PDF for Friday, December 5, 2014

Smc organizes letter writing to Pope

Group delivers letters as part of project expressing Catholic

By KELLY KONYA

saint mary’s e ditor

pope Francis asked, and saint mary’s delivered — literally.

in the fall of 2013, 10 saint mary’s students, the office of campus ministry and the center for spirituality (cFs) came together to discuss ways in which the catholic church could better reach young women around the world. Together, the group came to one conclusion: write to pope Francis. elizabeth groppe, director of the cFs, said the group of women were inspired by pope Francis’s call to catholic youth to contribute to the church’s life and mission. This call to action comes at a time when an

estimated 35 percent of millennial women (born between 1981 and 1995) who were baptized catholic have turned away from the church and no longer practice their faith. in august 2014, the “voices of young catholic women” project was underway, groppe said. The college extended a national invitation to write to pope Francis to more than 700 members of the catholic campus ministry association, saint mary’s alumnae, catholic parishes in the diocese of Fort wayne-south bend, catholic high schools with which saint mary’s has connections through the college’s recruiting network,

badin sale supports charity

By CATHERINE OWERS news writer

badin hall’s sixth annual conscious christmas Fair Trade handicraft sale will run Friday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the dorm, and all proceeds from the sale will support the hope initiative, industrial design professor ann-marie conrado said. conrado, who co-founded the hope initiative in 2004, said the sale offers a variety of reasonably priced gifts, including scarves, bags, wall hangings and hemp products.

“we sell things that are very affordable, up to quite reasonably priced luxury items like

Aidan Project donates blankets

By CAROLYN HUTYRA news writer

The ninth annual a idan project — a service event dedicated to making fleece-tie blankets for hospitalized cancer patients throughout indiana — will take place sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at south dining hall.

circle k president ivana surjancev, a junior, said a idan Fitzgerald, a 2009 notre dame alumnus who lived in k nott hall and battled cancer while at the university, worked with his hall and circle k to help organize the project as a signature dorm event

after his diagnosis in 2006.

“we donate all the blankets to both oncology and pediatric units to help remind the patients that they are not alone and that, as a community, we are keeping them in our thoughts and prayers,” surjancev said.

students have the opportunity to volunteer for any length of time, and surjancev said it only takes 20 minutes to make one blanket. volunteers also have the opportunity to write a personalized note to be delivered to the patients along with the blankets.

“it’s very easy to make the

‘Asian Allure’ explores Asian experience at ND

By KATIE McCARTY news writer

The a sian a merican a ssociation will hosts its annual signature performance, a sian a llure, on Friday and s aturday in the washington hall auditorium, junior Jen ho, the event’s director, said.

This year’s theme, “There and back a gain,” focuses on

the a sian community at notre dame, ho said.

“This theme addresses the growth of the a sian community in notre dame throughout the years,” she said. “The production will carry the audience through a transition from the traditional to the new.” ho said this year’s performances are different from past years in that there will be no

skits. i nstead, the event will feature stories submitted by faculty, alumni and students, along with dance and fashion elements.

“e ach a sian club contributed a traditional dance piece,” she said. “There are more diverse individual performers who successfully auditioned

szuba@nd.edu

Business

What’s your favorite catch phrase?

Scene Desk (574) 631-4540 scene@ndsmcobserver.com Saint Mary’s Desk kkonya01@saintmarys.edu

Photo Desk (574) 631-8767 photo@ndsmcobserver.com

Systems & Web Administrators (574) 631-8839

Policies

Bryan Daly senior off campus

“Jesus take the wheel.”

Eileen McTigue sophomore badin hall

“so great, so great, so excited to be here, so great -Jimmy Fallon.”

Janel Allison junior mcglinn hall

“you got it dude.”

Mary Kate Healey sophomore lyons hall

“k nope we can.”

Shadmn Minir junior morrissey manor

“it is what it is.”

Shannon Takahata sophomore mcglinn hall

“a re you talkin’ to me?”

Badin third floor residents Sara Schunck, Mary McDonald, Nicole Schneider and resident assistant Alisha Ching get into the holiday spirit by decorating their doors (and themselves) in a hall event Wednesday night.

The nex T Five days:

Christmas Cookie Decorating LaFortune Student Center

3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Free for students.

ND Chorale Concert DeBartolo Performing Arts Center

8 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Featuring Handel’s “Messiah.”

Women’s Basketball Purcell Pavilion

3:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. ND vs. Connecticut.

Men’s Basketball Purcell Pavilion

8 p.m. - 10 p.m. ND vs. Fairleigh Dickinson.

Classic Film: “It’s a Wonderful Life” DeBartolo Performing Arts Center

3 p.m. - 5 p.m. Free for students.

Advent Lessons and Carols Basilica of the Sacred Heart 7:15 p.m. - 8:15 p.m. Features all choirs.

Feast of the Immaculate Conception Basilica of the Sacred Heart 5:15 p.m. - 6:15

Professors examine Latin American democratization

By MATTHEW McKENNA news writer

The book “democracies and dictatorships in l atin a merica: emergence, survival and Fall,” co-authored by scott mainwaring, professor of comparative politics, and a níbal pérez-l iñán, associate professor of political science at the university of pittsburg and notre dame graduate, recently won two major book awards in the area of comparative politics: the a merican political science a ssociation’s

comparative democratization section’s 2014 best book award and the donna l ee van cott book award for the year’s best book in the l atin a merican studies a ssociation’s political institutions section.

“you spend years and years working on these things,” mainwaring said. “i’m still sure that some people will read the book and just hate it because it takes on a lot of established literature. it’s a book that invites controversy. so the awards tell me that even if six million people turn out to hate it, at least a few people liked it.”

mainwaring and pérezl iñán began with the purpose of explaining the major waves of regime change that have swept l atin a merica, mainwaring said, but he and pérez-l iñán soon came to

realize they had an opportunity to make an important theoretical contribution to discussions of democracy and dictatorships.

“we want to question the way that we currently study political regimes,” mainwaring said. “we make a strong argument that you have to look at political actors or the people that really have the power in a country.

“you can’t deduce what actors prefer just from their structural location. you can’t assume that the wealthy always support dictatorship and the poor always support democracy. These are misleading simplifications.”

mainwaring said what makes the book unique is its application of a hybrid model that uses quantitative scales to analyze political actors.

“most works on democracies and dictatorships use statistical analysis, looking at structural analysis variables such as how wealthy a country or income inequality,” mainwaring said. “These are things that you can just pull off of a shelf and run regressions on. but where are the actors? They’ve disappeared.”

“every qualitative analysis of political regimes looks at actors, so there was a weird disjuncture in the literature between qualitative and quantitative approaches,” he said. “we tried to bridge that gap in the literature.”

mainwaring said they coded the actors on two different aspects, which both relate to the actor’s beliefs.

“The first is whether or not they value democracy or a dictatorship on intrinsic

grounds,” mainwaring said. “our argument is that some organized actors favor certain regimes that are contrary to what would necessarily benefit them the most. we call this measurement normative preference.”

“The second variable is a measurement of how radical these actors are, on a scale to from moderate to radical,” he said. “The argument for democracies is that radicalism makes it harder for a democracy to survive, but it doesn’t have an effect on a dictatorship.”

“radical oppositions can

help undermine dictatorships and bring about a democracy, but they can also have a countervailing effect,” mainwaring said. “if there is a radical guerrilla group in my country and i’m a dictator, i may dig in more in order to maintain control.”

mainwaring said their model is not that different in concept from established literature; rather, it is in the way they have conducted their analysis that makes the model unique.

“The thing that no one articulates is that when anyone writes a history or a political analysis, you always make decisions about who the key actors are, we just systematized these decisions in a dichotomous way,” he said.

Contact Matthew McKenna at mmcken12@nd.edu

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saint mary’s hosts madrigal dinners

By EMILIE KEFALAS news writer

saint mary’s traditional christmas-themed madrigal dinners will transform the north lounge of regina hall into a medieval banquet hall for students and members of the community dec. 5 to 7, director of special events richard baxter said. now in its 42nd year, the weekendlong event provides an alternate mode of celebration and preparation during the advent season, baxter said.

The saint mary’s department of music organizes and performs an array of renaissance and madrigal-oriented music courtesy of the 21 members of the saint mary’s women’s choir and its director nancy menk, professor of music. menk, who has conducted the madrigals for 31 years, said the dinners have changed over time in style but not in spirit.

For the 40th anniversary of the madrigals two years ago, the show’s script and song list changed, menk said, though some traditional favorites remained.

“some of the music is really traditional, so we do it every year,” menk said. “we always have a returning group of seniors every year, but we sort of have a basic group of repertoire.

“i try to pick repertoire that is from the renaissance or at least sounds like it’s from the renaissance. i want all the pieces to be like christmas, and there aren’t really a whole lot of madrigals that are about christmas. we at least want to go with an image of earlier times.”

The dinners attempt to recreate a medieval ball at christmastime, complete with a toast and a real boar’s head,

baxter said.

“They actually have a boar’s head that they parade around,” baxter said. “They do it every year. They serve different courses. There are jugglers [and] depending on the weather, they juggle pins outside. There are dancers that perform medieval dance. by the end of the evening, hopefully [the audience] got a sense of what the evening’s about.”

The dinners also feature a is a holiday feast that includes prime rib, roasted potatoes, glazed carrots, waldorf salad, wassail and cheesecake with flaming cherries, baxter said.

a long with the food, baxter said she believes the music makes the dinners special.

“[The choir doesn’t] just stand and sing,” baxter said. “They’ll move around the whole area. you won’t even recognize it when we finish it. it’s a big production. it’s far more focused and controlled. it’s not like being on the street, it’s more concentrated. it is like you’re time traveling.”

baxter said the madrigal dinners only work with the help of an entire team of people.

“There are maybe probably 25 members of the choir and another 15 servers, so there’s probably 50 people back there making it work,” baxter said. “we’re there making sure everything’s smooth.”

Though preparing the same music every year may seem a little mundane, menk said the constant change of students is what delights her most.

“i love to watch them get excited about it,” menk said. “by the time we do it, it’s fun. The atmosphere at the madrigal dinners is always so festive that it’s easy to see why so many continue to make this a part of their annual holiday celebrations.

“at every performance, when i step into the hall and see the beautiful candlelit setting and the looks of anticipation on our patrons’ faces, i feel really proud of what we have offered to our community for 42 years.”

some of the event’s most popular features include the jugglers and the procession of the boar’s head, but everyone always enjoys something unique and different, menk said.

since first taking over the production, menk said she has readjusted and perfected the show for each year’s audiences.

“now we have a formula that works, we don’t even have a meeting beforehand,” she said. “The choreographer does her thing, and i do my own thing, and in the end it all comes together.”

The madrigal dinners are saint mary’s way of reaching out to the community beyond campus during the advent season, menk said.

Contact Emilie Kefalas at ekefal01@saintmarys.edu

team leaders of the Fellowship of catholic university students (Focus) and catholic web media.

The Project

Following the national invitation, the project’s team compiled the letters, poems and other forms of creative expression into a binder for pope Francis as they were sent to the college, groppe said.

The responses addressed four questions, centered on what is cherished about the catholic tradition, what it is like to be a young woman today, how young women can contribute their gifts to serve the church’s mission and what other ways young women can support one another’s return to the church, if disconnected, groppe said.

college president carol ann mooney said the project ties in with the saint mary’s mission “about as clearly as anything does.”

“we are concerned at saint mary’s not simply with, of course, the academic and intellectual development of our students, but also their moral, social and spiritual development. That’s our philosophy,” mooney said. “This project is not just about saint mary’s or our students, but it is more about our church and how it can better reach out to young women and keep them close, well-served, sustained

and nourished by the church.”

kristen millar, a senior and active participant in campus ministry, said she was first asked to help with the project last year, and agreed to help without any idea of what it would turn into.

“as i met with [members of the cFs], we went over some of the articles that spurred this project — about millennials leaving the church and the problems young women face today — and it was shocking for me to discover all of this because i honestly didn’t know,” millar said.

The cFs received 225 letters, including several poems, some prayers and a number of drawings and works of art, groppe said. most notably, students at saint ursula academy in cincinnati designed a handmade pink and red satin stole for pope Francis.

Though most of the letters have been kept confidential, the letters expressed love for the church and the pop, but also included concerns about today’s secular culture, which often objectifies women, director of media relations gwen o’brien said.

delivering the Letters to Pope francis over Thanksgiving break, bishop kevin rhoades, of the diocese of Fort wayne-south bend, mooney, millar and alumna grace urankar, (class of 2014) traveled to rome to deliver the

letters nov. 26 at the weekly papal audience.

urankar said the weight of the project did not hit her until she literally found herself carrying the bag with the large binder containing the 225 letters through the metal detector at the vatican.

“To physically carry them reminded me of the old belief ‘strength in numbers,’” urankar said. “with so many voices represented, how could we not be heard?”

after the papal audience, rhoades introduced millar and mooney to pope Francis in spanish, and all were able to shake pope Francis’ hand as they delivered the binder and stole.

“i presented the stole from saint ursula’s, and then president mooney gave pope Francis the binder and said that the letters contained the joys, hopes, griefs and sorrows of young women from the millennial generation,” millar said. “he shook both of our hands and said ‘please pray for me, i need the prayers.’

“The very day before, pope Francis was in France, and the next day he was leaving for Turkey, so it just shows you how much of an effort he is making to reach different communities,” millar said. “he’s a universal symbol for the universal church, and we were honored to be able to present him with a national symbol — the letters.”

mooney said the experience of

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delivering the letters was wholly thrilling.

“it’s not only thrilling to go to rome, and it’s certainly thrilling to actually talk to the pope, but it was truly thrilling to feel like we were there doing something that was really important,” mooney said.

besides attending the papal audience and meeting pope Francis, the group attended a mass offered by bishop rhoades with the students studying in the college’s rome study abroad program at the basilica of sant’andrea della valle, millar said.

“one night at dinner, president mooney, her husband, george, and grace and i sat down and had a really good conversation about the project and the pope and how we need to remember that the pope is human too,” millar said.

“when we saw him in the audience, he was so charismatic and gets so much joy out of being with the people.

“i am just grateful to be able to do my part in answering his call to young women,” millar said.

‘Together, we can do even more’

with the letters delivered, the project’s team has since returned to the united states and hopes the idea behind the project will continue to be discussed in the church and beyond, millar said.

one of the most modest hopes, expressed by mooney, millar and

urankar, is simply for the letters to be read.

“some young women poured their hearts out in the pages of those letters, so what one hopes is not only that they are read — and i trust they will be — but that with the holy spirit, there’s some realization of unmet needs and how the church can work to meet them,” mooney said.

in regards to the project’s development, mooney said she was impressed by the enthusiasm and courage of the students.

“Quite often, one loses that optimism and that belief that they have the ability to make change,” mooney said. “we all need to keep that belief in ourselves alive. The optimism and enthusiasm that fueled this project is very important for everybody to keep.”

The project will continue to manifest, millar said, if women advocate for other women in our daily lives in all situations, as pressures build from society to remain faithful.

“it’s important that women see their roles in the church and within one another’s lives as vital and necessary, because they are,” millar said.

“we all just need to remember that although you may be one person, you can do so much, and together, we can do even more.”

Contact Kelly Konya at kkonya01@saintmarys.edu

for their roles in music, dance and spoken word.

“There is also a fashion show that will showcase both the traditional and modern styles of a sian culture. Though it is a production showcasing a sian culture, the cast is in fact the most diverse it has ever been in terms of age, culture and talent.”

a sian a llure aims to showcase a sian culture and better connect notre dame with the a sian community, ho said.

“a sian a llure is the only event that showcases every a sian cultural club in addition to non-affiliated acts on campus in performance,” ho said. “e ach year presents a different theme to serve the purpose of better connecting nd with the a sian community through understanding of the different cultures.”

ho said planning for a sian a llure began in July when the board began to think of ideas for the show.

“The planning process began over the summer when i was selected to be the director in the end of July,” ho said.

“The a sian a llure board was then established, and we immediately began brainstorming ideas of what the vision of a sian a llure should be this year in contrast to past productions.”

ho said auditions were held early in fall semester, and rehearsals began shortly afterward.

“auditions took place in late s eptember and selected performers were notified of their participation the same week, after which we immediately began collaboration,” she said.

ho said a sian a llure is not just put on by students for students.

“not only are students involved, but the alumni association and faculty of nd are as well,” she said. “many visit just to watch the performance and experience the growth of the audience in numbers and diversity since their years on campus.

“Though it may only seem like a mere production, a sian a llure annually reminds notre dame of the special presence of the a sian community of notre dame and how unique each individual is. it is not only a rewarding experience to those who are involved, but also to whomever come out to watch the show.”

Tickets will be available for $7 at the l aFortune box o ffice until an hour before each show. Tickets can also be purchased for $10 at the door.

Contact Katie McCarty at kmccar16@nd.edu

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a idan

blankets and always a lot of fun to do,” she said. “a idan still visits our event, too, and it is inspirational to see how this project has touched so many different people.”

one of the biggest components of the project is its ability to raise awareness about cancer, surjancev said.

“more importantly, it helps lend warmth, strength and hope to those currently fighting cancer,” she said. “many hospitals and patients benefit from receiving these blankets.”

k nott hall president and junior Joseph schneider said the a idan project is great because it allows students to share the support system they have at notre dame with children in need of encouragement.

“as with all dorms on campus, you become a part of the family when you live there,” schneider

said. “The great thing about having that sort of family support system is that you can team up with your friends and roommates to help people truly in need.

“That is exactly what a idan Fitzgerald did when he started the a idan project in 2006.” w hile the event only lasts one day, surjancev said planning begins more than half a year beforehand. each year, a minimum of 15 circle k board members join the hall staff and service commissioners of k nott hall to organize the event.

Junior ralph hauke said the event is a great opportunity to help others.

“so many members of the notre dame community come out to make a blanket or two, so we really couldn’t do it without the community support,” surjancev said.

Contact Carolyn Hutyra at chutyra@nd.edu

pashmina and silk,” she said. “This is a really great way for people to be conscious of the things that they are buying, how they are purchasing them, that they are ethically sourced, that they are making a big impact. if you are splurging on another person or yourself, you can do it in such a way that it helps and has a much greater impact.”

Junior chau-ly phan, one of the event’s organizers, said badin residents have worked to advertise and set up for the sale.

“during the actual event, there are badin girls helping with the sale by working checkout, answering questions, and being personal shoppers and giving gift advice,” she said.

proceeds from the sale support a variety of projects from the hope initiative, including scholarships and initiatives for children of illiterate families, conrado said.

“so where there’s no educational background for that child to succeed we offer before- and after-school programs so that [they] can get extra help in school, that they can be exposed to a stronger educational underpinning,” she said. “[hope initiative] uses creative thinking to address issues of poverty and educational access. because i am a professor of design, i like to think that we can offer creative ways to address these intractable human issues and problems in developing countries.”

phan said when the sale raises more money, the hope initiative is able to disburse more scholarships and host health clinics.

“in one sale, we have the opportunity to provide these kids with opportunities and the care they deserve for the entire year, and if enough people purchase goods, we can help so many more people throughout the year.”

Contact Catherine Owers at cowers@nd.edu

‘Nowhere else but ND’

o n d ec. 6, 2011, my twin sister m organ l eigh Judd passed away unexpectedly from a blood clot that formed in the back right part of her brain. m organ was a freshman at w ake Forest u niversity where she was double majoring in accounting and dance. The day before she passed away, she danced at the w ake Forest basketball game and showed no signs of inconsistent health. m organ was well known for her grace on the dance floor and much loved for her unwavering kindness and compassion.

g rieving over m organ’s unfortunate and unexpected passing has been a long and taxing process for me and my family. b eing twins, m organ and i had gone through every life experience together — i had never imagined living in a world without her always by my side. w henever i had an issue, i knew i could turn to her and she would respond with a comforting smile and understanding embrace. b ut suddenly, that rock i had always held to was swept out from under me, and i was forced to face a sea of uncertainty without the one person who truly understood me.

This upcoming s aturday — which marks the three-year anniversary of m organ’s passing — my friend m arie d avidson (’15) is coordinating the third annual 24-hour vigil of n otre d ame

students and faculty at the g rotto of o ur l ady of l ourdes. m ore than 70 students and faculty from across campus are signed up to participate. o ther than hometown friends, none of these students have ever met m organ Judd. i n years past, several dear friends have stationed themselves for several hours through the night, enduring sub-15 degree temperatures all in the name of a girl they will never get the chance to meet.

o ver time, i have come to realize that m organ’s spirit didn’t simply fade away — anything so visceral couldn’t just disappear. r ather, i like

“In years past, several dear friends have stationed themselves for several hours through the night, enduring sub-15 degree temperatures all in the name of a girl they will never get the chance to meet.

to think that her essence was so strong that it exploded like a supernova, spreading tremendous light and warmth in its wake. m organ

never attended n otre d ame, yet i see her daily. i see her in the smiles of strangers walking on the quad. i hear her in the cheers from the student section on a football s aturday. i feel her through the power of friendship, when a group of 20-year-olds spend all night at a grotto for a girl they never knew.

The athletic culture and strong academics are what initially drew me to n otre d ame, but it is events like this g rotto vigil that made me realize that n otre d ame has become my home. The past three years have demonstrated what a truly unique faith-based community we share, composed of people capable of such overwhelming compassion.

To all those who have supported me this past week and every day for the last three years, i want to express my profound gratitude. you are all a constant reminder of how incredibly blessed i am to attend this u niversity and serve as a poignant reminder that we have an angel here watching out for all of us.

n owhere else but n otre d ame.

we must petition for pe

h ard questions need to be asked about the u niversity’s decision to eliminate the physical education department and replace the longstanding program and swim requirement with a vague and irrelevant mandatory credit class for incoming freshmen. This decision was announced in mid- a pril of last year with very little student input and was even a complete surprise to the pe department employees, whose jobs are now in jeopardy. i n 2012, a committee was convened to look into possible alternatives for the pe department. Their recommendation options were as follows: merge the pe department and r ec s ports, retain the pe department and replace the requirements with a credit-bearing course available to the entire student population and reduce the pe requirements to a one-semester wellness class. i n 2014, an ad hoc committee with one student representative chaired by d ean h ugh p age was established to examine these options. s trangely, their final recommendation was not any of the options previously put forward. i nstead, the proposal that was presented to the a cademic c ouncil (passed with a thin margin and many absences) was a yearlong credit-bearing course that included vague topics such as “discernment,” “cultural competence” and “mind-body awareness” and completely eliminated the pe department at o ur l ady’s u niversity starting with the class of 2019. l ate last year, i started an online petition to help save the n otre d ame pe department that has now gathered more than 1,000 signatures of alumni, current students and faculty. i n addition to the signatures, the petition also gathered more than 100 strongly worded comments

such as “ pe was one of the remedies to my stress freshman year,” “ p hysical education was one of my best memories” and “Talking about fitness doesn’t make you more fit.” d ean p age and Fr. Jenkins, in a world with shocking obesity rates and an ever-increasing amount of academic pressure on students, why is the school deciding to replace a stress-relieving aspect of First year s tudies with a credit course that will add to the workload of students and decrease time spent on physical activities?

d uring the summer, i was in contact with d r. v incent Friedewald, n otre d ame alum and

“ Dean Page and Fr. Jenkins, in a world with shocking obesity rates and an everincreasing amount of academic pressure on students, why is the school deciding to replace a stressrelieving aspect of First Year Studies with a credit course that will add to the workload of students and decrease time spent on physical activities?

an associate editor of the a merican Journal of c ardiology. h e was shocked that n otre d ame has decided to eliminate the pe department, which is an essential part of the n otre d ame

experience, and put students’ health at risk. h e shared my concern that the r ec s ports department is currently extremely unequipped to take over the responsibilities of physical activity. w hile d ean p age claims r ec s ports will be overhauled, the department currently has no director and no instructions on how this will take place. i have also spoken with d ennis s tark, former i rish swimming coach and class of 1947. h e has been trying to get alumni involved in this issue as well, but was stonewalled by the administration when he requested to present a case to p resident Jenkins.

a s a current student, i believe that we have both the right and responsibility to question the administration’s decision on this issue. e arlier this year i was working with student government, but they are committed to working with d ean p age to move forward with the new plan. i know there are other pressing student issues (such as the c ommencement decision), but i believe all students both past and present should be concerned about this issue because of its implications for future students. i urge you all to sign my petition online ( g oogle “ nd pe p etition”) if you feel strongly about this issue. m y contact information is on this petition, and i urge you to contact me if you have any further suggestions. i have done extensive research on this decision and would certainly be willing to discuss further. “ v ita, d ulcedo, s pes.”

20

Scott Boyle

Christ, goodness and light are constant

The sincere seeker

i don’t know if any of you have read the columnist d avid b rooks from the n ew york Times, but i have taken a liking to him recently. h is articles began to pop up on my Facebook news feed earlier this year.

The first article i read was titled, “ s tairway to w isdom.” i n it, b rooks analyzes the ways we learn and acquire information about social problems. h e starts by analyzing the benefits of science, which, as he states, are advantageous in that they allow researchers to make “informed generalizations about how people are behaving.”

b ut this quest to understand others, he says, is ultimately limited in that it does not “allow for deep understanding.” i n other words, it doesn’t allow for the beauty and complexity of the human person to emerge, a beauty that can never be fully defined or contained by a set of statistics or data. b rooks then goes on to write, “ we all know people whose lives are breathtakingly unpredictable: a m ormon leader who came out of the closet and became a gay dad; an investment banker who became a nun; a child with a wandering anthropologist mom who became president.”

i n sum, we never know what remains hidden, what dreams hover beneath the surface of our souls and the souls of others, ready to emerge into bodily and material reality like a caterpillar from its cocoon.

a nd that’s precisely the point. b rooks observes, “To move the next rung up the ladder of understanding you have to dive into the tangle of individual lives.”

o f course, that task is easier said then done. w ho wants to encounter the difficulty of the tangle or the messier parts of life? d ive there and you can count on a journey that’s sure to involve a little bruising, battering or maybe even some serious injury.

we fear what we do not know. To stand face to face on the precipice of a tough reality, to stand in anticipation of a journey we (most likely) will not be able to control — that could be one of most daunting challenges put to humanity.

a nd it’s daunting because of our expectations. we expect a “good” life. we expect to be “healthy.” we expect to receive what we are due if we work hard. b ut, unfortunately, that’s not always the reality that stares us back in the face. s ometimes these expectations cloud our vision. Too often, i think, we look at the exterior of another person’s life and observe that everything is going right for them. b ut that image is a mirage. n o one’s life is perfect. n o day will be the “perfect” day. n o relationship the “perfect” relationship. w hy? b ecause that’s life.

p resumptions and observations without deeper knowledge are like cataracts for the soul. They cloud our vision, distancing us from the reality we seek to know. Try to see anything from so great a distance, and it will appear distorted, fuzzy and not true to form. o ur eyes might show us what we want to see, but we will be settling for a cheap version of reality.

Fortunately c hrist, the great bridge-builder, has sought to show us true reality, a reality anchored and rooted in love.

i n the i ncarnation, c hrist lived out this love to the fullest. h e took on humanity, bridging the man-made chasm of sin that had separated

human and divine. h e drew close in order that we might see him clearly. h e came to us so that we might see and freely choose him again and desire our union with him just as much as he desired it with us.

b rooks sums it up perfectly: “ l ove impels you not just to observe, but to seek union — to think as another thinks and feel as another feels.” c hrist wept, like us; he suffered, like us; he died, like us. b ut, he also rose from the dead and showed us that, in him, death would not be the end of our story.

b ut death always wants to silence love. i t wants to exploit the fact that the “bad stuff” does not disappear in a moment and that pain is, often times, not any easier to face.

b ut when we choose c hrist, when we draw closer to him, we see that he has already promised us a different ending: “ i am with you always, until the end of the age.”

i t’s c hrist who is constant, not sin or death. a nd like c hrist, we must be constants for one another. we must continue to draw close, to shine c hrist’s light for each other when the darkness in our lives becomes too great to bear alone.

we must remind each other that we are reflections of eternal light. a nd no tangle will, if we remember c hrist’s promise, be able to contain that light.

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.

continue progress on lgbTQ issues

remember two years ago? Two years ago, barack obama was reelected. The royal baby captivated our nation, sight unseen. notre dame was going to the national championship as the no. 1 team. These events stick in our minds and bring back salient memories of how our lives were changed, yet despite heavy coverage in The observer, and a major press release by the university, another event in the fall of 2012 may not be remembered so clearly.

on dec. 5, 2012, notre dame took a large step towards creating a more inclusive community when it reaffirmed its commitment to its lgbTQ students by releasing the pastoral plan, beloved Friends and a llies. members of student a ffairs, Fr. Jenkins’ team and faculty and staff all over campus came together, performing a review of university services that demonstrated their commitment to the holy c ross values upon which notre dame was founded. a fter more than 27 years of struggle, campus welcomed the creation of an official student organization, an advisory committee for student a ffairs and a full-time staff position, all focused on inclusion for its lgbTQ students. This tangible action was manifested administrative support of a burgeoning student conversation, led by some of the best student and campus leaders in recent notre dame history. Things have changed over the last five years for this campus, and lgbTQ people are becoming more tangibly recognized as a part of the notre dame family.

unfortunately, when putting on campus events,

we are still asked questions that amount to: “l ook, i totally support you lgbTQ students, but why do you have to be so in-my-face about it?” on our second birthday, we’d like to answer this question: Because the words “we respect human dignity” are meaningless if what follows fails to recognize the humanity of LGBTQ people.

it’s not enough to pay lip service to love and respect. w ithout engaging in concrete actions that support a community, rhetoric can prove empty to those who need it most. spread the love – it’s important to be accepting, but it is as important to make this acceptance known to those it will most positively impact.

Because students still have experiences with unsupportive parents, educators or peers.

From personal interactions with p rism members, to m r. l ondon’s letter wednesday, we are constantly reminded of the negative consequences of people’s attitudes. Tolerance does not soothe the wounds of discrimination. it’s acceptance that demonstrates true goodwill and a desire for reconciliation. Because sexuality and gender are universal experiences.

e ach and every person has a unique and valued sexuality and gender; where you fall on the spectrum is an important part of your personhood. identifying with a sexuality or gender that is more accepted in the mainstream discourse does not mean it is somehow more valuable – all people’s personal stories are

part of a tapestry of experience that all should work to cherish.

Because looking at LGBTQ people only as burdened individuals does not fully capture a person’s experience of their sexuality and gender. recently, the synod on the Family debated and ultimately rejected the use of a phrase saying that homosexual persons have “gifts and qualities to offer to the c hristian community.” r ather than a change in c hurch doctrine, it would have been a reframing of how we should see our lgbTQ peers. it challenges us to look at others not as deficient, but as containing a whole person, bringing with them their own valuable perspective and personal experiences.

a s a community, we have the ability to come together and manifest our love into a true family, welcoming to all people. on this two year anniversary, we invite you to join us in committing to fully supporting, loving and accepting all lgbTQ students.

sincerely,

By MARC DRAKE scene writer

main street c offee house, located in downtown s outh bend, recently began displaying images from a new art project titled “s outh bend: Then and now.” The project features pictures of s outh bend locations found by the studebaker national museum juxtaposed with modern photographs of these same locations. a s i sit in the coffee shop, one particular photo grabs my attention: an expressionless man on a horsedrawn grocery delivery wagon stares at a camera, while a curious little boy around the corner timidly looks on. w hen i look at the current photo, i see a familiar destination also committed to preserving history of forgotten items: Junk evolution.

Junk evolution is located at 528 e c olfax ave. in s outh bend, situated at the corner of h ill and c olfax in the e ast bank v illage. Featuring a beautiful mural showcasing stores and other parts of the e ast r ace neighborhood, the building serves as an important part of s outh bend history. c onstructed in the 1890s, the building has served a variety of functions ranging from grocery store to residence to its current fate, Junk evolution.

Junk evolution has existed in this space since march 2010, continuing a long legacy of repurposing this building that hasn’t changed much since its creation. This doesn’t seem to be an accident, as discovering new uses for old items seems to be at the heart of Junk evolution.

“ we’re all about sustainability and repurposing and recycling,” owner l inda sherck said. “s o that was our initial theme, trying to save things from the landfill and keeping things from being thrown away, and that is what it remains today” d uring a season where consumerism runs rampant and the pressure is on acquiring the newest, latest gadget, Junk evolution encourages the community to look at already existing products in a new light. o ffering beautifully repurposed products, entering junk evolution feels like entering a well-curated treasure trove.

“ we’re everywhere,” sherck joked as she described the extensive hunt that staff members go on to find products to repurpose for the store. “ we’re a lot of your usual suspect places. g oodwills, thrift shops, estate sales, auctions, friends. we’re dumpster divers, taking things off our neighbors garbage piles; we’re not above that.”

a ll of the staff’s hard work pays off, as the store manages to offer a unique experience to shoppers with a different theme each month. Fittingly, the store features a special c hristmas theme for the month of december, which includes various toboggan sleds coated in garland hanging from the ceiling.

i n addition to various home goods, visitors can also pay a visit to the c irca a rts gallery and buy vintage clothes from the company v intage Twill or products from c arpenter g othic. “The way we have it set up, items can be rung up

at either place, and see things are definitely more cohesive between the two businesses,” sherck said. despite the variety of goods offered in the space, the focus of Junk evolution has always remained on selling repurposed home goods.

“ we have always been a home décor store that focuses on repurposing and recycling,” sherck said. i n terms of home goods, sherck believes that functional and versatile items often are the most popular items in the store. “buffets are a really big item, dressers also are very big sellers for us, tables and chairs. i think with the way the economy has been, people are interested in buying things that are useful and functional. people aren’t quite buying useless and frivolous things for themselves yet.”

For individuals who miss a particular month or would like to see the full inventory of the store, Junk evolution offers a warehouse sale once a month that features products from previous months that have not been sold or items that would not fit in the store on c olfax. l ocated at 1212 h igh st. in s outh bend, the warehouse sale occurs on the third s aturday of each month. however, due to the c hristmas holiday, the december warehouse sale will occur dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Featuring items ranging from vintage clothing to finished dressers and paintings, the event provides unique c hristmas gifts for everyone on the c hristmas gift list.

Contact Marc Drake at mdrake@nd.edu

By CAELIN MILTKO scene writer

spoken word nd hosted their annual poetry slam event wednesday night in the washington hall lab Theatre.

The night opened with the emcee explaining the history and rules of the poetry slam. poetry slams originated in the 1980s in chicago, working to engage the audience in the performance of poetry.

There were five judges chosen from the audience, who were asked to rank each of the 11 contestants from one to 10. Their scores were announced to the audience (and the audience was encouraged to cheer in support of scores they liked — or respond with “listen to the poem!” to scores they didn’t). The high and low scores were dropped and then the other three were averaged for a final score out of 30. at the end, the top three scorers were announced as winners of the poetry slam. each poet would get three minutes to perform his or her poem. audience members were encouraged to react audibly to

encourage the poet to continue to go for it, especially when the audience liked what was being said. The first 10 seconds after three minutes would be allowed with no penalty, but every 10 seconds after that would cost them half a point off their final score.

The night started with the “sacrificial poet.” her role was to help calibrate the judge’s scoring to prevent any contestants from being punished by a judge who was too harsh. wednesday’s sacrificial poet was spoken word nd’s president beth spesia, who read a poem titled “That activism poem” and received a final score of 24.2. From there, the competition began. The star of the first half of the poetry slam was stephanie konrady, who read a poem named “peter pan syndrome.” in it, she told the audience, “i’m saying no” to adulthood. she said “i won’t reach for security at the expense of creativity” and ended her poem with the idea of faith. she received an 8.8, 8.8, 8.7, 8.2 and 8.3 for her efforts, for a final score of 25.8.

after konrady, the poetry slam featured

a “guest speaker” of sorts in the form of p e a.T.e. (poetically educating a ll Thru expression), a local spoken word artist. she apologized for not being prepared and then performed an entirely memorized piece “my knees.” her performance stood out for her ability to combine both the theatrics of poetry slam with the deeper meaning many of the other poems were striving for. it partially helped that she was the first memorized poem of the night.

The last three poets of the night stole the show. it started with kelsey collett, who performed “my passive aggression isn’t so passive.” it was one of the shorter poems of the night, but definitely powerful. she said she didn’t know if she could be a hero but “i think i could be a contender” and told the audience, “you can get in my corner or you can get in the ring.” it was a strong poem and she ended up with an 8.0, 8.5, 86, 8.8 and 8.6. her final score was a 25.7.

Following collett was Zeda biosa. her piece was about “the night i became yours forever.” it was a powerful storyline, told in time fragments from 8 p.m., 9 p.m. and so

on. she was given an 8.5, 8.8, 8.9, 8.4 and 7.9 for a final score of 25.7, tying with collett for second place behind konrady.

The final performer ended up taking the night with a score of 25.9. garrett blad took the stage and told us that he wanted to write a love poem but “my mind is full of numbers.” he took us through the story of the glacier lily and the broad-tailed hummingbird. he lamented that the glacier lily and the broad-tailed hummingbird were just years away from never meeting again because of natural migration cycles. he told the audience, “we can read the history of the natural world in braille” and that the “best way to destroy a library is to forget how to read.” he warned there was no turning back from modernity. he won the night with a 9.6, 8.6, 8.4, 8.9 and 7.9. a ll in all, the poetry slam was an incredible night of talent from notre dame students. it showcased the extraordinary creative talents of students.

Contact Caelin Miltko at cmoriari@nd.edu

By ERIN McAULIFFE scene writer

a re you experiencing stop-action motion sickness? is your heart growing two sizes too small for “The grinch?” a re you ready to throw yourself under “The polar e xpress?”

i know i am, which is why i rejoiced when i saw “happy christmas,” a 2014 christmas film starring lena dunham and a nna kendrick, on netflix. The film, released this summer, stars my two favorite Twitter heroes/it girls/ hysterical hollywood stars. as such, i had high expectations for this holiday film: “girls” situational irony fused with family holiday parties plus ”pitch perfect”caliber caroling seemed like a holiday recipe to beat peppermint bark. pretty much i was expecting what sufjan stevens has done with christmas music: a sophisticated, indie twist on an overdone genre. however, the 2.6 stars on netflix should

have been a warning that this holiday film would not make the nice list.

First off, this film is advertised as a holiday movie — it is titled “happy christmas” — so you would assume holiday parties, a little christmas music and some holiday cheer, right? nope. There were maybe three gifts exchanged and no bing crosby or sleigh bells to be heard. it is a lousy marketing scheme. since december is the month everyone devours mariah carey ballads and any films with reindeer like they’re free candy canes, this movie tries to slip under the christmas genre and suck in anyone who listens to spotify’s “Folksy christmas” list and scours netfllix for “alternative” christmas movies — aka me. however, taken as just an indie movie — it was released in July— it had its moments.

carson (played by dunham) delivers as the sassy, attentive best friend who offers questionable advice and great one-liners

— so basically dunham did a great job playing herself.

Jenny (played by kendrick), is an insecure 27 year old living with her brother and his wife and baby after a bad breakup. she is an irresponsible, selfish and rather mousy character that it is hard to sympathize with — just wait until you get to the scene the christmas eve scene (of course, you won’t know it was the night before christmas until the next morning because christmas is not a central topic in “happy christmas”).

a character that is easy to sympathize with is kelly (played by lynskey). Jenny’s brother’s wife and mother to adorable baby Jude, she is fed up by wearing “pajama tops with spit-up on them all day” and having no time to write her novel, but is too polite and kind to ever complain.

as carson, in classic dunham/ horvath-style, says, “she’s so pretty in that way that’s, ‘oh, i didn’t have time to take a shower. oh, i didn’t have time to

do anything. i’m just mommin’ it up’ and she’s so beautiful.”

carson and Jenny take unassuming kelly under their wing and try to help her find time to do things she wants to do, starting by convincing her to write an erotic novel for fast cash. kelly starts to like Jenny, an unexpected turn after nearly kicking her out of the house the first night. i never felt this inclination, however, as Jenny remained selfish and unstable pretty consistently throughout the film.

This movie is a mediocre indie film that falls below mediocre when watched as an indie christmas film. you will not feel any happier this christmas by watching “happy christmas.”

sorry to be a scrooge, but that he at least he has remorse for his unsavory past actions — the same can’t be said for Jenny.

Contact Erin McAuliffe at emcaulif@nd.edu

76ers hang by a thread

Greg Hadley a ssociated sports e ditor

stop the presses everyone. The philadelphia 76ers won a game.

Twenty teams played wednesday night, and the 76ers generated the secondfewest points of any of them against the nba’s second worst defense, the m innesota Timberwolves. but that doesn’t matter, because they finally found a team that had no answer for the league’s worst offense.

w ith the win, philadelphia moves to 1-17 on the season and avoids tying the worst start in nba history. i’m pretty sure that a healthy portion of the 10,463 people in attendance at the Target c enter in m inneapolis only showed up in the hope of being part of sports history. but the sixers would just not be denied. i n all sincerity though, we should give the team credit for not giving up and slouching its way into the record books. w hen the playoffs are already laughably out of reach, when you’re playing in front of dwindling, unenthusiastic crowds, when team management is already looking ahead to next year, or maybe the year after that, it cannot be easy to give a full effort for 82 games. but still, the 76ers missed out on history. They could have been the gold standard for atrocious, the paragon of pathetic, the epitome of awful. d ecades down the road, grandparents would say, “ well, yes, they’re bad, but they’re nowhere near as bad as the 76ers used to be. l et me tell you ... “ i nstead, the 2014-2015 76ers will be lost in the sea of simply “bad” sports teams. no, i’m not saying philadelphia should have lost on purpose. a ll i’m saying is that, by winning, they lost out on sports immortality. a s much as we celebrate the greats of the athletic world, we also don’t mind looking back at the all-time worst. Futility is one of the most enduring storylines in sports, and everyone likes to occasionally remember just how bad some teams can be.

Take for example the 2008 d etroit l ions, the only team in n F l history to go 0-16. perhaps the defining moment of that season was the week six game against the m innesota v ikings, when quarterback dan o rlovsky took the snap in the first quarter and ran out of the back of the endzone untouched for a safety. naturally, the v ikings won, 1210. a t a certain point, the level

of incompetence becomes comical.

John mck ay certainly understood that. d uring his time as head coach of the Tampa b ay buccaneers in the franchise’s shambolic early years, he was asked about his team’s execution and replied, “i’m all for it.” i n 1979, several k ansas c ity royals players invented a new term for incompetence when when they joked that hall-ofFamer g eorge brett’s batting average was getting too close to that of mario mendoza, a light-hitting shortstop. The “mendoza l ine” has since become ingrained in baseball as the standard of weak hitting. it’s a clubhouse joke gone too far, maybe, but still a great way to describe a batter that just looks hopeless at the plate.

o r to return to basketball, there is a certain cruel irony in acknowledging that m ichael Jordan, the greatest player of all time and the leader of the best team in nba history, the 1995-1996 bulls, was also the owner of the worst team in league annals, the 2011-2012 c harlotte b obcats. w hile Jordan watched, the b obcats stumbled and bumbled through a 23-game losing streak to a 7-59 record and a .106 winning percentage.

a lot of football fans know the score 222-0, the final result between g eorgia Tech and c umberland in 1916 and the most lopsided defeat in college history. l est you feel too sorry for c umberland, the story goes that g eorgia Tech’s legendary coach John heisman ran up the score to avenge a 22-0 beatdown the bulldogs laid on the e ngineers the previous spring in baseball. heisman was also g eorgia Tech’s baseball coach.

i n general, good sports teams are fun to watch and bad ones are boring, but on occasion, squads can simply be so grossly inept that it’s fun to watch them go down in flames. i f you don’t believe me, rewatch the infamous mark s anchez “butt fumble.” it’s stupid, and it’s kind of sad, but i don’t know a non-Jets fan that can help themselves from laughing.

s o while i salute the 76ers for avoiding ignominy for now, i will still keep a close eye on them as the season goes on. a fter all, their winning percentage is only at .059. They’re not out of the trash heap of history just yet.

Contact Greg Hadley at ghadley@nd.edu

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

Senators threaten NFL to drop ‘blackout’ rule

Associates Press

washingTon — senators from both parties warned the national Football l eague on Thursday to get rid of a fourdecade-old T v “blackout” rule or risk congressional action to restrict the league’s lucrative antitrust exemption, which allows n Fl teams to negotiate radio and television broadcast rights together.

The blackout rule, which bars home games from being televised in a local market if they have not sold out, is unfair to fans who have helped the league reap billions of dollars in revenue from broadcast rights to games that are among the most-watched programs on T v, lawmakers said. in return for their loyalty, “fans in the public are often treated like a fumbled football,” said sen. r ichard blumenthal, d-conn. “w hen places like buffalo, new york, fail to sell out its 74,000-person stadium, the bills game is blacked out for local fans.”

The Federal communications commission voted this fall to stop enforcing the n Fl’s blackout policy, but

the action did not end blackouts, which are written into the n Fl’s private contracts with broadcast and cable companies.

blumenthal and other lawmakers at a senate Judiciary committee hearing said Thursday the blackout rule has long outlived its usefulness. The rule was adopted in the 1970s to encourage ticket sales at n Fl games, which now routinely sell out at stadiums across the country.

“The simple fact is that these rules only serve to benefit sports leagues and their member teams at the expense of the hardworking fans who support them so loyally through their money, time and passion,” said sen. John mccain, r-a riz.

during last year’s n Fl playoffs, fans of the cincinnati bengals, indianapolis colts and green bay packers came close to experiencing blackouts when those games had not sold out just days before kick-off, mccain said. The blackouts were averted when local businesses bought tickets to bring the total above the n Fl’s required threshold. a bill co-sponsored by

blumenthal and mccain would revoked the league’s antitrust exemption unless it removes the blackout rule.

The senators made it clear at Thursday’s hearing that they would prefer not to enact a bill. blumenthal and other lawmakers urged the n Fl to act on its own.

“i think they’d become heroes rather than the opposite, which they are now,” blumenthal said.

g erard waldron, a lawyer who represents the n Fl , said the proposed bill would harm the people it intends to help — the fans — by undermining “the complex business and legal structure that allows the n Fl to be the only professional sports league that offers all of its regular-season game to viewers at no charge” through over-the-air broadcasts.

w ithout the certainty of paid attendance provided by a blackout rule, n Fl games are likely to migrate from free broadcast T v to pay T v such as cable and satellite, waldron said.

The bill also aims fix a problem that largely does not exist, waldron said.

e ight big east teams open conference schedules

Associated Press

new york — The big east got an early start on its conference season with eight of the 10 teams opening on wednesday.

it’s the second time in four seasons that the conference got a jump on play. The early start was caused by a new schedule that has the league playing its conference games on Friday and sunday. The way the calendar falls with holidays and such it wouldn’t have been possible to start the final weekend in december which the conference did last year.

The men will begin their conference play in a new year’s eve marathon.

The games wednesday were competitive for the most part. villanova and providence got the day started with the Friars winning on Tori rule’s running layup with two seconds left. no. 25 depaul trailed butler by six at

the half before rallying for the 9276 win. seton hall beat creighton 79-74.

st. John’s was only up three at the half over Xavier before turning the game into a rout in the second half.

“This is the third game in five days for us,” st. John’s coach Joe Tartamella said. “They were excited and energized. i think it gave us a focus knowing it was a conference game.”

Tartamella was an assistant at the school in 2011 when the conference also had an early opening date.

“i can see it being weird for those who haven’t gone through it before,” he said. “however, as far as scheduling is concerned we control what we can.”

The red storm (6-0) have been together since the summer after spending time overseas in spain and italy on a foreign trip. so the team has had more time than

some others to get ready for the upcoming season.

“we’ve been working for a long time now,” said danaejah grant, who had 23 points in the 65-42 win over Xavier. “it’s a good test for us to see where we’re at in our conference.”

marquette and georgetown were the only two teams not to play conference openers. The golden eagles lost 79-53 to auburn on Tuesday night.

The big east wasn’t the only conference to open early. The big south began play on monday with charleston southern facing unc asheville. The metro atlantic athletic conference also opened wednesday with one game on the schedule.

The earliest a conference has opened its women’s schedule since 2000 as when the colonial athletic conference had a game between Towson and old dominion on nov. 16, 2001.

SMC wins third straight

By BRETT O’CONNELL sports writer

s aint mary’s opened conference play at home with a 64-61 win against a lma on wednesday night, the team’s third win a row.

The belles (3-3, 1-0 miaa) and the s cots (2-3, 0-1 miaa) both attacked the rim early, trading points on both ends of the court over the first five minutes of the game. however, the belles shored up their defense, prompting an 11-0 run that led to a 19-8 advantage over the visitors. The s cots fired back shortly after, narrowing the lead to within five as the teams returned to trading baskets.

The game was contested in the paint, with s aint mary’s taking a slight lead in rebounds with 38 to a lma’s 34. s enior guard and captain a riana paul led the way on the boards for the belles with 15 rebounds of her own, including 10 on the defensive

end. she added 12 points and seven assists on the evening, earning her third doubledouble on the season.

paul’s night crowned what belles coach Jennifer henley described as an emotionally satisfying night for s aint mary’s.

“beating a lma on the opening night of conference play is always a good feeling,” henley said. “These two teams battled to the end.”

The belles established a 12-point lead in the opening five minutes of the second half, before weathering an aggressive a lma counterattack.

The squad clung to its lead, even as a lma came within three points on a number of occasions.

henley attributed the s cots’ near comeback to their possession game.

“a big part of a lma’s run was due to our turnovers,” she said. “ we had some poor decision-making in the heat of the game that led to some

easy points for a lma. we missed too many free throws that kept the game close as well. i think our defense did just enough to secure that win — but we will need to do a lot more as we face Trine.”

The belles have begun to prepare to face the conference rival Thunder as exams loom. henley said the team’s spirits remain high as the season grows more hectic.

“i think this is a crazy time for everyone as we open up miaa play, prepare for finals and have another holiday season upon us,” she said. “i believe our morale is good, but i know we do have a lot of academic stress upon us. we will work to keep our focus as we prepare for the next stretch of games prior to finals.”

The belles resume conference play s aturday when they travel to a ngola, i ndiana, to face the Thunder at 3 p.m.

Contact Brett O’Connell at boconne1@nd.edu

bolts rout sabres in 5-0 victory

Associated Press

T ampa , Fla. — s teven

s tamkos had a goal and an assist during Tampa b ay’s three-goal second period, b en b ishop made 13 saves, and the l ightning beat the b uffalo s abres 5-0 on Thursday night.

n ikita k ucherov, b renden m orrow, Jason g arrison and b rett c onnolly had the other Tampa b ay goals. The e astern c onference-leading l ightning improved to 5-01 in the last six games, with lone loss in a 2-1 shootout defeat at b uffalo on Tuesday.

b uffalo, which had won six of seven, went 22 1/2 minutes without a shot during one stretch before r asmus r istolainen got one with 3:41 left in the second.

The s abres, last in the a tlantic d ivision, are 1-131 when the opponent scores first, and are pointless when trailing after the first (0-10-0) and second (0-12-0) periods.

a fter s tamkos was left alone near the post and scored his 16th goal of the season off a pass from r yan c allahan at 4:28 of the second, m orrow made it 3-0 from in-close 71 seconds later.

overall, beat the p enguins in p ittsburgh for the first time since n ov. 22, 2008.

r ichardson scored his fifth and sixth goals, and s hawn m atthias also netted his sixth and added an assist for the c anucks, who hadn’t defeated p ittsburgh anywhere in four years.

l ack stopped 21 shots for his first shutout and second win of the season.

Thomas g reiss made 28 saves and took the loss in his first home start.

vancouver took advantage of p ittsburgh’s patchwork lineup, scoring once in the first period and pulling away with a pair of goals during the second when the c anucks carried the play. The p enguins were held without a shot for the first 12 minutes of the period.

The p enguins, already without several regulars, lost another top-line winger when p atric h ornqvist left with an upper-body injury midway through the second after c anucks’ d r yan s tanton hit him with a shoulder at center ice. h ornqvist, second on the team with 11 goals, didn’t return.

paid a dverT isemen T

The l ightning went up 4-0 on g arrison’s goal with 6:20 left in the period.

b ishop made a nice save on Zemgus g irgensons late in the second.

k ucherov opened the scoring 2:33 into the game when he redirected r adko g udas’ shot past Jhonas e nroth.

h e has three goals and five points during a five-game point streak.

e nroth was credited with a save on Tyler Johnson’s shot during a 2-on-none that hit the post in the final minute of the first.

There were three scrums through the midway point of the third that resulted in four fighting majors and six 10-minute misconducts.

c onnolly had a late thirdperiod power-play goal.

s tamkos got his second assist of the game on it.

c anucks 3, Penguins 0 pi TT sburgh — b rad

r ichardson scored two goals and added an assist, and e ddie l ack posted his fifth nhl shutout to lift the vancouver c anucks to another road win, 3-0 over the short-handed p ittsburgh p enguins on Thursday night.

The c anucks, in the midst of a season-high, seven-game trip, won their league-best 11th road game. vancouver, which has won five of six

it was another setback to a team already without p ascal d upuis (blood clots) for the season and c hris k unitz, who is out at least two weeks with a fractured foot. They have a combined 15 goals and 31 points.

p ittsburgh also played without d k ris l etang (groin), b eau b ennett (lower body) and defenseman r obert b ortuzzo, who served the first of a two-game suspension for a hard hit Tuesday on n ew Jersey d evils forward Jaromir Jagr.

r ichardson opened the scoring at 8:33 of the first, finishing a one-timer from m atthias, who beat defenseman o lli m aatta to a loose puck behind the net.

p ittsburgh nearly tied it on an ensuing power play, but s idney c rosby missed an open net, hitting the post to the far side. l ack later stopped b randon s utter on a short-handed partial breakaway.

m atthias teamed with r ichardson again to extend the lead in the second.

r ichardson forced s imon d espres into a turnover behind the net and quickly centered to m atthias, who flipped a shot over g reiss’ shoulder.

r ichardson scored a shorthanded goal two minutes later, giving vancouver a three-goal lead.

i rish head to iowa for hawkeye i nvitational

By HENRY HILLIARD sports writer

i n its last competition of 2014, notre d ame travels to iowa for the annual h awkeye i nvitational, which runs from tonight until s unday.

The i rish (3-2) hope to continue their winning ways in iowa c ity, iowa, after besting m ichigan s tate on the road two weeks ago.

notre d ame’s divers will face a rematch with the s partans this weekend, since the m ichigan s tate squad will also make the journey to iowa c ity for the h awkeye i nvitational. The i rish will also face iowa, d enver, washington state and uwm ilwaukee in swim and dive competition.

iowa s tate, nebraska, northern iowa, o hio s tate and m ichigan s tate are also participating in the meet, though only in the diving events.

o n the diving boards, the team looks to continue its recent dominance. a gainst the s partans two weeks ago, notre d ame claimed each of the top five places, led by sophomore

womeN’S SwimmiNG

Joe c oumos, who won both the 1-meter and 3-meter boards with scores of 370.80 and 383.10, respectively.

The h awkeye i nvitational is familiar territory for the i rish.

This will be the fifth consecutive year notre d ame has traveled to iowa for the meet. l ast season, it won the meet, scoring 1,228.5 points for the second-highest total in the history of the annual event.

The i rish hope for a similarly strong performance this weekend, the first time notre d ame will enter the meet with m att Tallman as its head coach. Tallman previously served as assistant coach under former head coach Tim welsh, the current interim coach of the women’s team.

“ we obviously want consistency, and i would say that the transition has been seamless,” Tallman said. “h aving coach welsh working with the women’s team has helped us transition and keep our focus of preparing for the next competition.”

i n terms of preparation, Tallman said notre d ame is still reaping the benefits

from their fall break spent at the u s o lympic Training Facility in c olorado s prings, c olorado. a fter starting 1-1 on the season, the team has collected two wins in three meets since the trip, beating p ittsburgh, 286-84, on nov. 8 and m ichigan s tate, 171-127, on nov. 14.

d espite the recent success, Tallman said the i rish remain committed to improving on the margins.

“i always want our guys to be able to come out of every meet and say that they improved and left everything in the water,” Tallman said.

The i rish are slated to resume action after the start of the new year with a double dual meet against m ichigan and northwestern to be held in a nn a rbor, m ichigan, on Jan. 10. notre d ame will not return home to r olfs a quatic c enter until it hosts the s hamrock i nvitational on Jan. 30-31, after nearly three months of swimming away on the road.

Contact Henry Hilliard at rhillia1@nd.edu

Split squads wrap up first day of competition

Observer Staff Report

notre dame closes out its fall season with two meets in two states, as the swimmers headed down to austin, Texas, for the Texas i nvitational, while the divers traveled to iowa city, iowa, for the hawkeye i nvitational this weekend.

This will be the third consecutive year that the notre dame divers head to iowa city. The i rish will compete against full squads from iowa, denver, washington state and w isconsin-m ilwaukee and diving-only squads from iowa state, nebraska, northern iowa, ohio state and m ichigan state. l ast season, the swimmers and divers combined to dominate the invitational, scoring 823 points and distancing themselves from second place by 80 points.

i n preliminary competition Thursday at the Texas i nvitational, junior g enevieve bradford and sophomore k atie m iller placed 10th and 11th, respectively, in the 200-yard individual medley, qualifying them

both for the finals. additionally, senior courtney w hyte finished with a time of 54.19 to place 18th in the 100-yard butterfly, while junior catherine galleti followed close behind her in 22nd place with a time of 54.44. both advanced to the finals today.

The i rish are without their top swimmer, senior e mma reaney, this weekend, as she competed in the F ina short c ourse world c hampionship in doha, Qatar. o n wednesday, reaney swam in the preliminaries of the 50-meter breaststroke, qualifying for the finals in the last possible spot. yesterday, she moved up to place sixth with a time of 30.05. she will race in the 100-meter breaststroke Friday and finish the weekend’s competition with the 200-meter breaststroke s aturday.

meanwhile, the i rish will begin the finals today at the Texas i nvitational in austin, Texas, where the team’s divers will go through qualifying today and saturday before the finals sunday.

paid a dverT isemen T

game.

“ i ’ve gotten more engaged with it to try and get their attention,” Jackson said. “ we worked on it for an extended period of time before practice, in practice, and we’re just going to have to pound it into them until we get some success. we have to get better at faceoffs, moving from there and getting traffic at the net. Those have been my points of emphasis. i went through each individual player and told them why we’re not successful and how

they’re contributing to that.”

a s the i rish move forward, both Jackson and Fogarty said the i rish need upperclassmen to take ownership of the team and lead the young i rish to a turnaround.

Jackson said he felt the freshman were meeting expectations for the most part and needed the older players to take greater strides for the team to improve.

“ i think the biggest thing is, we need our upperclassmen to take over the team,” Jackson said. “The young guys have done a pretty good job; as players, they’ve been pretty good, and i think

Nd Volleyball

named conference coach of the year six times and did not register a losing season for her first 22 years. under her leadership, n otre d ame had 23 players named to a lla merican squads, the most in program history.

paid a dverT isemen T paid a dverT isemen T

“The highlights [of my career] are just the relationships and the time i spent together with these young women,” b rown said. “ i ’m just so thankful and so blessed to have had those opportunities. w hen the alums come back to campus, and we reminisce and talk about things ... it’s not necessarily about a significant win or loss, it’s just about experiencing life together. That’s where i think the highlights are.”

i n the past two seasons though, the i rish have

they’ve done a pretty good job in a lot of different situations. The thing is, i think our upperclassmen have to step up and be more effective. we are a young inexperienced hockey team for the most part, but there are a number of veteran players who know how we do things around here and how we perform, and they need to step up and make sure that doesn’t slide.”

Fogarty said he agreed with his coach and added he was prepared to accept the burden of leading a young struggling team.

“ w hen you go through tough patches like this, the younger guys look to the older guys to see how they’re responding,” Fogarty said. “ i n past years, we’ve had droughts like this, and it’s just about keeping level headed and staying positive. we have a mature team, which is kind of ironic with so many freshmen, but they have the right mindset. i think we can just learn from it and move on. i try to keep playing hard, do what the coaches ask and keep a positive attitude — just try to lead by example.”

This weekend, Fogarty leads n otre d ame against a m assachusetts unit that only has one conference win. The m inutemen (4-9-0, 1-7-0) have dropped four of their last five and are surrendering more than four goals per game. d espite m assachusetts’s recent struggles, Jackson said he hopes his team is focused on the weekend ahead and is

finished in the bottom third of the acc i n 2013, they endured a seven-game losing streak, including five conference games and placed only one athlete, senior middle blocker Jeni h ouser, on the third team all- acc . This season, the squad dropped even further, winning just 30 sets over 29 matches. Freshman middle blocker s am Fry was the only player to earn conference honors as part of the all-rookie team.

“ m y primary goal has been to provide a great experience for our student-athletes and winning is certainly a part of having a great experience,” b rown said in the press release. “ unfortunately, the wins did not come as needed the past couple years.”

d espite her departure, b rown said she felt confident that the team would bounce back soon.

“ i would have liked the opportunity to coach this team and to bring us back,” b rown said. “ we have a great young nucleus, and you know, we had some obstacles to overcome. ... i really believe in what could happen and what should happen, and i would have loved the opportunity to coach them, but i don’t have that.”

l ooking ahead, b rown said

ready to be tested.

“ we have to just focus on Friday night right now,” Jackson said. “ we’re on the road; it’s going to be a bit more challenging. we have to be prepared to the things that are going to make us successful. it’s important that we have some success this weekend to get some confidence going into the second half.”

w hen asked if this was the most important weekend of the season so far, Fogarty was quick to say that he felt it was.

“ i think it is,” Fogarty said.

“ i think we all know how important this weekend is, so we can get everyone having fun again going into the long break.”

a fter this weekend, the i rish do not play again until d ec. 28 and 29 at the Florida c ollege h ockey c lassic in e stero, Florida. notre dame and massachusetts face off Friday and saturday at the mullins center, with both nights’ action getting underway at 7 p.m.

Contact Josh Dulany at jdulany@nd.edu

she is unsure of her next move after spending more than two decades at n otre d ame.

“ i think i ’m just going to take some time,” b rown said.

going to rush into anything, and [ i ’m going] to take some time to reflect and see what’s available.”

s warbrick announced in the press release that the university would conduct a nationwide search to find b rown’s replacement.

not

“a fter being here for 24 years and being a head coach for 30 years, it’s something i just need to take some time and think about, you know, what would be the next move and what to do.

Contact Greg Hadley at ghadley@nd.edu

w basketball

among the best we’ve ever had,” mc g raw said.

huskies center s tefanie d olson and guard b ria h artley graduated as well, and uc onn welcomed four freshmen this season, including guard k ia nurse, who has averaged 13.7 points per game as the huskies’ third-leading scorer.

notre dame and c onnecticut do, however, return key veterans despite the graduation of several star players.

huskies senior forward k aleena m osqueda-l ewis and junior forward b reanna s tewart have led uc onn’s scoring with 18.0 and 16.7 points per game, respectively.

For the i rish, junior guard Jewell l oyd has once again established herself as the team’s leading scorer at 21.1 points per game.

“ s he’s improved,” m c g raw said of l oyd. “ s he’s worked on her game, and she’s one of the hardest workers, if not the hardest worker, in the gym, and … i think she’s been waiting for this opportunity to shine.”

m basketball

con T inued F rom page 16

sophomore guard s teve vasturia each saw more than 40 minutes of playing time against m ichigan s tate. b ut sophomore forward a ustin Torres took over junior forward Zach a uguste’s spot in the paint and played 19 minutes overall, including the final 13:08 of the game.

Torres finished up with only two points, but b rey said the g ranger, i ndiana, native did everything he needed to down low, including slowing down s partans senior guard/ forward b randen d awson.

“The thing is, [Torres] understands his role: do the dirty work, screen and rebound,” b rey said. “… h e was the one guy that could give a physical presence on d awson. That really helped us.”

m oving forward, Torres will likely see increased playing time, especially with sophomore forward v.J. b eachem out with plantar fasciitis, but his role on the team will not change, b rey said.

“[Torres] isn’t going to be taking any 3-point shots in practice [Thursday], i can tell you that much,” b rey joked. “ h e’s going to do the same thing every day. … [ wednesday was] a big night for him because he kind of solidifies himself in our rotation right now.”

b rey said the win over m ichigan s tate will act as a confidence-booster as the i rish prepare for their final few games of the

s ophomore forward Taya r eimer and senior guard m adison c able have also made strides in their development this season, and the i rish have spread the ball around through their first eight games, m c g raw said.

“ we aren’t a one-man team,” m c g raw said. “ we can’t be a one-man team.”

Turner too had leapt onto the scene as a starter in every game and the team’s secondleading scorer before a shoulder injury in the first half of wednesday’s 92-72 win over n o. 15 m aryland limited her to just four minutes on the floor and no points. m c g raw said Thursday she had no update on Turner’s status but that the injury occurred as Turner tried to recover a loose ball on the floor.

o n the heels of the m aryland game, uc onn’s visit marks the first time this season the i rish will play back-to-back ranked opponents, and both are rematches of n otre d ame’s two Final Four games last season.

“ i t’s interesting how that worked out,” m c g raw said. “ i t’s good for us because we have to get ready for the acc i think the caliber of teams

we have to play will give us a good idea for where we are in d ecember.”

The h uskies are 1-1 on the road this season with an overtime loss to s tanford, 88-86, on n ov. 17. This weekend, n otre d ame will have the benefit of a large home

non-conference season.

“ i t’s a nice step for this group as we’re kind of getting into new territory,” he said.

“ i think this group is very level-headed. i want them to be more confident because of tonight, but [Thursday] is an off day, and we need it. we need to come back to work and work on some things before we play s aturday night.”

n otre d ame’s opponent

s aturday night, Fairleigh d ickinson (3-3), will enter the game off an 89-85 home victory over p rinceton on wednesday. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the k nights, who

beat a s t. Joseph’s team coming off an ncaa tournament appearance last season in their opener.

s enior guard m ustafaa Jones and sophomore guard m att m ac d onald lead the k nights in scoring with 15.5 and 14.7 points per game, respectively. m ac d onald is also the team’s leader in rebounds with 5.8 boards per game.

n otre d ame and Fairleigh d ickinson will square off at 8 p.m. s aturday at p urcell p avilion.

Contact Brian Hartnett at bhartnet@nd.edu

crowd, an advantage the i rish freshmen have quickly learned to appreciate.

“They love playing at the Joyce c enter,” m c g raw said after wednesday’s game against m aryland. “They found that out the exhibition game. The crowd had so much energy, and they love our fans. They know how exciting it’s going to be.”

The i rish and h uskies tip off at 3:15 p.m. s aturday at p urcell p avilion.

Contact Samanatha Zuba at szuba@nd.edu

Crossword

Note: A certain three-letter word, appropriate to this puzzle’s theme, goes in the unnumbered center square.

Edited by Will Shortz No.

For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554. Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS. AT&T users: Text NYTX to 386 to download puzzles, or visit nytimes.com/mobilexword for more information. Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 2,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay. Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk

Happy Birthday: you’ve got plenty of choices, so think big while remaining realistic. The combination will help you reach your goals successfully. a daptability is your saving grace, and chance will keep you from boredom. l isten carefully, do your research and stick to the facts, and you will bypass any unfortunate mishap caused by vague conversations. l ove is highlighted. your numbers are 6, 10, 13, 20, 27, 34, 44.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): g et together with people you find mentally stimulating. e njoy sharing information and you will find a way to make positive changes to the way you live. d on’t let someone you work with bully you. use your intelligence to outsmart an aggressor.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Tie up loose ends. Financial gains can be made if you invest in yourself. a dd to your skills or knowledge and you will be able to apply for a better position. Talking with someone you respect will lead to a new opportunity.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): s trive to reach personal goals. s elfimprovement will result in compliments. s tand up to anyone who gets in your way. your knowledge and expressive way of dealing with others will buy you time. r omance looks promising.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): r efuse to let your emotions take over. l isten carefully and take care of your responsibilities. s omeone will take advantage of you if you don’t clearly state what you will and won’t do. p ut yourself on the line and be consistent.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): a dd a little excitement to your life. p lan a trip or indulge in something you’ve never done before. o pen your mind to learning new skills that can be incorporated into your resume. s top dreaming and start doing. l ove is beckoning you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): h old on to what you’ve got. d on’t give in to someone pressuring you to spend your money. you can make an investment, but stay within your means. d o what feels right and works for you. p ersonal problems will be based on false information.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): g et out and meet new people. a partnership will lead to new possibilities. s haring ideas and space with someone looks favorable, as long as you iron out any kinks at the very beginning.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): c hange can be good if it’s built on solid ground. d on’t be a follower or you will have regrets. Take your own unique path and develop what works best for you. r ecognition is heading your way, along with new opportunities.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): i mprove your surroundings and start getting ready for the holiday season. you can make financial gains if you take care of unfinished business. c oncentrate on new beginnings. l ove and romance are on the rise.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): m ull over any suggestions without feeling the need to make hasty decisions. d on’t fall for the tactics used by someone who wants to manipulate you emotionally. i t’s ok to waffle if the cost is high and uncertainty prevails.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): g ive whatever you do your best shot and head for the finish line. you have more going for you than you realize. a promotion, change of status or recognition will give you the confidence you need to forge ahead. e mbrace change.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): work on creative endeavors that can bring in extra cash or help you save during the upcoming months. s triving for greater stability or financial security will pay off. g ood fortune can be yours if you make the right choices.

Birthday Baby: you are aggressive and challenging. you are a lover and a crusader.

Nd VoLLeybaLL

r ivals set to collide

By SAMANTHA ZUBA

a ssistant managing e ditor

Two titanic programs meet s aturday in one of the most dynamic rivalries in women’s basketball when n o. 3 c onnecticut visits p urcell p avilion to play the n o. 2 i rish.

“it’s a great game for women’s basketball,” i rish coach muffett mc g raw said Thursday during a teleconference. “ i think everyone in the country gets excited about the rivalry. … This game has kind of a special place.”

a fter years of competition in the b ig e ast, the two schools did not meet last regular season as notre d ame (8-0) shifted to the acc and uc onn (5-1) moved to the a merican a thletic c onference.

b ut the i rish and huskies squared off in the ncaa championship a pril 8 in nashville. uc onn won the first-ever championship clash of unbeatens, 79-58, to

wrap up the season at 40-0. notre d ame finished 37-1.

The i rish played without forward natalie a chonwa, sidelined with an acl tear suffered in the regional final against b aylor.

a chonwa has since graduated, as have guard k ayla mc b ride and forward a riel

Irish hoping to halt slide on road

By JOSH DULANY sports writer

c oming off a tough weekend, the i rish look to gain momentum when they visit m assachusetts in a mherst, m assachusetts, on Friday and s aturday.

n otre d ame (6-8-2, 2-2-2 h ockey e ast) has not gotten a win in regulation in their last nine times on the ice.

a fter last s aturday’s 5-1 loss at the hands of o hio s tate, i rish coach Jeff Jackson said he hoped the team had hit its low point and was ready to turn things around.

“ m aybe that was us bottoming out and hopefully, now we can start building up again,” Jackson said. “The break’s coming at an opportune time, but i hope we finish on a positive note, and that’s been the emphasis. l et’s finish the first half on a positive note and empty the tank.”

Junior center and captain s teven Fogarty said he agreed with Jackson’s assessment and said he and the team were focused on moving forward.

“ i think bottoming out is a

good way to put it,” Fogarty said. “ we don’t want to go any lower than that. i t’s unacceptable and not what this program is about. we’re putting what happened in n ovember in the past and trying to get two good games this weekend going in to break.”

Jackson said the two things that are most frustrating about n otre d ame’s play of late are its inability to score on the power play and the lack of competitive fight shown when it gets behind.

“ i thought that we let up,” Jackson said. “ we can’t accept guys giving up. That’s not acceptable in this program, and i thought we stopped going after it.”

a s far as the power play, on the season the i rish have scored on a paltry four of their 61 power-play chances. The i rish actually have a higher shot percentage when they are shorthanded than when they have the man advantage. This poor showing prompted Jackson to say he is taking a more involved role in the power-play facet of the

b raker, making way for freshmen b rianna Turner (forward), k athryn westbeld (forward) and m ychal Johnson (guard), who have racked up minutes and made an immediate impact.

“This class is probably

meN’S baSkeTbaLL

Brown will not return in 2015

By GREG HADLEY a ssociate sports e ditor

Following a second straight losing season, d ebbie b rown will not return as head coach of the i rish in 2015, the u niversity announced in a press release Thursday night.

b rown, who finished her 24th season with n otre d ame this fall, won 519 matches with the i rish, including 15 regular-season conference titles and 22 ncaa tournament berths. h owever, since joining the acc for the 2013 season, the squad has struggled, posting a combined record of 19-41, including a 10-28 mark in conference play.

“ d ebbie has probably understood what n otre d ame and its student-athlete experience is about as well as any coach on our staff,” u niversity d irector of

a thletics Jack s warbrick said in the press release. “ s he has represented the u niversity in exceptional fashion in her time here.

“ h owever, our expectations regarding competitive performance are also high, and we regrettably have not been able to meet those in recent years. i ’d like to thank her for all she has done for the program and, in particular, for all she has done for the student-athletes who have played for her.” b rown declined to comment to The o bserver on the specifics of her departure from n otre d ame.

“ i would just say i ’m disappointed,” she said.

w hile n otre d ame was part of the b ig e ast conference, b rown enjoyed a long run of success, earning 15 straight ncaa bids. s he was

nd looks to dodge letdown

By BRIAN HARTNETT managing e ditor

a fter enjoying a little bonus basketball in its 79-78 overtime victory over m ichigan s tate on wednesday, n otre d ame resumes play s aturday night when the i rish host Fairleigh d ickinson at p urcell p avilion.

n otre d ame (7-1) secured its first victory over a ranked team this season in defeating the n o. 19 s partans. d espite being outrebounded by 17 boards, the i rish topped m ichigan s tate largely on the strength of turnovers, committing only four to the s partans’ 12, and the play of the team’s guards. s enior Jerian g rant scored a career-high 27 points and sophomore d emetrius Jackson added a career-best 22 points.

a fter wednesday’s game, i rish coach m ike b rey did not hold back in heaping praise on the two guards, whom he said formed “the best backcourt in the country.”

“They’re both really quick and athletic,” he said of the duo wednesday night. “They have the ability to drive it and physically drive

at your jugular and when they meet big guys, they can draw fouls because they’re so strong.”

b rey said Jackson’s play over the course of the season has caused him to give the sophomore the green light to drive to the hoop more often.

“ o ne of the things we started doing [ wednesday],

which i think we can develop more of — it doesn’t always have to be Jerian off a ball screen,” b rey said. “ i t can be d emetrius off a ball screen and going at somebody’s throat. a nd i think that’s something i ’m excited about nurturing when we get back to practice on Friday.”