PDF for Thursday, October 16, 2014

Same-sex couples to receive benefits

ND, SMC will extend benefits to married same-sex couples in compliance with state law

By KAYLA MULLEN news writer

notre dame and saint mary’s will extend benefits to all legally married spouses of employees, including same-sex spouses, according to an e-mail sent by the office of human resources on oct. 8.

“on monday [oct. 6], the u s supreme court declined to hear appeals from decisions striking down bans on same-sex marriage in several states, including indiana. This means that the

law in indiana now recognizes same-sex marriages and the university will extend benefits to all legally married spouses, including same-sex spouses,” the e-mail stated. “notre dame is a catholic university and endorses a catholic view of marriage. however, it will follow the relevant civil law and begin to implement this change immediately.”

saint mary’s also sent out an email to its faculty and staff oct. 9, announcing that it will make changes.

“saint mary’s college’s interpretation is that, as an employer in indiana, the college must abide by the law and enroll legally married, same-sex spouses of faculty and staff in its insurance benefits if requested by a college employee,” r ichard nugent, director of human resources and college counsel at saint mary’s, said. The cost of providing health insurance to employees at both institutions will increase, but the number of new persons that will be covered by the

institutions remains to be seen, nugent said.

paul J. browne, vice president of public affairs and communications for notre dame, said prior to the extension of benefits last week, approximately 2,700 spouses of notre dame employees were covered.

“it’s unknown right now how many will be added as a result of the extension of benefits,” browne said. “it will become clearer as newly covered

beneFiTs PaGe 5

SMC students stand up to cancer

By RONI DARLING news writer

l ast week, the s aint m ary’s s tand u p to c ancer club sold T-shirts as a fundraiser for the national organization “ s tand u p to c ancer” as the first of many events the club will host throughout the year to reach their fundraising goal.

s enior and club president c hristine h utch said the club’s mission is to host events that will raise awareness and funds for

cancer research.

“This organization is unique because it gives 100 percent of donations to the best and brightest scientists in order to accelerate the pace of groundbreaking research that can save lives,” h utch said. “This is an important issue now more than ever since government funding for cancer research is diminished, and yet cancer takes one person’s life every minute.”

h utch said the club brings students of s aint m ary’s

see sTand up PaGe 4

grad student wins award

By SELENA PONIO news writer

a bigail w eaver, a chemistry graduate student at n otre d ame, received the 2014 b axter young i nvestigator a ward for her work aimed at analyzing and identifying counterfeit drugs. h er winning research project was titled, “ n ew a nalytical Tools for Qualitative

p harmaceutical a nalysis in Field s ettings.” weaver completed her undergraduate education at a nderson university and earned her master’s degree at p urdue university. s he is currently in her fifth year as a graduate student at notre

nd club of Tallahassee prepares for game

By BIANCA ALMADA news writer

w ith the promise of fall break, c ollege g ame d ay and a much-hyped football game to look forward to, it is safe to say many n otre d ame students are excited about the upcoming weekend.

The n otre d ame c lub of Tallahassee, in collaboration with other organizations, is busy working to make the weekend a success for visiting students, alumni and fans alike.

“ d owntown Tallahassee is a great area, and we’re

excited to share it with the nd crowd,” Joe h urd, a member of the class of 1982 and chairperson for the n otre d ame c lub of Tallahassee, said. “ we’re collaborating with the n otre d ame clubs in m iami and Jacksonville, as well as the local s t. Thomas m ore c atholic c hurch to make the weekend a great experience for everyone.”

The club will begin its celebration Friday evening with a social gathering and pep rally near Tallahassee’s a dams s treet c ommons. e arly online registration is encouraged to secure tickets.

The c ommons also will be the site of Tallahassee’s d owntown g et d own, featuring a performance from a local band, food vendors and a block party atmosphere, according to the event website.

“There will be students and visitors not just from all over Florida, but from all over the country,” h urd said. “There will be plenty of opportunities for networking and fun.”

The c ollege g ame d ay broadcast will begin s aturday at 9 a.m. on the l angford g reen, located

see Florida PaGe 5

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

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Courtney Davis sophomore walsh hall

“ron swanson.”

Josh Dempsey junior duncan hall

“Tom selleck as r ichard from ‘Friends.’”

Dan Lopes sophomore o’neil hall

“Jon hamm.”

Anthony Murphy junior off-campus

“Jake gyllenhaal, nicely trimmed.”

Elizabeth Tafesse sophomore mcglinn hall

“Johnny depp’s signature ‘p irates of the caribbean’ beard.”

Amber Watson sophomore ryan hall

“brad p itt.”

Walsh Hall residents decorate their dorm room doors for trick-or-treaters from the Boys & Girls Club. Residents pay for materials, and all proceeds benefit the Boys & Girls Club.

t he next f ive D ays:

Poet Valerie Mejer to visit campus for poetry reading

By ANDREA VALE news writer

mexican-born poet and painter valerie mejer will make an appearance on campus Friday to read from her works.

The notre dame creative writing program and department of e nglish will sponsor the event.

mejer’s works “explore containment and fragility, layering loss and possibility over a once-familiar landscape,” according to the creative writing program’s website.

her works include poetry collections “rain of the Future” (2013), “de la ola, el atajo” (2009), “g eografías de niebla” (2008), “esta novela a zul” (2004), and “a nte el ojo de cíclope” (1999), as well as the novel “de e lefante a e lefante” (1997).

her artwork has appeared in raúl Zurita’s “l os boteros de la noche” (2010), Forrest gander’s “l igaduras/l igatures” (2012), and a ntonio p rete’s “menhir” (2007) and “l’imperfection de la lune” (2007).

mejer said she chooses her topics of poetry or art “the same way you choose what is going to happen the next hour or day. a mix between intuition and destiny. a lot comes

from the past, voices, pains. l ike c harles wright said, ‘a ll forms of landscape are autobiographical.’”

Joyelle mcsweeney, director of the creative writing program and associate professor of english, said mejer’s work is contemporary, graceful, forceful and memorable.

“a s a mexican poet and painter, she carries the traditions of both the l atin a merican surrealism associated with Frida Kahlo and the intimate, personal lyric of a merican poetry,” mcsweeney said. “hers is a poetry for every member of the notre dame and south bend community.”

mcsweeney also said she believes mejer’s dual roles of painter and poet complement each other.

“her ‘painter’s eye’ shows in her poetry, in that her poems are full of images at once dreamlike and forceful,” mcsweeney said. “at the same time, her poetry is breathtaking for the fluid way each image gives way to the next. a poem elapses in time, while a painting is fixed in time.”

mejer’s visit comes in the wake of the publication of her first english-language translation of “rain of the Future.”

The work was published by independent press action books,

paid a dverT isemen T

which is run by mcsweeney and fellow associate professor of english Johannes g öransson.

“[The translation is] a tribute to mejer’s brilliance, but it is also the product of many hands working together,” including a merican poets cd wright, Forrest gander, sarah denaci and a lexandra Zelman-doring, mcsweeney said. i n addition, the collection includes a preface from a rgentine poet raul Zurita.

“[The creative writing program hopes] students and faculty in many disciplines — creative writing, literature, visual arts, students of spanish-language literature and culture, students of global affairs — will benefit from the chance to interact with this exquisitely talented poet and painter,” mcsweeney said.

mcsweeney said she hopes mejer’s work will show notre dame students the importance of the arts in international exchange.

The event is open to the public and will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the hammes bookstore. a question-and-answer session will follow mejer’s reading.

Contact Andrea Vale at avale@nd.edu

saint mary’s prepares second status of girls report

By EMILIE KEFALAS news writer

Their voices were absent from the first s tatus of g irls ( sgi ) in i ndiana report, but girls living in i ndiana will tell their own stories in interviews as s aint m ary’s prepares a second study.

l ast fall, s aint m ary’s released the first sgi report, a comprehensive statistical study on the health and wellbeing of i ndiana girls ages 10-19, according to a s aint m ary’s press release.

The report, compiled by six members of the s aint m ary’s faculty and 60 students, provided a detailed summary of what girls’ lives in i ndiana were like and served as a resource for scholars, nonprofit leaders and policymakers. a t the time, s aint m ary’s was the fifth allwomen’s college in the nation to release such a report, per a press release.

n oticeably absent from the report, however, were the voices of young girls. Terri l r uss, associate professor of communication studies, and m arne a ustin, assistant professor of communication studies, have since designed the current phase of the ongoing project to fill this void for the second sgi report by collecting oral histories from girls in i ndiana ages 10-19.

r uss and a ustin hope to generate a deeper understanding of the lives of girls while encouraging the surrounding community to take part in this important research project and talk about the things important to them, a ustin said.

“ i n order to understand girls and their lives, we must invite and attend to their voices and the things they feel are important to them,” a ustin said.

a s faculty and students work on a second sgi report, additional professors are collecting oral histories from girls from around the state, r uss said.

“The hope is that by combining statistical data with narrative accounts, we can come to a deeper understanding of what the lives of girls in i ndiana are like,” r uss said. “ w hat do they care and worry about most? w hat do they wish adults knew about their lives? a dditionally, we hope to create a searchable digital archive of these oral histories that can serve as an additional resource for other researchers, educators and agencies working with young

girls.”

i n order to fully understand the lives of girls, it’s important to take the time to talk to them about their lives and the things important to them, r uss said.

“In order to understand girls and their lives, we must invite and attend to their voices and the things they feel are important to them.”

Terri Russ Associate professor of communication studies

“ w hile this might seem like common sense, surprisingly few researchers actually take the time to do so,” r uss said. “ we are not those researchers, and in fact, we argue that any research about young girls without talking to them has little true value.”

The professors want to hear the voices of their communities and add it to their research to ensure they are compiling a fuller overview of i ndiana girls’ lives, a ustin said.

“ we are looking for girls from all demographic backgrounds,” a ustin said. “ i n other words, it doesn’t matter what your race, ethnicity, religion, income or sexual orientation is.”

The procedures and methods for this project have been reviewed by the s aint m ary’s i nstitutional r eview b oard to ensure that all phases of the project adhere to standard academic ethical guidelines. These guidelines dictate that project participants will not be harmed during the research process and that confidentiality of all participants will be maintained, according to a press release. r uss and a ustin hope their research contributes to the building a greater understanding of girls’ lives in i ndiana, r uss said.

“The only requirement is that you be between the ages of 10 and 19 and live in i ndiana,” r uss said. “ p articipation will only take about an hour of your time, but the results will be longlasting and significantly important.”

Contact Emilie Kefalas at ekefal01@saintmarys.edu

and community members together, united behind a single and very important cause with hopes to find a cure.

“[ o ur] events, fundrais -

“We are able to raise funds and awareness through this awesome organization. Everyone knows someone who has been affected by cancer, and that is who we’ll be dancing for. We are excited to share this experience with the community again this year.”

Christine Hutch president, SMC Stand Up to Cancer club

ers and projects each year ... have been very successful so far,” she said. “a ll of the money we raise is sent directly to s tand u p to c ancer

at the end of each year.”

The club volunteers at m emorial h ospital in s outh b end and holds an annual dinner-dance specifically for cancer patients and survivors in the community, she said.

h utch said last year the club dedicated a ribbon tree in the student center for students and guests to tie a colored ribbon in remembrance of or support for someone who has had cancer.

The club’s t-shirt sales this past week were in preparation for one of their biggest fundraisers, the third annual smc s tands u p to c ancer p ink p arty Zumbathon, she said.

“ w e are able to raise funds and awareness for all types of cancer through this awesome organization,” h utch said. “ e veryone knows someone who has been affected by cancer, and that is who we’ll be dancing for.

w e are excited to share this experience with the community again this year.

“This event unites students with community members from s outh b end, m ishawaka and g ranger to dance for a cure.”

h utch said student dance groups, including the smc d ance Team, Troop nd, p

Fresh and the i rish d ance Team, as well as the student a capella group, b ellacapella, will perform.

The event will feature more than 20 local Zumba instructors who will take turns teaching, according to a press release.

n ursing major and sophomore m egan Tobin said she is going to attend the event to support people she knows who have battled cancer and her fellow b elles who have been affected by the disease.

“ i have witnessed family members as well as close friends battle cancer, so i want to do anything i can to support them,” Tobin said.

“ n ot only are we able to be there for those battling, but we get to have fun and get a great workout out of it. i think it also gives people incentive to go. b efore the event they think it’s just going to be a fun dance class, but after, they realize they were a part of something much bigger than that.”

s ophomore Katherine Kingsbury said it’s important for the s aint m ary’s community to be aware and involved in the s outh b end community, especially because it’s sometimes the small things that make the

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biggest impact in someone’s life.

“ i ’m excited that i can support my community in such a fun and engaging way,” Kingsbury said.

The Zumbathon will take place n ov. 1 from 5:308:30 p.m. in a ngela a thletic Facility. The public is invited to take part and no prior Zumba experience is necessary. Those attending

are encouraged to wear pink and dance.

Tickets can be purchased ahead of time through participating Zumba instructors or at Tu s ei b ella Fitness s tudio in Toscana p ark in g ranger. a ll profits will benefit s tand u p to c ancer in support of cancer research.

Contact Roni Darling at vdarli02@saintmarys.edu

just outside d oak c ampbell s tadium.

“The rivalry will be fierce, and i am excited to be there to help cheer the i rish on to victory,” sophomore m aura b oston, who will be traveling to the game with the n otre d ame marching band, said.

o n game day, the notre d ame c lubs of Tallahassee and m iami will sponsor an all-day tailgating event at the Tallahassee c ivic c enter. The event will include a cash bar, games, raffles, a putting green event and more. a t 4 p.m., a pregame mass will be held at the local s t. Thomas more c atholic c hurch. The bishop of p ensacola-Tallahassee will preside.

“ it was very important for us to include a liturgical aspect in the day,” hurd said. “a nd the mass counts for your s unday obligation.”

hurd said there will be many viewing options available for those who do not have tickets.

“ n early every tavern and restaurant around will have the game on, and we’re hosting an official watch party

in the bar at the local Four p oints hotel,” he said.

s ome students attending the game are planning to extend the trip into fall break, renting houses and staying in Florida for the week.

“o n s unday after the game, my friends and i are

“The rivalry will be fierce, and I am excited to be there to help cheer the Irish on to victory.”

Maura Boston sophomore

driving to a little quaint beachside town a few hours away,” senior a lison l eddy said. “ we’ll be there for the rest of the break, relaxing and eating and soaking up the sun before the s outh b end winter hits.”

hurd recommended a number of visitors’ sites including the Tallahassee capitol buildings, the beaches at s t. g eorge i sland located two hours to the south and Tallahassee’s m idtown and c ollege Town areas.

Contact Bianca Almada at balmada@nd.edu

award

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d ame.

“The aim of the b axter young i nvestigator award is to reward research in the development of therapies and medical products,” weaver said.

The prestigious award is awarded by b axter i nternational i nc., a global healthcare company headquartered in d eerfield, i llinois. it is open to graduate and post-doctoral students in the m idwest and includes four different scientific categories, such as life sciences, medical device engineering and pharmaceutical sciences. weaver won the prize in the company’s instrumental and analytical science division.

The introduction of weaver’s research project states statistical information regarding the pharmaceutical supply chain’s modern complexity. a ccording to weaver, the u s . imports 40 percent of finished medications, as well as 80 percent of active ingredients.

weaver said her project was aimed at overcoming the problem imposed by the counterfeit pharmaceutical industry. s he helped develop a chromatography paper

that tests the contents of any pharmaceutical drug swiped across it.

“The problem is poor quality drugs,” weaver said. “The test card makes a profile and screens the pharmaceuticals, so that you can see if there’s a variation in the active ingredients.

“ you get a color bar code of the pharmaceutical that can be compared with the pattern of colors the authentic drug gives. we can identify differences between the two drugs based on the color bar code.”

weaver said the guidance of m arya l ieberman, notre d ame associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry and the efforts of undergraduate students, helped make this project possible.

“m arya l ieberman had started the project and was working with undergraduates,” weaver said. “i’ve been working with her for fourand-a-half years.”

weaver said her paperbased test minimizes the gap between the scientist’s lab and the real world by acting as an inexpensive way to check for quality pharmaceuticals. a dditionally, she has already completed some work with the F da and has used the test in several developing countries,

such as h aiti and Kenya.

“i had done a little bit of research already with l ieberman,” weaver said. “ we

“I would like to see organizations using this test to screen pharmaceuticals.”

Abigail Weaver graduate student

were working with the h aiti program to find a low-tech method for quantifying medication in salt for lymphatic filariasis. That work was taken down to h aiti and was implemented in a salt plant [there].” d espite her extensive research and accomplishments, weaver said she is not finished yet. s he continues to work towards promoting scientific technologies that aim to improve the standard of living in developing countries.

“i would like to see organizations using this test to screen pharmaceuticals,” weaver said. “i would also like to see it inspire other people to develop technologies that work in developing countries.”

Contact Selena Ponio at sponio@nd.edu

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benefits

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employees sign up for benefits.” reactions from the notre dame community to the extension of benefits have been mixed.

“This decision makes me feel respected and valued by the university. especially now that the benefits of marriage have been extended to gay couples in indiana, notre dame’s proactivity is welcomed and appreciated,” aaron nichols, audience development program manager for shakespeare at notre dame and an out staff member, said.

The decision, while having very important symbolic meaning, also has very important practical implications, dr. maureen lafferty, assistant director of the university counseling center and an out staff member, said.

“This decision has very important practical benefits for glbTQ families who may breathe easier due to access to medical insurance coverage — it’s a wonderful way to support families,” lafferty said. “respect for diversity is also a core value for the kind of institution that notre dame strives to be — a top-tier institution in a global marketplace.

“notre dame describes its commitment to diversity as a ‘moral and intellectual necessity’ and calls us to cultivate a diverse community,” she said. “This action feels consistent with those values.”

lafferty said that she believes this decision will help notre dame become a more inclusive place.

“glbTQ faculty and staff members and their families will no doubt feel a greater sense of support and belonging, which is

always a good thing,” she said. “Faculty and staff may also feel safer to be ‘out’ on campus, which enables them to provide valued mentoring for diverse students.

“This decision can also communicate to the world at large that respect for diversity is a core university value, which can be very attractive to potential faculty, staff and students,” lafferty said.

nichols said he hopes this decision on the part of the university will help gain acceptance for members of the lgbT community.

“There is, and will continue to be, people of faith who believe my sexual orientation is a personal choice that god condemns,” nichols said. “i hope these individuals will see their lgbT brothers and sisters through the lens of our university’s loving and empathetic stance.”

other members of the notre dame community, however, are not pleased with the university’s extension of health insurance benefits to same-sex spouses.

“This is a very sad development for notre dame. The haste with which it was done and its being announced without serious consideration of the legal implications is not only deeply troubling but also revelatory of the direction of the current notre dame administration,” Father bill miscamble, professor of history, said. “notre dame has made no effort to stand for the truth about marriage but has supinely conformed to a deeply flawed understanding of the crucial institution of marriage.”

bishop Kevin c rhoades of the Fort wayne-south bend diocese issued a statement on the matter Tuesday, voicing the need for

notre dame to follow catholic teaching.

“in announcing its decision to extend benefits to ‘same-sex spouses,’ i am glad that notre dame affirmed that as a catholic university, it ‘endorses a catholic view of marriage,’ though i would say that catholic teaching on the heterosexual nature of marriage is more than ‘a view,’” rhoades said. “The heterosexual nature of marriage is an objective truth known by right reason and revelation.

“as a catholic university, it is important that notre dame continues to affirm its fidelity to catholic teaching on the true nature of marriage as a union of one man and one woman.”

The mission of the university, however, is one of inclusion and love, and this decision furthers notre dame toward better carrying out that goal, university president Fr. John Jenkins said.

“apart from these questions and any legal obligations, however, we recognize an urgent call to welcome, support and cherish gay and lesbian brothers and sisters, who have been too often marginalized and even ostracized, and many of whom bear the scars of such treatment,” Jenkins said. “at notre dame, we have undertaken initiatives to provide support and welcome gay and lesbian members of our community. These efforts must not and will not flag.

“our abiding goal, rather, is to learn better how to love one another and together build a less imperfect community of love. That is the mission of notre dame, and we remain committed to it.”

Contact Kayla Mullen at kmullen2@nd.edu

w hom am i serving?

Susan Zhu graphic designer

i remember in high school there was a two-week summer period during which it seemed every person and his twice-removed grandma went on a service trip to (insert c entral a merican country here). i remember countless i nstagram and Facebook posts of people lovingly holding orphans in their arms or smiling at sweet, old indigenous women and men. i remember not being able to decide whether it was okay to cringe at these picture because i couldn’t decide if they were tasteless or thoughtful.

it wasn’t as if those people were trying to be tasteless; it was more likely that they were thrilled about the time they had spent in that country, and they wanted to share it with the rest of the world.

i couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that lingered, however. it wasn’t that i felt service shouldn’t be publicized, but i thought it was inappropriate when it seemed all about gaining attention. it makes me question my own intentions before i leave for the immersion part of my a ppalachia seminar over fall break. Through the c enter for s ocial c oncerns, i will be traveling to vanceburg, Kentucky, to serve at glenmary Farms.

o n one hand, i have never been more excited to travel to the a ppalachia region, which i have been learning about for the past five weeks; on the other hand, i am apprehensive. i am apprehensive because i don’t know my true intentions for going on this trip. o f course, i want to do service, which is why i applied in the first place. but i can’t help but wonder: who am i really serving? a m i serving the people of the region, or am i serving myself? a m i serving myself because doing service gives me a feeling of self-satisfaction? a m i serving others to the best of my ability to be truly selfless?

o r does selflessness in service not matter as much as it seems to?

i don’t know the answer yet; i probably still will not know the answer when i return, as a week is an incredibly short amount of time when doing service. it is not enough time to understand a region. a nd, without a full understanding of the region, i won’t actually know the impact of my actions.

it well may be that i spend my entire life trying to figure out the real purpose behind the service i take on. it well may be that selflessness in service is a naïve and dated idea and that good service heavily involves the person doing it because of self-reflection and dedication.

I need my two servings of ‘froot’

Ryan Junior in mc glinn

a ll this happened, more or less. The parts about the cereal, anyway, are pretty much true. n orth d ining h all really did stop serving the only cereal that contains real “froot.” i t really did seriously traumatize me when i became conscious of the injustice that had transpired. a nd so on.

i t’s 9:20 a.m. on a m onday. s omehow, i had managed to stay awake for the duration of my 8:20 a.m. class in d e b artolo and am now stumbling my way along the familiar path to n orth d ining h all. h aphazardly dumping my backpack near the first empty table i spot, i deftly weave my way into the central food room. i take a quick inventory of the produce options, eager to fulfill my recommended daily fruit intake. b ananas. o ranges. b ananas. s ome cantaloupe. b ananas. r otten athletes taking all of the blasted strawberries in northeast i ndiana.

d isheartened and looking for any alternative to bananas, i navigate to the lone area of the dining hall that i know will not let me down. The oasis in the desert. The hammer in n intendo 64 s uper s mash b ros. The c harizard in my p okémon collection, if you will. The cereal bar.

b ut then i remember, as a rule of thumb, there will be bowls available only at the farthest point in n orth d ining h all from which i am currently standing. i t takes me several minutes to unearth a bowl and reach

the promising line of dispensers that i have learned to rely on. i feverishly scan labels, prepared to cram my bowl with heaps of Fruity p ebbles that i know will provide me with all (…most?) of the essential nutrients contained in my daily serving of fruit. o ne lap proves futile. s urely i must have missed it. Two laps, still nothing. They’re probably just out of Fruity p ebbles today. That’s all right. i can go for some Froot l oops instead. a few laps later, and i am left staring at the bottom of my empty bowl — the unadulterated, sky-blue plastic mocking me as if i have done something to deserve this assault on all that is good and respectable in this world.

The u s d epartment of a griculture recommends two whole cups of fruit daily for men and women ages 19 to 30. a nd that’s assuming that you participate in less than 30 minutes per day of “moderate physical activity.” h ell, it takes me 30 minutes just to walk from m c g linn to n orth d ining h all when i want access to chocolate chips from the ice cream bar for my waffle toppings. a dd in my hike to the far end of n orth for g rab n’ g o, and i ’ve practically burned off my entire recommended daily calorie intake! h ow can i be expected to meet such a lofty standard of fruit consumption with no fruity cereal options?

s o, please, n orth d ining h all, resurrect Fruity p ebbles and Fruit l oops, and we promise that we won’t fault you for ditching the g rape n uts.

Jill Ryan can be contacted at Jillian.C.Ryan.254@nd.edu

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

“The

Mitch Hedberg comedian

Friendship: the foundation of reason

“i will always consider the possibility that i might be wrong.” so states the commitment to humility in the center for social concerns’ “virtues of discourse” pledge. as one of the seven “virtues” in the pledge, humility means, “w hen i realize that i have been wrong, i will readily acknowledge it.”

This might bring to mind the humble socrates, who was confounded when the oracle at delphi announced that none was wiser than he. conscious that he was “not at all wise,” socrates thereafter began a search to find a man of greater wisdom. in his search, he discovered that “those with the best reputations seemed … nearly the most deficient … while others with more paltry reputations seemed to be … more fit in regard to being wise.” in his devotion to the god, the founder of the western philosophic tradition found himself “in ten-thousandfold poverty” after giving up everything in pursuit of wisdom. reading about socrates can be awkward at a nationally ranked university with a $9.8 billion endowment. socrates could find no man of true wisdom, and he concluded that perhaps the oracle wished to teach that the wisest man was the man who knew he did not know. Today, the socratic pursuit endures, scattered throughout debartolo, the basilica and occasionally even the dorms. w hile the politicians, the poets and the artisans were blindly followed in socrates’ time, today students blindly follow the published professor, the laboratory results and

letter to the edItor

dear c lass of 2015,

the princeton review.

yet socrates does not condemn the practice of obedient following. w hen he first heard the words of the oracle, he wondered: “surely he is not saying something false, at least; for that is not sanctioned for him.” Trusting in the oracle, he sought to understand.

Thus, the philosopher’s search is not the search for facts, but the act of faith seeking understanding. The key is not the right proof, but the right teacher. The core of man’s desire to know is not the desire to know all the workings of heaven and earth, but to find a master who properly will guide our wonderings. The fool will seek the property rights of the Fount of Truth, but the philosopher will go to the Fount and drink.

we follow so that we can know. Trust is the requisite for knowledge. Faith is the foundation for reason. as students, we come to notre dame because we believe she will have teachers and guides who will be reliable in the pursuit of our future selves. we listen to the mathematics professor because we trust he will teach truthfully. we may not understand every word, but we take his words as true, write them down and do our best to internalize them.

mary is well versed in this practice. christianity understands her as the greatest philosopher and theologian. in the life of Jesus, she exemplifies the philosophic disposition. she “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” she teaches: “do whatever he tells you.” she is called the seat of wisdom. she is the second-highest point on notre dame’s campus after the basilica. Through christianity, the philosopher moves his trust from the oracle to christ, who taught: “i am the way and

the truth and the life.” This teacher thus becomes our guide and the truest foundation of reason. and he transforms our relationship to our guide, saying, “i no longer call you slaves because a slave does not know what his master is doing. i have called you friends because i have told you everything i have heard from my Father.” socrates calls the truth his master, but the christian calls the Truth his friend.

so the foundation of reason is no longer simple obedience, but friendship. James schall has emphasized the importance of friendship, saying, “Friendship stands at the core of human and, yes, divine reality. no subject stands closer to the heart of a 20-year old student than that of the proper meaning and practice of friendship, of how it is gained and of how it is lost. if we get that issue wrong, we will get life itself wrong.

w hen the virtues of discourse ask me to “always consider the possibility that i might be wrong,” i am asked to consider two possibilities. either i have misunderstood my guide and friend, or i am mistaken as to whom i should trust. The friend of christ, however, need only consider the former. as st. Jerome teaches, “a friendship that can end was never true.”

Christopher Damian graduated from Notre Dame in 2013. He is currently pursuing a J.D. and an M.A. in Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas. He can be contacted through his blog at universityideas.wordpress.com

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

it’s not about where we graduate

i agree it’s pretty frustrating that we won’t be able to have our graduation in notre dame stadium for the sake of “progress.” i was at graduation last year, and there’s something majestic and awe-inspiring about the stadium. it would be unbelievable to be able to celebrate the greatest accomplishment of our lives there, but we need to face the facts. it’s not going to happen. no matter how much we complain or protest or petition, campus crossroads is happening.

To tell the truth, i don’t think it really matters where we have our graduation. sure, not all of my loved ones will be able to be at the ceremony, but they’re still all

going be here supporting me as they have for the past four years. yeah, the Joyce center doesn’t have the same history or emotional charge around it as the stadium, but you know what does? The grotto. The residence hall you’ve called home for the last four years. The g olden dome. Those are the places i’m going to remember the most from my time here; not the physical building i graduated in.

u ltimately though, i think we’re sort of missing the point of graduation. it’s not about where we graduate. it’s about where we are graduating from. it’s about celebrating all of our accomplishments over the last four years. it’s about being surrounded by the ones we love and thanking them for all the support they’ve

given us over this journey. it’s about laughing and crying with our best friends one last time as undergraduates and for the first time as graduates. so, instead of wasting our time and energy on something that isn’t going to change, let’s focus on something we can change, such as making the most of what time we have left here or getting an awesome commencement speaker.

# stephencolbertfor commencement

we should know about off-campus incidents

you may have heard that a student of holy cross college was a victim of a recent shooting on notre dame ave. you may have heard through news or social media or your friends. but you most certainly did not hear from the university or from the notre dame security police.

This lack of action betrays administrative incompetence, apathy or both. off-campus students should know whether or not they can safely return home.

people visiting friends or going to parties on the weekends should know what areas to avoid. even if there is no continued threat, we have a right to know when one of our own is a victim so that we might support one another. This is the same disregard for student safety that left us unalerted to an attempted stabbing in a residence hall a few years ago. i suspect we’ll hear from the university soon; although student safety doesn’t seem to motivate

the administration, controversy certainly does. i n the meantime, i think we should ask ourselves: are we a university with an administration, or an administration with a university?

By Caelin Miltko

scene writer

Fall break is coming.

There is a frenzy in the air as we dart around, taking tests, writing essays and wondering how — or if — we, never mind our gpa s, are going to make it through this week alive. a s students, we look forward to the game on saturday and then to a week of relaxation, where we can — hopefully — sleep and forget about whatever craziness has been consuming us.

scottish indie-rock band we were p romised Jetpacks embodies this upcoming feeling of relief on its new album, “unravelling.” The album is slower than the band’s previous work. occasionally, it seems as though the album is about to build up to the hysteria evident on the band’s previous lps, but we were p romised Jetpacks always bring it back down to a slower, even pace.

“unravelling” is the third album from we were p romised Jetpacks. a fter its sophomore album, “i n the p it of the stomach,” the group added a new member — guitarist, keyboardist and pianist stuart mc gachan. h is presence is evident — at times, his playing takes over the band’s traditional sound and drowns it out.

The calmness of the new work fits the title of the lp some of the tension evident in the band’s early works

almost builds in tracks “safety in numbers” and “peaks and Troughs” — coming to a high in “night Terrors.” but by the 11th track, “r icochet,” these remnants are gone as the band turns instead to a slower, sleepier, hypnotic sound driven by mc gachan’s presence.

it’s not necessarily a bad change. The guitar riffs on the intro of “a part of it” prove fantastic and the entirely instrumental “peace of m ind” is an interesting, u2-esque addition to the discography.

a fter listening to the entirety of “unravelling,” i felt the need to go back to the band’s first offering, “These Four walls,” to remind myself of its original sound. i wasn’t sure i was listening to the same band.

older songs like “Quiet l ittle voices” and “it’s Thunder and it’s l ightning” lift you up to the band’s energy level — you want to move; you want to sing, and you want to be right in that moment. “unravelling” is more reflective — allowing you to take a step back and rest for moment.

That’s not to say the dance-vibes aren’t present on this new album. “i Keep it c omposed” is particularly strong in this way, relying on the backbeats of earlier work over the sounds mc gachan’s talent adds to the band. but that’s not what the album is about. it’s not what we were p romised Jetpacks is building to, and it’s certainly not where the band leaves you — my biggest criticism of the album.

There were points when i was happy and impressed. The beginning of the album was especially strong, dealing with conflicted emotions through both lyrics and sound, but by the end, the sound lost all remnants of this conflict and settled on a slow-moving pace. it was a bit of a bummer to end on.

a lot of what changed in the new album can be attributed to the addition of the band’s new, undoubtedly talented member — and it’s an adjustment i can make. it showcases a change in the we were p romised Jetpacks sound, but i hope it’s a little like fall break — just a bit of rest before we dive back into the frenzy, even if it is of a different sort.

Contact Caelin Miltko at cmoriari@nd.edu

“Unravelling”

We Were Promised Jet Packs

Label: Fat Cat Records

Tracks: “Peaks and Troughs,” “Night Terror”

If you like: Frightened Rabbit, We Are Scientists

By Jimmy Kemper scene writer

in a career about 12 years long, oK go has released a surprisingly small number of albums. it has been four years since 2010’s “of the blue colour of the sky.” oK go has held fans over with a spattering of singles and eps, including this year’s “upside out.” “upside out” was a varied effort with little holding it together, as it combined elements from a number of different genres.

on its latest album, “hungry ghosts,” oK go narrowed its focus, concentrating on synth-rock while occasionally including some disco elements and throwbacks to the band’s classic power-pop sound to keep things fresh. a lthough keyboards have been instrumental to oK go’s sound since the group’s debut, it is rather shocking to hear Tim nordwind totally ditch his bass guitar for the majority of the album. overall, this is a non-issue because when oK go focuses on developing strong lyrics and melody, the songs work well.

The highlight tracks of the album focus on these elements, and the reward is a variety of awesome songs to jam out to. The opener, “upside down & inside out,” catches the listener by surprise with its massive drums, guitars and crazy synthesizers. The chorus is cranked to the maximum with stuttered distortion on the vocals for

the latter half of the song. The song surpasses expectations during the two contrast sections in which the volume lessens, and most of the instrumentation drops out to focus on damien Kulash’s vocals and a basic synthesizer accompaniment. “The one moment,” with its open piano chords and loud-soft-loud construction, is definitely the climax of the album.

even when the band sacrifices those loud, fun and catchy choruses for something smaller, slower and quieter, oK go still pulls together quality songs. “a nother set of issues” focuses on Kulash’s strong falsetto and a simple arrangement with synth bass, sporadic chimes and a basic drum beat. The slinky “obsession” nails a sketchy, creepy tone with a conglomeration of distorted, fuzzy guitar, synth tones, a consistent kick drum beat and a dash of latin percussion. Kulash’s near-whispered vocals are unprecedented and successful. unfortunately, not all the songs on this album manage to work out in a good way. i may have fallen asleep the first time i heard “i’m not Through,” as the slower, synthier strategy did not work on this track. “i’m not Through” is a funk-style track with classic video game synths mixed in. The song is limited by unmemorable lyrics and a dead falsetto chorus. even with a heavily distorted disco-feeling guitar solo, the song lacks the essential passionate, melodic drive that makes an oK go song work. similarly weak is “bright as your eyes,” which starts

with a quirky, oscillating synth drone but rapidly collapses into a nauseating, cheesy chorus. a nd big, empty rocker “Turn up the radio” is definitely receiving my vote for least inspired lyrics of 2014 with “Turn up the radio / Turn out the lights” among other forgettable lyrics. These songs feel mediocre and forgettable at best. in spite of these flaws, oK go crafted a decent album. a lthough “hungry ghosts” probably will not be on anybody’s album-of-the-year list, oK go has crafted something fun, exciting and enjoyable to listen to.

a ll we can hope for now is a couple more innovative music videos for “hungry ghosts” that we can share with all our cool friends online.

Contact Jimmy Kemper at jkemper2@nd.edu

“Hungry Ghosts”

OK Go

Label: Paracadute

Tracks: “Upside Down & Inside Out,” “The One Moment”

If you like: Weezer, Cake, Kaiser Chiefs

By Allie Tollaksen scene e ditor

i had the pleasure of hearing an early version of south bend musician and notre dame alumnus peter hochstedler’s newest album, “necrobisect,” this spring during a performance at The pool. it wasn’t the first time i had seen or heard peter — he has performed in and around south bend for many years, released an impressive seven solo records and produced albums for many local musicians, including the debut record of current notre dame student Jon schommer and his band, The cute Townies.

but the artist i’ve followed for years brought something new to the live performance of hochstedler’s “necrobisect.” he began the show by handing out pamphlets to the entire audience, a packet of printed lyrics and images of, as peter put it, “dead m ichiganders” to supplement the performance. we listened to and read along with hochstedler’s newest album in its entirety. poring over the words and pictures during hochstedler’s solid solo performance, the anticipation for the release of “necrobisect” began. now, the wait is over. “necrobisect,” which hochstedler says is about “death, separation and the a merican wet dream,” is not only a record, but also an experiment in sound, style and medium. Titled after a word he created, “necrobisect” explores themes of “theft, disparity, hiddenness and illusion.” The album originally was recorded reel-to-reel on tape for its vinyl version. performed as i heard it in the spring, with guitar and vocals, the record is intimate and at times, wonderfully raw, amplified by the inestimable experience of a freshly pressed lp

paralleling the theme of “bisection,” hochstedler has released a separate, digital version of “necrobisect,” which mixes in instrumentals and incorporates digital samples of what hochstedler describes as “found sounds” to create a layered and textured take on the original tape recording.

The result is a compelling blend of genres, sounds and themes distinct from anything hochstedler has made before. his singer-songwriter, anti-folk sound meets blues and electronica on the digital version to produce a musically rich album that pairs hochstedler’s unique and booming voice with everything from wailing trumpet to pulsing synthesizers.

“necrobisect” is just as rich and complex lyrically as it is sonically, exploring themes of death, dissonance, spirituality and sexuality. hochstedler’s lyrics are, at times, confrontational, despondent, violent and disturbing, but also cheeky, clever and captivating. a s a result, “necrobisect” is corporeal, political and profound.

The album opens with “party l ine,” the track most emblematic of the record as a whole. hochstedler combines themes of war and capitalism with language of the body and soul, delivering them in entendres that somehow seem to do more than double duty ( in fact, i think of hochstedler like i think of artists like Joanna newsom or The decemberists — writing atop a stack of dictionaries and encyclopedias. l istening to him makes you want to read). There is no doubt that hochstedler is just as much a philosopher and writer as he is a musician.

a nother standout track is “devil g ot his eye on me,” a song i enjoyed when i heard it live because of its brash vocals and folk-blues guitar. but it is also one of the most

successful tracks at occupying both its analog and digital forms. The digital version of the song boasts crashing symbols and throbbing electronic samples that create, somehow, both musical depth and dissonance. a nd while some tracks stand out more in one form of “necrobisect” than the other, the disparity between the two versions speaks to its content in interesting ways.

hochstedler will be debuting “necrobisect” on saturday at the birdsell mansion. The event is both an album launch for hochstedler as well as a celebration for a notre dame alumna, sade murphy, whose book of poetry, “dream machine,” will be released later this year.

The birdsell mansion in downtown south bend has been underutilized, but is now in the process of featuring site-specific art installations for local artists. The mansion will host the album launch show and book release celebration in the third floor ballroom, a unique space for two talented artists.

W EE k E nd a T a g L an CE

THURSDAY

What: 3rd thursday

When: 5 p.m.

Where: the snite museum how much: Free

as part of The snite museum’s “Third Thursday” series, spend some time sketching in the galleries. delve deeper into the 3d works of art in the roaring Twenties exuberance and depression era extravagance and nd a lumni: sculptors and professors exhibitions. no previous experience is required and all materials will be provided.

FRIDAY

What: “a most Wanted man”

When: 6:30 and 9:30 p.m.

Where: dPac how much: $4 for students

This 2014 thriller stars philip seymour hoffman, robin wright, rachel mc adams and w illem dafoe. The film focuses on the race to discover if a tortured immigrant in hamburg is an “identity-opressed victim or destruction-bent extremist.” it is described as a “tale of intrigue, love, rivalry and politics that prickles with tension right through to its heart-stopping last scene.”

SATURDAY SUNDAY

What: a lbum launch and book party

When: 7 p.m.

Where: bridsell mansion how much: $4

l ocal musician peter hochstedler will be having an album launch for “necrobisect” in collaboration with a party for s ade murphy’s book of poetry, “d ream machine.” both local artists are nd alumni. read a llie’s informative article above to read more about hochstedler’s “confrontational, despondent, violent and disturbing, but also cheeky, clever and captivating” stylings.

What: the met opera live: “macbeth”

When: 1 p.m.

Where: dPac how much: $16 for students

opera + shakespeare = great opportunity to get #cultured. g o see adrien nobles’ production of verdi’s adaptation of the tragedy to watch “star soprano a nna netrebko deliver her searing portrayal of l ady macbeth, the mad and murderous mate of Zeljko lucic’s doomed macbeth, for the first time at the met.”

Secretariat’s invincible time

Zach Klonsinski sports writer

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a 10-part series in which our writers debate what is the most unbreakable record in sports. Follow along with the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #UnbreakableRecord

There are many records that, in the minds of sports people everywhere, appear and may in fact be unbreakable. For example, aaron sant-miller gave us a record monday that statistically can never be broken in the 109yard touchdown.

yet as is so often the case today, we put too much emphasis on statistics as the only way to define a record.

yes, as my fellow writers have pointed out already over the first three installments of this series, there are many records out there that statistically could be considered unbreakable.

but if there are so many statistically unbreakable records, what distinguishes the best among them?

There is more than one way for a record to be unbreakable, folks. sure, something statistically impossible to break sounds cool. but sport is about atmosphere and raw athleticism, not just numbers, so it’s only fitting its “most unbreakable” record should reflect that.

behold, my readers, the athlete who holds my unbreakable record: secretariat.

“The 1973 Triple-crownwinning horse?” you ask. indeed. many of secretariat’s records are, in my opinion, unbreakable.

First, to open the narrow minds of statistics-driven people, i present the empirical data of big red’s records. secretariat holds, to this day, the record time at all three american Triple crown events. you could take every winner of the Kentucky derby, preakness stakes and belmont stakes at their current distances and race them in an ultimate Triple crown of sorts, and secretariat would beat them all.

a lthough i could argue this feat alone is secretariat’s unbreakable record, he has another that is even more impressive.

The entire world was watching at the 1973 belmont stakes, the final leg of the Triple crown. no horse had won racing’s ultimate prize since citation in 1948, and some believed the feat would never be achieved again.

many people considered the belmont a match race between secretariat and sham, the greatest race horse to never win a Triple crown race.

sham was no slouch. w hile secretariat got all the publicity

for breaking the Kentucky derby record, sham’s time also would have broken the old record. he was right there with secretariat at the preakness, the shortest race and what was supposed to be, by breeding, secretariat’s bread-and-butter distance. however, sham was bred for the grueling mile and a half distance of the belmont. some predicted secretariat wouldn’t be able to last that long, especially after the two horses set a blazing pace to start the race and pulled away from the field.

To say they were wrong would be an understatement.

secretariat didn’t just win; he won in a fashion that has never been, nor ever will be repeated, not only in thoroughbred racing, but in any sport. he won by 31 lengths, which is roughly equivalent to 279 feet, or just shy of a whole football field. The largest margin of victory to this day in the derby? eight lengths.

The preakness? eleven and a half lengths. big red won with a record time of 2:24, over two seconds faster than any other horse to this day has ever run the belmont.

no record-setting performance has been paired with such a destruction of the opposition the way secretariat ran that day. his performance led to one of the greatest radio calls of all time, by chic anderson: “he is moving like a tremendous machine!” and he was.

secretariat’s performance that day would be comparable to wilt chamberlain scoring 100 points … if wilt were playing in game 7 of the nba Finals when he did so. if Johnny vander meer had thrown two consecutive no-hitters in back-to-back games of the world series.

secretariat put up an unbreakable statistical performance in the biggest race of his life, with everybody watching.

There will be critics who scoff at my anthropomorphic characterizations of secretariat as similar to a human athlete. Those who have been around horses know otherwise. and by many accounts secretariat was smarter and more human-like than any other horse. he knew what was going on that day in new york, and there is nothing that will convince people who watched that race otherwise.

he knew, and he delivered the most unbreakable record and record-setting performance the world of sports has been fortunate enough to witness.

Contact Zach Klonsinski at zklonsin@nd.edu

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

Jim Irsay returns to Colts after suspension

Associated Press

indianapolis — Jim i rsay wants to be a better team owner.

six days after his sixgame suspension ended, the 55-year-old c olts owner broke his silence by telling a small group of reporters that he’s excited about the season, feeling well and is ready to move on.

“i’ve always said i’ve felt the role of a steward here and that you learn from your mistakes,” i rsay said during a 30-minute news conference wednesday. “ you move on, think you can be a better person and be better at everything you do.”

For i rsay, it was a tough, painful lesson.

Just days before i ndianapolis’ season opener in denver, i rsay pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of driving while intoxicated and acknowledged he

smc volleyball

was under the influence of the painkillers oxycodone and hydrocodone when he was arrested march 16 near his home in suburban c armel. w ithin hours of his court appearance, n F l c ommissioner roger g oodell handed down the suspension, which prevented i rsay from having any contact on football matters with the team or media. s ome players contended i rsay got off light as his three daughters helped oversee the day-to-day football operations. he didn’t address those concerns, saying only that he accepted the restrictions and followed them to the letter.

but for a man who had never missed a c olts game after his father moved the team from baltimore to i ndy in 1984, there was nothing easy about the punishment.

he watched intently as i ndianapolis (4-2) lost its first two games, the longest losing streak of the a ndrew l uck

era, then watched gleefully as the c olts won four straight to move back into the a Fc s outh lead after Thursday’s win at houston, just in time for his return to the office.

a ll the while, i rsay watched the games nervously with family and friends, pacing anxiously as he waited to return to owner’s office he’s had since 1997.

“i missed being there. it was tough not being with the guys before the game and praying with the guys before games. That was tough,” he said, laughing as he acknowledged he talked with his daughters and relied on some of his favorite music to help him get through the tough times. a Jerry g arcia guitar was encased on the wall behind him.

“i really made up my mind to be positive about it,” he added.

The absence taught i rsay something else: he has to continue his recovery.

Belles lose conference matchup against Trine

Observer Staff Report

s aint m ary’s lost 3-1 in conference play at Trine on Tuesday and will try to rebound at c alvin on Friday.

The b elles (12-10, 6-6 miaa ) rushed out to an early lead in the opening set, forcing a Trine timeout and building on the momentum they established at the e lmhurst Tournament the previous weekend.

The Thunder (19-3, 8-3) rallied to claim a 12-11 lead, but the b elles played the Thunder close and ended up winning the set, 25-19.

Trine continued its strong offensive play in the beginning of the second set, scoring nine points in a row to put pressure on the b elles.

s aint m ary’s was unable to make up the difference and dropped the second frame,

25-18.

The b elles played catchup in the third set as well. The Thunder established a 10-3 lead early — a lead they would not relinquish as they earned a 2-1 match advantage with a 25-16 set victory.

a hectic fourth set saw a total of 10 ties and nine lead changes. The Thunder prevailed with a score of 25-22, winning the match 3-1.

The loss evened the b elles’ conference record at 6-6, good for fifth place in the miaa a s of wednesday, they are tied in conference wins with a lma — though a lma (13-14, 6-5 miaa ) has one fewer loss.

i n order to advance to the rapidly approaching postseason conference tournament, the b elles must climb at least one position in the standings — the top four

teams participate in the conference tournament. Four of their six remaining matches are in the miaa , giving them the possibility of ascending into the top four.

Their first obstacle to achieving that goal lies in g rand r apids, m ichigan as s aint m ary’s travels there to play conference foe c alvin (20-3, 10-1 miaa ). The Knights won the only meeting between the two teams this year in straight sets. From there, the b elles have conference matches at Kalamazoo and at home against a drian after the c alvin game. The b elles’ regular-season schedule concludes on s enior n ight against undefeated conference leaders hope on o ct. 31.

The b elles take on c alvin in g rand r apids on Friday at 7 p.m.

nd Women’s tennIs

ND heads to regional meet

By ZACH KLONSINSKI sports writer

notre dame will travel to champaign, i llinois, to participate in the annual usTa/i Ta m idwest regional qualifying tournament, which starts today and runs through Tuesday.

The irish will send six athletes to the tournament to compete in both the singles and doubles brackets, with two others listed as alternates. The winner of each bracket earns a birth in the national i ndoor championships, which will take place nov. 6-9 in new york city, and irish coach Jay l ouderback said he believes his team’s players have a fair chance of making it.

“it’s big for our kids to have

a chance to do it,” l ouderback said. “a nd we do have a chance. we could well in the singles and doubles. we’d love a chance to win them.

“The next big individual tournament isn’t until the ncaa [ championships in may], so it’s a big one just for a chance to qualify.”

on the doubles side, notre dame has three teams that will be competing, with another pair currently listed as alternates.

Junior Quinn gleason and sophomore monica robinson make up one duo for the i rish. gleason and robinson paired up earlier this year at the a lla merican invitational in pacific palisades, california, finishing with a 1-1 record.

sophomore mary closs and

senior molly o’Koniewski will also pair up for the irish. The two played together towards the end of last season, helping notre dame turn around its doubles play in the later matches of the regular season and through acc and ncaa tournament play.

“They played well at the end of the year for us,” l ouderback said of the pair. “we’re hoping they keep it up.”

The third team the i rish will field in the doubles draw is that of junior Julie vrabel and freshman a llison m iller. vrabel saw most of her action last year playing out of the no. 6 singles position, but with half of last year’s doubles lineup graduated, the junior will be potentially be called upon to take a leading role. m iller, a freshman from norcross, g eorgia, played well for the i rish at the season-opening notre dame invitational, going 2-2 in singles play and also pairing up with o’Koniewski in the doubles portion.

on the singles side, the irish will send four singles players to play in the main draw — gleason, robinson, closs and vrabel — and two more in o’Koniewski and m iller to play in the qualifying draw.

w hile the opportunity to qualify for the national i ndoor championships is one important takeaway from the weekend, l ouderback also said the tournament will give the team valuable experience and exposure.

“we get to see where we stack up with teams in the region,” l ouderback said. “it’s mostly big Ten teams that will be there. northwestern and m ichigan are both top-20 schools. depaul, ohio state and indiana will be there too.

“we’ll get to see some players and teams that the kids are going to play in the spring too, which is really good.”

similar to the notre dame invitational, some of the girls will face competition that would normally be a little higher than them in the lineup, l ouderback said.

“it’s still early and kids are just getting matches in, still getting a chance to play,” l ouderback said. “This is probably the biggest one of the fall that they play under a little more pressure than most of the fall tournaments just because it is a qualifier for the national i ndoor [ championships].

“it’s a little closer to what dual matches are like, so that should help, should be really good for them.”

The irish will take to the courts today through Tuesday at the m idwest regional championships in champaign, i llinois..

Contact Zach Klonsinski at zklonsin@nd.edu

Irish prepare for Midwest Regional

EMMET FARNAN | The Observer

Irish sophomore Josh Hagar returns a backhand against Ohio State on Feb. 22 at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. Notre Dame lost the match, 4-2.

By MANNY DE JESUS sports writer

notre d ame travels to a nn a rbor, m ichigan, to compete in the m idwest regional c hampionships on Thursday after a full week of rest.

a staple on notre d ame’s schedule, the regional championships offer an automatic bid to the national championships for the winners of each bracket.

l ast season, notre d ame was successful in both singles and doubles competition. Former player g reg a ndrews led the i rish to an appearance in the finals of both brackets, pairing with now-junior a lex l awson in doubles play. notre d ame did not claim a title in either the singles or doubles finals, however, losing both to players from o hio state.

This year’s team also has players who could advance, junior e ric s chnurrenberger said.

“ we play the regionals tournament every year in the fall; therefore, we are pretty familiar with it,” he said. “it is always a lot of fun because the whole team is together and gets to compete in singles and doubles. i think we have a lot of guys who could make the quarterfinals or even farther.”

a t the most recent competition, the i Ta a ll-a merican c hampionships, junior Quentin monaghan reached the round of 32 in singles play and the no. 27 duo of senior billy pecor and l awson advanced to the semifinals of the doubles draw.

Junior Kenneth s abacinski and sophomore Josh h agar participated in the c hampionships as well, finishing a combined 2-2 at the tournament. since then, s chnurrenberger said coach r yan s achire has pushed the team an extra notch in

notre dame to face stacked field over weekend

By ANDREW ROBINSON sports writer

o ne might think the i rish would be riding high heading into the mercedes-b enz c hampionship in Knoxville, Tennessee, this weekend. They won the m ary Fossum i nvitational on s ept. 14 and set the notre d ame 54hole scoring record in the s chooner Fall c lassic on o ct.

6. b ut i rish coach susan holt said the team knows it is nowhere close to peaking.

The i rish, who were ranked 31st in the g olfstat ncaa rankings released wednesday, will play 18 holes each day over the weekend in the 18th edition of the tournament.

practice to prepare for the regional tournament.

“i think that every player was able to improve certain areas since the last tournament,” s chnurrenberger said. “The intensity of our practices has been higher the last couple days than before, so i am convinced that this will also manifest itself positively in this upcoming tournament.”

s chnurrenberger said s achire wants the i rish to continue improving their individual fundamentals before they start their acc schedule at the beginning of next year.

“c oach told us that this is another tournament in our process of becoming the best players we can possibly be, and we should take this tournament as an opportunity to get better and to show the results of our hard practice on the court,” s chnurrenberger said. “a ll of our coaches emphasized high energy and enthusiasm in practice those last couple of days and weeks, and this kind of positive energy is also what they expect us to bring at regionals.”

s chnurrenberger will enter the tournament trying to improve on last year’s performance when he advanced to the main draw of singles play but lost in the first round.

monaghan enters the tournament on a hot streak, having best three ranked opponents in the fall season. a t the a lla merican championships, he finished with a 4-1 record. l ast season, he advanced to the quarterfinals of the regional championships.

notre d ame aims to continue refining its play at the m idwest regional c hampionships. The tournament begins Thursday and runs through o ct. 20.

Contact Manny De Jesus at mdejesus@nd.edu

a t the s chooner Fall c lassic in norman, o klahoma, notre d ame finished tied for eighth place. The six-over-par score of 846 (290-277-279) posted by the i rish was enough to set the school record for lowest total team score at a 54-hole tournament.

Junior Talia c ampbell was the best individual performer, finishing in 13th place with a one-under-par 209 (74-66-69), the second-best individual score in program history.

e ven with these successes, the i rish can aim higher this weekend, holt said.

“o verall, i think we’ve been playing pretty solid,” she said. “The really positive side is that we’re already competitive, and we still have a lot of room to be even better.”

i n the upcoming tournament, the i rish will compete in a 17-team field that includes four teams in the top25 – no. 21 c entral Florida, no. 13 Tennessee, no. 11 Furman and no. 2 s outh c arolina. notre d ame is ranked 31st.

“There are several teams in this field that are ahead of us, so this is an opportunity to improve our ranking,” holt said. “i f we can beat the teams head-to-head in this tournament, that would look good for us.”

a major component factored into the g olfstat rankings is how teams have performed head-to-head against top-25 teams.

The field also features top40 teams Kent state (33), d enver (36) and l ouisville (40).

“it’s a competitive field all around,” she said. “There are

paid a dverT isemen T

some teams that are ranked right behind us as well, so we need to make sure we’re staying ahead of them.”

This season, several players have stepped up at various tournaments to be notre d ame’s top scorer. s ophomore Jordan Ferreira and senior Kelli o ride have notched sub-70-stroke rounds, and c ampbell and senior captain a shley a rmstrong have posted two each.

holt said the key to a quality finish this weekend will be a strong team performance. “ we’ve had some really good individual performances, but we just haven’t really put it all together yet,” she said. “i f everyone continues to commit individually to the areas they need to be improving, it will be reflected in our team scores.”

The i rish tee off Friday morning at the c herokee c ountry c lub in Knoxville, Tennessee, to open the mercedes-b enz c hampionship, which will run through sunday afternoon.

Contact Andrew Robinson at arobins6@nd.edu

hockey

been focused on the things we want to improve on. i t’s not like they’re not working hard, but they’re not working smart. They’ve got to combine the two. They’ve got to cover for each other and just get used to each other so they develop some chemistry.”

Jackson said one major area of emphasis for the i rish is on the power play. n otre d ame struggled tremendously at the i ce b reaker tournament, failing to score on 11 tries with an extra man. The i rish failed to threaten even on the advantage, unleashing only six shots on power plays for the entire weekend.

“The power play unit certainly needs to do a better

job,” Jackson said. “ we’ve been spending more time on it, and the personnel is probably right for the most part. i ’ve got to see if some chemistry can develop with certain guys. ... i t’s more a matter of execution.”

m eanwhile, l ake s uperior s tate (0-4, 0-2 wcha ) is off to its own rough start. The l akers opened the year with consecutive conference losses to m ichigan Tech before r obert m orris handed the l akers two more defeats last weekend. The team have been outscored 16-5 on the season. i ts matchup with n otre d ame is its last series before 10 consecutive conference contests.

d espite the l akers’ defensive struggles, Jackson said the i rish have to be patient on offense and not feel pressured to produce.

“The guys that expect to score, when it doesn’t happen and they don’t get points, it weighs on them,” Jackson said. “ s ometimes the way they respond is not good in the fact that they start cheating defensively or taking shortcuts. o ffense comes from defense for the most part. s o we’ve just got to get back and be patient.” Jackson said goalie duties again would be split between sophomore c had Katunar and freshman c al p etersen. e ach made 26 saves and surrendered three goals in last weekend’s action.

The i rish and l akers open their series Friday at 7:35 p.m. s aturday action gets underway at 6:05 p.m. b oth games will be at c ompton Family i ce a rena and, like all n otre d ame home games, will air on nbc s ports n etwork.

Contact Josh Dulany at jdulany@nd.edu

Watson

con T inued F rom page 16

featuring his football teammates defensive lineman Justin Tuck, quarterback carlyle holiday and safety abram elam. The game, however, followed a full-squad spring football scrimmage. matched up against each other, neither watson nor Tuck, notre dame’s eventual all-time sack leader, could muster much.

“we were just holding each other down so we wouldn’t run down to the other end of the court because we were so tired,” watson said.

irish head coach Tyrone w illingham had pulled up in his car alongside the court to watch some of the game. The next day, he poked fun at watson and Tuck for how bad they looked on the basketball court.

at the beginning of his senior season in 2002, watson went to w illingham with a proposition. The fourth-year linebacker had just been elected the Zahm hall representative for student senate, but he hadn’t run it by his head coach yet. a fter all, the whole concept came together suddenly. p ut up to it by his friends, watson and his makeshift election committee roamed the halls of Zahm with bullhorns on the night of the election.

“That pretty much fits with Zahm hall,” watson said, laughing.

he won as a write-in candidate. w hen presented with the notion, w illingham did his “due diligence” before signing off on the new post. watson had to miss the first 45 minutes of practice — including the beginning of that week’s defensive install — on the first day of each new game week to attend the student senate meetings.

“it started off as a joke but i’m glad that i got into it because there were a lot of things that went on that i had no idea that students had a say in,” watson said. “i had a chance to see a side of notre dame that i would have never been able to experience otherwise and i think i was able to … at least shift some positive thoughts about student-athletes at notre dame.”

it seemed like watson took so easily to notre dame, but it wasn’t always so straightforward. The sarasota, Florida, native grew up a Florida state fan but was recruited only lightly by the seminoles. notre dame, duke, stanford, michigan, some other big Ten schools and other Florida schools courted the linebacker. watson, who said he originally knew about only notre dame’s gold helmets, not even Touchdown Jesus, when the recruiting process began, eventually pledged to the irish.

“had i been recruited the same way by Florida state as i was by those other schools, it would have been easy,” watson said. “i would have been a seminole without a doubt.”

so when the no. 6 irish (7-0)

traveled to Tallahassee, Florida, in oct. 2002 to face the no. 11 seminoles, everything came “full circle,” watson said.

“you had that opportunity to show someone the mistakes that they’ve made or whatever,” watson said. “i was given that opportunity to do it in front of my friends and family in the stadium that i grew up dreaming of playing in.

“it was surreal.”

with roughly 30 friends and family members watching, watson and the irish rolled. on notre dame’s first play from scrimmage, a rnaz battle scored on a 65-yard pass from holiday. in the back of the end zone, battle mockingly did the tomahawk chop.

“it was one touchdown, but it was like it was two touchdowns for us,” watson said. “at the time, we were having this dream season, and we still were trying to believe in ourselves. a nd that touchdowns was a huge — huge — momentum boost.”

with the score tied 10-10 in the third quarter, watson intercepted seminoles quarterback chris rix. watson remembers looking up in the stands after his interception and seeing family and friends, including one of his high school coaches — coach nick, as they called him — cheering.

Twelve years after notre dame’s 34-24 victory, notre dame will play its second-ever game at doak campbell stadium on saturday. watson will be there.

a fter being selected in the second round of the 2004 nFl draft by the new orleans saints, watson spent two seasons in the nFl at the conclusion of his football career, watson went back to sarasota. he already had a non-profit organization and a restaurant to keep him busy, and he knew he didn’t want a nineto-five job. one day, he ran into some high school friends who recently had become firefighters. They explained to watson — who had never considered the profession — how the training process worked and the requirements of the job.

“They sold me on it,” watson said.

watson’s father then put him in touch with the sarasota fire chief, a family friend. becoming a firefighter appealed to watson as an opportunity to give back to the community and a job that provided flexibility for his other endeavors.

a fter finishing firefighting school, watson said it took only about two weeks on the job until he knew he was “hooked.”

“ever since then, i’ve been gung-ho about it,” watson said. in July, watson, 34, celebrated five years on the job.

“with the exception of probably going to notre dame, it’s probably the best decision i’ve made to go the firefighting route and make a career of it,” watson said.

Contact Mike Monaco at jmonaco@nd.edu

con T inued F rom page 16

really need to fine-tune the basics of the game. serving and passing have to be consistent as well as strong,” brown said. “we need to be able to put pressure on them [the Tigers] with our serving. conversely, we need to be able to pass well to keep ourselves in system offensively.”

To compete against a strong opponent like the Tigers, the irish need a tough mentality and focus on every second of every play, brown said.

“we can’t get by this match without having a strong, competitive drive,” she said. “everything we do is a competition, and we need to continue to strive for success in every drill we do or match we play.”

last season, notre dame lost to clemson on the road in three straight sets. clemson sophomore outside hitter leah perri totaled 14 kills as the Tigers dispatched the irish, 27-25, 25-22 and 25-21. perri is second in kills this season for the Tigers and will be a significant challenge for notre dame’s blockers, led by senior Jeni houser and freshman sam Fry. houser and Fry are top-three in both kills and hitting percentage for the irish. notre dame and clemson will take the court Friday night at 7 p.m. in purcell pavilion.

Contact Rebecca Rogalski at rrogalsk@nd.edu

Happy Birthday: don’t let obstacles slow you down. a fast-paced, energetic approach to how you reach your goals will pay off. put your ideas on display. This is not the year to sit back or to let confusion and uncertainty stand between you and your goals. make whatever changes are required to follow your heart and to achieve your dreams. your numbers are 7, 15, 21, 28, 33, 41, 43.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): listen attentively to the options someone special offers. making a decision to travel or change your location should be considered. love and romance can bring about favorable change that will raise your standard of living and bring you great happiness.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): attending a reunion or getting together with people from your past will cause you to question where you are headed. stick close to home and avoid minor mishaps and delays while traveling. check out the job market and send out your resume.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): use your intelligence and your flirtatious ways to manipulate a situation that intrigues you. a passionate encounter will help you to make an important life-altering decision. expand your interests, awareness and your future prospects.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): someone will have a hidden agenda. Keep your ideas a secret. Take on a project that will help you develop some of your creative skills. an unexpected change will lead to many questions, concerns and confusion.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): you will regain your self-esteem if you get involved in organizational functions or humanitarian events. your skills and generosity will be acknowledged, resulting in meeting new people and making good connections. Travel, romance and intrigue are highlighted.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): deal with matters that concern your personal finances, legal settlements or medical issues. if you get your papers in order, you will be ready to present a wealth of information that can help you resolve matters that will eventually enhance your bank account.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): check out destinations that look inviting. whether you travel a short or long distance, you will learn something valuable. helping a friend, relative or doing what you can to improve your community will put you in a good position that leads to greater prosperity.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): secretive action will be in your best interest. The less anyone knows about your financial, medical or emotional situation, the better. moderation will be necessary in all aspects of life. a professional opportunity must not be ignored.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):engage in playful action with friends, peers or your lover and you will attract attention and affection. short day trips will lead to answers regarding your background or a cultural interest. a move will bring positive results.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): don’t venture too far from home. refuse to deal with unpredictable individuals trying to take advantage of your insight, influence or your generosity. self-improvement plans or projects you can do alone are your best bet. don’t let a personal relationship get you down.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): you can make a difference if you get involved in a cause or concern you feel strongly about. a contract, investment or means to bring in more cash looks promising. children and home improvement projects will highlight your life.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): don’t let an emotional setback stop you from pursuing your goals. good fortune will be yours if you follow through with your plans. don’t let changes that others make cause resentment or regrets. Focus on you, not others, and you will do fine.

Birthday Baby: you are progressive and changeable. you are flippant, charismatic and creative.

a ll-a merican résumé

Former All-American linebacker and Zahm senator played flag football, Bookstore Basketball

By MIKE MONACO sports writer

Toss a nameless résumé on the table, and it’s difficult — if not impossible — to know which notre dame student you’re dealing with.

it’s not uncommon for an irish student to play bookstore basketball and interhall flag football or serve on student senate. it’s just slightly less common for that seemingly standard notre dame student to be an allamerican linebacker.

courtney watson made it clear he wanted to immerse himself fully in notre dame culture and student life. Zahm hall senator? bookstore basketball mainstay? interhall flag football quarterback and safety? watson had an extensive and varied résumé.

The three-year starting middle linebacker, who earned allamerican honors in 2002, was exposed to all sides of life at notre dame on his recruiting visit to campus.

“That actually became a huge part of the reason why i came to notre dame, having

nd volleyball

an opportunity to meet and be friends with and live with guys who weren’t part of the football program,” watson said recently by phone.

as a freshman oozing with energy during a season spent redshirting, watson was raring to go after not doing much in practice. someone convinced him to check out flag football, so he went out to watch a game.

“screw this, i’m playing,” he thought. with no rules prohibiting him from playing — it wasn’t tackle — watson strapped the flags around his waist the next time out.

“we weren’t very good at all,” he said.

but there was watson at safety, gunning for interceptions on any passes “more than five yards.”

There was watson at quarterback, scrambling around until he found room to run or an open receiver. but other teams caught on to the all-sarasota (Florida) selection. soon it was just underneath routes. soon there were no passrushers, just everyone dropping into coverage against watson. so

he moved to wide receiver, trying to push the team forward in his lone season on the flag football field.

“The next year i actually started participating in practice, and i was too tired to do it,” watson said. watson tired himself out with bookstore basketball as well. a former two-time all-city selection in basketball who drew some interest from a few small colleges, watson helped his team advance to three Final Fours and won two tournament titles. watson found basketball manageable in his first few years as a underclassman, but piggybacking spring football practices with bookstore games proved exhausting.

“bookstore basketball was a blessing and a curse at the same time,” watson said. “my last couple years there it just became increasingly hard for my body to do all of that.”

in one particular Final Four showdown, watson’s team — on which he was the only scholarship athlete — took on a squad

ND to host conference rival Clemson

By REBECCA ROGALSKI sports writer

c oming off of a road loss to l ouisville on s unday, n otre d ame returns home to p urcell p avilion this weekend for more acc action, continuing conference play against c lemson on Friday.

The Tigers (13-5, 2-3 acc ) ride momentum into Friday’s match after edging v irginia Tech, 3-2, on Friday and topping g eorgia Tech, 3-1, on s unday. This weekend’s match will mark c lemson’s first trip to notre d ame (4-13, 1-5 acc ) with both squads as part of the acc

The i rish know they need to take command and fix mistakes made in last weekend’s 3-0 loss to l ouisville (11-7, 3-3), i rish head coach d ebbie b rown said.

“g oing into the weekend, we’re looking at each opportunity we have to play,” b rown said. “ we don’t want to carry over from last s unday’s competition. we had a great practice yesterday where we were able to really focus on c lemson, ourselves and the

things that we need to do to be successful against them.”

b rown identified left-side hitting and serve-receive passing as weaker areas against l ouisville.

“ i f we want to win games, we can’t continue to struggle in these key areas,” b rown said. “These aspects have been our biggest focus in this week’s practice, and i feel

like we’ve made some significant improvements already.”

i n addition to handling hits and passes, b rown highlighted the importance of locking down the fundamentals of the game.

“For us to be successful this weekend and throughout the rest of the season, we

hockey irish to take on lake superior state

By JOSH DULANY sports writer

a fter a tough opening weekend, n otre d ame looks to get back on track at home against l ake s uperior s tate.

The i rish will face the l akers on Friday and s aturday night.

n otre d ame (0-2) is coming off a disappointing showing at the i ce b reaker Tournament where they lost to r ensselaer 3-2 and were shut out by m innesota d uluth, 3-0. i rish coach Jeff Jackson said the team’s ability to bounce back after the poor start begins with him.

“ i t’s more about the response from me,” Jackson said. “ i have to make sure that every player is paying attention to detail and the things that we’re trying to improve on. i t’s almost like coming in cold, coaching a whole new team. e ven the older guys are in different roles now, and they don’t know how to respond to it all the time when we get into the games.”

The i rish have 10 newcomers on the team, and Jackson

said inexperience was a factor during the opening weekend. The key to finding traction, then, is improving as a collective unit.

“ i think it’s the whole team as a group that has to respond,” Jackson said. “ r egardless of whether we’re young or not, we’re trying to put the guys in position to succeed. we’re focused on just taking care of the puck a bit better, and when we do give it up, we have to have more urgency to get pucks back.”

The i rish have two more weekend doubleheaders before their first conference series against vermont. Jackson said the i rish have avoided panicking and are focused on improving every day in practice. h e hopes many of the team’s struggles will disappear as the team gets more familiar with each other.

“ we got a lot accomplished in practice, which was an improvement from last week,” Jackson said. “The guys have been good, and we’ve