Print Edition of The Observer for Wednesday, April 26, 2017
notre dame day raises over $2 million
Record participation, new social media strategy help increase funds for campus organizations
By MARIE FAZIO news writer
a round 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, after the conclusion of the fourth annual notre dame day — a 29 hour and 26 minute live broadcast that was watched by three million people — pablo martinez, class of 2011 graduate and program director for notre dame day, and his team left the laFortune student center.
The event was a huge success, martinez said. notre dame fans around the world contributed over 25,000 gifts, totaling $2,175,436 as of 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. This year, of the over 850 groups who participated, the a ra parseghian medical research Fund — a non-profit organization that funds medical research
projects that strive to find a cure for niemann pick Type-c disease — received the most votes from donors.
martinez attributed the organizations he was involved in during his time as a student at notre dame as part of the reason he is now involved in notre dame day.
“w hen i was approached to lead notre dame day, i said definitely because [of my experiences as an] undergrad,” he said.“ … i know that formed me and i am very grateful for that.”
according to martinez, notre dame day is often misconceived as simply a fundraising event, when it is much more. donors are able to have a direct and substantial impact on notre dame
college forum discusses immigration policy
By MARTHA REILLY
saint mary’s e ditor
members of the saint mary’s community gathered in reinbeaux lounge on wednesday to participate in an open forum about immigration policy and the college’s decision not to declare itself a sanctuary campus for the time being.
college president Jan cervelli said saint mary’s strives to serve as a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere for everyone, regardless of status.
“we don’t differentiate, we don’t
distinguish and we don’t discriminate,” she said. “what needs our students have, we meet.”
according to cervelli, classifying saint mary’s as a sanctuary campus could draw unwanted attention, so the college has refrained from doing so.
“in the interest of protecting students without putting up a red flag and declaring us a sanctuary campus — which would put a spotlight on us immediately — we have decided not to do that,” cervelli said. “our judgment is [that] to make a symbolic gesture puts our students more at risk.”
senior miranda reed, who helped plan the forum, said saint mary’s students should expose themselves to new viewpoints and engage in dialogue about pertinent societal issues.
“The best way to learn is from people you don’t necessarily agree with,” reed said. “i’ll start thinking that i fundamentally disagree with somebody and that our thoughts are miles apart, and then the more we talk — especially speaking with patience, with facts — it turns out that how
New IDs to use chip technology
By NATALIE WEBER news writer
This summer, when notre dame students, faculty and staff begin to use new id cards, they will find a notable component of the old id cards missing — the barcode. Though the new cards will still feature magnetic strip technology — which uses the black line found on the back of current id cards — they will also feature chip technology, according to i rish1c ard program director, daniel Tormey.
The ultimate goal of the project is to transition out of magnetic strip technology and move into chip technology, which is more secure, Tormey said.
“mag[netic] strip technology has been in place for many many decades and it’s fairly inexpensive and fairly reliable,” he said. “But also, it’s not very secure.”
Tormey said current magnetic strip technology makes it easy to produce duplicates of
see cards PAGE 4
SMC students organize Denim Day event
By GINA TWARDOSZ
a
ssociate saint
mary’s e ditor
denim day, a national movement to show solidarity for survivors of sexual assault is held on april 26. This year, saint mary’s is participating in the day and promoting awareness of sexual assault by hanging jean pockets with student signatures throughout
campus.
Junior carmela lagambinalockwitz said denim day began because of an overturned rape conviction, where the court decided the victim’s jeans were so tight, she would have had to help the rapist remove them, therefore implying consent.
“denim day began because there was a sexual assault case that
had gone to court in which the perpetrator did not get charged,” she said. “The reasoning behind this was because the victim was wearing jeans that were too tight, and this was giving off the wrong vibe, like she wanted to be sexually assaulted. The court believed she was dressing promiscuously and that this is what geared her assaulter into attacking her.”
The movement, lagambinalockwitz said, is important because in today’s society, girls are often reprimanded because others see their outfits as giving off the wrong kind of message.
“i believe this is really important because, nowadays, we see something like that so often, even with just a dress code,” she said. “girls get dress code violations just for
wearing a skirt that’s too distracting to boys. That says what [girls] wear gives off a certain kind of message, even if girls are just wearing something because they think it looks nice.”
even though saint mary’s has only recently started participating in denim day, support has grown
see denim PAGE 4
Photo courtesy of Diego Arias
Students participate in the Fighting Irish 40-Yard Dash, a contest against Notre Dame football team members. The event was a part of the Notre Dame Day broadcast aiming to increase student participation.
Amanda Berusch senior off campus “cookies and cream.”
Sheryl Cherian freshman Walsh hall “cookie dough.”
Quinn Brown junior Keough hall “m int chocolate chip.”
Have a question you want answered? Email photo@ndsmcobserver.com
Patrick Pham sophomore Keough hall “strawberry.”
Dearbhla Fay senior ryan hall “m int chip.”
Meghan Dalton senior off campus “m int oreo.”
Leprechaun Joe Fennessy high fives a young Irish fan at Notre Dame football’s annual Blue-Gold game Saturday. The Gold team defeated the Blue team 27-14 behind sophomore quarterback Ian Book’s 277 yards and one touchdown.
t he next f ive D ays:
Wednesday
Paws
All are welcome to take a study break with local therapy dogs.
Mindfulness at the Snite Snite Museum of Art
4 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
No prior experience needed for meditation.
Thursday
Can You Take the Heat?
Fieldhouse Mall
5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.
PE’s annual buffalo wing-eating contest.
Stories of Grace Geddes Hall
7 p.m.
Sharing stories of the transformative power of God’s grace.
Want your event included here? Email news@ndsmcobserver.com
Friday
“Water, Energy and 21st Century Solutions.” Medoza College of Business 10:40 a.m. - 12:10 p.m.
Dueling Pianos Legends Nightclub 10 p.m.
Sing along with talented pianists at this crowd-favorite.
Saturday
Spring Freebie: Yoga
Snite Museum of Art
11 a.m. - noon
No registration required. Arrive early, spaces are limited.
25th Annual Fisher Regatta St. Mary’s Lake noon Fisher’s signature home-made boat race.
Sunday
Vespers
Basilica of the Sacred Heart
7:15 p.m. - 8:15 p.m.
All are welcome to join for evening prayer.
Rejoice! Mass Dillon Hall
8 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Come celebrate Mass rooted in the AfricanAmerican tradition.
ANN CURTIS | The Observer
Speaker explores diversity
By SYDNEY DOYLE news Writer
dr. rodmon King, associate vice president of academic affairs and diversity initiatives at centre college, spoke Tuesday at saint mary’s about diversity and inclusion.
King began his presentation by discussing the importance of language.
“i think a lot about the indeterminacy of language, the ways in which i can say things.” he said. “When we talk about diversity i get worried that we fall into thing like a fallacy of equivocation where we have sliding definitions. We use language in ways without having really thought about the meaning of the words that we’re using.” on the surface, King said, we may have a shared meaning of common words but if we really dig down — we could have completely different conceptions of the same words.
“When it comes to diversity we have an even greater problems,” he said. “There’s all kinds of things people think of when they think about the concept of diversity ... institutionally it is import because if you’re not working with the same sort of conceptual framework in the upper administration as you are up and down the administrative latter, you will have a lot of motion but no progress.”
King said diversity is not only
about the variety of people in a group, but it about the support those different groups receive.
“diversity is not about demographics, you can have all of these people and not get inclusion and support,” he said. “ in order to make the best decisions for any institution King said, there cannot be a room of likeminded thinkers.
“You need to bring together people with a variety of different perspectives.” he said. “The worst way to make decisions is to get a homogeneous group or a set of like-thinkers together. Give them a task and they will not be as successful as a heterogeneous set of people.”
King said change is not something that just happens and that no one has all the answers.
“it is more like battling an addiction to bias and privilege. change may require us to do some difficult things, it my require and push upon our time in some ways, it may require us to shake up practices that have lasted for a long time,” he said. “Think about your institutional structure because you’re all part of the institution. how are its processes set up intentionally and thoughtfully to address some of the deep things that are going to be barriers to success of diversity and inclusion?”
Contact Sydney Doyle at sdoyle01@saintmarys.edu
their comfort zones and grapple with new avenues of understanding, according to reed.
Students reflect on time in leadership program
By JORDAN COCKRUM news Writer
Four saint mary’s seniors, caylin mccallick, elizabeth Quaye, Yaqi song and ngoc “ruby” Truong gave presentations Tuesday evening reflecting on their experiences with the intercultural Leadership Program (iLP).
The iLP is a two to three year program that aims to cultivate the participants’ “leadership potential to make a difference in the world,” according to the iLP website.
“The iLP helped me realize what kind of leader i am, but also recognize the leader in others and to help encourage others to do what they are interested in and to give them the confidence,” Quaye said.
There are six proficiency areas the program aims to develop. although there are some experiences required of all participants, the students’ achievement of the proficiency areas differed.
“Particularly the leadership aspect of intercultural leadership i think developed for me a lot with my involvement with roTc [reserve officers’ Training corps] at notre dame,” mccallick said.
in conjunction with her involvement with roTc, mccallick took courses in military leadership that inspired her to partake in the iLP.
“That was what really sparked my interest in studying intercultural awareness, because a lot of what we learned in our classes was about how to interact with various cultures around the world,” she said.
For Truong, the idea of finding her inner leader was a major takeaway of iLP.
“i believe that in every single person, there are leadership skills inside,” she said. “it’s not about nature, it’s about nurture.” another proficiency area the students engaged with was diversity.
“i was inspired by iLP to become more involved in the community both on campus and off campus,” mccallick said. “so i attempted to engage in as many inclusive, diverse and supportive groups and projects as possible.”
Truong found her engagement with diversity through her introduction to intercultural Leadership course.
“by joining that course, i got a chance to i learned so much about the different cultures here,” she said.
a requirement of the iLP is a study abroad experience; for song and Truong, that came during their time at saint mary’s. song and Truong are international students from china and vietnam, respectively.
“as an international student, one of my top priorities here is just
to promote my culture,” song said. “i feel a responsibility to make it more accessible to people.”
Quaye spent her spring 2016 semester in morocco, and found that her study abroad experience — combined with her studies of american culture — cultivated her engagement with diversity.
“i was really able to see the wealth of diversity within cultures, even our own,” Quaye said. song’s experience with participating in the areas of dialogue and creating inclusive communities lead her to become more at ease speaking about different issues regarding diversity.
“i think maybe this campus has not been very much exposed to diversity,” she said. “but after joining this program, i’m more comfortable talking about it.”
The last aim of this program is to make a difference. mccallick began her work with this goal when deciding upon her course of study and career path.
“i felt like i couldn’t understand how my career was going to collide with my social justice concerns,” she said. “and then i realized that making a difference in the world doesn’t have to be in waves. it can be in small pieces. small actions can really have an effect on people in a profound way.”
Contact Jordan Cockrum at jcockrum01@saintmarys.edu
you got there might be different, but what you ultimately believe doesn’t vary all that much.” events such as the forum encourage students to step outside
“having those outlets to express your opinion helps you figure out where you stand on issues,” she said. “if you stay insulated just in your own bubble surrounded by people who agree
with you, by news sources you’re familiar with that you’ve always read, that you always turn to, that’s how you get stuck in ruts.”
senior caylin mccallick, who helped plan the forum, said contributing to discussions about potentially divisive issues can actually unify saint mary’s.
“hopefully, by talking to each other we can be that school that rises together,” mccallick said. “if we can start that on a small level by just talking to each other and having those difficult talks … that’s important for our communication beyond this campus.” mccallick said a saint mary’s
education equips students to welcome and accept one another.
“having a more inclusive environment really should just mean living a more saint mary’slike life because if our founders walked on campus and were disappointed by the way we’re treating each other, then we’re not doing something right,” she said. “college should be a place of learning, of personal growth and development as a human.”
according to reed, saint mary’s offers students educational opportunities outside of the classroom, encouraging them to challenge their viewpoints and disturb their complacencies through events such as the forum.
“it’s such a big world out there,” reed said. “There are so many ideas, so many different people. exposing yourself to just what you agree with limits how much you can learn.”
Knowing many of her peers support an atmosphere of inclusivity reminds her of the necessity of listening to diverse perspectives, reed said.
“We really want all sides of the issue being discussed, so we know where we are as a community,” she said. “We’re really not as far away from each other as we think that we are.”
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denim
con T inued from PaGe 1 id cards.
“it’s very easy to duplicate or clone cards and so lots of schools and now many are ahead of us where they’re transitioning or have transitioned to more secure contactless chips,” he said.
Tormey said the new id card chips will feature a “touch, hold and go” system, rather than the credit card style chips that must be inserted into a chip reader.
“o ne of the things i usually point out too, when we talk about chips and cards, this is not the credit card, emv chip, so it’s not that kind of customer experience where you slide it into a reader and you’re not really sure what to do at that point,” he said.
i n order to choose a design for the new id cards, the i rish1c ard program narrowed potential designs down to three options, then allowed students to vote for their favorite. Tormey said students “overwhelmingly” voted in favor of the winning design.
“ voting was not close … which was good,” he said. “We were hoping it wouldn’t be too close of a finish where people would be disappointed.”
The new id card also competed in a contest for best new card design at the national a ssociation for c ampus c ard users national conference according to Tormey.
“i think there were over 50 schools in the running and then we were narrowed down to the top five [designs]” he said. “Then all conference participants were encouraged to vote and we won best new card design, which in the card world, is a big deal for us.”
Tormey said one of the biggest logistical challenges of the project was ensuring that all of the systems which utilize the id cards would be included in the transition.
“There’s just a lot of connections on the back end that people and even card users wouldn’t necessarily see or ever notice,” he said. “That’s been really the bulk of our phase one work — to make sure that when we make all these changes in the system, we’re not breaking all of these integrations.”
The transition to a new type of id card technology has been a notable change for the university, Tormey said.
“This is a pretty significant and aggressive change for a card program,” he said. “s chools do it but they don’t do this kind of change very often because the level of work and just the amount of time it takes to research what the impact is going to be, it’s been significant.”
Contact Natalie Weber at nweber@nd.edu
quickly and this year looks to be the most successful, LaGambina-Lockwitz said.
s he said the b elles a gainst v iolence o ffice ( bavo ) is providing jean pockets for students to sign in support of victims this year — these pockets will then be hung within several campus buildings.
“a t s aint m ary’s, a bavo team member had a lot of extra jean pockets, so we’re asking girls to sign the jean pockets and we’re hanging them up in the dining hall, library, and student center,” she said. “We’re signing them to show support and togetherness.”
LaGambina-Lockwitz said she and bavo believe no article of clothing inherently
represents promiscuity, and no one deserves to be raped because of what they wear.
“We believe what women wear is no portrayal of what they’re trying to give off, or that it doesn’t mean sexual assault is going to happen just because of what you wear,” she said.
s ophomore a llison Graves said d enim d ay is a great way to spread awareness and she hopes everyone wears jeans to support the movement.
“d enim d ay is an amazing movement to help spread awareness and support survivors of rape and sexual assault,” Graves said. “it’s important to remember that rape and sexual assault are never the victim’s fault, no matter what they’re wearing. Please put on your favorite pair of jeans to support the movement.”
s aint m ary’s is a great place
for the movement because of the c ollege’s focus on female empowerment, LaGambinaLockwitz said.
“ s aint m ary’s is an all women’s institution, and the thing the c ollege focuses so much on is women’s empowerment, that you can go out into the world and be anything you want to be and do anything you want to do, and s aint m ary’s will give you the strength and confidence to do that,” she said. “o ne thing, unfortunately, women have to deal with in today’s day and age is potential sexual assault. You shouldn’t have to worry about your clothing encouraging sexual assault. You should go out into the world and be confident in every decision you make and not have to fear the consequences, because there should be no consequence for being a woman. We shouldn’t
have any additional things we have to think twice about solely because of our gender.
LaGambina-Lockwitz hopes all students, faculty and staff, including males, will participate in d enim d ay and show support for sexual assault survivors.
“i think more men and women, across the campuses and even across the country, should participate in d enim d ay to show solidarity and empower women,” she said. “i definitely think this is a powerful movement.”
a t the end of the day, LaGambina-Lockwitz said, she feels their goal is to stand up to sexual assault and stand behind survivors.
“We stand behind survivors while we work towards healing,” she said.
Contact Gina Twardosz at gtwardosz2@saintmarys.edu
students.
“We aren’t asking alumni to make substantially large donations, just to be a part of the day … the day is based a lot on equity, getting people to participate, and getting people to watch the broadcast,” he said. notre dame day functions as a place for the campus community to showcase its accomplishments to the external notre dame community, martinez said.
“That added funding, those added resources ... really helps the students take their experiences while they’re here on campus to another level — that’s why we do it,” he said. “ … one of the things we did do a better job of is making sure the student body feels ownership and they can make this day what they would like to make it.”
one of the ways they did this was through the creation of a student advising committee and a snapchat filter, martinez said. in addition, to encourage student participation on the day itself, the team added two of what turned out to be some of the most popular events of the broadcast — The fighting irish 40-Yard dash and a performance by two actors from the chicago cast of “hamilton,” ari afsar and Joseph morales.
martinez said until saturday night, due to a contractual restriction from performing hamilton songs on a non-hamilton stage, the two performers were just going to sing unaffiliated songs in Lafortune for the live broadcast. however, due to relentless requests from the notre dame day the hamilton executives allowed a few notes of “my shot” to be as well as a rendition of “dear Theodosia,” with afsar playing the part of aaron burr.
“i think there was something about the performance of hamilton in relation to the rest of the broadcast that was so cool,
so different that almost made you feel like you changed channels and you weren’t streaming it from Lafortune, you were watching an episode of ‘The voice’” martinez said.
martinez said getting more people than ever to watch and participate would not have been possible without his team, or their partnerships with the alumni association, student affairs, director of club sports and every college.
“i’m glad i got everyone at the table at the right time and to see themselves enjoy themselves at the table,” he said
The final monetary count, as well as the official order on the leaderboard, should be available in around a week, following audits, martinez said.
“We just need to make sure that all the transactions were made appropriately, correctly, making sure the number of votes, everything, was fair,” he said.
martinez attributed this year’s success to a wider audience reach via facebook live, increased student participation and overall, the fact people want to be a part of something and help people accomplish goals.
notre dame day is a process that takes 364 days, and preparation for notre dame day 2018 has already begun, with martinez looking forward to the possibility of a location change to the new camps crossroads project.
“starting today, if we hear a good story that we want to include in notre dame day 2018, we’ll log it,” martinez said. “come february and march we’ll start thinking about how we can produce it … the model of notre dame day is that we tell nd stories, and no one can tell a story than the person who lived it first hand. so for me, it’s just a matter of making sure that people understand the value there is in notre dame day and participating in it.” Contact Marie Fazio at mfazio@nd.edu
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By CHARLIE KENNEY scene Writer
“every year without fail, the Golden Globes are doled out in early January, the screen Actors Guild Awards are issued in late January, the british Academy of Film and Television Awards ( bAFTAs) are distributed in mid February and the oscars are allotted in late February. Arguably the four most popularized film award shows all take place within two months of each other. It makes sense. by setting up individual awards shows in such a way, the academies, the guilds and the associations that select the awards collectively create something greater. They create an “awards show season,” where the nominations build off each other, the predictions build off of each other and excitement among viewers builds off of each consecutive award show. They create sunday night rituals for nearly two months where televisions are focused on the big screen instead of the small screen.
Kudos to them. In doing so, they take their livelihood and make it into a subject of argument, deep thought, ritual, and at times, even gambling. The industry makes sure that their awards aren’t certificates delivered in the mail in manila envelopes for a reason. Instead, there’s a red carpet, a golden statue, a television slot, and most importantly, there’s controversy. Industry heads want their award shows to have as much drama as the films they’re honoring. doing so brings the awards show season into being.
From a director’s, screenwriter’s, actor’s or actresses’ point of view, there is absolutely nothing wrong with an “award show season.” It’s a time to celebrate their work, a time for the whole country to talk about films
beyond the scope of a car ride home after a movie. From the other side of the screen, however, the season isn’t as flawless. The “award show season” in itself may not be bad; however, constricting the major award shows to a two-month period directly affects the products viewers receive.
As a result of the timing of the awards shows, film production and distribution companies make sure their films with the best screenplays, the best directing, and the best acting come out in anticipation of the red carpet.
out of the 17 films nominated for “best Picture” at the 2016 and 2017 oscars, 15 of them have been released in october or later. This makes the colder months exceptional for the all the self-proclaimed film critics out. e ach weekend is packed with multiple film releases and multiple studios hoping to take home a golden statue in February.
The opposite happens in the summer and spring months. If award show movies are for the brain and the heart, then spring and summer movies are for the senses. They don’t have the unique screenplays, they don’t get the artistic directors and they don’t get the scary-good actors. They get the explosions, the cartoons, the overdone shoot-out scenes, the blood-curdling screams, the zombies and the superheroes. These attributes don’t necessarily imply that they’re worse productions. movies aren’t created simply to face objective judgment, but in the eyes of the Academy, the guild and the association they are.
All three “Iron man” movies have been released before June. All eight of the “Fast and Furious” movies have been released between the beginning of April and the end of June. Four out of the five top grossing cartoon
movies of all time have been released in the summer or spring (Frozen wasn’t, but its setting demands a winter release). They all have garnered exponentially more at the box office than those films recently nominated for “best Picture” at any of the major award shows but none of them have ever been nominated for the category. They’re good films for the viewer’s eyes and for the production companies’ wallets, but apparently not for the eyes of a film critic.
regardless of the seeming “law of award shows,” film doesn’t have to be like this. We can get ear-ringing explosions in october and brilliantly written screenplays in June, it’s just up to the producers of the films to make sure that happens.
r ight now there is a sort of prisoner’s dilemma going on in hollywood. There is fear from one production-company that if they don’t release their oscar contender in the fall, someone other studio will and use momentum to edge out the win. This fear needs to make its way out of hollywood if we want to see change. Actors, companies and directors in hollywood need to start trusting each other and themselves again. They need to remember that a film’s directorial brilliance isn’t altered by the weather, that the flow of a genius screenplay won’t be jumbled simply due to a summer release date and that emotion-provoking cinematography has no less effect on the eyes because of how sunny it is outside.
“The Godfather” was released in march, “c hinatown” was released in June and “2001: A space odyssey” was released in April. Greatness isn’t defined by a release date. hopefully, hollywood will soon remember that.
Contact Charlie Kenney ckenney4@nd.edu
By ADRIAN MARK LORE
Associate scene e ditor
It’s boring.
That’s how I truly feel about venezuelan producer Alejandro Ghersi’s solo output as Arca, which, in spite of my own experience, has been widely successful among critics. so I can’t help but think: Am I missing something?
In an attempt to find out, I listened to Arca’s latest, self-titled record, released in early April on XL recordings. It begins with a feebly hummed, familiar melody. That’s because Ghersi had previously weaved elements of the opening track, “Piel,” on his 2016 mixtape “e ntranas.” In fact, quite a few moments on “Arca” seem to have been previewed on that mixtape, including almost the entirety of the record’s centerpiece, “sin rumbo.” That kind of move is not unheard of, and it’s not necessarily misguided — but when the new material doesn’t quite match these reprises, one wonders whether this was the right time for a new Arca record.
but is there any right time for a new Arca record? Ghersi has proved his might as a producer for bjork, FKA twigs (with whom he’s also co-written songs) and even Kanye West. h is visceral electronic arrangements intensified the power of bjork’s mournful vocals on “ vulnicura,” and he has given Tahliah barnett’s seductive cadence some necessary edge. Therein lies Ghersi’s talent: his knack for mind-bending production that, while informed by industrial music, feels uncannily organic. This unique affect has allowed
Ghersi to bring out the best in other musicians.
As a solo musician, however, much of his Arca output lacks direction and grounding. much of it feels inconsequential and forgettable as a result. Interestingly, this is not true for his mixtapes: “e ntranas,” with its aggressive yet sensual production, was fantastic. but “e ntranas” ran for an uninterrupted 25 minutes during which various motifs were weaved in and out; the internal chemistry was effective and positively volatile. Arca’s full-length records, on the other hand, are over 40 minutes long and assembled from discretely split individual tracks. Thus drawn and quartered, Arca’s work feels repetitious.
It’s difficult to place a finger on the record’s flaws because there’s nothing severely flawed about the production. o n paper, Arca’s music is original and evocative. nobody sounds quite like him, especially insofar as he welds blunt and aseptic sonic devices to vocals that stress vulnerability. Arca’s music, like his album art, highlights the grotesqueness of the human body.
but Ghersi is his own greatest limitation. he’s crafted a unique aesthetic, but seldom reforms it on “Arca,” reverting instead to a formula that hides lackluster songwriting under shiny production. The result: there is hardly enough internal variation on the record to keep one’s attention. While “sin rumbo” was a haunting vocal outlier on “e ntranas,” tracks like the exaggeratedly creepy “c oraje” or the aimless “Fugaces” sap its distinctiveness on “Arca” with forgettable vocal melodies that offer little more than the novelty value of Ghersi’s overwrought vocal delivery. The tracks are
listenable, strictly speaking, but the Arca project will not be remembered for its exceptional songwriting. There are other, more playful tracks on the record where Ghersi demonstrates his knack for crisp and punchy production, like the minute-long “Whip” and the techno-inspired “c astration” – both of which recall the dark and dizzying “e ntranas.” but even these tracks are the exception rather than the norm; on the rest of the record Ghersi hardly showcases his greatest skills as a musician.
Aside from its ill-advised move toward greater emphasis on vocals and lyricism, the Arca project undermines itself by consistently opting for needlessly dense, low-resolution atmospheres that don’t highlight Ghersi’s talent for sound design. Instead of shining, the tracks sound oddly muddled. It’s the sound of the record built to fade from memory.
Contact Adrian Mark Lore at lore.1@nd.edu
“Arca” Arca
Label: XL
If you like: Amnesia Scanner, Oneohtrix Point Never, FKA Twigs
Tracks: “Castration” “Sin Rumbo”
Guidelines for the safe consumption of sadness
Mike Donovan scene Writer
If you were to take a tour of my headspace, you’d probably get lost in the vast collection of pop culture references, meticulously organized to describe the effects of hopeless romanticism and sporadic solipsism on my otherwise pleasant life. At the end of the tour, you’d wonder why I would spend so much time thinking about somber music, films and books — thus subjecting myself to a permanent state of mental chaos. You’d eventually reach the conclusion that I am, in fact, one taco short of a combination platter.
And you’d be right. I’ve taken the whole “sad boy” thing a little too far — so far, in fact, that my friends now rank the objective sadness of music and films on a scale of “1 to m ike d onovan.” That said, I stand by my devotion to sad art, and I’d even argue that artistic depictions of sadness, in moderation, are necessary — especially for those who don’t consider themselves to be sad people.
This is because sad art works like vaccine. It packages melancholy themes like failure, heartbreak and death in innocuous packages, which we can then consume risk free. When we consume these small dosages of despair, our emotional mechanisms practice dealing with dark ideas and develop the tools needed to cope wth them. We undergo this emotional development in preparation for the inevitable time when we will actively experience a traumatic event on the scale for something we hear, read or see in art. o f course, this logic has its drawbacks. “This is how I spend my life up / s inging old songs / What if I waste my life up,” e van s tephen h alls ponders on the song “Problems” — drawing attention to artistic medicine’s dangerous undertow. m elancholy art attracts us with the promise of risk-free empathy, and thus discourages us from making empathetic connections in the real world where the possibility of risk, as well as the promise of reward, is much greater.
r ob Fleming, n ick h ornby’s protagonist in “ h igh Fidelity,” exposes another problem with medicinal sadness when he questions, “ d id I listen to the music because I was miserable? o r was I miserable because I listened to the music?” If we place too much faith in sad art as method of emotional preparation, we will be prone to anticipate all the bad things that might to happen to us. e ventually, the art that begins as a means of emotional preparation turns into a highly pessimistic worldview.
It is important not to read these adverse effects of sad art as a reasons to discount its value, but rather as arguments for moderation. Like any medication, the consumption of sadness requires both a proper dosage and supplementary inputs from across the emotional spectrum. r eality, after all, is an unpredictable and emotionally diverse place. We need an equally diverse collection of mental coping mechanisms to make our way in it.
Contact Mike Donovan at mdonov10@nd.edu
The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
leTTers To THe ediTor
Fight for breakfast cereal rights
Anyone with a deep appreciation for breakfast cereals like me remembers one of the greatest gifts to God’s green e arth that Post c ereals has ever produced. That’s right; I’m talking about o reo o’s cereal. e ver since I tried this product back in the early 2000s, it remains the most delicious breakfast item that I have ever experienced. Whoever first created that item should have been given the highest honors Post bestows on such genius. Quite frankly, I am still baffled to this day as to why it was ever taken off the market.
General m ills has recently revived their French Toast c runch product, and people were overjoyed. Just imagine the public celebration that would ensue when Post announces that they are bringing back the delicious cookie cereal. The last known country in which o reo o’s was available is s outh Korea, but unfortunately, even there it no longer exists. I know because I had one of my friends search the country when he returned home to s outh Korea over winter break last year, but to no avail. e ven the internet has failed me. I looked on e b ay, and someone is selling the literal box of o reo o’s cereal. There’s not even cereal in it. It’s just the cardboard box. And it’s listed at $55! If someone could sell a lone box for that large sum, just think of the profits if there were actually cereal in it.
This cereal is reminiscent of everything that was pure and wonderful in my childhood. As I enter into the dark, mysterious underworld that is adulthood, I would be eternally grateful if I had something to remind me of the glory days, back when my s aturday mornings entailed watching n ickelodeon cartoons and running around in my s cooby d oo pajamas until noon. These days, I don’t have much time to relive my most cherished memories but enjoying a bowl of o reo o’s in the morning could certainly help.
There is really no logical reason not to start reproducing o reo o’s. If Post would begin making o reo o’s again, I would vow never to buy from any other inferior cereal company (like Kellogg’s or General m ills) ever again. I don’t think that I am exaggerating in the slightest when I say that o reo o’s cereal should be served in some of the finest restaurants in the world. It is the pinnacle of culinary achievement. I encourage my fellow cerealloving brothers and sisters to join me and start a movement to reinstate the most superior breakfast food that has ever existed.
Christopher
Klein sophomore April 24
The 2017 Fisher Regatta is coming
spring is coming. not winter. Pink flower buds adorn the trees in a soft, airy dance of lush vegetative intertwinement, the sun shines down from the glorious sky that is a shade of magnificent, bedazzling blue even Picasso would be proud of, and the rosy red tulips by the dome can be seen on any number of snapchat stories. The grass is green and the waters clear. In this time of rebirth, new life and young love, there is but one proper way to celebrate our community and life here on campus, with a tradition that stretches back to the origins of time itself: the 25th annual Fisher regatta.
Without a doubt the greatest of signature dorm events, (I don’t think the Keenan revue was listed on esPn’s top 100 college events) the Fisher regatta is the proud manifestation of the cadillac of dorms’ brotherhood and fraternal care for all to join in as one university community. come out to saint mary’s Lake this saturday, April 29, for what promises to be the greatest celebration of love and life that this campus has ever seen. We invite all to join in the student-constructed boat races, for a grand prize of a $100 chipotle gift card, in a regatta that will result in glorious mishap for some and everlasting glory for others. not racing in a boat? We invite — nay, we beckon you — to join in the ridiculous fun of all-day music, free
hamburgers and hot dogs, Frisbee, spikeball, dunk tanks and all water-related recreation. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. It’ll be better than “cats.” better than “e.T.” You’ll witness antics you won’t forget along with some good clean healthy debauchery; a veritable festival of shenanigans, material worthy of the notre dame meme page. It’ll be a taste of heaven here on earth.
And even better, the whole event is a fundraiser for saint Adalbert’s catholic school, one of our local grade schools here in south bend that serves mainly underprivileged students. In past years, we’ve raised upwards of $8,000 to help their school, and this year we are aiming for $10,000 to build a new school science lab. so come on down to lake, buy a regatta tank (the greatest campus apparel since everyone’s “favorite,” 2016-17’s The shirt), support the kids and enjoy a day of endless opportunities with your friends. After all, we are the men of Fisher hall, the defending men’s hall of the Year. We hope to see you there! The regatta is coming, ladies and gentleman of notre dame — and ya gotta regatta.
John Paul Ferguson sophomore April 25
Jack Rooney Irish eyes
Alright, this one snuck up on me.
Love and gratitude
Last year around this time, I sat down to compose what I thought then would be my last piece for The o bserver. I took nearly a month to craft my commencement column, my farewell to a school that became home and a newspaper that became family. I wrote and re-wrote it more than anything I’ve ever published, and I remain tremendously proud of that column and the sentiments expressed in it, all of which remain true for me.
Then August rolled around and I found myself with a bit of spare time on my hands as I settled into Ireland. s o I started writing columns again, and now 13 columns and eight far-too-fast months later, I have arrived once again at my final column. b ut this time it’s for real. I promise (I think).
d ue to a hectic travel schedule, though, this column is more stream of consciousness than meticulous composition. I think the timing is actually appropriate, though. I returned to Ireland m onday morning after spending the weekend in s outh b end at The o bserver’s 50th anniversary reunion. In other words, it’s fitting that I write my final column while exhausted after spending a disproportionate amount of my weekend on The o bserver.
For a while I went back and forth on what to write about for my final column. Initially I thought it would be nice to write a heartfelt
thank you to this newspaper and all it has given me over the last five years. Then, I thought since it would be my last column from Ireland, I would write about how this year has helped me forge a genuine Irish identity after a lifetime spent proudly claiming an Irish heritage that was, in reality, not much more than nominal.
Then I traveled for almost two weeks straight after submitting my most recent column and couldn’t find the time to write. s o this column is not really any of what I intended it to be. o r maybe it’s everything I wanted it to be. In any case, it snuck up on me.
We’re at about the halfway point in this column now, so I should probably pick a focus other than my complete lack of preparedness. s o, as I turn towards my somewhat uncertain future, much as the class of 2017 is about to do, only one theme seems both suitable and able to tie together all my thoughts: love and gratitude. It’s an added bonus that the theme is just as corny and sentimental as many of my columns have been this year.
s appiness aside, love and gratitude really do define the past nine months for me. I have loved every minute of my experience in Ireland, despite a few challenging moments, and I am deeply and forever grateful to everyone who has made my time here so miraculously wonderful.
In d ecember, I wrote an extra cheesy column in which I thanked all of the people who made 2016 the best worst year of my life, so I won’t really thank specific people here. I will say, however, that I will also always be grateful for my time at The o bserver and everyone who made my
first job in journalism the maybe the most fun job I’ll ever have. And, on the heels of a fun, informative and overall brilliant 50th anniversary reunion, I’m especially indebted to the 50 years of o bserver staffers who entrusted my peers and me with their legacy (and who know how to throw one hell of a party).
I love Ireland. I love The o bserver. I am grateful for the moments, memories, people and experiences that have led me to each, and which each has given back to me. If I had more time and print space, I would expound my love and gratitude even more. b ut I don’t.
s o I’ll close in the laziest, most sentimental way I can, because I’m on deadline and I revel in the the mushy-gushiness of it all. I’ll close with a quote. In his 1988 novel “The Long d ark TeaTime of the s oul,” d ouglas Adams wrote a most elegant sentence that aptly captures my time working for this splendidly scrappy little newspaper and living in this beautifully warm and eternally resilient little country.
h e wrote, “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”
Amen.
Jack Rooney is a 2016 Notre Dame graduate, and The Observer’s former managing editor. He is currently spending a year living and working for the University in Ireland, and writes these columns to keep him busy and satisfy his need for journalism. Follow Jack on Twitter @RooneyReports and/or email him at jrooney1@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Join clubs for clarity
Throughout the past couple of weeks, I have been hearing a ripple of students saying, “I have no idea what to major in” or “ h ow am I supposed to know my major if I haven’t really taken many classes that are applicable to what I want to do?”
Those are pretty valid arguments. All first-year students at n otre d ame are required to declare their major by the end of m arch. While I am a first-year student intending on majoring in business, I cannot say that I am fully confident in my decision, primarily because I have not actually had enough experience with business classes to be familiar with the major.
Though I have ultimately decided on business, I realize that I really do not have much of an indication of what majoring in business is really going to be like. As much as I enjoy my university
requirement classes, I have not actually taken any classes yet that have given me insight into my prospective major.
n onetheless, I have been able to gain a general idea of the field I want to pursue through business clubs I have participated in at n otre d ame, which gave me some exposure to my intended major. If first year students are still unsure of what to decide, I highly suggest getting involved in different clubs. The most beneficial club in regard to choosing my major has been the s tudent International b usiness c ouncil ( s I bc ).
In this club, student can choose from seven different divisions, such as finance, consulting etc., in which they can work on a project with a professional company as part of a larger team. The primary goal is to teach students how to develop
analytical and problem-solving skills, presentation skills and gain exposure to business principles and the current economic status.
These extracurricular clubs are not limited to business either — there are numerous clubs for students interested in an engineering, science or arts and letters major. s o even though it seems difficult for some students to choose a major based off of what they think they want to do, participating in clubs is pretty influential in decision making, and hopefully the clubs can provide some stress relief and clarity to students, too.
Kara Gisleson freshman Feb. 15
leTTer TO THe ediTOr
Happy Birthday: making personal or professional changes are favored if you do so for the right reasons. Taking a risk or acting on hearsay is not recommended. use this year to formulate your plan and put your strategy in place carefully. don’t leave any room for error and you won’t be disappointed. Precision, accuracy and a steady pace will get you to the finish line. your numbers are 6, 13, 22, 25, 30, 38, 46.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): you’ll face opposition if you are tempted to overdo it. find out what’s in it for you before you sign up for something you know little about. you are likely to be taken advantage of if you make promises without doing your homework first.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Take responsibility for personal finances, health or any legal or contractual matters that concern you. gains can be made if you make decisions and take action based on what’s best for you, not someone else.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): networking events will lead to greater opportunities. A serious partnership will change the way you think. be cautious about joint ventures that include financial responsibilities. someone is likely to withhold information from you if you don’t ask direct questions.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Partnership problems are best handled with care. don’t let anyone take advantage of you or use emotional manipulation to get you to sign up for something you don’t want to do. Avoid joint ventures and responding impulsively.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Apply what you know to the task you are given. Taking responsibility and following through with your promises will put you in a good position when you need something in return. separate work from pleasure.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Put more effort into getting a job or making improvements to the way you handle and perform your current position. If you neglect to take care of your responsibilities, someone will complain. show interest, ask questions and do your best.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): It’s up to you to bring about positive changes. dedicate time and effort to something that interests you and filter through as much information as possible. Personal gains look promising if you keep a steady pace.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Persistence will pay off. your dedication, loyalty and ability to get things done will make an impression that will score points with someone you want to work alongside in the future. Personal improvements are favored.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): don’t let what others do interfere with your plans. network and arrange meetings that will help you initiate positive changes that allow you to use your skills. refuse to let anyone put demands or limitations on you.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): be secretive about what you are up to. Avoid taking on too much responsibility or letting anyone impose on you. remain focused on maintaining good health, satisfying your needs and improving your life.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): check over financial papers and tend to your taxes or other matters that need your attention. don’t be fooled by hidden costs when repairing something you use regularly. reconnect with someone who has helped you in the past.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): someone will take advantage of your kindness if you don’t draw the line. make clear what you are willing to offer and what you aren’t. negotiate on your own behalf to avoid someone meddling in your affairs. Avoid excess.
Birthday Baby: you are strong-willed, outspoken and courageous. you are assertive and responsible.
Jumble | dAvId hoyT And Jeff knurek
sudoku | The mePhAm grouP
Just add water | erIc cArlson & John roddy
winGin’ it | bAIlee egAn
Sabres turnover
raises questions
Michael Ivey sports Writer
o n Thursday morning, the b uffalo s abres announced the firing of the team’s head coach d an b ylsma and general manager Tim m urray.
The s abres finished last season with only 78 points and the worst record in their division. The firings should make sense in that the team wasn’t living up to expectations, so ownership decided to go in a different direction.
h owever, news reports that surfaced in the days prior to these firings have complicated this issue immensely.
These news reports claim that s abres forward Jack e ichel, the team’s star player and one of the best young players in the nh L, said he wouldn’t sign a long-term contract extension if b ylsma remained the team’s coach. e ichel’s current contract ends after next season.
Later that same day, however, e ichel’s agents, Peter Fish and Peter d onatelli, released a statement claiming these reports were absolutely false and that e ichel has no ill-will toward b ylsma.
“(A coaching change) is not even on his radar screen,” the statement from Fish and d onatelli said. It goes on to say the reports are “1,000-percent false” and “couldn’t be further from the truth.”
h owever, the very next day, not only was b ylsma fired, but the team’s general manager Tim m urray was also fired. h mmmm. Insert thinking-face emoji.
If e ichel didn’t have any problems with his coach, then why did the team fire him after reports surfaced the previous day that e ichel wanted him fired? Also, why did e ichel’s agents release a statement refuting the reports if in fact they were true?
The statement from e ichel’s agents didn’t directly address the issue the reports are based on and didn’t definitively say that e ichel would sign a contract if b ylsma was still the coach. This makes it
seem more like a “protectthe-brand” statement than anything, and now people are labeling e ichel as a “coach-killer.”
Why else would an organization fire a former s tanley c up winning head coach in b ylsma only two years into his tenure with the team, when he didn’t have much to work with? Why else would they fire a general manager like m urray who led the organization through a rebuilding phase and not give him a chance to finish what he started?
This could be a major problem for the b uffalo s abres and their future. They’re still a struggling team with roster problems, and the idea that one of their younger players has a major say in the overall structure of the organization will make it hard for the team to sign top free agent players in the future. Also, finding a new coach and general manager will be difficult because no coach wants to feel like they need to cater to their players or else get fired. There are a number of coaching and front-office job openings in the nh L currently, including in Los Angeles, vancouver, Florida and the new Las vegas franchise. All of those openings currently look better than the b uffalo job.
Giving a young star player the idea that he has a say in the firing of team officials would also be a dangerous gamble. This could lead that player to become a control freak and get angry if he doesn’t get his way. We’ve seen this happen before in professional sport, with guys like d emarcus c ousins when he was with the s acramento Kings, and can damage a team’s reputation. This will be an interesting situation to watch play out. Who will be the s abres new coach and G m , and how much will their star player have a say in the process?
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.
harden, rockets advance with victory over Thunder
Associated Press
housT on — James harden had 34 points and his supporting cast helped the houston rockets overcome a 47-point game by russell Westbrook to get a 105-99 victory over the oklahoma c ity Thunder on Tuesday night to advance to the Western c onference semifinals.
The Thunder head home a year after advancing to the Western c onference finals after houston took this series 4-1.
The rockets used a 5-1 run, with all their points coming on free throws, to pull away from the Thunder and make it 98-91. v ictor oladipo threw a pass about 5 feet above Westbrook’s head and out of bounds on the next possession and harden made a layup on the other end with about 3 minutes left.
The rockets began eating up the clock after that and oklahoma c ity missed shot after shot that could have closed the gap.
houston couldn’t add to its lead though and the Thunder cut it to 4 points twice in the final seconds, with the second one coming on a basket by Alex Abrines. but harden made two free throws both times they got close to secure
MlB | cubs 1, PIrATes 0
the win.
After scoring 20 points in the third quarter, Westbrook made just 2 of 11 fourth-quarter shots in a disappointing end to a stellar season where he became the first player since o scar robertson in 1961-62 to average a tripledouble by scoring an nb Abest 31.6 points a game, with 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists. he also set an nb A record for most triple-doubles with 42 to help the Thunder withstand the loss of All-star Kevin d urant in free agency. he had 11 rebounds and nine assists to come just shy of his fourth straight tripledouble in this series, but he made just 5 of a career-high 18 3-point attempts.
Lou Williams added 22 points and Patrick beverley had 15 to help the rockets get out of the first round for the second time in three seasons in front of a crowd that included hall of Famer hakeem olajuwon, rapper Travis s cott and his rumored girlfriend and reality star Kylie Jenner.
The Thunder had a fivepoint lead entering the fourth quarter and led by 3 after a jump shot by Jerami Grant early in the quarter. The rockets then used a 10-2 run to take an 86-81 lead with about 9 minutes left. Williams
made the last eight points in that stretch, making three free throws to start it and capping it with a 3-pointer from way behind the line.
houston was up by 6 early in the third quarter before using a 7-2 spurt to make it 6150 with about 7 minutes left in the quarter. harden got things going in that span and beverley capped it with four straight points.
The Thunder started rolling after that, using a 12-3 run, with seven points from Westbrook, to get within 2 with about 5 minutes left in the quarter. houston’s offense went cold in that span with its only points coming on free throws by harden.
Five straight points by the Thunder a couple of minutes later, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Westbrook, gave the Thunder a 69-68 lead. harden made two free throws after that before Westbrook hit two 3-pointers in about 30 seconds to extend oklahoma c ity’s lead to 77-70.
The rockets were unhappy with a few calls in the first quarter and team owner Leslie Alexander got up from his courtside seat and walked over to a referee during play late in the quarter apparently to express his displeasure before sitting back down.
Cubs narrowly overcome Pirates away from home
Associated Press
PITT sbur G h — Kyle h endricks spent the first weeks of 2017 trying to recapture the stuff he dealt so easily a year ago while posting the best er A in the majors.
s ometime in the third inning against Pittsburgh on Tuesday night, everything sort of clicked. It had to if the c hicago c ubs wanted to have any chance of beating Gerrit c ole.
h endricks limited the Pirates to four singles over six innings and the c hicago’s bullpen did the
rest as the c ubs took advantage of another error by Pittsburgh’s shaky distance to hold on for a 1-0 victory. h endricks struck out three and walked two in easily his best performance of the young season for the defending World s eries champions.
While h endricks (2-1) isn’t ready to say his early struggles are behind him, he took a step forward as the c hicago won for the sixth time in seven games.
“It’s just one start,” h endricks said. “It’s not a ‘back’ thing. I’m not in the zone, dialed in like I was
last year. That was a completely different feeling and sensation (but) felt a lot better. It’s more on track.”
h endricks became the first c ub in nearly 80 years to lead the majors in er A (2.13) last season but took the mound on Tuesday with the number at 6.19. It dropped to 4.50 after he kept Pittsburgh off balance with his mix of breaking balls and changeup to go with a fastball that only reaches the mid-80s but can find the corners when he’s on.
“ h e looked much more like he did last year,” c hicago manager Joe m addon said.
“We’re really going to have to compete more on the draw and we’re going to have to come up with some big plans to do a better job there,” h alfpenny said. “ i t’s not necessarily the draw control specialist, it’s actually everybody around the circle and coming off the line. That’s one of [ b oston c ollege’s] signatures we’ve noticed from playing them in the acc . They’ve been very good at that quick first step off of the line and getting to the ball. They’ve been very good at it this season against some of the top drawing teams in the conference and the best in the nation. s o that’s going to be an area of focus for us for sure this week in preparation.”
h alfpenny said the i rish were looking forward to the opportunity to improve against the e agles.
“ i think we’re really really excited to get down to r ichmond,” h alfpenny said. “ i think we’re going to have great weather for our second tilt against an opponent we just played six days ago. You don’t get a better scout than the live scout we just got, so we’re excited to put that to use and come out with a better result than last time out.”
The e agles are led by sophomore attack s am
a puzzo, who is seventh in the nation in goals and third in points. a puzzo leads the acc in both statistics, with i rish senior attack c ortney Fortunato immediately behind her. d uring the regular-season matchup, a puzzo scored four goals and added an assist, while junior attack Kenzie Kent — who missed much of the season with injury — scored five and assisted on another two.
i f the i rish can avenge last weekend’s defeat, the road to a conference championship will still be daunting. s ix acc teams are currently ranked, while the remaining two received votes. Leading those teams is regular-season conference champion and reigning national champion n o. 3 n orth c arolina. The Tar h eels, as the top seed for the tournament, will be n otre d ame’s most likely opponent should the i rish defeat the e agles, but will have to defeat rival d uke first.
o n the opposite side of the draw, n o. 4 s yracuse — last year’s national semifinalists — and a n o. 14 v irginia squad that defeated the i rish 15-5 earlier this season are among the other challengers. h alfpenny said she relishes the challenge of competing against so many elite teams.
“ h ow fun is this conference?” h alfpenny said. “ i t’s so exciting to have all of the top teams in the country.
b ut starting over spring break, n otre d ame went on a four-game road trip after playing six of its first nine games at home. The i rish also had to face tough weather conditions at then- n o. 9 Princeton and then- n o. 15 Towson, and although the team battled, they came up short in both games to suddenly turn an eightgame win streak into a two-game skid.
both had their first start of the season against the o range. a nd it worked. The i rish bounced back in a huge way, winning 16-7 and handing s yracuse its first conference loss. The now senior-heavy starting lineup stepped up in practically every statistical category with 10 goals, three assists, 11 ground balls, 12 caused turnovers and nine draw controls, and n otre d ame saved its season.
You’ve got the top team in n orth c arolina, the defending national champ; you’ve got s yracuse, who is really starting to come on strong at the end of this season with huge out-of-conference wins, making us obviously that much stronger; Louisville, who just recorded what i believe is their first ever win over s yracuse. v irginia and v irginia Tech just played a very close game.
“ i think this is going to be an awesome tournament this weekend. i think it’s going to be exciting, i think everyone who comes is going to get what they paid for and all the athletes are going to have a blast. i think there’s nothing like playing the best of the best and putting your best out there and that’s what our gameplan’s going to be. We’re going to leave it all out there, we’re going to go for it. i t’s a great opportunity for us to grow as a team, to get ready and to build a great resume for the ncaa tournament committee because that will be the second postseason opportunity that we’ll be working hard to put ourselves in a strong position for.”
The i rish and the e agles will begin their 2017 acc tournament campaigns on Thursday in r ichmond. o pening draw is at 2 p.m.
Contact Daniel O’Boyle at doboyle1@nd.edu
n otre d ame then faced traditional powerhouse v irginia, although the c avaliers had been struggling and were winless in the acc b ut the i rish, who had the exact same starting lineup as when the team beat o hio s tate on m arch 7 to push the wins to eight in a row, were convincingly beaten. i n the 15-5 loss, n otre d ame had fewer shots, ground balls, draw controls and clears than v irginia, not to mention more turnovers. i t was the worst offensive performance for the i rish this season, and coming up against then- n o. 4 s yracuse in the final game of the trip, the i rish had to make a change to reverse this dramatic turnaround.
s o head coach c hristine h alfpenny went back to the drawing board and came out the following weekend with a different lineup. The i rish played four attack and four midfielders against the o range, breaking from the three attack-five midfielder formation that the team had been running with all season. b ut perhaps even more importantly, h alfpenny turned to her senior class to lead the way.
s ophomore attack n ikki o rtega and sophomore midfielder m akenna Pearsall were dropped in favor of seniors h eidi a nnaheim and e mma c laire Fontenot, who
a s the i rish head to the acc tournament this week as the n o. 4 seed in the best conference in the country, h alfpenny’s decision to change her tactics and trust her seniors has paid huge dividends. s ince the defeat of s yracuse on m arch 26, n otre d ame has gone 2-2 in its final four games, including three against ranked acc opponents, and have looked competitive in every game. a nd for h alfpenny, there is an emotional connection with this group as well. i t was her first recruiting class when she took the job in 2011, and it has been with her every step of her n otre d ame career, including the team’s first appearance in the ncaa tournament under h alfpenny in 2013, the program’s first season in the acc in 2014 and n otre d ame’s first ncaa win under h alfpenny in the first round of the 2014 ncaa tournament.
a nd as this team prepares for the postseason, it simply makes sense that the class of 2017 leads the way for the i rish. They’ve been with h alfpenny since the beginning, and how fitting would it be if they brought home the program’s first championship in the end?
There’s only one way to find out.
Contact Tobias Hoonhout at thoonhou@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Paid a dverT isemen T
ANN CURTIS | The Observer
Irish senior midfielder Casey Pearsall passes the ball during Notre Dame’s 21-9 victory over Marquette on Feb. 14 at Loftus Sports Center. Pearsall has tallied 25 goals and 27 assists on the season.
Irish sophomore forward Matt Ryan defends the ball during Notre Dame’s 83-71 loss to West Virginia in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Mar. 18 at the KeyBank Center.
r yan
c olson, with one rotating spot.
a lthough the departure of b eachem and vasturia after this season meant that r yan was a likely candidate for minutes next season, the arrival of four-star small forward d .J. h arvey from d e m atha h igh s chool
in m aryland, where b rey formerly coached, and the emergence of sophomore guard r ex Pflueger leave an unclear path to playing time.
vanderbilt was the first school that r yan visited after being granted his official release from the u niversity on m arch 28, and r yan chose the c ommodores over c alifornia, Georgetown and George Washington.
r yan will play under second-year vanderbilt coach b ryce d rew, who in his first season last year with the c ommodores led the team to a 19-16 record and an ncaa tournament berth, although the team lost in the first round to n orthwestern. r yan will have to sit out next season per ncaa rules before being able to utilize his two years of remaining eligibility.
w Tennis
Louderback said his team isn’t worried about its current losing streak as it heads into postseason play.
“ d uring our last five matches, three of our opponents were the top-three seeds in the conference tournament, so those were very tough matches,” Louderback said. “We just lost a couple of close matches to Florida s tate and c lemson, so the toughest part of our schedule was probably those matches at the end of the year. We’re not even worried about how many matches we’ve lost, we’re just looking ahead. We have Pittsburgh on Wednesday and we beat them earlier in the year, so we’re looking forward to getting a chance to play them.”
Louderback said he will keep a close eye on n orth c arolina, Georgia Tech
and d uke, the conference’s highest-seeded teams.
“ n orth c arolina and Georgia Tech have both been in the top five here recently, and they’re the n o. 1 and 2 seeds, so both of those teams are very tough,” Louderback said. “Then the n o. 3 seed is d uke who is in the top 15, so those were the three teams who were definitely ahead of everyone else by the end of the year. For us, we lost a tight 4-3 match to d uke and lost a couple of three-set matches, so we’re right in there with them, but those are the three teams that stand apart from everyone else.” b efore running into any of those squads, though, the i rish will take on n o. 15seed Pittsburgh in the first round at 1 p.m. Wednesday with the winner advancing to face n o. 7-seed c lemson on Thursday.
Contact Michael Ivey at mivey@hcc-nd.edu
Paid a dverT isemen T
MICHAEL YU | The Observer
MICHAEL YU | The Observer
Irish senior Mary Closs winds up a forehand during Notre Dame’s 5-2 victory over Purdue on Feb. 22 at Eck Tennis Pavilion.
MICHAEL YU | The Observer
Irish senior Monica Robinson prepares a backhand during Notre Dame’s 5-2 victory over Purdue on Feb. 22 at Eck Tennis Pavilion.
Irish brace for test in ACC tournament
Notre Dame set for rematch with Boston College
By DANIEL O’BOYLE sports Writer
Just six days after n o. 13
n otre d ame lost to n o. 12
b oston c ollege to close out its regular season, the fourthseeded Irish will have a chance for revenge, as the two teams open up A cc tournament play with a second-round meeting in r ichmond, v irginia, on Thursday.
When the teams met on s aturday, the Irish (11-6, 4-3 A cc ) struggled on the draw in the second half and allowed the e agles (12-5, 3-4 A cc ) to embark on a 7-0 run on the way to a 16-10 b oston c ollege victory. The fifth-seeded e agles are ranked ninth in the nation in draw controls with 15.38 per game, and Irish head coach c hristine h alfpenny said she believes her players will need to work on reacting quickly to the ball coming out if they want to win more possessions.
ND to open postseason against Pitt
By MICHAEL IVEY sports Writer
n otre d ame is set to play in the A cc women’s tennis tournament this week, beginning play Wednesday against Pittsburgh in r ome, Georgia.
The Irish (16-8, 7-7 A cc ), seeded 10th, enter the conference tournament on a five-match losing streak after losses to tough conference opponents n o. 12 d uke, n o. 5 n orth c arolina, Florida s tate, n o. 8 Georgia Tech and c lemson.
n otre d ame’s most recent match was a 6-1 loss to c lemson on s unday at h oke s loan Tennis c enter. s ophomore r achel c hong recorded the only Irish win of the match by winning 6-3, 7-6(2) on court n o. 6. o n court n o. 2, junior b rooke b roda lost the first set of her match 6-2 before rebounding to win the second set 6-4. b roda dropped the third and decisive set 6-4. o n court n o. 1, senior m onica r obinson lost her first set 6-3 but grabbed a 6-4 win in the second set. r obinson lost the third set 6-2. s enior
m ary c loss, junior Allison m iller and freshman Zoe s pence all lost in straight sets.
In the doubles competition, the n o. 1 pair of c loss and r obinson dropped a 6-3 decision, while the n o. 3 pair of senior Jane Fennelly and s pence fell 6-2. The match featuring the n o. 2 pair of b roda and m iller was discontinued.
Irish head coach Jay Louderback noted that his team will have a short week to prepare for the beginning of the tournament on Wednesday.
“We’re going to start practicing on Tuesday,” Louderback said. “We played c lemson on s unday, we were off on m onday, we’re going to practice Tuesday and then we play Pittsburgh on Wednesday. We’re going to get a chance to be outdoors on Tuesday, and I think that’s a big thing for us. We practiced indoors on s aturday and played c lemson indoors on s unday, so our big thing is just to be able to practice outdoors and get outdoors.”
Squad looks to seniors for leadership in ACCs
After opening the season with a tough 14-13 loss to then- n o. 9 n orthwestern, the Irish rebounded with the third-longest winning streak in program history, as the team won eight straight, including road battles over A cc foes d uke and Louisville. While the team has been led all year by senior attack and pre-season All-American c ortney Fortunato and doit-all senior midfielder c asey Pearsall, who paces the team in assists and draw controls, n otre d ame started the season with some youth in the starting lineup. As the Irish jumped out to an 8-1 start, the team had as many as six underclassmen in the starting lineup, and for over half of the regular season, things were looking great.
men’s BaskeTBall
Observer Staff Report
Former forward m att r yan announced via Twitter on Wednesday night that he will transfer to v anderbilt for the remainder of his collegiate career.
After averaging 14.5 minutes and 5.1 points in 36 games and four starts as a freshman in the 2015-16 season, r yan’s role shrunk this past season, as the former n ew York high school state champion averaged 7.9 minutes and 3.6 points with no starts in 2017.
r yan struggled to break into n otre d ame’s smaller lineup in the second half of the season, in which Irish head coach m ike b rey used the “big four” of junior guard m att Farrell, senior guard s teve v asturia, senior forward v.J. b eachem and junior forward b onzie
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EDDIE GRIESEDIECK | The Observer
Senior attack Cortney Fortunato watches the opposing goalie make a save during Notre Dame’s 24-9 victory over Detroit on Feb. 11 at Loftus Sports Center. Fortunato leads the team in points. see W LAX paGe 11
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nd women’s lacrosse
MICHAEL YU | The Observer
Irish sophomore Rachel Chong follows through on a shot during a 5-2 Irish victory over Purdue on Feb. 22 at Eck Tennis Pavilion.
