Print Edition of The Observer for Wednesday, November 2, 2016
ndvotes hosts mock election
Clinton is ‘elected’ president after hundreds of students cast electronic ballots
By MEGAN VALLEY
a ssociate news e ditor
n otre d ame students
elected d emocratic nominees h illary c linton and Tim k aine in Tuesday’s mock presidential election sponsored by ndvotes. o f the 857 students who participated, 59.3 percent voted for the d emocratic ticket, followed by 24.0 percent who chose r epublican nominees d onald Trump and m ike p ence.
s ophomore p rathm Juneja, a member of ndvotes Task Force and s tudent g overnment director of national engagement and outreach, said the mock election was intended to increase interest before the real election n ov. 8.
“The real idea was how to spark conversations on campus right before the election so we can fix this millennial voter gap we have,” he said. b eyond the two major party tickets, 7.7 percent of votes went to l ibertarians g ary Johnson and w illiam w eld, 1.0 percent went to g reen p arty ticket Jill s tein and a jamu b araka, 5.6 percent selected “other” and 2.5
Football players plead guilty
Observer Staff Report
Two notre dame football players charged with possession of marijuana, sophomores dexter williams and ashton w hite, pleaded guilty in Fulton county superior court on Tuesday, according to a report from the south bend Tribune. williams and w hite, in addition to three other notre dame football players, were pulled over in Fulton county on aug. 19. for a speeding violation, according to the probable cause documents. The two players reached a plea agreement with Fulton country prosecutors, according to the Tribune, which would allow them to enter a “conditional discharge” program. The program would be set by Fulton superior court Judge wayne steele and would generally require a person to pass drug tests and stay out of trouble with the law enforcement for a year-long probational period. i f completed, w hite
Saint Mary’s launches new robotics team
By GABY JANSEN news writer
saint mary’s freshman michelle lester said she had the idea for bellebots during an orientation dinner with the school’s president and vice president of mission. w hen asked about her passion, lester said she talked about doing robotics in high school.
lester, founder and president of bellebots, said she wanted to bring robotics to the college. so she went to stacie Jeffirs, director of career crossings, to launch the now-official club.
“i hope that students are interested and want to be a part of this,” Jeffirs said. “Just show up for
a meeting, just check it out — no robotic experience is required.”
Jeffirs joined as the club advisor because of her own daughter’s interest in robotics and her desire to promote sTem fields at the college.
“[i do] whatever i can do to make it happen — anything i can do to encourage women in sTem,” she said.
Jeffirs said nationally, there are fewer robotics teams at the collegiate level than at the high school or middle school levels.
“There are very few robotics teams in indiana and no allwomen’s teams in indiana,” she said.
The club started small, with three people attending its first
meeting in september. as time went on and word began to spread, bellebots began to grow, lester said
“There’s 29 on the roster now,” she added.
as an official club, the team can compete with other universities in veX u tournaments, events where schools compete at regional, national and international levels.
lester said the teams use their robots to play two-minute games to score points, and the team with the most points at the end of each round wins. robots have to complete different tasks for each game.
“Teams of two robots compete,” she said. “They play games
like jacks.”
sophomore noreen maloney, bellebots vice president, said the team is still in the beginning stages of the robot-building process.
“we’re still getting our feet off the ground,” she said.
The team is fundraising to buy kits to build robots and sponsor travel to competitions. Jeffirs said if the club raises enough funds, they will be able to get a robot built before competitions begin in February.
w hile not focusing on their own competitions, the bellebots mentor the local youth robotics team, the Fire wires, twice a week.
The Fire wires is part of the For inspiration and recognition of
science and Technology (FirsT) program, a youth organization that hosts junior robotics events and competitions. The team consists of middle school and high school students.
maloney said mentoring the group is making her a better leader.
“i think they’re showing lots of promise,” she said.
Jeffirs said the bellebots mentorship reflects saint mary’s values by helping students follow their passions and allowing them to serve others.
“it’s telling of saint mary’s student body,” she said.
Ignacio Gonzalez junior o’neill hall “south dining hall.”
Charlotte Forsythe freshman Flaherty hall “partying.”
Rayyan Karim freshman sorin college “south dining hall.”
Natalia Mesa junior pasquerilla east hall “starbucks.”
Lindsey Miyazaki senior pasquerilla east hall “south dining hall.”
Irish football players sing the Alma Mater following Notre Dame’s 30-27 win over the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium. The game marked the team’s second home victory of the year and first home win since Week 2 against Nevada.
Today’s Staff
Corrections
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5:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.
Commemorates the faithful departed.
Reading by Lily
7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Visiting
Thursday
Yoga
4 p.m. - 5 p.m. Free and open to the public; RecSports will provide mats.
Student Standups: Any Questions?
Friday
Boardroom
10:40 a.m. - 12:10 p.m. Victor Dodig speaks.
Higgins Labor Cafe Geddes Hall
5 p.m. - 6 p.m. Gather to discuss contemporary issues; coffee will be served.
Saturday
Fall 2016 Freebie Classes: Bootcamp
Rolfs Sports
Recreation Center
9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Space is limited.
Seminar in American Religion
McKenna Hall
9 a.m. - noon
Discussion on “History and Presence.”
Sunday
Mass at the Basilica Basilica of the Sacred Heart
11:45
MICHAEL YU | The Observer
Miami game day operations run smoothly
By KATIE GALIOTO news e ditor
notre d ame s ecurity p olice
( ndsp ) arrested two people at s aturday’s football game against the university of m iami, police chief k eri k ei s hibata said.
o ne individual was arrested for resisting law enforcement and minor consumption of alcohol, s hibata said, and the other for charges of public intoxication.
o verall, the game day went very smoothly, she added.
“it was really, obviously, a beautiful and unseasonably warm day,” she said. “p eople really enjoyed themselves on campus and were mostly positive.”
a mi d riscoll, assistant director of g ame d ay o perations, said there were about 100,000 people in attendance at s aturday’s game.
“The m iami game weekend went smoothly across campus with the amazing weather a plus for the end of o ctober,” d riscoll said in an email.
s aturday also marked the 100-year anniversary of the monogram c lub, which is comprised of students and alumni who have earned varsity athletic insignia for their athletic achievements or been honorary recipients for other reasons.
The occasion brought 1,100
people — former monogram winners and their families — to campus, d riscoll said. The 300 returning club members built a tunnel to cheer on the football team as they took the field.
The monogram c lub presented its moose k rause d istinguished s ervice award to a lan p age, a 1967 alum and former football player, for his work on the m innesota s upreme c ourt and in establishing the p age e ducation Foundation, d riscoll said.
d riscoll said 4,465 visitors attended the notre d ame s tadium tunnel tour Friday and 6,000 people were at the pep rally outside hesburgh l ibrary. o n s aturday, 1,084 fans visited the l a b ar p ractice c omplex.
a ll in all, d riscoll described the game day atmosphere as a “beautiful, sunny fall day with lots of energy and excitement on campus.”
d riscoll also said the campus parking lots were full by early afternoon. Traffic was eased by the university’s new “zipper parking” system, s hibata said, which was the only major logistical change made on game days this year.
i n the s tadium and Joyce parking lots, individuals can park their vehicles in spots of their choosing from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. within their assigned lots. a fter that, cars file in and
paid a dverT isemen T
Students dressed up in costume for game day in the
on Saturday. Fans enjoyed uncharacteristically warm weather for October during the home game against Miami.
are directed by parking attendants to the next available spots.
“it makes it so the lot fills up in an orderly way, so you don’t have cars trying to weave their way through pedestrians where there’s people tailgating and stuff like that,” s hibata said. “it’s been really successful so far.”
s hibata said she does not
expect any problems when the i rish face off against v irginia Tech on nov. 19, the last home game of the football season.
“ we only hope for as beautiful of a day. we’ve been really lucky so far as that’s concerned,” she said. “i expect it will be another great day.”
For more details of events across campus for the v irginia
Tech game, d riscoll said fans should visit gameday.nd.edu.
“e veryone is excited for the last game of the season,” she said. “a nd we encourage fans, guests and our community to come out and visit campus to explore all that notre d ame offers leading up to kickoff.”
Contact Katie Galioto at kgalioto@nd.edu
and w illiams could avoid jail time and criminal records.
The judge involved in the case has ordered an initial drug test for both w illiams and w hite to determine their acceptance into the program.
a ccording to the account provided in the probable cause affidavit, a “significant amount of green plant material” was found loose in the front area of the vehicle, on the center console and both of the front seats. The same green plant material, which later tested positive for the presence of marijuana, was also found in two clear plastic bags on the rear floorboard of the car.
a 9mm handgun, loaded
with 13 rounds of ammunition, was also found in the backseat of the car, according to the affidavit. w hen questioned by the officer at the scene, all five men said the handgun was not theirs, though they did acknowledge they were in possession of marijuana.
The players may face a sentence of up to 180 days in prison and up to a $1,000 fine for possession of marijuana, if convicted.
neither player has been suspended from the football team. m ax r edfield, another passenger in the car, was kicked off the team and subsequently expelled from the university.
a ccording to the Tribune, the sentencing is set to take place on nov. 22.
EMMET FARNAN | The Observer
senior section
percent abstained.
Junior s arah Tomas m organ, co-chair of ndvotes, said the organization was “very pleased” with the turnout at voting polls at d e b artolo h all, l aFortune s tudent c enter, s outh d ining h all and g eddes h all.
“857 is about 10 percent of the student body, because we’re including graduate students too,” she said. “ b ut 857 students making their way to four tables across campus in one day, for any poll, is quite a success.”
voters were asked to answer post-poll questions, created and analyzed by Juneja, political science professor d avid c ampbell and director of the r ooney c enter for the s tudy of a merican d emocracy c hristina wolbrecht, regarding their gender, dorm, year and which issues most influenced their vote.
“ i t’s great that everyone gets to participate in
national elections, but not everyone feels like their vote matters or can see the result of their vote,” r oge k arma, co-chair of nd votes, said.
“ h ere in the mock election, we get a breakdown of how n otre d ame votes. we don’t just vote for a presidential candidate, we also fill out an exit poll that talks about your dorm, gender, class year. a nd therefore you can look at the breakdown in trends.”
The gender breakdown for voters was close — 49.1 percent responded female and 47.0 percent responded male — though there was a large gap in who they voted for:
73.9 percent of females voted for c linton, to 45.2 percent of males, while 31.3 percent of males voted for Trump, compared to 16.4 percent of females.
Females were also far more likely to choose a major party candidate — 90.3 percent of voters — compared to males at 76.4 percent.
“ i ’m not sure what to make of that yet,” Tomas m organ said. “ i t’s open to a lot of interpretation, but there are
more things i ’d like to look into with that data.”
w hile voter turnout amongst undergraduate classes was fairly consistent, the percentage of students who voted for c linton increased the longer they’d been in school.
“ i n general, i think a lot of our results correlate with a lot of national trends,” Tomas m organ said. “ i n general, the votes for h illary c linton going up with class goes along with the trend for people to vote more liberal with increased education. … b ecause that is a trend that is picked up in other national reports, i think it’s a really interesting piece of data to look at.”
That tendency to lean more towards the d emocratic p arty as education level increases has been a trend for n otre d ame students for several years, Juneja said.
“ we got a chance to look at the 2008 and 2012 elections that s cholastic had, and they had the same trend,” he said. “That’s a trend that we should talk about — that as
you go through n otre d ame, you’re more likely to vote d emocrat.”
i n the post-poll questions, immigration was voted the most important influence on voting decisions, with 21.6 percent, followed by party affiliation with 17.1 percent and abortion with 10.2 percent.
o f the voters who selected immigration as their most important issues, 80 percent voted for c linton.
“ we only asked a question about immigration, but that could be someone who’s pro-immigration or someone who’s anti-immigration,” Juneja said. “ i t seems as though people are more passionate about being proimmigration than people are passionate about being anti-immigration.”
Juneja said it “wasn’t surprising” that abortion was ranked so high amongst important issues at the university, but Tomas m organ said she was interested in how voters responded to that priority.
“ i ’d like to look at the expanded answers a little
more to see what would have caused people to choose [abortion] as the one that most influenced their vote,” she said. “ i t’s a huge issue for a lot of people and for a lot of people voting for all candidates. n ot all people who listed abortion as their highest priority fell into voting for one candidate.”
p rior to the mock election, ndvotes assisted students in registering to vote, completing absentee ballots and voter education. k arma, Tomas m organ and Juneja all said they hoped that participation continues in civic engagement after the election Tuesday.
“ i think we can continue to achieve more active participation,” Juneja said. “That’s what n otre d ame’s all about: we were created on the idea that we can create change in this country and one way to create change is to vote. i f we’re not fulfilling that civic duty, how can we accomplish anything great?”
Contact Megan Valley at mvalley@nd.edu
CHRIS COLLINS | The Observer
Students line up to cast their ballots in Notre Dame’s mock election, sponsored by NDVotes, outside of DeBartolo Hall on Tuesday afternoon. NDVotes stationed three polls at other locations across campus — in LaFortune Student Center, South Dining Hall and Geddes Hall — where students submitted electronic votes to ‘elect’ the U.S. president.
LINDSEY MEYERS | The Observer
By NORA McGREEVY scene writer
“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” was the first DVD my family ever owned. The first time we watched it together, my parents made a huge deal about it. My siblings and I squished onto the same couch as my dad fussed over the DVD — gingerly placing the seemingly fragile disc into our newly purchased DVD player, which I remember as sleek and exciting. As the opening credits rolled, my mom leaned over and whispered excitedly, “Just wait to see what kind of candy Elliott uses in the forest!”
Unlike my little five-year-old self, my mom had already experienced the sensation that was “E.T.” She knew, for example, that when it came out in 1982, the film was an instant blockbuster. The impact of the film was immediate: When Elliott used Reese’s Pieces as breadcrumbs to gain the trust of his strange little alien friend, the Hershey Company witnessed sales in the candy skyrocket.
“E.T.” left Netflix yesterday. In a decade when consumers are turning increasingly toward streaming services and computer companies are doing away with built-in CD players, this comes as a significant loss. It also prompts me
to reminisce on the film’s persistent relevance in my life, as well as its enduring artistic and cultural significance.
“E.T.” is an uncommonly beautiful film. Produced by Steven Spielberg at the peak of his career, it’s an exemplary model of how films can tell rich stories simply through the power of images. It’s rife with memorable and stunning scenes: curious alien fingers curl around the edge of the door of the moonlit shed. Elliott carelessly puts a hand to his face — E.T. mimics the motion, and viewers realize in a breathless instant just how intuitive the small alien is. The moment of contact when E.T. touches a lighted finger to his human counterpart’s draws direct parallels to Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam”, echoing the idea of an intimate connection across time and space between two like creatures. The striking silhouette of Elliott and E.T. flying on a bike, silhouetted against a gigantic moon, has transformed into an iconic image in pop-culture history and generated countless tributes, parodies and reproductions.
The stunning visuals are poignant in large part because of the themes they represent. “E.T.” contrasts the loving, perceptive acceptance of E.T. by Elliott against an army of faceless adults — the scientists hunting E.T.,
signified by the threatening jangle of keys and revving of a car engine, view the creature not as another being to be understood but as a thing to be feared and clinically examined through layers of protective plastic. Implicit in the plot is a celebration of familial love, acceptance of the foreign, the power of friendship and an endorsement of childlike wonder and sensitivity.
Since my first encounter with E.T. as a five-year-old, I’ve watched the film too many times to count. The poignancy of the loving connection between the lonely, perceptive child and his lonely, perceptive extraterrestrial still resonates deeply — even this past weekend, streaming the movie in my college dorm room, I found myself embarrassingly teary-eyed when E.T. croakily echoes the ultimate declaration of sure friendship: “I’ll be right here.”
Having “E.T.” available on Netflix was a treasure — one that I took for granted. That being said, the more I think about it, the more I realize that I’m going to make my children watch this movie. Maybe it would be worth it to go out and buy a copy of my own.
Contact Nora McGreevy at nmcgreev@nd.edu
By KELLY McGARRY a ssociate scene e ditor
On her third full-length album, Solange proves that she is not outshined by anyone. The work shows Solange coming into her own skin, shedding gimmicks and expectations. Taken in a personal sense, the title “A Seat at the Table” signifies Solange finding her place in the music industry. But, subtly reminiscent of Langston Hughes’ poem “I, Too,” the title encompasses more than just Solange’s personal journey.
The album’s brief opener “Rise,” smooth with layered vocals and sweet piano, sets the tone of subversion. “Fall in your ways, so you can crumble. Fall in your ways, so you can wake up and rise,” the track repeats. The message is change, but she delivers it with destruction at the forefront. Spoken interludes are scattered throughout the album without feeling like interruptions. The first, spoken by iconic rapper and entrepreneur Master P, focuses on the individual. “As long as you can find peace in what you’re doing, then you’re successful,” he says, leading into standout track “Cranes in the Sky,” which delivers peaceful harp and piano melodies over a story conveying anything but personal peace.
Though the nuance is present from the start, it is not until
the interlude spoken by Solange’s father that the album is set up explicitly as a racial and political commentary. In “Dad was Mad,” Matthew Knowles describes his experience with the transition out of segregation in Alabama, and confesses, “I was angry.”
The interlude sets up the track “Mad,” on which Lil Wayne delivers an unexpectedly earnest verse. Though Solange’s airy vocals convey total composure, the lyrics seek to justify suppressed anger: “I’m really not allowed to be mad,” she croons, but lowers her voice to affirm, “I got a lot to be mad about.”
“Don’t Touch My Hair” paints a brilliant metaphor for the intimate and personal. Supported by the emphasis on hairstyle in the music video, Solange ties the discussion of black women’s hairstyles into her political argument. Again on “F.U.B.U.” the musically serene is blended with more aggressive messages. The explicit lyrics in this track come as a surprise compared to the relative lack of explicits throughout the album. The possible offensiveness of the lyrics give a complementary argument to the “for us, by us” message. If you don’t like it, Solange isn’t making this music for you.
Though a similar rhythm persists through the album, the groovy bass-heavy track “Junie,” a collaboration with Andre 3000, crushes any risk of R&B monotony. The song
is a tribute to funk legend Junie Morrison, who commented on the album, saying, “I believe that Solange has a great talent for representing and promoting freedom — freedom to be outwardly and inwardly creative.” The tribute incorporates the history of black music into Solange’s discussion.
On “A Seat at the Table,” Solange manages to merge history with the present and the personal with the political. After several years of effortful production, the result is musically understated yet thematically unapologetic, a multifaceted portrait of what it means to be a black woman.
Contact Kelly McGarry at kmcgarry@nd.edu
“A Seat at the Table” Solange
Label: Saint and Columbia Records
Tracks: “Mad,” “Cranes in the Sky”
If you like: Janelle Monae, Kelly Rowland
monday night routines
We’re all just talking past each other
impossible to you, and any results of what they say are completely moot.
unexpected events occur all over campus, from squirrels stealing food to thunderstorms breaking on the way back from class to elevators breaking down ... scratch that last one: it happens pretty frequently. i n the midst of these unprompted — and frankly unwanted — occurrences, students need some form of constancy that does not come in the form of class schedule. e ach monday at nine p.m., i leave work and rush back to my dorm room to watch the second half of “dancing with the stars;” when that’s over, i find youTube videos of the parts i missed, since the show begins at eight. many of my friends mock this routine — so feel free to join in — but i derive sincere joy from watching various celebrities compete with such extraordinary passion for the m irror ball Trophy.
not only does the program serve as some form of entertainment, but it calms me to know that after a busy day, i can rely on watching r ick perry or vanilla ice foxtrot and samba across the grand stage. perhaps someone breaks a rib or sprains a ligament during rehearsal, but odds are that he or she still performs come monday night. The show serves as a consistent event apart from often unpredictable or rocky starts to the week. additionally, i often end up supporting people i barely even knew existed at first, from last season’s champion nyle d i marco, the deaf champion of “a merica’s next Top model” to a lek skarlatos, who tackled a gunman on a parisbound train in 2015. i connect with the journeys various celebrities have while dancing because i love to observe progress and improvement, no matter how small. The show, even just for a little while, relieves my stress and enables me to focus on the roadblocks — from enduring pain to forgetting certain steps — other people have overcome in just one week.
additionally, voting for certain couples serves as an integral part of the viewing experience, since couples who earn the lowest combined total of votes and judges’ points are sent home. i n a way, those who tune in have the power to influence the fate of celebrities. b eyond the glitz and the glam of the show, however, lies its true purpose, which i firmly believe is to distract everyday people from the confusions and problems that temporarily plague them. watching each monday reminds me not to take everything so seriously, especially since i laugh out loud when i watch r yan l ochte act like the competition is a life or death situation. The celebrities may encounter highs and lows each week, but in a way, watching the unpredictability of their situations serves as my consistent monday night fulfillment.
s o take some time each day or week to focus on yourself and take a break from hectic events that may consume your life if you allow them to. Taking a few moments each night to write in a gratitude journal or to meditate have also helped me put my problems into perspective, but watching “dancing with the stars” is by far my favorite way to take a break. i would happily give the show’s quality and ability to cheer up its viewers all tens.
Contact Martha Reilly at mreilly01@saintmarys.edu
The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
This summer, i took a theology course at notre dame. it was an introduction to christian theology and started with the very basics: what is theology, what is god, how do we study theology, etc. one of the first things we learned is also one of the things that’s stuck with me the most.
our professor taught us about the different frames of mind a person can have regarding theology, in particular, pantheism, deism and the christian sacramental worldview. someone who frames the world with a pantheist perspective believes in a god or gods and that everything is that god: humans, animals, grass, trees, oceans, the solar system, bugs, rats, e. coli bacteria. god reveals himself (or herself or itself) through all things. The world we live in and the world of the gods are completely the same.
someone who frames the world with a deist perspective, on the other hand, believes in a god or gods but that god’s world is separate from ours. one example of this is the watchmaker analogy: god created the world and tuned it perfectly, but has since taken his hands off and let it run its course. god does not reveal himself. ever. Thus, the world of god and the world of us humans are completely distinct from each other and will never cross. Then there’s the christian sacramental worldview: god is distinct from the world but also active, and our world and god’s world overlap and interlock in specific ways.
The reason we started with these basic, non-denominational mind frames was because we had to understand our own mind frame and how that lined up with the mind frame of most christians.
see, if a christian is talking to a deist and says that god became a man in Jesus christ, the deist will disregard that. god is so separate from the world we live in, and could never, ever become a human. we don’t need salvation or reconciliation, because it’s impossible and even god probably doesn’t want it — he’s off making more watches or enjoying some poolside cocktails and totally ignoring humans — and thus it never happened. people who hold atheistic or agnostic mind frames don’t accept any kind of god, even a watchmaker one, and thus, salvation through christ could have never happened and did never happened.
if you are trying to have a discussion with someone of a different mind frame and don’t know it, you’ll probably end up frustrated. The things they are saying are
it doesn’t matter that Jesus told us to help people, because he wasn’t divine, so you don’t really have to help people. you don’t have to pray five times a day because mohammed said to, because he was just a random guy. it’s fine to litter, because climate change is all a hoax. Trump’s comments about women aren’t that bad, because clinton is a lizard-person hell-bent on feeding us to the aliens when they invade.
it’s unlikely that every person who holds a view — personal or political — i disagree with is truly evil. They just view things very differently, and in their different view of the world, their opinion is right and ethical, while mine is wrong.
my opinion, to them, is literally incomprehensible. if you know, deep down in your heart, that hillary clinton is a lizard-person and frame your whole word based on her lizardity, you will completely disregard any attempts at proving her humanity or capacity to govern. people who say she is not a lizard are just ridiculous — you’ll laugh at them, you’ll make memes of them and you’ll disregard everything else they say.
we all just want the best for everyone, especially our families, and are trying to do what’s best based on our worldview. if you strongly believe that mexican immigrants are destroying this wonderful country for everyone in it, then building a giant wall will help everyone. so next time you immediately disregard someone’s opinion — and then post a meme of it on Facebook — ask yourself if it’s really saying anything, engaging in a dialogue that makes people understand and moving them toward your — ethically right, of course — mind frame. Try to consider how someone who deeply believes something totally different than you would respond to it. Try to consider how this person thinks their mind frame will help people. Think, really think about all factors before you speak ill of someone. right now, we are all speaking right past each other, repeating only our opinions and our opinion of how much we hate the other side. we are yelling and tweeting into the void, only accepting our own opinion in return.
a nd that is helping no one.
Courtney Phelan is studying English writing, secondary education, and French. She wants to be an English teacher, so that she can get paid to correct people’s grammar. She is in her final year at Saint Mary’s College. Contact her at cphela01@saintmarys.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Courtney Phelan e nglish major in the real world
Martha Reilly a ssociate st. mary’s e ditor
about doing what’s best for you. live your dream. your numbers are 9, 14, 23, 28, 30, 42, 46.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): a moneymaking opportunity is within reach. negotiate on your own behalf. personal and professional contracts can be signed. sharing something special with someone you love will lead to greater happiness. physical improvements will boost your morale, so try to get outside and move.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Question everything before you get involved in a joint venture or try to negotiate a deal. someone is not going to be forthright, giving you a false impression. Trust your instincts and be willing to say “no.”
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): emotions will surface, leading to assumptions that can get you into trouble. you are best to observe and evaluate your current position in regard to friends, relatives and your peers. don’t wear your heart on your sleeve.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): don’t leave your responsibilities in someone else’s hands or disappointment will follow. Find a way to make your job more satisfying. express what you want and offer alternatives that will get you closer to your goal. let your imagination take over.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): keep an open mind and show a willingness to try new things. personal events and competitive activities will bring about positive change. mix business with pleasure and you will entice someone to help you get ahead. romance is encouraged.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): an emotional plea will result in positive action. Trips and meetings will lead to new opportunities and help you put an end to interference and uncertainty. kind words coupled with compassion and friendliness are all that’s required.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): change will bring good fortune. don’t hesitate when an opportunity comes your way. being able to act decisively will be an integral part of why and how you get ahead. personal improvements, travel and romance are all highlighted.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): clear a space that you can use to pursue a new project. use your ingenuity to get others to pitch in and help. share your feelings and make your input count. if you don’t speak up, nothing will change.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): self-deception can set you back. Face facts and do whatever it takes to make things right. make a promise or commitment that will change your life for the better. embrace the future with openness and honesty, and opportunities will come your way.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): keep your money and possessions locked up. don’t feel the need to donate or pay for someone else’s mistake. avoid questionable schemes, and keep your mind set on what will bring you the highest returns.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): a job opportunity, contract or settlement you are working on looks promising. showing your diversity and ability to adapt to whatever comes your way will impress someone who can influence your future. a financial gain is heading your way.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): stay calm and don’t start something you cannot finish. your emotional situation will fluctuate, and careful maneuvering will be necessary to avoid relationship problems. choose peace over chaos.
Birthday Baby: you are intuitive, creative and magnetic. you are articulate and wistful.
JumblE | david hoyT and JeFF knurek
sudoku | The mepham group
JusT
[sophomore safety] n icco Fertitta this week. This is a week he’ll have to be more involved. [Freshman safety] Jalen e lliott will have to be more involved. s o our safety position will be certainly — from a depth standpoint — called on to contribute more this week.”
a nd with two triple-option opponents coming up in the next two weeks in navy and a rmy, the “swag team” or the scout team that deals specifically with the triple-option will make its appearance in the regular team’s practices.
“ yeah, the flag team, they’re up and running,” k elly said.
“ we started with them taking option about two weeks before the bye week, and they began in the first period of our practices just to get them sharp so this wouldn’t be the first time they were touching the football.”
s pecial Teams
The i rish special teams had a rough outing on s aturday: the unit gave up two fumbled punts — one for a touchdown — and failed to recover an onside kick. k elly said he and the coaching staff have to continue to work on getting the younger players reps to overcome inexperience.
“ we’ve had some lapses,” k elly said. “ we’ve had a long punt return against s yracuse because we had a freshman
who thought the returner gave a fair catch. we’ve had some things that you would scratch your head. n othing systemic in terms of schemes or players as much as these are head scratchers. s o, yeah, we’re taking our lumps right now, but we’ve got to keep coaching them. ...
“ s o i don’t blame anybody, but we didn’t work on that kind of thing enough because we’ve got some young players. That’s kind of how i look at it. yeah, they’re inexperienced, but we knew they were going to be, and we just have to do a better job.”
k elly also said sophomore wide receivers c .J. s anders and c hris Finke will both compete for the punt returning job this week and that the
starter will be named closer to game time.
Concussions
Three i rish players suffered concussions against the hurricanes: junior linebacker g reer m artini, senior offensive lineman c olin mc g overn and junior defensive lineman d aniel c age. k elly said m artini and mc g overn passed a cardiovascular test on Tuesday and will practice tomorrow with no contact.
“ yeah, we’ve made progress yesterday,” k elly said. “ s o cardiovascular is the next piece, which we went through yesterday, and g reer m artini will go through practice today in a non-contact [role]. s o he’ll be able to go through our 11-on11, but we’ll put a red jersey on
him so he doesn’t contact. b ut he’ll be able to get through all of our reads and make sure he gets a full day of practice from that standpoint.
“c olin mc g overn will do the same. he’ll go through practice. he passed through his cardiovascular test yesterday, and he’ll go through a similar protocol where he’ll get into a lot of our non-contact type of drill work today.” k elly also said c age did not take the cardiovascular test due to a scheduling conflict, so the defensive lineman will be one day behind m artini and mc g overn and will practice wednesday at the earliest.
Contact Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@nd.edu
Irish cap fall season with 12th-place finish
By MOLLY MURPHY sports writer
n otre d ame finished 12th overall this weekend at the l andfall Tradition tournament in w ilmington, n orth c arolina, against a field of 18 teams that included several acc programs.
w ith a final score of 34over par 898, the i rish finished ahead of acc rivals n orth c arolina and c lemson, but behind n orth c arolina s tate, which finished eighth overall, and w ake Forest, which finished in a tie for first. n otre d ame head c oach s usan h olt was unsatisfied with the end result, she said.
“ w e obviously wished we would have played better and finished better,” h olt said. “ i felt as a team we hit the ball a lot better than we have probably in any other tournament this year. we seem to all struggle with the putting for whatever reason. s o that was disappointing but we did pick up a top-20
win against n orth c arolina which was good and that should help us a little bit in the rankings. w e were able to beat c lemson which was good, an acc team. s o there were some bright spots.”
o n day one of the tournament, the i rish shot a 15-over par 303. The results after the first round were closely packed with the i rish in 13th place, but only 10 strokes behind the fourth-place teams of c entral Florida and a labama. n otable performances on the first day were those of i rish senior Jordan Ferreira and sophomore e mma a lbrecht, who both shot three-over par 75s.
“Jordan played well again — she’s had a really good fall,” h olt said. “ i think she’s by far our most steady and consistent performer, so that was good to see.”
i n their second round, the i rish managed to shave 10 strokes off of their first round results to end the day five-over par at 293. a fter the strong day-two surge,
the i rish were sitting at 11th. c ontributing to this score improvement were sophomore i sabella d i l isio and freshman m ia ayer, each of whom shot even-par at 72. i t was a four-stroke improvement from day one for d i l isio, and seven for ayer. h olt praised d i l isio, who finished 52nd overall at the tournament’s end.
“ i felt i sabella hit the ball really well all weekend,” h olt said. “For her, she’s kind of struggling with the putting
right now. s he got a new putter over the summer and it’s just not been working for her this fall, but ball-striking wise, i thought she did really well which was good to see. i think moving forward into the spring that’s a bright spot for us, for sure.”
o n day three, the i rish gave up some ground, finishing with a 14-over par 302 to move down one position to 12th. Ferreira shot her strongest round of the tournament on the final
paid a dverT isemen T
day, a one-over par 3, to finish first for the i rish, ending the competition tied for 33rd over all. This is the third consecutive competition that Ferreira has finished first for the i rish. h er last round included a birdie, two bogeys, and 15 pars. n otre d ame will not compete again until next semester, when it takes on Florida s tate in February.
Contact Molly Murphy at mmurph40@nd.edu
nd WomEn’s GolF
Clark
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acc in 2013. This cold streak is uncharacteristic of this program.
e ither this is the unluckiest streak in recent program history, or this is just what the team is now. i am inclined to side with the former.
e ven with the losing streak, notre d ame is still top 25 in goals-against average, scoring offense, total points and just outside the top 25 in save percentage. The i rish are a toptier team on both offense and defense.
s o what happened?
a s i rish head coach b obby c lark told me before the m ichigan state game, sometimes soccer just stands on its head. Two of the four losses came in overtime. s ometimes the ball just is not going in the net.
a nd sometimes you run into incredible goalkeepers.
i n two of notre d ame’s losses, against v irginia and d uke, the opposing goalkeeper tallied seven saves. The top goalie in the nation averages 6.67 saves per game, and neither d uke’s nor v irginia’s goalkeepers are top 50 in the nation in saves.
The regular season is over, and the i rish cannot make excuses. it is win or go home. This loss streak is definitely concerning, but to count notre d ame out of title contention would be a mistake. This team is well-coached, experienced and talented at all positions.
a ll that is clear for now is that the i rish will have to regain midseason form immediately if they hope to stand a chance against top teams in the ncaa tournament.
Contact R.J. Stempak at rstempak@nd.edu
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not anything we can do about it now, so we move on. i never felt the team was going in the wrong direction. The results were, but the team never was.”
i n their previous matchup, the i rish fell short in double overtime to the b lue d evils, unable to get past d uke’s graduate student goalkeeper r obert moewes more than once. moewes tallied seven saves against notre d ame. s ince then, he has made only five saves in two games. nevertheless, c lark knows that d uke beat notre d ame last time, and they are not to be underestimated.
“They are very talented, and they arguably have the most talented squad in our league,” c lark said. “it just shows you how hard it is to win in soccer. here you have one of the most talented teams and they are .500. l ooking at the players,
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come in and make an impact. The younger guys came in and they really played well.”
i rish head coach m ike brey was impressed with the newcomers’ maturity over the summer and was happy to see it translate to the court, he said.
“[The young guys] were really good,” brey said. “They were really steady. This is a mature group to deal with. The three new guys are three of the most mature freshmen we have ever had. w hat’s great about our program, the rhythm to the roster, you are joining nine to 10 veteran guys who tell you how we do it all summer. They have been mature beyond their years.”
To start the game, the i rish took control of the boards, utilizing their height advantage and securing 10 secondchance points in the first five minutes. notre dame could not pull away immediately, as mercy’s 3-point shooting kept them in the game early on. The mavericks stayed within two of the i rish until 15:16 left in the half.
gibbs was the first new face to enter the court for the i rish. he scored his first points of his i rish career on a three from the top of the key and immediately followed it with a fast-break layup the next possession.
“it was great to be out there,” gibbs said. “The nerves quickly went away. [ making that three-pointer] definitely calmed a little bit of the nerves.”
gibbs said he aims to continue his strong play by bringing effort and intensity when entering the court.
“i hope to bring energy, just moving the ball and getting
they have pace and technical ability. They are a very good team. i know they beat us last time and that’s all i need to know. They are a very good team.”
moewes is unlikely to be able to replicate his top-form performance, but the i rish will still need to generate offense like they did earlier in the season. notre d ame has converted three goals in their past five games, their worst offensive stretch of the season.
“i hope we can find a solution,” c lark said. “ we are not doing anything different when we scored four goals against iu and five goals against c al. s ome days, goals fall for you. The first one is the most important, because once you get ahead the other team has to eventually come out after you and that is often when you can get in behind them and build on your opening goal. i think when you come to this time in the season every
everyone involved,” gibbs said. “ we got everyone playing well, so i just try to get everyone else involved and do my part. d o what i can do and don’t do what i can’t.”
The i rish lead started to grow with a 13-2 run in the middle of the first half, but it was halted by seven quick maverick points coming off of three straight i rish turnovers. burns, who was redshirted last year, made a splash with his first points on a put-back dunk as soon as he entered the game.
Through the rest of the half, the talent gap between the teams became evident with notre dame going on a 22-4 run after mercy’s quick outburst of scoring. The half ended with notre dame leading mercy, 55-28.
The i rish continued to control the game into the second half, scoring nine points before the mavericks could add to their total. halfway through the second half, the scoreboard showed 84-39 in favor of the i rish. The game did not get any closer for the remainder of the night, and the final score ended up 119-58.
Though opponents ahead promise to be more competitive than mercy, the three-point shooting and confidence of notre dame’s young players shined. The three returning starters continued their strong play from last year without skipping a beat, contributing 41 points. s even i rish players hit a three, shooting 13-for-27 on the night.
gibbs finished shooting 4-for-4 with 16 points and seven assists to go alongside zero turnovers, and burns ended the game eight points and two rebounds.
brey was especially pleased with the team’s passing,
result matters — every team you play is playing for something. They don’t usually give up many chances. They are usually more cautious.”
i rish junior forward Jon g allagher, the i rish leader in points and goals, has not found the back of the net since notre d ame’s 2-0 victory over m ichigan on o ct. 11. The second leading point-scorer for the i rish, senior defender b randon a ubrey, has not scored a goal since the game before that, a 2-2 tie against wake Forest on o ct. 8.
i nstead, notre d ame has been led by senior midfielder m ark g ormley, who has two of the i rish’s three goals in the past five games. c lark said he’s pleased with g ormley’s contributions, but believes that an elite team should have goals coming from all of its attackers.
“m ark has played well all the way through,” c lark said.
“o nce a team starts to play well, you want to have a lot
finishing with 26 assists on the night.
“i love our unselfishness,” brey said. “o ur culture is our culture: moving the ball and making the extra pass. it was neat to see guys come off the bench and have success, a good first time putting the uniform on and something to build on.”
of people who have potential to score, and i think we have that. b lake Townes can score goals, Jeffrey Farina can score goals, m ark can score goals and the thing is having as many people as we can have that can score goals.
“ we can’t rely on our center back b randon a ubrey to score all of our goals. a ll of your midfield players and your attacking players have to look to score. we need to get a lot of players that want to get themselves into position to score. we can’t put the burden on Jon g allagher, or m ark g ormley for that matter, and certainly not on your center back. we’ve got to have other guys that are going to get into good positions.”
c lark said he is looking forward to the acc tournament as a competition that can be more difficult to win than the national championship because of the caliber of the teams.
“ you are competing for
The i rish will continue to get in form for the regular season in a second exhibition game on monday against c atholic at 7 p.m. at p urcell pavilion.
Contact R.J. Stempak at rstempak@nd.edu
silverware now,” c lark said. “ you are looking to win something. i feel that it’s possibly harder to win the acc than to win a national championship if you look at the teams you have to play. you would have one game less to play, but the caliber of team you are going to meet to get to a final in the acc is higher. l ast year we did very well: we had to go to the no. 1 team in the country and win at wake Forest. That’s the funny thing, when you look at v irginia a couple years ago when they won the ncaa , they were the seventh or eighth seed in the acc tournament. l ast year, s yracuse won the acc tournament and they were the eighth seed. The strength of our league is very, very high.”
The i rish will look to take down the b lue d evils at 7 p.m. on wednesday at a lumni s tadium.
Contact R.J. Stempak at rstempak@nd.edu
KATHLEEN DONAHUE | The Observer Irish junior guard Matt Farrell eyes the basket during Notre Dame’s 119-58 win over Mercy on Tuesday at Purcell Pavilion.
Notre Dame trounces Mercy in exhibition game
By R.J STEMPAK sports writer
notre dame started the new season on Tuesday night and began the search for the players who will fill the holes left by departed stars demetrius Jackson and Zach auguste. The irish defeated mercy 119-58 with dominant control of the boards and strong three-point shooting.
plenty of new players got minutes on opening night, most notably freshman guard T.J. gibbs and sophomore forward elijah burns. Junior guard matt Farrell said the young players will be able to make an impact this year if they are able to gain confidence.
“i talked to T.J. [gibbs] before the game, and said, ‘don’t be nervous, just play your own game and just think of it like back in high school,’” Farrell said. “That’s something that has been really important to this program, to have younger guys able to
see m bball PAGE 11
mEn’s soCCEr
nd looking ahead to navy rivalry
By MAREK MAZUREK sports e ditor
d espite n otre d ame’s first win in a month over m iami, i rish head coach b rian k elly was not spending any time in his Tuesday press conference praising his team.
w hy not? b ecause k elly was already worried about preparing for n avy.
“ o bviously, [ n avy head coach] k en n iumatalolo and what he’s done at n avy has been well documented,” k elly said. ‘This year they’re already beating a top-five team in h ouston, a team that we know quite well in terms of playing them over my past six years here — a ton of respect for what they do offensively, defensively, and special teams. s o it will be a great challenge for our football team.”
w ith n avy known for its triple-option offense, k elly said the key to stopping the m idshipmen is to stay
disciplined on defense.
“They’ve had to learn to play with discipline in other fashions, so i think that has been built in, in a sense, of playing with discipline and other forms of offenses that we have faced,” k elly said.
“ s o this will be their first foray and obviously playing a very, very difficult offense. i think if it was w eek 1 or w eek 2, there would be more hesitancy, but these guys are confident that they can do the job and do it with discipline.”
a nother key for the i rish, according to k elly: rotating more players into the game.
“This is a game where we’ll have to play more players. i t’s a different game,” k elly said. “ i t’s a downhill game, and it’s a physical game where you’re tackling, you’re running every play.
“For example, we’re going to have to ask more from
see kelly PAGE 10
Irish enter ACC tournament on losing streak
Notre Dame looks for revenge against Blue Devils
By R.J STEMPAK sports writer
notre dame begins its postseason journey at home, hosting duke for the first round of the acc tournament on wednesday. The irish (10-5-2, 3-3-2 acc) are winless in their last five outings, while duke (7-7-2, 2-5-1 acc) has won one and lost one since defeating the irish 2-1 in double overtime on oct. 21. irish head coach bobby clark saw his team’s draw against no. 3 north carolina on Friday as a step in the right direction, but the team needs to improve more if they are going to find success in the postseason, he said.
“[Tying north carolina] is obviously a step in the right direction because we stopped the succession of losses,” clark said. “To be honest, the other games were not played badly. it’s funny, we lost four games on the trot there and we played fairly well in all four of them. They are all teams that were reasonably good teams. i would’ve liked to take more out of the game, but there is
Cold streak uncharacteristic of Bobby Clark’s team
By R.J STEMPAK sports writer
notre dame ended its regular season Friday with a draw against no. 3 north carolina, a positive note relative to the disastrous month preceding it.
The irish opened october ranked no. 1 in the nation and in peak form. They manhandled indiana 4-0, which was unbeaten and ranked no. 6 at the time. in 10 games, the irish allowed only five goals and won nine. They looked ready to follow in the footsteps of the 2013 national championship team.
The irish tied their next game against wake Forest, then won at michigan. The season hasn’t looked the same since. starting at virginia on oct. 14, the irish dropped four games in a row, scoring two goals in those games and losing two in overtime.
The team went from top in the nation to not even earning a bye in the acc tournament.
notre dame hadn’t lost even three games in a row since joining the
EMMET FARNAN | The Observer
Irish senior defender Brandon Aubrey sends the ball downfield in Notre Dame’s 1-0 loss to Syracuse in the ACC championship game on Nov. 15, 2015. Aubrey is the second leading scorer for the Irish. see m soccer PAGE 11
ANN CURTIS | The Observer
Irish freshman guard T.J. Gibbs shoots a free throw in Notre Dame’s 119-58 win over Mercy on Tuesday. Gibbs scored 19 points in his debut.
