PDF of The Observer for Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Community reflects on Pope’s impact

Professors discuss Benedict XVI’s legacy, leadership of the Church in the past eight years

By MEGAN DOYLE and SAM STRYKER managing e ditor and a ssistant managing e ditor

fr. brian daley first encountered pope benedict XVI when he was simply known as fr. Joseph r atzinger, a g erman theologian with a brilliant mind in the days after the second Vatican c ouncil.

daley, who was pursuing a graduate degree in theology in frankfurt, received a copy of r atzinger’s lectures as one of his texts. The texts had not even been published yet, but daley said those writings inspired him as a student.

“They were really hot stuff, they were not printed,” he said. “They were just kind of photocopied. … They were really exciting and wonderful stuff.”

now, as the 85-year-old pope prepares to step down from the head of the roman catholic c hurch, daley recalled his first encounters with the g erman theologian. daley, now a theology professor, met r atzinger in person on a retreat during those early years as a student. a s r atzinger and another retreat leader led discussions on the person of c hrist, daley said the future pope spoke informally and without notes.

“he said mass for us every day,” daley said. “That was a lovely meeting. he probably wouldn’t remember me … but I’ve always remembered him. he’s very personable, easy to get along with, not at all the figure the media sometimes presents.”

years later, daley approached the same man again in october 2012. This time, they were in the Vatican, and pope benedict XVI was presenting the professor with the 2012 r atzinger p rize in Theology. The award recognized daley’s work on

“I think it’s a beautiful example, to know when you can’t do a job to your own standards for the job, and not to cling to power.”

John Cavadini professor Theology

early c hristianity, which he said is also one of benedict’s interests.

“It was a total surprise to me. … I was very moved to receive it, bowled over,” he said.

w hen daley approached the pope at the award ceremony, he said pope benedict spoke with him in g erman, as they had spoken years before.

“he knew what I had been working on. … he knew about notre dame,” daley said. “It was a very warm and cordial meeting. I was really delighted to meet him and humbled by the opportunity.”

w hile the pope steps down, daley said benedict’s legacy as a theologian will remain a defining factor of his tenure at the head of the c hurch.

“he is first and foremost a theologian, a really remarkable theologian, one of the great theologians of the catholic c hurch,” daley said. “people who know him well say this is what he loves to do.”

a nother notre dame theology professor also recently visited the Vatican — department chair John cavadini. cavadini presented benedict with a copy of a book he had edited titled “e xplorations of benedict XVI’s Theology.”

cavadini described their meeting as “a huge honor” that he would never forget.

“It was a beautiful moment,” cavadini said in an email interview. “he smiled and grasped my hand with his and thanked me. he seemed genuinely pleased.

“he seemed to smile too when he saw the imprint: university of notre dame.”

cavadini said monday’s announcement was surprising but admirable as the pope grew older. benedict attributed his resignation to a lack of physical and mental strength to continue the job.

“I think it’s a beautiful example, to know when you can’t do a job to your own standards for the job, and not to cling to power,” he said.

The pope’s decision to step down was in some ways “a welcome precedent,” he said.

“a fter all, bishops are required to turn in their resignations at 75,” he said. “The pope is a unique case, so the policy

should not simply transfer, but I think on the whole it makes it easier for someone to realize when maybe they are not performing at the level they themselves expect of others.”

The pope’s neighbors notre dame students in the rome study abroad program attend class approximately 15 minutes from the Vatican where the pope announced his decision monday. The professors who lead their courses said the international shock at benedict’s decision has been especially felt just outside his own doorstep.

ada bertini bezzi, an Italian professor at John cabot university, said the announcement was unexpected for her fellow Italian citizens preparing for their own government election on feb. 24 and 25.

“This event is really incredible for everybody here in rome,” she said. “we are in the middle of the election campaign, however this news was like a bomb for us. we are waiting for some more news.”

bertini bezzi said the initial reaction of many roman citizens has been one of cynicism.

“people are asking, ‘w hy?’” she said. “we do not believe he is really so sick, [so are] there any other reasons?”

p ier paolo sarram, a media professor at John c abot university, also noted the timing of the pope’s resignation may have an impact on Italian politics in the weeks leading up to an election of both new political leaders and the c hurch’s election of a new pope. he said he was caught off guard by the pope’s resignation, describing the event as “unsettling.”

“It’s one of those ‘events’ that I think will be remembered as something truly out of the ordinary,” he said.

sarram described the reaction of the Italian media as a

“scramble for information” in the wake of the pope’s decision. he said Italian media tends to be “subservient” to Vatican narratives, and thus coverage between international media and national media has been very different.

“It is quite a shock channel surfing from the Italian channels to the bbc , cnn or even foX as they speculate on possible scenarios for the resigna-

“I think what it means for the Church is a healthy recognition that the papacy, like every vocation and role within the Church, is a gift from God.”

J. Matthew Ashley professor Theology

tion that would and are taboo on mainstream Italian media for the most part,” he said.

A new precedent

w hile the pope’s decision to step down from the head of the c hurch is not the first, there is no modern precedent for the decision. pope c elestine V left the office in the 13th century, more than 700 years ago, and professor J. matthew a shley reflected in an email interview on this moment as an important one for the c hurch and the papacy.

“I think what it means for the c hurch is a healthy recognition that the papacy, like every vocation and role within the c hurch, is a gift from g od,” he said. “It does not belong to the person, and it can be given up in a recognition that ultimately

it is the holy spirit that guides the c hurch and not any one individual.”

p rofessor scott a ppleby, religious historian and director of the Kroc Institute for International peace studies, said in a statement monday that benedict acted “courageously” with his decision.

“he leaves behind a church still staggering from the sexual abuse crisis, weakened by bureaucratic infighting, curial scandals and papal gaffes, and facing a host of challenges — to which the pope alluded in his statement [ monday,]” he said. but even at the head of a tumultuous modern c hurch, a ppleby said benedict wrote three “profound” encyclicals and devoted his energy to “‘a new evangelization,’ which the c hurch desperately needs.”

Theology professor fr. Virgil e lizondo said the precedent benedict sets when he steps down officially feb. 28 can be a positive one for the c hurch.

“w ith all the medical advances, [the popes] will all live longer. … w hen you look at the responsibilities that man has as pope, they’re unbelievable,” e lizondo said. “so it does take somebody with energy, that he doesn’t get tired.”

e lizondo cited benedict’s extensive theological writings as the pope’s most lasting legacy from his tenure.

“he is a very good theologian who got elected pope, and in the process became an even better theologian,” he said. benedict also paved the way for future popes to continue to embrace modern technology and changes, e lizondo said.

“This pope’s done Twitter, he’s got an i pad,” he said. “w hat’s going to be the next pope?”

Contact Megan Doyle at mdoyle11@nd.edu and Sam Stryker at sstryke1@nd.edu

By JOHN CAMERON news e ditor

Coccia, Joyce win election runoff

Juniors will assume office April 1, express gratitude to supporters

The student body voted in favor of a vision focused on “passion, perseverance and people,” electing juniors a lex c occia and nancy Joyce as 2013-2014 student body president and vice president Tuesday.

c occia and Joyce received 2,066 of 3,795 votes, or 54.4 percent in the student body election. The pair’s opposition — juniors d ominic romeo and philip hootsmans — received 1,729 votes, or 45.6 percent. 208 students chose to abstain.

c occia, who was accompanied by a number of supporters, attributed his ticket’s victory to its campaign team.

“ we put together a really

good team and we’re proud of everything they’ve done,” he said. “ we certainly wouldn’t be here without their help.”

Joyce said her ticket’s opposition pushed her and c occia to campaign harder and improve their communication efforts.

“i think we all pushed each other and made [the campaign] better,” she said. “i think in the future they will also continue to push us, to make sure we’re doing what we need to be doing as student body president and vice president.”

c occia, who will take office a pril 1, said he will use the coming weeks to gain insights from outgoing student body

see elecTion PaGe 4

irish celebrate mardi gras on location

By LESLEY STEVENSON news writer

This Fat Tuesday, some notre d ame students will be celebrating with authentic m ardi g ras spirit straight from the b ig e asy.

“it’s definitely an experience coming down, even with a budget,” senior Justin a suncion said about his trip to new o rleans this past weekend. “it’s a great experience that every notre d ame student should take if you can.”

a suncion and fellow seniors a ndrew c harnesky and Joe c aparros drove through the night Thursday to arrive

in new o rleans by Friday morning, where they experienced traditions ranging from parades to s outhern cookouts, they said. “ we had the opportunity to go to an authentic crawfish boil,” c harnesky said. “ we’re not from the s outh; we’d never heard of a crawfish boil before, but it was some of the best food i ’ve ever had.”

s enior a llison Tompkins also traveled to new o rleans for the first time and agreed that the cuisine stood out as a highlight of her trip.

“i had grits for the first time, cheese grits with

see mardi gras PaGe 4

Students reflect during Lenten season

By MEG HANDELMAN news writer

w hether giving up their favorite food, kicking a bad habit, or working to incorporate something positive into their daily routine, notre dame students are coming up with new and unique ways to recognize

l ent.

sophomore pat haggerty said that for l ent, he intends to quit using Tinder, the newly popular i phone dating application.

“it’s a total time killer and distraction,” haggerty said.

“plus, it makes for awkward sightings on campus. a lso,

i don’t want to get ‘l ennay Kekua’ed.’”

sophomore Jack souter, a resident of Fisher hall, said he plans to give up going into other male dorms for the 40 days between a sh wednesday and easter.

“i feel that this will help strengthen my Fisher identity,”

souter said. “The community in Fisher is the only place i can truly be myself.”

sophomore Thomas Kleiber is prepared to refuse discussion over the controversial change in dining hall menus on Fridays during l ent.

see lenT PaGe 4

Event displays talents

By BRIDGET FEENEY

a ssociate s aint m ary’s e ditor

For the second year in a row, s aint m ary’s will host an evening dedicated to showing off students’ talent, passion and creativity.

The a pollo s tyle Talent s howcase, a variety show where students can demonstrate their skills in a multitude of ways, will be held wednesday evening at 7 p.m. at s aint m ary’s c ollege. The evening is co-sponsored by s aint m ary’s student club s isters of n efertiti and i ndiana university- s outh b end’s b lack s tudent union in celebration of a frican a merican h istory m onth. s aint m ary’s senior l ondon l amar, president of s isters of n efertiti, said the night has historical roots.

“a pollo night is a talent showcase inspired by the see apollo PaGe 4

(574) 631-7471 Fax: (574) 631-6927

Advertising (574) 631-6900 ads@ndsmcobserver.com

Editor-in-Chief (574) 631-4542 ajoseph2@nd.edu Managing

(574) 631-4542 mdoyle11@nd.edu Assistant

(574) 631-4541 aowens2@nd.edu

sstryke1@nd.edu Business

(574) 631-5313

News

(574) 631-5323 obsnews.nd@gmail.com Viewpoint Desk (574) 631-5303 obsviewpoint@gmail.com

Sports Desk (574) 631-4543 observersports@gmail.com

Scene Desk (574) 631-4540 observer. s cene.e ditor@gmail.com Saint Mary’s Desk jbarwi01@saintmarys.edu

Photo Desk (574) 631-8767 obsphoto@gmail.com

Systems & Web Administrators (574) 631-8839

Policies The

i

Question of the Day:

Who is your celebrity Valentine?

Greta Hurlbut

senior ryan hall

“Johnny depp.”

Tom Temmerman senior siegfried hall

“beyoncé, for sure”

Allison Wagner senior off campus

“Johnny mcginley.”

Katie Martinez junior badin hall

“r yan reynolds.”

Sarah Karchunas sophomore pasquerilla west hall “mario l opez.”

Elisabeth O’Toole sophomore walsh hall

“marky mark.”

Staff

University Presiden Emeritus Fr. Theodore Hesburgh sits to have his picture taken by a 20 x 24 Polaroid camera at the Snite Museum of Art. Invented in the 1970s, this camera system is named for the large prints it produces. Snite Museum of Art director Chuck Loving and professor Richard Gray arranged for the camera to come to the museum for an all-day workshop.

Bouts Preliminaries

Joyce Center

6 p.m-10 p.m.

Men’s boxing tournament opens.

Men’s Basketball Purcell Pavilion

7 p.m.

Notre Dame takes on DePaul.

Have a question you want answered? Email obsphoto@gmail.com Want your event included here? Email

Thursday

SonnetFest 2013 O’Shaugnessy Hall

11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Public reading of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets.

No More Deaths Geddes Hall

5 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Presentation by desert aid workers in the Sonoran desert.

Friday

Business Lecture

Mendoza College of Business

10:40 a.m.-12:10 p.m.

Speaker: Julia Silverman.

CSC Open House

Coleman-Morse Center

6 p.m.-7 p.m.

Part of Junior Parents Weekend.

Saturday

Men’s Tennis Eck Tennis Pavilion

12 p.m.-2 p.m.

Notre Dame takes on Michigan.

Notre Dame Jazz Band

2 p.m.-3 p.m. Annual JPW concert.

CSC program fosters community involvement

By CATHERINE OWERS news writer

The c enter for s ocial c oncerns is partnering with the c ollege of e ngineering and c ollege of s cience to provide research opportunities in the local community for faculty and students.

a lisa Zornig has been appointed coordinator for academic community engagement, specific to the c olleges of s cience and e ngineering.

“The c enter for s ocial c oncerns had some resources for community-based learning and communitybased research courses, and the c olleges of s cience and e ngineering had the desire to spread those opportunities to students in those disciplines,” Zornig said. “ m y position helps to connect faculty with community partners in order to offer opportunities for undergraduate students to engage in the community.”

Zornig said the research projects will be driven by faculty interests.

“They’ll come to me with an idea for collaborating in the community and i ’ll seek

out and find what organizations will really fit their research interests,” she said. Zornig added that the university would like to enhance the opportunities for faculty who want to work in the community.

“There’s a nice framework already, and this is an expansion of that framework,” she said.

a dditionally, the partnership will be helpful to newer faculty members who are not familiar with local partnerships and possibilities, she said.

“ [Faculty can find] what we have to offer as a community, where they can go to work and find others who have similar interests, and can really collaborate to expand the dissemination of their research, and bring educational opportunities to those who might not have them,” Zornig said. “ i ’m the liaison, making the connection for them in the community

“ i ’m also meeting with faculty already engaged in the community to find out what we already have established and to find out how people might be able to connect or assist in programs that are

already ongoing with our students and our faculty.

c urrent partners include local nonprofits, as well as schools in the area, Zornig said.

“ we have research experience for teachers programs that bring in area high school teachers,” she said. “They work with faculty on campus in research labs and develop curricula that they can take

back to their classrooms, so it really helps with the education of their students, and they get the research experience in the labs.”

Zornig emphasized the partnership is a “reciprocal approach.”

“ we want to fit the faculty and the students and the organizations in a way that all benefit, specific to the faculty member’s research interests

and the students’ learning interest, as well,” she said. “ o ne of the neat things that i really like about this position, is that i get to meet with community partners and talk to them about where they might like to expand, where there are opportunities for science and engineering students.”

Contact Catherine Owers at cowers@nd.edu

globemed collaborates with organization in laos

By CAROLYN HUTYRA news writer

w

hen junior genevieve gillwiehl first learned about the globemed network in the spring of 2010, she knew it was something that would band together notre dame students interested in a movement toward global health equality.

after applying and being accepted as a chapter founder, she fostered a network of like-minded students who were officially

recognized by sao the spring of the following year. Fr. bob dowd, director of the Ford Family program in human development studies and solidarity, stepped in as faculty advisor, and the new program was launched. The new chapter became part of a studentrun non-profit organization with 50 chapters at universities across the united states, according to junior Kate spencer, a campaign coordinator with globemed. as part of the organization, each chapter partners with a

community-based grassroots organization facing health disparities in africa, asia, north america and south america, spencer said.

“[our] chapters build these partnerships through frequent communication and innovative fundraising initiatives for collaborative health projects that help our partner organizations achieve their missions,” she said.

discussions on global health issues prevail in the classroom while internships are also arranged with partner organizations overseas.

spencer said the group of approximately 30 active members at notre dame is both very consistent and involved. The club holds weekly meetings at 9 p.m. on wednesdays and also attends retreats and organizes fundraisers.

“recently, we had a retreat for club members and discussed a lot of campaign ideas to raise money for the promotion for education and development association [peda],” spencer said.

spencer said the globemed organization paired the notre dame chapter with the laos network and students were thrilled to be working with them. peda is a non-profit organization based in vientiane, laos.

“working with peda would give [globemed members] the opportunity to make a tangible difference in laos, but also educate students at notre dame about a country halfway around the world with a rich culture and

history,” she said.

spencer noted that the excitement to participate in globemed was mutual.

“This is an opportunity for us to collaborate with globemed and its students to improve the health of the communities, to exchange experiences about our works, open our ear to listen to new ideas from young generation...” chairman assistant and project coordinator at peda Thipphavanh Thammachithe said through globemed’s notre dame chapter.

“That we may apply new ideas to our work and on the community projects, as our work is to provide technical information and education to support the community potential in solving socioeconomic, health issues and so forth.”

since joining with the laotias organization, notre dame has remained in constant contact with peda updates are frequently sent overseas on club activities, spencer said, and in turn those working overseas reveal their dayto-day activities both in the office and in the field.

“we are sending four students there for about three weeks this summer to intern for peda,” spencer said. “They will be assisting with health prevention projects in the area and we are very excited to get the chance to meet peda employees in person and not just over skype.”

Though this is an exciting opportunity to anticipate in the

future, club members are focusing on a number of events taking place in the next few months as well.

spencer said the club is hosting a babysitting night for faculty and staff for valentine’s day, and later this month iy ie joining with the center for social concern to hold a soup and substance event.

“later in the spring, we are planning on having a donation yoga class, selling spring break bro tanks, fundraising at the holy half, and will be campaigning for the world day of social Justice on Feb. 18,” she said.

other activities will include a basketball game called “loose change for laos” where the proceeds will be sent to peda and a Five guys Fundraiser, which will take place Feb. 28.

“Through our chapter discussions, collaborations with peda, and the support of all globemed chapters, we are making progress in the fight for global health equality,” spencer said.

offering a unique and opening environment, globemed provides many windows for involvement for all majors and those interested in global health. spencer said the chapter is always looking for more members.

“we truly believe that health is a human right, and that we as students can be powerful agents of change,” spencer said.

Contact Carolyn Hutyra at chutyra@nd.edu

“i’m giving up arguing with people over whether the dining hall should serve meat or not,” Kleiber said. “it’s pointless and annoying.”

some of the most popular ways to observe l ent this year are plans to give up drinking soda, cutting out swear words, working out daily and making a point to attend church more often.

“This isn’t very original but i’m giving up sweets and soda,” sophomore c laire cosgrove said, echoing many of her classmates. “i have a sweet tooth and like to drink soda, so it’s always really hard and challenges me through all of l ent.”

Junior susan nichols said she was planning to quit swearing for 40 days for the second year in a row. nichols said cutting curse words out of her vocabulary is a good thing to remember in daily life, and l ent provides a

“The best thing about Lent is being given an opportunity not only to make daily sacrifices, but to reflect on why I’m sacrificing.”

Susanna Floyd sophomore

perfect opportunity to motivate her to stick to her goal.

sophomore a llie gerspach decided to use lent as motivation to be more practical in daily life.

“i’m going to give up up buying coffee,” gerspach said. “my flex points will benefit, [and] it’s a luxury that i don’t need when i can just make coffee in my room.”

during lent, many activities will take place to help students observe the period of reflection, including meat-free dining halls on Fridays, daily rosary prayers at the grotto and a weekly stations of the cross event. notre dame campus ministry encourages students to use lent as a time for self-reflection and improvement.

“w henever we talk about lenten sacrifices, then, or even about the environmental and liturgical changes that mark the season, we can put all of those in the context of preparing ourselves — as individuals and as a church — for the new life we all put on at easter,” campus ministry’s website stated.

sophomore susanna Floyd, who is involved with campus ministry, said lent is a good time for students to think about the meaning of easter in the days leading up to the holiday.

“The best thing about lent is being given an opportunity not only to make daily sacrifices, but to reflect on why i’m sacrificing,” she said.

Contact Meg Handelman at mhandelm@nd.edu

e lection

con T inued F rom page 1

president and vice president brett rocheleau and Katie rose and to build off his support team.

“ we’re excited to start conversations with [ rocheleau and rose]. ... we’ve built such a strong network of people who we want to have incorporated into student government,” he said. “ we’re going to use these next couple of weeks before the transition to get really moving on the ground.”

romeo said the experience of campaigning across campus made the experience worthwhile, win or lose.

Mardi Gras

shrimp on it,” Tompkins said. “The rice and beans was to die for… i didn’t taste anything that wasn’t good.”

Tompkins described touring the French Quarter and learning about the history of various parades and the groups, called krewes, which plan them.

“i had heard about the pretty buildings, you know, in the French Quarter and everything, but honestly i didn’t know what to expect,” Tompkins said. “it really shocked me how beautiful it was with all the different areas and the m ississippi r iver and everything.”

notre dame Food services general manager marc poklinkowski said students staying at notre dame for the festivities will be able to experience themed décor and menu items at both dining halls on Tuesday.

“south will have our

“it’s been an absolute pleasure having this opportunity to interact with students individually and in groups, to hear their feedback and truly get this whole new pic-

“We do think Coccia-Joyce will do a good job. At the end of the day, Notre Dame is stronger for it..”

Philip Hootsmans junior

ture of notre dame as a truly diverse campus in terms of backgrounds, interests and

cajun-themed dishes on both homestyle and pan-a m,” poklinkowski said. “The popularity of this meal has increased tremendously over the years, so we found the need to take the regular pan-a m items off for this day to offer students another area to get the themed menu items they are looking for.”

poklinkowski added north dining hall will be offering jambalaya and mississippi fried catfish as well as chocolate rum cake and mini éclairs and that south dining hall will feature jambalaya as well with blackened catfish.

“our dessert bar [at south] will be a make-your-own-dessert featuring pound cakes, fresh strawberries, apples and caramel sauce, hot chocolate fudge and whipped topping,” poklinkowski said.

a lthough mardi gras known for its celebration of excess, a suncion and charnesky said traveling to new orleans can

b lack h istory m onth.”

p rizes such as d r. d re headphones and an a mazon

ways of looking at things,” he said. “To gain the support of as many students as we did in such a short time was incredible.”

hootsmans said he was appreciative of students’ willingness to back his ticket’s vision for student government.

“e veryone we talked to was extremely open and very supportive of us,” he said. “g etting so many students who wanted us to be president and vice president of this campus was humbling.”

romeo said he and hootsmans will work to advance their platform outside of student government, although he is unsure how.

“o ne of the big things we

wanted to encourage was conversation at every level of this campus,” he said. “how do we do that through an avenue that isn’t student government? we’ll have to examine that, but it’s something we’re passionate about.”

hootsmans expressed his confidence in the winning ticket’s ability to serve the student body.

“ we do think c occia-Joyce will do a good job,” he said. “a t the end of the day, notre dame is stronger for it.”

News Editor Kristen Durbin also contributed to this report.

Contact John Cameron at jcamero@nd.edu

be done even on a tight budget.

charnesky noted that driving and staying with a friend in new orleans helped cut expenses.

“you can definitely do it for under $500,” charnesky said.

“it’s not cheap, but if you’re just

will determine the winner of the talent show.

conscious about stuff you can do it on a budget.

“it’s a great time and it’s going to be something you’ll always remember.”

Contact Lesley Stevenson at lsteven1@nd.edu

famous a pollo Theatre in h arlem, n ew york, where students can showcase their talent and the audience helps choose the winner,” she said.

a ccording to the a pollo Theatre’s website, a mateur n ight has attracted novice poets, comedians, singers and dancers for over 75 years. Former performers include successes such as e lla Fitzgerald, m ichael Jackson and s tevie wonder.

“ it’s really fun and interactive,” she said. “ we chose to have a pollo n ight to celebrate black cultural arts for

“I’m really excited for the events and it is sure to be a good time ... I hope students take away an appreciation of the arts and talent.”

London Lamar senior

Kindle will be awarded to the best performer. The audience

a fter each performance, the audience will either cheer or boo the student off stage to help decide the best talent. a s one of the event’s masters of ceremonies, l amar said she is eager to see the audience and performers interact.

“ i ’m really excited for the events and it is sure to be a good time,” she said. “ i hope students take away an appreciation of the arts and talent.”

i n order to prep for the event, l amar and the other judges of the event held auditions to ensure the acts were

appropriate. l amar said one noteworthy aspect of this year’s show is the number of i ndiana university- s outh b end students competing.

“The auditions went really well,” she said. “ we have a lot of acts from iusb we are really excited about.”

a udience members will also have a chance to win prizes from Family v ideo, b est b uy and s trikes and s pares. The a pollo s tyle Talent s howcase is wednesday at 7 p.m. in c arroll a uditorium of m adeleva h all. The event is free and open to the public.

Contact Bridget Feeney at bfeene01@saintmarys.edu

Northeasterners struggle with icy conditions

Associated Press

harTFord, conn. — The workweek opened with a whiteknuckle ride monday in the snow-clobbered northeast as drivers encountered unplowed streets, two-lane roads reduced to a single channel and snowbanks so high it was impossible see around corners.

schools remained closed across much of new e ngland and new york, and more than 100,000 homes and businesses were still waiting for the electricity to come back on after the epic storm swept through on Friday and saturday with 1 to 3 feet of snow that entombed cars and sealed up driveways.

The storm was blamed for at least 18 deaths in the u s. and canada, and officials warned of a new danger as rain and higher temperatures set in: roof collapses.

i n hard-hit connecticut, where some places were buried in more than 3 feet of snow, the national guard used heavy equipment to clear roads in the state’s three biggest cities.

“This is awful,” said Fernando

colon, of south w indsor, conn., who was driving to work at bradley i nternational a irport near hartford on a twolane highway that was down to one lane because of high snowbanks.

most major highways were cleared by monday, but the volume of snow was just too much to handle on many secondary roads. a mix of sleet and rain also created new headaches. a 10-mile stretch of i nterstate 91 just north of hartford to massachusetts was closed briefly because of ice and accidents.

i n new york, where hundreds of cars became stuck on the l ong island e xpressway on Friday night and early saturday morning, some motorists vented their anger at g ov. a ndrew cuomo for not acting more quickly to shut down major roads, as other governors did, and for not plowing more aggressively.

“There were cars scattered all over the place. They should have just told people in the morning, ‘don’t bother going in because we’re going to close the roads by 3 o’clock.’ i think boston and connecticut had the right idea telling everybody to stay off the roads and we got a better chance of clearing it up,” said g eorge Kiriakos, an investment consultant from bohemia, n y on monday morning, he said, conditions were still miserable: “it’s just as slick as can be. you’ve got cars stuck all over like it’s an obstacle course.” cuomo has defended his handling of the crisis and said that more than one-third of all the state’s snow-removal equipment had been sent to the area. he said he also wanted to allow people the chance to get home from work.

“people need to act responsibly in these situations,” the governor said.

man opens fire in courthouse, kills two

Associated Press

wilmingTon, del. — a gunman who spent years in court battles over custody disputes opened fire monday in the lobby of a delaware courthouse, leaving two women dead before being fatally shot, authorities said.

“he walked right up the first victim and shot her point-blank right in the chest. he then turned around and shot a second woman who was approximately 10 feet away,” said bill

heriot, who says he was waiting to enter the new castle county courthouse on monday morning. he said the heavy-set man, who appeared to be in his 50s, pulled out a semiautomatic pistol and fired a single shot at each victim.

heriot said the shooter then exchanged gunfire with police before falling to the floor.

delaware state police sgt. paul shavack said the suspect and the women are dead. mayor dennis williams said in a phone

interview that one of the women killed was the shooter’s estranged wife, but shavack said police had not confirmed that.

shavack also declined monday night to confirm heriot’s account of the shooting, or disclose who shot whom, saying investigators were still reviewing surveillance video and taking witness statements. authorities have also declined to release the names of the deceased.

delaware attorney general beau biden said at a news

paid a dverT isemen T

conference that the shooting was not a random act of violence.

“it’s developed out of a long — over the course of many years — custody dispute in the courts of this state,” biden said.

authorities said two police officers were also shot, but were treated at a hospital and released. chief william Jopp of the capitol police, which provides security at state government buildings, said they were protected by their armored vests.

“he did not break the (security) perimeter,” shavack said.

Jose beltran, 53, an employee at the courthouse, said he heard two shots, “boom, boom,” as he was entering the lobby. beltran said he heard at least three more shots as he turned around and ran.

authorities said the gunman opened fire in the lobby of the courthouse, where people line up to go through metal detectors.

“it happened so fast,” he said. chick chinski, 62, of middletown was entering the courthouse to report for jury duty when he heard popping sounds.

“it didn’t sound like gunfire first at all,” said chinski, adding that the shooter seemed to deliberately target the two women who were killed.

“absolutely,” he said. “it’s right what he went after when he come in the door. That’s exactly what he did instantly.”

chinski said that before the shooting, he shared an elevator with the gunman and others from the parking garage. The gunman was quiet and did not appear agitated, he said.

heriot, a plaintiff in a court case that was to be heard this week, said after the two women were shot, there was an exchange of gunfire, then a lull, during which time he believes the shooter may have been putting a new clip in his gun.

“i could smell the gunpowder in the air,” heriot said. a fter the shooting stopped, he knelt down beside the first woman who was shot.

man’s best friend

“a dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes or designer clothes. a waterlogged stick will do just fine. a dog doesn’t care if you’re rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. give him your heart and he will give you his.”

This quote is from John grogan’s bestselling book and movie, “marley and me,” a memoir about grogan’s adventures with his “world’s worst dog,” a devilish, but loving, yellow lab named marley. The movie came out christmas day in 2008, about one year after my family was blessed with our first dogs, two golden retriever puppies named simms and Tiki. That day had been a long time coming for me, as i had been begging my parents for a dog ever since i was a little kid. simms and Tiki were born on sept. 27, 2007, and we were finally allowed to pick them up that november. The entire ride home simms sat on my lap, a practice that became a habit even after he quickly ballooned to 85 pounds, but i couldn’t be happier. a ll the persistence and begging had paid off, and a boy finally had his dog.

a fter a year with our dogs, my family and i went to the movies to see “marley and me.” i laughed at all the trouble marley got into, smiled at all the cute moments they shared and cried like a baby when they put marley to sleep. it’s the only movie to make me cry to this date. i couldn’t imagine the pain it must feel to lose someone so special. i went home after the movie and hugged my dogs, thankful that they were so young. last week, my first dog and my best friend, simms, passed away. he was just five years old, but was born with a very small spleen that escaped the eyes of the veterinarian. our entire family was devastated. we all agreed it was terribly unfair that the greatest, most loving dog in the was taken from us so soon. as any dog owner can attest to, dogs are not just animals or a pets, they are a part of your family. The only explanation i could accept is the one provided by my mom: “maybe his spleen was so small because his heart was so big.”

suddenly, every moment i spent with him became priceless. chasing him down the beach after he got under the fence and terrorized every picnic in his path, scrubbing him down after a long day of rolling in mud: These are memories i’ll cherish forever. w hat once was a chore now became a gift, and i would do anything to take him on one last walk or feed him one last time. as hard as it is to accept, life goes on. For dog owners though, man’s best friend will always be there. Thank you simms for everything you’ve done for our family and me. rest in peace, pup.

Contact Alex Wilcox at awilcox1@nd.edu

The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

In defense of Catholics and Catholicism at Notre Dame

i n its recent student government endorsement, s cholastic m agazine criticized one ticket for its proposal “to instate a prayer before home football games.” s cholastic insisted that such a proposal “contradicts their platform of inclusion.” no doubt, furthering the inclusivity of the campus environment at notre d ame has been a very important focus in recent years. a fter publishing an offensive comic strip by The mobile p arty in January 2010, The o bserver issued a statement condemning the “cruel and hateful” comic printed in its pages. The comic made an offensive joke about gay men being assaulted.

Two months later, c harles r ice, notre d ame professor of law and o bserver columnist for nearly 20 years, submitted a column outlining the c atechism’s teachings on homosexuality. The o bserver’s editor, in an email rejecting the column, expressed concerns about the column’s length, as well as “some concerns with the content of the column, particularly considering The mobile p arty comic incident earlier in the semester.” he suggested that, should p rofessor r ice choose to write on this topic, he submit it in a “pointcounterpoint format . . . That way, each ‘side,’ to speak, would have the opportunity to present relevant facts, evidence and analysis to define its position.” The exchange ended in the discontinuance of p rofessor r ice’s column.

i n discourse in the contemporary university, neutrality is prized as an exemplary virtue. a t religious universities, neutrality often indicates a kind of ambivalence towards the university’s religious mission, seeking to be inclusive to those who are not

a part of the school’s religious tradition. student government candidates are criticized for advocating public prayer, and columnists are censored for promoting religious teachings. r eligious acts and advocacy are deemed non-inclusive and one-sided. These publications insist that all opposing sides must be permitted to present their own facts in their own ways.

The s cholastic, The o bserver and other publications and institutions reveal their own rejection of neutrality, however, in their “endorsements.” This becomes quite clear in notre d ame’s annual student government elections, in which these publications allow each side to present itself and then inform campus which side it should elect. i n such endorsements, we learn that no publication is in fact “neutral.” i ndeed, a publication’s ability to write “staff editorials” comes from its lack of neutrality. s uch a lack need not be considered a bad thing. Those who would insist that opinions and beliefs be kept private insist on a country whose citizens are unable to engage each other in the public sphere on the most important matters. however, a merica is often celebrated as a uniquely diverse country, a country that grows through the intersection and dialogue of competing viewpoints. we must keep in mind, however, that viewpoints are not only held by individual citizens. They are also held by institutions. a society that respects diverse viewpoints must not only be tolerant of individuals, it must also be tolerant of institutions. a s social creatures, human beings desire to have beliefs that are shared and lived out in community. o ne test of our tolerance is our ability to cultivate and promote institutions and communities that manifest particular sets of beliefs. i ndeed, all

institutions and communities arise from shared beliefs. we often discuss the marginalization of minority individuals. we don’t, however, discuss intolerance within institutions. r efusing public prayer or religious teachings at a c atholic university is not a call for neutrality. it is a refusal to let an institution be what it is. notre d ame does not have a choice between c atholicism and neutrality. There is no such thing as institutional neutrality. we have a choice between c atholicism and a gnosticism, a competing religion.

s ome students choose to attend notre d ame and then pretend to be surprised by its c atholic elements, such as theology requirements and c atholic-oriented health plans. we ought not to be fooled by their feigned ignorance, however. w hen students make arguments beginning with, “i didn’t come to notre d ame because it’s c atholic,” they aren’t making arguments for neutrality. r ather, they’re insisting that the university abandon its own beliefs in exchange for their own. They would replace c atholicism with themselves. notre d ame is both a university and a woman, and she is most worthy of protection from those who would damage her integrity. we may encourage students to cultivate their own personal beliefs, but we must allow and encourage notre d ame to have, express, live by and promote her beliefs as well. For those of you who disagree, good luck covering 132 feet of Jesus c hrist for “c ollege g amed ay.”

Christopher Damian is a senior studying philosophy. He can be contacted at cdamian1@nd.edu

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

Quote of the day

“i am certain there is too much certainty in the world.”

Michael Crichton American author & screenwriter

Matthew Caponigro r aising voices

A culture in need of relations

“The trouble with many of us, and with our culture as a whole is that we don’t take time to ‘relate,’ to connect publicly and formally but meaningfully with others. we sit in meetings and conferences and dinner sessions with scores and hundreds of others . . . but we don’t take the time to meet one to one with others, to hear their interests and dreams and fears, to understand why people do what they do or don’t do what they don’t do,” community organizer michael gecan wrote.

i see that cliché “hey, how’s it going?” — “great, you?” bit happen by rote here. social interaction is structured to betray a false sense of intimacy, the “tyranny of intimacy” gecan calls it, so we don’t have to do the messy work of relating to each other more deeply. i’m not entirely surprised we developed this robotic banter. we don’t usually have time in our schedules to stop long enough to really connect. but it’s not just that we’re busy: we don’t really plug in either. classes, research and internships — all the typical reasons people come to a university like this — are often just boxes we

Letter to the edItor

check off on our way to bigger and better things. yes, school is our primary duty during our tenure here at notre dame. yes, classes are integral to our formation as educated individuals ready to be a force for good in the world, and research and internships help us put our learning into action. but they don’t merit the personal sacrifice we often make to do them all at once. Fr. John Jenkins once said: “we’re called to serve each community of which we’re a part, and this call is captured in the motto over the door of the east knave of the basilica: “god, country, notre dame.” but before we can effectively serve our community, we have to actually build that community.

i know it’s possible here at notre dame.

l ast Thursday afternoon, i joined 11 of the busiest, most passionate students on campus representing eight different social justice special interest clubs in the geddes hall coffee house for dinner, under the informal banner of the “coalition for human dignity.”

For once, we weren’t organizing events or planning fundraisers. we made time to share a meal together that afternoon because, despite our common interest in promoting human dignity, we hardly had any idea who the other was. someone brought up (and i paraphrase): “how can we promote human dignity if we

don’t first recognize the dignity of everyone around us?”

That’s what living in a college community is all about: intentionally engaging the people around us as actors in their own unfolding stories instead of extras in our own. it’s about seeing the divine in the other and ourselves through genuine communication, finding new avenues to share our experiences, concerns and hopes — whether it be through sharing a meal like we did last week or making a space to share music and art that reflect our passions or even just sitting down for an earnest conversation over coffee. This kind of relating forces us to be vulnerable more than we’re used to and reflect on ourselves in relation to the rest of the world. but i think everyone i shared that meal with last week would agree when i say it’s downright thrilling.

a s we enter into l ent this week, perhaps we can make an intention to talk about real things, things that matter, bother us and drive us to do the things we do, or not do the things we don’t.

Matthew Caponigro is a sophomore studying physics. He can be reached at cdurkin@nd.edu

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

Immigration and American values

i strongly disagree with m r. e llis’ points (“a n a rgument against a mnesty,” Feb. 5) regarding amnesty contradicting a merican principles. i mmigration embodies a merican values: respecting equality, hard work and innovation. seeing immigrants as no more than “enemies, foreign and domestic” will only make a merica more exclusive, denigrating and stagnant m r. e llis argues immigrants should serve to improve only their own nation’s repressive conditions. yet people are born into their rights, not by virtue but by accident. repressive regimes could change due to emigration’s threat of “brain drain,” an exodus of talent, as a consequence of their actions. democracies can only benefit from this. The world’s greatest minds immigrated to a merica, including a lbert e instein, an instrumental figure in the development of atomic weapons, which led to a merica’s rise to power. we are blessed e instein was allowed into a merica and wasn’t forced to remain in nazi g ermany. it’s true e instein was a legal immigrant. however, he may not have made it under today’s restrictive laws, which permit a quota of fewer than 700,000. The wealthy have access to the legal resources to help them navigate this convoluted system. For most, waiting realistically lasts 12-28 years. a fter this wait, people have lived through adulthood. it’s simply not feasible to start anew at age 49.

m r. e llis, who bemoans immigrants’ drag on taxpayers, proposes their incarceration to “send a message.” This is a costly message, as prison expenses in a merica have risen. contrarily, many immigrants pay more taxes than received benefits. many comply with governmental directives, receiving i ndividual Tax identification numbers ( i T in ), even though they’ll never receive social security.

w hile they don’t possess legal rights, i cannot stand by whens someone says illegal immigrant are “entitled to nothing.” some take advantage of this, resulting in sex trafficking, unfair labor practices and dehumanization. i mmigrants are human beings, deserving full human dignity and respect. i mmigrants walk among us. For some, they are our neighbors, friends and lovers.

a s 21st-century a mericans, we must ask ourselves whether l ady l iberty still shines her light as mankind’s hope or whether she’s been relegated as an artifact of the past, a disneyland-esque icon of dreams long since departed.

Canceling Saturday mail delivery is necessary

stamps costing 46 cents each.

saturdays may have become a whole lot grimmer with the u s postal service’s calling an end to its saturday deliveries. The u s postal service wishes to move to a five-day-mail-delivery schedule to cut nearly two billion dollars in losses. The end to the saturday service is proposed for august. packages would still be delivered six days a week, but letters, bills and junk mail that we receive on the weekend will be pushed back to the following week. The slimming down of the u s postal service has been inevitable for quite sometime. w ith the rise of the internet, email and smartphones, sending messages through the mail has become the slowest form of communication and the most expensive. That is even with

The u s postal service is funded by the government. The government, with trillions of dollars of debt, needs to make cuts somewhere. The saturday u s postal service could be one of those cuts.

The editorial board for the daily 49er agrees that it is a necessary evil to cut saturday delivery.

we all occasionally use the u s postal service to mail letters to family or friends, receive the arts and crafts we buy on etsy or pay our bills. however, eliminating saturday service will not have a great effect on our lives. we will just have to plan accordingly so we can make sure our mail arrives on time.

The fact of the matter is that by closing the saturday mail delivery, the u s postal service saves a lot of money. by cutting saturday service, this hopefully means the u s postal service will not have to cut as many jobs. yes, there will be one less day available for mailmen and

mailwomen to work, but at least more will be able to keep their routes during the week.

a s for the rest of us, we will have to resort to emailing each other on saturdays — but that’s not too much of a stretch. we email each other on a daily basis as it is. it is interesting, though, to wonder if canceling the saturday service could start a trend.

There could be a time when the u s postal service delivery is entirely canceled. a s the mail system becomes more and more irrelevant, this is not a far-off possibility. This could become a reality as we find better and more efficient means of communicating with each other.

This column originally ran in the Feb. 10 edition of The Daily Forty-Niner, serving California State University. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

let’s be honest, watching the grammys wasn’t your top priority sunday night. you checked Twitter every so often to hear about botched acceptance speeches, ll cool J disses and Justin Timberlake’s hair. but you did not really care that much who won and lost. a nd you couldn’t help it: you do not respect the award show. most people don’t. squeezed between its more powerful sunday-night brothers the super bowl and the oscars, the grammy awards just do not command the attention they should. both writers and artists have criticized the show since the 1990s on grounds of relevancy and importance.

a nd the major winners always seem to be a poor indication of popular taste. Though many viewers similarly find fault with the oscars, fans and critics usually agree that the best picture nominees, for example, are some of the year’s most impressive works. The grammys, on the other hand, always seem to get it wrong (how good can a dixie chicks album really be?).

The show’s centerpiece award is a lbum of the year, and there is a certain kind of album that wins. it’s an engineer’s album, with conservative songwriting and impressive mixing. The band is reliable and established, though still relevant. The album is always listenable, even enjoyable. but it is never exciting — and this is what really annoys us. This year, a lbum of the year was awarded to mumford and sons’ second studio effort, “babel.” objectively, the album is solid and impressive, but it’s a perfect example of what the grammys tend to both value and ignore. in recent years, the grammys have paid small but noticeable attention to some of the underdogs. last year bon iver took home best new a rtist, and this year Frank ocean received notable attention. but an off-kilter air still lingers around the show for several reasons.

unlike the oscars, the categories for grammy achievement are diverse and convoluted. most category titles seem too specific. splitting hairs between solo work and

collaboration creates more difficulty for an already difficult nomenclature. w hat makes urban contemporary “urban,” for instance? a nd why do i care? i’m just watching to see what neil patrick harris is wearing. confusion reigns from top to bottom. in fact, most viewers probably don’t know the difference between record of the year and song of the year. record of the year is an award based on achievement in recording, and thus is awarded to the performers and mixers. song of the year is based on achievement in songwriting, and thus is appropriately given to the songwriter. This distinction might seem arbitrary in an age where many performers write their own material. however, these two awards give the academy a chance to recognize two separate achievements.

Take a look at the respective winners this year. gotye took home record of the year for the ubiquitous tune “somebody That i used to Know.” in this case, the grammys were awarding gotye for what he did in the studio; in other words, they liked the way the song sounded. Fun. walked away with song of the year for “we a re young,” another radio dead horse. in this sense, the grammys were awarding the band for what they did before they stepped foot in the studio.

but for most viewers, the system is too complicated. it ends up being a numbers game, as in “Frank ocean took home two grammys, while The black Keys earned three.” The specifics are too much work.

ironically, lack of specificity is one of the show’s major issues. in the age of technological omnipotence, the music scene is more diverse than anyone in the 1950s, when the show first aired, could possibly imagine. The grammys reduce the music scene to too basic a field. The end result is mostly an homage to the moneymakers with a few pathetic attempts at helping the underdog.

than it isolates. The result is an award show that no one respects. w hen Taylor swift won a lbum of the year in 2010 for her album “Fearless,” the indie scene was livid. but when a rcade Fire won the same award just one year later, the larger a merican public was confused. There is just no getting past the naysayers. but those are all “awards” issues. The ceremony itself is another story. last night specifically featured an interesting crowd and a great lineup of performances. Justin Timberlake was mvp of the stage, outfitted in dapper threads. he sang and danced to his brilliant single “suit and Tie” and another song from his new album. Frank ocean rolled the dice performing the under-appreciated cut “Forrest gump” from “channel orange.” but the performance was inspired. a nyone not in the know about ocean and his brilliance received a healthy serving. other notable performers included The black Keys, Jack w hite and miguel and wiz Khalifa. Taylor swift started the evening with an elaborate performance most accurately described as “thematically confused.” she performed “we a re never ever getting back Together” to an array of “a lice in wonderland” scenery and drama. no one, except maybe swift herself, really knows why.

ll cool J’s hosting was more or less a hit, and beyonce, ellen degeneres and Katy perry led a lively crew of presenters. a ll in all, it was an entertaining evening. so no, the grammys aren’t writing history. The awards they bestow tend to miss the mark and viewership remains less than ideal. but it cannot be ignored that the grammys are a happening scene. The show is an avenue for discovering new music and seeing great bands perform. a nytime the rich and famous get dressed up and gather, the masses will watch. Justin Timberlake said it best on stage. “as long as i got my suit and tie…”

Contact Mac Hendrickson at mhendri1@nd.edu

it’s 2013, and tastes are so diverse and albums so frequently enjoyable that choosing an album of the year caters to fewer viewers

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

This year’s grammy awards had more than its fair share of good ensembles, ones that simply did not work and more than usual “what were they thinking?” looks. despite the strict dress code of the event, several female celebs managed to get around it and show some (too much?) skin.

Chris brown

The all white look was clean and striking, despite the overly-casual posture he seemed to be parked in during most of the evening.

Carrie underwood

she knocked it out of the park, both with her classy, form-fitting red carpet dress and her silver gown during her performance. even though the simple silver dress with unique geometric bust worked on its own, the dress stole the show as moving patterns ran across it, thanks to the special-effects lighting.

rihanna

going more conservative, r ihanna wore a long, flowing red dress, and the sheer sections in the torso of the dress added just a little bit of edge. she went for classy and chose solid colors — red for the red carpet and black for the stage . however, the white and silver striped pant/midriff top outfit from her second performance belonged in the “too casual for the grammys” category/

tim McGraw

adele

Though it’s refreshing to see someone in a color besides black, the red floral pattern was over the top in a bad way — it was unflattering, frumpy and looked like a print from your grandmother’s ugly curtains.

Jennifer Lopez

w hat might have been a simple look (an over-the-shoulder dress with a formal up-do) is completely ruined by the too-high slit, which revealed enough leg to be vulgar instead of sexy. a ngelina Jolie’s sassy leg-through-the-slit look might have worked at the oscars, but Jlo’s exposed thigh does not.

he sported a look absolutely no woman could resist — the timeless, stylishly-cut black jacket with a black button-down shirt. mcgraw added a matching cowboy hat and left a few shirt buttons undone to mix masculine with suave.

Kelly rowland

Flirting with the line between sexy and tasteful, the geometric cut-outs in rowland’s form-fitting black dress covered just enough to keep the look from going too far. on top of that, the mermaid-style skirt was a beautiful look on its own.

Katy Perry perry’s long-sleeved dress was a minty, sea-foam green — a shade that didn’t work with her skin tone or hair color. This look was made worse by the huge opening in the bust, which put all the focus on “the girls.” Just because you’ve got it, Katy perry, doesn’t mean you should flaunt all of it.

beyonce

a disappointing lack of formality after her fierce super bowl outfit, beyonce’s black pants and boxy blackand-white top wouldn’t be nice enough for sunday brunch, much less the grammys.

2 Chainz

w hat would have been a good look is turned into something that looks like it belongs in comiccon, with all its bad accessories. The rapper should have lost the cape and wrestler-esque belt, unless he was going for a batman or dracula look.

taylor swift

swift looked like something out of a Tim burton film during her white, sparkly, ring-leader circus performance. The bottom of the dress, bigbuttoned jacket and gold-striped hat could have gone either way between fabulous and failure.

frank ocean

The outfit for his performance (a yellow suit with sweatband across his head) was certainly out there, as were the visual effects of the performance. ocean’s redcarpet look was also strange. The navy, unbuttoned suit couldn’t seem to make up its mind between formal and casual.

Kimbra

Kimbra looked as if she had rhinestones glued all over her body, but the look was actually just a nude dress covered in sparkles. w hether her dress was designed by a 5-year-old at craft time is another question entirely.

florence Welch

w hile a metallic-colored dress or large, spiky studs would have been an eye-turning look on its own, welch seems to have come dressed as bowser, by sporting both.

Contact Claire Stephens at cstephe4@nd.edu

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

stay calm about baseball’s arrival

Two items blew up my Facebook newsfeed monday. one involved something that hasn’t happened in centuries. The other was because of something that occurs yearly, and always elicits the same giddy reaction from many people.

pitchers and catchers have started to report to spring training.

yes, mlb’s preseason unofficially began monday, and by next monday, each team will have its full roster — position players and all — in either Florida or a rizona to prepare for grapefruit and cactus league baseball, respectively.

For some reason, baseball’s camp opening seems to be bigger than the other sports, certainly the nba and nhl , at least. This is not extremely surprising, because mlb is more popular than both of those leagues, based on television ratings and attendance.

but it also even gets more buzz than this country’s most popular

groundhog day indicates will happen. The beginning of spring training shows that, yes, at some point, the dog days of summer will indeed arrive (though perhaps by that point, the unbearable heat will have you longing for the cold again).

probably the biggest oddity about the whole media buzz that pitchers and catchers reporting gets is that we’re still very far away from the season even starting. it is mid-February, and the vast majority of teams don’t open their regular seasons until april. yet the coverage makes it feel like they play next week.

This year, the large gap between when pitchers and catchers report and opening day will be filled nicely by the world baseball classic in march to help make the time move quicker, but this is atypical. a nd the reaction from fans when spring training rolls around is almost always the same, whether the world baseball classic is played that year or not.

i’m a baseball fan. not as big as some on this campus, but i enjoy the sport. i will watch many contests on television from april

In no way am I saying to not be excited that spring training is about to begin, but we’re still more than a month-and-a-half away from regular-season action.

league: the nFl perhaps this is because nFl coverage is basically year-round, with the combine, draft and mini-camps filling the offseason void. Therefore, the start of training camp for football fans isn’t as big of a deal. still, it would make sense the nFl training camp would have more coverage than mlb based on its popularity. but baseball’s gets much more media attention and hype.

in particular, it seems difficult to focus on preparing for a sport to begin like baseball — famous for being played during warm summer nights on lush green fields — when the weather outside is freezing. literally.

a nd yet, maybe that’s why pitchers and catchers reporting gets people as excited as it does. w hen you walk outside in February and see the ground covered in snow or feel the cold winter wind whipping across your face, spring can seem like it will never come, no matter what

Leyland reflects on career as he prepares for season

Associated Press

d etroit manager Jim l eyland arrived at the Tigers’ training camp monday in l akeland, Fla., exactly 50 years after he first showed up there as a pencil-thin 18-year-old prospect.

i f you were expecting sepia-tinged memories about a kid from o hio basking in the sunshine and seeing his dream laid out in front of him, well, you don’t know l eyland. o r at least not well enough.

“i remember going over to watch the big-league guys as soon as i got there and saw the caliber of play. a nd shortly after that, i had a good idea i wasn’t going to make it — not as a ballplayer, anyway,” he recalled during a telephone interview.

he was right. l eyland’s first paycheck was for $125, “and that was for two weeks,” he chuckled. he went on to become, in his own words, “a d ouble-a backup, flunky catcher” who never hit better than .243.

towns at different levels of the minors, occasionally stuck with teams so bad that a half-dozen errors and 10 walks per game were routine. he endured eating in truck stops and being stranded on two-lane highways alongside buses with flat tires at 4 o’clock in the morning. w hen

through october, just like most sports fans, and attend some games in person this summer. but my excitement is still tempered. There’s a long way to go until the umpire can yell “play ball” in a game that actually counts.

in no way, baseball fans, am i saying to not be excited that spring training is about to begin, but we’re still more a monthand-a-half away from regularseason action. be pumped your team is finally gathering to prepare to attempt a run at the pennant, but keep things in perspective, and realize the baseball season’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Forty-one days isn’t a few centuries, but it’s still a long time.

Contact Sam Gans at sgans@nd.edu

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

“i hung around for seven years in the minors and they (the Tigers organization) decided the rest for me. First, they made me a player-coach and then one of the fellas who was supposed to manage the rookie league team wandered off somewhere, so they said, ‘ w hy don’t you give it a try?’ That was 1971,” he added. “ s o things worked out pretty good.’

l eyland is so understated it’s easy to get the impression that his career and all that success — almost 1,700 wins, three manager of the year awards, a world s eries title and runner-up finish in 2012 — were little more than a string of happy accidents. i n truth, for most of his career, l eyland was rarely in the right place at the right time long enough for lightning to strike.

he spent his first 11 seasons managing in five different

l eyland finally made it to the major leagues in 1982, with an assist from close pal and then-w hite s ox manager Tony l a r ussa, it was as a third-base coach.

“it didn’t take long to see just how good he was, but i knew a little about that when we got him,” l a r ussa said.

“i managed against Jim the first time in Triple-a in 1979, and we did it a lot more than i wanted to after that. he’s got a real passion for competing.”

Turns out l eyland has a passion for more than just competing, though the rest of us rarely see it. l a r ussa laughed out loud when told how the only story l eyland recounted about his first visit to l akeland was realizing he wasn’t a good enough ballplayer to carve out a living for long.

“That’s perfect,” said l a r ussa, who retired after the 2011 season. “Jim’s a funny guy, engaging and interesting

Personal

UNPLANNED PREGNANCY?

Don’t go it alone. Notre Dame has many resources in place to assist you. If you or someone you love needs confidential support or assistance, please call Ann Whitall at 1-0084 or Karen Kennedy at 1-5550. For more information, visit ND’s website at: http://pregnancysupport@nd.edu

Eight Yogi Berra Quotes:

“I don’t know (if they were men or women fans running naked across the field). They had bags over their heads.”

“I never said most of the things I said.”

“It gets late early out there.”

“Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical.”

and fun to be around — when it’s just coaches and players. he likes to sing, too, but almost nobody knows it, because he takes being the leader of the team seriously, at least when he thinks it’s time to compete. ... s o not being nostalgic, not wanting to sound distracted, that’s Jim, too. it just means he’s already in compete mode.”

Those who don’t know l eyland as well should wish he cut himself more slack. he often comes off as a baseball lifer buffeted by a series of headwinds who loves the game a lot more than it loved him back.

l eyland got his first bigleague managing job in p ittsburgh and lost the nl c hampionship s eries three years in a row. Tougher still was hanging on after the cost-conscious p irates’ organization effectively gave up, letting guys like b obby b onilla and b arry b onds slip away, before they started cutting to the bone. l eyland eventually migrated to m iami, where he hoisted the world s eries trophy and gave a brief emotional speech.

“This is for all the minor league managers, the guys in the instructional leagues. s o don’t give up.” AP

“I think Little Leauge is wonderful. It keeps the kids out of the house.”

“The game ain’t over until it’s over.”

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

“You should always go to other people’s funerals; otherwise, they won’t come to yours.”

Vick takes pay cut to stay with Eagles

contract said v ick could earn up to $10 million in 2013 if he meets all his performance incentives, and the team will void the remaining two years on m arch 15. That person spoke on condition of anonymity because the terms haven’t been released.

v ick was slated to earn about $16 million next season, including a $3 million roster bonus. he lost his starting job to rookie n ick Foles last season, but new coach c hip Kelly will give him a chance to win it back.

“i am grateful and proud to be a p hiladelphia e agle,” v ick wrote on Twitter. “m y heart is in p hilly and this community is important to me.”

“ w hat he can do, how he can throw the football, how he can beat people with his feet. There are a lot of different factors he has. a nd you have to look at the landscape for other quarterbacks. i guess the best way i can put this is i agree there is a change of scenery going on here. For m ichael v ick, there is a change of scenery, but not a change of address.”

“ we’re an equal-opportunity scoring operation. w hether we run the ball over the goal line or throw the ball over the goal line really doesn’t bother me, it’s how do we move the football.

Associated Press

philadelphia — m ichael

v ick took a significant pay cut to stay with the philadelphia e agles and compete for a starting job.

The four-time p ro b owl quarterback agreed monday to a restructured three-year contract with the e agles, just two seasons after signing a $100 million extension that included $35.5 million in guaranteed money. The new deal is essentially for one-year, however.

nCaa footbaLL

a source familiar with the

v ick had a breakout year in 2010, leading the e agles to the n F c e ast title, winning The a ssociated p ress c omeback p layer of the year award and starting in the p ro b owl. b ut he’s battled injuries and inconsistency the last two years.

“ w hat i look at is skillset first and foremost,” Kelly said.

s ince the e agles hired Kelly to replace a ndy r eid, there’s been plenty of speculation about which quarterback will run his aggressive, up-tempo offense. Though Kelly has been effusive in his praise for Foles, the slow-footed, pocket-passer isn’t an ideal fit for a zone-read offense. Kelly, though, said he will cater his offense around his players’ strengths. a fter all, he’s known for being an offensive innovator who had tremendous success at o regon.

“i don’t think what we do offensively can be said in one or two words that we’re either this or we’re this,” Kelly said.

“There have been games we’ve had to throw it in our league 50 times and there are games we have to run it 50 times. you need to be built for the long haul. There is a skill set that n ick has that really excites me about him. i think we’ve got an older quarterback in m ichael who is 32 now, and have a younger guy in n ick who is going into his second year, and i think it’s the ideal situation for us moving forward this season.”

Kelly didn’t rule out a trade, however.

“i don’t rule anything out, i don’t rule anything in,” he said. “b ut i know moving forward we, as an organization, had to make a decision on what to do with m ichael, and i want m ichael to be part of this team.”

Big Ten disapproves of of recruiting changes

Associated Press

big Ten athletic directors and football coaches say they

have reservations about loosened ncaa recruiting rules that would allow unlimited contact between recruiters

and high school players.

The ncaa b oard of d irectors in January approved rulebook revisions that, among other things, remove limits on the number of phone calls and text messages to prospective recruits. The eased restrictions are set to begin July 1.

d uring their regularly scheduled meeting in p ark r idge, i ll., on monday, athletic directors and coaches issued a statement expressing “serious concerns whether these proposals, as currently written, are in the best interest of high school student-athletes, their families and their coaches.” The ad s and coaches also said they “are also concerned about the adverse effect they would have on college coaches, administrators and university resources.”

o hio state coach urban meyer, who put together one of the nation’s top-ranked recruiting classes this year, called the looming changes “bad stuff.”

nebraska coach b o pelini said he’s spoken with high school coaches who are worried that their players will be overwhelmed with phone calls, texts and mailings.

“i think it’s going down the wrong road,” pelini said.

ncaa president m ark e mmert in a ugust 2011 urged the governing body of college sports to pare down its massive rulebook to eliminate rules on relatively minor

issues such as phone calls. a group of college presidents sent 26 proposed rule changes to the board, which approved 25 of them during the ncaa convention. Five of the rules affect recruiting.

The big Ten athletic directors and coaches said they were concerned that the July 1 start date wouldn’t allow the Football r ecruiting s ubcommittee of the ncaa l eadership c ouncil to “thoughtfully consider the impact of the proposals.”

The statement said the ad s and coaches are specifically concerned with three of the changes.

The first would allow schools to hire additional staff, beyond the allowable 10 full-time coaches, that would focus solely on recruiting.

The second would deregulate phone calls and text messages, allowing coaches to contact a prospect an unlimited number of time beginning July 1 after the prospect’s sophomore year of high school.

The third would allow schools to send an unlimited number of mailings to prospects.

The big Ten athletic directors and coaches did not raise concerns with the removal of restrictions on how many coaches can recruit off campus at one time or the elimination of required materials a school must send to recruits, such as lists of banned drugs

and the school’s a cademic p rogress r ate data.

meyer said the people who came up with the idea to deregulate recruiting probably had never gone through the recruiting process as an athlete or coach.

“i’m not a big fan of deregulation,” meyer said. “i’m a big fan of firm, harsh penalties for people who break rules, not saying, ‘Just go — we can’t follow all this stuff, so have at it.’ i don’t agree with that at all.” pelini said the ncaa rules makers need to meet with football coaches and administrators to develop a good understanding of the challenges in recruiting. pelini said the easing of the rules will cause recruited athletes to spend less time concentrating on their schoolwork and developing as an athlete and person.

“The more time a kid is spending on the phone texting and on the telephone and doing all the other things that are taking away from that is doing the kids ... a disservice.” pelini said he would grudgingly change the way nebraska recruits if the rule changes are implemented July 1.

“ you’re going to have to change some things in your staff and how you go about things to give yourself the best opportunity to keep up with the Joneses,” pelini said. “b elieve me, we’ll do what’s necessary to put together the best classes we possibly can.”

Colorado State breaks into top 25

Associated Press

The buzz in the c olorado s tate locker room was all about the basketball polls m onday — and that was even before the r ams learned they had cracked the rankings for the first time since 1954.

“ we were all kind of wondering if m iami was going to jump up to n o. 1 after all those upsets,” r ams senior forward g reg s mith said. “That was more of the discussion in the locker room. it wasn’t really about us.”

a fter the two-hour practice ended at 9 a.m., an exhausted s mith grabbed some breakfast and hit the books.

“Then my Twitter started blowing up. e verybody was saying, ‘ we’re ranked! we’re ranked!’” s mith said. “ p eople sent me links. That’s how i found out. Then, my teammates starting calling me.”

The r ams are 24th in both The a ssociated p ress men’s basketball poll and the usa Today poll, their first foray into the rankings since m arch of 1954 — 20 months before c olorado s tate coach l arry e ustachy was born.

“ it’s neat for our players and for our program. That’s exciting news for our guys, but we still have to play very difficult games” this week against s an d iego s tate and a ir Force, said e ustachy, ever the pragmatist, downplaying the polls.

“ i think right now all of us

are really excited,” s mith said, noting that transfers d aniel b ejarano ( university of a rizona) and c olton i verson ( university of m innesota)

“are the only two guys who have played on a ranked team. They know how to handle it.

“ b ut i think all of us that have been around here for a while are really just happy that we’re finally being rec -

“Honestly, we’ve got a lot of seniors ... We should stay pretty grounded because of our age. It’s only a label. Just a couple of days ago we were the 28-th best team.”

Greg Smith Rams forward

ognized as being one of the best teams in the nation. we’ve just got to go out and keep playing like it, starting wednesday.”

b y the way, m iami, the object of the r ams’ early morning curiosity, rose to n o. 3 in the rankings, behind only n o. 1 i ndiana and n o. 2 d uke after a succession of impressive wins and losses by highly ranked teams.

The r ams (19-4, 6-2 m ountain west) face preseason favorite s an d iego s tate (18-5, 6-3) wednesday night at m oby a rena, where they’ve won 26 straight games.

o nly s yracuse (37) and s outh d akota s tate (27) boast longer home winning streaks.

“ i was just talking with my

brother. i was like, three years ago, would you ever be thinking that if s an d iego s tate were to beat us that it would be an upset?” s mith said. “ it’s nice to have that target on our back. b ut now we’ve got to go out there and keep doing what we’re doing.”

s mith said the senior-laden r ams should have no trouble keeping all this national recognition from going to their heads, too.

“ h onestly, we’ve got a lot of seniors,” he said. “ we should stay pretty grounded because of our age. it’s only a label. Just a couple of days ago we were the 28th-best team.

m iraculously, three days later, we’re the 24th-best team. we’ve just got to stick to what we’re doing, go out and focus and keep getting wins.”

e ustachy, who took over from Tim m iles in a pril and who’s in line to take his fourth school to the ncaa tournament after guiding s outhern m iss, iowa s tate and utah s tate there, said his focus is on the m ountain west race,

where the r ams trail n o. 19 n ew m exico by a half game for first place.

“ n ew m exico is clearly the team to catch, but there are other teams right behind them that have a chance, and i think that we are one of them,” e ustachy said. “ it’s going to come down to who plays the best basketball in the second round of conference play.”

The r ams were ranked four weeks overall in 1953-54, rising as high as n o. 18.

m aking for a fitting story line, the r ams will celebrate the program’s heritage by wearing pumpkin orange and alfalfa green uniforms with the c olorado a & m mascot “a ggies” written across their chests for wednesday’s game against s an d iego s tate, which is in third place in the tightening mwc race.

“ i ’m not a real ‘poll watcher’ .. b ut i am extremely aware of where (teams) are in conference,” e ustachy said. “o ur goal is to win a championship. it always has been.”

paid a dverT isemen T paid a dverT isemen T

Pitchers and catchers report for spring training

Associated Press

new m arlins manager m ike redmond arrived at his office at 5 a.m. monday ready to go long before the Florida sun was shining, his thoughts already on a date 254 days from now: g ame 1 of the world s eries.

a h, spring training. w hen all 30 teams are still contenders.

“e verybody’s excited,” redmond said in Jupiter. “obviously, we’ve got a tremendous opportunity for guys in this camp and i think everybody realizes that. it’s a fresh start.”

From a chilly and damp phoenix, a riz., to balmy Kissimmee, Fla., pitchers and catchers for 10 teams reported

nhL

to training camp monday, taking physicals, meeting new teammates and, in some cases, managers and coaches.

The pop of fastballs in mitts, they could be heard, too.

m any eager players have been working out “informally” for weeks on minor league fields — position players don’t report for several more days, and all teams will be in full swing by the weekend.

i n Tampa, Fla., yankees captain d erek Jeter ran on a treadmill for the first time since breaking his ankle on o ct. 13, a big step toward reaching his goal of being in new york’s opening day lineup on a pril 1 against b oston in the bronx.

i n his third week of baseball

activities, Jeter was on the infield grass fielding groundballs and in a batting cage taking swings — all while dozens of autograph-seeking fans lined up outside the yankees’ minor league complex down the road from the big league facility.

“i feel fine,” Jeter said. “i was able to do everything else. i just had to be careful with my ankle, but now i’ve gotten the green light with that. i’ve gotten all the green lights i need.”

i n Fort myers, Fla., red s ox principal owner John henry put to rest reports that he was considering selling the franchise.

“ you just don’t get an opportunity to own something like the b oston red s ox. a s long

as we can do it, the three of us are committed to being here,” henry told reporters, while acknowledging team president l arry l ucchino and chairman Tom werner. “These thoughts that we’re somehow selling, those are just not true.”

w ith a new manager, John Farrell, replacing b obby valentine after one disastrous 69-93 season, henry likes b oston’s chances.

“i would say, especially in comparison to last year, i should be optimistic,” henry said.

i n Kissimmee, Fla., the houston a stros began their first day in the bruising al west. o ne of the most inexperienced teams in baseball will wear fiery orange practice hats and jerseys that evoke the orange rainbow stripes of a better time for an organization that lost over 100 games each of the past two seasons.

“ we’ve talked about change throughout the organization, from the time (owner) Jim c rane has taken over the ball club and all the hires he has made,” first-year manager b o porter said. “This year (the uniform change) kind of sets the tone because they visually see things have changed. a nd when you realize that things have changed, you first realize that they’re never going to be the same.

a lso hoping for a clean start, b artolo c olon is back with the o akland a thletics after serving a 50-game suspension for

a positive testosterone test. he had little to say crossing a damp practice field in phoenix after a 90-minute exam but he’s excited to be with a team that won the al west in thrilling fashion last year, rallying over the final 10 games to grab the title from the Texas r angers.

m anager b ob melvin isn’t worried about c olon getting right back in the flow with his teammates.

“he fit in very well here before and i see that being the same case,” melvin said. “he knows most of these guys and they all liked him very much and got along with them all and actually was a nice little resource for our younger starters. s o, i don’t see any problems there.”

a s his teammates reported to c ardinals camp in Jupiter, Fla., c hris c arpenter told media in st. l ouis he he’s not ruling out pitching again — even this season.

l ast week, the c ardinals said the 37-year-old former ace almost certainly won’t pitch in 2013 and that his career is probably over after a recurrence of a nerve injury that cost him most of last season.

“m aybe i don’t ever want it to end,” said c arpenter, the 2005 nl c y young award winner. “i don’t think i’ll ever retire, to be honest with you. i’ll never say that word. There might always be hope. m aybe like when i’m 48 i can come back and pitch some more.”

Blue Jackets pull off upset against Sharks

columbus , ohio — brandon d ubinsky had a goal and an assist and the c olumbus blue Jackets had their biggest offensive assault of the season against the nhl’s stingiest defense in a 6-2 victory over the s an Jose sharks on monday night.

James w isniewski and nikita nikitin added goals, c ody g oloubef picked up his first nhl goal and v inny p rospal and mark l etestu tied a franchise record by scoring 8 seconds apart in the third period.

nick Foligno and matt c alvert each had two assists.

c olumbus scored 43 seconds into the game, added two goals 1:11 apart in the second period and then scored three goals in the opening 5:45 of the final period.

patrick marleau and Joe pavelski scored for the sharks, who have lost five in a row after a 7-0 start.

The sharks did not play like a team that flew into c olumbus on s aturday and had only played one game in the last six days. The blue Jackets had played four games in that same span and were in action at home for the second night in a row.

s an Jose came in allowing an nhl -low 1.82 goals per game.

c olumbus was next-to-last in the 30-team league scoring just 1.92 goals a game.

The blue Jackets completed a franchise record-tying sixgame homestand with a record of 2-3-1.

i n one of the wildest periods of the season — the teams scored three goals in 84 seconds — the blue Jackets expanded a one-goal lead in the second.

They stacked up three power plays, including 36 seconds of 5 on 3. a fter that expired, they made it 2-0 with the man advantage when r .J. umberger fought off brad stuart in the

right corner to muck out the puck. d erick brassard ended up with it, skating along the goal line toward the cage, drawing goalie Thomas greiss. but brassard slid a quick pass to w isniewski for a one-timer at the left hash to make it 2-0.

Just over a minute later, it was 3-0. g oloubef, playing in his fifth career nhl game, sat in the right point while d erek macKenzie carried the puck along the back boards and slid the puck from the left corner across the ice to him. he steadied the puck and then rocketed a slap shot, with Foligno and d erek d orsett providing traffic in front of the net.

The 23-year-old defenseman had four goals in 21 games at ahl springfield this season.

b efore that goal could be announced, s an Jose’s marleau pulled up at the top of the left circle and hit a hard shot that w isniewski couldn’t block and mason couldn’t stop. it was marleau’s 10th goal of the

season — but first point in six games — and came just 13 seconds after g oloubef’s goal.

s econds later, the puck leaked through a scrum in front of the net and mason had to dive to cover it as it slid across the goal line. not long after that, Foligno carried the puck from end to end past several sharks for a one-on-one chance that greiss was able to stop.

a fter the break, the blue Jackets were at it again. Just 21 seconds into the third c alvert slid a pass from behind the goal cage to the onrushing nikitin, who put his blade on the ice and almost pushed the puck through greiss for his first of the year.

d ubinsky, who hadn’t scored a goal since a pril 5, 2012, at p ittsburgh while he was a new york r anger, had a big first 20 minutes. d ubinsky came to c olumbus in the blockbuster deal that sent r ick nash to the r angers last summer.

d ubinsky dug the puck off the back boards for a centering pass to Fedor Tyutin that was deflected wide of the cage. c alvert collected it and tried to get a shot on goal that was tipped back to d ubinsky, who jammed it past greiss. no T es : c olumbus rw Jared b oll fought rw matt pelech, called up earlier in the day, early in the first period. it was b oll’s 120th career nhl fight giving him an unofficial blue Jackets franchise “record,” breaking the mark of 119 set by Jody shelley. ... s an Jose had just one goal in its last 27 power plays before pavelski’s late goal. ... it was the most goals scored by the blue Jackets since the final game of the otherwise forgettable 201112 season. They beat the new york i slanders 7-3 on a pril 7, 2012. ... The two goals in 8 seconds by p rospal and l etestu tied a franchise mark set o ct. 17, 2008 (Jake voracek, nikita Filatov).

Gumpf continues to lead Irish in 12th season

By KATIE HEIT sports writer

e ntering her 12th season with the i rish, d eanna g umpf continues to assert her dominance as one of

tennis

let some things go.”

The match against Kentucky represents notre d ame’s fifth match against a top-40 opponent this spring. The i rish are currently 1-3 in these matches, but have four more matches against top-25 opponents, including Kentucky, in the next month to improve their record against top competition.

“ you’d think that playing strong teams makes you stronger because you are forced to meet the competitive level that you’ll see and generally that’s the truth,” b ayliss said. “b ut i think there’s a limit — everyone has a limit — and you don’t want to take too many losses because your confidence begins to suffer. we need to beat somebody at this level soon and hopefully it can come relatively quickly.”

The i rish will face off against the w ildcats today at 1 p.m. in l exington, Ky.

Contact Peter Steiner at psteiner@nd.edu

the top coaches in college softball.

s enior catcher a my b untin said playing under g umpf’s tutelage is a unique opportunity she and her teammates are privileged to experience.

rebounds, her 13th doubledouble of the season.

achonwa showed no mercy in the paint — with five minutes to go in the first half, she collided with l ouisville sophomore guard bria smith, who was l ouisville’s top scorer with 18 points. The impact sent both players crashing to the floor, and achonwa attended the postgame press conference with at least three separate bags of ice.

“we don’t call fouls in practice,” achonwa said when asked about her willingness to play such a physical style.

“it’s similar to the game today. even in the foul shots — i think we quadrupled them in how many we took. i think it’s just from being aggressive.”

diggins scored 21 points on the evening and added seven assists in the 93-point outburst.

“i think it’s easy for her because she has such great vision,” mc graw said. “she can see people who are open. at the beginning of the game she wants to get us going and was able to do that, and then in the second half she’s looking for other people.”

The win was the 118th since diggins and fellow senior guard Kaila Turner joined the team, making them the

person. i t is easy to see how much c oach g umpf cares about her players.”

g umpf has led the i rish (2-2) to 11 straight trips to the ncaa Tournament and has claimed four b ig e ast Tournament titles. a native of l a p alma, c alif., g umpf played college softball at n ebraska and graduated with a degree in business management. a fter graduation, she pursued a career in business before returning to the sport. For two years, g umpf coached at l ong b each s tate before a position opened at n otre d ame.

s ince she joined the i rish, the n otre d ame coaching staff has received various honors, including the n F ca m ideast r egion c oaching s taff of the year award twice and the b ig e ast c oaching s taff of the year award in 2002, 2004 and 2011.

“ p laying under c oach g umpf is a great opportunity not many players are lucky enough to experience,” b untin said. “ s he has greatly helped not only my development as a player but also as a

winningest senior class in program history.

“i didn’t think we’d lose any,” mc graw joked when asked if she expected these results when she recruited diggins. “i’ve been a little disappointed — she’s got to make it up to me this year.”

once she was done joking, mc graw said this year’s junior class was largely responsible for many of those wins.

“i think skylar came into the season as the veteran player with [junior guard] Kayla mcbride, but [this is achonwa’s] first year in the starting lineup, [junior forward] a riel braker came out of nowhere to take the starting job,” mc graw said. “i think the whole class has really been phenomenal this year. … They have no weakness right now, and it’s great for skylar, it takes a lot of pressure off her.”

w hile diggins might be feeling the weight of expectations for a national title, she certainly isn’t too concerned by statistics and records.

“i didn’t know,” she replied when asked about breaking the record for most wins as a class. “it’s good, let’s keep it going.”

The i rish next face marquette in m ilwaukee, on sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Contact Vicky Jacobsen at vjacobse@nd.edu

b untin said she also learned to be a fighter from g umpf. i n 2010, g umpf’s 4-year-old daughter Tatum was diagnosed with leukemia. b untin said g umpf “never stopped fighting through the whole process.”

“ s he never gave up faith,” b untin said. “ s he stayed positive, which showed me how positivity can have a big impact on life in general.”

d ue to Tatum’s illness, the i rish “ s trike o ut c ancer” game has been dedicated toward finding a cure for lymphoblastic leukemia.

b untin said g umpf makes sure she shapes her players’ mental drive as well as their physical ability.

“ s ure we do drills and drills and more drills, but we also take time to assess our mental game which plays an important role in our sport,” b untin said.

diggins

con T inued F rom page 16

her head assuredly. Twenty seconds later, diggins converted a steal into a fast break layup and forced the first timeout of the game. The confident look from irish coach muffet mcgraw as the starters headed to the bench said it all. diggins had brought her “a” game. her tournamentcaliber game. as the senior leader goes, so too go the irish. The team’s focus from the first whistle signaled a long night for louisville.

it wasn’t a one-woman show, however. with 5:18 to play in the first half, irish junior guard Kayla mcbride fouled smith, sending her crashing to the floor. a lthough smith left the game briefly, nothing about the play was dirty. mcbride went for the ball, and mcgraw even thought she had made a clean block. nonetheless, it sent a message. in a nationally televised game against a ranked opponent, notre dame was not going to concede anything easy. even the freshmen got in on the action. one minute after mcbride’s hard foul, guard Jewell loyd found herself with the ball in transition, ahead of all but one cardinal defender. rather than force a shot, she fired an accurate cross-court pass to her classmate michaela mabrey, who drained a 20-foot

b untin said because of g umpf’s influence on the mental, physical and spiritual aspects of each of her players, b untin believes this will be the best season in her four years on the i rish squad. “ we have everything we need to take this program where it’s never gone before,” g umpf said. “ i ’ve seen it every day in practice. n ow it’s just a matter of executing it on the field.”

The i rish next take the field Friday against washington at noon in s an d iego.

Contact Katie Heit at kheit@nd.edu

jumper. mabrey’s shot forced another louisville timeout and drew an approving high-five from the captain diggins. The intensity was infectious.

These are good signs for a streaking irish team as it winds down the regular season. They demonstrated the ability to put away a quality team at home. notre dame was coming off a two-game road trip during which it had trouble executing. in victories over villanova and seton hall, the irish let their opponents hang around. They made sure this wasn’t the case in front of the friendly purcell pavilion crowd monday night. luckily for notre dame, the combined record of the final three teams it must face on the road is 36-34, and 12-18 in big east play. it will play tough games against no. 23 syracuse and no. 3 connecticut at home. Though the irish still have nearly a month left in the regular season, they have clearly demonstrated one thing: They possess the ability to flip the switch. behind the leadership of the veteran diggins, notre dame can raise its intensity like it did monday and make another deep tournament run.

Contact Cory Bernard at cbernard@nd.edu

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

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Taylor lautner, 21; damian lewis, 42; Jennifer aniston, 44; sheryl crow, 51 Happy Birthday: passionately embrace whatever you need to do and you will find solutions. believe in your capabilities rather than trusting in what someone else professes to be able to do. don’t limit your possibilities when incorporating the wisdom you have gained from the restrictions you’ve encountered. your numbers are 2, 8, 11, 28, 34, 36, 45. ARIES (March 21-April 19): cutting corners will not turn out well. pay attention to detail and go the extra mile. it’s better to be considered an overachiever, especially if you want to make an impression on someone who influences your income. love is on the rise.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): if you want something, ask for it. Favors will be granted and can make your life easier. new acquaintances will lead to interesting groups and pastimes that will allow you to pick up new skills or explore diverse ways of using your talents.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Taking on the impossible will make you look back. you may want to follow a creative path, but making sure it is also practical will be what counts. Too much of anything will slow you down. Keep whatever you do simple.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): make an impression. speak up, call the shots and take over. a partnership will form with someone with as much to offer as you. a change in the way you do things must not be made on a whim. concentrate on using your attributes.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): added responsibilities can be expected if you are in either a business or personal partnership. Keep tabs on expenditures and contracts that are coming up for renewal. you can lower your overhead if you are diligent in your dealings

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): conflicts are best dealt with quickly. size up your situation and make your move before someone takes advantage of you. Talks must be kept cordial or nothing will be resolved. back away from anyone showing a temper instead of reason.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): interact with people from different backgrounds or network with individuals you find motivating or inspiring. love is on the rise and opportunities will come into play if you partner with someone aspiring to reach similar goals. a partnership will change your life.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): make plans to improve your home and personal relationships. you don’t have to spend to win someone’s attention. Focus on spending less and stabilizing your financial future. communication will help you find peace through shared solutions.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): back away from anyone asking for the impossible. Trust issues are apparent, and listening carefully to what’s being said will help you bypass getting involved in a fiasco. make changes at home that will add to your comfort and happiness.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): revisit past problems and experiences and you will know how to deal with someone who is being impulsive or erratic. Too much of anything will lead to trouble. gauge your time and your intake when it comes to socializing or accommodating others.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): set strict rules and focus on what you want to accomplish. don’t let personal problems dictate what you can and cannot do. it’s important that your motives are right and that you are honest about what you want to pursue. opportunity knocks.

PISCES (Feb. 19- March 20): set goals that will improve your financial position. There is money to be made if you follow your intuition and your creative vision. help will be offered if you lay out your strategy for someone with a good eye, wisdom and experience to view.

Birthday Baby: you like to please. you desire recognition. you embrace unfamiliar territory.

nd WoMen’s basKetbaLL | nd 93, louisville 64

i rish deny cardinals’ upset attempt

Achonwa leads squad with 22 points, 12 rebounds

By VICKY JACOBSEN

s ports w riter

For much of the first half of notre dame’s 93-64 win over louisville on monday night, the cardinals were the pesky opponents who wouldn’t go away.

They trailed 18-7 after six minutes, were behind by 15 with four minutes left in the first period and entered halftime with a 10-point deficit. but each time the no. 10 cardinals (20-5, 8-3 big east) cut the lead to single digits.

The irish might not have been thinking about the louisville men, who showed what can happen when a team fails to put an opponent away in regulation in purcell pavilion on saturday night, but two minutes into the second half the no. 2 irish (231, 11-0) suddenly looked like a team that didn’t want to risk overtime.

“[senior guard] skylar [diggins] and i were talking yesterday; imagine a game where everybody played well on the same night, how good we could be,” irish coach muffet mcgraw said. “i think that’s just what we saw in the second half.”

Junior forward natalie achonwa scored seven points

during the 13-2 notre dame run that stretched the lead to 20 and permanently extinguished the

cardinals’ hopes of extending their winning streak to seven games. achonwa finished the

night with 22 points and 12

The big east tournament does not begin until march 8, and the ncaa tournament does not begin until march 23. but make no mistake, the irish played a tournament game monday night.

They did a number of things better than louisville in their 29-point victory. no. 2 notre dame shot better from the floor than the no. 10 cardinals by a wide margin and collected almost twice as many rebounds. but the irish also bested louisville in an intangible yet immensely important category: intensity.

The intensity began barely two minutes into the game. a fter a perfectly executed slip screen by irish junior forward a riel braker, louisville guard bria smith had no choice but to follow the forward to the block. That left cardinals forward sara hammond guarding senior guard skylar diggins 30 feet from the basket. a fter a ruthless crossover, diggins drained a jumper and immediately looked toward the irish bench, shaking

Irish hit the road to face No. 7 Kentucky

By PETER STEINER sports writer

e xactly one year ago, n otre d ame played in possibly its most exciting match of the 2012 spring season, losing a 4-3 thriller to then- n o. 6 Kentucky at the e ck p avilion.

This year, the n o. 29 i rish (5-3) will attempt to finish on the winning side ,against another top-10 w ildcats squad, but will have to do so in l exington, Ky.

“ we played one of our best matches last year against Kentucky in a 4-3 loss,” i rish coach b obby b ayliss said. “ h opefully we’ll be able to find that same level.”

To take down n o. 7 Kentucky (6-1), n otre d ame will need to compete with the strong top half of Kentucky’s singles lineup, which includes two top-100 singles

players.

“[Kentucky] has a pretty aggressive team,” b ayliss said. “They’re very good at the top half of their lineup. They’ve got some new players in the bottom half with whom i ’m not as familiar, but those top three guys bring a lot of firepower and they’ll play very aggressively.”

w hile the i rish must match the w ildcats at the top half of the singles lineup, the last three singles slots will also be critical to n otre d ame’s success. i rish junior b illy p ecor and sophomore w yatt m c c oy occupy the n o. 4 and 5 spots, respectively, and have been inconsistent so far this spring season, b ayliss said.

“ we’ve been up and down this year at n o. 4 and 5,” b ayliss said. “ e ach of those guys, b illy and w yatt, has played extremely well at

times and has had a bad match or two. i really don’t know how they’ll match up with who they are going to play.”

This week stands as one of the toughest stretches in n otre d ame’s spring schedule, as the i rish will play three matches in eight days. h owever, b ayliss said the grind is something that goes hand in hand with college tennis.

“ i t kind of goes with the territory [of playing college tennis],” b ayliss said. “ s ome of them have been through it and they understand it. b ut one of the things that we have to remember is we can’t schedule longer practices and we have to get right to the point and work on the things we need to achieve and maybe

Leaders praise Pope’s impact on Church

By ALLAN JOSEPH editor-in-chief

for the first time in nearly 600 years, the pope will step down from the head of the catholic church.

pope benedict XVI, leader in the Vatican since april 2005, announced he would step down at the end of february in a statement to the college of cardinals on monday. he delivered the announcement in latin to a small gathering of cardinals at the Vatican on monday morning.

“a fter having repeatedly examined my conscience before god, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the petrine ministry,” pope benedict said. “In order to govern the barque of saint peter and proclaim the gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. for this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of bishop of rome, successor of saint peter.”

pope benedict’s resignation will take effect at 8 p.m. central european Time on feb. 28, at which point the college of cardinals will assemble in conclave to begin selecting the next pontiff.

university president fr. John Jenkins released a statement monday expressing deep gratitude for the pope’s leadership.

“a s surprising as today’s announcement is, it is apparent that pope benedict has made a decision that is motivated by his deep love for the church,” father Jenkins said. “he has been a dedicated pastor to catholics worldwide for the past eight years — and even before as a cardinal, bishop and priest. a s a former university professor, he is a serious intellectual with an understanding of education and appreciation for the life of the mind, and that has been important to all of us in catholic higher education. a s the college of cardinals considers a successor to pope benedict, I pray god will guide their deliberations.”

Jenkins met the pope on feb. 1, 2006, following a general audience in the Vatican’s paul VI auditorium, the release stated. at the time, pope benedict called notre dame “a great catholic university.”

nearly 50 notre dame Trustees, officers and their spouses were present at the papal audience, according to the release.

Jenkins also attended an address by the pope in april 2008, when benedict addressed more than 300 catholic education leaders at the catholic university of a merica in washington d c. The release recalled Jenkins’ statements from that visit.

“It was a warm and gracious address that emphasized the value of catholic education,” Jenkins said at the time. “It was a very positive experience. There was an expression of gratitude and appreciation for everyone in the room involved in catholic education. he spoke of education as being central to the life of the church, and, of course, that is what notre dame is all about. It was a great affirmation of our central mission.”

In the 1960s, university president emeritus fr. Theodore hesburgh offered a faculty position to then fr. Joseph ratzinger, who was a german theologian before his election to the papacy, the release stated.

“I was searching around the world for an up-and-coming theologian,” hesburgh said in an interview with the south bend Tribune soon after cardinal ratzinger was elected pope. he wrote a letter of invitation to the young cleric, inviting him to join the faculty for a year or permanently, the release stated.

“he wrote back, ‘I’d love to come, but I don’t think my english is good enough yet,’” hesburgh said.

university president fr. edward “monk” malloy said he did not know benedict well, but he wished the departing pontiff well nonetheless.

“he was generous in his service of the church as pope and before,” malloy said. “I wish him well in his transition time. my hope and prayer is that the cardinals will survey well the needs of the worldwide catholic church and, in light of that, choose a worthy

students respond to resignation

By JILLIAN BARWICK and NICOLE MICHELS s aint mary’s e ditor and news writer

Though pope benedict XVI’s monday resignation heralded changes in the roman catholic church, notre dame and saint mary’s students retained faith in its leader. pope benedict will officially step down feb. 28 and the cardinals’ conclave will begin shortly afterwards.

senior molly herber said her initial surprise faded to respect as she read pope benedict’s rationale behind his decision.

surprise to everyone,” charter said. “we were talking to a few deacons and they said no one expected this.”

senior peter flores said he will be sad to see pope benedict leave his position.

“I am sad when I think of losing pope benedict as the leader of the catholic church so far as I have grown to love him as my father,” flores said. “It’s been really been a special thing as I learn more about his life and his works as Joseph ratzinger and then as I know him now as the pope and holy father.”

successor.”

bishop Kevin r hoades, of the diocese of fort wayne-south bend, fondly recalled meeting pope benedict and expressed his prayers for the future of the church in his statement.

“It was just one year ago, on february 9, 2012, that bishop d’a rcy, I, and the other bishops of Indiana met with pope benedict during our ad limina visit to rome,” he said. “I recall with joy and gratitude that meeting and the warmth and kindness of our holy father. his words to us were words of brotherly love. I was moved by the pope’s evident wisdom and holiness.

“I invite all the faithful also to pray for the cardinals as they prepare in the coming weeks to meet in conclave for the election of a new successor to the apostle peter.”

cardinal francis george, a rchbishop of chicago and one of 11 a merican cardinals who will help elect the next pope, expressed his gratitude for the way pope benedict led the church.

“pope benedict XVI has, in all circumstances, placed the will of god for the good of the church before every other consideration. That same resoluteness of purpose speaks in his statement announcing his resignation from the chair of peter,” george said. “he has now shown great courage in deciding, after prayer and soulsearching, to resign his office at the end of this month.

“with the gratitude of sons and daughters in our hearts, we ask the lord to bless him and give him strength, as we begin to pray now for the one who will succeed him as bishop of rome, successor of peter and Vicar of christ.”

Managing Editor Megan Doyle contributed to this report.

Contact Allan Joseph at ajoseph2@nd.edu

“It seems that this is the right time in his life to make this decision, and if he feels he can’t handle the responsibilities of the role — which I imagine must be thousands and all of them exhausting — then I fully respect his decision to do what he feels is best for himself and for the community,” herber said.

catalina Zalduendo, a saint mary’s sophomore currently studying in rome, woke up to the news before most students on the notre dame and saint mary’s campuses were even awake.

“my first thought was ‘I’m going to be in rome during the election of a new pope … I am the most fortunate person in the world,’” Zalduendo said. “I am still in shock that this is happening while I’m studying here and that I will be able to personally witness an event that will go do down in history forever.”

Junior John mcKissick said he expects this decision to set a precedent suggesting future popes should seriously assess whether or not they are able to complete the duties of the office.

“It’s a decision that was off limits for a lot of popes,” mcKissick said. “Just think about pope John paul II — he wasn’t looking too good in the year before he was about to pass, and during that time the church especially could have used some leadership because that’s when the child abuse scandals were first coming out.”

nikki charter, a saint mary’s sophomore currently studying abroad in rome, said she believes the pope stepping down is a brave decision.

“we have known that his health has been deteriorating and I hope he can find comfort in the decision. The cultural and political climate is buzzing in rome. This was a complete

mileva brunson, a saint mary’s junior who studied abroad in rome last spring, said attending multiple services at the Vatican with pope benedict — including palm sunday — amazed her.

“The energy of the audience was one of reverence and excitement to be in the presence of pope benedict,” brunson said. “and even in his old age, he seemed to get such joy from being surrounded by the hundreds of thousands of people to join in the celebration of palm sunday with him.”

Junior louann lopez said she had been unaware that popes could resign from office.

“I suppose it’s something I had always considered to be a lifetime commitment,” lopez said. “I still remember when benedict was ordained, it’s odd to think we are already going to experience that process all over again such a short period of time later.”

flores said he hopes the new pope will continue in the vein of previous popes.

“I think with the guidance of the holy spirit we can be assured of that, but I would hope that whoever is elected pope will carry on in the spirit of the new evangelization and continue the work that pope John paul and pope benedict started,” flores said.

senior gilly stoy said he will look for the cardinals to choose pope benedict’s successor with the future of the church in mind.

“The gates have opened and the politicking has begun,” stoy said. “I’d love to see a man who is a bit more jovial, a bit more young, who could be more energetic and energizing for the catholic youth, especially.”

Contact Jillian Barwick at jbarwi01@saintmarys.edu and Nicole Michels at nmichels@nd.edu

Students abroad in Rome react to historic moment

By SAM STRYKER a ssistant managing e ditor

pope benedict XVI’s announcement monday that he will resign at the end of the month sent shockwaves around the world. but for some notre dame students studying in rome this semester, the news hit especially close to their home away from the dome.

Juniors Kelsie corriston and eliza nagle are studying at John cabot university in rome with 25 other notre dame students this semester, just a 15-minute walk away from the Vatican.

corriston said she was in her apartment and learned of the pope’s resignation on the Internet around noon local time. she said notre dame students were “incredulous” upon hearing the news.

“we were all really surprised, I would say,” she said. “we didn’t really know what it meant or why he was resigning. It seemed kind of out of the blue.”

nagle said while the city seems “excited” at the news, she hasn’t been able to discuss the pope’s decision outside of discussions with fellow notre dame students.

“It hasn’t really come up in conversation outside of notre dame students,” she said. “It’s only been half a day, so I’m sure within the next couple of weeks people will be talking more and more about it. I’m sure it will get super busy in rome with media.”

nagle said while the first reaction to many such major news stories is skepticism, she sees benedict XVI’s move as one of strength.

“have a little faith in the church. The pope before anything else is a servant leader,” she said. “he’s only here to do the work of god and lead the church to the best of his ability. If he finds that he can no longer

do that in some way, than perhaps it’s better for the church if another person takes over.”

corriston also said she thinks benedict XVI’s decision displays his strength of character.

“It shows his humility too, the fact that it’s such a big change,” she said. “The fact that he’s putting the office above himself, recognizing that he’s served how he could and the church needs to keep growing in a healthy way.”

david younger, assistant director in the office of International studies, said notre dame students in rome can now expect to experience the city bustling with visitors.

“as the [papal conclave] draws closer, the students can expect rome to be more crowded with people of every stripe: from journalists and pilgrims to protestors and those simply wanting to watch an historic event take place,” he said.

with the influx of media, younger said students may have the opportunity to become a part of the story itself.

“I expect that international news agencies such as cnn and foX are likely to have correspondents there and will be interviewing people in st. peter’s square, especially as events draw closer,” he said. “[notre dame] students may be interviewed by these news correspondents.”

nagle said she is especially excited to experience the papal conclave, which is expected to convene sometime in march. she and corriston are already making plans to camp out in st. peter’s square to witness the election of a new pope in person.

“as soon as I hear more details about when it’s supposed to be and how long it’s supposed to last, being a theology major, I definitely plan on camping out,” she said.

“I really think I’m going to buy a

The life of PoPe Benedic T XV i

April 16, 1927

Joseph ratzinger is born in marktl Inn, bavaria. 1951

sleeping bag and just go for it.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be living in rome when this is happening.”

corriston said she has trips to Istanbul and prague scheduled around the time the papal conclave might occur, but anticipates making an effort to be in the city for the event.

“I would be willing to change travel plans to be here,” she said. “It’s just such a historic moment. we’re just sort of waiting and excited to hear.”

corriston said notre dame students are also already anticipating easter weekend, when fellow domers studying in europe will converge upon rome. easter sunday falls on march 31 this year.

“It’s exciting that it will be the first major service for the new pope,” she said. “It’s cool that it’s happening during the lenten season. It’s like a refreshing, a rebirth of the church.”

nagle said students also might stop by the Vatican today to check out the atmosphere and also attend a papal mass or audience in the coming weeks before benedict XVI leaves his office.

“I’ve always admired him as a theologian,” she said. “I think he’s done a great job leading the church.”

nagle said the unique circumstance of the pope resigning — the last time a pope resigned from office was nearly 600 years ago — allows for a celebration of his achievements in the church while he is still alive.

“I think this is a special time for the church … to thank the pope for the things he has done for the church and celebrate it,” she said.

“It’s kind of interesting — when a new pope comes into office, we’re also celebrating another pope’s death. This is kind of exciting because we get hold on to [benedict XVI].

“we’re not mourning, we’re celebrating.”

younger said he believes the coming weeks will prove to be an “exciting time” for those notre dame students studying in rome.

“I can only imagine the excitement that students would feel and experience being there when a new pope is elected and watching for black or white smoke during the elections,” he said. “It is truly a wonderful time to be a part of the rome program.”

Contact Sam Stryker at sstryke1@nd.edu

ordained into the priesthood by cardinal faulhaber of munich 1962-65 participates in all four sessions of the second Vatican council as theological adviser 1977

named archbishop of munich and freising; named cardinal of munich by pope paul VI

p rofessor credits

pope’s decision

By JILLIAN BARWICK s aint mary’s e ditor

Joseph Incandela, associate dean of faculty and the hank aquinas chair in catholic theology, said he shared many catholics’ surprise at the pope’s resignation announcement but that in some ways, it was not completely unexpected.

“I think everyone was surprised, even people that earn their living as Vatican watchers, and who wouldn’t be because something like this doesn’t happen,” Incandela said. “after the initial reaction, there are some traces where this was forecast, making it less surprising. [pope benedict XVI] talked about this in a 2010 book that he wrote, not so much in relation to himself, but he sort of flowed into the possibility about a pope retiring if there were physical incapacities or something along those lines.”

Incandela added that for people who have been watching the pope closely, he seems to have slowed down within the past year or so.

“I looked around online about [the resignation] and when pope John paul II died, he was 84, so he was actually younger than benedict XVI is now,” Incandela said. “now clearly he is in better health than John paul II was at this age, but I wonder if the move for benedict XVI from 84 to 85 was coupled with what he saw of John paul II at the end, which was a long, slow decline that was obviously immensely painful, not just for John paul II but for the church as well.”

Incandela gave pope benedict XVI credit for his resignation while his health is in decline.

“he is resigning because he thinks it is in the best interest of the church,” he said. “when you think that 85 is not that old anymore because of medical advances, you could think of someone living in years and years of really debilitated, potentially incapacitated, health.”

as for what will occur during the waiting period between now and when the pope steps down and a new pope is elected, Incandela said the church will be at somewhat of a standstill.

“nothing happens when the organizational structure has no one at the top,” he said. “when you see all of the pieces it does make sense, I think.”

since a papal resignation has not occurred in centuries, Incandela stressed how different this procedure will be from the more recent papal elections.

“This is completely new ground for anyone that is alive today. what usually happens is that a pope dies and the cardinals go to rome for the funeral. This makes the in between period after the death and before the election relatively short,” Incandela said. “The cardinals go to rome for the funeral and then remain until the new pope is elected. It is fairly compressed. usually when a pope is near death, people are not talking about the next conclave, it’s just unseemly.

“here’s a very different situation where someone is not dying on the last day of office, but saying that february 28 is the final day and 8 p.m. is the final hour. It is more reasonable that the machinery could get going now without insulting anyone’s memory.”

while this may be a new situation for anyone alive today, there is a sentence in the code of canon law which states that a pope must resign his office freely.

“They want to avoid any sense of coercion into retirement for a pope. so that’s why in his statement he really went out of his way to make sure that came across,” Incandela said. “That was the only thing he had to say. beyond that, there’s no sense of what a pope does to retire.” while there will be no new pope until the conclave concludes, the dean of the college of cardinals is technically the first among equals during this time, Incandela said.

“The dean of the college of cardinals is basically the person that runs the show between now and the election of the new pope. In 2005, that person was Joseph ratzinger, which is kind of an odd coincidence of him being elected after holding that position,” Incandela said. “Technically the dean is the first among equals, but the church can’t do anything now without a pope. It’s just really a matter of running the day-to-day bureaucracy of the place.” as for what benedict will do once he has left office, Incandela can only speculate.

“I’ve read in a few places that he is going into a cloistered monastery within the Vatican to live with nuns. but wherever he ends up, I expect he will keep an extremely low profile,” Incandela said. “benedict XVI has always been a scholar, writing several books during his papacy, so I imagine he will remain a scholar after he leaves office. but then again, who knows.”

Contact Jillian Barwick at jbarwi01@saintmarys.edu

2002

elected dean of the college of cardinals.

April 19, 2005 elected the 265th pope, choose name benedict XVI

july 18, 2008

apologizes to victims of child sexual abuse during world youth day in australia Febru A ry 11, 2013 announces he will step down from the papacy on february 28