Print Edition of The Observer for Thursday, March 2, 2017
Author explores inmate education
Lecturer examines college-in-prison programs as part of Mass Incarceration Awareness Week
By AIDAN LEWIS news writer
daniel k arpowitz, the author of “college in p rison: reading in an age of mass i ncarceration,” discussed the higher education of prison inmates on wednesday afternoon in mckenna hall. k arpowitz said the concept of college-inprison programs, which aim to provide degrees to inmates while in prison, is representative of a much bigger idea.
“college-in-prison awakens lurking doubts about whether anybody every truly changes — a question that lies at the heart of nearly all thinking not only about education, but also about democracy itself,” k arpowitz said in a reading from his book. k arpowitz said people are split on whether college-inprison is in fact a positive development within the prison system.
“The angry and resentful rejection of opportunity for people who have done bad is very common,” k arpowitz said. however, k arpowitz said the importance of college-in-prison is in part because the current prison system only claims to provide rehabilitation, but, in reality, it is a toxic environment for inmates.
“a ll of the prisons i have entered strike me as places of waste that perpetuate and intensify both racial and class inequality,” k arpowitz said. “a s a result, prisons, among the most important and pervasive public institutions of our age, undermine our democracy and do a disservice to the republic they are meant to serve.”
k arpowitz, who also serves as the director of policy and
SMC alumna discusses eating disorders
By GINA TWARDOSZ news writer
a s part of l ove your b ody week, alumna l isa c larkson spoke about her struggle with the eating disorder she had during her time as a student at s aint m ary’s.
c larkson said she was diagnosed with anorexia, accompanied by occasional bulimic symptoms.
“a bout eight years ago, a medical professional first diagnosed me with an eating disorder,” she said. “i was 17 then and i truly believed
everyone was overreacting. i thought my restrictive diet and significant weight loss meant i was in control, but my eating disorder controlled me for much of my teenage and early adult life.”
Music department features ‘1917: Over There’ concert
By KATHRYN MARSHALL news writer
one hundred years after the united states entered world war i, the dramatized concert “1917: over There,” presented by the saint mary’s college department of music, captures the historical and emotional components of the war through music and poetry.
The concert is a product of
associate professor of music dr. laurel Thomas’ time on sabbatical, and uses readings and music to craft a recital that traces american’s changing attitude about joining the war while also expressing the psychological and philosophical meaning of the war, she said.
“woodrow wilson is re-elected in late 1916 on the platform of staying neutral, and keeping the u s
out of the war,” Thomas said in an email. “but germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare and the horrible plight of the french and the british in trench warfare causes public opinion to change, and we enter the war in early 1917. changing political attitudes are reflected in popular songs of the time.”
g ender studies conference opens
By KELLI SMITH news writer
aiming at facilitating discussion on issues related to gender and race, the fourth biennial international gender studies program conference titled “intersectional inquiries and collaborative action: gender and race” is set to take place in mckenna hall starting Thursday afternoon.
organized by faculty and students associated with the gender studies program, the three-day event will feature a multitude of guest speakers, artists and activists from across the nation and world who specialize in a variety of disciplines.
“The conference is bringing together some of the best and brightest people in intersectionality studies, but we are gathering not just to discuss research but also to strategize solutions for our world’s ongoing problems regarding race and gender,” gender studies program director mary
celeste kearney said.
The conference will consist of roundtables, creative presentations, papers, two plenary sessions and a keynote address, all of which will feature an array of perspectives on topics related to the conference’s theme: intersections of race and gender.
“i think this conference may have more of an impact on our campus community than previous gender studies conferences, since it is not just focused on scholarship, but also art work and activism,” kearney said. “The issues we’ll be discussing impact everyone, not just academics.” according to the conference program, some of the topics that will be addressed at the conference are pay equity, equitable representation in the media, asylum seekers, the black lives matter movement, feminist teaching and learning in secondary schools, sexual violence across a continuum of institutional
see conference PAGE 3
SARAH OLSON | The Observer
Author Daniel Karpowitz discusses educational opportunities for prison inmates Wednesday at Notre Dame. The event, which was held in McKenna Hall, was part of Mass Incarceration Awareness Week.
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Question of the Day:
What is your perfect pizza?
Brenda Rice
junior
Welsh Family hall
“c heeseless pizza.”
Maddie Hetlage junior Pasquerilla east hall
“Green peppers, tomatoes and spinach.”
Courtney Schaefer senior Lewis hall
“Pepperoni pizza.”
t he next f ive D ays:
Thursday
Fifth Annual AD&T Symposium McCourtney Hall
8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. No pre-registration required.
“Marching Orders: Exploring the Mediation Mandate”
Hesburgh Center for International Studies 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Friday
Graduate First Friday Dinner Coleman-Morse Center
6:15 p.m. - 8:15 p.m.
Open to graduate students of all faiths.
Bengal Bouts Finals Joyce Center
7 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased online or at the door for $10.
Saturday
Have a question you want answered? Email photo@ndsmcobserver.com
Travis Tredway junior off campus “supreme pizza.”
Patrick Quinn freshman dunne hall “Pepperoni pizza.”
CJ Pulmano junior Alumni hall “hawaiian.”
Want your event included here? Email news@ndsmcobserver.com
Sunday
Freebie Yoga Class Rockne Memorial 11 a.m. - noon No registration required, but space is limited. Arrive early.
Men’s Lacrosse vs. Maryland Arlotta Stadium noon The Irish take on the Terrapins.
Theatre: “I and You” by Lauren Gunderson DeBartolo Performing Arts Center
2:30 p.m. - 4 p.m. Tickets available online.
Monthly Fellowship: Jamii Coleman-Morse Center 9 p.m. - 10 p.m. Food will be served.
Monday Center for Digital Scholarship Workshop: Introduction to Stata Hesburgh Library
3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
ACMS Colloqium: Mapping Cell States from Single-Cell Gene Expression Hayes-Healy Center 4:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Group reviews recsports changes
By MARIE FAZIO news Writer
Today’s Staff
notre dame student senate convened Wednesday night to discuss potential changes to recsports fitness class programs, approve the new student Union Treasurer and pass a resolution regarding partnering with national Association for eating disorder Awareness.
Kendra bayne, recsports assistant director of administration, and Jennie Phillips, assistant director of fitness and fitness facilities, gave an update on recsports.
bayne reminded students of upcoming deadlines in intramural sports, as well as future officials training sessions, the notre dame swim school and upcoming spring “freebie classes” before opening up the floor for discussion on fitness passes.
$2 a class. The proposed pass could potentially bring a slight increase in prices, but the money would go to the instructors and trainers, bayne said.
Additionally, bayne said there are ways around payment methods if a student is unable to afford a class.
“If you guys know of students who really want to do personal training and finances are an issue, they can come talk to me and I’ll work with them,” bayne said. some suggestions for improvements to the proposed fitness pass idea included an online sign-up 24 hours in advance, the ability to reserve spots a semester in advance and an app.
Additionally, recsports is looking to expand their student certification programs to allow students to become yoga, group fitness, or personal instructors.
will use rolfs as a practice facility, and the student recreation center will be moved into the duncan student center.
responding to questions of whether there would be basketball courts in the new student workout facility, Phillips said she was unable to divulge a lot of information at the time.
“We will find the court space and there will be a solution to adding more courts … the University is aware of the court space situation, so there will be something forthcoming,” Phillips said.
The observer regards itself as a professional publication and strives for the highest standards of journalism at all times. We do, however, recognize that we will make mistakes. If
have made a mistake, please contact us at (574) 6314541 so we can correct our error.
The passes would potentially be an alternative to the current fitness class registration system, which requires students to pay a fee for a set class time for the entire semester, bayne said.
The recsports program charges notre dame students less for fitness classes than most south bend fitness facilities, with some semester classes totaling only
“our philosophy is to give you guys skills in that field … some practical skills for when you leave here. And if you want to be a personal trainer on the side of your rocket science job, then you can do that,” bayne said.
similarly, the two discussed upcoming changes to facilities that are results of campus crossroads. As of Jan. 2018, the men’s and women’s basketball programs
Following the recsports presentation, Alexandra henderson was nominated for the new student Union Treasurer by the current student Union Treasurer, mason shinn. henderson has served as an assistant student Union Treasurer and was confirmed unanimously. The confirmation was effective immediately.
Additionally, the student senate passed resolution ss1617-31, which proposed that notre dame student government apply to be an official partner of national Association for eating disorder Awareness.
Contact Marie Fazio at mfazio@nd.edu
STUDenT SenATe
Visting professor connects ethics and environment
By STEPHANIE SNYDER news Writer
saint mary’s hosted Willis Jenkins, associate professor of religion, ethics and environment from the University of virginia, to present on current environmental concerns. The lecture, titled “After ‘Laudato si’’: revisiting the ecological Legacy of Thomas Aquinas,” focused on the relation between Thomas Aquinas’ theology on creation and salvation and Pope Francis’ second encyclical, “Laudato si’: on care for our common home.”
Jenkins said in his talk he is approaching the topic as a non-catholic.
“I have long been a reader of Thomas, but I’m not a specialist,” Jenkins said. “I work primarily on religious dimensions of environmental ethics where indeed I’ve written about Thomas Aquinas in contemporary and environmental thought.”
his goal of the lecture was to see how “Laudato si’” and Aquinas to work together to establish how humans should be living in society in order to better sustain the earth.
“my point here is really not, especially a non-catholic, to attempt to criticize st. Thomas or the current pope, but rather to sharpen the potential of something that they share which is a moral anthropology that is quite different from the prevailing way of being human in our society,” he said.
“Laudato si’” calls for humans to live authentically. Jenkins defines this as resisting norms of
exclusion and exploitation.
“The contemporary views of humanity represented by encyclical tradition rooted as they are in medieval christian theology area actually culpable for the environmental destruction,” he said. “I want to trace this idea of dominion from Thomas through the modern encyclicals in order to then consider how ‘Laudato si’’ tends to receive and transform that tradition.”
Jenkins says environmentalists claim that Aquinas’ theology on creation is in line with the catholic exploitation of dominion.
“For many contemporary environmental thinkers, Thomas Aquinas represents exactly the traits responsible for an ecological crisis which is anthropocentrism and dominion,” he said.
According to Jenkins, Aquinas wholly supports preserving both the dignity of humans and the dignity of other earthly creatures.
“creatures can’t be used in any what way,” Jenkins said. “Whatever kind of uses there are, they have to take place in this broader ecology of virtues.”
According to Aquinas, humans could not know God without creatures because each creature reveals a certain perfection of God.
“In so far as human dignity is realized through ecological relations, it is vulnerable to those relations and it is vulnerable to political violence,” he said. “Thomas would say humans need experiential knowledge of creatures to know God it might
performs scenes from operas or whole operas during years in which the college is not putting on a large show.
Thomas said she intentionally selected both art music and popular music for the concert.
“This juxtaposition reflects, I believe, the dichotomy between the classes, and the wide gulf between imperialistic rulers and their subjects, who sacrificed their lives at the bidding of their rulers,” she said. “nationalism in general, and the arms race between britain and Germany, edged the world into a horrific war.”
The writing of poets such as siegfried sassoon, Wilfred owen and edmund blunden, and readings from erich remarque’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” are used to focus on the horror and meaninglessness of the war, Thomas said. headlines from the new York Times are used as a historical timeline for the audience. she said preparing the concert is a work in progress, as she collaborated with the cast to fine tune the project and consider what pieces do and do not contribute to the goal of the piece.
The concert itself is put on by her opera scenes class, which
mean they have a right to have a right to have access to meaningful biodiversity.”
however, Jenkins pointed out that past encyclicals have used the anthropocentric point of view that humans have ultimate domino over creatures.
“The encyclicals are using dominion to establish universality of human dignity and that helps explain why members of this tradition do not get along well with politics that seem to privilege the humanity of some over others,” he said.
establishing human dignity in this way is dangerous, according to Jenkins, because it seems to show how separate humans are from their world.
“by the light of some environmental criticism it appears that a consequence in this way of establishing human dignity is a view of human persons as utterly separate of their world,” he said. “
Jenkins said that according to Pope John Paul II, we need equality in the dominion as well.
“If everyone has an equal share in dominion, and earth really is for everyone, then it’s a violation of human dignity if lifestyle of the affluent exposes the vulnerable to great harm,” he said.
People can avoid this inequality by living authentically as the encyclical suggests, Jenkins said.
“Authentic humanity is in learning to use the world rightly, which entails refusing to regard it as an object to be used,” he said.
Contact Stephanie Snyder at ssnyder02@saintmarys.edu
familiar I become with the music and the poetry, the more I figure it out and begin to feel what they felt during [World War I].”
conference
con TI n U ed F rom PAGe 1
systems, and women in active combat roles and in the government.
students, faculty and staff can freely attend any session, but will not be given a name tag, program or food unless they register on-site for all three days.
“We have over 60 notre d ame faculty, staff [and] students registered for the conference, which is far more than normal for Gender studies’ conferences,” Kearney said.
The keynote address, titled “sharpening Intersectionality’s c utting e dge,” will be conducted by Professor Patricia h ill c ollins, a professor of sociology at the University of m aryland, c ollege Park.
According to Kearney, c ollins is “one of the most respected scholars on intersectionality today.”
As the only notre d ame professor speaking at a plenary session, Atalia o mer, associate professor of religion, conflict, and peace studies in the Kroc Institute for International Peace studies and the sociology department, said she decided to participate in the conference, because she is especially fascinated with the “intellectual insights of intersectionality” and how it has informed various social
Education
con TI n U ed F rom PAGe 1
justice movements.
“Intersectionality should be a central component of our discussions at the [Kroc Institute for International Peace studies],” o mer said. “It has not been and so my own engagement with this academic and activist sets of discourses is motivated partly by this failure of peace studies to more centrally integrate feminist modes of analysis and scholarship.”
o mer will be presenting on “biopolitics and b orders: Intersectional b odies and the Globalizing of nation” through the perspective of a cultural sociologist of religion.
m any other notre d ame professors, as well as scholars from universities in s outh Africa, c anada, Texas, c olorado, m aryland and plenty of other locations across the United states will also be presenting at the conference.
“It would be hard for me to compare this group of scholars to those who have come to other [Gender studies] conferences, since the topics of each conference has been very different,” Kearney said. “b ut, given the conference theme, my guess is that we will have a far more racially diverse group than in previous years, and it’s likely that women of color will be in the majority.”
Contact Kelli Smith at ksmith67@nd.edu
who are the first in their family to go to college,” Karpowitz said, reading a passage from his book.
The cast of 10 includes five saint mary’s students, two notre dame students, saint mary’s political science professor marc belanger and two south bend chamber singers, she said. The cast, and the two pianists, are dedicated and fantastic, Thomas said.
one class and cast member, first year reagan stohler, said she is excited to perform on stage alongside saint mary’s students for the first time.
“I’m technically a middle class woman in Act I, and in Act II, I dress as a solider,” she said. “In this show, I like how everyone plays an equal part. We’re seen as equals and I think that’s really important especially with such a small cast.”
Along with getting to know classmates during rehearsal, stohler said she has enjoyed learning more about World War I as they work on the show.
“Going into the show, I had no idea what I was supposed to convey on stage, and was afraid I wasn’t going to make it convincing at all,” she said. “but the more
blocking a scene where stohler returns to the stage as fog settles after a gassing and experiences a beautiful poem about saying goodbye to a dead soldier, she said, was the moment she felt she grasped the show and all its emotions in its entirety. she said she thinks the concert holds something for everyone.
“I want the audience to feel the emotions that people felt back when the World War was starting,” she said. “I want them to feel the different levels of emotions. I want them to feel the excitement that was emitted with the propaganda, I want them to feel the pain that the soldiers felt at the time and I want them to feel what everyone felt after the war.
“I want the audience to realize it’s an ongoing thing, and it’s not really over when it’s over.”
The dramatized concert runs Thursday to saturday and showtime is 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. in saint mary’s Little Theatre.
Contact Kathryn Marshall at kmarsha7@nd.edu
academics for the bard Prison Initiative ( bPI), said bPI offers incarcerated men and women the opportunity to better themselves and earn a college degree in prison, in an attempt to counteract the current prison system’s failings.
“nearly all of the students the college has engaged in prison are guilty of serious crimes — most of them violent crimes,” Karpowitz said.
“o n the other hand, I see most forms of punishment as unfortunate mirror-images of the violence to which they respond.”
Karpowitz said the program aims to find incarcerated men and women whose high intelligence has never been fully nurtured.
“The characteristic student will have dropped out and fled from school after the ninth grade,” Karpowitz said. “o ur most accomplished students are typically the ones who fled school the earliest.”
Karpowitz said the importance of a college degree to an incarcerated person cannot be overstated.
“A degree is both a practical credential and a power symbol, especially to students
This education gives the inmates a chance to learn and succeed, and once their sentences are finished, they are truly ready to contribute to society with what they have learned while incarcerated, Karpowitz said.
“This is about the love of learning, this is about the celebration and manifestation of the liberal arts and this is about inclusive excellence in American education, which is a meritocracy,” Karpowitz said.
Karpowitz said the significance of education is best summed up by the mother of e asy Waters, a former inmate who received his college degree in prison and is now an accomplished poet and novelist. Water’s mother was a very vocal supporter of her son’s education, even while he was incarcerated.
“‘You can lose everything — possessions gained can always, always be taken away. but an education — nobody can ever take that from you,’” Karpowitz said, reading a quote from Water’s mother in his book.
Contact Aidan Lewis at alewis9@nd.edu
By ADAM RAMOS scene Writer
A quick examination of The courtneys’ facebook page is worth the trip. vaporwave videos, puppy pics and even a quiz game titled “Which coU rT ne Y Are You” populate their wall (it’s 17 questions long — I am a “sydney”). Further probing into the new Zealand via vancouver sweet punk outfit’s page and you may discover the band’s “interests,” namely, activities at Y mc A, cheese ramen and “cruising.” Ultimately though, it is the group’s personal description that proves most intriguing: “a special blend of fuzzy artisanal grunge.” The portrayal, while aptly playful, is telling. on their latest album, “The courtneys II,” The courtneys find pleasantry in grunge via harmony and wit, a successful experiment from a promising voice in the genre.
To be fair, the notion of “artisanal grunge” is oxymoronic, quick to conjure images of Jeff Albini cringing in some dingy c hicago garage or Kurt cobain rolling in his grave. Yet, grunge, or more generally post-punk, has come a long way as a genre. As artists across the map continue to morph and play with grunge’s traditional dIY sound, introspective ethos and distorted yet intricate instrumentation, it seems that “artisanal grunge” doesn’t feel so far off. While the grunge genre in name may no longer exist, more recently emerging genres like sludge-punk and even emo continue to bear the grunge spirit — a spirit very much alive in
“The courtneys II.”
For the courtneys, grunge means a heap of distortion without sacrificing pop, most evident in album standout “m innesota.” sweetly dissonant, the 3:40 long track works so well between the thumping percussion, distorted layered guitar and tender vocals that even the guitar solo feels necessary. many of the tracks on the album feature similar structures, and while this may mean that, at times, the album can feel a tad vapid, the strength of the individual performances and the collective chemistry manages to command attention almost all the way through.
vocal harmonies throughout the album evoke shoegaze’s sweet saccharine pulse and juxtapose nicely with some of the grittier guitar riffs and basslines — a dynamic sound recalling that of ’90s outfits The sundays, Lush and even the more abrasive veruca salt. In general, the vocals are the strength of the album, particularly those of lead Jen Twynn Payne. Inventive singing methods, like the undulating vocal pitch shifts on track “Tour,” help give the less complicated guitar hooks and percussion a bit more body.
What’s being sung is also of note. The courtneys have a special gift at making the trite feel poignant. While much of the lyrical content deals with traditional themes like relationships, break-ups, saying goodbye, feeling out of place and vampires, Twynn Payne’s emotional prowess and story-telling abilities allow her to create a more nuanced, not to mention relatable, listening experience — think The shangri-Las. on “Iron
deficiency,” a blood disorder is a conduit for exploring the perils of life as a confused 20-year-old. “And nothing you say or nothing you do could stop me from thinking about you, it doesn’t matter if it’s right, you’re just the one I like,” Payne sings in the chorus on album opener “silver velvet,” a simple but nonetheless profound comment on the power of romance’s persuasion. While I already semi-justified the notion of “artisanal grunge,” it goes without saying there is an element of humor to The courtneys self-description. humor like how the band dedicates almost 7 minutes to explaining why someone who “looks just like they did in 1986” should be considered a “vampire Teenage boyfriend.” sure, it is playful, and maybe a bit unnecessary, but the humorous realism constantly looming is a refreshing component of the album. Then again, I’m just a sydney — what do I know about humor?
Contact Adam Ramos at aramos6@nd.edu
“The Courtneys II” The Courtneys
Label: Flying Nun Records
Tracks: “Silver Velvet,” “Minnesota,” “Iron Deficiency” If you like: Hinds, Hole, Tame Impala
By CAELIN MILTKO scene Writer
Lauren Gunderson’s 2014 “I and You” revolves around the story of caroline, a chronically ill teenage girl, who is visited by a mysterious boy, insisting that he needs her to help him with his project about Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass.” From the start, the Film, Television and Theater department’s latest production feels a little guardian angel-esque.
Anthony (played by eric Ways) barges into caroline (played by mary Patano)’s room, reciting Whitman’s poetry, and insisting he is her partner for an english project. From the play’s first act, Anthony’s true purpose seems clear — he is there to ‘save’ caroline from the hopelessness she feels as a by-product of her long struggle with some sort of liver disease.
The magic of “I and You” is that, at some point, it manages to forget that storyline for a while and focuses on other, more uplifting plotlines. The second act plays out like a scene from something along the lines of “me and earl and the dying Girl,” where caroline’s role is to ‘save’ Anthony from his fear of dying. In the third act, it seems like they can help — but maybe not save — each other, until the final twist that appears to take the plot back to the beginning.
however, like all returns, the end cannot be the same as the beginning because of the events that have transpired.
“I and You,” on the surface, is basically the story of the most intense group project ever. Ways and Patano are brilliantly emotive from start to finish, moving from melodramatic teenage angst to blind glee to repressed fear to irrepressible cynicism with ease.
The play, despite its deeper concerns, is primarily comedic. Patano continually flies to her bed in fits of teenage melodrama, and Ways expresses himself loudly and exuberantly, playacting Whitman’s poem like a young boy telling his favorite story.
At times the theater seemed to buzz with the tension of their scenes together, perhaps due to the intimacy of the setting. “I and You” takes place in the decio Theater in debartolo Performing Arts center, which has been formed into a black box theater. The audience sits on either side of the stage, meaning at times the facial expressions and actions of the characters are obscured. despite not being able to see every emotion on the actors’ faces, the closed-in nature of the theater increases the immersion of the audience in the production.
Lauren Gunderson’s script emphasizes the youth of the characters in contrast to the problems they are forced to face, all through the filter of Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass,”
which might well be useful reading before seeing the play. Their exuberance, cynicism and everyday concerns are haunted by something darker — hinted at by the pill bottles on the edges of set, Patano’s breakdowns, and Ways’ hesitance to speak too much about himself.
The setting and costumes are also designed to emphasize their youth. Patano’s hair is always in braids. The room is wonderfully adolescent, surrounded by fairy lights, decorated with bright colors and polka dots, and the bed features a number of Pillow Pets and other stuffed animals. Anthony’s original poster board is pathetic — clearly the attempt of a distracted teenager with better things to do.
The youth emphasized by these details makes the storyline more tragic on the whole, even as it plays out as a comedy until the very end.
In contrast to other FTT plays, this one (until the final moments) seems less literary and more accessible — and therefore more enjoyable for a wider audience. The intimacy of the setting and the skill of the actors bring what truly is a moving script to life.
“I and You” plays at the decio Theater in dPAc at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and saturday, and at 2:30 p.m. on sunday. Tickets are $7 for students.
Contact Caelin Miltko at cmoriari@nd.edu
InSIDe colUmn
Tupac’s message lives
Meagan Bens sports Writer
If Tupac s hakur was not murdered 20 years ago, he would be 45 now, around the same age as snoop d ogg and Jay Z.
With each passing year, his music and legacy continue to grow. he did not just have an influence on hip-hop artists; he had an influence over everyone. s ome people equate rap to poetry, but only a few artists actually live up to this. Tupac created literature out of universal ideas, something that has been lost in current rappers today, as the major concern to get on the radio is beats, not lyrics. That’s another story for all you m igos, Young Thug and Lil’ Yachty fans, though.
Unlike the image that is pushed by the music industry today, Tupac rapped about personal, yet relatable issues, which is why two decades later, he is still considered one of the most important rappers. o ne of his most prominent legacies was his ability to express social issues in his music. sure, his music was problematic at times, but it doesn’t erase the fact that he rapped about real life issues that other mainstream musicians would rather ignore today.
d iving into his timeless lyrics, there are messages that are relevant today. In his 1991 single, “brenda’s Got a b aby,” Tupac tells the story of 12-year-old girl who is forced into prostitution, and then struggles to provide for herself and her baby after her cousin molests and impregnates her. This is not a light topic at all, yet Tupac detailed the struggle of a single mother in a radical way. Topics such as child prostitution, abuse and poverty are hard to take on, but Tupac showed empathy towards those who suffered and brought it to the forefront with his music.
Another example of his revolutionary songs is his single, “c hanges,” recorded in 1992, but remixed and released in 1998. Known as one of his most definitive works, Tupac highlights the war on drugs, the war on poverty and tackles African-American social issues. The most intense moments in his song are when he references police brutality and institutional racism, issues that still need to be addressed today. repetitively expressing his desire for change, Tupac would be disappointed to see that few things he wrote about have actually changed. o ne of his most compassionate and well known songs, Tupac’s 1993 single “Keep Ya head Up” is dedicated to women, specifically African-American women. he calls on men of color to treat their women and children with respect, while encouraging women to stay strong, even though it is difficult to survive in a one-parent family. he also criticizes the government’s role in perpetuating poverty among people of color. h is lines about rape and sexual assault cut deep as they also continue to resonate as serious issues today along with inequality.
The three songs mentioned above are a few of his socially conscious raps that reveal life for minorities in the United s ates. d espite the hard-hitting, depressing topics he wrote about, he was often inherently hopeful. noticing that his songs were recorded two decades ago, you wonder if he could see into the future.
As his legacy continues to make an imprint on society today, and his face continues to appear on clothing at Urban o utfitters, I encourage you to first and foremost listen and appreciate the legend’s lyrics for free on spotify before purchasing a T-shirt.
Contact Meagan Bens at mbens@nd.edu
The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
A call for transparency from Notre Dame International
It’s no secret that students here are among the most driven and talented in the country. What attracts all of us to attend the University of n otre d ame, often turning down hefty scholarships at other universities, isn’t just football and the d ome, but also the promise that n otre d ame will expand our opportunities, not limit them.
Ironically, this limiting of opportunities is exactly what so many sophomores are facing right now. The same University that promised so much — and is receiving hefty tuition fees for fulfilling their promises — isn’t making good on them.
We believe this is wrong.
o ne of our major considerations when choosing a college was the availability and accessibility of their study abroad programs, and from a glance at n otre d ame’s materials, which state, “At n otre d ame, we think every student should have an opportunity to study abroad before graduating,” we both were quickly assured that we’d be able to go anywhere we pleased.
h owever, after having seen the study abroad decisions for many of our peers over the past month, we’ve realized this just isn’t the case. There is a stark divide between the advertisement and the reality of n otre d ame study abroad programs. We know of too many qualified students who were waitlisted to one or both of the programs to which they applied, and we think it should be clarified that no one receives a “rejection” decision, but instead, all those not accepted are left in limbo, having been placed on the “waitlist.”
We recognize that with the sheer number of highly qualified applicants at the University, it might be necessary to have a rigorous application process. b ut that doesn’t excuse the blatant lack of transparency.
Upon requesting more information on his waitlist status, one of our classmates received back this response that many may find familiar: “I cannot share any sort of ‘ranking’ on your individual waitlist status, nor can I advise on the likelihood of a spot opening up on your respective program.”
We did not apply to n otre d ame without knowledge of their acceptance rate, and we certainly did not apply without backup plans. Why should study abroad be any different?
As much as the University likes to tell students that summer study abroad is a valid alternative, this is neither equal nor economically feasible for many students. Families don’t necessarily have $8,000 to spend in addition to n otre d ame tuition, especially when summer is typically a time for students to make money — not spend it.
A Principles of m icroeconomics class will teach you that the economic cost of this program includes not only the price of it but also the wages foregone from the summer job the student would have worked otherwise.
s o, we are not seeking a complete overhaul of the system, but rather asking for transparency of acceptance rates from past years as well as of the effect of your “first, second and third” choice weighting on your probability of acceptance to a program.
We believe this would help students to make more informed decisions when applying and avoid unpleasant surprises when decisions are released.
Margritz sophomore
Marea Hurson sophomore Feb. 28
Brittany
Why colleges need coffee shops
Matt Williams
v iewology: c ritical reflections on life
Going to college is an ideal in almost every human culture. As one of the major societal sifts that humans pass through on their way from adolescence to adulthood, college has many purposes. For some students, it provides the skills needed to take the next step in life. For others, it simply helps discern what the next step will be.
c ollege also provides us with a splash of the real world before we are fully baptized in it, like learning how to scuba dive in a pool before leaping into the ocean. It is during this extracurricular training that we are supposed to learn how to actually be an adult: how to make ourselves and those around us happy, how to support society as much as it has supported us, and how to work and live in an extremely complex and diverse world.
c lasses usually fulfill the function of skill-acquisition, and advisors deal with discernment, so the challenge of teaching us these larger life lessons tends to fall on other structures around campus. For the sake of efficiency, these different duties are often delegated to specific structures that are purposefully designed to perform them.
At notre d ame, we can imagine that c ampus m inistry plays the part of teaching us about joy, and the c enter for s ocial c oncerns shows us how to give back to society, but what prepares us to work and live in an extremely complex and diverse world? Where are we supposed to go to gain the courage to speak our minds, without losing the humility we’ll need to change them? o r to find the
wonder and tenacity necessary to keep asking important questions, in addition to the understanding that there are many ‘right’ answers?
In my opinion, this responsibility falls on us, because most of these virtues require an intrinsic motivation to fully develop. That being said, college campuses could further empower our efforts by creating environments that make these goals explicit and easier to accomplish. s o what would such an environment look like?
For starters, it has to be publicly neutral to attract people of all opinions and perspectives, and openly inviting to make them feel comfortable coming alone. o nce it draws them in, it must be relaxing enough to help people lower their guard, but also set up in a way that inspires them to meet strangers and break the small talk barrier. Finally, if it’s going to provoke free thinking and incubate open-minded dialogue, it will also need to provide substance to sustain these activities; something like a warm caffeinated beverage and sugary snacks to go with it.
e qually as important as creating this territory of intellectual exploration is ensuring that it isn’t quickly colonized by interrogative interviewers or steadfast studiers. b oth of these activities have their own respective places on campus. To allow them to pirate a student’s sole space to ask questions about anything and everything, with the lone goal of gaining a better understanding, is to keep students from fully grasping the complexity and diversity of the world that they will soon plunge into.
Thus, it is with both my own, and the whole of humanity’s future in mind, that I beg for the resurrection and protection of the archetypal college coffee
shop. The world, and colleges in particular, need these spaces to help people understand each other. Additionally, I urge all of us students, myself included, to do one less thing. Instead of giving up chocolates or T v for Lent, why not quit a group, drop a class, and free up some time? Then, rather than finding a new resume-building commitment to sign up for, go sit in a coffee shop and start a conversation.
When we do this, we need to leave small talk at the door. notre d ame introductions and weekend recaps must be replaced by brave new questions about the bigger challenges in life. Then, as an end in and of itself, not just the means to earning more participation points, we can have a messy, challenging, and uncomfortable conversation. It will be difficult, but it will also be impactful, and the world needs these dialogues now more than ever.
c ollege is much more than a step on the way to a stable career. While this would be a welcomed side effect, the real reason we spend four years of our lives attending a liberal arts university is to learn how to live in the world. It is in this education, the one that doesn’t show up on a LinkedIn profile but is easy to see in a person, that we really come here for. If coffee shops play a part in helping us get it, then colleges need coffee shops.
Have any procedures to recommend? Want to propose an alternative hypothesis? Need to see some proof in person? Please feel free to contact Matt at mwilli41@nd.edu (and in the meanwhile, don’t forget to be awesome).
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily of the Observer.
What should I give up for Lent?
This is the eternal question that has plagued centuries of good c atholic boys and girls. A lot rides on what you decide to abstain from, after all. b ack in grade school, I would proudly announce my brave sacrifice for that year — most likely candy, pop or fighting with my brother — to my classmates, expecting them to be in awe of my courage and dedication to our Lord. I made sure my friends and family knew just how hard it was to be a devoted c atholic. Inevitably, a week or two later, I’d have to come up with excuses for my brother or parents as to why there were candy wrappers crumpled up in my pockets — someone littered, and I was just doing my civic duty and picking it up! I swear! It hasn’t gotten much easier throughout the years. e ven though I went to a public high school, and the competition amongst classmates all but disappeared, I still had my Irish- c atholic family to deal with. Family parties were considerably less fun when each of us cousins gave up sweets and fighting with siblings, thus eliminating virtually all sources of entertainment at the gatherings. o nce I got to notre d ame, I was thrust right back into the
ring of competitive Lenten s acrifice — only now the kinds of things given up had changed slightly. Abstaining from soda had become limiting one’s drinks in a given night, and giving up candy now meant vowing not to consume two or three bowls of frozen yogurt at the dining hall every day. Last year, I made the noble, but ultimately futile, attempt to give up the elevator for 40 days. I started off strong, but inevitably, the effort of living on the fourth floor and carrying laundry up five flights of stairs wore me down, and I whispered a quick prayer of forgiveness as I shamefully pressed the elevator button.
Given the complete failure of last year’s Lenten promise, I’m in the market for a new one this year. m aybe the key is not so much physically giving up something, but instead promising to work on some part of my character. Instead of looking down at the ground with an unintentional scowl on my face as I walk past freshmen in my section after a long day, I can make the effort to smile and give a quick hello. r ather than getting impatient with my roommate when she wants to talk about her day or a problem she’s having and I’m exhausted, I will remind myself that she’s been there for me and sometimes, all you need is just someone to listen. next time my mom calls, I can resist the urge to hang up on her mid-sentence, and instead allow the woman who
birthed me a few of my precious minutes, especially because I know the few precious calls she gets with me are the brightest moments of her otherwise dull and gray life.
o n a more serious note, one Lenten routine that I can proudly say I have kept up throughout the years is the practice of taking a minute every night during Lent to say a quick prayer, or to just reflect on my life in general. In the end, as we’ve all been told millions of times, the purpose of Lent is to remember the sacrifice that was made for all of us, and to live accordingly. I love that I go to a school where this is taken so seriously, and that the only peer pressure I feel here is to find the best possible way to sacrifice and reflect this Lent. With this in mind, I’m open to suggestions from my fellow young c atholics for this Lent that do not involve quitting beer or hiking 20 flights of stairs a day.
Aside from incessantly quoting “Hamilton” and other perfect works of theater/film, Lucy Collins majors in economics and history, is a sophomore at Notre Dame and is often found trying to balance her hopeless romanticism and nearly constant cynicism. Please direct comments to lcollin8@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily of the Observer.
Lucy Collins stuck in the middle
Happy Birthday: you’ll be torn between what you want to do and what you have to do. h andle your affairs with finesse. g et organized and prepare to take care of your responsibilities swiftly. f reeing up time to embrace the projects, people and activities that bring you joy will make this a year to remember instead of one filled with regret. your numbers are 9, 11, 23, 27, 31, 34, 45.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): P you are thoughtful, original and progressive. you are passionate and proactive.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): you are thoughtful, original and progressive. you are passionate and proactive.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): you are thoughtful, original and progressive. you are passionate and proactive.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): s omeone will try to take over or bully you into something you should have no part of. d on’t let anyone take advantage of you or pressure you into something you don’t want to do. Avoid indulgence and impulsiveness.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): s hort trips, personal pick-me-ups and celebrating your good fortune with someone you love are featured. o pportunities will be abundant, and taking advantage of what’s available will put you in a stellar position. d on’t let a bully stand in your way.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): s elf-criticism will do you good and bring about alterations to the way you do things. l imit your expenditures and try not to overindulge in food and drink. e motional situations will turn sour if you or someone else overreacts.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): l earn from those with more experience than you. c ooperation will work to your advantage when seeking advancement. Personal and business partnerships look promising once you get past divvying up responsibilities. m aintaining balance in your life will lead to success.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): l earn from those with more experience than you. c ooperation will work to your advantage when seeking advancement. Personal and business partnerships look promising once you get past divvying up responsibilities. m aintaining balance in your life will lead to success.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): c ommunication, travel and obtaining accurate information will be a challenge. s tick to the people you know and focus on improving your personal relationships. An opportunity will come out of nowhere. k now your assets and your limitations.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Pressure will be put on you to take action before you are ready to participate. d on’t feel obligated to align yourself with anyone who appears unstable. b elieve in your ability to rise on your own merit.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A joint venture will change your life. Take the initiative to put your plans in motion. Personal and professional gains can be made by using your unique skills to bring about new opportunities. Physical improvements can be made.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): m ake decisions instead of taking orders. b e creative and look for alternative ways to live your life. d on’t give in to peer pressure. u se your imagination and create the life that inspires you to be your best.
Birthday Baby: you are thoughtful, original and progressive. you are passionate and proactive.
JuMble | dAvId hoyT And Jeff knurek
sudoku | The mePhAm grouP
Just add water | erIc cArlson & John roddy
Oscars mirror championships
Michael Ivey sports Writer
If you’re a big movie buff like me, you were probably watching the Academy Awards on sunday night. I watched almost the entire show, from host Jimmy Kimmel making candy literally rain down from the sky, to Kimmel bringing in a tour bus of unsuspecting tourists into the ceremony (shoutout to Gary from c hicago), to casey Affleck’s win in the best Actor in a Leading role category. When it got to the end of the show, the night had gone well and people were going to talk about one — if not all — of those things tomorrow, right? Wrong.
All of those things were completely forgotten after the presentation for the biggest award of the night, best Picture, was interrupted after it was revealed the presenters used the wrong card and, therefore, announced the wrong winner. The original announcement was “La La Land,” but the real winner was “moonlight.” Watching it all unfold on live television was a sight to behold. steve harvey started to creep back into our minds. how could they have made such a huge mistake? how the wrong card got into the presenter’s hands is a question for another time. Perhaps, someday, someone will film a documentary about it that will win an oscar for best documentary.
Within the immediate aftermath of the confusion, I thought to myself, “The last time I saw something this unbelievable was ... three weeks ago.” That’s right. my mind connected what was unfolding at an awards show to what happened at a sporting event three weeks ago in houston: the super bowl. With about 17 minutes left in the game, the Atlanta Falcons had a comfortable 28-3 lead and were on their way to their first super bowl c hampionship in franchise history.
Then Tom brady happened. brady led the new e ngland Patriots on an incredible comeback to tie the game and eventually, win it in overtime.
I remember thinking at the time of that game, “I haven’t seen something like that happen since ... november.”
That was when the c leveland Indians held a 3-1 series lead over the c hicago cubs in the 2016 World series. The Indians needed one more win to claim their first championship since 1948.
They never got it.
After losing Games 5 and 6 and just coming up short in Game 7, the Indians went home empty handed while the cubs went on a parade with their first championship in 108 years. I remember thinking at the time of that game “I haven’t seen something like that happen since ... June.”
notice the trend happening here?
June was when the Golden state Warriors held a 3-1 series lead over the c leveland cavaliers in the 2016 nbA Finals. The Warriors were on the cusp of winning their second straight title and completing the greatest season ever. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. Lebron James and the cavaliers completed the largest comeback in nbA Finals history, becoming the first team to win it all after trailing in the series, 3-1. Thus, the “insert team” blew a 3-1 lead jokes were born.
Well, here we are on march 1 — 3/1, coincidence? The nh L and nbA Playoffs haven’t even started yet, spring training in the m L b just got underway, yet the joke is rearing its ugly head once again.
What happened to “La La Land” on sunday was almost too similar to what happened to the Atlanta Falcons, c leveland Indians and Golden state Warriors in their respective sports when the light shined brightest.
“La La Land” was about to claim the ultimate prize after a record-tying 14 oscar nominations. but, they just couldn’t get that one final vote.
Contact Michael Ivey at mivey@hcc-nd.edu
The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
After close defeat, saint mary’s heads to Florida
Observer
Sports
Staff
In a tight encounter, Aquinas recorded a 5-4 victory over s aint mary’s on s aturday at home.
In doubles play, where the belles had looked strong in last week’s three-match trip to ohio, s aint mary’s again took an early advantage. Although freshman meaghan Flynn and senior Kaity venters were defeated 8-5, despite bringing a 4-1 deficit back to 4-4, the other two belles pairings recorded victories, with sophomore monica davy and senior
nBa | heAT 125, 76ers 98
s am s etterblad winning their match 8-3, while juniors maddie m inaudo and Kelsey Kopf won theirs 8-6 after establishing an early 5-2 lead.
m inaudo extended the belles’ lead by earning the first victory of the singles matches, a 6-2, 6-2 win. however, the rest of the belles’ singles lineup could not achieve the same success. Kopf and Flynn both lost by final scores of 7-5, 6-3, and while sophomore e lizabeth Preister recorded a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory for the belles, the other two b elles players in three-set matches
did not fare so well. Although both davy and s etterblad claimed the opening sets of their encounters, both of their opponents tied things up before taking the final set, 6-2. davy was defeated 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 while s etterblad lost 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.
s aint mary’s faces a busy spring break, playing five schools in o rlando, Florida. The belles will face UW-La c rosse on monday, before taking on st. s cholastica and Goucher on Tuesday, and William smith and st. norbert on Thursday.
Johnson’s 24 points help Miami stay hot at home
Associated Press
m IA m I — Tyler Johnson scored 24 points off the bench, and the m iami h eat never trailed in a 125-98 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.
Wayne e llington made six 3-pointers for 18 points for m iami, which has won 10 of its past 11 at home. h assan Whiteside, d ion Waiters and Goran d ragic all scored 15 for the h eat, and Whiteside also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
r obert c ovington scored 19 for the 76ers, who learned earlier Wednesday that center Joel e mbiid will miss the remainder of the season with a left knee injury.
r ichaun h olmes scored 15 and T.J. m c c onnell added 14 for Philadelphia, which lost its third straight.
m iami shot 54 percent and topped 120 points for the third time this season, with two of those coming against Philadelphia. The h eat also made 13 3-pointers, giving them 65 in their past five games — a first in franchise history.
The e mbiid news came in the same week that a pair of All- s tars — Toronto’s Kyle
Lowry (wrist) and Golden s tate’s Kevin d urant (knee) — were lost by their teams for likely the bulk of the remaining regular-season games, at least.
Lowry had wrist surgery, and d urant hurt his knee in Washington on Tuesday night.
“It’s horrible,” h eat coach e rik s poelstra said. “I hate looking at the news and seeing another player out. We’re in a competitive business but you don’t want to see players out.”
TIP-I ns
76ers: The 76ers called their first timeout just 49 seconds after tip-off, after Waiters grabbed a rebound at one end and went in for an uncontested layup at the other. ... Gerald h enderson (left hip soreness) missed the second half. ... h eat: m iami paid tribute to the cast of “ m oonlight” — the m iami-based film that won b est Picture at this year’s o scars — during a timeout in the second quarter. s ome of the children involved with the film met with h eat forward Udonis h aslem pregame. ... The h eat play 10 times at home in m arch, with the next one being a visit from Le b ron
James and c leveland on s aturday.
“ s P o ” honored s poelstra was the e astern c onference coach of the month for February, his seventh time winning the monthly honor. As was the case with the first six, s poelstra shared the credit between his staff and the players. “I think it’s a John Wooden quote: It’s amazing what you can accomplish when nobody cares who gets the credit. That’s the way this staff is,” s poelstra said.
revo Lv I n G door
b ecause of injuries and trades, the 76ers used four starting lineups in four games against m iami this season. In all, 10 different 76ers started at some point against m iami — with only h enderson starting all four times. d ario s aric and Jahlil o kafor started for the first time in a 76ers- h eat game this season on Wednesday. UP ne XT
76ers: h ost n ew York on Friday. b oth 76ers-Knicks games this season were one-point decisions.
h eat: v isit o rlando on Friday. r oad teams are 3-0 in the h eat- m agic series so far this season.
MICHAEL YU | The Observer
Junior pitcher Peter Solomon winds up during Notre Dame’s 10-2 victory over Wake Forest on March 3 at Frank Eck Stadium.
Baseball
con TI n U ed F rom PAge 12
past week through practice and training.
“We’ll practice early on this week with some of the guys who didn’t throw on the weekend, but we’re also going to do some individual skill work,” Aoki said. “We’re going to work on finding the right combination in the infield and focus on getting our pitchers to pitch for contact, regardless of what is going on behind them. o ur pitchers have been trying to get the opponent by pitching fast, but often times we will find ourselves against teams good enough to sit on a fastball. We just have to keep working, grinding and trying to get better.”
Play for the Irish will get underway on Friday afternoon against m aryland. o n s aturday, the team will play a double header, the first game coming against U m ass Lowell and the second against r hode Island. The weekend will be capped off on s unday morning when n otre d ame takes on m onmouth. Ultimately the team will be hoping for a better outcome than they have seen in its first two weekends of action to start the season. While recognizing the team has some problems it needs to fix, Aoki said he isn’t hitting the panic button quite yet as he acknowledges that every team goes through ups and downs throughout the season.
“If you kind of picture the
Junior infielder Morgan Reed runs the bases during Notre Dame’s 10-2 victory over Eastern Michigan on March 22 at Melissa Cook Stadium. Reed leads the team with a .487 batting average this season.
s oftball
season on a line graph, you see yourself getting from one point to another, and a lot of times people see it as just one steady, uphill climb, but in reality it doesn’t work that way,” Aoki said. “You’re going to have ups and downs, but when all is said and done you hope to have made some progress.”
The Irish are hoping the first steps to putting this season back on track start this weekend, but that will certainly take some adjustments from the way the team has been playing.
For Aoki, he’s taken note of what he thinks will be some of his team’s biggest keys to success this weekend, chief among them being able to take advantage of free chances while limiting the opponent’s.
“I think the biggest thing is we have to win the free 90s, meaning walks, hit by pitches, errors, and stolen bases,” Aoki said. “We have strong catching, yet teams have already been able to steal bases on us, so outside of a couple coaching decisions to not try to catch them, that’s on our pitching staff. We have to do a better job to give our catcher a chance. For us, trying to win the free 90s within the game is key.”
Play kicks off at 4:30 p.m. for the Irish when they face the Terrapins (1-5), looking to get out of the loss column and get the season going in the right direction.
Contact Alex Bender at abender@nd.edu
(13-4), who is n otre d ame’s strongest opponent on paper. c harlotte’s pitching staff maintains a low 2.22 er A and are led by junior
h aley Wiseman, who is 9-2 with a 1.53 er A. The 49ers’ offense — which features seven hitters with an average above .300 and boasts a team average of .334 — is paced by junior infielder h aley Pace, who leads her team with a .481 batting average, .981 slugging percentage, six home runs and 19 rb Is.
The Irish will begin their weekend s aturday when they take on the b oilermakers at 12:30 p.m. at es P n Wide World of s ports c omplex.
CAITLYN JORDAN | The Observer
27-under-par 837.
b arens finished the national i nvitational Tournament with backto-back 69s in his last two rounds for n otre d ame and Kubinski said he was proud of how b arens finished the tournament on a hot streak.
“b lake finished in 138 over the last 36 holes, which was very good,” Kubinski said. “b en played really well over the last two rounds too.”
Kubinski said adjustments will be made in order for his team to have success in the next tournament.
“We need to be a little more aggressive, not in decision-making, but in mindset,” Kubinski said. “Th[ose] middle 33 holes or so saw us go 10 [under par] as a team.
We just need to extend that style of play over 54 holes, rather than play a bit tentatively and start slow with plus eight.”
Kubinski believed that his team did some very good things, despite not winning the tournament.
“There was lots of good play over the majority of the event, playing top-ranked teams,” Kubinski said. “That’s what we’ll build upon. it was a very encouraging majority of the tournament. We’ll be stronger for this experience.”
The i rish will have the next two weeks off as they prepare for the Georgia s outhern s chenkel i nvitational at the Forest heights c ountry c lub in s tatesboro, Georgia, from m arch 17 to 19.
Contact Kyle Barry at kbarry@hcc-nd.edu
m Bball
but that was as good as it was going to get for them for the rest of the night.
The i rish offense erupted for a 17-2 run to close out the half, which gave them an eight-point cushion to start the second half. b eachem scored 10 of the 17 points in the seven-minute span. The senior captain started the run with an emphatic dunk, which caused a deafening cheer from the crowd that flipped the momentum of the game. The honorary seniors stole the show from that point on.
v asturia converted a baseline reverse layup a few possessions later to cut the deficit to one point. a minute later, b eachem connected on a 3-pointer that gave the i rish their first lead of the game. v asturia and b eachem exchanged 3-pointers on the next two i rish scores before b oston c ollege managed to end the 15-0 run.
Junior forward b onzie c olson, who had a quiet first half, joined in on the offensive output scoring 12 of his 18 points in the second half. d espite b oston c ollege’s efforts to climb back into the game, n otre d ame put the dagger on any chances of a comeback when v asturia buried a 3-pointer from the corner with four and a half
minutes left to play to push the lead to 20 points.
Junior guard m att Farrell added 14 points along with three assists to give the i rish four players in double figures. Graduate student forward walk-on Patrick m azza also contributed two points at the end of the game as he celebrated his final game at Purcell Pavilion.
“You couldn’t have scripted it any better,” i rish head coach m ike b rey said. “Two seniors having fun, you can take them out of the game to a standing ovation with a minute and a half left. You play well, and you know Pat m azza — is he on c had Ford’s draft board yet? n o, but our crowd was great, our students were great and certainly a great way to finish the season in front of our home crowd.”
The win puts the i rish in second place in the acc standings with just one game left on the road against n o. 8 Louisville. d espite the victory on senior night, the i rish recognize the importance of their matchup against the c ardinals, which could potentially launch them into a share of the regular season acc championship after owning a 6-5 acc record a few weeks ago.
“ i t’s a great feeling to be rolling like this heading into m arch,” b eachem said. “a great opportunity in front of us s aturday, and we just
want to do our job and let it play out. … i t’s been really two major ups and one major down as far as conference play, but to be where we are, we’re in a great position with something to play for in the last weekend of the regular season. i think that’s something you wish for as a program, and we just want to make the most of it.” i n addition to the eventful senior night, the most noticeable difference of n otre d ame’s play tonight was the incorporation of junior forward m artinas Geben, who didn’t play a single minute in the last two games. o n Wednesday night, Geben played 10 minutes while adding six points, which was the most he’s contributed since playing s yracuse on Jan. 21 where he scored seven.
h eading into the postseason, b rey said that he wants to make sure that everyone is prepared to contribute to the task of making another deep run in both the acc and ncaa tournaments.
“The biggest thing was getting m artin Geben back in a flow,” b rey said. “ i just think we’re going to need him — we’re going to need more hands on deck come the postseason.”
n otre d ame will travel to face off against Louisville on s aturday at 2 p.m.
Contact Manny De Jesus at mdejesus@nd.edu
Paid a dverT isemen T
MICHAEL YU | The Observer Freshman Davis Lamb follows through on a swing during practice Sept. 3 at Warren Golf Course. Lamb parred 36 holes in the NIT.
KATHERYNE ROBINSON | The Observer
win over Boston College on
points and four rebounds in his final home game.
KATHERYNE ROBINSON | The Observer
Irish senior guard Steve Vasturia looks for a pass during Notre Dame’s 82-66 win over Boston College on Wednesday at Purcell Pavilion. Vasturia contributed 10 points and five rebounds in the Senior Night game.
mEn’s BaskEtBaLL | nd 82, bosTon college 66
Notre Dame completes home slate with victory
By MANNY DE JESUS sports Writer
n o. 19 n otre d ame would not be denied in honoring its senior captains v.J. b eachem and s teve vasturia with style. The i rish (23-7, 12-5 acc ) picked up their sixth win in a row after defeating b oston c ollege for the second time this season, 82-66. b oth seniors were instrumental in n otre d ame’s victory scoring a combined 32 points. i t wasn’t until late in the first half, however, that the i rish even possessed their first lead of the game.
The e agles (9-21, 2-15) came out swinging in the first half led by freshman guard Ky b ownman and sophomore guard Jerome r obinson, who scored six and nine points respectively in the first 13 minutes of the game. a t that point, the e agles led by seven points,
see m bball PagE 11
nd softBaLL
squad set for play in Florida
Observer Staff Report
n otre d ame will hit the road for its final seasonopening invitational tournament of the spring this weekend when it travels to Kissimmee, Florida, to compete in the d iamond 9 c itrus c lassic.
The i rish (6-8) have squared off against a ranked opponent in nine of their last 10 games, going 3-6 in those games. This weekend, however, n otre d ame will take on four unranked foes in Purdue, Florida i nternational, c hattanooga and c harlotte over the course of s aturday and s unday.
The b oilermakers (2-12) will be the first opponent of s aturday’s doubleheader for the i rish. Purdue will play Kansas and b ryant before taking on n otre d ame, but it enters the weekend having lost four straight contests by a margin of 52-14. The recent stretch of poor pitching has inflated the b oilermakers’ staff era to an 7.35 figure. Their bats have struggled as
well, as Purdue only has 43 runs in its 14 games of the season.
The i rish will then battle the Panthers (11-5) on s aturday evening. o ffensively, Florida i nternational is led by sophomore outfielder Jackie s choff, who is batting .462 on the year with an on-base percentage of .548 to boast.
The team’s strength, however, is its pitching staff, which holds a 2.62 era entering the weekend and is led by sophomore a bby s ummers, who is 4-0 in seven appearances with a 1.52 era . n otre d ame will then open its s unday doubleheader with c hattanooga, which features a lineup with five .300-plus hitters. The m ocs (5-9) are paced in that category by sophomore utility player a shley c onner, whose .463 average, .829 slugging percentage, four home runs and 12 rbi s are all team-high marks.
The i rish will then close out the d iamond 9 c itrus c lassic with the 49ers
mEn’s goLf | naTional inviTaTional ToUrnamenT
By KYLE BARRY sports Writer
n otre d ame finished 10th out of 16 teams in this year’s n ational i nvitational Tournament at the o mni Tucson n ational’s c atalina c ourse in Tucson, a rizona, on m onday and Tuesday. o n m onday, the first day of the tournament, the i rish struggled early, but improved their second round by 13 strokes to go from a score of eight-over-par 296 in the first round to a score of five-under-par 283, bringing the i rish to a ninth-place tie with b YU. o ver the course of the whole weekend, the i rish had a score of three-over-par 579 through the first 36 holes of play. i owa s tate would go on and lead the first day with a score of 27-under-par 549o to hold the lead by one stroke over a rizona s tate.
With the i rish sitting in the middle of the pack, i rish head coach Jim Kubinski
said the freshmen in the team were a big reason the i rish had the success they did.
“ o ur freshmen, d avis [ l amb] and John Felitto, kept us in the tournament that first round,” Kubinski said. “They played a solid first 36 holes.”
o n Tuesday, n otre d ame shot an even-par 288 to finish in 10th place with a 54hole score of three-over-par 867. The i rish had a pair of golfers that scored in the 60s during the final round as both sophomore b en a lbin and senior b lake b arens went three strokes under par to finish with scores of 69. i owa s tate would win the n ational i nvitational Tournament with a total score of 32-under-par 832, which amounted to a fivestroke victory over a rizona s tate and U nlv, who tied for second place with scores of
ND looks to rebound from West Coast losses irish finish 10th at tourney in a rizona
By ALEX BENDER sports Writer
This weekend, n otre d ame will head to c ary, n orth c arolina, to participate in the U sa b aseball- i rish c lassic.
The tournament is held at the U sa b aseball n ational Training c omplex and the i rish (1-6) will look to get out of the early-season rut they have found themselves in. With just one win on the season, the i rish walked away disappointed last weekend during a West c oast trip in which they went 0-3, losing to U c i rvine, s an d iego and s an d iego s tate.
Pinpointing the i rish difficulties to this point has been tricky, as the team seemed to lose each game in a different way during its time out at the Tony g wynn c lassic. That being said, i rish head coach m ik a oki has noticed early on where his team needs some improvement and said that his team has been working on those issues over the
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CHRIS COLLINS | The Observer
Irish senior infielder Kyle Fiala rounds third during Notre Dame’s 4-1 victory over Boston College on April 15 at Frank Eck Stadium.
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KATHERYNE ROBINSON | The Observer
Junior forward Bonzie Colson puts up a shot during Notre Dame’s 82-66 win over Boston College on Wednesday at Purcell Pavilion.
