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Saint Mary’s reveals alarming data on Indiana girls

‘These numbers are a call to action’

By KAITLYN RABACH

saint mary’s editor

saint mary’s college became the fifth all-women’s college in the nation to release a report drawing together publicly available data on the status of girls ages 10 to 19 in its home state of indiana, college president carol a nn mooney said in a press conference on Thursday.

a team of six saint mary’s faculty and 60 students spent well over a year compiling data for the 60 page report titled The status of girls in indiana 2013 report (sgi), mooney said.

“i am proud to unveil The status of girls in indiana 2013 report,” mooney said. “we believe that it is the first comprehensive study of the health and

Saint Mary’s President Carol Ann Mooney speaks at a press conference on Thursday. The College joined four other all-women’s colleges by releasing a Status of Girls report for the state of Indiana.

‘i work for everybody back home’

By NICOLE MICHELS

a

ssistant managing editor

Editor’s Note: This is the second story in a series featuring Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s graduates serving as members of Congress. This series, titled “Trading Golden Dome for Capitol Dome,” will run on Fridays.

election day 2012 marked the election of sen. Joe donnelly, the first democrat to win an indiana statewide race in more than a decade, and the end of one of the most contentious senate races in indiana history.

a fter state Treasurer r ichard mourdock beat out six-term senator r ichard lugar in the republican primary, mourdock faced thenrepresentative donnelly in the general election. The contest culminated in a debate at notre dame’s debartolo performing

a rts center, where a comment mourdock made about abortion and rape gained national attention.

donnelly, a “double domer” who graduated from notre dame with a b a . in 1977 and

with a J.d. in 1981, said his faith in the people of indiana and his notre dame education helped him to focus on the path to the senate, despite

Student partners with service group to form Girl’s Club

By KAITLYN RABACH and REBECCA O’NEIL

saint mary’s editor and news writer

with the help of a saint mary’s junior sarah hossfeld, st. margaret’s house, a day house for women and girls, introduced the girl’s club — a program to help adolescent girls recognize their individual worth — to the south bend community in the summer of 2013.

on Thursday, Kathy schneider, executive director of st. margaret’s house, spoke at a college press conference where a comprehensive report titled “status of girls in indiana in 2013 (sgi)” was released. schneider, an expert reviewer of the report, shared the

Manager continues passion on the field

By CHRISTIAN MYERS news writer

if there’s one constant in irish football, it is that in their pristine golden helmets the players look good. For the past few seasons head equipment manager ryan grooms has been the man responsible.

grooms said he became a football equipment manager in order to remain involved in the sport when he could no longer play.

“i played high school football and couldn’t continue my career past high school. it was my way to stay in the game and be involved with it. i get to be part of the game and still enjoy it, and i found out i could get paid to do it so it was a win-win situation,” grooms said. “it keeps me young and i get paid to go to notre dame football practice, so i can’t complain too much right now. Things are good.”

grooms, a father of two, said his favorite aspect of the job is

the opportunity it gives him to bring his son, a toddler, into the locker room to hang out with the players.

“my favorite part of the job is that i have a two and a half year old little boy and i get to bring him up in the locker room. coach Kelly is a very family-oriented guy, which allows everyone else to bring their family around,” he said. “we have a job that takes a lot of hours and consumes a lot of our time away from home. it’s fun for me to see him running around the locker room and highfiving Zach martin, TJ [Jones] and all those guys. he gets to hang out with them and gets to be part of it.”

grooms said his role in the overall team structure is to focus on player safety so the players and coaches can focus on the game.

“my role, my goal, is to make sure those guys are healthy and

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What are you most looking forward to in Saturday’s game vs. Michigan State?

Bret Basilone senior off campus

“partyin’ my face off.”

John Rodgers senior off campus

“spending quality time with my buddies.”

Sean Fitzgerald senior off campus

“Kegs and eggs.”

Diego Rayas sophomore carrol hall “homework.”

Kyle Gurrola senior off campus

“seeing oe’s family.”

Anna Gonzalez sophomore off campus

“To have the opportunity to watch the game from the press box and the sidelines.”

The Grotto is one of the most sacred places of prayer on Notre Dame’s campus. At all times of the day and night, students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors make their way to the Grotto for quiet reflection and prayer.

p.m.-7 p.m.

The Irish take on Michigan State.

Sunday

Mass in Spanish Dillon Hall

1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.

Worship in Spanish.

Women’s Discernment Group

Coleman-Morse Center

3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

Meeting in St. Andre room to discuss vocations.

Monday

Fightin’ Irish Golf Classic

Warren Golf Course

All day

Men’s golf tournament.

Graduate Student and Postdoc Workshop

303 DeBartolo Hall

6:30 p.m-8 p.m.

Instruction in listening and taking notes.

Tuesday

Basilica of the Sacred Heart

7 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Tour of Catholic sites.

Four:7 Catholic Fellowship

Cavanaugh Hall Chapel

8:15 p.m.-9:30 p.m.

Worship and small group discussion.

Basilica celebrates 125th anniversary

By ANN MARIE JAKUBOWSKI n ews e ditor

i n the beginning, the university of n otre d ame was a log chapel alongside a lake in northern i ndiana.

Following the chapel’s construction, a church was built, and this same church became the b asilica of the s acred h eart, which celebrates its 125th anniversary this year.

s acred h eart c hurch, now the b asilica of the s acred h eart, was consecrated on a ugust 15, 1888. Fr. p eter r occa, rector of the b asilica, said the building’s exterior has not changed since that day in 1888, although it took four additional years to complete the spire and bell tower.

“Fr. s orin was very progressive in terms of education theory, but he was very conservative in his tastes,” r occa said. “The bells in the tower were made in France, and all the stained glass windows came from France. i n the b asilica, we have maybe the largest collection of 19th century French stained glass in one place.”

The original s acred h eart c hurch was 90 feet long by 38 feet wide, r occa said. b ecause the original structure was torn down as the second one was constructed, he said the two represent a

continuity of communities although the exterior building changed.

w hen the history is traced back to the 1847 origins, the current b asilica is the oldest church built in n orth a merica by the c ongregation of h oly c ross, according to r occa. a cknowledging its historical significance and lasting vitality, p ope John p aul ii declared the church a basilica on Jan. 17, 1992.

“ b asilica is an honorary title given to a church for a number of reasons,” r occa said. “First, it has to have great historical significance… and another reason would be because it’s a place of pilgrimage. we usually have 100,000 people visit the b asilica each year.

Thirdly, usually a church that is designated a basilica is a living, vibrant community of faith, and our b asilica is a place where worship is celebrated regularly.

“Finally, a church that has been dedicated a basilica should be beautiful and well taken care of. i t’s no doubt that the b asilica of the s acred h eart is one of the most beautiful churches around.”

The designation as basilica followed a 14-month multimillion dollar renovation financed by former university trustee Thomas c oleman,

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rocca said.

“[ d uring this renovation], all the frescos were redone and all the stained glass windows were cleaned,” he said.

“The church received new lighting, air conditioning, carpeting and a whole new slate roof.

“it was especially important that those paintings be restored because many of them had been covered with dust and dirt and incense smoke and had become dull. They were redone

using the same method used in the s istine c hapel to restore m ichaelangelo’s frescoes.”

rocca said the completion of the spire with the bell tower in 1892 represented the fulfillment of one of Fr. s orin’s dreams.

“o ne of the reasons Fr. s orin wanted a nice bell tower was because he had been buying all these bells in the 1850s. he loved bells,” rocca said. “These bells were made in France, and the first s acred heart c hurch had two wooden towers that could not support bells.

“For the longest time, he was collecting these bells from France, and he built a giant black crate in front of the m ain b uilding to hold the bells until he could build a proper tower for them.”

The bells currently housed in the spire of the b asilica are the same ones acquired by s orin, rocca said.

“There are 23 bells up there plus one additional bell that weighs eight tons,” he said.

“The 23 form what is called a carillon, which means the bells can play carols or tunes. we believe that this is the oldest carillon in north a merica.”

rocca said the b asilica of the s acred heart is not synonymous with s acred heart p arish, which is housed in the crypt of the building and is a “totally separate operation” with its own pastor and programming. The only person buried in the basilica proper is former university president John Francis c ardinal o’ h ara, who led notre d ame before world war ii , he said. o’ h ara served in the military archdiocese and went on to be the bishop of b uffalo, new york, and archbishop of p hiladelphia, p enn.

“The story goes that the people of p hiladelphia loved c ardinal o’ h ara and… they wanted him to be buried in

the crypt of the cathedral in p hiladelphia,” r occa said.

“b ut c ardinal o’ h ara wanted to be buried with his fellow holy c ross priests and brothers in our holy c ross cemetery here.

“a pparently, after he died they realized there was a c hurch law that forbade cardinals from being buried underground, so he could not be buried in the community cemetery. i nstead, they buried him in the then- s acred heart c hurch.”

Though the true 125th anniversary occurred on a ugust 15, rocca said a celebration was held on a ugust 16th to

“It’s no doubt that the Basilica of the Sacred Heart is one of the most beautiful churches around.”

Fr. Peter Rocca Basilica rector

commemorate the original consecration while still observing the Feast of the a ssumption of the v irgin m ary on the 15th. a “pickup choir” made up of mostly past and current members of notre d ame’s liturgical choir sang for the m ass celebrated by holy c ross b ishop d aniel Jenky of the diocese of p eoria, i ll., he said.

“Following the m ass, there was a grand reception for everyone in the rotunda of the m ain b uilding,” rocca said.

“Following the reception, there was a dinner for about 90 invited guests on the 14th floor of the hesburgh l ibrary, which was the perfect location because it has an incredible view of the side of the b asilica, the same view it would have been so long ago.”

Contact Ann Marie Jakubowski at ajakubo1@nd.edu

By HENRY GENS news writer

Professor researches anti-nausea drug

c hemotherapy can be a long and painful experience for a cancer patient, but a recently recognized series of clinical studies on an antiemetic may help doctors to mitigate some of the more disruptive side effects.

The studies, led by notre dame adjunct p rofessor of c hemistry and biochemistry rudolph navari, found that the use of olanzapine as an antiemetic was as adept as the current standard-of-care in preventing vomiting and far more effective in reducing nausea.

navari’s research is part of a wider effort in the field of oncology to improve the recovery process for patients receiving chemotherapy.

“it’s been a goal of modern chemotherapy is to move from inpatient to outpatient

treatment so that patients can return to daily life as soon as possible,” navari said.

a ntiemetic drugs are largely responsible for the progress in moving patients from hospital stays back to their normal routines.

“Twenty years ago most chemotherapy patients would be confined to the hospital, but in the last fifteen to twenty years we’ve made huge advances, although we still need to do better,” he said. “o nly about one-half to two-thirds of outpatients have what we would characterize as ‘good outcomes’ with current antiemetic drugs.”

navari’s recent contribution to the field is the clinical testing of one such drug, generically known as olanzapine. he said he first got the idea to try clinical trials involving the drug nearly a decade ago from a colleague.

“a friend of mine at the time

was working with a population of patients needing antipsychotic drugs, and he noticed that one drug in particular, Zyprexa — the brand-name of olanzapine — had the unique side effect of greatly reducing nausea,” navari said. “a fter he told me this i immediately thought of its potential as an antiemetic for chemotherapy patients.”

o ver the next several years navari led a team that conducted phase i, ii and iii clinical trials on olanzapine’s effectiveness as an anti-nausea and anti-vomiting agent.

“i n the first phase we were merely testing different dosages and combinations for efficacy and safety, finding out that the best dosage was around ten milligrams per day,” he said. “Then we moved on to the phase ii trials and found that it compared favorably to other antiemetic drug regimens, without worse side

effects. Finally in the phase iii trials with a much larger number of patients we compared it to the standard of care and found that it was just as good in preventing vomiting, but much better in preventing nausea.”

These clinical studies were concluded roughly two years ago, according to navari, but the research is still being disseminated and only recently published last year. e vidence of the study’s impact in the field of oncology was demonstrated over the summer when the national c omprehensive c ancer network, a well-regarded non-profit alliance of nearly two-dozen leading cancer centers, endorsed olanzapine as the first-line antiemetic therapy.

i n addition to olanzapine’s demonstrated effectiveness, its status as a generic drug provides an additional benefit for patients.

“The patent protection on the antipsychotic indication of olanzapine expired during the study, so now it’s available as a generic drug and hence is much more affordable for patients, amounting to only fifty cents a dose,” he said. “ w hile getting F da-approval for an antiemetic indication in chemotherapy would be prohibitively expensive, doctors are fortunately able to prescribe it for off-label use in this context.”

a s a result of the comprehensive, evidence-based research performed by navari, he said he hopes cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy will be able to come closer to achieving some semblance of normality in their daily lives.

“i would say that it is very satisfying to know that what i’ve done will help so many people,” he said.

Contact Henry Gens at hgens@nd.edu

lecturer examines effects of politics on religion

By SARAH McCARTHY news w riter

w illiam mc g urn, a former speechwriter for p resident g eorge w b ush, addressed the intersection of religion and government in a lecture titled, “new g ods on the p ublic s quare” in the mc c artan c ourtroom of the notre d ame l aw s chool on Tuesday. The lecture was part of the 2013 notre d ame s ymposium.

mc g urn discussed the effects of politics on religion, and he specifically addressed notre d ame’s opposition to the hhs mandate issued by the obama administration, which requires all health plans to provide free coverage for contraceptives.

“The principal stand notre d ame has taken on the contraceptive mandate is gutsy,” he said. “The i rish didn’t go down without a fight.”

mc g urn said the contraceptive issue is indicative of a changing system of beliefs in the united states with regard to religion.

“The great challenge of the contraceptive mandate is not legal, political or constitutional,” he said. “The primary challenge is an orthodoxy that no longer assumes that religion in a merican public life is a good thing.”

This resistance toward religion in a merican society has negative effects that reach outside of the political sphere, mc g urn said.

“e ven with the constitution firmly on our side . . . religious liberty will become increasingly fragile because the understanding is no longer ascendant in the institutions

that shape a merican public opinion,” he said.

mc g urn cited the thought of a lexis de Tocqueville, a Frenchman who studied a merican democracy in the nineteenth h c entury, to support his argument that religion plays a critical role in society.

“Tocqueville saw how the diffusion of civil society helped guarantee freedom for all by deluding the power of government,” he said. “The profusion of church . . . makes our communities better off in a way that would be almost impossible to replicate if it were to be shoved off the public square.”

mc g urn also compared the relationship between religion and government in modern times to the same relationship in 1776

“The founders understood enlightenment ethics,” he said. “ yet . . . the choices they made show that they believed religion . . . was vital to the success of freedom.”

i n response to those people who are non-religious or who might be in favor of governmental involvement in religious institutions, mc g urn acknowledged the validity of their counter-argument.

“For a person that . . . sees religion as . . . an enemy . . . it is truly logical to ask why it should merit special protections,” he said.

however, there are serious faults in current health care policies that threaten to impinge upon religious freedom, mc g urn said.

“e ven a mericans who have strong moral objections to contraception . . . and abortion

must not only tolerate these things but pay for them when their fellow citizens want them,” he said. “ we who make the case for religious liberty . . . speak a language that has been abandoned by the rest of a merica.”

The solution, mc g urn said, is to restore liberty and increase the understanding that allows faith and freedom to flourish in a merica.

“ ‘g od, c ountry, notre d ame.’ These words should be a sign of humility,” he said. “They are a reminder that country and notre d ame mean nothing unless they are tethered to the g od who means truth.”

Contact Sarah McCarthy at smccart6@nd.edu

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importance of both compiling statistics on girls and creating programs that specifically target boosting girls’ self-esteems.

“This summer, st. margaret’s house created the girl’s club for girls ages eight to 13,” schneider said. “Throughout the summer, the girls went on field trips, tended a unity garden and took part in a darkroom project where they explored their world through photos. They participated in discussions about their talents, their dreams and their hopes for the future.”

The club was made possible through an indiana community grant, hossfeld said. she said the purpose was to create a place where young girls had the opportunity to “just be girls.”

“i recognized that many girls in that age group needed special time for themselves,” schneider said. “especially those who grow up with low economic status — i mean, the whole family is struggling and so often the girls this age are taking care of younger siblings — they’re working all the time.”

“we wanted to make the time for girls to be girls, where they can have fun, they can dream and think about what their future will be.”

schneider said the positive

self-image girl’s club tries to promote helped foster a healthy vision of the future for many of the participants.

“we invited many community leaders to come talk to the girls about their futures,” schneider said. “wonderful, dynamic women who could be role models to these girls came and asked the girls, ‘w hat do you want to do when you grow up? w hat are your gifts? w hat are your

“This is the first step in developing a strong sense of self-esteem.”

Sarah Hossfeld junior nursing

talents?’”

schneider and hossfeld said some girls had a little trouble naming their future goals at first, but with some coaxing they were able to articulate their dreams.

“That is the first step in developing a strong sense of selfesteem,” schneider said.

hossfeld said in her sessions, which ran from 12:45 p.m. to 2 p.m. monday through Thursday, she worked on exercises where the girls shared their voice and opinions.

“i think a lot of it is

understanding that they have a voice,” hossfeld said. “They have so many stories they want to tell, things they want to do in the world and just empowering them to know that they can use that and make a difference if they want to.”

hossfeld said she wanted to make sure important topics like self-body image and physical health were discussed in some of the sessions.

“we talked about body image and did the barbie project where we talked about if barbie was a real girl what she would look like and how unrealistic that is,” hossfeld said. “we also started a unity garden and planted a variety of different vegetables and talked about healthy eating.”

hossfeld said more serious topics such as sexual abuse were discussed as well.

“i really wanted to keep a good balance of light-hearted topics and serious topics,” hossfeld said. “it’s really been about giving them attention, and something special just for them that they can come and do each afternoon, get to know other girls their age, and doing something they like to do and cover topics they didn’t know we could cover.”

hossfeld said she saw major growth in all of the girls’ excitement and self-esteem over the course of the summer.

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“a lot of the girls came in very defensive,” hossfeld said. “They didn’t know anything about me they had just got this random invitation in the mail. so the first thing that i had to do was get them to open up to me and get them to break down their walls. once they did that the results were amazing. now they’ll come in and they’ll be like ‘sarah, this is my day— ‘or, ‘i’m upset today’ or ‘can i write in my journal today?’”

“i mean, they will tell you anything so i think the biggest progression is seeing how closed off they were and now they’ll just come in and have an hour conversation with you and they’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

hossfeld said went back after the semester started and visited some of the girls. she said she was excited to hear that many of the girls remained friends even outside of the club.

“They all formed relationships with each other,” hossfeld said. “a lot of them even now in school will talk about how they do things together since they met over the summer in the club.”

schneider said she is thankful for hossfeld’s mentorship and knows the program would not have been the same without her.

“sarah’s a wonderful mentor,” schneider said. “you know her

magic was that she truly cared about these girls. you know, she would walk in and smile and make them feel like the most special girls in the world and that is worth more than any program in the world. it really takes someone with an open heart and time and a way of being with people that is just open and loving. That will do more than any “program” can ever do.”

schneider said she is looking forward to continue building on the organization’s relationship with saint mary’s college. she said resources that saint mary’s offers, like the recently released sgi, immensely adds to the work st. margaret’s house is doing for women.

“we have a fantastic relationship with saint mary’s college and it is such a great partnership with an all women’s place like st. margaret’s house,” schneider said. “The young women who come as nursing students, as work study students, as summer service students, as interns they all add to the life of st. margaret’s house. it’s a two-way street and i am so grateful for all the support saint mary’s college has given to st. margaret’s house over the years.”

Contact Kaitlyn Rabach and Rebecca O’Neil at krabac01@saintmarys.edu and roneil01@saintmarys.edu

safe and protected as much as i can do,” grooms said. “it’s coach Kelly’s role that determines the success. i want nothing more than for these guys to win.”

grooms said he is in charge of maintaining the locker room and coordinating all team travel, but primarily he and his staff work to provide players and coaches with any and every item of equipment they need.

“First and foremost is player safety. it all starts with helmet fitting, that’s the most important, and then everything trickles down,” he said. “we fit them with all their equipment — helmets, shoulder pads, shoes, leg pads, you name it. … i work closely with adidas on a daily basis to order the apparel and footwear, anything you see a player or coach wearing we take care of from the equipment room.” in order to prevent concussions and other injuries it is essential to constantly maintain and adjust the athletes’ equipment, grooms said.

“The biggest fear of the job is player safety — there’s a lot of concussion talk,” he said. “we’re doing everything we can every day to make sure we’ve got our helmets properly fit — checking the air, checking the chinstraps. we do routine maintenance repairs and checks on all the equipment. … you just want to make sure the players are always safe.”

in addition to their formal duties, grooms said he and his staff make an effort to provide a friendly and relaxed atmosphere for players who visit the equipment room.

“we are very close with the

players, whether we want to be or not. we try and make sure that we have a good atmosphere for those guys to come into, whether it’s to get away from school or get away from the locker room, they know they can come to the equipment room and just hang out,” he said. “it’s an area where they can just be themselves and not have to be the starting receiver or running back or whoever it may be. an area where they can kind of get away and have a good time.”

as head equipment manager grooms is responsible on a daily basis for a 25-person staff, which consists of one full-time assistant equipment manager and 24 student managers.

grooms said these student managers work hard and work well without receiving much recognition.

“The three senior managers, the juniors and the sophomores on a daily basis really make practices work. They make things run smoothly. They’re not seen and they don’t get heard about and they do an outstanding job,” he said.

grooms said he enjoys showing the locker room to visitors because it reminds him how fortunate he is to work in a place other people dream of seeing.

“it’s so unique to be able to bring people into the locker room and see their reaction,” he said. “i catch myself sometimes taking it for granted … walking in to [the locker room] is walking into my office, which is pretty cool to say. w hen i get to bring people in for their first time and they see how special it is, it’s a reality check.”

grooms said his favorite moment in the long and storied tradition of notre dame football was the 2012 victory over usc that capped an undefeated season.

“my favorite moment in notre dame football history, because i lived it myself, was when we beat usc last year. To see the reaction of the guys, the coaches and everybody coming together, it was awesome,” grooms said. “nothing like being 12-0, i’ve never done that anywhere else. To do it at notre dame and at this level of competition, and to know where we were going to go after that, you can’t match it.”

The best story of a player losing equipment happened two years ago on the night of the game against michigan, he said. Former irish place kicker david ruffer realized he forgot his kicking cleats in the equipment room in notre dame stadium after the team had reached ann arbor, mich.

grooms said the reason his staff had not brought the cleats with the rest of the team’s footwear is that kickers often refuse to let anyone else transport their kicking cleats.

“Kickers are by far, and i say this in a good way, the weirdest guys on the team,” grooms said. “ They don’t let their kicking shoes out of their sight … They’ll bring [the shoes] in their backpack because they don’t want anybody else to handle them.”

grooms contacted the team’s doctors, who had yet to leave campus, and after police and firefighters helped them get into the locked stadium equipment room the doctors brought ruffer’s cleats to the game.

grooms is in his fourth year as head equipment manager for the football program. he said he has worked with the equipment staff at five different universities in the past 14 1/2 years, 11 of those years as a full-time manager rather than a student. his last

alumni host Football Fridays

By KATIE McCARTY news writer

w hen alumni flock to campus for home football games, they can always be sure to find a welcoming place to go the day before the game.

specifically, they can visit the notre dame a lumni a ssociation’s Football Fridays event for food and entertainment.

Tim o’neill, a 1994 graduate and member of the a lumni board, described the event as a “place to hang out, eat, and listen to some great irish music.”

“it’s a great way for alumni to find out what the a lumni a ssociation is up to, and this event gives alumni another reason to come back for football weekends and see all the great things the a lumni a ssociation is doing,” o’neill said.

The event is held the Friday of every home game weekend from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and all alumni are invited to attend for free. The Football Fridays event includes relatively cheap tailgate food, performances by

alumni and student bands and a big screen television showing espn highlights and notre dame football highlights. other student groups, such as the notre dame cheerleaders, occasionally perform at the event as well.

Football Fridays takes place between the hammes bookstore and the eck v isitor center, and o’ neill said organizers ensure the event ends before the pep rally.

o’ neill, who with his brother forms a piano band called the o’neill brothers, produces albums featuring both their own music and the work of other alumni. a mong the other pieces by other notre dame graduates are four albums that the university has asked the brothers to produce.

“we did the spirit of notre dame album about a year ago, which features music by about 30 notre dame alumni,” o’neill said. “because we had made all these relationships, the a lumni a ssociation asked us to help get notre dame alumni back for Football Fridays.”

position prior to coming to notre dame was as the head equipment manager at the university of minnesota.

The traditions and fans of notre dame football make it very different from the other schools at which he has worked, grooms said.

“i’ve been fortunate to able to go from job to job and to advance each time. you get to one place and you learn about the program, and it doesn’t take that long. well, there is a learning curve at notre

dame with how special a place it is and with the world-wide, not just nation-wide, following that notre dame football has,” he said.

grooms said he is happy his path as a professional equipment manager has brought him to notre dame.

“it’s notre dame, at the end of the day you can’t beat it,” grooms said.

Contact Christian Myers at cmyers8@nd.edu

The a lumni a ssociation markets the event with incentives such as a raffle for two sideline tickets for the football game and one dollar hotdogs. w hile they are there, he said alumni can also update their information for the a lumni a ssociation’s records.

This weekend, don savoie, a professor in the music department, and pat mcKillen, class of 2011, will perform together, singing both original songs and notre dame favorites. o’neill said the Football Fridays event before the Temple game was a huge success.

“it was a record number of people there,” o’neill said. “so we are pretty much keeping this Friday’s event the same, just with different musicians there.”

The a lumni a ssociation wants Football Fridays to be a place for alumni to reconnect and forge new friendships.

“it’s a casual social atmosphere,” o’neill said. “come learn and be entertained.”

Contact Katie McCarty at kmccar16@nd.edu

partisan conflict.

“it’s not usually the easiest path as a democrat in indiana,” donnelly said. “but, what i always knew was that the people of indiana are common-sense, are willing to listen, and are a lot more focused on what’s right and building our state than they are worried about party labels.

“so, i never worried about party labels, and the other part is what you learn at notre dame is that you do your very best, you stand up for what is right, you try to have an effect on those things you can change, [but] on the things you have no control over, you can’t worry about them.”

at notre dame, donnelly majored in government and also studied business.

“w hile i didn’t have a business degree or business minor, a lot of my electives were in the business area, so i tried to combine [government and business] while at notre dame,” he said. “i had an interest in becoming an attorney, and i think that mix really lent itself well to that field.”

a fter graduation, donnelly practiced law, worked at his family’s printing and rubber stamp company and served on the indiana state election board. in 2004, he ran for and secured indiana’s 2nd district congressional seat after several unsuccessful campaigns.

“i had never actually expected to run for office again,” donnelly

said. “That was probably for a 15-year period. i just raised my family and tried to be a good member of the local community, then was asked by members of the local democratic party if i would consider running for congress.”

donnelly said serving as the representative for indiana’s 2nd district prepared him to work as a senator for the state of indiana.

“w hat made it easier is that in many ways, the 2nd district is a microcosm of the state, and the state is a microcosm of the country,” he said. “a nd so, the needs of the people of the 2nd district, the concerns of the people of the second district, were reflective of the entire state.”

donnelly said his time in the house, in part, guided his goals as a senator.

“i came in with areas that i wanted to focus on, based on my time in the house,” he said. “no. 1, first and foremost, would be that every hoosier who wants a job, can have a job. w hen mom and dad are working, everything works much better for the family – everything works much better for our state. so, a huge portion of my efforts have been in making sure that we continue to grow our economy and create more jobs.”

a s a member of the senate a rmed services committee, donnelly said resolving the united states’ involvement in a fghanistan sits at the top of his priority list.

“i’ve been focused on making sure we have a solid plan to

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come home from a fghanistan, to do it in a way that enables a fghanistan to stand up on their own and have our men and women back home in south bend and in r ising sun and in merrillville and in indianapolis, rather than in Kabul,” he said.

donnelly is following the situation in syria closely and soliciting opinions on the issue from his constituents, his communications director, e lizabeth shappell, said.

“he supports president obama’s decision to seek congressional approval,” shappell said. “l ike all hoosiers, he strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons and is

carefully reviewing proposed options for ongoing humanitarian assistance and possible military action.”

donnelly announced his support for same-sex marriage in an april 5 post on his Facebook page. his desire for all people to feel comfortable in indiana motivated this decision, he said.

“my feeling is that as we look at this, as a state, indiana wants to be welcoming to all of our citizens,” donnelly said. “To our brothers and sisters, our sons and daughters – i want them all to feel that no matter what their beliefs, they can find a home in indiana. For our companies, [we don’t want them] to lose extraordinary talent and extraordinary people because we weren’t welcoming to them on this issue.

“a s i said, this is no way any suggestion to any church as to what they [should] believe or what they should do. This is simply recognition that we want indiana to be a welcoming state.”

donnelly said his experience in the house, his role as a father and talks with friends inform his policy positions. staying connected to his constituents also shapes his actions as a senator.

“i go home every weekend,” donnelly said. “There is so much more wisdom in indiana than there is in washington, d c., and so in a typical day at home i’ll be visiting with a group of farmers. i’ll be visiting with a group of small business people. i’ll stop at the local supermarket to get something, and people are more than happy to come up and tell me what they think.

“i get my knowledge, my wisdom, from everyone back home. i keep that sign in the office up there, ‘hoosier common sense,’ because that’s what we try to do. i think that is what the country needs, and that is what i try to reflect every day.”

These frequent interactions with his constituents keep donnelly grounded.

“w hat i never forget is that i’m the hired help,” he said. “i work for everybody back home.

That’s my obligation.”

donnelly’s connection to notre dame also shapes his beliefs, he said.

“i think [university president Fr. John Jenkins] is an extraordinary president,” donnelly said. “i think [university president emeritus Fr. monk malloy] was as well, and i went to school there when [university president emeritus Fr. Theodore hesburgh] was our president. Fr. hesburgh made it very clear that you have an obligation to not only look out for yourself, but to look out for your brothers and sisters, and tried to make sure that everyone who graduated from notre dame understood that you had a bigger obligation than just making sure that you’re all squared away.

“we’ve had extraordinary leadership. … obviously, our l ady really looks out for the school because of who she has put in charge.”

donnelly said he remains extremely grateful for his notre dame education, which continues to shape how he approaches the world around him.

“i never in a million years expected to be able to go there,” he said. “i was just a middle-class kid; it was almost just beyond my wildest dreams. … w hat notre dame does is it colors the way you look at every issue so that it’s not just about yourself, or it’s not just about a narrow set of views. but you look at things in a way that says, ‘how does this affect all of us? how do we make our country better? how do we make our nation stronger? how do we do what is fair and what is just?’

“i say a little prayer that i can do that every day, and i’m far from perfect. i don’t hit a home run every day. but i do my best, and that was shaped in large measure by folks like my parents, by Fr. hesburgh. … They ground you very well, and if i had to do it all over again i’d do it in a heartbeat. i wouldn’t go anywhere else.”

Contact Nicole Michels at nmichels@nd.edu

well-being of indiana girls. The report highlights various aspects of a young woman’s life, including income, race, standardized test scores, graduation rates, obesity, depression, abuse, substance abuse and physical activity.”

o ver two years ago, mooney said she attended a conference and learned about the state of w isconsin’s sgi report. a fter learning about the report, she said she felt saint mary’s had the both the resources and obligation to compose a similar study for the state of indiana.

“it just seemed to me that we’re a women-serving institution … so we ought to be concerned about and understand what’s going on with girls who could be our future students,” mooney said. “i also thought there was no other place in indiana likely to undertake this comprehensive sort of compilation of data and that we could offer that service to the state, especially to the girls of the state.” according to a college press release, mooney first proposed the report to elaine meyer l ee, director of the college’s center for women’s intercultural l eadership.

“w hen president mooney came to us for help facilitating the administrators project, we thought it was a great fit for saint mary’s,” meyer-l ee said. “The college has a long history of educating women in a variety of ways and this, of course, is about girls. so, we were delighted to mobilize faculty and students and we applaud their work, which takes seriously the intersection of gender, race and socioeconomic class affecting girls in indiana.”

both mooney and meyer-l ee said Kristin Kuter, assistant professor of mathematics, was the faculty member who took initiative to make this project a reality.

“i became involved in the sgi project when president mooney challenged the college to take on the task,” Kuter said. “Four women’s colleges have done similar reports for w isconsin, california, north carolina and the district of columbia. i saw it as an exercise in exploratory data analysis, something i teach my statistics students.”

a lthough other states have published similar reports, meyer-l ee said saint mary’s is the first institution to have its students contribute so profoundly in the report.

“one of the beauties of a small college in general, but certainly at saint mary’s, is that we involve students in everything we do at every level, in many committees, in administrative projects and in research,” meyer- l ee said. “For this project, whole classes contributed to aspects of the report. we found that students were not only engaged in different ways, but really found subjects there were passionate about and were

serious about their contributions to the report.”

meyer-l ee said one student, gina deom, class of 2013, even chose to focus her senior comprehensive project on the indiana girls’ education section of the report.

“every student at saint mary’s is required to complete a research project, body of work or exam in their major before graduation,” deom said. “my senior composition dealt with applying a statistical technique to analyze the relationship between common characteristics of indiana public school corporations. i was able to identify how characteristics such as enrollment, percentage of students on free/reduced lunch, percentage of special education students, isTep scores, end-ofcourse test scores, teacher’s salary, etcetera, were correlated.”

For deom, a native of evansville, in, working on the report was not only about acquiring experience compiling, summarizing and drawing conclusions from data, but also about allowing her to work with data affecting her fellow hoosier girls.

“i gained insight into some of the challenges facing girls in my home state,” deom said.

she said she was particularly struck by data showing that girls’ performance in math and science wanes somewhere between grade school and high school.

“w hy are girls performing similarly on math and science on the isTep compared to boys, but significantly lower falling behind on ap, saT and acT testing regarding math and science?” deom said.

Kuter said the most shocking statistics for her were centered around mental health and body image statistics.

“i didn’t realize that the figures of girls affected by depression and suicide were as high as they are, and that girls in the eighth grade seem to struggle the most with these issues,” Kuter said.

president mooney reacted similarly. she said the compiled data makes it clear there are a lot of stressors on girls in indiana.

“depression, inactivity and obesity were significantly higher [for girls] in indiana than the rest of the nation,” mooney said. “suicide rates were also statistically higher.”

a s part of saint mary’s larger connection with organizations in the south bend community, meyer-l ee said the college asked several expert reviewers to examine the report prior to its release. Two of those reviewers include Kathy schneider, executive director of saint margaret’s house, a community day house for women and children, and l inda baechle, president and chief executive office of ywca north central indiana, both of whom spoke at yesterday’s press conference.

“i have worked in this community with women and children struggling with poverty for

22 years,” schneider said. “This report confirms much that we know about girls; that many are receiving great educations and moving toward productive lives that include higher education and work. yet it also exposes that too many girls suffer from low self-esteem, are victims are sexual and physical abuse and struggle with poverty.”

schneider said three statistics in the report, strongly call for further action to be taken: according to the report, one-third of indiana’s female students in grades eighh through teh reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day, almost half of all black or a frican a merican girls ages six to seventeen are living in poverty and 14.5 percent of indiana’s female high school students reported being raped.

“i think that statistics call us to do more with our programming,” schneider said. “These numbers are a call to action and these numbers tell us that there are too many girls suffering from low self-esteem and we should be working at a younger age to help these girls build their self-esteem.”

meyer-l ee said the report is significant because contributors sorted through buried data in different studies and pulled together overwhelming demographic studies that educators, policymakers and others will be able to evaluate.

“never before has this data been pulled together to form a true picture of what is happening with girls in our state,”

meyer-l ee said. “not that a picture is formed, lawmakers, nonprofit leaders and activists can see the issues in a readily accessible format and address them. data is very powerful and i believe this report will be an example of how decisions are driven by data.”

president mooney said she hopes policy and decision makers will see the report as an additional tool to make informed decisions regarding girls in the hoosier state.

“This report shows that gathering information into one usable document can have a strong impact when presented in a clear and understandable format,” mooney said. “it is my hope that our faculty and students may have sown seeds for improvement in the lives of girls in indiana.”

To read the report online, visit saintmarys.edu/statusof girls.

Contact Kaitlyn Rabach at krabac01@saintmarys.edu

Saint Mary’s President addresses freshmen

By ANNEMARIE LOESBERG news writer

o n Thursday, s aint mary’s p resident c arol a nn mooney addressed the c lass of 2017 as a part of the c ommon e xperience component of the c ross c urrents p rogram to help young women understand the meaning and importance of their s aint mary’s education, said p atricia Fleming, provost and senior vice president of academic affairs.

a s a part of c ross c urrents p rogram, the first year students are asking themselves “ w hy am i here?” and d r. mooney can help answer that question, Fleming said.

mooney arrived at s aint mary’s c ollege 44 years ago, as a first-year herself, and can remember those early days very vividly and how she was very intimidated, coming from a small town, Fleming said.

“b asically, i was a country kid, and when i got here, i thought everybody came from c hicago, c leveland or new Jersey and they were all wiser and sophisticated and i was not.” mooney said.

mooney spoke of her first mixer, what could

possibly be considered a bit like d omerfest, she said, and had no idea what a mixer was. she was not prepared to meet

“I hope you grow in a sense of awe and wonder at the beauty and complexity of the created world ... I hope you deepen your understanding of what it means to be human and really develop your empathy with other human beings”

Carol Ann Mooney

Saint Mary’s President

other people, and did not know how.

“i never had such an experience,” mooney said. “i knew everybody in my town. i f i went to a dance, it was the same old people i had known since kindergarten. There was no mixing.”

she said she eventually overcame her shyness, but not after crying out on the island, leaving the mixer three minutes after entering. a junior, who lived down the hall, helped her through her fear of meeting new people, she said. mooney said her peer told her, “i f you can talk to me, you can talk to other people.”

she said French was an important part of her education. she had a strong desire to study abroad in France and attended class five times a week in order to achieve that goal, she said. b ut after three years of disrupted French in high school, mooney said she was placed in a class with girls who had taken five or six years of the language.

“i studied French every single night, for hours, convinced i was going to fail and never go to France,” mooney said. however, she said her hard work paid off and she spent an entire year in France. however, she said that did not mean she saw her experience in a positive light from the beginning. w ith tough French classes and a struggle to adapt to life abroad, mooney said she learned a lesson. she

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then shared this lesson with the first-year class: give it a chance.

“i mmerse yourself in something.,” mooney said. “For me it was classwork. i was excited about my classes. i really loved the fact that they challenged me.” her second piece of advice was a bit simpler: sleep. mooney said she got all the way through law school without staying up past 11 p.m.

“ you cannot feel good about anything if you’re so sleep deprived that you don’t know what’s going on,” she said.

mooney continued her speech laying out three important lessons or experiences she hopes students in the class of 2017 will experience over the next four years at the c ollege.

“i hope you grow in a sense of awe and wonder at the beauty and the complexity of the created world,” mooney said.

The second lesson mwooney said she hoped students would learn during their experience at s aint mary’s was empathy for others.

“i hope you deepen your understand of what it means to be human and really develop

your empathy with other human beings,” mooney said. “That you have a greater capacity to put yourself in the shoes of another and have empathy for her, for her situation.” Finally, mooney said she hoped each individual would develop their spiritual life while at c ollege. “ w hether you are of a different c hristian faith, or you’re Jewish, or muslim, or h indu or of no faith tradition at all, i truly believe there will be a hole in your life, a sadness or an emptiness, a hollowness, if we don’t find some sense of purpose that calls you beyond yourself,” mooney said.

mooney said every b elle chose s aint mary’s for a unique reason and she knows this institution will continue to have something to offer to everyone.

“i hope part of the ‘why’ is that we offer you things that are not available everywhere,” mooney said. “i urge you to take advantage of what we have to offer … i urge you to please plunge into the rich life available here.”

Contact Annemarie Loesberg at aloess01@saintmarys.edu

INSIDE ColumN

ocanada

Samantha Coughlin graphic designer

i’d like to say i’m well travelled; i’ve traversed the united states, gained tens of pounds in western europe, burned to a crisp in every island nation i’ve stepped foot in, and have battled the high seas from the comfort of my cruise ship mattress. yet, one land has loomed in the distance, waiting apprehensively for the day that i would cross its border.

The canadian tourism department boasts to having been “ranked no.1 as the country with the best overall reputation in the world” for three consecutive years. when i first read that — weeks before i thoughtfully prepared for my trip — i thought about my own understanding of canada: maple syrup, hockey, moose, sorry pronounced as “soar-y,” Justin bieber, and degrassi. by any interpretation of the aforementioned words, my opinion was glowing. so when the opportunity arose to explore our northern neighbor’s land, i had no choice but to agree. and what better way to explore canada than attend a ukrainian festival in Toronto!* suffice it to say, the stars were really aligning in my favor.

The week before my trip was undoubtedly the most productive time of my life. i live in a state of chaos, a perfectionist trapped in a procrastinator’s body. naturally, i had a project or essay due in every class the week of my return, but somehow i managed to complete everything by Thursday afternoon. i packed wednesday night according to accuweather’s forecast, printed out directions, refilled my gas tank, even bought snacks and made a road trip playlist. last week i transformed into a Type-a personality, and i couldn’t have been more proud of my focus and determination. i planned to leave straight after my studio class Thursday evening. i was on the road 15 minutes after class got out, when alas, i realized i had forgotten something; i rushed back to campus and conned my way onto campus to get my computer charger and umbrella. phew! all set, i rushed back to my car and restarted my trek to Toronto. with the sun at my back, i excitedly began my voyage in high spirits. i spent a jolly two hours on the road before somehow arriving at the realization that i had failed to pack the one essential item i would need during the weekend: my passport.

i can’t describe the emotional disintegration that ensued, nor would the series of expletives that marked my journey back to notre dame be appropriate for print. i spent the ride home in complete silence; not even the thought of finally finishing my 36-hour crime and punishment book on tape could console me. The sad realization was that my “wonder week” was simply a façade, easily defaced by my more characteristic foolishness and disorganization.

i eventually made it to Toronto, leaving at 5:00 a.m. the next morning. i never used my computer charger or umbrella, but i’ll give myself a pat on the back for remembering to go back and get them. canada was cool; my adulatory opinion on the nation remains untainted. i’m simply a well-travelled idiot.

* i am not ukrainian.

Contact Samantha Coughlin at scoughl2@nd.edu

The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Add medical amnesty to du Lac

e di T orial

according to the united states department of health and human services, “more than two dozen [indiana] students under the age of 21 have lost their lives due to alcohol poisoning since 2004.” in July 2012, indiana responded to this statistic by enacting the lifeline law, which gives individuals immunity from police action if they are intoxicated but actively seeking medical help for a person with alcohol-related injuries or complications.

notre dame recently instituted the office of community standards (ocs) to replace the office of residence life. however, the procedural changes that ocs implemented do not include or mention a medical amnesty policy guaranteeing students the same immunity the indiana lifeline law gives citizens. a minor can still face disciplinary action from the university if he or she is caught for possession, consumption or transportation of alcohol. a ny student, regardless of age, can confront disciplinary consequences for public intoxication. several nearby universities, such as indiana university, purdue and ball state, have implemented medical amnesty clauses in their student codes of conduct. additionally, our sister school, saint mary’s college, observes medical amnesty and actively educates incoming students about this policy.

gannett health services conducted and published a study of cornell university’s medical amnesty policy (map) in 2006. according to the resulting research paper published in the international Journal of drug policy, “results include

consecutive increases in alcohol-related calls for assistance to emergency medical services during the two-year period. survey results suggest that, following initiation of the map, students were less likely to report fear of getting an intoxicated person in trouble as a barrier to calling for help.”

notre dame’s student government is pushing for the university to add a medical amnesty clause to “du lac: a guide to student life.”

“it is not a new issue, but the indiana lifeline law adds a new component that will hopefully help us look at medical amnesty through a new lens,” student body president a lex coccia said. “we want there to be absolutely no hesitation in calling for help if you see a person in need of medical attention.”

with these signs pointing to the benefits of medical amnesty policies, the university’s administration still resists implementing them at notre dame. administrators argue the university does not need such a policy because students at a catholic institution should not need the promise of amnesty in order to act as good samaritans, but rather, should do so because it is morally correct. They also assert the individualized disciplinary outcomes that ocs uses should absolve students’ fear of helping peers who need medical attention.

however, because the university does not guarantee disciplinary immunity, some students still may hesitate when deciding whether to seek help for a peer who needs medical attention. if the office of community standards’ first priority is students’ safety, it should follow its sister school by implementing a medical amnesty policy to ensure that students do not hesitate to protect one another.

unmasked heroes

w hen i was in middle school, i had a few fights with friends who betrayed my trust. w henever i went to my mother with such concerns, her advice was always the same: “m ia, someday you will learn that you can only trust g od. everyone else will disappoint you.” w hile this was less than helpful advice for a ten-year-old girl who just wanted friends she could trust, my mother’s words resonate with me today, especially in the context of unmasked heroes.

There have been countless heroes unmasked in our time. For those of us gutsy enough to forgive a nthony weiner after his twitter fiasco two years ago, carlos danger was a slap in the face. others who held a aron hernandez on a pedestal have floundered in the wake of his murder accusations. The unmasked hero is by no means a phenomenon constricted to the 21st century. even to this day, people are devastated to discover that mahatma gandhi’s sexual behavior was appalling, or that martin luther King, Jr. had a chronic problem with extramarital affairs.

of course, public figures are not the only unmasked heroes. we all admire people in our everyday lives, whether they are peers, figures of authority, or parents, and the proximity of such heroes makes recovery from their unmasking that much more difficult. w hat do we do when a peer or figure of authority that we emulated reveals deep-seated, violent racism or is accused of a horrific crime?

we may instinctively enter into a state of shock or denial. it is easier to blindly believe that someone you admire is without fault, for this state of denial circumvents any

obligation to reexamine where your faith lies. but eventually, we are faced with insurmountable evidence that someone we have considered a mentor or role model has committed an egregious offense, and we are forced to accept reality.

sometimes, we can forgive our unmasked heroes. For example, when they are found guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs, we can perhaps forgive them for succumbing to the pressures of their environment. but sometimes, the transgressions of our heroes are inexcusable, and we must cease to call them heroes. For example, when they are found guilty of violent, racist crimes or sexual assault, of violating another human being to such an awful degree, it is not our place to so readily grant forgiveness. Furthermore, continuing to publicly laud such people rubs salt into the wounds of their subsequently silenced victims. however, this is not to dismiss the benefit we may receive from unmasked heroes. gandhi may have committed misdeeds of domestic violence and mistreatment of women, but his other actions also led to his country’s freedom. a aron hernandez may have been involved with several murders, but his other actions inspired thousands of individuals across the country to push themselves to new athletic heights. it is inappropriate and insensitive to continue praising such individuals, but this does not negate the positive impact that these individuals’ other actions have had on our lives.

Mia Lillis is a senior living in Cavanaugh Hall. She can be reached at mlillis@nd.edu

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

This week while waiting to cross streets in berlin, i could not separate myself from envisioning ghosts of the world war ii era when my father fought against the g ermans. l ate one evening under a full moon, i sat on a railing at a corner of martin luther straße trying to absorb my surroundings to better appreciate my visit. i could hear the echoes of crowds cheering adolf h itler while soldiers stamped in unison along a parade route. i wondered how h itler turned my dad, a sergeant in the Fifth a rmy and ii corps, into a killing machine only to have my father revert back into a decent, civilized and caring man.

h istory most certainly explains how a dictator could enchant a nation to follow his evil designs. but more importantly, after attending a law enforcement day of training for homeland security personnel at the u s holocaust museum, i personally know how to prevent others from repeating such a calamity. The lesson stares at us regardless of whether we wander a berlin museum or the a merican holocaust museum. h istory asks us one universal question. “how could law-abiding, dedicated law enforcement officers, within a decade’s time, eventually corrupt their ethical standards enough to walk together in collusion with the g estapo and persecute certain citizens?”

We are alike everywhere

The answer is straightforward. we become desensitized when we dehumanize others. once Jews, academics, gays, gypsies and political opponents are no longer societal equals, they become mere cattle to be herded and slaughtered. That desensitization is the root cause that once empowered the nazi party. it is a magic potion that still seduces mankind throughout the ages unless it is consciously checked at every turn.

so while sitting in the center of the old nazi power base, i visualized the destructive aftermath of bombing missions that reduced the very spot where i sat into hollow structural shells and rubble. i imagined the enormous pain many innocents felt in the aftermath, especially those who at heart were not nazis but did nothing to thwart the Third reich while sitting quietly in fear. i wondered if such selective complacency in the a merican political system could eventually nibble at the fringes of political anarchy, especially when various Tea party favorites continually spout something outrageously silly like “p resident obama really hates a merica” or “obama is a muslim.”

w hile in berlin, i studied the facial character of an older german woman who reminds me of a friend’s grandmother. her expressions and mannerisms mirror “gigi” back home. i looked into the eyes of young men who, but for a generation of time, could have been clothed in a military uniform fighting against my father when he was their same age. i passed younger children who inquisitively

wAlexandra Stembaugh subject to c hange

hundreds of thousands of fans pay money and travel to watch them play each week. adoring supporters have jerseys with their numbers. They tour the country, put in over 50 hours a week, and see themselves the subject of discussions on espn and even snl skits. These aren’t n F l stars. These are “student-athletes” of the ncaa

The days are long gone where we could selectively ignore the raging debate about paying college athletes. The tension is nothing new. recently, ncaa and conference profits have increased exponentially while investigations like those involving Texas a & m’s Johnny manziel for alleged autograph sale have become far more common. i n a system where taking any money or selling paraphernalia results in suspension or worse, what is a successful athlete to do when he puts in so many hours and knows for the same effort he could be making millions at the next level?

it cannot be overlooked that athletes choose to come to college. The majority of athletes who go to college

roamed while their parents shopped and realized they would not have been together a generation ago. instead, they would have been separated at youth camps being brainwashed with dehumanizing principles. Today’s faces, sent back to a different era, might all have belonged to ruthless bigots.

yet here i sat, 70 years after the height of wwii, in a rebuilt, economically viable and freely functioning democracy where students clutch their smartphones while riding a bus — just like back home on my daily commute to work. businesses offer me cash through an aT m, a myriad of shopping choices, and fast or fine food opportunities, just like home. currently, the g ermans are amid a national election just like last year when we chose our president. Their advertising advocates slogans to tax millionaires, save the environment, better educate their children and maintain economic stability — familiar themes found not only in the united states or g ermany, but also in democracies around the globe.

w hile in europe, i lost touch with the daily news. w ho is the notre damem ichigan state favorite? i mistook a g erman newscast to report a bomb blast in washington until i received a trash collection e-mail notice. “d ue to street closures from the navy yard shootings,” trash would be collected tomorrow. l ife — or more appropriately, 12 deaths in this case — continued like it does everywhere with an occasional nutty outburst and tragedy.

my european excursion ultimately

here does it

will not be professionals, so a college degree ensures success beyond sports. even if an athlete does want to play professionally, the nba and n F l won’t allow admittance to the league straight out of high school. o ur college system should not be the place to encourage athletes to play when they have no interest in academics.

s ome argue whether the concept of a student-athlete is even unrealistic. ideally being a student should be any student-athlete’s top priority. Too often, this is simply not possible. i n this area, notre dame seems to be one example of success. i n 2012, the notre dame football team had the top graduation success r ate in the country at 97 percent. at other schools, a rate of less than 50 percent is common and academics become secondary to athletics.

c onsider the money each college makes from athletic program. notre dame football makes around $15 million from its nbc contract each year. at most other schools, money netted from athletic events is kept to support their athletic programs. notre dame uses its contract money to fund the financial-aid endowment for all students and support fellowships,

reminds me of a 1960s “Twilight Zone” television episode. a n apprehensive astronaut, roddy mcdowall, crashlanded on a remote planet. mcdowall distrusts aliens, sight-unseen, and is frightened to face them, but his badly wounded partner is more positive. Just before his death, he urges mcdowall to be trustful, uttering that people are alike all over, even on another planet. mcdowall eventually relaxes and encounters benevolent aliens — just as his partner had predicted — who replicate his earthly residence down to the minuscule detail for him. strangely, though, a young alien girl always seems sad when around mcdowall. a fter he enters his new home, a wall slowly slides open, and mcdowall sees a sign that reads “e arth c reature in his native habitat.” realizing that he has become a caged exhibit, mcdowall yells towards the heavens to his partner, “you were right! people are alike everywhere!”

we may be alike everywhere, but our respect for and tolerance of individuality prevents us from caging our futures.

Gary J. Caruso, Notre Dame ‘73, serves in the Department of Homeland Security and was a legislative and public affairs director at the U.S. House of Representatives and in President Clinton’s administration. His column appears every other Friday. He can be contacted at GaryJCaruso@alumni.nd.edu

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

end?

something few students would claim to be against. according to the ncaa , only 23 athletic programs made a profit in 2012. unlike most schools, our program actually brings money back to the university at more than $10 million a year. is this exploitation of athletes or simply a benefit to our school as a whole from athletes who voluntarily play?

Few proposals for payment are agreeable to all. would it be decided that revenue-generating sports like football or basketball should be paid while other athletes don’t deserve it? players that would be paid are the same individuals who already essentially receive payment in the form of full scholarships, including tuition, room and board, and money for books. The most feasible option for greater “payment” to athletes would be offering them stipends of a couple thousand dollars a year for spending money on things a scholarship does not cover, like a night out to eat. w hile many larger schools have agreed to this provision, smaller schools have fought the idea, both on principle and because there is no room in their budget. staunch opponents also argue that these smaller schools shouldn’t be

forced to give athletes a stipend just to keep their programs competitive. yet college athletics already operate as an arms race based on money. s ome schools can afford state-of-the-art practice facilities, new stadiums, and record salaries to pay coaches. These overwhelming financial advantages often translate to on-field success. a mateurism is the draw of college sports. Fans enjoy seeing students competing, knowing they are doing it for the love of the game and their school rather than for money. it makes sense to grant major athletes a stipend because of the work they put in and the money and coverage they bring to the university. a ny direct payment or salary based on performance should be avoided. w hile amateurism in college athletics should be protected, a change is needed to adequately compensate athletes for the money they bring to colleges.

Alexandra Stembaugh is a junior studying Economics and English living in Welsh Family Hall. She can be reached at astembau@nd.edu

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

By JIMMY KEMPER

w ith the loss of several fan favorite comedians and the transition of s eth m eyers from the weekend update to nbc ’s “ l ate n ight” show, s aturday n ight l ive is set to be revamped with some of the biggest changes in its almost four-decade long history. e arlier this year, it was announced that Jason s udeikis, Fred a rmisen, and b ill h ader would all be departing snl to focus on different projects. a rmisen will continue to work on his hit show “ p ortlandia” while h ader

has returned to writing for “ s outh p ark.” w ith these popular actors leaving, fans wondered about what would happen to one of a merica’s most beloved shows. This week, nbc announced that six talented young comedians would take up the mantle of these legendary stars. n otable among them is b eck b ennett, whom viewers should recognize from a T&T’s infamous ‘ it’s n ot c omplicated’ commercials featuring little kids, and m ichael p atrick o ’ b rien, longtime snl writer.

Fans have also been concerned about the weekend update segment since s eth m eyers is preparing to

leave to host the “ l ate n ight” show in February. snl creator and producer l orne m ichaels told the media this week that the show will return to a two-host format, with c ecily s trong starring alongside m eyers.

This is a somewhat surprising move, as s trong only made her snl debut last season and this position is an almost guaranteed path to stardom. p revious occupants of the chair include a my p oehler of p arks and r ecreation, Tina Fey of “30 r ock,” and Jimmy Fallon, host of “ l ate n ight” and future “The Tonight s how” host. h owever, l orne m ichaels

seems confident in this decision. h e said, “c ecily, from the first show, was right there.” s he regularly appeared on the weekend update last year as the “g irl you w ish you h adn’t s tarted a c onversation w ith at a p arty.” a lso, Tim r obinson, who was introduced as a new cast member last season, will become a member of the writing staff. s aturday n ight l ive is set to start its 39th season on s eptember 28th with Tina Feygas host.

Contact Jimmy Kemper at jkemper2@nd.edu

i f i ask you to associate the words “kick back” with a single musician, survey says Jack Johnson would come back 75 percent of the time. no matter the song, album or venue, Jack Johnson plays the tunes of a kick back.

it’s unforced, genuine calm that reverberates through every pluck of his guitar and there is nothing more soothing than the final result.

so on “From here to now to you,” his latest project, JJ’s cool is as enjoyable as ever before. even better is the fact that his music sounds just as soothing as it did five years ago, yet you can tell the subtle

progressions he has made throughout his career in order to refine his natural sound.

The album starts out with the heartwarming single “i g ot you,” which keeps an uptempo vibe yet still gets its compassionate point across without sounding too cheesy.

Then “washing dishes” follows and does nothing more than settle the listener into a kick back-type of groove.

“Tape deck” and “radiate” are a few other examples of those kinds of songs, with addicting hooks and a little more bounce in their steps that will surely have you humming along. on his last album, “To the sea,” Johnson tries to mix a new, faster paced sound and the intimate

harmonies of his past works like “sleep Through the static” and “i n between dreams.” but on “From here to now to you” he finds that balance with a revitalized energy that doesn’t stray too far from his acoustic prowess, while on “To The sea” he tried to push across more electric sounds to keep the energy up. w ith “From here to now to you” he realizes he doesn’t need anything outside of an acoustic guitar, a box drum and, more than anything, his voice to carry the tune along. no more electric guitars, upbeat drum patterns and experimental sounds. it’s all back to basics, what made him the Jack Johnson that the world has come to love over the last few years.

i f you’re in a bad mood, listen to this album. it will instantly spring you from your blues. i f you are in a good mood, listen to this album. it will instantly make you feel on top of the world. i f you are looking just to lie around and relax, listen to this album. it will instantly put you in a carefree space where nothing can go wrong.

This is really the first Jack Johnson that can do all of that, and feel totally committed to each of these feelings at any given time. it’s natural, it’s adaptable, it’s Jack Johnson, “From here to now to you.”

Why we truly love sports

w hen you were watching a football game last weekend, chances are you saw a play that made you stand up and say “ wow.” For you, it might have been a touchdown catch or leaping interception, but for me it was a run by giants second year running back david w ilson against the denver broncos.

a s soon as w ilson received the handoff, defenders swamped him, forcing him to spin back to his left. This was no ordinary spin, as w ilson did the limbo with the defenders, contorting himself so that his spine and helmet were parallel to the ground. he somehow managed to keep his balance by getting one hand on the ground during his c irque-du-s oleil spin, recovering only to find three broncos defenders rushing at him with no protection. i n his race to the sideline, w ilson managed to bounce off two would-be tacklers before finally being tugged down by the desperate third defender. w hat did this amazing run earn w ilson? o nly a measly two yards, but also respect from me and all of the others he transfixed with his acrobatics.

athleticism transcends sports. do we watch football, baseball and basketball because we want our team to win? yes. but there’s a reason we watch the bulls and not the local ymca team. we want to see people accomplish things that we could only dream of doing.

we love sports for the same reason we love movies and video games: They’re an escape from reality. They challenge the limits of our world. athletes like Jadeveon c lowney and l ebron James are our generation’s greek myths, god-like specimens capable of herculean feats that elevate them above their fellow men.

we immortalize athletes with bronze statues and the written word, passing on their legends through oral tradition. every little boy in c hicago has been told of the “glory days of Jordan,” and in 10 years every boy will hear about derrick rose, either about his accomplishments or the potential and athleticism he wasted. players as special and uniquely talented as rose are remembered because even if they achieve nothing, they still engross us with what they could have been. athletes like

m ichael v ick and blake griffin have won zero championships in their careers, but they rack up millions of views on youTube for their highlights and garner an inordinate amount of attention compared to their peers. They stand out because you never know when that next “omg” play will come, that moment where physics mean nothing and the world seems to bend to their will.

Today’s athletes are so spectacular that we can’t help but imagine them competing in more than just their own sport. l ebron flying to catch an alley-oop makes us wonder how he’d look leaping to catch a pass from Tom brady, and usain bolt burning up the track teases us about what could happen if he had a ball in his hands. o ther than deion s anders and bo Jackson, there isn’t a great track record of crossover stars, but that doesn’t stop fans from projecting their favorite football player’s stats if he had played baseball instead. w hen an athlete is as exceptional as l ebron, it’s impossible to look away regardless of what he or she is doing.

athleticism isn’t the only thing that attracts us to sports, as team loyalty, love of competition and a desire to watch a fundamentally sound game all play a huge part as well. sports like track and field or swimming, however, fail to gain the same following as sports like the n F l because they lack the potential for athletic improvisation. i could never swim as fast as m ichael phelps, but swimming in a straight line is something i could do anytime i want.

w hen we watch athletes play we imagine ourselves in their shoes. w ho hasn’t yelled “Kobe” while launching a fadeaway 3-pointer as an imaginary buzzer echoes in the background, or lowered the rim to eight feet in order to dunk on your friends like the stars do for real?

it’s this special athleticism that enraptures fans because at its core, fandom is envy. c omic fans dream of flying like superman, movie fans of living as dangerously as James bond and sports fans dream that one day it’ll be them leaping from the free throw line, sticking their tongue in the air and jamming it like m ike.

Contact Casey Karnes at wkarnes@nd.edu

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

r ichardson joins colts after shocking trade

Associated Press

Trent r ichardson’s new n F l home has all the features he’s wanted.

The c olts expect their newest player to become a workhorse running back, grow alongside a young franchise quarterback and carry them into the playoffs for years to come. it’s a big change from c leveland’s perpetual rebuilding project.

o ne day after the b rowns called r ichardson to say he’d been dealt for a firstround draft pick in 2014, r ichardson arrived to a locker room that had his new teammates hooting and hollering, a horde of reporters hanging on every word and the familiar sight of b rowns fan c ondoleeza r ice watching practice.

“it’s another chapter in my life and with that i ’m going to have a chip on my shoulder,” r ichardson said. “i am going to play football like i know how to play football. however it goes with the b rowns, good luck to the b rowns the rest of the season, but other than that, i ’ve got to be here playing football.”

The c olts (1-1) gave up a draft pick they hope will come at the end of the first round next year to obtain the 5-foot-9, 225-pound a labama alum. c leveland gave away three picks to move up one spot and take r ichardson just last year. he never quite fit the newest offensive system in c leveland. i ndy now has a quarterback, a ndrew l uck, and a running back, r ichardson, who were both heisman Trophy finalists less than 24 months ago and were ranked by most scouting departments as the best players at their positions coming out of college.

c olts general manager r yan g rigson has somehow corralled five of the top 100 players drafted in 2012 — all of them on offense. a long with l uck and r ichardson, the no. 1 and no. 3 overall selections, i ndy also has tight ends c oby Fleener, a second-round choice, and d wayne a llen and receiver T.y h ilton, third-round picks. Fleener, who turns 25 on Friday, is the oldest of the bunch.

For g rigson, the deal was too good to pass up. he and c leveland ceo Joe b anner, who worked together previously in p hiladelphia, started talking early this week and it didn’t take long for g rigson to work something out. it’s his 16th trade since coming to i ndy in 2012.

“ you always want to surround a great player like a ndrew with weapons, and we had a need at running back,” g rigson said. “ s o we went out and got one.”

They found a back that the b rowns (0-2) gave up on after playing just 17 career games.

r ichardson rushed for 950 yards as a rookie despite playing most of the season with two broken ribs. This year, under new management, r ichardson had only 31 carries for 105 yards.

The back h all of Famer Jim b rown once described as “ordinary” never demonstrated the explosiveness c leveland new coaching staff wanted.

g rigson and the c olts, who are transforming last year’s vertical game into a more balanced offense that features power running, didn’t have the same scouting report. c oach c huck p agano referred to r ichardson as a “rolling ball of butcher knives” and called him a perfect fit in this system.

“a ll i know is, i got a couple texts from some

players i used to coach and it was ‘ wow, congrats and thank you,’” said p agano, the b altimore r avens’ former defensive coordinator. “a nd you know why they said ‘thank you,’ because he’s out of the division. That tells you right there. h e’s a game-wrecker.”

o ver the past week, starting running back v ick b allard (right knee), left guard d onald Thomas (quad) and a llen (hip) all landed on season-ending injured reserve. The trade overshadowed those losses and created an instant buzz around town and inside i ndy’s locker room.

r ichardson will now get a crash course on the c olts’ offense and is likely to play this weekend at s an Francisco. it’s still unclear whether r ichardson will start over a hmad b radshaw, who made his first start with i ndy in s unday’s 24-20 loss to m iami. b ut one thing is clear: r ichardson is considered one of i ndy’s cornerstones. “ we did not bring him in here to, i guess, be the water boy on s unday,” p agano said. “he’ll be ready to roll.”

r ichardson couldn’t have asked for more.

a fter trading his no. 33 jersey in for a white no. 34 practice jersey, he said the shock of being traded was starting to wear off and he promised to spend these next few nights pulling all-nighters with i ndy’s playbook and getting comfortable.

a ll he has to do now is fit into his new home.

“p eople can’t just stack nine in the box no more,” he said. “ you think you’re going to stack nine in the box, a ndrew’s got an arm for you and you got r eggie wayne and T.y. out there, and you got our tight ends that are going to work, too.”

Reid bests former team

Associated Press

philadelphia — The look was strange: a ndy reid in all red on the visitors’ sideline.

The result was similar to what he gave philadelphia in his 14 years in charge of the e agles.

reid’s homecoming was a smashing success for the new Kansas c ity coach thanks to a dynamic defense that forced five turnovers and sacked a harried m ichael v ick six times in the c hiefs’ 26-16 victory Thursday night. v ick even limped off with 1:07 to go after the final

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sack and fumble, but stayed around to hug reid following the final play — just after d onnie avery gave reid a g atorade shower on the sideline.

Kansas c ity, which has not had a giveaway in opening 3-0, has won one more game already than it did in 2012 — when it earned the first overall draft pick, then hired reid days after he was fired on the heels of philly’s 4-12 finish.

The usually stoic reid showed some fire to match his bright red outfit late in the first half when he thought the c hiefs got a bad spot. he came out to the hash mark to yell at the officials, then walked off at halftime still gesturing his displeasure.

That was far more emotion than he displayed when he entered the stadium with the c hiefs just before kickoff. a lthough the philly fans gave him a warm ovation, some standing in tribute to the man who won 140 games and six division titles for them, reid walked briskly along the sideline, never turning his gaze toward the stands.

he certainly had to like much of what he saw on the field from his defense, particularly houston.

red sox clinch playoff berth

Associated Press

bosTon — The red sox clubhouse was quiet after the team clinched its first postseason berth since 2009, about as quiet as the orioles’ bats were against John lackey.

boston has much bigger goals.

lackey pitched a two-hit complete game, stephen drew hit a two-run homer and the red sox beat baltimore 3-1 on Thursday night to complete an impressive turnaround from last season’s last place-finish.

The win ensured boston at least a wild-card berth and lowered its magic number to one for clinching the al east. a year ago, under bobby valentine, the red sox finished 69-93 record — their worst since 1965.

“we’ve still got some other goals ahead of us,” lackey said. “hopefully, here in the next night or two we can get a party going.”

earlier in the day, the los a ngeles dodgers became the first team to earn a playoff berth when they clinched the nl west.

Just before adam Jones’ gameending flyout to right, the crowd chanted, “lackey! lackey!” a nd after daniel nava caught the ball, catcher Jarrod saltalamacchia embraced lackey in front of the

NCAA FooTbAll

mound as red sox players came out of the dugout and lined up for their usual, low-key postgame handshakes.

“The next step is a more important one than this,” said manager John Farrell, who has led boston’s turnaround after one disastrous year under bobby valentine. “winning the east, that’s been the stated goal since day one of spring training. That’s getting closer and i think that will probably be a little bit more the realization of where we’ve come from and where we are at that moment.”

lackey’s resurgence has been just as remarkable.

he had a 6.41 era in 2011 while pitching with arm trouble, then missed all last season following ligament replacement surgery on his right elbow. he’s just 10-12 this season but has had the least run support among boston starters. on Thursday, he lowered his era to 3.44.

“The remake of John lackey, both physically and getting back on the mound and performing as he’s done all year, mirrors that of this team,” Farrell said. “it’s somewhat fitting that to clinch a spot to get into the playoffs is with him on the mound and to go nine innings the way he did, like i said, very fitting.”

Boyd leads Tigers past Wolfpack

Associated Press

raleigh , n c . — c lemson struggled to get its offense running in high gear and spent much of Thursday night fighting to protect a slim lead. The third-ranked Tigers still did enough to stay unbeaten in the kind of game that often has slipped away in recent years.

Tajh b oyd threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns to help c lemson beat north c arolina s tate 26-14, winning its a tlantic c oast c onference opener on the road.

c lemson came in averaging 45 points and 490 yards, but didn’t score its first touchdown until late in the first half.

“ we had two or three scoring opportunities that we didn’t convert on and just missed them. Just that simple,” c lemson coach d abo s winney said. “i thought we had a good game plan. i was pleased with how we were able to run the ball but disappointed with some execution

in the first half. ... b ut we cleaned it up, we battled hard and got it to the second half and we ended up coming alive.”

b oyd’s 30-yard scoring pass to m artavis b ryant capped a critical third-quarter sequence — including an apparent wolfpack touchdown negated by an official’s whistle — that allowed the Tigers (3-0, 1-0 acc ) to seize momentum in front of a hostile crowd.

b oyd found b ryant for another touchdown, with b ryant snatching the ball from defender n iles c lark for a 15-yard score that made it a three-possession game early in the fourth.

s ammy watkins added 10 catches for 96 yards, helping c lemson finish with 415 total yards.

s hadrach Thornton scored the wolfpack’s first touchdown on a 21-yard run in the second for a 7-6 lead, but n c s tate (2-1, 0-1) couldn’t complete the upset in coach d ave d oeren’s first league game.

will begin their seasons monday night at 10 p.m. at r iehle Fields.

Contact Eric Richelsen at erichels@nd.edu

Walsh-howard

By CHRISTINA KOCHANSKI sports writer

walsh and howard will face off monday night for their second game of both teams’ seasons.

despite graduating many players, walsh will look to repeat the success that brought it to last year’s championship game. according to junior captain margaret Fisher, the w ild women will have to place a heavy load of responsibility on the freshman class.w

“we had a lot of seniors graduate, so the majority of our team is freshmen,” Fisher said. “i’m optimistic because they’re very athletic.”

coming off a difficult season, howard also has high expectations for the year, senior captain and quarterback c lare robinson said.

“we did not do that well last year,” robinson said. “There was a little bit of disorganization. we have thirty girls this year, though, and we’re pretty optimistic.”

howard struggled with preseason preparations and did not begin practicing until yesterday, making it difficult for robinson to get a feel for her team.

“i’m [living] off-campus, and the new intramural registration system meant that we didn’t have an e-mail list for all the girls, so scheduling was a challenge,” robinson said.

robinson will lead howard as its starting quarterback, while junior Julianne carson will make her first start under center for walsh.

walsh and howard will put their optimism to the test when the two teams meet monday at 10 p.m. at r iehle Fields.

Contact Christina Kochanski at ckochans@nd.edu

lyons-Pasquerilla West

By MITCHELL MEERSMAN sports writer

pasquerilla west will face lyons on Tuesday in a matchup of teams looking to reload after losing key players to graduation.

lyons captain and receiver c hristina bramanti said lyons is currently in a rebuilding year, but believes the l ions have several possible game-changers in their freshman class, including a new talent under center.

“[ we have] a lot of great freshman for the future,” bramanti said. “Kristen l ombardo, our freshman quarterback, has a lot of potential.” bramanti said she also expects the l ions’ receiving

corps, especially sophomore receiver a lexa l odenquai, to be a major strength for the team. on the other sideline, pasquerilla west will attempt to recapture the team chemistry that drove it to a 7-1 season last year. The p urple weasels have a tough fighting spirit and will be ready to play when the lights come on Tuesday night, senior captain [ brianne] “breezi” Toole said. Toole said pasquerilla west would also rely on young talent to replace some of last season’s contributors.

“we lost some key players from last year, but we have a young squad that’s ready to fill their shoes,” Toole said.

The rebuilding l ions will take on the p yros’ young talent Tuesday at 7 p.m. at r iehle Fields.

Contact Mitchell Meersman at mmeersma@nd.edu

Farley-Pasquerilla East

By EVAN ANDERSON sports writer

Farley and pasquerilla e ast face off Tuesday night in a game featuring two dynamic offenses.

pasquerilla e ast’s offense features junior quarterback macy mulhall, but the p yros have plenty of speed to go around at the other skill positions as well, senior captain caroline Kuse said.

“senior Kiah schaefbauer and junior [ nicole] “nik-nik” a meli are two of the fastest girls in the world,” Kuse said. “They’ll be huge assets in both our running and passing games.”

Kuse also had a few words for the competitors who might doubt her young team.

“i think we’re going to surprise a lot of teams that don’t expect much from our dorm,” said Kuse. “[The pasquerilla e ast] p yros are going to set the world on fire, wait and see.”

Tuesday night will also mark the debut of junior caitlin smith under center for Farley. smith will face a new challenge after quarterbacking Farley’s b-team to a championship last fall.

a ided by senior running back giselle sabal and an influx of talent returning from study abroad programs, smith and the Finest will look to ride a wave of momentum generated by a several wins toward the end of last season.

“we want to start off on a high note,” Farley senior captain l auren l adowski said. “l ast season, we struggled to win games early, but we picked it up toward the end of the season. we definitely think we’re a playoff team … we’re just going to take it week-by-week and see how far that takes us.”

Farley will make its season debut against the p yros on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the r iehle Fields.

Contact Evan Anderson at eander11@nd.edu

mlb

dodgers clinch nl west with win at a rizona

Associated Press

phoeniX — The los angeles dodgers soaked everyone in sight with champagne in the clubhouse. many players raced back out for a celebratory dip in arizona’s chase Field swimming pool.

From last place to an nl west title in less than three months, they sure let loose.

burdened by high expectations and a horrible start, the dodgers relieved their pent-up pressure with a joyful celebration after becoming the first team this year to clinch a playoff spot.

hanley ramirez homered twice as they rallied to beat the arizona diamondbacks 7-6 on Thursday.

“i want to keep going,” ramirez said. “i think that we’ve got a couple of more steps to do. we’ve got to keep working and stay together all the way through to the end.”

ramirez was back in the lineup after being sidelined five of six games with an irritated nerve in his lower back. he’s played 1,090 regular-season games but will be making his first trip to the postseason. only three active players have played more games without making the playoffs.

despite an nl-high payroll of $214 million-plus on opening day, the dodgers got off to an 30-42 start and were last in the division, 9½ games behind the first-place diamondbacks,

before play on June 22. los angeles has gone 58-23 since, including an unreal 42-8 run that coincided mostly with dynamic cuban defector yasiel puig’s callup to the major leagues.

notre dame hosts catholic c hampionships

By A.J. GODEAUX sports writer

The top notre d ame runners will get their first taste of competition today, when the i rish host the 34th annual national c atholic c hampionships at the notre d ame g olf c ourse.

The notre d ame men’s team has won the meet an astounding 23 times and has come away with the title all but two years since 1995. The i rish women’s team has been almost as successful, winning the invitational 19 times. d espite notre d ame’s past success, junior Jake

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Kildoo said the team’s primary focus this early in the season isn’t even on winning the meet.

“This meet is really a tuneup for our top runners,” junior Jake Kildoo said. “ it lets us get our legs used to racing again. This meet will be all about learning to run together and learning how to better run as a team.”

w ith only 10 d ivision i teams in the 37-team field, the unique event pits teams from all over the competitive spectrum against each other. The meet starts with an open race featuring men and women racing together—albeit separate distances—another unique aspect of the national c atholic c hampionships.

The 5K women’s championship follows the open race, and the men’s five-mile championship race caps the invitational.

NCAA

o n the men’s side, Kildoo said the i rish gameplan involves running a team race, especially considering the sloppy course conditions after this week’s rainy weather.

“ we’d like to win the team race with a pack of five or so guys at the front,” Kildoo said. “it looks like it’s going to be sloppy, so we just want to worry about putting in a good, solid effort and staying together as a group.”

i n notre d ame’s first meet of the year, the c rusader o pen, the i rish took both individual crowns, as senior p atrick l esiewicz and sophomore s ydni meunier claimed the men’s and women’s titles respectively. The i rish women also won the team title behind a top-six sweep, while the men’s team finished second behind valparaiso.

Kildoo said the i rish take a different approach to the national c atholic c hampionships, particularly with the notre d ame i nvitational looming in two weeks.

“ unlike some other races, we’re training through this meet,” Kildoo said. “ we’re not trying to break any records or anything wild, and we’ll be running on tired legs because of the training, but we’re all fit enough to run a good race. a s a plus, we’ll be ready for when the notre d ame i nvitational comes around.”

The national c atholic c hampionships get underway with the open race at 3:30 p.m. Friday at the n otre d ame g olf c ourse. The women’s and men’s championship races follow at 4:15 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. respectively.

SEC’s Slive criticizes NCAA

Associated Press birmingham, a la. — s outheastern c onference c ommissioner m ike slive remains very critical of the ncaa’s rules governing agents, an issue that continues

to plague his league.

“i feel like the current ncaa rules and regulations are part of the problem, they’re not part of the solution,” s live said Thursday in an interview with The a ssociated p ress. it was virtually a repeat of his message at sec media days three years ago when agent-related incidents also prompted investigations at three schools.

slive is adamant change is needed.

“ w hat we had hoped for was for a total rethink of the rules and regulations as they relate to agents,” slive said. “a task force was formed and began to do some work and then for reasons i’m not clear on, the conversations ended.”

he’s pushing for changes in the ncaa that include affording prospect-heavy leagues like the sec , which had 63 players chosen in this year’s n F l draft, the authority to create their own rules to curb such problems.

The agent issue is back in the news again forefront once again even as several sec teams are in the mix to extend the league’s national title streak to eight seasons.

a recent yahoo report said a runner for agents provided improper benefits to football players at a labama, Tennessee and m ississippi state.

it’s potentially the most damaging of several issues involving an sec team, player or coach since the summer.

sports i llustrated cited widespread violations at o klahoma state that began under current lsu coach l es m iles. Texas a & m heisman Trophy winner Johnny m anziel was suspended a half-game by the school

for “inadvertent” rules violations involving autographs. still, s live said it’s nothing like the situation he inherited in taking over the sec in 2002. Five football programs at that time were on probation or under investigation. he said with individuals and organizations “progress is two steps forward with an occasional one step backward.”

no coaches were cited as participants in any wrongdoing in the yahoo report, and s live said such allegations are about individual not institutional behavior. a ll three schools have said they’re reviewing the allegations, and Tennessee has made the only current player named in the report — defensive lineman m aurice c ouch — ineligible.

“There is no relationship to these events that have occurred recently to what took place years ago, because first of all our institutions deal with these issues in a very, very comprehensive, clear way with integrity,” slive said. “ we have a very different environment than we had in 2002 when i came.”

m ississippi state and Tennessee’s football programs are currently on probation for previous violations.

slive said universities should be able to help players, not hinder them, when it comes to agents.

“ we need to create rules that allow our student-athletes to deal with agents in sunshine, not deal with runners that are going down back alleys,” he said. “ we need to provide a different way to deal with agents, so we’ve been disappointed that this hasn’t taken place.”

Jays top yanks

Associated Press

T oron T o — The new york yankees stumbled again in what appears to be an increasingly futile s eptember, losing to the Toronto blue Jays 6-2 Thursday night for their fifth defeat in six games. h iroki Kuroda lost his fifth straight decision, allowing two runs in the third inning and a solo home run to a nthony g ose in the sixth. adam l ind added a three-run homer in the seventh off Joba c hamberlain.

new york, which dropped 3½ games back for the second al wild-card berth, lost two of three in Toronto while scoring just six runs and hitting .198 (19 for 96).

i n danger of missing the playoffs for only the second time in 19 seasons, the yankees return home for a six-game homestand against s an Francisco and Tampa bay — what could be mariano r ivera’s final games in the bronx — then close with a three-game interleague series at houston. new york won 12 of its first 13 games against Toronto this year but lost four of its final six. Kuroda also has stumbled of late: he is 0-5 with a 6.37 era in his last seven outings after going 11-7 with a 2.33 era through aug. 12.

Kuroda allowed three runs and eight hits in six inning with four walks and seven strikeouts.

rookie Todd redmond (4-2) gave up one run and four hits in a career-high seven innings with seven strikeouts and a walk. s ergio s antos pitched the eighth but the blue Jays needed three relievers to get through the ninth, when c asey Janssen relieved with the bases loaded and one out, then finished for his 32nd save in 34 chances.

Jose reyes put Toronto ahead with an rbi double in the third and scored on brett l awrie’s grounder.

c urtis granderson cut the deficit in the sixth with the yankees’ first home run since brendan r yan connected off boston’s John l ackey last Friday, but Toronto made it 3-1 in the bottom half on a home run by g ose, who had three hits.

c hamberlain, a free agent to be, allowed his eighth home run — his career high as a reliever. he relieved to start the seventh, walked munenori Kawasaki, gave up a single to l awrie singled and then allowed l ind’s drive into the second deck.

are concentrated on winning s unday’s game, as there is a lot at stake for the dorm.

“ i t is a huge rivalry game,” r ussell said of the matchup against Fisher. “ w e play for a special plaque each year, and we lost last year. i t’s important especially for the seniors to get [the plaque] this year, so hopefully we can get the win for them.”

The v ermin and g reen w ave will take the field for this rivalry matchup s unday at 3:30 p.m. at r iehle Fields.

Contact Manny De Jesus at mdejesus@nd.edu

Knott – Alumni

By CHRISTINA KOCHANSKI s ports w riter

Knott and a lumni will start off their respective seasons s unday in a matchup with an intense recent history.

Knott senior captain a aron w eber said the past few matchups between the Juggerknotts and a lumni add another dimension to this year’s game.

“ w e lost a controversial game against a lumni last year that included a bad call by a referee and a blocked kick,” w eber said.

“The games between [the two teams] have been close the last few years. i t’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.”

For both teams, the preseason involved attempts to fill spots left by graduated players.

“ w e are a very young team with a lot of freshmen and sophomores,” w eber said.

“ w e’re going to see some mistakes because the team is very young, but we’re optimistic. w e just need to work out the kinks.”

a lumni senior captain Jeffrey Kraemer said the d awgs were able to build a strong team, despite the loss of several players.

Kraemer said one offseason move a lumni made involved slotting sophomore Trevor h urley as the team’s starting quarterback.

“ w e look really strong,” Kraemer said. “ w e’ve filled holes that looked questionable at the beginning of the year, so our hopes are high.”

Junior d avid Taiclet will enter his second year as starting quarterback for the Juggerknotts.

“ h e’s got a very good arm, he’s very talented and he’s a leader on the team,” w eber said of Taiclet.

a lumni and Knott will meet in a season-opening showdown s unday at 2:15 p.m. at r iehle Fields.

Contact Christina Kochanski at ckochans@nd.edu

m orrissey – Siegfried

By ZACH KLONSINSKI s ports w riter

l ooking to start their respective seasons on a high note, m orrissey and s iegfried will meet on the gridiron s unday afternoon.

a fter posting a 1-3 record and failing to qualify for the playoffs last year, m orrissey is invigorated by youthful excitement this season, junior captain p atrick valencia said. This year’s squad does not have a senior on the roster, but valencia said he is not worried about the team’s youth.

“ i n a way, it might be better because with the youth, [the players] are closer to playing at a competitive level in high school,” valencia said. “[ n ot being]exposed to the lack of full seasons in college might be to our benefit in a way.”

m orrissey will also bring out a new offensive scheme, which valencia believes will give the team a new and more fluid look.

“ i t’ll be a good statement to come out and win the first game against s iegfried to show that m orrissey football is back,” he said.

The r amblers posted a 3-1 record last season but were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by Keough. s enior captain Jack m oore said he is impressed with his team’s enthusiasm this year.

“ e verybody had been itching to get into pads and get hitting, so it’s been a good few weeks of practice so far,” m oore said. “ we scrimmaged in practice [Tuesday] against Keenan, so we got a couple of perennial contenders to go out and knock each other around a little bit.”

s iegfried’s offense centers around a simple scheme, m oore said.

“[The offense is] not particularly complicated, but we focus on everybody knowing exactly what they need to do at different positions,” he said.

The matchup between m orrissey and s iegfried will take place s unday at 2:15 p.m. at r iehle Fields.

Contact Zach Klonsinski at zklosin@nd.edu

Stanford-Dillon

By EVAN ANDERSON s ports w riter

s tanford will meet d illon on s unday in a season opener featuring two teams looking to improve on their performances from last season.

d illon is coming off a season in which the b ig r ed lost in the first round of the playoffs, but senior captain n athaniel s teele said the team has higher aspirations this year.

“ i was on d illon’s championship team two years ago

and on the runner-up [team] the year before that,” s teele said. “ i see no difference in talent between either of those teams and this one … we obviously play in a tough division, but we’re going to try to get out there and improve every week.”

s teele said the b ig r ed return eight defensive starters and added talented freshmen to their roster as well.

s tanford senior captain r uben c arrion struck a similar tone in assessing the g riffins, who look to rebound after missing the playoffs last season. c arrion said he particularly liked the potential of the team’s young offensive line.

“ we took more players at tryouts this year than we typically do — we were very impressed by the talent level of the young guys,” c arrion said. “The entire left side of our offensive line is made of newcomers, but you wouldn’t know it on the field. i t’s rare that freshmen come in and practice as well as those three [linesmen] have.”

b oth captains said their teams have the talent to make the playoffs. s hould defending co-division champions Keenan and Keough remain strong, the outcome of s unday’s game could play a large role in determining whether the b ig r ed or g riffins fulfill that goal.

The b ig r ed and g riffins clash s unday at 1 p.m. at r iehle Fields.

Contact Evan Anderson at eander11@nd.edu

St. Edward’s – Zahm

By ALEX CARSON s ports w riter

b oth s t. e dward’s and Zahm will look to jump start their seasons with a victory when the two teams meet s unday.

s t. e dward’s senior cocaptain a ndrew b lonigan said he is looking forward to this season thanks to a talented crop of newcomers.

“ we started off on a bad note last year and trailed off due to a lack of attendance, but we’re looking to build on a strong group of incoming freshmen this year,” b lonigan said. “Freshman defensive linesman Theo s holly stands out and getting senior utility linesman [ a lexander] “ p y” Killen back after a year abroad will help greatly, as he really personifies the team and our generous nature.”

s t. e dward’s plans on running a pistol offense this year to take advantage of senior quarterback p aul r odriguez’s mobility. b lonigan said the g entlemen’s success may hinge heavily on their ability to execute a strong dualthreat attack.

o n the flip side, Zahm will look to rebound from a winless 2012 campaign by relying more on its passing game.

“ we’ve got a pretty strong freshman class this year, so we’re hoping that can benefit us this year,” senior captain Joseph r ice said. “ o ur offense is going to look to air it out this year and win games through the air.”

The g entlemen and the Zahmbies will take the field at r iehle Fields on s unday at 3:30 p.m.

Contact Alex Carson at acarson1@nd.edu

o ’Neill-Keenan

By MITCHELL MEERSMAN s ports w riter

Keenan will begin its title defense s unday against o ’ n eill.

o ’ n eill is coming off a winless season. Junior captain d onghoon l ee said the a ngry m ob hope to improve as the season continues. a win against Keenan on s unday won’t come easy, however, as the Knights will look to defend the championship they won last year.

“[ we hope to] catch [Keenan] by surprise,” l ee said.

l ee also said the a ngry m ob plan on running a hybrid offense, highlighted by returning senior e ric r eed and freshman p at d eJong. e ager to get back on the field and make some hits, Keenan will focus on playing its traditional style, senior captain Jeremy r iche said. r iche said he expects some hiccups for his team as it adjusts from practice speed to game speed but believes in his team’s intangibles.

“This group brings a lot of energy and heart to the field every time they are out there,” he said.

r iche said the Knights would look to three firsttime players, freshmen m ikey Koller and b en e vans and sophomore n athan p arisi, to make plays.

o ’ n eill and Keenan will kick off s unday at 1 p.m. at r iehle Fields.

Contact Mitchell Meersman at mmeersma@nd.edu

i rish split squad to start fall play

By VICKY JACOBSEN sports writer

The irish end their long summer layoff today at the wolverine invitational in a nn a rbor, mich., and the ball state Fall invitational in muncie, ind.

The relatively large 12-athlete team will be split between the two tournaments, both of which will conclude sunday. Juniors molly o’Koniewski and Katherine w hite and sophomores darby mountford and a laina roberts will be playing at ball state, while the rest of the team will compete in michigan. irish coach Jay louderback, however, said there was no particular differentiation between the team members sent to the different tournaments.

“our big thing is trying to get everyone as many matches as we can this fall,” louderback said. “a lot of our kids didn’t play tournaments this summer, so they need to play. They haven’t played since the ncaa [tournament in] may. so it’s just where we feel like we can get them the most matches.”

The ball state Fall invitational is a “flighted” tournament, meaning there will be several brackets of players who compete with each other over the course of the weekend.

“we’ll probably have one or two [players] in each draw, and they just play it out,” louderback said. “it will probably be 16 in a draw, so they’ll play four singles and four doubles over the weekend.”

a ssistant coach catrina Thompson will be at the helm in muncie, where the irish will be joined by a field that includes a rkansas state, butler, eastern Kentucky, illinois state, miami university and valparaiso. at the same time, l ouderback will be busy watching the

rest of the team in a nn a rbor, where the tournament will be in mock-dual format, meaning the entire squad will line up against another school, much like during the regular season.

louderback said he is excited to see how his team matches up to the hosting michigan team and a purdue squad that beat the irish in a 4-3 squeaker last season, as well as other sides they might see later this year.

“a rizona state will be there, and we play them in the Kickoff classic in January. That’s our second dual match of the year, so we’ll get a shot at seeing them and playing against them,” louderback said.

“depaul, who’s very good, and then Tulane, who we’ve really never played or seen, [will be there], so it’ll be good.

“They’re all good teams and our kids should be pushed every match they play, so it should be good.”

but louderback stressed that the most important part of the weekend is getting back into playing shape and adjusting to a new season.

“we’re going to have a lot of new doubles teams this year, so we get a chance to see our kids play doubles against some other teams, with new partners,” louderback said. “we’ve been practicing a lot, having good practices and then playing each other some, but our kids’ biggest thing is getting back in there.”

The irish get back at it today, beginning at 9 a.m., at the ball state cardinal creek Tennis center and continuing at 9:30 a.m., at the varsity Tennis center in a nn a rbor. both tournaments are set to conclude on sunday.

Contact Vicky Jacobsen at vjacobse@nd.edu

Notre Dame travels west for Kansas Invitational

Junior outside hitter Toni Alugbue focuses during an Irish serve in a 3-1 Notre Dame win over Bowling Green on Sept. 6. Alugbue leads the Irish with 98 kills this season.

By CONOR KELLY s ports w riter

w ith just three matches remaining before notre d ame begins its inaugural season in the acc , the i rish (5-3, 0-0 acc ) will travel to l awrence, Kan., for the Kansas i nvitational this weekend.

The tournament will feature four teams from four different conferences, giving notre d ame a number of different looks before beginning the conference season. The i rish will open s aturday morning against north d akota state of the s ummit l eague before taking on the sec ’s g eorgia later in the night. notre d ame finishes play s unday against the host Kansas, of the b ig 12.

The weekend will present a challenging slate for an i rish team looking to win in its final preseason tournament.

“Those are two really strong conferences,” i rish coach d ebbie b rown said of the sec and b ig 12. “a nd those are two teams [ g eorgia and Kansas] that have done really well. we’re looking forward to playing at that level of competition.”

Though conference play has yet to begin, brown said the results of these games can be important in determining

ncaa seeding at the end of the season, so notre d ame has dual goals of refining its play while earning victories.

“The two go hand in hand,” b rown said of her team’s objectives. “i think having the opportunity to play tough opponents in our pre-conference schedule is good.”

The i rish open against a young north d akota state (0-9) squad that has won just one set — in a 3-1 loss to w isconsin on s ept. 7 — thus far. For a team featuring eight freshmen, brown said the youth of the b ison has shown in the early going.

“They’re a young team that is going through a tough stretch,” b rown said. “b ut we expect them to play us tough.”

l ater in the day, the i rish will take on g eorgia, whose only blemish on its record is a loss to no. 12 nebraska on s ept. 7. notre d ame will have to contend with the frontcourt duo of senior outside hitter b rittany northcutt and junior middle blocker l auren Teknipp, who have already combined for 152 kills on the year.

o n s unday, the i rish will face 7-3 Kansas, who recently swept the i nntowner i nvitational in m adison, w is.

d ue to notre d ame’s stringent policy regarding missing

class, the i rish will once again be forced to play three matches in two days, a feat that can take a toll on the team.

“Kansas was super accommodating to our class policy, allowing us to start on s aturday morning [at 10:30],” b rown said. “it’s challenging for sure and not something that we normally have to deal with in the regular season. it’s tough on the body.” a side from winning games, b rown said there is one facet of the game in which she’d like to see her team improve over the weekend: offense. d espite the efforts of junior outside hitter Toni a lugbue and middle blocker Jeni houser, who have notched 98 and 89 kills, respectively, the i rish have hit just .191 as a team, something brown is looking to improve upon.

“ we just need to generate more kills,” b rown said. “ we need to keep improving our offense.”

The i rish will take the court against north d akota state at 10:30 a.m. at the horejsi Family a thletics c enter in l awrence, Kan. notre d ame then faces g eorgia later s aturday at 8:30 p.m. and Kansas on s unday at 2 p.m.

Contact Conor Kelly at ckelly17@nd.edu

c haos and p urple weasels to face off sunday

Pangborn to face Walsh; Ryan and McGlinn play in West Quad match; Lyons opens against Badin

Cavanaugh-Pasquerilla West

By ERIC RICHELSEN sports writer

a lthough cavanaugh and pasquerilla west are coming off strong seasons, both teams will sport young lineups when they meet sunday night.

cavanaugh must adapt to a new quarterback this season if it hopes to replicate last year’s success. cavanaugh senior captain meaghan ayers said, however, the season’s first few practices have given her the confidence that another playoff season is not far out of reach.

“everyone is adjusting to working with a new group of

girls, but based on our practices so far, i don’t foresee that being an issue once the season starts,” ayers said.

pasquerilla west also suffered significant losses from last year’s team, but senior captain [ brianne] “breezi” Toole, expressed optimism for another strong season.

“we lost a few good players who graduated and went abroad, but we still have a lot of solid players, including some girls who played for our b-team last year,” Toole said.

Though both teams are young, they have high expectations to make it to notre dame stadium for the interhall championship game. Toole invoked

the television show “Friday night l ights” to describe her team’s attitude.

“c lear eyes, full heart, can’t lose,” Toole said.

w ith preseason practices behind them, cavanaugh and pasquerilla west will look to hit the ground running when they meet sunday at l a bar Fields at 6 p.m.

Contact Eric Richelsen at erichels@nd.edu

Pangborn-Walsh

By ALEXANDRA LANE sports writer

a s pangborn and walsh complete their final preseason

practices before the two teams meet in their season opener sunday night, both teams’ captains expressed positive outlooks on the new season.

pangborn senior co-captains mary Kate veselik and molly shawhan said they are both excited to see their team this year.

“we are looking forward to this year, as the year pangborn makes it to the stadium,” veselik said. “This game on sunday is the beginning of that run.”

Junior walsh co-captains maggie Fisher and molly Johnson said they also have high hopes for the season.

“we lost a lot of seniors, but

the freshmen look pretty athletic,” Fisher said.

both squads will look for leadership from their returning junior players. Juniors caitlin gargan and l iz Quinn will split time at quarterback for pangborn, while juniors a ndrea hawkins and a nna mcnamara will be key players in the secondary for the phoxes.

Junior Julianne carson will start at quarterback for walsh, while junior running back Kathleen brown will also look to boost the w ild women’s offense.

both teams’ captains are confident in what their newcomers can bring to the field.

“we have a lot of athletic freshmen on the walsh team that we are looking forward to putting in the game,” Johnson said.

veselik named freshman running back a nne a rnason a player to watch in sunday’s matchup, nothingshe is eager to see what a rnason and the other freshmen can add to the team.

The phoxes and the w ild women will begin their seasons sunday at 4 p.m. at l a bar Fields.

Contact Alexandra Lane at alane2@nd.edu

Ryan-mcGlinn

By CORNELIUS MCGRATH sports writer

Freshman stars will look to take center stage when r yan and mc glinn open their seasons with a sunday showdown. r yan freshman quarterback Kathleen conaty will take over as the starter for the w ildcats and try to lead the team to another playoff season. w hile senior captain and offensive linesman a ndrea carlson said she expects jitters from c onaty, she also believes the young quarterback is ready for game action.

“Kathleen is feeling a little nervous, but, above all, she is just really excited to get her first game under her belt,” carlson said.

The w ildcats lost a lot of experience on offense and are trying new starters at quarterback, receiver and center. despite the team’s inexperience, carlson said she is confident the replacements will improve r yan’s offense.

“i believe the team is stronger this year because we have a good mix of girls from seniors right through to freshman giving us fantastic strength and depth,” carlson said. similarly, defending

champions mc glinn will also look to their freshman class to give the team a new on-field dynamic. senior captain and receiver Tara c rown said she knows the shamrocks can’t be complacent if they hope to continue their success.

“coming off such a strong preseason, our freshman look very promising, and i hope they can surprise our opposition,” c rown said. “The team knows that we have to play just as hard as we did last year to win a championship, and it is not a right.”

c rown also pointed out mc glinn’s defense, led by senior co-captain and cornerback Kaitlyn Keelin, is one of its strongest assets.

“having Kaitlyn leading the defense is huge for us, her leadership will be vital to our team’s success,” crown said.

mc glinn will face-off against r yan on sunday at 5 p.m. at l a bar Fields.

Contact Cornelius McGrath at cmcgrat2@nd.edu

lyons– badin

By MEGAN WINKEL sports writer

lyons and badin have taken different approaches to this season, but both teams will look to earn a victory when they square off sunday.

Taking into account the makeup of its freshmen-laden squad, lyons looks to approach the year with a new strategy, senior captain and receiver c hristina bramanti said.

“l ast year, we had a lot of plays, and we weren’t really perfect at any of them, but this year we want to have a handful of plays but be very good at all of them,” bramanti said. “everything is a lot more simplified, which is a good level to start at with the freshmen.”

w hile the new players lack experience, bramanti believes there are many benefits to having a young team.

“The freshmen provide us with a lot of new talent and new potential for the season,” bramanti said. “a lso, having a young group of girls helps with bonding in the dorm and on the team because we’re all getting to know each other.” badin heads into the season with an equally young team. The goal for the season, however, remains the same as the team looks to replicate its past successes, senior captain and quarterback Kristina Techar said.

“l ast year we made the playoffs which was a big deal because we hadn’t made playoffs in a long time,” Techar said. “That is our goal again this year, as well as going even further.”

Techar said the bullfrogs are ready for anything in their pursuit of a championship.

“we don’t know what’s

coming, so we’re just going to play it by ear and roll with the punches,” Techar said. The l ions and the bullfrogs face off sunday at 6 p.m. at l a bar Fields.

Contact Megan Winkel at mwinkel@nd.edu

howard–Welsh Family

By RENEE GRIFFIN sports writer

i nterhall football kicks off sunday for both howard and welsh Family, which will face each other in the first game of their respective seasons.

howard senior captain c lare robinson said she believes the d ucks can overcome preseason difficulties to win their opening game.

“we actually have just assembled our team with our first practice this week, but we have a bunch of returners who will be able to step up right away,” robinson said.

welsh Family senior captain steph l obaccaro said she is confident in her team’s experience level and its enthusiasm for the start of the season.

“i think that we’re a mix of veterans and new players,” l obaccaro said of her squad. “o ur strength is the energy we have. we’ve been practicing two to three times a week, kind of going over plays and making sure everyone’s as excited as we are.”

l obaccaro said the w hirlwinds hope to build off their successes from previous seasons.

“we’ve made it to the playoffs the past two years i’ve been on the team, so we have a really good foundation,” l obaccaro said. “hopefully, this is the year where we go further in the playoffs than we have before.”

robinson said she thinks howard can make some improvements from last season.

“we had some issues last year getting people to go to

games and bonding as a team, so hopefully we can get the d ucks flying again,” robinson said. “i’m one of the few returning players who was on the team for our last championship in my freshman year, so we’re trying to have a return to glory this year.”

The d ucks and the w hirlwinds face off sunday at 4 p.m. at l a bar Fields.

Contact Renee Griffin at rgriffi6@nd.edu

Pangborn-breen-Phillips

By ERIC RICHELSEN sports writer

breen-phillips and pangborn will look to start off the season right when they meet monday in a battle of teams looking to take the next step.

a fter a 1-5 season last year, breen-phillips will look to improve via a talent influx in its freshman class, senior captain molly Toner said. Toner said

she believes the babes could become a flag football powerhouse in the next few years if the young players live up to their potential.

“[ we have] a really athletic freshman class who is excited to contribute to the continually-improving [ breen-phillips] flag football [program],” Toner said.

The first obstacle in the babes’ road to glory is pangborn, a team with its eyes on a run to notre dame stadium. a fter a 5-3 season last year and some sophomore and freshmen additions, senior captain mary Kate veselik said she is optimistic and confident this season could be the phoxes’ year.

“we are returning a lot of key girls from last year,” veselik said. “[ it’s] stadium or bust. [ it’s time] that pangborn wins in notre dame stadium.” breen-phillips and pangborn

ND WomEN’S

Irish to tee off in Tennessee

By GREG HADLEY

s ports w riter

i t may not be a conference or regional championship, but the m ercedes- b enz c ollegiate c hampionship in Knoxville, Tenn. will still be one of n otre d ame’s toughest tests of the year.

s tarting Friday and continuing through s unday, the tournament features an impressive 17-team field that includes a rkansas and Tulane, both of which are ranked in the g olf world p reseason d ivision i rankings. o ther competitors in the field include m ichigan, s outh c arolina, m ississippi s tate and host Tennessee.

“ i t certainly is a competitive field, and we’ll be challenged by many teams,” i rish coach s usan h olt said. “ we’re always trying to win, and early in the year, it’s hard to tell how good everyone really is, with new players and all. u ltimately, the team that plays the golf course is the team that wins.”

The i rish are coming off a third place finish at the m ary Fossum i nvitational at Forest a kers west g olf c ourse in e ast l ansing, m ich. d espite the team’s solid finish, h olt said she still sees plenty of room for improvement.

“a s a team, we need to be more consistent,” h olt said. “ o ur scores are too spread out. we need to tighten up overall. we do have the talent and ability, we just need to execute.”

c onsistency will be key on the historic c herokee c ountry c lub, which was founded in 1907. a lthough the i rish have played in the c hampionship before, this will be the first year c herokee has hosted the invitational and the first time n otre d ame has ever competed on the course. s till, h olt is optimistic about how

W Soccer

remained scoreless.

The i rish made adjustments at halftime, however, and entered the second period more aggressive, taking more shots and generating better chances. b efore s cofield’s goal, notre d ame forced a nghel to make four saves in the second half alone.

“ we were a little better as the game went on,” waldrum said. “ i was pleased at how we moved forward on offense, and it was great to that goal and avoid overtime because anything can happen then.”

The i rish defense, meanwhile, kept the game even with a physical style that quickly shut down any s yracuse counterattack. w ith the shutout, freshman goalkeeper Kaela l ittle posted her fourth clean sheet of the season.

her team will fare.

“ i t’s supposed to be a very good golf course,” h olt said of c herokee. “ i t’ll be a new look for us, but i ’m sure it will have a lot of character, so i ’m looking forward to getting down there and seeing how our game matches up.”

s everal i rish golfers, including junior captain a shley a rmstrong, are off to hot starts and will be in the mix for the individual tournament title. a rmstrong finished tied for second in the individual competition at the m ary Fossum i nvitational.

“a shley was coming off an injury at m ichigan s tate,” h olt said. “ s he was relieved and excited that she could play, and she went out there and pounded it out. s he’s a grinder, and she has a complete game, which shows in that she was able to still be competitive.”

i n the squad’s search for consistency, players can look to a rmstrong for an example of steady play, h olt said.

“ o ur whole team can learn from [ a rmstrong] moving forward,” h olt said. “ w hat it comes down to is you just need to find a way to compete.”

a nother i rish golfer who has gotten off to a good start is junior Kelli o ride, who recorded top-15 finishes in both of n otre d ame’s tournaments this season.

“Kelli is off to a fantastic start,” h olt said. “ s he recommitted herself to her game this summer, and it’s really showed. i ’m happy for her that it’s paid off so far.”

The i rish begin play at the m ercedes- b enz c ollegiate c hampionship at c herokee c ountry c lub in Knoxville, Tenn., today at 10:10 a.m.

Contact Greg Hadley at ghadley@nd.edu

three acc games. c lean sheets are really important to us. o ur defense is the kind that you can build around.”

more importantly, s cofield said the i rish are gaining more and more confidence as they move onto the second part of a tough four-game homestand of conference opponents.

“The acc is a tough conference, so we need to make sure we get wins at home,” s cofield said. “ not every one is going to be pretty, but good teams need to put up results, and that’s what we did tonight.”

The i rish next play against no. 21 m aryland on Thursday at 7 p.m. at a lumni s tadium.

Contact Greg Hadley at ghadley@nd.edu

“i think our backline was pretty solid today,” s cofield said. “ we kept it tight back there and didn’t give the ball away easily.”

For waldrum, the defense’s performance was simply more of the usual in an outstanding start to the season.

“ we’ve been good all season defensively,” waldrum. “d efensively, i don’t worry about us too much. b ut i ’m proud of how we’re playing. That’s two shutouts in

well can we press the other team? how well can we transition? how good are our set pieces? These are the three main things we look at every game and a lot of different elements feed off of these three factors.”

against, boston college (2-2-1, 1-1-0), though, the irish seek nothing less than perfection, clark said.

“we have little yardsticks that we use to measure our performance,” he said. “you’re always shooting for perfection and i don’t think we have ever attained that goal, but, certainly, that’s our aim.”

The irish travel to newton, mass., on saturday to face boston college at 7 p.m. at the newton campus soccer Field.

Contact Aaron Sant-Miller at asantmil@nd.edu

paid a dverT isemen T

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Kevin Zegers, 29; alison sweeney, 37; Jimmy Fallon, 39; Trisha yearwood, 49.

Happy Birthday: get ready for change and challenges. utilize every skill and experience you have picked up along the way and prepare to expand your interests, explore new concepts and mix the old with the new in order to come up with what works best for you. love is on the rise, and greater commitment should be included in your personal plans. your numbers are 3, 11, 21, 26, 33, 37, 40.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Question what’s being offered if you are considering a contract, new position or any other matter that can influence your life personally or professionally. your astute and clear way of dealing with people will ensure you get what you want.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): do whatever needs to be done and keep moving. relying on others will lead to disappointment and frustration. a relationship with a friend or colleague will improve and lead to an interesting opportunity. love is in the stars.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): concentrate on what you can do to help others. Fixing up your residence will add to your entertainment and pleasure. a physical overhaul will make you feel good and help you present whatever you want to do with greater confidence.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): don’t procrastinate when there is so much to do. a change at work will improve your status and your personal life. network more and expand your friendships with people who work in your industry. romance will bring high rewards.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Find simple alternatives to fix any problem you face at home or with family. being secretive will help you avoid interference. Take note of the way people from different backgrounds handle similar situations. a change is in order.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): reconsider what you want to do before you jump in and make a mistake. planning each move methodically will help you reach a practical solution. someone you want to impress will admire your common sense. love is heading your way.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): size up your situation and concentrate on what will bring you the best return professionally. don’t rely on anyone to do your job. you’ll open up new opportunities by stepping into the limelight and handling whatever you face with finesse and confidence.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): relax and have some fun. nurturing important relationships will be just as necessary as completing your chores. romance and planning outings that will bring you closer to someone special will be well worth your time and effort.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Take care of domestic concerns. renovations or making a residential move will enrich your life and jumpstart your imagination and ideas for future successes. come up with alternative solutions to promote a cause or help someone you care about.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): an opportunity may arise that will be too good to walk away from. share your ideas and you will form a partnership that can enhance your life. mixing business with pleasure will pay off emotionally and financially.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): look over your money matters and consider what you can do to utilize your skills and talents to the fullest. don’t underestimate your ability or let anyone deter you from following your aspirations. it’s up to you to make change happen.

PISCES (Feb. 19- March 20): back away from anyone showing erratic tendencies. put your faith in your own ability and use your creative imagination when it comes to dealing with personal matters that can influence the way you look, feel and prosper in the future.

Birthday Baby: you are competitive and an opportunist. you stand out in a crowd.

name address city state Zip make checks payable to and mail to: The observer p o box 779 notre dame, in 46556 enclosed is $130 for one academic year enclosed is $75 for one semester

ND WomEN’S SoCCER | nd 1, syracuse 0

i rish beat orange on late goal

By GREG HADLEY

riter

s ports w

a fter 89 minutes of scoreless soccer Thursday night, no. 4 notre d ame seemed destined for overtime and a possible crushing defeat against s yracuse. Then, with just three seconds left in the game, junior defender s ammy s cofield’s header in the box snuck past the o range defense and gave the i rish a thrilling 1-0 victory.

w ith a minute to go, the i rish (7-1, 3-0-0 acc ) made one last desperate push to try and avoid extra time. w ith 30 seconds left, freshman midfielder morgan a ndrews drew a foul outside the box and sent the free kick on goal. The shot was punched out on the goal line by o range senior goalkeeper brittany a nghel, but sophomore defender brittany von r ueden won the resulting jump ball and headed it to s cofield for the game-winning assist.

“i was just nervous we weren’t going to get the kick off,” s cofield said. “morgan fed a great ball and britt flicked it to me, so it was really all b ritt on that one.”

w ith the win, the i rish remai undefeated in conference

mEN’S INTERhAll

Carroll-Fisher rivalry kicks off interhall season

By MANNY DE JESUS sports writer

Former n otre d ame fourstar running back recruit c ameron r oberson is set to take the field for Fisher’s rivalry game with c arroll to kick off the interhall season s unday.

a fter a series of knee injuries ended his collegiate career, r oberson was granted a medical hardship by the ncaa , which enables him to keep his scholarship without counting against the ncaa allowance.

g reen w ave junior captain m atthew n agy said the

team has emphasized the importance of basic techniques at practice.

“ we’ve been focusing on knowing the basic techniques like blocking and tackling,” n agy said. “ l ast practice, our offensive and defensive schemes were introduced.”

a s Fisher builds its team strategies, the g reen w ave captain said he hopes to win more than just this weekend’s rivalry game.

“ we made the playoffs as a wild card last year...but [this year] we’re aiming to win the division,” n agy said.

l ooking to avenge its

regular-season loss to Fisher last year, c arroll has concentrated on making sure the team’s offense, led by senior captain b obby d orman, is in midseason shape during practice.

“ we’ve been emphasizing the offense a lot,” senior captain m ike r ussell said. “ we’re making sure our quarterback is getting experience with all the receivers, and we’re making sure everything is working properly so that we can score some points.” r ussell said the vermin

i rish prepare for first acc match as top team

play and avoided a letdown after an impressive road trip that included their first victory in the acc and an upset of then-no. 1 north c arolina.

For most of the game, though, it looked as if the o range (4-5, 0-3-0) would force a tie at the least.

Throughout the first half, the i rish offense generated few opportunities, as the s yracuse defense bent, but did not break.

“[ s yracuse] would drop down deep to defend, and it just gave us so much time and space,” i rish coach r andy waldrum said. “That gave us control of the game and most of the possession, and they were willing to let us have it in our back third as long as we didn’t get behind them. s o in the first half, we didn’t put them under enough stress.”

The i rish’s best chance of the first half came in the 13th minute when junior forward l auren b ohaboy’s header off a corner kick got past a nghel but was cleared off the line by o range senior midfielder r achel blum. The i rish led in first half shots, 7-2, but s yracuse clamped down on defense, and the game

By AARON SANT-MILLER sports writer

after earning the top spot in the soccer america poll and toppling michigan, 3-0, on Tuesday, the no. 1 irish get back to work in the acc on saturday when they square off with conference rival boston college in newton, mass.

“i imagine it will be a tough game,” irish coach bobby clark said. “every acc game is going to be tight. every game on our schedule, acc or not, is going to be a tough match and we’re very aware of that.”

yet, the irish (3-0-2, 1-0-1 acc) must respond to the added pressure of a no. 1 ranking and an unbeaten record. The team started the season ranked no. 7 in the nation but has quickly climbed to the top of the polls in just five

games. according to clark, his squad does not think much of it.

“it’s something i’ve never really discussed with the team; the only ranking that’s of any consequence is the final ranking,” clark said. “rankings are really just something that the media concocts to give talking points, which is great. That being said, from the playing side or the coaching side of things, we only concern ourselves with how we play.”

clark said though they bested michigan, the irish still have plenty of room to improve.

“we saw a lot of things and there was a lot we could have done better,” clark said. “we have to work on connecting passes, we seemed a little heavy-footed in that game.”

notre dame’s game against

michigan was also the team’s first midweek match of the season.

“it was the first time our players had to deal with classes on a game day and they are quite busy on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” clark said. “i thought we looked a little heavy-footed for some reason, but we still had a lot of good chances. There were more positives, certainly, than negatives.” as the team looks toward saturday, the irish will remain introspective and focus on selfimprovement, building off the positives from the game against michigan, clark said.

“i think we always go in and try to play our own game. we know the things we want to be good at, and we judge ourselves on that standard,” clark said. “how