Print Edition of The Observer for Tuesday, November 25, 2016
administrations respond to election
Fr. Jenkins speaks at interfaith prayer service
By EMILY McCONVILLE news writer
a t an interfaith prayer service monday night promoting mutual respect after the 2016 election cycle, university president fr. John Jenkins told notre dame students who are undocumented they have the full support of the university.
“You accepted our invitation to come to notre dame,” he said. “You are part of our family. we will do everything we can to ensure that you complete your education, and you are supported in every way possible.”
t he message of support comes at an uncertain time for people who are undocumented in the united states. p residentelect d onald trump’s campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigration included rescinding d eferred action for c hildhood a rrivals
Cervelli hosts community discussion forum
By NICOLE CARATAS
s aint mary’s e ditor
f ears of not being heard, of experiencing violence, of losing relationships, of being ignored, and silenced by peers and the administration were some of the common fears students wrote on notecards and displayed anonymously on a wall as part of a gathering m onday night hosted by c ollege p resident Jan c ervelli and c atherine p ittman, professor of psychology, to help the s aint m ary’s community reconcile and communicate after a divisive election cycle. c ervelli voiced the c ollege’s support of students.
“I am concerned, just like you are,” c ervelli said. “I am concerned with a lot of what’s come out of the election results — I’m concerned because I want to make sure that our campus is a model
p rofessor examines the intersectionality of assault
By AIDAN LEWIS news writer
salamishah tillet, associate professor of e nglish and a fricana studies at the university of pennsylvania, discussed sexual assaults on college campuses and how they relate to race during a presentation titled r ape, culture and post-race a merica on monday evening.
a s a freshman in college, tillet said she was raped by her boyfriend, a senior fraternity member.
“He was a man who I repeatedly said no to when he pressured me to have sex with him,” tillet said. “one day he stopped listening.”
a fter the rape, tillet said she initially acted as if it didn’t
happen. she said it took almost five years for her to realize she “could no longer run from this trauma.”
“I finally mustered up enough courage and strength to publicly acknowledge that I had been raped,” tillet said. “I knew my case would be a long shot because I was just within the five-year statute of limitations, and I knew most rape cases ended in a not-guilty verdict. nonetheless, I wanted to assert my right to press charges.”
a lthough the prosecutor believed her story, tillet said at the time of her rape, the “no means no” rape clause was not yet in place. t his meant that there had to be evidence of physical violence for a rape charge, and consequently, her
case was not brought to court.
“my story fell into that no man’s land of believability but not criminality,” tillet said. “Justice, it seemed, was for another day.”
tillet said “a flood of selfdoubt resurfaced” because of the lack of charges, and she was “faced with the reality of [her] invisibility.”
to make matters worse, tillet said people often “spat words of disbelief in the face” of those attempting to raise awareness for the issue of campus rape, writing them off as “troublemakers and rabble-rousers.”
tillet said the rights of women and a frican a mericans have frequently been infringed
see amerIca PaGe 3
ND Food Services collaborates with Culinary Center
By NATALIE WEBER news writer
t he soup in n orth and s outh d ining Hall doesn’t come from a can, but rather a one-gallon bag. It is one of the many items produced at the c enter for c ulinary e xcellence ( cce ) — a facet of n otre d ame f ood s ervices — and then shipped to the dining halls.
t he cce , which is located just off campus, provides a centralized location for the production and storage of multiple food items. a ccording to a pamphlet supplied by e xecutive
c hef Giuseppe m acerata, the c enter for c ulinary e xcellence was founded in 2014, approximately 170 years after n otre d ame received its charter.
a mong other services, it includes a protein shop, a bakery and a c ook c hill station where soups and pastas are produced.
“ t his bakery does, on average, about four and a half million to five million products per year,” m acerata said. “ we’re a full-line bakery … so croissants and d anish donuts, [and] the breads you get
see culInarY PaGe 3
see JenkIns PaGe 3
see cerVellI PaGe 3
CHRIS COLLINS and ALLISON CULVER | The Observer
University President Fr. John Jenkins and College President Jan Cervelli hosted an interfaith prayer service and a community gathering at Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s, respectively, in response to the election.
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Question of the Day:
Rebecca Wiley junior cavanaugh Hall “definitely breakfast.”
Noah Wilson junior dillon Hall “breakfast for dinner.”
Marne Fairhurst junior lewis Hall “dinner.”
Have a question you want answered? Email photo@ndsmcobserver.com
Justin Buettner sophomore carroll Hall “breakfast.”
Julia Szromba junior breen-phillips Hall “p robably breakfast.”
Dani L’Heureux junior walsh Hall “brunch.”
ROSIE LoVOI | The Observer
Katrina Conrad, assistant director for student well-being at the McDonald Center, speaks to the residents of Breen-Phillips Hall on Monday about the resources the Center has to offer, as well as on how students can discover and balance well-being.
Today’s Staff
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a merica
upon in the past, which she said contributes to the difficulty of combating rape as an a fricana merican woman.
“because a frican a mericans, indigenous communities and women were historically denied access to the rights and rituals of citizenship, they were essentially unprotected by rape laws,” tillet said.
tillet said a frican-a merican women continue to be particularly vulnerable to sexual violence.
“though students experiencing sexual violence on college campuses are diverse, students of color are still disproportionately victims of rape, and they are still less likely to report the assault,” she said.
In her experiences, tillet said a large obstacle in fighting rape culture after her rape was the lack of platforms and programs aimed at combatting sexual violence.
“there were no real spaces in which you could talk, in which women could publicly advocate and feel safe,” tillet said.
In response, tillet and her sister co-founded a long walk Home, a nonprofit organization that uses art to empower young people and end violence against women. In addition, tillet spreads her story through “story of a rape survivor,” a multimedia performance tillet wrote and produced about her experiences.
tillet said further advocacy and education is necessary to continue the fight against rape culture.
“to do anything less is to put our campuses and our country at great risk,” tillet said. “In other words, we have everything to lose.”
Contact Aidan Lewis at alewis9@nd.edu
Culinary
in Grab and Go [are] from out of here. It operates about 18 hours a day.”
s oups and pastas are produced in the cce in the c ook c hill station, which n otre d ame began using in 1997, m arcerata said. t he c ook c hill method consists of cooking soups, pumping them into bags in one gallon increments, and super-cooling the portions so they can be stored for up to 14 days.
“In one-gallon increments it goes into this machine, which is super cooled water, and it chills it down rapidly — under two hours — to 34 degrees,” m acerata said. “ t hen
( daca), an executive order by p resident obama that defers deportation for undocumented people who came to the u s. as children, making it easier to work and go to school. notre dame has admitted undocumented students since 2014.
several university administrations over the weekend promised to support undocumented students, and students and faculty at others advocated creating “sanctuary” campuses that protect those students from immigration action.
monday’s prayer service was aimed broadly at bridging divides within the notre dame community. In addition to readings from the bible, professor of Islamic studies ebrahim moosa read from the Quran. songs were sung in e nglish and spanish, and administrators as well as student leaders of diverse organizations read intentions.
In the reflection, Jenkins acknowledged a gulf that the election had “revealed and perhaps deepened,” and he encouraged the community to engage in dialogue and listen to those with opposing views.
“we now have elected new leaders, and we should pray for them,” he said. “a s far as we can in accord with our principles, we should cooperate with them to serve the common good. we should also pray for those holding opposing positions so that they may continue to be engaged, and that their voices may continue to be heard.”
Jenkins said the university community must remember three “pivotal principles.”
that way it’s ready to go, and then that’s stable for twoweek periods.”
a ccording to m acerata, cooks prepare and slice the meats and cheeses for campus dining in the protein shop.
“ t hese gentlemen yesterday, before they left work, they smoked a little over a thousand pounds of pork,”
m acerata said of the protein shop workers.
t he protein shop provides products not only to the dining halls, but also other dining options around campus.
“ l egends might want a unique product [and] they’ll produce that product here,”
m acerata said. “o r maybe
“first, we are committed to respecting the dignity and worth of every human person from conception to natural death regardless of national or ethnic group, religious tradition, gender, race, socioeconomic class, immigration status, sexual orientation or anything else,” he said. “second, we are committed to working together to recognize what is called the common good the conditions that allow each member of this community to flourish and contribute to the flourishing of others. t hird, we are committed to solidarity with all people to recognizing that the wellbeing of each person and particularly the most vulnerable and marginalized is a concern for every one of us.”
Jenkins closed the reflection with the story of a student who left notre dame because he was being harassed for being Jewish. university p resident e meritus fr. t heodore Hesburgh told the two students who had harassed him to convince him to come back or be expelled themselves. t hey did, and the three graduated together.
“t his is notre dame,” Jenkins said. “e ither we walk together in mutual support, or we do not walk at all. e ither we are all notre dame, or none of us are. l et each of us respond to the challenges at this time by recommitting ourselves to respect for each member of the community, to joining in mutual support and to foster conversations that engage and enlighten rather than tear one another down.”
Contact Emily McConville at emcconv1@nd.edu
d ecio [Hall] wants to try something different like an Italian sausage. t hey produce it here.”
In order to reduce food waste, m acerata said the cce uses l ean p ath, a program that tracks the amount of uneaten food left over from the dining halls and catered events. t he staff meets weekly to discuss the patterns recorded by l ean p ath and to brainstorm how to continue to decrease food waste.
“ t heoretically, we can pattern the eating menu and everything comes into play, from weather to is it a football weekend to is there something happening on campus that’s major versus not major,” m acerata said.
m acerata began working as a chef’s apprentice for campus dining in 1996 and is one of 12 or 13 chef apprentices
for respect and a demonstration of compassion and love, regardless of your background, beliefs, your race, your sexual orientation, your political beliefs, and it begins by having a conversation and getting to know each other and understanding each other.”
c ervelli said all students will be supported, while any discrimination will not be permitted.
“I want to make it perfectly clear: we do not tolerate intolerance on this campus,” c ervelli said. “I’ll say it again. w e do not tolerate intolerance on this campus.
“ w e will support people who are outraged by the election, and we’ll also support people who supported t rump but don’t want to be demonized for doing it.”
p ittman said she hopes students can process their emotions and fears through the more open communication with people who have different views and beliefs.
“ t here’s a lot of anxiety from people all over the u nited s tates right now,” p ittman said. “ t his campus is no different. p eople have a lot of fears and concerns and frustrations. s o many times, we want some kind of solution for those, and the solution is going to take years to process some of the issues that people are dealing with.”
In the post-election climate, p ittman said there are actions a person can take to influence her feelings.
“ p utting those feelings in words can be helpful for people,” p ittman said. “ l istening — having others
who have continued to work for n otre d ame after their training finished. He said the program focuses on both culinary training and academics and gives apprentices experience in various sites on campus.
“It’s academic as well as on the job training,” m acerata said. “ we follow it to a ‘ t ’, and every apprentice rotates through every single area that we have on campus dining and experiences — t he morris Inn, l egends, here with the protein area, the bakery, the kitchen, every aspect of it.”
t he cce offers student groups the opportunity to tour the facilities as well as participate in other activities, such as cake decorating
listen to those words or you listening to other people’s concerns — is a very healing process. Just being heard can be very healing for people.”
p ittman said recognizing and implementing the c ollege’s, as well as the s isters’, core values of compassion and community are essential to moving forward. “ w e’re trying to recommit ourselves to the values of the campus and trying to identify what we are trying to achieve on our campus, typically, and then apply that to how we handle this situation,” p ittman said.
c ervelli said she plans to take the notecards written by students and display them on campus, urging other students to add their fears and concerns as well.
“ t he community needs to learn about what the community is feeling on all sides,” c ervelli said. “ t here were t rump supporters here tonight — we had the other side, the c linton supporters, and everything in between. I’m really proud of our students.”
a fter students wrote on the notecards that they were targeted for their race or their status as undocumented, c ervelli said she will not discriminate in which students she supports, urging students to come forward with more instances — either personally or through more notecards — so she can better understand what experiences students are having.
“ w e will do everything we possibly can to support all our students,” c ervelli said. “a ll, all our students.”
Contact Nicole Caratas at ncaratas01@saintmarys.edu
demonstrations in the bakery. m acerata said the cce belongs to the students and ultimately exists to serve them.
“ t his is yours,” he said. “ we’re here to serve you. w ithout the students, you don’t need cooks. a nd it makes sense right? s o that’s how we look at it and we take a ton of pride in what we do.
“I have three children of my own and one of my goals is for my children to attend n otre d ame. a nd I think, you know, I’m not going to put anything that I wouldn’t — our entire culinary team and staff believes this — we wouldn’t do anything that we wouldn’t do for our children.”
Contact Natalie Weber at nweber@nd.edu
bring the democrats back
In his 1966 song, “love me, I’m a liberal,” folk singer phil ochs decries what he believes is the elitist attitude of the democratic party and many of its higher up members. ochs, singing from the perspective of the “liberal elite,” says “I vote for the democratic party ... and I’ll send all the money you ask for, but don’t ask me to come along.” this scathing critique of the elite of democratic party rings as true today as it does 50 years ago, and in no place was more crystal clear than the results of the 2016 presidential election. donald trump was able to achieve the presidency because the democratic party has alienated large swaths of the american working class. many voters chose to overlook the misogyny, sexism and racism of trump’s campaign because he, though a billionaire, seemed to more support their economic interests because he wasn’t tied to wall street and aggressively campaigned against trade deals that appeared to take away industrial jobs.
now let me preface this by saying that I have worked for the democratic party, and hold views that generally tend left of the center. but the principles that the party supposedly stands for, and how they approached this election have been, to say the least, out of sync. Hillary clinton’s rallies were star studded events, with celebrities like lady Gaga, katy perry, lebron James and bruce springsteen, amongst others, making appearances at her rallies. while it may be cool for some to see these pop-culture icons appear at rallies, generally speaking on and supporting safe issues, it in many ways creates a system in which there is a rich powerful elite on one side, and everyone else — who don’t identify with these people — on the other. the democratic party has transformed from a party of union members, and the working classes, whose richest leaders, like franklin d roosevelt, made attempts to live up to these ideals, to a party of disconnected celebrities and intellectuals who often times belittle the masses as too uneducated, or not well connected enough to understand views on these issues.
the democratic party has also lost the working class because its economic policies have shifted in such that they have, in some ways, become increasingly indistinguishable from those of republicans of years gone by. obamacare, for all its strengths and weaknesses, was an idea proposed by republicans in the 1980s in an attempt to stop universal healthcare, an idea that was pioneered by mitt romney in massachusetts. these neo-liberal economic policies, pioneered by bill clinton, have helped deregulate industries and led to economic wealth being concentrated in the hands of a select few. former president clinton’s repeal of Glass-steagall legislation, which separated commercial and investment banking, in part, paved the way for the economic collapse of 2007-08. all these policies have done is reinforced the notion that democrats are only for half-solutions for working people and that they are just as indebted to monied interests as republicans. the fact that donald trump, the candidate who more than any candidate in recent memory, has used undercurrents of misogyny, racism and xenophobia, was able to defeat any democrat reflects a complete collapse of the american people’s trust in democrats to help them. If the democratic party wants to defeat president-elect trump in four years, it needs to be “stronger together” in a way that truly empowers the poor, minorities and women, rather than just offering half solutions meant to appease. If the democrats spurn the interests of wall street, and return to a time when its central pieces of legislation were the civil rights act and the new deal, then not only will they rescue their party but help to better the american nation.
Contact Lucas Masin-Moyer at lmasinmo@nd.edu
The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
letter to tHe edItor
Remembering my rapist
I would first like to say how shocked and saddened I am by the recent results of our election. I cannot begin to fathom the very real fear these results have inspired in members of the l G bt Q community, people of color, muslims, immigrants and all other marginalized groups of our society. a s a straight, white female, I realize that I undoubtedly cannot reflect on the fears these individuals are currently experiencing; however, as a woman and a victim of sexual assault, these results have left me tearful and with an unimaginably powerful desire to share my story. I cannot adequately describe the depth of my feelings in the moment I realized that a man who has been accused of sexual assault various times and has spoken explicit, horrific words about assaulting women would be the next president of the united s tates. I was stunned. I was disturbed. I was horrified.
p eople often wonder why women choose not to report sexual assault. However, after trump’s election, this reason has become abundantly clear: a man can brag about sexually assaulting women and still be elected to our country’s highest office. t hroughout this election, we have been plagued by d onald trump’s exhaustive list of sexual assault accusations and constant vulgar comments that serve not only to suggest his culpability, but also to perpetuate the dangerous rape culture prevalent in today’s society. unfortunately, we live in a society where people like d onald trump have normalized rape culture to a point that it has become engrained in women’s minds that it is their fault before it even happens to them.
n ot many of my friends or family members are aware of this, but last f ebruary, during my junior year in college, I was raped by a stranger. t his horrific attack has changed my life forever, but the man who raped me will never be affected by it. t he man who did this to me will never spend a single day in jail. a nd on wednesday morning, as I watched d onald trump deliver his acceptance speech, I could not help but imagine the man who raped me standing up there.
I stared at d onald trump standing behind that podium, and I was reminded of how powerless my attacker made me feel in that moment. I remember the look on my best friend’s face when I told her what had happened. I remember the crack in my mother’s voice as I spoke to her on the phone the next morning. I remember sitting in the hospital for almost eight hours straight, crying and scared out of my mind. I remember being prodded with needles. I remember having pictures taken of my naked, bruised body. I remember having to painfully retell the story of my assault over and
over again. I remember the nurse who asked me if I was sure the bruises hadn’t come from “bumping into furniture.” I remember feeling like it was somehow my fault.
I remember hating myself. I remember feeling so alone every single day. I remember all the painful counseling visits. I remember how hard it was every weekend to explain to friends why I didn’t want to go out with them. I remember waking up in the middle of the night screaming and lying awake for hours, trying to figure out how I was going to make it through the next day. I remember the violent images that ran through my head all day, and I remember the pain it put my mother through. I remember how scared I was in my own body and how terrified I was to even leave my dorm room. I remember not being able to finish any homework and being too depressed to even go to the dining hall. I remember thinking I was going to have to drop out of college and desperately emailing my professors, trying to explain why I had been missing class. I remember seeing all my friends slowly distancing themselves from me until I truly felt completely alone. I remember replaying that night over and over in my head, wondering if there was something I could have done.
I remember wishing he had just killed me instead.
n evertheless, I fought my daily fight, and because of it I am stronger today. I cannot and will not be silent any longer. s adly, too many women and men will be reminded of their own experiences as they read the ones I have just detailed. It so deeply pains me to think that d onald trump — a sexist, racist, xenophobic demagogue and constant reminder of the problems regarding sexual assault in our society — will be representing this entire country. t he implications of d onald trump’s recent election further legitimize both sexual assault and rape culture to a point that is undeniably demoralizing, dehumanizing and terrifying for myself and other survivors of sexual assault. b ut amidst my fear and pain, I know that we can and will get through this. t herefore, as a victim of sexual assault and a victim of d onald trump’s toxic rhetoric, I stand in solidarity with all minority and marginalized groups that have been victims of systemic discrimination at large, but specifically those who have fallen victim to our new president’s bigotry.
I am hopeful that we can still do good as a nation.
Kristen Kennelly senior nov. 9
Lucas Masin-Moyer news writer
It is 11 months into 2016, and my only regret is not studying my horoscope more seriously, for what other explanation of this year’s events could there be besides a portentous alignment of the celestial bodies? l e b ron brought a championship to t he l and, l eo got his o scar, the c ubs won the world s eries and our next president is d onald J. trump. d espite all this, I am left hoping for one more signal event.
a s long as the greatest living a merican hero remains a political refugee, there can be no true justice in the realm. It is far past time e dward s nowden returned to the country he served so well, and not in a cage, but at the head of a parade, with a crown of woven oak leaves about his brow. e dward s nowden entered public service when, at 21, he enlisted in the a rmy. a lthough his military career was ended prematurely by a training incident that broke both his legs, s nowden could not be slowed. He was hired by the c I a’s global communications division in 2006, and quickly began climbing the hierarchy. s nowden eventually became the a gency’s “top technical and cybersecurity expert” for s witzerland.
In february 2009, s nowden resigned from the c I a and began working for several private contractors, though he remained in regular contact with senior government intelligence officials. a round this time, s nowden began downloading documents regarding the government’s massive and covert illegal spying programs.
s nowden’s resolve to act was cemented on m arch 12, 2013, after watching a hearing of the united s tates s enate’s s elect c ommittee on Intelligence.
Bring him home
d uring that hearing s enator r on w yden asked James c lapper, the a merican e mpire’s king spy, “d oes the nsa collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of a mericans?” c lapper paused, looked up and perjured himself in front of the u s s enate, repeatedly denying the existence of massive government programs he personally directed.
four months after c lapper’s sedition, while s nowden hid in a Hong k ong hotel, the leaks began. t hough it would take several books to fully enumerate s nowden’s revelations, some of the most shocking leaks conveyed information about the government’s warrantless collection of the telephone metadata, indicating who you talk to, where you talk to them and for how long, of hundreds of millions of a mericans; and the ability of the nsa to, in the course of surveillance on foreigners, observe and permanently store vast amounts of data about a mericans’ personal internet usage, as logged by a merican companies like facebook and Google.
In s nowden’s own words, the leaks revealed that “the nsa has built an infrastructure that allows it to intercept almost everything. w ith this capability, the vast majority of human communications are automatically ingested without targeting. If I wanted to see your emails or your wife’s phone, all I have to do is use intercepts. I can get your emails, passwords, phone records, credit cards.”
a fter the leaks were revealed, s nowden fled to moscow. a s offers of asylum from various regimes withered up in response to extraordinary a merican diplomatic pressure — the c astros ain’t what they used to be — s nowden settled in for a long stay. for a mericans who already distrusted s nowden, his sequestration in moscow was received less than positively, with some critics even accusing him
of being a r ussian agent. t his is absurd. b efore s nowden departed Hong k ong for moscow, he transferred every document he had to journalists, placing them all out of his control. I must admit I was long confused why s nowden fled to moscow, rather than a sunnier, less-threatening, socialist paradise. a s it turns out, lasting refuge for s nowden in l atin a merica had always been dubious. a bout the only places on planet e arth where — if they really want to — a merican intelligence agencies can’t grab you off the street are the territories of the r ussian federation. w ithin the aegis of mother r ussia, the federal s ecurity s ervice and its affiliates maintain tactical intelligence superiority over a merican intelligence forces. l iving practically anywhere else, infuriate the wrong people in washington half as bad as s nowden did and you’ll be extraordinary rendition’d before you can say “c I a black site.”
I tend to flirt with descending into hyperbole when describing s nowden, but I believe a brief overview of his acts provides ample justification for my encomiastic views of the man. He took on mortal personal risk to do what he knew to be right. He knew he would pay great costs for his singular act of heroism, and he has. s nowden has sacrificed his career, forfeited his privacy and now finds himself 5,000 miles from home with no near prospect of return, all for the sake of protecting hallowed a merican liberties. If that isn’t a hero, I don’t know what is. It’s time to bring e dward s nowden back home.
Devon Chenelle is a junior in Keough Hall. He is a history major with an Italian minor. He can be reached at dchenell@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
In the aftermath of last week’s presidential election, social media has been abuzz with all sorts of information. spirited assaults on and defenses of various political ideologies have saturated facebook and twitter like never before. a nd all of that is great; the free flow and exchange of information is essential to a free society. t he only problem is that all information flows freely, whether true or false. f urther, since fiction is not required to stick to the truth, it can be as salacious and viral as its creator wishes it to be. t he result is that many popular stories traveling through “the cyber” are flat-out falsehoods. Just to sample some of the differentially-factual Internet flotsam, let’s look at two pieces of viral content describing reactions to the election’s outcome. o ne viral video released shortly after the election shows several a frican-a merican men pulling a white man from his car and beating him before stealing his vehicle, while an off-camera voice shouts “You voted trump!” across the aisle, a tweet was released alleging that the ku k lux k lan was spotted celebrating on a bridge in mebane, north c arolina. both were shared across multiple media thousands of times within hours.
a s it turned out, neither of these cases were what they appeared at first glance. c hicago police have stated the carjacking incident was precipitated by a traffic incident, not a political difference. w hile the
bystander effect is certainly horrifying, the video is hardly evidence of an anti-trump hate crime. meanwhile, the persons depicted in the mebane tweet were trump supporters but were not affiliated with the k lan. t he k lan does intend to hold a victory parade (or “klavalkade” in their idiotic lingo) in north c arolina in early d ecember, but that meeting is separate from the incident that was tweeted out. w hat made both of these pseudofacts zip halfway around the world before the truth could get its pants on? simple: both neatly encapsulated the pre-existing assumptions of their target audience. It’s much easier to accept information that agrees with your worldview (though studies show that contradictory information only strengthens one’s beliefs). t here’s no need to critically reason or question assumptions when a story like one of the above lands on your news feed. t he absence of the second step in “trust, but verify” means that a netizen can just read, assume and post without interrupting the flow of their browsing.
e nough talk about what’s wrong with the Internet — time to talk about what’s right. t he silicon revolution has spawned a variety of fact-checking services designed to hold Internet culture accountable for its distortions. snopes focuses on urban legends and chain emails, politifact has won a p ulitzer for catching b eltway residents with their “pants on fire!”, and fact c heck has turned up in multiple p residential elections to unpack candidates’ claims. additionally, it’s harder and harder for politicians to bury their records. w hen m ike pence says something
like “smoking doesn’t kill,” online archives mean he has to own it forever and can’t memory-hole it away as he might have done last century. even when the various professional fact-checkers haven’t yet responded to a particular claim, it’s often easy to investigate yourself. never be satisfied with a facebook post’s caption or a 140-character assertion; click through to the source. t hen click to that site’s source, and so on till you reach the raw information. ( w hile you’re doing this, keep in mind that if you wouldn’t hire a site’s web designer, you shouldn’t trust its journalists.) Investigating a spurious link can uncover anything from unsourced blog ranting to an o nion article; it usually only takes ten seconds or so and can save you a lot of embarrassment. a deep and abiding commitment to fact-checking will become extremely important in the next few years. t his election cycle has spawned stories you couldn’t make up if you tried. a s if that wasn’t bad enough, the new administration will likely be as reality-impaired as its campaign was. unless you want to spend the next four years purchasing various pieces of new York’s transportation infrastructure, critically-analyzing the various stories that turn up in your news feed will be an essential skill.
Stephen Raab, an MSM Candidate at the Mendoza College of Business, graduated from Notre Dame with a bachelor’s in chemical engineering in 2016. He enjoys matching wits with all comers at sraab@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Devon Chenelle t he Gadfly
Stephen Raab
l et’s talk smary
Happy Birthday: take the high road and do what makes the most sense. Your ability to get things done without a fuss this year will be a springboard for your next act. don’t try to impress, just do what you do best and let the chips fall where they may. You can’t always please everyone, but if you follow your heart, you will succeed. Your numbers are 3, 13, 22, 25, 29, 33, 48.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Get work responsibilities out of the way so that you can get on with the things you enjoy. a lesson regarding gratitude will be a turning point in the way you move forward. Your strength will come from well-considered actions.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): carefully observe the way people react to what you do and use that as your indicator for what to do next. steady progress will help you inch your way to your destination. make romance and personal gains your priority.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): don’t leave anything to chance. dig deep and you’ll discover what is going on behind the scenes. obtaining information and acting on your findings quickly will ensure that you bring about the changes required to protect your position.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): someone you least expect will offer you help. before you accept, question why and consider whether you have any means of moving forward on your own. partnerships will be subject to change and could leave you in a vulnerable position.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): take a step back and take a moment to absorb what’s going on around you. staying calm and keeping your emotions in check will help you avoid missing out on an opportunity that results from networking. nurture important relationships.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): a change at home will turn out better than expected. follow your heart and pay attention to your intuition. someone’s motives may not be honorable. focus on personal changes and gains, not contributing to someone else’s accomplishments.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): assess what you have accumulated and consider what you can discard. If something isn’t going your way, figure out ways to turn things around. It’s up to you to make things happen, so stop waiting for changes to come to you.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): do whatever it takes to strengthen your relationships with the people who can affect your life personally or professionally. listen and be willing to discuss ideas and plans openly. a joint effort will lead to positive results. romance is highlighted.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): stand still and breathe deep. It’s important to digest all the information being thrown your way before you make a decision that can alter the way people think of you. take precautions and avoid being tempted by persuasive individuals.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): sign up for something that will encourage advancement. self-improvement projects will turn out well as long as you don’t overspend in the process. a chance to discuss your feelings with someone you love will bring about positive changes.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): fire up the engines and turn up the volume. You have plenty to achieve if you stay focused on your goals and refuse to let emotional interference take over. strive for discipline and fortitude, and you will find success.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): look for alternate ways to bring in extra cash. a skill you have can be developed and used to your advantage. romance is on the rise, and making plans with someone special will enhance your chances of improving your lifestyle.
Birthday Baby: You are creative, determined and impulsive. You are sensitive and reserved.
Jumble | daVId HoYt and Jeff knurek
matured and have gotten better obviously later in the season, you know, they’ve gotten more and more playing time. but I think all of that has come together through really good preparation, great morale, and at the end of the day, kids executing the game plan.”
playing the option offenses of army and navy allowed players with superior athleticism to see extra time on the field, namely junior defensive lineman Jonathan bonner and freshman safety Julian love, kelly said.
Junior linebacker Greer martini is another player who drew praise from kelly.
“Greer is a very smart football player,” kelly said. “He has a good sense for finding the football. but he’s a very disciplined player, which you have to have that trait when you’re playing option teams. You know, I think when you look at some of the traits that great players have, very disciplined players are going to find the football, and he does that quite well.”
offensively, junior quarterback deshone kizer was the main force behind the decisive Irish victory, kelly said, with help from the run game.
“I think obviously you start with the quarterback,” kelly said. “I thought his leadership skills, his ability to make plays with his arm and his feet extended plays for us. I thought our running backs ran extremely hard. any time you have 200 yards, your offensive line has to be doing some good things, and it’s always good to see your tight end catch a couple of touchdown
passes.” next up for notre dame is Virginia tech at home for senior day.
“two of our seniors are student managers for us, corey robinson and doug randolph, that have been very helpful for us off the field, and then we have in this class a number of guys that have remaining eligibility,” kelly said. “we don’t have a huge class that have used up all of their eligibility. It’s kind of an interesting class in that sense that we’re certainly going to be honoring them, but a number of these guys will have eligibility remaining if they choose to come back.”
the matchup with the Hokies is a necessary win for the Irish if they want to reach .500 and become bowl-eligible. kelly said the team’s mentality is as strong and determined as ever as the season winds down.
“they know that obviously the season is one week at a time here now, and obviously two weeks is all that’s left in their regular season,” kelly said. “so from that perspective, you know, everybody tends to ratchet it up and focus a lot more on the day-to-day, especially when you have 18- to 21-year olds. anything that can stay right in front of them is always a positive.
“they’ve been really good at staying in the present all year, regardless of whether they’ve been up or down, so that’s not much of a concern for me. It’s really been about how they’ve played and their execution, and that’s getting better and better each week.”
Contact Renee Griffin at rgriffi6@nd.edu
teams throughout the season and we know that we can dominate any team when we are at our best.”
Irish sophomore Anna Rohrer competes in the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational at Warren Golf Course on Sept. 30.
finished first in the race and has finished second at NCAA regionals two years in a row .
sparks said. “we were third or fourth as a team much of the race, so we really had to make a hard push to secure that secondplace spot. our top three ran especially well, just like they did at the acc meet, and [dadamio] and [pelletier] are improving — we just need them to continue to close the gap on [Heffernan and a ragon].”
the men’s team, on the other hand, recorded a lackluster 14th place finish to end their season, which sparks noted has been a constant throughout the year.
“on the men’s side, as the
status quo of the season, we got off to a rough start and really never got our confidence going like we had a year ago,” sparks said. “we ran a lot of young guys, so they hopefully gained some experience from the year.”
a bright spot on the men’s team is that three freshman participated for the Irish — something that sparks said he sees as an unfortunate consequence due to a variety of factors, but nevertheless could turn out to be a positive down the road.
“we ended up losing, for various reasons, four of our top five from last year,” sparks said.
“two from graduation and two from injuries, so things look a lot different than they did a year
pa I d a dV ert Isement
ago at this time. the two injuries popped up at the start of the year, so we had a lot of guys that we didn’t expect to have to contribute, have to try to step up and do things out of their comfort zone. It’s a little bit like watching notre dame football this year — guys playing in positions they didn’t expect to be playing and contributing in — but they gained experience from it all, and we’ll grow from that.” the Irish women will compete in the ncaa championships at 11 a.m. on saturday at lavern Gibson cross country course in terre Haute, Indiana.
Contact Joe Everett at jeverett@nd.edu
seasons, the acc has had a team win the college cup in 2007 (wake forest), 2008 (maryland), 2009 (Virginia), 2011 (north carolina), 2013 (notre dame) and 2014 (Virginia).
“the acc is arguably the best conference in the country,” Gormley said. “we’ve played teams from other conferences, and nearly every team has some special players, but I think what really sets the acc apart from many other conferences is the speed of play. the games are so fast-paced and I feel that many teams in the conference function well as a unit, always anticipating offensively and defensively.”
the seniors on this year’s team will be the last group of players to be associated with notre dame’s college cup season in 2013. knowing what it takes to win a title, the seniors will hope to share that experience with the younger players to get another deep playoff run in some of their final seasons, as the team is hoping to get past a late season blunder that saw the Irish go 1-5-1 in their final seven games and make a run towards the college cup.
“although we lost some games late in our schedule, it’s tournament time now,” Gormley said. “It’s a clean slate. we look back on our performances against top-ranked
notre dame is led by a handful of players who garnered national awards for their performances in the regular season. for the third time in the four seasons in which the team has been a part of the acc, notre dame had a player win the acc offensive player of the Year. Junior forward Jon Gallagher claimed the award after leading the conference with 12 goals and 31 points. He also notched six assists, which ranked tied for second in the acc the other two Irish to win the award were Harrison shipp in 2013 and patrick Hodan in 2014.
senior defender brandon aubrey also earned first-team all-acc honors. aubrey scored nine goals, which was the best among acc defenders. captain graduate midfielder evan panken earned thirdteam all-acc honors after scoring two goals and adding six assists throughout the season. freshman midfielder tommy mccabe made the freshman all-acc team.
If the Irish advance past the second-round matchup on sunday, the team will travel to another campus site for the third round. Houston, texas.
notre dame will compete against the winner of loyola chicago and uIc on sunday at 6 p.m. at alumni stadium.
Contact Manny De Jesus at mdejesus@nd.edu
EMMET FARNAN | The Observer
Rohrer
with 13 points, said she tried her best to keep the team focused on defense and not playing frustrated as the shots continued to not drop.
“I think it’s definitely frustrating because I think we’re definitely a talented offensive team,” a llen said. “I just kept talking about making sure we’re continuing to play and making sure we didn’t let those missed shots affect what we do on the defensive end and what we do and how we play as a team. at times, we kind of let it affect us on the defensive end and kind of bring our energy down.”
t he Irish failed to drain a single three-point shot in the entirety of the first half. t he dry spell beyond the arc lasted until the final minutes of the fourth quarter when freshman forward erin boley drained notre dame’s lone threepointer. mcGraw said she felt that notre dame’s inability to get shots to drop can be attributed to both her team and the rams’ defense.
“I thought it was, maybe a third of it was us,” mcGraw said. “I mean, we missed some layups, we missed some easy shots. a third of it was their defense. a nd a third of it was the
pace. I think, they wanted to take so much time on offense that by the time we got to offense, we just wanted to shoot it. we were just too anxious to shoot it. I think our shot selection could have been better. we could’ve looked in a lot more.”
t he Irish were able to stifle fordham’s offense, holding the rams (1-1) to just 20 points in the first half. mcGraw noted that her team’s defensive communication made significant progress against the rams.
“I thought we communicated well,” mcGraw said. “t hat’s been a little bit of a work in progress for us. I thought we did a good job talking on the screens, we did a lot of switching and I thought we really guarded them really well on the switching. I though the post did a good job of handling the guards and the guards did a good job of handling the post, so I was really pleased with that.”
t he Irish offensive struggles continued well into the third quarter. t he rams were able to hold the Irish to just two points in the first eight minutes of the third.
t he momentum swing came with minutes left in the third when Irish senior forward k ristina nelson re-entered the game. nelson went on a roll, ending the long notre dame scoring drought and picking
up multiple key offensive rebounds. Irish did not look back, increasing their lead to 20.
“I thought k ristina nelson was player of the game,” mcGraw said. “I mean, she made some huge plays for us. Just, just huge. at time when we really needed a basket, she was able to get the offensive rebound and put back. she got us started on our stretch to get it to 20. a nd then, taking the charge … first in her career, I think, so I was excited about that too.”
a llen echoed her coach’s sentiments, adding that nelson’s offensive run re-energized her team.
“I think when [nelson] made that mini-run for us and made those hustle plays, that kind of revved us up a little bit and gave us that energy that we needed,” a llen said. “I thought we were just kind of lethargic at times and I thought that we needed to just get some hustle plays, get some rebounds, kind of get us going. I thought [nelson] started that out for us and then we just kind of continued it on from there.”
w ith the win over fordham, the Irish advance to the wn I t semifinal where they will take on Green bay at 7 p.m. on t hursday at p urcell pavilion.
Contact R.J. Stempak at rstempak@nd.edu
pa I d a dV ert Isement
Duncan set to face Stanford
no. 5 duncan def. no. 1 st. e dward’s, 29-0
By BRENNAN BUHR sports writer
duncan resoundingly defeated top seed st. edward’s 29-0 sunday, advancing the first-time semifinalists into the interhall football championship in notre dame stadium.
the no. 5 Highlanders (4-1) were led offensively by junior quarterback and fill-in captain matthew kase, who accounted for three total touchdowns, two on the ground and one through the air. on defense, junior safety declan Zidar, who has previously led morrissey to two interhall titles in 2014 and 2015, secured two key momentum-swinging interceptions in the game.
the Highlanders began the first quarter with a long drive capped off by a short touchdown run. the extra point put them up 7-0.
the no. 1 Gentlemen (4-1) played competitively in the first quarter and began the second quarter on a high note with a long drive that brought their offense into the red zone for the first
time in the game. However, Zidar grabbed a momentum-killing interception in his own end zone to extinguish the threat. Zidar described the interception as a major turning point.
“we were just relieved,” Zidar said. “they were driving on us and we were up 7-0, and when we got the interception we turned the game around from there.” soon after, Zidar and the Highlanders would convert the key turnover into another score, this time on a short touchdown run by kase that pushed the margin to 14-0.
late in the second quarter, the Highlanders forced a Gentlemen punt and quickly marched down the field, adding another touchdown on a long pass from kase to his Zidar as time expired in the first half.
“we had a quick two-minute drill, and I give credit to matt kase on that one,” Zidar said. “He threw a perfect ball in the back of the end zone and we went up 21-0.” any hope that the Gentlemen had of mounting a comeback
see InterHall PaGe 9 InterHall Football
tH e obserV er | tuesday, november 15, 2016 | ndsmcobserV er.com
Kelly praises team’s effort against a rmy
By RENEE GRIFFEN sports writer
Irish head coach brian kelly had many positives to focus on in his sunday teleconference following the 44-6 win against army, which brought notre dame’s record to 4-6.
one particular point of emphasis was the defensive improvement the Irish have displayed in recent games, with the effort against the black knights the most clear example yet.
“first and foremost, a very detailed, organized plan, wellcoached during the week of practice, a focus on the fundamentals, and in-game adjustments that have been followed through by the players,” kelly said of what has helped the defense move from 103rd nationally to 39th. “so I think just a coordinated effort that has seen this defense get better and better.
“the utilization of some more of the freshmen [who] have really
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Notre Dame lands NCAA berth
By JOE EVERETT sports writer
t he n otre d ame women’s team secured itself an automatic berth in the ncaa championships with a second-place finish at the Great l akes r egional c hampionship on f riday at the Zimmer c hampionship c ourse in m adison, w isconsin.
In a pack of 32 teams, the Irish women finished second at regional championships for the second straight year. t heir 91 total team points only trailed m ichigan, who scored 61. t he Irish were led by sophomore a nna r ohrer (19:35.7), who finished runner-up in the regional championships for the second straight season. l ast year, r ohrer finished behind teammate m olly s eidel, and this time, she finished behind m ichigan senior e rin f inn (19:27.8).
s ophomore a nnie Heffernan and grad student d anielle a ragon also finished in the top-25 for n otre d ame at 10th and
13th respectively, and the pair joined r ohrer in receiving a ll- r egion honors. s ophomore r achel d a d amio, who finished in 29th, and junior l exi p elletier, who finished 37th, rounded out the top-five for the women’s team. Irish associate head coach m atthew s parks said his team accomplished exactly what it set out to do on f riday.
“ t he women’s team met our expectations,” s parks said. “ o ur goal going into the meet was to finish toptwo and secure an automatic qualifying spot. You never want to leave the meet not knowing if you’re in or not, and the women did it.”
t he Irish barely edged out w isconsin (97), m ichigan s tate (97), and e astern m ichigan (102) for the second automatic qualifying spot, and s parks credits his team’s ability to track down runners toward the end of the race.
“ t hey really closed the door in the last kilometer,”
Irish earn spot in ncaa tourney
By MANNY DE JESUS sports writer
despite an early exit in the acc tournament, no. 20 notre dame will prepare to compete in its 19th ncaa championship tournament on sunday as it hosts the winner of loyola chicago and Illinoischicago at alumni stadium.
“It was a hard fought loss [against wake forest] and the first game in a long time we came out feeling like we didn’t really control the game,” senior forward mark Gormley said. “but, ever since the game we’ve been watching film and critiquing our play, finding areas where we could improve. while it was disappointing to go out early in the acc tournament, our primary goal has always been to win a national championship, and we are still in a great position to do so.”
monday afternoon, the Irish (116-2, 3-3-2 acc) were selected as the 13th seed of the tournament, which marked the fifth straight season that the team was seeded among the top 16 teams. since 2013, when notre dame won the
ncaa college cup, the squad has advanced past the second round of the tournament and fallen in the third round. all time, the Irish are 17-16-2 in the ncaa tournament. the road to the ncaa college cup will go through familiar foes if notre dame manages to get past the winner of loyola chicago and uIc the teams in their quarter of the bracket consist of no. 12 seed Virginia, who the Irish lost to 1-0 back on oct. 14; no. 4-seed louisville, who beat notre dame 1-0 on sept. 16; and no. 5 seed stanford, who the Irish squeaked by 2-1 in overtime on sept. 2. other squads making the tournament field that notre dame played in the regular season include Virginia tech, michigan state, new mexico, no. 7 seed Indiana, no. 9 seed north carolina, no. 8 seed syracuse, no. 3 seed clemson and no. 2 seed wake forest. as a conference, the acc dominated the ncaa championship field this year, getting a record nine teams into the tournament. In the last 10
see m soccer PaGe 10
strong defense leads Irish to win versus fordham
By ELIZABETH GREASON sports writer
no. 1 notre dame took down fordham, 67-36, in its second game of the year, despite struggling to make shots throughout the game.
Irish head coach muffet mcGraw said she felt that the win was a good one and showed that the team has the grit to win, even when things are not going its way.
“I think it’s a great thing to learn about this team that we can win ugly,” mcGraw said. “I think that we missed a lot of shots, we were frustrated early and we kept our composure.”
t he Irish (2-0) got off to a slow start offensively, scoring just 34 points in the first half, led by sophomore guard a rike ogunbowale, who tallied eight points in the half.
t he Irish were unable to get shots to drop, especially from beyond the three-point arc: notre dame converted only 13-of-32 field goal attempts in the first half. Irish senior guard l indsay a llen, who finished
EMMET FARNAN | The Observer
Irish junior linebacker Greer Martini makes a tackle during Notre Dame’s 44-6 victory over Army on Saturday in San Antonio.
CLAIRE KELSEY
The Observer
Irish senior guard Lindsay Allen dribbles the ball upcourt in Notre Dame’s 67-36 win over Fordham on Monday night at Purcell Pavilion.
