PDF for Wednesday, November 14, 2012

By CHRISTIAN MYERS news writer

notre dame’s service ethic doesn’t end at graduation.

Just ask 1972 alumnus dr. Jim o’connell.

o’connell, founder and president of the boston health care for the homeless program (bhchp) and an associate professor at harvard medical school, was awarded the 2012 a lbert schweitzer prize for humanitarianism.

according to the a lbert schweitzer foundation’s website, past winners of the prize include presidents Jimmy carter and george h w bush.

The renown and numerous accomplishments of the prize’s namesake, a lbert schweitzer,

Celebrating Catholic faith

Campus Ministry encourages deepened relationship with God

By TORI ROECK news writer

i n an apostolic letter titled “ p orta f idei,” p ope b enedict X vi declared the year following o ct. 11, 2012, as a “ year of faith.”

The date marks the 50th anniversary of the s econd vatican c ouncil and the 20th anniversary of the new c atechism.

n otre d ame’s o ffice of c ampus m inistry is celebrating the year of faith by encouraging students to make small efforts to reflect on their c atholic identity and their relationship to the l ord, c ampus

m inistry program manager

Katharine b arrett said.

“ p art of the year of faith is to learn more about who we are as c atholics, so there’s sort of a learning piece of it,” b arrett said.

“The main part is to deepen our relationship with g od, so it’s more personal and spiritual.”

To guide students through this reflection, c ampus m inistry will post monthly themes online so students can incorporate those suggestions into their year of faith journey, b arrett said.

“o ur natural tendency for a lot of things at n otre d ame is to plan big events ... i n

thinking about it more, we thought if you think about any developing relationship with a person, it typically becomes stronger and deeper over the long term of doing lots of little things together,” she said. “ your best friends are the ones you do normal stuff with all the time. we wanted in the year of faith to mimic that type of relationship through lots of little things.”

The theme for n ovember is “sacred places.” b arrett said she encourages students to seek out sacred places on campus where

By MEGAN DOYLE managing e ditor

a first-year master’s degree student passed away unexpectedly at his off-campus residence, where he was found early Tuesday morning, according to a university press release. graduate student michael Thigpen, 23, will be remembered during today’s daily mass at 5:15 p.m. in the basilica of the sacred heart. Thigpen was a native of monument, colo.

dr. Joseph bock, director of the global health program, first spoke with Thigpen when he was an undergraduate at the university of colorado last year and interested in entering the one-year master’s program at notre dame.

l ecture explores c hurch teachings Simulation educates campus alumnus wins renowned prize graduate student passes away

By ANNA BOARINI news writer

as a part of the “Theology on fire” series, saint mary’s welcomed phillip m sutton, an associate member of the catholic medical association, to speak at the lecture “The church and same-sex attraction” on Tuesday night in the student center lounge. sutton is a 1973 graduate of the university of notre dame.

Judy fean, director of campus ministry, reminded the audience before the lecture about the topic of discussion.

“The presentation is solely about the catholic church’s magisterial teaching about the subject of homosexuality,” she said. “The origins of homosexuality,

the issue of therapies and the political issues about same-sex marriage is not part of this presentation tonight.”

sutton said he became interested in the church’s view on homosexuality through his interest in fatherhood.

“i began writing about fatherhood, and fatherlessness. sometimes the issue of not having a dad, or sometimes it is the issue of having too much of one kind of dad,” he said. “i became aware of a lot of writings in this area of what we would call samesex attraction.”

sutton said the church teaches that love is the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being.

see lecTure PaGe 5

By SARAH SWIDERSKI news writer

on Tuesday afternoon, saint mary’s students had the chance to participate in a simulation that showed what it is like to get behind the wheel drunk or while texting.

The student government association (sga) and women’s health center co-sponsored “arrive alive” to promote safe driving. The event brought in uniTe, a group that promotes safe driving by encouraging students to drive sober and put the phone down.

student body president maureen parsons participated in the simulation and said she was surprised at how hands-on it was.

“i wasn’t expecting to have to use the steering, gas, and brakes. i was only expecting the goggles,” she said.

The simulation included a mazda 6 suv with front wheels placed on optic sensors that feed

data into a computer, according to uniTe representative Jan griffith. The steering wheel and pedals featured sensors as well “basically turning the car into a controller,”

griffith said.

The participants wore the goggles when driving the car and they

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Policies

Callie Brown senior holy cross

“g oing home to san francisco and la for the usc game.”

Allie Schultz sophomore holy cross

“i’m

Chanler Rosenbaum sophomore holy cross

“spending time with my nieces and black friday shopping with my sisters.”

Tess Siver sophomore holy cross

“g oing home to 70 degree weather in a rizona with my family.”

Lauren Ozmanski sophomore holy cross

“g oing home to c hicago for the oz family Turkey bowl.”

Clare Durant freshman mccandless

“g oing to a farm in w isconsin.”

Staff

from a nov. 13 article, “university unveils paris program,” the new study abroad program at the université paris diderot in paris, france, will be the second study abroad option in that city, along with the social science program at i nstitut d’etudes politique. The article incorrectly identified program as the university’s first in the french capital. The observer regrets this error.

Wednesday

“Man as the Primary Way for the University”

Carole Sandner Hall

12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m.

Lunch and lecture.

“Re-Personalizing Medicine”

Jordan Hall

7 p.m.-8 p.m.

Lecture on reinforcing pathos in medicine.

Thursday

“An Irish Perspective: Doing Business in a Global Economy”

Mendoza College

5 p.m.-6:15 p.m.

Speaker Mary Hanafin.

Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra

DeBartolo Performing

Arts Center

8 p.m.-9:30 p.m.

Concert tickets $3-$6.

Friday

“The World’s Need for Strong American Leadership” Geddes Hall

2 p.m.-4 p.m.

Speaker John Keane.

Fall Concert: Notre Dame Glee Club DeBartolo

Saturday

“What’s So Funny About a Joke”

Snite Museum of Art

12 p.m.-1 p.m.

Part of the Saturday Scholar Series.

Roller Skates and Sonic LaFortune Student Center

10 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Indoor skating.

Sunday

Women’s

Senior designs, sells bags for children’s hospital

By MADELINE MILES news writer

s enior Kate Kellogg, vice president of s aint m ary’s d ance m arathon, first introduced her custom-designed canvas tote to campus in the fall of 2011.

“ w hen i was in high school, i would choose colors and fabric to create my own bag to bring to school,” Kellogg explained. “my mom’s business, the Queen and i d esigns, had talented sewers that would put together exactly what i was envisioning.”

l ast year, when Kellogg constructed her own vision of a s aint m ary’s bag for students to haul their books around campus, she thought of incorporating d ance m arathon.

“i decided to mass-produce the bag that i had wanted for my own personal use and sell it through d ance m arathon,” Kellogg said. “i thought it would be a great way for business and to raise awareness

and donations for d ance m arathon.”

Kellogg’s mother Jan said she and her company are very supportive of the s aint m ary’s d ance m arathon totes.

“i have loved working with Kate on her bag designs,” Jan said. “it’s fun to have a mother-daughter project and to see her ideas produced as a product.”

The popular navy canvas totes with a white imprinted f rench c ross have been extremely popular around campus.

This year Kate engineered a new canvas tote for dance m arathon with a black and tan block pattern, but still imprinted with a white f rench c ross that is a signature of the c ollege.

Kate said d ance m arathon has multiple fundraisers throughout the year in order to reach the final goal of $88,000.

Throughout the rest of this week, d ance m arathon will be selling Kate’s custom-designed

designed the bag along with the help of her

totes with 30 percent of the proceeds benefitting r iley c hildren’s hospital.

a long with the sale of the canvas totes, d ance m arathon is also hosting a g iveback night at b etween the b uns on november 19, where 15 percent of all purchases will

go towards r iley c hildren’s hospital.

Kate said she has enjoyed her involvement in d ance m arathon and r iley c hildren’s hospital and urges all of the notre d ame, s aint m ary’s and holy c ross communities to participate.

“it’s great to be doing something that i love and that expresses my creativity,” she said, “while also knowing donations will be going to a great cause.”

Contact Madeline Miles at mmiles01@saintmarys.edu

a lumni recognized by south bend community

By ANN MARIE JAKUBOWSKI news writer

four people with notre dame connections will be honored tonight at the s outh

b end a lumni a ssociation’s 26th annual c ommunity hall of fame banquet. The banquet, held at the c entury c enter, will recognize nine members of the

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community, including journalism professor and s outh b end Tribune reporter Jack c olwell, former notre dame football player and nfl chaplain a nthony Johnson,

former notre dame a lumni a ssociation director c harles

l ennon, and women’s Task force founder Joan l ennon.

a ccording to the s outh b end a lumni a ssociation’s website, the hall of fame’s primary goal is “to publicly recognize individuals whose achievements and services have distinguished both themselves and the s outh b end community.”

The requirements for eligibility hold that candidates must have “resided or worked in the s outh b end community for ten or more years” and that they “must have notable personal achievements and/or made notable contributions at the local, state, national, or international level.”

c olwell, a professor in notre dame’s Journalism, ethics and d emocracy program, said that he was “surprised and honored” by the nomination.

“personally, i think it’s a high honor, especially when i look at the names of the people who have been inducted over the years, like [ university president emeritus] fr. [Theodore] hesburgh and Knute rockne,” c olwell said. “it’s a very distinguished group of people who have served the s outh b end area, and i’m really honored to be included.”

c olwell currently teaches a dvanced reporting and persuasion c ommentary and c riticism at notre dame, in addition to writing a weekly column for the s outh b end Tribune and contributing to the howey politics blog.

“i started as a police reporter for the Tribune and then did general assignments before covering politics,” c olwell said. “i began writing a column which is political in nature, but concerns itself more with community issues and problems and not just hardcore politics.”

c olwell said the award honors his profession beyond his individual contributions.

“i accept induction as an honor for the right kind of journalism, the journalism of colleagues i worked with for so long at the s outh b end Tribune,” c olwell said.

Johnson played on the 1988 national championship tea, and led the team in scoring with 35 touchdowns during his four years at notre dame. he went on to play professionally and now serves as the team chaplain for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

c harles and Joan l ennon worked with the notre dame a lumni a ssociation during c harles l ennon’s time as director and both volunteered extensively in the community at organizations including the city’s redevelopment d epartment and the women’s Task force of st. Joseph regional medical c enter.

Contact Ann Marie Jakubowski at ajakubo1@nd.edu

Members enjoy benefits of Minnesota Club

By KATIE McCARTY news writer

a nnie p lachta, a sophomore and co-vice president of the m innesota c lub at n otre d ame, has a hard time deciding what her favorite thing is about her home state.

s he can start, however, with the strong m innesota presence on campus at n otre d ame. The m innesota c lub is one of only four state clubs on campus and has roughly 250 to 300 members.

“The club puts on a lot of really great events,” p lachta said. “ we work with the m innesota a lumni c lub every a ugust to put together the freshman send-off, so pretty much everyone that attends that is already in the club.”

This year’s freshman class from m innesota is the largest in history. 81 freshmen came to campus this a ugust from the state. “ we just put on fun events, and try to have an event every month or so,” p lachta said.

The club puts on the annual “ f lannel f ormal” in the early spring semester every year, collaborating with the Texas c lub to host the

event. o ther events planned include a m innesota n ight at the c ompton f amily i ce a rena, in which the club will attend a hockey game.

“The club is all about spreading ‘ m innesota n ice,’” p lachta said. “ d uring finals week we organize goody bags for our members. we fill the bags with f rappuccino coupons and candy bars, for example, and deliver them door to door.”

The club hosted an event last Thursday called the n orthern l ights 5K run. r unners were given glow sticks and completed the run completely in the dark. The proceeds went to orphanages and promoted education for children in a frica, a cause advocated by another club officer.

“ we had about 50 people come out, which was great considering it was the first year we have had the event,” p lachta said. “ we are hoping it will grow over the next few years.”

a nother perk of being a part of the m innesota c lub includes a strong connection to the m innesota a lumni c lub. The alumni and campus clubs “have a really good

connection,” p alchta said.

“They provide a bus home for fall, Thanksgiving, c hristmas, and spring breaks, and they also sponsor tailgates for us. a nyone is allowed to come,” she said.

i n addition to connecting to students during their four years here, the m innesota a lumni c lub also provides a unique opportunity to members through the g o irish program. This program is

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designed to help members connect with jobs and internships. m embers submit an application to one source and their application circulates to various offices around the Twin c ities area.

“The program is a great resource for our members,” p lachta said. “The best part of the club is meeting other m innesotans. we have a special bond and love putting on events that make

m innesotans feel almost like they are back home.” a s for club membership, p lachta said that it is open to anyone who wants to join as well as anyone who wants to celebrate their love for m innesota. “ you don’t necessarily have to be from m innesota,” she said.

Contact Kate McCarty at kmccar16@nd.edu

altered the driver’s vision as they navigated the computerized roads.

in addition to the simulation itself, participants were asked to take a survey before and after concerning their distracted driving habits. griffith said that students are drawn to the simulation because it helps educate them and increase awareness of distracted driving behaviors.

“because [the simulation] is set up like a video game it gets people to participate and educated…the results of the survey show that as well,” he said.

Josh hull, a uniTe representative also at the simulation, added that participants are inclined to stop texting and driving after taking part in the testing.

“you find a majority of people [who participate], 83 percent said it would cause them to be less likely to drive distracted,” hull said.

meghan casey, student body

Lecture

“we need to start here, because if same-sex attraction is about anything, it is about finding ways to love ones’ self and others,” he said. “a nd every human being, not just catholics, not just christians, not just religious people, people of good will, we seek the truth, but every person is called to love.”

The main challenge of the church today is in all areas of morality, sutton said.

“The challenge is to show that the call to chastity for instance is in fact a call to be blessed,” he said. “we are blessed if we do this. … we are called to something, not just to do something.”

in the discussion surrounding the church’s teachings on homosexuality, sutton laid out the catechism of the catholic church’s offenses against the

vice president, said the simulation was harder than it looked.

“i was really terrible. [The simulation] was really difficult,” casey said. “i didn’t even get far enough to realize how much it was affecting me.”

casey, along with the other participants, received a mock citation upon completing the demonstration that listed the driving infractions she committed during the experiment.

when texting while driving during the simulation, casey was cited for speeding, swerving, failing to stop and collision. she fared even worse in the mock drunk driving segment where she swerved, failed to stop, and committed vehicular manslaughter by hitting two pedestrians.

“receiving the citations and infractions that occurred during the simulation showed that [driving] under influence or being a distracted driver can cause a lot of destruction on the road,” casey said. parsons said that she thought the

sixth commandment.

“homosexuality is mentioned after a number of other offenses against chastity,” he said. “masturbation, fornication, pornography, and prostitution and rape … and then after that it mentions offenses against fertility.”

sutton said in context, the church should be an “equal-opportunity annoyer”.

“w hen it comes to chastity … the church has something to challenge everybody with not just persons of same-sex attraction,” he said. “i believe the church has done to little in challenging all of us.”

sutton said the catholic church makes a distinction between a homosexuality tendency or feeling and an actual homosexual act.

“To feel or desire something is one thing, but to actually act that way is another thing,” he said.

experience of the simulation was eye-opening.

“The texting and driving [experience] was really difficult. it’s interesting. The car is really good at simulating situations you could potentially be in,” she said.

The computer program used to run the simulation takes into account delayed reaction time. even if a participant thinks they are braking quickly enough the computer slows down the reaction time, imitating drunk driving.

The simulation also allowed students to try texting while driving.

Junior Jarusha lang said that before the simulation she would text at stoplights but now realizes that even texting then is dangerous.

“i will never pick up the phone [now],” she said.

“The average text takes 4.6 seconds to read and reply,” hull said. “you go a whole football field before you look up.”

hull also said that uniTe is currently developing an app for smart phones that will lock the phone

Quoting the 1975 declaration [an official statement from the magesterium of the catholic church] sutton said homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.

“They are contrary to natural law, they close the sexual act of the gift of life. … under no circumstances could they be approved,” he said. “These acts are intrinsically disordered.”

sutton said other acts that are intrinsically disordered include suicide.

“in other words, under no circumstances would this act be acceptable,” he said.

a fter sutton finished with his presentation, there was a question-and-answer for the audience to engage with the speaker.

senior francesca gifford asked about natural law.

“you mentioned natural law as being a part of the church’ss delineation of why homosexuality is essentially wrong. could you

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when the person is driving over 15 miles per hour. he said that the app is able to do this by using gps he said that the app will be free at events but will also be available for purchase at a low cost. until the app comes out, uniTe will pass out key chains with participants’ pictures on the back to

explain where in the natural law it says homosexuality is intrinsically ordered?” gifforddasked.

sutton said he could not answer the question simply, but would try.

“a natural-law person would ask what is the purpose of human sexuality, what is its goals,” he said. “a desire is something that would be contrary, to want to do something that would be always considered the wrong thing to do is a wrong desire because it would never be right to do it.”

freshman hannah brinkman asked how many times the bible mentioned homosexuality is wrong, compared to how many times living without fear or the unconditional love of god is mentioned.

“w hy do you think this is such an important thing to address as compared to the goodness that the bible teaches?” she asked.

remind them to drive safely. for parsons, however, that won’t be a problem.

“i will not be texting and driving or drinking and driving any time soon,” she said.

Contact Sarah Swiderski at sswide01@saintmarys.edu

sutton said his answer did not just mention same-sex attraction, but all people who are living chastely.

“going back to talking about the church being an ‘equal-opportunity annoyer’, it should be because i want the best for not only my children, but my spiritual children as well,” he said. “by experience, all unchaste behavior, of any sort, is harmful ultimately to those participating in it.”

finally, senior london lamar asked about if the church would modernizesits views, specifically about women’s rights or homosexuality.

“given we are moving towards a more pro-choice society, with women more independent and able to make more choices for themselves, a lot of [the offenses ox the sixth commandment] seemed like a very old-school way of thinking,” she said. “has the church made any moves to kind of be more accepting of this turn in the generations? not just women, but people, period?”

sutton said what the church is doing is trying to understand how to better communicate their tradition to an audience for who technology has made things possible.

“in other words, the church has always taught, for instanc…, birth control,…would be wrong,” he said. “in the last 50 years, now technology makes it possible things that were really unthinkable before.”

sutton said what he thought she was asking was if because these technologies are available, the church would come around.

“my answer is no, the church will not,” he said. “my first thought is a quote from ‘Jurassic park’. ‘The problem here is you were so concerned about what you could do, that you didn’t stop to think about what you should do.’”

Thigpen

notre dame.

bock remembered Thigpen as “a wonderful young man who was interested in helping people.”

“he was somebody who really had a bright future. … he was interested in health in kind of a global sense, certainly he was interested in clinical practice in going to medical school,” bock said. “That was his intent. he was also interested in the humanitarian

side of global health.”

bock met Thigpen for the first time shortly before he began to study at notre dame this year.

The colorado native was working on a cd of christian rock music with bock’s son.

“he was a very talented musician,” bock said. “he played in different cities. he stopped by to visit [notre dame] on his way to somewhere out east where he was going to be doing a concert even before the program started.”

bock spent time with Thigpen

years and counting.

“To get this award was really nice. i really admire what schweitzer did and what he stood for, and it is thrilling to receive an award named in his honor,” o’connell said. “i especially like his idea that rather than what we write, we should be remembered by what we do; we should let how we live be our argument.”

he did not know he was being considered for the award until he was contacted and told he had won, o’connell said.

“The nomination was unsolicited and they only notified me after they had made the decision. i had no idea it was happening prior to that,” o’connell said.

o’connell also received notre dame’s dr. Thomas a dooley award in 2003. he said the two physicians he most admires are Tom dooley and albert schweitzer.

“Tom dooley and albert schweitzer were legends while i was growing up. i also remember reading schweitzer’s ‘The Quest of the historical Jesus’ while at school,” he said.

o’connell said his undergraduate experience at notre dame did much to shape his interest in social justice.

“i was blessed to be at notre dame during tumultuous times — i was there from 1966 to 1970 i cherished my days at notre dame during these times because, even though it felt like the world was falling apart around us, the atmosphere at notre dame taught me to be reflective and to value social justice,” he said. “my time at notre dame instilled a desire to find out where i belong and how i could help people.”

o’connell received the award for his work with bpchp, a program that he helped found in 1985 and has worked for ever since.

o’connell said he was training to become an oncologist at massachusetts general hospital when the hospital’s chief of medicine suggested he oversee the creation of a new health care program for boston’s homeless population, which had funding but needed a full-time doctor.

“i am the founder entirely by serendipity,” he said. “i got derailed from my path by the advice of the chief of medicine and another doctor, Tom durant.”

o’connell said he originally intended to work for one year establishing the bhchp, but instead remained with the program for 27

and other members of the program at his family’s home along the st. Joseph river in south bend, where he once offered the students a chance to go out on the water in kayaks. he remembered Thigpen as happy to be on the water outdoors.

“he went out on the river in a double kayak and he loved it,” bock said.

Thigpen has been deeply moved by the summer shootings at a movie theater in aurora, colo., and was planning to turn

The most rewarding part of his work with bhchp is hearing his patients’ personal stories, o’connell said.

“you have the opportunity to hear their stories and the stories are really mind-blowing; they’ve overcome serious obstacles. you also get to see the courage with which they face adversity,” he said. “it’s a privilege to work with this population.”

o’connell said he also relishes the demands the job places on his medical knowledge and abilities.

“from a non-moral perspective, i’ve enjoyed how challenging the medicine is. many of my patients have unbelievably complicated medical problems that take ingenuity, skill and creativity to treat,” he said.

The most difficult aspect of his work is recognizing the limits of his ability to help, o’connell said.

“you learn early on you’re only a doctor, you don’t have the power to create social change and eradicate poverty,” he said. “most of us who enter this kind of work think we can change things quickly; learning i wasn’t able to change the world overnight was difficult.”

The bhchp is the largest freestanding health care program in the country devoted to caring for homeless individuals, o’connell said. o’connell said this involved a great deal of growth since he founded it in 1985.

“i’ve been with the program since the beginning when there were only six or seven of us. now we have 350 employees, including 17 doctors, 40 nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants, more than 60 nurses, and a large support staff,” he said.

The bhchp operates daily clinics at the boston medical center and massachusetts general hospital, o’connell said. in addition, the program has opened its own 140 bed step-down hospital for patients who are too sick to return to shelters but do not need intensive care. o’connell said many of these patients are receiving treatment for chronic diseases, recovering from surgery, or receiving end of life care.

he said the program also sends teams of doctors, nurses, and nurse practitioners to various homeless shelters around the city. o’connell heads a team that cares for homeless patients who remain outside of shelters.

“my clinical life is spent going out into the streets to care for the homeless population outside of shelters,” he said.

his master’s research project into an assessment of youth violence in the south bend area with bock.

“he was full of life,” bock said. “his eyes sparkled. it’s just tragic.”

associate vice president of student a ffairs erin hoffman harding informed the notre dame community of Thigpen’s loss Tuesday afternoon in an email. university president fr. John Jenkins also released a statement expressing his sympathy and asking students, faculty

The bhchp teams go to the homeless people they care for rather than just maintaining a presence in hospitals because many of their patients cannot come to them, o’connell said.

“if we wait for people to come to us, the pressures of homelessness — especially finding their next meal — will prevent them from attending to their health.”

as president of the bhchp, o’connell works on development, strategic planning and advocates for public policies on behalf of the program, he said. o’connell said he was formerly the program’s director, but for the past 15 years has allowed a new director to run dayto-day operations while he serves as president and directly treats homeless patients as a physician.

o’connell said he enjoys his current role within the bhchp, especially since he can continue to actively practice medicine.

“i have kind of the ideal life, and i get paid for it,” o’connell said. “i love being a doctor; it’s a fulfilling

life.”

The bhchp is one of 19 pilot programs started with funds from the robert wood Johnson foundation and the pew charitable Trust, and is now funded by the human resources and services administration’s bureau of primary health.

There are now 230 health care for the homeless programs around the u s., including programs in the virgin islands and puerto rico, which are based from the 19 pilot programs.

o’connell said that since health care for the homeless programs have spread to nearly every major city in the u s., the focus is shifting to adapting each program to its respective city and incorporating it into the established health care systems.

“The challenge now is being creative and becoming part of the mainstream health care system in the city. one of the first things i learned from homeless advocates is that it won’t work if it’s separate

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and staff to remember Thigpen in their thoughts.

“our deepest condolences are with michael’s family, friends and colleagues,” Jenkins said. “my prayers are with them during this difficult time.”

The university counseling center and campus ministry are available to offer their support to the notre dame community during this time.

Contact Megan Doyle at mdoyle11@nd.edu

and looks like charity and there needs to be consistency — that means employees rather than volunteers,” he said.

o’connell, who studied philosophy and theology at cambridge after his four years at notre dame and did not begin medical school at harvard until the age of 30, said students unsure of their future plans should not worry that they will miss out on a bright future.

“you have to listen to your heart and be patient; it took me a while to figure out what i wanted to do,” he said.

o’connell also said students interested in public health should look to the needs of south bend and other nearby communities.

“look in the shadows of our ivory towers and you’ll find people in need of your help. you don’t have to look far afield to find a place where you can do some good,” o’connell said.

Contact Christan Myers at cmyers8@nd.edu

most students have never been, such as the chapel in m oreau s eminary, or to revisit old ones, such as the g rotto.

“ i remember finding the g rotto for the first time as a freshman — i sort of stumbled upon it by accident and was just stunned by its beauty, and by the fact that such a place was tucked away right here at n otre d ame,” b arrett said. “ i hope everyone can

find a place here which moves them that much and which becomes a beloved spot, a place they can return again and again for prayer, whether in grief, joy, confusion or praise.”

s tudents can also augment their year of faith experiences by reading more in the c atechism and vatican ii documents, b arrett said.

“The documents of vatican ii and the c atechism receive special recognition because they guide the faithful worldwide,” she said. “o n c ampus

m inistry’s year of faith website we will highlight ways to use these two resources to find out more about the theme of each month.”

w hile individuals can follow the year of faith by keeping up with the themes posted on the c ampus m inistry website, some dorm commissioners are trying to incorporate more members of their halls into these activities, b arrett said.

“c ampus m inistry commissioners are working with us to create activities within

the halls that will support and coincide with the year of faith themes and ideas,” she said. “ f or example, several halls already do g rotto walks together, and others will be trying them for the first time.”

b arrett said another way to better live out the year of faith is to share it with friends.

“ i f you find something online that you like, why not ask a friend to join you in that activity?” she said. “ s ometimes we feel uncomfortable asking

our friends to join us in a spiritual activity, but you never know who just needs to be asked — it’s worth being bold and taking a chance.! you never know, for instance, who would love to go walk the s tations of the c ross around s t. Joe l ake with you — just try asking.”

To learn more about the year of faith, visit http:// campusministry.nd.edu/ about/year-of-faith/.

Contact Tori Roeck at vroeck@nd.edu

head of u. s . a frica c ommand demoted

Associated Press

washing T on — d efense

s ecretary l eon p anetta has demoted the former head of u s a frica c ommand who was accused of spending thousands of dollars on lavish travel and other unauthorized expenses, a senior u s . official said Tuesday.

p anetta stripped g en. w illiam “Kip” w ard of a star, which means that he will now retire as a three-star lieutenant general despite arguments from the chairman of the Joint c hiefs of s taff against the demotion. w ard also has been ordered to repay the government $82,000.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person wasn’t authorized to discuss a personnel matter.

The demotion comes as

retired a rmy g en. d avid p etraeus resigned as cia director because of an extramarital affair and m arine g en. John a llen is being investigated for potentially improper communications with a woman.

a ccording to the official, p anetta reviewed the w ard matter and concluded that the wrongdoing found by the d efense d epartment i nspector g eneral, in a report released earlier this year, demanded accountability.

i n a statement issued Tuesday, a spokesman for w ard said the general “has never been motivated by personal gain and fulfilled each and every mission assigned to him and served his country and the men and women assigned to his commands with distinction.”

The spokesman, c hris

g arrett, added that, “ w hile g eneral w ard is not perfect he has always been guided by his faith in g od and the belief that there is no greater honor as a patriot than to lead those who choose to serve our nation in the armed forces.”

r etiring as a threestar will cost w ard about $30,000 a year in retirement pay — giving him close to $208,802 a year rather than the $236,650 he would get as a four-star.

a rmy g en. m artin d empsey, chairman of the Joint c hiefs of s taff, urged p anetta to allow w ard, the former head of u s a frica c ommand, to retire at his full four-star general rank, according to defense officials. o ther military leaders had noted that the demotion would cost w ard a lot of money.

paid a dverT isemen T paid a dverT isemen T

The inspector general’s report found that w ard used military vehicles to shuttle his wife on shopping trips and to a spa and billed the government for a refueling stop overnight in b ermuda, where the couple stayed in a $750 suite. The report detailed lengthy stays at lavish hotels for w ard, his wife and his staff members, and the use of five-vehicle motorcades when he traveled to w ashington.

i t also said w ard and his wife, Joyce, accepted dinner and b roadway show tickets from a government contractor during a trip during which he went backstage to meet actor d enzel w ashington. The couple and several staff members also spent two nights at the w aldorf a storia hotel.

o ther charges were that w ard often extended his overseas trips — particularly those to the u s . — for personal reasons, resulting in “exponential” increases in costs.

a lthough the report included responses from w ard to a number of the allegations, investigators often found records and statements that contradicted his explanations. a t one point,

w ard defended the b ermuda layover, saying that it came up on short notice, which is why his security team had to stay there longer. The report found records showing that the layover had been planned for at least four days in advance.

a common theme running through the report was w ard’s insistence that his wife travel with him at government cost, even though it was often not authorized and she performed few official duties. i t said he also routinely stayed in highpriced suites in luxury hotels rather than in standard rooms or less expensive locales.

The allegations, coming after a 17-month investigation, have delayed w ard’s planned a pril 2011 retirement. a nd they were an embarrassing end note to his career, since he had claimed a place in history as the military’s first commander of a frica c ommand.

p anetta’s options regarding w ard were limited by complex laws and military guidelines. h e had only one real choice: allow w ard to retire as a four-star or demote him and force him to retire as a three-star lieutenant general.

i n order for w ard to be demoted to two-star rank,

investigators would have to conclude that he also had problems before moving to a frica c ommand, and officials said that does not appear to be the case.

The investigation dragged on for so long that that w ard was temporarily dropped to two-star general status. u nder military guidelines, if a full general is not serving in a four-star command or office for more than 60 days, he or she is automatically reduced to two-star rank. w ard would not be able to recoup any back pay for the time at the two-star rank, even though he is being retired at the three-star level. m ajor general, or two-star, is the highest rank to which an officer can be promoted by regular military action. b ecoming a three-star — lieutenant general — or a four-star general requires a presidential nomination and confirmation by c ongress. i t, therefore, is not considered permanent and lasts only as long as the person is serving in a job of that rank.

That technical demotion is not uncommon as generals move from job to job and unexpected delays occur. i t would not have affected w ard’s ability to retire as a four-star, if he had been cleared of the charges.

Cause of explosion remains unknown

Associated Press

indianapolis —

i nvestigators in the i ndianapolis explosion that killed two people and decimated a neighborhood believe natural gas was involved and are looking at appliances as they search for a cause, a state official said Tuesday.

i ndianapolis homeland

s ecurity d irector g ary c oons made the announcement after the national Transportation s afety b oard said investigators had found no leaks in the gas main or pipes leading into the house that exploded. The explosion s aturday leveled two homes and left dozens more uninhabitable.

c oons said his “investigators believe natural gas is involved” and were “recovering the appliances from destroyed homes to help determine the cause.”

“b ased on the n T sb statement, our focus is on the houses and appliances,” c oons said in a statement.

The blast showed some signs that aren’t typical of a natural gas explosion caused by an appliance, experts said, but it still could have been tied to a faulty furnace — if conditions were right.

a n owner of the house believed to be at the center of the explosion has said the home’s furnace had been having problems. b ut experts said that doesn’t mean homeowners should be worried that their furnaces are about to explode.

John e rickson, vice president of the a merican p ublic g as a ssociation, said it would take a far more serious malfunction than just a pilot light going out.

The natural gas lines inside the house would be under the oversight of the utility or the state, said n T sb spokesman Keith holloway.

c itizens e nergy spokeswoman s arah holsapple said the utility had found no leaks

in its underground facilities in the neighborhood.

The i ndiana utility r egulatory c ommission had no comment Tuesday.

r ichard s chreiber, a forensic mechanical engineer with i ntertek aim in s unnyvale, c alif., said it’s usually immediately evident whether the blast was caused by natural gas.

s chreiber said that with explosions involving solids such as dynamite, the center of the blast is tightly concentrated, creating a crater. e xplosions caused by flammable gas are typically spread out over a wide area, such as throughout the interior of a building filled with leaking gas, he said.

“i f the investigators don’t find a crater, that pretty much means it was something other than a solid phase explosion,” he said, meaning it’s likely to be a gas explosion.

b ut he also said such investigations can still take time. more than a dozen home explosions linked to natural gas have occurred in the last two years. m any involved a single home, though more devastating blasts tied to pipelines — including a 2011 explosion in a llentown, p a., that killed five people and a blast in 2010 in s an b runo, c alif., that killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes — have been reported.

a gas leak in a c olorado home last month sparked an explosion that sent five people to a hospital and damaged several homes.

e rickson said more gas blasts are caused by appliances than by pipelines, but even those are rare. Technological advances such as microprocessors and the switch from pilot lights to electronic ignition have made appliances safer, he said. g as companies have been required since 1970 to add a chemical that smells like rotten eggs to the odorless gas to make leaks easier to detect.

food for thought

a fter two weeks of intense studying — you can definitely sense around campus Thanksgiving break is just around the corner — i finally feel i have a couple of days to get my life back on track. a nd, when i say “life” i mean organize my room, clean my kitchen and apartment common area, catch up on some of my favorite shows and cook.

yes, cook.

for the past weeks, my diet has consisted of strawberry nutri g rain bars, e asy m ac bowls, lots of coffee and the occasional s ubway, b urger King or Taco b ell quick meal at l a f un. i haven’t had the time just to sit down and cook something i really want to eat.

s o, as i was walking back home from my 2 p.m. class on Tuesday, knowing i had nothing to hand in or prepare for today, i decided i would endeavor into cooking a healthy, delicious, i nstagram picture-worthy meal. i would relax, unwind and finally stop my crazy and hectic eating habits — for a day or two at least. o nce home, i placed all of the groceries i had in my fridge in the kitchen counter. Just looking at them made me want to start mixing different ingredients right at the moment. however, before making an unappetizing mess — i seriously lack knowledge and creativity in the kitchen — i decided to consult with my loyal and super-chic friend, the l ondoner.

“ w ho’s the l ondoner?” you might ask. a guilty blog-addict, the l ondoner is one of the many websites i follow on a daily basis. it’s the blog of a b ritish marketing consultant in her twenty-somethings named r ose. i n it she posts about fashion, travel, things to do in l ondon and, of course, food.

r ose has the best recipes. They are easy to make, mouth-watering plates that will definitely impress your family, friends and even yourself. f rom creative versions of the traditional hamburger to her most popular “ s lutty b rownies,” you will find all kinds of delicious ideas in the l ondoner.

s o, if you just finished the most of your schoolwork due before Thanksgiving like me or will in a couple of days or so, take a peek at the l ondonder’s recipes and let them inspire you.

i’m still debating between her “avocado s paghetti” or her “ s picy l emon c hicken w rap”.

d ecisions, decisions…

Contact Maria Fernandez at mfernan5@nd.edu

Quotation remarks

i really love quotes. i have word documents, moleskines, onenote presentations and numerous iphone notes full of them. i first fell in love with quotes in high school when, as i asked numerous theological and philosophical questions of myself and my faith, my mentor, mr. yeazell, countered with ideas from just about everyone — from dr. seuss to the pope. These short little nuggets of wisdom helped me see difficult concepts in meaningful ways. and since then, i have made it a point to have them ready just in case i can help others to see, too. not only are they words of wisdom for me, but mantras to live by, words that guide how i act in and think about the world.

i still remember the first quote i ever memorized: “do not delay gratitude.” it is a quote i try to remember intentionally every year, especially around this time at Thanksgiving. but there is one thank you that, for one reason or another, has gotten delayed. it is a thank you i have been meaning to say, but never quite had the right words. now, five years later, the words have finally come.

This thank you begins with a bit of back story. my first two years of high school were some of the most difficult and miserable of my life. i became consumed with a strong drive to study and succeed, a drive only exacerbated by the competitive environment at my high school. This drive eventually consumed all of my thoughts and desires, so much so that activities like theater, a source of joy during childhood

and junior high, simply became nothing more than a means to an end, a line-item on a resume i thought would be my golden ticket to the college — and future — of my dreams.

but the toxicity of my desires began to weigh on my heart. Two years of intense work had indeed resulted in a point increase on my gpa, but a few points’ decrease in my relationships and family life. i had relatively few friends, rarely hung out with people on the weekends and did not go to a single dance. i began to realize what i really longed for was not the security and assurance of the college of my dreams, but the security and assurance of knowing i was loved. but i had closed myself off from this love for so long that i no longer knew where to turn to find it again. everything changed during the fall of my junior year. after the closing night of our fall show, i saw an unfamiliar screen name and message pop onto my aim window out of the blue. The message came from a girl named allison, who, unbeknownst to me, had happened to see the production because her boyfriend was in the show. she had liked my performance and wanted to introduce herself. little did i know her simple hello would blossom into a friendship that would change my life.

although i did not quite see it fully at the time, allison showed me a way back to discover my true heart.

she gave me opportunities to love — she invited me to do things alongside her friends who, coincidentally, were people i had been acting with all along. her care broke through the ambition which had closed me off from others. her attention

opened my heart in ways i never thought possible.

muhammad ali once wrote, “friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. it’s not something you learn in school. but if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.” i thought people would only respect me if i did well and succeeded in class. but i realized allison didn’t care about how much i could achieve. she wanted to know me, deeply and truly. and i came to realize that i wanted to know people in that way too.

c s lewis wrote, “w hat does not satisfy us when we find it was not the thing we were desiring.” all along, i had been searching for my happiness in what i could achieve, not how much i could love or open myself to the unconditional love of others. allison taught me friendship is a form of love, a love so powerful it can break through a stolid and focused heart. and that’s something i never could learn from a book.

Kate dicamillo once wrote, “if you have no intention of loving or being loved, the whole journey is pointless.” i thought i had my whole journey planned out, but allison’s friendship showed me another way. her love was a reminder that perhaps my destination does not lie here, but in god, who satisfies all desires.

Scott Boyle is a graduate of Notre Dame and intern in the Office of Campus Ministry. He can be reached at sboyle2@nd.edu

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

“i

Bob Dylan U.S. singer & songwriter

w hat’s your favorite part of Thanksgiving?

Tweet your response with #ViewpointPoll by 5 p.m. Thursday

Reduce the deficit, win millions

in consultation with my brain trust (who prefers to go unnamed) i’ve devised this system to increase revenue and put a dent in the deficit.

The late great film producer cecil b. demille said, “creativity is a drug i cannot live without.”

in that case, someone ought to hook congress up with cecil’s prescription, because for all of the brains and charisma in washington, there’s strikingly little creativity when it comes to fixing the current debt crisis.

with the fiscal cliff on the horizon, republicans and democrats just can’t agree on a plan to reduce the federal deficit. we all want washington to “get things done,” but the prospects of that happening appear to be dimmed after this status quo election — same republican house, same democratic senate, same president. we could wait and see which package of combined spending cuts and tax increases our elected officials are likely to negotiate in the coming months. instead, i propose it’s time to get creative and diverge from their hackneyed talking points. one idea: goodbye spending cuts versus tax increases, hello national lottery.

LeTTers To The edITor

It’s the county’s

call

e ditor:

p edestrian safety has always been a top priority for the u niversity of n otre d ame. i n recent months u niversity planners have worked with s t. Joseph c ounty officials to assess the cross-walk at Twyckenham r oad and vaness s treet (“ s tudents p etition for l ight,” n ov. 12.)

The u niversity will continue to discuss possible solutions with the county, but while we are committed to improving pedestrian safety at that intersection, the county has the ultimate authority in deciding how best to proceed.

Dennis Brown u niversity spokesman n ov. 13

it’s hard to say exactly how many people play the lottery every week, but we do know this: lots of people play, and they will keep on playing.

u s. lottery sales totaled $58 billion in 2010. more than half of all a mericans have bought a ticket in the last year. a ll this despite the fact the chances of winning the powerball are roughly one in 175.2 million and many a mericans are still struggling in a down economy.

so why do a mericans keep playing the lotto?

“w hen times are tough, and we are continually struggling to get in command of our financial lives, a little fantasy goes a long way to feeling better,” explains behavioral psychologist dr. stephen goldbart. “for most a mericans, believing in the a merican dream … is a fantasy fraught with anxiety and confusion … so try a little lottery ticket, put aside what you really need to do to get your life on track, and be part of something bigger than your problems.”

uWIre

a mericans are more than willing to give their hard-earned money to the government, as long as there is some chance of them striking it rich by doing so — even if that chance is smaller than dying of a bee sting.

Though it varies from state to state, the basics of any lottery are simple: you buy a ticket and are entered into the drawing to win the jackpot. The government takes a portion of the money that you spent on the ticket and uses it for various programs like education or state parks. The rest of the ticket money goes towards the jackpot.

instead of operating on a state-by-state basis, why not institute a national lottery with an exponentially bigger jackpot and exponentially more participants? if we take the numbers from 2010, the $58 billion in revenue from tickets could be cut in half, with $29 billion going towards the jackpot and $29 billion going straight to paying down the debt. with the proper marketing public enthusiasm will surely increase — think regis philbin once again asking a mericans, ‘w ho wants to be a millionaire?’ increased enthusiasm translates to more tickets and more

revenue. it’s easy to imagine the total annual revenue increasing to something close to, say, $80 billion.

That means $40 billion towards the debt. do that for 10 years — that’s $400 billion closer to balancing a merica’s checkbook.

granted, $400 billion isn’t a cure-all for a government that spends by the trillions. The point is thinking outside the box (or in congress’s case, the rotunda) provides more solutions than legislative stalemates. with a handful more ideas like this, crazy as they may seem, the fiscal crisis might not be so daunting after all.

i started this column with a quote, so i suppose i’ll end it with one too. it would serve congress well to listen to the wise words of dr. seuss:

“Think left and think right and think low and think high. oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!”

John Sandberg is a junior political science major from Littleton, Colo. He can be reached at jsandbe1@nd.edu

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

secession not a reality

stated the “federal government has not led our citizens justly and with honor.” even solidly blue states such as new york and new Jersey have their own petitions.

elections are supposed to be that component of democracy built in to give citizens a chance to have their voices heard in governance.

but clearly some don’t quite understand that, as they expressed their dissatisfaction with the election in a unique way.

Twenty-one states, including some that have duplicates, have filed petitions with the w hite house to “peacefully … withdraw from the united states of a merica and create its own new government.”

some states, like Texas, whose petition had 51,069 signatures at the time of print, cited the federal government’s “neglect to reform domestic and foreign spending” and “blatant abuse” of citizens’ rights as reasons to secede. Texas, petitioners stated, does after all have the 15th-largest economy in the world.

florida, which eventually went democrat in the election, had more than 15,000 signatures on its petition and

The w hite house website states petitions that reach 25,000 signatures will be addressed, but it has also addressed past petitions with fewer signatures, such as one requesting the president’s honey ale recipe.

The real issue is not whether or not these states actually succeed with their desires to secede, for as yahoo columnist mike Krumboltz said, the likelihood of the government granting states permission to secede is “on par with winning the lottery while getting hit by a meteor while seeing bigfoot while finding gluten-free pizza that tastes like the real thing.”

w hat these noble citizens who took to the internet and very spiritedly utilized their first a mendment rights to petition haven’t quite realized is that they already had their chance to make a difference with their opinions — nov. 6, at the polls. The people of the u s. spoke, and the majority elected barack obama as president.

if it’s obama they don’t like, dissenters will have their chance in four years to voice their preference again. This is the way the system of democracy has worked in this country since its inception.

The petitions filed are basically petitions against democracy and mark the heightened levels of partisanship and non-cooperation that deeply divides the nation.

w hat has yet to be specified is what form of government the “country” of Texas or florida would have to look forward to upon secession. clearly, it can’t be democracy, because the next time a candidate with a less-than-100-percent approval rating comes to office, a new country would have to be formed — and that would be a bit exhausting.

but if not for democracy, would the people have a right to petition this way?

This column originally ran in the Nov. 13 edition of the The Oracle, serving the University of South Florida.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

By CLAIRE STEPHENS

s cene writer

if you go wandering down the grand spiral staircase of the mendoza college of business, adorned with lights and christmas garland, you’ll eventually find café commons, hidden away in the hallways of the basement. it’s a perfect place to get a quick bite, and students and faculty alike come here to enjoy the trendy new furniture and calm atmosphere.

What they’re known for

The sandwich bar gives you all the customization of subway without having to make the trek to la fortune. from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., sandwiches or wraps can be made with your choice of meat, cheese, bread, vegetables and wet salad. for a healthier option, carrots and celery can replace pretzels and chips. for something a little different, the café has specials, including a barbeque beef sandwich, meatball sub or quesadilla.

What else is in stock

before 11 a.m., breakfast sandwiches on bagels or croissants are sold — a staple of campus cafes for groggy

and hungry students in the morning — and made fresh to order. if you’re not in the mood for a sandwich, there are a couple of soup options daily, as well as a combination deal for half a sandwich and a soup. for snacks, there are chips and a good selection of candy.

Who goes there

you’ll mostly see business students, including mba students, frequenting café commons, as well as mendoza faculty members. it’s a good place for a quick lunch or snack to go, but also has a cozy and comfortable sitting area. There are enough tables for big groups, and also bar style seats for a meeting with a professor or for working on your homework.

What you didn’t know they had

There is a pretty impressive selection of drinks, considering the size of the quaint café. different flavors and varieties of milks, juices, energy drinks, v itamin waters, fuse and soft drinks are available. There are also a handful of different coffee and tea options, including flavors like dark magic and rain forest nut.

Contact Claire Stephens at cstephe4@nd.edu

proudly on its sleeve; Twilight does the same in a literary sense, a technique that i believe english professors call “not being original.”

“The hobbit,” a children’s fantasy book following a diminutive adventurer and an enigmatic wizard as they battle dragons, trolls and magic, hit the shelves in 1937. in 1950, four english children stumbled through a wardrobe and into a land of lions and legends in “The l ion, the witch and the wardrobe.” in between, frank leahy led the notre dame football team to four ap national championships. in 1986, brian Jacques published the first in his series of novels featuring the mischief and adventures of a monastery run by mice, otters and other critters in “redwall.”

in 1988, lou holtz and rocket ismail led the irish to their 11th and final national championship to date. in 1998, “harry potter and the sorcerer’s stone” hit the u s irish football went 9-3. The irish went 10-3 in 2002 and 9-3 again in 2005, and it appeared the program was on the cusp of a full-fledged comeback to its former days of glory.

in 2005, stephanie meyer released the first in her four-part young adult fantasy fiction series, “Twilight.” The irish put up a valiant fight, pulling together a 10-3 season in 2006, but lapsed back into what could best be described, as rick reilly would later put it, irrelevance. a lesser man with more to do with his time would cry, “coincidence, you fool!” but i, in my infinite wisdom, disagree.

i see a string, thin though it may be, that threads its way through history and ties notre dame football and the “Twilight” series together inextricably. both draw inspiration from a deeply rooted history in their respective fields. notre dame wears its tradition

both, in recent history, are known for languishing in mediocrity, especially magnified the shadow cast by that former greatness. notre dame hasn’t made a sustained case for national dominance since lou holtz left. The knee-jerk reaction to stephanie meyer’s work is to label it junk, but it actually received generally positive reception when the books were first released. it was the movies that sank the series into a standing joke. we’ll get to that later.

both draw criticism and vitriol, both reasoned and irrational, like almost no other in their field. but, at the same time, both have a fan following, both reasoned and irrational, unmatched by any rival.

Try telling a well-read socialite your favorite book is “breaking dawn” or a michigan alumnus that notre dame is the greatest program in college football history and the look of disgust will likely be remarkably similar. on the flip side, try telling a 13-year-old girl what you really think about robert pattinson’s acting, or try writing an espn column about notre dame’s irrelevance, and the backlash will be shrill and severe.

The first of the “Twilight” films was released in 2008 (notre dame went 6-6), followed by sequels in the following three years, in which the irish went 6-6, 8-5 and 8-5. granted, the movies were worse than the team, but “new moon” had as good of a chance at winning a bcs national championship as any of those irish teams.

but this year, as we all know, the irish are 10-0. They’re ranked third in the country in every major poll. They’re two wins and a loss from oregon or Kansas state from a shot at a national championship. manti Te’o deserves a seat at the heisman Trohy presentation, if not the award

itself. This is the most successful notre dame team since holtz’s era.

so how does “Twilight” fit in, since obviously it must? well, this weekend, the final installment in the “Twilight” moneymaking machine, “The Twilight saga: breaking dawn — part ii,” hits theaters and — take a seat before you read on, Twilight haters — it’s garnering highly positive early reviews.

That’s right. one day before notre dame takes on wake forest for a chance to be 11-0, a “Twilight” movie will open with a better-than-good chance to be the most successful of all the “Twilight” films, both commercially and critically.

but, don’t jump the gun, you say. These are just early reviews, you say. The movie still has its biggest challenges ahead of it, you say.

oh, were you finished? well, allow me to retort.

The same could be said for notre dame football. “college gameday” researcher chris fallica says, of the games left for the three remaining undefeated teams, notre dame’s game versus usc on nov. 24 is the greatest uncertainty; he puts the game at 50-50.

i’m not saying the comparison is perfect — it’s not. a lthough i could delve a little deeper, starting with how Te’o could’ve easily played Taylor lautner’s part without anyone noticing or caring. but i won’t.

The connections are there, though. i’m not just making this stuff up (all right, maybe a little, but still). a ll i’m saying is, in addition to rooting for baylor against Kansas state and ucla against usc this weekend, perhaps irish fans should consider going to see “Twilight” this weekend, too. it might just get them to a national championship.

Contact Kevin Noonan at knoonan2@nd.edu

i bet your mother told you that it is never a bad idea to try new things. w hen it comes to female pop stars, i’m going to tell you the same. with lana del rey’s release of “paradise,” her third ep, music fans get to enjoy an alternative to the regular rotation of female pop stars. even i will admit there is more to life than lady gaga and Ke$ha. in fact, it’s pretty easy to find some innovative pop songstresses who will treat your earlobes to their delightful sonic confections. a nd let’s face it, you’re pretty basic if you aren’t making an effort to move beyond what’s playing on the radio. w hether you want to hit the dance floor or satiate your sadness on the couch with a pint of ben & Jerry’s and a rom-com, there is a pop star out there to suit any one of your moods. here’s a list of the top female pop stars that you should be listening to but probably aren’t already.

Lana del rey

The Kristen stewart of the music industry, del rey has been releasing music for several years now, but she really burst onto the music scene earlier this year. you may already know her for two reasons: first, there is her critically lambasted performance on “saturday night live” in January. second is the release of her album “born to die,” one of the best-selling albums of the year. del rey (real name: lizzy grant) is sort of like what notre dame is to the rest of college football — you either really, really love her or think her act is manufactured, kitschy trash. either way, she’s talented and has a voice that can be best described as melancholy and pain-driven, but in a strangely addicting way. normally i like my pop music up-tempo and fun, but del rey’s self-described “hollywood sadcore” style actually makes feeling the blues enjoyable, if that is possible. with del rey, feeling sad is fun. her public image matches her “gangster nancy sinatra” retro music style, as del rey is a fashion icon, serving as a model for h&m ever the lightning rod of controversy, del rey’s latest music video for the song “ride” has been criticized for being pro-prostitution. ignore the hullabaloo and check out her music. i promise you won’t regret it.

Cheryl Cole

on the first season of “The X factor.” unfortunately, something went wrong and chezza, as she is affectionately known in the united Kingdom, was unceremoniously dumped from the show before it even made it to air. no matter, because this girl has talent. Think of her as the british version of britney spears — gorgeous, edgy, a T v star (she also hosted the british version of “The X factor”) and a one-woman dancejam factory. she also is a press sweetheart and frequent paparazzi target in the u.K., having survived a messy breakup with chelsea star ashley cole. originally a member of the all-female group girls a loud, cheryl has busted out with a solo career of her own, releasing such hits as “fight for This love” and “promise This.” my personal favorite chezza jam is “call my name,” currently the most-played song on my iTunes at 370 plays and counting, off her recently released album, “a million lights.” produced by hit-master extraordinaire calvin harris, i guarantee if “call my name” can’t get you up and dancing, then nothing will. my biggest wish is that cheryl becomes a club fever mainstay, but i’m not holding out for that any time soon. additionally, fans of girls a loud can look forward to some new music, as the group recently announced a new single and a reunion tour to occur next year in honor of the band’s 10-year anniversary.

a lphabeat

their third studio album, “express nonstop.” of the acts on this list, a lphabeat is probably the least well-known, so jump on the danish bandwagon before it gets full.

robyn

sweden is so hot right now (metaphorically speaking, that is — the country is probably buried under three feet of snow and enjoying two hours of daily sunshine.) from “The girl with the dragon Tattoo” to swedish house mafia to iK ea to h&m, this scandinavian nation is playing a big role in a merican popular culture. robyn is part of this swedish invasion, though amazingly enough she has been releasing music since the late 1990s. you may have heard some of her hits such as “call your girlfriend” or “dancing on my own,” but this scandinavian pixie has a deep catalog of catchy tracks. she may not be quite as up-tempo as some of the other artists on this list, but her songs build and grip you. in a way, they mean something more to the listener than just any other song, and that is a skill that cannot be taught. robyn performed last december on “saturday night live” and has opened for Katy perry and coldplay. be sure to check out her “body Talk” series of three mini-albums, released in 2010.

marina and the diamonds

yes, yes, yes. adele may be the power vocalist darling of the u.K., but cheryl cole takes the title of pop-whiz sweetheart and it’s a surprise she hasn’t made it big in the states. if you like to dance, cheryl is your girl. cole very nearly broke on to the a merican music scene when she was hired by simon cowell to be one of the judges

Technically not a female star vocalist per se, a lphabeat is a danish pop group fronted by singer stine bramsen (a girl, for those who are not familiar with danish first names). Their style is mainly retro 1980s and 90s retro pop and is flirty, infectious and fun. listening to a lphabeat makes you feel like you’re in an episode of “miami beach” at some hot nightclub on south beach in the ‘80s. you may feel cool listening to them, but they have some substance to their act as well — this is no gimmicky group. one can hear the talent seeping from the group’s music, especially with bramsen’s soaring vocals. be sure to check out “hole in my heart,” “The spell” and “boyfriend.” The band has also done a nasty cover/mashup of lady gaga’s “bad romance” and “Telephone.” The group just released

now here is something you probably thought you never thought you would see: a welsh pop singer-songwriter. born marina diamandis, marina and the diamonds’ most recent album “electra heart” went to the top of the charts in the united Kingdom, but she hasn’t enjoyed the same success stateside. however, clear some space on your iTunes because this girl can sing. be sure to check out tracks “how to be a heartbreaker,” “primadonna” and “homewrecker” off her latest album. if you can’t tell from her song titles, marina is sassy and empowering and provides some great jams to dance to like a wild thing. like chezza, her music is guaranteed to get you off the couch and to bust some serious moves and like del rey, marina also has a fantastic sense of style that only adds to her pop-star persona. a lso, a note of interest: “the diamonds” part of her stage name does not refer to her backing band but rather her fans. you’ll want to become a diamond as soon as you can.

Contact Sam Stryker at sstryke1@nd.edu

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Observer.

fight garners more attention than race

Jack Hefferon sports writer

Johnny f ootball. b en r oethlisberger. m ike d ’a ntoni.

There were plenty of big stories across the wide world of sports this weekend, blowing up espn and the Twitterverse alike. s o when i heard from multiple friends and saw highlights on s unday’s s ports c enter about, of all things, nascar ¬— well, i was more surprised than a hooked catfish.

b ut sure enough, the cult racing circuit garnered a relative plateful of coverage dedicated to the a dvo c are 500 in p hoenix, the penultimate race of nascar ’s 10-event “playoffs” — the c hase for the c up.

The reason for the attention though was far from the race itself.

it was instead centered on a late-race scuffle between c lint b owyer, who was competing for his firstever championship, and Jeff g ordon, who intentionally crashed b owyer to knock him out of contention. upon returning to the pits, b owyer’s crew jumped g ordon, and soon a full-out brawl had broken out, with tires and haymakers flying everywhere. b owyer was late to the party, but made a full sprint from his car to g ordon’s hauler, where he charged g ordon and sparked more shoving still.

i f you haven’t seen it, the sheer inanity of it warrants a trip to youTube. it was fun to watch, fun to talk about, and the rough-and-tumble, boys-will-be-boys epitome of the sport’s appeal to fans nationwide.

unfortunately for nascar though, it also represents its biggest obstacle to growth. b ecause of all the hoopla over the punches thrown off the track, barely a word made it in edgewise about the heavyweight showdown that’s been going down on it.

Jimmy Johnson, winner of five of the last six s print c up c hampionships, has been heralded as one of the greatest drivers ever to grace the nation’s banked curves. b ut he has also been accused of taking much of the intrigue and interest out of the sport — his campaigns too dominant, his personality too polished.

Throughout the c hase though, he’s been neckand-neck with a hotshot young driver who is far from a household name: b rad

Keselowski. a nd Keselowski is exactly the type of star nascar needs.

a fter paying his dues and excelling over seven years in the nationwide s eries — the aaa minor league of stock car racing — Keselowski broke into the s print c up under the tutelage of fanfavorite d ale e arnhardt, Jr. a t 28-years-old, he is immensely talented but also undeniably reckless on the track, something that has made him enemies among other drivers but endeared him to the circuit’s rabid fan base.

Keselowski also knows how to utilize the media. h e often spouts off in expletive-filled post-race interviews — which is par for the course — but also leads all nascar-only drivers in Twitter followers, mostly thanks to his tweets during the d aytona 500 this year. ( h e keeps his phone in his pocket when he races and only writes during stoppages. b ut still pretty dang cool, nonetheless.)

h e’s a driver for this generation, and he’s in the middle of a transcendent breakout season. a fter wrestling with Johnson for the past nine races, Keselowski now sits comfortably 20 points ahead going into the season’s final contest at h omestead in m iami, and can win the c up there with a finish of 15th or higher.

b ut because many fans, and most certainly the nation, care more about the spectacle than the sport, it might not matter.

a fter s unday’s dustup between g ordon and b owyer, espn posted a poll on whether or not fighting was good for nascar a ll 50 states said yes.

a nd in the sport’s role of entertainment, it most certainly is an awesome thing to watch. p eople prefer talking about crashes to talking about chassis. h ard punches to high passes. l eft hooks to left turns.

b ut because this fighting is the sport’s main appeal nationally, the racing itself gets buried.

i f Keselowski wins this weekend, it could be a huge win for racing and nascar , as well.

b ut unless he wrestles d anica p atrick in the infield after the race, it probably won’t matter.

Contact Jack Hefferon at wheffero@nd.edu.

The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer,

nCaa FooTbaLL

Stanford prepares for Oregon

Associated Press

sTanford, calif. — stanford coach david shaw often references oregon if his players get complacent in practice. Trainers bark out the results of the last two matchups to them in the weight room. during offseason workouts, the defensive huddle would sometimes break with the chant: “beat the ducks.”

it’s no secret who stanford is after.

for the past two years, the cardinal have been the pac-12’s second-best team. a ll along they’ve been chasing the same program, and — like everybody else in the conference — have been unable to keep pace.

Just how far stanford is from unseating oregon depends on who you ask.

las vegas bookies believe it’s 21½ points. cardinal linebacker chase Thomas called the difference between the teams “a second half.” shaw said “the gap is as big as the score the last two years,” with stanford losing by an average of 22 points.

The one true measuring stick for how close — or far — the teams really are now will come saturday night, when no. 14 stanford (8-2, 6-1) faces topranked oregon (10-0, 7-0) at earpiercing autzen stadium with the league’s north division lead at stake.

“This is pretty much our pac-12 championship game,” Thomas said.

in everything but name, it has been the past the two seasons.

stanford lost 53-30 at home last november in a game oregon never trailed — nor was seriously challenged. Two years ago, the ducks rallied from a 21-3 deficit in the first quarter

to blow past the cardinal 52-31 in eugene.

both losses cost stanford the league title and a spot in the bcs national championship game.

“They do this thing where they play close for a half and then they just take off,” stanford senior defensive tackle Terrence stephens said. “it’s going to take our best game to win.”

even that might not be enough.

a fter stanford squeaked by oregon state 27-23 last week to set up the division showdown with oregon, shaw spared the coachspeak during his postgame news conference about his team’s chances against the ducks, saying “it’s going to take our best game and not their best game for us to pull this off.”

shaw meant no disrespect to his players nor was he trying to overpraise the competition. instead, it’s a matter of reality.

The fact stanford is even in this position is somewhat surprising. a long with losing no. 1 overall draft pick a ndrew luck,

three others were selected in the top 42 picks — right guard david decastro, tight end coby fleener and left tackle Jonathan martin — and both starting safeties, cornerbacks and wide receivers also departed.

Josh nunes struggled to live up to luck’s gargantuan benchmarks, starting the first eight games until redshirt freshman Kevin hogan replaced him last week. hogan, a dual-threat quarterback who has shown flashes of luck-like ability, will start again.

The offense is carried by stepfan Taylor — who is 202 yards shy of darrin nelson’s school record of 4,033 career yards rushing — and the defense is led by a front seven leading the nation in several categories. even with all the cardinal have endured, including an overtime loss at third-ranked notre dame and a collapse at washington, they are still essentially in the same place they were a year ago: with a shot to overtake oregon for league supremacy.

ball player 1978 – Xavier Nady, American baseball player

1980 – Brock Pierce, American actor

1951 – Alec John Such, American musician (Bon Jovi)

1989 – The Ready Set, American singer-songwriter

1991 - Nick Lupica, Wannabe Frat boy

– Lawyer Milloy, American football player 1982 – Kyle Orton, American football player 1978 – Bobby Allen, American ice hockey player 1964 – Patrick Warburton, American actor 1954 – Yanni, Greek musician & composer

Johnson questions bills’ play call

Associated Press

orchard par K, n y. —

Two days later, receiver stevie Johnson still can’t get over how the buffalo bills botched their final play in a loss to the new e ngland patriots last weekend.

on Tuesday, Johnson secondguessed why a more experienced receiver wasn’t targeted on a play that ended with quarterback r yan fitzpatrick throwing an interception into the end zone to seal a 37-31 loss. a nd Johnson also came to T.J. graham’s defense, saying the rookie receiver shouldn’t be faulted for running the wrong route because he had never attempted it in practice.

“i don’t think it was the wrong play. but just the whole thing leading up to it,” Johnson said, noting that he, receiver donald Jones and tight end scott c handler were more familiar at running the route.

“we had people in positions where maybe they shouldn’t have been. so who knows what would’ve happened if it was donald, me or scott there. so it’s no blame on T.J. at all, because he’s never run that route in practice or in a game.”

The play in question occurred with 28 seconds left and after the bills marched 65 yards to the patriots 15 with a chance to pull out a comeback victory, and end an 11-game losing streak at foxborough, mass.

faking to his left, fitzpatrick turned to his right and threw a pass intercepted by devin mc courty in the end zone. graham was the intended receiver, but made the mistake of running behind mc courty

rather than in front of him.

r ather than looking ahead to hosting afc e ast rival m iami (4-5) on Thursday night, the bills (3-6) are still stuck on the recent past.

Johnson was particularly frustrated after the loss to new e ngland, because the bills squandered an opportunity to turn around their season.

“we talk a lot about turning the corner,” Johnson said. “you look at it on paper, and all that’s great. but we’re still getting losses.”

coach c han gailey, on monday, took the blame for what happened against new e ngland by saying he should’ve called a different play.

gailey added mc courty positioned himself in such a way that forced graham to make a decision whether to go in front or behind him. a nd, gailey added that graham wasn’t the first option on the play.

graham took the blame for what happened immediately following the game and again on Tuesday, when informed of Johnson’s comments.

“That’s fine. i appreciate that,” graham said. “but it was my fault. somebody’s got to take the blame for it.”

graham added that he had indeed practiced the play, but not since training camp.

Johnson raised his concerns after being asked why the bills have had difficulty making plays in the clutch.

a fter saying he didn’t know, Johnson then said: “you’ve got to go to the players that give you the best chance at winning the game. a nd if we don’t make it, then we don’t make it.”

paid a dverT isemen T

Baker signs with Cubs after Tommy John surgery

Associated Press

chicago — scott baker wants to establish that he can still be an effective pitcher after having elbow surgery, and he’ll get his chance with the chicago cubs.

The 31-year-old righty agreed Tuesday to a one-year deal that guarantees him $5.5 million next season. he could earn an additional $1.5 million in performance bonuses.

“i have every intention of being a competitive pitcher next year right away,” he said. baker became a free agent after the Twins declined their $9.25 million option last month. with the cubs, he gets a $150,000 bonus for reaching 145 innings and an additional $150,000 for every five innings he pitches after that up to 190.

baker was 63-48 with a 4.15 era with minnesota from 200511. he underwent Tommy John ligament replacement surgery april 17 and missed last season after being limited to 23 appearances (21 starts) in 2011, but he thinks he’ll be ready for the start of spring training.

several teams had shown interest, including the Twins, but the cubs made it clear they were serious about him. The move fills one of the openings created by the departure of Justin germano and Jason berken.

baker wasn’t able to throw bullpen sessions for teams because his program had him taking time off, but he expects to

epstein said. “it was described by our medical staff as an ideal Tommy John rehab so far. everything has gone perfectly so far, and he’s really attacked it in an ideal manner.”

he said baker will probably limited to about five or six innings per start early in the season “if things go perfectly” and added: “we’re going to use good judgment every step of the way.” he described baker as “an underrated” pitcher with “a very consistent track record

“There are no certainties on rehabs, but we spent quite a bit of time on the medical and on [Baker’s] rehab. ... It was described by our medical staff as an ideal Tommy John rehab so far. Everything has gone perfectly so far, and he’s really attacked it in an ideal manner.”

Theo Epstein Cubs president of baseball operations

resume throwing in about midto-late december. he thinks he’ll be ready for the start of spring training, although he wasn’t making any guarantees. but so far, the rehabilitation has gone about as well as possible.

“There are no certainties on rehabs, but we spent quite a bit of time on the medical and on his rehab,” cubs president of baseball operations Theo

of success” and said the cubs might want to sign him to an extension.

it’s not the first time under epstein that the cubs have taken a chance on a pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery. They signed manny corpas to a one-year non-guaranteed deal last winter and acquired prospect a rodys vizcaino from atlanta in the deal that sent paul

maholm to the braves last July. The cubs had also gambled on maholm by signing him from pittsburgh last January after he had to shut it down because of a left shoulder strain, and he was 9-6 with a 3.74 era they traded him.

“you’d love to sign pitchers who are 100 percent healthy and have never been hurt, but those animals don’t really exist. They’re certainly hard to find,” epstein said. “The medical assessment on every pitcher is very important and if you have to sign a pitcher who’s coming off of surgery, Tommy John is the one you want him to come off because it’s a very predictable rehab with a very strong success rate, upward of 95 percent and even above if you look at more recent information.”

baker doesn’t think he’ll have to change his approach because of the injury, although he’s anticipating a few bumps along the way.

“i’m going to promise 20 wins and 200 innings,” he said. “i think you have to be a realist and you have to realize there are going to be speed bumps along the way, but in saying that, i think you’re able to combat those speed bumps and really kind of get to the bottom of the problem or the situation in the first place and kind of allow yourself to work through those things.”

hoosiers loss taints bowl hopes

Associated Press

blooming T on , i nd. — i ndiana’s hopes of playing for a b ig Ten championship came to an end in a humiliating 6214 loss to w isconsin over the weekend.

i ndiana could have gained control of the l eaders d ivision race with a win at home. e ven though things have been better for i ndiana this year, the h oosiers ended up getting the kind of beating they’ve traditionally received from the b adgers.

n ow, after all that talk about playing in the b ig Ten title game, if the h oosiers don’t recover quickly, they won’t even make it to postseason play. i ndiana (4-6, 2-4 b ig Ten) needs to win s aturday at p enn s tate and the following week at p urdue to become bowl eligible.

o f course, last season a bowl game wasn’t even a thought. n ow that the h oosiers have had some success with two b ig Ten wins this season a year after losing every conference game, coach Kevin w ilson says it is important for the program to continue to take positive steps.

h e said the matchup with p enn s tate (6-4, 4-2) provides a great opportunity.

“ would love to see these men come back and respond to our standard,” w ilson said. “They’ve set the standard. well, we’ve set it, they’ve embraced it. would love to see these guys come back and have the week we need to have. i f we’re going to improve, this is the week to see what we’ve got.”

f irst, the h oosiers need to learn from the loss to w isconsin. The b adgers bludgeoned the h oosiers for 564 yards rushing on 64 attempts. w isconsin’s ground game was so dominant that the b adgers passed just seven times. o f those 564 yards rushing, more than 400 were gained on 14 rushing attempts that the i ndiana coaching staff calls “explosion plays.”

o n offense, the h oosiers fell well short of the big numbers they had put up throughout b ig Ten play, finishing with just 294 total yards.

“ i do think we pressed a little bit,” offensive coordinator Kevin Johns said. “ i think as a quarterback, you can squeeze it a little too tight, want it a little too bad, receivers just one-arming. it’s just a little bit of a young team that probably didn’t play their best when we needed them to play their best.”

w ilson said i ndiana’s 25for-47 passing isn’t good

enough because they missed a lot of the short passes they use to substitute for a running game. Johns said the h oosiers were close on a number of plays, but they need to be sharper.

“The scoreboard looks worse, but if we get those plays back, we probably make those plays nine out of 10 times,” he said. “ s o moving forward, we need to get that execution back, that precision with where we’re putting the football, receivers running the routes, running backs keying the right guys, sitting in the right holes. we were sloppy s aturday and we need to clean that up this week.”

s aturday’s game at p enn s tate will be a test. The n ittany l ions, depleted after ncaa penalties following the Jerry s andusky scandal, have had a surprisingly successful season. They likely will be hungry after blowing a 14-point lead in a 32-23 loss at n ebraska. p enn s tate has played inspired football all season under new coach b ill o ’ b rien, despite being banned from postseason play.

The h oosiers already have a road win in the conference, a 31-17 win at i llinois on o ct.

27. n ow, w ilson wants to see i ndiana beat a traditional power in front of a big crowd.

“ i f you’re going to be a winning program, you’ve got to learn to win on the road and if you’re going to win in the b ig Ten, you’ve got to learn to win in challenging road environments, big crowds that are loud,” he said.

Tannehill will keep job

Associated Press

davie , f la. — r yan

Tannehill’s best play of late was a tackle, which for a quarterback is not good.

Tannehill’s teammates were still laughing Tuesday about his touchdown-saving, open-field stop of linebacker Zach b rown, which was the best moment for the m iami d olphins in their 37-3 loss to Tennessee.

“ r yan showed some speed,” tight end a nthony fasano said. “ h e wrapped his arms around him and kind of twisted him down. it was impressive. m aybe we should get him on some special teams.”

That won’t happen. Tannehill will keep concentrating on quarterbacking, especially this week as the d olphins (4-5) prepare to play Thursday night at b uffalo (3-6).

The rookie hopes to rebound from his worst performance since the season opener. Tannehill threw three interceptions s unday against the Titans, including one returned for a score and another that forced him to corral b rown with m iami trailing 34-3.

“ i shouldn’t be making the tackle; that’s my fault to begin with,” he said, flashing a sheepish grin. “a t that point there was a lot of adrenaline and anger built up, so it’s not too hard.”

The drubbing was the worst endured by Tannehill as a quarterback since high school. h is losses at Texas a & m all came in close games.

n ot that Tannehill was the lone culprit. a collective

meltdown resulted in the d olphins’ worst home loss since 1968, which made them glad they must wait only until Thursday for another game.

“ it’s a good thing for us,” Tannehill said. “ we can spin it into a positive. we had a tough game and we have to bounce back quickly. we can’t sit around and mope.” d olphins coaches are optimistic Tannehill will resume making the steady progress he had showed. h is passer rating of 98.3 in o ctober ranked seventh in the nfl , and he had a streak of 107 throws without an interception before the flurry of turnovers against the Titans.

“ h e is doing amazingly well for a rookie,” b ills coach c han g ailey said. “ h e is still learning and growing as a quarterback, but he has done a good job thus far.”

Tannehill is well aware there’s room for more growth. h e ranks last among

all starters in the league with five touchdown passes, trailing even Tennessee backup m att h asselbeck. Tannehill is 29th in passer rating, and he’s still learning how costly turnovers can be.

a ll nine of Tannehill’s interceptions have come in defeats. i n the four games they’ve won, he hasn’t had a single pass picked off. “ you have to learn from your mistakes, but you can’t dwell on them,” he said. “ you’ve got to look forward.” i n assessing the interceptions against Tennessee, Tannehill said there was no common thread. a ll came on third down and none came against a blitz, but the Titans’ coverage was different each time.

o ne ball was tipped. o ne was thrown into tight coverage. The last came during garbage time.

a fterward, teammate r eggie b ush offered words of encouragement.

Solo assaulted on day before wedding

Associated Press

sea TT le — f ormer

s eahawks tight end Jerramy s tevens was arrested on suspicion of assaulting u s women’s soccer team goalkeeper h ope s olo a day before their planned wedding day, according to police and court records.

a Kirkland municipal c ourt judge released s tevens after a court appearance Tuesday, saying there was no evidence connecting s tevens to any assault, according to news reports. h e was arrested early m onday for fourth-degree domestic violence assault but wasn’t charged.

s olo appeared in the courtroom Tuesday afternoon, but left without saying anything

to reporters, according to K ing -T v a call to a number listed for s tevens in court documents rang unanswered. a message left at a listed number for s olo was not immediately returned.

s tevens, 33, and s olo, 31, applied for a marriage license Thursday, according to King c ounty records.

The two, who have been in a relationship for two months, were set to get married Tuesday and argued over whether to live in washington or f lorida after their marriage, according to court documents.

p olice in the s eattle suburb of Kirkland responded to a disturbance at a home around 3:45 a.m. m onday involving a

physical altercation between eight people during a party, said Kirkland police l t. m ike murray.

h e said officers contacted several people in the home who appeared intoxicated and didn’t cooperate with police, but determined based on information and observations that there was probable cause to arrest s tevens for investigation of fourth-degree assault. murray didn’t identify the alleged victim, but court records show it was s olo, who received a cut to her elbow.

c ourt documents show that s olo’s 36-year-old brother, m arcus, called 911, and that he and s olo told officers there was a party and blamed the disturbance on two to three unknown men who were at the party. m arcus s olo told police he used a stun gun on one of the men, who left the party before police arrived, according to court records. a ccording to court documents, a police officer found s tevens, “who appeared to be hiding,” lying between the bed and the wall in an upstairs bedroom. s tevens told officers he was sleeping on the floor and didn’t hear the fight. The officer saw signs of a fight, and dried blood on s tevens’ shirt.

The officer noted in his affidavit for probable cause for arrest that he arrested s tevens based on his admission that he argued with h ope s olo, the injury to her elbow, signs of a fight in the bedroom where s tevens was found and blood on s tevens’ shirt.

o ne 32-year-old woman was taken to the hospital for treatment of a hip injury, and another man suffered multiple bumps, scrapes and contusions, murray said.

“ i f officers find that an assault may have taken place, then we have to make an arrest on who we determine is the primary aggressor,” murray said.

s tevens was selected with the n o. 28 pick of the 2002 draft by the s eahawks after a stellar career on the field at washington. b ut he also was involved in incidents away from football that included reckless driving charges for crashing into a nursing home.

h e was mostly a first-round bust with the s eahawks, except for the 2005 season when he started a career-high 12 games and had 45 receptions as the s eahawks won the nfc championship.

h is run-ins with the law weren’t done when he left college. s tevens was arrested on reckless driving charges in 2003 in a s eattle suburb and in 2007 when he was charged with driving under the influence in s cottsdale, a riz.

Ferentz keeps team focused on Michigan

Associated Press

iowa ciT y, iowa — iowa isn’t giving up on Kirk ferentz despite a third straight season of diminishing results.

The hawkeyes simply have to hope that the well-respected coach who has twice revived the program has another turnaround in him.

iowa (4-6, 2-4 big Ten) is on course for its worst season since 2000, when it went 3-9.

The hawkeyes have lost four games in a row and will need to beat michigan and nebraska to qualify for a bowl game.

The frustration is growing for many fans who have seen the hawkeyes struggle to compete in the big Ten despite a schedule that, compared with other seasons, hasn’t been nearly as taxing. getting rid of ferentz is an unlikely option, not with a buyout of some $20 million, and athletic director gary barta has publicly supported the coach he gave a 10-year extension before the 2010 season.

on Tuesday, ferentz tried his best to keep his focus on saturday’s trip to michigan (7-3, 5-1). The future will have to wait.

nFL

“we’ve lost four straight games, and we’re 4-6 right now, and that’s where we’re at. That’s what i’m worried about right now,” ferentz said. “really the only thing i can worry about right now or be concerned with is beating michigan.”

iowa’s problems are, in many ways, a bad mix of talent and luck.

The hawkeyes have fallen a bit short in each area.

purdue outgained the hawkeyes 490 yards to 264 last week in a 27-24 win that snapped its five-game losing streak. if it weren’t for three fumbles and 10 penalties, the boilermakers likely would have cruised to a much easier win.

iowa couldn’t run the ball, couldn’t throw all that well and its defense couldn’t do enough to make up for the woes on offense.

“The key is -- because everybody is good at pointing out what’s wrong. but the key is to try to find solutions that are workable and realistic and short-term and long-term,” ferentz said.

“That’s been the approach, and we’ll just go from there.”

it could be argued that the hawkeyes are also among the nation’s unluckiest teams. a fter all,

they’ve played in six games decided by three points or less and lost four of them.

but in all those defeats, iowa can point to specific mistakes that hurt.

late interceptions from struggling senior quarterback James vandenberg played big roles in losses against iowa state and indiana. central michigan and purdue each drove down the field in under a minute — at Kinnick stadium, no less — to set up game-winning field goals.

“if you’re hanging around waiting for luck, you probably should get in a different profession or do something else,” ferentz said. injuries haven’t helped either.

The loss of tackle brandon scherff and guard andrew donnal in the first half of an ugly defeat to penn state has hurt a lot more than many thought. That and the absence of running back mark weisman, who isn’t expected to play against michigan because of a leg injury, and fullback brad rogers has rendered iowa’s running game nearly nonexistent.

The hawkeyes rushed for just 74 yards on 31 carries against purdue — which entered play as

the worst rushing defense in the big Ten.

The upside of having a relatively light class of impact seniors is that the hawkeyes will bring back a ton of starters in 2013. many appear to have a chance to be strong big Ten players. ferentz also has a history of reviving the hawkeyes. They won a share of the big Ten title in 2002 and, after finishing 6-6 in 2007, won the orange bowl following

the 2009 season. but for now, all ferentz and the hawkeyes can really do is try to keep the distractions caused by their poor play to a minimum. “a ll you can do is you try to be as smart as you can, as prepared as you can and all that,” ferentz said. “but you also have to know you’re not going to be perfect, and it’s the same as being a player. They’re not going to be perfect out there.”

bills prepare for homestretch of schedule

Associated Press

orchard parK, n y. — The buffalo bills are finally home after spending much of the first 10 weeks of the season playing on the road. a nd center eric wood wonders if anyone will bother showing up unless they start playing better.

“i’ve said it before, i don’t blame them,” wood said, noting that money’s tight and winter’s coming.

“it’s tough on people to put their hard-earned money out there, and we realize that. a nd to sit in the cold is not fun. so we really need to take care of business these next few games, hopefully get back to .500 here and make these last games interesting where we do make it our advantage.”

if they intend to make any type of a run and re-energize their fan base, it has to begin Thursday night, when buffalo (3-6) hosts afc east rival miami (4-5).

it’s a game that kicks off a closing stretch in which buffalo will play five of its final seven at home — including the team’s annual “home” game at Toronto, where the bills will face seattle on dec. 16.

how much support the bills get remains a concern.

The game against miami is a sellout. but there are questions whether they can sell out their three remaining games at ralph wilson stadium

The team announced this week it still has more than 15,000 tickets unsold for its game against Jacksonville on dec. 2. and there are still more than 10,000 tickets available for its games against st. louis on dec. 9 and season finale against the new york Jets.

The bills’ record will play a factor, as will recent history.

w hether they’re winning or

losing, the bills have had difficulty selling out home games in december since hall of fame quarterback Jim Kelly was leading the team to four consecutive afc titles in the early 1990s. buffalo sold out only about 55 percent of its games in the 1990s. and the figures haven’t been much better since. That was indicative last year, when the bills

final three homes games — all in december — were blacked out on local television because they failed to sell out.

The bitter cold and harsh conditions have been blamed for the poor turnouts.

it’s a concern that’s led the bills and u s sen. charles schumer to question why the nfl would continue scheduling so many games

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in buffalo this late in the season.

“it’s not been optimal. it’s a proven fact that in december in buffalo, it’s difficult to attain sellout status at our facility,” bills ceo russ brandon said. “december games are a challenge. but competitively, there’s no place we’d rather play meaningful games than at home in front of our fans.”

coach continues winning tradition

By AARON SANT-MILLER sports writer

currently in his 10th year at notre dame, irish coach Janusz bednarski has claimed three ncaa championships, in 2003, 2005 and 2011. after winning his third championship, bednarski became just the fourth notre dame head coach in any sport to accomplish such a feat. according to bednarski, his experience in the sport contributes greatly to his success.

“each coach brings some items that are not in possession of others,” he said. “i am bringing my experience because i have so many years in this sport. i have been an olympic coach in poland. i have seen all the stages in an athlete’s development. i have knowledge of the physiology and of other aspects of the study. There is no college for coaches. rarely is there a higher education in sports, so experience is crucial.”

in his time at notre dame, bednarski has taken young, talented fencers and groomed them into national champions. yet, irish recruits tend to have certain traits that help with this process, he said.

“we are looking for and getting those who are driven. They want to be better,” bednarski said. “They call us the fighting irish. They are fighting for something to achieve and they want to be proud of it. it’s not only the way to get it, but it’s the way that they show everybody that we want to win.” still, that doesn’t mean coaching here has been free of challenges, bednarski said.

“on our team, they are trying to blend high-class sport with highclass academic level,” bednarski

said. “it’s a lot of additional work because there is a fight for time. as a coach, it’s hard to organize life and to organize the structure of practice to satisfy and achieve the goals that are set by the kids coming here.”

The result of these combined demands, bednarski said, can add a great deal of pressure.

“There is the inside pressure in the institution and the student population for us to be good at sports and our other strengths,” bednarski said. “i need to ask myself if i did everything i could to win. if we don’t, i don’t feel very well. in other schools, they can do something different as an excuse. for us, there is no excuse. it is a big pressure.”

yet, despite the challenges, notre dame is a great place for him, bednarski said.

“i am very happy with the situation. The institution is a model for those people,” bednarski said. “it’s also located in a beautiful campus where it’s pleasurable to walk from one place to another. it’s not a boring or totally quiet atmosphere. you see all kinds of action, sometimes good or sometimes bad. you feel like life is going. The institution is filled with positives.”

Through his first nine years of coaching at notre dame, bednarski has achieved a winning percentage of .946, with a combined men’s and women’s record of 487-28. This year, with a roster filled with olympians and national fencing stars, bednarski looks to chase more wins and another national title, all while soaking in all that is good about notre dame.

Contact Aaron Sant-Miller at asantmil@nd.edu

Olsen leads without stats

By JOE WIRTH sports writer

i rish junior middle blocker a ndie olsen is one of the most powerful middle blockers in the big e ast. a lthough she may not have the gaudy numbers of some of her teammates, her play and leadership on and off the court have made her one of the driving forces behind the team’s success this year.

olsen began playing volleyball in elementary school, and she credits her sister with helping her reach her current level.

“i started playing in the third grade and my sister started playing for the school team when i was younger and i would just pass balls to her off the back wall to her as high as i could and i just got hooked from there. we were very competitive with each other growing up,” olsen said.

olsen knew she was talented from a young age, but that belief was not truly validated until she reached high school and began excelling against older girls.

“i always thought i was pretty good,” she said. “i probably thought i was better than i was at the time, but i think my freshman year of high school was when i knew i was good.”

“i made the varsity team that year and that was a real affirmation because my high school had a really strong volleyball program and they had only ever picked a freshman one time before so i was one of the only freshmen to have ever made the team, so that was very special.”

growing up in c alifornia, olsen was aware of notre dame’s prowess academically

and athletically. o nce the i rish began recruiting her, she said she could not say no.

“i had received a general letter from notre dame and i had written them back and began emailing coach brown,” olsen said. “They invited me here and i came out to visit and immediately fell in love and there was really no other place after that.”

a lthough she is a standout on the court for the i rish, volleyball was not olsen’s first love. she pursued music when she was younger and remains a talented singer today.

“i have been singing longer than i have been playing volleyball,” olsen said. “i got into music at a young age and i have been singing ever since and i play a little guitar too. it is always something i keep in my back pocket. it is my go-to whenever i am sad or anything like that, but it is not like i am going to be going to any a merican idol tryouts anytime soon.”

The i rish begin the big e ast championship against s outh f lorida in m ilwaukee, w is., on friday as the third seed. notre dame made winning the conference championship a goal at the beginning of the year, and olsen said the team is motivated and prepared to return from m ilwaukee as champions.

“i really just want to win,” olsen said. “i think our entire team is set on winning and taking it one match at a time and playing each point as hard as we can, and we are just really, really hungry for a big e ast championship. we are getting mentally prepared and are very excited for this weekend.”

Contact Joe Wirth at jwirth@nd.edu

from every formation,” Kelly said. “ we have to do a great job of making sure that we protect our quarterback, find ways to get after them on the offensive line and running the football.”

terms of success, you got to win at home.”

before notre dame topped oklahoma on o ct. 27, the s ooners had lost just four home games since 1999. Kelly

“Well, one of our goals, a tangible goal for us, was to protect our home field. ... We felt, I felt, I think everyone in the program felt that if you want to take that next step in terms of success, you got to win at home.”

Brian Kelly Irish coach

Perfect at home

w ith a win, the i rish can finish undefeated at home for the first time in 14 years.

“ well, one of our goals, a tangible goal for us, was to protect our home field,” Kelly said. “ we felt, i felt, i think everybody in the program felt that if you want to take that next step in

Thomas

it in the back of the net is a lot different than it is at the club level. i’ve learned a lot from my coaches and my teammates on how to be a better teammate and be more productive on the field.”

w hen Thomas joined the irish, notre dame lacked veteran leadership, especially compared to past irish squads. however, Thomas quickly found a mentor in junior midfielder elizabeth Tucker.

“elizabeth Tucker is a great role model on the team and for the team,” Thomas said. “she’s a great leader. a nd she shows by example how to act and play both on and off the field. she can always get us all on the same page.” in addition to becoming an elite scoring threat in the future, Thomas hopes she can develop into a player her teammates can look to for guidance, just like Tucker.

“i want to be a leader on the team that steps up and is dangerous and makes plays happen and scores goals for my team,” Thomas said. “i want to be someone that they can depend on both on and off the field.”

Thomas and the other freshmen are in the midst of experiencing something none of them have before: ncaa postseason play. a fter being knocked out of the big east tournament in the semifinal round by marquette,

Please recycle The Observer.

said the i rish aspire to attain that reputation.

“ we want to have that kind of legacy,” he said. “ we want to build that kind of dominance at home. The first step is winning all your games at home, which hasn’t happened in a long time.

“i f you can stay in one place long enough you’ve got to a chance to do that. i think we’ve won 18 out of our last 20 regular season games. we’re toward that direction. now just need to

keep doing that.”

russell and nix to play freshman cornerback Kei varae russell, who missed the end of the boston c ollege game, has been cleared to

notre dame rebounded with a 3-1 victory over wisconsinmilwaukee in the first round of the ncaa tournament friday in a lumni stadium.

“we are taking it one game at a time,” Thomas said. “it’s a challenge. but we’re trying to focus on the next game. it’s totally new to a lot of us. but you have to win to move on. so we’re going in with that mindset. we’re looking

forward to a long season ahead of us.”

unseeded notre dame will face its next challenge friday in a match-up with no. 3 seed wake forest in the second round of the ncaa tournament in gainesville, fla. The game begins at 4:30 p.m.

Contact Matthew Robison at mrobison@nd.edu

practice after suffering a head injury.

“he passed a number of his tests, his acsm test, which is the software test for the last hurdle for any concussions,” Kelly said.

Junior nose guard l ouis nix will not miss any time following his ejection late in the fourth quarter last s aturday.

Contact Matthew DeFranks at mdefrank@nd.edu

above deck.

for the event – gave the team a good idea of the cramped quarters naval personnel live in while on the ship.

“actually our locker room was pretty funny,” achonwa said. “ we literally had a little white board the size of coach’s hand, and it was pretty cool, just to see what they go through and how they stay in those conditions for months at a time for this country.”

braker said she preferred the part of the tour that took place

“i think the coolest thing was the flight deck, where they had all the planes and [where the] planes used to land,” braker said. “i think that’s really cool. a nd we got to play on part of it, too.”

The trip to the uss yorktown, which is docked in c harleston, s c ., was just one in a series of interesting trips the i rish have made in recent years. l ast year, the team traveled to the bahamas for the Junkaroo Jam over Thanksgiving break, where they beat usc and d uke.

“That was a vacation; that

was an awesome experience,” braker said. “i’d never been to a tropical place like that before, so it was cool, enjoying the nice island weather.”

achonwa said she was glad that her coaches made sure their athletes saw the sights outside of the gym.

“o ur coaching staff — they’re great about allowing us to do other things and making sure that we’re enjoying our time as students and athletes, and as young adults as well,” achonwa said. “s o we got to do some jetskiing, we got to do some swimming with the dolphins, we got

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to do some stuff outside of basketball as well as [playing in] a great basketball tournament.”

a lthough the bahamas serve as a tropical paradise for tourists, braker said many residents struggle with poverty. The junior said the hospitality and enthusiasm of the islanders left an impression on her.

“it’s a different environment down there, it was cool to play in their gyms and see all the kids that were there that were excited to have us play, even though they probably don’t even know much about notre dame or any of the other

schools,” braker said. “They were excited just to have us there.”

braker said the i rish have tentative plans to travel overseas again this summer, probably in europe. until then, they will be sticking to good, old-fashioned indoor courts. braker, for one, should be fine with that.

The i rish will take on massachusetts in their home opener at the p urcell pavilion at 2 p.m. sunday.

Contact Vicky Jacobsen at vjacobse@nd.edu

Happy Birthday: consider what you want to share with others. being secretive will add to your appeal. explore exotic destinations, unusual pastimes or people that interest you. what you learn now will help you build a better future. adaptability will be your ticket to freedom. don’t limit what you can accomplish. your numbers are 3, 15, 21, 26, 33, 45, 48.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): instigate what you want to see happen. waiting for help is a waste of time. a moneymaking opportunity is apparent if you partner with an old friend or associate. Traveling to conduct a face-to-face meeting will broaden your chance for success.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): check out foreign markets and educational or job opportunities. Take a serious look at your current status and the people influencing your life. speak up, show determination and prepare to put your plans into motion. use your imagination.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): you’ll have good ideas and solutions that will put you in the spotlight. greater professional opportunities are apparent if you share your interest in reform and getting more for less. someone from your past will play a role in a decision you make.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): don’t let change cloud your vision. do your best to be creative and social with people who come from different backgrounds. you will learn a lot if you are receptive to new concepts. a creative venture will enhance your life.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): don’t shirk your responsibilities, or you will face criticism. once you have your chores out of the way, you will be able to experience interesting encounters with people who can make you more aware of the possibilities that exist. engage in the action.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): getting out with friends or attending a community event will lead to greater knowledge and insight into future trends. don’t let the people you live with or are close to interrupt your plans. arguments will not lead to solutions.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): you may be confused with regard to how you earn a living. get back to basics, and consider new ways to implement old skills. don’t be shy -- share your thoughts and you will get interesting and helpful feedback. opportunity knocks.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): openness will be the ticket to making the best decision. The information you receive will allow you to see where others stand. gravitate toward those offering dedication, courage and loyalty. strive for perfection.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): you may feel like chatting and sharing your ideas, but don’t be too quick. someone is likely to lead you astray or take advantage of your openness. Keep what you are doing a secret until you are well on your way to completion

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): follow your instincts. focus on your goals. preparation and observation will lead to victory. don’t let someone else’s change of plans slow you down or disrupt your day. stick to the truth and don’t hesitate to dismantle the competition’s plan.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): avoid people who tend to upset you. you have more options than you realize. concentrate on your finances, important paperwork and getting your life in order. greater opportunities will develop once you achieve greater stability.

PISCES (Feb. 19- March 20):Tie up loose ends. Take care of financial, medical and legal matters that might stand in your way if left unattended. dealing with institutions, government agencies or hospitals will lead to unusual but favorable solutions to any problem you face.

Birthday Baby: you are unpredictable and persistent. you take action and stand by your word.

Dealing with the Deacons

Looking to close out perfect home season, No. 3 Notre Dame welcomes Wake Forest on Saturday

By MATTHEW DeFRANKS a ssociate sports e ditor

a fter dispatching boston c ollege, no. 3 notre dame will face its third and final acc foe of the season when it welcomes wake forest on s aturday.

l ast season, the i rish (10-0) pulled out a 24-17 win over the d eacons (5-5, 3-5 acc ) in the first-ever meeting between the schools. notre dame had to overcome a 17-10 halftime deficit to beat wake forest.

d eacons redshirt junior receiver m ichael c ampanaro led wake forest with six receptions for 74 yards in last year’s matchup and has 65 catches and 618 yards in 2012. Junior quarterback Tanner p rice has 1,965 yards through the air and 12 touchdowns while redshirt junior running back Josh harris leads wake forest with 607 rushing yards.

i rish coach brian Kelly said notre dame is aware of wake forest’s key players on offense.

“c ampanaro on offense gave us fits last year,” Kelly said. “Tanner p rice is very elusive

in the pocket, can make plays, extend plays. harris is the veteran running back.”

The secondary is the strength of the d eacons’ defense, starring redshirt senior c hibuikem okoro and redshirt sophomore Kevin Johnson.

The pair has combined for four interceptions and 16 pass breakups.

Kelly said the i rish may shade away from okoro, who has 29 career pass breakups, in the passing game.

“it’ll be part of our game plan to attack a particular side,” Kelly said. “but there is going to be opportunities where you’re going to have to throw the ball against those guys and going to have to make plays.”

Kelly also said the i rish will need to be prepared for a variety of pressures from wake forest. The deacons have 68 tackles for loss this season, including 8.5 by redshirt junior Justin Jackson, who has four sacks.

“ you’re going to get blitzed

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junior nose guard Louis

i rish play in most unique setting yet Freshman Thomas leads front line into tournament

By VICKY JACOBSEN sports writer

i rish junior forward a riel braker said she doesn’t play much outdoor basketball — and not even a game on an aircraft carrier could convince this m ichigan native that she should spend more time on the hardtop.

“i play an indoor sport for a reason, and i saw that out on the aircraft carrier,” braker said, referring to the wind and other elements the no. 6/7 i rish (1-0) dealt with on the deck of the uss yorktown during friday’s 57-51 win over no. 19/21 ohio state (0-1) in the c arrier c lassic in mount pleasant, s c . “i love playing outside, but i’m glad we play indoors.”

braker might not have enjoyed the exposure to the elements, but she said she did enjoy the game’s unique cheering section.

“ we didn’t have a lot of fans there and they didn’t have a lot of fans there, it was mostly navy [personnel],” braker said.

“it was just nice for us to go back and give all our profits back to the a rmy and the navy, so i thought that was really cool.”

i rish junior forward natalie achonwa said she was just happy notre dame’s first road trip of the season gave the i rish the opportunity to thank veterans, including former i rish basketball player danielle green, who lost her arm in i raq in 2004 and attended the game.

“it was great to be able to do that for them, and give back to them, because they’ve given so much,” achonwa said. “but also just the environment was pretty cool — playing outside, there were definitely some elements and definitely some distractions, but it was a great atmosphere and a great environment.”

both players said they enjoyed the opportunity to explore the carrier. notre dame’s makeshift locker room — sleeping quarters co-opted

By MATTHEW ROBISON sports writer

in just her first season in an irish uniform, freshman forward crystal Thomas has already made quite a splash, garnering two big east accolades in the process. at the big east awards banquet nov. 1, the conference named Thomas to the big east all-rookie team and second-team all-conference.

“i was just very honored by it and thankful to my teammates and my coaches for helping me get there,” Thomas said. “it was a pleasant surprise.”

with a young squad nicknamed the “baby irish” by irish coach randy waldrum, Thomas and the other 11 freshmen on the team were forced to take big roles quickly. Thomas quickly found her niche on the front line, and she said her teammates have improved and grown into their respective roles, as well.

match. but Thomas said the irish are improving in that area.

waldrum has stressed playing complete games. early in the year, notre dame (14-5-2, 8-1-1 big east) had trouble performing at a high level for the entire

“The team has grown this season in that we know how to put two halves together,” Thomas said. “we’re learning how to finish out games, how to hang on to the lead, or come from behind and win the game.” individually, Thomas has

developed into a complete offensive player this season, notching a team-high 18 points on eight goals and two assists.

“i think i’ve grown as a player in learning how to work with my teammates,” Thomas said. “finishing the ball and putting

see Thomas PaGe 20 see achonwa PaGe 22