On a recent trip to the Middle East, Fr. Dan Groody sought solutions
By JACK ROONEY associate news editor
For months, the islamic state group commonly referred to as isis has made shockwaves in the middle east and around the world with its swift, merciless and religiously-motivated violence. on a recent trip to the middle east, notre dame professor of theology Fr. dan groody witnessed the human face of the victims of the islamic state group’s brutality so he could share their story with catholics in the united states and the notre dame community.
‘Christ gives me peace’ “w hen we were in a bulgarian refugee camp, this guy came up
to me and said ‘i’m a christian.’ i didn’t have my clerics on, but he said ‘i’m a christian,’ and so i said, ‘Tell me more,’” groody said. “a nd he said isis asked him if he was a christian and he said yes, and they asked him why he was a christian and he said, ‘i don’t find peace in islam. i want to find peace. i’m tired of the fighting, i’m tired of the violence, i’m tired of all the hatred. i want to find peace and christ gives me peace.’
“he said he came back later than evening and [isis] killed his mother, his father, his sister and his two brothers. he said ‘i have no one else left in the world.’ he was very much alone in the midst
Dame
East.
e xchange students flourish at notre dame
By EMILY McCONVILLE news writer
as notre dame students scatter across the globe to study at foreign universities, many of those universities send their own students to notre dame. according to the notre dame international (ndi) website, the university has student exchange partnerships with 12
colleges and universities in europe and asia. david younger, associate director of ndi, said each university typically sends one to three students to notre dame per semester.
younger said the exchange programs are similar to notre dame’s study abroad programs: students apply and are accepted through their home universities, though notre dame makes
the final application decision. he said each exchange partner typically sends one to three students per semester.
younger said the appeal of studying abroad at notre dame often stems both from the university’s academic reputation and its conventional college setting.
Saint Mary’s to host teen writing conference
By TABITHA RICKETTS news writer
The department of education at saint mary’s college and the michiana writers’ center are teaming up to host a teen writing conference saturday called get inked on saturday in the carroll auditorium of madeleva hall.
The conference, open to students in grades 8 to 12 and held
on the saint mary’s campus, will run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The event will feature keynote speaker Tracy bilen, author of the young adult novel “w hat she left behind.”
Kathy higgs-coulthard, director of the michiana writers’ center and education professor at saint mary’s, said the conference hopes to strengthen teens’ writing skills with engaging workshops and guest speakers.
“The get inked Teen writing conference is designed to provide teen writers with the same types of experiences adult writers get at their writing conferences,” higgs-coulthard said.
“our guest author, Tracy bilen, is a huge draw.”
The teens attending the conference will not only get to hear bilen speak, higgs-coulthard
see conFerence PaGe 4
Journalist analyzes RussiaUkraine conflict
By GABRIELA MALESPIN news writer
notre dame’s nanovic i nstitute for european studies hosted journalist l awrence sheets to speak about the current situation in u kraine in a lecture titled “russia and u kraine: a v iew from the ground,” the third in a threepart series of lectures sheet gave on the political and historical nuances of russia. sheets, who served as the national p ublic radio’s moscow
see conFlicT PaGe 4
Courtesy of Fr. Dan Groody
Notre
theology professor Fr. Dan Groody poses with a group of children on a recent delegation to the Middle
Groody and five others from the USCCB met with refugees and government and U.N. leaders.
ROSIE BIEHL | The Observer
Journalist Lawrence Sheets delivered a lecture on tensions in Russian and Ukraine in Carey Auditorium on Thursday evening.
Stephen Cray junior off-campus “i nterpretive dance.”
Lara Dulin sophomore cavanaugh hall “i sing.”
Michelle Lacouture sophomore walsh hall
“cross cultural exploration: food, language and identities.”
Students added rubber bands to create the Notre Dame monogram, a project meant to
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Corrections
The nov. 6 edition of The observer incorrectly stated six notre dame or saint mary’s alumni won seats in the u s house of representatives. rep. John ratcliffe ( r-TX-4) also won his first term, bringing the total to seven. The observer regrets this error.
Friday
Swimming and Diving
Rolfs Aquatic Center
5 p.m. - 7 p.m.
The Irish face Pittisburgh and Virginia Tech.
Men’s Basketball Purcell Pavilion
7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Exhibition game vs. Lewis.
Saturday
Vigil Mass
Basilica of the Sacred Heart
5 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Music by the Women’s Liturgical Choir
“Six Characters in Search of an Author” DeBartolo Performing Arts Center
7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Student tickets are $7.
Sunday
Sunday Mass Basilica of the Sacred Heart
10 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Music by ND Liturgical Choir.
“The Sword in the Stone” DeBartolo Performing Arts Center 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. Free for students.
Monday
Common Good Initiative Info Geddes Hall
4 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Open to graduate and professional students.
“Man Up!” : Reimagining Modern Manhood Hesburgh Library
7 p.m. - 8 p.m. Open to all students.
Tuesday
“Grand Illusion” DeBartolo Performance Arts Center
8 p.m.
MICHAEL YU| The Observer
Chorale to perform sacred, patriotic works in concert SMC concludes supply drive for Ebola patients
By BIANCA ALMADA news writer
The n otre d ame c horale, the university’s official concert choir, will perform its annual fall concert at 8 p.m. Friday in d e b artolo p erforming a rts c enter’s l eighton c oncert h all. The theme of the concert is “g od, c ountry, n otre d ame.”
“The concert will feature sacred works ( g od), patriotic songs (country) and school songs ( n otre d ame) in addition to i rish airs and the s cottish song ‘ l och l omond,’” c horale director a lexander b lachly said. “There will also be a special feature of the program with the participation of the newly-formed n otre d ame c hildren’s c hoir.”
b lachly said the repertoire of the group ranges from g regorian chants, r enaissance motets and classical pieces to more contemporary works. s taff pianist p aivi e kroth will accompany the choir’s vocals.
The show, which will last approximately one hour with no intermission, celebrates the 40th anniversary of the c horale and kicks off a weekend-long c horale alumni reunion.
“This is a celebration of the past members of the c horale,” b lachly said.”The reunion will continue the next day after the concert with singing activities in l eighton c oncert h all and a visit to the dpac organ hall.”
s enior m imi m ichuda, c horale president, said she
“Chorale is more than just close friendships, we are a family. ”
Mimi Michuda president Chorale
appreciates the emotion and excitement surrounding the reunion.
“c horale is more than just close friendships, we are a family,” she said.
Junior e rin b ishop, c horale treasurer, said the concert will feature many changes from of the past performances.
“The officers and myself have worked really hard with a lex [ b lachly] to revamp our concerts and to hopefully increase attendance,” she said.
“This concert, we’re singing a much greater variety of pieces, especially with the
paid a dverT isemen T
more modern patriotic and school songs.”
b lachly said the c horale has about 50 members, both male and female, most of whom are undergraduate students representing every college. b esides the fall concert, the c horale also performs h andel’s m essiah with the n otre d ame Festival o rchestra each d ecember, embarks on a winter tour each January and travels for an international tour every three or four years. The c horale has also performed with the s outh b end s ymphony o rchestra, and the group will participate in a performance of m endelssohn’s e lijah next m arch.
“ m any students do not know about c horale because there are many other choirs on campus that sing much more modern music,” b ishop said. “ we want people to know that we’re here as well and just as great of a group.”
Tickets for the fall concert are free for students and $10 for the general public. They can be purchased at the dpac box office or online at performingarts.nd.edu
Contact Bianca Almada at balmada@nd.edu
By RONI DARLING news writer
saint mary’s associate professor of nursing e lla harmeyer, the sisters of nefertiti and belles for a frica concluded their supply drive for the e bola outbreak wednesday. They placed bins in spes unica hall to collect supplies to send to a frican countries that would help prevent the spread of the virus, including hand sanitizers, thermometers, gloves, surface wipes and masks.
harmeyer said she encourages people to stay calm and approach the ebola virus in a sensible manner.
“ebola has been around for over 30 years,” she said. “currently the numbers in western a frican, in a small number of countries, have risen significantly. we should not ignore it, but we should also not become hysterical.”
she said it is important to donate items because many affected countries have populations who live in rural areas without access to the resources they need. d ue to poor healthcare, any illnesses impoverished people in a frica face have the potential to be life-threatening, harmeyer said.
“a lready, of the seven cases treated in the us, only one person has died,” she said. “That is a much lower level of mortality than the disease has in western a frica.”
she said influenza will be more of a problem for a mericans over the next few months or so.
“real influenza, not the common cold which is sometimes referred to as ‘the flu,’ will cause death in a number of people over the next four months,” she said. “but we ‘know’ the flu, and therefore we don’t panic.”
she said ebola transmission is not airborne and requires contact with body fluids.
“sitting next to someone on a plane is not going to transmit this virus,” she said.
harmeyer said there are only three countries in a frica that are experiencing this epidemic, not the whole continent of 58
countries.
“we tend to fear those things that are new and different,” she said. “we do need to make sensible decisions based on the facts.”
a ssistant professor of nursing Juliana mwose said although ebola is not a new disease, this happens to be the largest and most complex ebola outbreak since 1976 when it was first discovered.
“This time around, ebola has claimed more lives and spread across land boarders and abroad,” mwose said. “i think the best way to deal with this disease right now is to try and contain it and restrict its spread while the scientific world figures out a vaccine.
“we have eradicated many other serious diseases, and i think this is not an exception. but in the meantime, we need to do all we can to get education about the disease and keep it contained. That is why i think the simple method of using hygiene will go along way into fighting the disease.”
she said as a country, it is important for a mericans to keep up with news to know what is happening, and also to get the truth about the disease and educate families and communities on how to prevent the spread of the virus.
a s a college community, mwose said the most important contribution students and faculty can have on helping the ebola crisis is donating basic yet necessary supplies needed to fight the disease.
sophomore mairead Zigulich said in the saint mary’s community, it may not seem like students are making a major impact just by donating supplies because ebola is such a huge problem, but every little bit counts.
“i f everyone gave just a little, that has the power to make a major difference,” she said. students interested in donating money or supplies can contact diane Fox at dfox@saintmarys.edu
Contact Roni Darling at vdarli02@saintmarys.edu
Conference
said, but will also be able to write with her in small group sessions.
saint mary’s junior Teresa guerrero will co-teach some of the workshops.
“as an english major and secondary education minor, my involvement in the conference is to help teach a brief lesson about the workshops i am helping to conduct and help students with any[thing] they may need,” guerrero said.
according to a list provided upon registration, students can choose from workshops covering a variety of topics including how to find inspiration, write body language, establish effective
Conflict
bureau chief and currently works for the i nternational c risis group ( icg ), focused his talk on the political instability that characterizes u kraine.
“w hat we face is a very, very serious challenge to all of europe and to the international order,” he said.
according to sheets, the current situation in russia is product of russia’s imperialist attitudes, which translates to serious consequences in
settings and write compact stories. beyond traditional story themes, the conference will address additional topics relevant to teens through a college essay workshop.
higgs-coulthard said the biggest benefit for the attending students will be the opportunity to meet like-minded teens.
“The conference is geared toward students in grades 8-12 because those writers are usually functioning at a more sophisticated level of writing — both creatively and analytically — than younger students,” she said. “Those students are often able to adopt new strategies into their writing and consider suggested revisions.”
guerrero said she is excited to
u kraine. sheets said while u krainians have a unique perspective on their identity with regards to russia, they characterize their country as more than an extension of the russian federation.
sheets said russia’s ethnic makeup and its variety in language usage make it so difficult to categorize.
“i f you ask me which country is most difficult to model in terms of stability, i would say its u kraine,” sheets said. “u kraine is a very divided country.” sheets said it was problematic
work with the students who are willing to devote their saturdays to writing.
“i was motivated to get involved with the conference because of the students who are coming,” she said. “hopefully i can incorporate some of the ideas presented at the conference into my own teaching one day.”
The conference is also going to be helpful for writing teachers, higgs-coulthard said.
“a rea teachers are invited to attend the morning session for free in order to learn more about teaching writing,” she said.
“mary nicolini, the site director for our area’s national writing project, will be on hand to answer questions.” additionally, most presenters
that many a merican citizens don’t know what is going on in u kraine and attributesd this to the fact that around 1992-1993, there was serious discouragement to learn russian culture or the history of the soviet union.
“There’s very little expertise on the country,” he said. “it has to do with the fact that there is a decreasing expertise on the former soviet union. … There seems to be a conscious effort to avoid discussing what is happening in u kraine.”
sheets said the nation of g eorgia also currently faces
paid a dverT isemen T
are not just teachers, but writers themselves, higgs-coulthard said. This gives the presenters an increased understanding of the struggles the teen writers are facing, she said, which will help make them more able to help the teens.
she said this is the second year for what she hopes will become an established annual conference.
“The conference exists to celebrate and support teen writers,” higgs-coulthard said. “w hile sporting events showcase athletes and other events like band concerts and theater plays showcase performers, there is nothing else around to showcase the talents of michiana’s young writers.”
problems because its government is characterized by a lose joining of politicians with different ideologies, agendas and political strategies, which leads to destabilization within the country.
“i f you’ve been noticing what’s been happening in g eorgia, there’s a very serious political unraveling in that country, and it’s been predicted for a long time,” sheets said. according to sheets, this political unraveling, along with economic destabilization in u kraine could potentially spell
The get inked registration website advertises an autographed copy of bilen’s novel, “w hat she left behind,” for each attendee. The $40 registration fee covers a full-day’s attendance and lunch.
“saint mary’s education students are invited to attend the morning session from 8-11:30 in carroll auditorium for free,” higgs-coulthard said, but must email her at higgscou@saintmarys.edu to rsvp
“i hope that students will take away new ways to write,” guerrero said. “i am still learning … just as these students are.”
Contact Tabitha Ricketts at tricke01@saintmarys.edu
problems for russia.
“This brings up the question of serious destabilization within russia itself,” sheets said.
sheets said u kraine also currently faces severe problems with its economy.
“it reflects deep divisions within u krainian society and issues of u krainian identity,” he said. “This history of u kraine, militarily, is not a classical military history; it’s a history of partisanship.”
Contact Gabriela Malespin at gmalespi@nd.edu
of bulgaria. he couldn’t go back to his homeland, and he really couldn’t go forward at this point, either.”
groody travelled to bulgaria, Turkey and greece from sept. 21 to oct. 3 with a delegation of six people from the united states conference of catholic bishops (usccb) that focuses on migrant and refugee ministry.
a s christians visiting the region, groody said the delegation faced some of the same threats the refugees they encountered did, but nothing compared to their reality.
“There’s always a risk. l ife’s a risk,” he said. “i didn’t feel threatened at any time, but we were aware that some of the towns we were in, isis was there, and even some of the houses we were in it wasn’t clear who we were dealing with.
“but still, our job was not to play it safe. our job was to find out what was happening, and unless we were able to hear the stories of the people where they work, we really couldn’t offer anything substantial. but whatever risks we took, they were nothing compared to what people we were talking to were going through. … a nything we faced was just so miniscule in comparison.”
groody said members of this committee travel to different parts of the world with pressing migrant and refugee issues each year. in the past two years, they have been to central a merica to examine the issue of migrant children coming to the u s. and the middle east to address the overflow of refugees from the syrian civil war.
on each trip, groody said delegation members meet with highlevel united nations (u n.) and government officials, aid workers with groups such as catholic charities and the red cross and
with refugees themselves.
groody said these encounters with refugees were the most moving aspect of the experience. he said a medical student from syria fleeing isis violence with his brother, both of whom groody met in greece, told him a particularly powerful story.
“i asked, ‘was god present at any point’ and the one brother, who was muslim, said, ‘yes, absolutely. we were constantly looking death in the face, and death was in front of us everyday,’” groody said. “This is someone who was a medical student in syria and now a refugee in greece. i said, ‘w hat did you say to god or what did you hear from god?’ a nd he said, ‘i prayed everyday, and it was this: you are my god, my life is in your hands, help me.’ it’s those kinds of stories, for me, that are particularly important.”
‘These are our brothers and sisters’ unlike the united states, groody said countries such as Turkey, which has about 1.7 million refugees, willingly accept large volumes of refugees.
“i’ve often asked the government leaders — we’ve met with prime ministers and secretaries of state on previous visits — why is it that you accept [the refugees],” he said. “i mean, [the u s.] goes crazy over 60,000 children coming across the border.
“so i said, ‘w hy do you accept them?’ They said ‘These are our brother and sisters.’ so it’s really rather striking to see the level of humanitarian commitment they have, even with the political costs that are involved. a nd that was one of the things i paid close attention to. if you look at the calculus between humanitarian costs and political costs in both Turkey and in the united states, Turkey — even though i’ve got a lot of issues with Turkey — Turkey has really said, ‘we will welcome these people even if there’s nothing to
the different disciplines.”
gain politically because they are our brothers and sisters,’ whereas we’ve said, ‘because we have something to lose politically, we will not do anything for these people.’”
groody said united states and the usccb still do accept and help resettle millions of refugees, making the delegation an important tool for understanding where the refugees come from.
“The united states resettles more refugees than any other country in the world, and the bishop’s conference resettles more refugees than any other organization in the united states,” he said.
“if you just took the number of resettled refugees that the bishop’s conference resettles, it would be larger than any other country in the world other than the united states. so it’s a tremendous amount of work that the bishops do, so these kinds of delegations are important because they give us firsthand accounts of what’s going on with the refugee situation in various parts of the world.”
‘What more can Notre dame do’
Though he travelled with the usccb and continues work with them, groody said he also made the trip to the middle east as a notre dame faculty member with an eye towards the university’s role, or lack thereof, in the refugee crisis.
“w hile i went as a member of the bishop’s conference, and while i went as a member of the committee, i actually also went there as a member of the faculty, and i can’t help but go to these places and continually ask, ‘w hat more can notre dame do, and what can we do as human beings, as christians, as catholics,’” groody said. w hen he visited a school on the border of Turkey and syria, overflowing with 3,000 refugees, groody said a classroom full of young girls told him what they would want to tell the u n
“They looked at me and said, ‘First of all, don’t forget about us, but secondly, what we really want is an education, and we want to have a future with hope. we want to have a peaceful place to live,” he said. “w hat i heard again and again is they want an education. i ask what can we do to contribute to that.”
groody said he could envision
notre dame playing a role in establishing satellite learning opportunities for refugees. he also said he thought the a lliance for catholic education could help give migrant and refugee children an education in the united states.
overall, groody said the refugee crises in the middle east, central a merica and other parts of the world call catholic communities such as notre dame to examine their role as advocates for the marginalized.
“i think the presence of the refugee crisis is very significant right now,” he said. “we live in age of migration and we live at a time when there are pressing human needs. a nd i think it’s a time when our government is doing something — it is trying to respond to some of these issues — but it raises the question of how much of a responsibility is upon us to not be indifferent and to really rise up to the humanitarian challenge that’s there, and i think even more so from a christian perspective, to see how central that is to our own life of faith.”
Contact Jack Rooney at jrooney1@nd.edu
“[it’s] a traditional a merican college experience — going away to college, living on campus, having athletics programs that are by and large relatively successful, ways for students to engage with faculty, ways for students to engage with the community, things that really feed into a stereotypical university experience,” he said.
exchange students can take any course for which they qualify, and with the exception of the university of east a nglia partnership (which is open only to english and a merican studies students) students come to notre dame to study a variety of fields, younger said.
“we’ll get students from hong Kong in both chemistry and a merican studies or economics, really all over the place. engineering, even,” younger said. “we have students from all
léa michelin is a student at institut d’etudes politiques de paris (commonly referred to as sciences po), where all students
“What appealed to me was the familial experience, the fact that everyone seems to be so nice to each other.”
Léa Michelin exchange student Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris
go abroad during their third year. michelin said she chose notre dame after reading other students’ reviews of the university.
“w hat appealed to me was the familial experience, the fact that everyone seems to be so nice to each other,” michelin said. “… i’m catholic, so the fact that it
was a catholic school was kind of appealing too.”
michelin, who is taking classes in political science, a merican studies and peace studies, said she appreciates that notre dame professors go out of their way to help students.
“it’s really different, the fact that teachers are really here to make us learn and make us love what we are doing,” she said. “i feel that they are not a distant person telling something and leaving. They’re really in the class trying to make us understand. They are much more present.”
nadège lejeune, a second-year master’s student at université paris diderot who is completing the final year of her english degree at notre dame, said classes at notre dame are smaller and more discussion-based than in France.
“classes are very different,” she said. “at home you have a very large number of students, and you just sit down and write
what the professor says. we write everything down and we don’t talk, whereas here, i’m in classes with seven people and the class is basically conversation. i was quite taken aback; it was quite difficult for me, but i’ve gotten used to it. it’s interesting to see the different ways of learning.”
michelin said one of the biggest differences she found between notre dame and sciences po was the depth of relationships.
“it’s complex to have profound relationships and to be true friends with people,” she said. “it stays at the ‘what’s up’ stage. i call it the ‘what’s up relationship.’ . . . at first, when i heard ‘what’s up,’ my French reflex is to say, ‘oh my god, i’m so tired, i have so many things to do’ — to actually talk about things that really matter. a nd they’re like, ‘oh yeah. well, see you…’ now i understand it’s another way to say hello.”
despite this, michelin said she liked how friendly people were both in academic in social settings.
“it’s quite difficult to make close friends here, but the fact is, it is really pleasant to be able to talk to everybody and never be disregarded for something,” she said.
lejeune said she was considering applying to notre dame for her ph.d. and studying abroad affected her career plans.
“it’s changed a lot of the things that i’ve been thinking over the past few years,” she said. “i didn’t want to teach, and now i’m considering it.”
michelin said her time at notre dame helped her improve her english proficiency as well as her knowledge of other cultures.
“i will become much more open-minded to each person,” she said. “i will be able to speak with people really different from who i am much more easily. it’s easier now to speak to someone who is from another culture, another nationality.”
Contact Emily McConville at emcconv1@nd.edu
Courtesy of Fr. Dan Groody
Fr. Dan Groody travelled to Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece with a delegation of six people from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that focuses on migrant and refugee ministry.
iNSide ColumN
i nterview season
i have recently accepted an internship offer with a consulting firm in chicago. after the lengthy process of first round interviews, followed by second round interviews, followed by office visits at multiple firms, it is very satisfying to look back on the experience and reflect.
For some, interviewing with companies for internships or full-time positions is fun. For others, it is a nerve-filled experience that is dreaded. Thankfully, i think interviewing is fun and also a great opportunity to get to know someone new sitting across the table. it was like every interview i had was a new potential life path based on the type of work or part of the country i would be venturing to. personally, i think this outlook on interviewing is what made me successful in getting internship offers and creating personal connections with various professional contacts in the industry.
so many people go into interviews having their resume studied, their answers to the generic questions memorized and their posture in perfect form. personally, i think this classic approach is overrated and creates a line of candidates that are cookie cutter in nature. cookie-cutter candidates are ready to draw attention to the accolades and skills on their resumes with polished delivery just like they practiced. in my opinion, these candidates are missing the most important aspect of interviewing: the human connection. sure, a high gpa and an extensive skill set are wonderful and sometimes necessary, but they just get your foot in the door.
From there, it is all about the connection you can make with the interviewer. That person is assessing your fit for the company, but more importantly, that person is judging whether or not they want to work with you. Things as simple as similar hobby interests or making them laugh immediately forms a human connection that will always be more powerful than the cookie-cutter answers. in one of my best interviews, we spent 20 out of 30 minutes talking about our interest in photography and sharing photos with each other. in another great interview, we spent 15 minutes talking about how we both play the saxophone and about my involvement in band.
The purpose of writing this column is to encourage everyone interviewing to set aside the cookie-cutter approach and let the human side shine through. interviewers know that as notre dame students, we are all very gifted intellectually. They are interested in our skills, but more importantly, they are interested in us as people. Therefore, i encourage everyone to approach interviewing as an opportunity to explore new and exciting paths in life and to really get to know the person sitting across from you. They may just turn into a lifelong colleague and friend.
Contact Michael Kramm at mkramm@nd.edu
The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Dare to DART
of a required class that fits in your schedule? e asy: change your major. a ny other option is futile.
you knew it when you saw that fateful email arrive in your inbox at 10:14 a.m. oct. 31. you knew the blissful, carefree portion of your semester had to come to an end when that subject line – “spring 2015 registration ( darT) i nformation” – graced your screen, along with all other ndselec T ed-sT uden Ts @listserv.nd.edu until now, darTing days were the low point of the semester. They were filled with anxiety as you tried to fit in every class perfectly, stress when the spots in those classes were snatched before your eyes and fatigue as you had to wake up at the crack of dawn to sign up for classes you didn’t want in the first place. but that’s all about to change. a s you begin to plan your schedule and plot your darT, the following list is the e ssential and authoritative o fficial observer guide to your perfect darT. on behalf of the entire e ditorial board, you’re welcome.
rule No. 1
your dart time is 7:40 a.m.? you’ll need to wake up at 5 a.m. and check c lass search every 10 minutes to make sure all the slots in your desired classes didn’t fill up during the last darT time. you’ll want to give yourself ample time to panic and pout before 7:40 a.m. rolls around. understand that if you don’t get the exact schedule you envisioned, there are no solutions, so you should be unhappy all day and complain to your friends as much as possible. be prepared for this – drink plenty of water in anticipation of a lot of indignant speeches about how notre dame is trying to sabotage your academic career. i f you are a business major, make sure you have a non-business friend around so you can make him or her understand there is nothing more challenging or stressful than life in mendoza.
rule No. 2
do everything in your power to win a precious darT time on the first day of your level — vigilantly wish on every 11:11 and shooting star you see, and avoid black cats at all costs. i f you fail, forget about coordinating a good schedule. your chances of getting a spot in that 11 a.m. seminar with notre dame’s best professor are over. welcome to the 8:30 a.m. lecture lifestyle. i n fact, if you’re on the second day, you might as well not darT at all; after all, wouldn’t you rather have no class than have to wake up before 9?
rule No. 3
The best way to assure the best possible chances of maybe getting into a class where the average is at least a c , at best a c +, is to become an athlete. start each day with 20 reps of 100 push-ups, 25 reps of 150 sit-ups, and run a marathon as cool-down. you can also hire a professional trainer for a couple of thousands of dollars each day and hope he or she can get you in tip-top shape. Find a sport that allows walk-ons, offer prayers to Jesus, mary and Joseph in hopes of making it on, and secure that first time slot. a lternatively, you can accept defeat and pull out your mcdonald’s job application while preparing for a life of flipping patties. no pressure.
rule No. 4
make sure you check nd Today or r atemyp rofessors and read every professor rating and review for every potential instructor you may have in the upcoming semester. you should especially make sure to read the comments, because everyone knows that disgruntled students unhappy enough with their final grades to write a review are the most reliable sources on a professor’s teaching ability. i f a professor has less than a five on the personality scale, eliminate the class from your list of options. There is absolutely no way you’ll make it through the class with an instructor so allegedly boring. does this dud professor teach the only section
rule No. 5
many students feel powerless about their darT, but your success comes down to those 10 seconds between when you log in to i nsidend and when you copy-paste the crns. a nd that is a matter of your wifi signal. start now. Find the precise spot on campus where the wifi signal is optimal, which can only be done by trial and error. c ommit the next few weeks to examining every classroom, lounge and maybe even dorm room until you’ve determined where you need to be. i f you become discouraged, purchase a new laptop — don’t cut corners. a rrive at your chosen spot a night in advance, if possible, and set alarms to wake up every hour to test the wifi strength and be sure no one is sabotaging your darT. a nd when it’s time, own those first 10 seconds and secure the last spot in your top-choice class. The key to a masterful darT is preparation and location, location, location.
rule No. 6
do you want to get the top job in your field after graduation? well, forget about earning a high major gpa l ikewise, don’t focus so much on internships — they’re just experiences you can make up later. i nstead, focus on your darT time because that is the most important preparation. don’t you remember from middle school motivational posters that knowledge is power? well, you’re never going to hold any power if you don’t learn from one of the top scholars in your field or take that cool elective about “cutting-edge technology in biology/aerospace e ngineering/Finance/ [ i nsert major here].” Therefore, use the brain that got you into notre dame to devise any method — hacking into the darT system, creating an algorithm that alerts you when precious class spaces open or even resorting to good ol’ fashioned bribery — to get into that class you absolutely need to land that job you absolutely have to have. a nd when you don’t land said job after graduation, don’t say i didn’t warn you.
rule No. 7
since this is happening in november, make sure you wear layers — this isn’t bro tanks and c hubbies season. you never know how the weather will be in south bend, so you might want to lug that warm winter coat around with you just in case. besides dressing for the elements, the other big rule is to pace yourself. you don’t want to be that kid who has to cab back to campus well before the day is over because he is a lightweight and tried too hard to keep up with his heavyweight friends. be sure to eat plenty of carbs throughout the morning and afternoon to absorb all that alco — oh, you want to know about darTing, not dartying? sorry, can’t help you with that one.
rule No. 8
you can’t darT without your hands. you have to type in those precious pins somehow. stop using them. now. no more shaking hands for networking or for interviews. you’re not going to get a good job anyway if you aren’t able to darT. no more holding hands with your significant other. no one will love you if you don’t have the 11 a.m. class which will be the gateway to your future career. do not take notes in your current class. everyone knows your future classes are more important than the classes you are taking now. simply do not take your hands out of your pockets, ever. a tree branch might fall on them, a crazed biker could zip by and take them clean off, and a high five may leave you permanently crippled. don’t take such a risk when darTing is on the line. i f you have to take them out of your pockets, do so only in a safe, empty and locked room for strength and dexterity exercises. on second thought, don’t do that either. you may pull or tear a muscle. p ut down this paper, immediately.
Michael Kramm photographer
Michael and the whale
b earing two exams and a paper, last week wasn’t the most gentle of welcomes back to n otre d ame after a relaxing and blissfully unproductive fall break. a s i am confident we all know by now, being subjugated to the crucible of academic stressors often brings out some interesting reactions and coping mechanisms in a person, as was my personal experience the night before my physics exam last Thursday.
a fter working through well past my wit’s end of pulleys, incline planes and frictionless loopde-loops, i was taking a “well-deserved” study break (meaning, of course, that i was scrolling through Facebook). a fter finding some innovative how-little-clothing-constitutes-an-outift h alloween ideas, i stumbled upon a youTube link that would end up having a much more profound impact on me that i anticipated or thought possible.
The three minute-long video — entitled “ s leeping h umpback w hale,” with self-explanatory subject manner — was recorded by a researcher by the name of Kieran b rown in an unspecified ocean. p erhaps i didn’t pay close enough attention to the whale sleeping habits section of g eneral b iology b , but apparently they normally sleep with their bodies completely vertical with their heads down. i kept watching the video until about the 2:30 mark or so, wondering if anything special was going to happen (and also wondering what exactly i was expecting from a video called “ s leeping h umpback w hale”).
i t was at that moment that the whale awoke from her deep slumber, rapidly raised her body to the horizontal, shook her head back and forth
and briskly swam on her merry way. That simple, typical-for-an-awakening-whale moment was the spark that led to an unexpected journey of selfreflection (and procrastination). The suggested videos sidebar fueled my addiction as i flitted from video to video about whale migration patterns and mother-child interaction, culminating in the eventual discover of a “ w hale c all” playlist on s potify (so you know it’s real).
b eing consumed by this sense of whale wonder, i pondered the immense scale and scope of these animals, reflecting upon how utterly unbelievable it was that nature molded such a complex creature from the same molecular machinery found in the smallest mouse. i meditated on the vastness of the ocean and the incomprehensible variety of life it fosters, a topic with which even the most intelligent of scientists are still grappling. w hen i finally got back to working on physics and contemplating how much work needed to happen between that moment and my exam the next day, i had quite a difficult time getting motivated again.
That video got me thinking about the sheer vastness of our world in terms of space, time and content, along with how difficult it is to wrap our heads around that complexity. The context we live in inevitably feels all-consuming — between work, play and life’s daily challenges, it’s often times difficult to fathom the enormity of something so much bigger than ourselves. a ttempting to do so can perplexingly lead to both wonder and fear — both an appreciation of immensity as well as worry of how we fit in the grand scheme of things.
i t can make you question how you — one little brush stroke of the seven billion on the canvas of the world — can possibly be of any significance whatsoever. i f you sit and just really think about this fact and let it sink in, it’s actually
remarkably overwhelming and disorienting. a nd this sense of smallness doesn’t stop at the present moment, either. From a reductionist standpoint, we are simply the latest endpoint of the long, relentless timeline of human history, with millions coming before us and even more to follow. i hope i am not alone in marveling at some of the greatest figures of history and thinking, “ w ell crap, what the heck am i doing with my life?!”
i think that this sense of insignificance is, on balance, a good thing. Taking a step back to appreciate the enormity of the world and the endless wealth of possibilities it offers provides an essential sense of perspective with which to view our lives. w hile some would say that the fact that it is physically impossible to experience the entire wealth of human experience the world can offer as discouraging, i see it as motivation to appreciate the small sliver of that whole we are fortunate enough to get.
w hether it is a humpback whale, history lesson or a higher power, recognizing that there are things in this world and beyond that are so much greater than oneself is a humbling, worrying, yet necessary experience. Find wonder in the mundane and the supreme, for it is that wonder that will inspire true introspection and self-awareness.
m ichael Fliotsos is a junior science-business major living in d uncan h all. h e would sincerely appreciate feedback or suggestions for future topics. c ontact him at mfliotso@nd.edu
Michael Fliotsos is a junior science-business major living in Duncan Hall. He would sincerely appreciate feedback or suggestions for future topics. Contact him at mfliotso@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
building g od’s house
was crucified, the same Jesus that was nailed to a cross and left to die. That Jesus is really there in that sanctuary.
“ i thought s unday was a day of rest?” This is the question i ask myself every two weeks as i arise at 6 a.m. to begin preparations for the c onfirmation sessions i coordinate through my i ndianapolis parish.
o n this particular day, like most days, there’s silence at this hour. i am the only one that’s stirring, save for the fog that has pitched camp in the grass just beneath my window. p ast the fog, though, i can only see one thing – darkness. s oon, however, my morning routine fills the day with light and activity. i shower, dress and grab my smiley face mug to fill it with coffee. i t doesn’t take long before my own morning fog has begun to lift.
i t lifts just in time for me to be able to drive to work. a fter the short drive to the parish, the fog greets me again. i t has apparently decided to camp here too. Through it, however, i catch a glimpse of the sanctuary lamp through the windows of the church. i t casts a small light, and i smile to myself as i remember the big truth it signifies: Jesus is really there.
a nd you know what? i can’t stop smiling. The reality of the darkness that i awoke to is no more. i n its place, i encounter the reality of a light that is so much greater. i t is the light of c hrist, one whose love shines no matter the weather of our lives.
o f course, this is the same Jesus that had to weather a lot himself. This is the same Jesus that was beaten and spit upon, the same Jesus that
r ight in front of me is the most awesome reminder that no matter the weather, no matter what we do to h im, g od never turns his back on us.
i get to the office and i have a stack of e-mails waiting for me. “ s orry, s cott, my son can’t be at c onfirmation due to a homework group meeting.” “ s cott, my daughter has a soccer tournament out of state. s he will not be in attendance today.” s ure, Jesus never turns his back on us, but sometimes it feels like we turn our backs on h im. a fter reading more of these, i have to admit that i get a little bit deflated.
a fter such a good start to the day, i can’t help but think to myself now: w hy do so many things take precedence over spending time with g od?
we put so much ahead of h im. a nd, as i ’ve experienced, spending time with g od is never convenient, especially when there’s homework or soccer to worry about. Fortunately for us, g od’s promises to us transcend convenience.
c s l ewis once wrote in this manner in his book, “ m ere c hristianity”:
“ i magine yourself as a living house. g od comes in to rebuild that house. a t first, perhaps, you can understand what h e is doing. h e is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. b ut presently h e starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. w hat on earth is h e up to? The explanation is that h e is building quite a different house from
the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. you thought you were being made into a decent little cottage, but h e is building a palace. h e intends to come and live in it h imself.”
w hy do we live within the constraints of our own agenda when g od promises us so much more? h e wants to make our hearts so big, so “palatial” that they will be able to absorb and be filled with as much of his love as possible.
b ut, of course, it costs our hearts something to be fashioned in this way. a s l ewis observed further, “ we are half-hearted creatures, fooling about … when infinite joy is offered us … we are far too easily pleased.” we fool about with worldly things we think will satisfy us, only to realize they weren’t the things we really desire.
Thus, as l ewis remarked, “ i f we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”
want to know the exciting thing? That world is not completely beyond our grasp. we can build g od’s kingdom now; our hearts can become the palaces of the m ost h igh. we just have the take the time to open our hearts to g od’s will. h e can do the rest.
Scott Boyle graduated in May of 2012 with a degree in theology and a minor in medieval studies. He currently lives and works as a Campus and Youth Minister in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis as a member of Notre Dame’s Echo Program. Contact him at sboyle2@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Michael Fliotsos retained reflections
Scott Boyle
The sincere s eeker
By MARC DRAKE s cene writer
a s the weather gets colder and all the colorful autumn leaves are swept away, many students are left yearning for warmer climates. i n an effort to keep early winter’s sting away, many turn to hot seasonal foods such as soups and stews to keep them warm. For students seeking something more tropical, m ango c afé provides the s outh b end community with authentic venezuelan food at low prices.
a lthough m ango c afé is located at 1740 s outh b end ave., patrons will be just as likely to think they are next to the beach somewhere in the c aribbean nation of venezuela. “ m ango is a very popular fruit in venezuela, because it grows over there,” said owner g uillermo m endez on the naming of the restaurant. “ you think of a mango and you think ‘exotic.’ i was trying to be tropical and c aribbean, make you think of s outh a merica.” w ith brightly colored orange walls lined by numerous plants, the restaurant certainly evokes
images of a tropical paradise. r un by the five members of the m endez family, m ango c afé represents a connection to home for a family that chose to leave their native country. w ith the rise to power of h ugo c hávez, g uillermo m endez and his family sought political refuge in the u nited s tates when they left venezuela in 1999. “ we left right before c havez took over in 2000. we knew it was going to go downhill. r ight before that, we got everything ready and met up with family that had been living here,” m endez said about the decision to leave his native country. d espite the political situation, in the country that forced the family to move to the u nited s tates, he describes the local venezuelan community as very supportive of the restaurant. “There really is a huge venezuelan population in the area, i was surprised,” said r ene m endez, g uillermo’s wife . “ i know a lot of people, but there have still been a lot of people i ’ve never seen in my life. They all say good things about the food though,” g uillermo m endez said.
d espite the large venezuelan population in the area, the m endez family claims the success of the restaurant crosses cultural lines. “There have been a lot of h ispanic students [from n otre d ame],” g uillermo said.
“ i feel like it’s been more a mericans though. we have had a lot of venezuelans, but i feel absolutely way more a mericans, especially around lunchtime,” r ene said. a relative newcomer to venezuelan food, i decided to try it for myself. a fter several minutes of wavering between various menu items, i finally decided on the d ominó arepa, a traditional venezuelan dish made of ground corn dough and filled with assorted items, in this case beans and cheese. a t $3, i was shocked with how much food i received and was forced to resist the urge to buy several more arepas. a s delicious as the main course was, for me the real star of the show was one of the sides that i decided to order: the plantains. a s a self-proclaimed connoisseur of the banana variant, i knew immediately that i had to try the fried plantains, and i was not
disappointed. c overed in a delicious cream sauce and white venezuelan cheese, this delicious dessert item had a distinctly venezuelan twist to an already tasty food. i n addition to arepas and empanadas, pabellón is one of the most popular dishes at the restaurant. m ade up of rice, black beans, beef and fried egg, the dish is considered to be the national dish of venezuela by many. “ we could eat it everyday and never get sick of it,” m endez said proudly as he described the ingredients of the dish.
Featuring a variety of other dishes and sides, the restaurant offers something for everyone, from people who grew up eating venezuelan cuisine to those who are trying it for the first time. w ith a menu offering numerous delicious items, the restaurant definitely will keep you coming back for more. For those who aren’t sold by the entrees, delicious desserts such as the fried plantains will have you returning time and time again.
Contact Marc Drake at mdrake@nd.edu
By MATTHEW MUNHALL s cene writer
it is a particularly dire time for the network sitcom. The broadcast networks boast just two ultra-popular comedies — “The big bang Theory” and “modern Family” — and neither are particularly fulfilling on a creative level. This season, nbc pulled its two-hour comedy block from Thursday nights, ending its iconic “must see T v” lineup after 32 years. of the nine comedies that have debuted this fall, three have already been cancelled and the truly unfunny “mulaney” seems headed toward the same fate. is the network sitcom still viable in an age dominated by football, cbs procedurals and four hours a week of “The voice”?
The network sitcom faces two major roadblocks. The first is the inclination for every comedy to feature an overly contrived concept. “broadcasters have begun vetting sitcoms like blockbusters,” T v critic a ndy greenwald wrote in a recent grantland article. “meaning: premise is valued over character, hooks matter more than tone, and if the entire show can’t be sold on a poster, it’s not getting on the air.” The deluge of rom-com sitcoms, which have their hook built into the premise, like
“a to Z” and “manhattan love story” (both of which have been cancelled) suggests as much. but ultimately, sitcoms hinge on well-written characters and chemistry between the actors. “a group of regulars hang out at a bar” is not a great tagline, but “cheers” stayed on the air 11 seasons because of its great writing and charming cast.
secondly, sitcoms need to be given time to find their footing. so much of the humor results from the dynamic between familiar characters, which takes time to develop. as The new yorker critic emily nussbaum put it, “panning a comedy’s first six episodes is like complaining that a newborn has insufficient neck strength.” go back and watch the first few episodes of “seinfeld” or “The office” as proof that even the best comedies often have rocky beginnings. Judging a sitcom’s potential from a 22-minute pilot is next-to-impossible, and in today’s Twitter-driven conversation, shows are dismissed instantly before they have the opportunity to find their voice.
luckily, two of this fall’s new sitcoms, while not perfect by any means, have shown potential to emerge as truly enjoyable series. The first is abc’s “black-ish,” which is also the highest-rated of the new crop of comedies. The show follows an
upper middle-class black family, whose patriarch a ndre Johnson (a nthony a nderson) feels his four children are out of touch with black culture. Tracee ellis ross holds the show together as a ndrew’s anesthesiologist wife rainbow, while their four children are the best T v kids this side of sally draper.
with “black-ish,” showrunners Kenya barris and larry wilmore have created a series that balances the reliable humor of family comedy with intelligent racial discourse. The show offers a relatively nuanced portrayal of race and what it means to be black in a merica in 2014. as their teenage son a ndre Jr. (marcus scribner) tells his father at the end of the pilot, “you feel like i’m turning into a white boy. but i’m not. i’m just being me. but i don’t know what that is yet.”
The other is nbc’s “marry me,” the new show from “happy endings” creator david caspe. like the many other rom-com sitcoms that debuted this fall, its pilot focuses on a hokey premise. Jake (Ken marino) and a nnie (casey wilson) have been dating for six years, but everything goes wrong every time one tries to propose to the other. luckily, the following episodes largely dispense with that high-concept narrative. instead, it is slowly becoming a show about
a group of friends hanging out in chicago. caspe pulled the same trick with the dearly-missed “happy endings” — whose pilot was equally uninspiring — and “marry me” is already adopting that show’s zany, joke-a-second energy.
both marino and wilson are hilarious and charming, and the couple has great chemistry, even if their characters are still caricatures. The supporting cast is equally strong, if not as fully developed yet. especially great is Tymberlee hill, who was also the standout in hulu’s hilarious “The real hotwives of orlando,” as Kay, annie’s next door neighbor. cameos from upright citizens brigade alumni like rob huebel and Jessica schneider round out the show, and i found myself laughing so hard i had to rewind several times an episode.
neither show is perfect — each rely heavily on sitcom plot tropes and need to take the time to develop their supporting characters. but they are a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for sitcoms and hopefully both are given the time to become confident, hilarious sitcoms worthy of their talented casts.
Contact Matthew Munhall at mmunhall@nd.edu
By THOM BEHRENS
s
cene writer
on nov. 4, Trinidad-born rapper
Theophilus london released his second full length album, “vibes,” on warner bros. records. london’s first album, “Timez a re weird These days,” was released in 2011, gaining him startling notoriety and fame — the 27-year-old’s list of friends, connections and material successes (he’s bought humphrey bogart’s old house, as he reported to elle) are startling enough to give his music a listen. a nd with a musical style to accompany his loud, flamboyant rise to fame, london has combined popsynth gratification with conscious-style r&b composition. a nd to add to his list of connections, “vibes” brought on board as executive producer the 21-time grammy award winner Kanye west.
a nd as mentioned, much of the hype
and air of sophistication surrounding london has a west-esque feeling to it. it’s the kind of music that makes you question “what does good music really mean?” upon my first, second and third listen to the album, i was under the impression that the confident, charming artist has simply faked himself into high society. The opening track, “water me,” has all the makings of a fantastic, inventive r&b track — a creative opening beat reminiscent of little dragon, a clearly articulated and smoothly delivered lyrical melody, rounded out by a complex and accommodating bass line. sounds great, right? however, maybe i just don’t have enough of a developed ear but the pieces don’t seem to fit together — it’s still a tough listen. so the album is good, not great. Tracks all have moments of dance-ability, some have quite good moments of innovation from the r&b model. The synth-y and inflated
guitar infused “neu law,” the deep-house feel of “Take and look” and the air-filled, organ-accompanied, pop track “need somebody” are all examples of london’s solid songwriting ability and his forwardthinking attitude towards production. but the songs all lack cohesiveness and lack substance in many places. many songs have moments that seem to lack purpose — “water me,” “smoke” and “Figure it out” are the prime examples of this. The album eventually becomes to feel like a collection of ideas not yet formed into complete songs — “vibes” is the brainstorming for an album, albeit the brainstorming for a very good one.
now don’t get me wrong — london is still on his way up. he’s got places to go, and he knows it. everything from his look to his album art (shot by Karl lagerfeld) says he’s here for the glamour, and his music reflects it too. The self-promoting, throaty tag line
“vibes” mixed in throughout the entire album, to the expensive, norm-core eighties slow jam production quality, all scream the attitude that got Kanye to where he is, and it’s bound to work again. london doesn’t make bad music by any means — but even if it was worse than it was, he’s got the attitude to fake it ‘til he makes it.
Contact Thom Behrens at tbehren1@nd.edu
“Vibes”
Theophilus London
Label: Warner Bros. Records
Tracks: “Tribe,” “Heartbreaker”
If you like: Kanye West, J. Cole
A Golden, though injured, fate
Aaron Sant-Miller s enior sports writer
The n F l’s most talented wide receiver has barely played in half his team’s games, and most fans would barely recognize his name. Fair, that’s a bit of hyperbole, but calvin Johnson Jr.’s absence hasn’t been well publicized.
currently, his detroit l ions lead the n Fc north with a record of 6-2. The l ions are still 9th in the league in passing yardage, throwing for just under 260 yards a game. Though no one can replace the physical freak that is Johnson, who stands at 6-foot-5 and runs a 4.35 forty-yard dash, offseason signee g olden Tate is having a career year and is currently fourth in the n F l in receiving yards.
no, Tate is not pulling down the touchdowns. he only has three this season. nor has he been the dangerous downfield threat Johnson historically has been, failing to fall into the top 10 in receptions of 20 yards or more.
yet, Tate has thrived in the two most essential areas for an offense to thrive. First and foremost, the 5-foot-10 receiver is moving the chains. Thirty two of Tate’s 55 receptions have gone for first downs. That mark sits at eighth in the n F l i n other words, Tate is helping detroit’s offense stay on the field.
more explicitly, Tate is the no. 1 receiver in the n F l in first-down receptions on third down with 15. often termed the “money down,” Tate is moving the ball when he is most needed. There is no receiver or tight end more dependable on third down when an offense needs to convert for a first down.
speaking of dependability, that is where Tate thrives the most. Tate has pulled in 55 of his 80 targets, for a mark of 69 percent. of eligible receivers, Tate is fifth in the n F l in that mark.
dependability is a highly valued trait in a receiver. That sense of reliability, where a player can act as a quarterback’s security blanket, cannot be understated. every offense needs a go-to player, a player who can move the chains and
a player who can consistently provide yardage. so far this season, detroit has had that in Tate, as he has helped lead the team to the top of the division. g olden Tate is no calvin Johnson Jr. i n fact, few players can come close to matching his freak athleticism and knack for making big plays. yet Tate’s reception rate this season exceeds any mark previously attained by Johnson.
i f i ever cam close to saying g olden Tate is better, or even as good as calvin Johnson, i would be run out of dodge. no, he isn’t making the splash, double-coverage plays that make Johnson so special. no, he isn’t averaging almost 18-yards per reception or on pace for 16 touchdowns in a season.
but he is doing what is asked of him. he has developed into a legitimate no. 1 receiver. Tate is on pace for 1,600 yards and 110 receptions, all while being one of the most reliable receivers in the n F l and consistently coming up big on the “money down.”
This is a big step in Tate’s career development, as he was always overshadowed in s eattle. soon, he will be overshadowed again, when Johnson returns to front and center stage. yet, what will become of that detroit offense when Johnson does return?
For years, l ions fans have been calling for a legitimate threat opposite Johnson. They have been calling for a receiver to make tough catches over the middle. They have been calling for a player to take pressure off of Johnson.
no, Tate isn’t the next c alvin Johnson Jr. but, he is the exact player detroit needs. he will continue to move the chains and pull in tough catches. most importantly, Tate will continue to make the l ions’ offense dangerous and consistent.
watch out n F l w hen Johnson comes back, the l ions will have arguably the best receiving tandem in the n F l and two legitimate no. 1 receivers.
Contact Aaron Sant-Miller at asantmil@nd.edu
The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Cappelen leads at Sanderson Farms Championships
Associated Press
JacKson, miss. — sebastian cappelen narrowly missed earning his pga Tour card last season and needed a sponsor exemption to make the field in the sanderson Farms championship.
The 24-year-old from denmark is making the most of his opportunity.
cappelen shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday in his first pga Tour round to take the lead at the country club of Jackson. he opened with a bogey before making eight birdies to take a two-shot lead over robert streb, scott pinckney and canada’s nick Taylor.
“i couldn’t be happier, to be honest,” cappelen said. “obviously, i came here just trying to get a new experience and get a feel of how it feels like to play on the real tour, and i had a
great time out there today. hit a lot of good shots.”
cappelen was an a lla merican in college at a rkansas. he won the a ir capital classic in June on the web.com Tour.
he was in good position to earn his pga Tour card, but a poor performance in the final regular-season web.com Tour event dropped him to 26th place on the money list — one spot shy of the top 25 finish needed to make the pga Tour.
“i mean, obviously, it’s a heartbreaker being so close and then not getting it,” cappelen said. “so getting a chance here where i felt like i should been, it’s everything. i couldn’t thank the sponsors here more for what they’ve done.”
cappelen said he had some nerves before the round, but the early bogey was a sobering moment.
“That’s usually how it is for
me when i have a good round,” cappelen said. “i usually start with a bogey on the first hole, and then just kind of like, ‘oK, i’ve got to get going.’” play was suspended because of darkness with 15 players unable to finish.
The tournament is being played at the 7,354-yard country club of Jackson, a course about 10 miles south of a nnandale country club, where the tournament was held for 19 years. overnight rain made for a soft course early, but players said it firmed up as the day progressed. streb is back in contention two weeks after winning the mcgladrey classic in a playoff for his first pga Tour title. a fter taking a week off to relax at home and watch his hometown Kansas city royals in the world series, streb made six birdies and just one bogey Thursday.
Big Ten rivals clash for division lead
Associated Press
a look at what to watch in the big Ten this weekend:
Game of the week:
game of the week? Try game of the big Ten regular season when east division heavyweights ohio state and michigan state duke it out in east lansing, michigan.
The teams are both 7-1 overall and 4-0 in conference play. barring a november collapse, the winner emerges as the likely division winner for a berth in the league championship game in indianapolis in december.
The loser drops out of the discussion for college football’s new four-team playoff.
seventh-ranked michigan state will get an emotional lift playing under the lights at spartan stadium. The 13thranked buckeyes enter the night with four straight road victories in the series, dating to 2004.
The prime-time matchup might also add some luster to a conference that suffered early season losses in prominent nonconference games. Top players such as michigan state quarterback connor cook and ohio state defensive end Joey bosa could raise their national profiles with clutch performances
best matchup: ohio state-michigan state wins. but after that, there’s an elimination of game of sorts, too, in the west division with iowa visiting minnesota, each 6-2 overall and 3-1 in conference.
The winner stays in the mix among the one-loss teams atop the west, while the loser essentially falls out of the race. going by the schedule alone, this is a must-win more for minnesota, which hosts ohio state next week. Then comes a daunting two-game road stretch to end november with games at nebraska and wisconsin.
iowa hopes to build off its 48-7 victory last week over northwestern. The gophers will need to stop senior running back mark weisman, who has rushed for at least two touchdowns in each of the last five games.
The last time minnesota started 4-1 in the big Ten was in 1990.
inside the numbers:
maryland’s brad craddock and penn state’s sam Ficken are among the best kickers in the country. craddock has hit all 14 of his attempts to lead the country in field goal percentage. Ficken is third in the country with 2.12 field goals per game.
... Ficken last week became the first penn state kicker since
1982 to make three field goals of at least 45 yards in a game.
iowa rb a krum wadley ran for 106 yards last week against northwestern, becoming the first hawkeye to rush for more than 100 in his first game with a carry since 2009.
long shot:
The general consensus around the league is that purdue has improved through the season. it’s probably of little comfort to the boilermakers, who have lost three straight and face surging wisconsin.
The purdue defense is 11th in the big Ten in rushing defense at 174.3 yards per game. That’s not going to cut it against the badgers’ dynamic duo of gordon and clement.
on the other side of the ball, wisconsin’s defense has steamrolled maryland and rutgers in its last two games by a combined score of 89-7. The badgers lead the nation in total defense at 253.8 yards per game. The boilermakers are a respectable seventh in total offense (367.6 yards) in conference games. They also got within 38-31 of michigan state with 6:19 left in last month’s game before the spartans returned an interception for a touchdown to seal the win.
NCaa FooTball
iNTerHall
Undefeated Manor to meet Knott in first round
By ALEX CARSON sports writer
The interhall football playoffs get underway this weekend as eight men’s and eight women’s teams take to the field sunday, standing two games away from the championship games in notre dame stadium.
Two teams enter the women’s tournament with unblemished, 6-0 records as division winners — pasquerilla east and welsh Family — but have done it by leading the regular season in opposite categories. The p yros boast the highest-scoring offense in the competition, scoring 27.5 points per game, while the w hirlwinds defense has allowed just 24 points all season. pangborn holds the third seed after a 5-1 season — a 14-6 loss to pasquerilla east last month could be avenged next weekend in a semifinal — and the phoxes allowed just 13 total points in five other games.
a fter an impressive 4-0 season that saw it outscore opponents, 95-36, morrissey enters the men’s tournament as the top seed — and the only team with a perfect record. Keenan’s had lone blemish en route to a division a 6-6 tie with Keough — the only time the Knights (3-0-1) surrendered points all year — while carroll topped division c after a 3-1 season that saw the vermin score 66 points in three shutout wins. despite regular-season success, morrissey junior running back and captain erik rayno said his team knows the importance of moving on to the playoffs.
“it is a brand-new season,” rayno said. “it’s no longer us being 4-0 on top — we’re in a good
place with a good seed … and my guys understand that if we don’t show up, we’re going home. a nd we don’t want to let that happen.” on the horizon for two men’s and two women’s teams is a date on the turf at notre dame stadium; however, rayno’s manor team is not thinking about it.
“we’re just focused on this weekend,” rayno said. “we’re gonna take it one game at a time, and we’re not looking ahead to the stadium at this time.”
men’s games will take place early sunday afternoon at r iehle Fields while women’s games will be played at the la bar practice Facility later in the day.
The top-seeded manor open the playoff campaign with a week-two rematch, playing the team that gave them their closest contest of the year. morrissey won the sept. 28 contest 22-21 over Knott before the Juggerknots — once 0-2 — won their final two games to sneak into the playoffs.
The Knights enter sunday having given up just six points all season long while the otters enter the playoffs on a two-game losing streak. a fter starting 2-0, sorin has lost back-to-back games against Fisher and previously-winless Zahm and will have to stop its skid to pull out an upset win.
The vermin have a lone loss on the season to sorin — an 8-0
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defeat — but have outscored opponents 66-0 otherwise, while the ramblers needed a win sunday over duncan to make the playoffs. siegfried gave up 32 points in a midseason loss to morrissey but scored 21 last week — 12 points more than it scored in the first three games this year.
a fter a 21-0 opening-week defeat to carroll, the green wave have run off three straight victories and enter the playoffs as one of the league’s highest-scoring teams, averaging upwards of 17 points per game since the weekone loss. stanford, however, has not surrendered more than eight points in a single game all season and ground out a 6-6 tie with o’neill last week to secure its spot in the field.
No. 1 Welsh Family (6-0) vs. No. 8 mcGlinn (2-3-1), 5 p.m.
The w hirlwinds hold the best defense and have been held under 20 points on just two occasions this year. They take on mcglinn, who needed a 12-12 tie monday against howard to clinch a playoff spot. The shamrocks have lost just one game since september, however, and will look to pull the upset.
No. 2 Pasquerilla e ast (6-0) vs. No. 7 Walsh (3-3), 4 p.m.
The p yros rode a high-scoring offense to an unbeaten regular season; however, sunday’s game will mark their first contest in four weeks. a fter an 0-2 start, walsh won three of four to make the playoff field, and all six of the wild women’s games have been a shutout one way or the other.
pangborn’s defense surrendered just 27 points all season while its offense scored 23 per game, and the phoxes’ lone loss came to second-seeded pasquerilla east. The chaos have not surrendered a point in a month and are riding a twogame winning streak entering the playoffs.
No. 4 r yan (4-2) vs. No. 5 Pasquerilla West (4-2), 5 p.m.
in a rematch of last season’s championship game, which the purple weasels won, ryan and pasquerilla west will battle simply to move one round closer to notre dame stadium. a fter starting the year 3-0, the wildcats have lost two of three while the purple weasels’ two losses came by a combined eight points.
Contact Alex Carson at acarson1@nd.edu
to host hokies, panthers
By HENRY HILLIARD sports writer
a fter losing to p urdue at home last weekend, the i rish welcome two more opponents to r olfs a quatic c enter as they continue their regular season schedule.
n otre d ame (1-1) hosts a tri-meet against acc opponents p ittsburgh and v irginia Tech, split between tonight and tomorrow morning.
“ w e need to improve this weekend — these are both winnable matches, just like last weekend was a winnable match, but we need to clean it against p ittsburgh and v irginia Tech,” i rish coach m att Tallman said.
a fter a fast start in the annual d ennis s tark relays o ct. 10, in which n otre d ame won, 240-140, it stumbled in its meet against p urdue last weekend. The 161-139 loss was the first for Tallman in his inaugural year at the helm of the program after replacing longtime i rish coach Tim w elsh over the summer.
“The transition has been seamless,” Tallman said.
“ h aving c oach w elsh around to help with the women’s team has made the switch even easier because we have him as a resource. i have coached three of these classes and helped recruit the whole team, so this has been a natural transition.”
d espite the narrow loss, n otre d ame logged several top times for the young season. The 200-yard medley relay team of junior b ogac ayhan, senior c ameron m iller, freshman Justin p laschka and senior Zach s tephens claimed first place, finishing in 1:30.72. Freshman b enjamin Jany also claimed first in the 500-yard freestyle.
“ w e swam well last weekend, but we can always to better on the margins,” Tallman said. “ i want every guy to come out of the water in these meets and be able to say they did everything they could in the pool. m y goal is for us to be sharper from top to bottom.”
p ittsburgh (3-1) travels to n otre d ame on two weeks’ rest after besting b ucknell, 185.5-109.5, on o ct. 25. The p anthers’ showed off their depth in that meet, beating the b ison in 28 of 32 events in the meet.
The h okies (3-1) also enter the meet coming off a victory, topping d uke on s unday, 180-115. u nlike both p ittsburgh and v irginia Tech, the i rish have yet to face a conference opponent.
“acc is competition is valuable for us because it allows us to size up the competition for later in the season. i t is good for our guys to swim against guys that they will face later,” Tallman said.
This weekend’s tri-meet will be the final time that n otre d ame hosts competition in 2014. The team will travel to e ast l ansing, m ichigan, next weekend for a dual meet against m ichigan s tate, and it does not have a home meet until the s hamrock i nvitational on Jan. 30-31.
“ s wimming at home is definitely easier,” Tallman said. “ i would not say that we necessarily swim better in this pool but having the crowd and not having to travel are obvious advantages.”
The i rish take on the p anthers and the h okies tonight at 5 p.m. and tomorrow at 10 a.m. at r olfs a quatic c enter.
Contact Henry Hilliard at rhillia1@nd.edu
WEI LIN | The Observer
Irish senior Zach Stephens swims a breaststroke event against Purdue on Nov. 1 at Rolfs Aquatic Center. Purdue won 161-139.
Notre Dame to welcome ACC rivals to campus
By ZACH KLONSINSKI sports writer
seeking to keep improving, notre dame returns to the pool this weekend as it hosts pittsburgh and virginia Tech for two days’ worth of acc swimming Friday and saturday.
The irish (2-4) fell to in-state rival no. 24 purdue, 170-128, saturday at rolfs aquatic center, yet irish interim coach Tim welsh said he was very pleased with what he saw out of the team.
“if you look at our times prior to the purdue meet and then look at our times in the purdue meet,
we were faster, and we were faster pretty much every event,” welsh said. “and in most cases, significantly faster, so it was just a good, breakthrough week for us.” one of the brightest spots of the day for notre dame was the diving of lindsey streepey. The junior took home the top spot on the podium in the 3-meter diving event with a score of 313.28. welsh had said before the meet that purdue diving was always good and that if he had to only watch a few events it would have been the diving ones, and streepey backed up her coach’s words. she beat boilermaker redshirt junior mary beth dunnichay,
a former olympian in the 10-meter synchronized dive, to claim the victory.
“whatever she accomplishes, she does it the right way,” welsh said. “she works hard; she works conscientiously. she has a great attitude. you just love to see her succeed. but that was a major win for her last weekend. it’s allowed her to become the acc diver of the week.”
The diving program in general has been a strength so far this season for the irish. streepey’s victory saturday was the sixth for the team already.
“we’ve had great diving here so far this year, and this coming weekend, virginia Tech divers are great, pittsburgh divers are great, our divers are great,” welsh said. “it’s going to be another great diving weekend.”
another irish strong suit has been the 200-yard medley relay of seniors emma reaney and courtney whyte, sophomore catherine mulquin and junior cat galletti. The quartet picked up its fourth victory in only six meets saturday, beating the second-place team from purdue by almost oneand-a-half seconds.
“it was a great way to start off the meet,” welsh said. “we’ll keep
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trying to build that relay a little faster, but they’ve been doing a great job.”
reaney and mulquin have been top performers for the irish all season, individually as well, and that trend continued against purdue. reaney, the reigning ncaa champion in the 200-yard breaststroke, swept the 100- and 200yard breaststroke events against purdue. mulquin claimed a victory in the 100-yard backstroke while also posting a runner-up finish in the 50-yard freestyle to continue the hot start to her season.
“not only for the younger girls but for all of us, [reaney] is a model for taking care of business,” welsh said. “not only in the athletic world but in any performance world, there’s what they call ‘deliberate practice,’ where you deliberately focus on something that needs to get done, and you work on it until it’s right.
“emma does that, and she’s good at it. she doesn’t call attention to herself, there’s nothing flamboyant about her, she just takes care of business.”
mulquin is developing in much the same way, welsh said.
“i think overall, we could use more team depth,” welsh said. “part of that is a function of having a small roster, but we could use more team depth.
“The most important things about this weekend are first that these are acc opponents. … That brings an excitement all by itself, so we’re looking forward to that. we are swimming back-to-back days, but the whole thing takes place in less than 24 hours, so it’s a very compact, competitive environment.”
The irish will host their acc foes Friday and saturday at rolfs aquatic center. The teams will get their feet wet starting at 5 p.m. Friday, and then they will dive right back in saturday at 10 a.m.
“she’s very strong, she’s very competitive and she’s very focused,” welsh said. “she commits herself to do a great job in practice every day. and so when there’s a time to do a great job in a meet on saturday, been there, done that. she just keeps it going.” however, while the irish have shown improvement from the start of the season, there are still areas welsh said need work.
Contact Zach Klonsinski at zklonsin@nd.edu
WEI LIN | The Observer
Irish sophomore Catherine Mulquin swims a freestyle event Nov. 15, 2013, against Valparaiso. Notre Dame won the meet 219-60.
CAITLYN JORDAN | The Observer Irish junior center Thomas DiPauli surveys the ice during Notre Dame’s 5-3 win over Lake Superior State at Conpton Family Ice Arena.
to m innesota this weekend.
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managing the puck, but they created a lot more turnovers as the game progressed, too many extended shifts that led to bad changes and a lot of different things, so it’s just a matter of us making sure we get better as we play these high-tempo teams.”
o nce again against m innesota, l ucia revives his rivalry with his father, former i rish player and current g ophers head coach d on l ucia. m ario may threaten his father’s 5-1-0 record as he enters the weekend the h ockey e ast leader in points and goals, with eight goals and two assists in eight games. h e was recently named the h ockey e ast/ w arrior player of the month for o ctober, and against his father’s team, the younger l ucia has netted two goals and one assist.
w hile l ucia continues to help the i rish offense to find its rhythm on the ice, n otre d ame also works toward building its defensive lines. d uring the season’s start, veteran defensemen junior a ndy r yan and senior r obbie r usso have worked to create chemistry with the underclassmen as the i rish continue to develop their lines. r usso is second behind l ucia with six goals and three assists for nine points, while r yan has tallied three assists in eight games.
r yan and r usso both recorded assists against vermont on Friday, and r yan said they can apply what they learned defensively against vermont, especially s aturday’s third period play,
notre dame seeks to make ‘progress’ into wins
By ANDREW ROBINSON sports writer
on a four-game losing skid against conference opponents, the irish have a chance to rebound and turn their progress into a win when they take on louisville on sunday at purcell pavilion.
notre dame (5-18, 2-10 acc) is coming off a 3-2 loss to boston college last sunday in which a comeback run in the third and fourth sets fell short (25-21, 25-18, 21-25, 23-25, 15-6).
heading into the final set, the match seemed eerily reminiscent of the first time the irish played the eagles — the irish won that match 3-2 at home after falling behind 2-0. however, they were unable to complete the comeback on the road the second time around.
“ we were on our heels the whole period, [and] we played not to lose, which definitely isn’t a good thing,” r yan said. “ i f we get a lead like that, we need to keep the pressure on them. They were obviously coming at us hard because they were down by two goals, but we need to make sure to make plays under pressure, so hopefully we can learn from that [going forward against m innesota].”
s enior forward Kyle r au and sophomore forward Justin Kloos currently lead m innesota’s scoring effort with three goals and five goals, respectively. Junior defenseman m ike r eilly follows behind point-leader r au with eight points from eight assists, while senior forward s eth a mbroz nears his 50th career point with one goal and one assist on the season.
The i rish defense will look to end m innesota’s 15-game home unbeaten streak this weekend by shutting down the top-ranked g ophers’ offensive efforts.
“The biggest thing is their team speed and how fast they are at transitioning from defense to offense,” r yan said. “ i f i remember from last time, all four lines had fours that could really skate and could put pressure on you when they had the puck. a s a defenseman, you have to be conscious of guys getting behind you because some of their fours like to jump to offense.”
The i rish take on n o. 1 m innesota tonight at 8 p.m. and again s unday at 5 p.m. p.m.
Contact Kit Loughran at kloughr1@nd.edu
putting up just a 1-4 record.
“we’ve been a little inconsistent still, but our overall level of play is definitely better,” irish associate head coach robin davis said. “we just unfortunately haven’t been able to come up with the wins like we feel we should have. “
The cardinals (14-9, 6-5) will also come to purcell pavilion this weekend on the heels of a loss, having dropped a hard-fought game against virginia, in which they lost the decisive fifth set, 15-12.
bit better like we’ve done lately.” in the first match between notre dame and louisville on oct. 12, the cardinals swept the irish easily in three sets (25-14, 2519, 25-13), showing off their power with 46 kills, compared to 26 for the irish.
Following 10 consecutive weeks of multi-game weekends, which has taken the irish to nine different cities, the sunday’s home game is the only one this weekend.
The loss marked the third consecutive 3-2 loss for notre dame, showing improvement from the beginning of their conference schedule. in their first seven matches, the irish posted a 1-6 record, which included four 3-0 losses. They have since won nine sets in their past five matches, despite
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over the course of the season,” she said. “… i think we’ve just continued to evolve and get better, which is something i’m really proud of, and we want to continue to keep improving over the course of this final season we’re entering.”
Florida state was also well recognized when acc accolades were announced, as the seminoles captured many of the conference’s major awards. Florida state coach mark Krikorian was named acc coach of the year, while senior midfielder dagny brynjarsdottir was selected the acc offensive player of the year.
The iceland native is tied for second in the acc with 13 goals, scoring an average of 0.87 goals per game.
“she’s definitely a good player,” romagnolo said of brynjarsdottir.
louisville, currently ranked seventh in the acc, is powered offensively by two sophomore outside hitters, Janelle Jenkins and maya mcclendon. Jenkins has tallied 273 kills on the year (3.1 kills per set), while mcclendon is just behind her at 269 kills (3.06 kills per set). Freshman middle blocker Tess clark has added 210 kills and boasts a 0.421 attack percentage.
“louisville plays the net game really well, so we have to try to neutralize that,” davis said. “our serving will be key to keeping them off the net a little bit, and our floor defense will have to be a little
“she gets forward a lot, so we just need to be aware of where she is at all times and make sure somebody’s picking her up when she comes into the zone.”
Florida state senior defender Kristin grubka was named the acc defensive player of the year. grubka serves as the centerpiece of a seminoles defense that allowed only eight goals in 18 regular-season games. The seminoles allowed more than one goal in a game this season only twice — one of those occurrences was their 2-1 loss on sept. 5 to in-state rival Florida, the nation’s no. 8 team.
romagnolo said the irish will plan to attack Florida state’s defense with the same strategy they’ve used all season.
“we can do the things we do well. … Try to get it outside and serve it into the box,” she said. “really, we need our attacking players to step up and look to get
“i think it’s great for us [to get some rest], especially with the academics that the players have,” davis said. “we’ve been able to shorten the practice a little bit this week and get in a couple extra practices, so we’re … still getting quality touches throughout the week.”
davis also said he hopes the extra rest will give them some rejuvenation and fresh legs heading into the game.
notre dame will square off against louisville at 1 p.m. sunday at purcell pavilion.
Contact Andrew Robinson at arobins6@nd.edu
shots off and crash the box.”
There are three areas the irish need to key in on if they want to defeat Florida state and move onto sunday’s championship game, romagnolo said.
“defensively, we need to makes sure we’re very organized, and we’re committed to keeping them in front of us,” she said. “i think, number two, we need to make sure we’re winning the 50-50 [balls], so we can establish possession, and i think the third thing from me would just be bringing a quality finish to the attack.”
notre dame and Florida state will play Friday at 5:30 p.m. at the uncg soccer stadium in greensboro, north carolina. The winner of the match will advance to play the winner of north carolina and virginia on sunday at 1 p.m.
Contact Brian Hartnett at bhartnet@nd.edu
EMMET FARNAN | The Observer
Irish junior midfielder/defender Cari Roccaro passes the ball against the U20 Mexican National Team on April 25 at Alumni Stadium. Roccaro was named to the first team all-ACC team for the third time.
“we’re playing a team that’s the no. 8 seed [in the acc tournament] that could easily win a national championship.”
This will be the second time the two teams have squared off this season. The irish and cavaliers met sept. 21 in charlottesville, virginia; the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
“it felt in the bus and the reaction around the team that it was a loss,” clark said. “we lost a, i would say, a fairly bad goal almost immediately after going up, so that was disappointing.”
in that prior matchup, junior midfielder patrick hodan registered his first goal of the season on a penalty kick in the 65th minute. hodan had been quiet for the irish up to that point after netting 11 goals in the 2013 national championship campaign, second on the team behind former irish forward harry shipp.
hodan has been anything but quiet since: in notre dame’s last eight games, the junior has seven of his team-leading eight goals.
“patrick is goal scorer. he’s a predator,” clark said. “That’s part of who he is on the soccer field. but it’s so important, and i think this has been the great thing for us recently, is that we’ve been getting a lot of other people who have been starting to come into the scoring sheet.”
The whole offense has picked up its scoring coming into the acc
tournament. over notre dame’s last five games, the team has tallied 12 times (2.4 goals/game), after only registering 15 times in its first 10 matches (1.5 goals/game).
graduate student forward leon brown scored twice last game in a 4-1 win over pittsburgh while junior midfielder evan panken chipped in one as well. brown and panken are the second and third leading goal scorers, respectively, for the irish, but the team has also benefitted from the recent play of forwards vince cicciarelli, a senior, and two freshmen in Jon gallagher and Jeffrey Farina.
“[hodan’s] partner in crime on the other side, panken, has been getting some goals,” clark said. “Then you’ve got the two young forwards. Jeffrey Farina, he’s now at six or seven assists, which is unbelievably good for a freshman, and he’s certainly capable of scoring goals also.
“Jon gallagher can score goals; leon brown can score goals. leon could have easily had a hat trick last week against pittsburgh.”
still, the irish felt like they let one slip away from them after the draw in charlottesville, clark said.
“i think the hardest thing was when they got a player sent off, and we felt going into the remainder of the half and into the two overtimes with being a man up, we were disappointed we didn’t take something out of that,” clark said.
cicciarelli was tackled hard inside the box by a virginia defender, earning the cavaliers player a red card and putting notre dame a
man up and then a goal up after hodan converted his penalty kick. yet only three minutes after taking the lead, the irish gave it away on a shot by cavalier senior midfielder eric bird.
w hile the recent offensive outburst has been nice, clark also said the irish have to improve on the defensive side of the ball.
“i want us to get some more shutouts,” clark said. “if we’re going to win a national championship, we’ve got to defend. a nd i’m not talking about the goalie; i’m not talking about the back four. i’m talking about defending as a team. The whole team defends, and the whole team attacks.”
notre dame won the acc regular-season title last weekend with its 4-1 victory against the panthers, finishing first in the coastal division with 19 points, three ahead of no. 9 north carolina in the division. no. 1 syracuse and no. 20 clemson finished tied atop the atlantic division with 16 points as well.
The title means the irish clinched the no. 1 overall seed in the acc tournament, which earned them a first-round bye and a home match against the cavaliers. The winner of the game will advance to the acc semifinals next Friday in cary, north carolina. “it’s going to be a great game,”
clark said. “it’s a game we’re really excited about, but i’m not kidding myself, i think virginia will be equally excited about it. … you’ve got two very good teams … and it’s a game where there’s an excitement and you get an extra 5 percent, 10 percent out of every player.”
The irish will look to keep their quest for the second part of the trifecta alive when they host the cavaliers on what will be a chilly sunday afternoon at a lumni stadium. The game is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m.
Contact Zach Klonsinski at zklonsin@nd.edu
responded well.”
Jackson was the first to focus on areas he still wanted to improve upon after his performance.
“The first thing i noticed was my turnovers,” Jackson said. “we take pride in taking care of the ball, so that’s definitely something i want to work on … [along with] having more assists. Then throughout the whole year, i just want to remain aggressive.”
Jackson was noticeably more talkative on the court against the bulldogs, something he attributes to his relationships with his teammates and coaches.
“i just feel like a year of maturity as well as getting closer to my teammates and coaches really helped me out,” Jackson said. “i feel like i can say anything, and so i just want to communicate, be a good leader and help the team.
“i know how hard we worked this summer, i know how hard we worked all off-season, so i’m very confident in the things we can do. we have a lot to improve on, but we’re just going to keep working hard and see where it goes.”
brey said Jackson’s development as a vocal leader started on the team’s trip to italy this summer and has continued through to the start of the season.
“he’s becoming more of a voice,” brey said. “i think he will become even more of a leader month-to-month. That’s his personality, and when you’re the point guard you’ve got to use your voice. i think he has a really good feel of our system … and i think as the year goes on, i think he will become as strong a voice as [senior guard] Jerian [grant] and [senior guard/forward] pat [connaughton].”
w hile Jackson and auguste stole the show in the opener, one of the most intriguing early-season storylines flew under the radar for much of the game. grant, who played for the first time since december when he took the court against minnesota duluth, got off to a cold start, managing only two points in the first half. in the first few minutes of the second half, he appeared visibly frustrated, shaking his head after failing to connect on a couple drives to the rim.
yet the senior finished with 12 points, a team-high nine assists and a reestablishment of his presence on the court, something connaughton said would be imperative for the irish to find success this year.
“if you look at last year, we had a bunch of games we were in but couldn’t get that final stop or hit that final shot,” connaughton said. “he brings that leadership and experience to both ends of the floor. he’s that guy that can do those two things.”
“in italy, we shot better because [grant] was on the floor,”
brey said. “he’s able to break down the defense and gets guys looks and that’s a key for us. … we have some shot-makers he can find when he breaks the defense down.”
Then there was c onnaughton himself, who, for the first time in his notre dame career, is a single-sport athlete. The senior put up 15 points and 11 rebounds on his way to a quiet double-double against the bulldogs, and as a second year captain, connaughton has become the voice of the team, brey said.
“he is truly the main voice of our leadership,” brey said. “he takes a lot of pride in setting the tone, bringing the young guys along.”
w hen the team takes to the
court against l ewis, brey said defensive rebounding will be something he really wants it to focus on.
“you’ll hear me say that throughout the season,” brey said. “Team rebounding, team rebounding. can we get our guards down there to help us? can Zach be a eight, nine, 10 — can he join pat as a doublefigure guy? w ho else helps us rebound? That is a thing that concerns me.”
some of those questions may be answered some when notre dame meets up with l ewis on Friday at p urcell pavilion. The opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Contact Zach Klonsinski at zklonsin@nd.edu
ALARISSE LAM | The Observer
Irish freshman forward Jeffrey Farina protects the ball from a VCU defender Sept. 30 at Alumni Stadium. Notre Dame won the match 1-0 in double overtime. Farina has two goals and six assists this year.
ALARISSE LAM | The Observer
Irish senior guard/forward Pat Connaughton goes up for a jump shot against Minnesota Duluth on Nov. 1 at Purcell Pavilion.
ALARISSE LAM | The Observer
Irish junior forward Zach Auguste dunks over a Bulldog defender during Notre Dame’s exhibition game Nov. 1 at Purcell Pavilion.
Happy Birthday: stick to your game plan. d on’t let anyone talk you into spending or indulging more than necessary. Keeping your life in perspective will allow you greater freedom to do as you please. d on’t be afraid to take the road less traveled. Follow a dream that will bring you happiness and selfsatisfaction. Focus inward and strive to improve. your numbers are 7, 12, 19, 25, 31, 34, 48.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): you’ve got a lot to deal with, but anger is not the answer. Take a step back and do your best to rethink what’s transpired before you take action. s ay little and do what’s necessary to maintain peace.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Take a short trip. m ake a visit to someone who can offer you insight, knowledge or a helping hand. a partnership will help you secure your position and give you the clout you need to convince others to share your concern.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): you can make a difference if you offer suggestions and implement diverse ways to use your skills. your ability to find solutions will increase your popularity. c utting domestic expenses will help you get ahead financially.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): d on’t let last-minute changes bother you. d o your own thing. s how everyone how innovative you are and you will build a support system that doesn’t depend on what others do. r omance is on the rise. c heck out an unusual interest.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): g et together with friends or sign up for a course. The experience you have and the knowledge you gain will be enriching. g etting back to basics and controlling your emotional response will help you bypass someone who is critical.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): g etting involved in social events that are geared toward meeting new people and learning about opportunities in your chosen field will be enlightening. d on’t be too quick to make a move. d o your research first in order to get the best deal.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): d on’t let personal matters slow you down or stand in the way of your professional advancement. i nteract with people who have something to offer, not on those asking for something or putting demands on your time. a partnership can help expand your financial intake.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): m ake a concerted effort to get along with your peers. o verreacting or taking on more than you can handle will not work in your favor. c hoose self-improvement over trying to change others. Taking an unusual approach will prove beneficial.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): l isten, learn and put your findings into play. you can make positive changes that will benefit you at home and at work as long as you avoid making rash moves based on anger instead of facts.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): e mphasis should be put on being productive at work where you can make a difference to your financial future. d on’t waste time on emotional matters that are unpredictable and can only lead to upset and wasting valuable time.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): g roup endeavors will be costly and lead to negative encounters. Think matters through and put your money where you feel it will bring the highest return. i nvest in yourself, not someone else. Follow your gut and don’t look back.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): m ake financial, legal or medical decisions based on the information you discover and you will improve your chances on all counts, making your life fuller, richer and less stressful. l ove is in the stars, and a promise can be made.
b irthday b aby: you are determined, dedicated and relentless. you are a strong contender.
The observer p o box 779 notre dame, in 46556
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Nd WomeN’S SoCCer
postseason play to begin for nd
By BRIAN HARTNETT managing e ditor
after a top-four finish in the acc regular season, notre dame begins its second season Friday night when it travels to greensboro, north carolina, to face Florida state in the semifinals of the acc championships.
The irish (12-4-2, 7-2-1 acc), seeded fourth, will face top-seeded Florida state (16-1-1, 9-0-1) in a game irish coach Theresa romagnolo characterized as both a prize for a strong season and a potential resume-booster for the upcoming ncaa tournament.
“i think the acc tournament is kind of a nice reward for playing well over the course of the regular season,” romagnolo said. “we’re going to go out there and try to get some results because we know all we can do is put us into an even better position heading into the ncaa tournament.”
The irish will enter the tournament coming off a strong end to the
meN’S baSKeTball
regular season. notre dame has won five of its last six games and hasn’t lost since oct. 5, when the irish fell to virginia.
notre dame also received good news Thursday, when it was announced that six players have received all-acc accolades.
Junior midfielder cari roccaro earned first-team all-acc honors for the third consecutive season, while junior defender Katie naughton and sophomore midfielder morgan andrews earned second-team all-conference honors. senior forward lauren bohaboy and sophomore goalkeeper Kaela little made the allacc third team, and freshman defender sabrina Flores rounded out the selections on the acc’s allfreshman squad.
The team’s recent successes are a testament to its improvement over the course of the season, romagnolo said. “i think we’ve improved a lot
see w soccer PaGe 13
meN’S SoCCer
Irish host Cavaliers in ACC Tournament opener
By ZACH KLONSINSKI sports writer
The first part of the trifecta is complete; the second portion is ready to begin.
That was the message from irish coach bobby clark as no. 4 notre dame readies for its acc tournament opener sunday against no. 15 virginia at alumni stadium. The cavaliers (10-5-2, 3-3-2 acc) beat in-state rival virginia Tech, 1-0, on wednesday night in the first round of the tournament to advance and meet the irish (10-4-3, 6-1-1 acc).
“we’re where you want to be; you’re still involved in all three, and you’ve won one,” clark said. “you take it as you’re well positioned, but that doesn’t mean very much. … we’ve got the regular season [title] in our back pocket, and that’s one of the hardest things to win because it’s consistency. but you’ve got to put that behind you very quickly, and i think we’ve done that.
Notre Dame finishes exhibition play Friday
By ZACH KLONSINSKI sports writer
mature. vocal. slowed down.
These words, among others, were used by irish coach mike brey when describing the development of two of his players, sophomore guard demetrius Jackson and junior forward Zach auguste, after notre dame defeated minnesota duluth, 8871, in its first exhibition game of the year. The irish meet lewis at purcell pavilion on Friday in their second and final preseason game.
both players put up point totals that topped their best from any game last season — Jackson with 20 to lead the team and auguste hot on his heels at 19. brey said the two would be instrumental in helping to turn the team around after last season.
“These two guys are getting to the point where they can be reliable day-to-day,” brey said. “That was my focus in italy — Jackson having the ball and knowing he’s our quarterback and auguste knowing he’s our main low-post guy. They started every game over there, and i think they’ve
HoCKey
lucias to reunite in gopher state
By KIT LOUGHRAN sports writer
The i rish travel to m innesota to face the top-ranked g ophers this weekend.
n o. 15 n otre d ame (5-21, 1-0-1 h ockey e ast) kicks off its first road series with games tonight and s unday at the g ophers’ m ariucci a rena in m inneapolis. This marks the 42nd all-time meeting between n otre d ame and n o. 1 m innesota (5-1-0, 0-00) — a series the g ophers lead 24-14-3. l ast season, the i rish also competed against the g ophers when they held the n o. 1 ranking, a home series the two teams split.
“They are the best team in the country — that’s the biggest challenge [going up to m innesota],” i rish coach Jeff Jackson said. “They have depth in every position, [and] they’re a great speed team, a great transition team.
“ i n the past, we’ve had really great games with them, but like i said, we are still growing up as a team, so we just need to make sure we
do a good job with the puck, don’t put ourselves at risk on transition, and we are going to have to defend. w e have to make sure that we get back because they are a very talented team.”
The i rish enter the series on an unbeaten streak. n otre d ame opened its 2014 h ockey e ast campaign last Friday against vermont, with a 3-2 win and a 2-2 tie against the c atamounts. Junior center Thomas d i p auli and junior left wing m ario l ucia put the i rish up 2-0 in the first period Friday. w hile the c atamounts equalized the game in the second period, d i p auli netted a third-period goal for an i rish victory. g oals from l ucia and freshman right wing Jake e vans, along with freshman goaltender c al p eterson’s career-high 42 saves, lead to s aturday’s 2-2 tie.
“ vermont is a very good team, and they put a lot of pressure on us,” Jackson said. “ i thought we did a really good job early in the game on s aturday night of
ALARISSE LAM | The Observer
Irish sophomore guard Demetrius Jackson goes up for a layup Nov. 1 during Notre Dame’s 88-71 win over Minnesota Duluth.
KEVIN SABITUS | The Observer
Irish junior midfielder Patrick Hodan dribbles upfield against Northwestern on Oct. 14 at Alumni Stadium. Notre Dame won
