Print Edition of The Observer for Thursday, January 19, 2017
Panel explores sanctuary status
Speakers examine implications of designating ND a sanctuary campus
By ALEXANDRA MUCK news writer
a panel co-sponsored by the center for social concerns and the institute for latino studies discussed what it means for a city, state, university or faith-based organization to be declared a sanctuary, and what the implications of using the “sanctuary” designation might be. the moderator, director of the center for civil and human rights Jennifer Mason Mcaward, led the panelists, who included co-director of the institute for latino studies luis Fraga, professor of law rick garnett, graduate student leo guardado and professor of law lisa koop.
Fraga began the panelists’ remarks by defining sanctuary. though not technically a “legal jurisdiction,” Fraga said groups that declare themselves as sanctuaries
Professor Luis Fraga speaks on a panel discussing what it means to be designated a sanctuary campus. Fraga began by defining sanctuary and noted it is not technically a “legal jurisdiction.”
press supports unique works
By MEGAN VALLEY
a ssociate news e ditor
o ver the past decade, a ction b ooks has established itself as the press for both “authors that go too far” and “international superstars” who never expected to have a large a merican audience.
Founded in 2004 by Joyelle Mc s weeney and Johannes g oransson — current n otre d ame professors who at the time were both teaching at the u niversity of a labama — a ction b ooks has helped to introduce a mericans to writers from around the world, including tao l in, a ase b erg, k im h yesoon, h iromi i to and r aul Zurita. “ we felt there was an appetite for a type of work that wasn’t being accepted at the publishing houses,” Mc s weeney said. “ t his is the sort of stuff that’s stylistically exuberant, vocally exuberant, often in translation, coming from feminist
women, at times. we found that work was met with the response ‘this just goes too far.’ s o we decided we would start this press and we would be the press for authors that go too far.”
t he press publishes six to eight books — most of them poetry — a year, with authors who hail from Japan, k orea, u ruguay, Mexico, c uba, a rgentina, c hile and the i vory c oast, amongst others.
g oransson said a ction b ooks was part of a wave of small publishers that moved a merican poetry so it “didn’t need the traditional gatekeepers of the established university presses.”
“ t hey could be open to younger poets or poets in translation who, at that point, didn’t have this ability,” he said. “ … n ow, i think poetry is much better. i t’s much improved.”
a ction b ooks’ website features the press’s manifesto, another shift from more
traditional presses.
“ we’ve done several manifestos,” g oransson said.
“ t he established way of running presses was to say ‘we just pick what’s best.’ i t would make me furious. … we didn’t want to be a press like that. we wanted to say this is what we’re interested in, this is the conversation we are having.”
a ccording to the manifesto, that conversation is “transnational,” “feminist,” “political” and “for noises.”
Mc s weeney said another reason for the manifesto was to emulate some 20thcentury modernists, who frequently wrote manifestos themselves.
“ i n a way, writing our manifesto was a way to say we’re aligning with this moment 100 years earlier that was totally revved up with the energy of the contemporary world,” she said.
“ … we wanted that
Faculty submit proposal
By RACHEL O’GRADY news e ditor
i n a special session held Monday evening, the notre dame faculty senate passed a resolution calling for university p resident Fr. John Jenkins to declare notre dame a sanctuary campus for undocumented students.
a merican studies professor Jason ruiz, who was part of the group presenting the resolution, said the resolution was “asking for Fr. Jenkins to keep doing what he’s doing.”
“Fr. Jenkins, i think, has taken a national leadership position in terms of supporting and admitting undocumented
Speaker stresses power of women
By MARTHA REILLY a ssociate saint Mary’s e ditor
diversity and inclusion officer for the city of south bend, christina brooks, spoke at Mass on wednesday night in l e Mans hall, instructing students to remain vocal about issues that concern them if they want to make valuable change in their communities.
“if your voice is missing, the revolution doesn’t take place,” she said. “Justice doesn’t lead to peace if women are silent.” according to brooks, women play an integral role in establishing justice.
“women are the paradigm shifters, the change makers,” she said. “we’re the life givers. we’re the pivot points. we are what brings the revolution.”
brooks said women should maintain a sense of pride for the women who came before them and stood up for their beliefs in the face of adversity and
judgment. t hese figures can serve not only as examples, but also as sources of inspiration, she said.
“w hen we think about Martin luther k ing [Jr.], he is indeed the face of the civil r ights Movement,” she said. “but rosa parks [also] said, ‘not today.’” women should embrace life’s difficulties with patience and understanding, for they must often undergo challenges while promoting just causes, according to brooks.
“in this day and time, g od is still calling out to the women not to be complacent, to be troubled in your spirit so the change will come,” she said. “w here is your voice? it’s a call to action.”
brooks said as a young girl, her grandfather would always tell her not to be tired. she said she embraces this mentality in her role as diversity and inclusion
Systems & Web Administrators (574) 631-8839 Policies
Ques T ion oF T he d
Steve Burke junior dunne hall
“Poop-flavored jelly beans.”
Ben Bernhard freshman o’neill hall
“A Plumbus.”
Jordan McLaughlin freshman dillon hall
“A bag of c heetos. I don’t even eat c heetos.”
Mia DiCara sophomore Lyons hall
“A weird dress that I never wore.”
Shannon Stenger sophomore cavanaugh hall
“Well, I gave my sister knee-high ostrich socks. she didn’t like them.”
Kevin Hottinger sophomore sorin college
“A weird rubik’s cube, but I was 16 and had no interest in it.”
The observer regards itself as a professional publication and strives for the highest standards of journalism at all times. We do, however, recognize that we will make mistakes. If we have made a mistake, please contact us at (574) 631-4541 so we can correct our error.
Senate looks ahead to coming year, elections
By EMILY McCONVILLE news Writer
The student senate looked ahead to the final two and a half months of its term at its meeting Wednesday night, going over student body presidential election rules, presenting committee plans and discussing potential speakers for future meetings.
i n light of the upcoming student body presidential elections, Judicial c ouncil president c aitlin Geary answered questions and reminded senators about election rules outlined in the s tudent Union c onstitution: c ampaigning cannot take place on the second and third floors of LaFortune s tudent c enter; campaigning cannot start until Jan. 31; and senators cannot endorse or express support for candidates.
“ i realize that you guys
are going to know people and you guys are passionate about things. You are able to work on their campaign team but what you cannot do is endorse ... b asically, you guys cannot have any personal or public appearances indicating your support for a candidate,” Geary said.
d illon h all senator Tim o ’c onnell, head of the campus affairs committee, said the committee may approach the h uddle m art to ask for bigger coffee cups and thicker sleeves, after the LaFortune student convenience store switched to compostable materials.
o ’c onnell said the committee will also explore establishing laundry quota for on-campus residents or allowing the use of Flex Points for laundry and finding out the tobacco status of the University.
complacent.”
o fficer, since she strives to devote herself wholeheartedly to fostering a welcoming community in s outh bend.
“i can’t get tired,” brooks said. “i’m never finished. my job doesn’t allow me to be
according to brooks, her profession enables her to advocate for increased diversity and inclusion in the workplace, workforce and community. her passion for improving these particular conditions motivates her to do her job to the best of her ability, she said.
“Understanding the fullness
Paid a dverT isemen T
c avanaugh h all senator b rittany b enninger, head of the sustainability committee, said her committee’s goals were to bring sustainability-focused organizations to campus.
“We really want to get something on campus to bring an outside perspective,” she said.
b enninger said her committee also wants to get involved with the c ity of s outh b end’s sustainability initiatives and improving sustainability in LaFortune.
m cGlinn h all senator m aria Palazzolo, head of the community engagement committee, said the committee wanted to invite s outh b end m ayor Pete b uttigieg to a senate meeting, but they would probably not move forward with that goal until after the election for the c hair of the d emocratic
of individual identity is how we … define diversity,” she said. “it’s almost a necessity to have a troubled spirit in what i do because if my spirit is quiet, something’s probably not right.”
brooks said people may feel discouraged if they do not make viable progress while advancing their just cause, but
n ational c ommittee, for which b uttigieg is running. s he said the committee may bring a downtown s outh b end leader to a senate meeting instead.
Palazzolo said her committee would also support s outh b end First Fridays, advertise Transpo’s services to students and work on a taxi bill of rights for students.
Flaherty h all senior Jade m artinez, head of the recently renamed student relations committee, said her committee was working on allowing more campus organizations to plan stress relief activities, since only the s tudent Union b oard ( s U b ) currently plans them. s he said her committee would also work on raising student awareness of student government and putting safety doors in campus buildings so that students can go into a dorm
they must continue to resist hate and exclusion.
“To be in a constant state of knowing that you have to make change — it can wear on you,” brooks said. “but God doesn’t give us anything more than what we can handle.”
students should ponder how they can enhance the world around them, since their
space late at night.
The senate then discussed ideas for presenters at future meetings. a mong the suggestions were the campus architect, n otre d ame’s general counsel, representatives from r ec s ports, representatives from the University c ounseling c enter and members of the student governments of s aint m ary’s and h oly c ross c olleges.
i n addition, d unne h all senator m att d onahue updated the senate on a recent faculty senate resolution asking the University to declare itself a “sanctuary campus,” committing to protecting undocumented students.
“ i t was great to see that they were kind of considering the same issues that we were,” d onahue said.
Contact Emily McConville at emcconv1@nd.edu
unique contributions will fortify the movement to achieve justice and equality, brooks said.
“Think about what your voice will add,” she said. “That’s how we move the rest of d r. King’s legacy forward.”
Contact Martha Reilly at mreilly01@saintmarys.edu
promise to not devote their resources to “enforce national immigration laws or inquire as to a person’s immigration status.”
While the idea of sanctuaries began as a religious term, Guardado said, it began to be used in a more secular sense around the 1980s in Los a ngeles when some churches declared themselves sanctuaries regarding the immigration statuses of central americans fleeing from civil wars.
currently, according to Fraga, four states, 364 counties and 39 cities are classified as sanctuaries. in addition, some universities have begun to follow suit, with between 150 and 200 universities applying the term to themselves.
The negative consequence of declaring a campus a sanctuary campus is that it could subject the university to a loss of federal funding. For this reason, some colleges, according to Guardado, prefer not to use the term, while they may still identify with the ideas of being a sanctuary campus.
Guardado said he sees great benefit in using the term, however.
“i think the greatest importance comes in the message that it communicates to … future students,” Guardado said. “That
single word strategically conveys to a whole generation of students who may be applying to college, who may be undocumented ... this is an institution that will protect you to the fullest degree possible with resources, with lawyers, with whatever else is needed.”
Ultimately Guardado said he believes it is a “strategic choice” to use the word sanctuary.
The issue of sanctuaries is especially relevant given that a new president is about to be sworn into office. Koop said under the new administration, residents might see an increase in home raids, collateral home arrests and fast-track deportation.
“There is already an enforcement apparatus in place. This is all happening under the current administration. What we expect to see in the coming months and years is potentially significantly more aggressive enforcement and maybe increased enforcement and increased criminalization of non-citizens,” Koop said.
Garnett concluded the panel by citing the implications of using religious freedom in declaring sanctuary. he said recently, there has been a resurgence in communities invoking religious freedom. “if that development continues, i think that could be really fruitful for religious institutions, particularly universities,” Garnett said.
Contact Alexandra Muck at amuck@nd.edu
By CARLOS DE LOERA scene Writer
d uring Thanksgiving break, there was a bit of buzz around the trailer for the new m artin s corsese movie, “ s ilence.” At first, I thought that it would just be the classic case of critics going crazy over any project that s corsese works on — even if it ends not being very good (see: “The Wolf of Wall s treet”) — and in part, I was correct, but the trailer was also captivating. The trailer showcases the star power that s corsese can haul, the beautiful cinematography and surprisingly, given the movie title, a lot of noise in the form of vigorously played string instruments. After watching the trailer I was all in for a movie starring s pider-man (Andrew Garfield), Kylo r en (Adam d river) and Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam n eeson) as Jesuit priests. In fact, I was so in that I immediately went to Amazon and ordered the 1966 s husako e ndo novel of the same name and eagerly awaited the movie’s Jan. 13 national release.
The movie centers around two young 17th-century Portuguese Jesuit priests s ebastiao r odrigues (Garfield) and Francisco Garupe ( d river), who are sent out on a mission to retrieve their former teacher and fellow priest, Fr. Ferreira ( n eeson), from Japan and to spread c atholicism to the country. (It is important to note that during this period in history, Japan had outlawed c hristianity because of the challenges it placed on a united Japan, and c hristians were being persecuted throughout the country.) r odrigues and Garupe had also been informed that Ferreira had renounced his faith and now had a wife and children. b efore arriving to Japan, the two priests encounter a Japanese man named Kichijiro in a port city not far from Japan, who agrees to be their guide in Japan in hopes of finally returning to his home country. When they arrive in Japan, they are greeted by a devoutly c atholic village whose citizens have been secretly practicing their faith for years. The two priests are initially in awe of the great devotion that these villagers show to their faith and agree to offer mass and reconciliation for the villagers nightly. d ue to the fear of being captured by authorities, the priests are confined to a far-off cottage in the hills while the sun is out without much to do or eat, given the village’s limited resources. After some time, Japanese officials arrive to the island to make sure that the villagers have apostatized and threaten any remaining c hristians with death if they dare not renounce their faith. After witnessing a myriad of persecutions, the priests and villagers decide it is best for the priests to split up and evangelize other parts of the country (since the two are believed to be the last priests in the country) and to find Ferreira. I’ll stop there in fear of giving away too much of the plot.
If you aren’t sold on watching the movie based on the plot alone, then that’s a shame, but, in addition to the intriguing premise, the performances in this movie are quite impressive. After watching the trailer, I wasn’t completely sold on Andrew Garfield sharing a lead role in a dramatic movie because I hadn’t seen him do so (I have yet to see h acksaw r idge), but I had faith in Adam d river’s lead character abilities. h owever, after reading e ndo’s novel, I realized that Garfield’s character would, in fact, be the star of the show, and the movie reflected this fact. To my surprise, he does a stellar job of portraying a man who is profoundly faithful, yet deeply troubled by his faith in light despair. d river also does an awesome job of playing Garfield’s right-hand man as a priest who is pushed to his limits. In a not-so-surprising turn of events, Liam n eeson plays Liam n eeson. That’s right, he was a Portuguese priest with an Irish accent. In spite of his inability to even try to have a Portuguese accent, n eeson does deliver a solid performance, which I measured by the overly strong emotions I felt toward his character. What really raises the bar of the movie are the performances from the Japanese actors. Issey o gata gives a c hristoph Waltz-esque performance as the role of the Inquisitor, in which he plays a strangely likable antagonist whose wit, knowledge and power of
persuasion seem to be unmatched. Tadanobu Asano also shines as r odrigues’ interpreter during the priest’s solo adventures. Asano’s ability to channel the character’s contempt for the c atholic c hurch makes his performance impressive and crucial. There are also many solid performances put forth by the Japanese c hristian villagers.
Aside from the tremendous acting performances, what also makes the movie stand out is the themes it deals with. The most prominent theme is faith and how far people will go to preserve their faith. This is most easily seen in the extreme torture that the captured Japanese c hristians go through, which is so meticulously depicted in the film that I, at points, had a hard time watching. e xtreme acts of faith are also demonstrated by the priests who refuse to give up their beliefs. r odrigues’ faith, however, falters when he thinks about how God continues to remain silent in times of despair and how this leads to doubt and frustration. e ndo’s storytelling works best when he questions the line between faith, fanaticism and self-indulgence. In the movie, r odrigues questions whether the Japanese c hristians are truly devoted to the c hristian faith or if they merely praise the religious icons (crosses, rosaries, etc.) and the priests themselves. The movie explores the idea of self-indulgence in the inner thoughts of r odrigues, who constantly compares his situation to that of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and feels that he is one of the only people that can save the Japanese faithful. Another theme explored is e astern culture versus Western culture. o ne of the main arguments of the Japanese authorities is that c hristianity cannot prosper in a country like Japan because it is fundamentally different from countries where c hristianity thrives, and that c hristian evangelization is a facade for Western imperialist desires.
Ultimately, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and will give it a way-too-high rating because it forced me to think about important questions that every person wrestles with: What is the importance of faith in my own life? h ow much would I be willing to sacrifice for my faith? What is the ultimate truth? Is there an ultimate truth? h ow am I impacting the world? h ow much control does my mind have over my body and vice versa? h ow can I defend my ideologies? c an people who are diametrically opposed truly come to see the world through the eyes of their neighbors? If God is so loving how does he manage to seemingly remain in silence throughout our lives, especially in times of distress? What is the importance of doubt?
This two-hour-and-forty-one minute epic can be enjoyed by people on any point of the religious spectrum, not only thematically, but also as a piece of art. The problems I had with the movie had less to do with the rushed ending and more to do with some of the questionable portrayals of the Japanese people. The sweeping landscapes that are beautifully captured by cinematographer r odrigo Prieto using 35mm film and the keen direction of s corsese amount to a breathtaking adaption of e ndo’s story of faith and despair.
Contact Carlos De Loera at cdeloera@nd.edu
“Silence”
Director: Martin Scorsese
Film Studio: Paramount Pictures
Tuning in to c hristmas carols
The c atholic c hurch and I have many things we disagree on. b ut the intent of this column is not to be some papal bull from the 14th century, only studied in specialized history classes.
It’s maybe a month after the fact, but one very accessible complaint I make of the c atholic c hurch is its tradition of not playing c hristmas carols during m ass until c hristmas d ay itself and the one week following c hristmas.
It seems to make sense right? You play c hristmas music only at c hristmas time, and when it isn’t technically the c hristmas season, you keep your “Joy to the World” the heck out of church.
I could be wrong, but I believe the current practice of not playing c hristmas music in the lead up to d ec. 25 is due to the official season of Advent.
Advent signals the start of the new c hurch year and is traditionally supposed to be a season of anticipation and prayer for the coming of Jesus into the world at c hristmas, when Jesus is born.
n ever mind that c hristmas is at the end of d ecember because the early c hurch wanted to embrace pagan cultures that celebrated s aturnalia, and that Jesus probably wasn’t born in the winter. That’s a different, but interesting topic.
m y issue with the anticipatory tone of Advent is that it doesn’t allow for c hristmas carols. If you’re supposed to be somber and expectant, it’s hard to fit in the joyous themes that c hristmas carols bring. And that’s why we need to change Advent.
The idea of Advent as a preparatory period before c hristmas is a good idea, but making it somber and anticipatory isn’t the right way to go about it. n o one wants to listen to Advent carols in minor keys. I’ll even give you $10 if you can name five Advent carols off the top of your head.
It all boils down to the fact that we know Jesus was born. We know the story of m ary and Joseph and the Angel Gabriel and the shepherds. We know that it happens. If we treat Advent as an anticipatory season, it acts as a big cliff hanger. Will Jesus be born on d ec. 25? Tune in to the next week of Advent to find out.
Instead, since we know Jesus was born (at the very least from a purely historical sense), let’s make the four weeks of Advent a time of joy. c hristians should use this season to be happy and thankful that Jesus is about to come into the world. Let’s sing c hristmas carols in church in the weeks leading up to c hristmas to create a more joyous atmosphere. o f course, I’m referring to religious carols, not “Frosty the s nowman.” Although I’d rather sing “Frosty” than the Advent classic, “People look e ast.” I know this argument wouldn’t hold up to a theological examination, but who cares? I want c hurch-sanctioned c hristmas carols before d ec. 25 and if I have to change the whole focus of Advent, so be it.
Contact Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@nd.edu
The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
The danger of normalizing an abnormal candidate
I am writing in response to a Letter to the e ditor published Jan. 18, titled “Why We should Invite d onald Trump to c ommencement.” In this article, the author argues that President-elect d onald Trump should be invited to speak at this year’s c ommencement ceremony in order to preserve the University’s history of presidential speakers as well as its “impartial and intrepid political involvement.” The author errs in normalizing Trump’s behavior so as to compare it to the controversy surrounding President b arack obama. The latter was criticized primarily due to his political policies (read: his stance on abortion), whereas the former stirs controversy through his blatant disregard for people and their human dignity.
The normalization begins with the author’s introduction, in which University President Fr. John Jenkins’ decision between Trump and h illary c linton is jokingly compared to that of our football coach, brian Kelly. While I understand this may have been an attempt to lighten the mood, the author accidentally pokes fun at those who take this c ommencement decision seriously. In comparing Jenkins’ decision to the fate of our football program, the author implies that this debate is pedantic, and that the answer is more obvious than many believe. d ownplaying this debate normalizes serious issues with our president-elect. The author claims that, “many are arguing against a Trump c ommencement on the grounds that he doesn’t share some of our University’s core values as evidenced by his rhetoric and stated policies.” This grossly understates the plethoric reasons many argue against President-elect Trump’s appearance. To say Trump does not share “some” of notre dame’s “core values” because of what he has said suggests we can circumvent the severe prejudice he constantly sows. c an we really disregard the fact he ridiculed a reporter with a disability in public? What does this say about his respect for those living with a disability? c an we brush off the fact that he has accused a whole race of being criminals and referred to these people — human beings — in xenophobic terms? c an we cast aside his disregard not only for mexican-American people but African-American people too, especially when he has a history of racial discrimination in business and personal interactions, not to mention an endorsement from the Ku Klux Klan? And I have not even begun to discuss Trump’s treatment of women. All I will say is I never heard President obama brag about sexually assaulting women. c an we confidently overlook the fact our president-elect condones the sexual assault of women? how does that uphold the dignity of the human being, particularly women? none of this even begins to touch on his policies, which are better left out of this discussion.
The author argues that the tradition of inviting the new president to give an address has been an “endorsement of the office of the presidency rather than of its occupant.” Focusing on tradition when speaking of this current election is yet another
normalization of an abnormal election. It is safe to say that this past presidential election reminded us all of the unpredictable nature of politics. It reminded us that convention, and tradition can all be called into question. s o why should we look to convention again when discussing Trump? Trump is a candidate who defies traditional notions of who a candidate is. he is unlike any candidate America has previously elected. For this reason, we cannot look to a precedent set by presidents past.
The author also makes the rather bold claim that it is “borderline un-American” to “[disavow] the president” before he is inaugurated by refusing him a chance to speak at c ommencement. Assuming that allowing him to speak at commencement is just an endorsement of the presidency, this is not a far reach. however, the author fails to account for the myriad offenses that Trump brings to that office. This year, it is obvious that allowing Trump to speak at c ommencement is endorsing more than just a political office. It is the endorsement of a character contrary to everything the University stands for. If Trump were refused the opportunity to speak at this year’s c ommencement ceremony, it would not be an “un-American” attack on the office of the presidency. It would be an acknowledgment that there may be people in the crowd to which he speaks that he has attacked and disregarded in some way, and that subjecting his victims to more is just wrong.
While President obama’s stance on abortion may be controversial on a religious ground, a controversial political stance is far different than personal attacks on innocent people. To say that Trump’s rhetoric causes the same controversy as President obama’s is to say language of hate, fear, selfishness and anger is the same as a disputed political stance. how does that make sense? We are allowed to disagree and take different positions on political issues. That is excusable. What is not excusable is the promotion of hateful dialogue that puts down others and disregards basic human dignity. The author of the original article emphasizes that he didn’t vote for either Trump or c linton. All this does is emphasize that he isn’t for Trump, but he isn’t necessarily against him either. Yet again this normalizes Trump, suggesting that while he isn’t the best, he is probably not the worst.
This is offensive to those who have been personally attacked by Trump. It is offensive to women, minorities, the LGbTQ community and countless others who have come under attack from d onald Trump. While I understand the author may not intend any of this insult, I think that makes it all the more important to acknowledge. b y casually accepting Trump’s actions, we enable him to continue his tirade of hate and insults. It is on us to stand up, call out his crude behavior and demand better because we as American citizens deserve it.
Liam Maher junior Jan. 18
Marek Mazurek sports e ditor
There are too many books on how to parent and not enough books on how to child. Parents take their job seriously, as reflected by the number of books written and read on the subject. When these parents were kids, why did they not care enough about being a good child to seek advice?
Parents would love for babies to realize how their incessant crying prevents them from sleeping. Yet parents know that babies cannot read, and thus the market for “stop Your c rying, Your Parents are d ying” and “d on’t spit on my s weater” is virtually nonexistent. Though many children can start reading by ages 4 to 5, they are egotistic by developmental constraint; the social cognitive “Theory of m ind” states that children under the age of 5 do not have brains developed enough to understand that other people have their own feelings and thoughts. They are the center of the universe, and their parents are just that: parents. Thus any book about how to help make their parents’ lives easier would not make sense or be important to them.
Yet somewhere along the maturational process, children understand that other people have their own beliefs and experiences. o ne day, they realize that their parents are not solely older humans to whom they are attached, but multidimensional beings with emotions, aspirations and problems.
I am embarrassed to say that I came to this realization much too late, way after my brain would have been capable of empathy. It started for me in college, when I started thinking about what my future family would be like. o ver Thanksgiving, I
How to child
would teach my daughter to throw a perfect spiral while my husband would roast a turkey with our sons. Yes, we would defy gender stereotypes and bond with our children at the same time. (I would have to learn how to throw a football first but that was a minor detail). While this daydream was swimming in my head, it hit me: For my mom and dad, I was this child they dreamed of bonding with. o ur family was their shot at achieving familial bliss.
m y family did not turn out as expected. With my parents divorced and remarried, my family became two conglomerations of biological and step-relatives rather than one traditional unit. Yet this did not mean I could not have meaningful relationships with my parents individually.
I had years of ignoring of my parents’ thoughts and feelings to make up for. I had to replace a tendency towards dismissal with listening, a habit of judgment to replace with compassion. m y first step was starting to care about my parents’ inner lives. That should have been a given, but for the majority of my childhood, everything centered on e rin’s world. I was happy to put work in to have fun and fulfilling relationships with my friends. I assumed, though, that a great relationship with my parents should be natural. If we are biologically related, shouldn’t we get along? Unfortunately, shared genes do not guarantee smooth relationships. In fact, a shared tendency towards passive aggression or extreme sensitivity in multiple family members can be recipes for disaster.
I had to put effort into my relationships with my parents, even though they loved me unconditionally. It was almost dangerous to know that my parents would love me regardless of whether I snapped
at them or spent time with them, because it allowed me to “relax” at home: to speak without filter and act without fear of consequences. I realized eventually that my home self, my “unedited” self, was just the worst version of myself. Though I loved my parents in thought, I wasn’t loving them in action. I didn’t make sacrifices for them or forgive past mistakes. I let myself get annoyed by the smallest things — my father talking during a movie at the theater or my mom keeping open 30 web browsers on her iPhone. These things never would have annoyed me in a friend — in fact, I would have found them endearing. s o I decided to work on finding these idiosyncrasies endearing rather than annoying. Father-daughter and motherdaughter time became 10 times more enjoyable. most movies and television series focus on relationships with peers as the most important part of young adulthood, and parents are portrayed as cops or uncool and embarrassing. Yet friends come and go as we grow up and move from home to college to work, and parents are the constant in our lives. m y parents love me unconditionally, which tempts me to sloth off in my relationship with them. Thus I require a higher moral motivation for loving my parents in action: not avoiding punishment or seeking reward, but striving towards universal principles of love, gratitude and kinship. Perhaps the same can be said of my relationship with God.
Ms. Thomassen is a senior studying mechanical engineering. She lives at the Château off campus, with four friends and more crêpes. She can be reached at ethomass@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
no laughing matter
Think of some comedy classics — the type of films that are revered almost universally by young and old alike, staples for any true comedic connoisseur. You know what I’m talking about — “c addyshack,” “The big Lebowski,” “The blues brothers,” etc. These films are seen as infallible, and why shouldn’t they be? They are all hilarious, with the perfect mix of raunchiness and cleverness. There does seem to be one element missing — you might even miss it if you’re not watching closely enough. There are next to zero female comedic leads in any of these staples. This detail served as enough evidence for an acquaintance of mine to make the bold, absurd claim that men are, in general, funnier than women. First and foremost, to claim that women aren’t funny because they’re not in the famous comedies of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s is to make a correlative error. c omedy was one of the very last frontiers women were able to cross into, and this did not occur until arguably the 21st century, where progress can still be made. While women did occasionally appear in the older films, they were almost always in scanty clothing, or no clothes at all, and were merely tools to convey the hilarity behind male vulgarity and high jinks. “Animal house” serves as an excellent example. The only women in that movie are divided into two categories: the uptight prudes who serve as antagonists against the riotous party animals, and the “slutty” party girls, there to be the humorous objects of lust for the uncontrollable college boys. When not serving as sexual fantasies
for their comedic male counterparts, women were often designated the role of the unusually attractive wife of an oafish, everyday kind of man. Think c lark Griswold and his model-level wife in “national Lampoon’s Family vacation.” In the ’70s, “s aturday night Live,” often considered the comedic launch pad, started setting the stage for female prevalence in the comedy world, casting three women of the original seven cast members. All was not solved overnight, however. In many sketches, the woman cast members were assigned the roles of background characters, meant to set up the punch lines for the more exuberant male roles, and this problem persisted until much later, as mentioned in Tina Fey’s memoir “b ossypants.” Films from the last decade, such as “bridesmaids” and the updated “Ghostbusters,” point to the audience niche for female-dominated comedies, and the rising popularity of “s aturday night Live” female cast members like Kate mcKinnon hints at the potential for more equality in the casting of women’s roles.
Another common belief held by mostly male comedy purists is that women come off as crude, vulgar or even disgusting when using the very same raunchy material so often drawn upon by their male colleagues. You would be hard-pressed to find a stand-up comedy routine that does not involve sexual debauchery or graphic details of a wild night out, and yet, when it is a female using sex as a comedic tool, she draws criticism and critique. I am not talking about Amy s chumer’s type of humor, which often relies upon the shock-value of saying something incredibly inappropriate, and, in my opinion, is used as a crutch for real humor. When used correctly and expertly, the occasional touch of
promiscuousness or provocativeness creates a relatable, humorous scene for an audience.
my previously mentioned acquaintance countered my argument that melissa mc c arthy is one of the funniest people in the business with the statement that she is merely funny because of her size. e ven if you were to take this as true, what, then, is the appeal of c hris Farley, a comedic legend? h is two most iconic bits involve ripping a coat much too small for him, and destroying a coffee table by falling on it. b oth Farley and mc c arthy use their size in ingenious ways to create laughs and build routines and characters from there, which in no way rely solely on physical comedy.
I am by no means denying the old comedies and comedians their right to glory. “Animal house” is one of my all-time favorite films, and I have considered getting bill murray’s face tattooed on my body many times. They are famous in their own right and for good reason. however, young women have much less from the past to look up too for inspiration, and have, until recently, been unjustly cast aside as the less-funny gender. The danger in this is that young women may resort to hiding their own loud exuberance or dry wit because they do not believe themselves as funny as “the guys.”
Aside from incessantly quoting “Hamilton” and other perfect works of theater/film, Lucy Collins majors in economics and history, is a sophomore at Notre Dame and is often found trying to balance her hopeless romanticism and nearly constant cynicism. Please direct comments to lcollin8@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Erin Thomassen The e xamined Life
Lucy Collins stuck in the m iddle
NHL boasts streak of streaks
Michael Ivey sports Writer
The n FL c onference c hampionship games will take place this upcoming weekend, and all of the four teams remaining are currently in the middle of win streaks that range from 5 to 9 games dating back to the regular season. b ut the n FL isn’t the only professional sports league that has witnessed a great number of win streaks this year.
The current nh L season has seen a number of teams go on a hot streak that catapults them near the top of the league standings … until another team gets hot and takes their place.
At the beginning of the season back in o ctober, the hot team was m ontreal. After winning their first game of the season and losing their second game in overtime, the c anadiens went on an eight-game win streak that skyrocketed them to the top of the league standings and made them early s tanley c up favorites. This win streak came to an abrupt end n ov. 4 in a 10-0 blowout loss to the b lue Jackets (a team we will talk about later).
The winning bug then flew to n ew York and bit the r angers, who won 11 of the 13 games they played from o ct. 22 to n ov. 15. This included two individual threegame win streaks and one five-game win streak. This briefly put them at the top of the league standings.
Around the same time the r angers were winning, the b lackhawks were starting to find their stride. c hicago went on a seven-game win streak from o ct. 28 to n ov. 9. The streak was part of a stretch where the h awks posted a 13-2-2 record during the 17 games they played from o ct. 15 to n ov. 19.
The defending s tanley c up c hampions decided to get in on the streaking also. b ehind the stellar play of s idney c rosby, the Penguins posted a seven-game win streak from d ec. 1 to d ec. 14.
Also during the month of d ecember, m innesota caught the winning fever. Under new head coach b ruce
b oudreau, the Wild went on a 12-game win streak that lasted from d ec. 4 to d ec.
29. The Wild have posted a 17-1-1 record in their last 19 games dating back to d ecember.
n ormally that would be considered the most impressive run a team can go on in a single season. b ut this isn’t an ordinary season.
r emember how I mentioned the c olumbus b lue Jackets earlier? b ack when that 10-0 win over the c anadiens happened, everyone thought it would be considered among the few highlights of the b lue Jackets’ season. n ot much was expected of them this year, and head coach John Tortorella was on the hot seat. Then, shortly after the 10-0 win, the b lue Jackets went on a four-game win streak in mid- n ovember. After a rocky end to the month of n ovember, the b lue Jackets didn’t lose a single game during the month of d ecember. This was part of a 16-game winning streak the b lue Jackets went on from n ov. 29 to Jan. 3. The win streak is the second longest during a single season in nh L history, only one game behind the 17-game win streak the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins went on. The b lue Jackets’ win streak included a 4-2 win over the m innesota Wild on d ec. 31, which ended the Wild’s 12-game win streak.
The b lue Jackets’ historic win streak was ended by the Washington c apitals on January 5. The c apitals were in the midst of a nine-game win streak that ended on Jan. 16, when the c apitals lost an 8-7 overtime thriller to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Just when you think a team is about to separate themselves from the rest of the pack and establish themselves as the favorites for the c up, another team comes along and takes their place. n ow we’re all waiting anxiously to see which team decides to go streaking next.
Contact Michael Ivey at mivey@hcc-nd.edu
The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
no. 1 women, no. 2 men set to head to new York
Observer Sports Staff
notre d ame, ranked no. 1 in the country on the women’s side and no. 2 on the men’s, returns to action this weekend with a pair of invitationals in new York. First, the Irish will be a part of s aturday’s st. John’s Invitational, which will include st. John’s, notre d ame, h arvard, c olumbia and Penn state. notre d ame is set to face off against each team
throughout the day, starting with c olumbia at 10 a.m. and concluding with o hio state at 3:30 p.m.
notre d ame will finish their east coast trip with sunday’s n YU Invitational. s chools participating in the men’s event, outside of the Irish and host n YU, include o hio state, c olumbia, Wayne state, st. John’s, north c arolina and Yale. The women’s slate will feature the same seven teams, as well as
nba | horneTs 107, TrAIL bLAzers 85
northwestern. b oth events include a slew of top-ranked teams, with c olumbia, notre d ame, st. John’s, Penn state, o hio state and h arvard all residing within the top ten of both the men’s and women’s rankings.
Following their back-toback tournaments this coming weekend, the Irish are set to return to notre d ame for the d e c icco d uals next weekend at c astellan Family Fencing c enter.
Charlotte ends slump
versus Portland
Associated Press
ch A r L o TT e , n c . —
Kemba Walker is focused on c harlotte’s record. he isn’t very interested in the All-star game right now.
Walker scored 23 points, and the hornets stopped a five-game slide with a 10785 victory over the Portland Trail blazers on Wednesday night.
“We haven’t been doing a great job of winning consistently (so) the All-star game is the last thing I’m going to think about right now,” Walker said.
While Walker is brushing off talk about next month’s game in new o rleans, he is making a strong case for a spot on the e astern c onference team. he is averaging 23 points and shooting 41.3 percent from 3-point range this season.
Walker went 4 for 8 from behind the arc against Portland and 8 for 14 from the field overall. but he said he doesn’t think he has done enough this year to make the All-star game for the first time, citing the team’s 21-21 record.
“not really, if you ask me,” Walker said. “e specially because of where my team is. but like I said, I really don’t care honestly.”
c oach steve c lifford said Walker is playing at an Allstar level, but doesn’t know if he will be selected.
“It’s not a question of whether or not he’s playing
like an All-star — he’s an Allstar-caliber guard, no question about it,” c lifford said.
“The factors will be looking at the other point guards in the e ast. The e ast is loaded. Point guard is the best position in our league right now and also, a lot of other guys are playing on teams with better records than ours. It’s about winning.”
The hornets snapped an eight-game streak of allowing at least 100 points.
c harlotte led 79-72 after three quarters but blew the game open in the fourth behind eight quick points from Frank Kaminsky. The reserve had all 11 of his points in the final quarter, including three 3-pointers.
Walker had a big first half, hitting 6 of 9 shots and three 3-pointers to help the hornets build a 54-46 lead.
tip-ins
Trail b lazers: m ade all 11 free throws, but shot 8 of 31 from beyond the 3-point arc.
hornets: b ench outscored Portland’s reserves 44-22.
hibbert’s big night
c harlotte center r oy h ibbert played what c lifford called the best game of his season.
The 7-foot-2 h ibbert, who came in averaging 5.2 points per game, had a season-high 16 points on 7-of8 shooting and provided two of the game’s biggest
highlights.
h e brought the crowd to its feet on a drop-step drive through the lane and an unexpected one-handed dunk over m eyers Leonard. A few minutes later, h ibbert threw a backdoor alley-oop pass intended for Kaminsky that inadvertently went in. h ibbert didn’t even crack a smile as he jogged back down court.
“That was a helluva pass, shot — I don’t know what it was,” Walker said with a laugh. “I’m just glad it went in.”
h ibbert, who has battled through knee issues this season, said he wasn’t trying to score, but glad it went in.
“That was a bad pass and a bad shot, that’s all I can say,” h ibbert said.
Losing ways
d amian Lillard scored 21 points and c .J. mc c ollum had 18 for Portland, which has lost three straight and 16 of 22 since d ec. 5.
“As a group we have to let last year go,” Portland center m ason Plumlee said. “If it was the first 10 games of the season we could talk about building on last year. This is a new team, this is a new group and we aren’t playing how we did last year so it’s a new season, new challenges. We have to make the most of this group and this team, and the situation we are in.”
W Bball
“This team, this is all new for them. They weren’t here for all those Final Fours. They are making the climb. We’re back to the beginning — we’ve got to really work together to get there, and then hopefully it’ll come easier next year.”
This year’s slump — if 16-3 can really be called a slump — is largely due to youth and a need for further development of “basketball i.Q.,” mcGraw said. senior guard Lindsay allen is the only one who was around to learn from irish legends like skylar diggins, Kayla mcbride and Jewell Loyd.
“We’ve been so smart, i’ve been so spoiled,” mcGraw said. “it started with skylar in 2011: We have just been the smartest team out there every single game. We would find a way to win because we just would do the right thing. We knew when to take a shot and when not to, what we had to do down the stretch. We didn’t need to take timeouts, we didn’t need to walk through it three or four times, we could just write it down in the huddle and they’d go out and they’d execute.
“and that’s been my problem this year, i didn’t grasp how much more they needed.”
mcGraw named a laundry list of small facets of the game her players need to pay more attention to against acc rival boston college (8-10, 1-4 acc) on Thursday: guarding the ball screen, boxing out better and moving more effectively on offense, for example.
but she focused particularly on notre dame’s intensity as a point to improve upon in the next game and all the games after that.
“i think we lack a sense of urgency to get it done now,” mcGraw said. “We’re just sort of used to winning, and we go in expecting to win, but we don’t understand how hard we have to work to make that happen.
“it’s definitely a different mindset — we need to have a little bit more toughness, a little bit more grit. i think we can play a lot better, but it’s just going to be individually getting that toughness back.”
The trip to chestnut hill, massachusetts, on Thursday is the latest in a brutal stretch of travel for the irish. since a loss to top-ranked connecticut on dec. 7, notre dame has played in 10 games, and eight of them were on the road.
mcGraw said her goal for the team when it visits the eagles is to bounce back and show the urgency she believes would make a difference for the young irish in the long term.
“i want to come out with some passion and some urgency, and a little more intensity at the defensive end,” mcGraw said. “i think offensively, we can score and we can win games in the 60s, so it’s not the offense. i think it’s all the defense.”
notre dame faces boston college at conte Forum on Thursday night, with tip-off set for 7 p.m.
Contact Renee Griffin at rgriffi6@nd.edu
i rish head coach m ike brey said. “We’re really disappointed. We talked about getting into game situations, which we did, but i think you have to give Florida s tate credit. They had some kids hit some really big shots at key times. We missed a couple of free throws that could have helped us, but our effort was great. o ur belief was great. i tried to tell our guys, ‘We need to move on to the next one and flush this because noon s aturday comes quick.’”
i n addition to missing a few critical free throws, the i rish struggled mightily to protect the basketball. i n the first half alone, notre d ame turned the ball over 13 times despite averaging 9.4 turnovers per game, which ranks
second lowest in the nation.
a midst the turnovers in the first half, Florida s tate sophomore guard P.J. s avoy gave the s eminoles a spark to surge them towards a 20-8 run and a six-point lead heading into the second half. s avoy scored all 12 of his points in the run off of three 3-pointers, and sank three free-throws.
i saac and junior guard Xavier r athan-m ayes also made pivotal contributions. i saac scored a game-high 23 points, hauled in 10 rebounds and blocked seven shots. r athan-m ayes went scoreless in the first half, but his eight second-half points were all late, which helped seal their win against the i rish.
d espite committing a season-high 18 turnovers, notre d ame once again showcased its lethal 3-point shooting converting 15-21 attempts from beyond the arc. Led by
vasturia and Farrell’s 18 and 17 points, respectively, notre d ame’s small lineup was effective in the second half. s ix of notre d ame’s eight field goals to start the second half were 3-pointers, and with eight minutes left to go, senior forward v.J. b eachem’s fourth and final 3-pointer tied the game at 58.
a minute later, Farrell fired a pass towards cutting junior forward b onzie c olson, who scored and gave the i rish their first lead since their 23-21 lead in the first half. however, the offensive spark was short-lived. The i rish were held scoreless for over four minutes as the s eminoles went on an 11-1 run to take an eight-point lead.
a fter the loss, b rey reminded the team that Wednesday night would not be the last time they get to play the s eminoles. he said that it’s
important that the team move on from the loss just as they have been able to move on quickly from their victories.
“e verybody really battled,” b rey said. “i’m really proud of our group. v.J., steve, m atty, again, [freshman guard] T.J. Gibbs coming off the bench giving us stuff. e verybody who played really gave us — those nine guys really know who they are and gave us a chance to win. We’re disappointed, but we gotta get out of here and get some rest because s yracuse comes to town and they’ll be waiting on us.”
Looking to bounce back from their first acc loss of the season, notre d ame will host s yracuse at Purcell Pavilion on s aturday at noon.
Contact Manny De Jesus at mdejesus@nd.edu
Paid a dverT isemen T
Paid a dverT isemen T
men’s basketball | FsU 83, nd 80
Irish fall to FSU in first conference loss
By MANNY DE JESUS sports Writer
Just as no. 10 Florida state had their undefeated conference record ended by no. 9 north c arolina on s aturday, the s eminoles (17-2, 5-1 Acc ) gave the no. 15 Irish their first conference loss of the season Wednesday night in Tallahassee, Florida.
In each of its previous five Acc matchups, notre d ame (16-3, 5-1 Acc ) used its lategame magic to come away with wins. Against Pittsburgh, no. 12 Louisville, c lemson, m iami and v irginia Tech, the Irish went on explosive runs in the final two or three minutes, which led them to their program-best 5-0 conference start.
Against Florida state, the usual heroics weren’t enough for notre d ame to hold on to its undefeated record.
d own 79-74, senior captain forward steve vasturia drove down the court, pump faked a shot behind the arc, reset his feet and attempted a 3-point shot. however, s eminole
nd women’s basketball
freshman forward Jonathan Isaac reached over just enough to get a piece of the ball. Irish sophomore guard rex Pflueger was able to follow the basketball through the air and get the offensive rebound. Without hesitation, Pflueger sprinted down the baseline towards the corner, quickly turned around and converted a double-clutch 3-pointer to cut the deficit to two points.
After four made free-throws by Florida state, notre d ame trailed by six points with just 11 seconds remaining. vasturia took a quick pass from junior guard m att Farrell and connected on his fourth 3-pointer of the game to bring the margin back down to three points. Florida state’s ensuing inbound pass was then stolen by Pflueger, giving the Irish one last chance to potentially send the game into overtime, but Isaac ended any possibility of an extra period by blocking notre d ame’s last two attempts near the basket.
“I’m proud of our group,”
see m bbALL PaGe 11
Notre Dame finds itself in uncharted waters
By RENEE GRIFFIN sports Writer
notre dame head coach muffet mcGraw was in an unfamiliar position ahead of Thursday’s matchup with boston college: taking the temperature of a team that had just suffered its third regular-season loss.
Under mcGraw’s leadership, a notre dame squad had not lost more than two games in the regular season since going 24-6 in 2010-11. That changed on monday night, when the no. 6 Irish (16-3, 4-1 Acc) fell 71-69 to unranked Tennessee.
mcGraw acknowledged the inconsistency of having one of the better records in the country but still feeling as if the team is failing to meet the usual standards of the program.
“That’s what happens when expectations are so high — you’re 16-3, and you feel like you’re 3-16,” mcGraw said. “I know I’m trying to see the big picture, and I’m trying to be positive because we can still win a national championship — we might not be a no. 1 seed, but we can certainly still win.
nd looks for solid start to season
Observer Sports Staff
With its first matches of the spring season sunday in the form of a doubleheader against Western michigan and Wright state, notre dame comes out of the winter break looking to expand on some success in the fall season and improve on its 14-14 record from the 2015-16 season.
highlights of last year included wins over Pittsburgh and clemson on the way to the team’s quarterfinal berth in the Acc championship. The team lost a close match to UcLA in the first round of the nc AA championships as well.
The Irish have a strong core of players returning on their singles roster, including seniors monica robinson, mary closs and Jane Fennelly, and juniors brooke broda and Allison miller — all of whom are experienced in competition. robinson in particular has a significant amount of career experience with a 59-39 record, playing at the no. 2 slot for the past two seasons. The team’s underclassmen show promise as well, with sophomore rachel chong returning from an injury and freshmen bess Waldram
and Zoe spence showing potential after their impressive play in their first round of competition at notre dame. Waldram was especially solid with a team-leading 7-2 singles record during her first fall.
Although the team’s strength was in singles, the pairings of robinson and broda and Fennelly and Waldram was solid in the past, with robinson and broda notching a 6-2 record and reaching the finals of the ITA midwest regional championship in the fall. Fennelly and Waldram posted a 5-0 doubles record in the fall.
The Irish will face tough nonconference competition this upcoming season, with seven of their opponents ranked in the top 25, including no. 2 north carolina and no. 10 duke. notre dame will also face five big Ten opponents, non-conference matches for the Irish that will challenge them as they move outside of the known territory of fellow Acc teams.
The spring season kicks off for the Irish at eck Tennis Pavilion against Western michigan at 10 a.m., followed by a match against Wright state at 3 p.m.
nd women’s tennIs
ALLISON CULVER | The Observer
Irish senior guard Lindsay Allen surveys the court during Notre Dame’s 72-61 loss to UConn on Dec. 7 at Purcell Pavilion.
see W bbALL PaGe 11
ANN CURTIS | The Observer
Irish freshman guard T.J. Gibbs looks to pass the ball during Notre Dame’s 87-72 win over Fort Wayne on Dec. 6 at Purcell Pavilion. Gibbs recorded six points and four assists against the Mastadons.
