take these steps into the next chapter of my life, I try to tell myself this.
I also try to tell myself that at this stage I’ve become seasoned in big changes — and I got through every single one.
When I became a “regular” Notre Dame student following my glorious Gateway year, I felt I lost my “special sauce,” that somehow I was all out of “special” when I became a fulltime Domer. But then I realized that being a Gateway is actually just who I am, and it’s okay that it’s not a part of my day-in day-out life anymore. When I left Rome, I felt I lost my swagger because it was too cold to wear short skirts when I returned and I stopped feeling so familiar with the friends I lived with and washed dishes with and stayed up all night with. But then I realized that being Roman for a little while is actually just who I am, and it’s okay that I’m not physically there right now — it is forever embedded in the fabric of my being.
I’m convinced that when we walk away, we don’t actually leave. It’s never actually over.
And some of my best friends are living proof of this, as I’ve seen them learn to love a life outside of Notre Dame, Indiana. I’ve seen them learn to love Chicago or D.C. or New York or Durham or Los Angeles. I’ve seen them learn to love a life that is often more liberating and occasionally more terrifying.
And they’ve assured me I can do it too — when Olivia wiped my tears in Butch McGuire’s because she merely mentioned graduation. That following Monday, she sent me a video and said, “Turn the volume on and listen to yourself.” It’s a video of North Quad on one of the many beautiful spring days we sprawled with our friend group. In the background, you can just barely hear me saying, “This is the experience we signed up for.”
And I believe it. And I too will believe it, in California, a place that was never my home, but someday will be. And if you’re a dear friend of mine, perhaps you can promise me a visit.
Kate Casper is a senior at Notre Dame studying English with minors in digital marketing and Italian. She strives to be the best waste of your time. You can contact her at kcasper@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
By LUKE FOLEY Scene Writer
Over the past few years, there has been a steady rise in class satire films: “The Menu,” “Saltburn” and “Glass Onion,” just to name a few. Putting aside what troubling and urgent societal issues this trend could be downstream of, they’ve already overstayed their welcome. I’m tired of their unfunny dark humor, trite characters and limp political commentary. But it seems like they’re not going away anytime soon, for another one just rolled into theaters: “Death of a Unicorn.”
“Death of a Unicorn,” the directorial debut from Alex Scharfman, is a creature-thriller twist on the class satire genre. The story revolves around Elliot (Paul Rudd) taking his teenage daughter Ripley (Jenna Ortega) to a work retreat with his boss Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant) and his family at their luxurious, remote mansion. While driving, they accidentally hit a real unicorn. Unsure of what to do with the injured creature, they put it in the trunk and bring it to Leopold’s house. When everyone there realizes the unicorn’s body has supernatural healing powers, what ensues are mystical hijinks, power struggles and financial opportunism.
The film frustratingly falls into the classic
shortcoming of the genre: flat characters. The central duo of Elliot and Ripley is painfully cliche: the bumbling, single dad and jaded teenage daughter. The script barely puts effort into adding unique traits or edges to these archetypes. And the performances are not doing any favors: Ortega is doing her typical schtick, which is ultimately serviceable, but Rudd really flails. He feels lost throughout the film, unsure how to portray his character’s moral shortcomings and ambivalence towards his daughter’s disdain for the Leopolds. The film’s highlight is Will Poulter as Shepard Leopold, Odell’s son. He carries the film’s humor on his back and gives the most dynamic performance out of the ensemble.
For most of the film, the titular conflict feels thin and unimaginative. It plays out largely how you expect it, but that’s also because one of the primary plot devices is a medieval tapestry that predicts how everything escalates. However, some interesting developments here and there keep things interesting. The kills are gruesome, and it’s amusing to see how desperate and deranged the Leopolds are to salvage the financial opportunity at stake despite nature increasingly pushing back against their schemes. Here, the genre’s signature themes crystallize: the vanity
and cruelty of the upper class and their exploitation of the working class and environment. Is it accurate? Sure. Well-executed? Decently enough. Is it novel or exciting? Not really.
Actually, there is one interesting germ of an idea the film has about class and wealth, and it presents itself during the film’s surprisingly poignant ending. Here, Rudd finally locks in and delivers an emotional monologue where he admits that despite claiming that he was sucking up to the Leopolds and their money so that Ripley could have a comfortable life, he was only doing it to for his own benefit. It’s a raw moment that incisively identifies that many parents use their family’s financial security as a pretext for greed and careerism. The subsequent emotional reconciliation between father and daughter is touching, and you almost forget that they felt like walking cardboard cutouts for the previous 90 minutes.
So, does “The Death of a Unicorn” reaffirm the validity of the class satire? Eh. It’s a decently fun time and will provide enough laughs and gore to keep you entertained. But it proves the genre, as it is currently operating, has nothing interesting left to say about the issues it so smugly signals at.
Contact Luke Foley at lfoley2@nd.edu
By CLAIRE WATSON Associate Sports Editor
We all have goals in life. For some, it is to graduate college. For others, it may be to find true love or a job after college and to be successful. But the underlying question is “what does that all mean?” That is where Netflix’s new romantic comedy film “The Life List” comes into play. The movie covers all different aspects of life from family drama to figuring out who you are, and my personal favorite part, it is based in the wonderful city of New York.
The movie follows Alex (Sofia Carson) as she travels through New York life after the loss of her mother, but there is a twist. While her siblings were each left with an inheritance from their mother, Alex feels ashamed and left out because she was not included in the will. Consequently, she strives to complete a multitude of tasks from a list that she wrote when she was younger
which includes things such as finding true love, connecting with her father and learning to play piano.
I think that before jumping into the themes of the movie, it is important to discuss the setting. Personally, I love New York — the hustle and bustle of the crowds, Times Square, the random street performers and, of course, Broadway shows. This is the perfect setting for this movie because it connects with the ever-changing and fast-moving pace of the movie.
“The Life List” is also a modern-day comedy. The movie very recently came out on Netflix, and throughout its approximately two hours, we see characters using phones and computers, and they even find it funny when a DVD player is mentioned.
One of my biggest focuses in life is family. I am very close to my immediate and extended family, so the big appeal to family life in this movie interested me. Alex does not necessarily get along with
her two siblings at the start but learns throughout the movie why it is important that they grieve together rather than alone and talk about the fun times that they had growing up. It gives the movie warmth and the viewer a break from busy New York life.
But that is not the only theme that arises. “The Life List” is also about having a best friend who is going to be in your corner for you to support you even in your darkest moments. “Best friend,” of course, is a very flexible word to use here, seeing as, in Alex’s yearlong life adventure, she meets a bunch of people who support her — from new friends to new lovers. One who stood out was the second main character, Brad (Kyle Allen), the best friend of Alex.
Overall, this movie provides life lessons in a modern lifestyle that should resonate with many.
Irish earn first ACC win over Virginia Tech
By NOAH CAHILL Sports Editor
After going down to the wire in a 4-3 loss with their thirdstraight top-five opponent in No. 5 Virginia on Friday, the Irish celebrated senior day on Sunday with two wins over No. 73 Virginia Tech and Southern Indiana. This win over the Hokies was Notre Dame’s first win in ACC play on the season.
A hard-fought battle with Virginia
The freshman pairing of Luis Llorens and Peter Nad continued their hot streak on the No. 3 doubles court with a 6-2 victory. Virginia’s No. 2 pair got one back, turning all eyes to court one to decide the doubles competition. After the Cavaliers battled back from an early break, junior Sebastian Dominko and sophomore Chase Thompson rode early momentum at the changeover during the set
tiebreak and secured the point.
Dominko was first off the singles courts, picking up yet another ranked win over No. 21 Dylan Dietrich in straight sets. Virginia surged in front, however, winning three consecutive matches on courts three, six and five. At the No. 2 court, senior Yu Zhang closed out the second set in thrilling fashion to keep the Irish alive. After taking the first set 6-4, he failed to convert a match point at 5-3 before getting broken at 5-4 to put the match back on serve. With the tides turning, Zhang found himself in a 15-40 hole, facing three set points at 5-6.
The senior from China rattled off three points to force the tiebreak, where he raced out to a lead en route to a 7-2 finish. The win was Zhang’s third in a row in singles play and left the match in the hands of Nad on the No. 4 singles court for Notre Dame.
Battling a fellow freshman and top-35 junior in the world on the other side, Nad took the first set
7-5 before surrendering the second 6-3. Both players fended off break points in the decider, holding serve through the first 10 games at 5-5. That’s when Roy Horovitz took control, getting the break at 6-5 before serving it out to earn a 4-3 win for Virginia.
A first ACC win against Virginia Tech
In their 4-0 victory over the Hokies, Notre Dame started with a dominant display on the doubles courts. The No. 1 pairing of Dominko/Thompson didn’t drop a game in their 6-0 win before Nad/ Llorens secured the point on court three. Zhang and senior Jameson Corsillo were two points away from victory one court over when play finished.
Momentum stayed with the Irish as they took the first four sets of singles play. Nad and sophomore Kyran Magimay took comfortable straight-set victories on courts five and six, respectively to put them
within a point of the match. After surrendering one opportunity to serve out his match in the second set at 5-2, Thompson calmed his nerves and closed it out the second time of asking. The other three contests were abandoned, with Dominko and Zhang early in third sets at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, and Corsillo leading 3-1 on court four in the second after dropping a tight first set 7-6 in the tiebreak.
Celebrating senior day with a sweep of Southern Indiana
In their final home dual match of the season, Nad/Llorens won 6-1 at No. 2 before the pairing of sophomore Jayanth Devaiah and senior Brian Bilsey secured the point on court three by the same score. Dominko teamed up with former partner and fellow junior Noah Becker at No. 1, the pairing having their match abandoned at 5-2.
Llorens and Devaiah got quick
wins at No. 2 and No. 6, respectively, to start singles play. This set up Magimay to finish off the 4-0 sweep with his 6-2, 6-1 win on court three. The remaining three Irish singles players still finished their matches, all leaving with victories. Bilsey picked up a 6-2, 7-5 win at No. 4 followed shortly by a 7-5, 6-0 win by Becker at No. 5. Taking the top spot in the lineup, Zhang won his final match in the Eck Tennis Pavilion in a 10-2 match tiebreaker after surrendering the second set. All told it was a proper send-off for the Notre Dame senior class on Sunday as they took the 7-0 win.
The team will head to Florida later in the week to take on Florida State on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and Miami on Saturday at noon. They will look to build on their first conference win approaching the pair of ACC matchups. the team’s most effective hurler.
Contact Noah Cahill at ncahill2@nd.edu
Rowing secures pair of top-six finishes
By CHRIS DAILEY
Sports Writer
The No. 20 Notre Dame women’s rowing team competed in the San Diego Crew Classic over the weekend. The Irish secured two top-six finishes in a field that boasted some of the best teams in the country, headlined by No. 1 Texas, No. 5 Washington and No. 8 Cal.
Notre Dame entered three varsity four boats. The first team - sophomore Sara Louser, sophomore Claire Macy, junior Elizabeth Tessen and coxswain sophomore Margaret Abbott – placed third in their preliminary heat on Saturday with a time of 7:43.899. The group improved on Sunday, clocking a time of 7:35.692. The effort was strong enough to surmount USC, who were a place ahead of Notre Dame the previous day.
The second varsity four consisted of senior Victoria Gordon-Brown, sophomore Anna Kahl, freshman Lauren O’Grady, sophomore Lily Smith and coxswain freshman Nicolette Cottingham. Led by senior GordonBrown, the otherwise youthful team excelled in the first day, finishing first in the preliminary heat thanks to a 7:38.465 performance. The Irish slightly regressed in the final round, rowing 2,000 meters in a time of 7:52.507 en route to a fourth-place finish.
Freshman Marie Golden, freshman Riley Clavi, sophomore Madison Naman,
SOFIA CRIMI VAROLI| The Observer Irish women’s rowing participates at the Dale England Cup in Bloomington, Indiana on April 30, 2023.
Rowing entered three varsity four boats and three varsity eight boats in the 2025 San Diego Crew Classic.
freshman Reece McNutt and coxswain sophomore Lily Fratantonio made up the final varsity four team. Together, they posted a 7:48.990 on Saturday before a 8:01.566 finish in Sunday’s final, just two seconds behind sixth-place Washington State.
Overall, the varsity four teams from Notre Dame delivered a promising performance, especially considering their age. In total, the team comprised
five freshmen and eight sophomores, alongside one junior and one senior. The young group proved that they can compete against some of the best teams in the country.
Notre Dame also fielded three varsity eight boats. The top crew placed fourth in a tightly contested
preliminary battle. Their 6:36.978 was 0.626 seconds behind the UCLA Bruins. The team used that result as fuel for Sunday, propelling them to a sixth-place finish in the final heat, finishing one rank above UCLA. The Irish finished just shy of passing No. 23 Southern Cal for a top five spot. Texas’
6:19.318 was the winning time. Washington wasn’t too far behind with a 6:20.139. Both programs showed their class throughout the day, providing a framework for fellow competitors on what it will take to reach their level. The other two varsity squads battled vigilantly against some of the nation’s premier programs. The second varsity eight squad finished sixth in its final heat, posting times of 6:49.928 and 6:55.291. The third varsity eight squad raced times of 7:04.547 and 7:11.751. They finished fourth in their final heat. Similarly to the top heat, these heats were both won by the dominant Texas Longhorns. Notre Dame returns to South Bend officially nearing the midpoint of their season. The team has three scheduled events left, beginning with the Big Ten Invitational on April 18-19 in sunny Sarasota, Florida. The regatta will feature top teams outside the Big Ten as well, including the Ivy League’s Brown and Harvard. Head Coach Martin Stone will be sure to have his team prepared for what is set to be Notre Dame’s strongest test to date.
Contact Chris Dailey at cdailey2@nd.edu
Keep your motives to yourself and concentrate on your target.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): When doubt kicks in, take a pass. Do whatever it takes to avoid compromising your position, reputation, or emotional or financial security. Consider your options and only adjust what’s feasible. Help yourself first, and you’ll find it easier to assist others. Refuse to let anyone take advantage of you.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Put your time and energy into your work. Doing the best job possible will lead to rewards. Share your thoughts, offer your services, and invest more time and money in your future. Redesign your skills and how you market yourself to suit today’s economy and needs.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Keep adding to your qualifications and maintaining technological savvy to ensure your job safety and prospects. Stay in the loop by joining interest groups and participating in activities that help you build solid relationships with those who share your mindset. An innovative approach to life and learning will pay off.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Invest more time and money into getting ahead, setting trends, and doing the most with your skills, connections, and prospects. Market yourself for success, whether it’s personal, creative, or financial gains you want to achieve. Advocate on your behalf, and you’ll encourage others to support your efforts. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): A break will give you the boost you need to bring about positive change. A journey, reunion, or conversing with an expert will offer insight into situations that are taxing or need an adjustment. Setting up a space to do something you enjoy will give you the boost you need to excel.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Refuse to let anyone deter you from doing the things that bring you the most joy with those you love and respect. Call the shots instead of letting someone else dictate what you can and cannot do. Change begins with you; if you want something, go after it wholeheartedly.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Only open doors that have meaning for you. Your time is precious, and letting those who try to take advantage of you know it isn’t going to happen. Turn the tables by doing what’s best for you. Take advantage of an opportunity to improve your living arrangements and relationships.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Honesty is the best policy, especially when it’s being truthful with yourself. Adjust your living space to lower your overhead or encourage better conditions for productivity and achieving your personal and professional goals. Put greater emphasis on relationships, equality, and the time you want to spend with others.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Channel your energy into learning something new through communication, conferences, and research. It will change your plans and perspective regarding how you use your time, energy, and skills to fulfill your needs and dreams better. Forward-thinking will help you diversify and utilize your skills to suit what’s current.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): An emotional matter will change your perspective and offer insight into your next move. Don’t sell yourself short; market what you love to do and strive for a better lifestyle and personal satisfaction. Don’t sit back when you should be moving forward. Take what’s yours and follow your heart.
Birthday Baby: You are friendly, sensitive, and enthusiastic. You are adaptable and progressive.
MEN’S TENNIS
Irish tennis looks to build over Florida trip
By NOAH CAHILL Sports Editor
On Thursday, the Notre Dame men’s tennis team will hit the road for a pair of ACC contests in the Sunshine State. They will take on No. 19 Florida State on Thursday evening before facing No. 33 Miami two days later.
Irish coming off a strong weekend
The Irish come off their first win in conference play on Sunday, a 4-0 sweep of Virginia Tech, which they followed with another sweep later in the day of nonconference foe Southern Indiana. They fell short against No. 6 Virginia but pushed a talented Cavalier squad to the brink in the 4-3 loss.
Junior Sebastian Dominko continued to lead the way coming off of his third ACC Player of the Week honor of the season. Ranked No. 18 in the nation for singles, the Slovenian lefty extended his undefeated streak to eight matches after taking down another nationally ranked player: Virginia’s No. 23 Dylan Dietrich. The victory improved his record in dual matches to 17-2 and 8-0 in conference competitions,
ND WOMEN’S TENNIS
all at No. 1 singles. Playing alongside sophomore Chase Thompson, he also improved his record to 18-3 in doubles play with wins over Virginia and Virginia Tech.
The freshmen pairing of Peter Nad and Luis Llorens Saracho stayed undefeated in the spring season after a 3-0 weekend on the No. 3 doubles court. The Irish carry positive momentum on the singles courts as well, where they went 11-4 across their three-weekend matches. At No. 2 singles, Yu Zhang extended his win streak to five matches with an undefeated weekend. After wins against Virginia and Virginia Tech, the senior capped it off with a victory on the No. 1 court against Southern Indiana to celebrate his final match at Eck Tennis Pavilion on senior day.
Florida State
In his 23 seasons at the helm, head coach Dwayne Hultquist has propelled Florida State into one of the nation’s best programs. In the 2023-24 season, his Seminoles defeated Virginia to become ACC Champions before their season ended in the third round of the NCAA tournament. They have continued to be competitive
Women’s tennis goes 1-1
By NIAMH SMYTH Sports Writer
This past weekend, the Notre Dame women’s tennis team wrapped up its final road trip of the season with a split in Virginia, beating No. 57 Virginia Tech 4–3 on Friday before a 4–1 loss to No. 5 Virginia on Sunday in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Irish now sit at 15–4 overall and 5–3 in ACC play, with a 5–2 record in road matches this season.
Virginia Tech
On Friday, Notre Dame took an early lead against the Hokies by earning points in the doubles competition. Their momentum carried into singles play, where junior Bojana Pozder earned a straight sets win at court three, followed by senior Nibi Ghosh’s 6–3, 6–1 victory at court four. Nevertheless, Virginia Tech quickly responded with wins at courts two, five and six to level the match at 3–3. This set the stage for junior Akari Matsuno, ranked 101st nationally, to come in clutch once again, taking down No. 30 Özlem Uslu on the top court to
in a stacked Atlantic Coast Conference in 2025, boasting a 14-7 record and 6-4 mark in conference play. The conference champs returned six players, including four seniors, along with incoming transfers Corey Craig and Erik Schiessl, both of whom have emerged as key contributors to the new-look squad. Craig features at the top of Florida State’s singles lineup, ranking No. 15 in the country and posting a 7-3 record in dual matches. Schiessl paces the team in doubles competition, recording a 10-1 record in dual matches on the No. 2 court alongside Joshua Dous-Karpenschif.
The Seminoles’ top team of Youcef Rihane and Alex Bulte owns a 9-5 dual record and ranks No. 9 in the country. Slotting in behind Craig on the No. 2 singles court, the No. 52-ranked Jamie Connel has 11 wins, a team-best. The bottom half of the Seminoles’ singles lineup, which has combined to go 30-15, is manned by Schiessl, Dous-Karpenschif and Azariah Rusher, with rookie Jan Sebesta posting a 3-1 record in his few opportunities at No. 6 singles.
Florida State comes off a 2-0 weekend with a pair of
road ACC wins. They rattled off four consecutive singles victories in a comeback win over No. 15 Duke before sweeping North Carolina two days later. They will look to ride that momentum into their Thursday matchup with the Irish. Florida State owns a 9-4 all-time record against Notre Dame and has won their last eight matchups.
Miami
In his first season at the helm, head coach Alex Santos’ Miami Hurricanes hold the No. 33 spot in the national rankings, boasting an 11-8 overall and 4-6 ACC record. The Hurricanes bring back three players from their 2024 team that went 11-14 and had their season end in the second round of the ACC championships, missing the cut for the NCAA tournament.
The trio of returners, Martin Katz, Antonio Prat and Nacho Serra Sanchez pace the singles lineup on courts one, two and three, respectively. The No. 24-ranked Katz is 11-3 for the season with a 4-2 conference record and has won his last three matches. Prat and Serra Sanchez have earned nine wins apiece but without
the same success in conference, combining for a 4-7 record against ACC opponents. A trio of newcomers have rotated through courts four through six for Miami, with freshmen Jules Garot and Mehdi Sadaoui contributing alongside sophomore Furman transfer Leonardo Dal Boni.
Katz and Prat also team up to form the No. 72 doubles pairing on the top court for Miami where they own a 10-5 dual record. Dal Boni joins Serra Sanchez on court two, recording an 8-6 mark. The rookie partnership of Garot and Sadaoui round out the lineup at No. 3, posting a 5-7 mark as a duo.
Miami comes off a pair of heartbreaking 4-3 losses to North Carolina and Duke and will face Louisville on Thursday before hosting the Irish two days later in Coral Gables, Florida. They fell 4-1 to Notre Dame last season in South Bend.
Notre Dame will make the Tallahassee trip on Thursday to face the Seminoles at 5:30 p.m. before heading downstate to take on Miami on Saturday at noon.
Contact Noah Cahill at ncahill2@nd.edu
clinch the 4–3 victory.
Virginia
Sunday’s contest against No. 5 Virginia began in similar fashion, as Notre Dame claimed its second doubles point of the weekend. Junior Rylie Hanford and Ghosh stunned the 28th-ranked pair of Martina Genis Salas and Annabelle Xu with a dominant 6–1 win at No. 2, while freshman Bianca Molnar and Pozder followed with a 6-3 victory on court three. Despite the strong start, the Cavaliers stormed back in singles to hand the Irish a 4–1 loss. The Irish did not win any completed singles matches. With the road schedule complete, the Irish return to South Bend for their final four regular season matches. They will host No. 30 Clemson on Friday at 4 p.m. before welcoming No. 25 Georgia Tech at 11 a.m. Sunday in the Eck Tennis Pavilion. twork providing the broadcast. ium is set for a 5 p.m. with first pitch streaming on ACCNX.
Contact Niamh Smyth at nsmyth2@nd.edu
Nguyen takes 29th at NCAA diving championships
By NOAH CAHILL Associate Sports Editor
Amid the gambling controversy that suspended the Notre Dame men’s swimming team for the 2024-25 season, the diving team, despite being allowed to compete, appeared to suffer negative effects. While it was unclear whether the suspension played a role, head diving coach Mark Bradshaw
took his talents to Purdue after coaching the previous three seasons for the Irish. However, the program turned in the right direction when head swimming coach Chris Lindauer added Josh Arndt as head diving coach. Arndt had most recently been the head diving coach at Virginia, contributing to the team’s last two NCAA national championship victories.
Under Arndt’s tutelage, the two-man diving squad of juniors Daniel Knapp and Ben Nguyen had a stellar season. While Knapp missed the cut for the zone C championships, Nguyen qualified and finished fourth on the platform in midMarch, just missing out on qualifying for the 3-meter as well, where he placed 16th. The junior holds the school record on the platform and took sixth
at the ACC championships back in February. Preparing for the NCAA championships on Saturday, Nguyen hoped to improve on his 37th-place finish in 2024.
On Saturday afternoon at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatics Center outside of Seattle, he was able to do just that. He managed two top-20 dives, including seventh in his final dive after
executing a back 2 1/2 somersault 1 1/2 twist pike. His final score of 294.60 earned him the 29th spot on the leaderboard, improving on last season’s result. In a campaign defined early by controversy on the swimming side, Nguyen helped the Notre Dame program end on a high note.
Contact Noah Cahill at ncahill2@.edu
Saint Mary’s tennis extends win streak to six
By CLAIRE WATSON Associate Sports Editor
Keeping its winning streak alive, Saint Mary’s tennis took its sixth win in a row over Trine this past Saturday. This match also marked the team’s first MIAA win this season.
Doubles
Starting off the singles competition, sole senior Alayna Campbell and her partner
junior Emma Kealy took the 6-1 win over opponents Elina Locane and Emma Beehler from Trine. In the next court over, freshman Shannon Dudy and sophomore Sophia Pischalko gained the second 6-2 win for the Belles over their opponents Alexis Maloney and Emilee Bassett. In the final doubles match, freshman Lanie Brant and sophomore Anna Gardner took the first 6-1 loss of the day against opponents Emily
Hatseras and Lizzie Welker.
Singles
In the first singles match, Campbell faced off against Locane but took the loss. Campbell lost the first set 6-3 but won the second set 6-3 to head into the third set but took the 10-6 loss. Kealy kept the fire alive as she won her match, winning the first set 6-0 and the second set 6-1 over her opponent Beehler. Crosscourt in the
third singles match, Gardner swept the competition, winning both sets 6-0 to take the win over Bassett. Going into the fourth match of the day, Dudy faced off against Maloney. Dudy won both sets, taking the first set 6-2 and the second set 6-3. In the fifth match, Brant defeated Hatseras, winning the first set 6-0 and the second set 6-2. In the sixth and final match of the singles competition, junior
Hannah Gerner matched up against Welker to take the final win of the day, winning the first set 6-1 and the second set 6-2. With their confidence high with this big win over Trine, the Belles are looking to extend their win streak in their next matchup against Adrian on Tuesday, April 2, starting at 4 p.m.
Contact Claire Watson at cwatson01@saintmarys.edu
SMC TENNIS
SOFIA CRIMI VAROLI | The Observer
Junior Daniel Knapp is pictured diving at the 2024 Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis for mens 3m dives at the 2024 NCAA Championships. Nyugen was the only Irish diver to qualify for the 2025 ACC Zone C Championship. He posted two top-20 finishes with a best of seventh to end the season on a positive note.
ND BASEBALL
Irish comeback falls short against WMU
By BEN HICKS
Asociate Sports Editor
Notre Dame baseball continued their extended homestand on Tuesday evening by welcoming Western Michigan University to Frank Eck Stadium for a midweek clash. Entering play at 14-11 overall, the Irish were coming off a 2-1 home series loss to No. 4 Florida State over the weekend, which dropped the team to just 2-10 in the ACC. In heartbreaking fashion, the Irish lost 5-4 on an interference ruling in the ninth inning to mark their third consecutive defeat.
In the visiting dugout, the Western Michigan Broncos of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) came to South Bend with a 6-19 record following their MAC Championship and NCAA Regional appearance a year ago. Despite the team’s struggles this season, they have found midweek success in March as they knocked off Big Ten foes Michigan and
Northwestern on the road in successive weeks.
Freshman right-hander Kellan Klosterman made his second start on the hill for Notre Dame, and the Cincinnati native was lights out in his three innings of work. Klosterman didn’t concede a hit and also struck out with only one walk.
The Irish bats were also quieted early. Bronco sophomore right hander Zach Vriesenga turned in three innings of nohit baseball himself, blanking Notre Dame while facing the minimum in his outing.
Both teams found the scoreboard in the fourth, as redshirt senior outfielder Dylan Nevar plated the first Western Michigan run of the day with a single to center field off freshman reliever Chase Van Ameyde. Junior infielder Estevan Moreno answered back for the Irish in the bottom half of the frame, as his two-strike double to the leftfield gap scored freshman infielder Bino Watters.
The Broncos scored two more off Van Ameyde in the fifth, with Nevar collecting his second RBI of the game with a two-out single up the middle.
While the Notre Dame offense remained silent, Western Michigan doubled their lead to make the margin 5-1 in the top of the eighth with another two-out rally. This time it was senior righthander Ricky Reeth on the bump for the Irish, but junior infielder Grady Mee kept his hot bat going, picking up his second and third RBI of the evening with a clutch liner into shallow center field. With the deficit at four entering the bottom of the ninth, the Irish strung together a rally to capitalize on a pair of walks and a key error to make the score 5-4 with just one out. The bases were loaded for freshman infielder Parker Brzustewicz, who had reached base safely in 18 consecutive games but sat at 0-4 with a strikeout entering the
key plate appearance.
The Rochester Hills, Michigan native grounded the 1-0 offering directly back to graduate pitcher Jake Gernon, who went home to record the second out, before senior catcher Chris Akers fired to first to complete the would-be game-ending double play. Except the ball hit Brzustewicz as he barreled down the first base line, momentarily igniting the Irish dugout as the tying run rounded third base.
In past years, Brzustewicz would have been able to establish his own running path, but with the implementation of the safety bag at first base in college baseball this season, the runner needs to be running in foul territory by the time he reaches the halfway point (45 feet) between home and first. The umpiring crew went to review the play, and upheld the original ruling of interference, meaning that Brzutewicz was out and Western Michigan escaped
with the shocking 5-4 upset victory.
The heartbreaking loss handed the Irish their third consecutive loss, and dropped the team to 14-12 overall.
With Western Michigan’s poor record, the defeat also tanked Notre Dame’s Rating Percentage Index (RPI), a key metric for selection into the NCAA Tournament, from the top-15 to outside the top-25.
Notre Dame’s planned rescheduled game for Wednesday against Eastern Michigan has been preemptively postponed for a second time, with an expected makeup date in May. The Irish will now have two days off before returning to the ACC slate, with Virginia Tech traveling to South Bend for a threegame weekend set. Game 1 between the Irish and Hokies is set for a 4:30 p.m. first pitch on Friday, with streaming available on ACCNX.
Contact Ben Hicks at bhicks2@nd.edu
KALLIE BELCHER | The Observer
Junior shortstop Estevan Moreno gets a hit against Florida State in a 9-17 home loss at home on March 30. Moreno has a batting average of .215 on the season and went 1-4 with an RBI double against Western Michigan. The Irish fell 4-5
